38 - Power Palette Swap

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Power Palette Swap Event!
When: April 15th - April 18th 2017 (March 1st - March 8th 2019)
Where: Throughout the Far Shore and Near Shore
Summary: A couple of intrepid magical investigators unknowingly trigger some mishaps among the New Gods and Shinki.



For two weeks, the Ama investigators have been combing the compound where Cultists were dealt a heavy blow by the New Gods and Shinki. Among them, two in particular had been looking to move the Crystal that the cultists had in their basement, the stand that it sat on, and the dolls nearby. Combined with Waver's analysis, Judar succeeds in using his magic to transport the Crystal out of the basement.

As they manage that, a ripple effect washes over the New Gods and Shinki. There is a slight sense of Vertigo for some, a stronger wave for others, and then things start to change...



As It Happens: April 15

Everyone was minding their own business. Perhaps they were on the Near Shore helping complete a prayer, or they were in the Far Shore attending to various godly duties. Regardless of where everyone was, it's around noon when some things start to change. A mild sense of vertigo happens to those who start to experience physical body changes, while a stronger wave seems to wash over the God or Shinki's skin if their powers are changing, or perhaps even a sudden stop-in-your-tracks deadening of feeling if being depowered entirely.

April 16

Later in the afternoon, through no extra effort of the Crystal-movers, a loud noise like a subwoofer kicking into effect issues from within the Crystal, knocking anyone away who was near it by several feet. The one-shot noise reverberates in the ears of all New Gods and Shinki, triggering another change for some. At the Crystal, the black color that appeared when the former Goddess entered the Crystal fills more of it.

April 17

Closer to 7pm, once more, the noise issues forth from the Crystal, louder and knocking people back several yards this time. The Crystal fills with black and grey. Some might swear they can see a face of the white-grey against all of the black, resembling an Inkblot / Rorschach test style picture.

Aftermath: April 18

Around 10am, the black coils from within the Crystal settle down into more of whispy smoke, much harder to see in it. There's a slight tug in the direction of the Crystal regardless of where New Gods and Shinki stand, and with that pull, the change effects go away and all are returned to as they were.

In Summary:

• Swap powers with another character!
• Gain or lose powers!
• Swap physical appearances with another character!
• Use or abuse the changes while you can!
• Investigate who and what is responsible!
• Have fun~

Questions? Leave us a question on the OOC Plotting Post and we'll do our best to answer ASAP.

Comments

[subtract]

[A - Henir's Temple, closed to his shinki and/or home invaders]

[Add is working quietly in his room when he's suddenly struck by a nauseating sensation. Entwined as he is in his own strange powers, there's a terrifying moment of complete dissociation when he loses all sense of his body, his connection with his machines going completely silent, vision going black before his sight blurs and changes—

He's on the floor, gasping for breath when he finally returns to his senses. The act of breathing feels strange for reasons he can't quite understand, and he's a bit sore from falling out of his chair, but other than that he seems to be okay...

It takes a little longer for him to fully grasp the impact of the situation. He stumbles awkwardly out of his room, intending to check on his shinki when something else catches his eye. An unfamiliar face, staring back at him in the reflection of a window, eyes wide with shock.

He heads to the nearest bathroom instead, staring into a mirror. He looks... normal. Human. White schlera, the pinkish-red eyes of his mother. Normal, flat teeth—he even sticks a few fingers in his mouth to be sure. His hair is still an absolute mess and he looks as sickly-thin as ever, but there isnt any trace of fragmentation or crystals anywhere on his body.

It's like... like he'd succeeded, in what he'd long tried to accomplish. To become a version of himself that could live peacefully, in a world where none of the things in his life had gone so horribly wrong. An Add who somehow survived to adulthood without being turned into an experiment or messing with the void.

... Ah. But his scars are still there, so that can't be it. He can't stop staring at himself, so hopefully no one needs to use the bathroom, either. Add is already undressing himself to make sure he's not missing anything, completely absorbed in his bizarre new appearance.]

[B - Around the Far Shore, OTA]

[Eventually, Add has to leave the temple. He's almost a little bit excited, at first, because it's been a long time since he's really gone anywhere. Dropping through a portal from one temple to another doesn't count. He can even wear different clothes—it's a little small on him now, but he dug out one of his favourite hoodies just for the occasion. He's wearing the hood down to let his ankle-long hair trail behind him, a small spring in his step as he makes his way through the streets of Takamagahara.

... for about a block. It's at this point that he remembers how convenient it is to be able to fly and teleport everywhere, and also how much he detests even the tiniest amount of exercise. Add is bent over on the side of the road, resting against someone's fence or mailbox as he tries to catch his breath. You'd think he just ran a marathon from how out of breath he sounds.

If he's encountered on the 15th, he might be carrying something in his arms as well: a bundle of six diamond-shaped metal objects that others might recognize as Dynamo, though it's odd that he'd be carrying them instead of letting them hover behind him. They don't seem to be working right now.

There may also be a floating purple cube at his side, if it's not tucked away to recharge itself. There's no way anyone was going to let a de-powered Add roam around without a bodyguard, after all.]

((A quick summary of how Add looks now that he's lost his spooky tech and void powers:
- adult appearance with long hair
- white schlera
- eyes are pinkish-red, don't glow, and don't shoot weird sparks or light trails or anything like that
- normal, non-sharklike teeth
- no glowing pink diamond in the middle of his chest
- no weird fragmentation/pixellation effects on his body
- no sextuplet of drones following him everywhere like usual
- still a scrawny out-of-shape nerd who should probably eat more))

B

[abgrund]

[ In contrast to Add being winded over the side of a fence, Ain still maintains his semblance of serenity quite well - enough to step out of a conveniently located shadow and put a hand thoughtfully to his chin. ]

I suppose you have an explanation for this?

[ Add wouldn't let himself be outside in such a vulnerable state. Usually. ]

[subtract]

I'm not [wheeze] going to stand by [wheeze] and wait for this [wheeze] to solve itself! [wheeze

In other words... he can't get anything done in his lab, so investigating what's going on with others is his only remaining option. As nice as it is to look normal, there's no way he can stay like this. He earned his spooky void powers, damnit.]

Ugh... this sucks. I need to build a backup dynamo or something. [a hoverboard that won't stop working if he loses his implant again, maybe. but then he'd have to steer the thing manually...]

[abgrund]

I find it strange that you have lost most traces of Henir.

[ That, in its nature, should be impossible. Ain is... concerned? Yes, definitely concerned. But there's a tinge of curiosity to that, too. ]

I can carry you.

[ That's what friends do, right? ]

[subtract]

[He shrugs, finally standing a bit straighter now that he's had some time to catch his breath. By all means it should be impossible for something like that to be "removed", but it's not like their bodies here are normal to begin with.]

I have a few theories... our bodies here are constructs of this world instead of the originals, so traits being removed or swapped around isn't impossible. Take Heru and... what's his name? Utsushi? Their appearances are a perfect match but they lack key traits of the originals. The current situation could be related to what causes soulless shinki, in other words.

[... which is kind of worrying when he puts it like that. Let's just hope no one loses their soul today.]

Ebisu seems to have acquired my missing "traits". Try not to spook him too much if you run into him.

Anyway... I'm fine, I just needed to rest for a bit. [yeah sure add like you're not a fucking baby who's going to pass out after the next ten meters]

[abgrund]

[ It actually ties in with a few of his own theories. His existence here is merely a fragment of his true body back in the void - he should have been able to return to it and use it as a lens as he pleases, but he cannot. There's some other manner of dimensional interference at play. ]

That would imply he wasn't originally one of the people here, if he is able to be affected.

[ Add is a foreigner. Unless the soul stability went far enough to poison natives. ]

[subtract]

Mm. That's a possibility, yes, but I wouldn't say it's the only solution... there is a chance even native gods of this world might not be as "native" as we believe them to be. Perhaps the force that's been bringing us here has always been in place, and the only change is that we "outsiders" have retained traits and memories from our existence beyond this world. In that scenario, "native" gods such as Ebisu would be in the same position as us, just unaware of their origins and adjusted to their new roles.

The other explanation is much simpler, though. Our bodies here are recreations, and they're designed to both mimic our original bodies and fit in with the existing gods and shinki of this world. So it's not unreasonable to think that our imitation bodies and the bodies of the native gods share more than a few similarities. In that scenario, anything that can target or affect us outsiders would also have reason to work against the native gods to similar effects.

Either way, the result right now is the same. I'd prefer not to find out what happens in the long term. [even if Add's body might be normal right now, he still has the mind of someone deeply affected by Henir's power and influence, not to mention truckloads of trauma for all the adapting he had to do. Leaving Ebisu like that isn't an option he's willing to consider.]

[abgrund]

[ What a terrible thing, to be both kidnapped and unaware of your origins. Those gods are kind of like shinki, if that was the case. ]

Glad I am that nobody has taken after me. They would not survive.

[ Add was still once human. The result of transplanting his non-human void essence into a human would be grotesque at best and lethal at worst. Both not really beneficial. ]

And you are looking for Ebisu?