ioduanlogs | [EVENT] 4th Wall

Entry tags:

[EVENT] 4th Wall - SHADOW WALKERS

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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Nita nods.

"Gonna try and make the best use of my time here that I can, then."

If it's a temporary assignment, that's... reassuring? But if she wants to get to the bottom of this, being "temporary" might not give her enough time.

Her shadow makes a show of puffing up and crossing its arms. Bluster, indeed.

"I'd give it a tongue-lashing, but the point might be lost on it."

[Several yards ahead of Ryu, a winged figure rises from the streets below and stays aloft on flapping wings. This prompts him to duck behind a chimney and observe her from around its corner. His first impression is that she must be some sort of angel, yet he feels no divine power from her. Whatever she is, she's at least mortal.]

[He's content to observe her for a bit longer, as a shinobi is wont to do. Up until his shadow breaks away from him and glides to where the girl can see it. He sighs inwardly when it waves at her and points right at his hiding place. So much for stealth.]

[Lifting his hands where she can see them, Ryu stands and steps out from around the chimney.]

I mean you no harm. I've arrived here against my will and I need answers.

[His gaze is gentle, reassuring.]

My name is Ryu. What's yours?

Bobby didn't try to hide the fact that she was tailing Konoe. There didn't seem to be a point; by his body language he knew she was there. Extrasensory abilities in keeping with his cat-like qualities, then?

"Someone needs to teach you how to disappear into a crowd, kiddo," she called after him. "You're about as blunt as an elephant, which is backwards for a cat."

"Here, I provide valuable service. I use cards to provide a peek into future."

Tolunai smoothly sets the tarot deck down on the table and slides it to the side, fanning out a variety of cards. The writing marks them as tarot cards thanks to the Dreaming's powers of translation, but the illustrations on them are of famous figures and gods that would be unfamiliar to anyone not from his world.

"My cards give guidance for problems and predictions of what may come to pass. I am well-known figure in Ul'dah, with many satisfied customers."

It is the closest equivalent to a hug one can reasonably expect from a hound of this size. Raine lifts her free hand to rest gently over Valdis's neck for a moment, so long as Valdis is there. She lets go when Valdis steps back. "Then I consider myself fortunate."

Their relationship hasn't always been smooth; but Raine is glad they have come to this. "You aren't so far changed that I can't recognize you, at least," Raine says judiciously, thoughtful. "And your mana signature remains approximately the same, all in all. Would it help you to speak of the difficulty?"

The breath goes out of Raine with the force of the hug, but she cares not at all.

Her face falls evidently at the mention of Tony's loss. "I'll have to see if there is anything I can do for Gene, while I'm here." She is well aware of how this sort of thing feels, and Gene... will likely take it harder than most.

A pause, then Raine shakes it off. She is here for now, and there is Pepper, and it is... better than it could be. "I've only been here a few hours. I'm not hungry yet, but more than likely I will be soon. You and Bakura are still doing well together, then?" That's pleasing; they are both close to her heart.

"Always." Raine straightens smiling, the shadow dancing uncanny echo behind her, and she tilts her head to survey Bakura. She looks much the same as he might remember, from the ring on her finger to the way her hair is tucked behind one ear, exposing a point she never would have been comfortable showing even a year ago, by her time. "...you look well. It hasn't been all that long, for me, but-- nevertheless, it's still good to see you again."

He is a touchstone, a point of familiarity; he had been in Keeliai all the time she was there. This world would feel stranger and darker, more alien, without his presence.

"Gene!" She looks immensely pleased to see him, as soon as face and voice and mana signature have all coalesced into the unmistakeable identity. Gene, and the Gene she has known, as much familiar and integral presence in this world as Bakura is.

She has crossed to him within seconds, the shadow tailing at her heels bouncing from side to side like a grinning child's toy. "It's been a while." Not for her; but for him, she's well aware. "Are you all right?"

There's no point in pretending she doesn't know about Tony.

"Never heard of it. I guess that's confirmed, then."

All these different worlds just made everything more complicated.

"There's a lot of us here who come from other places. This city is called Aifaran. It's in a different world."

"Now what's wrong?"

Conan's first impression of Dairine was rapidly getting worse.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that, even if he doesn't say it. You know how he is about this kind of stuff." Raine knows better than most, in fact. She was an incredible source of wisdom and care back in Keeliai on multiple occasions. "He disappeared for about a week, but he did agree to come home with me, so that's... sort of progress."

Things are not resolved on that front. Gene is still struggling, but at least he has people around him to give him support while he finds his way.

Pepper grins, and that should be answer enough to Raine's question. "Yeah. It's been really nice to find a place to live together that belongs to us both and make it ours, you know? I mean, Jade Dojo was definitely ours by the time we left, but it's different getting to build something from the ground up. He's still working out what he's doing here," she adds, gesturing to the city at large. "But yeah, we're good. Great, even. It's weirdly normal living with him."

It's possible she's talking a mile a minute again. She's excited!

"Bishamon has the most Regalia of any god I know of," Yato replied seriously. "Most gods actually do have more than one, but she practically collects them. Or at least she did back then."

Ilda's offer does manage to wring a smile and a playful hair ruffle from him. "Thanks, Ilda. That means a lot to me."

After a few more moments of checking their surroundings, Yato apparently decides they've not been followed. "Looks like we're clear for now... man, I've got to figure out what to do about her."

[ He winces. A ‘blanket dance’ is just the sort of randomness Ilda comes up with on a regular basis. ]

How... how are they so small?

A different world?

Well, that’s a lot to take in. Although to Ivarr’s credit, he’s not freaking out; in fact, there’s almost a look of resignation on his face.

“Huh. Guess Ilda was right after all...”

That whack, as loving as it is, simply knocks Yukine back to the ground. He has to smile, though; at least that is something familiar in this strange new world.

“I don’t know,” he says, rubbing the sore spot on his head. “You’re the first person I know here, too. But if they’re here, it shouldn’t be too hard to find them.” He tries to get up again, and when he finally manages, he holds his hand out to Kofuku.

But, the teenager that he is, he’s suddenly distracted by a cute girl walking towards their general direction. And who, thanks to Kofuku’s presence, trips for no reason whatsoever, falling rather gracefully (and perhaps in slow motion) in his eyes. He would help the poor girl if wasn’t frozen on the spot by the view... because, damn, that’s a really short skirt.

That's just a matter of engineering, I think; there was a time when devices like this had to be huge to do much of anything.

[Though Nita's not certain of the technology curve in Aifaran.]

But making them more efficient over time is a topic of intense study. And that also extends to making them take up less space.

“Aifaran,” he repeats. The name doesn’t sound familiar, although maybe he just hasn’t learned much geography yet, since he’s still in middle school. (Or was. Kind of hard of think about certain things when you’re dead but not really.) ”Doesn’t sound Japanese.”

His shadow has started dancing now, but he does his best to ignore it.

He looks at her WizPod. “What’s that?”

Raphael frowned ever so slightly, beyond certain he had not met this man before. He noted the glances at his demonic hang-on, though he didn't follow them. There was extreme dislike in each glance, but none of it directed at him.

"We are talking now," he replied, but gestured for X to lead the way, "I do not drink, but you are welcome to."

This place became more odd by the moment.

"May I ask why you cannot tell me?"

That is reassuring, She snorted in amusement. Leave it to Raine to judge from a logical standpoint, though Valdis supposed she had missed the aspect. So many were left to the whims of emotions these days.

There is a mirror here, she began, A man who slept through my memories. It is...difficult to reconcile seeing myself reflected in his eyes. He has not expressed anything other than kindness, yet no one can taste the blood I have spilled and remain untainted by it."

Konoe just finally had enough and growled at her, pulling out his sword as a threat. "If you don't leave me alone, I'll get rid of you another way!"

His eyes were narrowed into slits and the fur all over his body puffed up; it was clear he was extremely agitated.

"You know Ilda?"

Conan was suddenly concerned.

She laughs at the hair ruffle. "Hey! I spent an hour combing that this morning!" Well, not really, but she figures it's best to lighten up the situation. As much as you can lighten up a death threat in the form of a war goddess, anyway.

At his musings, she looks thoughtful. "Is apologizing not among your options?"

"Ahh," Anzu said, immediately revising her approach. "Well, let's see... think of it like an address, but for talking to people instead of writing them a letter," she said.

"My name's Anzu... I'm from Japan. What about you?"

"I don't get to go out much at all," Kofuku said, blowing out her cheeks in annoyance. "I wouldn't even want to all the time! Just sometimes... do fun things, meet new people..."

In the background, the cash register has now caught fire. Kofuku looks over her shoulder at it and heaves a pouty sigh.

"This is why I sneak out behind Daikoku's back..."

Who knows? Perhaps Shadow would be able to control the new friend. Raine will think of it eventually, don't worry.

Raine clears her throat delicately. "I did," she says, as kindly as she can. "I needed to be sure of what it was, after all; and to be sure it was something I wanted." Or at least, something that would not have the courtesy to go away if ignored long enough, like some emotions.

She doesn't go very far when Sheena pulls back, keeps a hand on Sheena's shoulder and gives her a small, if fond, smile in return. "So your sleep was somewhat longer than anticipated. Are you... all right?"

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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[EVENT] 4th Wall - SHADOW WALKERS

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Re: Arrival

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i’m sorry i couldn’t resist lol

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