016 | The Good Old Days

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Ageswapping
When: July 15-17
Where: Everywhere
Summary: A breach in the space-time continuum is messing things up.

Edit: OVERFLOW is here!



The Far Shore has been dealing with a lot of space-time pulsating through the past week or so and everything is culminating on the night of the 15th, even though the Heavens are preparing for an all-out Obon bash. They had planned to have the celebration on the 15th itself, but Amaterasu asked to postpone a day due to the horrible feeling that is permeating the Far Shore.

And it turns out she was right to postpone everything. In fact, it will have to be postponed another whole month at this rate...



Before

Late in the day on July 15th, the new batch of shinki will arrive to a Far Shore with a thick, tense atmosphere. All night on the 15th it feels like something is about to happen - and it's difficult to tell whether that something will be good or bad. Any attempts to contact the management of the Far Shore have fallen on deaf, slightly harried ears and so everyone is left to their own devices to try and figure out why things are so tense.

July 16

Just after midnight, an explosive shock wave rips through the Far Shore, bringing on the age changes with it. Even the spirits of the Far Shore seem to be affected - for example, the library goblins are either toddling around on wobbly legs or are dragging themselves from place to place and looking decrepit. There are a few gods and shinki that seem to have been exceptions from the change, though it is not clear why.

July 17

Another wave of energy comes in the early morning of the 17th. Fewer people are affected this time and it seems to alter those people's ages a second time. There is no rhyme or reason to who is being affected further. Several of the library goblins have just dropped dead from severe old age. Oops.

Aftermath

Late on the 17th brings about one final burst from the energy that has been plaguing the Far Shore. For a short moment, every new temple glows with a soft light, seeming to beckon to their owners. But the light is gone quickly and everyone will find themselves back to normal with complete memories of everything that happened during their age adventures. The goblins that died, though, are still very dead. Looks like the library will need to get some new help soon.

In Summary:

• Meet the newbies
• Get aged or de-aged
• Deal with other too young/too old people
• Try to handle the consequences
• Have fun~

Comments

[kokuyoyo]

...Okay. If it's just a small thing..

[Then it should be alright. It's better if it's a small thing in exchange for something important like this, right?]

So what do we do?

[kokuyoyo]

Do you make them with magic? Like with your horn?

[kokuyoyo]

Then make sense! Getting angry doesn't fix anything either.... And it just makes me tired...

[kagenonadeshiko]

'Kay. Since there's no forests, we should look for shelter. I saw some old buildings. We could hide out in one of those.

[Preferably a place with walls of stone and very few entry points. It'd be much easier to hold and defend that way.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

Well, you're small. Do you live here alone, then?

[It seems like an awfully big place for a little boy live in by himself. And with her memories of everyone gone, Ayumu's unable to place him at all.]

It just seems like adults wouldn't let you go up on the roof, is all.

[sweetdeath]

Selty?

[He's trying! He looks fascinated.]

I'm Asato. Um, I think I'm lost.

[kagenonadeshiko]

Well, first off, you need to learn all about anatomy. See, there are points on the body that everyone has, including adults. If you know where these points and how to hit them, you can make people hurt a lot.

[As open as she is about teaching pressure points, Ayumu's not quite ready to teach a child how to straight up murder just yet. Partly out of practical reasons - he's too short, for one, and when learning new skills, it's important to learn and master the basics first. Of course, there's other things to learn, too.

As an adult, she'd probably hold off until teaching pressure points but Ayumu's little more than a kid herself and eager to get to the fun stuff.]

Is it alright if I show you where they are on you? I won't hit them. It'll just be easier to remember them that way and you'll be able to protect yourself if someone tries to hurt you through them.

[kokuyoyo]

[He listens carefully, nodding along to show he understands- this all seems pretty sensible! However, it's at her offer that he looks unsure again.]

Promise on your honor?

[...That's what she said right-]

[kagenonadeshiko]

On my honor. I'm not going to hurt you. Just show you where others can and then I'll show you where those spots are on me, too. I know I'm short but I'm bigger, right? It'll give you an idea of where to hit on a grown up.

[She's smiling reassuringly as she says this. Of course, there's the risk he'll use that knowledge to hurt her but it's one she'll take to gain his trust. Besides, she knows how to manage her pain.]

[kokuyoyo]

....Okay.

[He's still very clearly worried, but he holds out his arms- that's what you do, right?]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[It's good enough. Ayumu reaches over to rest her palm on the flat of his forehead.]

This one might be harder for you to use without a weapon but if you hit here, you can force a person's head back. If you hit really hard, you can rattle their brains in their skull and give them a concussion! Pretty neat, huh?

[No, Ayumu. It isn't.]

And the eyes are always a good target. Not only does it hurt to get hit there but you can blind your opponent so they can't see you well. If you do that, it'll be easier for you to run away.

[There's other areas of the head to cover, too, but she wants to make sure he's following along so far so she pauses here.]

Got that so far? There's other places on just the head, too.

[And going from top to bottom is just easier.]

[inatimepast]

I’m actually an adult.

[ He doesn’t say it in any petulant or stubborn way, the way children says they are adults. He says it very matter-of-factly. ]

But I dropped, like, 20 years yesterday, and haven’t grown big again yet. So I don’t really need permission to go up on the roof.

[inatimepast]

Yeah....

[ Now he’s turning suspicious again. What does this guy know that he doesn’t? ]

[youngblue]

At least it doesn’t make people sit in a corner and do absolutely nothing.

[disciplineking]

A real kitty. He is big and fluffy.

[Hibari had petted Kishi for a little before the cat had run away somewhere, and he was hoping the animal would come back.]

[nibelungvalesti]

F-filling in?! For a god?!

[The poor peasant girl is having her views of theology very damaged indeed today.]

[nibelungvalesti]

Oh, yes! If they're abandoned, they ought to be really safe. [No one ever even THINKS to look in abandoned buildings unless they have a really good cause.]

[mithrarin]

[That kids need a chance to be kids. That's what he knows. Even if they're secretly adults...]

I don't know the answers, honestly. It's something I don't remember. I don't remember much of anything, but I know what I feel inside.

[letteropener]

That's how unicorns do it. Pegasi and earth ponies have to grind the glass themselves, or pay the unicorns.

[junkyarddog]

[Quattordici nods.] And adults are dangerous to kids.

[junkyarddog]

[Quattordici cocks his head as Butch speaks, considering this idea. It's a viewpoint he hasn't really considered before.]

I guess. [Butch's logic certainly makes sense; he's not disputing that.] But I still wanna be older. You're weak when you're little.

[His eyes light up at that offer, however, completely derailing him from any darkness in his train of thought.] Yeah! How do you do it? [And he moves right over to see, all interest.]

[junkyarddog]

Well, here! [And Quattordici shifts his armful of food, peering at it to see what can be safely removed, and points with one finger.] You want that bag of chips?

[junkyarddog]

[Quattordici watches him carefully before moving, wanting to make sure he knows where to come back for him.] You might be able to climb the tree if anyone comes. [Might; Quarantanove isn't as active or agile as Quattordici is, so he's not sure he can manage it.] If you need to run, though, just come back to the tree when it's safe, okay? I'll wait for you there.

[Only then, satisfied with the precautions for Quarantanove's safety and their ability to find each other again, does he sneak up to the building. After some brief investigation from outside, he promptly slips into the building. Quarantanove will have a long half hour or so to wait; there's a lot for Quattordici to explore, and he's too cautious not to be thorough before bringing Quarantanove - or any other kids - inside as a hiding place.]

[junkyarddog]

Really? I wanna see it too! [Quattordici scoots a little closer in his interest, eyes gleaming.] Where'd you see it? What color was it?

[kokuyoyo]

[Oh, no arms, then. He goes utterly still when she touches his forehead, although he listens carefully to what she's saying and his eyes light up a little at the explanation. Screw you, narration, that is totally neat.]

Yeah! But, um- for the eyes....

[He scuffs his foot against the ground.]

That means you have to be near them, right...? My arms aren't long enough.