kaisou | March Event Log

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March Event Log

March Event
Dominant Element: Wind
Waning Element: Earth

Full Moon: March 8th - March 10th

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The seasons have finally begun to shift. As the Spirit Vein shifts to hues of green, the city experiences increasing warmth throughout the month. The snows of winter melt and from it the grass begins to turn green. Early buds on some of the trees and plants begin to sprout as the month progresses. Of course, being a wind month, it's not all nice weather. Strong gusts of wind will blow throughout the month, making any early spring picnic difficult. Enjoy the warmth, but be careful not to get swept away!

Top of the Season

At long last, spring is here. The citizens of Kaisou are more than thrilled that the winter has finally passed. Even though the temperatures are still on the cooler side, many people are acting like it may be summer from the way they are walking around in t-shirts amongst the melting snow drifts. People are finding just about any and all excuse to be outside, just to enjoy some fresh air and sunlight after being stuck inside all winter. Expect to see many stores offering outdoor seating, even though the strong winds keep knocking things over.

For the students, March is something of a reprieve month before the end of the year marathon kicks in. Spring break for all the schools will take place March 12th through the 18th, so everyone gets to enjoy a shared week off from their studies and homework. Those who still interested in involving themselves in school activities, they can begin practicing their auditions for the spring play at Kaisou High. Pride and Prejudice will be this years play, so you better work on your British accents! Meanwhile for art students its' time to start working on their piece for the spring art gallery, and those involved with sports might want to consider trying out for a spot on a spring sports team such as baseball or soccer.

But for the older crowds, there's no March in Kaisou without some good old St. Patrick Day celebrations. During the week of the holiday, bars throughout the town will serve green beers and have drinking specials. There'll be small parades throughout different neighborhoods with people sporting green, leprechaun hats, and clovers. Even the Undertown is getting into the spirit, with the vendors selling spells that turn anything green and hexes that will make someone dance an Irish jig for a minute.

The Rainbow Connection

Throughout the month, rainbows will appear sporadically throughout the town. Unlike the typical rainbows you see in the sky, these seem a lot closer too- sometimes arching between two buildings or sticking out of the state park's forest. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to why they're appearing weather wise, and we're several months away from Pride Month- so what could be going on? Should you ask the folks of Undertown or at the ENKI learning center, the answer they speculate could be none other than there must be leprechauns around. Why else would they be appearing this month of all months? And for those unfamiliar with the story of leprechauns, folks will more than eagerly tell you that at the end of leprechaun rainbows lie a pot of gold, if the legends are true.

Well, there's only one way to find out! A person determined enough can follow the rainbow to their end, whether it be on the top of a building or in the forest or behind a gay bar. At the end of each of these rainbows, will be a large cauldron where the rainbow and a golden light are emitting from. However, inside the cauldron is not a pot of gold but a few golden glowing salmon that are swimming around in the cauldron's golden water.

Well, it's may not be gold gold, but the salmon have their uses. Zodiac in particular will pay upwards to $1300 per salmon. You can also sell them to other folks in Undertown, albeit it for half the price, who will in turn cook them up and sell them in various food dishes for purchase. Of course, you can always cut out the middle man and cook and consume the salmon yourself. You could even keep them as a pet, if you have enough space for a salmon tank.

However, all these actions have consequences. Whether you eat the salmon (be it from your own cooking or eating it at an Undertown food vendor if you're not interested in chasing rainbows), or spend a great deal of time around them - you'll start gaining new memories of yourself in alternate universe, regardless of if you're an AU or an OU. These lives in alternate universes can take all sorts of strange and interesting forms: perhaps it glimpses of how your life would've been if a certain event hadn't happened, or it's a life where you grew up in a different setting, or maybe even a life as a rock with googly eyes. How many memories you get of this alternate life depends on how much salmon you consume or how much time you spend around them. [Mod Note: The only "alternate universe memories" that are off the table are memories for OUs that'd reveal plot points in their canons that are revealed past their stated canon point! Aka you still need to use the proper channels for a canon bump.]

Unwelcome Guests

During the weekend of March 4th, an unusual Zodiac message will appear on the Libra app.

ALERT: SPIRIT REALM BREACH IN BLUE FISH LAKE PARK.
Element Classification: Wind
Danger Level: Unknown
Designation: Spirit Realm Breach
Zodiac has detected an unusual number of presences from the Spirit Realm appearing in Blue Fish Lake Park. Early reports indicate that they may be part of the Fae, but contact has yet to be established. This is a highly unusual situation, so please approach with caution.

If you decide to head to the Zodiac office first, the overall atmosphere is tense. The Zodiac attendant are there, as well as the fuzzy Professor, but they certainly seem to be working with less resources than usual. The attendant apologizes that they couldn't send out any earlier agents to investigate the situation, citing that the higher ups cut their department's budget to devote to "other projects". The Professor chides in at this point with clear agitation, "Yeah because creatures invading from another world isn't a high priority apparently!!", before he takes a deep breath and tries to calm down.

Even with their shoestring budget, the attendant and the Professor will try to answer the best they can. The attendant explains that normally it's impossible this this number of Spirit Realm occupants to come into this side of the world unless there's a manmade tear- and no new ones have been detected. They have concerns it's a sign the Spirit Vein is leaking energy, but the higher ups won't approve the resources to perform tests that'd detect that. Meanwhile the Professor will chime in. It turns out the "early report" mentioned in the message was him going to Blue Fish Lake Park, getting a look at the fae, and then scurrying away before they could spot his small puppet body. While he insists that history is his specialty and not myths, he will concede he's read some things about the fae. Particularly that they are nasty tricksters with egos and temperaments that'd give high profile celebrities a run for their money. Do anything to make them angry, and they won't hesitate to curse you and ruin your life. However, the fae can never tell a lie, and if you get them to promise something- they can never break that promise. Also if any types of diplomacy fails, iron works great on them!

That intel in hand, it's time to head to Blue Lake Fish Park to meet the guests.

Arriving in Blue Fish Lake Park, you'll immediately tell that something is off. Despite the rest of the city's flora still being in the very early stages of spring, the plant life in this park looks much closer to the late spring. The grass is fully green, flowers are in full bloom a month early, and the trees have their foliage fully grown in. In fact, it's almost like new plants and trees have sprouted and grown in the last few days. And it's not just the plant life that's unusual. Amongst the normal visitors of the park (many of whom are normal people who notice nothing unusual is afoot) are the occasional fae, sticking out with their insectoid wings and other inhuman features. All of them on the outer edges of the park seem to be moving with purpose, either guarding or scouting. Should you approach any of these fae demanding answers, they will state that they in service of the original leaders of the Fae court. Seeming to recognize that you are no normal person, they will inform you that you should head into the forest to speak with the court themselves.

Stepping into the forest, you'll find a forest that's further along in being changed than the rest of the park. The trees have grown taller and been warped in ways the Fae find more appealing. The lush green canopy looks like it belongs in the depths of summer than March. And there are Fae everywhere, among the trees and the underbrush, watching you as you come in. Head deep enough into the forest, and you'll come across a make shift throne room out of trees and stone in the area- its under construction, if you will. All around the court are numerous fae guards, ready to attack at a moment's notice. The leader of the Fae, a Fae queen who act as arrogant and dismissive as ever, will react as if you're the one who has stepped into her land.

It'll take some coaxing and insistence to finally get an explanation to what's going on. Since the kidnapping attempt last March, a division has happened among the Fae court between the Seelie and the Unseelie Fae. This rift grew only deeper as time went on, until it turned violent. The Unseelie managed to get the upper hand through a surprise tactic, managed to drive the Seelie - the Fae here- out of the court. The Seelie Fae decided rather than attempt to take their court back, that they would take advantage of Kaisou's ever growing spirit energy and lay claim to a court here. The entire time, the Fae Queen does her best to paint the Seelie as the wronged party and perfectly innocent in every way - but despite her attempts, many will get the sense that the Seelie are nowhere near as blameless as she's painting them as. And as for her claim that the Seelie fae intend to live with the humans of Kaisou in peaceful coexistence and won't cause any trouble? Well...

The Seelie are Assholes

Yeah, so as time goes on, it becomes quickly apparent that the Fae Queen's claim of peaceful coexistence was, to put it, an exaggeration at best. These are still the same spiteful and vengeful Fae that kidnapped a bunch of app users last year, after all. Throughout the week, there are numerous attempts by various Fae to kidnap babies and children to bring them to their court to raise as their own, so have fun sorting out those incidents. By the end of the week, they've gotten it in their mind without any discussion that all of Blue Fish Lake park is their territory, and therefore everyone who steps into the park is subject to their rules. And what rules are these you may ask? Well honestly, there'd be too many to list, and they seem ever constantly changing. They all seem to boil down to not doing anything at all that'd annoy one of the Fae, especially if they hold status in the court.

Should one break one of these rules, a number of consequences can happen. They may decide to curse you in some fashion, either with a classic curse or start turning you into some monster. Thankfully, being on Earth renders their powers weaker, so many of these curses are either weaker or not as long lasting as they could've been if they were in the Spirit Realm properly. Alternatively, they could just decide to attack you or try to kill you. And if you really make them mad? They might decide to kidnap a loved ones of yours and bring them to the fae court to curse them instead. Great.

That said, for some endearing yourself to the Fae Court may come with some advantages, though it may also run the risk of them deciding to try to change you into a fae. But whether or not you avoid that fate, you can get something truly valuable. Namely: information. Should you get into their good graces (by them doing favors, offering them gifts, flattery, etc), they will provide what they know about the ongoing situation. Their ability to be in Kaisou? Is thanks to the unusual levels of spirit energy coming from Kaisou's Spirit Vein. The ruptures caused by Professor Willow (with a certain portal in August exacerbating the issue) has caused spirit energy to flow into the city unchecked, making the Spirit Energies rise to levels not normally possible on Earth. The new powers and monstrous forms that people have been exhibiting? Is due to the increased Spirit Energy levels. Normal human bodies don't typically do well to prolong exposure to the Spirit Realm. Some may have a higher tolerance than others, but it's still unhealthy in the long run. The Fae mitigate this problem by changing their ~~kidnapped victims~~ honored guests into Fae with their magics. Most likely, they speculate, the increasing Spirit Energy is attempting to do the same in its own way, as a way to prepare for...

Prepare for what? The Fae at this point become more evasive, not wanting to give a direct answer. If you push them enough without angering them, they will ask "Did they ever find Roanoke?" as a rhetorical question, before dropping the subject altogether. While this may lead to more questions than answers, it wouldn't be a bad idea for someone to inform everyone else of what you learned.

Tír na nóg

So yeah, it's safe to say that letting the Seelie Fae stay is not going to work out, right?

While Zodiac itself continues to be preoccupied with other matters, after the third Fae mistook him for a human baby and attempted to kidnap him, the Fuzzy Professor is thoroughly done with their new guests. He sends his own message on the Libra app, proposing a plan. He's done some research and found that per the rules of the Fae, should the leader of the original Fae court (the one in realm of Tír na nóg) announce that it's time for a Gathering - all the Fae associated with that court are required to return to the Court to attend the Gathering. So if they travel to the Spirit Realm these guys came from and convince the current Unseelie Ruler to announce a gathering - the Seelie Fae will return to that realm and once they're all gone, they can seal any gates so the Seelie can't come back in the city. If asked if the Unseelie ruler is unwilling to cooperate with this plan, but Professor gives an ambivalent "well then uh...overthrow them, I guess? Look, I just want these guys gone okay! I'm sick of getting kidnapped!"

You know what? Fair enough.

Per the Professor's instructions, while the main gate the Seelie Fae used is heavily guarded, they can reactivate the old gate from last year that's hidden away in Brick Alley. Sure enough when they arrive in Brick Alley, there's no obvious standing tall gate. Instead, they will have to search around until they find a circle of mushrooms that have popped up on a patch of grass. If you can't find it, the blue little puppet who is standing nearby will be a good clue. He wave you over and gives anyone who cones by a piece of Ariandhe's Yarn, so they can teleport out of that realm immediately once their job is done. The mushrooms that make up the fairy circle are impervious to harm, and you'll have to stand in the center of them if you want to enter the realm. It'll take a moment or two to activate, leaving you feel a little awkward as normal people pass by and stare at you standing in a circle of mushrooms, but hold fast, because soon you'll find yourself warped into another realm.

Some older app users may recall their previous visit to this realm as stepping into a beautiful fairy tale realm. Certainly, many of the old familiar features are there: the rocky cliffs, the meadows, the Fae castle in the distance. But past those familiar sights, there's been a lot of changes. It's colder in this realm, with everything having the look of late autumn and early winter. It's darker as well, with the daylight hours being no brighter than twilight, and the nights lasting much longer than normal. The forest has become overgrown, wilder and more twisted. This place looks less like a fairytale and more like the setting for a halloween story. Seems this is what happens when it's only the Unseelie controlling the land.

Your goal is to once again reach the castle. However, the journey is much more perilous than before. The path that was once a straight shot to the castle now has become more winding. It now crosses through bogs full of Will-o'-the-wisps which attempt to lead you off the path and into the bog...which is still full of undead skeletons who are more than happy to try to drag you under. And these are hardly the worst dangers, as unlucky travelers may happen upon a banshee whose screams may paralyze anyone. Going near any body of water runs the risk of happening upon the Kelpie's more violent cousin, the Each Uisge.

Also remember the Dulahan and the large, fire breathing, dragon from last year? Yeah, they are no longer restricted to their little spots and are roaming free, able to attack and breath fire on any poor soul they happen upon. The trip is a long one, possibly taking a few days (though luckily, barely any time will pass in Kaisou itself). So go prepared and...have fun!

The Unseelie Court

After a long and dangerous journey, they finally reach the castle. Just like the rest of the realm, its been twisted and turned darker to represent the Unseelie's particular aesthetic. And if you think that the danger was over now that you reached the castle, oh, you're quite mistaken. These Fae, either because they know your intent or they simply do not like intruders, will likely attack on sight unless you're extremely good at talking your way out. Either this will do this with direct assaults or through trickery, conjuring illusions that reflect your own personal nightmares in order to break you.

Struggle through the winding halls of the castle best you can until you reach the throne room of the court. There stands the Unseelie King. You can go about this a few ways, either attempt to persuade him to initiate a Gathering, though he will protest quite a bit - and has every bit of arrogance that the Seelie Queen showed. Should persuasion tactics not work, it's a matter of fighting. Either kill or incapacitate him, all you need to do is take his crown that sits upon his head. Though be careful, he's not the king for no reason. He'll be a tough opponent, with both fighting prowess and magical skill alike.

If you fight him and obtain the crown, all you need to do is put it atop your head and declare that it's time for The Gathering. A bell ringing sound will ring out throughout the realm, alerting all the Fae. The task done, it's best to make your hurried escape before the Fae have caught onto your deception or you get sealed in with them. Use the yarn that the Professor gave you, or find another way out and head for home.

Aftermath

When you return to Kaisou, you'll find the Seelie Fae are quickly making their exit back into the realm they came from, having been summoned for the gathering. As soon as the last one steps in, the members of the Black Order can use a sealing spell granted by the higher ups in order to seal the gate. With the Fae gone, Blue Lake Park will slowly turn back to how it looked before. Some of the temporary curses will fade. Unfortunately, not much can be done to cure the more permanent curses. And for many, the information that the Seelie Fae provided may still trouble you. Just what is going to happen to this town? Is there a way to fix it before it's too late? Why is Zodiac suddenly so disinterested? Only time will tell, it seems.

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is Wind! Anyone with an affinity to the wind element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for Earth will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.

For the month of March, courtesy of the Fae, characters can obtain up to 3 monster transformation purchases for free. This does not count for your usual monthly limit, so you can also pay for 2-3 more if you wish! And for this month only, characters can regain monster features for up to two monster types (for example your character could gain monster feature from a unicorn AND an avian if they wish to be an alicorn). The IC justification for this is that it's Fae magic. After this month, the monster transformations will go back to their regularly scheduled limitations.

The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here. Another Zodiac Post will be going up March 15th to serve as an intro post for new characters and allow characters to react to developments over the network.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

a. spring break / rainbow connection

[ Spring Break is sorely welcome. It's been a rough few months for Alberto, losing several of his closest friends back-to-back... Christmas Break was great but for the snow. Now he can go outside safely without worrying about getting wet and exposed as a sea monster and potentially captured/murdered/experimented on/etc... Y'know, his usual concerns. Now that it's warming up outside and he's got time off school, he's eager to get out and about again, so Alberto's back on his beat, thoroughly exploring the city on his own like he loves to do. All the rainbows are irresistible, then, of course. Why wouldn't he follow them, uhm? He asked around and heard rumors about the leprechauns and the gold at the end of the rainbow, and while he's maybe a little curious about the leprechauns (hey, fellow not-human people!), he's definitely more interested in the gold... So no matter where the rainbow leads, he's following. He's tracked this particular one for quite a few blocks, and is frustrated to find that it seems to end on the top floor of a building. But he thinks he sees a way up via a fire escape, but he can't quite reach the ladder to pull it down. Find this feral child climbing on top of a dumpster and leaping in the air frantically, trying to grab the bottom rung of the fire escape ladder. But he's a good foot or so short... If someone approaches him (cuz, uh, kid, what are you doing?), he'll hastily ask for assistance. ]

Hey! You. Help me out, will ya? Gimme a boost.

[ Nevermind that this is an apartment building that Alberto does not live in. Just trying to climb up onto some stranger's fire escape. Don't mind him. Ahem. ]

b. unwelcome guests

[ Two words: Huge. Letdown. Alberto's experience with the Fae last year had been largely positive, if not a little delusional, having endeared himself to them right away with endless compliments and favors... but that didn't pay off this time. If anything, it was to his disadvantage. The Fae were keen to kidnap both Alberto and Luca, whom they'd already heard a lot about last year from Alberto and his big mouth... along with their full names and life stories and anything else the Fae had asked about. Alberto was glad for their attention, total open book. And now, fast forward a year, Alberto's indiscretion has landed both Alberto and Luca in hot water. Imagine that... At first, he was excited to be reunited with the Fae, even found the idea of them "coming to visit" Kaisou rather charming... until it wasn't.

He's found himself under much stricter "care" than he'd been under last year. Last year he had fun chatting the Fae up over fancy feasts and essentially playing house, helping them in the castle voluntarily. This year, things are more down to brass tacks. They're much more directive now, trying to raise him up as their own, much stricter, and more intent on teaching him rules — and lessons. He's over a week into this and the fun is now starting to wear off. So far, no curses, but that could change at any moment... And he's well aware of it. It's a tightrope, following the Fae's rules and trying not to impugn their sensibilities. It's been a struggle. The kid can't even keep out of detention in a human public school. It's only a matter of time until he earns himself a curse...

Alberto makes himself useful around the forest camp, still does whatever the Fae tell him to do (usually fairy shit-work that they don't wanna do — that's, like, his favorite thing to do, if they recall correctly, right?) and tries to bite his tongue as best he can. He's well familiar with how to handle capricious but strict "parents" with ever-changing rules — his old tactics with his dad had usually worked out fine for him: don't ask questions, just do what you're told, and then do whatever the shell you want when they're not looking. But as time goes on trapped in the fairy colony, his sour attitude can't always be swallowed. He's seen pouting as one of the Fae puts him to task, and cheerily tells him to 'buck up, buddy.' Alberto can tell it's not a cheery boost — it's a warning. So he stands up straight, forcing a grin in response, but as the fairy floats away, Alberto locks eyes with whatever non-Fae person is nearest, and lets his face fall into a sneer behind the fairy's back. ]

Well, you heard 'im — let's buck up, buddy... Whatever that means.

[ He rolls his eyes and waves whoever it is he's speaking to along to walk with him. He's growing bitter now, resenting being told what to do, and doesn't want the company of fairies. He was a lot more appreciative of being kidnapped last year. Granted, last year he got kidnapped to a fancy magical castle. This year he's living in the park... Alberto's lived outside before, and he has to say, he prefers living inside. ]

c. the seelie are assholes (and so is the goose)

[ He's taken to hanging round the lake in the park, often dipping in for a swim, because it gives him a sense of distance from all this. He doesn't care if anyone sees him transform, all things considered... He's too annoyed to be cautious, anyway. ...Which also lands him in much hotter water, when he's surprised by another unfortunate reunion: the goose. You all know the one. Fae or not, that goose still lives in this park, and continues to live its best goose life, making everyone else's lives worse for it. You ever seen an angry goose chasing a purple fish-boy at top speed? Now you have. At least Alberto has the good sense to just run this time, rather than punch it like he did before; but still holding a grudge after Alberto aggressively tried to shoo it off at first, the goose doesn't seem to want to let up the chase. Alberto also smells a lot more like fish this time, to be fair. Alberto's too busy trying to keep the goose from biting his tail to notice all the Fae on the sidelines watching these shenanigans disapprovingly... This goose is gonna be the final straw to get him cursed, isn't it. Perhaps some kind, brave soul might like to intervene? Or maybe snap a picture with their phone, because... wow, what a sight. ]

(Isabela has been feeling rather down following Luisa’s disappearance and she doesn’t feel like celebrating Spring right about now. She knows that she has plenty of work to do at the flower shop, which she doesn’t mind, but she just wishes that the city would stop taking away more loved ones from her in this city.

While she is walking around near the building she could see a rainbow leading up to the rooftop. Strange she never sees rainbows taking one to building before but she is intrigued. Hence why she runs on it to find Alberto trying to reach the bottom rung of the fire escape ladder while jumping up and down from a trash dumpster.)

Hola Alberto! You said you’re looking for some help, right? I can try to get that ladder down for you in no time. With or without the use of vines?

[ Alberto turns round excitedly, at fuller attention now to who exactly he's talking to. ]

Ehi~! Bela~! Sì, sì, dai — work your vine-y magic...!

[ Alberto steps out of the way slightly, still standing on top of the dumpster, the lid of which rumbles beneath him unstably. The things this kid gets up to in his spare time, man... ]

Alright then. Let me get them growing fast for the ladders. This should be easy enough to do.

(Isabela begins to grow vines that could be strong enough to bring down the bottom rung close enough for Alberto to climb onto. The vines do their work as they work their way in: slowly maneuvering the ladder to near the dumpster.

Eventually she is able to get the vines to bring down the emergency ladder down to reach the dumpster lid which would allow him and possibly even her to get to the top of the building.)

[ Alberto claps in applause for her, whooping and cheering her on as the ladder lowers at last. Maybe a little exaggerated fanfare, but he's always eager to gas Isabela up... her powers are so cool, man... He stands triumphantly on top of the dumpster with his legs splayed, chest puffed out, hands on his hips, looking down at her with a wide, smug smirk. ]

Brava, cara~! You wanna come? I'm following that rainbow. I heard there's s'posed to be gold at the end — I think it's up there!

[ He turns and points all the way up top, where indeed, the rainbow seems to be ending, if she looks way skywards enough to notice the rainbow arcing over the building tops... Alberto really followed this a long way, didn't he. Oof. ]

Um yeah, I would love to go and find what is waiting at the end of it; it does seem to look like fun to follow the rainbow. Never done it before but I would love to give it a try.

(Sign her up. She is very intrigued to find what lies beyond the rainbow and if there is any treasures the two of them could find. Granted she didn’t do this much research into rainbow legends before this but it is mainly due to work and stress she has been dealing with recently.)

[ Alberto grins at her mischievously, impressed that Isabela's willing to get up to no good with him. He claps his hands together and rubs his palms against each other in anticipation, before he starts ascending the ladder her vines had pulled down, waving Isabela along over his shoulder. Yeah, gurl — climb up on top of this dumpster with him. NBD. ]

Well, what're we waiting for, then~? Let's go get rich, ha!

[Katsuki, despite posting anonymously about fighting the goose last year, has not in fact encountered the goose. Until today. He's just watching at first as the goose chases Alberto. Not because he doesn't want to help. He absolutely plans to try to assist. He's just too busy doubled over laughing right now because the sight of Alberto running from this goose is just too funny.]

I see you made a friend! Really got a way with birds, don't you?

Edited 2023-04-03 18:20 (UTC)

[ Katsuki laughing and calling to him catches Alberto's attention, and he stops in his tracks once he's nearby enough to notice him, turning to throw him a wild look. ]

Uh, hi, help?!

[ Because, yeah, at that moment, that little blip of a moment he stopped to react to Katsuki cost him a lot of distance, and the goose gains on him. It starts hissing and flapping its wings, trying to beat him as it comes nearer. Alberto takes off again, though this time he's now running directly toward Katsuki. If you're gonna get involved, you're gonna get involved... This is not a spectator's sport. ]

[Katsuki stops laughing when he realizes Alberto heading his way. Instead his expression twists into a look of surprise and confusion.

Uh.

Why is Alberto coming his way?]

Oy! The fuck are you doing??

[Is today the day he has his fated battle with the immortal goose???

He thinks he is prepared. He is not.]

[ Alberto picks up speed when he feels the goose reach out its neck and peck at his tail. He just got goosed by a goose... He calls back to Katsuki frantically, glancing over his shoulder at the goose hurriedly. ]

I'm running away, what's it look like I'm doing?! Ahhh—!! ...Ahh!

[ He screams worriedly, and it'd be almost comical, if he weren't running right toward Katsuki. But then: Alberto screams again, and stops short, suddenly frozen and unsure what to do, staring above Katsuki with a look of terror on his face. Why—?

From above, on wing, a second goose descends...

Why Alberto never considered geese could fly, he's not sure. But this development brings them to a whole new level of horror. ]

Edited 2023-05-02 00:18 (UTC)

[Katsuki can see Alberto isn't looking at him and he turns to look. This is the point where this entire experience ceases being hilarious. Because he now has a giant, hissing bird descending upon him while the other is catching up on Alberto.

They are now caught between angry geese and the whole situation is so bizarre that Katsuki just stands there as the goose barrels into him. Sending him crashing into Alberto.

Yeah. Not funny anymore. He curses as he topples, goose flapping it's wings, honking and biting as he flounders to escape it's attack.

This man has fought demons and dinosaurs and a bird is kicking his ass.]

Alberto! Over here! There's some low hanging branches on some of the trees over here, maybe you can climb away from the goose!

[It's worth a shot, right?]

[ Alberto's always happy to see Luca, but... especially now. So much for their truce with the goose. And to think, they gave it their ~~likely expired~~ raw chicken out of the kindness of their hearts...! Maybe geese can't remember that far back.

Or maybe it's a different goose. Because as soon as Alberto starts bolting toward Luca at the thicket of trees, the goose in hot pursuit, another goose appears. It descends from above, flying in to the rescue when it sees its buddy harassing someone. Back-up, bro. It cuts Alberto off, landing in front of him, and immediately starts batting its wings aggressively. It has no idea what's going on, but it's in on the action now, let's go, fam. With the geese now duplicating, Alberto screams, veers right to dodge the new bird, and kicks it into high gear; he thought he was running at top-speed before, but apparently not. Luca knows better than anyone Alberto's pretty fast, even on land, but... he can't fly. The new goose picks up the chase on wing. It's a new level of terror. He's not sure why it never occurred to him that geese can properly fly, but... he's well aware now. ]

[Of course, he doesn't remember that goose actually eating the chicken. Maybe they don't like expired chicken. Either way, it doesn't matter, because apparently there are two geese now, and one was flying. Why didn't Luca think about the fact that they can fly? Probably because they're so big they don't look like they should be able to take off in the air like that, because that's just too much power for such a vicious bird.]

Um...no...uh...climbing won't work, let's get into the water!

[Sure, Alberto was there not long ago, but maybe they can go too deep for the geese and just...wait them out.]

[ Alberto takes Luca's advice right away, now veering a sharp left back towards the lake. The geese are both still in pursuit, the one on wing gaining on Alberto now. He looks over his shoulder to see that, and screams again, almost comically, and keeps screaming til he gets to the water's edge. He turns around again to check on Luca, only to find that the other goose has now turned its sights on Luca, and starts chasing Luca toward the water on foot, hissing aggressively over and over. Alberto calls out frantically, waving his arms at Luca. ]

Hurry, Luca! He's right behind you! C'mo— ack! Eeeehhh...!

[ Alberto's goose meets him at the water, descending to float on the surface and continue this attack while swimming. It startles Alberto even more, who screams again; he wades deeper in, but doesn't want to dive down without Luca. So while Luca flees to join him in the lake, Alberto stalls, but still has to... protect himself...? Now that he and the goose are at such a close distance, the chase is over, and the fight is on. All he's studied with Katsuki is close-distance hand-to-hand combat, but he's learned his lesson from last time, even though deep down he thinks he could win now... But showing a shred of maturity and wisdom, he decides not to punch the goose. Instead, he just starts wildly splashing water at it. Which does nothing but piss it off more, of course. Meantime, several fae are now standing around watching them, as their commotion just grabs more and more attention from other park-goers. Certainly not good behavior by fairy etiquette... or human etiquette... or probably sea monster etiquette, too. Either way: Not leaving a good impression on their kidnappers in this moment. ]

[Luca, meanwhile, is now running away from the goose chasing him, shrieking loudly as he goes, before diving into the water. In case Alberto ever gets curious enough to ask, Luca would be able to confirm that no, this would not be considered good sea monster etiquette either. Good sea monster etiquette heavily emphasizes the importance of not drawing the attention of humans, which they are currently both doing.

After Luca dives into the water, he soon surfaces, now fully transformed into his sea folk form, and shouts,]

Alberto! Dive down! Swim away!

[He then dives back under, hoping Alberto will follow.]

[ Alberto's still splashing at the goose, holding the same note in his scream all the while. It beats its wings angrily and tries to advance on him, but he doesn't let up the splashing until he sees Luca is safely in the water. Luca's goose also swims out behind him, setting its sights back on Alberto again to tag-team him, but as soon as Luca resurfaces and calls back to Alberto, he's out of there...! He's quick to dive down, giving a strong flick of his tail to hit the goose he'd been splashing with the tip. The other goose sticks its head under water to watch after them a second — which is still somehow terrifying — but thankfully, they've reached the limits of the geese's capabilities. They seem to be in the clear.

Alberto swims down to meet Luca quickly, his face wrought with worry and— outrage? Like— now that they're safe, um, the gall of those geese...?! His voice is pointed and thick with sincere snideness when he reaches Luca's depths. ]

Luca, I— Hate— Gooses.

Yeah.

[Luca agrees, nodding solemnly.]

I hate them, too. They're definitely the most evil birds.

[He looks up.]

I guess we just wait them out?

Wait them out? Luca, they live here — a-and basically we live here, too! Ugh!

[ The geese will still be there when they get out — and if not, they'll be back tomorrow. The boys are trapped in this park with them no matter what, thanks to the fae. He drags his hands down his face exasperatedly.

It's nice to be in the water, at least, but now that they have a moment 'in private,' and he's so rattled by the geese, he drops some of that bravado and cool facade he puts on. He's been having more and more honest moments like that over the past few months — it's a good thing, ultimately, but under the circumstances... frustrating... ]

I wanna go home! This park is stupid and the fairies are stupid and those gooses are stupid!

[ He cannot stress that last point enough. ~~Fuck them birds.~~ ]

[Luca sighs. Alberto is right. Even if they manage to slip away from the geese, it'll just be an 'until next time' rather than an actual escape.]

I want to go home, too. I'm tired of running away from gooses. I want to lay in our pillow nest and watch Cosmos and to not have to worry about any of this.

[ Alberto sinks deeper into the water, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest as he descends slowly, a scowl settling on his face. ]

Right. I'm tired of all of this. I'm tired of running away from gooses, and living outside again, and always watching what I say around the fairies~! And I'm sick of being babysat and treated like a little kid! It wasn't like this last time. Last time the Fae just asked me lots of questions, and listened to my stories, and laughed at my jokes, and fed me fancy food! Where's all the fancy food?!

[ As Alberto gets more heated and works himself up, he gestures emphatically as usual. He's blowing off some steam now that they're under water and out of the Fae's range of hearing, he assumes — he hopes. His track record with being discreet is not... great... But for now, it seems they're alone, and it's nice to be away from everyone in the park, just the two of them, finally able to speak freely. But the goosefight just really steamed his beans, every single one, so now he's popping off. Better than— bottling it up all alone, at least...? P-Progress, maybe? ]

Yeah, they're not doing any of that this time! We should escape.

[Does he have an actual plan to do this? No, but he definitely thinks escaping is something that needs to happen.]

We should escape.

[ Alberto mimics him decisively, giving a single sharp nod. But... he doesn't have a plan, either, as much as he agrees escaping is definitely something that needs to happen. The fae keep the park well guarded by this point, with so many Seelies having made their way over by now, and more and more fellow kidnapees have been kept here. Alberto has already been warned about curses, should he misbehave, but it's been a vague and cryptic shady side comment, more than an actual threat. He's not sure how seriously to take it. But, uh— m-maybe seriously? He saw people get turned into animals at the castle last year. Oof. Does not want that to be part of the plan...! Very much not the end goal here. His brow knots in contemplation, worriedly trying to pinpoint what their options are, here. ]

...What iiiif weeee— just run away? Would they kidnap us again?

[ They've gotta weigh considerations like that out, don't they? ]

Maybe. I don't know. But we have to try something, right?

[Because while he knows there is risk in trying to escape, Luca doesn't want to be stuck here forever.]

March Event Log

Alberto Scorfano | Pixar's Luca | ota

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The seelie are assholes (and so is the goose) ((and so is Katsuki, sometimes))

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hope this works!

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