spoofer: (bicycle)
Xistentia: Mod ([personal profile] spoofer) wrote in [community profile] xistentia2018-03-11 02:21 am

Power/Swap Event

Characters: Ensemble cast, any/all characters of Xistentia!
Summary: Power fluctuations across Xistentia affect not only the electricity of the city, but also the supernatural abilities of the residents. Will you get caught up in the chaos, or try to help out the next poor bastard who accidentally sprouted telekinesis overnight? Check out the mod announcement!
Date(s): Month of March 2018
Warnings/Notes: Potential violence/accidents

Power/Swap Event
That sing the ecstasy of the soul and senses
Blackouts & Brownouts (March 10-13)

Early Saturday evening, the power goes out across Xistentia. Of course, if you were out in the woods roasting marshmallows or hunting elk, it doesn't make much of a difference until you approach the city and find the twinkle of lights has gone out. However, if you were enjoying some of the city amenities, it's immediately obvious that something is very wrong. Almost all stoves, lights, stereos, and heating systems cease to work. Television is right out. Devices running on indepedent power— such as cars, and cellphones and earpieces that relay the daemon network-- continue to work as long as they have battery power.
Fortunately, by now the weather is fairly mild— dropping to a crisp 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 15 Celsius at the deepest part of the evening, but far from intolerable for most people. While some have fears that D.E.S.T.I.N.Y. may raise its ugly head while Xistentia is defenseless, F.A.T.E.S. issues an assurance that all remaining power is being routed to interdimensional defenses. Mostly, it's the anxiety and boredom that people have to contend with.
So maybe you'll be part of the service passing around lanterns and candles, running patrols to prevent theft, or helping to charge up devices from the handful of people who have developed generator technology throughout the town. Some dubious genius even developed specific electric blankets that convert positive affect from cuddling and shared sympathy to heat output that can be calibrated for maximum comfort.

Or maybe you'll take advantage of the rise of community spirit in the nighttime, and come together to drink and tell stories in the one part of Xistentia that seems to continue to offer a little light— the Temple. There, people congregate to play a drinking game of truth or dare, or possibly complain about them millennials and their dependency on technology.

On the third day, residents begin to find that their daemons are malfunctioning a little. Accidental shitposts, distorted audio, and bizarre typographical errors are the least of it. It's as if your sentient personal assistants have gotten terribly drunk, though they reassure you that it's just part of the repair process...
Swaps and Supercharges (March 14-24)

On day four, the power comes back on and the daemons begin to sober up. It's awesome.

Except that that's when everybody's supernatural powers promptly go haywire.

For some, this is a sudden amplification of powers— superstrength or speed suddenly doubling in measure, or stone skin and magic swords will suddenly jolt into activation in the middle of brunch. A couple of werewolves wake up fuzzy on the morning after a new moon, whereas several wizards find themselves casting unintentional, messy spells while mumbling "shit" over something ordinarily innocuous. Arguably worse, a few people find their powers nullified. It's easier to manage, assuming you arranged your life so that a normal person could go about it. You may have to help one of our local giants escape from their seventy foot suburban home through a towering window, though.

And then there are the swaps. You'll hear about it on the network mainly— people squawking in dismay, that not only have they lost their old powers, but now they have something completely new. Keep your eye out— maybe someone will need your help, managing a terrifying set of abilities and weaknesses that you are familiar with.
NPC Swaps

Though many PCs have powers available for swap, several NPCs have also unleashed their abilities into the pool! Brief descriptions are below. Players may choose to handwave some off-screen help or instruction from these NPCs, or try and figure it out with the help of PCs.
  1. Telekinesis— 2 tonne maximum left (equivalent of a player vehicle), may throw or catch knives. Special feats, such as flight, may also be available but require study to master.
  2. Elemental Control
    • Hydrokinesis— 15 cubic feet of water may be moved at one time, such as the volume of a square room of 'typical' adult bedroom height. This volume may be shaped or hurled around with the force of an ocean wave (for surfing, rather than storm). Water cannot be generated, but with effort and concentration, it may be pulled from the air or smaller bodies at a distance. Bodily transformation into water is an option.
    • Pyrokinesis— the ability to generate and manipulate flames. Fires will start small, such as fireballs the size of a fist, and be fairly easy to maintain. However, with greater effort, larger, shorter-lived fireballs may be summoned for attacks, such as they may destroy 1 normal passenger vehicle in one shot. Bodily transformation into fire is an option.
    • Terrakinesis— shockwaves through stone/earth/sediment or 15 cubic feet of earth may be moved at one time. Characters may raise pillars or shields of earth for offensive purposes, generating enough destructive force to flip or destroy a car in a single shot. With less offensive goals, they may reshape landscapes. Bodily transformation into earth/stone is an option.
  3. Touch Telepathy - Characters may read or affect the thoughts of others by coming into physical contact with them, with effect proportional to effort. Weaknesses will include that the target's willpower can overcome the ability, as characters learn to detect intrusion over time; they may also suffer from difficulty 'shutting out' the thoughts of others that they touch. Opt-out/consent pages will be required.
OOC Note: Changes to powers will be temporary, lasting throughout the month of March before reverting. There will however be the opportunity to make them permanent if you desire. For this, please keep an eye out for the next announcement, which will include a signup for long-term ability conversion!

[personal profile] healingdork 2018-03-12 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
[Will looks up in slight surprise when Nico suddenly shows up next to him. Shows how much he'd been paying attention, lost in his own thoughts. But he puts on a easy smile of reassurance... that promptly changes into one of confusion when the celestial bronze passes through Nico harmless.

Will just kind of stares at the blade for a moment, then passes the blade between his own hand, carefully so he doesn't actually cut himself if it's still working. It goes right through.
]

... You too?
deathkid: (pic#12055338)

[personal profile] deathkid 2018-03-12 02:06 am (UTC)(link)
Something was blocking my shadow traveling. So I rushed here, and you were like this. What were you thinking?

[ his tone is a little harsh, demanding as he takes the blade by the hilt and sets it aside. on days like today, he wishes he could read minds, know what his beloved is thinking in order to figure out what's wrong. but even if he were not mortal right now, he'd still be unable to. ]

Something must be up, but if we weren't both mortal right now... [ he lifts a hand to cup will's cheek. ] What's going on in that head of yours?

[personal profile] healingdork 2018-03-12 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
[He raises his eyebrows a bit in surprise.] Well, when Apollo was turned into a mortal, I tried to give him nectar and his lips started steaming. I wanted to make sure if I was still a demigod or not so if something happened, I didn't take any ambrosia or nectar and almost die from it. Celestial bronze doesn't hurt mortals so I figured that was the easiest way of telling. A little prick wouldn't have hurt for long.

Looks like you're banned from any ambrosia or nectar too though. This... is so bizarre. [He tries not to frown in frustration about it. It's really bothering him not being able to tell what's wrong with them, why they're like this.]
deathkid: (pic#11809892)

[personal profile] deathkid 2018-03-12 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
It looked like... Never mind.

[ shaking his head a little, he shifts to sit next to will. being mortal is definitely bizarre like will said, but he likes to think they've been through worse. ]

No nectar or ambrosia, got it, Doc. But we need to figure out what's happened to us. It can't be like Apollo. The gods wouldn't have reach here anyway. It must be something related to D.E.S.T.I.N.Y. or the F.A.T.E.S. like things usually are. Whatever it is, we'll get through this. Our training doesn't just make us rely on our powers, after all.

[personal profile] healingdork 2018-03-12 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
It looked...? [Wait a minute.] ... Oh. ... Oh. [And he'll shake his head adamantly.] No way, Nico. I know that'd be a really bad idea to do. I was just going to prick my palm, I swear.

Yeah, must be. Probably not a lot we can do about it either. Same old, same old, right? [He sounds so thrilled, doesn't he.] Once again, powerful beings a lot stronger than us are controlling our lives. [He heaves a sigh, drumming his fingers restlessly against the guitar.] Sorry. I know you don't need any powers at all to kick some ass. [He gives his fiance an encouraging grin.] Not with that sword of yours. But I'm not sure if it's a good idea for me to be picking up a bow again anytime soon.
deathkid: (pic#12055492)

[personal profile] deathkid 2018-03-12 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ heaving a sigh of relief, he reaches out to grip will's chin, making their noses practically touch. ] You're damn right it'd be a really bad idea. Do you know how annoyed Father would be when I come storming down to the Underworld to get you?

[ he kisses his fiance, rough and passionate to emphasize his determination and then pulls back. ]

Why can't you pick up a bow, caro mio? My sword arm doesn't come from my powers and neither is your aim. Remember how worried Austin and Kayla were for nothing when Apollo showed up without his powers? It shouldn't affect you that way. You're still you.

[personal profile] healingdork 2018-03-12 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not even sure if we can get to the Underworld from here so definitely am not planning on dying as long as we're stuck in this place. Besides, I know how permanent death is. No way would I do that. [He'll give Nico a little bop on the chin in a gentle teasing way with a finger.] Besides, I've got 'become Will di Angelo-Solace' on my bucket list and that hasn't happened yet so I am absolutely not going out before that.

[He will return that kiss firmly, wanting to give Nico reassurance, smiling a bit when they pull apart but then frowning again once Nico brings up a bow.] Yeah, it's probably best to try and fire an arrow to make sure I don't shoot myself in the foot before I actually use it in any sort of fight. [Not his guitar though. He can't bring himself to even pluck a string.]
deathkid: (pic#11809892)

[personal profile] deathkid 2018-03-12 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
Will... [ a sigh as he hears that. it sounds a lot like apollo and he wonders if it's a family thing to worry so much about the lack of powers. it certainly seemed that way with kayla and austin. but he'd never thought he'd hear will worry about it. gently, he takes the guitar from his fiance's hands and sets it aside before climbing into will's lap. from there, he runs his hands through will's golden mop and presses their foreheads together. ]

I doubt you'll shoot yourself in the foot. Besides, if anyone tries to take you away from me before we're finally married, I'd hunt them down myself, powers or no.

[personal profile] healingdork 2018-03-12 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Will wraps his arms around Nico and hugs him close, breathing in deep with eyes closed to take in his familiar scent.] You don't think it all has to do with just talent alone, right? I know I can still do medical things because that's all knowledge for the most part but... for things that take skill... All those years of training, I can't just be able to hit a target because of my dad... It wouldn't make sense, right?
deathkid: (pic#12055343)

[personal profile] deathkid 2018-03-12 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ draping his arms over will's shoulders, he shakes his head slowly before rubbing their noses together. ]

Listen to what you just said. All those years of training. It's not magic that allows you to hit a target, Will Solace. It's all that practice. Just like I know how to swing a sword from practice. We all have skills we worked hard for and they won't go away just because our powers are gone.

[personal profile] healingdork 2018-03-12 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
[Will is quiet for a moment, letting that confirmed reassurance sink in before he asks tentatively:] You think... that applies to music too? Music isn't just all practice. You have to be able to carry a tune or hear a rhythm and other things like that.