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

[kokuyoyo]

[That much, Chikusa can understand. If he couldn’t or didn’t want to fight, he has a feeling that Axel would be perfectly willing to help him get out of the area and keep him safe. But... ]

[He’s his weapon. He’s his shinki, the only one he has and can rely on. It wouldn’t feel right, to simply abandon or be useless to his god, especially when Axel seems to have so much desire to get rid of thee as well. Thoughtfully, he stares at Sanada, fingers rubbing along his yoyo.]

...If you don’t know how to fight… It’s best to keep them at long range. Something to throw, or using one of the fake guns, maybe…

It’d still be for the best if you carried a knife on you… in case anything gets too close.

[goingbananas]

I guess it’s kinda pointless to ask, but… [ The question nags at him after that especially deadpan delivery of combat advice—to say nothing of the eternal question of the yoyo.

Not that it’s bad advice, mind, but… ]

You…seem to know a lot about this kind of stuff. [ And Sanada, though an expert at throwing things and somewhat less at actually hurting people with them, can’t help but feel a little put off. Is this something shinki are supposed to figure out right off the bat? The implications of being his god’s “weapon” hadn’t really sunk in until that… ]

[kokuyoyo]

[To that, all he can do is shrug.]

[What is he supposed to say to that? For him, it seems natural to know these things: the best places to strike if you want a human body to bleed out, what poisons can most efficiently kill a person or make them suffer, how to use unconventional weapons to put down a large group of enemies. It’d been natural to be referred to as a weapon when Axel has explained things to him. Combined with the chaos happening just outside their stall, and, well…]

[It hasn’t occurred to him that all of this isn’t something a teenager is supposed to know.]

...I just know.

[goingbananas]

[ …Wow. The most he can really lay claim to is that he can make a mean pasta sauce, probably. ]

You must be pretty fearless, then. [ i.e. it’s no longer surprising that a guy like him ended up, well, dead. Although Sanada really doesn’t want to think too hard on that. ]

At least you’ve got a better chance of surviving out there than I do. [ And of being a more useful shinki to his god, besides. Sanada isn’t even sure what he plans on doing when he finds out that his designated god is one of war. ]

[kokuyoyo]

[Fearless? It earns what’s perhaps the most open expression that’s been on Chikusa’s face to date: one of utter bewilderment, eyes a little wide as he blinks at Sanada. It’s not something he would really call himself. Just… this sort of thing needs to be done, doesn’t it? There’s a small shake of his head, and then he moves onto the next statement.]

I don’t want to only survive… I want to be of use.

[Carefully, he moves up onto his feet while still crouched.]

...You’re the same, aren’t you?

[goingbananas]

[ He’d be lying to himself if he weren’t feeling even a little satisfied at somehow getting a reaction out of him. But, after all, while they seem to be operating on different wavelengths, one thing remains clear enough. ]

Yeah, I guess I am. [ And while he’s not exactly fearless himself, there is something else he can lay claim to: ]

And even though the situation’s pretty dire… [ He moves to rise to his feet—carefully, just in case some zombies might be peering their way. ] I can’t deny it’s also pretty exciting to end up in something like this.

[kokuyoyo]

Just don’t get too carried away…

[Confident he won’t be seen again, Chikusa actually goes through with the effort of going through the stall and finds a chef’s knife. Careful of the blade, he turns and hands it to Sanada.]

….Better than nothing until you can find something more suitable.

[goingbananas]

[ He’s as well-versed with a chef’s knife as Chikusa is with his weaponry, at least. And he’s pretty sure that if he ends up cooking for his god, he’ll never ever let this knife touch anything edible ever again. ]

Aww, thanks. [ Accepting that knife with a wide grin, his eyes glimmering with anxiety and not a little danger. Sorry, but Sanada is most definitely the type to get carried away. Worse, he never really realizes it… ]

Hey, we should hang out when this is all over with.

[kokuyoyo]

[Now that he’s done as much as he feels inclined to, Chikusa starts listening for a break in the action so he can run off himself, but pauses at that invitation. Good job, Sanada, you’ve brought out another bewildered blink.]

...Why?

[goingbananas]

[ Sanada can’t help but feel a little bemused at that. Is the reason really that important? He shrugs. ]

Dunno. Thought it might be fun.

[kokuyoyo]

[He’s just saying, Sanada, you’re taking things pretty fast, gosh. Aren’t you supposed to buy a guy dinner first before you go proposing friendship and hanging out?]

I… guess so. [A jerk of a shrug.] ...But I’m going to sleep for an entire day after this is cleaned up…

[Because fuck work, honestly. Or movement. Or existing.]

[goingbananas]

[ Hey, you’re the one who decided to hand him a knife and some casual murder advice. Shouldn’t you wait until like the fourth friend-date for something like that?? ]

Yeah? I think we’ll all need it when this is over. [ Not that he’s looking forward to the inevitable nightmares…but what can you do, really, except by scheduling a fun thing that you can look forward to later?

You are now a fun thing to look forward to later, Chikusa. Let’s hope you can handle this responsibility. ]

So…good luck? [ Don’t die seems like an awfully tasteless thing to say at this point… ]

[kokuyoyo]

[Listen, that’s just platonic flirting, right? Everyone does that. Probably.]

[But with one friend date he’s probably not ready for now on his schedule, Chikusa gives a short nod.]

Good luck finding your god…

[And with that, he faults over the front of the stall, the sound of a corpse immediately getting smacked in the head audible before his footsteps disappear into the fray.]