Insidious Insects (18 ) : In the first week of July, the area around the tree is just buzzing. The call of the cicadas is loud and droning, and it’s constant. You start to hear it all over town, too. All sorts of insects seem attracted to the strange pods, and it’s not uncommon to find nearly any species curiously investigating. If you listen closely, you notice something else strange–it’s not just the bugs that you see making the familiar call of the cicada. It seems like it’s coming from inside the pods, too. Any pod that wasn’t leaking sap suddenly begins to snap open, and giant cicadas, crawl out. Their full wingspan can reach up to a foot and they’re hungry–and angry. It seems like the pods that were leaking sap were slowly rotting, but the ones that didn’t leak were being eaten from the inside out–and now that the cicadas have run out of food, they’re out for anything they can find. Though there are several notable differences between these insects and the common cicadas, their low, chirping wail makes them easy to find–as well as the fact that they spit acid. These bugs are incredibly hostile and will attack indiscriminately, powered or unpowered, human or alien, day or night. They have a protective shell that makes them easy to crush but they’re hardly the most menacing foe you’ve faced–but if they reproduce, you could be in some real trouble. Better to crush them now before they become Destiny City’s next invasive species… Note: These creatures are a violent alien species that are aggressive and eager to destroy. They will attack everyone and everything within sight. The insects can fly, spit acid, and will try to burrow into the ground to hide. They are very fast and difficult to see. This RP can be used as a battle requirement for a character, separate from your ‘one youma battle’ per stage if there are two powered characters involved; you cannot write a solo and count this as a battle, and your character must be powered and interacting with another player’s powered character for it to count. This can only be used as a battle requirement once per character, but there is no limitation for how many times a player can use this prompt.
"Anyway, Professor Toursin definitely left before finals to save his marriage, not because he was he'd gotten a concerning diagnosis. Unless it's about his relationship, but that's what happens when you spend that much money on a 'love doll' and think having it shipped to the school is the height of discretion."
Hybris shook his head with a low laugh as he strolled alongside Hela. It was a nice night for a walking through the city parks, proudly showing her some of the mirror's he'd placed himself. Pointing out the lighting and framing he took into consideration when deciding what would make people look best when exiting one. And maybe, in exchange, he asked for a few pictures of himself exiting one.
For proof of concept.
Besides, she was a really good photographer. Sharing school gossip between stops, he didn't notice the increase in the buzzing sounds that normally haunted summer nights in the south.
xSara Draconia
Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2023 7:28 am
"Oh my god, that's what that was? I mean I like dolls but those things are so creepy. I would have at least had it sent to like a PO box or something if I didn't want anyone to find out but still... that's so weirddd."
She laughed along with him as they walked, he kept giving her ideas on where to place mirrors as well as some more artistic opinions on lighting and framing which she could understand from her photography courses and hobby.
"Yea, of course, I can take some photos for ya. You've got a good like, presence for it yanno? Also, do you think that the city just brings way too much weird stuff? I don't know if it's just because I'm from outta town but, there's a lot more things going on here than I've ever seen back home."
It was then that she started to notice a weird buzzing sound. "Hey uh, do you hear that?"
lizbot
Sara Draconia
Wheezing Loiterer
Offline
lizbot
No Faun
Offline
Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2023 2:29 pm
Turning his head, Hybris gave Hela a fond look when she praised his presence. She really had a good idea for these things. Maybe he should hire her to shoot his yearly Christmas calendar, the one he sent to family and friends. Maybe even the special one he sent to his exes...
"Well it brought out us, so I suppose there's just something about this city. Like it's a hellmouth, or an ancient alien burial ground."
At her question, he suddenly sagged into an almost mopey posture, clearly sulking as he answered, "I'm going to guess more weird stuff has arrived."
Cicadas, the size of his forearms rose up in view. "Oh no no no..." Hybris trotted a few steps backward.
Sara Draconia
Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2023 3:09 pm
"Ohhhh that would make sense at least, I think with how big the city is there is at least one burial ground under it." She nodded back sagely before noticing the first few cicadas coming into view.
"Oh yea, that's some weird s**t. Like, those are wicked huge." She took some steps forward while he stepped back, so now she was in between him and the bugs.
The things were moving wildly, seeming to attack even the other bugs buzzing about tonight. The first thing she thought to do was to pull out that can of bug spray she had in subspace. It took her only a moment but by the time she had it out and ready, they were up close and way too personal.
She took her shot and sprayed a cloud of bug killer at them, hoping this would maybe work. Hela knew that bugs were totally not his thing so she would try her best to get them to go away.
lizbot
Sara Draconia
Wheezing Loiterer
Offline
lizbot
No Faun
Offline
Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2023 4:28 pm
The few steps back turned into quite a few steps back as Hybris practically teleported away. Right up until something bumped against his back and a deafening buzz filled his ears. With a yelp, he reached into his space and threw...a bag of glitter at the bug that had come up behind him.
The glitter was highly effective in making the cicada extremely glamourous as it chased him right back to Hela. "There's a mirror a block down from here, maybe if we-"
Something nasty his the sleeve of his shirt, which then began to elicit a small stream of smoke. Whatever Hybris was going to say devolved into a quiet, if high pitched, "Aaaaaaaaaaaa??????"
Sara Draconia
Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2023 8:28 pm
Uh Oh, was the first thing she thought as she heard Hybris make some sort of half scream have questioning sound.
“Oh s**t, yes mirror! Go go go! I’ll be right behind you with the bug spray!” The spray had worked better than she had thought, dropping the things to the ground because of their wings being wet. She stomped them quickly before turning to chase after the ones that were attacking Hybris. It didn’t take much time for her to spray a cloud of them down and start stomping.
They made such a gross sound when they got squashed.
“I think I got a decent amount of them but I don’t wanna find out if there are more coming. I don’t wanna get anymore bug guts on my shoes please. Are you ok?” She may be used to the outdoors but that didn’t mean she liked bugs. Yea she wasn’t afraid of them but, they were gross and annoying.
lizbot
Sara Draconia
Wheezing Loiterer
Offline
lizbot
No Faun
Offline
Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2023 8:41 pm
He was going to get Hela a nice...something, when they got out of here. Camera? Doll? Flowers? Candy? He'd either ask or snoop through her socials if he wanted to earn back some cool points. Usually his method was to offer his whole body up unto the altar of a rescuing hero, but in the face of foot long cicadas that spat acid, he felt it appropriate to offer something extra in addition to his whole beautiful self.
"You are... so strong. And smart," Hybris gasped out as he heard her catch up behind him. "I might pass out?" He admitted, "...but since we're almost there, I'll wait until we're safe."
There was another sudden increase in buzzing. The cavalry had arrived.
Seeing the thicket the mirror was hidden in, Hybris called out, "The girl's bathroom at school! You know the one!" Just in case the other parks were similarly active tonight.
Sara Draconia
Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2023 10:17 pm
Hela blushed a bit at his compliment before she fought back a laugh. He really was dramatic when it came to bugs but, these were very much on the list of things she didn't want to have to deal with again.
"Please be careful!" She shouted as she saw him finally reach, and then step into, the mirror that was hidden. She knew exactly what he meant, the girl's bathroom that was usually abandoned because everyone thought it was haunted or something. It was probably just the old pipes, she thought. But, it was a safe enough place to mirror walk to without having to worry about unexpected guests when they popped out.
As one last F you to the bugs, she pulled a lighter from subspace and shot a bug spray fireball at the swarm before jumping through the mirror. Hopefully, he hadn't passed out on the floor in the bathroom otherwise, she was gonna probably land a** over teakettle right on him.
