I'm A Slave of Karma, Baby

[OOC] Final Stats

Tue, 05 May 2009 21:58:58 GMT

Apped: May 17, 2008

Dropped: April 30, 2009

Total Comments: 1,176

[CFUW October 3] Locked to Ginshu

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:30:02 GMT

Um, hi, I guess.

[OOC] Quick note about Fuuto & Atisha.

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:24:44 GMT

Now that Atisha's in camp, there's something that psychic- and soul-sensing-types should probably take note of.

If your character can sense souls, they're probably notice that Fuuto and Atisha share a soul. For reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture, the previous Holy King's soul split at the time of their death, reincarnating as both Fuuto and Atisha. If this sounds like something your character would sense or bring up, that's fine with us. It's probably pretty obvious to those with experience noticing these sorts of things.

[IC] Near the woods.

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:34 GMT

[There is a teenage Holy King wandering around the outskirts of the woods, a puzzled expression on his face.]

--s'funny, I definitely felt something...

[OOC] Akino Matsuri's Crossovers

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:56:22 GMT

AKINO LOEV CROSSOVERS.

Genjuu no Seiza
☆ Fuuto and the others visit D's shop in the sidestory. (Petshop of Horrors)
☆ Sohki asks D to look after Ohko. (Petshop of Horrors)

Petshop of Horrors
☆ Fehmut cameos in a panel in Petshop and the atogaki of that volume. (Psychic Business Corporation)
☆ Fehmut plays a major role in stories from volumes 3 & 4 of Shin Petshop. (Psychic Business Corporation)
☆ The Master takes care of D's shop while he's away in Shin Petshop. (Psychic Business Corporation)
☆ D visits Fuuto's grandmother in volume 4 of Shin Petshop. (Genjuu no Seiza)
☆ The back cover of volume 4 of Shin Petshop has D and Genro on it. (Genjuu no Seiza)

Psychic Business Corporation
☆ Tokiwa is a substitute teacher for Fuuto's class in a bonus page in the second publishing of the manga. (Genjuu no Seiza)

TO BE CONTINUED...?

[OOC] ... lol foreshadowing.

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:19:17 GMT

Discovered when I was flipping through earlier volumes for material to pimp for Sohki:

Sohki: It's simply another quarrel between Naga and Garuda. I will not choose sides. Was it not bebacuse of these quarrels that the last Holy King died so young?
Lamia: B-but we don't know who should sit on the throne of--
Sohki: We're on the 42nd Holy King now, aren't we? I'm not sure it matters at this point who sits on the throne. Though I would prefer... a tastier body.

HAHAHAHA. HAHAHA. Ha. ... sob.

[OOC] App My Girlfriend, Part #1

Wed, 21 May 2008 06:20:34 GMT

So, I really, really, really want someone to app Mayu (PSSSST). And despite the fact that only six volumes have been commercially released so far and her backstory doesn't get explained until volume eight, she's perfectly appable right now because she has amnesia and doesn't know her own past! But I know some people like to know their characters' pasts even when the character doesn't.

Thus, I made this post, which is my translation of Mayu's backstory from Volume 8 Chapter 3.

[NOTE: the narrators are Mayu's parents]

Ever since we were married, we were not easily blessed with a child. Mayu is our only daughter, conceived through artificial insemination. She was born safely and her physical development was favorable. We intended her to be raised as the precious, beloved apple of our eye.

One day, when Mayu was three... we were living in London at the time-- In the middle of the night, she suddenly woke up and said something in a foreign language.

Tiny!Mayu: My Holy King has been born.

At the time, we thought she was still half-asleep and dreaming, but...

From that day on, Mayu would stare blankly into space and suddenly begin talking with someone (she would say a ghost was there), she would be swarmed with birds and insects, she was no good at games or lotteries, she would predict things that would come true... The kids at her school and the neighbors began to say that she gave them a creepy feeling.

Even so, we're a doctor and an engineer-- we looked for some scientific explanation and didn't trust her abilities. But the summer Mayu was seven, we went to visit Patricia's relatives in India. Her grandmother on her mother's side is an zealous Hindu, and when she first laid eyes on her great-granchild Mayu...

Mayu's Great-Grandmother: This girl... a star of great power... has placed a curse on her.

--and she fell to her knees.

Fuuto: She said "a curse"?
Mayu's Mom: Yes. We too thought it was just an old woman's superstition, and smiled without responding. But... after that, we unconsciously thought we'd choose a plot of land where the Indian... the Hindu gods' eyes could not follow, and live there.

Fuuto: (It sort of sounds my childhood.)

And, somehow, when Mayu was fifteen... that abominable accident--!! During her summer vacation trip with her school friends, the plane crashed in the Himalayan Mountains. The rest other passengers and the entire crew all died on the scene, and the only survivor able to be rescued was Mayu, but... She was entirely burned, her condition was like that of a broken doll, and everyone was resigned to the fact that it was just a matter of time before she died. We were informed by the original investigators of the accident that the black box of the plane had recorded the pilot's final scream. "A dragon in the sky--"

Fuuto & Garuda: (A dragon--?!)

The local air-traffic controller and media announced that he had probably mistaken a flash of lightning in the middle of the storm, but--

"Is this the curse Grandmother spoke of?!"
"Mayu was cursed to die by an illusionary animal like a "dragon"?!"
"I can't forgive that!"
"If in the 21st century's civilized society, a "curse" can steal our beloved daughter, then--"
"--we will protect her with the power of science!!'"

And a grand surgical operation began. The latest medical equipment and the highest level staff in the world. From donors gathered from around the world, artificial parts. We tried everything from medicine in development to unapproved gene therapy.

However, the brain damage was considerable. It was the expectation that even if her life was saved, she'd spend her whole life in a vegetative state or develop serious prognostic symptoms. Even so, day and night we continued treatment. Some people praised the tenacity of parents attempting to save their beloved daughter. Others criticized us for experimenting on a living person with our daughter as the subject.

The operation was a success and Mayu returned from death's door.

"We won against the curse!"
"Yes... thank you, God!"
"......."
"Cur...se?"
"God?!"
"What--"
"And who were we fighting?!"
"Perhaps the cursed ones are us--?!"
"The punishment for the arrogance of humans going against nature's providence and trespassing on the domain of the creator god... this is "divine retribution"--?!"

We visited my Indian grandmother once more.

Mayu's Great-Grandmother: In my village, when a child is born under the star of an ill omen, we have a tradition of exorcising them by giving them a temporary funeral. If that is done, it removes them from the eyes of the god cursing them.

"A once-dead person is reborn anew!"
"Is that the only way for Mayu to live?!"

The practically resurrected Mayu had lost all her memories and emotions. She was literally like a newborn, but it wasn't just God's eyes-- we instructed the people involved in the surgical operation, and in order to deceive the world, we announced that Mayu's operation had been a failure and held a funeral, erasing her from the family register. Then, we left her in the care of my underclassman Ichijou and went to America.

Fuuto: Why Professor Ichijou?
Mayu's Father: Well, you see. It was because he met all the requirements.
Ichijou: Ah... well, it's because I live alone in a ridiculously large mansion away from other people, I can sort of carry out the medical treatments, and have an admiration for things like curses and the occult... right.
Mayu's Father: No... we could entrust you with our "secret" and Mayu. You're a trustworthy, one of a kind person, Ichijou-kun.
Ichijou: Professor Toudou...

Ichijou-kun would send us Mayu's progress reports at fixed intervals-- those alone gave our lives meaning. Even though we were separated by a long distance... even though she didn't remember us...

[Both embrace Mayu.]

Mayu's Father: She was alive under this sky. Just knowing that we were happy.
Mayu's Mother: A single day didn't go by without us thinking of you.
Fuuto: (Huh... she wasn't abandoned at all. Thank goodness, Mayu.)

[Fuuto notices that Mayu is still expressionless.]

Fuuto: (Mayu?)
Fuuto: [whispered] Oi, Mayu. Your mom and dad have said all this. Say something to them!
Mayu: Why?
Fuuto: ... are you saying you're not happy? You can't feel anything right now?
Ichijou: F-Fuuto-kun. There's no helping it. Because of the injuries to her brain, Mayu completely lost the ability to experience emotions.
Fuuto: But... but--
Mayu: Fuuto, are you crying again?
Fuuto: I-I'm not crying! And don't say "again."
Mayu: But right now you're thinking that it's sad, right?
Fuuto: T-that's--
Mayu: Because when Fuuto is sad... the area around my chest hurts.
Fuuto: ... Mayu? Y-you're saying... Then... if I smile...
Mayu: I'm happy too.
Fuuto: G-got it! From now on I won't recklessly look sad or angry! I'll use my best discretion!
Mayu: Please do.

[OOC] Dhalashar's Holy King and Shaman

Sun, 18 May 2008 03:36:30 GMT

This post contains SPOILERS about the identities about past and future Holy Kings and Shamans.

The Holy Kings and Shamans of Dhalashar

The Holy King of Dhalashar is a figure who's been around for at least a thousand years. During that time, he's gone through forty-two incarnations, each unique. Some have been women, some men; some were old when they ruled, some young; they have been Indian, Tibetan, Nepali, Chinese, etc. However, despite differences in both physical form and personality, their core soul has remained the same.

A second soul follows the King in his reincarnations: the Shaman. The King and the Shaman always have a close relationship, though the exact nature of that relationship varies from incarnation to incarnation: we're given examples of Kings and Shamans who have been parent and child, siblings, lovers, best friends, etc. It is the job of the Shaman to regulate the King's sometimes overwhelming powers. They serve the King by providing stability and are the only one who can calm a King who has gone berserk. Needless to say, the Shaman is invaluable.

HOLY KINGS AND SHAMANS OF DHALASHAR
Time Period	Holy King	Shaman
7th Century	Ranga The ten year old daughter of an Indian Maharaja and the 14th Holy King. Stubborn, outspoken, and very emotional. She sometimes comes off as spoiled, but cares deeply for her subjects.	Shi Jia-Yun The son of a peasant couple in rural China. Twenty-three years old. The 14th Shaman. Though he's soft-spoken and easily overwhelmed (he's still getting used to the splendors of Dhalashar), he occasionally manages to hold his own against Ranga.
13th Century	??? ... I don't own this volume :(	Madeline A formidable woman who knows her way around both the battlefield and the workings of a household. Approximately twenty-five or twenty-six years old. The 26th Shaman. She's been searching for her Holy King since she was fifteen.
1800's(?)	Atisha The 38th Holy King. One of the Kings who began to bring Dhalashar out of the realm of myth and into the modern eye. Photographed with a Russian Czar.	??? No canon information given.
~1960's-1980's*	Atisha A young Nepali woman with both strong will and feminine grace. The 41st Holy King. Good-natured and affectionate, she has always wondered what her life would have been like if she hadn't been the Holy King.	Yahati A shy eighteen year old from Kazakhstan. His eyes are blind and his body is covered in burns from a failed weapons experiment by the Soviet Union. The 41st Shaman. He worries that his physical limitations hold him back from properly doing his duty.
Present Day	Fuuto/Atisha A pair of very different fifteen year old boys. Together, they are the 42nd Holy King. Fuuto is generally irritable and outspoken, whereas Atisha is generally quiet and acquiescent.	Mayu A strangely blank girl who's confined to a wheelchair. The 42nd Shaman. Extremely intelligent, if not quite up on the "human emotions" thing. Her calm personality soothes Fuuto's more firey one.
Future (~60 years)	Mahatibha A childlike young man with strong psychic abilities. The 44th Holy King. With a mental age that seems perpetually stuck in childhood, the only thing he considers "real" is his twin, Amitabha. As a result, he is terrifying unaware of the value of the lives of others.	Amitabha A playful young man with strong psychic abilities. The 44th Shaman. Despite his fondness for teasing others, much of his life has been spent controlling his twin brother's explosive temper. His airy smile hides a sad maturity.

* Volume 11 states that Yahati was born in 196X, and he died when he was eighteen. Atisha died three years later (the year Fuuto was born, obviously). If we assume the series's "present day" to be around the year 2000, that would place her death around 1985, making Yahati's year of birth 1964 and matching the timeline up perfectly. In an earlier volume, the current Atisha is stated to be the first Holy King in forty years. However, this does not contradict the timeline, since the current Atisha would be the first king to be crowned in forty years. After all, he was only crowned during the course of the manga, and the previous Atisha was crowned when she was quite young-- probably in the late 60's. So that would make his coronation the first one in forty years.

The Holy King's Guardians

The manga's title, Genjuu no Seiza, can be translated as "The Cryptid Constellations." The constellations in question each refer to one of the guardian beasts of the Holy King. These creatures, who often have both animal and human form, are the sworn protectors of the Holy King-- they're also generally gods in their own right (see: Garuda, Hanuman, Naga, Yamantaka, etc). In return for their service as gods and protectors of Dhalashar, the Holy King has awarded each a place in the stars above Dhalashar as a constellation.

[SPOILERS] There's more to the contract than that, though. The King's payment for his guardians' loyal service is in his own flesh and blood. When the current incarnation of the King dies, his guardians tear his body to pieces and eat him. [/SPOILERS]

The Holy King has the power to create a new guardian beast with any creature/spirit who accepts his contract.

[OOC] On Recognizing Fuuto

Sun, 18 May 2008 03:34:23 GMT

Okay, so here's the thing about Fuuto: he's famous. Not for being himself, mind you! But he's related to two people who are well-known in their respective fields, and he's the most recent reincarnation of a pretty powerful figure in the magical and spiritual world. Therefore, it's entirely possible that some characters in camp would be familiar with him some reason or another. If you think your character would be and want to play with this, I am totally down with that.

Here's how you might know of Fuuto:

1) Kamishina Kento, World-Famous Photographer: AKA Fuuto's dad. His picture of a young Tibetan nomad girl catapulted him into international fame. At least amongst the photography and National Geographic crowd. These days, most people know his name due to the media sensation surrounding his disappearance somewhere in Central Asia a few years back.

2) Kamishina Takako, Yakuza Boss Extraordinaire: AKA Fuuto's grandmother. A older woman with a sharp tongue and an iron fist, she's a well-known figure in the Japanese underworld. Fuuto's last name alone is enough to give him safe passage into most yakuza dens. The yakuza refer to him as "Kamishina the Third," much to his horror.

3) The Holy King of Dhalashar: Characters who have a stake in the magical side of Earth, or those who are interested in Central Asian/Middle Eastern folklore would have probably heard of the Holy King. Successive reincarnations of the King have been ruling Dhalashar for at least a thousand years. As Dhalashar is not just an oasis for lost travelers, but also exiled gods and other spirits, it's a rather important place. The Holy King has also been known to mediate spiritual disputes. For this reason, the Holy King enjoys a certain amount of respect from most magical beings: for example, even Count D refers to him as "Your Holiness" and gives him a slight bow.

That's about the extent of the information most magical beings would know about Dhalashar and the Holy King, but as we have several characters in camp who might have actually met one of Fuuto's previous incarnations, I have a more in-depth post here. It contains some SPOILERS on the identities of previous Holy Kings and their Shamans, but I tried to keep it as spoiler-free as possible.

[OOC] Permissions/Stats Meme

Sun, 18 May 2008 03:31:33 GMT

Name: Kamishina Fuuto
Age: 15
Height: 167 cm (5'6")
Weight: 50 kg (110 lbs)
Hair: Purple
Eyes: Gold

Medical Info: The usual immunizations, childhood sprains, and possibly tonsil removal. Nothing exciting.

Physical Traits: Looks like a normal teenager, albeit a bit on the scrawny side. Half-Japanese, half-Tibetan. Generally dresses in oversized jerseys or Engrish t-shirts, with jeans or baggy shorts. Basically, not all that remarkable at all. HOWEVER, if you're spiritually sensitive to that kind of thing, sometimes when he's using his powers, you might catch a glimpse of him looking like this instead.

Abilities: As the 42nd Holy King of Dhalashar, Fuuto inherited a whole host of godmode magical and psychic abilities. He's a regular powerhouse of raw energy. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you view it), though, he's still just learning how to control these powers. Let's list the major ones:

• Telepathy: After a few hilarious mishaps, he's finally learned how to keep this under control and no longer picks up on everyone's random thoughts. Strong emotions tend to slip through his barrier, though, so he picks up on the thoughts of people in serious pain pretty often. He can project his voice into other telepathically gifted people's heads and hold conversations with them.

•Teleportation: He's still working on this one. Fuuto can transport himself or others to a different place in an instant. Of course, he's not always aware that he's doing it...

•Healing: Fuuto can heal minor to moderate wounds. The bigger ones often necessitate him taking the injured person's pain or sickness into himself temporarily.

•Energy Blasts: Just what it sounds like! This is another power he's working on controlling, so he can't quite summon up a kamehameha on a moment's notice, but when he can, it's pretty powerful. NOTE: Sometimes Fuuto goes berserk. When this happens, anything nearby is effectively fucked. He calls up destructive forces that will decimate anything in his path, friend or foe, until he's calmed down.

•Energy Shields: Fuuto can call up a barrier to protect himself and others from attack.

•Time Slips: AKA OH SHIT I'M TALKING WITH MARCO POLO. If Fuuto touches an object that holds great meaning, he sometimes finds himself accidentally pulled back in time to the era when that object was in use. He's been to the ancient Near East, Heian Japan, the Silk Road circa the 13th Century, and so on. Once he's done whatever needs doing in that time period, he needs to touch the object again to find his way home.

•Bodyswitching: Yep, it's totally canon. Fuuto can purposefully (or accidentally) switch souls between two bodies.

Notes for the Psychics: Probably the first thing anyone would notice is Fuuto's power levels, which are, if not over 9000, at least pretty damn close. Second would be the fact that his soul is extremely old. He has the memories of at least some of his many, many past lives, even if he can't consciously call them up. On the surface, though, his thoughts are pretty normal and about whatever's going on at the moment. If he's hungry, he's thinking about food. If he's staring off into space, he's probably thinking about Mayu, his notgirlfriend. Below the surface thoughts, there's anger at his father for disappearing, worry about his mother, and a deep hurt and sadness that he can't help everyone whose pained thoughts he can hear.

[SPOILER] In reality, Fuuto doesn't posses the entire soul of the Holy King. When the previous King died, their soul split into two pieces. Fuuto has the larger of those pieces, but it is by no means complete. [/SPOILER]

What's Okay To Mention Around Him: Pretty much anything, though I'd like to avoid the fictional thing for a little while at least. Secondly, badmouthing other people's gods or killing innocent people is a good way to make him berserk, so watch that if you're not interested in a fight.

Can I shapeshift/bodyswap/spit at/step on/etc?: Sure!

Hugging/Kissing/Other non-violent physical contact: Go for it! If you're a girl he'll blush and sputter, and if you're a guy he'll freak out. I greatly encourage it.

Maim/Murder/Death: If I've sent him into a battle situation, I've accepted the possibility of injury. Anything really serious, though, and I'd prefer to talk about it beforehand. Death is not an option for him.

Cooking: Instant ramen, frozen pizza, and the rice cooker are probably the extent of Fuuto's culinary skills.

[OOC] App Post

Sun, 18 May 2008 03:25:06 GMT

Name: Kamishina Fuuto
Series: Genju no Seiza
Age: 15

Canon: The tiny kingdom of Dhalashar is located in a beautiful oasis along the Silk Road. It's a paradise for lost travelers, displaced deities, and religious disciples of all sorts. For centuries, it has been ruled by continuous reincarnations of the Holy King. It's the Holy King's duty to pray for lost souls and assist them on their journey through the Wheel of Life. His current incarnation is a fifteen year old boy named Atisha. But this story isn't about Atisha. It's about Fuuto, a Japanese teenager who couldn't care less about semi-mythical oasis kingdoms, until a talking bird flies in to tell him that, so sorry, but there seems to have been a mistake and it's FUUTO who's the REAL Holy King. Oops. Suddenly, Fuuto finds himself developing all sorts of weird godmode spiritual powers, accidentally reading people's minds, performing impromptu exorcisms, slipping through time, AND trying not to be killed by the assassins sent by the supporters of Atisha.

Fuuto, despite his life-long flirtation with weirdness (he's had to move more than once due to neighbors gossiping about his ability to see ghosts), wants nothing more than to be an average teenager. His reaction to finding out that he's the Holy King is less a valiant acceptance of his duty and more "la-la-la I can't hear you." He's loud, abrasive, and frequently speaks without thinking -- often with violent and/or embarrassing consequences. Despite this, though, he's loathe to leave a person in trouble, be they live, dead, or not even human. He'll exorcise restless spirits, save despairing office workers from suicide attempts, and Jesus demons into stopping their murderous rampages. Of course, he'll also bitch endlessly about it in the process.

Sample Post:

"I'm so sorry, but it seems that my karma has run over your dogma."

I mean, what the hell kind of opening line is that, anyway?! What kind of idiot follows a person who shows up at their doorstep saying something like that? Oh. Wait. I know this one. Me. You'd think by now I'd have realized that anyone who talks about karma as anything other than suffering is selling something. Or, you know, trying to kill me. That last one's been pretty popular recently.

This is definitely the most creative "let's kill Fuuto" setup I've ever seen, though. But fine. Whatever. You want karma? I'll give you karma. Let's get this over with. Stop me if you've heard this one, and all that crap.

You're walking around one day, doing your normal thing, when suddenly you stop and a realize that something's different. Maybe you caught a glimpse of yourself in the outside window the convenience store you bought your lunch from. And, hey. Your skin's a little grayer than you remember. There's a looseness to it that you can't really blame on age. And let's not forget the fact that you just tried to order a sub sandwich without mayonnaise and with extra brains. Sound familiar? It should. 'Cause, dude, I'm talking about you.

Congratulations. You're a frickin' zombie. Give yourself a hand-- okay, wait, no, that was my bad. Don't give yourself a hand. Like, seriously, don't. Two is enough.

My point is, you Dawn of the Dead rejects, that you can't keep shuffling around and rotting forever. Your own personal wheel of life needs to keep turning. And wouldn't you much rather have a nice, shiny, living body of your very own, even if it might be a protozoan? I mean, I don't really have much experience with zombies, but you're like any other lost soul, right? If you've got unfinished business, you've just gotta finish it and find the right way to move on. There's no shame in that, even if you gotta ask for help. I mean, there was this one pervy otaku ghost in Akihabara who didn't wanna move on until he learned that he might be able to be reborn as a tentacle monster in his next life... and... uh...

...

... he's apparently waving at me from the lake! Okay! That was a really unexpectedly apt example that I don't want to examine any further!

So close whatever's left of your eyes and focus on your inner light. Imagine it projecting upwards, like some weird kind of alien abduction. That's it. You're almost there. It's all peaceful now. There's no toucans singing the song that never ends. You can move on. Leave it all behind.

--don't leave your behind behind! Jeez, gross, rotting zombie ass everywhere!

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