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. ] |
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
That's definitely not good. We've got enough sick people in the colony as it is, we don't need something else to bring everybody else down. Have you been down to the wall yet?
no subject
[He then decides to take a seat next to Hiro.]
It's more than likely anyone who has powers similar to mine that are affected. Anyway, yes I have. Korra and I went together, she had me check the wall out. Even from only being near the wall, I could feel the negative energy overflowing. The only thing I couldn't pinpoint is the source.
no subject
...heh. Korra's actually one of the ones I'm talking about. She told me about the wall a few days ago. I should have gone down there to check myself. I don't have that kind of power or anything, I probably wouldn't have been hit as hard. That seems to be the problem a lot of people are having is pinpointing a source, and now instead we've got a ton of unwanted visitors roaming around trying to kill us. It's about finding the source and finding a way to send them back. That's where I'm stuck.
no subject
[He mostly wants to be the hero and if he does this, he'll be showered with praise or so he thinks.]
no subject
If by wisest you mean the most unhelpful. [Sorry bro. Hiro has thoughts on this. It's probably for the best that Angelo never share those thoughts either, considering he's talking to a hero who wouldn't get the whole "praise" thing.] What makes you think you'd have an easier time than anybody else actually getting answers? If you're used to beings of darkness? With how CERES works more than likely they'd just use it against you.
no subject
At least I'm willing to do something instead of nothing. Most people in this place don't seem to be finding answers about anything, they either go on about how evil this CERES is or other nonsensical things. How do any of you come to the conclusion that these people are evil? I've been here for some time and other than that ViViD and the incident at the library, I don't see how they're villains.
no subject
Or, at least, they stop being so obvious. Damn ghosts.]
You really think all of us aren't doing anything and we're just sitting around? Man, you're more new than I really thought. [He tilts his head back to stare up at the sky, helmet gently thumping against the wall behind him.] Some of us come to the conclusion because some of us have seen this stuff first hand. You've been here what, a couple of weeks? Take it from someone who's been here a couple of months and knows people who've been here longer. They are not on our side.
Would people who're on our side hold us hostage and torture us?
no subject
Let me ask you this then, how do you know everyone in this city is so trust-worthy aside from CERES? There are such things as liars in any world out there, being too broad and simply believing everyone is on the same side aside from your enemies is a rather ridiculous mindset. Although I could simply be doubting your intelligence and you already know that, but I still stand by what I said.
no subject
Who said I trusted everybody in the city? There's an emphasis on the word "some", dude. I trust some of the people here, just like I distrust some of the others. I don't just hand out my trust to anybody in this world or even back home. But it's still unrealistic to think everybody's just taking this even if they aren't doing anything about it. It all depends if they're working to overthrow CERES, or working to overthrow them to overthrow us.
And you can doubt my intelligence all you want. [Shrug.] I can just keep doubting your skills.
no subject
I've learned quite a bit from our experiences together for what it's worth. And from the way you spoke, I assumed you meant everyone. However, my thoughts haven't changed and even those you think you trust can never be fully trusted.
no subject
Oh yeah? Tell me what you've learned so far then and I'll judge how much you're actually missing. [A pause.] You don't have anybody in your own world you trust completely?
no subject
[Even without emotions for the most part, he can try and act like he does. He's used to pretending anyway.]
Though I will answer your thought process in regards to me might be slightly off. Then again, I could be lying or making things up just to see how you answer. Or I could be telling the truth and basing things off my own experiences. This is what I meant by getting enjoyment out of seeing what you guess.
[He also has come to enjoy messing with Hiro just for fun and giggles.]
no subject
[He doesn't know Angelo's lacking his emotions, but it doesn't make a difference to him. They're already on that journey.]
Sounds like a lot of effort for a guy who wants to test somebody he barely knows. What gives? [Hiro's...going to lose this game. But he can try.]
no subject
[He's having way too much fun, too bad he can't fully enjoy it.]
no subject
And here I thought you might actually be as useful as you keep trying to make yourself out to be.
[And with that he gets up. Maybe he should be thanking him for pushing him to keep moving.] Have fun playing your game with somebody else. I've got other things to do.
no subject
I feel accomplished in winning our little conversation game. You know why? My true motive was to get you out of that hole and make you stop freaking out about the ghosts. Thank you for letting me win.
[He gets up after Hiro and tries to give him a small smirk as if to say 'I beat you without you knowing it'.]
no subject
Have fun with...whatever.
[What a tool.]