011 | Black Parade

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Parade of the dead
When: All day May 26
Where: Shinjuku
Summary: The Near Shore needs a little protecting from the dead



The last few days have been filled with festival food, high energy, and lots and lots of parades. Near Shore residents really know how to enjoy their holidays, stopping up traffic for hours on end as floats and palanquins go by and filling the streets and courtyards in the area with food stands and festival treats. Many Far Shore residents may have found themselves drawn to this particular festival, as it is being held in honor of a shrine.

When an unexpected parade starts up, the people gather round to watch the impromptu spectacle. It's a little strange, yes, but nothing too terribly off-putting. That is until the parade reaches the shrine itself, at which point all hell breaks loose as the members of the parade start attacking anything and anyone in their way.

The Heavens will then call upon all the gods and shinki who are available to help, because these attackers are not normal at all - they are, in fact, the undead.



Let the Festivities Continue

The festival is a large, booming one. There are dozens upon dozens of food stalls set up all over the place with so many different kinds of foods that it could make your eyes go buggy, most of them fried in some way. On top of that, there is live entertainment walking around, stalls with souvenirs, and lots of excellent company nearby. Surely you'll be able to enjoy the festival to its fullest.

The Walking Dead

It is not immediately evident that the parade is being manned by corpses, but keen observers would be able to pick out the noticeable rotting elements of the dead. Anyone with a soul-sensing ability might even realize that they're not soulless, just lifeless. When the parade reaches the shrine, every god and shinki will be needed in order to protect the Near Shore from this menace. Corpses must either be exorcised or completely mutilated to the point where they can no longer move in order to release the soul.

Not Rootbeer Floats

On top of the mass of dead bodies being possessed by stray souls, some of the floats on wheels in the parade seem to have been taken over as well. They are moving slowly and with purpose towards anyone that crosses their path. At first, it may seem like the float is just veering a little off course, but it will soon become evident that it's headed towards you. They may be slow, but they're very large as well, meaning there's a lot more than needs to be destroyed to release the soul.

Souls, Souls, and More Souls

As souls are released from the objects they've taken control of, the air will become thick with a hazy fog of souls rushing away, into the air, and out of sight. This may make the continued fighting a little more difficult, but it means that the job is getting done.

Through some innate sixth sense, some of the dead people may seem familiar to certain gods (or shinki with specific memories). They can recognize some of the souls as friends or compatriots from their home world that had died. And these souls will recognize them as well.

Any characters not currently in the game that have actually died in their canon are free to be used for this part of the event and played out as NPCs by you and whatever partner you are playing with. All of these individuals will react in a similar way, though - they will beg to be released because it hurts them so horribly to be here right now and, of course, they can only be released in the same way that all the other souls are being released: exorcism or total destruction.

In Summary:

• Enjoy the festival
• Help save Near Shore residents
• Take down the dead bodies
• Try not to cry
• Cry lots
• Have fun~

Comments

[small_reservations]

You really don't have to... I have followers for that.

[And that's STILL weird. Having people that worship you. Completely bizarre.]

[kokuyoyo]

….You’re doing it right now.

[Don’t hypocrite at him, sir.]

[small_reservations]

I guess I am. That's... kinda my job, though. I'm Hestia, the books all say I tend the fires of Olympus or something.

[Not that these are said flames, but they're HIS and he's not letting them go out.

He's also not mentioning the chamber attached to his bedroom. That seems like something he should keep secret.]

[kokuyoyo]

As your shinki, shouldn't I help...?

[Or is he going to have to simply find other ways to make himself useful? Because he's already making plans on that front. Trust him.]

[small_reservations]

If you want to, but I don't want to make you do anything you don't.

[Axel's definitely had enough of that.]

[kokuyoyo]

I want to be useful to you.

[Said without an ounce of hesitance or uncertainty.]

It's why I exist... isn't it?

[small_reservations]

I don't know. I mean, it'd be nice if you could exist for your own sake, but...

[But that's not the role the heavens have assigned him, it seems. Axel sighs and runs a hand through his hair.]

... I guess you could look at it like that.

[kokuyoyo]

[Sudden intense nausea hits him.]

[It doesn’t show on his face, expression as implacable as always, but the force of it makes him want to curl in on himself, and he is suddenly acutely aware of how every breath shakes his lungs. At his sides, he thinks his fingers could be shaking, and he hides the tremors inside his pockets. For all that he needs to say something, his tongue seems as bloated as any corpse's, and he can't get it to move.]

[A couple of tries later, a few seconds, and he manages.]

...Do you not want me?

[That question alone leaves him breathless, nausea churning its way up his throat now. When he had been sought out, claimed, he had thought that was it. A blank past was no concern of his when he had his purpose before him, could moor himself to a person and dedicate his being to whatever cause his god dictated. It'd been so reassuring. Before he had even learned the details, he had decided that he would strive to be as good as possible so that he didn't burden his god.]

[So how has he failed already? What mistakes has he committed already? Is it because of his ignorance? The use of a title that wasn't cared for? Maybe only offering wasn't enough, maybe he should have simply done it, foreseen his god's needs and met them. Frantically, his mind races, tearing through all he knows.]

[He has to fix this. Has to be better. Maybe he can still do something to prove himself worthy, that he deserves to be by his god's side, that he won't be a burden. He has to.]

[Because the idea of not being good enough, of being discarded because of his own uselessness...]

[It robs him- of breath. of strength. of the ability to stay steady and calm. With all the force of hail bombarding a roof, his heart beat frantically and out of control against his ribs, and he can feel something strange tugging the areas behind his eyes.]

[That Axel is upset about his own strange existence doesn't penetrate. All that matters is that he might not want him, and it's enough to make Chikusa's sense of self crumble, unable to withstand the blows of fear and despair shaking him.]

OW

[small_reservations]

[Axel doesn't miss the tiny tremors, the way Chikusa's slouch deepens, or the fact that he tries so many times to bring the words forth. It's just that... It's not that he doesn't want to empathize, it's that he can't. He tries to remember, but it's been so long.

In the end, he can only approach this honestly and rationally. Hopefully, that's enough. He turns away and takes a deep breath before continuing.]

I don't want this life for you. For you to be forced into this role. I need you, but I'd rather I could do this alone, that you weren't pulled into it. It's wrong. If you want this, I won't stop you, but I wish you had options.

[kokuyoyo]

["Need" is good. "Need" works, means that he won't be tossed aside because he can't be. At least, not yet. But...]

[In his pockets, his nails knead against the palms of his hands, living imprint after imprint.]

...I want to be useful...

[Softly said, only a faint tremor underneath the words.]

[small_reservations]

You will be. But that's not the point. You don't know anything else, is the problem.

[Axel tries to smile a little, and rests a hand on Chikusa's shoulder. Somehow, though, the smile doesn't come. He's picking up on Chikusa's intense insecurity and anxiety, although he's not aware of it. All he knows is, he wants to relieve his shinki's pain.]

I don't want being a tool to be all you know. You should experience more.

[kokuyoyo]

[Glancing upwards at him, Chikusa's brows are furrowed just faintly, but it's still more than what's usually there on his face.]

What if I get distracted from my duties to you...?

I'm late but I just had to finish this!

[small_reservations]

Don't worry about it. If you get too distracted, I'll let you know.

We're partners, and I trust you.

I've still been doing threads from this log, there is no such thing as 'late'

[kokuyoyo]

[And, through their connection again- a pulse of feeling.]

[Not fear, a horrific phobia of being tossed aside that shakes lungs and stops the heart. Not anxiety, tremors undoing everything a soul is made of.]

[But.... there's not a name for it. It's so full of emotion, tangled together, that it's not really just one. Yet if it had to be narrowed down...]

[Gratitude.]

[Chikua keeps his head bowed, clearly struggling to contain what's going through him, but it's hard. He can't articulate why those three words- I trust you- impact him so much, simply that it does, that it takes his heart firmly in a steel-strong grip and squeezes tighter than anything. For a few seconds, he can't speak, and when he does, his voice can barely keep itself together.]

Yes.

[He won't let those word be misplaced.]