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groundrules) wrote2021-01-08 03:30 pm
groundrules) wrote2021-01-08 03:30 pm
Entry tags:
applications
Eastbound is primarily an invite-only game — each existing player can currently invite up to one person per month, or get in touch about further invites. Existing players can hold two characters in game. A third character can be applied, if players can prove they have met activity requirements for two consecutive months with their existing two characters and have stayed engaged with the game. If you don't have an invite, somehow stumbled upon this neck of the woods, and you’d like to stay, drop the mod journal a line — we'll try to figure it out.
As of Oct. 1, cast/game caps are off. Please note, as of Dec. 1, Eastbound only has 3-4 months of gameplay left.
WHAT CHARACTERS CAN BE APPLIED?
YES: canon and original characters, if they have a solid and consistent personality and background. Characters brought in after they've died are a-okay. For characters taken from a time point just as they're in the process of dying, please read below on meeting medical requirements.
NO (at this time): real people, original characters set in a canon environment, characters from canons or canon instalments that have been released for less than one month, characters with imported development from other games (CRAU), alternate universe, or gender-swapped versions of canon characters.
Children or characters with very specific medical/magical/environment needs: appable, but please make a note of how your character will ICly meet their requirements and stay alive. Likewise, if you are applying for a character taken just as they're dying, provide a suggestion for how they can be kept alive on arrival (this might be easier in some app cycles than others). You can bend the world a little to make miracles happen (ex: a substitute for the medication your character needs to survive can be found for a high price at certain apothecaries, etc.)
Characters that were dropped or swept by activity checks: yes, but they’ll come back without their previous memories, if they are applied in by a different player.
APPLICATIONS CLOSED
→ NAVIGATION MENU
Yato | Noragami
PLAYER NAME: Li
CONTACT:
HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE GAME?: Val gave me an invite!
CHARACTER: Yato
CANON: Noragami
CANON POINT: Post S2 anime + OVAs / end of chapter 39 manga
BACKGROUND: Yato @ Noragami Wikia | Noragami Overview @ Noragami Wikia | Noragami @ Wikipedia
Yato is one of the "8 Million Gods / Kami" of Japanese Shintoism, making him a divine being. In the Noragami series, gods are "created from human wishes", meaning they are "born" when someone prays for something to happen, and they "die" when no human remembers them. Stronger gods are those who've become popular (examples like Ebisu, Bishamon, and Tenjin in the series) and don't have to worry about being forgotten — their presence is ingrained into the Japanese way of life, so if they die, they simply reincarnate. Unfortunately, this isn't true for minor gods, who can fade away if they don't have anyone left who acknowledges them. This concept plays a huge role in the series and is central to Yato's character.
ABILITIES | POWERS: Yato possesses enhanced attributes beyond human capability, particularly speed, agility and stamina. He can't pick up a car and throw it, for example, or outrun one. He does display a seriously skewed relation with gravity though, ie; shown as able to leap all over the city by rooftop or to the top of a building in only a few jumps. He does injure quite seriously, shown to bleed profusely and require time for healing, but (in his own words) it takes a Regalia or a Phantom to make it stick. Regarding physical needs, he still eats and requires sleep like anyone, and gets drunk although it takes a serious amount of liquor to get him there. Being a War God, he also excels at combat in general, taking on Phantoms and even other gods (he's shown as equal in strength to Bishamon, who is reputed to be the strongest of the War Gods). He shares the same weakness to blight/corruption whether from Phantoms or from corrupted souls as other gods in the series. These impurities can only be cleansed with pure water, either from a shrine or from a pure-running stream. Left untreated, they will continue to spread causing severe pain and, if left to progress, death. (wiki)
Teleportation → In the series, Yato and other gods are shown to be able to teleport instantly from one location to another. Yato typically uses this to get to his odd jobs quickly (usually while he's still on the phone with them), but has also been shown to use it to when called in other ways. The character Bishamon also is shown to arrive in the same manner to Kofuku's shop. Additionally, once gods have on official shrine recognized by Heaven (which Yato does at his canon point), they can teleport to and from Takamagahara at will (whereas previously Yato had to ask Tenjin to send him there).
plot armormetaphysical restrictions on them.Sword Techniques → Yato has the ability to use his weapon to perform additional effects on both mortals and other supernatural beings. In canon he's shown to use two prominently:
1. REND (斬 zan; "decapitation") - A killing blow used on a Phantom to destroy it, an ability possessed by all gods although the actual technique of each differs (wiki)
2. SEVERANCE (絶 zetsu; sunder; lit. "sever") - This ability cuts ties between two people (whether humans, shinki, gods, it doesn't seem to matter). This usually takes the form of them losing memories of the other person in some way. Several instances in the series infer that this ability is unique to Yato, as other gods have requested it from him.
PERSONALITY: Most people upon meeting Yato... don't get much of a 'divine being' vibe. They're most likely to encounter him being an enormous dork: loud and joking, without a great concept of personal space, prone to ridiculous outbursts and baited into trading insults, shameless about advertising himself as a god and/or his services as such... generally That Immature Guy who's about as un-godly like as you can get. And it's not that it's a mask — he really is a goofball — but it took him a long time to get this way, and this is the side of him that he wants people to see.
Yato's origin seems completely at odds with his current personality, almost intentionally opposite to it. His creator, a human man presently known only as Father, wished him into existence as the god "Yaboku" with the desire to "cull humanity", so Yato was literally "born" for causing chaos and death. This makes him a God of Calamity, who are feared and loathed by the rest of Heaven, and because of the atrocities he committed at Father's behest — countless murders, entire villages massacred, attacking men, women, and children with impunity — he's also been called a God of Depravity (stated as someone who can only steal happiness, not give it, and who causes those around him to suffer). For the first part of his life, he did so willingly, happily even, because Father praised him for it, and wove into him a near-unshakable belief that he was the only one who would ever appreciate what Yaboku did. Father even went so far as to tell him that he should never hope for a shrine, because humans would never build him one.
It wasn't until he secretly took on a second Regalia named Sakura (his first, was Hiiro/Hiki, also raised by Father as his "sister") whose shock and terror at his actions made him realize that what he was doing wasn't normal for gods, at least not those who were loved by people instead of feared. It was also because of Sakura, innocently misreading the characters of his name as "Yato" instead of "Yaboku", that he realized he could make choices outside of Father's wishes, and began going by this new name instead. But his past was not so easily shed, and Father not so willing to let him go, which ultimately results in Sakura's death. Although Yato returned to killing, becoming colder and more jaded with each century, he didn't forget what ideas that Sakura had planted in his mind about choosing a different path.
Fast-forward several more centuries, and it's clear that Yato has been trying to choose the kind of god he wants to be. Yato styles himself as a "Delivery God", often graffiti-ing his cell number all over the city and offering to grant people's wishes for 5 yen (the traditional offering at Japanese temples before praying for a wish). He takes on all kinds of odd jobs, everything from searching for missing cats to fixing leaky faucets, insisting on only taking ¥5 for the jobs, hoarding the coins with the intent of one day building himself a shrine by which he can be recognized, and dreams one day to be Japan's most revered god. At the heart of everything, that's Yato's greatest desire: to be recognized and appreciated. While he charges money to grant "wishes" of people, he's also strongly motivated by the genuine desire to help people, even when it comes at (sometimes great) cost to himself.
Meeting Hiyori and Yukine has been the best thing to happen to him - probably ever, or at least since meeting Sakura, because they encourage him to be better. Although he's shown selfless behaviour before such as choosing not to reveal to Bishamon that it had been Kazuma who had asked him to murder the Ma Clan, even though doing so could have abated her vendetta to try and kill him, even early in the series he's still shown to have a cold, cynical side to him. When Tenjin asks him to take care of a Phantom-infested area where people are drawn to commit suicide, Yato remarks that people who are willing to throw their lives away don't deserve to be saved.
But he grows, and he gets better.
When he takes on Yukine as a Regalia/shinki, Yato expects the rebellious teen to cause trouble, but even when those feelings escalated into causing enough blight to literally bring him to the verge of death, he refuses to give up on Yukine and revoke his name. Instead, he acknowledges the feelings that Yukine is going through as valid, but also pointing out that he has a new life to embrace, showing compassion without disqualifying the teen's state of mind.
A lot of the time, Yato comes across as very immature. He can be a bit of a perv, he blows his shrine money on absurd "good luck" trinkets (or worse, steals money from Yukine), he dreams up convoluted schemes to try and attract new followers. But even though he acts cool, at the heart of all the childish behaviour is a desperation of not wanting to disappear from people's memories. He's been shunned by other gods for being a God of Calamity, gone for centuries with no followers, meaning that he could literally disappear at any moment. When Ebisu challenges him for what he wants, he says "So I don't want to disappear, what's wrong with that?! I was born from wishes just like the rest of you!" He has constantly felt the need to prove himself or measure up to gods who have thousands or even millions of followers, creating a contentious relationship between them and with Heaven.
When he posts a selfie on Twitter and gets a single new follower (previously Hiyori had been his only follower), he's actually so happy he starts crying. When Hiyori makes him a tiny shrine, he's literally moved to tears by the enormity of its meaning. When Yukine risks his life and becomes a Blessed Instrument/hafuri, he's awed - not because of the stronger power, but because Yukine risked himself for him, becoming the first shinki to ever transform for him. Every single thing, no matter how small, that reminds him that he's making an impact on people's lives and isn't being forgotten has a monumental value to him. He treats those close to him as family, willing to do anything for their happiness and protection.
SAMPLE: Yato rubbed the oily residue from the water from the well between his fingers with a frown before rocking on his heels and standing back up. This was the third location in the villages he'd checked, and all of them had brought up the same tainted liquid. It doesn't feel like Blight, not like he's used to, but it feels distinctly unpleasant in a way that crawls down his spine.
His hand itches for Yukine's familiar scabbard, but his hafuri isn't here. Yato starts back up the path toward the village center, but stops as he sees one of the villagers ahead, at one of the ancient temples that seem so common around here. It raises a lot of conflicting feelings in Yato, seeing how freely the people of this place give worship to gods and spirits, but as one of the eight million...
Best not to think about that right now. The villagers seem only distantly polite as it is, he doesn't know how they'd react to a brand new god busting into the scene. Maybe he can amass a little goodwill first.
"Excuse me," he says with an open, easy grin once the villager appears to be done their offering. "Sorry to disturb you, but you wouldn't be in need of some deliveries or odd jobs done, would you?"
INVENTORY: His red flip cellphone, his yen bottle, and the handmade shrine that Hiyori made for him.
NOTES: Can't think of any.
IF ACCEPTED, WOULD YOU WANT A PLOT-LIGHT OR PLOT-HEAVY CUSTOM INTRO? Plot-heavy sounds fun if available, if not, light is fine too.
APPLICATION RECEIVED
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1. Someone steps on his foot, badly.
2. ...that someone is an extremely attractive person.
3. Suddenly! A bear materialises right behind him. This is likelier than he thinks.
4. A little old lady asks for help recovering her kitten from a tall tree — in the most obnoxiously entitled manner.
5. Oh look! A dead body right in front of him.
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REVISIONS
2. [ as he finally registers who it is, and with all the finesse of a used car salesman: ] "—Ehh you know what, it's fine! Say, you look like someone who had lots of things on the go, right? Don't make that face, look, I know what success looks like! I know exactly what you need: a super-fast, super-reliable and super-affordable delivery god to help you with things. I can clean, mend things, do your shopping— hey, wait! Come back! You haven't heard my rate!"
3. [ hands up, backing away nervously: ] "GAH! L-Look, whatever they told you, I don't owe Kim-un-kamuy any money! Okay, yes, there was that really amazing festival that one time at Kamui Fuchi's temple but in my defense, I thought the sign said the alcoholic offerings were for everyone! It was really dark, anyone could have made that mistake?!"
4. [ through slightly gritted teeth: ] "Yes ma'am, fast-reliable-and-affordable delivery god Yato at your service. Why is it always cats, this whole thing started with cats..."
5. [ looking around for probable cause, but not that shocked; he's seen
causedtoo many dead bodies of his own. nudging it with his boot. ] "Oi... this isn't a great place to be dead, you know. People are going to think I did this— if anyone's eavesdropping, I didn't do this!"EDIT: If these aren't sufficient, I can also provide many in-game samples from previous times I've played him, it's just they're from 2020 and fell outside the 12 months allowable window.
ACCEPTED
Thank you so much for taking the time to supply that! I really appreciate it, and he’s got a hilarious voice. No need for further samples at all! 10/10 would wish to be extremely attractive — period, but also around him.
ADMIN
NOTES
Yato’s pre-assigned username is headless ragdoll.
INTRO
i. Wake up at sea
This is the lighter plot option: your character would be one of the many rescued from the grips of the dark and magically perturbed Crossing Seas after a stretch of time in the stranding region. We can give Yato a few puzzle clue observations or aftermath symptoms, and he can be dragged aboard with the rest of the crew.
PROS: Yato immediately joining the rest of the pre-existing character squad and can interact both physically and by network.
CONS: less active plot than option 2, more of a slow-burn approach.
ii. Serthica
Yato is recruited by the Merchant and sent with other newcomers in the Mouse House — the impoverished outskirts of Arc IV location, Serthica. Here, the small group will have to work together on a few quests to smuggle the remaining party — which comes later by sea — into Serthica.
If Serthica is chosen, you will get a setup and quests write-up for newcomers on 1 August, giving you about nine days to play things out.
PROS: hit the ground running, play a pretty significant role in how the party sets up in Arc IV.
CONS: Yato can contact the party members at sea via network and inboxes, but he won’t meet physically until the seaborne travellers also join Serthica ( this will be around 11 August ). Yato would get a list of the names of the people coming by sea, if that helps.
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I'm fine with his cellphone not connecting, mostly I wanted him to have it because it has pictures of his friends on there. The idea of connecting his in-game device to it down the road is really cool though!
Quick question, Yato's assigned username is the same as another new character from this round — copypasta oops?
The Serthica option sounds really awesome, I'm interested in that one! He's very network-friendly so not meeting the other group in person until the 11th is okay by me.
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Serthica it is!
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