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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no subject
What are we doing?!
[The seraph turns into a ball of green energy and shoots into Sorey's body. The robot looks extremely confused.]
Use your sword, Sorey! A ghost possessed it!
no subject
Huh? O-Okay! Got it!
[ Except he's relatively sluggish and as he moves to take his sword out, it takes ahold of his arm. ]
A-Ah?! L-Let go!
[ It seems he is caught in Mikleo's place now ... um ... ]
no subject
Oh my gosh.
[This is a mess. This is a total embarrassing mess. Mikleo leaves Sorey's body and touches the robot's head. The circuits inside it pop and hiss as they short, frost spreading across the metal body from where he's touched it. He steps away pretty quickly as the ghost leaves the metal body, summoning his staff and flinging a water projectile at it. Luckily, that's enough to stun the stupid ghost and hopefully long enough for Sorey to recover and finish it.]
Sorey, do you mind?
[JUST GONNA. BACK UP SOME MORE. Not because he's scared of ghosts or anything, no! That'd be silly!]
no subject
He'll take this opportunity to finish the ghost off for Mikleo, breathing heavily afterward and looking a little worse. Ah, the adrenaline is wearing off. And he slowly turns toward his friend. ]
Y-You gonna be okay?
[ He won't say anything about his obvious ghost fear ... Now's not the time for that. ]
no subject
Mikleo moves over to Sorey, dismissing his staff as he does.]
I'll be fine. [That's the truth, thank the Lords.] You look like you need a rest, though.
[Frankly, so does the seraph. Still, he's gotten close enough to his friend that he can lean on Mikleo if he wants or needs to.]
no subject
So he's going to try to make him feel better — ]
N-No way, I — [ —Ah. Before he can finish that thought, it's like his throat is closing off — it's a very uncomfortable sensation and it causes him to immediately gasp dryly and then start choking. He hasn't really spoken to anyone since he was touched by that weird ghost, so ... he looks kind of shocked here.
And he places a hand on his neck as he chokes, doubling over a little. Wh-What is going on?? ]
no subject
Lying or bending the truth is what causes that.
[This is seriously not a cool kind of lie detector.]
It...took me a bit to understand the cause of the spontaneous choking.
[Kind of wincing at that. He might have also purposefully induced it just to see if he was right.]
no subject
I-I take it it's happening to you, too, huh?
[ This is not making dealing with the sickness any easier.
But he laughs lightly between his heavy breathing. ]
Heh heh, g-guess I won't be able to get anything past you for a while.
[ Not that he could before, but now he can't even try to. He'll have to keep this in mind so he accidentally doesn't do it again. ]
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Not that anything about you does get passed me.
[Mikleo gently tries to steer him to the nearest building they can sit in. It's not the best place to rest, but it'll have to do. They can't afford to be terribly picky.]
C'mon. You need to rest, at least for a few minutes.
no subject
O-Okay, okay. Not like I can lie about not needing any rest now anyway. [ Haha ... Darn ghost.
But the rest'll do him good anyway, he agrees. He'll have a better time fighting the ghosts if he rests, anyway. ]
Thanks.
[ For supporting him like this, of course. ]
no subject
[Mikleo frowns as they enter the building. Turns out it's a hotel. Glancing around, the seraph decides to bring Sorey over to one of the lounge couches and sits next to him. At least it's comfortable. By this point, he's let go of his friend.]
Well, I guess this is better than a bench. [His eyes flicker to Sorey briefly before going back to watching the people come and go with some caution.] Did you get a look at the ghost that got you in this state?
no subject
And he almost melts back into the couch when he sits down. It feels so good to sit after exerting all that energy when he's so sick, weh ... This is so tiring. He's already feeling worried about getting back out there to help, so it's not as relaxing as it could be, but ... sitting down is helping anyway.
He looks thoughtful at that question though. ]
S-Sort of. It was a little too dark to tell, but ... I think I could make out tentacles.
[ Which is creepy. ]
no subject
At the description, his friend will most likely notice a tension in Mikleo's shoulders.]
Yeah. I ran into the same one. Kind of human in shape with its face hidden by shadow and tentacles where there should be legs.
[Unconsciously, Mikleo's right hand grips his left wrist tightly.]
I remember it reached out and touched me, and I felt...cold. My vision skewed a bit, and after that's when all the rest of the weirdness started.
no subject
Y-Yeah, that's it. That's what happened to me, too. [ He can feel Mikleo tensing up a little, and he very gently pushes his shoulder into his a bit as a slight comfort. ]
At least it should wear off once all of this is over.
[ At least that's what he assumes, as is per usual from all the weird happenings in Cerealia. ]
no subject
I ran into someone else I know who had the same experience, but with a different ghost. It made her...timid, which isn't in her character as far as I know. We'll need to be careful.
[His friend makes a valid point. Mikleo can take some solace from the fact that this isn't a permanent deal. Still....]
Patrolling how we talk is going to be an experience.
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So there's others out there who do different things. [ Aahh ... ] I wonder how many there are. I hope we don't get caught by another one.
[ Because having multiple effects will be ridiculous. It's hard enough just watching how he talks. He doesn't really lie often, so it's not that difficult for him to avoid, but ... sometimes he can't help but tell little white ones to keep others from worrying. ]
Guess we just have to pay a little more attention when we talk.
no subject
I don't know, but my thoughts exactly. If we're lucky, they can only put one curse at a time on a given person.
[Yeah, Mikloe isn't too wild about the idea of being timid as well as forced to tell the truth. While it's better than being reckless like with the library thing, it's still not something he wants to experience. The seraph nudges Sorey's arm with a small, teasing smile.]
Especially you, since you like to not worry people by giving us little white lies.
no subject
But wow okay — ]
H-Hey, I don't — [ ... Well, he was going to try to protest that a little (and ultimately give in and lose because he can't argue that for long), but the curse is kind of making that impossible for him. Because now he's choking, leaning forward and gasping. And he just said they should pay more attention, too ... ]
no subject
Mikleo really doesn't know what else to do for him other than to make sure Sorey knows the seraph is here. So, he starts rubbing his friend's back, not sure what more he can do.]
Sorey, what did I just say?
[In total fairness, it was bound to happen to one of them again at some point.]
no subject
The sensation fades away and his gasping fades into light laughter. ]
Heh heh, o-oops. Th-This might take a little more effort than I thought.
no subject
Oh, yeah, we're going to have a fun time.
[It's a shame that it doesn't matter if the remark is sarcastic. It's still a lie.
brb, Sorey, the water seraph is paying for this transgression. He looks so annoyed while he's choking, too, which is a feat.]
no subject
[ That's enough to snap him out of his tiredness from his own choking to focus on his best friend's. And he quickly moves a hand to Mikleo's back, and another to hover near his arm, to support him. Knowing from his own experience, it's not deadly and it'll end on its own pretty quickly, but ... he doesn't like seeing his friend like this at all. And he frowns. Sob. ]
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Doesn't matter if it's sarcastic. Noted.
[Mikleo leans slightly against Sorey, rubbing his neck.]
I'll be fine. Also, this is the worst.
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It is, isn't it? At least it doesn't seem to be fatal. [ Unless you start coughing and just keep telling lies until you can't breathe anymore. But who would even do that. ] Looks like we'll both have to work to not get hit by that again. [ Not just Sorey, haha ... ]