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glitter the competition - Nova - 08-18-2025
The city still bustles with a crowd of people despite the approaching chill of Deepfrost. They laugh and peruse the shops that proffer shining beach trinkets and the spiced treats of Leafchange, soaking in what sunlight makes it through the crisp ocean breeze. The smell of grilled pineapple and salted caramel taffy wafts around her as she skips through the street in her 'business clothes' (a sparkly blue star-themed button-up with orange starfish shorts), humming a random tune without words.
When she gets to the meeting spot, Nova takes in the people who she's guessing are here to answer the 'help wanted' poster she'd put out at the Hanged Man. [say]"Oh! Are you guys here to help me?!"[/say] Bouncing to a stop in front of them, she giggles and glances around in a stealthy maneuver that makes her blonde and forest-green curls brush the white star freckles of her cheeks. She leans forward to whisper, [say]"This is a really important mission."[/say]
Glancing around again, she pauses to let a particularly suspicious girl with pigtails and an ice cream pass by. Then she holds a hand to cup her mouth, an unhappy furrow to her brows. [say]"There's a new lady in town who claims she's the 'best fashion designer in all of Caido'"[/say] - her eyes roll so hard they might have spotted the glittery folds of her brain - [say]"and she's CRAZY!"[/say] Nova emphasizes the word with a shimmer of iridescent light that catches the gazes of a few pedestrians - not that she's paying attention anymore. [say]"So, I need help tearing down her flyers and putting mine up - because they're better."[/say] Straightening, she clutches the papers proudly to her chest, glitter falling from the sheets in a conspicuous puff.
Nova grins at her newest assistants. [say]"Then we're going to buy all the best materials so she can't have any of them."[/say] Her giggle is darker than before, a little like the blackened night sky that still shimmers with stars but makes the perfect atmosphere for mischievous activities.
Without missing a beat, she hops on the balls of her feet, extending her arms. [say]"Here, grab a pile!"[/say] The handmade flyers have 'NOVA' written in giant glittery puff letters, varying designs and sketches taking up the empty space that isn't consumed by 'BEST DESIGNER EVER!'
Welcome to You've been roped into Nova's profession-establishing PQ!
1. Nova
2.
3. Nikandr
Please post your character arriving and grabbing a stack of flyers!
RE: glitter the competition - Theea - 08-18-2025
The stars are finally honest about it—no smear of dusk left to bargain with—when I cut through Haulani’s upper streets toward the meeting spot. Lanterns hang from cables and eaves, throwing warm gold across wind-chimed shopfronts and the gleam of wet wood. The air is a tangle of salt and sugar: grilled pineapple, caramel taffy, a whisper of frying oil from somewhere I can’t see, all tangled in the ocean breeze.
Nova is impossible to miss—she’s a comet that learned to walk, all stars and color and curls and that constellation of freckles that always makes me smile. I’ve seen her around enough to peg her as fun; trouble, probably, but the good kind. The help-wanted poster at the Hanged Man snagged me because odd jobs are how I eat, but seeing her grinning at a stack of glittering flyers tells me this is going to be… an adventure.
I sidle in as she whispers like we’re about to rob a dragon. My eyebrows creep higher the longer she explains. Tear down a rival’s flyers. Buy out all the best materials. Shady? Sure. But my parents’ bar for “shady” is in the Mariana Trench; this barely makes the shallows. Besides, I like the Marin triplets—Vesper was kind to me when he didn’t have to be, and Caly’s a friend. Odds are good Nova will be great too.
When she thrusts an armful of papers my way, I take a stack—then immediately grimace as glitter detonates across my hands, my shirt, the wind, the rest of the street. Tiny stars cling to my knuckles like they’ve found religion. I flick my fingers uselessly and deadpan, [say]"We’re all going to be implicated in this."[/say]
Still, I can’t help the crooked smile tugging at my mouth as I tuck the flyers under my arm. [say]”What’s our route?”[/say]
RE: glitter the competition - Nikandr - 08-18-2025
Niki does not intend to be roped into Nova's help wanted endeavours, by comparison; he's merely the victim of being in the right place at the wrong time. Given that he isn't the biggest fan of the eldest Marin triplet (that's you, Vesper, if you didn't realise), but he equally hasn't met the others, and so it's with little more than raised brows that he turns to find a pile of flyers thrust into his hands.
Juggling them into the crook of his arm so he can still lean on his crutch and blinking across at - thank the gods
Niki arrives, accepts some flyers, and waits for orders!
RE: glitter the competition - Nova - 08-18-2025
Having met Theea a few times now, Nova shares her conspiratorial grin. [say]"We'll split up to get the whole city!"[/say] She doesn't recognize the man, but he has two hands and isn't complaining. As they take the glittering papers, she glances around again, making sure no one is eavesdropping on their 'very secret meeting' (in the middle of the street) then she leans forward. Her words are sweet and bright despite the heartless mentality. [say]"But if you get caught, I'm not taking any of the blame."[/say] How she plans to do that when the flyers have her name all over them... who knows.
Then, in another puff of starlight and glitter, she spins to skip down the street. A few steps in, she twirls to give them one more wave, her voice chiming too loud to be discrete. [say]"See you guys soon! I don't want to see any left!"[/say] And then she splits off, determined to pain the town with glitter.
Round 1:
Pick a path and tear down the enemy's competition's flyers to put Nova's up! She'll take what's left! Don't get caught!
North: There's a loyal-good-type walking the path who might take issue with your actions.
South: There are people crowding around a street performer. Are those knives?
East: A mangy dog limps in the path. It might be dangerous.
West: It's trees. Why would you go in the trees? Who's going to see the flyers then?
RE: glitter the competition - Theea - 08-18-2025
I light up when I spot him. [say]"Niki?"[/say] It comes out half-laugh, half-relief. [say]"You made it to Torchline!"[/say]
Nova ’s warning about not taking the blame earns her my best raised brow and an amused smirk. I shake my head as she skips off trailing starlight like a guilty comet. [say]"Noted, commander,"[/say] I murmur under my breath, then tip my chin to Nikandr. [say]"I’ll take the south. Try not to get arrested."[/say]
I slide into the southern street where the crowd thickens around a performer. Knives catch the lamplight and spin silver halos; the audience oohs and laughs, shoulders pressed tight. It’s perfect cover. I keep my head down, clapping once like I belong, then edge along the shopfronts—peeling paint, fishing nets hung to dry, a chalkboard menu promising something fried and wonderful.
There—the rival flyer, all flourished script and smug edges, nailed over a patch of sun-faded cork. I glance at the knives (still midair), at the crowd (entranced, I hope), and work my fingers under a corner. Slow and careful. The paper sighs free. I fold it twice and slip it into my jacket—no sense leaving evidence—and lift one of Nova’s masterpieces from my stack.
Glitter blooms the moment I breathe on it. Of course it does. I turn my body to block the worst of the sparkle as I smooth the new flyer into place, palm skimming the corners, knuckle tapping each tack home. I step back, wipe a comet’s worth of glitter off my hands (futile), and blend into the edge of the crowd. [say]"One down,"[/say] I murmur to myself, already scanning for the next target.
RE: glitter the competition - Nikandr - 08-19-2025
[say]"I did. It took a long time, but Flora all but insisted in the end."[/say] And it's her house he'd ended up helping to build, in fact. Niki's lips part to say more to
Perhaps it's because he considers it a kindred spirit, but with only a limping animal in the street to the east, Niki makes his way in that direction. He can already see numerous flyers boasting information about fashion design, zeroing in on the first to get it down and replace it with one of Nova's.
As for the dog, he reaches within himself for a cord of rarely used magic, tugging at it and summoning a small housecat which scampers in plain sight of the canine, hopefully distracting it.
Niki takes East! He starts replacing flyers and tries to distract the dog by summoning a small housecat.
Summoning (Abandoned/Hybrid): Can summon 1 small animal (house-cat sized or smaller)
Type: Light | Rank: Basic | Cost: Action
RE: glitter the competition - Nova - 08-19-2025
The group splits off and Nova immediately approaches the man who looks like he might be a stick in the mud, batting her eyelashes to accent the sparkling blue of her eyes. [say]"Hi! You look really strong and I saw a lady who needed help moving some heavy packages inside. I'm too weak"[/say] - she gives a small pout of her lips and lifts her thin arms in emphasis - [say]"but do you think you could help?"[/say] There's an irresistible shimmer to the fluttering of her eyes, pleading and desperate as a beautiful damsel in distress.
His gaze runs down her, initially suspicious before his chest is puffing, the chivalrous instincts drawing him forward. [say]"I can do that, ma'am. Don't you worry."[/say] Then he's moving down the street, giving her free reign to giggle and skip towards the first flyer. She rips it down without ceremony to plaster her own onto the wall, spinning to find her next battleground: a muddy street where kids are throwing water balloons.
Nikandr isn't as lucky as the girls. The patchy black (or brown?) poor dog flashes him with a dangerous set of pleading puppy eyes. It spots the cat but gives a small yip of playful excitement when its attention is snagged by something much more exciting: Niki's cane. It rushes forward to grab at the bottom, pulling and growling to encourage the man in its game. The limp doesn't seem to bother it as much anymore, having cast aside its pain for fun.
Round 2:
Nova and Theea have moved onto the next part of their street, but Niki is having some trouble with dog who thinks his cane is a toy!
Nova: Water balloon battleground!
Theea: There's a creepy dark alley with a flyer at the end.
Niki: Find a way to escape the dog.
RE: glitter the competition - Theea - 08-19-2025
The crowd noise thins to a muffled hum as I angle off the lantern-bright street and squint into the alley. It’s a slit of darkness between stilted buildings, all wet wood and old fish brine, the kind of place that collects secrets and broken bottles. Halfway down, a sheet of smug cursive gleams where the light can’t quite reach.
[say]”Always the dark and creepy shit, right?”[/say] I mutter, talking myself up as I roll my shoulders. My hands hover near my knives—habit more than paranoia—and I test the boards with soft steps. The breeze funnels through here with a colder edge, carrying salt and taffy-sugar from the main walk; somewhere behind me, the knife juggler’s crowd oohs, then laughs, then oohs again.
I pause at the mouth, let my eyes adjust, then slip along the wall where the shadows are thickest. One step. Listen. Two steps. Breathe. A drip somewhere to my left, a skitter that’s probably a crab that got very lost, the faint rattle of a loose sign overhead. No footsteps. No throat-clearing do-gooder. Just me, and the poster daring me to touch it.
(Presuming) I make it, slipping my fingers quickly under the other poster to rip it free and replace it with Nova’s.
Theea creeps down the alley, vigilant as she tries to reach the poster, and replace it if she does!
RE: glitter the competition - Nikandr - 08-20-2025
Having initially thought that his plan was quite a solid one, Niki's hold on his summoning magic drops away entirely as the dog seems to disregard the feline he'd brought in as back-up. He's only managed to replace one flyer so far when his cane is being set upon as a potential plaything, and it's with his eyes widening a fraction that he's forced to hop forward a bit to maintain balance.
[say]"I do not think that will be as much fun as you think it will,"[/say] he tells the pup apologetically, though he does luckily spy some driftwood in a nearby doorway. He'll have to put down the flyers (which he does reluctantly), but he manages to snag it and waves it enticingly instead. [say]"Do you know how to play fetch?"[/say] he asks with a smile, tossing the driftwood to see if that will get the canine to lose interest.
Niki is forced to put down his flyers. He finds some driftwood and tries to distract the dog into playing fetch instead!
RE: glitter the competition - Nova - 08-21-2025
The water is flying and kids are screaming, but there's a determined set to Nova's features, a chaos gremlin in her element. She rushes forth, water magic flying in a combination of offensive and defensive maneuvers that keep her posters dry and all the children soaked. They squeal and run and manage to land a hit on her side when she's not looking; but she slips through the maelstrom, somehow securing her flyer to the wall in a flutter of glitter before she vanishes around the corner to finish her route.
Nikandr manages to distract the dog with the second stick, sending it running down the street towards a dumpster that smells like every mutt's dream buffet. Cane and necromancer forgotten, it dives head first into the bins, tail wagging and debris flying to leave the flyer mission safely intact. Niki won't find any more obstacles as he finishes his section of the quiet, secluded street.
Round 3:
Meet back up with empty hands!
RE: glitter the competition - Nikandr - 08-21-2025
Grinning to see his new canine companion spring away after the driftwood, Niki watches to make sure it doesn't get into any trouble with the bins or with the limp that it had apparently forgotten about, before stooping to carefully collect up the rest of his stack of flyers. With the animal suitably distracted, he's able to remove any further posters for the other designer, replacing them dutifully with the ones Nova has provided and ensuring that he disposes of the ones he takes down.
In the end, he's left with empty hands and his clothes lightly coated in glitter, but at least he's still got his cane and he hasn't been otherwise hassled by any people (or creatures). Returning to the meeting spot, Niki glances around for
Niki returns victorious!
RE: glitter the competition - Theea - 08-21-2025
I don’t stick around after the scraping sound—definitely a crab, right? Just a lost crab.
Maybe Uncle Ronin has a point.
I slip out of the alley, muttering to myself. Who hangs advertisement posters in a scary alley? I keep my head down and my hands quick, plucking smug cursive from notice boards and shop windows and replacing each with NOVA in glittering, star-bright letters. By the time I’m done, my stack is gone and the rival flyers are folded tight in my jacket. I spot a covered trashcan tucked between a fishmonger’s stall and a rack of drying nets and make a casual pass—lid up, evidence in, lid down.
Back at the rendezvous, I fall in beside Niki with a nod to him with a smile. I turn to Nova. [say]"Every poster’s up and the evidence is gone,"[/say] I report, then glance at my hands and clothes. [say]”Aside from the fact that it looks like we just shook a rainbow down for its glitter allowance."[/say]
Theea arrives empty handed (aside from glitter) and successful (also maybe on Ronin's side about the Crab Thing).
RE: glitter the competition - Nova - 08-21-2025
The glitter is harder to spot on Nova's sparkling outfit, but she's happy to see that the only evidence left by the others is the shimmering specks on their clothes. Even Nikandr seems to have made it without any problems. Beaming at
Bouncing on her toes, Nova claps her hands together, all signs of secrecy gone in their moment of victory. [say]"Good work, team! Objective one: COMPLETE!"[/say] She clasps her glittered fingers together and leans forward with another conspiratorial grin that should have the other designer running for the hills. [say]"Now to make sure she can't get any of the good stuff."[/say] Shoving a bag of money in each of their hands (where it came from, no one knows), she doesn't give any more instructions before skipping to a nearby shop with a dramatic wave of her hand. [say]"Meet me back here when you buy it all!"[/say]
Round 4:
Find the prettiest 2 items (fabric, accessories, dye, knickknacks, etc.) in all of Haulani, buy ALL of them, then present your spoils to Nova! (Bonus points if they have glitter!)
RE: glitter the competition - Nikandr - 08-22-2025
Jumping a bit in surprise as Nova's hands clap together, completely ruining their attempts at secrecy, Niki is trying (and failing miserably) to brush the glitter from one of his sleeves as she explains their next set of tasks. Before he knows it he has a bag of money thrust into his hands and is sent on the hunt for the best of the best. [say]"Er... I will see what I can find,"[/say] he says with a nod, before heading out into Haulani to peruse the shops.
Used to the weaving marketplace in the Sidhe Village, this is admittedly scaled up and then some, but luckily the items all seem to be quite similar once Niki is able to get his bearings. He ends up in a store filled with accessories first, quite taken by some glittering brooches shaped into crashing waves or molten pineapples. Procuring all of them - and he's got no good response for the owner when they ask what he's going to use them for - he swiftly moves on.
Next he finds himself at a stall owned by a seamstress, spotting bolts of shimmering, opalescent fabric. That seems to be quite on brand for Nova, and so he buys out the stock for that too, before returning with everything stacked on a small handcart that he can tug behind him.
Niki chooses glittering brooches and bolts of opalescent fabric!