Power/Swap Event

[spoofer]

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!

Comments

[tangleofgarlands]

[It's been a while since Arthur saw Will--which is mostly his fault. After awkwardly sitting on his doorstep for a few hours before fleeing to Janus's apartment, he'd been afraid to reach out again, convinced that his feelings were written on his sleeve and flattering, but not exactly wanted.

If he's honest with himself, he probably wouldn't be here if he'd known Will already was, and he's halfway through stepping back and turning around when he really takes in what he's looking at.

The taut, hunched line of Will's shoulders, the way he's holding his guitar without really holding onto it, and--most worryingly--the grim focus, the intent with which he looks down at a knife in his hand.

Maybe it's been long enough that his earlier humiliation has gone numb, or maybe the skirt Mandy made him for his birthday has made him more brazen. Regardless of why, he closes the distance between them and gently, firmly takes hold of Will's wrist.

He'd intended to take the dagger away before Will could hurt himself, but he doesn't get that far--as soon as skin touches skin, there's a flood of emotion so strong it nearly sweeps him away, and it takes a moment for him to realize the thoughts aren't his.]

Oh--Will.

[He'd had no idea. It's dizzying, trying to sort through the bits he doesn't understand with the raw fear and hopelessness and overwhelming insecurity that he understands too well, and for a long moment the only thing he can do is hold on tight with his hand. There's a part of him that wants to make excuses for himself, to back off and stop intruding on someone else's head, but...he just can't. Propriety seems a bit pointless, in comparison to dark thunderheads where he's used to seeing the gold of the sun.

He bites his lip and tilts his head to meet Will's eyes, reaching up with his free hand to brush his fingertips over the handsome line of his cheek.]

This isn't all there is to you. It doesn't change who you are or what you've done.

[healingdork]

[Will is taken out of his thoughts when a hand rests over his own and he looks up to see...] Arthur? [It has indeed been awhile since he's seen him, and while he's been told by now that Arthur probably fancies him, he's still not sure if it's 100 percent true or not, so he hasn't really brought it up with Arthur personally yet.

He's surprised by what Arthur says and looks down in slight sheepishness.] Must not have been doing as good a job at making it seem like there's nothing wrong than I usually am.

[tangleofgarlands]

[The whole thing is giving Arthur a bit of a headache--having an extra person's thoughts in his mind is chaotic and confusing, and he has to take a moment to sort out what Will is saying from what he's feeling.

To say nothing of the fact that he's still holding onto Will's wrist, which he's suddenly very aware of and flushing hot, but there's so much weight here. So much Arthur hadn't seen under what had apparently been a facade, blinded by his own affection.

But then Will is looking at him with something just a bit timid, and Arthur realizes he doesn't know--apparently, it's a one-way street.]

You're not--it's me. I'm not sure what's happening, but as soon as I touched you, I could...hear you.

[There's a beat, then he feels himself go pink and quickly lets go.] I'm sorry. I shouldn't have intruded--I didn't mean to.

[healingdork]

[Will again looks surprised.] You can... hear me? Like telepathically? [Was this some sort of thing where people were had so called powers didn't have them anymore and those that didn't suddenly did? He's... not going to be surprised if that's what's going on.]