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

[priforprincess]

Falulu got it in PriParis!

[ As opposed to some of her other outfits, which she picked up as part of awakening from being nothing but a doll created from everyone's love of idols (now she is a Real Girl). This is also a way one may expand one's wardrobe. ] There are lots of pretty clothes there. It matches Unicorn!

[ so, not a shinki, just...pure ]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Very pure. It's cute. If Falulu remembers such a place, it definitely rules her out as a shinki. From what Ayumu's gathered during her time here, there's no such place in this world.]

PriParis? That sounds like an interesting place. And Unicorn? I'd like to hear more if you have time.

[Ayumu pats the seat beside her. Light conversation is infinitely preferable to dealing with those unfamiliar shinki.]

[priforprincess]

Falulu doesn't know what she's doing here, so there's lots of time.

[ If you say so, Falulu. She takes a seat next to Ayumu, making sure to tuck her skirt beneath herself. Unicorn would want her to! ]

What does Ayumu want to hear about first?

[kagenonadeshiko]

[So innocent. Ayumu will just have to keep her eye on her, won't she? She thinks, tapping her chin thoughtfully a moment before speaking.]

How about Unicorn first? Then you can tell me all about PriParis.

[priforprincess]

Unicorn is Falulu's manager! She is, um, a mascot. Her tail goes around like this - [ Falulu twirls a finger ] - and her horn sticks up like this. [ She makes a point with her index fingers above her forehead.

What else. Hm. ] Unicorn likes to scold and worry, but Falulu knows that's because she cares about everyone. It's because Unicorn looked after her that Falulu was able to grow up properly.

[ A big grin. ] She's the precious first person Falulu met!

[kagenonadeshiko]

[What a cute girl. Ayumu mimics Falulu's unicorn with her fingers, not to make fun of her but simply because, well, it looks fun. And maybe Ayumu's definition of fun has always been a little odd or lame compared to an average person's. The concept's still a work in progress for her.

Her smile is completely genuine.]

Unicorn sounds very nice. And it's good that you recognize that some people scold and worry because they care. Not everyone understands that.

[There's a certain monocle wearing God of Fortune that comes to mind immediately, for instance. Though to be fair, Ayumu never been much better.]

It's important for big sisters to help their little siblings grow up.

[priforprincess]

[ Falulu nods: this has struck an encouraging chord. ] It is! Falulu is trying to be a good big sister to the Mini Falulus, too!

[ TO HELP UNICORN!

But wait! She covers a mouth with a surprised hand. ] Oh! Falulu jumped right to the Mini Falulus without talking about PriParis. Her world is bigger than she thought.

[ ...that's kind of a nice thought, in and of itself. As is that now she has this whole new world to look around in. And it has nice people like Ayumu in it! ]

[kagenonadeshiko]

It's all right. You can tell me all about the Mini Falulus first, too, if you want.

[After everything Ayumu's seen and experienced in the Far Shore at this point, she's picturing literal miniature versions of Falulu. She's long since accepted that simple Japan she'd once lived in is a distant place in her past. Very little surprises her about anything anymore.]

I'm interested in hearing about all of it. My world's gotten very big, too.

[Since the Far Shore has become such a huge part of her life since coming here.]

[priforprincess]

Was it small before?

[ Falulu will get back to talking about herself in a moment. But she's always curious, interested in learning new things.

And if that new thing she learns is more about a new friend, that's even better! The thought of a small world...is very sad. In small worlds, one tends to be alone.

Falulu doesn't want to be alone, or for her friends to be alone. ]

[kagenonadeshiko]

It was. Kind of cold and dark, too. It wasn't very fun at all.

[Endless pressure and loneliness. Lack of rest. It'd taken a lot for Ayumu to learn how to open up to others even just a little bit.]

Maybe not literally but I didn't have many friends at all where I'm from or really understand why people need them.

[priforprincess]

Falulu - knows that feeling!

[ Scoot scoot so she's facing Ayumu more. Falulu clasps her hands together. ]

You know, at the beginning, Falulu was just a doll. She didn't know what "friends" were, or anything else. She was all alone.

But, after meeting Laala and Mahou-chan and everyone, she learned. Friends...are very warm. And now she lives in PriParis with so, so, so many friends!!

[ FALULU HAS A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT THIS SUBJECT, IT'S MAKING HER HAIR BOUNCE ]

If Ayumu feels how warm friends are, too - that makes Falulu happy!!

[kagenonadeshiko]

[A doll? Nothing surprises Ayumu about this place anymore, honestly. A young girl with bright green hair in cute clothes? Why not at this point?]

They are really warm though I'm not sure they realize it. I think I need to learn better ways of telling them that. I'm not very good and showing people how much I care about them.

[Falulu seems really expressive. Maybe Ayumu could pick up a few pointers from her.]

But I'm happy for you, Falulu-chan. I'm glad you've managed to make so many friends. I'm still learning how myself.

[priforprincess]

Really?

[ That last part, about still learning, doesn't quite add up. Because: ]

But Ayumu is already Falulu's friend. She shouldn't be too hard on herself.

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Truly a sweet girl.]

Thank you, Falulu-chan. It's very nice to have a new friend.

[Especially when it's so difficult for her to maintain friendships.]

You're right. I'll try not to be so hard on myself from now on.

[priforprincess]

[ Hooray for looking after ourselves! Falulu seems pleased. ]

Should Falulu talk about PriParis now?

[ Would that make Ayumu happy? Falulu is glad she found they have something in common, but she doesn't want to see her friend be sad. ]

[kagenonadeshiko]

Sure. Go right ahead. I'm eager to hear more about it.

[It would cheer her up, honestly. It always lifts her spirits to learn more about happy, fun things.]

PriParis sounds like a magical place.

[priforprincess]

Got it!

[ Falulu pauses, putting a finger to her chin as she thinks. ]

PriParis is...the biggest PriPara. That's a place where all girls get to be idols. It is full of fashion, and flowers, and friends. And singing!

[ Because of all the idols, you see. ]

Falulu lives in PriParis with Unicorn and the Mini Falulus and Fuwari and Toriko and Goat Ando-san and Mahou-chan. And, you know, Fuwari and Mahou-chan are Falulu's teammates. We perform together.

[ This is also a topic that makes Falulu light up. ]

Performing with friends....is the most fun. Because Falulu couldn't do that at the beginning, either!

[kagenonadeshiko]

That sounds really lovely. Idols are lovely people, aren't they?

[It's always seemed like a world so far removed from her own. At least, that's what she'd learned through her friend, Sheryl Nome. Yet there's something fascinating about it all, too. Besides, Ayumu's a performer, too. Of a sort.

And of course, Sanzang, too, had been an idol, too, of sorts in her own way.]

All of it sounds really fun.

[Honestly, how long has it been since Ayumu's danced? Just for fun?]

falulu knows some ninja idols, forgive her

[priforprincess]

Ayumu has never tried being an idol?

[ Don't....don't all girls at least think...about it?

Is not thinking about being an idol even a thing that a person can do? ]

no, this is great, falulu's wonderful

[kagenonadeshiko]

No, I haven't. I never had the opportunity.

[The Oniwaban's rules were rather strict about how their agents interacted with the public, after all. Shinobi must remain in the shadows to maintain their usefulness. From what Ayumu's gathered of the idol business, it's the exact opposite.]

I had a friend who was an idol once though! I admired her greatly. She was a fantastic performer with a zest for life.

[priforprincess]

She sounds so sparkly!

[ This is...probably a compliment, and a high one at that. ]

What kind of songs did she sing?

[ All songs are good songs, but Falulu wants to learn about as many of them as she can. What are songs from outside PriPara like? ]

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Even so, Ayumu still gets Falulu's meaning easily enough. She smiles as nostalgia descends.]

She was. Sheryl-san had a bright light about her not many people I've known do. It's missed.

[She and her friend had been from such different worlds, literally, but somehow they'd managed to find common ground despite that. Relationships are truly wondrous, unpredictable things.]

As for her music... It was very catchy and energetic, very different from anything I had heard before coming here. She had a beautiful voice, too. It was the kind of music that you couldn't help but dance to when one heard it.

[She means electronic dance pop but Ayumu's still in the dark when it comes to terms for modern music genres.]

[priforprincess]

Falulu can see it! She can see Sheryl-san's radiance!

[ Just from listening to Ayumu describe her! A person with a bright light, who made you want to dance....

Falulu wants to meet her! ]

Where did she go?

[ A curious, innocent question. She understands Sheryl isn't here now, for some reason. But why not? ]

[kagenonadeshiko]

Well, I'm not sure where we go exactly when we stop being here.

[If anyone would know, certainly she would after coming and going the way she has. But she doesn't and that's fine by her. There's some mysteries that are simply best left unknown, she's come to learn. Painfully. It's better to focus on the here and now and what's within her grasp.]

She left me a picture of herself, though. It was at my temple but my temple's not here right now. If I could, I'd show her to you. If you want to, I could try to describe what she looks like though.

[Sheryl had the kind of beauty that simply stays with a person forever.]

[priforprincess]

Mm! Falulu wants to know!

[ About this wonderful and sparkly person. Plus....

People who talk about friends they love always sparkle too, and Falulu wants her friend to sparkle. ]