thenearshore | 38 - Power Palette Swap

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38 - Power Palette Swap

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.

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... I am going to have you tell me more about this contract you have made once all this is resolved. Malicious intent does not necessarily have to be a factor when it comes to him.

[But first, focusing on the problem at hand. And breathing. Breathing is good. Zelda gradually finds her center again, or at the very least forces down her panic in favor of practicality as she takes in the sight of the tiny child god currently plopped in the middle of her living room. She... really doesn't like the way that large bump under his kimono looks, angled in a way that cannot possibly be natural or comfortable, and it's only after she's swallowed down a wave of nausea that she offers her hand to Ebisu.]

But we live in the same district; his tower is not far from here. I shall take you there, if you want the assistance.

[The thought of teleporting them both there immediately does cross her mind, but... maybe that's not such a good idea, with the state of Ebisu's body being what it is. Wouldn't want to leave behind a leg or something, haha...!]

He should have posted on the network about how he came to me...

[Granted, Add didn't say anything about their own deal regarding time travel, but Ebisu himself won't mention that either. There were some things that they both agreed were to be confidential, only between benefactor and client.]

[For now, he reaches up to lay one gently flaking hand within hers. However, Ebisu makes no attempt to push himself up onto his feet.]

While it is unfortunate that I am imposing upon you this much already, Metis-sama, may I request another favor? Right now, I can't adequately walk, so I need assistance there.

[Another time, another place, she might demand more details then and there even with knowing about the agreement Ebisu and Add had for the latter's interdimensional tracking project. But for right now she has a terribly cold sinking feeling in her gut as Ebisu does not try to stand up.

She takes a deep breath, and then in the steadiest voice she can manage, she asks:]

... Lord Ebisu, is your leg broken?

I suppose that would not be incorrect to say.

[...That is to say, it's actually much worse than that. So, reaching up with his free hand, he tugs slightly at the collar to his kimono until it's just loose enough for him to open it up slightly.]

[Zelda was right to be concerned about the lump resting there, above where his obi is wrapped. There, resting against his chest for lack of any better idea of where to put it, is what is very clearly a broken off foot. Instead of being a gory spectacle, however, it suffers from the same fractured light that is apparent on other parts of him, flickering from the end which should be attached to Ebisu's actual body. If she can look at it without feeling ill, Zelda will realize that it's from somewhere not far beneath Ebisu's knee.]

I fell, and this body is more fragile than I had already known it to be. I have witness Add-sama able to reconnect himself, but I must be doing something wrong.... Oh. [He removes his hand from hers, raising it to his mouth.] I wasn't supposed to tell that to anyone else.

[Despite his situation, he seems rather non-perturbed.]

[Y... Yeah...

Zelda's just gonna

reach down

and quietly close Ebisu's kimono back up.]

I have so very many questions to ask the both of you when this is all said and done. Also I am going to request that your temple provides mine with a very nice bottle of wine in exchange for my assistance today.

[Normally, she's the sort to do a good deed simply to help someone out, but she definitely just threw up a little bit in her mouth for a moment there, and it probably won't be any big expense for the temple of the most popular god in all the Far Shore. There is no way she's ending this day sober. With another deep and steeling breath, she shifts over to Ebisu's side, kneeling down to, in an ironic twist of fate, scoop up the child god princess-style.]

So if you will excuse me, Lord Ebisu-- [Thank Heaven he's tiny, right? Hahaha...]

Of course. It would only be fair.

[Frankly, it's his temple that probably deserves alcohol with how much happens, All The Time, but Zelda probably needs it too. She's one of Add's acquaintances too, after all. At least, Ebisu is fairly certain of that.]

[Ebisu at least is obedient enough as he's hauled up into Zelda's arms, not seeming to mind particularly much at all with the choice of carry she's gone with.]

I hope Add-sama is alright...

[Acquaintance, weird friend, pseudo-babysitter... it's all the same thing really. She makes sure she has Ebisu securely in her arms before she stands and starts heading for her temple's exit, commenting:]

I am sure he is... enduring whatever changes have been wrought in him in turn.

[Cue the Gilligan Cut to the road heading towards Henir's Temple, where fortune would have it that they find the god in question, and he's...]

[... face down on the side of the road, with three deactivated dynamos scattered on the ground in front of him. A familiar glowing cube hovers in the air above him, circling its master fretfully.

Upon closer inspection, though, Add isn't dead, he's just tired and too lazy to get up. It's hard to tell right away how much he's changed since his massive amount of hair is covering his body, but Zelda should at least be a bit surprised that he's older again.

Also, Takami is there.]

[Takami is sure there, looking down at Add with a slightly complex expression. It is one of exhausted panic, wariness, and just pure exasperation. Zelda might be able to hear him saying something along the lines of "We haven't even walked for ten minutes" before he looks up at who else is coming down the road. Every negative emotion wipes clean from his face in favor of pure frantic relief.]

[Sorry, Add, he's immediately ditching you.]

["Ebisu-sama!" He's at the two gods' side in a heartbeat, leaning over in worry while Ebisu just smiles up at him.]

It's fine. It was a very interesting experience, and I'm not in pain!

[He's missing a leg, and his teeth fell out to be replaced, but he's fine, really, and he smiles while reaching up to pat Takami's arm. Takami, in the meanwhile, just looks at Zelda with some faint panic that manages to say without words "how fine is this, really".]

[Everything happens so much.

Zelda has so many questions about everything that is happening right now, and Takami will find some familiarity in the strain flirting around the edges of her expression. This is absolutely not fine, but it's a princess' job to keep on brave face, so she swallows down her own desperate confusion about the situation. Someone here's gotta be the levelheaded adult, and she's sure not trusting that position to Ebisu or Add.]

We will get this sorted.

[She says resolutely to Takami before her attention turns to Add.

Oh, Add. What is she going to do with you?

What she's going to do is step on over to his faceplanted body, and, with Ebisu's flaking form still in her arms, very carefully kneel down beside him, leaning down close to his ear...]

[... and hollering.]

Add, wake up!

[The reaction is instantaneous—he has very sensitive ears, Zelda, why would you do this to him??]

I'm up, I'm up! [Lo and behold, just like magic he's back on his knees, a hand firmly pressed against the ear she so gracefully shouted into. Although, his movements are still a big sluggish and he's not even trying to stand up yet... look, there's been a lot of running around today. He's not used to having to do this much exercise.

But he's more or less caught up on the situation at hand. Add looks over at Ebisu, sighing—at least he looks mostly intact. He was prepared for much worse conditions...]

I've brought Dynamo. It should be able to help you stabilize, so sync up with it quickly. [as for how to do that... how the hell does he even explain something like that? It should just come naturally, he hopes, since the controls boil down to "think really hard about it". Once they're active again the rest should run automatically. It'd be a problem if his stabilizing program wouldn't run while he was unconscious, after all.

The crisis with Ebisu should be fine now, but... he's been ignoring the fact that someone else is here. And he has no idea how to handle this. Zelda was definitely not supposed to see any of this, and there's no way he's going to be able to convince her it's not what it looks like. So... so he's just not going to look at her, and basically pretend she's not there for as long as he can get away with, and maybe he'll figure something out before she starts demanding answers.]

[Yeah, about that, Add- ]

Can you please clarify, Add-sama?

[At the side, Takami is carefully setting down the Dynamos on the ground as orderly as he can manage before quickly sending off a text to the rest of the temple while all the gods are preoccupied. Yet with that done, he sort of... awkwardly hovers his hands to where Ebisu is. Patiently, the child god reaches up to take one of his sleeves inbetween his fingers.]

[He'd take his hand directly, but his own hand is kind of falling apart, so.]

Is it like when I was trying to make my way through the portals?

[...Someone please give this child guidance before he falls into The Void (tm) again.]

[Luckily for Add, Zelda is very good at focusing on whatever task she deems most important in any given moment, and right now that task is making sure Ebisu doesn't fall apart any more. So... no intrusive questions. For now.

When Takami sets down the Dynamos, Zelda follows suit, setting Ebisu down near them. The dirt path of the southeastern district means that his kimono's probably going to get a little dirty but listen. She's a skinny waif. Her arms are getting tired. Also maybe proximity will help Ebisu do... whatever he needs to do to sync up with the machines?

She has no idea. And that's frustrating, but she keeps her mouth shut for now, simply watching the other three and taking a moment to catch her breath herself.]

Why were you making portals unassisted?! Do you have any idea how taxing that is? [...well, no, probably, which is why Add just sighs again and skips the angry lecture. Plus he might be a little bit impressed that Ebisu even managed that much on his own...] Don't do that from now on. Using Dynamo to direct your energy will lessen the strain on your body. You won't fall apart that way.

Syncing with Dynamo is... it's hard to explain. [did Ebisu even receive Add's missing chip? That's... a very real possibility, since he has no idea how this mix-up even happened or how thorough the effects are. He rubs at his chin, trying to think of how to test this.] It's like... well, try just looking at it first. Can you tell me what this material is?

[He holds up one of the machines, pointing out the hard metal casing on the outer side of the device. It's a dicetium alloy reinforced with fluorite, but there's no way Ebisu could know that at a glance. Unless, of course, he had a way to reference Nasod materials just by thinking about it. A part that Add constructed himself should definitely be on record.]

I currently have no idea about anything regarding my current situation, Add-sama.

[So, yeah, he doesn't know shit. This doesn't seem to be bothering Ebisu as much as it's clearly bothering Takami, who is kneeling down besides him with his hands hovering near Ebisu. You know. Just in case he accidentally falls through a hole in reality again.]

[Ebisu will let him handle that. In the mean while, he'll focus his attention on the slab of metal that Add is holding up. It's funny, because he's certain that he knows nothing about the object he has in his hands. And yet...]

Oh... It's... Hm. [Hold on, let him organize this new information in his head first.] Well, it's reinforced with fluorite, isn't it? But there's also a dicetium alloy. How fascinating! This really is a very useful ability.

[Well, technology, but he has no idea he has a chip in his head.]

Okay, that's good. The neural chip is already active, so all you need to do is create a new link with Dynamo. Focus on that part of your mind and you should be able to send a signal to it. It's hard to explain, but if you think about what you want it to do the rest should come naturally.

[It's not the best explanation, but it's been over a decade since he had to learn how to use Dynamo. Trying to put himself back in that mindset is a bit tricky now that his machines are second nature to him. Hopefully that's enough for Ebisu to sort it out himself...

Although, Add may have failed to explain how fine those controls really are, because the moment Ebisu does make a connection he's going to realize that those hovering robots are as attuned to his body as an arm or a leg would be. Except these "limbs" can also shoot electricity and fly around wildly if he's not careful. Please try not to kill anyone this soon after avoiding disaster.]

[Add, if you don't want him to accidentally murder anyone, maybe you should come up with better instructions for connecting to your murder furniture.]

[Still, for all the vagueness of the instructions, Ebisu does his best to follow them as well he can. He figure the best way to do this is to just stop focusing on everything else so, with certain calmness, he closes his eyes and tries to focus on the strange part of his mind that's now notably different. He can't really explain how it's so, only that it's the same sort of sensation as when he'd looked at the machines and been able to accurately say what they were made of.]

[It really is extremely peculiar... Like waking up a limb that's fallen asleep and having to get used to them all over again. Except, these are limbs he's never actually had. As the connection is established, power goes through the Dynamos again, and they immediately rise to the air, jerking out of any grips- ]

[And form a chair hovering in mid-air over their heads. Opening his eyes, Ebisu looks up at the sight absolutely delighted.]

[Heck yeah.]

[... well. at least he figured out how to make formations quickly enough. Add sighs again, relieved that everything somehow worked out.]

Don't exert yourself and give it a couple hours, your injuries should repair on their own. Keeping the leg positioned might be a bit tricky, though... I usually just dealt with that in the void, but if you have something to hold it in place that should work too. [or a person to hold it in place, hey Takami how do you feel about putting your god's leg back on???]

I'm trusting you with Dynamo until this mix-up is resolved, so don't you dare let anything happen to them, understood? And don't try to do anything reckless. Just because you have my body now doesn't mean the void can't hurt you.

Edited (this is a sigh-heavy thread) 2019-03-07 07:34 (UTC)

[This is... oddly fascinating to watch, in a weird way. An outsider's perspective only offers so much, and she doesn't understand how all this is happening, but it's intriguing to watch Ebisu go from not knowing a thing about controlling Dynamo to manipulating the robots into making a chair. That "neural chip" thing really must be something else.

But she also can't help feeling a little bit of pride for Add as he goes over all his warning for Ebisu: don't over exert yourself, don't be reckless, be careful with when it comes to the void. A more cynical mind might consider it simply an attempt to avoid having the wrath of Ebisu's temple bearing down upon him, but... she's not quite that much of a pessimist just yet.

She disguises a gentle hand on his shoulder as using him for support as she stands, brushing the dirt off her skirts as she does.]

Well, that is one crisis averted, at least. On that note, I do not suppose either of you know why this has happened all of a sudden, do you?

[Believe her, she has plenty of questions about all this flaky void body stuff, but she has priorities, and also has dealt enough with this nonsense already for today.]

Oh, you noticed that?

[Because Takami sure didn't, judging by the frantic whisper of "What happened to your leg!?" Ebisu has to briefly get sidetracked by that, whispering some explanations to Takami that only seem to make the shinki go a little more pale. However, some whispering later, and they seem to come to an agreement. Excuse Ebisu while he tries to get the dynamos back down later and Takami undoes his tie.]

[He can still participate in the conversation, even as he's doing his best to focus.]

I'm afraid it's a complete mystery as of the moment. However, it shouldn't be too hard to do some process of elimination. For example... It looks that Add-sama is lacking his usual abilities, while I do not.

[Ebisu smiles brightly up at Zelda.]

That means we can strike him from the list of suspected causes, right, Metis-sama?

[Add nods—perhaps it isn't as obvious to others, but knowing what he does about his own body and the awkward way Ebisu is sitting... he also knows enough to not be worried, though, since injuries like this were common back when he first pulled his body back together. It'll hold with enough stubborn determination.

He can't help but flinch when Zelda touches his shoulder. Wrapped up in his own paranoia, her intent is completely lost on him. At least he lacks a reason to interpret it as malicious. He keeps his attention focused on Ebisu and Dynamo, letting the god of fortune take the lead in their conversation.]

... there was something like a shockwave. That's all I can remember before waking up like this. [He has plenty of theories as to how something like this might occur, but that's the only lead he's got when it comes to the actual cause.]

[Takami is the real victim in all this. Zelda gives him a sympathetic look before returning to the topic at hand.]

Yes, I am willing to agree with you on that point, Lord Ebisu. [Congrats, Add, even if she's too much of a tsun asshole to show affection in a more obvious way, at least you're off the hook. She brings her hand to her chin in contemplation.] Though it begs the question in turn of what did cause this to happen. A shockwave created by an outside force...

[Hmm. After a moment of thought, she looks to Add.]

Would your, ah... "jewelry" potentially be able to offer us any insight regarding this?

[She has no idea, but maybe?? It could offer a hint of a lead where they currently have zero (0)??]

It would certainly be helpful if we could track the source of energy. We may even be able to use ourselves as items to inspect, considering how we have both been affected. There may be something still lingering- Oh, Metis-sama, you may want to look away for a moment.

[That warning is given because, with Takami having gotten his tie loose, they're ready to re-attach his leg, and Ebisu remembers well how adversely she reacted to just seeing his leg at all despite the lack of gore. Or maybe the lack of gore is what made it worse...]

[Either way, after a moment to give her the chance, Takami carefully removes the leg from where it's been tucked away- looking ill all the while- and rolls up the bottom of his god's kimono so that he can start tying it in place. He's sure!! not having a great time here!!! But he's holding out like a champ.]

[Ebisu watches just long enough to make sure that Takami won't faint before resuming the conversation.]

Would the chip and dynamos be able to assist with this endeavor, Add-sama? I do want to do what I can.

[It takes a moment for him to figure out what the hell she means by "jewellery". His advanced tracking device is more than a piece of jewellery, Zelda! He spent months mastering that design!!]

It's possible my tracking chip could've detected something... it's only been programmed to look for the anomaly specific to disappearances, but it may have still picked up some useful data. Your shinki are already authorized to check that data, so just ask whoever you left in charge of that. [because that's a hell of a lot easier than trying to explain how to connect to the server and enter security credentials using Dynamo.]

Dynamo should be able to pick up some useful data as well, but... [... yeah, no, this is still way too difficult for a tutorial] I would hope you understand now that it's not something I can just explain how to use. Dynamo was only intended to be used by one person, so most of the controls are designed around my own instincts and thought processes. Moving them around or activating existing programs is one thing, but creating a custom scan and then filtering the data for useful results is a lot more complicated. You need to know exactly what you're looking for before you could even begin attempting such a thing.

I'm not saying it's impossible for you to try, but it'd take at least several hours for me to explain all the necessary theory for this to have any chance of working, and you'd need to understand all of it. Are you sure you can handle that?

[It's not that he thinks Ebisu is too stupid to understand it, but that is going to be a lot of very dry lecturing. Even Add would probably get bored trying to cram that much information in one sitting...]

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chibisu - 2019-03-21 22:28 (UTC) - Expand

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38 - Power Palette Swap

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