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

[razzledazzles]

[Jae-Ha can only rub the back of his neck at that question. Having it asked like that, he can't help but feel like he's the weird one, here. But is he wrong...? It doesn't feel like he is. He has these principles, and he stands by them.]

I suppose not. It's something strong in my heart, but I can't remember why at all.

[reformedsinner]

[The strange thing is having principles. Well -- not precisely. Hakkai can understand wanting a peaceful existence, instead of one filled with violence and bloodshed.

What's hard to understand is being willing to fight, but hesitating to maim and kill. It's all a part of battle, to him.

He supposes he must have once led a very violent life indeed.]

Perhaps it's because you're a gentle man!

[razzledazzles]

Haha... Well, I am a gentle man. I know that, at least.

[So sure, they can go with that. He jumps out of the way of another attack, graceful and unhuman in how he kicks off its back and lands nicely on his toes.]

[reformedsinner]

Ah ha ha, the only time that's a problem is in a fight.

[Hakkai steps in, catching the corpse's arm neatly in one hand as it falls forward under the force of Jae-Ha's kick and spinning around to intersect both of its legs with a kick of his own, aimed to break both of its knees.

No need to force Jae-Ha to be the one to do it on his own, after all.]

[razzledazzles]

A gentle man can find other paths in a fight, I think.

[He just doesn't like to think that he has to be terribly violent to get anything done. On top of that, he can be terribly violent. Absolutely. He's a monster— but only when they deserve it.]

[reformedsinner]

[The dubious noise Hakkai makes in the back of his throat isn't exactly an argument, but it's a long way from agreement.

It's possible he's beheading the next zombie with a little more force than strictly necessary.]

[razzledazzles]

[Jae-Ha doesn't comment on that, staying quiet and focusing on his own fighting until enough minutes have passed that he can't stay silent any longer. Without looking to Hakkai, he speaks.]

Some of these walking corpses are recognizable. Have you seen any for yourself?

[reformedsinner]

No one I recognize yet.

[The look on Hakkai's face is briefly distant, although he's not pausing as he continues to disable the zombies.

In deference to Jae-Ha's sensibilities, he's not tearing them into enough pieces to dismiss the souls within. Mostly. A few are tenacious.]

Although a few have mistaken me for someone they know.

[razzledazzles]

[Mistaken? Jae-Ha looks over at that, quietly watching Hakkai's work as his own casual zombie fighting mostly consists of dodging and kicking them away.]

Have they actually been mistaken, or are you just telling yourself that?

[reformedsinner]

They had the wrong name.

[There's more than one thing that could mean, but Hakkai can't let himself ask those questions, and so it's easier if he doesn't ask them of himself, either.

His smile is drawn a little thin, and a little too knowing, in response to Jae-Ha's question.]

[razzledazzles]

[Oh. Jae-Ha frowns immediately, kicking down one more corpse and staring at the bodies they've downed so far. For a while there, Jae-Ha wasn't sure that this would ever end, but at least now things seem to be slowing.]

I see. I'm sorry to push it. Do try to stay safe, alright?

[reformedsinner]

Of course. [Hakkai injects a little cheerfulness back into his smile as he tears off a zombie's arm. At least none of these have called him by name, right or wrong.]

-- And the same to you, Jae-Ha. It sounds like you've met a few yourself....

[razzledazzles]

I'm trying not to think about the ones I've met.

[They're not ones he recognized really, yet, and so the more he thinks on it, the more his mind warns him not to. It's sickening.] Thank you.

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai's laugh is a little unsettled, itself, as he darts towards another corpse lumbering into their area.]

Ah... no one you specifically recognize, then?

I'm sure that's for the best!

[razzledazzles]

Not yet, at least. But there's this feeling in the air I can't shake... I've been trying to avoid it.

[reformedsinner]

[The false cheer ebbs from Hakkai's expression too quickly. He nods.]

... I'm afraid I know what you mean.

Well. If we don't recognize them, we don't recognize them! There's nothing to be done about it but to help exorcise them as quickly as possible.

Even if we do, I don't think we can do anything but set them free.

[razzledazzles]

Unfortunately. I'm afraid you're right. This seems to be all we can do.

[The frown on his face shows enough that he's not okay with that, but that at least it helps in the meantime. It seems to be helping, at least. They ask for this... and this is what they give them. It's sad, but...]

[reformedsinner]

And, thinking about it, if I were like that, it's the mercy I'd want.

[Sometimes, it's better, Hakkai thinks, to be released from suffering. Sometimes it's better to endure it... but only if there's a reason. These souls are trapped in corpses.]