2026 Star Festival Prompt
The Lilypads (16) : You can find them in lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and waterways throughout Destiny City. Giant lilypads--some large enough to support the weight of a person--appear overnight. You can try, if you want. It's become a local trend, and pictures are all over social media--of people looking for the largest lilypads, or the smallest ones they can stand on. You'd think the unnatural bubbling around the lilypads would be enough of a sign not to mess with them, but sometimes people need to learn the hard way. Beneath the lilypads lurk strange frog-like creatures that regard nearly everything as prey. The largest of them are roughly the size and shape of a bean bag chair, but they can be as small as a fist. Their broad heads are crowned with lilypads that serve as natural camouflage, allowing them to hide among the floating vegetation until they strike. They move with startling speed and can launch themselves impressive distances with powerful kicks. Long, whip-like tongues lash out to snatch prey, while thick mucus-like saliva can cling to skin, clothing, and even immobilize unfortunate victims. Their skin carries a toxic coating that can cause irritation on contact. The creatures announce themselves with a deep croak that sounds uncannily like a large bell being rung just by your ears. Unfortunately, for anyone that was respecting nature, these strange creatures are aggressive and will also attack without provocation, often attempting to drive even innocent bystanders away from the water's edge. However, if sufficiently threatened, they may retreat into the water. Once submerged, they become impossible to track.
Note: If you choose to encounter one of these frog-like creatures, your character will recognize they are not youma. It is impossible to tell if it is a single entity or if there are many. The creature does not seem to understand or care to listen to human words. All toxic and mucus can be washed away, but effects may persist for a few hours after this encounter. The creature cannot be killed and will always evade lethal blows. While it is rare to find multiple large creatures in the same vicinity, smaller creatures often cluster together, or may be found with a larger one. This RP can be used as a battle requirement as long as there are two powered characters involved; you must be interacting with another player’s powered character. This does not count as the one youma battle per stage for growth. 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.
Note: If you choose to encounter one of these frog-like creatures, your character will recognize they are not youma. It is impossible to tell if it is a single entity or if there are many. The creature does not seem to understand or care to listen to human words. All toxic and mucus can be washed away, but effects may persist for a few hours after this encounter. The creature cannot be killed and will always evade lethal blows. While it is rare to find multiple large creatures in the same vicinity, smaller creatures often cluster together, or may be found with a larger one. This RP can be used as a battle requirement as long as there are two powered characters involved; you must be interacting with another player’s powered character. This does not count as the one youma battle per stage for growth. 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.
Kissling had been one of those trend-chasing idiots stupid enough to try to take a picture while standing on one of the large lilypads. He had found and especially large pad at a lake and been showing off a violet star charm which he had just acquired recently when a long tongue emerged from the water to wrap around him, its mucus-like saliva causing him to blanch when he came into contact with it. He was so startled that he dropped both his star charm and phone onto the lilypad at his feet. Suddenly, he found he couldn't move.
With his arms pinned to his sides, he tried to look around for his attacker, but it was only as the huge creature raised its head from the water that he realized he had been standing on a lilypad crowning a very large frog and that another had come up beside it to wrap its tongue around him. He wasn't sure if the lilypad was a plant or a large growth crowning the frog-thing's head that only looked like a plant, but whatever it was, it had thoroughly deceived him.
By then, he was stuck and couldn't even reach his compact mirror to try to contact help or back-up. Was he going to die? Maybe get pulled down underwater and drown while submerged? Or worse yet, perhaps even be eaten by one of these monstrous amphibians if that was even what they were?
Kissling wondered if his magic would work on the creature. He dropped to his knees to try to see if he could kiss the lilypad's surface, wondering if it would count as the top of the thing's head, but immediately regretted it. Since his sailor fuku consisted of shorts, his knees came into direct contact with the toxic coating that covered the creature's skin and immediately began to irritate his own. He was tempted to try to wash it off in the water, but he didn't dare try to go for a swim when who knew what lurked under the surface.
With a grimace, he decided to attempt to use his magic despite his better judgement and leaned down to try to kiss the coating-covered lilypad. Even if it didn't work, he didn't really see many other options at the moment considering how inoffensive his magic and fighting style were. Not to mention that even if the frog he was standing on chose not to attack him, that didn't mean the other one with its tongue around him wouldn't. Or that it wouldn't just straight up decide to eat him. If he could just manage to reach far enough to get his dropped phone even with his arms pinned to his sides, maybe he could use it to get in contact with someone.
Who to call, though? The local authorities? Other civilians he knew? Ones he knew who could power up, maybe? He didn't really want to get those he cared about caught up in his predicament if he could help it; especially when it had been entirely his fault due to his own foolishness. His situation was pretty embarrassing as it was.
Kissing a frog...ha. Wasn't there a fairytale about something like that?
LP
((Please let me know if you’d like me to change anything!))
