[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

[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?

[divineviolence]

Bobby does not play coy. When she walks into the store and the Fool looks her way, she meets his gaze and smiles innocently. So, a barter system exists. Useful.

Despite her dulled senses, she can still feel eyes on her as she walks further into the store, fingers trailing over the fabric of finished garments, here and there examining the work more closely. The shopkeeper glances at her as well. It would be to her advantage to get in the shopkeeper's good graces and maybe snag some bargains, but the Fool... well, the Fool is interesting.

The shadow attached to her grins malevolently, and starts making faces at the dress that Bobby is holding up. It doesn't like her fashion choices, it seems, and she pretends to look hurt.

[afoolsgold]

Her shadow has poor taste--the dress is beautiful, and attracts the Fool's magpie-like gaze. Finishing up his exchange with the proprietor, the Fool carries his parcel of finely dyed fabric over to Bobby and greets her with a wry smile.

"Your charming hanger-on does not seem to agree with your selection," he observes and gives the shadow phantom a lingering look. Thus far they have been nonthreatening, but one can never be sure of anything where the Dreaming is concerned.

[divineviolence]

That was almost too easy.

"It doesn't seem to like anything I do, or say, or think," Bobby replies, sighing. Her shoulders slump slightly as she lowers the dress. "It's weird enough being here without... whatever this thing is making silent commentary on everything. But I need more than one change of clothes, so it's just going to have to deal." She musters an imitated, tired smile. "Do you know if this sort of thing is normal?"

[afoolsgold]

"Do you know if this sort of thing is normal?"

"Normal? In Aifaran?" The Fool gives the woman a droll look, the corners of his mouth quirking into a dry smile. "I am not sure such a thing exists. But, to your point--" and here, he gestures with a slim hand at the shadow behind her, which bares its shadowy fangs at him in an aggressive grimace, "--no, I've not seen something quite like that in my time here. Though I have not been here long. A few months, at most."

He draws his attention away from the shadow and back to Bobby, lifting his chin with a smile. "I am called the Fool," he says simply. "What shall I call you?"

[divineviolence]

The Fool. Has he come straight out of a medieval court or a tarot deck? Not that it matters much. The use of a title rather than a proper name only intrigues her further.

She allows herself a small laugh at his commentary. "Barbara, but most people call me Bobby," she answers, ignoring the pantomiming creature attached to her here. The shadow has already made it clear that it will try to reveal her true feelings, or call out her lies. Best to stay as near the truth as possible. What a nuisance. "A few months is still quite a bit longer than me - the Bridge staff said I shouldn't be staying for more than a few weeks, anyway. Do you like it here? I haven't explored much yet."

[afoolsgold]

The Fool does have a real name, of course. He also has no intention of sharing it with anyone here, least of all a complete stranger. Still, he has a smile for her after she introduces herself, though that tidbit about the duration of her stay surprises him. "Only a few weeks?" he repeats, then looks from her to the shadow affixed to her, frowning. He gives his head a small shake. "How curious; I suppose your companion has something to do with the length of your stay."

There, he gestures towards the shadow again, smiling thinly. "I would say that I have enjoyed my time here, though it has been trying, at times. The Dreaming can be..." A pause. "Unkind."

[divineviolence]

Bobby turns to glance at her shadow; it snarls silently at the Fool and mimes laughter. She scowls at it, and it isn't entirely faked. "Yeah, it seems like it doesn't really care about the impression it leaves on people," she laments, putting the dress back on the rack. "It's like I've been tagged like a wild animal. Everyone knows I don't belong."

A moment later she smiles apologetically. "Sorry, being here is very strange. I guess 'strange' is normal in a place like this, people coming and going at random. I don't mean to drag down your shopping."

[afoolsgold]

The shadow snarls at him, and the Fool's eyes widen a fraction in startled alarm. He can't completely check the impulse to draw back a half-step, eyes darting from the shadow to Bobby and then back again, before he manages a slightly nervous laugh.

"It does not lack for personality, does it?" he observes, reaching for levity and not quite finding it.

Her apologetic smile pulls a slightly warmer one from him, however, and he shakes his head. "We were all strangers here once, cast adrift and alone. I would be glad to help you, if I can." There is sincerity in his eyes as he regards her; all his dry humour and whimsy aside, he clearly means it.

[divineviolence]

The corners of her mouth pull down as the Fool steps away, upholding the fiction of why her shadow bothers her. It does bother, but not because it's threatening or offputting. The Fool's reassurance sees that upset ebbing, to give way for relief and appreciation.

"That would be really nice," Bobby says, hopeful. In truth, she wouldn't mind company to keep her entertained and to tell her more about this city. "But I don't want to disrupt your plans if you're busy. You must've had enough time here to build an actual life, instead of just dropping by for a visit."