In-Depth Powers Explanation/Permissions Post
Sissel's powers are a little complex, so this post is to help explain them in a little more depth than I did on the application. It also serves as a permissions post, so please leave a comment to let me know which of Sissel's abilities are kosher to pull off with your characters. If you would like to do any planning or plotting regarding his abilities, this is the place.
Leave a comment on this post if you'd like to specify to me what is and isn't okay for Sissel to do with your characters. In general, though, the main thing I need to know is:
Is it okay for Sissel to possess objects belonging to your character, or objects within your character's home/apartment?
By traveling through phone lines, Sissel could theoretically end up in your character's house, where he could be hanging out for a while. He is a fairly polite ghost, so he won't be rattling your china cabinets or throwing your furniture across the room at any point-- however, keep in mind that if he's inhabiting something in their home, he will be able to see and hear whatever goes on there until he leaves. Sissel will not go gossiping about what goes on at your character's place unless you expressly give me permission for the specific information. But if the very idea of a dead guy living quietly in your character's possessions freaks them out and you don't want him hanging around, please let me know.
If you have any ideas or plots for Sissel's Fate Aversion ability (detailed below,) this is the best place to ask me about it.
Ghost Tricks
GENERAL
In person, Sissel can't speak to the living, but he can telepathically communicate with them if the character he's speaking to knows he is present (otherwise, they aren't listening enough to notice him.)
Sissel's "words" will be written in italics. If he's speaking to them, your character will "hear" everything he says. He has no internal monologue (a fact which he often forgets.) When Sissel speaks to your character, they will be able to picture him in their heads, appearing like he does in his icons.
This only applies to when Sissel is speaking to someone in a log/in person. Over the NVs he can communicate like anybody else, though once he figures it out he will always use voice function (since there is nothing to see of him on a video, and he also cannot read.)
Characters who are sensitive to the supernatural or spirits (mediums, psychics, etc) will be able to sense Sissel's presence without needing to speak to him. What counts as "sensitive" will be totally up to you. I will never protest if your character's powers allow them to detect Sissel.
POSSESSION
Sissel's main ability stems from the fact that he is a ghost, and therefore has no physical body. In order to exist in the world, Sissel has to possess inanimate objects, which he can then manipulate in various ways. This is his main method of getting around and getting things done without having a body to use.
- Objects he possesses will still work normally, and unless your character is speaking with Sissel or sensitive to his presence, they will likely not even notice he's there.
- Sissel cannot manipulate living creatures, human or otherwise. He cannot manipulate dead bodies, either (but see below for what he can do with them.)
- Sissel is a fairly new ghost, so his powers are not very strong. He can't manipulate very large objects, nor very heavy ones. He could possess a steering wheel, but not an entire car. He also can't move long distances between objects-- they have to be within about a yard of each other for him to make the jump.
- His manipulation cannot do something that the object couldn't otherwise do. He is shown to be unable to unlock a locked trunk without the key, for instance-- but he could rock it back and forth or bang the handle against the side.
- Sissel can travel through telephone lines and electrical cords to get from place to place. If he's inside a phone when you make a call, he can trace the number you are speaking to and travel to that location. This is the most efficient way to move him long distances (unless you let him possess your backpack or something.) He cannot be transmitted wirelessly (but he could, say, travel into the modem from the phone line and then jump to the computer.)
FATE AVERSION
If Sissel possesses a corpse that has been dead for less than 24 hours, he has the ability to jump back in time to exactly four minutes before that person's death. If possible, he will try to avert the death from ever occurring by using his other powers at the scene. For example, he might possess your character's bike and steer it out of the way of a speeding bus, or he might try to steer a large rock out of the way from crushing their skull.
This is pretty versatile. In canon, Sissel is able to prevent shootings, stop a heart attack, redirect bombs and even saves a woman from being crushed to death by a gigantic fried chicken. No matter how creative the manner of death, he can usually find a way to stop it.
If Sissel succeeds at this, the death will be "erased" from time and the formerly deceased will continue on their merry way, now that it never happened. However, they will still have a vague, dream-like memory of the event that caused their death-- and if they spoke to Sissel while they were dead, they will also remember him. From then on, they will be able to hear Sissel speak to them, even if they have no other powers that would allow it.
SP-specific: this ability will not work in areas exposed during the Darkness, since the Darkness will claim the corpse before Sissel can get to it.
This could obviously lead to all kinds of crazy shenanigans and goings-on, so if you have a plotty idea for this power (or if you want to kill your characters and then avert their gruesome deaths to allow them off scot-free,) leave me a note and we can discuss it!
Leave a comment on this post if you'd like to specify to me what is and isn't okay for Sissel to do with your characters. In general, though, the main thing I need to know is:
Is it okay for Sissel to possess objects belonging to your character, or objects within your character's home/apartment?
By traveling through phone lines, Sissel could theoretically end up in your character's house, where he could be hanging out for a while. He is a fairly polite ghost, so he won't be rattling your china cabinets or throwing your furniture across the room at any point-- however, keep in mind that if he's inhabiting something in their home, he will be able to see and hear whatever goes on there until he leaves. Sissel will not go gossiping about what goes on at your character's place unless you expressly give me permission for the specific information. But if the very idea of a dead guy living quietly in your character's possessions freaks them out and you don't want him hanging around, please let me know.
If you have any ideas or plots for Sissel's Fate Aversion ability (detailed below,) this is the best place to ask me about it.
Ghost Tricks
GENERAL
In person, Sissel can't speak to the living, but he can telepathically communicate with them if the character he's speaking to knows he is present (otherwise, they aren't listening enough to notice him.)
Sissel's "words" will be written in italics. If he's speaking to them, your character will "hear" everything he says. He has no internal monologue (a fact which he often forgets.) When Sissel speaks to your character, they will be able to picture him in their heads, appearing like he does in his icons.
This only applies to when Sissel is speaking to someone in a log/in person. Over the NVs he can communicate like anybody else, though once he figures it out he will always use voice function (since there is nothing to see of him on a video, and he also cannot read.)
Characters who are sensitive to the supernatural or spirits (mediums, psychics, etc) will be able to sense Sissel's presence without needing to speak to him. What counts as "sensitive" will be totally up to you. I will never protest if your character's powers allow them to detect Sissel.
POSSESSION
Sissel's main ability stems from the fact that he is a ghost, and therefore has no physical body. In order to exist in the world, Sissel has to possess inanimate objects, which he can then manipulate in various ways. This is his main method of getting around and getting things done without having a body to use.
- Objects he possesses will still work normally, and unless your character is speaking with Sissel or sensitive to his presence, they will likely not even notice he's there.
- Sissel cannot manipulate living creatures, human or otherwise. He cannot manipulate dead bodies, either (but see below for what he can do with them.)
- Sissel is a fairly new ghost, so his powers are not very strong. He can't manipulate very large objects, nor very heavy ones. He could possess a steering wheel, but not an entire car. He also can't move long distances between objects-- they have to be within about a yard of each other for him to make the jump.
- His manipulation cannot do something that the object couldn't otherwise do. He is shown to be unable to unlock a locked trunk without the key, for instance-- but he could rock it back and forth or bang the handle against the side.
- Sissel can travel through telephone lines and electrical cords to get from place to place. If he's inside a phone when you make a call, he can trace the number you are speaking to and travel to that location. This is the most efficient way to move him long distances (unless you let him possess your backpack or something.) He cannot be transmitted wirelessly (but he could, say, travel into the modem from the phone line and then jump to the computer.)
FATE AVERSION
If Sissel possesses a corpse that has been dead for less than 24 hours, he has the ability to jump back in time to exactly four minutes before that person's death. If possible, he will try to avert the death from ever occurring by using his other powers at the scene. For example, he might possess your character's bike and steer it out of the way of a speeding bus, or he might try to steer a large rock out of the way from crushing their skull.
This is pretty versatile. In canon, Sissel is able to prevent shootings, stop a heart attack, redirect bombs and even saves a woman from being crushed to death by a gigantic fried chicken. No matter how creative the manner of death, he can usually find a way to stop it.
If Sissel succeeds at this, the death will be "erased" from time and the formerly deceased will continue on their merry way, now that it never happened. However, they will still have a vague, dream-like memory of the event that caused their death-- and if they spoke to Sissel while they were dead, they will also remember him. From then on, they will be able to hear Sissel speak to them, even if they have no other powers that would allow it.
SP-specific: this ability will not work in areas exposed during the Darkness, since the Darkness will claim the corpse before Sissel can get to it.
This could obviously lead to all kinds of crazy shenanigans and goings-on, so if you have a plotty idea for this power (or if you want to kill your characters and then avert their gruesome deaths to allow them off scot-free,) leave me a note and we can discuss it!