Mixtape Ghost N

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Witness my amazing photoshop prowess (and Nori's amazing new character ofc)

@FernStone

photoshop these

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

<Snipped quote by Punished GN>

Guild needs a feature to dislike a post.

@Atrophy

Dislike these

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

@silvermist1116 God damn, Tayla must have some really good coochie to get Dean so obsessed with her. lol

She got that ushy gushy.

Super Soaker 3000.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Stormy’s updated spells

_{Abstraction
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"NOT. ONE. STEP. FURTHER!!!"

TYPE ⫻ Adept

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Yellow Lux. Stormy's channeler is an old wristwatch.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ Stormy's magic focuses on a variety of defenses for every occasion. He is a magic tank who turns the area into a hazard for enemies, and a sanctuary for his friends.

Defender’s Armory ⫻ Stormy has created a collection of shield spells that protect people from various sources of danger. Each spell produces a physical object, which is specialized for a different approach to combat.

Guardian Barrier ⫻ Stormy can create lightweight, circular shields of magic energy that block incoming assaults. These shields can take a decent amount of damage before breaking, including everything from bullets or a sudden sledgehammer, to certain forms of Lux. These shields are designed to be produced multiple times over in quick succession at the cost of individual toughness, making them good for spreading out cover over a wider area. Stormy can also use these shields like a projectile, throwing them at a target for a quick, ranged gut punch.

Stoic Shell ⫻ Stormy produces a heavy tower shield that reflects some magic like a mirror. Rather than simply block the spells, the Stoic Shell can potentially hit someone with their own attacks when applicable. If Stormy manages to aim properly, he can use this to make attacking him or anyone next to him more trouble than it’s worth. The Stoic Shell can be placed on the ground, to act as cover from ranged magic, but will disappear when Stormy moves more than 10 feet away.

Iron Fortress ⫻ Using all of his concentration, Stormy can surround himself in an immensely durable dome of magic energy. Anyone trying to get past it is stuck; No one goes in and no one goes out. The Iron Fortress is drastically stronger than the Guardian Barriers, trading mobility and nullification for enough toughness to brush off a runaway train. Trying to break through it to hurt anyone benefiting from the protection is like trying to break through a brick wall with a plastic spoon. You're just wasting your time, and should just find a way to bait him out somehow.

Abjuration Arts ⫻ The Abjuration Arts are a set of spells that provide a protective effect to Stormy, or anyone that agrees to receive one. These spells keep an individual safe from a specific form of harm that may not necessarily be blocked by a physical barrier, by affecting a radius around the target.

Phantombane ⫻ Stormy projects a magic aura that repels Apparitions. Like iron to a fairy, or sunlight to a vampire, the affected entities grow sick and frail around the aura, feeling worse until they get the hell away. Whoever has a Phantombane aura is completely defended from any influence of an Apparition, even if they are somehow under its influence. This can temporarily block off the Adjoined from the Apparitions that they've bonded to, without causing any harm to the Adjoined or the bond itself.

Phantombane is identified by trails of green smoke rolling off of the target.

Consecration ⫻ The exact opposite of Phantombane. Stormy projects an aura that repels Abberations. What type of Aberration they are is irrelevant, as the spell does not discriminate. When exposed to the magic, Aberrant targets will feel a burning sensation of pain and weakness overtake them as their connection to magic and the Paranormal diminishes. Adepts and Apparitions adjoined to the affected targets will feel absolutely nothing, and may not even realize the spell is active. Stormy's favorite way to execute this spell is to punch something with it.

Consecration is identified by a consistent green glow emitting from the target.

Dragonhide ⫻ Dragonhide provides enhanced physical durability, allowing someone to shrug off shots from a handgun, or a knife to the stomach. A punch to the face would barely be felt at all. When applied to objects, Dragonhide makes them incredibly sturdy, allowing someone to smash through something with a piece of cardboard as if it were a sledgehammer.

Dragonhide is identified by a glowing scale-like pattern spreading across the surface of a target.

Witchveil ⫻ Witchveil supercharges the target’s Emotional Field to grant them extra resistance to Abstractions. Incoming magic has a harder time getting through the Emotional Field, and this can act as a substitute for people who do not have one, such as Blinds and One-Eye-Opens. In the case of someone who does have their own Emotional Field, they will experience a backlash effect once this wears off, where they are more vulnerable to magic than normally. Blinds, One-Eye-Opens and similar entities will not experience this once Witchveil wears off.

Witchveil is identified by a green, crackling energy that forks outwards like lightning.

Plagueward ⫻ The Plagueward aura was originally a running joke among Stormy’s friends back in the old days. But as a Yellow Adept, it made perfect sense. It is magic protection for the totally innocent sexy times that totally never happen, which applies to everyone inside the radius. It can be applied to objects, but this mainly just disinfects the surface.

Plagueward is identified by waves of green energy gently rolling across someone’s skin.

LIMITS ⫻ All of Stormy’s magic operates with low range, and demands some level of attention. Phantombane and Consecration have a maximum range of 20 feet, and all of the Abjuration Arts last for exactly 15 minutes. Granting an aura to an entity with an Emotional Field requires their consent. Even if the entity doesn’t not truly know what he is about to do, Stormy still requires them to invite him into their Emotional Field. Abjuration Art auras cannot be canceled early. An active aura can be renewed with physical contact, but it must run its course if Stormy wants to apply a different aura to himself or someone else.

This can lock Stormy out of half of his spells entirely if he miscalculates a fight. Each aura is visually distinct, meaning someone can study his magic and identify each one to plan accordingly.

While the Abjuration Arts are passive when used, Defender’s Arsenal spells are active. They have “weight” to them, and each one is a burden on Stormy’s magic. This is directly related to the amount of a damage a specific smell can withstand before breaking. More shields means more weight, more weight limits how much he can cast magic. The Stoic Shell, for example, is enough of a strain that Stormy can only make one copy of it at a time. This also applies to the Iron Fortress, which completely overtakes all other shield spells, snuffing them out to make room. Guardian Barriers are the “lightest” shield, which makes them easy to cast in large quantities.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ (DO NOT FILL THIS OUT, I WILL PROVIDE IT FOR YOU)

@Blizz

WEAKNESSES ⫻

Defender’s Armory ⫻ By casting any of Stormy's barriers, his movement speed is supernaturally reduced, slowing him down enough to make him a vulnerable target. The Guardian Barrier is not affixed to an object, which means that the shield can be moved by sufficient force (magical or otherwise). The Stoic Shell is similar but weak/useless against area-of-effect magic. The Iron Fortress comes at the cost of mobility and flexibility. Stormy and his allies are trapped within the dome, unable to move or respond to anything outside it. He is also unable to see outside of the Iron Fortress.

Abjuration Arts ⫻ Phantombane is less effective in areas of powerful supernatural energy, i.e., areas of intense magical activity such as a fight or place of ancient power. Consecration draws upon Stormy's life force to power its protective aura, which can lead to exhaustion if used recklessly or excessively. Over time, this depletion of lifeforce can leave Stormy feeling drained, weakened, and spiritually vulnerable. While Dragonhide enhances physical durability, it does not protect against magical attacks or effects. The backlash effect experienced by Witchveil wears off and may leave the user temporarily vulnerable to magical assaults.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Amara King

"We lived, bitch."

_______________________________________________ Amara Talia King She/Her | 26 | Black | 5'7" | 180lbs _______________________________________________ ass _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "When you’ve got an army in your head, you pick up a few tricks." ___________________________________ [+] PRA Background ⫻ Back when Amara was a senior agent going by the callsign Legion, she often occupied multiple roles on and off the battlefield. Amara developed a diverse range of operative skills including recon, CQC, small and long arm combat, and field leadership. Strategy ⫻ Amara could outsmart damn near anybody in a chess game, and also come up with some clever tricks in a more practical situation. She can look at evidence of past actions taken by someone, and use those to predict how they’ll act in the future. Slippery ⫻ Go ahead, just try and keep her contained. Even without her phantoms, Amara has a knack for getting out of places she’s not meant to get out of. If you tie her wrists with a bunch of rope, she’ll just dislocate her wrists to slip them free. Multilingual ⫻ Amara can speak French, Spanish, Korean, and a bit of Russian. She’s working on that last one. Handy ⫻ Amara happens to know how to fix a lot of things, which comes naturally since she owns her own place. Busted light switch? Easy. Busted floorboards? Sure. Busted sink pipes? Bitch, please.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Ladies." Amara typically dresses for comfort, wearing wool cardigans and sweatpants 24/7 and keeping her hair permanently buzzed down short. All of her clothes are usually old, as she doesn’t like to throw anything out unless it doesn’t fit her anymore. Amara has a slim and athletic build, thanks to her years as an active agent of the PRA. She only shows off when she has something to gain, but she has plenty of visible muscle under those clothes, enough to imply that she occasionally hits the gym. She also usually wears a pair of gold earrings when not “on the job,” which doesn’t mean much these days.

_{Psychology
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"Get over here, so I can kick your ass."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ Amara doesn’t have a goal, currently. She’s at a point in her life where she’s not sure what she should be doing, let alone what she wants to be doing. What she wants out of life itself, however, is to have a purpose that fulfills her. So far, she hasn’t found it.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ Take it a day at a time, get through it and look out for one another. Amara believes in toughing things out and that nothing worth doing is ever easy. Amara wholeheartedly believes in punching up when it counts, on behalf of the ones who can’t. As far as she’s aware, every other Amara shares her outlook on life to some extent.

SECRETS ⫻ There are some things Amara takes pride in, and others she does not. Most of the things she isn’t proud of were done during her PRA days. She did good as an agent, but some things keep her up at night. Amara doesn’t like to talk about just how high up the chain she found herself before quitting. Of course, anyone with the badge and a bit of clearance could easily dig it all up.

SEXUALITY ⫻ Lesbian

FEARS ⫻ Amara is afraid of dying in obscurity. Dying itself doesn’t scare her, but she wants to die in peace, when people would miss her.

REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ Amara was fun to be around. She knew when to get serious, and knew when to be easygoing and enjoy life. From time to time, she may have been a bit too tough for others to tolerate, but she always made it up to them in the end. Her chill demeanor certainly helped others keep their spirits reasonably high, especially when the death toll got worse.

ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ Back in the day, Amara was a mix of the commander and the general. She’d spend two or three days plotting out battle plans like a chess grandmaster with the other intellectual members. And then she’d spend the next week executing them and being a powerhouse on the battlefield. Her phantoms protected the injured and got them to safety, shot up apparitions like it was open season and took blows for others that would kill the living.

FLAWS ⫻ Everyone has their reasons for fighting. Some take up arms for an idea, others fight and die for the people they love. But Amara is the exception. She doesn't have anything grounding her, nothing to feel conviction for. She doesn't know what the hell she's doing anymore, and it's not easy to change that.

_{Backstory
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"They don’t call me Legion anymore, let’s keep it that way"

The earliest memories Amara has are not bonding with her mother and father, learning to walk for the first time, or even learning to speak her first words. Though she has those memories just like anyone else, Amara first remembers seeing herself. All of the countless trillion versions of herself, stretching across a boundless field overlooked by a castle. Its presence was like the bedrock of everything in the scope of existence to her young mind, and she saw it every single night, long before she had the words to even understand it. By the time she was 12, she began to really grasp this. Her parents never understood it to be anything more than just a child's active imagination whenever she'd bring it up, but the paranormal opened itself up to her at a time before most Adepts were taught about what magic itself even is. At an age where the children of paranormal families were learning how Lux and individuals spells behaved, Amara was learning about the Army of One and the All-Verse's strange nature. At an age where paranormal teenagers were learning the fine nuances of magic, Amara was being trained, in secret, by her long-dead counterparts to fight. In her dreams, she saw the counterparts of herself that had lived longer and would tell her of the things they all faced. Amara was essentially raised by an Apparition to be a soldier, behind the backs of the Blind, and fight for the causes that she considered worth her efforts.

And then, the Snake happened.

Amara met a girl at school named Bianca, who happened to rope her into the antics of the Sycamore Tree Coven, along with a few other antics between her and her girlfriend. (Sometimes literally between them.) Everyone has their own story to tell about how the battle went down, and their own personal traumas. But Amara? She endured it all, never allowing herself to feel the pain because it wasn't what she was trained to do. On the battlefield, her phantoms stepped through reality by the dozens, enough to match to tide of apparitions summoned by the world-ending threat. She took up the responsibility to make battle plans when others wouldn't, and personally oversaw the rescue of many friends. It wasn't all perfect, even if she got to relax sometimes like the others, but they all pulled through.

To many of the Coven's members, it was all just temporary. They came together to fight, but not to last. Everyone fell apart, and Amara's role in that was more to keep the peace and help everyone fall apart gently. It wasn't long until everyone packed up and left. Amara made sure to keep contact with the friends she made, and told them to call her if something crazy happened again. She left to get her life in order, and to decide what she wanted out of it. She didn’t go to college or find a girl to settle down with, but the next few years of her life were still the most eventful ever. Amara never swore off her magic, she would use it occasionally when it was convenient. A phantom would hold a wrench while she fixed her car on the side of the road, or help her carry things indoors when no one was looking. Or at least, no one she noticed.

She found herself crossing paths with the PRA, an agency dedicated to keeping the peace and protecting the Blind from magic. This resonated with Amara, and so she sought them out more intensely, eventually getting a chance to have a proper conversation with them. She explained how she had a desire to protect others from the dangers of magic and had her own experience in doing that very thing. So she trained, and trained, and trained some more, until she became a full agent. Thanks to Amara’s particular brand of magic, she was put on dozens of missions in multiple roles. She would run overwatch during stakeouts while her phantoms did ground patrol, direct gunfight in eliminations, and evacuations when no one else was available. It was rough, but Amara found it fulfilling, so she kept climbing.

Eight years in the PRA turned her into a senior agent. But after climbing the ladder so long, after getting involved in so much of the broader operations, Amara’s appreciation for her line of work had faded. At a higher level, the PRA were just like mundane cops, more concerned for stamping everything out and disregarding others to make ends meet. All too often she’d argue with her superiors about the right course of action, about whether or not a cursed Blind should be killed for everyone’s sake or whether or not an adept who was just defending themselves should be put away for life. Little things added up, and the PRA’s absolute lack of accountability meant she could only take things up with internal affairs, who never gave a shit.

Amara found herself at a fork in the road. The PRA weren’t the good guys to her anymore, just a bunch of heartless pricks. So one day, after her missions became shittier and shittier, she tossed her badge in her boss’s face. Amara walked out and quit, but she doesn’t know what she’s doing anymore. Just like years ago, she was winless again. Amara settled down somewhere, bought a house and decided to take a break from things while she got her life together. Months later, she got a call from Auri, telling her about the murders. Amara was hesitant at first, and only told Auri she would consider coming back. But after a week or two to think about it and get her things into a suitcase, she’s coming home.

_{Abstraction
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"We never fight alone."

TYPE ⫻ Aberration, Adjoined

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Army of One

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ The All-Verse is a theoretically infinite place, with counterparts of every single person spanning across them. In one of these universes, a counterpart of Amara died, and became the progenitor of the Army of One. Amara bonds with other version of herself from across realities, allowing all of them to work together. The Army of One consists of every single dead counterpart of Amara in all of existence, and has the ability to bond with the living, who will then join the collective in death themselves. Every Amara across the All-Verse shares a few universal constants: They protect others, show no fear in the face of disaster, and die for what they believe in.

Living and dead Amaras are separated into two categories for convenience, soldiers and phantoms respectively. This distinction is important to make, since there are quite literally billions of each. As one of the soldiers, the Amara King who occupies Shimmer is connected to the Army of One, and can call on the phantoms to assist her however she may need it. This includes summoning them in a fight, having extra hands for moving things, or managing information. Phantoms can appear at her location the moment they think she needs assistance, and will defer to the living soldiers for direction if they aren't sure what to do. Amara has a numbers advantage up her sleeve at every opportunity, and can always outsource her problem to someone else if she can't solve it herself.

Phantoms are essentially magical foot soldiers. They are fully sentient and sapient, and follow Amara’s orders to the best of their ability. Their strengths lie in using numbers and strategy to solve problems. Where some can throw giant fireballs at their enemies or teleport across the country in seconds, Amara and her phantoms work to execute strategies and methodically come out ahead like a game of chess. Her phantoms are capable of using guns, and fighting with all the other skills that Amara herself has, since they are quite literally her.

Limits ⫻ The Army of One is numerous beyond comprehension, but so is the All-Verse itself. So, to avoid leaving any one universe without backup, every living soldier is only able to call on up to five phantoms at a time. This isn’t a matter of the abstraction’s strength, but is a deliberate decision made by the collective. Therefore, power-boosting abstractions can’t make more phantoms appear. It would take a particularly extreme crisis for an exception to be made, such as the Stygian Snake waking up again.

Also, the phantoms being technically undead doesn’t do anything for their toughness. A solid shot from a gun would be enough to phase a phantom out of reality for a while. This doesn’t kill them, but it does take them out of consideration. Phantoms always emerge from a short distance around Amara, which is important because if one is sent deep into enemy territory, another can’t simply take its place right on the spot after someone shoots them.

WEAKNESSES ⫻

^{Other
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"I’ve seen some crazy shit, but I’ve never seen shit like this before. A serial killer? I got this.."

Anyyyything else?

@Blizz

Accepted.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ Through the connection that she innately has with all of her counterparts comes with some identity issues. By summoning her Phantoms, she loses some of her memories, which are replaced with the memories of the dead versions of her, which could be something like an event that occurred minutes ago or a treasured memory of hers. She cannot get them back without external help and will eventually lose herself to the Army of One. Through this shared connection, the Army of One shares injuries, and any injuries her phantasms receive will also appear in Amara.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

---

Emily G. Reed

Interactions: I guess the Togaline.

Cracker Island. The Halloween Festival. The Toga Cult.

---

---

"Toga, toga, toga..."

This goddamn Toga line made Emily want to die.

"Toga, toga, toga..."

She hated that Vashti talked her into this, but, to the amazement of many, Emily indeed saw Vashti as an equal and a friend. A strange sister was born through their mutual hatred of Britney Williams and the Old Coven's shitty ass leadership. Vashti was a sister, maybe not through blood but through ten years of trials and tribulations, ruling the 8th Street Coven with an iron fist and crushing all their opposition in the name of Emily's ego. That iron-clad friendship of the most unlikely person was why Emily was dressed in stupid dragon pajamas. Why Emily was here dancing like a fool with a bunch of other assholes. Why didn't she torch everyone here in the worst and most unexplainable mass murder event to ever face this stupid festival?

"Toga, toga, toga..."

However, there was a limit to it all. Emily was dead inside. She wanted to find Lila and toast her like the useless insect she was and show to the world - and that little "Coven" - what happens to those that cross Emily. G. Reed.

"Toga, toga, toga..."

Show Stormy...

"Toga, toga, toga..."

... Luca...

"Toga, toga, toga..."

.. Jasper...

"Toga, toga, toga..."

.. Auri...

"Toga, toga, toga..."

... And whoever the fuck else...

"Toga, toga, toga..."

... That Emily G. fucking Reed was going to be the queen of this goddamn city! If not the whole world. Vashti Nour, Miranda, and Jacqueline Reed would stand by her side when she was crowned! 8th Street will spread its influence beyond St. Portwell as the other bastards who laughed at her would scrub her feet. Though, now that she thinks about it, it wouldn't make much sense to keep the name 8th Street Coven at that point, would it...?

"Toga, toga... Toga? Toga...?"

The Chalice was handed to her. The prized possession of that boar Sully and those sluts just placed into her hands like it was nothing. This was one of the most valuable and prized artifacts in the All-Verse, used by kings and queens, heroes and villains. Just being used as a goddamn party toy. It was insulting. Not just to Sully and everyone here, but the Chalice itself! It was just being passed down. Anyone could have just had just walked off with it, and they would be scratching their heads wondering what the hell happened to the Chalice.

Which is what Emily was going to do.

Without so much as an excuse or a goodbye, Emily let go of the person in front of her with the Chalice in hand and walked out. The gap was quickly closed, and they were none the wiser. Emily power-walked away without looking back; her goal was to be inconspicuous. Well, it wasn't a priority as much as leaving with the Chalice was because if anyone got in her way, they would receive hellfire..

Her destination?

The 8th Street Manor.

This Halloween Festival blows, but at the very least, it was starting to look like she would come out of this with something. Enough to forget about what happened with Lila, though maybe she could leverage the Chalice over Sycamore to get at Lila's neck! Emily dug into her onesie, quickly pulled out her cell phone, and rapid-fired some text messages toward Brianna. All she had to do was open a portal back to the manor, and then everyone else could figure out how they would get home themselves. Well, Emily wasn't going to leave her sisters and Vashti in the open with these sluts.

Emily blew up Brianna's phone with text messages.

"God damn it, Brianna..." Emily hissed. "Where the fuck are you!? The one fucking time I need your fatass, you're not fucking here!"

---

Interactions: 🤷🏿‍♂️.

Cracker Island. The Halloween Festival. The Toga Cult.

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---

Adora would have a lot to discuss with Lihn next week - though an Emergency session might be in order.

It would be hilarious seeing Lihn's face when Adora tells her she beat the breaks off one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the city only to make friends with Greenwood and end up dancing in a goddamn toga line. She chanted "TOGA, TOGA, TOGA!" with the others as she had a toga over this outfit because, unlike Linqian, she was not the type to show off this body she made for herself. However, her costume was coated in blood, dirt, and grass and ruined. Her cute little costume idea was ruined before she could match with Lyss.

Where was Lyss, by the way?

Hopefully, she was not stabbed to death in an alley or something, but like the rest of the Coven, Adora could not get a good read on her. However, she quickly pushed the Coven and all the murders out of her head as she cut loose and felt a sense of belonging that she had not felt in so long. That Greenwood gal, Ruby, had her hands on her shoulders, and usually, Adora would have told her to fuck off - But Adora needed this. She got to cut loose, even if it was in a way that would be very embarrassing in a few years. Emily G. Reed didn't exist to her, and she shouldn't.

Scum like Emily didn't deserve any of Adora's headspace.

However, Adora couldn't help but let the guilt and other bad feelings creep inside as hard as she tried to will them away. There was only so long she could push them down... she looked off to the side, picturing the lil' Lisa there cheering her on before she jumped in. Seeing her in the conga line would have been hilarious because she was practically a midget. She remembered asking Leon to help her get stuff off the top shelf in the old Coven manor, then needing help lifting things...

... A tear went down Adora's face, drifting down her cheek until it fell off and hit the floor.

Nobody noticed it. They were too drunk to notice anything beyond the celebration. Too drunk to care. Maybe Adora should be like that and wait for that damn Chalice to get passed back to her so she could try and chug a glass full of Everclear or something. Then she could drink the bad memories away, exactly how Lihn said she should not. Though, it was weird when the Chalice didn't get passed down...

Maybe someone was getting fucked up with it up there. Adora just shrugged. She saw Emily G. Reed disengage and leave and felt some satisfaction in seeing her leave. However, one of those Greenwood girls - Autumn? The gal with the glasses and frizzy hair ran up, got a few of their homegirls, and took off after Emily. They didn't get Ruby, but she let go of Adora and took off after her, her Toga hardly covering her.

Curiosity almost got the best of Adora.

Almost.

Though, she minded her business and stayed her ass in the toga line.

---

The Greenwood Coven.

Interactions: Their arch-nemesis.

The Halloween Festival. Cracker Island. Ready to kick some Pancake-Ass.

---

---

"... Oh, lawd,"

James laughed as he placed a hand on his forehead.

"Look at these fools!" James said with a toothy grin as he let go of his face, and Naomi's eyes drifted towards them.

"They're having fun," Naomi began. "Leave 'im be, James."

"Just sayin'..." James said, putting on his trademark shit-eating grin. They were meant to be watching Autumn to ensure she didn't get jumped while everyone was off partying. Which was fair; they were a team, and leaving Autumn by herself was begging for someone to steal it from her. Not that James underestimated Autumn Hayes... He wouldn't want to fight her despite her unassuming appearance. Though they were also keeping their eyes on their arch-nemesis, Emily G. Reed! James knew she couldn't keep a lid on it forever.

... And she runs off with the Chalice.

"Heh, called it!" James said with a grin as he reached inside the stroller, pushing past the blanket they had over it to grab the axe... Naomi grabbed his arm with both hands and looked up at him.

"... We have to use discretion," Naomi seethed before she turned her head toward Autumn. "Get Pearl and Amelia."

"Why not everyone else?" Autumn questioned.

"Ruby will go batshit and have the feds all over us, Jess is useless at night - I'm sorry - and Kashmira isn't going to be much help," Naomi explained as she pulled the stroller out of Naomi's hands and shoved it into James hands and pointed at Emily. "Follow her."

Autumn quickly ran off towards the conga line.

"Where will you?" James tried to ask before Naomi took off between some buildings. James watched her quickly hop up a fire escape, run up it, and hop up to the roof. She chased after Emily from the rooftops. James laughed.

"Hehe... what happened to discretion?" He asked nobody as he looked over his shoulder and saw a group of Autumn, Pearl, and Amelia running after Emily in hopes of catching up. James ran behind them, running with this stroller like somebody's pops!

Little did they know, Ruby noticed them disengaging and followed after them.

---

The PRA.

Interactions: Lila (@NoriWasHere), Stormy (@Blizz), & Luca/Bianca (@FernStone).

The Halloween Festival. The Beach Bar. Cracker Island.

---

---

Suddenly, all the attention was shifted to Lila and her strange arm.

It was magic, no doubt about it. Thankfully, no one without magic should be able to see it... maybe. It was something they would want to keep under wraps. Fiona already brought attention to it, but Lila could weakly ask for help from their healer. "Hmph," Meifeng mouthed. Now, you want our help, Meifeng thought to herself. She looked down at her empty drink and felt a little sad now that her fancy drink was gone.

“We’re good, but let’s get out of here, I’m fine, Emily said something that messed with my head a bit and my power is tied to my emotions. Apparently. Could I borrow your healer, if they are here? We’re cool, we’re chill, nothing else is going on and we’re totally okay and nothing else will happen tonight I promise, and if something did happen tonight it totally won't spiral out of control, I'm not that drunk so you don’t need to worry about me……………please.’

"... It sounds like it's about to spiral out of control," Meifeng flatly said.

"Yeah, reassuring!" Cindy laughed.

"If your magic is connected to your emotions, it is best to learn to steel yourself," Meifeng explained. "Emily is a bastard, I know. However, you cannot let degenerates like her get in your head like that. An insect like her lives off that..." She shook her head.

"But, um, if you think everything is under control, we'll leave you to it then!" Cindy said, "Do you want our number so if it does spiral out of control, we can help out? We won't hold it against you if you say no, though!"

That was when Meifeng snapped her fingers.

"Trevor!" Meifeng got his attention, "Heal her, and don't touch her weird..." Then she rolled her eyes.

"On it!" Trevor said, his voice muffled by his Red Power Ranger mask. He hopped out of his stool and then walked over to Lila. He laughed as he said, "Whooooooooa! Havin' a little bit of magic-incontinence there, buddy? Let Dr. Love diagnose you!"

He put his hands on Lila, grabbing her weird-bird arm. A green aura wrapped around Lila (and she probably felt a strange sense of dread as well) around her as the wounds quickly healed. "And just like that! Good. As. New!"

Maximilian sighed.

"... I know you don't want us at your 'after-party'..." Maximilian Finger quoted. "... And that's fair. But, do you want an escort to the ferry? So Emily and her people leave you alone as you all leave?"

"Either way, please drink responsibly..." Meifeng added. "Magic and alcohol do not mix."

The Halloween Festival. Cracker Island. Watching the Toga Party.

---

Meanwhile, a group of the rest of the PRA agents consisted of Nakala Phillips, Claudette Beaulieu, Helena Page, Sonya Mayfield, and Akira Shinjo.

"... Wow, you guys are a bunch of sourpusses!" Sonya laughed as she stomped her foot on the ground. She stuck both her hands out. "It's a fuckin' celebration! A party! And you all want to walk around and look at stuff?! We can do that anytime! There's only a Halloween festival once a year!"

Nakala rolled her eyes as Sonya continued rambling and put a hand on her hip...

"Who knows what'll happen next fucking year?! Maximilian could fist that snake to death! We could get swallowed whole by it! Anyone here could die! Who fucking knows at this point!? The point is that we gotta live in the moment and build memories while we're fucking here..."

And Sonya naturally went on and on, and Nakala became a freaking senior agent for nothing. Her eyes drifted around, looking for anything to distract herself; however, Nakala's attention was brought to a sight. A certain sight. It was a remarkable sight. What did Nakala see? A simple little white lady in a wheelchair with poofy hair. She had cat facepaint on as she strolled on by in her electric wheelchair. She rolled by (purposely, Nakala knew) and smiled at Nakala, saying,

"... Hi," Then kept rolling, and Nakala stared at her as she drove off.

To anyone else, it was nothing.

To Nakala... it was a big deal.

She took a step forward, telling Sonya,

"Sonya, dial it back. We're still on duty!" Nakala began. "Be professional."

"That's my point exactly, ya'll don't know-"

"Be. Professional." Nakala explained, hoping Sonya would get it.

"Ooooh..." Sonya trailed off, "... Okay!"

The lady disappeared, and Nakala sighed.

"... Toga, toga, toga!"

"What's that commotion?" Helena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't know, but let's find out!" Sonya shouted.

"Better than standing around," Nakala shrugged.

The group moved towards the chanting of the toga party, and when they came across the sight, Nakala could only raise an eyebrow in confusion. A whole ass conga line. People partying and having fun! Interestingly, the composition of the toga party featured members of 8th Street and Sycamore. Nakala figured they would had already started fighting by now but color her surprised.

That lady in the wheelchair was off to the side. She couldn't participate but chanted from the side, raising her arms rhythmically.

"... Can I go?" Sonya asked Nakala with a sparkle in her eyes and rosy cheek.

Nakala facepalmed.

"... Go ahead," Nakala began. "Just keep your damn clothes on."

"Yay!" Sonya shouted as she ran over to the toga line and shouted, "Toga me!"

Someone chucked a cloth on her face and decked her, knocking her onto the ground.

She weakly raised a thumb in the air.

"... I'm okay,"

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

---

The PRA.

Interactions: Lila (@NoriWasHere), Stormy (@Blizz), & Luca/Bianca (@FernStone).

The Halloween Festival. The Beach Bar. Cracker Island.

---

---

Soldier's Dance - Adriana Figueroa

---

---

"I'm not going to patronize anybody here by implying that we are destined to be able to make amends properly. But I want to, at the very least, try to make that a possible future. We're dying, you know this already. And the truth is we've got nothing to show for the investigations we've conducted. Bianca is in danger, no less than any of us. We both want to protect our people, Meifeng. That means protecting the ones we care about from Father Wolf. If there is a chance that mine will live one more day by speaking like this, then I'll it my responsibility, and mine alone, so no one else has to sit through this. And if anyone holds it against me, just know that I'll respect that,"

Stormy

The pivot that Stormy made did not go unnoticed by Meifeng. She agreed with most of what he said, but ultimately, the Sycamore Tree Coven was, as it stood, not worth notice. Director Alcott wanted the Stygian Snake; they also wanted the city of St. Portwell to be under control before the powder keg ignited. Meifeng hunched her head forward and drank out of the straw until she quickly felt the liquid flow stop. She looked down and saw that she and Cindy had finished their drink and were in the mood for another; however, she would not ask Stormy for another drink. Meifeng looked up at Cindy, who smiled at her, but the former kept her facial expression flat.

"Now, allow me to speak if you don't mind," Maximilian Cornell said. Meifeng tilted her head in his direction, "Before I say anything, I'm officially nothing more than a rank and file agent, and I, in no capacity, can speak for the PRA or the St. Portwell office. I understand how you - oh, as Agent Manalo said, I'm Maximilian Cornell by the way - I understand how you all feel."

"... There he goes playing Superman again," Cindy whispered into Meifeng's ear, laughing.

"The PRA overstepped; there is no way around that. There is no way we can fix things over some drinks and a polite conversation," Maximilian began his speech. "That is an example of the behavior that Director Alcott and I wish to avoid. In my opinion, say whatever you want about 'the Feds'; the PRA is meant to protect people from what they cannot protect themselves from. That doesn't mean we should brutalize little factions like the Sycamore Tree Coven, isn't that right, Agent Liao?"

Again, Maximilian spotlighted her, but Meifeng sighed, closing her eyes...

"... We're not on duty right now, Maximilian; you can call me Meifeng," she began. "And that is correct."

Cindy smirked.

"... Yeah, she's acting like she wouldn't have been in a Coven when she was y'all's age!" She then laughed, and Meifeng's face went red.

Her face went red as her friends teased her, but there was another matter that they had to address: the serial killer, Father Wolf. Initially, Meifeng dismissed it when Kali and Bianca brought it up to her as a matter for the mundane police (Her office was stretched out as is!). Now that there's a connection, Meifeng knew it could have something to do with the Stygian Snake. Even if it were not related, eliminating a serial killer would be beneficial.

"As far as Father Wolf goes..." Meifeng paused for a moment. "By my own admission, I originally dismissed it: it. However, I will give anything not to lose Bianca or any of the other Agents under my command, so maybe it's something that I will look into..."

"We're stretched thin, though," Cindy added. "I wish we could magically wave our hands and get rid of that psychopath." She laughed as she leaned in.

"But the people we have here are good, real good," Cindy laughed. "We'll probably take care of him in no time - trust me - but as a show of good faith, we can share information that's not like top-secret, right Meifeng?"

"That's fine," Meifeng said. "Unfortunately, our two Intelligence Officers are on leave and won't be back until next week, so you'll have to give us some time here."

"But for now, drink to your heart's content, everyone. I meant what I said, it's on me tonight."

Stormy

"Come now,"

Meifeng leaned forward, putting both hands together as she stared at Stormy. "I was fine getting one drink for free, but I cannot milk you for drinks in good conscience."

"How about we get you a drink, Mr. Carson?" Cindy said, laughing.

Meifeng awkwardly coughed.

"Um, hey..." Fiona finally pipped up, looking at Lila's arm. "... Are you okay there? Do you need help at all?"

Then, all the other PRA Agents looked at her.

"What? Are you getting ready to fly away? Caw caw!" Trevor said, flapping his arms like a bird.

---

The Greenwood Coven.

Interactions: The Togaline.

The Halloween Festival. The Beach Bar. Cracker Island.

---

---

Following Leon, Adora and Greenwood made it to the... Toga party?

Adora's jaw dropped, her face twisted up at the mere sight because it was certainly a sight to behold! A whole ass Toga party that Sully was leading, and Drake Blackmore was there too - two people that she hadn't seen in over ten years. Along with someone that she never wanted to see again... Emily G. Reed. Adora narrowed her eyes at her and could never bring herself to be civil with her because of how she treated Lisa. She remembered getting into a few fights with her in the Old Coven over her treatment of her late friend... Hopefully, she grew up and found something better to do with her life than harassing people weaker than her. There was that part of Adora that wanted to find out for herself, but she knew time would tell.

Meanwhile, Adora just focused on her new Greenwood friends... When Greenwood got there, they all looked at each other in astonishment. However, James laughed as he cupped his hands together and shouted,

"Ruby!"

Ruby whipped her head around to see her friends, then spoke to the Toga party, "Save a spot for me!" That was when she disengaged, hopped out of the toga party, and went over to her friends.

"... I see you're enjoying yourself! Ha!" Jessica laughed, putting her hands behind her head.

"You turnt up!" Naomi laughed.

"Here I thought I'd never see the day you'd break bread with Emily G. fuckin' Reed!" James laughed, crossing his arms.

Ruby shrugged.

"Consider it a Halloween Festival truce," She said, then laughed. "Where the hell were you guys at? I was texting you all day!"

They all facepalmed.

"... We were looking for you!" Jessica laughed, her hand still pressed to her face. She pulled out her cell phone and pointed at it, laughing some more. "Did you even check your phone...?"

Ruby reached back... only feeling her butt in the process. "... Oh yeah."

"Wait..." Naomi circled Ruby to get a look at her back (No, she is not trying to look at her ass). "... You're not wearing anything under this! Your whole booty hanging out!"

"Eh, the best way to party, in my opinion," Ruby shrugged, then her eyes landed on Adora, "... And you guys went and recruited someone without me...?"

Adora leaned back, putting her hands up.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, sister," Adora began, "I just met you all like ten minutes ago... but I take it you're Ruby?"

"Heh, I see my reputation proceeds me," Ruby smiled, "In the flesh."

Adora extended a hand, and Ruby took it.

"Adora, just Adora. Not Appie..." Adora glanced at Leon, who was already partying. Then she sniffed deeply and realized that this chick reeked. "Maaaaaaan, you smell like a walking hot box..."

"That's just the new fragrance," Ruby said, "You hangin' with us?"

Adora shrugged.

"... I guess,"

"Good," Ruby said, raising a fist, "Now everyone! Get naked!"

"Huh?" Autumn raised an eyebrow.

"... What in the world?!" Naomi recoiled.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Jessica shouted, unbuttoning her dress shirt.

Adora shook her head and said to both of them.

"... It ain't that kinda party, sis,"

Ruby turned around and whistled, then shouted,

"... TOGA!"

Ruby stuck out her hand, and someone threw a toga at her, and she gave it to Jessica. Who had already stripped out of her outfit, throwing the toga on. She quickly handed her clothes to Autumn,

"Watch this for me, will you?" Jessica said.

"... S-sure!" Autumn stammered.

"I'll participate, but I'd like to keep my clothes on!" Kashmira laughed.

"... TOGA!" Ruby shouted; a toga was sent her way, and she handed it to Kashmira, who put it on over her saree.

There was something oddly endearing to Adora about their interactions... it had been ages since she had cut loose. Maybe... Maybe this was something Adora needed. To cut loose. Do something - anything - to distract herself from her troubles.

"... You know what?" Adora put a hand on her hip, "Show me how to cut loose. Toga me, sis!"

"I thought you'd never ask," Ruby then whistled and shouted, "... TOGA!" A toga was thrown into her hands, and she gave it to Adora.

"... You look like you need to cut loose,"

Adora couldn't help but finally crack a smile that she would call cutesy if she had a mirror right now.

Amelia took off her "costume" (as in she only took off those damn cat ears) and stuck her hands out, and a toga was tossed into her hands. She put it on the Toga over her clothes, and Pearl did the same when she got a toga.

"Um, someone has to stay with our stuff..." Autumn said as she neatly placed Jessuca's clothes on the stroller.

"Ya'll having fun, but we're gonna stick with Autumn, make sure no one messes with our... valuables, you know!" James said, placing a hand on Naomi's shoulder.

"Homies old and new!" Ruby shouted, "LET'S PARTY!"

All the toga-wearing members of Greenwood (and Adora) shouted, raising their fists in the air as they hopped on the conga line, shouting in harmony with the others,

"Toga, toga, TOGA!"

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

@FernStone

WEAKNESSES ⫻

Thermomancy ⫻ While heated up via Body-Temperature Manipulation, Linqian is more susceptible to water and other factors that would cool her down. While cooled, it's vice-versa; she is far weaker against fire and the heat. She's not entirely immune to the effects of heat/cold, and going too hard in one direction can cause injuries. This does not differentiate between friend and foe; she can accidentally burn or freeze a friend touching her. If Linqian quickly shifts from one temperature to another, she can induce thermal shock in herself and possibly die. These Spells do not differentiate between friend and foe and can be risky during team-based combat. If she uses Air-Temperature Manipulation with her Body-Temperature manipulation spells, they can also cause her to overheat/freeze faster.

Appearance Manipulation ⫻ No weaknesses to note.

Ice Hands ⫻ This Spell weakens her against fire/heat-based attacks and can cause her actual flesh to melt (not pretty).

Lightning-Dildo ⫻ The Spell provides no resistance to electricity, and Linqian can still electrocute herself with it. If she's touching water or exposed to water while using it, then she can short-circuit.

---

@Blizz

WEAKNESSES ⫻

Voidwalk ⫻ The Void is easily the most dangerous location that is known in the setting, home to unimaginable horrors and God-like Eldritch abominations. Opening a door there can end badly if he uses it willy-nilly, and something can come through - or kill him. Jack is vulnerable while casting it and has to remain immobile, making him an easy target. The portal can only remain open briefly because the act saps away at his strength the longer it stays open. Jack will pass out afterward if the portal is large or remains open for over three minutes. Jack requires the Black Star to navigate the Void properly, and if it's damaged/broken, then his mind will be at risk.

Blackout Shift ⫻ A mark can be destroyed by an intense light, such as from an abstraction or mundane means. The mark retains its momentum and can tear its hand off if the object is in motion.

Umbramancy ⫻ Extremely bright locations make it impossible to use this discipline of magic. Umbramancy is countered by light-based magic, or magic that generates light, which means Photomancy hard-counters his Umbramancy. The constructs are far easier to destroy with magic. Using his Umbramancy gradually darkens his vision, and after an intense fight, Jack is effectively blind.

Gloomy Step ⫻ Overusing the Gloomy-Step makes Jack incredibly disoriented and dizzy and can eventually cause some intense nausea. The Gloomy Step does not indicate what is on the other side and can leave him in a sticky situation if he does it willy-nilly. Light-based magic can, again, render him unable to teleport altogether if he's being exposed to it.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

@Estylwen Before I accept the character lemme tell everyone not to post in the IC as a character until they are officially accepted.

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

---

Sabrina Vanburen.

Interactions: Linqian (@FernStone), Layla (@Estylwen), & Edict (@AtomicEmperor).

Cracker Island. The Halloween Festival. The Toga Cult.

---

---

Britney wanted to get the hell off this island.

The Halloween Festival was a bust in her eyes, and there was no way to fix it, not with Emily G. Reed, Vashti Nour, and the 8th Street Coven on the same island as them. Running into Vashti almost caused a Paranormal brawl in the middle of the festival... what would happen if she ran into Queen Egomaniac Emily? A complete and utter disaster that Britney was not here for. Despite her past mistakes, she deserved a night of fun free of psychopaths like Emily and Vashti and other stressors. She still needed to get with Lila to try to figure out what in the world went wrong with the sealing!

Britney didn't notice Auri or Greyson's averse reaction to her even in the slightest! She just charged headfirst towards the Ferry, and she was going to hop on, and maybe it'd end up being more relaxing than being here was! However, she noticed that Edict tried to penetrate her emotional field again, and she felt it. However, she turned her head towards Sabrina, who noticed it but was oblivious to what it was - likely even from Edict! She would probably tell Sabrina later. Probably. It wasn't high on the priority list at the moment.

At least Edict apologized.

The next distraction came in the most bizarre sight in the world... and affirmed Britney's views that she (and her friends) needed to get the fuck off this island. A fucking Toga party which, currently, consisted of Sully, Drake Blackmore, one of the girls she saw during the fight with the Wolfpack... Vashti Nour and Emily G. Fucking Reed. The two people that she didn't want to see, but thankfully, they seemed distracted by dying inside and partying (a contrast that would be hilarious if it wasn't an egomaniac and a psycho). It was funny, but all they had to go was walk the fuck-

And Linqian decided to go in to take a photo. "Linqian, let's just—" Britney tried to protest, but it fell on deaf ears, sadly, and Linqian dove in and became part of the Toga Cult after Sully (who seemed scared about something) threw her a toga! Then freaking, Layla dove in, trying to push Linqian (who already looked ready to kill Layla) back into the Conga line...

Then fucking Leon (another person Britney didn't want to see) came in with Adora and all those people that participated in the Wolfpack fight. A part of Britney wanted to get their side of the story for what happened to Alizée... but the last thing she wanted to do was get the attention of Emily G. Reed. Somehow this situation was ending up more nope than the drink line!

"Any ideas on how we get her out of this without getting sucked in?"

Edict

Britney stared at Edict.

Edict stared back.

"... We don't," That was when Britney turned on her heel and kept going towards the ferry.

However, their silent friend, Sabrina, had stayed behind. She created two long, thick threads that were thicker than a rope! They came out of both sleeves of her outfit, and before Linqian could incinerate Layla, the two of them were snatched away. They were thrown back towards Britney and Edict and hopefully towards the Ferry so they could get off Cracker Island.

---

Nikki Watanabe, Amanda, & Victoria Blackmore

Cracker Island. The Halloween Festival. A Place of Regrets.

---

"... Look, I just thought it'd be a cute costume! I didn't think it'd end like this."

Victoria said to Amanda and Nikki as she sat on a bench with her face in her hands... the Blackmore Triplets were resting in a stroller, still dressed like a three-headed dog. She let out a sigh.

"Well," Amanda laughed as she slapped a hand on Victoria's shoulder. She kept a wide, toothy smile on her face as she continued, "You got Drake, Sully, and their goofball friends in one place; what did you think was gonna happen?" Amanda laughed.

"Yeah, you should have known that was going to go south..." Nikki ran a hand through her hair.

"But am I really to blame for all that... ?" Victoria asked.

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Fuck you t-" Victoria tried to respond but then remembered her own rule. "... Damn it - and there I go again..."

She rolled her eyes.