godsoffortune | FAQ (Reply)

This FAQ page is designed to answer questions for prospective applicants about mostly OOC mechanics regarding how The Far Shore game is run
Our Setting page is designed to answer IC questions that mostly affect players who are already in the game. It also serves as a kind of Noragami 101 for those players who aren't familiar with the manga/anime, plus explains how some things are different in The Far Shore game.
Our Applications page has its own FAQ specific to kinds of allowed characters, filling out the app with Noragami-specific information, recommendations for Powers choices, etc. It also has sections for "Why you may want to play a Shinki" and "Why you may want to play a God"

General
Basics | Powers | Admin | Drops/Reapps
General: Basics

Do I have to have read/watched Noragami to really enjoy this game?
No way! Our goal is to make this game fun for everyone who joins, no matter if you know Noragami or not. We'll try our best to explain everything that you'll need to know in order to enjoy this game to the fullest. That said, we've tried to write out answers for common Noragami questions and explanations for core game concepts based in that canon here on the Setting page.

How many OOC days pass in an IC day?
Until April 1, 2018, the Far Shore worked on a 3:1 day ratio. In other words, each IC day lasted three OOC days.

From April 1, 2018 forward, the Far Shore works on a 2:1 ratio, or, in other words, each IC day lasts two OOC days. For a visual representation of how this works, see our calendar.

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General: Powers

Can psychic powers or deductive abilities be used to uncover information about a shinki's past?
Psychic powers that let a character uncover information another character knows cannot reveal any more information about a shinki than the shinki consciously remembers. For example, a telepathic character couldn't "discover" memories about a shinki's past by reading their mind.

Abilities that can uncover information about another character regardless of whether the character knows it themselves or not might discover information about a shinki's past. For example, a character who can see the past of anything they touch might be able to see information about a shinki's past when shaking their hand. Sherlock Holmes might be able to guess a shinki's former occupation through observation and deduction.

If your character has an ability of this sort, they would feel a strong aversion to telling the shinki anything about their past that they might learn using their ability.

My character can see spirits or analyze energy. What would they see in an ayakashi?
Characters with the ability to see the nature of spirits or souls will find nothing but malice in an ayakashi. Any semblance of a human soul that once existed is gone, replaced with negative feelings and an evil energy.

My character has healing abilities. Does this let them heal from blight or heal other characters' blight?
If a character has healing/holy/purification/status ailment clearing abilities, they can use those abilities to help clear blight. They can still be blighted, and blight takes a significantly longer time to heal than simple physical injuries (as a rule of thumb, assume about half a day for minor blight.) Of course, if they use blessed water then they will be cured much more effectively.

Can my character's canon abilities affect their shinki or god powers?
Your character's canon powers can be used to amplify the Noragami canon powers. For example, adding a character's fire ability to a borderline might make a flaming borderline.

Can normal weapons hurt ayakashi?
Any conventional (non-shinki) weapon can distract, annoy, and slightly wound an ayakashi, but cannot kill it.

Should a character devise a way to add purifying water to the weapon, such as putting it in a bullet, the attack would be more effective and any inflicted wounds would be more severe. However, no attack except a rend performed by a god with a shinki's vessel form can destroy an ayakashi.

My character has a canon singing-related magic ability. How does that affect song spells?
Gods who have a canon singing-related ability can still use it with no changes, but, because they aren't shinki, cannot learn song spells. Shinki who have a canon singing-related ability may find it a little easier, or at least more familiar, to learn song spells. At least they have the advantage of being able to stay in tune!

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General: Admin

I'm not sure if I want to app as a god or a shinki. Do I have to pick one for the Test Drive? Do I have to app the same one I pick?
The Test Drive is for you to figure out the dynamics of the game, so you are welcome to pretend anything you'd like with it. You can write a thread with your character as a shinki on the Test Drive and then app as a god, or vice versa, or even try out your character as both a god and a shinki. Your threads can be used as samples for your app regardless.

Can I use more than one journal for the purposes of extra icons/an IC alter ego or alternate identity/a pet/etc?
Players may have an alternate account for their character for icon purposes. Please make a note of the other journal name on your character's information page to avoid confusion. We recommend using your primary journal as often as possible, as our comment tracking method may miss comments made using an alternate journal.

Is it a problem if I ever write a one-line reply? Even on the BBS?
Regarding the rule that "one-line replies … on a consistent basis will not be tolerated", what this means is that players should not be consistently giving responses that are too short to be responded to appropriately. In other words, occasional one-line replies are fine; it's a pattern of overly short or unresponsive tags that would be a problem.

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General: Drops/Reapps

What happens to my character's followers or exp when they're dropped?
Followers and exp are lost when a character drops. If you wish to submit regain requests for other characters to use up your remaining points, you may do so. However, you cannot reapp at a later time and get your exp/followers back.

What happens if my shinki character's god drops?
When a shinki loses their god to a drop, the shinki player can choose a new god for their shinki to be bound to, or can wait for the mods to shuffle them to a new god. Automatic shuffles occur at the end of the app period each month. IC-ly, the shinki will have to find someplace to stay in the interim, as the god's temple will disappear when they do.

If you do not want your godless shinki to be automatically assigned to a new god, please make sure to opt out of the shuffle!

When a god drops, the name associated with that god disappears from the shinki's body. The player does not necessarily need to pick a new name, vessel form, and power to go with their newly-assigned god -- they can re-use the old ones if they oocly prefer to do so. If they reuse a name, they'd have the same name, but it would be associated with their new god, not their old one.

I apped as a shinki, but I want my character to be a god now (or vice versa.) Can I switch?
Yes. A switch from shinki to god (or vice-versa) can be done by canon update, dying, or dropping and re-apping at a later time.

In the case of dying, the character loses all their memories of their time in the game so far, except for one specific memory. See the death page for details. Unless the character is switching from god to shinki, this loss of in-game memories can be reversed via the "Reverse Death" regain.

In the case of canon updating or reapplying the same character to the same status as god or shinki, the player can choose what memories from the game the character keeps.

When updating/reapping in as a different status, shinki becoming gods can remember their time in the game if the player so chooses. They can also now remember their canon past. Gods becoming shinki will have to choose a canon death point. They would forget their time as a god, and would only be able to find out about what happened with them in their time as a god through others ICly telling them. However, characters telling them about their time as a god are not harmful memories to them. (The memories that cause a shinki to corrupt into an ayakashi are those from their pre-death past, which is to say their life in their canon.)

In the case of a god becoming a shinki, memories from the character's time in the game cannot be regained through the 'regain' mechanic.

A shinki changing to god needs to choose a god and power and submit that with the application. A god changing to shinki needs to choose a vessel and power. Please be sure to read the respective forms on each page carefully.

What if I want my god character to die in game, and that death to be their "death" when they come back as a shinki?
This is possible, but if you are using an in-game death as your character's "death" for the purposes of their becoming a shinki, then learning anything about their previous time in game as a god has the potential to turn them into an ayakashi. However, they would be able to use the memory regain mechanic to get back memories of their time in game.

How can I change my god's or shinki's power?
You can gain an additional power for a god or shinki by using the Extra Power regain. In the case of a shinki, this would mean that their additional power could be used for any god who names them.

Shinki can choose a new vessel form and new power with each god that names them.

If you happen to drop a character and later re-app the same character, you may choose a different power if you wish.

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The World
In-Character Mechanics | Arriving in the The Far Shore
The World: In-Character Mechanics

There are so many weird words here! What do these things mean?

Gods are beings born from the wishes of humans. They do not age, although they can be killed, and their purpose is to carry out the wishes of the humans who believe in them.
Shinki are the divine weapons of the gods. All shinki are the souls of human beings who died, and whose wandering souls were found and granted a name by a god.
A Hafuri Vessel is a shinki that is willing to risk their name and their life in order to protect and further the cause of their god. Usually, this occurs through the shinki sacrificing their life for their god.
Ayakashi are beings formed of negative energy, thoughts, and spirits that have bunched together to bring disaster down on the residents of the Near Shore.
The Near Shore is the land of the living, where humans and other living creatures dwell. This game is set in modern Japan, but the "Near Shore" refers to the entire planet, and events may take characters to other parts of the world.
The Far Shore is the land of the non-living: gods, shinki, ayakashi and other spirits.
Blight is a kind of impurity that plagues someone of the Far Shore when they come in direct contact with an ayakashi, or when a shinki acts in ways that they know to be wrong. It looks like a sort of purple bruise or stain, is painful, and can spread to any person of the Far Shore who touches it.
Ablution is a ritual that a shinki who has committed acts they know to be wrong must undergo in order to confess their sins and free their god from the blight caused by their guilt.
A Nora is a shinki who has been named by more than one god. They are typically shunned and seen as outcasts.
A vent is a crack that forms in the ground of the Near Shore. It allows ayakashi to pass through from Yomi (the underworld or hell) to the Near Shore.
Takamagahara is what Japan's Heaven is called, particularly referring to where the gods and their shinki abide on the Far Shore.

If you have further questions about the Noragami setting, especially how it works in The Far Shore game, please see our Setting page.

How does the network function here?
Simply put, the network is just the Internet! Gods and shinki are welcome to use Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or any social media you can think of. There is also a special BBS that is set up strictly for use by Far Shore residents, so you are welcome to note that any general network post you make is going up on the BBS. See below for more info about the Far Shore-specific BBS.

My character doesn't speak Japanese. How will they communicate with people in Japan?
Characters will be able to speak and understand Japanese as a by-product of being a resident of Takamagahara. Both god and shinki characters will still remember any other languages they knew previously. (Languages are knowledge, and shinki retain them.)

Literate characters entering this game will be automatically able to read hiragana and katakana, but will need to study kanji. Illiterate characters will need to study from square one. A blind character would come into this world with a knowledge of Japanese braille, in the same way that sighted characters find themselves able to understand kana. A mute character would be able to understand Japanese sign language.

If characters consciously try to write or speak in another language they know, they will be able to do so. Otherwise, Japanese comes most naturally to them now.

How can my character travel between the Near and Far Shores?
To travel from the world of the living to Takamagahara, the world of the gods, a character simply needs to stand on the grounds of a shrine and will themselves to travel to Takamagahara. It is best to use the shrine belonging to your character or your character's god, but shrines belonging to other gods can be used with the permission of that god or one of their shinki. Every god has at least one shrine in the world of the living. The character will appear in Takamagahara on the grounds of the residence belonging to the god whose shrine they used.

To travel from Takamagahara to the world of the living, a character simply needs to will themselves to travel to the world of the living while standing on the grounds of their residence. They will appear at their shrine in the world of the living.

What is Takamagahara like?
Takamagahara consists mostly of temples and shrines, with some wooded areas and small parks. See the Locations page for a map and details.

Takamagahara is the home of the gods, from Amaterasu all the way down to the lowliest enshrined spirit. It has natural seasons, but the weather is always perfect (unless otherwise noted) -- it's heaven, after all! Characters with environmental sensitivities, from hayfever to humidity, will find that they are not an issue in Takamagahara.

While the moon does appear in the sky in Takamagahara, the moon cycle only has an effect on the Near Shore. It does not affect the Far Shore. Should a werewolf character want to transform on the full moon, they would probably want to check a lunar calendar, then make sure they were on the Near Shore on that night to be able to transform.

Can my character travel around the world? Can my character's shrine be anywhere in the world?
Takamagahara is the home of gods who are worshipped in Japan. In other words, every god character in game has one shrine somewhere in Japan when they arrive in game. However, they are free to travel around the world as they wish.

The main office in Takamagahara has records of "officially" registered Japanese shrines and temples. Heaven is registering new gods automatically with the office when they arrive, seeing as they're taking up residence in Takamagahara, but only shrines and temples in Japan will be listed. Overseas shrines and temples for foreign gods would be registered with their respective foreign office. Players wishing to gain a new shrine outside of Japan can do so using our Regain option.

The record of a god's temples and shrines is available by request from the office.

My character is a historical figure. Will they find themselves in history textbooks?
The history for the Noragami world is the same as modern Earth. Historical characters from other canons/stories in the game are not the exact people that were in this Earth's history, but they are welcome to draw parallels between themselves and the historical figure. (Shinki characters would, of course, not recognize or remember anything about their own lives as a result of seeing historical information about "someone with the same name.")

My character is from a popular Japanese series. Will they find themselves on movie posters?
While movies, TV shows, video games and such do exist in the world, none of the exact franchises associated with any of the characters exist. (The Heavens can't allow them to exist for copyright reasons. ;) ) Likewise, characters from other canons/stories who happen to live in modern Earth Japan would not be in the modern Japan of this world.

If, for example, a character from a card game franchise wanted to make a deck for the card game they know, they'd have to make it themselves with cardboard and markers or their own card creating powers if they had them. They would not find the exact cards that they know in stores.

How will my character get food? Money? Clothes?
Housing and food are provided for by gods' temples. The housing includes amenities, such as video game consoles, but anything new, for instance a new video game that comes out, would have to be bought by the characters. The temple provides food by intermittently filling the fridge with various things. Players are welcome to have this vary from being perfectly reasonable groceries in a timely manner to completely unfortunate, such as the fridge only supplying bags of grapefruits once a week and nothing else.

If characters want anything mundane from the Near Shore, gods and shinki alike will have to land jobs in order to earn money to buy things. It may be hard for them to get people to pay attention to them, but residents of the Far Shore can hold down jobs if they make an effort. Players can decide on a job for themselves, and are welcome to even have their characters work their way up the corporate ladder if they wish.

Gods also receive some income in the form of offerings at their temples on the Near Shore. Players can decide a reasonable income for themselves based on how popular their god is. As a rule of thumb, you can estimate a god's income from offerings by assuming that a follower will donate on average 5 yen per week. (Some may be more likely to get large donations, others less; this is only a general guideline. Any kind of god can get a large donation through our Regain mechanic.)

Any man-made devices that aren't present in your character's temple will need to be purchased from the Near Shore. However, if it is a common, general amenity that your character would usually have around, like hair dryers or video game consoles, your character may find it in the temple.

My character needs a specific medicine from their home world. How can they get it in game?
Since characters are now physically gods or spirits, they will not necessarily still have the illnesses or medical conditions that they had in life. When apping, you can choose for your character to be affected by those conditions or to not be affected by them, whichever you prefer.

If you choose for your character to have a medical condition that requires ongoing treatment in game, the temple will provide essential equipment for the character to treat themselves, such as oxygen tanks, IV drips, or world-specific medication.

Note that a shinki with such a condition would be in trouble if they come to have no god, and therefore no temple to provide their medicines.

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The World: Arriving in the The Far Shore

What happens when my character arrives in game?
When a god character wakes up, they are greeted by a shinki in white robes with a gold chrysanthemum emblazoned on the chest. The white-robed shinki will explain everything about the situation they can. Whichever god was chosen for the character will be described to them - so if a player chose, say, Zeus, the messenger would explain that Zeus is a god of lightning and what sorts of things people pray to Zeus for.

The powers of killing ayakashi and naming shinki will be explained to the god, as will the special power that you chose for your character in their app.

The god will be told who their shinki is. Some gods will already share a bond with that shinki, and would have had a vision of that person's death as soon as they woke up, thereby being able to recognize that person from the memories they experienced. Other gods will not have that bond yet, and will have to go by name and description to find their shinki. (It is OOC-ly up to the players which situation they prefer to play out.)

Lastly, Amaterasu's shinki will hand the god a sealed envelope. It is a note from Amaterasu herself with the simple message "Please do not talk to your shinki about their life or death. It will result in their soul being lost to despair and impurity." The shinki who passed you the message will insist that they must leave you before you read it.

The new god will be guided to the location of the intro log, where the new shinki will be gathered to meet them. There they will receive further information and training for the battles to come. Gods who have not named their shinki yet can find them at this gathering and name them. At that time they will receive the vision of their shinki's death. You can assume that any generic question your character might have asked about the setting will be explained in the way that it is detailed in the FAQ or God 101/Shinki 101 pages.

When a shinki character arrives in heaven, they wake up outside the Meeting Hall. They have no recollections beyond their name, and that they are now dead. They are greeted by a shinki in white robes with a gold chrysanthemum emblazoned on the chest.

The white-robed shinki will explain everything about the situation they can, telling the new shinki character that they are now the divine instrument for a god, and that they now have the task of working together with their god to help humans.

The white-robed shinki will do their very best to make sure every single shinki who arrives goes to the location of the intro log. (Characters would be free to attempt to evade being sent to the meeting, if they wish, however the shinki are difficult to evade.) There they can meet their god, be named if they did not wake up already bearing a name, learn more about being a shinki, and train for the battles ahead. Thanks to the efforts of some of the new gods and shinki, a pamphlet has been prepared and will be provided to new shinki. It describes shinki abilities and how to live as a shinki. Details will be found in each month's introduction log.

When does my character show up ICly?
All the new gods and shinki show up at the same time -- the day that the intro log is posted. It isn't possible to ICly backdate a character's appearance to a time before the intro log.

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Gods
Please read through the God 101 for a thorough description of How Gods Work.
Basics | Gods and Shinki
Gods: Basics

My character is now a god. How does that work?
Congratulations, your character can now do no wrong, because a god is always just. Or so they say… but your character will likely undergo a lot of scrutiny from the Heavens, so they might want to stay on the down-low for a while.

Your god character will wake up in a room of their home in Takamagahara - the Far Shore - and meet with a messenger of the Heavens who will explain that they are now a god. (See World: Arriving for full details.)

How do I choose what god my character is?
First, you will pick out three (3) gods that you think fit your character and that are not currently represented by characters in game or appearing in the Noragami canon. Wikipedia has a pretty solid list of both major and minor gods, and you can see which gods currently have incarnations in game on the gods page. Here is a list of the gods seen in the Noragami series as of right now.

Potential god choices could include: Cthulhu and other fictional gods, gods from Abrahamic religions (Jesus, YHWH, etc.), deified beings (part-gods, humans or animals, such as Hercules, Abe no Seimei, or Station Master Tama), or figures from monotheistic religions that are considered to be "heavenly," such as archangels.

Second, the mods will choose which god your character will be the reincarnation of and let you know in your approval message. It's as simple as that!

Upon entering the game, all gods will have the same number of followers, and no god will inherit any pre-existing shinki from previous incarnations, so it doesn't matter whether the god you choose is major or obscure. Everyone will start on an even footing.

What counts as a god? Which gods are appable?
The concept of "god" is often different in different religions' theologies, but in general, a being that is worshipped independently and is seen as being a figure of power in their own right (as opposed to a particularly devout human, like saints or prophets in Christian theology) would count.

To count as a god, they have to have been worshipped in their own right. For example, Hercules was worshipped as a protector of mankind in ancient Greece, with his main temple in Thebes, and was a favorite god of athletes, so, as a deified hero, he would be considered appable as a god.

Fictional gods from a character's canon or from other works of fiction (such as Lovecraftian deities) are also appable.

What powers can I have as a god?
Your character can keep whatever powers they have in canon, but may need to power them down ('nerf' them) so that they are not game-breaking.

Aside from whatever powers your character already has, they will gain basic god powers. For example, gods can teleport from place to place at will, taking other members of the Far Shore along with them if they wish to (and sometimes even when they don't wish to). They will not gain the ability to name wandering souls, but they can name already-named shinki to make them nora, and can name 'soulless' shinki. They will have the power to revoke their shinki's vessel names, in a situation where they feel a shinki should not be in their service anymore.

In Noragami canon, a god can possess a devoted follower. This is something that new gods can potentially do, with mod approval. If there is a case where the player wants to possess a follower for the purpose of answering a prayer or responding to a summoning ritual, simply send us the ideas you have planned out.

In addition to that, you will gain a power that is unique to you as a god. The god page lists some examples and the powers that are currently in use by other gods. We encourage players to be as unique, creative and diverse as possible when choosing their god's power, but gods with the same or similar powers to another are permissible.

The god I picked has traditional animal companions. Can my character have animal companions now?
A god's familiars (for example, Odin's ravens) would have been shinki in the Noragami setting, so characters do not get the animal familiars of the god they are taking over from.

However, a temple may come with some animals included if the player wants it to. Temple animals will largely remain on the grounds of the temple, and are normal animals (that is, they won't grant the god any special advantages or extra powers.)

What does my god's temple look like?
God's homes/temples are designed by the players of those gods. General descriptions of each home can be found on the Locations page.

There are no creative restrictions on designing a god's temple. Be as ridiculous as you want!

New gods' temples will appear in the "Western District," among the dwellings of minor and obscure deities. As gods gain more followers, they have the chance to move their temple to districts where more successful and well-known deities reside.

What happens to a god's temple if that god is dropped?
When a 'new' god (a player character) disappears (is dropped from the game), their temple also vanishes. What is left behind is an empty lot, like it was just recently bulldozed flat. If another player apps that same god, they get to design a new temple for the god. The previous temple for that god does not reappear, even though the god is the same.

Characters may initially assume that they are "moving into" a temple vacated by the god who previously held their title, but are free to realize that temples are disappearing and changing by observing or hearing about disappearances.

The exception to a new god's temple disappearing is for Japanese/shinto gods, because the old temple (from before the game's opening) remains intact at all times. When an 'old' god (one original to the Noragami world or a Japanese/shinto god) disappears, their temple does not disappear, but all their shinki do. The temple is not necessarily abandoned, however, as the god may have friends willing to maintain the temple until they (hopefully) return.

In this case, the player who first played the Japanese god gets to design the temple, and if they drop and another player takes up that god, they will inherit that same temple. However, they are welcome to make additions or minor changes to the existing structure.

The only time a previously seen temple would reappear after disappearing is if the same player apps into the game again with the same character and same god.

Does my god have to lose their memories?
Nope! If you would like for some memories to become hazy or strange for your god character, that is perfectly alright, but they are not required to lose their memory in any way.

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Gods: And Shinki

Do I get to choose my shinki?
From an in-character perspective, no, your god will not get to choose what shinki they have. The shinki are being assigned by the Heavens directly. However, if you have an out-of-character preference for a type of weapon, castmates, or certain characters, you are more than welcome to detail that in your application or speak directly to the mods. We will accommodate you as much as we can.

My friend wants to app in as a shinki. Can that shinki belong to my god?
Of course! You and your friend simply both need to list in your application that you would like to be paired with each other.

Can I name my shinki?
The shinki given to the current incarnations of the gods will already have their own names from their own worlds, but you are more than welcome to work with your shinki to come up with their vessel name if you would like to.

How friendly do I have to be with my shinki?
You don't have to treat your shinki in any way that you don't feel comfortable with. However, keep in mind that all gods feel what their shinki feel and that a shinki that does something they consider morally wrong will sting their master and end up blighting them. Also, gods know more about their shinki than the shinki know about themselves.

So what exactly do I know about my shinki?
Every god sees the death that their shinki had to suffer through upon naming them. (Gods entering the game can choose which way the initial meeting plays out. See World: Arriving for full details.) All shinki are required to write out an explanation of their death and post it on their character's journal, so it will be easy to find the information that you need to know about your shinki.

Besides that, you are welcome to discuss with the player of your shinki what other memories the god saw. Gods are also constantly aware of their shinki's state of mind, particularly of negative emotions.

Can I talk to my shinki about their past?
Absolutely not. (See also World: In-Character Mechanics)

Gods have an innate, gut-wrenching sense that they should not talk to their shinki about their past, even if they knew them in life. They instinctively know that something awful will happen if they bring up their shinki's life or death and their body will physically react to any thoughts or attempts to go against this instinct. Gods are also specifically told on arrival that giving their shinki any information about their past will result in the irreversible corruption of the shinki into an ayakashi.

Can I talk to other characters about my shinki's past?
Gods are allowed to speak with other gods about the death and previous life of shinki (referred to as 'the god's greatest secret'). Canon gods will be uncomfortable with the topic, however.

Can I talk to my shinki about my past?
Gods are free to talk about their own past with their shinki. However, any part of their past that touches on a shinki's past will raise the warning flags in their mind. They might feel more comfortable avoiding the subject or talking around parts of their past that were shared with their shinki. For a more detailed explanation, refer to the God 101.

How many shinki will I get to start out with?
Normally, gods start the game with only one shinki. However if at the time of apping two shinki wish to belong to the same god, we will do our best to accommodate that. The request must be mentioned in the application.

A newly apped god can request to not have a shinki to start, or to have a preference for a soulless (NPC) shinki. This should be mentioned under the "Anything Else?" header in your application. Note that being without a shinki is a large disadvantage in this world, so we encourage god characters to have a shinki as much as possible. If there is an imbalance in the number of gods who need shinki and the number of shinki willing to be assigned to gods, we will assign a soulless shinki to the gods who don't have a PC shinki.

What happens if my god's shinki drops?
When a god's player shinki drops from the game, the god player has the option of either remaining without a shinki, waiting a little bit for heaven to assign a shinki to them (usually at the time of a new app round, but feel free to contact the mods), or to take on a soulless shinki. Gods can also ICly name other player shinki, with the shinki player's permission.

If you want your character to take on a soulless shinki, please update the god info page with that information. If you do not want a new shinki randomly assigned to your character, please let us know that, too! But note that a god without a shinki will be living at a disadvantage.

Current god players in the game who have no player shinki will have priority to receive any available shinki at the next app round.

Can a god name more shinki? Is there a limit on the number they're allowed to have?
Gods have the potential to name as many shinki as they wish, but need to keep in mind that supporting them is a mental strain as the god can sense the emotions of all their shinki. Obviously, ICly naming new shinki should only be done with the OOC permission of the shinki's player, although gods do not have to have the shinki's permission ICly.

While there is no rule limiting the number of shinki a god can have, we do ask as a courtesy that players prioritize pairing shinki with gods who have no player character shinki.

What happens to soulless shinki if their god drops? What if their god gets a PC shinki?
Gods can name abandoned soulless shinki. If a god knows about another character's soulless shinki that got left behind when that character disappeared, they can go looking for the shinki. There is a small, previously abandoned temple on the Far Shore that houses unclaimed soulless shinki. The population fluctuates, but somewhere around a couple dozen residents would be the normal amount at any point.

If a god with a soulless shinki gets assigned a player shinki, the god is welcome to choose to either have their character release the soulless shinki or keep them. Whichever the player chooses, please update the information on the god info page.

Can a soulless shinki be a nora (named by more than one god)?
Soulless shinki can become nora. If your character gives an additional name to a soulless shinki, please be sure to update your information on the god page.

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Shinki
Please read through the Shinki 101 for a thorough description of How Shinki Work.
Basics | Memory | Bodies | Names | Vessel Form | Powers | Shinki and Gods
Shinki: Basics

My character is now a shinki. How does that work?
Depending on your luck, congratulations may be in order! Working for some gods means living the high life. Unfortunately, working for others is like living with the scum of the earth. Let's hope you're with the former rather than the latter.

As a newly-awakened shinki, you will have no idea where you are, why you are here, or how you even came to this point in your life. The only thing you will remember is your name and that you are no longer in the world of the living, because you have died.

Upon arriving in heaven you will find yourself just outside the Meeting Hall. There are many of Amaterasu's white uniformed shinki directing you towards the location of the entry log, where you will be able to meet your god (they'll know you when they see you somehow), gather more information, and gain training for the battles ahead.

Occasionally there may be an event that will cut short the welcome meeting, and characters will find themselves moved to another location.

How can my shinki ICly find out what they can do and how being a shinki works?
It is possible for shinki characters to find NPC shinki and ask them questions about being a shinki. An NPC shinki can give general answers about most topics covered in the FAQ. If in doubt about what information your shinki can find out, players are welcome to contact the mods with their questions.

Alternatively, shinki can IC-ly ask other characters who have been around a while, or to ask a canon character. Additionally, there would be many resources available to the shinki at the training log that happens every 15 IC days, including a brochure compiled by a character in-game to help new shinki understand their position.

Do I get to choose my god? How are shinki matched up with gods?
ICly, no, your shinki doesn't get to choose. OOCly, if you have a god in mind that you'd like to work with, you are more than welcome to request them in your application. Otherwise, shinki are randomly shuffled to a god by the mod team.

My friend wants to app in as a god. Can my shinki belong to that god?
Of course! You and your friend simply both need to list in your application that you would like to be paired with each other.

Is my character dead now?
Technically, yes, they are! But they don't remember anything about their death, or about their life before now. All that they know is that they are now dead.

The character I want to app is already undead or immortal. How would this work?
You can app a character who is undead or immortal, like a vampire, lich, zombie, spirit or so on, as a shinki. The "death" you choose for your shinki will be their canon point, but as with characters who don't die in canon, you can make up any death that's appropriate for your character's situation at the canon point you want, such as an exorcism, being staked, or so on.

If a shinki character had multiple canon deaths (for example, because of immortality, time-travel or canon resurrection), their god would see flashes of all those deaths and likely be very confused by it all. CRAU deaths (for example, from a murder game) would be treated the same way. The god would see all those deaths.

Regardless of whether a character was alive or undead before the "death" chosen in their app, no shinki can remember anything that happened to them before their appearance in game (outside of memory regains). Shinki who were previously undead would respond to any hint about their past in the same way that shinki who were previously normal, living humans would.

Does my shinki have to lose their memories?
Unfortunately, yes, they do. They will still remain the person they are, but they won't remember how they came to be that person. Memories can be regained slowly throughout the game: see the regains page for details.

What is a 'soulless' shinki?
These are shinki specific to the game. OOC-ly they are given to god characters when we don't have enough shinki players for each god to have a shinki assigned to them. The god player controls them as their own NPC (non-player character) and gives them a basic personality, name and vessel form. Soulless shinki obey their god's orders without question and, when they are in vessel form, do not speak at all. IC-ly, they appeared at the same time as the new gods and shinki, have extremely bland personalities, and remain rather mysterious. But they function like regular shinki, so it's fine, right?

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Shinki: Memory

How much does a shinki forget? Will my character be a total blank slate?
Shinki retain skills and knowledge, such as the history of their world, supernatural characteristics of their race, how to read and do math, the tunes and lyrics to songs, and things like that. They forget all of their personal memories, any detail of their past, or anything about how their skills and knowledge relate to themselves as a person. A shinki's personality does not change as a result of their memory loss. They are still the person they were when they died, but they don't remember how they became this person.

Shinki do not have any innate sense of "familiarity" or "nostalgia" upon encountering things that are similar to their past lives.

What skills can my character remember?
Anything that a character was trained in, such as spells or a sword style, would be retained as knowledge. Anything the character would innately know, such as powers or abilities, they would also retain. They can remember how to use it, and find themselves able to do it, without remembering when or how they learned it.

They wouldn't actively remember what attacks are called, for example, but if there is something they would naturally yell out when using an attack, they'd find themselves saying it anyway.

A character who was trained in magic or in swordsmanship would still be able to cast spells or use a sword, but they wouldn't know why they could do this or who taught them. If they have special attack names or battle catchphrases, while they wouldn't consciously remember those, they might find themselves yelling them out naturally in combat.

A character who has innate (as opposed to trained) supernatural powers or abilities in life would also instinctively how to use those abilities.

What facts can my character remember?
Characters can remember basic facts they knew about their world, but they would not have any sense of how those things related to them. From the example of the fate/ series, a Heroic Spirit might know what a Heroic Spirit was, and know about the Grail War or be able to describe the Summon System, but only in the same way that you might know what a human being is, about World War I, or how a light bulb works. It would be academic knowledge that doesn't seem important or immediately relevant, and they might not even know that they know it unless the topic came up in conversation.

They definitely wouldn't have any sense of how or why they came by this information, and thinking about it too hard would give them a strong sense of fear and dread. They could recognize the god/shinki system as similar to the master/servant system upon hearing about the god/shinki system, but it would still be in an impersonal way: in other words, they wouldn't think "I was part of a system like this before," but rather "Oh, I've heard of systems like this."

Would my character still like and dislike the same things?
A character's tastes and habits would not necessarily change, but they would not know what those tastes and habits are until having a chance to experience them. For instance, a character who loves apple pie wouldn't be able to answer the question "what kind of pie do you like," but when they tasted apple pie they'd know they love it. A character who is good at math could, when asked to do a math problem, complete it and then recognize that they're good at it. A character with a smoking habit might have cravings but not realize what they're craving until they smell cigarette smoke.

Shinki characters retain a 'gut feeling' of situations that make them uncomfortable or afraid, even though they don't remember the reasons why that situation is bad for them. Fears, phobias and unconscious responses remain. For instance, a character who is afraid of the dark would still be afraid of the dark, but would not understand why.

How would regaining a memory or item affect what my character knows about themselves?
When a shinki regains a memory, they only recall that memory. They might be able to extrapolate from that memory to guess things about their past: for example, a shinki who gets a regained memory about fighting a battle might think, "I was a soldier." A shinki who regains a memory of telling someone else about a separate event would know what they said, but would not have any memory of the other event. Thinking too hard about what the memory means or what other things it might imply about their past would trigger the same sense of aversion that thinking about their past generally would.

In the case of a shinki regaining an item that may be of personal significance to them, they will simply find themselves with a new item and not sure where it's from. They will have no idea of any personal attachment to it. If it is a device that can be used and the character knew how to use it, the shinki will still innately know how to use it, without knowing how they know that. Trying to think about whether the item has any significance to them is the same as trying to think about their past, which will raise their internal warning flags that it's best to not think about it.

What happens if my character hears about their past? What if they guess?
Characters who are shinki and who have god castmates in game, or shinki castmates who have had regained memories, may find themselves in a situation where their character can guess "something strange" is happening or that the other character knows more about them than they should. This would not necessarily cause a shinki to fall into corruption, whether the guesses are correct or not (for example, two unrelated shinki who look alike could safely wonder if they are brothers, and two shinki who are brothers and look alike might wonder the same thing.)

It's safe for shinki to hear statements and think about subjects that relate to their current life and situation. For example, a god could say to a shinki, "I love you," because that's a statement about current feelings, even if the reason for that love is based in their past relationship.

However, it is never safe for a shinki to hear a direct statement about their past. If a god who was married to a shinki in life said, "We were married before," that would cause the shinki to fall into corruption and become an ayakashi.

Whenever gods or shinki think about asking questions or making statements about a shinki's past, they would naturally feel that those statements would be very dangerous, and that continuing to think about or talk about that subject would lead to disaster. It is almost impossible to resist the urge to avoid those subjects, and gods are ICly told on arrival that letting shinki know any information about their lives will cause the shinki to become an ayakashi.

How do memories work for shinki who were previously in the game and have been reapped?
In the case of a shinki character who left the game and then returns as a shinki, whether the player chooses to keep their character's memories of their time in game or not, telling that shinki about things that happened in the game will not blight them. Their past real life is treated differently from their life as a shinki. Talking about their past as a shinki does not cause them to fall into corruption.

Any reference to anything from the shinki's canon/real life will cause them to fall into corruption. For example, saying to a returned shinki "we fought that ayakashi and had ice cream afterwards." would not cause corruption. Saying, "Over ice cream you told me that you remembered learning a certain technique from your master back home, and training with him to grow strong," would cause the shinki to fall into corruption (unless they had regained that memory again).

If a god is reapped as a shinki, or a player chooses to change their god character into a shinki, the character will not be able to keep their in-game memories or get those memories back via the regain mechanic. However, they can safely hear about their previous time in game from other characters. Because their personal timeline now ends with the canon death they chose, their time in game is not considered part of their past anymore.

For more details about what past memories are and are not acceptable for gods and shinki to talk about, please refer to the God 101 and Shinki 101 pages.

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Shinki: Bodies

Will my character's body change when they become a shinki?
Shinki's bodies are not normal, living human bodies. They are ghosts with a physical dimension. They can get sick, tired or hungry, they can be injured, and they bleed and breathe because that's part of their normal experience. But purely autonomic internal functions like heartbeat, digestion, etc don't happen.

Shinki have a blood type, but they do not have DNA that can be captured and tested by human methods.

What happens if a shinki is killed? Can shinki die again?
Yes, shinki can be killed. Any injuries that would kill a living person could also be fatal to a shinki. If a player chooses to drop their character via death, the body of a killed (and dropped) shinki would disappear after about 24 hours, and the shinki's god(s) would feel their death and the breaking of their bond at the moment it happened.

If a shinki dies and their player does not want to drop them, they can come back - see the death page for details. In this case, the body would still disappear before the character came back, but the bond would not be broken, and the shinki would still have any names that they had been given when they returned from the dead.

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Shinki: Names

As a shinki, do I have to change my character's name?
Your character's name will stay the same, but they will also have to be given a vessel name. This is something that you can come up with yourself or ask your god to come up with for you.

My shinki character goes by a nickname in canon...
A shinki will recall the name or names they regularly went by in life, in the case of characters with several aliases. If it was a nickname with inherent meaning, they would recall the name, but not the story behind it or who gave it to them.

If they had one consistent name earlier in life that they no longer use, and a different but still consistent name in the canon point they are being drawn from, the name from their current canon point takes precedence. For example, from Kingdom Hearts the name 'Saix' would take precedence over 'Isa', and the character would only remember his name is Saix.

If a character has no canon name, such as if they are only referred to by a nickname, title or description in canon, the character would remember the "name" (nickname/title/job/etc) that people usually call them, or the name that they would give as an answer to the question, "What should I call you?" Characters in this situation are free to accept new personal names from their gods to go with their vessel names.

How do I come up with a vessel name for my shinki character?
All you need to do is choose one kanji character that you like. There are some helpful resources with this list, this list, this dictionary, this dictionary, and this guide. The kun-reading (or the Japanese word) of that kanji becomes your 'true name', and the on-reading (based in the Chinese pronunciation) plus 'ki' ("Vessel") becomes your 'vessel name'. For example, the kanji for 'rain' would make the true name 'Ame' ("Rain") and the vessel name 'Uki'. ("U" for the alternate pronunciation, plus "ki" - "rain vessel.")

Further examples and details are in the Shinki 101.

Shinki names are, in canon, only one kanji character. While we haven't been too strict in the game, we prefer to see players choose one-kanji names.

All shinki will have the kanji from their vessel name 'tattooed' somewhere on their body. It is up to you where that is.

Wait, my shinki has a tattoo?
While not really a tattoo, the character corresponding to their name will be written in red somewhere on their body. It is a symbol of the fact that they are named by a god and it helps shinki to recognize each other by sight, if their name is visible.

"Nora," or shinki named by more than one god, will have more than one name on their bodies. Since there is significant prejudice against nora among the older gods and shinki, those who accept names from more than one god will just have to hope that they're in places that are easy to hide!

A shinki's name 'tattoo' can be hidden or altered by illusion magic, but the name itself cannot be truly erased or changed. Using illusions to make more names appear as a misdirection is also possible.

If a character shapeshifts, no matter what form they take they will still have the mark on their body.

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Shinki: Vessel Form

What kinds of things can my shinki turn into for a vessel form?
Anything you can think of! Shinki can transform into any sort of weapon, household object, book, animal or even human. It doesn't have to be related to your character's personality or skills, although it can be. The sky's the limit.

Can a shinki see in vessel form? Hear? Talk? Feel?
Shinki in vessel form can see clearly all around them. They can watch their god's back, or look in front, as they please. Should the vessel form be put in a pocket or bag, they can still see and feel what is around them despite being covered.

While in vessel form the shinki can only speak to their god and any other shinki that their god has equipped. They can hear everything going on around them. The god speaks aloud to their equipped shinki to communicate with them.

Shinki do have a sense of touch in vessel form. In canon, Yukine frequently complains of Yato's sweaty hands. We leave it up to the players how sensitive their shinki are in vessel form, for example if they get a bit motion sick being swung around as a sword or if a computer shinki is ticklish when the keyboard is used.

If a shinki is blind, can they still see in vessel form?
In the case of a blind shinki character, while in vessel form all their other senses would be enhanced so they have an acute awareness of what is going on around them and their god. Similarly, shinki who lack other senses would find their remaining senses amplified while in vessel form.

Shinki who have impaired senses, for example who need glasses or are hard of hearing, will find that their senses are clear and unimpaired while in vessel form.

Can a shinki use magic in vessel form?
Shinki can cast borderlines and songs while in vessel form. They cannot cast spells while in vessel form, as a spell requires a name said out loud to be heard.

Shinki can use their vessel power in vessel form, and if they have canon magic or abilities that don't require physical gestures or words spoken out loud, they can still use those in vessel form as well.

What happens if a shinki's vessel form is damaged?
Shinki can still feel pain and react to blows in vessel form, and if the vessel is damaged, the shinki's person is wounded as well. Wounds taken in vessel form carry over to when they return to human form. The destruction of a vessel form would kill a shinki.

Can a shinki resist being transformed into their vessel form?
Shinki can resist being changed into their vessel form when called. However it is an uncomfortable feeling. It also leaves their god defenseless, and should the shinki realize they're doing something wrong by resisting they can potentially sting their god.

Shinki cannot transform into or out of their vessel form on their own. It is something the god who named them is completely in charge of.

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Shinki: Powers

What powers can I have as a shinki?
Your character can keep whatever powers they have in canon, but may need to power them down ('nerf' them) so that they are not game-breaking.

The main power that all shinki have is the ability to draw a boundary - a line that protects them and whoever they choose from the ayakashi. The stronger the will of the shinki, the stronger the border will be. Shinki also have the ability to learn how to use spells. By knowing the name of a person or shinki, they are able to bind them, put them to sleep, or other such things simply by invoking it. The catch is that they have to be the superior one in the battle for it to work. For further details, check the Spells page.

On top of the basic shinki powers, each shinki will also have a special 'vessel power' that fits their weapon choice or personality. You can see the shinki page for ideas and to see what other shinki have chosen for their power. Feel free to get creative or just stick to basic things like power buffing or automatic shielding!

A shinki's 'vessel power' will only be able to be used when the shinki is in vessel form.

A shinki's vessel power is linked to the experience they gain, so over time the character will find themselves being able to use this new power better and more effectively.

What can a boundary or "borderline" do?
Shinki borderlines cannot be used to kill an ayakashi, but they can be used to shield from them, weaken them, or drive them away. Drawing a borderline through an item or a creature can cut that item or creature, for example cutting an ayakashi apart or cutting a hole in a wall.

Shinki boundary lines can be altered to let certain things through, for example to keep ayakashi out but allow a shinki to pass through. The shinki who drew the line is the one who can will the line to change like that.

Shinki boundary lines do not normally keep out 'environmental' factors such as dust, air or rain. However, a shinki could be capable of making an unusual line that could keep out environmental factors, if their will were firm enough and their capabilities as a shinki very high.

Can my character notice when their borderline is getting weaker?
Shinki can sense when their line is being worn down or broken. It does take energy for them to cast and maintain a line, and they have to keep paying attention to the line in order to keep it from collapsing. A shinki would not be able to cast a borderline and then keep it up while the shinki left the area or did something else.

For full details refer to the Shinki 101.

If a borderline can't kill an ayakashi, what can?
The only thing that can kill an ayakashi is 'rending' it, which is a spell that the god and shinki use together. To rend an ayakashi, while the shinki is in vessel form, the god must use the shinki to attack the ayakashi directly.

Shinki do not need to have a weapon as their vessel form in order to rend. All shinki are capable of rending ayakashi. However, attacking ayakashi with unusual vessel forms may require more creativity on the part of the god. For example, a shinki who takes the form of a glove might require the god to punch the ayakashi. A shinki who takes the form of a pocket calculator might need to use their vessel power or just have the god hit the ayakashi with their calculator form.

Powerful ayakashi may need to be weakened before they are susceptible to rending.

How can my shinki use their vessel power?
Shinki can only use their shinki 'vessel power' (the one chosen in your app) while in shinki vessel form. Unless otherwise detailed in your app, the shinki is the one who has control of this power, and not the god, so the shinki can make the choice to use it and will need to learn to control it.

The vessel power is an extra power. Any innate abilities your character already has (as outlined in the ability section of your app) are still available to them, provided that they are not reliant on anything that would not be present in the game's modern Earth environment.

How fast can my shinki learn new spells?
All shinki are to learn spells and techniques in the timeframe as outlined in the Shinki 101 and Spells page. Characters who have 'genius' abilities and are usually able to pick things up faster, or characters who are otherwise talented at spell-casting or singing, will still take the same amount of time to learn the spell. After all, all characters are equally new to being shinki.

The only exception would be rewards from prayers or special IC interactions provided by the mods that would allow a shinki to learn a technique a little more quickly.

Who can my shinki cast spells on once they've learned to cast them?
Spells can be used on shinki and humans. They cannot be used on gods. Only certain effects are usable against ayakashi. For details refer to the Shinki 101.

What is an ablution?
An ablution is a special spell cast by three shinki together in order to confine and force a blighted shinki to apologize and confess their misdeeds, thus purifying them of blight. It's a dangerous spell, and requires the three shinki casting it to be able to hold borderlines for up to several hours while the shinki inside is fully purified.

If an ablution fails to force the target to confess and apologize, or if one of the shinki casting it fails to hold their borderline until the target is fully purified, the target may transform completely into an ayakashi, and the lives of the shinki casting the spell will be in danger.

Can an ablution spell be cast on more than one shinki at a time?
While it's theoretically possible to cast an ablution spell around more than one blighted shinki, it vastly raises the odds of the ablution failing -- because the shinki inside the ablution would be stronger in fighting the power of the shinki casting it, because both shinki would have to repent and recover at the same time or the still-blighted shinki might attack and injure or kill the repenting shinki, and because the ablution would fail if only one out of the two somehow failed to repent or recover before the shinki casting the ablution lost the ability to continue.

Any shinki casting an ablution spell around more than one target should be prepared for a tough fight!

Further mechanics for shinki blight purification, ablution, spell casting and possible blight side-effects of spell casting are outlined in the Shinki 101.

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Shinki: And Gods

How friendly do I have to be with my god?
As friendly as you want to be! However, keep in mind that shinki walk the fine line between human and ayakashi. If a shinki does something morally wrong, they will sting and blight their god. If they continue to sting their god, they will slowly become an ayakashi themselves unless they are purified and confess all of their sins, at which point their god might just cast them out. Maintaining a good relationship with their god can literally be a matter of life and death.

What if my character has high/low moral standards? What counts as "morally wrong" enough to cause stinging?
The stinging of a god by their shinki depends entirely on what the shinki thinks is right and wrong. Shinki were created as a baseline for what is good and bad so that gods know how humans view different actions. If your shinki character would feel guilty about telling a small white lie, that will sting their god. However, if your shinki thinks killing a person who threatens others is completely in the right and for the betterment of all, their god will not be stung. It depends entirely on your character and how they view the world.

Basically, if a shinki feels guilt about an action that they took, that feeling of guilt would be enough to cause blight.

A shinki's god will be able to feel other negative emotions, too, and will find them painful, but will not be blighted by anything but guilt.

Would my character sting their god if they got too close to someone else? What if they got romantically involved with someone?
If a shinki becomes close to someone, feelings of protectiveness/loss/anger/love/etc towards that person would not necessarily push them into falling into becoming ayakashi. Strong emotions are not inherently dangerous to shinki.

However, negative emotions are dangerous. If they are the sort of person to become overly possessive, jealous, or other things of that nature, and if they felt guilty because of those reactions, they could begin to blight their god.

Lust isn't necessarily negative, although, like other strong emotions, a god might be able to sense when their shinki is feeling it. It would only be negative if the shinki feels bad about it or believes that it's wrong to feel it.

What if my character has a problem with their god and wants a new one?
Shinki can directly ask their god to release their names, thereby freeing them to go find a new god at their leisure.

The "shinki labor standards office" is an institution in heaven that has the intent of helping shinki find jobs and have a reasonable working life. In-game, they are responsible for assigning new gods and new shinki to one another, and sending out periodic surveys about working conditions. Shinki who wish to find a new god but whose god refuses to release them can apply to that office for assignment to a new god.

Were a shinki to try and find help from that office, they wouldn't find it as easy as they could have hoped. There's a lot of red tape! But they just might be able to get something done if a shinki is persistent enough. If you want to play out something about a shinki being pulled from a god's service by the office, you would just have to come to us about it.

What if I want my shinki character to be assigned to a different god for OOC reasons?
If there are OOC reasons for you to want a different assignment for your character, please contact the mod team.

Can my character become a Nora?
Sure, why the heck not! That is, if you can convince another god to give you a vessel name and you're okay with being seen as the scum of the earth by the other gods and shinki. Have fun with that.

When should I notify the mods of changes to my shinki's god (through switching gods or becoming a Nora)?
You are welcome to post updates about your god/shinki assignments at any time. If you have plans for your shinki character to get a new name set with another player but haven't been able to play it out yet, you can still preemptively post the updates on the information pages. A note that it is in advance would be helpful as to not confuse other players, and to help the mods when checking pairings.

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Prayers, Missions, and Tasks
What exactly are "prayers"?
To put it simply, prayers are quests that gods can go on with the aid of their shinki. A prayer can range from help with a crush in school all the way to defeating giant ayakashi that are terrorizing hundreds of people. Answering prayers allows a god’s favor with the people of the Near Shore to increase, earning them more worshippers and subsequently more power, and allows a shinki to gain experience points that can allow them to learn different spells or even go towards becoming a Hafuri Vessel.

How do I go about answering prayers?
We have all of that information on the Prayers page for you! We have several existing prompts for players to use, but players can choose to customize them! We add new ones regularly.

Can I use a prayer as a prompt for an open post?
Yes, you can. However, points for answering the prayer would only go to characters who had officially signed up to complete it, so people who tagged in to an open post but had not signed up to do that prayer with your character wouldn't get the reward.

Can my character do the same prayer more than once?
Shinki and gods are both more than welcome to complete the same prayer multiple times, as long as they don't use the same comments/thread for it. Different threads in the same log are also fine.

What exactly are "missions"? How about "tasks"?
Missions are specific requests or challenges that allow characters to engage more directly with the metaplot; they deal with the politics of Takamagahara and the game Setting, rather than prayers which come from human followers on the Near Shore. Tasks are similar to Missions, but don't deal with the metaplot; they are ways to gain prominence and prestige.

Both Missions and Tasks are more challenging writing prompts, thus rewarding more followers and exp per comment required than Prayers. Tasks can be restricted with a minimum follower/exp count since they are prestige achievements. Missions do not have minimum follower/exp counts; they help us guide characters who want to look into plot elements outside of mod-run events.

How do I go about answering missions or tasks?
We have the Missions and Tasks page for that!

Why should a god want to gain more followers? And why does a shinki want more experience?
For a god, more followers means that they grow more powerful. They will become stronger than other gods with fewer followers. Additionally, once they have enough followers they can become a 'God of Fortune', which will allow them certain other perks.

As for shinki, gaining more experience will also make them more powerful, allow them to learn spells, and make it easier for them to overpower ayakashi and other shinki if the need arises. Also, building up enough 'points' from answering prayers will allow you to put in to have a plotline where your shinki can become a Hafuri Vessel - essentially elevating them to the highest standing and allowing their weapon form to evolve, granting them an extra power.

Additionally, followers and exp can be used in the process of obtaining regains.

How can I find out how many followers/how many points I have?
All that information will be kept on the Monthly Point Total sheet but we also have that information cascaded to the God Info and Shinki Info sheets too.

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Activity
How does AC work here?
AC happens on a monthly basis. A short answer is that AC requires two proofs, and a proof is either 5 log comments or 10 network comments. You can check out the guidelines for more details.

What comments count when you're tallying comments for exp/followers?
We tally comments that are posted on thenearshore and thefarshore. Unfortunately, for logistical reasons, we can't count comments on characters' journals (so inbox threads, for example, would not count.) Inbox threads can still be used for AC, though.

Do I really have to participate in the bi-monthly HMDs?
You do. Any refusal to participate will end with your character being swept from the game. Sorry, but that's the deal here.

Is the HMD anon-enabled? What if I get bullied?
It is anon-enabled, but we the moderators keep a close eye on the activity that goes on there, and IP logging is on for the HMD as well. Bullying will not be tolerated.

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Regains
Can my character regain pets?
Yes, they can! Any pet small enough to fit inside a room would count as a small regain, and larger pets would count as a large regain. "Pets" that are independent, sapient beings with enough personality to count as their own character cannot be regained. The rule of thumb: if someone could app this "pet," you cannot treat it as a regain! So, for example, a Pokemon trainer could regain one of their Pokemon, but Sailor Moon would not be able to regain Luna, because Luna is a potentially appable character.

Pets that grant the character additional powers or abilities are also OK -- just remember to update your info page to reflect the new abilities!

Can I add together points from more than one character to buy a regain? Can I give my character's points to another character?
No, experience points and followers can't be traded or combined across characters. However, one character's points can be used to buy regains for another character with the permission of the other character's player. For instance, if your god character has 5,000 followers, you could use those followers to buy two small item regains for your character's shinki.

What can my character regain? Does it have to be something that they owned in canon?
A regain can be literally anything from the character's home canon, whether or not the character personally owned it. For example, a small item regain could be a necklace that the character's mother always wore before she disappeared, a Pokemon that the character doesn't have in their canon team, or a generic motorcycle.

If an item that usually is full of other items is regained, such as a backpack, a purse, a refrigerator, a house, etc., it will show up empty. In other words, if your character requests a large item regain of their childhood home, the house would appear, but it would be unfurnished and empty. Regaining the backpack that usually contains all of their worldly possessions would just give them the backpack, not the worldly possessions, and so on.

Wait... my character can regain buildings?
A building would count as a large item regain, yes. In the case of something like a storefront, where the regain is only a portion of a larger building, it would appear as part of an existing building, most likely on the Near Shore. You can detail where the item would appear in your regain request.

Do regains have to happen at the same time they're requested?
No. If you want the regain to happen at a future date, you can add that to the regain request. For example, if a character was dropping and wanted to use their points up by buying regains for other characters, they could request that a regain take place at any time, including after their character left the game.

Do regained memories have to be of scenes that happen in canon?
No, memory regains that include headcanon are acceptable. We do ask that if your character is regaining a headcanon memory that involves other characters in game, please double-check this with the other characters' players, as headcanon may differ between players.

For example, if a character will be remembering a childhood tragedy alluded to but not shown in canon, and that character's sibling is also in game, we would ask that there be communication between the players to ensure that all are comfortable with the proposed headcanon about that shared childhood tragedy.

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FAQ

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