[EVENT] 4th Wall - SHADOW WALKERS

[khuimods]

Characters: Everyone
Date: July 16-31, 2018
Location: Aifaran and the rest of the archipelago.
Situation: 4th Wall! Temporary Dreamfolk have begun appearing in Aifaran.
Warnings/Rating: None. Though please warn for things in the headers at your own discretion.

Khu Ioduan's first 4th wall event is here - so we'd first like to extend a warm welcome to anyone newcomers to the game. We're excited to have you here and hope you enjoy your time in Khu! For everyone, this is a great opportunity to try out new characters and bounce around ideas - we hope everyone has fun!


And the silence of short days, the silence of the year, the shadow...

ANOMALIES

July had already been a strange month for the inhabitants of Aifaran. The Narrakra returned with more questions than answers about its crew, and the thick fog and and the oppressive heat lingered like an awkward and unwanted houseguest who couldn't take a hint to leave. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, or perhaps it was just the torrid weather getting to people, but some could swear to seeing shadowy figures in the persistent haze.

By the 16th, the sanity of these individuals is no longer in question. The shadowy figures had become abundant for all to see, wandering the city as though in a daze before fading into obscurity.

ARRIVAL

The strange shadows that had appeared throughout the city have manifested… people. Perhaps even people other Dreamfolk recognize. As they step into existence, the obscure phantasms have taken on a sinister countenance. They peer at the world with blank, hollow eyes, and bare a mouth of invisible teeth with malevolent grins. They are otherwise indistinguishable from other shadows save for these alarming features, and they are attached to the newly-arrived Dreamfolk, marking them as somehow...different. Hovering at these visitors' heels, following them around at every step, impossible to banish.

The citizens give them a wide berth, some even crossing the street or outright fleeing in terror to avoid these new arrivals. There have been so many bad omens of late, none are keen to take any chances.

The shadows can't physically affect anything, but boy do they have personality; there's a lot of sinister grinning going on, and they tend to mimed mockery, sometimes going so far as to mimic the emotions of the person they're attached to -- sometimes even those emotions that person might not wish were shown. The extent of this is, of course, within your discretion to play with.

FESTIVAL

The arrival of these especially transient Dreamfolk is usually met with celebration, an impromptu festival that aims to give them a condensed experience of Aifaran in the short time that they're here. The grinning shadow companions that come attached to this particular batch of Dreamfolk has put a slight damper on the usual festivities, but some people are determined to make the best of it.

In order to help make the new Dreamfolk feel more at home, some enterprising individuals have taken it upon themselves to paint the town… greyscale. Instead of the usual riot of color, a small area around the Dreaming Bridge is quickly decorated in greys and blacks. An few enterprising confectioners start selling candied versions of the grinning phantasms; some of them are true to nasty form, but others have been made to look much cuter than the actual shadows attached to people. All, of course, are delicious. In the same fashion, some tailors have conspired to provide plushies in similar form.

It's not all fun and games. A theatrical troupe takes over a shopfront for rent and turns it into a haunted house featuring spooky legends from around the archipelago. The troupe makes a serious effort at being scary, including a convincing representation of the Night Fisher lurking in the building - although if anyone comments on this creature, the staff will only give them confused looks and insist that wasn't one of the attractions.

---

OOC Notes:

4th Wall visitors are going to be arriving with a maniacally grinning shadow dogging them for their stay in Aifaran. These specters cannot be banished or destroyed, but nor can they interact with anything physically, including the visitor themselves! They make up for it in BIG PERSONALITY though, because they're kind of shitheads.

* * *

Just a quick reminder that anyone is welcome to the 4th Wall event whether they play or have ever played in Khu Ioduan or not, and that both canon and original characters, as well as CRAU and canon OCs are allowed. If you are unsure whether your visiting character falls under these categories, check out our Application FAQ for more detail!

Please note that we do not accept AU characters like genderbends/Rule 63 characters, crack versions (like fandom Abridged series), etc. If you have any questions, please ask us!

The newcomers are Dreamfolk and will ICly be referred to as such by the native residents of Aifaran, but there are a couple of important differences between them and the Dreamfolk who live in the city long-term, namely:

• Fourth-wall characters will not have Talent tattoos. In a nutshell: Dreamfolk usually get a magical tattoo with that provides them with a new ability upon arrival. This tattoo is also what keeps Dreamfolk anchored to Aifaran's world, Konryu.


• Fourth-wall characters will be able to reply to network posts, but not create their own. This will be explained as a Dreaming glitch -- the consoles and yimos will register their names, but not let them make their own broadcasts, similar to how a real-life forum distinguishes between someone being logged-in and someone being logged-out while still labeling their replies with a nickname. Fourth-wall characters can also reply to character's IC inboxes using this same reasoning. Similarly, due to the way the community’s posting/membership allowances work, fourth-wall characters will not be able to make their own logs but are encouraged to make use of the mod-posted or catch-all posts made by members of the game. (Catch-all posts are essentially those made to cover a great length of time or a particular setting.)


• We'd like to remind everyone that this is a "live" 4th wall, meaning that what happens during the event will be completely remembered after the event ends, and any setting impact/changes/decisions that occur because of the 4th wall characters will be upheld.


• If you are bringing a character back that you've played during a previous 4th Wall event in our legacy game Tu Shanshu, you are welcome to have them remember that previous time! Or, if you'd prefer to bring them in "fresh", that's fine too. And of course, any characters who were previously played in game (either Tu Shanshu or Khu Ioduan) can retain those memories.


• Don’t forget the Setting page is available here as well, for your setting-related needs as the event progresses. Please note that while powers are typically not nerfed in the Khu Ioduan setting, we do limit world-or-game breaking powers as a matter of course. We welcome everyone to try out the game’s setting, but characters who are brought in solely to disrupt or "break" the game will be asked to leave.


• For organization purposes, we'd greatly appreciate it if logs and network posts involving 4th wall characters could be tagged with the %4th wall comm tags. Your mods thank you!

CHARACTER SIGNUPS & POSTING

Our 4TH WALL EVENT CHECK IN comment for characters wishing posting access for the duration of the event is open! Remember that you can request new characters to be added even after the beginning of the event, up until July 31st, the last day of the event and the day when the fourth-wall characters will ICly disappear from the city.

After that point, posting access will be maintained for any guest characters up until August 8th, to allow any threads still being played out to finish up. However, we do request that no 4th wall characters tag any posts dated August 1st and onward, as ICly their characters would have left the city by that point.

If you have any questions regarding these rules for the 4th wall, please ask them in the OOC Questions comment below.

Comments

OOC QUESTIONS

[khuimods]

If you have questions about the details of the 4th Wall event, please ask them here!

Re: OOC QUESTIONS

[unfavorableinstigation]

So, the Shadows have personality, but would communicating with them through the Speech have any effect?

Second, how much capability will Nita and Dairine retain as wizards? I expect spells (well, the higher-scale ones) won't work, but the Speech itself still should? And would Spot and, say, the peridexis also be left behind in the Dreaming plane, or could they come through?

Re: OOC QUESTIONS

[lightbranded]

To characters sensitive to things like light and darkness, do the shadows feel like anything?

What happens if someone shines a light on them?

[IC] DREAMING BRIDGE

[khuimods]

The influx of temporary visitors is a regular enough occurence that the Dreaming Bridge has procedures in place for just these occasions. Last months' sopher'tat infestation has taken some of the rooms out of commission, but the staff are able to find beds for everyone. Temporary Dreamfolk that don't find accommodation with any friends or family in Aifaran will be welcomed here - though they'll have to deal with having roommates.

The staff are more than willing to answer as many questions as the new Dreamfolk can come up with about the city and its inhabitants, though the shadowy hangers-on have them a little bit more flustered than usual.

Handwaving IC question-fest; also OTA!

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita is one of those visitors with a lot of questions - some of which about said shadows. Her own had taken up the habit of 'pretend' ripping her Manual (that is, reaching for it and making 'tearing' motions) as an intimidation tactic; it didn't have any effect, but it succeeded in both irritating and unnerving her, and its inability to speak just fed that further.

Roommates aren't as big a deal, fortunately, and when not out-and-about and talking with locals she can be found flipping through her Manual to figure out if being here is interfering with any of its functions.

[ablutioned]

It was not the first time for Yukine to wake up disoriented. It was, however, his first time to wake up disoriented in an unfamiliar place without Yato or Hiyori and with a maniacally grinning phantom that just wouldn’t stop following him. He’d tried to lose it, walking briskly through the strangely grey alleys without really knowing where to go, but when he was already running and it was still tailing him... it occurred to him to make a boundary.

Yet the specter only grinned mockingly, then passed through the barrier.

“Gaaaaah!” he yelped, backing away a little too quickly that he lost his balance and ungracefully fell.

[malfortuna]

"YUKKI!" How nice to see a familiar face, and Yukine will get a tackling hug even being on the ground when Kofuku spots him. "Don't worry, they don't do anything that I can tell! Mine likes making fun of people."

oh hey there’s a guy who looks like Ilda! >:3

[ivarr]

Night was beginning to embrace Aifaran when a blonde-haired young man appeared in the general vicinity of the Dreaming Bridge. He was tall and lean, but he bore the form of one who was either accustomed to manual labor or combat training. Perhaps both; strapped diagonally across his back was a spear, and his hands were strong, calloused. He was quite cute, too, not that he seemed to realize it; his eyes in particular were lovely, expressive blues nearing gray. And on one ear he wore a small, hook-shaped metal earring.

The area was decorated in greys and blacks, but a wall not too far away had a symbol on it that glowed faintly. Intrigued, Ivarr approached, frowning.

It wasn’t a symbol. It was actually a bunch of letters written too close together, and they spelled Y-A-T-O. Below it were numbers.

He had no idea what any of it meant. Or where in the world he was.

[spoilsfun]

Conan had a terrible feeling about this.

"Oi. Who are you?"

[anothershirtruined]

Amelia had wasted very little time on surprise upon finding herself in Aifaran. As natural as such a reaction might be, it accomplished very little. And Amelia was nothing if not practical.

No, instead she had spent long enough at the dreaming bridge to ascertain that lodging had been arranged for the night, and then she set off for the city. She moves briskly through the crowds, making use of a sturdy parasol to prod her way through when the people ahead of her fail to move fast enough. The shadow follows after, mimicking her gestures.

It wasn't Cairo. But it was something new and interesting, and Amelia was hardly about to let such a small matter as falling into another world prevent her from having an adventure.

[rutility]

Amelia prods one too many people - a wayward glance of her parasol hits the one person who reacts by grabbing it and yanking hard, from instinct rather than conscious thought. Their full strength is the force of stone itself, and not something to be reckoned with.

For all that though, Rutile realizes quickly that the sturdy thing in their hand is not a weapon - or at least, it's not sharp. They frown and glance between it and its owner with blatant curiosity, the expression not out of place from a person in a lab coat. "What is this thing, exactly?" they say.

[mysteriumtremendum]

Attached to this particular visitor, the impish shadow hounding his heels appears more like a snivelling minion than an object of terror. It makes mockery of his face whenever he turns his attention to it, smile splitting its shadowy countenance before the fog can obscure the sneering grin from view. Atticus Vedici pays it little mind. If that is the price he is to pay to keep on living after his execution, it seems the gods have demanded only a pittance.

He'll pay it gladly.

The locals of the city give him a wide berth as he makes his careful exploration of the streets and markets, following the sound of gossip towards the waterfront to where the Narrakra remains moored after her mysterious ordeal. There is only so close that he can venture without arousing suspicion, but he is a frequent enough visitor that anyone with a keen eye would take notice of him.

[makebelieveavenger]

A young woman hops down from some crates when she hears the footfalls of someone approaching. She was sickly thin and dressed in drab grays and charcoal blacks. Even her skin had a faded quality to it. But she'd turned a pair of violently green eyes on the stranger, watching him warily.

Alice had been hanging around the docks lately, waiting for an opportunity to get a closer look at the Narrakra again. She wanted answers, and all she had was more questions.

"Oh," she said, glimpsing his shadow, "You're one of them. I thought you were a Sentry."

[starryscales]

Not too far from the Dreaming Bridge, along a street that already has vendors set up to sell goods for the festival, is an oddly tall, blue man wearing an ostentatious attempt at an exotic outfit, complete with a veil hanging off of the horns on either side of his head. Where Tolunai managed to get a folding table and a chair is a question better not asked in front of any of the Bridge workers, who were bound to notice it was missing sooner or later. Regardless, there he sits, shuffling a tarot deck with all the skill of a card shark. Anyone observant enough to stop and watch might notice that the cards of the desk are mostly festooned with images of gods and goddesses, symbols unique to his world.

Tolunai is also quite loud, calling out in an affected heavy accent that sounds vaguely Russian. "Come now, do not be shy! Step up and get glimpse of your future! Is mysterious magic from across time and space, and you can see it for low price of five coins! Five of your currency! This is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

He hasn't been getting much business, and his shadow seems to be the major culprit. With an upside-down version of Tolunai's horns sticking out from either side of his head, the shadow leers at people who come too close, seeming to delight in scaring off potential customers.


[OOC: Feel free to PM me to request a specific reading, otherwise it'll be random!]

[ilda]

Ilda appreciates the yelling, since it’s her style, too. But she approaches Tolunai, even with the weird shadow hovering about him, for two main reasons: she’s curious about what her future has for her, and she’s curious about whether or not he’ll succeed in his business venture.

Five of their currency, eh? Sounds almost exactly like the scheme of someone she knows. Who unfortunately hasn’t had much success, even with her helping out.

“Hello, Mister! And... friend. I got five rhinn, what’s next?”


[ ooc: I brought in her twin brother for this event, and he’s from further along her canon... when things aren’t looking too good. Maybe something about that? Or something about finding love, because she’s a teenager hopelessly crushing over some guys lol >:3 ]

Bobby Fairfax (Beelzebub) | OC from Devin's World | Open

[divineviolence]

The impish little shadow hanging over Bobby's shoulders is the least of her problems, but a random passerby might think that the source of her irritation. There's barely-contained fury in her frame and the manner in which she stalks about the streets: like she should own them, and they are beyond her grasp. This as much as the creepy tag-along accounts for the wide berth she's given for the first few days of her presence here. All of the mechanics of her arrival are accepted without question - what is more important is the loss of her abilities.

Bobby may as well be human, and this is absolutely enraging. It was frustrating enough to hide her powers when it was by choice.

The only option before her is to live, and to make the best of the time she's here. Civilizations have fallen to mere mortals before, and there is so much she can accomplish in a few weeks, if she feels like it. First stop: find some clothes and get noticed.

[afoolsgold]

Is it plain bad luck or fate that has Bobby venturing into the same store in search of clothing where the Fool now stands, negotiating an exchange with the proprietor? In one hand he carries a wrapped parcel, ostensibly containing wood work of some variety, while in the other rests on a bolt of fine fabric.

When the door opens to admit the latest patron, he glances up in an absent-minded fashion, before his gaze returns to her, lingering. Is it the shadow behind her that draws his eye, or something else?

Raine Sage | Tales of Symphonia | Open [CRAU]

[ruinsprofessor]

Raine knows well enough what it means, to be drawn to this world temporarily. All the changes, all the years passed, have not changed the Dreaming so much.

So: she has perhaps two weeks to catch up and make the most of those friends yet here.

...Science wins first. There's a shadow-creature tagging at her heels, and it isn't her husband's doing. Near the Dreaming Bridge, a little out of the way but near enough the main street, Raine hunkers down to prod at it. It grins at her; she frowns at it, and spins light out into testing probes.

The shadow grins less, but her light doesn't do much to it. "Fascinating," she murmurs, and tries a different approach.

:')

[purered]

"Miss Sage," Klaus greeted her with a customary bow. He was formal as ever, but there was warmth in his tone. One didn't forget a friend that got you mutually banned from Anton's kitchen.

"It's been quite some time. I'm glad to see you."

[mountainsound]

A ▸ STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED | open

It is with the resilience of the Sacrifices that have come before her that Kettricken takes her first, deep breath in this strange land, willing herself to be humble and reserved. She will not panic. She cannot panic. Kettricken allows herself a moment to count her blessings: she is alive, unharmed, and unbound, and while she does not recognize this place full of noise and color, she can feel the salt of the sea on the crest of the wind, and knows that there must be a path back home.

Best, then, that she be on her way.

The lines in her face, deepened by stress and grief, bely her true age. Politely but firmly she stops a passerby and says, "Pardon my interruption. Can you tell me the name of this place, of the lands nearest it, and which ships are the most amenable to passengers?"

B ▸ SHADOWS OF US | open

The shadow that haunts Kettricken's every step is not a trick of the light, she realizes quickly. It resembles her in shape but not in kind; rather, it leers at her from the corners and tries to tug at her hair or skirts whenever it gets a chance, though it is never successful. Dutifully she has ignored it, knowing it cannot harm her, but she hates that it flicks in and out of the corner of her eye whenever she turns her head.

It scares away anyone who might give her a kind glance. Once, twice, thrice Kettricken approaches a denizen of this place to ask for help or directions, and each time they disappear when they notice her dark companion. A steady sickness grows in her stomach as she wonders if perhaps the shadows are an affliction in this city, and one that will condemn her in the eyes of its inhabitants.

"Do you not leave well enough alone?" she demands of it after some hours of this, briefly forgetting her composure.

Her shadow stands. Its grin contorts into a horrific snarl, mirroring her own anger and anxiety back to her.

B!

[afoolsgold]

"Do you not leave well enough alone?"

He knows that voice.

The Seaglass City is dark and full of shadows that bring more terrors with them as they emerge from the fog. The festival thrown in the honour of the newly arrived Dreamfolk seems to add an air of the absurd macabre to an atmosphere that is already grim, thanks to the return of the Narrakra. The Fool has no interest in the vendors' stalls that might have drawn his magpie's eye on another occasion. The darkness, the fog, the sneering faces that leap out at him from the shadows, all dredge to the surface a fear he had thought behind him now: a cold, dark place, a searing pain, an unyielding loneliness--

But that familiar voice stops him dead in his flight towards home, and he spins around swiftly, searching with desperate eyes for its source.

When he sees her facing off with the monster that hounds her, it's like being given a glimpse back through the sands of time. She might as well be a fresh faced girl at court again; that coward's grin, Prince Regal.

The Fool finds his courage and steps quickly towards her. "My queen," he calls out, but whatever else he might have said, he finds himself speechless after that alone.

Bishamonten | Noragami

[hearscries]

[A: Arrival]

[This is...not the Heavens, and not Earth either. The idea of worlds outside what's known is a somewhat disturbing one to Bishamon, but as a god, she can't afford to appear cowed by circumstance, or the creature that appears to have attached itself to her. Even in a long white party dress and a fur-collared black coat, the statuesque woman with catlike purple eyes cuts a threatening figure as she marches into the streets of Aifaran, blonde hair trailing just above the ground behind her.

As soon as she spots someone who'll spare her eye contact, she approaches without hesitation.] You. Explain what's going on here.

[Her tone isn't callous, but it is authoritative - it's clear she's largely just impatient with the situation and wants some actual answers rather than being actively hostile.]

--

[B: Festival]

[Once things are explained, Bishamon is...not exactly at ease, but more prepared to take things as they are. If the talk of the town is any sign, they won't be displaced to here long anyway - she has work to take care of at home, but this is also a rare opportunity. It's uncommon that she walks among those from outside the Heavens, since she usually travels to the Near Shore to fight ayakashi anyway. But she does have a certain fondness for humans and their crafts, and the unusual beings of this world do seem to share that ability of humans to cultivate instead of just provide.

As she observes an Igheeri woman's stand of impressive plush dolls with a slight smile, the stallholder's daughter emerges shyly from behind the stand, young and clutching onto a doll of her own. It's not expertly made like her mother's, but it's impressive work nonetheless, and Bishamon appears briefly surprised when the girl explains it's her own contribution.

Then she smiles, the expression surprisingly soft on someone with such an imposing presence.] It's beautiful, child. I'm sure your mother is very proud.

[ilda]

[ Unfortunately for Bishamon, the one she’s cornered doesn’t have answers. The only reason there’s been any eye contact at all is because Ilda’s been staring, absolutely enamored by this stranger’s beauty and grace and... power. The blonde little girl isn’t big on the whole gods thing — despite hailing from a land so entrenched in religion, and actually being on a first-name basis with a certain god of calamity — but she’s ready to believe Bishamon’s a cut above the rest of them poor unfortunate souls.

Oh, and she likes the outfit, too. ]

Are you a goddess?

Flame Princess | Adventure Time

[pastlanternlight]

[A: Arrival]

[Having a shadow isn't actually a normal thing for Flame Princess, being a light source herself. So having a weird, sharp-toothed one stalking her from the moment she turns up in a completely unfamiliar place is unnerving, to say the least.

It doesn't help that just about every time she approaches a local to get out the first words of asking for help, they either shy away or outright flee, leaving her alone in the street. The flickering fire of her hair flares up, and her fists clench as another person runs in the other direction.]

Is someone gonna tell me what's going on!? [For a moment, her form warps and deforms into something demonic and shapeless, red eyes and an angry mouth just visible in it before she settles back into her normal shape of an older teenage girl, wearing a crop top and lounge pants despite the crown also nestled in her flaming hair.]

So rude...

--

[B: Festival]

[Festivals are usually meant to be fun, so Flame Princess tries to forget her shadowy stalker and seek out some good entertainment among the few locals trying to make them feel welcome.

The whole "candy art" thing is...kind of weird considering what she knows of back home, though, and she can't help but squint at one of the stallholders as they demonstrate it for her.]

So this is like...the non-living kind of candy, right? Otherwise that's pretty messed up.

B!

[unfavorableinstigation]

[The brunette teenager next to her squints at the candy.]

Yeah, I don't think it's alive.

[Any more than a random piece of edible matter can be expected to be, anyway, but that was a discussion a bit beyond the scope of this festival.]

I mean, if our shadows start eating them, I'd be worried... You want one?

[izunadrops]

[Arrival]

[Ryu had come to in an alley that was decidedly nowhere in his home village nor Sky City Tokyo. There'd been a grinning shadow hanging over him, and the first thing he'd done was leap to his feet and unsheathe the Dragon Sword in a lightning-fast draw-cut. It failed to bisect (or so much as harm) the wraith as intended. Merely caused it to ripple like water in a disturbed pond, much to its seeming amusement.]

Hnh.

[Never one to press a hopeless line of attack, the shinobi had held his ground and locked eyes with the wraith for half a minute. It hadn't responded to any attempts at communication, nor had it offered any of its own. He'd only sheathed his blade when he was absolutely sure he felt no killing intent from it. Then he'd turned his eyes skyward and kicked his way up the alley walls, seeking higher ground to get a better look at his surroundings.]

[A swift black shadow darts now through the rooftops, searching for answers and ever pursued by that grinning specter. A cursory glance at the streets below tells him he's not the only one with an unwanted tail. And some of them look just as lost as he is.]

[Festival]

[Ryu's found his way to the festivities not long after, an abandoned cloak thrown over his uniform and his mask tucked away. No reason to look imposing in unfamiliar environs; his specter's already doing most of that for him. It's not hard to melt into the crowd and go with its natural flow. Every so often, he'll accept free taste-tests from enterprising food stall owners. He never actively speaks to anyone... but he hears plenty.]

Festival

[dancermoves]

[ Anzu happens to be at one of the same booths, her shadow acting immature and lazy very nearby, and her steadfastly ignoring it as best she can. Unfortunately for both of them, this latest sample is... actually quite terrible. Anzu manages to hold a polite face for the shopkeeper until they turn away, and then she makes a terrible face at Ryu like 'help'. ]

[blinkandshoot]

It was fortunate, perhaps, that her guns were concealed when she popped into this world, or else things might have gone worse than they did. In that she'd actually shot at the shadow—three times, one in each extremity above the waist—before realizing that 1, the shots hadn't connected, 2, the bullets had connected with the wall behind the leering shadow, and 3, someone was coming, and so she'd slipped the gun back into its holster.

"Help!"

Feigning weakness is usually her partner's purview, but she might as well see what someone else in this odd situation will do.

[makebelieveavenger]

It was a stupid thing to do, running towards gunshots, but Alice wasn't always the most sensible young woman. The cry for help only spurred her on. She didn't know what she could do, really, she wasn't armed and the things around here tended to be unnatural and beyond anything she could manage.

It was one of those new strangers, the peculiar Dreamfolk and their curious shadows.

"I think after three shots and it's still standing, you're rather out of luck," she remarked, and turned her head to the grinning abomination.

"They're not dangerous. Just unsettling. Are you alright?"

Dairine Callahan | Young Wizards

[wizard_redfive]

Arrival

"Spot? Spot!? No way!!"

Amongst the new Dreamfolk, one young teen is particularly upset. Not so much about the sudden transit or annoying shadow. Those concerns could wait.

Dairine storms over to the nearest unlucky person, eyes flashing with anger and just a hint of panic. She yells loud and shrill.

"Who's in charge here?! And what have they done to Spot!?!"

Festival

Now that Dairine has a better handle on the situation, she's less frantic but no less cross. This might not be the first time she's been stuck on a single planet, but she still hates it. The possibility of important wizard's business is the only reason she hasn't blockaded herself indoors. Well, that and her big sis.

Her shadow has not been helping her mood. As she strolls through the festivities, it continues to laugh at her, mimicking bawling or messing with her hair. Midway through one of these charades, Dairine walks straight to one of the food stalls and buys a confectionery shadow. Slowly she bites into a candy, glaring daggers at her own spectral follower the entire time.

~Arrival~ No spoilers for Lifeboats unless you want them.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Yeah, kinda wanna know that too, Dair."

Sure, the older sibling wasn't as upset, since her Manual had managed to come through, but seeing her sister like this worried her all by itself.

"But at least we're both in this together."

It felt at once both like deja vu and too soon. Hadn't they just wrapped up the situation with Tevaral?

Eve | Black Cat

[playtag]

Arrival

[Eve is dazed for a minute as she finds herself alone in a foreign city. In that moment, she suddenly feels incredibly small. It passes quickly though, replaced by a frantic determination to find the rest of her group.]

Sven? Sven?

[The young girl calls out as she hurries down the street. Eve pushes her way through the crowd, paying no mind to her shadow as she goes. The shadow ominously follows, holding a knife in its hand.]

Shadows

[Once she has a better handle on her situation, Eve settles for learning as much as she can about this new land. She can be found throughout the city, staring at the scenery and people. At the moment, Eve is leaning against the wall of a shop, staring at the passerbys with intense and silent curiosity.]

[Her child-like wonder seems somewhat more unnerving with that shadow, holding what seems like a spiked-mace behind her.]

Shadows!

[unfavorableinstigation]

[Nita's own shadow is being surprisingly well-behaved at the moment - it's still being menacing, but it's stopped pretending to tear up her Manual for now, which is a relief.

She also hasn't let go of her Manual for anything during the few days she's been here so far. Even during sleep.]

... You alright, there?

[Nita may be just the slightest bit concerned with that shadow, there, but she's also feeling about as curious as the girl looks, so if Eve thinks she's talking about something else she'll be okay with that.]

Haunted House | Raphael

[psituational]

X doesn't enjoy pointless scares as a rule, which is why, despite enjoying the rest of the festival, he's currently standing on the street in front of the transformed shopfront and frowning at the short line of people waiting to go inside the -- haunted house, as it's called.

Theatre is theatre, isn't it? Some people enjoy certain genres more than others, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's definitely one of the most subtle adjustments X has had to make since arriving in Aifaran, though -- accepting that here, people do the craziest things simply because they want to, and not because they're being forced into it.

The freedom to be an idiot, as Kassana would have put it. The thought makes X smile. He watches a little longer, then turns to move on to something else.

[shardsofgenesis]

The archangel has seen many human festivals, but this strange land doesn't have the same kind of festivities as he is used to. The idea of scary stories, played with shadow puppets and costumes had been all over his world for hundreds of years, but the pleasure of being scared by silly things was not one he could find in him to understand.

"The concept of fear as fun does not make sense to me," he commented to the man next to him, "There are so many things to fear, why seek more out?"

Vandelin Elris | Dragon Age OC/Fade Rift CRAU

[misdirection_hex]

The elf standing on a street corner and studying the passersby with immense and calculating eyes could perhaps be mistaken for a longer-term resident of the city, were it not for the grotesquely mugging shadowthing attached to him at the hip. It's the only thing that truly perturbs him, though he pays it no visible mind. The Fade has brought him to stranger places before--

--no, that's a lie; this is without question the oddest collection of sights his dreams have ever subjected him to, but it is still a dream, and any mage worth his salt knows how to navigate the dangerous streets of sleep. Whatever demon is leaning over his shoulder and trying to get a rise out of him, it's not doing a very impressive job of it. It could, at the very least, be trying to tempt him with something he wants.

Still steadfastly ignoring it, he shoulders his staff and makes for the sounds of celebration.

hey babe

[bestofthevein]

Kit's tolerance for weird magical shit has increased exponentially during his time in Aifaran, but the Dreaming's latest stunt is definitely testing his limits.

He's standing outside the impromptu haunted house that some earnest entrepreneurs have set up to take advantage of the spooky atmosphere that has descended upon the city, but quite frankly there's not enough rhinn in the world to make him set foot in that place at the moment. His reluctance is clearly not shared by everyone. On her way out of the house, an enthusiastic little Bresilykian girl exclaims to him--or to anyone within earshot, really--"you should go in, they've got a real replica of the Night Fisher in there!"

"I'll pass, thanks," Kit says flatly around his cigarette, glances away from the shopfront towards the streets--and goes quite still.

Vandelin. Vandelin, near exactly as Kit remembers him, making his way through Aifaran's crowded streets, unmistakeable with that pinch to his brow and set of his jaw. He is not figment of Kit's imagination; he's as real as the shadowy tagalong hounding his steps. And very soon, he will be lost in the crowd.

Unthinkingly, Kit pushes his way past a gaggle of Erol'an kids waiting their turn to snoop through the haunted house. They dither and ogle him, but he ignores them, instead calling out, "Vandelin..!" before his former lover can round that street corner and be lost from view.

[lightbranded]

A. Arrival
The boy standing on the corner is distinguished mostly by the lack of a reaction on his sudden arrival in Aifaran. His expression never wavers from bland pleasantness, and even his appearance is unremarkable. He takes a moment to mildly take in his new surroundings, before finally remarking aloud to himself.

"Goodness. How very unexpected."

B. Shadows
Later, Will has found the time to occupy himself with the shadow that followed after his footsteps. While terribly behaved, it hadn't seemed particularly dangerous so far. Still, the greatest part of an Old One's magic was knowing.

Will stares silently at it for a long moment, looking more with the parts of his mind that were not human than with his eyes.

"What are you, I wonder? You feel of neither the Light nor the Dark, nor the Wild, nor the Old."

B!

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's own investigations into her shadow had been about as conclusive as Will's - and while the boy's own nature felt familiar, it was also very much Not. It didn't feel like a good sign towards figuring things out, at any rate.

"It certainly acts wild, but I don't think that's what you mean," Nita said, having made her way to where Will was standing, hands in her pockets.

Below her, her shadow looked miffed, and made a show of scoffing at Will.

Kofuku | noragami | OTA

[malfortuna]

Around Aifaran

There is a very pink-haired teen girl (or so she appears), wearing a school uniform, skipping around Aifaran amid the influx of visitors with evident glee. Kofuku may be just as confused as any of the others as to how she got here, but that doesn't mean she's not going to relish the jaunt of unsupervised freedom she's just been handed, however brief it ends up being.

Unfortunately, her divine instincts are unabated even a world removed from her own, and misfortune follows her everywhere. Whatever street she happens to be strolling down, eatery patrons discover their food burnt or gone bad, shopkeepers experience massive failure in their wares, people trip on improbably placed obstacles.

If something can possibly go wrong, it probably is...

And of course, the grinning shadow that's been following her thinks this is all positively hilarious, laughing silently and pointing at everyone's bad luck.

Dreaming Bridge

Once someone points her in the direction of the Bridge, things do seem to settle down a bit... briefly. )The kitchen still experiences literally everything they're currently cooking catching fire the moment she crosses the threshold, but other than that.)

"Ooh," she says, looking at the list of temporary rooming assignments that's being put together by the staff, while her shadow is still pretending to shove things off surfaces like a particularly spiteful cat, even if it can't actually touch anything. "Let's see..."

Dreaming Bridge

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Whuoh!"

Nita found herself slipping on nothing, only just able to right herself out of a total pratfall.

Below her, her shadow laughs and claps.

Attempting to get her breath back, she makes her own way over to the rooming assignments sheet.

"Do they have everyone paired already?" she asked, both skeptic of the notion and impressed at the idea despite herself. It could just be an assumption on her part, though.

somewhere in Aifaran - closed to Ilda;

[minorgod]

Following Ilda's run in with Bishamon and Yato's order for her to get away, Yato grips his yimo tightly as he teleports instantly to her location.

Without a word, he grabs her hand and pulls her down the nearest alley, winding through streets like a maze until they're many blocks away from where they were and winded from the run.

"Are you okay?"

[ilda]

“Yato!” His name escapes her in a half-shriek, but there’s no time for anything else as he sets off into a run, pulling her along. She does her best to keep up, and while she has so many questions, she can clearly feel his tension and urgency to get away, so she says nothing.

When he finally stops, she does as well, resting her hands on her knees as she struggles to catch her breath.

“I... I’m fine.” So many questions, but as she looks at him with confusion and worry, what she says instead is, “Yato, are you in trouble? I’m sorry I gave her your name, I thought...”

take 2 for Ivarr, Ilda’s twin brother (open!)

[ivarr]

Ivarr's found his way to the orientation center of the Dreaming Bridge, and while he has many questions, he's not quite sure how to ask them, so he's decided to watch and learn for the time being. And, well, find a place to stay, as it seems like he and his shadowy friend aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

He's waved towards the various lists posted on the wall and he peruses them quietly, looking at job listings and city organizations and... oh, finally, housing options. He finds his name easily enough on one of the directories, but he's frozen by the sight of a familiar four-lettered name on the other.

Ilda.

He takes a step back to look around, his heart beating frantically. Could she really be here? Has this where she's been, all this time?

Were their roles reversed, Ilda would be going around the general vicinity of the Dreaming Bridge, shouting for him, making a scene. That's just how she is.

But Ivarr is polite, even shy. "Excuse me," he calls out to the nearest person in the area, inclining his head respectfully as soon as the other turns his way. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but... would you by any chance know the Ilda that's listed on here? Is she... about this tall, blonde, really perky?"

=D

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita looks up from her Manual abruptly at the call and question.

"Uhh, yes, actually."

Putting her Manual away (much to her shadow's consternation), she walks over to Ivarr and the list

"She's one of the first people I met, here."