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Post by Kat on Jun 8, 2020 8:59:27 GMT -5
“And yet, in these strange lines, we’ve gifted something cool.
Raise your spirits, keep your head, step out from our old pool.""This desert is NOT cool!" Cassidy exclaimed, shoving the sun hat back onto her head and seething underneath it. She only belatedly realized that she was grumbling at her own reflection. "Also, are you even sure you're me? You seem to be enjoying this blazing sandy furnace." She continued to give the pool the evil eye until she saw Evi splash his face with the water from it. Okay, so despite the talking reflections, the water was probably safe. Probably. So she finally crouched down, dipping her hands into the water and splashing some of it on her face and forehead and arms. Too bad this wasn't exactly the best time to jump into the pool, so she refrained from doing so. When she was done, she pondered what their flamingo companion said, although at first she remained silent as she was still keeping her temper under control. It was as if her mood was being heated up by the desert air and sun. “For neither tends to burgeon just quite as they’re designed.
Our Sheer Shears bear innately some of their own effects.”"Hey!" And that was the sound of a very shocked healer with a strange pair of garden shears - light, sleek, weighing nothing at all like normal garden shears. “But wait, what are we supposed to do with these--” But this time, there was no answer from their reflections in the water. Cassidy sighed as they made their way back, but the drop in temperature, which made her gingerly try to put her jacket back on, allowed her to return to her normally calm and cheerful self. The lichen and the moss gave them a message - everything talked to them, everything was sending them messages, this was no longer surprising, like the snow that began to greet them and made Cassidy draw her jacket around her more tightly. Luckily, the sun hat provided some heat for her head. Princess Sunshine was not faring very well in this change of weather, though. "Walk close to me," Cassidy offered the girl. "Body heat and all that. If you get any colder, I'll give you my jacket." Then she looked at the flamingo scraping snow off his legs. Without another word, she reached out and brushed as much of it off him as she could. As they plodded onward, she reached out to pick one of the stray flowers and looked up at the snow-topped trees. The landscape had become mildly distracting enough for the healer to nearly walk right into the wall of plants, and she was the one who has screamed about another dead end. Everything had been going so well - or rather, better than when they were in the extreme heat. Somewhat better. "Okay, does this mean a puzzle in the plants?" She poked a stray leaf cautiously and she began focusing on all the greenery. "Or do we have to somehow get them all off? Ooh, I could use some of these...I haven't seen this type of kudzu in my life..." Then she paused. "Jess, let me try pulling Taffy out of your hat this time while I figure out if there's anything to figure out from these plants." The Blue Team and their good flamingo ( June Scarlet PFA RielCZ Fraze Lizica) walk from the desert to the snowy path. Cassidy complains about the desert heat, suddenly gains a pair of sheer shears, and tags along with everyone down the colder path. She offers to help Princess Sunshine warm up, lends a cold flamingo a hand, examines the winter plants surrounding them and festooning their dead end like the healer nerd she is, and offers to try pulling a Guinea Pig out of Jess' hat.
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Post by June Scarlet on Jun 8, 2020 20:35:03 GMT -5
As Team Blue continued walking, the desert heat gave way to cold and snow. It was a strange greenhouse to be sure, with many climates. Jess put on her jacket once again, while Taffy buried herself in the satchel Jess carried. They reached what appeared to be another dead end, but the flamingo said the door was right here. A hidden door. "Another hidden door?" questioned Jess. "At least we have some experience with these now." Jess began searching for a secret catch or something to let them through. It was pretty cold here; it would be nice to get inside the center and finally meet the lady of the house. Cass asked if she could try pulling Taffy out of the Top Hat. "Sure!" said Jess. Jess took the top hat off of its perch on the sun hat, pulled a chilly Guinea Pig out of her satchel, and placed Taffy inside. Peering inside, there was no Guinea Pig to be found. Jess handed the top hat over to Cassidy. The fancy hat betrayed no sign of a Guinea Pig hidden inside, not even by weight. "Let's see if you can get Taffy out." It's cold, but Team Blue has reached the hidden doorway! Cass offers to pull Taffy out, so Jess hands over the top hat. (Remember, if your character has any magic, they should be able to pull out Taffy.) Kat PFA RielCZ Fraze |
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Post by PFA on Jun 8, 2020 23:29:48 GMT -5
Apparently Cassidy noticed that she was shivering. "Walk close to me," she offered. "Body heat and all that. If you get any colder, I'll give you my jacket.""Thanks." Princess Sunshine smiled, moving closer to the healer. "I think I'm okay without the jacket for now, though." Thankfully, it wasn't much longer before the flamingo announced that they had made it to the center of the greenhouse. What stood before them looked like a solid wall of plants, but the flamingo insisted that there was a door hidden somewhere in here. Princess Sunshine grinned. A hidden door? This was her chance to prove herself."Don't worry! Revealing hidden things is my specialty!" she exclaimed, waving her wand in the air. " Illumination Ray!" Just as the beam of light shot out from her wand, there was a bright flash of lightning, followed by a clap of thunder loud enough to startle a shriek out of the girl. She stood silent for a moment, staring into the sky as if waiting to see if any more lightning was coming. "...I think that did something?" she said. Princess Sunshine is grateful to Cassidy's ( Kat) help in keeping her warm, though she claims that she'll be okay without the jacket for now. When they reach the hidden door, Princess Sunshine decides to try Illumination Ray again. At the exact same time, the lightning hits, startling her. Maybe it did something? ( June Scarlet, Fraze, RielCZ, Lizica, Pixie) |
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Post by Gelquie on Jun 9, 2020 4:02:05 GMT -5
Era gratefully accepted the cloud tea, though they refused offers of other food for the time being. As soon as Hoo-long alighted their shoulders, though, the change felt drastic. They knew they felt off and were getting worse, but it wasn’t until the magic started affecting them that they noticed just how much they were overcompensating. They were usually able to pass by that way, but it wasn’t until they got help like this just how much it was taking out of them. “Aww, thanks Hoo-long,” Era said. “And thank you, Aggie, this helps a lot! It was getting really bad. Maybe one day I can actually get it looked at, but for now, this is great! Now we can really get on the trail! Tell me about that snowball fight, that sounds like a lot of fun! Oh, and those plants, we met some plants speaking in a weird language too! I’m pretty sure they were poking fun but they were very helpful, really!” Era bundled up in a parka shared with Rose. It was nice to be near them; they were particularly warm, and in addition to Hoo-long’s magic, Era felt inclined to lean against them a bit, and relied more on their sense of balance; it felt safe to do so. They talked with Aggie, with her sharing her adventures and Era rambling again about everything that happened, providing detail when needed. It soon turned into a group conversation, and for a moment Era was able to get lost in it. But eventually they came across some kudzu that Mr. Snuggles was very annoyed at, and it turned out… “Oh yes!!” Era cheered, setting down their empty teacup. “At last! We can ask questions and use the bathroom and maybe even get a good look at that weather phenomen--!” The lightning flashed, along with a prism of colors, and Era’s squeals of joy was deafened by the thunderous boom. “It’s here, it’s here!! Oh, it really snuck up on us!! I gotta see this!! Oh, and we should get through the door too, I don’t think we should be caught in this and that looks safe as any, and this’ll probably be bad for us really, can you look at that, I’ll help in a bit, but first!!” They scrambled for their phone, trying their best not to bump Hoo-long or Rose, though they failed at some point, almost dropping their phone. They took a moment to recompose themself and then frantically started taking pictures of the storm, while occasionally pointing and looking to others (usually Rose) to see if they thought it was as cool as Era thought. ”Agh, I need my real camera!” Era complained at one point, but otherwise kept taking pictures. Era is relieved at the help from Aggie and Hoo-long ( Celestial) and from Rose ( Liou) (permission and a detail was given elsewhere). They chatter on when they reach the place. Era is excited, and then… even more excited when a storm rolls in! Forget the quest, or let the others start it off, for now, weather!! |
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Post by Rabbit ♠ on Jun 10, 2020 0:05:48 GMT -5
((Evi bits written by RielCZ )) It had been a long day. From raining eggs to talking plants to a cat guide, Rachel had seen more today than she had in the past… week, admittedly. At least living in Uffnewt kind of desensitized Rachel to some of the weirdness. Oh, the things she’d do for a good weather story. Getting through the maze that was this house was a task. Puzzles and dead ends abound. At least she, Aggie, and Rose worked together with puzzles. Besides Purr-eh’s distaste for Mr. Snuggles, the party got along well. They even met up with one of the other groups traversing this maze. At least Evi wasn’t with us and these “horrid” black cats, Rachel joked to herself. Rachel herself wasn’t superstitious - she was actually fond of black cats - but she was well aware that Evi was. Speaking of Evi... At long last, the three teams met up. And there he was! She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Evi, dear!” She gave him a quick kiss. He hugged her back, but blushed. He was such a softie, but so indifferent to PDA. "It's, er, good to see you too sweetie." And so, Rabbit breaks her long silence.Rachel just needs a nap at this point, honestly. After going through the maze with the Green Team, she finally reunites with Evi ( RielCZ ). |
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Post by Pixie on Jun 10, 2020 0:35:24 GMT -5
Once he had resigned himself to the quiet company of the three teleporting lizards, Ray Nextpected was able to actually relax a little, at first. His armchair was comfy, his coffee was fresh, the lizards became a gentle weight, and there was no strange weather to bother him indoors. A deep rumble slowly trickled in, bubbling up as if from beneath the floorboards until it shook and echoed throughout his house. And at first that was fine. It was fine. Storms came through all the time these days now. It was probably going to be a hailstorm of harmless pencil erasers, or something. It was of no concern to Ray. Then came another trembling, powerful crack of thunder. This one caught him off-guard, and he wound up spilling some coffee onto his storm radar paisley tie as his house shook. Ray heard something in the kitchen rattle off the counter and smash against the floor--and finally he forced himself up from his coffee and armchair, and careful not to lose any lizards, hurried to the window. Weatherman habits died hard, and squinting out the window wasn’t enough to gauge what kind of storm this was. He pulled the window open, and just as fantastic, multi-colored lightning streaked across the sky, Ray shoved his head outside into the blustering wind-- And his blood froze. Ray had been so driven up the wall by his inability to predict this current rash of weather phenomena that he had furiously stormed out of his weatherman job without a second thought. But now he feared that perhaps, he had gotten one prediction altogether too right. Having delicately relocated all the lizards onto a single arm, he sprinted into his bathroom. He turned on all the lights to compensate for the lack of a proper heat lamp. Then, he placed the lizards one-by-one into the bathtub. They would probably find a way to escape and crawl all over everything, but it was safer than leaving them on the armchair. He shut the door to the bathroom, then ran out. He rushed from his house without even grabbing an umbrella, with the wind screaming in his ears. Only a few seconds after he made it to the street, there were three lizards clinging to his head. He groaned, but only for a moment. He pressed onwards through the strange and terrible weather, crowned by his three scaly companions. They were as determined as he now felt. Ray threw open the door to the Uffnewt Weather Station, gasping for breath. “I’m back!” he shouted. “Get me on the air!” Ray Nextpected leaves his armchair, and attempts (and fails) to leave his lizards behind, as the current weather galvanizes him to rush back to work to report on some terrible weather prediction that has now come true. |
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Post by Celestial on Jun 12, 2020 19:13:41 GMT -5
It was lovely to be able to catch up with the other team and hear of their experiences. Era mostly talked whilst Aggie happily provided them with tea and watched their condition. Having H-oolong on their shoulders seemed to do wonders, just as she thought it was. Familiars were such useful creatures. Perhaps she really should try to distill some of their essense into a tea. A few feathers or a bit of fur waved around the tea or allowed to blow in the steam could do wonders. Purr-eh lounged on Aggie's shoulder, looking down at Mr. Snuggles from above. She did not understand why she was so concerned with this cat. His annoyance was so satisfying, admittedly, and she did feel good that she had managed to get under his skin, but now she was over it. She had proved herself to be the superior cat. There was nothing more to do except bask in her magnifience. So she just wished he would stop whining! He was making an idiot of himself. That was, until the lightning struck. Purr-eh screamed, loosing her grip on Aggie and falling. As is natural for a cat, she landed on her feet, but the shock of it only made her panic more. She dashed around the feet of everyone in the Green and Red team, yowling and screeching, looking more like a flying dustball than a cat. "Purr-eh, Purr-eh, easy, dearest, it's only lightning," Aggie tried to pick up her cat but she only slipped from her grip. She sighed deeply, watching her panicking cat. "H-oolong, will you be a darling?" The tawny owl opened one eye. With a few deeply laborious wingbeats, he took off from where he was sitting on Era, intercepting Purr-eh just as she was about to make her twenty-seventh lap around the teams. He landed on her head, bopping her with his beak and giving her an irritated hoot. The cat gave off a sad meow and flopped down on the ground, utterly humiliated. H-oolong fluffed up, sitting on Purr-eh for good measure. His feet were very warm in her fur. Aggie waited until she had cleared away all her tea things before scooping up her two ridiculous familiars. "Both of you are so silly," she unpicked Hoo-long from her cat and placed him to roost back on Era's shoulders. With them under control, the Tea Witch looked up at the lightning. "I am not quite sure about that. It hardly seems safe, but I suppose it is where we must go," she looked back to the group. "Everyone do take care of yourselves. I am afraid I do not yet have a tea that will protect you from lightning strikes," the Tea Witch folded down the top of her hat. Thankfully, the leaf upon it was wooden so it would not attract lightning, but she wanted reassurance. Being a witch, especially one with a deep knowledge and speciality in plants, meant you did not mess around with nature. Though it did give her great pleasure to see Era excited. Figured if anybody found joy in dangerous weather phenomena, it would be them. Aggie went up to the gate and knocked. "Excuse me, we are here to see the lady of the house?" Aggie chats with everyone about their adventures in the maze until they come to the gate. Purr-eh enjoys being smug and better than Mr. Snuggles until she is startled by lightning in the most undignified way. It takes H-oolong to calm her down by sitting on her. After dealing with her familiars, Aggie asks Era( Gelquie) if the lightning is safe before knocking on the gate. Not sure who to tag here because both green and red team are here, plus game runners Pixica. So just you all reply as you will. <3 |
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Post by June Scarlet on Jun 12, 2020 21:27:18 GMT -5
(Collab between Kat and June Scarlet) Cassidy took the top hat from Jess. There was no sign of Taffy inside the hat at all. "Okay," she said slowly, staring into the hat and wondering if she had to think any particular thoughts, or fill her mind with images or Taffy, but eventually she decided to just breathe in deeply, and thrust her hand into the hat, eyes closed. She opened her eyes again abruptly when her fingers met soft, warm fur. Grasping it gently, Cass lifted the Guinea Pig out the hat, so surprised that for a moment, she stared from Taffy to the others and back again. Taffy chittered, and looked up at Cass thoughtfully. "Interesting," Cass mused. "Evi can't pull Taffy out of the hat, but you and I can, Jess. It can't just be the hat, then, if we're getting mixed results." “Do you really think so?” said Jess. “I wonder what you and I share that Mr. Evi doesn’t. I don’t know, you’re magical, and he’s a fantastic photographer, but I don’t know what I am.” "I didn't always know I had talent in healing magic," Cass responded. "I discovered it one day when I tried to help a neighbor's injured dog and managed to patch him up completely. Maybe you do have a seed of magic in you and you haven't discovered it yet, or figured it out...and this hat might just be your first clue." “Maybe you’re right. It would be exciting to be able to do magic, heck, it’s exciting to pull Taffy out of the top hat, and I’ve done that many times now.” Jess put a finger to her chin to ponder. “I guess the only thing to do is to keep trying magic, and see if something sticks.” Taffy took that as a cue to give a shrill squeal. The healer nodded and smiled. "Exactly. If you want to try healing magic, you know who to call. I'm not exactly the best one out there, but I know the basics, and that should be enough for now." Jess smiled gratefully. “Thank you. I might take you up on that some time. Meanwhile, I think we have a door to find!” Cass tries to pull Taffy out of the top hat, and succeeds! Together, Cass and Jess wonder what factors beside the hat allow one to pull a Guinea Pig out. Maybe Jess does have a bit of magic in her after all… only way to know for sure is to try a bunch of magic, and see if something happens! |
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Post by Lizica on Jun 15, 2020 0:14:14 GMT -5
“I mean, it’s not supposed to be a hidden door,” the flamingo clarified, studying the wall of kudzu alongside everyone else. “Most of the greenhouse has been way more overgrown than the last time I was in here.”
He shook off the last of the snow and reached out one of his icy metal legs to poke the kudzu once more.
And the wall of kudzu suddenly recoiled and shifted like boiling water. All of the explorers at both doors leaped backwards in surprise and alarm.
It was not strictly a reaction to a single person. It was not the result of the poking, or the prodding, or the knocking, or the polite inquiry, or even the magic light beam--but something cumulative, an instinctive reaction to all of these happening almost all at once.
The wall of kudzu at both doors recoiled, shivering off frost and rain dew alike, and each vine drew itself inward, running back along the walls and door and pulling away from the explorers. It moved in a way that felt markedly unnatural somehow, like spilled ink being drawn back inside its bottle, or like a video of a smoke bomb being run in reverse. All of the tendrils of kudzu wound and curled away, twisting into indistinct mass shapes as it withdrew--a cloud--a house--a tree--
As unusual and more than vaguely concerning the plant’s withdrawal was, it did mean the way was finally open, however.
The two groups of puzzlers pushed the heavy metal doors aside and passed through. They crossed into the center of the greenhouse at the same time, and the first thing each group noticed was each other. They approached swiftly and met up by the wall. Reunited, they rejoiced. Even if there wasn’t time to catch up, they could face the Lady of the House together.
The second thing they noticed was the massive, vibrant array of plant life, existing in defiance of the concept of biomes. The whole room was wreathed in it. A quartet of pitcher plants sung sweetly from a live oak tree. The tallest stalk of bamboo anyone had ever seen pierced the glimmering plant canopy above. A nearby tree with a braided trunk held some unknown fruit that would make those hungry among them feel ravenous. The air was pleasantly warm and rich, at once damp and sweet and earthy and clean, along with something not quite identifiable. Some would describe it like the atmosphere was thick with anticipation, but here in the greenhouse’s heart, that sense felt somehow palpable.
The third thing everyone noticed was a seated figure on the far side of the space, wearing headphones and bent over some flowerpots, her back turned to them. Globes of light danced lazily overhead as the figure rhythmically bopped her head up and down.
Amidst the chatter and exclamations of the reunited puzzlers, who could see their goal of saving Uffnewt within reach, the kudzu stirred again. To the side of the room, its massive shape formed itself into a large ball, slowly frothing with viney leaves at its base. It moved to and fro in an agitated manner, inching back towards the doorways.
At that same moment, Mr. Snuggles noticed the seated figure and began to bound quickly in her direction, mewing loudly in excited familiarity.
He was no more than several meters from the explorers when the dirt beneath his paws shifted, and a bamboo shoot as tall as a lance sprang up to intercept him, and he was traveling too fast to stop. Claws collided with the side of the shoot, and one angry fluffball of a cat was hurled, landing on his feet a yard away.
“Mr. Snuggles!” many voices shrieked in unison. “Mr. Snuggles, no!!”
And the kudzu erupted. It was a gigantic, viney mess, and a force to be reckoned with, with great, burly arms of churning leaves falling to its sides. And the greenhouse explorers likewise erupted.
“What the heck is that?!” someone cried.
“What did we do??” someone else yelled.
“Mr. Snuggles! Come back, hurry!”
“We just came to talk about the weather and to get everything fixed!”
“Ms. Lady of the House!”
“Turn around!”
“Ms. Lady of--Iris! Ms. Iris!!” someone called out. “Your plants are--”
“Stop shouting!” shouted the flamingo. “How many times have we told you not to shout!!”
“SHHHHHHHH!” Holiday shushed loudly, only adding to the eruption.
And to make matters worse, amid the clamor and chaos, a huge, previously idle snake plant began to shudder, seemingly riled for the fighting. It slid forward slightly in the dirt, pointing its many long leaves towards the newcomers. The large bamboo stalk swayed back and forth in a way that made its roots growl deep within the ground, and a second bamboo shoot shot out of the dirt, barring the path forward like another spear.
And all of this--all of the shouting, the scrambling, and the plants moving--was topped off from above as a wave of rain moved forward and began pounding the greenhouse’s glass roof with a dull, crescendoing roar. Oh ‘Woo she has headphones on SHE CAN’T HEAR US, OH ‘WOOHowdy, folks, welcome back to narratorpost spoilerboxes! Let’s talk mechanics. All teams have been combined, and decisions can be made in the OOC thread! So, you’re now facing off against three kinds of huge plants here: 1 Kudzu Golem, 1 Snake Plant, 1 Large Bamboo, and 2 Bamboo Shoots. Your goal is to defeat and/or pacify each plant, and then you’ll be able to pass through to the Lady of the House at last. This task will be done over multiple turns, and together you will be using the three power items that were gifted to the teams in the maze: The Ethereal Earplugs, Sheer Shears, and Gardening Gauntlets. -- Each item has both a physical and a magical attack. -- For each turn, each item can be used only once (either physical or magical, but not both). -- Each attack targets a single opponent. -- At the beginning, you will only be able to reach the opponents in the front. So your initial setup is: In the Front: 1 Large Bamboo and 2 Bamboo Shoots; In the Middle: 1 Snake Plant; and in the Back: 1 Kudzu Golem.If you’re still confused, don’t worry--we’re putting together an OOC post with an example run and some questions and answers, so hopefully that’ll clear things up a little! Please note that you can RP other attacks as much as you like, as long as you refrain from godmoding or acting for the plants! The ambient magic in this space also means that magic will be slightly more potent here, and even small magicks can become bigger than expected. Thanks, and good luck! 
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Post by PFA on Jun 15, 2020 19:33:27 GMT -5
They finally made it to the center of the greenhouse, where the three groups were reunited. Princess Sunshine was glad to see that everyone had made it through in one piece, and even more glad now that their goal was in sight. "Hey!" she shouted to the Lady of the Greenhouse. "We need to talk to you about the—" And then everything happened all at once. The cat was being hurled across the room, everyone was shouting, it was pouring with rain, and now the plants were attacking them. Princess Sunshine had been preparing her whole life for this moment. "Stand down, beasts!" she called out, striking a battle pose. "Or prepare to face the wrath of the sun!" The plants didn't seem to be standing down, so Princess Sunshine raised her wand into the sky, light gathering around the sun-shaped tip. Then, after striking a series of cool poses, she thrust the wand forward. " Solar Power ATTACK!" And with that, the ball of light shot toward the nearest plant creature. Princess Sunshine disregards game mechanics and tries to attack the plants with magic! I'm sure that sun-based powers will work super well against plant creatures, right? |
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Post by Gelquie on Jun 17, 2020 5:01:00 GMT -5
After confirming that for all of Era’s enthusiasm, no the rainbow lightning was most likely not safe and they should indeed get shelter within, Era spent a few good moments foregoing finding shelter for the sake of taking more photos of rainbow lightning. They took good advantage of better shots once Hoo-long alighted their shoulders to help balance them, since they didn't want to disrupt Rose's own balance too much. Once the door was open, Era complied and hurried inside; answers awaited! (Oh, and an end to the weather. That was important, in terms of regard for sentient beings.) They all went inside, and found themselves reunited with everyone else. How wonderful! But Era didn’t spend much time celebrating, there was a intriguing mix of environments to feel and see, and lady to find! And indeed they found her! She seemed to be busy tending to her plants, oblivious to the stormy weather or pretty much anything, while being able to summon colorful lighted bubbles. Her intense focus, her joy in her work… She seemed cool! This feeling did not ebb when the plants attacked in response to the others trying to catch her attention. They briefly paused their focus on the scene to ensure that Mr. Snuggles was alright, before resuming examining the scene. Alas, calls to not shout came much too late, and so theirs and others’ calls were responded to swiftly and threateningly, first by a spider plant soon after the shouting, and then the bamboo shoots. And meanwhile, it was still roaring above. For a moment… Era wasn’t sure which to pay attention to! The thunderous storm brewing outside and increasing in intensity (if only they had their weather equipment!), the foliage, the foliage that was looking to assault them, the Lady of the House and her admirable dedication while also prompting the need to talk to her, if she could only hear them-! Era looked down. They thought briefly, for a moment, that maybe if they just threw something at the Lady, they could get her attention. But they didn’t want to actually hurt her by throwing a rock, they weren’t sure about throwing leaves, or even if they found something in their belongings they could throw, they weren’t feeling confident about how much room they actually had to throw with the assaulting plants in the way, and that might aggravate the plants further anyway, and plus they weren't confident in their throws. Them grabbing that falling cookie earlier was really just pure dumb luck, everything considered. For a moment, they seemed paralyzed by the possibilities, how to proceed at all of them, preferably at the same time... "Stand down, beasts! Or prepare to face the wrath of the sun!"Era perked up. Ah, the magical girl had the right idea! And indeed, Princess Sunshine followed up with a beam of sunlight. Era cheered her on, “Woo, good going! I don’t know if I can help like that but I’ll think of something!” They reached around in their pockets, looking for something they can use. 550 words, but not so many actions on my part. Consider this a catch-up! So many things going on!! Era doesn’t entirely know what to do with it all, and has such mixed feelings, but they’re still very excited! They’re impressed both by the Lady of the House’s dedication towards her work and Princess Sunshine’s ( PFA) glamorous attack!! This seems to give Era some sense of direction, and they begin rifling through their stuff for something to use. |
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Post by Liou on Jun 17, 2020 7:21:34 GMT -5
The very febrile, very smart-sounding person whom Rose had seldom seen in town held out their arms, and Rose quickly swept them into their parka. They did not feel nearly warm enough, Rose hoped their own body heat would help. It was great fun to move as a pair like this. Rose made sure to stay extra steady and lean in the right ways to keep Era's balance. Maybe the extra owl perching atop their head was a bit much, but Rose guessed that the familiar would help balance the lot of them. Aggie noted how Rose had understood the plants' strange language when figuring out their puzzles. Rose shook their head. "Aw, it was nothing, Agatha. Plants are just like family to me - we were all born by crawling out of the dirt, weren't we. So it's really just like talking to a very distant foreign cousin once-removed-many-times." They listened contentedly to the other team's anecdotes until they came face-to-face with an enemy. Kudzu. Rose glared and raised a fist at the wall of kudzu. "Scratch what I said earlier, plants feel like family except for this one. You're no cousin of mine!" They spared a few chin scritches for the rattled Mister Snuggles. "I know, that's how I feel when I see kudzu too." Purr-eh had got incredibly spooked, running around without even finding a hiding place. Rose bit their lip as they watched Aggie pacify one familiar with the other. They let out a giggle at the mortified cat, much like an older sibling preparing to laugh at a younger sibling's embarrassing episode for years to come.
Era had erupted into a photographing frenzy at the sight of the storm overhead. Rose loosened the shared parka for optimal flailing and watched them, smiling mildly at the scientist's exhilaration. They realised that Era was trying to draw their attention upwards to the source of their excitement.
"Oh! Yes, it's a very nice ceiling, isn't it! Great cobwebs." Then they all passed through the doors and it was Rose's turn to gush over the plant life, all living together like royalty in this incredible palace.
"Bottle gourd!" they exclaimed, pointing wildly. "Hey!" they added, pointing angrily at the cat-unfriendly bamboo. "You play nice with your cat cousin! Don't tell me you're allergic to cats, I'm not falling for that one again!" Everyone was yelling, for once, not just Rose. They were quite happy to join in. "Talk about the weather, we're here to talk about the weather! Terrible weather we're having!" The plants seemed to be getting riled up. Rose began to fidget and crouched a little, preparing to pounce playfully. "You want a piece of us? You want to have a go? Let's go! Fight, fight, fight!" they began to chant in a low voice.
Rose is here! They had fun balancing with Gelquie , appreciated their enthusiasm for the storm but did not quite understand it, were amused by Purr-eh's antics Celestial , got very excited over the new plants, casually mentioned how comes they understand plants, comforted Mister Snuggles and declared their enmity towards the kudzu Pixie Lizica , and now they're just... excited for playfighting with the new plant friends. |
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Post by Pixie on Jun 18, 2020 0:08:51 GMT -5
A ball of brilliant light blasted forward from Princess Sunshine’s wand, and smashed into one of the enormous bamboo shoots dead center. A perfect shot!
When the explorers’ eyes readjusted to the scene, they saw that the bamboo shoot remained. It had been knocked over slightly by the force of the attack, but it now straightened back up again and--stretched a few inches taller, like it was a cat in sunbeam.
The group of puzzlers were still shouting, however--even if it was only to be heard over the roaring rain outside. Mr. Snuggles scurried back to the group, and back to the person who had given him chin scritches. The cat rubbed against their legs and hid securely behind them.
"You want a piece of us? You want to have a go? Let's go! Fight, fight, fight!" Rose chanted, their gait bouncy. And in response, the large bamboo bent down, its deep roots creaking in anger once more, and with a long lower branch, swatted at the explorers, as if to knock them back out of the doors.
One of the puzzlers reacted instinctively and resourcefully, jumping up from where they had been knocked over, and grabbed the light and airy Sheer Shears that the Blue Team had been gifted by their reflections.
“We have to go in and speak with the Lady of the House!” they cried, brandishing the Shears at the stalk of bamboo, and suddenly, a slicing, windy blast of magic shot forth from the Shears and pummeled the side of the bamboo. And while the bamboo creaked backwards, its roots groaning, it nevertheless swung right back upright again.
But the charge had been led, and other explorers moved forward with their own items that they had been given in the maze. By the powers of “ergh, stop it!” imbued in the Ethereal Earplugs, the smaller, stretching bamboo shoot’s growth finally ceased.
The shoot beside it was no match for the Gardening Gauntlets, and it found itself freed from the ground. It rolled away into the garden to replant itself somewhere else, which would be a problem for the Lady of the House to handle later. Of more immediate concern, there were the attacking plants which she remained oblivious to, and the strange and foreboding weather overhead. Initial Status - Front: 1 Large Bamboo (A) and 2 Bamboo Shoots (B+C); Middle: 1 Snake Plant; Back: 1 Kudzu Golem.
Turn 1 - Use Sheer Shears (magical) on Large Bamboo (A)
Use Ethereal Earplugs (magical) on Bamboo Shoot (B)
Use Gardening Gauntlets (physical) on Bamboo Shoot (C)
Results - The Shears’ magical attack has no effect on the Large Bamboo (A).
The Earplugs’ magical ability prevents Bamboo Shoot (B) from growing!
The Gauntlets successfully pull up Bamboo Shoot (C) from the ground! Shoot (C) has been defeated!
+ The Kudzu Golem moves forward, and is now in the middle, alongside the Snake Plant.
Current Status - Front: 1 Large Bamboo (A) and 1 Bamboo Shoot (B); Middle: 1 Snake Plant and 1 Kudzu Golem.
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Post by Gelquie on Jun 18, 2020 18:00:22 GMT -5
Upon being swatted at by the large bamboo, Era found themselves thrust out of their shared parka with Rose and fell to the ground. They winced at this, not so much because it hurt, but more because it really disoriented them. "Picked a grand time for a fight!" Era complained. "We don't have to, we just want to talk!" However, they soon realized that their feelings and position aside, this actually worked out very well for them! For one thing, they could take the excuse to justify sitting or lying down for a while, and also... This was a perfect photo op! Era pulled out their camera again and began taking a few quick shots. As terrifying as the situation probably was, it's one to be preserved! Especially if the Lady got upset at them for dealing with their plants. But given everything that they saw here and the type of plants they found, clear evidences of her talents, Era felt confident that the Lady would be able to take care of it just fine. Then they realized something a few shots in... And they began fiddling with some of their settings. "Princess Sunshine!" Era called. "If you can do something with flash, this is your chance!" And so, after a short fashion, Era began snapping more shots, their phone camera flashing as they did. And hey, if the flash photography stunned the plants or caught the attention of the Lady of the House, bonus! Era is knocked prone, oh no! They don't feel well from this development. And they decide that staying down works just fine for them, thank you. They instead begin taking pictures... Before realizing, hey, their phone camera can do flash, and Princess Sunshine ( PFA) does light stuff! Era shouts the idea to them before taking flash photography instead. (With apologies to any vampires in the house.) |
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Post by RielCZ on Jun 19, 2020 2:46:30 GMT -5
Evi took many "nice!" photographs. One containing the literal juxtaposition between hot dry summer and cold wet winter. One of the bewildered merriment on both Jess's and Cass's faces as the latter successfully pulled Taffy from the former's hat. Lots of glittery rainbow effects. And hey, there was a familiar face! He focused his camera on her, and captured her perfect hair flowing over the moment; yes, there was Rachel, looking lovely as eve-- She flung her arms around him. "Aha," he said at the PDA. But he was more than happy to see her. "Have I got some pretty photos to show you, babe. Starting with the prettiest thing of all," he finished as he held up the camera, her face on the preview screen. Yeah, he was a flirt. But then there were more pressing matters -- of course, of all things, the puzzlers would be thwarted by some otherwise innocuous headphones. But he kept shooting photos of the action, even as plants and bamboo and Woo knows what else descended on them in a flurry of leafy chaos. He thought the sheer monstrosity of the foliage may have meant they were a glamour illusion; but, there were no odd shadows on his viewfinder. And then he realized someone else taking a bunch of photos. They seemed to purposely be trying to invigorate Princess Sunshine with their camera's flash -- fascinating. Could that actually work? "Hey!" he called to them. "I'm not sure what you're up to, but let me help!" He set his flash to ready and snapped some pics the Princess's way. She was doing cool poses though, so he didn't mind wasting the battery and storage space -- it was almost like a Not The Wildest Flower photo shoot! Evi has taken lots of cool photos, and reunites and flirts with Rachel. He sees Era ( Gelquie) taking tons of photos of Princess Sunshine ( PFA) and wants in on the fun! So he is also now in the photographing mix. |
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