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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... 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?
no subject
His question soon gets her attention, and she nods, giving another tilt of her head as she folds her arms over her chest - taking a moment to huff a stray strand of hair away from her eyes.]
... Yeah, it is. I can see and talk to ghosts, and most of my friends back home are ghosts. One of them actually came with me. [She motions over to the random bursts fire being sent towards ghosts that get a bit too close to civilians, as well as themselves.]
I can also sense other things too, such as non-humans like yourself. [She says this as she points a finger at him. Then her eyes flick up to his hat, her finger following the motion.]
And also what's under your hat.
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[It's the non-human part, in particular, that makes him nearly jump. How exactly can she tell that he's not human? Can she tell that he's old, or that he's--]
["What's under your hat." Oh. Er. That's a bit like saying "hey, I know what's in your pants"; it's not sexual, necessarily, but private enough that Chibi's face actually flushes deep red. The wings themselves twitch downwards and droop; it shows in the way his hat's horns seem to move on their own.]
I-- Gh-- Don't say that so loudly. [Not that she was being particularly loud about it, but his voice has definitely lowered. He's trying his best to look anywhere but Lapis' face.] It's... It is a private sort of thing, for my people.
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Though his surprise when she points out his non-human-ness catches her notice, and how he actually seems embarrassed when she mentions about what's under his hat gets a blink. But then there's a quiet "Ooooh" in understanding once he explains, nodding and then holding up her hands in an apologetic manner.
Her expression is still as flat as ever, however she does sound a bit sheepish now. She'll need to remember that different people means different norms and what they consider appropriate...]
... Ah, sorry. I promise I won't ever mention it or bring it up again. [At least she's genuine about that. Even if she is curious and can't help but watch how his hat droops.]
Though is it okay if I ask what you are?
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[What he is is a more comfortable topic, and one filled with deep personal pride.] I am an Eliatrope. And what that means - essentially, we are a race of beings born of the Goddess Eliatrope and the Great Dragon, the two forces of movement and still, life and death. As her Children, our Mother gifted us with-- [He puts a hand in front of himself, creating a small blue circle; Lapis might note that it's rimmed with spiritual energy. Another appears on his other side, and he sticks his hand through to demonstrate that it's a portal.] --A certain power to control said life-force, or wakfu, just to make our lives a bit easier.
And you? [With a gentle smile.] Are you a human, or something a bit different?
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There's a slight tilt of her head as she listens, attentive despite the lack of change in her expression. But the portal causes her eyes slowly to widen, peering at it before blinking in surprise when he sticks his hand into it, glancing between the two circles before focusing back on him. "Wakfu"... She's never seen anything like that before.
How he returns her question makes her pause in her attempt to ask more about this Wakfu, blinking again before shrugging a shoulder with a brief, but soft smile.]
... I'm human, although a very odd one. I can safely say you won't find a lot of humans who have the same powers I do.
[Since she has others beyond her sixth sense; such as teleporting, for example.]
But wait, since wakfu is a... life-force, you can make portals?
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[But she seems curious about wakfu, and he's always eager to proselytize, so he goes on with a grin:] Yes, essentially. Wakfu is energy-rich [for certain applications - for example, space travel takes up most of the wakfu of a planet; not that he'd... know anything... about that.....], so it only takes a little bit to open a tear in spacetime. Since it is meant to move, it wants to move; portals are the logical extension of that.
There's a bunch of other stuff we can do with it; me, I make machines that use wakfu as their energy source. But it's not as rich here as it was on our homeworld, so I'm a little hard up.
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But right now, her interest is more on this wakfu, so it's a relief that he's willing to explain further. Listening attentively, despite how she's still line-facing as much as before, nodding slightly as he explains.]
That's amazing... I guess it's a good energy source for machines since it wants to move, so it makes machines move... But wait, there's wakfu around here too?
[She thought something like that might've been world specific!]
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I say I am hard-up because I do not take from animals, as a rule. There are more plants here than when I arrived, sure, but not nearly enough - or enough free wakfu in the air to do what I'd really like. And there is where the difference between here and my world lies, I think. [Probably.]