EVENT ★ LOST IN TRANSLATION

[futurologists]

RETURN TO OSKA Upon arrival in Oska, new and returning recruits alike will find that something strange is going on. Any attempts to communicate with someone who doesn't speak the same language as you will be just that -- like you don't speak the same language. Let's hope everyone is good at charades, because you're going to be out of luck for a full day. On the second day, a text comes across -- surprisingly intelligible to everyone. Is it over? Well . . . crowley: Hello, Audentes. We are currently experiencing magitek difficulties, as you may have guessed already. Temporal insects have arrived with our latest arrivals, and as you may imagine, we have had our paws full. cherenkov: We are working out how to mitigate the pest problem for good. For now, please put your unpleasantly huge feet to use and stomp them out. Or other such methods. crowley: We have created a quick patch to facilitate text-based communications, but verbal translation will continue to be down until the insects are exterminated. Thank you for your patience. It's not over. TEMPORAL INSECTS This invasive species has worked its way in through the rifts along with the newest batch of arrivals, and information on them is available in the library (provided you can read the language it's written in!). It seems they behave like locusts, living quietly within the space between rifts for many years until their numbers suddenly balloon and they begin to swarm in search of food. These bugs move fast and pack a nasty bite, but are unarmored and easily squished. Each one is about the size of a football, and leaves a little tell-tale slime trail that makes it easy to track. They can cling to any surface, and won't hesitate to leap onto attackers and bite if they feel threatened. One can take a decently sized but non-lethal bite out of someone, but a number of them together will pose a real danger. If punctured or squished they tend to explode into moderately acidic goo that can cause caustic burns if not immediately washed off. They are attracted to any area of high temporal energy, which can be literally any surface, corner, or point on or within the castle and its grounds. As they begin to feed they cause temporal distortion in the area. This manifests as the immediate area seeming to flicker backwards and forwards through time. An insect gnawing at a table leg in the dining area, for example, might cause the area to stutter between years and years of dinner parties, ghostly attendants of all fashions and species appearing and disappearing as they enter and leave the affected area. An onlooker can't interact with temporal distortions directly, but if the insect is left to its own devices, it will eventually eat through all of the temporal energy and render the immediate area gray, frozen, and completely inert. It's highly recommended you kill or otherwise chase off an insect before it manages this, as it can do irreversible damage to a world. For affected Oska locations, please see this post. OOC NOTES The translation errors will continue through the rest of the month. For more information or to ask questions, please check the plotting post here! New bounties are available in Oska! Please remember to fill out your squidge success form before August 31, 23:59 UTC! Filling the form out is mandatory, even if you do not have the 3 squidge threads. You will not pass AC if you do not fill out the form. Characters who have been accepted on August 20th are exempt. Please direct questions relating to the success form here.

Comments

[diablejambe]

[When Sanji was a child, he once read a book on Devil Fruits. In it where the fruits that had most commonly shown up in the world, the ones that had belonged to famous fighters, kings, and pirates of the past. Things you would expect from a book such as that. But another thing that was in the book was a good few pages written of observations. Things the author had made note of when it came to the consumption of Devil Fruits. And one thing Sanji definitely remembered was that, in most cases, it took time for a new fruit user to master their new powers.

From what he'd managed to gather from the few things Sabo had said to him about Dressrosa, about acquiring Ace's fruit, it couldn't have been that long. He was too emotional about the things he said, too involved in the memories. And while it's easy to see that he was a capable fighter even before eating a Devil Fruit, the fact that he's so effortlessly cleaving through the bugs, the fact that he's not leaving the room completely on fire? For some reason, that's proving he really is Ace and Luffy's brother even more than his words had.]

Ha. Keep making jokes like that and Luffy will be trying to make you a replacement Usopp. Or Franky. [He takes a few steps forward, wrinkling his nose as he moves closer to one of the half burned bugs. It's dead. It's dead it's dead it's dead. It's gross, but it's dead. Which means he can go forward and see what the hell it really is. Okay. He's got this.]

How many of these bastards do you think are le--

[Of course, just as he stopped and bent over the half-incinerated thing, it just had to give a little death twitch.

Which is how Sanji went from cool and calm to shrieking at the top of his lungs in half a second.

Without even thinking about it, he coats his leg in probably way too much haki than this is worth, draws his leg back so fast it bursts into flames up to his goddamn hip, and just punts that twitchy little half-bug all the way to the charred back of the room.

Which just leaves Sanji panting heavily in the middle of the room.

He really, really hates these disgusting little hellspawn.]

[ryusoken]

[Sanji, you're the best comedic act he's seen. The first impression he made being weirded out with bugs? Okay, he thought you were just strange and cowardly, not being able to handle a little insect here and there. Now? He's just laughing at the show of display you have with the pests. Even if half dead, totally crisp to a burn, you freaked. Sabo can only be amused at the shriek of a girl to how quickly you extuingished the leftover of that particular bug.]

I only just did what you told me to do. [Teary eyed from the laughter, he finally stops.] You should probably rest now.

[Though he puts a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh any more. It was that hilarious to see the other blond just suddenly combusts his leg with fire. .... It doesn't make sense either since he himself is the one with the flame powers but hey let's enjoy the moment.]

I'll double check myself. If you see any twitch, just let me know.

[Not that he'll need it with that Haki of his, but it never hurts to lend a hand. He decides to embed flames to his boots and skid around the hall once more for any leftover pests.]