Grab Bag Curse List Ongoing
Apologies if there are repeats. This list is not the complete list of curses poly has had since Fall 2006, not at all, but these are what we feel fit for a Grab Bag event.
Average Joe Day
Those in the City with supernatural skills or powers, suddenly find themselves quite normal.
Family Day
Citizens wake up to find themselves conveniently placed within family units. Citizens are married to each other, children to other characters, in-laws to even more! Units must be pre-arranged between players.
Gender Switch
Fairly self explanatory! Males become females, females become males, and the intersexed become one or the other!
Sexuality Reversal Day
Those who like men now like women. Those who like women now like men. Those who are demure are now tarts. Those who have lusty libidos now have the resolve of a saint.
My Dirty Little Secret
The one thing a character never wanted anyone to know, (however silly or important this secret may be), is the one thing they feel compelled to talk about all day.
I’m a Professional Day
Citizens claim to be some sort of expert in a particular field. Whether this is true or not is yet to be determined, probably by trial and error.
Lost in Translation Day
Everyone speaks a different language or dialect that transcribes differently, poorly, or even Babelfishyly.
Wardrobe Switch
Some citizens have a particular style, some have a trademark set of clothes. Not today! Wardrobes of characters get switched up, this includes trades between men, women, and men and women. Some switches seem perfectly comfortable, others perfectly unnatural.
Jeopardy Day
Questions are worded in the form of an answer. Answers are worded in the form of a question?
Worst Fear Day
Where your character sees/hears the worst fear in anyone in which they come in contact.
Opposite Day
Where everyone does the opposite of what they want, says the opposite of what they mean, and generally behave in the opposite way they would.
5 7 5
The rhyming pattern for the day is haiku. Citizens will find themselves speaking only in the 5-7-5 syllable format. Good luck, future poets!
We Did That?
Citizens feel compelled to talk about their sex lives. Not for the faint of heart.
Genre Switch
Is your citizen a hard-boiled detective or a damsel in distress? On this day expect the former to become a young school boy yearning for his peers and the latter to become a gun-slinging assassin. Own a space-cruiser? Find your citizen immersed in period clothing and expounding the ideals of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love! The City environment itself will not change, all the better for your citizens to wonder if this is really a new genre or just a joke.
Ghost World
Citizens are haunted by the ghost(s) of someone(s) from their home world, someone who is not in the City. They can be alive or dead, someone said citizen wants to see, or... not. Ghosts are visible only to the affected.
My Secret Identity
Citizens become super heroes or master villains. They can't reveal the identity behind the mask or they'll lose their super powers. Citizens already possessing super powers may instead hide behind their mundane disguises for the day.
Morality Reversal Day
Sinners become saints, and those as pure as the driven snow become cesspits of moral filth. Basic personalities remain unchanged, a cheerful outgoing good guy will simply be a cheerful outgoing bad guy.
Y am I the Last Man Standing?
Affected citizens think the entire City has become a post-apocalyptic ruin. Did the world end? Are they really alone? Unaffected citizens may notice affected ones walking around as if they are in a fog.
Age Reversal Day
The young become old and the old become young. Fast forward to adulthood or rewind to the glorious days of youth. This can be mental or physical or both mental and physical. Immortals or characters who are older/younger than they appear to be by some other strange circumstance may reflect their true ages
If These Walls Could Talk
An object within the household, or even the computer itself, has suddenly gained a voice. What stories will it tell over the network? Is anyone safe from the prying eyes of their inanimate object? Will said object live to see another day after this curse?
Caffeinated Day
All affected citizens will find that any liquid they drink has much more caffeine than usual. Be it their morning tea, juice, or even water; all will contain the caffeine of a triple shot espresso. Expect the City to be bouncing off the walls! (Helmets not included!)
Masked Day
Don’t look in the mirror because citizens will awake without faces. How they can still see, breathe, and speak is a mystery, but who wants to walk around without a face anyway? Fortunately masks will be in steady supply all around the City, the catch is… for any mask chosen that citizen will take on the behavior of it! Beware of goblins and devils, frowns and clowns.
The Devil Wears Prada
A harbinger of things to come, everyone now finds themselves under the rule of a raging prick of a boss. Wages are earned by filing papers, purchasing a latté, even doing the dry cleaning, whatever the boss says is law!
Join the Club
Citizens suddenly find themselves as members (or applying hopefuls!) of a variety of unusual organizations: Angsters Anonymous, the League of Liars, the "My Parents Are Evil/Insane/Trying to Kill Me" Club aka. The Runaways, and many, many, more!
Lamento Regreto
Citizens find themselves complaining about everything or the one thing they've ever done wrong and how they could change it all if they just had one chance...
It’s a Boat, it’s a Bug, it’s Ours
Citizens realize they’ve given birth to a child, yes all citizens male, female, and otherwise. Only the child is an object, a prized possession nonetheless worthy of baptism and godparents. Citizens treat these objects as if they were their own flesh and blood. Take care not to harm the brood of another, and think through those divorce dividends!
Chocolate Day
The spirit of Mr. Hershey descends upon the City, causing chocolate cravings from every pore of every citizen. Eat it, share it, hoard it, but watch out for hyperactivity and aphrodisia.
Cornflake Girl
Are you a cornflake girl or a raisin girl? Matriarchs rule the City as women clique up against the men and each other. Beware the ostracism and bitchslaps! Otherwise known as citywide PMS.
Citizenship Day
Paying tribute to the people who populate this fine place, today is the day citizens can talk about from where they came. Informative and ever helpful, anyone can contribute an article or tour guide brochure to Seireitei, the Dreaming, Hell, Meifu, you name it!
Roller Derby Dues
Citizens wake up to find all their shoes replaced with rollerskates (or rollerblades if one remembers the 90s). The only way to travel is by footy wheels or barefeet, the latter quite dangerous to the toes if you’re in the minority. But it doesn’t end there! The skates fill each citizen with an aggression unmatched that can only be satisfied by smashing strategic pushing.
I Want to Play a Game
Citizens wake up in several traps rigged by an unknown culprit. Some of them wake up in abandoned warehouses, others trapped in their own beds. Some of them have hours to get out, others only minutes. Those who die from utter failure are completely revived by midnight and not counted as City!dead.
Walking Dead
Citizens who died in their own homeworlds prior to City arrival find themselves rotting to pieces, whether they had regained their lives in the City or not! Those who have died within the City are rotting as well. All citizens are revived to their pre-cursed states by midnight.
A Road Not Taken
Almost every resident of the City has taken a certain path or made a life-altering decision that shaped out their ending or current life. But what would have happened had they taken the road less traveled by? Citizens reflect the differences in direction, both mentally and physically.
Body Swappers
Ever had a morning where you wake up feeling not like yourself? Well today citizens get a dose of that in the flesh. Blondes have more fun, brunettes are smarter, boys do it better, babes do it best, it ain't easy being a pimp. The sky's the limit on what experiences citizens can have walking in someone else's shoes, literally.
A Toy Story
Are you a pooh bear, a tigger, or a cloudy donkey? No matter what creature suits your citizen best, everyone has been reduced to stuffing and stitches. Better watch out for those honey pots and rain clouds, Christopher Robin ain't no fool. Some say the toy master is a tyrant.
Sing and Shout!
Sing and shout it! Citizens burst into song of pop, rock, opera, or musical caliber. There's plenty more where them B flats came from.
Power-Switch
Citizens switch powers with each other, or the powerless. If they switch with a citizen who doesn't have powers then their loss is your gain!
Inspire Your Heart with Art
Look at a piece of art and ask yourself: What is it telling me? How does it make me feel? What emotions is it evoking (if any) within me? Today citizens are compelled to take up the artist's mantle, but be wary! Genres and schools don't always make the best of friends. Is a citizen the next John Singer Sargent or the next Sol le Witt? You decide, and make sure the Performance Artists don't catch you.
Safari Day
Humans turn to animals. Animals and animanoids turn to humans! A species switch is afoot, but be careful, some citizens enjoy the hunt in any form.
Days of Our Young & Restless Passions
Bring on the melodrama, the evil twins, the surprise pregnancies, and the dark family secrets, for today the citizens' life is like an open-script soap opera. They're the main protagonists, antagonists, and everything in between. Extreme plot twists abound, many boxes of Kleenex will be on reserve, and everyone is wondering just what will happen next. Make sure to ham it all up, only high emotion will get you ratings.
When You Were Dumb
Remember a time when a citizen was completely at their worst? Well today is that day when the personality clock is rewound so bad habits, bad manners, and bad deeds are all possible once again. Consider it a time to reflect on shortcomings… if they were in their right minds anyway.
Anti-Angst Day
Bringing a cycle of tears full circle! The sadder or more frustrated a citizen feels, the happier they'll express themselves today. Isn't that the greatest kind of comfort?
Find A Rainbow Day
No not that kind of rainbow. Cheerfulness is rewarded with a spectrum of colors like a halo around a citizen's head, pessimism is rewarded with a little black rain cloud, and it really does get wet. Stay happy if you want to stay dry ♥
Hostess with the Mostest
Twinkies, snowballs, and ding dongs are a hot commodity on this day but there just aren't enough to go around. What will citizens do to have that last packet? Maim or kill?
Carrying a Torch
Getting the blues isn't so bad when you've got the soulful croon of a torch singer. And if that ain't your thing you can tell the ill wind to blow away with swing! Jazz, the blues, and the sound of the big band infiltrate the City, and citizens can't help but jump and jive along.
Lowest Common Denominator
It just isn't fair to live in a world where some people are smart and others are beautiful. The City sure thinks something has to be done about this! Every citizen's highest skill comes with a price to balance them out towards the lowest common denominator. Beauty is awarded with ugliness, intelligence awarded with missing synapses, speed with the quickness of a sloth. Don't your citizens just love it when everyone's equal.
Shell Shocked
Soldiers take up your arms! Citizens affected by this curse will be transported to the mindset of a weary and worn fighter on the brink of yet another battle in a neverending war. For some citizens this will be a new experience in the shoes of another, for other citizens this will only recall painful memories. All sides of the trenches are fair game; there are no winners in war. [There will be no environmental change, however characters can still bear arms if they have the means to do it.]
I Cannot Tell a Lie
Ask a question, tell no lies, no matter how hurtful those truths may be. Honesty is a virtue that everyone must uphold on this day. A citizen must be truthful about the flaws of another, but any citizen is free to counter with honesty in return!
Quizzes and Questionnaires
And lists too! Citizens feel compelled to take quizzes, questionnaires, or to list any amount of random things to their liking (or dislike), and post them to the network for all to see. What's your male/female percentage? What's your shopping style? Who are your top ten favorite people and what happens when you slash #3 with #8? [Please post only one meme per character (it can be a different one per character or be the same one for all your characters).]
Parents Day
That phrase "You remind me of my mother." rings true for citizens today. Some of them might feel another is as overprotective as their father. The urge to motherhen or interrogate dates is strong in the force, no matter the age of the affected.
Thirty One Flavors
Someway somehow, characters learn that they literally taste like a flavor of ice cream. Perhaps it’s vanilla to reflect their conservative tendencies or maybe it’s mango because they’re just a little fruity. Whatever the flavor, just a lick will send a citizen into ice cream heaven!
Role Reversal
Who wears the trousers in the pair? Who's the teacher and who's the student? Roles are an essential element to any relationship, like yin and yang, even when you're coeval! Too bad that changes for citizens today. Roles are reversed all over the place as the hunter becomes the game and the top becomes the bottom. Oh come on, it won't be all that much of a change for others.
Dæmon Day
Affected citizens suddenly find that their souls have evacuated their bodies in the form of dæmon companions (moderately sized animals, natural or mythical). It could make a great pet, it could loathe every fiber of your being. Just remember the City leash laws.
Hacked!
Citizens find that they have been locked out of their journals as another citizen takes over his or her access rights. Citizens might find locked entries posted on the network for all to see. And watch in vain as replies are made on his behalf. Not even the l33test of the l33t can break the code and reclaim what's theirs. [The extent of hacking is up to players as long as character identities are noted in OOC notes ♥]
Souvenirs You Never Lose
While injuries heal over time and leave behind scars, today the City has seen it fit to reopen old wounds of the physical kind, from the tiniest of scratches to the most lethal. Like that time you got shot? Or maybe the first time you were decapitated. Either way, it'll make for an interesting story.
The Freakin' FCC
There are children watching! But there's no longer a need to worry! Citizens that are overly fond of flooding the network with inappropriate language and content suddenly find themselves censored. The City's interpretation of censorship ranges from pixilated boxes to bleeps or even overdubbing.
Stuck On Glue Day
Any citizens who hug on this day find themselves stuck together, to emphasize the importance of togetherness in an often vicious City!
Say It Loud Say It Proud
Everyone has a little bit of pride in them. Now imagine a day when that pride is multiplied by a thousand! Sometimes you just have to declare it to the entire world and make sure no one else is better than you. Who possibly would be?
Philias and Phobias
Irrational fears and extreme obsessions come full force to the City. Even if a citizen just didn't like the water before, now they're hydrophobic! A citizen with a soft spot for vampires might… well, you get the idea.
Ugly on the Outside
The Prince tried to apologize but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there… Citizens of lesser kindness or a high degree of selfishness become beasts and their friends nothing more than the animate objects around them. Learning to love and be loved in return is the only way to break the spell, and it must be done before the fall of midnight. [Participation as a beast or an object is up to player discretion. Breaking the spell before midnight works only if you as a player want it to, for others it can be bad luck or a misunderstanding if it doesn't work, in order to keep a character a beast for 24 hours!]
Tabloid Trash
Gossip gossip gossip. That's all the network is good for. But today loose lips are encouraged and the deities really want to fill that rumor mill. Doctored photos and libel are free game today.
The Imagination Song
Affected citizens find a brand new shiny pen in their possession. They should be careful of what they do with it though, because anything they draw with it comes to life. Even the scribbles! Because the pen is ink, these drawings cannot be erased, now doesn't that cause trou~ble. [Nothing too big or destructive a usual, please! All drawings will disappear by midnight.]
What's in a Name?
Today the citizens of the City take on the traits of their names. Is it Rose? If so they might just find roses tattooed all over their bodies or rose petals mysteriously floating around them or become a rosebush themselves. Any Valentines out there? Perhaps they’ll be perpetually covered--or buried--in hearts and candy! The sky's the limit on how their names are interpreted.
Listmania
Citizens feel compelled to list list list on the network. It doesn't matter what the list is or how many lists there are, they simply can't stop listing. Top Tens and Things I Would Do For Money are all fair game today.
Black Bars Prevent Mental Scars
Too bad black bars are lacking in the City. Citizens find that their clothes are nowhere to be found and when they do find them it seems as if their clothes don't want to stay on! What's the meaning of this embarrassment? The Deities do advise that some of their citizens simply need a tan.
Dear John
Today all communication, written or spoken, on the network or in person, is done in letter format! Does your citizen have a note or a memo to leave lying around? Remember the proper salutations, even if a Dear is followed by Jerk in Apt 5.
Handcuff Day
Citizens wake up to find themselves handcuffed together. Keys don't work and chopping the link to pieces definitely won't work! It's a lesson in how to work together, say the Deities, no matter how funny or violent it might be.
Meme Day
It's not exactly Caturday but there are far too many things that a citizen could oh so easily fit into! It's even better if they don't know what that thing called the internet meme is. Bitches don't know about chargin' ma lazers in Sparta.
Hand In Glove
Hi! How's it going! What? You don't like the shade of my new nailpolish?! How dare you! Fighting erupts even over the most mundane things, but put your superpowers and reiatsu away. The City's decided to "tax" its citizens by turning battles into traditional slaps across the cheek. Whoever slaps hardest to the point of KO wins, of course knowing how strong and resilient some citizens are, these slapfests might just last all the way until midnight.
Moody Weather
Feeling a little blue? Maybe raindrops are falling on your citizen’s head. All moods are reflected quite literally on this day, be it a 2ft storm cloud constantly floating over their heads or rays of sunshine coming out of you know where.
Ask a Stupid Question
Ever have a burning burning question to ask another? Citizens need to satisfy their curiosity by finally asking another something they’ve always wanted to know. Shyness be damned, the curse cares not for prim and proper niceties.
Scarlet Letter
Citizens are branded by a patch on their clothes and feel even more compelled to share their emblazoned letter across the network. A single initial represents a great sin, and M could stand for murder, mayhem, or mast-you get the point…!
Talk Like a Pirate Day
Arrrrr this one be self-explanatorrrry. Savvy, mate?
Out Damned Spot!
If a citizen has ever killed they’ll find the blood of their victims literally on their hands. The more victims they had, the higher the blood creeps over their arms, their shoulders, maybe even their entire body if their tally is just too much. Good luck with bleach and detergent, the blood won’t wash away until midnight ♥
No Inner Monologue Day
Every thought comes out in words or writing. There is absolutely no discretion involved before someone says something. If a citizen is reminded of the time they rode a bike naked through the supermarket in a dream they will Outer Monologue it.
Pinocchio Day
Liars beware. The curse of the wooden puppet who would be a boy is upon the City. All lies, fibs, and tall tales will result in elongated noses. The more lies, the longer the nose, and the longer the nose, well… the harder it is to talk without poking someone in the eye or type without poking the monitor isn’t it?
Calendula
A little jealousy goes a long way, but when the green-eyed monster infects a citizen it really goes to town. Expect the beast of all beasts to come out of its skin at the notion of envy, quite literally. Soothing the savage beast is possible with some calming words, but that still means a good 24 hours for it to come back rearing its ugly head.
Truth or Dare
Pick your poison - sharing an embarrassing fact or participating in a dangerous dare? Affected citizens are compelled to play every preteen girl's favorite slumber party game for a day. Citizens who aren't affected can still ask their heart's desire. Yes that is in fact taking advantage of a curse, but hey the City feeds on this sort of thing.
All Soul's Day
The City!Dead are compelled to dance and made to taste like sweet sugar, and those who aren't dead feel the utter urge to partake in a taste of that candy. But beware, some citizens do bite. [Characters of an undead nature may swing towards the sugar side or the biting side, this is up to player discretion.]
Death to All His Friends
Remember that time you almost died? Or the time you did die? Citizens feel the (un)necessary urge to talk… and talk and talk… and talk about their death or near death experiences in great detail. The more stories the merrier. After all, a little insight goes a long way in the City.
Armistice Day
The enemy of your enemy is your friend, but in the City it just doesn't work that way. Today citizens can't help but be the absolute friendliest to their worst enemy in the City. The day commemorates a time when war stood still, what better way to celebrate it than by making friends with the ones you don't love?
Shadowplay
What's that moving out the corner of your eye? Well it looks like it's just your shadow. But shadows shouldn't be moving should they?! Watch out because it seems like those dark silhouettes are coming to life and they have a bone to pick with their owners. They may not have tongues to speak with but they seem to know all the sordid details of your life and boy do they have things to "whisper" into your ear. Other citizens might not be able to hear these shadows, but their fingers are just as good at typing to the network too… or carrying an axe. [NPC your character's shadow at will, but characters can hear only their own shadow. Shadows also can't go too far from their base owner and are rendered unanimated when there's no light source.]
Cold Turkey
Does your citizen have a bad habit or an addiction? Whatever that may be, today they'll find themselves completely without that one thing that makes them feel oh so good, be it cigarettes, alcohol, or you know what. Whether it's a whole pack, a bottle, or just one wrapper, it'll go missing or be continuously out of reach. It's the only way they can learn self-control, so says the City.
False Confessions
Don't falsely confess to a crime. Don't falsely report someone lost, killed or injured. Don't falsely confess a relationship or love affair. But who ever pays attention to the rules? Today's the day when everyone has something to confess to, be it tales so tall they have to be true or filthy filthy bogus lies. However, hidden somewhere might be a truth and what citizen would want to take a chance on it? Of course, what citizen could suffer the consequences if it turns out to be untrue. Citizens must decide.
Giving Thanks
A lot can happen in one month in the City, some good some bad. For the good, citizens feel the need to give thanks for all those things that make them happy, whether it was a kind word, a favor, or something that kept them from getting killed! Showing their appreciation can take the form of a letter (Long? Badly written?), maybe even baked goods (Stale? Fish oil instead of almond oil?), maybe even forward advances… really forward advances (…). But everyone means well and that's all that should matter.
Informercial Day
Get something to sell and sell it well! Citizens are overcome with an urge to persuade someone, anyone, to purchase one of their own possessions. Maybe it's as simple as a prized paperclip, maybe it's an antique heirloom. Either way, everyone is doing their best to inform customers and move the merchandise!
Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?
Whether they're suave, awkward, good, or just plain horrible, citizens find themselves unable to stop speaking in the language of pickup lines while other citizens find themselves won over by them... or find themselves giving into rage by the audacity of them. So be careful, lest you give someone the wrong idea and come home with the wrong person in hand, or a mighty black eye.
That's Your Horoscope for Today
Everyone has a zodiac sign based on their various birthdays and a horoscope that corresponds to them. Most people don't pay much attention to what their horoscopes generally say...but the residents of the City ought to. Whatever the newspapers and magazines say about their zodiac sign will come true during the day. [This can be the western or eastern zodiac. If a character has no canon birthday you may choose a zodiac sign that seems to fit them best.]
Fatigue Day
L........ A........ … Z......... Y. That's the theme for today. No really. No matter what your citizen needs to get done they just don't have the energy to do it.
Stressed Out Day
This is what happens when you flake off, work is never quite finished. No matter what your citizen tries to get done today there's always one thing here or there they miss and need to fix!
Amnesty International
Fight for your rights... even if they get in the way of someone else's! Citizens feel compelled to join or champion a cause, aggressively if necessary. In a City with all sorts of characters (pun intended, maybe) there's bound to be a conflict of interest, but don't give in to the other guy! How else will your cause prevail?
Fetish Folly
Give me a breath mint to make me feel all tingly inside. And melted marshmallows leave such a sticky white mess... There's silk and fuzzy handcuffs too but how vanilla. Today citizens find themselves giving in to secret desires and guilty pleasures, no matter how bizarre, how edible, or how decadent. [Please be mindful of when to LJ CUT or label things NSFW!]
Yo Dawg
Citizens awake to find that certain items or vehicles of theirs have come to be improved upon or in better known terms - pimped. The pimping may be minute or it may be big. But above all else, the pimping is ridiculous. [Blingy up and shine on at will, however please keep customization to items already available in the City. No hot imports from homeworlds plz.]
The Years That Never Were
Imagine how different life would be if something happened beyond your control... or didn't happen at all. This is about the accidents or strokes of luck that occur, often shaping a citizen's life and they don't even know it. Fast forward as far into the future as you like or trace back the steps to childhood. [Regardless of how you affect your character (whether it's winning the lottery or getting kicked out of school) they may act as if they have been living in the City all this time or arrive "for the first time" all over again.]
Lost Not Found
Take care not to wander alone because the second that happens citizens will find themselves wandering into a completely empty City. That's right, empty, no other people, not even animals, bugs, or plants. Don't forget the network device because that's the only way to communicate with others, either those in the same predicament or those in the normal City. What's the meaning of this emptiness? Maybe the mystery has an answer, maybe it doesn't. [Network devices will allow comments from affected and unaffected characters, but lost characters cannot be found by anyone until midnight. The change from an empty City to the normal City is sudden but fluid. Example: a character wanders into the basement alone and comes out of the basement to an empty house, they remain alone for the rest of the day, by midnight they open a bedroom door only to find a room mate inside, everything is back to normal]
Memory Theater
The City has decided to air memories of its citizenry, literally. Somehow videos of a memory find their way to the network, posted for all to see whether its subject knows it or not. Be careful about all that dirty laundry no~w.
Forgiveness Day
Some say twisting sincerity out of a citizen through a curse is not so sincere at all. The City really has no opinion on that and will continue to curse at will. Today citizens feel the need to forgive someone over an old trespass. It can be as serious as cheating or as simple (and thus silly) as stealing candy. Grudges are never fun so make use of that curse and clear the air! Whether citizens want to or no~t.
Mine Mine Mine
The Citizens are all armed with felt-tip markers, stamps, stickers, you name it...because everyone has the compulsion to label their property! "Property of so and so, this is my apartment," "my bed", and "my toilet seat" are all over the place today, as well as "my friend", "my sibling", and "my rival"! Touch or steal at your own risk!
Feels Like the First Time
Starting the season with a different point of view is always good for the soul, or is it? Today affected citizens come to the City as if they've just arrived for the first time, whether it's a repeat performance of when they first appeared or a performance from another time all together! [Feel free to replay the way your character first came to the game! For the other option, please be courteous to players who may want to avoid specific details about their character's past or future if you decide to pull your own character from a different point in time for the curse. But as always, memories of the curse afterward may be fuzzy or forgotten.]
The Elephant in the Corner
It's huge, it takes up space, everyone knows it's there but no one wants to talk about it--except on this day. Did something happen to you with someone that you would rather forget? Is it obvious but for some reason discussing is too embarrassing? Well today's curse has citizens crossing the verbal bridge that no one else wants to touch and leaves others dying to question them concerning issues they'd rather not talk about.
Today, FML. Today, MLIA.
Today, the citizens of the City seem to be unable to stop complaining about how much their lives suck, and even the littlest things make them want to say something. Meanwhile others feel the need to comment on these things, saying things like "you did it yourself" and "I agree, your life sucks". F*** their lives. Today, other citizens of the City also seem to be unable to stop talking about their normal everyday lives, and the stuff that happens to them. At the same time, others want to comment about whether their lives are "average" or "meh". How average!
Come and Take It Day
There is a slight difference between the terms come and get it and come and take it. The first suggests an offer by someone, and therefore, approval to have whatever it is. The second...well, since when has approval mattered in the City? Possessions, property, pets, and people are not safe. This day is here for the taking. Grab it. Take it and run with it. Take more than one if you can ♥
Windows to the Soul
Citizens have the ability to soulgaze--to look into another person's eyes for a moment, and trade "views" of each other's souls. Are you a monster bound by the chains of self-control? Are you little and terrified, a bird among cats? Or are you an avenging angel, standing with sword at the ready? Be careful, what you see may be more than you wish to get, a most unforgettable image that can never be unseen, coloring your perception of that person forever! [Soulgazing will works over the network only via video post communication. In person it will work when direct gazes are locked, however covering one's eyes even with sunglasses can prevent soulgazing from working. And yes, this means depending on who has their eyes shielded, soulgazing may be one-sided.]
Tell Me A Story
Once upon a time there was a curse that made everyone narrate their own lives as though those ordinary lives were extraordinary stories. The elegant lady rises from her bed and glides gracefully to the Network where she tells her own story as a story. And the handsome and charming gentleman who answers her story will do so with his own story. And so the Network and the City streets will fill with stories told by the ones who live them. [Affected characters narrate their own stories in the third person, as excessively and as purple as they so like. A character waking up and going out shopping can make a network post detailing this dramatic event. The stories are narrated in the third person, as though the characters were metaphorically writing a log entry, and this can take place in normal conversation as well. Ex: She writes her reply full of eloquence, recounting the event in similes and metaphors because "It was fun." simply would not suffice.]
[Not] Awesome Powers
Behold my amazing ability! Cower in fear! Quake in terror! And behold! I! Shall! Never! Get! A! Papercut! Gasp! Today, affected citizens have...new powers! ...Amazingly useless ones. Boo! Such as the amazing ability to keep peanut butter from sticking to the roof of one's mouth, the ability to shake only two aspirin out of the jar, or the ability to smell like tires! Amazing! Affected citizens have new powers, but ones that are stupid, useless, unpleasant, or otherwise not at all awesome, super, or amazing. Could it be the Deities are playing a practical joke or is there something else going on~?
Roots Day
Remember Uncle Fester or Great Grand Daddy Shaft? How about that brave soul on your mother's side who single-handedly stopped the dam from breaking (or broke it for the nefarious)? Talk about your genealogy, talk about your heritage, talk about your roots, no matter how proud or shameful. Citizens may not be heading home for Christmas but returning to their roots invokes a warm, cozy, and comfortable sense of belonging. It's the next best thing in the City, right ♥
Hateration Federation
People tend to talk trash about people or things they don't like behind closed doors. Not today. Citizens are compelled to go to the streets, to the network, to just about anyone or anything, and talk that trash--or--in better terms. Hate. Even the smallest pet peeve like lint on black clothing can be a subject of sudden unabashed revolt. Oh and masks, hashbrowns, Hennessy and anonymity are optional. [This does not mean your characters can post tirades anonymously, however they are more than free to try and fail at being anonymous!]
Hot or not?
After all that secret admiring maybe citizens feel a little less shy today. Now they feel compelled to rate their fellow citizens, whether by a scale from 1 to 10 or by giving a simple remark: hot/or not, hit it/don't hit it, marry/screw/throw off a cliff, etc. It doesn't matter how much this is something they ought to keep a secret, as long as it's their honest rating ♥
What Were You Thinking
Remember the last time you turned to your friend or partner and said, "Quit reading my mind"? Today they can't stop, and your private thoughts are now totally shareable--across the network or across the house, everyone knows that you're wondering if the underwear on the floor is clean or not. On the other hand you might just be hearing voices. Which is the lesser of two evils? [The curse is selective in that Character A's mind could be read by anyone, Character A's mind could be read only by Character B, or they can read only each other's, etc. Please be clear about your parameters in OOC notes. This differs from No Inner Monologue in that nothing is said aloud, characters might not even know they're affected until someone tells them...if someone tells them.]
Simon Says
Remember that game we all played as children? Today, citizens will find that everything they say really happens - literally - and it's not just limited to ordering people around. The sky is falling, your mother is a saint, and monkeys will come flying out of your - well, you get the idea. Maybe next time your girlfriend asks what you're thinking about you'll think twice before replying, 'Nothing.' [Effects are limited to targets within earshot and only with the consent of players if affecting another character. Situations can last as short or as long as you want but all effects revert at midnight. Large-scale destruction is not allowed.]
My Inner Voices
Ever have an inner voice telling you what you should or shouldn't do? Today they get a life of their own, literally. Miniature versions of citizens pop up on their shoulders or in their pockets to give them advice on various issues. Some citizens have one or two, some have as many as six to fulfill different aspects of their personalities. Some might run their mouths off too much so best keep them in control, because if they get themselves killed it's no different from killing a part of yourself. [Miniatures are palm sized and players may NPC up to six minis. If all minis are killed then the originating character must be dead until midnight. Killing only some minis results in fatigue and pain.]
KILL FOR MY SHIPPPPPP
Citizens of the City will find themselves wanting to give their own to support a pairing, ship, whatever you call it! They will literally argue, cut off their arm, kill, wanting to impose their ship onto members of said ship, those opposing said ship, and so on, and my god, are they ever noisy (and nosy) about it all. This curse will last 24 hours, but by the end of the day? Prepare to be majorly awkwarded out. [Characters may know 'shipping' terminology through the curse if you want them to!]
Child Friendly
No matter how good or evil, citizens are transformed into how they would behave...in a children's book. An average joe with a heart of gold can become a hero, meanwhile the criminal mastermind villain is best known for the meanest deed of all...swiping sweeties. Chivalry and kindness pay off but sometimes the biggest problem is getting yourself stuck in the rabbit hole.
Jet Fighters and Punches
Ladies, ever wondered what would happen if the men of the city smelled like a man and not like flowers? Well break out the smelling salts because you're about to catch the vapors. Those affected by this curse are going to be exuding certain manly scents which just make others weak at the knees. In addition to that they'll be walking around with a swagger and an urge to do whatever they set their minds to, whether they can realistically accomplish it or not. [Any character can be affected as either the smelly sort or attracted to the smelly sort, whether they are male or female!]
Communication Breakdown
Got a problem with a friend? A neighbor? A stranger? Don't get mad, leave them a helpful note for them (and everyone else) to see!
140 Characters or Less
No not actual characters, more like letters! Today Network communication is limited to only 140 letters or less. That spells trouble for characters who like to say a lot but they could always do this:
USERNAME HERE
Blah blah blah. This is your most recent tweet.
less than # seconds/minutes ago from Network/Echodevice/Citydeck
Optional next recent tweet.
about # hour(s) ago from Network/Echodevice/Citydeck
Optional third recent tweet.
about # hour(s) ago from Network/Echodevice/Citydeck
[Audio and video posts are an exception of course! Thanks to bridge_ooc ♥]
#5 Words After Sex
Whether or not Citizens have done the deed before, the cursed feel compelled to post with five words they'd say after sex. No more. No less.
Plan Your Epitaph
Harpies, weavers, omens, honestly with all these shenanigans going on maybe it's time Citizens start writing up their own epitaphs. They might just need them soon. Whether it's simple or elaborate, the network's abuzz with the words you want (or the City wants) carved out in marble for you some day. But when? [Characters can uncontrollably post their epitaphs or find their epitaphs already mysteriously posted for them.]
Pick Your Poison
What's your kryptonite? Do you know it? If so guess what you'll be posting to the Network today. Those affected by this curse find themselves announcing a weakness to the entire City. It could be as major as kryptonite, as subtle as hot water, as wtf as twinkies, or as emotionally damaging as Bambi. Whatever the case may be it makes you weak and now everyone's going to know about it. [Weaknesses are flexible, it can be physical or emotional. There is no memory-wipe clause for this curse so don't have your character mention a weakness if you don't want other characters potentially using the information against them.]
No Rest for the Wicked
Right after midnight, those who are already asleep and those who try to sleep will find themselves plagued by haunting visions and vicious nightmares, enough to wake them from their slumber. For 24 hours anytime they close their eyes for longer than five seconds the frightfest begins. Just a one minute nap can feel like an hour of terror. Will your citizen stay awake for the entire day or will they brave horrors for a bit of sleep? May as well spend all that time on the Network right?
Average Joe Day
Those in the City with supernatural skills or powers, suddenly find themselves quite normal.
Family Day
Citizens wake up to find themselves conveniently placed within family units. Citizens are married to each other, children to other characters, in-laws to even more! Units must be pre-arranged between players.
Gender Switch
Fairly self explanatory! Males become females, females become males, and the intersexed become one or the other!
Sexuality Reversal Day
Those who like men now like women. Those who like women now like men. Those who are demure are now tarts. Those who have lusty libidos now have the resolve of a saint.
My Dirty Little Secret
The one thing a character never wanted anyone to know, (however silly or important this secret may be), is the one thing they feel compelled to talk about all day.
I’m a Professional Day
Citizens claim to be some sort of expert in a particular field. Whether this is true or not is yet to be determined, probably by trial and error.
Lost in Translation Day
Everyone speaks a different language or dialect that transcribes differently, poorly, or even Babelfishyly.
Wardrobe Switch
Some citizens have a particular style, some have a trademark set of clothes. Not today! Wardrobes of characters get switched up, this includes trades between men, women, and men and women. Some switches seem perfectly comfortable, others perfectly unnatural.
Jeopardy Day
Questions are worded in the form of an answer. Answers are worded in the form of a question?
Worst Fear Day
Where your character sees/hears the worst fear in anyone in which they come in contact.
Opposite Day
Where everyone does the opposite of what they want, says the opposite of what they mean, and generally behave in the opposite way they would.
5 7 5
The rhyming pattern for the day is haiku. Citizens will find themselves speaking only in the 5-7-5 syllable format. Good luck, future poets!
We Did That?
Citizens feel compelled to talk about their sex lives. Not for the faint of heart.
Genre Switch
Is your citizen a hard-boiled detective or a damsel in distress? On this day expect the former to become a young school boy yearning for his peers and the latter to become a gun-slinging assassin. Own a space-cruiser? Find your citizen immersed in period clothing and expounding the ideals of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love! The City environment itself will not change, all the better for your citizens to wonder if this is really a new genre or just a joke.
Ghost World
Citizens are haunted by the ghost(s) of someone(s) from their home world, someone who is not in the City. They can be alive or dead, someone said citizen wants to see, or... not. Ghosts are visible only to the affected.
My Secret Identity
Citizens become super heroes or master villains. They can't reveal the identity behind the mask or they'll lose their super powers. Citizens already possessing super powers may instead hide behind their mundane disguises for the day.
Morality Reversal Day
Sinners become saints, and those as pure as the driven snow become cesspits of moral filth. Basic personalities remain unchanged, a cheerful outgoing good guy will simply be a cheerful outgoing bad guy.
Y am I the Last Man Standing?
Affected citizens think the entire City has become a post-apocalyptic ruin. Did the world end? Are they really alone? Unaffected citizens may notice affected ones walking around as if they are in a fog.
Age Reversal Day
The young become old and the old become young. Fast forward to adulthood or rewind to the glorious days of youth. This can be mental or physical or both mental and physical. Immortals or characters who are older/younger than they appear to be by some other strange circumstance may reflect their true ages
If These Walls Could Talk
An object within the household, or even the computer itself, has suddenly gained a voice. What stories will it tell over the network? Is anyone safe from the prying eyes of their inanimate object? Will said object live to see another day after this curse?
Caffeinated Day
All affected citizens will find that any liquid they drink has much more caffeine than usual. Be it their morning tea, juice, or even water; all will contain the caffeine of a triple shot espresso. Expect the City to be bouncing off the walls! (Helmets not included!)
Masked Day
Don’t look in the mirror because citizens will awake without faces. How they can still see, breathe, and speak is a mystery, but who wants to walk around without a face anyway? Fortunately masks will be in steady supply all around the City, the catch is… for any mask chosen that citizen will take on the behavior of it! Beware of goblins and devils, frowns and clowns.
The Devil Wears Prada
A harbinger of things to come, everyone now finds themselves under the rule of a raging prick of a boss. Wages are earned by filing papers, purchasing a latté, even doing the dry cleaning, whatever the boss says is law!
Join the Club
Citizens suddenly find themselves as members (or applying hopefuls!) of a variety of unusual organizations: Angsters Anonymous, the League of Liars, the "My Parents Are Evil/Insane/Trying to Kill Me" Club aka. The Runaways, and many, many, more!
Lamento Regreto
Citizens find themselves complaining about everything or the one thing they've ever done wrong and how they could change it all if they just had one chance...
It’s a Boat, it’s a Bug, it’s Ours
Citizens realize they’ve given birth to a child, yes all citizens male, female, and otherwise. Only the child is an object, a prized possession nonetheless worthy of baptism and godparents. Citizens treat these objects as if they were their own flesh and blood. Take care not to harm the brood of another, and think through those divorce dividends!
Chocolate Day
The spirit of Mr. Hershey descends upon the City, causing chocolate cravings from every pore of every citizen. Eat it, share it, hoard it, but watch out for hyperactivity and aphrodisia.
Cornflake Girl
Are you a cornflake girl or a raisin girl? Matriarchs rule the City as women clique up against the men and each other. Beware the ostracism and bitchslaps! Otherwise known as citywide PMS.
Citizenship Day
Paying tribute to the people who populate this fine place, today is the day citizens can talk about from where they came. Informative and ever helpful, anyone can contribute an article or tour guide brochure to Seireitei, the Dreaming, Hell, Meifu, you name it!
Roller Derby Dues
Citizens wake up to find all their shoes replaced with rollerskates (or rollerblades if one remembers the 90s). The only way to travel is by footy wheels or barefeet, the latter quite dangerous to the toes if you’re in the minority. But it doesn’t end there! The skates fill each citizen with an aggression unmatched that can only be satisfied by smashing strategic pushing.
I Want to Play a Game
Citizens wake up in several traps rigged by an unknown culprit. Some of them wake up in abandoned warehouses, others trapped in their own beds. Some of them have hours to get out, others only minutes. Those who die from utter failure are completely revived by midnight and not counted as City!dead.
Walking Dead
Citizens who died in their own homeworlds prior to City arrival find themselves rotting to pieces, whether they had regained their lives in the City or not! Those who have died within the City are rotting as well. All citizens are revived to their pre-cursed states by midnight.
A Road Not Taken
Almost every resident of the City has taken a certain path or made a life-altering decision that shaped out their ending or current life. But what would have happened had they taken the road less traveled by? Citizens reflect the differences in direction, both mentally and physically.
Body Swappers
Ever had a morning where you wake up feeling not like yourself? Well today citizens get a dose of that in the flesh. Blondes have more fun, brunettes are smarter, boys do it better, babes do it best, it ain't easy being a pimp. The sky's the limit on what experiences citizens can have walking in someone else's shoes, literally.
A Toy Story
Are you a pooh bear, a tigger, or a cloudy donkey? No matter what creature suits your citizen best, everyone has been reduced to stuffing and stitches. Better watch out for those honey pots and rain clouds, Christopher Robin ain't no fool. Some say the toy master is a tyrant.
Sing and Shout!
Sing and shout it! Citizens burst into song of pop, rock, opera, or musical caliber. There's plenty more where them B flats came from.
Power-Switch
Citizens switch powers with each other, or the powerless. If they switch with a citizen who doesn't have powers then their loss is your gain!
Inspire Your Heart with Art
Look at a piece of art and ask yourself: What is it telling me? How does it make me feel? What emotions is it evoking (if any) within me? Today citizens are compelled to take up the artist's mantle, but be wary! Genres and schools don't always make the best of friends. Is a citizen the next John Singer Sargent or the next Sol le Witt? You decide, and make sure the Performance Artists don't catch you.
Safari Day
Humans turn to animals. Animals and animanoids turn to humans! A species switch is afoot, but be careful, some citizens enjoy the hunt in any form.
Days of Our Young & Restless Passions
Bring on the melodrama, the evil twins, the surprise pregnancies, and the dark family secrets, for today the citizens' life is like an open-script soap opera. They're the main protagonists, antagonists, and everything in between. Extreme plot twists abound, many boxes of Kleenex will be on reserve, and everyone is wondering just what will happen next. Make sure to ham it all up, only high emotion will get you ratings.
When You Were Dumb
Remember a time when a citizen was completely at their worst? Well today is that day when the personality clock is rewound so bad habits, bad manners, and bad deeds are all possible once again. Consider it a time to reflect on shortcomings… if they were in their right minds anyway.
Anti-Angst Day
Bringing a cycle of tears full circle! The sadder or more frustrated a citizen feels, the happier they'll express themselves today. Isn't that the greatest kind of comfort?
Find A Rainbow Day
No not that kind of rainbow. Cheerfulness is rewarded with a spectrum of colors like a halo around a citizen's head, pessimism is rewarded with a little black rain cloud, and it really does get wet. Stay happy if you want to stay dry ♥
Hostess with the Mostest
Twinkies, snowballs, and ding dongs are a hot commodity on this day but there just aren't enough to go around. What will citizens do to have that last packet? Maim or kill?
Carrying a Torch
Getting the blues isn't so bad when you've got the soulful croon of a torch singer. And if that ain't your thing you can tell the ill wind to blow away with swing! Jazz, the blues, and the sound of the big band infiltrate the City, and citizens can't help but jump and jive along.
Lowest Common Denominator
It just isn't fair to live in a world where some people are smart and others are beautiful. The City sure thinks something has to be done about this! Every citizen's highest skill comes with a price to balance them out towards the lowest common denominator. Beauty is awarded with ugliness, intelligence awarded with missing synapses, speed with the quickness of a sloth. Don't your citizens just love it when everyone's equal.
Shell Shocked
Soldiers take up your arms! Citizens affected by this curse will be transported to the mindset of a weary and worn fighter on the brink of yet another battle in a neverending war. For some citizens this will be a new experience in the shoes of another, for other citizens this will only recall painful memories. All sides of the trenches are fair game; there are no winners in war. [There will be no environmental change, however characters can still bear arms if they have the means to do it.]
I Cannot Tell a Lie
Ask a question, tell no lies, no matter how hurtful those truths may be. Honesty is a virtue that everyone must uphold on this day. A citizen must be truthful about the flaws of another, but any citizen is free to counter with honesty in return!
Quizzes and Questionnaires
And lists too! Citizens feel compelled to take quizzes, questionnaires, or to list any amount of random things to their liking (or dislike), and post them to the network for all to see. What's your male/female percentage? What's your shopping style? Who are your top ten favorite people and what happens when you slash #3 with #8? [Please post only one meme per character (it can be a different one per character or be the same one for all your characters).]
Parents Day
That phrase "You remind me of my mother." rings true for citizens today. Some of them might feel another is as overprotective as their father. The urge to motherhen or interrogate dates is strong in the force, no matter the age of the affected.
Thirty One Flavors
Someway somehow, characters learn that they literally taste like a flavor of ice cream. Perhaps it’s vanilla to reflect their conservative tendencies or maybe it’s mango because they’re just a little fruity. Whatever the flavor, just a lick will send a citizen into ice cream heaven!
Role Reversal
Who wears the trousers in the pair? Who's the teacher and who's the student? Roles are an essential element to any relationship, like yin and yang, even when you're coeval! Too bad that changes for citizens today. Roles are reversed all over the place as the hunter becomes the game and the top becomes the bottom. Oh come on, it won't be all that much of a change for others.
Dæmon Day
Affected citizens suddenly find that their souls have evacuated their bodies in the form of dæmon companions (moderately sized animals, natural or mythical). It could make a great pet, it could loathe every fiber of your being. Just remember the City leash laws.
Hacked!
Citizens find that they have been locked out of their journals as another citizen takes over his or her access rights. Citizens might find locked entries posted on the network for all to see. And watch in vain as replies are made on his behalf. Not even the l33test of the l33t can break the code and reclaim what's theirs. [The extent of hacking is up to players as long as character identities are noted in OOC notes ♥]
Souvenirs You Never Lose
While injuries heal over time and leave behind scars, today the City has seen it fit to reopen old wounds of the physical kind, from the tiniest of scratches to the most lethal. Like that time you got shot? Or maybe the first time you were decapitated. Either way, it'll make for an interesting story.
The Freakin' FCC
There are children watching! But there's no longer a need to worry! Citizens that are overly fond of flooding the network with inappropriate language and content suddenly find themselves censored. The City's interpretation of censorship ranges from pixilated boxes to bleeps or even overdubbing.
Stuck On Glue Day
Any citizens who hug on this day find themselves stuck together, to emphasize the importance of togetherness in an often vicious City!
Say It Loud Say It Proud
Everyone has a little bit of pride in them. Now imagine a day when that pride is multiplied by a thousand! Sometimes you just have to declare it to the entire world and make sure no one else is better than you. Who possibly would be?
Philias and Phobias
Irrational fears and extreme obsessions come full force to the City. Even if a citizen just didn't like the water before, now they're hydrophobic! A citizen with a soft spot for vampires might… well, you get the idea.
Ugly on the Outside
The Prince tried to apologize but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there… Citizens of lesser kindness or a high degree of selfishness become beasts and their friends nothing more than the animate objects around them. Learning to love and be loved in return is the only way to break the spell, and it must be done before the fall of midnight. [Participation as a beast or an object is up to player discretion. Breaking the spell before midnight works only if you as a player want it to, for others it can be bad luck or a misunderstanding if it doesn't work, in order to keep a character a beast for 24 hours!]
Tabloid Trash
Gossip gossip gossip. That's all the network is good for. But today loose lips are encouraged and the deities really want to fill that rumor mill. Doctored photos and libel are free game today.
The Imagination Song
Affected citizens find a brand new shiny pen in their possession. They should be careful of what they do with it though, because anything they draw with it comes to life. Even the scribbles! Because the pen is ink, these drawings cannot be erased, now doesn't that cause trou~ble. [Nothing too big or destructive a usual, please! All drawings will disappear by midnight.]
What's in a Name?
Today the citizens of the City take on the traits of their names. Is it Rose? If so they might just find roses tattooed all over their bodies or rose petals mysteriously floating around them or become a rosebush themselves. Any Valentines out there? Perhaps they’ll be perpetually covered--or buried--in hearts and candy! The sky's the limit on how their names are interpreted.
Listmania
Citizens feel compelled to list list list on the network. It doesn't matter what the list is or how many lists there are, they simply can't stop listing. Top Tens and Things I Would Do For Money are all fair game today.
Black Bars Prevent Mental Scars
Too bad black bars are lacking in the City. Citizens find that their clothes are nowhere to be found and when they do find them it seems as if their clothes don't want to stay on! What's the meaning of this embarrassment? The Deities do advise that some of their citizens simply need a tan.
Dear John
Today all communication, written or spoken, on the network or in person, is done in letter format! Does your citizen have a note or a memo to leave lying around? Remember the proper salutations, even if a Dear is followed by Jerk in Apt 5.
Handcuff Day
Citizens wake up to find themselves handcuffed together. Keys don't work and chopping the link to pieces definitely won't work! It's a lesson in how to work together, say the Deities, no matter how funny or violent it might be.
Meme Day
It's not exactly Caturday but there are far too many things that a citizen could oh so easily fit into! It's even better if they don't know what that thing called the internet meme is. Bitches don't know about chargin' ma lazers in Sparta.
Hand In Glove
Hi! How's it going! What? You don't like the shade of my new nailpolish?! How dare you! Fighting erupts even over the most mundane things, but put your superpowers and reiatsu away. The City's decided to "tax" its citizens by turning battles into traditional slaps across the cheek. Whoever slaps hardest to the point of KO wins, of course knowing how strong and resilient some citizens are, these slapfests might just last all the way until midnight.
Moody Weather
Feeling a little blue? Maybe raindrops are falling on your citizen’s head. All moods are reflected quite literally on this day, be it a 2ft storm cloud constantly floating over their heads or rays of sunshine coming out of you know where.
Ask a Stupid Question
Ever have a burning burning question to ask another? Citizens need to satisfy their curiosity by finally asking another something they’ve always wanted to know. Shyness be damned, the curse cares not for prim and proper niceties.
Scarlet Letter
Citizens are branded by a patch on their clothes and feel even more compelled to share their emblazoned letter across the network. A single initial represents a great sin, and M could stand for murder, mayhem, or mast-you get the point…!
Talk Like a Pirate Day
Arrrrr this one be self-explanatorrrry. Savvy, mate?
Out Damned Spot!
If a citizen has ever killed they’ll find the blood of their victims literally on their hands. The more victims they had, the higher the blood creeps over their arms, their shoulders, maybe even their entire body if their tally is just too much. Good luck with bleach and detergent, the blood won’t wash away until midnight ♥
No Inner Monologue Day
Every thought comes out in words or writing. There is absolutely no discretion involved before someone says something. If a citizen is reminded of the time they rode a bike naked through the supermarket in a dream they will Outer Monologue it.
Pinocchio Day
Liars beware. The curse of the wooden puppet who would be a boy is upon the City. All lies, fibs, and tall tales will result in elongated noses. The more lies, the longer the nose, and the longer the nose, well… the harder it is to talk without poking someone in the eye or type without poking the monitor isn’t it?
Calendula
A little jealousy goes a long way, but when the green-eyed monster infects a citizen it really goes to town. Expect the beast of all beasts to come out of its skin at the notion of envy, quite literally. Soothing the savage beast is possible with some calming words, but that still means a good 24 hours for it to come back rearing its ugly head.
Truth or Dare
Pick your poison - sharing an embarrassing fact or participating in a dangerous dare? Affected citizens are compelled to play every preteen girl's favorite slumber party game for a day. Citizens who aren't affected can still ask their heart's desire. Yes that is in fact taking advantage of a curse, but hey the City feeds on this sort of thing.
All Soul's Day
The City!Dead are compelled to dance and made to taste like sweet sugar, and those who aren't dead feel the utter urge to partake in a taste of that candy. But beware, some citizens do bite. [Characters of an undead nature may swing towards the sugar side or the biting side, this is up to player discretion.]
Death to All His Friends
Remember that time you almost died? Or the time you did die? Citizens feel the (un)necessary urge to talk… and talk and talk… and talk about their death or near death experiences in great detail. The more stories the merrier. After all, a little insight goes a long way in the City.
Armistice Day
The enemy of your enemy is your friend, but in the City it just doesn't work that way. Today citizens can't help but be the absolute friendliest to their worst enemy in the City. The day commemorates a time when war stood still, what better way to celebrate it than by making friends with the ones you don't love?
Shadowplay
What's that moving out the corner of your eye? Well it looks like it's just your shadow. But shadows shouldn't be moving should they?! Watch out because it seems like those dark silhouettes are coming to life and they have a bone to pick with their owners. They may not have tongues to speak with but they seem to know all the sordid details of your life and boy do they have things to "whisper" into your ear. Other citizens might not be able to hear these shadows, but their fingers are just as good at typing to the network too… or carrying an axe. [NPC your character's shadow at will, but characters can hear only their own shadow. Shadows also can't go too far from their base owner and are rendered unanimated when there's no light source.]
Cold Turkey
Does your citizen have a bad habit or an addiction? Whatever that may be, today they'll find themselves completely without that one thing that makes them feel oh so good, be it cigarettes, alcohol, or you know what. Whether it's a whole pack, a bottle, or just one wrapper, it'll go missing or be continuously out of reach. It's the only way they can learn self-control, so says the City.
False Confessions
Don't falsely confess to a crime. Don't falsely report someone lost, killed or injured. Don't falsely confess a relationship or love affair. But who ever pays attention to the rules? Today's the day when everyone has something to confess to, be it tales so tall they have to be true or filthy filthy bogus lies. However, hidden somewhere might be a truth and what citizen would want to take a chance on it? Of course, what citizen could suffer the consequences if it turns out to be untrue. Citizens must decide.
Giving Thanks
A lot can happen in one month in the City, some good some bad. For the good, citizens feel the need to give thanks for all those things that make them happy, whether it was a kind word, a favor, or something that kept them from getting killed! Showing their appreciation can take the form of a letter (Long? Badly written?), maybe even baked goods (Stale? Fish oil instead of almond oil?), maybe even forward advances… really forward advances (…). But everyone means well and that's all that should matter.
Informercial Day
Get something to sell and sell it well! Citizens are overcome with an urge to persuade someone, anyone, to purchase one of their own possessions. Maybe it's as simple as a prized paperclip, maybe it's an antique heirloom. Either way, everyone is doing their best to inform customers and move the merchandise!
Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?
Whether they're suave, awkward, good, or just plain horrible, citizens find themselves unable to stop speaking in the language of pickup lines while other citizens find themselves won over by them... or find themselves giving into rage by the audacity of them. So be careful, lest you give someone the wrong idea and come home with the wrong person in hand, or a mighty black eye.
That's Your Horoscope for Today
Everyone has a zodiac sign based on their various birthdays and a horoscope that corresponds to them. Most people don't pay much attention to what their horoscopes generally say...but the residents of the City ought to. Whatever the newspapers and magazines say about their zodiac sign will come true during the day. [This can be the western or eastern zodiac. If a character has no canon birthday you may choose a zodiac sign that seems to fit them best.]
Fatigue Day
L........ A........ … Z......... Y. That's the theme for today. No really. No matter what your citizen needs to get done they just don't have the energy to do it.
Stressed Out Day
This is what happens when you flake off, work is never quite finished. No matter what your citizen tries to get done today there's always one thing here or there they miss and need to fix!
Amnesty International
Fight for your rights... even if they get in the way of someone else's! Citizens feel compelled to join or champion a cause, aggressively if necessary. In a City with all sorts of characters (pun intended, maybe) there's bound to be a conflict of interest, but don't give in to the other guy! How else will your cause prevail?
Fetish Folly
Give me a breath mint to make me feel all tingly inside. And melted marshmallows leave such a sticky white mess... There's silk and fuzzy handcuffs too but how vanilla. Today citizens find themselves giving in to secret desires and guilty pleasures, no matter how bizarre, how edible, or how decadent. [Please be mindful of when to LJ CUT or label things NSFW!]
Yo Dawg
Citizens awake to find that certain items or vehicles of theirs have come to be improved upon or in better known terms - pimped. The pimping may be minute or it may be big. But above all else, the pimping is ridiculous. [Blingy up and shine on at will, however please keep customization to items already available in the City. No hot imports from homeworlds plz.]
The Years That Never Were
Imagine how different life would be if something happened beyond your control... or didn't happen at all. This is about the accidents or strokes of luck that occur, often shaping a citizen's life and they don't even know it. Fast forward as far into the future as you like or trace back the steps to childhood. [Regardless of how you affect your character (whether it's winning the lottery or getting kicked out of school) they may act as if they have been living in the City all this time or arrive "for the first time" all over again.]
Lost Not Found
Take care not to wander alone because the second that happens citizens will find themselves wandering into a completely empty City. That's right, empty, no other people, not even animals, bugs, or plants. Don't forget the network device because that's the only way to communicate with others, either those in the same predicament or those in the normal City. What's the meaning of this emptiness? Maybe the mystery has an answer, maybe it doesn't. [Network devices will allow comments from affected and unaffected characters, but lost characters cannot be found by anyone until midnight. The change from an empty City to the normal City is sudden but fluid. Example: a character wanders into the basement alone and comes out of the basement to an empty house, they remain alone for the rest of the day, by midnight they open a bedroom door only to find a room mate inside, everything is back to normal]
Memory Theater
The City has decided to air memories of its citizenry, literally. Somehow videos of a memory find their way to the network, posted for all to see whether its subject knows it or not. Be careful about all that dirty laundry no~w.
Forgiveness Day
Some say twisting sincerity out of a citizen through a curse is not so sincere at all. The City really has no opinion on that and will continue to curse at will. Today citizens feel the need to forgive someone over an old trespass. It can be as serious as cheating or as simple (and thus silly) as stealing candy. Grudges are never fun so make use of that curse and clear the air! Whether citizens want to or no~t.
Mine Mine Mine
The Citizens are all armed with felt-tip markers, stamps, stickers, you name it...because everyone has the compulsion to label their property! "Property of so and so, this is my apartment," "my bed", and "my toilet seat" are all over the place today, as well as "my friend", "my sibling", and "my rival"! Touch or steal at your own risk!
Feels Like the First Time
Starting the season with a different point of view is always good for the soul, or is it? Today affected citizens come to the City as if they've just arrived for the first time, whether it's a repeat performance of when they first appeared or a performance from another time all together! [Feel free to replay the way your character first came to the game! For the other option, please be courteous to players who may want to avoid specific details about their character's past or future if you decide to pull your own character from a different point in time for the curse. But as always, memories of the curse afterward may be fuzzy or forgotten.]
The Elephant in the Corner
It's huge, it takes up space, everyone knows it's there but no one wants to talk about it--except on this day. Did something happen to you with someone that you would rather forget? Is it obvious but for some reason discussing is too embarrassing? Well today's curse has citizens crossing the verbal bridge that no one else wants to touch and leaves others dying to question them concerning issues they'd rather not talk about.
Today, FML. Today, MLIA.
Today, the citizens of the City seem to be unable to stop complaining about how much their lives suck, and even the littlest things make them want to say something. Meanwhile others feel the need to comment on these things, saying things like "you did it yourself" and "I agree, your life sucks". F*** their lives. Today, other citizens of the City also seem to be unable to stop talking about their normal everyday lives, and the stuff that happens to them. At the same time, others want to comment about whether their lives are "average" or "meh". How average!
Come and Take It Day
There is a slight difference between the terms come and get it and come and take it. The first suggests an offer by someone, and therefore, approval to have whatever it is. The second...well, since when has approval mattered in the City? Possessions, property, pets, and people are not safe. This day is here for the taking. Grab it. Take it and run with it. Take more than one if you can ♥
Windows to the Soul
Citizens have the ability to soulgaze--to look into another person's eyes for a moment, and trade "views" of each other's souls. Are you a monster bound by the chains of self-control? Are you little and terrified, a bird among cats? Or are you an avenging angel, standing with sword at the ready? Be careful, what you see may be more than you wish to get, a most unforgettable image that can never be unseen, coloring your perception of that person forever! [Soulgazing will works over the network only via video post communication. In person it will work when direct gazes are locked, however covering one's eyes even with sunglasses can prevent soulgazing from working. And yes, this means depending on who has their eyes shielded, soulgazing may be one-sided.]
Tell Me A Story
Once upon a time there was a curse that made everyone narrate their own lives as though those ordinary lives were extraordinary stories. The elegant lady rises from her bed and glides gracefully to the Network where she tells her own story as a story. And the handsome and charming gentleman who answers her story will do so with his own story. And so the Network and the City streets will fill with stories told by the ones who live them. [Affected characters narrate their own stories in the third person, as excessively and as purple as they so like. A character waking up and going out shopping can make a network post detailing this dramatic event. The stories are narrated in the third person, as though the characters were metaphorically writing a log entry, and this can take place in normal conversation as well. Ex: She writes her reply full of eloquence, recounting the event in similes and metaphors because "It was fun." simply would not suffice.]
[Not] Awesome Powers
Behold my amazing ability! Cower in fear! Quake in terror! And behold! I! Shall! Never! Get! A! Papercut! Gasp! Today, affected citizens have...new powers! ...Amazingly useless ones. Boo! Such as the amazing ability to keep peanut butter from sticking to the roof of one's mouth, the ability to shake only two aspirin out of the jar, or the ability to smell like tires! Amazing! Affected citizens have new powers, but ones that are stupid, useless, unpleasant, or otherwise not at all awesome, super, or amazing. Could it be the Deities are playing a practical joke or is there something else going on~?
Roots Day
Remember Uncle Fester or Great Grand Daddy Shaft? How about that brave soul on your mother's side who single-handedly stopped the dam from breaking (or broke it for the nefarious)? Talk about your genealogy, talk about your heritage, talk about your roots, no matter how proud or shameful. Citizens may not be heading home for Christmas but returning to their roots invokes a warm, cozy, and comfortable sense of belonging. It's the next best thing in the City, right ♥
Hateration Federation
People tend to talk trash about people or things they don't like behind closed doors. Not today. Citizens are compelled to go to the streets, to the network, to just about anyone or anything, and talk that trash--or--in better terms. Hate. Even the smallest pet peeve like lint on black clothing can be a subject of sudden unabashed revolt. Oh and masks, hashbrowns, Hennessy and anonymity are optional. [This does not mean your characters can post tirades anonymously, however they are more than free to try and fail at being anonymous!]
Hot or not?
After all that secret admiring maybe citizens feel a little less shy today. Now they feel compelled to rate their fellow citizens, whether by a scale from 1 to 10 or by giving a simple remark: hot/or not, hit it/don't hit it, marry/screw/throw off a cliff, etc. It doesn't matter how much this is something they ought to keep a secret, as long as it's their honest rating ♥
What Were You Thinking
Remember the last time you turned to your friend or partner and said, "Quit reading my mind"? Today they can't stop, and your private thoughts are now totally shareable--across the network or across the house, everyone knows that you're wondering if the underwear on the floor is clean or not. On the other hand you might just be hearing voices. Which is the lesser of two evils? [The curse is selective in that Character A's mind could be read by anyone, Character A's mind could be read only by Character B, or they can read only each other's, etc. Please be clear about your parameters in OOC notes. This differs from No Inner Monologue in that nothing is said aloud, characters might not even know they're affected until someone tells them...if someone tells them.]
Simon Says
Remember that game we all played as children? Today, citizens will find that everything they say really happens - literally - and it's not just limited to ordering people around. The sky is falling, your mother is a saint, and monkeys will come flying out of your - well, you get the idea. Maybe next time your girlfriend asks what you're thinking about you'll think twice before replying, 'Nothing.' [Effects are limited to targets within earshot and only with the consent of players if affecting another character. Situations can last as short or as long as you want but all effects revert at midnight. Large-scale destruction is not allowed.]
My Inner Voices
Ever have an inner voice telling you what you should or shouldn't do? Today they get a life of their own, literally. Miniature versions of citizens pop up on their shoulders or in their pockets to give them advice on various issues. Some citizens have one or two, some have as many as six to fulfill different aspects of their personalities. Some might run their mouths off too much so best keep them in control, because if they get themselves killed it's no different from killing a part of yourself. [Miniatures are palm sized and players may NPC up to six minis. If all minis are killed then the originating character must be dead until midnight. Killing only some minis results in fatigue and pain.]
KILL FOR MY SHIPPPPPP
Citizens of the City will find themselves wanting to give their own to support a pairing, ship, whatever you call it! They will literally argue, cut off their arm, kill, wanting to impose their ship onto members of said ship, those opposing said ship, and so on, and my god, are they ever noisy (and nosy) about it all. This curse will last 24 hours, but by the end of the day? Prepare to be majorly awkwarded out. [Characters may know 'shipping' terminology through the curse if you want them to!]
Child Friendly
No matter how good or evil, citizens are transformed into how they would behave...in a children's book. An average joe with a heart of gold can become a hero, meanwhile the criminal mastermind villain is best known for the meanest deed of all...swiping sweeties. Chivalry and kindness pay off but sometimes the biggest problem is getting yourself stuck in the rabbit hole.
Jet Fighters and Punches
Ladies, ever wondered what would happen if the men of the city smelled like a man and not like flowers? Well break out the smelling salts because you're about to catch the vapors. Those affected by this curse are going to be exuding certain manly scents which just make others weak at the knees. In addition to that they'll be walking around with a swagger and an urge to do whatever they set their minds to, whether they can realistically accomplish it or not. [Any character can be affected as either the smelly sort or attracted to the smelly sort, whether they are male or female!]
Communication Breakdown
Got a problem with a friend? A neighbor? A stranger? Don't get mad, leave them a helpful note for them (and everyone else) to see!
140 Characters or Less
No not actual characters, more like letters! Today Network communication is limited to only 140 letters or less. That spells trouble for characters who like to say a lot but they could always do this:
Blah blah blah. This is your most recent tweet.
less than # seconds/minutes ago from Network/Echodevice/Citydeck
Optional next recent tweet.
about # hour(s) ago from Network/Echodevice/Citydeck
Optional third recent tweet.
about # hour(s) ago from Network/Echodevice/Citydeck
[Audio and video posts are an exception of course! Thanks to bridge_ooc ♥]
#5 Words After Sex
Whether or not Citizens have done the deed before, the cursed feel compelled to post with five words they'd say after sex. No more. No less.
Plan Your Epitaph
Harpies, weavers, omens, honestly with all these shenanigans going on maybe it's time Citizens start writing up their own epitaphs. They might just need them soon. Whether it's simple or elaborate, the network's abuzz with the words you want (or the City wants) carved out in marble for you some day. But when? [Characters can uncontrollably post their epitaphs or find their epitaphs already mysteriously posted for them.]
Pick Your Poison
What's your kryptonite? Do you know it? If so guess what you'll be posting to the Network today. Those affected by this curse find themselves announcing a weakness to the entire City. It could be as major as kryptonite, as subtle as hot water, as wtf as twinkies, or as emotionally damaging as Bambi. Whatever the case may be it makes you weak and now everyone's going to know about it. [Weaknesses are flexible, it can be physical or emotional. There is no memory-wipe clause for this curse so don't have your character mention a weakness if you don't want other characters potentially using the information against them.]
No Rest for the Wicked
Right after midnight, those who are already asleep and those who try to sleep will find themselves plagued by haunting visions and vicious nightmares, enough to wake them from their slumber. For 24 hours anytime they close their eyes for longer than five seconds the frightfest begins. Just a one minute nap can feel like an hour of terror. Will your citizen stay awake for the entire day or will they brave horrors for a bit of sleep? May as well spend all that time on the Network right?