March Training / Fourth Wall Event

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Information and Training and... Fourth Wall Event Kickoff!
When: April 22nd 2017 (Kickoff) but Fourth Wall lasts through April 26th
Where: The Far Shore (to start); All Locations here and Map here
Summary: Unexpected visitors arrive in The Far Shore for a little while.





Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are brought into small one-on-one meeting rooms as they appear, with a white-robed shinki offering them an explanation of their current role, the name of the god they will represent or the god they will serve, and directions to the temple that will be their new home.

They are cordially invited to a training session beginning in midafternoon, once they've had the chance to return to their homes, meet their new partners, and have their questions answered.

Gods and Shinki: The Real McCoys

New gods and shinki - the real ones, the ones that were expected - are being packed off to their new temples for the morning to settle in and meet their partners -- this is also a good time to visit with new neighbors or explore the area! What does your new temple look like? Are you headed straight there, or taking the scenic route to get a better sense of your new surroundings?

The Heavens are going about their usual business preparing for the new gods and shinki that they were actually expecting, when unexpected visitors appear out of thin air, as if having teleported in on their own power. They are scooped up along with the new gods and shinki and, initially, treated no differently. "Gods" are new arrivals who have strong memories of who they are, while "shinki" are experiencing various states of memory loss.

4th Wall Gods: A House is not a Home

New gods are normally shown their new temples in the morning and introduced to their new partners. The characters who arrived for the event and experienced no memory loss seem like they should be "Gods" and so white-robed escorts with chrsyanthemum logos on their backs take them to where they think their temples should be - in the Western District, where the other "New and Obscure Gods' Temples" always are. Despite many cleanup attempts, the Western District is still scarred from the aftereffects of a volcanic eruption and earthquake only 3 months ago, with fissures in some of the roads and burn scars in the wild landscape. Along the way, the escort can answer questions as provided on the God 101 page.

When they arrive, the escort is surprised to discover a set of ruins instead. This happens, they explain, but usually when a god leaves The Far Shore, not when they arrive. While the escort starts to rifle through some paperwork to figure out what's going on, the "God" is welcome to explore the ruins and - to the shock of both - the ruins transform.

How it transforms is up to the 4th wall player! It should not be very large, no bigger than a one-room building or, if more natural, a small garden or lake complex. Alternately, the ruins can not transform at all, or simply get cleared away into something more clean-slate like a rock garden plot. Get creative!

Afterwards, the "Gods" are encouraged to show up at the afternoon Training session to better understand their circumstances. Before the escort leaves, the "God" will be provided a phone with which they can access the Heavens' BBS system; their display name will be a warped version of their real name, such as "Bob Smith" appearing as "bOBsMITH" or something else that looks like a glitch.

4th Wall Shinki: And you may ask yourself

New "shinki" will wake by the Meeting Hall in a set of white robes from laying down on a tatami mat with a small box wrapped up and set at their feet. (The box can contain a few belongings of the character's from their canon, provided it can fit. Due to the memory loss, it can include things the character wouldn't recognize.) From the way that the bustling people around the area are talking, this is not a common occurrence.

At some point, a person in white robes with a big chrsyanthemum logo on the back will come to interview the person. "We are working on assigning you to a god and temple, but some things have come up," they try to explain, and will then be able to answer other questions as outlined on the Shinki 101. The "shinki" are encouraged to get dressed and explore the Far Shore if they would like, because eventually they will be assigned to one of the temples out there anyway. At this point, the shinki are also handed a phone in order to connect with the Heavens' BBS system; their display name will be a warped version of their real name, such as "Bob Smith" appearing as "bOBsMITH" or something else that looks like a glitch.

God Training: New and 4th Wall Both

Newly arrived gods are escorted into a small meeting room, with tatami floors and a stage at the front of the room where the speaker stands. A minor deity is giving the speech, and none of the white-robed shinki enter. Paper and pens are provided to all the attendees as an unsubtle suggestion to take notes on the information they're given. Newly arrived gods are encouraged to discuss the information with each other and ask questions of more experienced gods, as well as instructed to guide their new shinki appropriately. They are allowed to remain in the room as long as they wish, should they want to discuss questions with each other or with more experienced gods who are here to help out. The speaker delivers her welcome speech in the monotone of someone who's practiced it far too often. Hopefully no one's feeling sleepy!

It's around this time that the 4th Wall "Gods" might realize that, for as weird as everything's been, their experiences with their temples this morning are not the same as most new Gods. Additionally, they do not possess the power to teleport to and from the Near Shore; they might need a buddy to help them with that part! The 4th Wall Gods can't hear any prayers whispered on the winds either. They can't name shinki, whether those shinki were in the Far Shore before today, or only arrived through the 4th Wall situation. (There is one other kind of shinki that might still respond to their commands though...)

Shinki Training: New and 4th Wall Both

A well-appointed dojo has been prepared for newcomers to practice the physical or magical arts. Outside, there are two impromptu target practice areas: one is for long-range weapons, with targets set up against hay bales at the other side of a wide, grassy area and a line drawn for the weapons' wielders to stand behind. The other is for borderlines.

What are borderlines? The 4th Wall shinki can't do them, no matter how hard they try. If they had previous magical powers, those still work though! Existing gods can name these "shinki" but 4th walled gods can't. The 4th Wall shinki have no death memories to convey to the god and no shinki vessel power, but they can still be used to Rend an ayakashi.

Inside the dojo, there's room for several pairs to spar, and weapons are set up all along one wall, everything from polearms to rifles, chakrams to broadswords. They're all meant for practice, with edges dulled or padded to avoid any accidental deaths, but sparring partners will still have to be careful to avoid injury. There are stacks of informational pamphlets sitting out on tables around the dojo.

Physical Training

The dojo is stocked with a wide variety of practice weapons, traditional and modern, to offer some practice opportunity to gods who, for example, find themselves with a sword shinki but are at risk of cutting off their own toes. It's also useful for veteran new gods wishing to train with their current partner shinki.

Several magically animated straw-stuffed training dummies, many of which have been carefully mended and patched with neat black stitching, are set up on the lawn with a white-robed shinki hovering nearby to watch over them. They make good training partners, although anyone who comes too close risks being targeted for a sparring match whether they wanted one or not. The supervising white-robed shinki has a nametag which reads HELLO, MY NAME IS SABIMEI. (To interact with Sabimei, please comment on the "NPC REQUEST" thread below! If you prefer, you may also handwave his assistance or advice with your character learning spells.)

Rest and Refreshments

There are casks of fresh, cold water near the dojo to make sure no one gets dehydrated, but for those who've finished working, hot tea and enough seasonal treats are available to make it look as though the Heavens bought out an entire sweet shop. They're being distributed by a few shinki in indigo-blue and plain brown robes with the sleeves tied back, who aren't above teasing the newcomers a bit.

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Mingle with the 4th Wall "Gods" and "Shinki"
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Get in some training
• Have fun~
• OOC Event Information Post - ask us questions if you need to!

Comments

[unlucky7]

[Ginia still wipes the dirt off his face, notes the scratches and bruises. She'll take care of those too, after the cut. Those she's certain she can take care, having healed her own scratches and bruises.

She knows she's pretty active and accident prone. Kids have a way of eating pavement all the time. There's still an uneasy feeling she can't explain.

Sha. She knew someone with red hair with the last name Sha. Someone who disappeared quietly, a line missing in the contact list, gone like so many other people over time. Ginia can't say she missed him because she didn't know him well, but she still noticed.

If he's Gojyo and not a concindence... it's a little strange seeing him so young.

And polite.]

I haven't heard of anyone with that name or matching that description. How about we look for her together after I heal you?

[smallest_sand]

[ She's right to be suspicious. It's hard to tell with all the inflammation and scabbing, but those cuts go down to the bone. It's not likely to have been an accident, is it? ]

That's okay. [ Honestly, he doesn't know whether he should be sad or relieved that she doesn't know where his mom is. ] If she's here, I'll find her.

[ And, really, if he does find her... he doesn't want an audience. Something shuts off behind Gojyo's eyes, and he sets his jaw, waiting for the heartache to pass. ]

cw: references to abuse

[unlucky7]

[Ginia can't remember why, but she knows that look. It's a look she and the rest of her team wore often, at or around his age. It's hard to hope when expectations show otherwise, but maybe, maybe it'll be different the next time.

It never is. The yelling never stops. The punishments never stop. The disappointment never stops. How do you hone a weapon? First you remove the human from the child.

She knows that look and it hurts deep in a way she can't explain. Her hand comes to rest on his head in a very gentle pat, a soft ruffle of his head before she pulls her hand away.]

I'm going to touch your face, let me know if it's uncomfortable.

[Thumb up, pointer and middle finger out, the classic halberd position for borderlines. Ginia's finger rests lightly against his cheek, a borderline held in her mind as she traces her fingers around the cut, a glowing line left on his skin. She closes the circle and flicks her hand toward the center of the cut as she signs "line!" there's a bright glow as the borderline fills the circle and begins to heal him, a warming sensation where the borderline covers.]

[smallest_sand]

[ She touches his face, and he takes a deep breath, ready for it to hurt. Next will come the cleaning, right? The alcohol, or maybe something homemade, green and stinking, that'll burn into every cell of his skin. Cleaning wounds hurts almost as much as getting them in the first place, he knows. That's just how life is.

But all she does is wave her hand a little, and Gojyo startles as he cheek warms, the heat drawing the pain away. This is magic, he realizes in an instant. She's using magic to heal him! Holy crap, this is amazing.

You didn't say you could do magic!

[unlucky7]

[So steeped in the world, magic is a part of the daily mundane. Even coming from a world without magic, Ginia's begun to take it as a thing people just do. Gojyo's wonder and reaction is a reminder it's still pretty amazing. Ginia smiles, keeping her hand still as she focuses. The wound is too deep for her to clear completely and she's not sure if it's cleared the infection, though it seems a little less red when she releases the spell. There's still a thin cut left, but it's nothing a bandage won't fix.

The bruises and scratches on his other cheek are much easier to fix, disappearing completely as she heals them one by one. There, much better.]

I'm still learning. I couldn't heal the cut completely, but I'll bandage it for you. How are you feeling?

[smallest_sand]

[ Magic. Maybe he shouldn't be so surprised, given that he's dead and in heaven -- magic's got to be normal in a place like this, right? -- but it's still mind blowing. ]

Okay.

[ Better than okay, really. She got the infection, and the swelling will go down on its own over the next day or so. If he'd had care like this when he was alive, his face might have healed without any scarring at all. It's a miracle.

As soon as the tingle of magic fades, he turns to face her, trying hard to look as serious and mature as he can. ]

I wanna learn how to do that. Will you be my god and teach me how?

[unlucky7]

[It's surprising anyone would think she's a god. The old shinki know exactly who she serves by her uniform. Kimi's right; no one tries to start anything, but the glares a little more pointed and words a bit sharper. The new don't care about uniforms or nora, but the name on the back of her left hand is the plain giveaway.]

I'm a shinki, not a god. My name is Ginia. Has anyone told you about borderlines?

[smallest_sand]

[ Between the shock of discovering that he's dead and the mountain of information dumped on him in the last three hours, he's a little overwhelmed! The name on her hand didn't even register.

He scratches the back of his head, looking abashed. ]

Yeah, I think so. They said somethin' about that, and, um... and fightin' ayagushi, right? Like ghosts?

[unlucky7]

Ayakashi.

[There's no tonal inflection with her phone, but she means it as a gentle correction. At least someone gave him the run down, though it has a way of being intimidating (and indoctrinating).]

Have you met your god yet?

[smallest_sand]

Nuh-uh.

[ He's actually a god, although he doesn't know it. In the whirlwind of new arrivals, he ended up shuffled into the wrong group, and it's not like he's been paying attention closely enough to any of the instructions shared with him to figure that out. All he picked up is that there's gods, and shinkis, and being a kid he's assumed that he's obviously supposed to be one of the latter. ]

There were a couple of these stuffy guys who were talkin' a lot about duty and loyalty and stuff like that, and how great it was that we got to be here servin' some Ama person. [ It was so boring. But then he brightens. ] But then we came here, and there was cake! And that's everything I know, I think.

[unlucky7]

[See, there's the indoctrinating part. There's a slight inward huff at his description of the morning, expression lightening at the mention of cake. Today is definitely another day they've gone all out on the sweets, not that she's complaining. But okay, she can gather he got the rundown but maybe didn't fully pay attention. That's fine, he's a kid.]

You can't cast a borderline without a name, but I can still show it to you. You want to hold your hand like this.

[Thumb up, pointer and middle finger straight ahead, other fingers curled back.]

Then imagine a barrier, something to protect you. Then you draw a line as you say line.

[Or sign, in her case, though she's cast enough to do it without the guiding word. Ginia turns and draws a borderline to their side. The barrier springs into life, a glowing wall of light strong and solid. Without anything to protect against, she keeps it as an open barrier, free for them to move through.]

[smallest_sand]

[ He watches, fully attentive, as she folds her hand into a gun shape, and pew! A bolt of glowing magic bursts forth, forming a kind of wall. He mimics her movement, careful to aim his finger gun off to the side where it won't hurt anyone... not that he's able to cast a borderline right now. ]

I've got a name, though. Sha Gojyo. [ Maybe he's supposed to snap his wrist more? ] Line! [ Crap. Apparently that's not it. ] C'mon, line!

[unlucky7]

[So he really is Gojyo. Seeing him as a child now, remembering him as an adult, there's definitely a sense of stubbornness that's carried through. She watches him try to cast a borderline to no avail.]

You need a name from your god to cast a borderline. It doesn't work otherwise.

[She holds out her left hand, the name printed on her skin in red.]

Nice to meet you, Gojyo. I'm Ginia.

[smallest_sand]

Oh.

[ So that's what the tattoo is, huh? He just thought it was a tattoo, but apparently it's more important than that. His own hand falls to his side, clearly bummed out -- he wanted to do magic, dammit! But his sour mood only lasts a moment before he turns to Ginia with a smile. ]

How do I find my god? They're probably looking for me.

[unlucky7]

[That's a good question. Things have changed since her arrival to now; she taps her phone against her chin. The best option is to check in with Amaterasu's shinki and see if they have his god listed somewhere.]

I believe Amaterasu's shinki would know. The ones in white robes. I can go with you to ask.

[smallest_sand]

[ The ones in white robes. The ones who talked at him like he was an idiot and a problem, and then shuffled him off to go learn how to fight monsters without even telling him where his mom was.

Good. He's been wanting to have a second conversation with some of them. ]

No, I can go. It's okay. [ He nods to the table, with all of her stuff set up to help people. He can't drag her away from that! Plus, he's twelve. He's practically grown, he doesn't need to hold her hand... even if he'd really like to. ] You've got all this to do. I can do it.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia looks at the pint-sized Gojyo and slowly raises a brow. It's isn't as if there aren't kids running around (hi Romeo, hi all of Amaterasu's child shinki) unsupervised. It's not as if it's even dangerous in the training area. It's a bit of child-like bravado there, but he'll probably be okay.

She still worries.]

If you have any trouble, you find me, okay? I'll be here.

Do you have a phone?

[smallest_sand]

[ True fact: Gojyo is made up of 78% bravado, by weight. ]

I have this?

[ They'd called it a phone, but it doesn't look anything like any phone he's ever seen. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and holds it out to her. ]

I dunno how to use it though.

[unlucky7]

[It's nice Heaven charges their phones right away. She'll have to give him a more in-depth rundown on how to use it, but right now Ginia shows him how to pull up the contact list, how to find her name, and how to send a message.]

Remember, if they give you any trouble, I'll come help. Good luck finding your god.

[smallest_sand]

[ He follows along with the instructions -- he'll never be tech-minded, but he's a kid with a new toy, he's definitely interested, at least -- and when she's done he takes the phone back, tucking it carefully into his pocket.

He's not going to hug her. He wants to, but he's not going to. He's not a baby. ]

Okay. ...Thanks, Ginia.

[unlucky7]

[There's the urge to hug him, but Ginia isn't sure if it'd be appreciated. Instead, she gives his head another gentle pat and a warm smile.]

Take care, Gojyo.

[She watches him go, hoping he'll be okay. Hopefully he finds his mother too, though there's a sense it seems unlikely. There's another uneasy sense that she can't shake. No one should have a face that cut and bruised, much less a kid.

...Oh, dammit, she forgot to bandage the cut. Ginia sighs to herself as she begins to tidy up her table.]