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

II

[unlucky7]

He won't find Ginia at Ebisu's temple. He probably won't even make it to Ebisu's temple, given all of his shinki running around asking everyone if they've seen him. No one knows where Ginia is specifically, but after a bit of phone tag, Joss is directed toward the south end of Central District.

"Look for the fish," he's directed. It might not make sense, but if he watches the sky, he'll spot a school of sea green fish swirling around, gathering to write out "Looking for Ebisu, information appreciated. -Ginia" in the air.

Below the spot, Ginia is siting on white marble wall.

[dredefulchilde]

Look for the fish. If not for the insanity that is their daily lives as shinki in the Far Shore, Joscelin would've thought Ginia had finally cracked. But she hasn't. As it turns out, it's quite difficult to miss the fish, or their message. It's...an interesting SOS, to be sure.

He ambles over to her, still covered by his rain coat. "I need your help," he says without preamble, clutching the hood closer to his face. "Something's happened." A few long brown curls have escaped the hood without his notice, an indicator of the physical changes he's undergone. His voice is a little higher than usual, though that might be due to panic.

[unlucky7]

It's an interesting SOS and hopefully it leads to some information one way or another. Ginia looks calm as she sits on the wall, face turned a little skyward, but also aware of the ground in front of her. She looks down at the child approaching her, disappointed to see it's not Ebisu.

The voice is strangely familiar, though the face isn't quite.

...No. Wait. Those freckles and fangs are unmistakable.

"Joscelin?"

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin removes his hood and the curls come tumbling out. Not much has obviously changed besides the hair; boys and girls are not so very different at his age. Still, his features are a little finer than before, eyelashes longer.

“Help me,” he demands. “Something happened while I was in the shower and now I’m a bloody girl.”

[unlucky7]

And the day becomes stranger yet. Ginia blinks at Joscelin, surprise mixing with disbelief and amusement. Precious, truly. In the sky, the fish slowly blink out of existence as her focus wavers.

What do you want me to do? Ginia asks herself, still taking his long, curly hair. It definitely needs a brushing. She glances at the sky, considering her options as she releases the illusion to spare some energy.

"There's a lot of strangeness going around." She jumps down from the wall. "Come here, I'll fix your hair."

[dredefulchilde]

“I want the hair gone, not fixed,” he grumbles, but he does as he’s told. “It’s heavy.” He wants other things gone as well. And he wants one very prominent thing back.

“What were the fish for? Is that a new spell?”

[unlucky7]

Sorry, Joceline, trusting her to give a decent haircut is a mistake. She could certainly chop off those long locks, but it'd be a ragged look at best. Ginia begins finger combing out his hair, slowly working out the worst tangles and pausing only to sign.

"Ebisu is missing. He's a god associated with fishing and sea green is his signature color. I thought if he saw the fish, he might come this way or send someone else to pass on a message."

[dredefulchilde]

Having his hair combed feels...nice. Joscelin closes his eyes like a cat having its ears scratched. “He’s missing? Did he fall somewhere?” Ebisu is notoriously clumsy, isn’t he?

“But he’ll turn up, surely. He has so many shinki.”

Of course he understands her devotion to her god, but isn’t his predicament just as important?

[unlucky7]

Crumbled apart and fell through a portal based on the texts of her coworkers, but that's not anything to share with anyone else. Sorry, Joss. She continues to comb through his hair. Trust in him, trust in her temple.

"I'm sure someone will find him, but he's my god. So I worry, especially with things so strange today. Did you feel dizzy earlier too?"

[dredefulchilde]

It’s not an isolated occurrence, then? “I did.” He says it slowly, thinking about it. “Very dizzy, in fact. And then suddenly I had all this blasted hair, and...”

Other things he hadn’t had before.

“It’s not...it can’t be...you don’t think this is permanent, do you? I don’t want to be a girl.”

[unlucky7]

Ginia wants to say no, but she doesn't want to make a false promise either. The strangeness is unique, but it's not the first time something has effected so many on a large scale either. It doesn't seem coordinated in any way. Why give her powers? Why turn Joscelin into a girl?

Why make a god of fortune disappear? Okay, that last one is a bit easier to answer.

"I don't know. I don't think so. It seems too random, whatever the cause is."

[dredefulchilde]

“It had better not be permanent.” He shakes his head in emphasis, forgetting that Ginia’s fingers are still carding through the tangled curls somewhere behind his ears. It pulls something dreadful. “Ow.”

This isn’t his day, is it?

“Those fish, were they tied to whatever this is as well? They didn’t look like any spell I thought possible for a shinki.” Not that he’s one to talk; he’s always been miserably bad at even the simplest of magic.

“I would think you got rather the better deal, if so. At least you didn’t find yourself suddenly having changed sex like a...like a...bloody clownfish.”

[unlucky7]

Easy there. Ginia holds her fingers still to reduce the tug. She loosens another set of tangles, also beginning to part his hair into long sections for braiding later.

"It is." A colorful fish pops into existence in front of Joscelin's face. Ginia focuses on it as she moves it around, letting it swim to and fro around his head. There's nothing solid about it; if he tries to touch it, his fingers will fall through. It's like her illusions in vessel form, but it feels so much more effortless. Is it because she's not sweating the specific details or is it because these illusions are that much stronger?

She pats his head. Illusion powers would be more fun for a kid to have, but all things considered, Joscelin's change isn't too bad.

"I'd make a hot guy." With that signed, she begins braiding his hair.

[dredefulchilde]

“Interesting.” He reaches for the fish and it swims—flies?—through the solid flesh of his hand like nothing at all. He can’t even feel any magic. An illusion? “Looks dead useful. I’m rather jealous.”

Joscelin can’t help snort. “You’re already tall enough as a woman. I can’t even imagine what sort of giant you’d be as a ‘hot guy.’”

She continues to braid his hair, and he has to admit that it’s incredibly relaxing. No wonder girls seem to enjoy it so much.

“I imagine I make a rather hideous little girl,” he blurts out suddenly. “Scrawny and freckle-faced as I am.”

[unlucky7]

Her hands stop working at his outburst. Where did that come from? Ginia wonders as she turns him around so they're face to face. The braid unravels slightly as she releases it, but she can fix it again quickly enough.

"You are a very cute boy and you are a very cute girl." Her signs are definitive. She's not trying to spare his feelings, it's the truth of how she feels. "If anyone's told you otherwise, they're wrong."

[dredefulchilde]

Joss blinks, surprised by her vehemence. “No one’s said a word,” he admits, “but I am in possession of a mirror.” And a phone with which to take selfies. Suddenly uncomfortable, he feels a little color coming to his cheeks (only possible because Hakkai took him out recently) and tries to change the subject.

“What are you doing with my hair, anyway?”

[unlucky7]

Ginia doesn't press the topic. If this proves to be a longer change they can talk about it again. She picks up the partial braid and waggles one of the sectioned ends in front of his face.

"I'm braiding it. It'll keep it out of the way and looks nice. It's better than me trying to give you a haircut."

[dredefulchilde]

“I can’t be held accountable for my actions if you give me ribbons.” Is that a joke? Probably. Sometimes it can be hard to tell.

He rolls his eyes at the waggling plait. “How do you women tolerate having so much weight pulling on your scalps?”

[unlucky7]

Please, Joss, does Ginia look like she's carrying hair ribbons on her? No, if hair ribbons were to get involved, there'd also be a full outfit too. Coordinating accessories is very important.

"You get used to it though sometimes I think about cutting my hair." She resumes braiding his hair, tying it off at the end with a hair elastic. There. It should be easier to manage now.

[dredefulchilde]

Just don't stick him in a nyan nyan maid cafe uniform, Ginia. He can't be held responsible for his actions if you do.

"I think you'd look quite odd with shorter hair," he observes, testing out the braid. It really is awfully heavy, but at least he doesn't have hair in his face anymore. "I quite like your present hairstyle."

[unlucky7]

"Thank you." Ginia toys with the end of her ponytail, long curls falling through her fingers. In some way, she's kept her hair long out of a sense of attachment. She had long hair in death so why not keep with it? She's trimmed it to keep it a manageable length, but what if she cut off a few inches and tried something new?

"Kimi dared me to go platinum blonde after I said he'd look good with red hair."

[dredefulchilde]

"Don't do it," Joscelin snaps. He's a little surprised by his own vehemence. He doesn't know why Ginia's relationship with Kimi makes him feel so prickly, but it does.

"He's stupid if he thinks that."

[unlucky7]

"I wouldn't say he's stupid, but I don't think I'd look good blonde." She looks at the ends of her curls. It'd be sharp change going from dark brown to something so light and she's not she's ready for it. But it was only a teasing idea and if she dyed her hair, she could always go back too.

Joss's venom is a little surprising though.

"Is everything okay?" Present situation aside.

[dredefulchilde]

Joscelin looks up at her. "What? Of course it is. I simply believe that man shouldn't be so familiar with you. He's overstepping his bounds as a colleague."

He stretches and toys with the end of his braid again. Blasted hair. Blasted Heaven. "He's overstepping his bounds as your colleague."

[unlucky7]

Ebisu's temple functions more like an office, but they're still a temple. There's a close camaraderie that comes with the territory. Maybe if he was the department head, but as it stands, there's nothing wrong with friendly teasing.

Especially since Kimi is more than a coworker or fellow shinki.

Ginia's fingers tap together. It's true she's never said things outright. She's not embarrassed or ashamed of dating Kimi, but it also felt like if she voiced their relationship, it'd come crumbling down fast. When she signs, it's a bit slow.

"Joscelin, Kimi is my boyfriend. We've been dating since March."