Child Event and Blackout Log

[stringmods]

Who: Anyone
Where: Around the city and in the apartments
When: November 15-18
Summary: Little kids everywhere!  Also the power grid is on the fritz.
Warnings: Hopefully none!

With the network and the city's electricity once again malfunctioning, the power to most of the city has either been knocked out or is malfunctioning.  And since inconvenient things rarely happen in a vacuum in Hinoto-Ri, a portion of the city has also been affected by some strange new curse, reverting to childlike forms.  Business in and around the city has ground to a standstill due to the power problems, and without functioning heat in the apartments, extra blankets and huddling together for warmth are the order of the day.  It's still possible to go outside as the government hasn't imposed any additional curfews, and the demons during the 13th Hour are as active as ever, but some people may just want to ride this out until everything is back to normal.

((OOC: Feel free to make your own top-level comments either mingling in your apartments or out and about in town.  The child event effects are in full swing, and taking place concurrent with the blackout from November 15th through the 18th.  Please label your posts with your character's name and location.  We apologize for the slight lateness of this log!))

Comments

[demifemme]

There is a little child with long hair, in a red kimono with cranes on it with a pink obi and a white fur collar trotting around the apartment building in Pisces, looking lost. She goes to the left, stops, turns around, goes to the right, then stops and repeat, lips pressed together in focus and contained tears.

"Mommy? Daddy? This is not my house..."

[eyewillprotect]

Oh... That other child is crying. Aoi steps up her pace, trotting right up to the other girl.

"Don't cry! Are you lost, too?"

[winnocspet]

And another child, one wearing a loose red shirt and an ankle-length black skirt with a red sash, comes by. The second child is balancing a basket on their head, full of groceries -- some fruit, bread, a cheese or two, and who knows what else -- with one hand. And they're neither dropping it or messing up all that curly blond hair, in doing so!

However, they do seem to have gotten lost. The kid keeps frowning at the street signs, and then frowning at the big-in-their-hands COMP watch, which is showing a map... and then eyeing those signs again. Oops.

The little girl does catch the blond's attention, though; she seems equally lost, and even more distressed.

"Hey... are you all right?" Have a concerned look, fellow child!

OPEN

[bondsofsuffering]

[Daytime; any day]

Walking around by himself is a new experience for Hizumi. His parents had given him a certain amount of freedom here and there, but they'd always been close enough to come running if anything happened. This is his first time completely by himself, and it's almost a little scary.

Almost.

On the other hand, it's the very first time without parental supervision, and what kid doesn't dream of an opportunity like that?

Thus, he can be found walking all around town, looking into the shops curiously. If it's an adult (or anyone that could pass for an adult in a 5 year old's eyes), he keeps his mouth shut, walking with purpose and only stopping to politely ask for directions if he really has to. Not that there is anything at all suspicious about that! Right?

But if it's another kid who's obviously on their own too? Why, he'll just walk right on up to them, a happy grin plastered on his face.

"Hey! What'cha up to?"

[Evenings; any day]

Hizumi is one of the first to start gathering blankets once he realizes the power is out, but not necessarily for the reasons you'd think.

Using the ones he had found, along with the thick comforter on the comfy bed in what was apparently his room, he has built a blanket fort to trap in the heat. It's technically supposed to be a secret, but there's only so much a thing can be hidden when you've spent the day running around telling kids (and probably adults too) about how you were gonna use the blankets to make the coolest blanket fort ever and probably invited them. The sign on the (unlocked) door that says SECRET BASE also does not help.

That said, feel free to assume that your character found out about it in some way or another. After all, the best blanket forts are made of blankets from lots of different people, preferably bringing their own flashlights for maximum fort crawling ease.

((OOC: Incidentally, threadjacking in the blanket fort is completely and totally encouraged if enough people join in on that!))

daytime

[dontrunawayfromliving]

"I'm looking for Mom. I lost her somewhere."

[melodyoflogic]

[For a 5 year old boy, Ayumu was rather well behaved... and, to the average stranger, alarmingly independent. He'd ventured our of his apartment, looking for answers as to why he was here, as well as his brother.

His parents? Even at this age, Ayumu knew they wouldn't be looking for him.

The first night of the blackout, he makes his way into Pisces ward's apartment complex purely to get in out from the cold after wandering all the way there. When he notices the sign, though, curiosity rears it's head, and he peeks in.]

Sarah Snowdon | Pisces

[dontrunawayfromliving]

Sarah's not really sure what happened - this is definitely not the Outer Ghetto, but she's not going to complain about actually being inside the walls for once. When she found herself in a luxurious apartment with nobody else around, she followed her first instinct and stole a kitchen knife before running outside.

Currently, she's crouched by a puddle of dirty water, using it as a makeshift mirror to adjust the red ribbons holding her long black hair up in twin ponytails.

Fumi Kanno | Aquarius and Leo Districts - now in babby form

[terminally_clever]

[With the network glitching, one would expect a certain scientist to be on top of things as she always is, sussing out the problem and trying to make herself look better than Kandori and his team at MAGI.

Typically, this would be the case, but not today.

Instead, it would appear that Fumi has fallen victim to the de-aging curse as well. She's not sure where else to go in an unfamiliar city except the schools and the police station, so anyone in the Aquarius or Leo Districts on the first day of the event will most likely catch sight of a dark-haired, pale-skinned little girl dressed in a school uniform and wearing a familiarly dour expression on her face. She's wearing an embarrassingly thick pair of glasses with big red plastic frames, her hair tied into messy pigtails and carrying a backpack unadorned with any sorts of decorations or charms. The poor little thing is trying to look tough, but it's clear she's getting more nervous as time goes on.]

[dontrunawayfromliving]

"...what're you wearing?"

It's a study in contrasts here - where Fumi's uniform is, well, a uniform, Sarah's clothing can only be described as 'rags'. The cleanest thing Sarah's wearing is the pair of red ribbons that tie off her twin ponytails.

[badluckhealer]

[Is anyone surprised that Agatha became a tiny as well? No, no one is. However, without her memories of the present, and from a time before she found out the truth about her family, she's...a little different. Instead of a quietly depressed child, there is -

Well. There is a toddler bouncing and running around in a park, grinning widely and laughing with her arms spread out to the side like little wings. She doesn't seem concerned with anything serious, and she will actually "fly" around anyone who gets close enough. It's a way of saying hi, really.

...On the bright side, at least she can socialize now?]

[tyrantball]

Oh hey look this girl is actually flying. What do?

[luckyuncle]

[Is that--]

[Bitty, yes; smiling, yes, but that is definitely his niece.]

[...don't mind the hands suddenly lifting you off the ground and the mock-engine-noises that come with, bitty Aggie]

[egotrigger]

[There's a little boy in the park, in a long white hospital-like gown. Both he and the gown are covered in blood. He's sitting under a tree, crying.]

Open | Noda is not affected by the event

[halberdaxe]

Noda was one of the few who weren't turned their younger self, nor did he know those who were. If he knew better, he may have realized how something was off due to the sudden influx of children.

So there he was, walking around with his halberd resting on his shoulder.

[trainwrecking]

Luckily, Noda doesn't have to excel in the brains department (which is good, because he never will). Never fear, wuss Otonashi is here shooing some children out of the road. The street is a bad playland, okay, just ask Hinata.

"Hah? Noda, you..." Are normal. Large. Not fun-sized. A big boy (sort of).

[eyewillprotect]

Aoi was walking around, still in search of her parents or... anything familiar, really. This is definitely not the Tokyo she knows, and it's all quite strange!

But when she spots a tall man with a halberd, even she loses courage, giving a small gasp and taking an instinctive step back. Aren't weapons not allowed...?

Open!

[boxingemperor]

Around the dormitory

Akihiko's worked so hard throughout his life to be strong and independent. Bad things happen, and when you're young, there's very little you can do about them.

Imagine his horror as he wakes up to a room that seems much larger than it actually is. He wiggles his toes beneath the sheets, then gives his space a look around. Was he dreaming again? There's only one thing to do.

Bawl his eyes out, apparently.

---

Outside

Akihiko's going to ignore this handicap. He's a big boy--er, an adult. He can handle this minor setback. Really, he just needed a good cry is all, probably. He'll just take a walk around the building and go back inside. He's got to return to his training regime at some time, and being small shouldn't get in the way of getting used to his new body.

Right? Hopefully nobody would think he was unsupervised and in trouble. And hopefully Minako, Shinji, and Miki wouldn't mind.

outside : )

[resipiscent]

Oh, there's another white-haired kid. He remembers adulthood, but that doesn't stop him from approaching, comparing silently.

"We're the same." He reaches out, tugging at Akihiko's hair to indicate what he's talking about. Then, looking down to his hand, he frowns. "Sorry. I just... couldn't help myself." He's just... feeling impulsive, he supposes.

[asitshouldbe]

It's been years since Shinjiro's heard Aki cry. But it's been a good decade since he can remember being this small. Waking up in baggy clothing that suddenly doesn't fit, hair that's a little shorter than he remembers, shaggier. He's... young again? He's not sure what to think when he rolls out of bed and tries to find clothing that won't just fall off him. But he shoves them on quickly, heads out his bedroom door, and that's when he catches the crying.

It's familiar, in a way, and sparks some old memories that he's... never really forgotten. And after a moment he walks to the door, pausing in front of it, before knocking.

"Aki?"

[bakegarasu]

[A little boy wanders the streets, dragging a katana behind him as well as a trenchcoat that's much too large for him. He's shivering a little bit, but he doesn't seem to really care. His hair is dark and his eyes are big, and his expression is set in a permanent scowl.]

[tyrantball]

Oh hey look there's a (very weird) little girl staring at you, kid.

"...huh? You got all tiny!"

Open!

[eyewillprotect]

[Daytime; any day]

Eventually, Aoi would take to the streets, looking around Hinoto-Ri and generally trying to find any sort of familiarity with the city she called home. Not even her house was exactly the same, and the fact that the city itself is so completely different is disappointing, but she's not about to stop yet!

...It is pretty cold, however, and she finds herself shivering as time goes on. It looks like all of the lights in these buildings are out, too... What should she do?

[Night; any day]

In the early evenings, she can still be found out and about, although she'll specifically be looking for other kids like herself. And in the case that she finds one...

"D-do you have somewhere to stay for the night?"

Ignore the chattering of her teeth. She just happens to know of a large house where people can stay, is all.

As for adults, they are also free to (even literally) bump into the small girl!

Night

[dontrunawayfromliving]

"Yeah. Why, don't you?"

A slight pause as she thinks.

"...do you wanna come over? It's in a really warm alley!"

[terminally_clever]

[Fumi's been hit with the bitty curse too, and is currently sitting at a table at an outdoor cafe quietly reading a book on advanced mathematical theory. She's wearing a pretty standard Japanese school uniform, as well as thick glasses with big ugly red frames that look terrible with her pale complexion and dark hair, and she's doing her best to ignore Minako completely.]

Rikubabby : )

[resipiscent]

[Something's not right, clearly. He was awake and outdoors when the curse hit, but suddenly his Keyblade is massive in his hand, and heavy, too. He lets it go, and it disappears to wherever Keyblades go when they're not in use. What... happened? Riku frowns, as he looks up to find everything looking a lot bigger. He got shorter?

He takes a few steps, deciding to move into safer territory. If he can't use his blade properly, it's not good to be out here where Heartless could get him. But... what's going on? He supposes he'll have to find a mirror and find out, because being so tiny isn't right.]

[OPEN] Pisces Apartment & District

[bittybackup]

[PISCES APARTMENT]

Quietly and cautiously, a young girl in a kimono was exploring the apartments she found herself in. If she saw someone, or they approached her, she would pause and stared at them warily and with suspicions.

"...You. Answer my questions."

[PISCES DISTRICT]

Finally, she wandered out of the building and just...stared at the unfamiliar sights. The modern society was far too different from the main Hotsuin manor.

So there's a child who was just staring at everything, before walking over to examine them closely.

Pisces District

[eyewillprotect]

She looks lost...

"Excuse me. Did you lose your parents, too?"

It might be a bit of a long shot, but that's why Aoi herself is here. And she doesn't see a single person who looks anything like the girl nearby, either.

Avitus | Libra, Virgo, traveling around~ OTA?

[winnocspet]

There's a human kid, roughly kindergarten-aged, heading about town in a loose shirt with a long skirt and sandals, and gold cuffs on their wrists. (It's possible characters might've seen a similar human teenager on Halloween, too; handwave it if you'd like.) They've been slowly filling the basket on their head, held there and balanced with obvious practice, with groceries at various shops. Some fresh fruit and bread, a few other types of food... at least the kid seems to not be on a sugar binge, left to their own devices.

The kid pauses at a streetcorner, looking up at the signs, and then pulls a Visitors' watch-style COMP from their sash, trying to compare what's on its display with what's on the sign, but seems to be having a bit of trouble figuring it out.

Help the kid?

((And once I get more pics done of him, they'll be posted to this account, so poke at it later if you want.))