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F.A.Q.
SOUL HEALTH RESEARCH & EXTERMINATION DIVISION
F.A.Q.
F.A.Q.
ET2-506B
What exactly is a Soul Capsule?
A Soul Capsule is implanted in your character upon arrival while they are unconscious. The spleen is removed and the Soul Capsule is inserted in its place. Over the course of a few hours, the soul is absorbed into the capsule. This process is all completely painless!
However, the process is also completely irreversible and there have been no known cases of anyone reuniting a soul with its body once it has been encased within a capsule, even if the capsule is broken. And these have been around for centuries. In theory, should the Soul Capsule become damaged enough to break, the soul would disperse immediately. Boom, death. Forever.
But that is simply impossible. Only those who invented Soul Capsules know the exact way to destroy one, and that is the most well-guarded secret in the universe. Perhaps even the multiverse itself. So if you manage to destroy a Soul Capsule, you can assume it was fake. Like anything, everything has a knockoff.
Now, given the nature of the game, sometimes the insides could find themselves on the outside.
The Soul Capsule itself looks like a small, silvery little orb roughly the size of a chicken egg and about as heavy as one. It's faintly see-through, but the only thing on the inside is a faint light dimmed by the material of the capsule. A soul can be any color, but they never seem to change color.
If a Soul Capsule is surgically removed without a character dying, the body will survive for a few days, but will always eventually die, no matter how much medical care they received.
When a character touches someone else's Soul Capsule, they feel an imprint of them, as if it feels like they're touching the essence of all that makes them who they are. It is very personal, very intimate, and usually illegal to ever touch or tamper with anyone's Soul Capsule.
However, the process is also completely irreversible and there have been no known cases of anyone reuniting a soul with its body once it has been encased within a capsule, even if the capsule is broken. And these have been around for centuries. In theory, should the Soul Capsule become damaged enough to break, the soul would disperse immediately. Boom, death. Forever.
But that is simply impossible. Only those who invented Soul Capsules know the exact way to destroy one, and that is the most well-guarded secret in the universe. Perhaps even the multiverse itself. So if you manage to destroy a Soul Capsule, you can assume it was fake. Like anything, everything has a knockoff.
Now, given the nature of the game, sometimes the insides could find themselves on the outside.
The Soul Capsule itself looks like a small, silvery little orb roughly the size of a chicken egg and about as heavy as one. It's faintly see-through, but the only thing on the inside is a faint light dimmed by the material of the capsule. A soul can be any color, but they never seem to change color.
If a Soul Capsule is surgically removed without a character dying, the body will survive for a few days, but will always eventually die, no matter how much medical care they received.
When a character touches someone else's Soul Capsule, they feel an imprint of them, as if it feels like they're touching the essence of all that makes them who they are. It is very personal, very intimate, and usually illegal to ever touch or tamper with anyone's Soul Capsule.
What happens when a character dies?
When a character is in the transitional period between Soul Capsule and awaiting a new body, everything is dark. There is no sight, there is no sound, there is no touch. The only thing characters feel is a deep, primal sadness, a sense that there's something perfect just beyond the darkness, an innate sense that that perfection should be yours but something insidious, something unnatural, is preventing you from being there. You can't stand not being there. The grief is overwhelming and everlasting.
Until you wake up in that brand new body of yours! Usually that part is kindly erased from your memory as a part of the process. Not here!
Until you wake up in that brand new body of yours! Usually that part is kindly erased from your memory as a part of the process. Not here!
Is it actually possible for a soul to die?
Yes, and there are two ways it can happen.
To be eligible for the first option, a character MUST be in the game for a MINIMUM of 6 months.
1: Your character has been in the game for several months. They've endured all kinds of turmoil, they're tired, they're at the end of their rope. When they die this time, the Soul Capsule cracks, the soul is expelled and a primordial scream shakes everyone to the core. Everyone feels a sense of deep and profound dread. A feeling... a sense that something that should have fundamentally never happened, just has.
Congratulations! Their soul has died! Science achieved! What does this mean?
For all intents and purposes, this is a SOFT REBOOT for the character.
Remember how S.H.R.E.D. plucked you from your reality? Great news! There are an infinite number of YOUs out there. And most of them are pretty much exactly the same as the You who just died forever! Or they're different! WHO CARES! Science certainly doesn't!
Players may choose to reboot their character using the same canon source as before, or they may choose to tweak their canon in various ways (pending mod approval!) for when they come back, just to avoid anything getting too stale. This is entirely up to the player, and entirely opt-in.
2: DROPPED characters who have been in the game for at least 6 months will be considered a Soul Death. The same scream occurs.
To be eligible for the first option, a character MUST be in the game for a MINIMUM of 6 months.
1: Your character has been in the game for several months. They've endured all kinds of turmoil, they're tired, they're at the end of their rope. When they die this time, the Soul Capsule cracks, the soul is expelled and a primordial scream shakes everyone to the core. Everyone feels a sense of deep and profound dread. A feeling... a sense that something that should have fundamentally never happened, just has.
Congratulations! Their soul has died! Science achieved! What does this mean?
For all intents and purposes, this is a SOFT REBOOT for the character.
Remember how S.H.R.E.D. plucked you from your reality? Great news! There are an infinite number of YOUs out there. And most of them are pretty much exactly the same as the You who just died forever! Or they're different! WHO CARES! Science certainly doesn't!
Players may choose to reboot their character using the same canon source as before, or they may choose to tweak their canon in various ways (pending mod approval!) for when they come back, just to avoid anything getting too stale. This is entirely up to the player, and entirely opt-in.
2: DROPPED characters who have been in the game for at least 6 months will be considered a Soul Death. The same scream occurs.
My character has powers! Are they nerfed?
Powers are ON during day-to-day life.
Powers are OFF during certain experiments, or as needed.
Powers are OFF during certain experiments, or as needed.
My character can do A, B, C and D, will it allow them to: break the setting, escape the town, get out of an experiment or harm their captors?
No, No, No, Maybe.
My character is non-humanoid! Does it matter?
Great news! They can still put their soul in a capsule. However, if they are non-organic like a Transformer, a human body will be assigned to them. This can look however you wish.
Can my character regain anything from home/do they ever get rewarded for being good test subjects?
Yes, eventually via in-game events or rewards related to activity.
Is there plot, or is it just all torture all the time?
Yes, there is plenty of plot! Characters will learn more about the town they've been put in, the mysterious distant city, the division itself and... well, what's up with those screams and mini earthquakes when a soul dies?
What is the activity requirement?
Check-In with incentives for playing.
If my character didn't pay the price, was their world ACTUALLY destroyed, or was that just edgy scare tactics?
Yes.
Canon Updates?
Information on canon updates can be found on the shopping page. It is a purchasable perk.
Fandom AUs are allowed?
Yes! Your application will be under additional scrutiny to ensure it falls in line with application standards, however they are allowed.
What happens if a Traitor gets caught but the other character agrees to keep their secret?
S.H.R.E.D. will evaluate that relationship to see if the secrecy seems believable. If it holds up, they will begin a behind-the-scenes trial period lasting one week. If nothing leaks during that time, the traitor will be considered pardoned.
What happens to things like translation devices or prosthetics during intake and arrival?
Those are taken during surgery, but giving one up can count as your character’s initial sacrifice. You can frame it that way if it fits. The item won’t be gone forever. It can be bought back later using credits.
How does the traitor sabotage system work behind the scenes?
Major sabotage attempts use a d20 system:
- 20: Your suspicion slate is wiped clean.
- 16–19: You earn one reroll credit or reduce your suspicion by 1 point.
- 6–15: Success. No added risk or reward.
- 2–5: The act is suspicious. Add 1 suspicion point.
- 1: Catastrophic failure. Add 2 suspicion points.
If a character builds up 3 suspicion points in one month, the mods will start hinting at their exposure through narrative posts. Players must let us know if they hit 3 points. We'll try to track it too, but the responsibility falls on the player.
Suspicion naturally decays at a rate of 1 point per month.
What if the character doesn’t care about their home or anyone left behind?
The lack of attachments would be noted. They would still be accepted. The act of giving something up is what matters, even if it’s a planet full of strangers.
Re: World Destruction - How wide is the threat of destruction?
Just their home planet. Unless you piss someone off during intake, then it might be the local galaxy cluster. Or the fabric of their entire reality. Be nice to your S.H.R.E.D. employees.
Do they still have their original clothing or gear after arrival?
No. Characters are operated on during intake and wake up in basic clothing. Original gear is removed and can be earned back using in-game credits.
Navigation_System | ver 1.6180339887...
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If you have ideas, I'm all for them! Otherwise I can offer you some of my own ideas. It can be as simple or as (mostly) complex as you want it. Simple would be through the power of Bob Loblaw the power of canon no longer functions at all.
More complex would be these powers turned into a sort of transformation/horror, etc. where the power of the soul gem, or ability to turn into a weapon is compressed inside the Soul Capsule and S.H.R.E.D. and the power inside is fighting futilely to get out. This can manifest in powers going wild, weapon transformations being painful hybrids, etc.
I'm here to be your Yes, And mod so whatever you vibe with the most is going to be the likely answer.
Adjacent to that, the topic of Vampires and Zombies had come up. My idea is those characters would be human, but they would retain their need/desire to feed on blood or flesh, however a human body cannot subsist on that. They'll get sick, and suffer ill side-effects, such as nausea or spontaneous combustion when exposed to sunlight.
What one S.H.R.E.D. employee might do to a Vampire isn't what the next one might do to a Witch.
I hope that answers that in a satisfactory way, and if anything else still feels unclear please let me know! I am admittedly unfamiliar with Madoka, so I can't tailor it more to the vibe, but that's where we work together :)
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1. Would it be an option to continue playing her as an actual dragon in this game?
2. Even if she were put into a human body at first, is her dragon body something she could regain?
3. If I were allowed to keep her as an obligate carnivore, would there be things available for her to eat on the island? I don't know how the human characters are getting fed (rations?) but would her specific dietary needs be catered to? Would there be animals on the island for her to hunt? Could she purchase edible food with credits? Are all of these things I could decide for myself according to whatever seems the most fun and/or stressful for my character at the time?
THANK YOU I'M EXCITE
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The world is your burrito, you have options.
1. Certainly an option! Having an Actual Dragon living in town may cause stress, which is highly encouraged by the division. They would be actual size, to encourage maximum inconvenience, but optional resizing options would be available. Just so you're not stuck in the loop of "too big to fit in houses" and whatnot.
2. If human, dragon body may be regained.
3. There are definitely animals! Deer, rabbits, squirrels, bird, etc are all native to the surrounding area. Oddly enough, they aren't impacted by the barrier preventing anyone from leaving. She would also be able to purchase food with credits, yes. Or well, you the player would for her in the form of gift drops from the division utilizing credits.
4. Mod-Wildcard idea. Humanized, but akin to werewolves in the sense that emotional outbursts may evoke unwanted shifts into her dragon form.
You (and anyone reading) can go with whichever vibe helps you have the best time here in this lil torture box.
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I'm very happy to hear all of this! Thank you for the flexibility!!! I can't wait!
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Basically I have one (1) unfortunate spaceman harbouring an ooky alien entity... While it functions like a parasite when in its larval form, the thing is technically symbiotic and my guy can't survive without it. It's pretty much a big worm that lives in his guts, though it does require the bloody brainy parts of living things to survive, and Konstantin has to yuck the alien right up against his will so it can feed. When it's outside of him, it's capable of shapeshifting into something more complex than a big ole worm, so that it can hunt and commit all sorts of horrible crimes.
However, the thing is extremely adaptable and can adjust to situations & environments as needed (which makes it very easily-finagled to suit particular game settings!) It could be limited to its larval form and have to permanently stay inside him (which would mean Konstantin would have to feed it manually, by sucking down those bloody brainy parts himself / however such a diet might work here) or if it would still be able to come out of him, that could happen more sparingly (it probably would stay inside a lot more anyway because it would be nervous to come out with all the weird shit going on out there...)
I love the idea of taking The Horrors that he already comes with (a lot of autonomy loss, body horror, gross side-effects as a result of his condition) and exploring / incorporating them into the Game's Horrors more than like, having this alien be some Huge Deal All The Time that takes away from what's going on! The thing wants to stay hidden to survive, which I thought would be fun to play around with in a town-you-can't-escape-from, and if he'd work out here it'd definitely be with the intent to maintain the game's flavour! In fact, Konstantin is canonically a lab rat who was being experimented on against his will thanks to his alien infestation issues, so His Vibes are definitely suited for this kind of thing.
I'm happy to clarify further on anything if you need, or if his Parasitic Problems wouldn't be a good fit here, no worries at all! Thank you for reading all this, and for creating a space to torment and spread despair
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My idea would be, say initially it would stay attached/hiding inside of him until he fed it enough (eating the gross stuff himself) that it’s strong enough to hunt on its own.
This could be his motivation to choke down enough to nurture it, or he doesn’t realize until it begins to hurt others. You’d be able to run your own player plots with this, or utilize it however you’d like.
Feel free to use your ideas, a combo of the ideas, or if you have other questions I’m happy to help :)
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Thank you so much for offering room to play with things like that and I'll hit u right up if I think of more questions!
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"Those are taken during surgery, but giving one up can count as your character’s initial sacrifice."
Does this mean that if a character chooses to give up something else instead, they'll get the prosthetic back post-surgery? Or is it a "surprise, bitch, now you're missing two things" situation?
(If context makes a difference - the prosthetic in this character's case is the internal mechanism of a cochlear implant. She does not wear the implant's external earpiece, so it doesn't actually allow hear to hear in her deaf ear; in canon, she uses it exclusively to have an always-on direct line with an AI system. Despite the fact that it would effectively be useless in this setting (no AI buddy!), she would still not choose it as her sacrificed body part, hence the question!)
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1. John is body-sharing with another character (who the body actually belongs to) through most of canon. He has his own body post season 2, but he's not in it, it's somewhere else. Can he be brought in in his own body please and thank you?
2. Given that he's an eldritch god who doesn't need to sleep or eat and doesn't die in normal ways, would the immortality thing just be turned off as with any other power during de-powering experiments/events? Obvs I'm looking for a yes, please do kill him, it'll be fun. Additionally though, would it also sometimes be left on so experiments can be even more horrible as he WON'T die? Not me looking for maximum trauma answers here...
3. What would 'basic clothing' look like for a weird tentacle guy who usually just wears a yellow robe?
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So, based on the above thread, giving up something other than a prosthetic gives the prosthetics back upon entry? Since all four of Vader's limbs are prosthetic and without any of them he'd just be a stationary torso like the Black Knight in Monty Python & the Holy Grail. Which would be admittedly hilarious, but very difficult for role-playing purposes.
Similarly, I assume/hope implanted life support would be left intact?
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2. On and off and on again, just like a kid with the TV remote.
3. "Uh... I don't know, cut some extra holes into a bathrobe?? Cthulhu's designer retired." - some S.H.R.E.D. employee somewhere in the distance
3.5 He would get basic clothing that probably doesn't fit him at all! Definitely not enough arm, err, tentacle holes.
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daddyMr. Iron Maiden, sir.Characters will get their prosthetics back after they wake up! They're not there immediately, but. They do crash through the window, flying your way. For most people, it's usually just one. Guess it's raining limbs.
For the life support, yes! Or no! It depends on how you wanna play Vader during a certain loop, and this goes for anyone reading.
He can come back in pristine (albeit still life supported) condition, or a combination of good, bad and ugly. He could come back and realize he's healed just enough that he doesn't need the life support anymore (for this death loop). Maybe he'll just need a really strong inhaler. You can mix, match, and have him come back in generally whatever state you'd like.
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He thought no one could do anything more to him than what has already been done. He's so wrong.
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I thought we were brothers... This is for Padmé
BANG
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1. What happens to characters whose bodies would normally Do Something Really Weird on death? Dissolve, vanish -- basically anything that'd prevent their corpse from holding the soul capsule because their corpse is... no longer capable of physically containing it. Does this go on as normal on death and the capsule just plonks to the ground? Does their body [gestures vaguely] except for a chunk of meat where the capsule is?
2. WEIRD BLOOD. This horrid vampire here has two always-on permanent transmutations affecting his blood: it's acid when it leaves his body (he did this on purpose, this is manageable), and it's an extremely lethal transmutative biohazard that mutates any (non-his) flesh it comes in contact with or induces necrosis, or both, or a third worse option (this was done to him and he's incapable of fixing it). It's grossnasty and it means that any situation where he bleeds at all is potentially really, really bad for anyone who's close enough to get any on them. (Plus he's alive enough to have, like... arterial spray. There's blood pressure going on again. :( )
Scrying my own vibecheck for WHAT WOULD BE COOL has failed me, so I turn to you: what's the read on what happens with blood so weird it could actively endanger everyone in the area.
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1. While powers are ON, this effect is persistent. The capsule would remain wherever the body was, no meat, no leftovers, just the capsule. While powers are OFF, the body would act as a normal body!
With the additional caveat that this is completely up to you, the disappearances could be fucky and only half the body disappears, or the body rapidly decomposes at an alarming rate, etc. Play with it and make it your own :)
2. Another situation where you have options! In a sense, you can turn this on and off at your leisure. The meta idea would be that some S.H.R.E.D. employee is monitoring it, and if a situation arises where you think "Man, it would SUCK if this guy bled right now" then S.H.R.E.D. is probably thinking the same thing. Of course, S.H.R.E.D. would say "let it spray!" but if Professor Oak's voice rings in your ear telling you now isn't the time to use that, you can just assume the effect is off.
However, it sounds like an excellent device for player plots, CR opportunities and potential town-wide wipes, so I'd super encourage you to plot with your fellow peers and come up with some nasty use cases for it! Heck, S.H.R.E.D. might just bottle some of it up for a rainy day.
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My guy is a vampire and, at the point I'm taking him from, will burn in the sun (and also if exposed to running water, garlic, etc.)
Is it OK to say SHRED is turning this off and on depending on what is useful/fun for me (and beneficial for them - eg if he tried to rebel while standing in the sun they could just make it burn him; experiments where if he wants to help someone he has to run out into the sunshine or swim across a river or... eat a delicious garlic dip? You know, just torture things.)
I am here for my character to have a bad time obvs, but sometimes you wanna reply to a top level set outside in the day without having to logistic out a full body covering, broad brimmed hat and parasol.
(Also, just a gentle poke but the dates for reserves/apps opening and closing that you have planned in the OOC comm on the TDM/ATP posts do not correspond with the actual reserve/application pages, and in fact the app page has an example where apps open at the very end of August. If I hadn't manually visited communities to try and find a TDM I might have missed the app window, so I wanted to nudge you.)
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For traitors, what if someone wants to help the ones in charge in killing (and destroying souls (he thinks he's releasing them from the pain of existence (he wants to free everyone (including the ones in charge (they should keep on eye on him)? Also, would the testers tell him about that no one dies permanently here (until they succeed on destroying souls) or would he have to find out?
And powers aren't nerfed outside of exterminations. What about luck situations outside of experiments? And while I don't think this would be necessarily fair, would it effect sabotage chances?
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Thank you! I can't wait to join this game! ^^
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First, in the info on traitors (under Expectation) there's "Remain covert. Do not reveal your status except through deliberate narrative choices." Can you tell me a bit more about that? Like for example, how that dictates how players write/play the traitors? Do we have to be careful about our character's inner thoughts too (are we keeping the traitor role secret from the players too?)
Also I want to Opt in on the chance of playing a traitor but I'm wondering how Makoto would do so. I feel like he's not the greatest liar (maybe he could rise to the challenge if he feels like it's for the greater good (maybe if he's told it's the best way to reach the ability to kill them permanently (saving them)
Or maybe he should just support traitors/SHRED as a helpful subject? Someone who's really invested in their mission. ;)
What do you think?
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What that means is purely on the IC side. Players don’t have to and aren’t expected to keep it a secret OOC unless they want to for one reason or another
ICly you don’t have to worry about it in narration or anything like that. It just means to not go yelling from the rooftops about it or otherwise make it obvious.
And then for opting in, even if he might not be *good* at it, they could still pick him, and for him he wouldn’t have a choice. Part of the fun in it for them is the struggle/suffering.
While they won’t generally bribe a traitor to do what they want, they could certainly lie. If you opt in and get chosen, feel free to say they fed him some kind of line to get him more on board :)
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As soon as anyone sits, whether willingly or forced, the restraints will come out of the legs and arms of the chair and automatically and bind them there.
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For his weapon/ammo that would not be with him on arrival, he'll be able to get it/other weapons via credits as well.
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I have the fortune or misfortune of Computer Simulation Cartoon Physics Man, so this question is just to get a confirmation of what his weirdo Bugs Bunny body would be doing.
So in the Circus, Jax doesn't have to: eat, sleep, drink, breathe, etc. etc., but he IS a real guy who had a real body who did all those things before and since we can presume his previously bloodless gutless body is now harboring those things to accommodate the surgical procedure, do we want to presume his bodily functions and necessities are back in action? What do you think?
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If there are other ideas you had, definitely feel free to mix and match or do whatever is most fun and torturous.
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