014 | A Whole New World

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Exploring the world
When: All day June 26
Where: The Near Shore (All Over)
Summary: So many shrines have popped up! Go visit your homelands!



The Heavens have received reports of many shrines to the "new gods" they are harboring appearing all over the world. These shrines seem to be additional, new shrines to those gods. Older shrines to those gods still exist, but these ones are shiny, new, and way more compatible with the "new gods". God characters, as well, will have felt the sudden pull towards their homelands and be compelled to travel to them. But the Heavens have taken it a step farther, offering the Meeting Hall as a place for gods and shinki to group up and go out for the day to the various places that are now calling out to them.

Please ignore the fact that they are mostly doing this so that you all will collect information for them without their begging for it or having to reward you.



Meeting Hall

The Meeting Hall is being used as a sort of hub right now. Any groups that are planning to meet up and travel together can meet here, but you might also find someone who's going somewhere you'd like to and tag along with them. Additionally, the Heavens have provided packed lunches for everyone to take with them, should they desire to. This also serves as a meeting place for all of the new gods and shinki.

Locals

Local pantheons have been alerted to the impending visitors. They are happy to welcome their brethren home and are likely to make a big fuss about their brothers and sisters staying with them. Local gods are welcome to be interpreted however you would like, just be sure not to NPC any god that is already taken by a god player. Also, you may find yourself running into some local spirits during your sight-seeing - including local ayakashi and various folklore spirits.

Flyers

They may not stick out at first, but those who are paying attention will notice that there are a large number of flyers being left around at their new shrines. Heck, even walking through the human towns, you will find flyers scattered on the ground and pinned to cork boards and nailed to telephone poles. All bear the same message: "Down with the Heavens. Down with Amaterasu." The locals gods are well versed in the flyers, saying that there have been some strange characters around throwing these flyers at anyone who will give them the time of day. Even humans will note that some shady-looking people have been putting up these strange posters.

Destruction

Whether you return early because of boredom, never left because you're uninterested, or late because you've been having fun, the middle of the night will bring an interesting sight to all. The Heavens will find themselves under attack - in the form of a large fire set at the temple of Amaterasu herself. The entire home is going up in flames and no one knows where Amaterasu is. They're asking for help in dousing the fire or even entering the burning home to find the small goddess and possibly look for the saboteurs, though the only people who are still around are Amaterasu's shinki, in varying states of distress and consciousness.

Note: Who will discover Amaterasu will be decided randomly on 3/20/17 OOC. At that point, a follow-up post will be made by Amaterasu herself.

In Summary:

• Explore the world
• Get to know your homelands
• Investigate insurgents
• Deal with a riot
• Save Amaterasu
• Have fun~

Comments

[darkestbefore]

Meeting Hall

[ To say being pulled to another world without warning was confusing and disorienting would be the understatement of the century. But to be ushered into this place, bustling and as crowded as it is with gods and shinki alike, only makes it feel all the more overwhelming. She'd been given instructions on her new role here, on the goddess she was here to fulfill the duties of, an explanation - such as it was - and told that she would find her own shinki here, even if the idea of what that meant still made her uncomfortable and uneasy.

So with an indecisiveness that's unusual for her, the young red-haired goddess hovers at the edge of the room, wide eyes searching through the crowd to see if she can feel the pull to this 'shinki' they've told her she's been given and already feeling entirely out of place in this very foreign new world. ]

Locals; Ireland

[ None of the countries in this world are familiar to her, but the goddess she is here to represent strikes a chord with some others she encountered in the Meeting Hall and she is directed here, to Ireland, which is said to be the homeland of her goddess, Áine. The shrine that calls to her is set atop a tall hill, ringed with high stone arches already covered with creeping ivy. A single rock is set at its center, rising narrow and jutting high towards the sun overhead. Flat stones from a nearby river are set into the grass to make a walkway. Or, perhaps, a fairy circle.

It is overwhelmingly vibrantly green and for a moment Yona can only stop at the entrance and stare in wonder at the natural beauty of the place and how much it calls to her. She has no idea who might have created this special place but upon stepping inside the stone circle, for the first time since arriving here, she feels some of her anxiety and fear fade away in the bright warmth of the sun and the peace of this place.

Except it doesn't take her long to realize that she isn't alone, the sense of being watched drawing her gaze up to search for the source, keenly aware of the feel of eyes on her even if she can't pinpoint where it's coming from. or, for that matter, if it's a friendly visitor or an unfriendly one... ]

Destruction

[ Yona returns to the Far Shore after a long day full of strange new discoveries, only to find the place she left in chaos and one of the large temples engulfed in flames. It has her stopping short in horror for a moment before she bursts into action to help, whether it be aiding in putting out the fire where she can or pushing into the temple in search of anyone who might still be trapped inside, calling out to anyone inside who can hear her, no matter the risk. It might not be the wisest course of action, but she can't just stand by while people might be trapped inside. being a goddess might be new to her, but saving those in need of her help? That is something she won't hesitate to act on again. ]

[justclaws]

[First thought: It has to be her.

[Second thought, hard on the heels of the first: It cannot be her. He is seeing things, that is all, seeing the Princess's hair and features on some other girl, any girl at all, for no more reason than he desperately wants her to be here. Kairi looks, in some lights, enough like the Princess to... to trouble him. Kija has not told her this, of course. She cannot help the way she looks.

[Third thought: It is definitely her. Her hair is shorter than he remembers it, but everything else - yes, everything else is exact, absolutely exact, even after two or three hard blinks.

[After that come emotions, and for a split second Kija is overwhelmed, than just plain ecstatic: he wants nothing more than to call out to his Princess, to run to her side - just her side, Jae-ha, thank you - and never let her out of eyeshot again unless decorum dictates it is absolutely necessary and decorum, right now, can clearly and absolutely go hang--

[For a second, just that: then he remembers where he is, he remembers Yoon, and after that he is terrified.

[Because Kija doesn't even know what to call her any more. Because he cannot (damn this place, damn the way it splits them all off from one another!) he cannot let on that he knows her, not without knowing - good God - what she is. The thought she might have forgotten everything, forgotten not only what they had been through together, not only who her guardians are but forgotten even herself, forgotten, for crying out loud, the simple fact that she is royalty... that thought is terrible, and it is only too terribly plausible. Who is to say that the madmen in charge of this place would not look at someone like her, a princess, a warrior, an absolutely elemental force for justice and change and see nothing but... but another servant?

[And then he realizes he is staring at her.

[And then Kija thinks to wonder exactly how long he has been staring at her for.

[And he doesn't even know what to call her, and he cannot think of anything to do but hide. Moving - and now people are staring back - far too quick and too sudden, he ducks behind the nearest thing that looks substantial enough to hide him and tries desperately to think of something to do...

[Which is when he hits on the BBS. Yes, last time it went badly but this is an emergency. Digging out the strange and entirely too fragile box that was foisted on him by whoever was in charge he struggles with it for a few accursed moments before (quickly, quickly, there is no time for this) posting a message aimed at absolutely anyone who might happen to see it, at all--

[All right. That will have to do.

[Now. Is there nowhere better to hide?]

[darkestbefore]

[ No, there is not, because Yona might have caught the flash of white as he dashed into cover the first time, it's just taken her this long to push her way through the crowd to investigate.

And sure enough, as she peeks around the pillar to find him crouched over some small strange device, it is, in fact, just who she had hoped it might be. She couldn't sense him, not like he could with his brothers, but there had been that same sense of knowing when she'd caught the quick movement out of the corner of her eye, just like when she'd first met Shin-Ah, and Jae-ha.

And despite how impossible it might seem, the relief that floods through her at the sight of a familiar face here at last, Yona can't help but break into a bright smile at discovering him. Even if he is hiding - a fact that, for the moment, goes completely over her head. ]

Kija!

Meeting Hall

[rainbowmaster]

[This place is unfamiliar and while Johan was told this is where gods and shinki meet, it's a shame he doesn't get to meet his own shinki aside from getting a soulless one.

Not. That he's sure what to do with it.

Ruby nudges his cheek, a soft coo, and he chuckles.] Yeah, let's go look around.

[It's not very long before he notices Yona and he makes his way over to her.]

Are you okay?

[darkestbefore]

[ She startles a little at his arrival, having been distracted by searching through the crowd, but she offers him a sheepish sort of smile at his inquiry, reaching up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. ]

Other than very confused? I think so. I'm afraid this is all... very overwhelming.

Destruction

[rememberher]

[ If rushing in to help was considered unwise, then Lux was just as bad as Yona in that regard. And at first, Lux could have sworn that the woman was born of those flames herself--fiery red hair and a presence that was hard to ignore--familiar? Nostalgic might be a better word, but still didn't begin to describe the jumble of something heavy sitting like a lead ball in her stomach.

She caught the woman's arm after a moment, as she passed. Her own face slightly pink from the heat, she looked at Yona dead on, unwavering. Ethereally white cloak caught in the wind of flames and glowing around her. ]

You can't go in there by yourself like that! It's dangerous!

[ Never mind that was what Lux was doing this whole time.

[darkestbefore]

[ At the hand on her arm, Yona pauses, gaze sharp and assessing and perhaps far more observant than some might give her credit for. Meeting the other young woman's gaze, she gently rests her fingers on the back of the hand holding her still, her own expression surprisingly calm in the face of the chaos happening around them. But her own determination is no less firm despite the light touch. ]

There could still be people trapped in there. Someone has to go in and make sure everyone is out.

[bartenderizing]

[ It's kind of a thing when you suddenly wake up only knowing your name and that you were dead. Which didn't make sense because he didn't feel dead, having woken up and moving about. Someone said that there was food, and dead people didn't need to eat (right?), and that he was assigned to a god or something. They might've said something more, like who his god was, but honestly?

Shizuo wasn't good at remembering names.

Honestly, he probably would've forgotten after having walked around for about ten minutes. The tall blond isn't the best at following his feelings, or amusingly, that's what his gut tells him. So he figured the best thing was to walk around. Maybe get that food.]

Ah, sorry.

[ Turns out that both work out pretty well. While he was eating some of the lunch, Shizuo also brushed passed (which probably would've felt a little closer to a hard bump to Yona,) the redhead. ]

You're okay, yeah?

[darkestbefore]

[ Being jostled is not so unusual for her - especially while standing in this place, which seems especially busy today with people heading in every direction imaginable. At the apology, she reacts on instinct, lifting her gaze up to his face, smile already curving across her lips as she opens her mouth to reassure him.

Except she feels it, the moment she meets his gaze. It's not the same as when she met Shin-Ah, or Jae-ha, or any of the others. There had been an awareness there that was subtle, a knowing, an assurance, but she'd doubted herself a little all the same, needed some time to realize that she'd felt drawn to them for a reason.

This wasn't the same. This wasn't the same at all. The connection is there almost immediately, strong and tugging at her, nearly leaving her breathless as her eyes widen, drinking in his appearance, feeling something slam into her, slot into place like she'd been missing something without realizing it. ]

You... Are you...?

[ She's never had a shinki before, although this feels like the intensity she'd had described to her, but a moment later, before she can even form the words of the question she intends to ask, the rest she'd been warned about follows.

The child, playing. The roar of a distant... what was that? A dragon? A monster of metal and speed unlike anything she'd ever seen or even imagined. The too-small figure of this one man stepping in to stop it, placing himself in harm's way for the sake of the child. Pain, fear, desperation.

The vision ends with an abruptness that leaves her breathless, eyes burning with unshed tears as she sways on her feet, feeling weak and a little nauseous from the sudden onslaught of memories that did not belong to her.

...Or did they, now? ]

Meeting Hall

[oathkeeper]

[The meeting hall can always get so crowded. Especially with so many newbies about mixed in with almost all the pantheons congregating before their trips out to the rest of the world. Sora himself is busy trying to gather up everyone from his own family, having lost Add somewhere in the crowd.

He's looking one way and not the other when he bumps gently into a girl.]

Oh- Whoops! I'm sorry, are you okay?

[And it's a face he doesn't recognize. She's really pretty.]

[darkestbefore]

[ She wobbles, having been caught unexpectedly by the sudden collision, but she rights herself without much difficulty, a wry laugh escaping her as she carefully sidesteps around him in the close confines they've been jostled into. ]

It's alright, there's no harm done. It's easy to do, with this place as crowded as it seems to be. Are you alright?

Destruction

[kokuyoyo]

[Right as she's trying to turn a corner, Yona almost runs into another person- a lanky teenager trying to keep himself ducked down away from the smoke, his shirt pulled up over his face and his dark green beanie covered in ash. He barely avoids colliding with her, taking a step back to quickly assess her.]

Who are you?

[darkestbefore]

[ She reacts quickly, falling back, her fingers going to the sash at her waist where a small blade is hidden. Being in this place, fighting off the panic of searching through what she can reach of the temple, is bring back bad memories, even if this is vastly different than what she endured. it has her regarding the sudden appearance of a stranger with wariness rather than the ease she might normally respond with.

....lacking Hak watching over her has also put her more on edge tonight as well.

But the stranger speaks after bumping into her rather than attacking, so her fingers still, the blade never reappearing, the weapon remaining hidden and undrawn as she glances up to meet his gaze. her own face and hands are dirty and stained with soot from the smoke and fire, and her own efforts to find anyone potentially trapped within this temple.

Still, she hesitates before answering and then gives the name of her goddess instead of her own. Just in case. ] I am Áine. Who are you? Do you live in this place?

meeting hall I AM SO SORRY THIS IS LATE

[eternalshield]

[...Zeno briefly considered, you know, thinking this through. Briefly.

But the part of his heart that spent two thousand years longing for Hiryuu has spent his weeks in the Far Shore similarly longing for Yona. To his delight, too, it was Yona specifically that he missed. Her enthusiasm and magnetism were subtly different from the king's. He'd followed her because she was Hiryuu, but he joined her, made himself known to her, placed the full power of the four dragons under her command because she was the adorable little miss who put herself back together as though every could, who asked for the greatest power the heavens had ever bestowed upon the earth-- but never took more than she needed for just herself and her man and whoever else touched her heart and conscience.]

Miss!

[Have a frantic dragon waving! He dodges some passing body and takes his rightful place at her side and maybe it's just because he's been trying very, very hard not to put his poor put-upon wife shinki in an awkward position, but he skips thinking things through, reasons that the heavens would never dare (and if they did, he'd just pass it off as friendly eccentricity), and wraps her up in a loose hug.]

IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT BECAUSE FEEEEEELS

[darkestbefore]

[ She hears that voice ring out, familiar and excited and oh-so-very welcome and Yona's head comes up, eyes quickly searching the surrounding crowds for a familiar blond head of hair. She spots him easily, pushing his way towards her and her face lights up in joy as she hurries forward, her confusion and anxiety forgotten for a moment in the delight of meeting him here. ]

Zeno!

[ Even if he hadn't hugged her first, she'd had the same intent, throwing her arms around him when they reach one another, exuberant and relieved to find another familiar face. Some of the fear of finding herself here, the uncertainty of so much unknown and foreign to her banished in that comforting familiar warmth that he always seemed to have wrapped about him, thawing everything and everyone in his presence, and she was never more grateful for it than right now. ]

You're here, too? Ah, I'm so glad to see you!

Locals

[thirdbeauty]

[Natsuru's not exactly dressed in the most understated of outfits. She'd stick out quite a bit among the locals if they could notice her, except for maybe around similarly costumed dancers. She didn't know what would be normal fashion in Ireland, okay? She thought the dress was cute!

It's even less suited to traveling in the more wild, green hills like the place Maria's local shrine sits. Or the land she's exploring right now, closer to the shrine of another local goddess.

She'd only just noticed Yona nearby, when the other girl looks up as if scanning for someone nearby.]

Ah? Hello...?

[Is she bothering her?! Maybe she shouldn't have strayed so far...]

[darkestbefore]

[ At the sound of a voice calling out in greeting, there's something in Yona that relaxes, reassured that someone who might intend her harm wouldn't give away their presence and location so easily. With the call to guide her, it doesn't take Yona long to locate the other girl, casting her a rueful smile. ]

Ah, hello! Sorry, you just startled me. I hadn't realized there was anyone else nearby.

Meeting Hall

[stonebird]

(She looks lost and that tugs at Sansa's heart. Young women should try to stick together; any time they spend in conflict with one another leaves them vulnerable to any/all of the cruel men (and women) - though thankfully Sansa has not encountered any that match up to those in Westeros.

She knows she might seem intimidating in her Georgian dress, so she smiles encouragingly to offset the austerity of the costume.)

You needn't fear; most of us do not bite.

[darkestbefore]

[ Yona's head comes up when someone speaks to her, blinking a moment in surprise, and then again when she takes in the strange but colorful dress the other girl wears. But then she smiles, bright and warm, before dipping into a polite bow of greeting. ]

Ah! Sorry. I didn't mean to be that obvious. It's less I am afraid and more... hmm. Overwhelmed, perhaps? This place is very strange to me.

Meeting hall

[fadingsunshine]

[The truth is, she had seen the red-haired girl being hugged by Zeno earlier that day. Kaya hadn't gotten close enough to hear what they talked about, but they both had looked happy and with recognition in their eyes.

(She tried to ignore the pangs of... Jealousy? Envy? It felt childish to wish for a hug like that from Zeno. It was silly to feel lonely.)

Thinking about it, hadn't Kija posted on the BBS an interesting question? He had said at Kaya's arrival that Zeno and him had a shared past. The other god must have meant this girl. And she seemed to be a goddess, if she could remember Zeno.

Despite the weird emotion sinking in her stomach, seeing Zeno beaming like that was a blessing. And she was happy for Kija, who was constantly suffering. So she bore no ill to this redhead stranger. As a matter of fact, she was curious and wanted to meet her. The girl should be nice, if such two kind boys were her friends. And as her friend's shinki, she should be warm and welcoming to her.

And thus, after Zeno leaves a long time later, Kaya approaches her. She'll find him later.]

Hi! You're new here, right?

[darkestbefore]

[ The girl who comes up to her is unfamiliar, but her smile is warm and friendly and Yona can't help but return it as she turns to greet her, inclining her head at the question. One hand lifts, tucking a stray scarlet curl behind one ear in an absent gesture of self-consciousness. ]

I am. Is it that obvious?

Meeting hall

[changeanddie]

[Here's a young boy who looks as lost as she is, except he seems ecstatic. He's rocking on his heels as he examines the hub and the strange characters that walk around with a cheeky smile. He also holds a lunch box and he's looking forward to taste it.]

Ireland

[smilingbullet]

[ This is all very exciting. It doesn't feel entirely new to the shinki (wearing a kilt for the occasion) but! that doesn't matter, because he has all the intention of familiarizing himself a little with the land of his new god.

He saw this girl at the meeting hall earlier, of course, since they were going to the same country and all, but he didn't get the chance to speak to her before. ]

I wonder if we seem so scary they're afraid to come out~

[ Then he cheerfully raises a hand, arm bent at the elbow. ]

Hi! I haven't seen you 'round the Far Shore before.

Meeting Hall

[pure_radiantics]

[Kairi can't help but notice the young girl roughly her age also with red hair looking quite sullen. Naturally, she approaches.]

Hey there - my name's Kairi. I couldn't help but notice you looked like you could use a friend.

[And she holds out her hand to shake, or maybe hug, depending on how the other girl feels.]

Post-Destruction

[handsome_genius]

[ Yoon's been doing his best during the entire chaos, but eventually things do settle down. That's when Yoon gets to work, walking around the site and generally trying to help people who look like they could use it. One such person he assumes to be this young woman. He doesn't give her an ounce of recognition. He's dressed in a more modern t-shirt and slacks currently (although they ARE still hand made), but the telltale satchel is slung over his shoulder and the feather is in his hair.

The difference is that there's a symbol on his left inner wrist, clearly visible as his hands move when he approaches her. ]

Oi. You're not hurt, are you? You don't look burned...

[ He's analyzing her from a short distance to start with. ]