PHASE I [ ❓❓❓ ] And then the Flamines are there.
They just appear, suddenly, as if from nowhere. They’re a race of mercenary aliens, and fighting is all they know -- they’re definitely not going to be easy to kill by any means. They seem to have a natural resistance to magic: aside from very specific types of magic (in particular, light magic and anything highly spiritual), they absorb it. Light magic and spiritual magic can harm them, but it will take a lot to take one down.
They can be stabbed, if you can get that close.
But good luck.
Of course, they look like nondescript black shapes with masks until you knock the mask off...and then you can see the true shape of the Flamines.
They’re here to kill you all. :)
PHASE II [ ❓❓❓ ] As if that isn’t enough… it seems the Flamines’ arrival was the last straw for Cerealia and the Nexus Code. There’s a tear in the sky, and from it… the Nexus Code, where all of the lost friends from before, can be seen. It can be entered, even, though remaining there too long can be detrimental to your health.
But people are there.
Old friends, strung up and lifeless, can be seen there, unmoving.
And…
Then some of them move. They open their eyes. They remember how to breathe. And they’re able to return, able to stagger their way back into Cerealia and take their first breath of air in a long, long time.
Welcome back to the chaos of Cerealia, friends.
Unfortunately, you’ve got nothing but the clothes on your back while murderous aliens are rampaging, so hopefully you’re able to think fast. It’d be unfortunate to die so soon after coming back.
As for spiritual and magical characters who were not in the Nexus Code...well, when they return, they’ll find that they’re covered in old, dried blood, and their clothing might have tears in it, as if from a knife.
There are no scars, though, and they’re otherwise fine. Strange.
PHASE III [ ❓❓❓ ] As if this chaos isn’t enough… there are also the masks. Regardless of whether or not characters were around to receive them the first time, regardless what they did with them before, the masks will suddenly reappear in your characters’ hands. They can be tossed aside, but they’ll reappear again eventually, unable to be truly shaken.
Characters who received them before will receive the same mask they had before.
Characters who didn’t receive them before will receive a mask according to the trait that’s more prominent for them.
Either way...it’ll have a profound effect on the Flamines.
They will go after any character with a broken mask in a bloodthirsty rage, intent on murdering them. Characters with a barcode mask or bloody mask will be the next likely to be chased down intently by the Flamines.
Characters with a :( mask will be killed if they get in the Flamines’ way, though they will not go out of their way to chase them down.
Characters with a vine mask or feather mask will be treated with wariness, though they may still be attacked if they get in a Flamines’ way.
Characters with a grey mask will not be killed unless they are first the aggressor, as will characters with a bloody fingerprint mask.
Naturally there will be exceptions to every rule, but the masks will change how the Flamines’ generally act towards characters!
PHASE IV [ ❓❓❓ ] But something’s not quite right.
Regardless of the battles against the Flamines, it seems Cerealia’s just been under too much pressure lately. Something had to give --
And it’s the code building up the characters that really suffers.
Their code has been hanging on by a thread without CERES to maintain it, and now… it’s finally giving out. The glitches that afflicted characters before will be even more prominent now; they might glitch from place to place, or have their powers go totally awry in odd ways. There may be a lack of powers suddenly, or a sudden difficulty staying on the ground as gravity stops working on the character.
They might suddenly be unable to breathe, or go cold, or very nearly die --
But it can be controlled, too, with effort. Characters can learn to control the glitches, gaining an ability to almost teleport, or ways to tweak their powers in exciting new ways.
With a lot of effort, they could even possibly reverse a death -- but only their own, and only once.
BONUS [ ❓❓❓ ] There are also… birds?
Flamingos, to be exact. Who knows where they came from, but either way, there are plastic flamingos chilling all over the place. They’re just normal plastic; they don’t move, they can very easily be destroyed --
But if you touch one with your bare hands… it’ll have an interesting effect.
Characters will suddenly find that they have the abilities or the last person they touched -- but without any of the practice or ability to control it, of course.
Still, it might help with that pesky Flamines problem, right?
[ 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. ] |
Welcome to the beginning of Cerealia's endgame 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 begin 11/03, or IC 11/18. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Thank you! |
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no subject
She closes the difference between them quickly, spreading her arms wide in a desperate, almost defiant gesture.] And how is this supposed to make that better!? You think this is what he would have wanted to see?
--you think you're the only one hurting right now?! [She can still hear Rise's wail when she'd sensed it. She feels what Rise had felt, what Yu is feeling. The loss of a friend, someone they deeply care for. Frankly, focusing on this mission of hers is the only thing keeping her together at this point.]
no subject
[ His voice is so quiet and so sorrowful. He stares down at her with a creased brow, with all the sorrow that's pounding on the inside of his skull.
Yu can remember so many mysteries they've solved together. Each as important as the other, in their own way. Her frowns, her smiles, her relief and gratitude, the journey of self-discovery she went on. Everything that led them here. He can remember those moments with Rise, too. With Yosuke.
He loves them all. He loves the girl in front of him, he loves Rise, he loves Yosuke. All in slightly different ways. So much that sometimes he doesn't know what to do with himself, how to handle the intensity of his feelings.
Rise or Yosuke, he'd take their hands, draw them in. They're both more tactile people, people who like affection and closeness. Naoto isn't like that. So he takes a step closer, but nothing more. ]
I'm sorry. [ There's emotion in his voice, barely held back. He sounds ... like he wants to burst into tears. Naoto will only have seen him like this once before:
Nanako. ]
Let's go back.
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Yu. [She's the one who reaches out. She doesn't take his hand. Instead, she grabs the cuff of his sleeve. It's still a very intimate gesture for her. Suddenly, Naoto just feels tired, like this has all come to a head. Without a mission in front of her, she's forced to confront the emotions inside her rather than pushing them underneath a sense of logic or a sense of duty.]
We need to face this together. We can't-- if we're separated, that's the end.
The way back should be safe. Let's go.
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I wish I could tell you that I won't let anything happen to you.
[ His voice is hushed. Carefully, tiredly, he adds: ]
Since I can't, we'll have to look after each other.
[ He has maybe never hurt this bad. Nanako was a different kind of pain from Yosuke. He was certain Nanako wouldn't return, and she did. He's not certain Yosuke will return... but he can't help feeling like his luck has run out. They may have lost him forever.
But he can't reckon with that reality now, no matter how much it beats against his mind. They have to stay alive, or they won't have the chance to find out for sure. ]
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You're always trying to take responsibility for everyone else. Let me handle this, for now.
Just this once.
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I trust you.
[ More than he can express. If this is what she wants to do, when they're both hurting so much, then--
--that's alright. ]
Lead the way.
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We'll go this way, then. [She reaches into her coat, grabbing her revolver. It's largely useless, but it helps her focus.
Just a little bit longer.] We're holing up in the apartment. We may need somewhere else to fortify.
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We'll move as we need to. Plus, we'll have to make supply runs at some point... [ Murmuring as he keeps an eye out all around them. ]
We'll be relying on you, Naoto. [ He means, of course, the Hama skills. ] But I'll be there to back you up.
no subject
You said that your mask was attracting them. Is there a way we can change that? If so, that should be our first priority.