Delusion Trigger (E~A)
A
granted to those who possess abnormally warped views of the world around them, allowing their delusions to bleed into reality and affect their surroundings, potentially inciting cases similar to mass hysteria. In most cases, those who possess this Skill are completely unaware of it, due to how strongly their delusions are intertwined with their identities and how they view the world around them. This means that they have little control over this power, and may become a danger to both themselves and others.
An ability granted to Watcher's "wielder", representing the terror Jack brought upon the foggy streets of Whitechapel, and London as a whole. Allows them to propagate a "shared delusion" of fear, paranoia, and psychological horror. This effect initially starts out small, introducing vague feelings of unease and discomfort to those within their immediate vicinity. Yet as the wielder succumbs to their darker impulses, this Skill's range and effectiveness increases overtime. These minor sense of unease may evolve to occasional feelings of being watched or followed, or hearing sounds such as footsteps or heavy breathing. Left untreated, these visual and auditory hallucinations would worsen, to the point where affected minds may come up with highly realistic accounts of the one responsible for their horrifying experiences. An "imaginary Ripper" constantly stalking them from the shadows, just waiting to end their lives in the most gruesomely unimaginable ways possible.
While these delusions do not impede physical and cognitive performance, it gradually blurs boundaries between dreams and reality. Motivated by their increasing fear and paranoia, affected targets also become prone to acting rashly, such as immediately distrusting others, lashing out with violence, or accusingly point fingers at each other. While simply leaving its range would nullify these effects, ultimately, this Skill's limitations are not determined by Watcher themselves, but by those who wield them.
"
Fear is a powerful weapon, Master. More often than not, the real bogeymen pales in comparison to the unspeakable horrors that the human mind can conjure. You can see this in the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Witch Trials, the World Wars... anytime and anywhere, really. Perhaps the same can be said for Jack the Ripper; a demon, a cursed dagger, a doomsday cult... ah, we almost feel bad for falling below their expectations. Alas, now the name 'Jack' falls before you. How will you wield the fear that it entails? We shall observe with great interest."
Information Erasure (
B+)
The removal of information regarding the Servant's True Name, abilities, and appearance from the records and memories of all eye witnesses, including the opponent, following the conclusion of an engagement. A Skill contributed by
Frederick Abberline, as the Chief Inspector responsible for investigating the Ripper murders. This effect is enforced even if the battle took place in broad daylight or was recorded by devices such as digital recordings of a closed-circuit camera. Due to the inspector's expertise in police work and forensic science, it is also possible to forge evidence and fabricate testimonies, redirecting one from suspicion, or even reframing them as the "hero" of the story.
"
Flip your thinking around. A criminal and a detective, a murderer and a police inspector... they must not be polar opposites, but two sides of the same coin. To solve a crime, a detective ought to think like a criminal, while to commit one, a criminal ought to think like a detective. If you think about it that way, you'll notice the holes, the little imperfections... the filth hidden underneath the beautiful surface. Afterwards... it's just a matter of plucking out those unsightliness, one by one."
Showmanship (
B)
A Skill denoting mastery in performing arts, contributed by
Richard Mansfield. A talented actor who played the part of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he fell from grace when his audiences came to the conclusion that no actor could make so convincing a stage transformation from a gentleman into a mad killer without being genuinely homicidal. Based on this anecdote, Watcher grants its wielder the ability to manipulate their own emotions in such a convincing manners that only the most perceptive individuals may distinguish between their "true self" and whatever role they assume.
"
You see, the truth is, we all wear masks. It makes us feel safe. As if the world is a kind and benevolent place where there is a clear definition of good to pursue and evil to destroy. It allows us to turn a blind eye to the unpredictable chaos that lurks beneath their preconceived notions of justice and order... hypocrites, all of them. They forced the mask of a monster upon me. So be it. As a performer, Who am I to go against their demands? Now then, let us take center stage in this depraved charade once again!"
We're All Mad Here (C-)
A Skill contributed by
Lewis Carroll. It is the perfect replication of Wonderland as a realm that inherently rejects logic and rationality, while embracing madness. A land of talking animals, mythical beasts, tyrannical queens, and tea parties... or so it may seem. Under this particular Class, this Skill is a representation of the author's (alleged) sanity slippage during his later years. A Skill that temporarily overwrites Delusion Trigger whenever it is activated. An aura of "nonsense" perpetually enshrouds Watcher's "wielder" so long as it remains active, warping the concepts of all written or spoken communication. The longer one spends in their company, the more they become "infected" by this unique variant of madness, that is; a deliberate rejection of the norms imposed by language and logic. Those affected will begin to speak in a bizarre poetic "nonsense-language", impeding any efforts at communication. Overtime, even their thoughts are "translated" into the nonsense-language, turning them into alien beings isolated from the rest of humanity.
This effect normally takes up to several days to progress and can be blocked out by mental protection Skills or Noble Phantasms. Those affected will gradually return to normal once they leave this Skill's range, unless they've already reached the final stage. However, it works faster if the target attempts to directly attack Watcher's wielder with language, like through spells that rely an active incantation. In that case the spells will be "
" into a nonsensical language, preventing the relevant mystery from actualizing or forcing it to do so in an unpredictable way that may backfire randomly on the caster.
Incidentally, as this Skill represents Carroll's sanity slippage as opposed to the "true" absurdity of Wonderland, its own user may also gradually fall victim to this madness if the Skill is used for long periods of time.
"Ah, but I just can't help it! We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad. Is any one of us ever truly 'sane' to begin with?"