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
[ Pleasantly surprised by the compliment, she casts a glance at her own mask, then his - which makes her pause, brows raising. ]
Yours is... interesting.
[ And it's probably better not to dwell on it, because that's 'interesting' in a concerning sort of way. ]
Maybe. But I'm not sure I'd bet on it. They could have some purpose we aren't aware of yet.
[ Really, though, that's somewhat secondary in her thoughts. What's at the forefront is-- ]
It's good to see that you're still alive, by the way.
no subject
Thank you! It would take a lot more than this to overcome my fighting spirit! I still have a lot of hard work to do!
[And now he focuses his attention on Namine again, once again looking at her with an attentive eye.]
I am so happy that you are alive as well, Namine-san! Your friendship remains an absolute blessing! Ah, are you alright? [He can't help but check on his dear friend.]
no subject
[ And though she is more worried than she'd like to let on, she finds the corners of her mouth still manage to remain upturned - until that last portion, that is. Blinking, she straightens, and half wishes she'd taken the time to patch herself up a little more before she approached him. She's a bit worse for wear, scratches here and minor injuries there... though if he'd seen her before any of the other times she healed herself, there would probably be considerably more to be concerned about. ]
I'm fine.
[ She says it firmly, though without unkindness. ]
They don't seem all that interested in me.
[ Which means almost every time she's gotten into a fight it's been because she interfered with someone else being attacked, but that's neither here nor there. All the same, it's pretty clear she hasn't been staying entirely out of trouble. ]
What about you?
[ She'd counted his not being dead as blessing enough, but that doesn't mean the rest of his well-being doesn't matter. ]
no subject
As for me? Ah... I have been enduring! I have taken on some Flam Men in tough battles, but the springtime of youth is at full power! I have made it through several endeavors already, and I am still ready for more! [His jumpsuit is a bit frayed, and he's not without his fair share of injuries as well. Just nothing major.]
no subject
I feel better already.
[ And she does, actually. Though she has willingly been involving herself in the conflict on her own, that doesn't mean it isn't frightening for her to be flying solo. Her brows flick very slightly higher - did he just say 'Flam Men?' - only to lower again thoughtfully, her eyes lingering on his injuries. Minor though they are, she doesn't much like the idea of them continuing to be. ]
Then I'm happy to hear it. [ There's a beat - and then suddenly she's holding out a hand to him, palm up. Without explanation, she says, ] May I?
[ What's the point of having magic if she can't use it to help her friends? And after all, he's already been made aware of at least some of her... peculiarities. This, if nothing else, is an attempt to express some small measure of her trust. ]
no subject
You do? I am glad to heat that, Namine-san!
[But then she holds out her palm, and he blinks in confusion, uncertain of the intention of the move.]
Ah... Yes, do as you will, Namine-san!
[It does seem like she wants to do something with his hand, so he enthusiastically brings his hand down to give her a low-five!]
no subject
[ Her eyes widen for a second when she realizes she's just been given a low-five - primarily because no one's ever done that before. The next second she laughs suddenly despite herself, the fingers of her other hand pressing over her mouth too late to cover it. (It's hard to stay focused on everything else that's been going on when something like that happens.) ]
No-- Rock--
[ She lifts her palm again from its slightly lowered position, still smiling. ]
Give me your hand? Please.
no subject
Ah.... I see!! Please forgive my foolish understanding. Here, Namine-san, have my hand!
[With that, he softly presses one calloused hand over her outstretched palm.]
no subject
[ 'It wasn't foolish at all,' is what she really means. Her hold is very gentle as her fingers curl around his hand, her skin starkly in contrast with his; it's quite soft and markedly uncalloused, almost unnaturally so. (Being a recluse of sorts does tend to protect one from the ravages of the world.) ]
Thank you. [ Keeping his hand steady, she lifts her other one to hold it above any minor injuries he may happen to have on that arm. The reason for this becomes evident a moment or two later as the warm light of a Cure spell emanates from her hand. (It would have been easier with a Keyblade, but she makes do with what she can.) It isn't enough to remove the injuries entirely, but they're likely to end up smaller than they were before. ]
[ Ah, but maybe she should also have been more clear about her intentions. Realizing this, she's a bit sheepish when she looks up at him again, magic faltering away. ]
Is that any better?
no subject
But he feels comforted and refreshed. He smiles and gives a light-hearted sigh as he opens his eyes.]
Much better! [He conveys his approval with a thumbs up.] You have done a great job! Thank you very much, Namine-san!
no subject
It was no trouble...! [ And for good measure, she gives him a brief thumbs up back. ] So-- if anything else happens to you, you can always give me a call, and I'll come running. I'm... still learning how to do things like that, so I might not be very good at yet, but I'd like to help when I can.
[ Which she says, but she's actually fairly talented in the healing department. That sort of thing suits her, after all. ]
no subject
You have always been a kind and reliable friend and ally, Namine-san. Now, you have only added one more reason for you to be considered as such! I will keep your offer in mind. I promise you this!
This still leaves the mystery of the flamingos, however...
no subject
Thank you. I'd hate to imagine you out here with no backup.
[ Sobering again, she turns to regard the plastic fowl in question. ]
... You're right. But how can we tell if they're going to be trouble or not?
no subject
Well, they have not responded so far to my attempts to speak to them. Perhaps... I should try to make contact? [He carefully reaches forward to try to pat the flamingo on the head.]
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[ It comes at the last moment, her teeth pressing into her lip immediately thereafter. Her 'bad idea' senses are definitely tingling - but she chalks it up to the fact that she's not overly wild about the idea of anyone getting their hand bitten off by killer plastic flamingos that are touch-activated or some such nonsense. (Or maybe it's just that she has a deep-seated reluctance on her own part to disturb anyone or anything lest there be dire consequences.) Hands folding together, she hesitates a moment before shaking her head, deflating slightly as she relents. ]
Nevermind. I guess-- that really is the only thing left to try.