PHASE I [ 9 00 ] The peace of the morning in the Residential District shatters just as the wall caves through. It’s a small segment of wall -- no more than five feet across at most. And yet the crash and groan of the metal being stretched is ominously accompanied by the distinct piercing screech of metal and another sound. A raucous noise, a combination of ungodly wailing and sharp, victorious laughter spills forth from the hole left in the wall as a myriad of ghosts and spirits erupt from the newly created exit. Characters with any type of spiritual sense will find themselves nearly overwhelmed by the amount of negative ghostly energy that suddenly floods Cerealia and characters with no sense of preservation will find any attempt to enter the hole blocked by the fiercest of ghosts, met with deadly force if they try to pass, as the ghosts won’t hesitate to do things such as reach straight into your body to try to stop your heart.
These ghosts are out for blood, and they don’t seem to stop no matter how you try to talk to them -- they just hiss out, over and over again, “Murderersmurderersmurderers.”
From there, the ghosts move on. Their true target, after all, is CERES… but to them, there’s no difference between the character players and CERES. They’ll go for whoever gets in their way, phasing through walls and becoming tangible long enough to reach for characters before fading away again. Characters with special abilities will find themselves in a similar state. Their abilities may increase and decrease in power sporadically, or be completely gone. They may attempt to cast a spell only to find that the wrong spell is cast instead, or an attempt at healing may end up a more dangerous spell. Be careful with your own magical skills!
Those with items or powers specifically intended to ward off spirits will still fulfill their intended purposes when used – unless malicious spiritual energy gets to them first.
PHASE II [ 1400 ] It seems the ghosts have more tricks up their sleeves. It seems that a not-so-friendly ghost has decided to play a game with you. It doesn't matter where you are, or what you're doing, because a moment later a voice calls out -- Hey. Can you see me? -- and once you turn your head, you’ll come face to face with a surprise.
Who is it in this world (or your world, or any world) that you have managed to disappoint the most? A family member? A friend? Yourself? They face you now, eyes full of sadness, and they say, “I need you to do something for me.” Without another word, they’ll turn away and begin to walk. Your vision grows foggy, focused solely on the need to do whatever this person wants – they need you, after all. Your legs move to follow them, unless you manage to somehow resist.
But you apparently don’t seem to notice that you’re the only one who can see this person – or that they’re leading you stray toward that monorail track with the sound of the train coming closer, or that busy intersection, or right off the sky bridge.
PHASE III [ 600 ] Other ghosts don’t feel like borrowing faces in order to inflict damage. No, they’ll inflict their damage on a far more personal level. They manifest suddenly and without warning – then all it takes is a simple touch. A ghostly hand reaches out to you and it feels like the cold wraps around your heart, and your vision skews, and then... they leave just as suddenly as they came.
Those who have been around for awhile may very well recognize the ghosts, at that.
But the damage has already been done. Depending on a character’s assigned sense, they will feel one of the following changes:
Sight: Hopefully you aren’t in the habit of bending the truth. Dead men tell no tales, they say. But what happens to a living person unable to tell lies? Any attempt at telling any lie or falsehood will cause the character to feel as though their throat has closed off, and they can do nothing more than choke.
Smell: The cold passes, but in some way that it never really leaves. And then everything seems perfectly normal. Nothing has changed, right? You're fine -- except that in a short period of time with how crazy things are, it becomes apparent that you're unable to feel pain. The damage to your body is the same as ever, but dangerously, you can't feel a thing.
Taste: It would appear as though the ghosts have a sense of humor. From those who rest in eternal slumber, try a few days of being unable to sleep. Everything seems fine at first... but slowly but surely, that lack of sleep will start to take its toll.
Hearing: Most others would feel relief once the ghosts left, finally a moment of peace. But you? You don’t feel anything – nothing kind, anyway. Rather, you have been left unable to feel joy. Everything seems either bleak or as though it simply has no emotional impact at all.
Touch: How many deaths have been caused in the name of heroics? Apparently in an attempt to keep future casualties down (or perhaps for their own laughter), the ghosts have left you unable to be brave. Suddenly, a situation you'd face fearlessly is one that has sent you running, panic sharp in your chest.
These effects will last throughout the event, if a character is caught by them.
PHASE IV [ 1000 ] While chaos erupts throughout the city, some of the more misguided ghosts (but still bloodthirsty, so very bloodthirsty) just happened to run into the wrong part of town and don’t know how to give a proper scaring. One ghost seems to think that it was a great idea to possess a masseusebot from the Spa. You’re grabbed suddenly! You fight for your life but can’t seem to get yourself out of its metal grip! With expert precision that only a robot can mange, it finds your pressure points – and releases all that tension from this Incredibly Bad Day. The ghost inside the robot is confused, distressed -- why is this human suddenly so relaxed? It only wants to murder. But the only illegal thing happening here is how good this massage makes you feel.
Maybe later you’ll walk down the street and get stopped by the ghost that possessed a balloon dispenser. Perhaps a ghost has possessed the friendly McCERES mascot, and is now handing out coupons with murderous intent. And of course, there are always the hug bots...
Look, they tried really hard, okay.
Of course... they might end up possessing technology a little closer to home as well, at which point it's not so funny.
BONUS [ xxxx ] Hopefully you have friends who have ghost-fighting skills. Or ghost-taming skills. Or ghost-bellydancing skills, who knows, we won't judge them if you don't. But what of those poor people who come from worlds where the supernatural is some weird television show?
Worry not, poor souls, for CERES is here to provide! Some time after the ruckus begins, characters will find what looks to be a hand-held vacuum cleaner situated innocuously in their rooms (only one per person, you greedy gus). The logo on the side will helpfully inform you that this is of CERES make, because the paper pamphlet beside your new device? Well, it's more like a picture book. Observe Stick-Man Sully as he uses his vacuum cleaner to capture ghosts! Learn from his stellar example! Do not stick the hose in your mouth or attempt to give the vacuum CPR, there's a big X over that picture. Also of the one where Stick-Man Sully sets his captive ghosts free once more, we don't want that, do we?
Your new ghost vacuum should prove effective against any ghastly ghoul that shoots your way, but beware! Should you capture a ghost and not turn in your vacuum to CERES for weekly ghost disposal, your ghost will serenade you in the wee hours of the morning with its song of choice. If you capture a whole horde of ghosts, well, congratulations. You have a boy band living in your vacuum.
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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open!!
[It's not hard to hear the sound of metal splitting, especially in the train station; indeed, half the place goes rushing out to investigate what's up. Perhaps that was a mistake, considering there's a deep, yawning hole in the wall through which something is spilling. The screams are awful, but the sense of dread worse - enough to get the feet moving away without conscious intent.]
[When he blinks, there is wakfu there, but it's got an awful vibe to it - like something not alive, yet somehow alive. One has split off and taken sight of him, and it sends a sickening chill down his spine.]
What in the-- [Chibi leaps into a portal with murderers, murderers still in his ears - Goddess, has their being here attracted attention? Does it think, like everything else on this hell-planet, that they are CERES' agents? He tries a few words, but there is no reasoning with it; instead, it reaches for his chest, his neck. His arm goes to retaliate, and it passes through.]
[The ghost screams and disappears to the wind, but Chibi still feels it prickling his skin. He can only offer a helpless look and a shrug to the (horrified?) person closest, probably moving alongside him. not_this_shit_again.jpg]
one-b.
[Something is wrong, here, and Chibi realizes it when he tries to make a portal - it's like something in the stream's been stopped, or like his calculations are somehow off. He knows he should stop trying, if it keeps ending in near-death... But to an adult Eliatrope, portals are as much reflex as they are magic, and he can't seem to stop himself.]
[Maybe you're caught in the crosshairs of the wakfu beam hurtling your way - better get out of there before it singes you! Or maybe the portal misses its mark, and you're dumped straight through it, or your torso is left sticking through it. Maybe you half-fall through, like a subway grate's just opened beneath one of your feet. Either way, you'll find the culprit a few feet away: not the ghost, but Chibi, who is cursing aloud in Draconic.]
[That ghost there is still a threat...!]
four. sorry
[A man needs a drink, after all this damned mess - so into the pleasure district this middle-aged Eliatrope goes to retrieve a six-pack. Unfortunately, it's not only the hug-bots or the McCERES coupon bots that have been possessed; a slender android pops its head out of one of the nearby brothels, then comes at him, presumably trying to choke him out. Instead, it displays a lewd smile on its robotic face and starts reaching for him. Chibi, for his part, just freezes and looks puzzled.]
Er. Excuse me. [It starts trying to reach into Chibi's cloak. He gently guides its hand to his shoulder instead. It moves for the ties on his pants. He moves it again. If undisturbed, this will probably go on for several minutes. Help.]
bonus.
[Chibi's figured something out about this vacuum cleaner: if he secures it carefully to the top of his wakfu-motored pet roomba (adopted after the flood), it'll happily putter alongside him without him having to pilot it. The roomba, presumably happy to have a friend, is displaying a :D face on its display; the flower growing in it looks cheerful, as well. Chibi, presumably happy to have both hands free to deal with ghosts, is going about his day undisturbed.]
[If you're beside him in the residential district and a ghost approaches, he'll snatch it up quickly with the vaccuum; its roomba steed chirps at the sudden pressure differential on its back. He'll turn and cheerfully say:] These things are actually quite handy, are they not? [Wonder what the catch is.]
wild-card.
[hit me with anything and I'll give it a spin!
if you're close CR and want truth on something, this might be the time, or something.]1-B
--it was fortunate that his Metal Vessel never left his side.
Barely a moment passed before he called forth the power of the Djinn Dantalion, asked of her power to dwell in his body and make his form akin to that of the Great Magicians who had come before. The fan that was symbolic of the pact he had made with the great Djinn disappeared in a flash and, his figure transformed, the peril of such a fall ceased.
Instead he hovered in the air, eyes keen as he surveyed the streets for anyone who could have seen him-- and on the look out for the Magician who had used such a technique.
There were only three people in his world who were capable of using Space-Time Magic to this extent-- one was confirmed for dead, and the other was no longer of any world he knew.
Unless Judar or Lady Scheherazade had made it somehow to this city, he didn't know of any other who could do this. The possibility of finding either Magi was strong....and, politics aside, he needed to find either one of them.]
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[Haha, good thing that didn't happen, right?]
[He tries it again, and mercifully, it works - a portal he can hop through to get closer to the man, within shouting distance.]
Goddess, I'm-- [Is he supposed to apologize for something he didn't really do?? Regardless, as often when he has no idea what the proper course of action is, he starts babbling and gesturing:] I'm sorry; it seems my portals aren't quite working as intended, with all the mess here. Probably fluctuations in the wakfu balance, with all the spirits hanging around, or something of the sort. Either way, it was unintended.
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His hopes for finding a familiar face-- even that of the traitorous priest who had helped in catalyzing the civil war his country was embroiled in...
But, no matter. Koumei bobbed his head mildly at the stranger. There were no wings to be found behind Dantalion's horns, but anyone with any magical sensitivity would notice the Magoi he had expent with the transformation and the simple act of flight.]
I believe you-- this is the first time I've tried to test the limits of my own skills since arrival, and even this is more of a strain than normal.
[Flight was a free action, after all.]
...This 'Wakfu' you mentioned is strange to me, but it seems we've much to talk about. Very few people are powerful enough to use this sort of Magic where I come from, so I wondered if one of them had arrived in this world.
Clearly they haven't, but the point still stands. ...let's get down to ground level. We don't need more mishaps.
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[But instead of that old cliche, Chibi just nods and drops through another portal to the ground, checking for ghosts as he does. No, none at the moment, but he makes a note to keep an eye out; there are plenty of corners and alleys in this district where they might be able to hide.]
[When they're safely on the ground, he continues, with his embarrassment dissipated into cheer at being called 'powerful.'] No; I can tell you are not from my world, either. [One of the horns on his hat twitches, as if to illustrate the point.] But there are many people here, with many sorts of gifts; the sorts of tears in spacetime I've illustrated here don't seem too uncommon.
But you don't seem too weak, yourself. [A kind smile.] In the same way, that sort of... Transformation you pulled is unimaginable to us.
[
well, unless your name is Qilby and you're doing Eliacube shit, but that's post-canon-point.](no subject)
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1.b
[Unsurprisingly, when Ruby feels the ground fall out from under her, she reaches for her weapon first and foremost. When it's a massive scythe, it manages to span the diameter of that portal--but she's still stuck clinging to it, dangling.]
Why did the floor disappear!!
[Ah yes. Please help.]
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[He has a few ideas for how to get her down - and every single one involves portaling up there. Funny, that.]
Sorry, I-- Ugh, everything is acting strangely. [He'd spare a facepalm, but time is of the essence here, and so he pinches the bridge of his nose helplessly instead. Walking underneath her - when she is about twelve feet off the ground, and he is six of those feet tall, it's not as daunting - he spreads his arms open and tries not to look directly up.] Think you can wiggle out of there? --I have an idea if you can't, but I'd rather not if it's not needed.
[Said idea involves taking his hat off and flap-flap-flapping up there, which is approximately the last thing he wants to do.]
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Oh, yeah, I can do that.
[All it takes it activating her Semblance, and then she poofs from point A to point B, almost as if teleporting there herself. Once safely on the ground, she folds up her scythe again, blinking at Chibi thoughtfully.]
So that was you doing the weird ground-disappearing-thing?
[No flap-flap-flapping necessary-- this time.]
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Huh; I didn't know you could do that. [He sounds... Rather impressed, all things considered.] But yes; unfortunately, it seems like my portals are acting up. With all the spirits wandering around, it must be throwing off the wakfu resonance in the area, which is throwing the coordinates off - quite the mess, isn't it, the whole thing?
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four.........
Keep your mitts off him!
[the android continues to tremble as the ghost is sucked out of it and finally into the vacuum. England does not look pleased by this whole mess. and he's not. he's dealt with ghosts before, but none that have tried to feel up his boyfriend!]
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[Oh, there was a ghost in it. That explains something. But is England getting jealous of a ghost-powered sexbot? Aah, and he had thought being jealous of that woman he was staying with was bad...!]
[The vacuum clicks off, and the android collapses to its knees, then gently onto the path. Chibi gives it a good look to make sure it's not damaged - it's not its fault it was possessed! - before stepping over its lifeless body to give England a quick kiss.]
You know, I saw one of those vacuum cleaners in my apartment, but I hadn't had time to inspect it. [He wishes he had, now - finally, has CERES given them something useful? His roomba had certainly seemed interested in it, or at least in bumping into it and chirping.] Strange it was a ghost in there, though; you'd expect it to be a bit more... Murderous.
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The kiss is unexpected, but nice, even if they are outside. England shoots the android another dirty look before holding up the vacuum for Chibi to see. It rattles, the ghost inside trying to free itself] They're everywhere, all around the colony. I'm not quite sure what they're looking for, but they are angry.
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So CERES is trying to clean up their mess, in some sense. [Well, it is a vacuum cleaner. Ha!] Perhaps I will have to get mine and take it for a spin, or better, take it apart--
Ah, you had mentioned seeing ghosts before I came here, hadn't you? [He taps a finger to his own chin. As always, Chibi's mind jumps straight from one track to another.] Were they anything like this?
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1-A
Luckily she has a ghost of her own to look out for her, who makes quick work of any spirits that try to attack anyone by burning them away with fire. Though he's a moment too late to catch the one going for Chibi, so the pair freeze for a moment, only to relax again when the ghost disappears.
His shrug gets one in return, Lapis and her friend glancing at each other, before she makes her way over to him.]
... Are you alright? [He looks fine, but she just wants to make sure since the ghost had touched him.]
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[It's gone as soon as it started, leaving him with brow furrowed in confusion. Honestly, that was all? Scared the breath out of him, and that was all?? With the chaos around them, everyone running away, he'd thought a bit more than that was to come. (Little does he know--!)]
[But the lovely young lady to his side is addressing him, and Chibi looks over, sparing a chuckle.] Yes, yes, I'm fine... Just got a chill from it, and then it was gone. But they were all trapped in there, so I don't entirely blame them for breaking free, yeah?
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... Yeah, it must've been awful for them. Though they're so full of malice that I can't talk to them...
[Which is pretty upsetting - she doesn't want to hurt them, but she doesn't have a choice if they're so angry that they're attacking everyone, and Lapis isn't able to purify things like this. She's just basically a ghostbuster.]
But you're really okay? You don't feel weird or disconnected or anything? [She steps closer to peer at him; sorry Chibi, she just really wants to make sure. Lapis tends to mother-hen over everyone way too much.]
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[For now, her talk of them being full of malice interests him. His hands fall back to his sides (they stuff in his pockets, actually, fiddling with the keys in there), and he stands up a bit straighter; still, though, he wears the same smile.] Is it normally an ability you have - to talk to spirits without a body?
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4.... chibi pls
She recognizes Chibi and perks up some, raising a hand in greeting... Before she actually takes in the scene. Clearly this is the time to jump in and help, right?!]
Heh... Snrk... [Or burst out into loud laughter at the sight and offer no help whatsoever] Ah, do not let me interrupt!
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[Oh, it's Oona, and so there will be no help whatsoever.]
[Chibi turns, a helpless look on his face, and pouts. This is a serious predicament, and he needs serious solutions!] It seems to be malfunctioning... Normally, I'd at least pay the poor girl for her services.
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You could always give me the money. [Oona bats her eyes oh-so innocently, but she's walking over anyhow, eyeing the bot up. Her plan mostly consists of kicking the robot and running, honestly, she's just gotta seize the right opportunity and hope it doesn't try to keep Chibi's pants as a trophy or something.]
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[He speaks to the robot now, still not realizing there's a ghost inside. He really doesn't want to hurt the poor thing...!] I don't want to hurt you, you know. If you don't behave, I'll have to tie you down, and then where will we be?
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one-b!
Holy shit—!
[And there he goes, falling through the portal. Or half-falling through it, in any case. His torso is left sticking out, and his legs are... somewhere. Maybe. Probably. IT'S A MYSTERY that only Chibi might know the answer to. If the portal closes on him and he dies (again) by getting sliced in half, he is so going to be pissed. Maybe not as pissed as he will be if he ends up getting killed by a ghost right now, but still pretty pissed.
... They should probably stop meeting like this. It's not good for fostering healthy relationships.]
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[Chibi closes an eye to look for his wayward portal and sees it along with some poor fool, dangling there helplessly. Actually, it looks as though he's got each leg in one portal, and both of them dangling awkwardly from a single one, causing him to straddle the air a few feet up. What.]
[... Yes, perhaps he ought to get that fellow out of there before something else goes wrong and he falls. He focuses as hard as he can to get a portal up - and mercifully, it works this time, so he can duck into it and stick his own torso next to the guy.]
[Without giving a terribly good look to who it is, he mutters:] Sorry. The wakfu stream's all uneven, seems like. Here, like this, lift your legs out-- [He'll attempt to get his arms under Jason's and lift; good thing Chibi's a pretty strong guy.]
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While Chibi might not notice who this poor sap is, Jason definitely does notice who he's being rescued by. And it's not the best of realizations. Kind of ironic, actually. He should probably work on pissing less people off, so there are less chances of getting rescued by one of them.
He's just going to go along with the instructions, since. You know. He doesn't want to be stuck here. But that doesn't mean he can't complain about this all the way.]
Surprise, surprise. So you did this, huh? [What happened to "pissing less people off", though...] And here I thought this was the handiwork of our new ghostly neighbors.
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[That voice sounds awfully familiar... Chibi squints trying to place it, bites his lip in thought. --Oh, it's Rojo (pronounced a little closer to correctly, but still not quite there)! Thaaat guy! The smug asshole smile creeps easily across his face, his posture immediately slouches into something more comfortable.]
[Sure, he may have fucked up, but--] At least I didn't take your eye out, yes? Worse things could have happened. [:)]