//EVENT023.EXE

[reparator]

Who: Everyone + the ghosts of Christmas past the ghosts who aren't the ghosts of Christmas past
When: OOC: 12/16 to 12/23 ; IC: 4/22 to 4/26
Where: All around Cerealia
What: We have some new friends visiting.
Rating/Warning: PG-13 for violent and dangerous situations; please let the mods know if the rating needs to go up or the log needs to be locked!

---

//event023.EXE

The metaphorical sun is shining today -- until it isn't. All of a sudden, there's a creeping sensation up your spine, and the sense that something bad is coming. The day seems a little darker. And those closer to the source who are in their homes in the residential district will understand that sensation better than anyone. The pure of heart throughout the city who have been feeling under the weather lately will suddenly feel a terrible sense of all-encompassing dread overcome them. A loud metal groan will echo throughout the city as once again, the city undergoes surprise renovations. But today it is not what has been keeping the residents in – but rather some surprise visitors who have wanted out. And there's a message on the wind, one that might be heard for anyone who listens hard enough... Murderers. Murderers. Murderersmurderersmurderers.

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I [ 900 ] 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. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to Cerealia's DECEMBER event! Please visit the OOC information here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. This event will last from 12/16 to 12/23, or IC 4/22 to 4/26. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Thank you!

Comments

open!

[discard]

phase ii

[Leon's not sure what to make of this sudden ghost invasion, but he knows he's not happy about it. He's not frightened of ghosts, and he can handle them when they show up, but this... this situation would leave anyone feeling tense, really. He's not pure-hearted enough to have been affected by the illness, but even he can feel the suffocating sort of negative atmosphere.

And then there's Stahn.

It's a ghost, of course, but Leon's unaware; he frowns when he sees Stahn there because they'd been separated, yes, but I need you to do something for me...

Leon doesn't really have the willpower to resist, not after everything that's been happening. It's almost as if in a daze that he follows, gaze focused on the masquerading ghost -- which seems to be leading him straight to one of those ponds in the park with those human-eating fish. To everyone else, it looks like he's being drawn there by nothing, but it's obvious something's not quite right... Now might be a good time to stop him (or let him get eaten, whatever, that's fine too).]

phase iv

[Everything was fine until the balloon bot. The robot was originally just meant to dispense balloons, but... well, the ghost possessing it has some newly murderous intent. Of course, there's not a lot you can do with balloons, but even so, the ghost got creative.

So it is that Leon's literally all tied up at the moment, balloon strings tangled around his arms and legs even as the ghost-possessed-robot tries to tug him back to wrap more strings around him (or maybe try to strangle him, who knows).

Leon's certainly not going down without a fight.]

Let go of me, you--!

[But admittedly, he looks ridiculous with all of those balloons attached to him and bobbing around harmlessly as he struggles.]

wildcard

[Hit me with anything, let's go ghost hunting!]

iv

[sunshrouded]

Kumooouuuu Tenka!!

[wait what the fuck, that's not a greeting.

But this is Tenka zooming right in, his right leg stuck out in front of him so that he can collide with that robot, intending to knock it off balance. His war fan is in his right hand in the next moment as he uses it to try to knock the robot back a few more paces, just in case.

And then he turns to Leon with the biggest grin.]

But you can call me Ten-nii!

[HE REMEMBERS.]

[discard]

[What the fuck.

As soon as the robot has been knocked back, Leon's yanking away from it sharply, pulling at the strings with a great deal of urgency. He doesn't like the trapped feeling, okay...

But even as he does, he's staring at Tenka with a mix of suspicion and dislike.]

What?

[???]

Why would I do that? [The hell does that even mean?]

[sunshrouded]

[Fair enough. Once the balloon bot's been knocked aside for the time, Tenka proceeds to open his metal fan and reach out to cut the balloon strings with the sharp edges of it.]

S'what everyone calls me!

[He's not completely wrong.]

phase iv;

[mombastic]

... [ Okay, she's seen stranger things, but admittedly, this is a bit bizarre. But there's no time to gape, so she's just moving forward and calling forth a Mazandyne to knock over the robot. Thankfully, the spell... actually works, this time.

Sorry, buddy. ]

Are you all right??

[discard]

[That was... that sure was a wind arte. Or, well, not an arte, but something similar, and he wasn't expecting it at all.

A blink.

But Leon won't hesitate to jerk away, drawing Chaltier now to cut at the strings still attached to him.]

I'm fine.

[Just balloonified.]

... I didn't know that you were capable of artes. [Or...whatever she'd call them.]

[mombastic]

Artes? Ah, they're called skills-- or spells, where I'm from. I don't usually have to use them, unless there's a fight or someone's been injured unnaturally.

[ AKA demon-inflicted wounds.

And with Leon freed (sort of), she'll just lean back against the closest wall. Taking her breaks where she can, yep. ]

phase iv;

[unswerved]

[ yata would normally be afraid for his life what with all the ghosts around the colony, but he isn't about to hole himself up in his apartment. THE GHOSTS COULD GET TO HIM TOO??? at least yata's thought of that; not to mention, he'd rather scout the colony and look for people who are in danger. he definitely isn't going to be played around by ceres anymore. it's only happened once with the books, but once is definitely enough to serve as a wake up call for yata.

of course, all is serious until he spots leon while he's skating around in the streets. and he just starts laughing. (sorry, bro.) ]

Hahahah! The fuck is that?!

[discard]

[He's going to cut you, Yata.

Unfortunately for Leon, his sword is in his sheath, which is why he's in this problem in the first place. If he can't reach Chaltier, he can't cut himself free.

But he sure can bristle.]

You bastard... leave me be right now!

[Because Leon is incapable of asking for help.]

ii

[emotive]

[Ai thought she would have had her fill of chaos since the jungle, but that was never to be. She had flown away from the stronger concentration of ghosts in order to get her thoughts together (she had been feeling so off hours before the specters appeared).

She also wanted to regroup with any friends she might find, but as she passes through the park, the sight of a familiar face catches her attention first. He seemed to be walking right towards the water... Uh oh. She knows that place too well.]

Leon... LEON!!

[Ai flies over, lands, and grabs Leon by one arm.]

Watch out!

[discard]

[He doesn't react until she grabs his arm--and then he flinches, jerking away immediately, because he still doesn't like physical touch at all. Still... it's enough to drag him out of his daze, and he blinks once, and then again.

The ghost has since faded away, obvious as it is that it won't be able to get to Leon with Ai around, but he... doesn't understand where Stahn went all of a sudden.

He needs a moment.]

What--

[A blink, and he looks at her.]

You're-- [...] Ai, correct? What are you doing? [How about "Thank you", Leon]

phase ii;

[majinken]

[stahn's had a bad feeling about this all along.

it's not something he's been able to put into word, but the all-encompassing sense of dread that's been weighing on his shoulders has made it hard to function; even if he's been a little under the weather for the last few days, it hasn't been crippling, or even that noticeable compared to others. but this... something feels wrong. consulting with dymlos, he agrees, but the looming sensation seems to be primarily isolated to him. he's got other priorities, though: finding leon.

he starts off with a text (god, those are convenient), but when he gets no response—well, that's when things get bad. he figures heading back to the apartment first could work, though he doesn't even get to the train station when he sees leon walking... somewhere? alone? it's odd.]

Leeeeeonnnnn! [he's calling out from across the way. it's close enough that leon should hear him (especially him), but... no response, again.]

Dymlos... something's wrong with this, right? It's not just me. [of course, he defers to dymlos.

"Mm. Even Leon wouldn't ignore you in that way." in other ways, maybe, but not in that way. but it reminds him of a similar situation... "When we met Leon again, this is similar to how you were behaving. Unresponsive and pressing forward. You should follow him if you're worried he's in danger."

naturally, stahn is worried about that, but:]

I was? When... [it takes him a second to remember what happened. right, he thought he saw leon, then the real leon pulled him out from that trap, and things almost went wrong. that recognition causes his eyes to widen, and he's immediately following after leon, breaking into a sprint.]

Leon! Leooon! LEEEOOOOOOOONNNNN! [as he catches up, he'll just be continuously calling for leon's attention, hoping that he'll turn around. where is he going? why isn't he answering? is he really in danger? this is definitely putting him in a panic; he can't let anything bad happen to leon after everything that's already happened.]

[discard]

[Stahn's certainly not wrong about his general concern--something is definitely very wrong.

Unfortunately for Stahn's efforts, Leon is also entirely focused on the ghost before him. It's a mix of actual belief (Stahn would suddenly act strangely, based off of what he's seen here so far, and he's concerned) and the strange hypnotic effects of the ghost itself, and so he continues onwards, expression flat and apparently entirely unaware of Stahn's yelling.

Chaltier, on the other hand, isn't affected at all. He can't see what Leon can, and he's sincerely panicked about it, so as soon as he hears Stahn's voice, he's yelling, shrill and concerned. "There was a ghost, and then he just stopped responding! It's as though he can't hear me at all!"

(Do something, Stahn, Chal is going to cry.)

Naturally, it's strange--Leon always responds to Chal as well, even if just in exasperated huffs and noises. But this is unnatural, and he's drawing closer to that pond; it's pretty clear now that that's exactly where he's going, entirely focused on what's ahead.]

iv!

[adornmental]

Ahhh, you better hold onto that guy! If he lets go, you're gonna go floating off into the sky.

[Just like Taroutachi, returning to the heavens...

BUT REALLY, Leon is so tiny that Kashuu is actually mildly concerned about this?! That's the only piece of advice he has to give, though, and he's quickly stepping in to cut through the pressurized tubes that keep the robot's arms moving.]

[discard]

[Excuse you, Kashuu. Sure, Leon's tiny, but that doesn't mean a small handful of balloons will cause liftoff!!!

... It would take at least a dozen more.

Leon just gives Kashuu the sourest look, before he yanks away sharply, pulling at the strings with irritated, jerky movements.]

I'm fine. [Obviously. Help totally appreciated, can't you tell?]

II

[zerotohiro]

[He doesn't approach yet but he's definitely watching. He's alone since Baymax disappeared at some point and isn't answering Hiro's calls and it doesn't take him long to notice that Leon's absolutely not stopping. As much as he thinks Leon might deserve to fall into the pond, he doesn't think he deserves to become fish food so eventually he'll call out.]

You can't be that anxious to go for another swim, are you?

[discard]

[Strangely enough, Leon's definitely not responding. Admittedly it's not weird for him to pull the Grim, Brooding Ignoring tactics, but even then he usually gives some indication that he's heard, even if just in scoffing noises.

But now, there's nothing; he can't hear Hiro over the hold the ghost seems to have on him, and he's still entirely focused on walking forward towards that inevitable fish food fate.

He probably would deserve it though.]

ii;

[earthpulse]

[No. Bad Leon. No drowning today. She's just watching his movements for the moment though, slightly confused. Does he have a death wish or something? Or is he really that navigationally challenged?]

A pond is not a solid place to walk on. You're pretty bad at this navigation thing.

[discard]

[It would be bad to drown today, but you can't deny that he's good at it--

But yeah, he definitely can't hear Edna right now. He's focused entirely on whatever the ghost is that he thinks he sees (spoilers: it's Stahn), and he has to follow in that case. He knows that this place can make people act strangely. He can't let Stahn run off and hurt himself like an idiot.

(Even though Leon's the idiot in this case.)

So he doesn't respond, though it's more that he really doesn't hear her in the first place.

Chal, on the other hand, does.

"Edna! Thank goodness!" He's so panicked he sounds like he could cry. "You have to stop him! He isn't responding to me--it's like he can't hear me at all!"

Which, honestly, it doesn't have to be said how weird that is.]

phase iv

[heiwana]

[ That sure is...something, Leon. But no worries. Kousetsu will help you by cutting those strings in careful and quick successive strikes. His face serious as he points his sword at the robot in question. He's then kick the robot with a deft and strong focused shot to its midsection, sending it flying into a nearby wall. That seems to daze it, or at lease keep it from getting up hurriedly. Kousetsu's attention then turns to Leon. ]

...it is best if we leave now. I do not know how long that will keep it down.

[discard]

[Don't judge, Kousetsu... he's doing great.

And admittedly, Kousetsu's sword work is... pretty impressive. Not that Leon's going to admit that, but soon enough he's just standing there, balloon strings dangling from his arms where they were cut.

He blinks.

And then he sets to pulling off those strings with a grumpy expression. Hm? Oh. The robots?

Leon draws his sword then, lifting Chaltier and after a few moments, casting--]

Grave!

[This is fine. A pillar of sharp earth slamming straight through the robot is... maybe overkill but Leon's not happy about things, okay.]

I don't intend to be chased away by something like this!

ii

[ceded]

Leon!

[ Thankfully(?) for Leon, he decides to try and drown himself before Xion's been afflicted by ghosts of her own. Though she's had her fair share of scares so far, she's still got her courage. It's all that lets her run over now, using what little energy she's got to sprint to the pond's edge and throw out an arm to stop him.

She looks dreadful, drawn and ill and feverish, though her temperature is actually normal. She's even bundled up in a sweater you'd think would be too warm for this weather. But here she is nonetheless, the look on her face one of alarm and concern. ]

Please, stop! I ... I don't know who you're seeing, but they're not there. It -- it's not real. Please.

[ She knows. She saw someone, too. ]

It's not safe.

[discard]

[It's a close call, and honestly, if not for her he may have taken an unfortunate swim (and it would have been very unfortunate for Leon. It takes him a moment to snap back to himself, but the arm in his way and the words, with how desperate they are-- slowly, he blinks, brow furrowing.

When he comes back to himself, the first thing he sees is the pond--and he's in such a hurry to scramble away from it that he very nearly trips over himself, though he has enough grace to catch himself.

And once he's a good few steps away, he draws in a slow (shuddering) breath, and looks to his savior. Slowly, recognition dawns.]

You. What...are you doing?

[There's absolutely no bite to Leon's words though; he's too shaken for that. That was a close call.]

iv... so late... i'm sorry

[kuritsun]

[ she may have decided that staying indoors is the best course of action for the time being, but it is actually impossible for her to spend all of her time cooped up indoors in the absence of truly engaging work. That, and they're running out of food. The streets are oddly quiet, save for the distant jingling and screeching of ghostly entities. Kurisu wouldn't consider herself someone afraid of ghosts, but when they're actually, literally in front of her? That's another story.

Actually, she's not even sure there will be anyone to sell her food out here. She might have to depend on a vending machine.

An idea which she quickly dashes once she sees how crazy the machinery is going, starting with: this kid, being tied up by balloons. When she turns the corner - making a very valiant attempt at being quiet and stealthy, in the off chance it might keep ghosts away - and is met with that sight, she yelps in surprise. ]

W-what's -- [ no, nevermind, it's obvious he's in trouble. Of course, Kurisu has no combat ability or anything, but she does have determination! After a moment's hesitation, she decides she'd better at least try to help, and so, she's running up to try and start untangling those strings. ] -- hold on! I'll get you down!

sib tags are never too late

[discard]

[He's being saved by someone who is obviously a noncombatant... could this day get any more embarrassing? Leon's pretty sure it couldn't. He's tense in response, and where most people would be grateful, Leon just looks irritated.]

You--

[But... well, he can't really yell at her when he really does need her to untangle the strings. At least until he's got a hand free, and then he's able to draw his dagger and make quick work of the rest of the strings quickly--and he grabs her wrist and tows her away, just as the robot tries to loop another balloon string around her neck.

Pain in the ass.]

Stay back and out of my way. [What a butt.]