thenearshore | 011 | Black Parade

Entry tags:

011 | Black Parade

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

In Summary:

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

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

If you need mod-played NPCs, please link the thread here.

[Festivities]
[Okay so maybe the occasional festival wasn't so bad. Roxas does love food from stalls during these things. Especially the sweet things (sans red bean), but just how much food can this kid eat? Anyone can come join him as he sits away from the more rowdy areas, just nomming away. Food is best enjoyed with other people.]

[TWD]
[Let's just say that this is somewhat similar to a place he came from, except these aren't spirits, and they are deader than dead. At least Roxas has his Keyblade in hand, ready to smash any that get in his way. Would you call these things zombies? Probably. Either way, smash and dash is the option presented in front of him. Or maybe he can come over and save your behind from the things that should be in the grave.]

If Raichi was here... [It would just be a straight up smash fest.]

[Floats, floats, floats]
[Is it safe to set these things on fire? Or is that too much potential damage to passerby's? It's not looking good and he has no idea other than hitting wheels as to what would be effective. He'll stop anyone running past him for help.]

Hey! Can you get the wheels on the other side? Break the spokes if they got them!

[It'll be like when a carriage breaks down, right?]

[Souls prompt locked to Sora]
[A girl is currently being stared down by Roxas as he keeps taking steps back. Of course the souls is begging and begging to be released, but each time she does, Roxas just shakes his head and moves further away. There's clear trembling in his hands as the key chains on the Keyblades jingle.]

Aki, I can't! I don't want to kill you...

Please! It hurts... it hurts... please, Koji, please?

[Wildcard!]
[Anything is fair game!]

Edited 2016-12-17 01:13 (UTC)

❚❚❚ A: Festivities Continue

[They sure do have a lot of parties and festivals around this place. Not that Tot minds but it's a little strange, shouldn't they be doing something else? Then again, what does she know. Maybe she should be walking around passing out more flower crowns?

Either way, there's a not so small girl walking around with a stuffed rabbit under one arm holding a yellow parasol. She'll stop at every booth and see what's going on and may even ask a question or two of anyone nearby. Or maybe she's asking the rabbit? ]

What's that?

❚❚❚ B: Walking Dead

[Tot doesn't like monsters! The walking dead are close enough and after a rather loud scream she's going to be doing her best to shishkabob any that come within arms reach. That cute little parasol she was using earlier to protect herself from the sun? The hidden knife blade in the tip is just as sharp as you'd expect and she knows how to use it.

She'll apologize to anyone who gets in the way and is accidently stabbed later, but for now it's all she can do not to run away.]

❚❚❚ C: More Souls

[It shouldn't be a surprise that the first thing Tot wants to do when she sees the familiar face is to run up and hug her. She stops in her tracks though as the spirit starts begging to be released.]

Tot doesn't understand. You're here now.

[Someone want to break it to her?]

((OOC: want to do something else? Go for it or hit me up at

purkle))

The Walking Dead

Simon had only just barely started to get his bearings. He was very literally worlds away from home, he was...not entirely human any more, and--all right, he'd been told he was a great deal more than human but that was something Simon planned to come to terms with on his own time. Time that he had not been given, because apparently heaven decided there was an emergency great enough to require even 'gods' as freshly minted as himself were required to help.

And...to be fair, the dead rising to attack the living was something that needed to be stopped as soon as possible.

Simon wasn't much of a fighter and it wasn't helped that he did not have a 'shinki' to aid him. Even if he didn't know how to use a weapon, having something to swing at the hordes would have been nice. Instead he remained on the sidelines to protect the humans coming under assault, but even then he couldn't do much...at least nothing preventative. The aftermath gave Simon a great deal more to work with.

It started with a woman, sobbing and clinging to a bloodied arm as she hurried away from the fighting. Whatever had attacked her was nowhere in sight--probably taken care of by another god or shinki--it was terrifying in a blessedly familiar way. Simon knew what to do with blood.

"Here, come here...I'm a doctor, I can help you," Simon said, reaching out to get the woman's attention. It didn't matter that they were nowhere near a hospital, the words were like magic, helping to calm her down and get Simon close enough to touch her shoulder. That was all it took. Like real magic the bleeding slowed and stopped, the flesh knitting back together and the pain fading completely. The woman looked down at her arm in stunned silence, Simon quick to push her to keep going before she noticed the blood now staining his sleeve instead.

"Go!" he demanded and, thank the gods, she listened. Now all Simon needed to do was find a walking corpse to give this injury to...and manage dealing with the pain alone in the meanwhile. Hopefully heaven wouldn't mind if he didn't bother to keep his new abilities a secret.

Souls, Souls, and More Souls

Hours later and, aside from the blood on his clothes, Simon was looking rather well considering this was his first bout. He was exhausted, but every wound he took had been given back as quickly as he could manage it. He was physically whole. Mentally was another matter, especially as the fog began to reveal shapes and voices. Most were foreign, but some...

Doc...

Simon froze, rather uncharacteristic of him, but even the doctor didn't quite know what to do with Wash emerging from the fog.

It hurts, Doc...please, help? I...I'm not supposed to...you gotta help me, Doc...

"I--yes, yes of course, let me just..." Simon's hands were shaking when he reached out, trying to touch his friend. There was nothing solid for him to grab, no actual wounds or tangible pain to take away. The god's power apparently did not work on souls, or if it could Simon did not know how to make it happen. His eyes widened slightly, struggling not to panic or at least not to let Wash see him slip, when from behind the fallen pilot stepped another figure.

Always thought...there'd be a familiar face on th'other side. Have to say...wasn't quite expecting you, son. Book was trying to smile through the pain, but it was clear he was seeking Simon out for the same reason Wash had. Can you save us one more time, Doctor?

"Shepherd...I--" Simon was clearly and woefully, out of his element.

(OOC: Prose is my default, feel free to switch if you prefer action and I will match. Hit me up over at

PurpleSyrup if you'd like to work out a different starter!)

✖✖ Let the Festivities Continue
[The festival is quick to draw his attention-- less because of the commotion and more because it seems to be important somehow, what with how certain people have dressed to pay their respects to the subject. The palanquins are well adorned and so are the people assigned to carry them and while the festival holds a formal air, it is, still... a festival. And Neji couldn't give less of a damn about a parade or floats and so his attention is elsewhere at first. And of course he couldn't care less about the small chaos and the noise and the pungent reek of fried things assaulting his senses but he'll brave it. He guesses. So, with all the propriety and purpose he can muster at the moment (he is still somewhat dazed, thanks), on he goes.

Despite his best efforts, he's found himself wandering near the food stalls while eyeballing none in particular. He's starving. But so seem to be several others.

While Neji isn't above making a face as someone shoves a triple-decker-fried-chicken-and-pickle-sandwich into their mouth, he'd be damned if he joins the masses when it comes to this particular-- tradition_?. No, he's searching the faces looking for someone. At least it seems he has a good idea who he's looking for. ...Don't bump into him, he's busy.]

✖✖ The Walking Dead
[Neji Hyuuga doesn't care about parades-- has that been made clear? So no, he isn't the first to notice the rot despite his keen eyes. He isn't the second or third but when the Heavens issue the call and the teams and scattered gods and shinki go to face the cause, he's at least not lost as to why. White eyes scan the center of attention while Near Shore residents scramble to either get a better look at the new twist to their party or to get away.

As if the fried foods hadn't grossed him out enough already.

Delicate he is not, and the first undead bastard he locks his sights on is who he switches his focus to. He can't do as much without his goddess by his side but he isn't useless. What that means is-] Move! [He'll check to see if anyone from the Near Shore will be in the direct path of the boundary line he'll be casting through a corpse.

Anyone from the Far Shore should be able to get out of the way??]

✖✖ Souls, Fog, and Wildcard
[It's foggy, he's fighting, he's desperately lacking a kekkei genkai that might help broaden his visibility. Oh well.

With no memories, and by virtue of being his own goddamn self, he's a little cold to the people who've had the bad luck of being faced with souls of their loved ones. Some of them are just... standing there, you know? There's a battle going on and now is not the time. Anyone dazed might find themselves purposely shoved-- not hard enough to stumble just. Get a move on.

Or find him anywhere, until the mess is sorted and done with.]

Festivities

[He was never a festival person, but here's the thing:]

[The Near Shore feels more like his Japan at festivals than anywhere else.]

[The young women in their bright-colored kimono, the old men drinking their sake, the fireworks at night, the shrine decorations, the music, the noise of the street vendors, the rambunctious kids... They might have changed on the surface, but by and large, they feel the same as ever, and it's...]

[It's comforting, with all the things that have changed.]

[So for once, Hijikata was actually the one who suggested to Souji that they should come to the Near Shore for this festival. There's a Hachiman shrine in Yoyogi, so it was simple enough to manifest there and stroll up north a little bit, dressed in a tasteful, charcoal-grey yukata with the tiniest hint of dark red woven into the obi. Before the trouble starts, Hijikata can be found anywhere around the festival, wandering around without much aim in mind -- sometimes people-watching, sometimes seeming to keep a distant eye out for the kids who are playing, occasionally stopping to look over the snacks and trinkets on sale to see if any of them are worth getting for a certain someone...]

The Walking Dead

[Just their goddamned luck.]

[It's just a moment before all Hell breaks loose that he notices it -- the stomach-turning scent of death, the one that hangs over day-old battlefields and lingers in the soldiers' dreams. There's something about the way they move, too, that just doesn't sit right with him...]

[He pulls out his phone, dialing Souji's number by muscle memory, his voice going firm and sharp.]

Souji. Yoyogi 3-chome, near Shinjuku park. Get here now.

[The screaming and panic start just as he hangs up. He grits his teeth, and as the spectators begin scrambling back, pushes his way past them towards those things. On the way, he physically grabs a couple of police officers to get their attention, pouring all the power he can manage into his voice while they're aware he's there -- stamping their fear down, pouring fuel onto the innate urges to act sensibly and to help the people around them.]

Get these people out of here in an orderly fashion. Recruit others to help you, if you can. Don't allow the crowd to panic, or hurt each other in their haste. Keep them calm, and get them somewhere secure. Do not leave a single person behind who can't fend for themselves. Do I make myself goddamn clear?

[Both of them go wide-eyed and straight-backed, nodding quickly. One of them tosses in a Sir!, and then he lets them go, walking steadily until he reaches the site of the chaos. When he gets there, he doesn't hesitate -- he grabs a body that's attacking a young man, picks it up, and flings it heavily into the ground, stepping on its chest before he looks at the young man and turns his power on again]

Go. Get out of here, but make sure as many people as you can are safe when you do.

[There had better be some other gods and shinki around to help deal with this -- and Souji had better get here to help him soon. He can't very well just punch and kick and crush this many enemies into submission...]

Floats

Is that goddamn thing moving on its own?

[The question might be rhetorical. He's certainly not expecting a sensible answer to it on the fly.]

[Well, there's only one thing to be done, anyway, and that's deal with the situation. He looks around at his surroundings, calculating what he's got to work with -- then turns to the nearest person who looks roughly like an ally.]

You! Can you keep its attention for a minute?

Souls - CLOSED to Souji

[He's already tired when he hears it.]

Toshi...

[His mouth goes dry, and he nearly drops Baiki. No. No, no, no, not him, not him...]

[The man is just slightly shorter than Hijikata, with dark hair, a barrel chest, and a broad face that looks like it was made for smiling, but isn't smiling now. He looks... He looks like he's in pain.]

Toshi, please, I'm begging you.

[Hijikata's eyes widen, and he takes a step back. He sounds...]

[He sounds like Yamanami. Please, Okita-kun, it hurts...]

No.

I can't be here, this isn't right, it isn't... Help me. I'm begging you, Toshi, get me out of here, release me...

[Hijikata makes a physically pained sound, clutching Baiki's hilt more tightly.]

No! Don't talk like that! I'm not doing that, not to you!

[OOC: Hit me up at

cognitiveleague if you'd like to plot anything not specifically mentioned!]

Edited 2016-12-17 05:42 (UTC)

[1]

[Disgusting, rotting corpses are the last thing Add wants to deal with, but ignoring the problem doesn't seem like it'd be a good idea. Better to take care of it now than have another parade of corpses walk up to his temple door. So, begrudgingly, Add arrives on the scene to deal with the threat.

At least he can be thankful he has his Dynamos back. With his abilities, repelling the parade is no problem at all. He keeps mainly to the rear of the defensive force, firing blasts of energy and electricity from the array of small diamond-shaped drones that never leave his side. If there are enough of the possessed bodies clustered together, it's more efficient to crush them all at once by cracking open a large portal above them, raining down a barrage of gravity spheres. Or if they're lined up neatly, he can shoot a spiked ball of raw energy clean through them, or a wave of black spheres that tear through everything in their path. He's got a fun variety of options to work with.

... and maybe he's having a little too much fun with this. It's been awhile since he's been able to really let loose, so uh, maybe don't stand too close to whatever group he's targeting. His aim might be a bit rusty.]

[2]

[As more and more souls are released back into the air, Add has to try very, very hard not to look up. Not because incorporeal spirits freak him out or anything like that, he just... doesn't like looking at them... for unrelated reasons...

Yeah.

Unfortunately, as he's busy trying to crush one of the floats with a gravity well, a wave of souls decides that the best direction to fly in would be right past Add's face. An embarrassingly high-pitched shriek escapes his throat as he leaps several feet back. The partially-crushed float is released from his psionic grip and goes back to rolling (unevenly) along the road.

Once he has a second to catch his breath, he immediately looks around to make sure nobody saw—goddamnit of course someone saw.]

Wh-what the hell are you looking at?! It just surprised me, that's all!

[3]

[After awhile, he's comfortable enough with the task at hand to linger closer to his targets. It's easier to take them down at a closer range, even if there's a higher chance he might get a bit dirty from it...

But once he does get in close enough, he starts to notice something strange. Some of these people seem... odd. Familiar. Not the bodies, but something else about them that he can't quite place, something so inexplicable and yet so certain in his mind that he can't completely push the thought aside.

He's too used to the nature of Monad to accept it. It's impossible. Even if they know his name, if they beg him for release in voices that make him feel sick, it can't be real. It's just a trick to get under his skin, an illusion, it can't possibly be real...

When he hears a woman's voice rasp the name Edward through half-rotted vocal chords, Add finally snaps.]

Shut up! Shut up! Don't you dare pretend to be her, stay the hell away from me!

[His carefully-calculated attacks become erratic, firing bolts of electricity at anything that moves. In his panic and fury he's as much of a threat to himself as he is to anyone and everything around him. Best to go in with some kind of shock-protection if you want to calm him down.]

[???]

((Wildcard?! Feel free to hit me up at BlueFlewFedUQueen for any ideas!))

[This is a big mess. Sora isn't used to fighting undead and it is difficult to navigate through the festival grounds when hordes of souls and fog is making it so hard to see.

He lost Roxas in the crowds a while ago. He looks for him through the thick fog and it's when he hears the faintest sound of Roxas' voice that he turns around and calls out.]

Roxas?! Where are you?!

[He follows blindly in the direction where he thinks he heard Roxas and eventually he sees the outline of his other and before he notices the soul pleading at Roxas he notices the look on Roxas' face and he reaches to touch Roxas' arm.]

What's wrong, are you okay...?

[Roxas jerks away violently from Sora, backing away even from him. He shakes his head again, looking from the girl to Sora.]

I-I can't kill her. I can't! I can't hurt Aki!

[The undead Aki keeps approaching Roxas.]

Koji, please, you have to... [The girl notices Sora and starts approaching him as well.] Sho, can you kill me? Please!

0 ◎ Flashback (no response)
[Pulling, tearing, force jerking back his too thin frame, and he can feel the blood splattering out, dripping out, and he's crumpling to the ground, body unable to sustain itself from where it had flung itself defensively. Even as he's falling, there's a guttural roar overtaking the roaring in his ears, and he watches as the blur that is his partner goes lunging over his head. What he does to the mafioso responsible, Chikusa can't say, his head hitting the ground and his vision blurring, but his horrified screams turn to gurgles.]

[The world is swimming, darkness tainting the edge of his vision, and all his attempts to force his body upwards like he has so many times before amount to nothing. It's familiar clawed hands tugging him up that do it, and Ken's face comes into view. So many emotions twist it, his partner as intense and passionate as always, but this... This is something else. Even as his body loses more and more energy by the minute, Chikusa feels something in his chest tug that Ken can be that intense not only because of their leader, but him. A shame that the emotions are a complicated twist of rage, despair, and desperation. He's yelling something- always yelling, Chikusa tries to reach up to make him stop, but there's no strength in his arm, not even to twitch, and it's getting harder and harder to see him past the darkness...]

[Chikusa Kakimoto breathes in, and doesn't breathe out again.]

A ◎ Outside the Meeting Hall
[Chikusa Kakimoto breathes out, and keeps breathing.]

[For a second, all he can do is lay there, blinking up at the sky. Ah. I'm dead. He thinks the thought idly, unsurprised, before pushing himself up into a sitting position. His eyes flick around, automatically assessing his surroundings for danger.]

[It seems like... any other building, honestly, although relatively well kept, and bustling with people. He's not the only one who seems out of it, he notes, although it doesn't seem like this is a worry for anyone. There's not a sense of panic or danger.]

[...Not very threatening, he supposes, although a mystery. With that taken care of, he looks down at himself. A dark green and military style school uniform meets his gaze, along with the glint of a solid ring with a blue gem in its center. In his pockets, two yoyos- weapons his mind supplies, which he accepts without questions- and a strange cube of some sort. Nothing else out of the ordinary.]

[...Well. As much as he'd like to just lay down not doing anything, he supposes he should find some answers. So enjoy the fifteen year old boy wandering around in what is a frankly atrocious slouch, looking faintly lost and shying away from close proximity with others.]

B ◎ Let the Festivities Continue
[It's probably really strange for someone to wake up dead and then be immediately shunted into a festival, but Chikusa is honestly more fidgety that he's here at all. There's really too many people for his liking, but, well... He's still attending. That's something, at least.]

[Anyone else also wandering around will get to see him hanging around the food stalls in particular. He seem to just be watching things idly before- oh. Well. It looks like someone told him about invisibility, because he reaches out to just straight up snatch something when no one is paying too much mind to it. Takoyaki? Chocolate banana? Taiyaki? It doesn't matter, it's his now, and he makes to slip away.]

C ◎ The Walking Dead
[For all that he's wearing glasses, Chikusa is actually pretty sharp eyed and knows aaaaaall about dead bodies. A good thing, then, that he ended up getting swept along in the crowd to watch the parade and couldn't make a break for it. It only takes a few short moments of watching the parade, his head cocked to the side sharply like a hunting hound, before he catches on.]

...Those are corpses...

[How close are you to hear that idle observation?]

a. Garden variety appropriation

[ The minute those corpses start to move, he finds himself running down the street in the opposite direction. It's not fear that's on his face, hell no. It's determination. He knows what he needs and he needs to find it fast. In his rush, he might have pushed past you and shot out a quick 'sorry!' before disappearing down the street. Whoops.

But he doesn't stop running, brushing past people and corpses until he finally skids to a halt in front of a hardware store. ]

There you are, you beautiful darling.

[ Is that a lawnmower he's talking to? Sure is. Shiny red thing, parked out front with the rest of the gardening tools that are on sale that day. He has his hand on it, over the handle and crouching down to look at the engine. Apparently, he's deemed it enough for his purposes because he's revving it up like it was some sort of souped up moped. ]

Right then! M'sure they wouldn't mind if I borrowed this for a bit!

[ Ron, that's stealing. Someone stop him because it's starting to be pretty clear as to what he wants to do with that thing. ]

--

b. Your dead ass is grass.

[ Maybe you were running away from shambling corpses. Maybe you were fighting them off and holding your own. Either way, you'll suddenly hear a loud motor from...

...above.

Yes, above.

Suddenly, there's a lawnmower crashing in from a rooftop. It lands square in the head of one of those reanimated corpses. The mower's blades cut through the rotting flesh easily enough while Ronald lands. But the engine suddenly comes to a stuttering halt, causing him to lift up the mower with one hand. ]

Blimey, this thing doesn't cut as well as me scythe did.

[ Give him a second to pull out what looks to be an arm that got stuck in the mower's rotating blades which he casually chucks aside before turning his attention upward. ]

You alright?

--

c. We don't ask questions, or make errors

[ For all the energy he had that day, one particular soul does make him stop. He knows him anywhere: slicked back hair, eyes like his own. It's also obvious they've been fighting for a while as Ronald looks a little worn down and the spirit before him seems to be nicked in some places. ]

Honestly, Ronald Knox. You're allowing your emotions to get the better of you.

I... I know, sir.

Then you know what you must do.

I can't!

You must. Honestly. Haven't you had me suffer long enough?

[ That does seem to get to him, though. His head is lowered and his own battle cry is drowned out by the sudden revving of the lawnmower's engine. It's deafening and drowns out whatever scream might have errupted from that lost soul that just got culled - or from Ronald himself.

But the engine's roar dies down to a low rumble as Ronald stops... and just sinks down, his head pressed against the handlebar right over his arm. It's muffled when he speaks, broken and somewhat shaken. ]

...was good to see you again, Mister Spears.

--

d. Wildcard
[ Hit me up at

10778438 if you want to plan something else or just toss me up something! ]

i. Festival

[ Zero is being bullied. ]

Go Fish! Go Fish!

[ A small child clings to his arm cheering on the Hunter crouched in front of a kitty pool fishing among the kids. When he manages to hook a fish the kid jumps with joy taking his arm with her and unhooking his catch. The fish plops down splashing him while the girl looks on in surprise. Her small hands grip her hostage - a pomegranate - a little tighter before she's jumping for joy when the Hunter resumes his objective. In her exuberance she lets the fruit slip from her fingers and up and up it goes unknown to the Hunter it flies through the air - better hope it doesn't hit anyone. ]

ii. Walking Dead

Don't touch them!

[ If, for some god-awful reason, you decide to get near one of the corpses, be it from sheer fascination or analysis you're going to run into a Hunter who's going to try and stop you from your fool hardy attempt. Feel free to snap at him for the intrusion. ]

iii. Souls - An orphans lament

[ When the battle begins to dwindle, the gods and their shinki coming close to victory, he hears it. From behind. ]

Zero....? [ He freezes. ] .....is that you?

[ Time stops and suddenly reverses. That voice. His heart contorts as he's taken back to serene smiles and warm hugs. ]

My little boy.

[ He forgets all about the battle and slowly turns to face the most achingly beautiful woman in the world and the man that stood by her side till the very end. A tear slides down his cheek, his heart breaking at the sight of the couple whose names were carved into his family's cemetery. His eyes water at the sight and he wipes it away. They were here... like Ichiru--- He needed to tell Ichiru! He'd be so happy to see-- ]

Zero... [ her face contorts and the next words come in a whisper ] it hurts.

.... it hurts.

[ Shock races through his system, stiffening his muscles and drying up his tears from sheer terror. No... No. He shakes his head. No. Not again! He watches helplessly as the two fall to their knees unable to stand the pain. The silver-haired man holds her up, ignoring his own pain while the woman withers in his arms biting back her cries. ]

Zero. [ Beads of sweat fall down his nape as his fingers shake from the agony coursing through his body. ] It's a mercy.

[ The Hunter has long gone numb by this point, unable to stop the tremors, his knees buckle beneath him. ]

iv. Wildcard

[ OTA. ]

Edited 2016-12-17 04:16 (UTC)

[Sora gives Roxas a startled puzzled look when he jerks away like that. What's got him so spooked?!]

Aki--?

[His friend from... Then he hears a girl and Sora turns abruptly to see her and out of habit he summons his own keyblade. His confusion just gets worse because he's not sure who she's talking about. Koji? Sho? He steps protectively in front of Roxas but doesn't attack.]

Stay back a second!

[There's an immense amount of stress and confusion on Roxas part as well. He grabs the back of Sora's shirt.]

Sho! You can't hurt her! She's our friend!

[Why doesn't Sora recognize her? They were such good friends!]

a. Something smells fishy...

[ She's been watching the floats for a while. Not that they haven't been suspicious but there's something distinctly... off... about everything. The war god's standing off the side, frowning as she watches in complete emotionless silence - Save for the slightest wrinkle of her nose as if noticing an unpleasant smell.

It's only when she sees someone nearby that she approaches. ]

Is it just me or... do you sense something wrong about all this?

--

b. Shades of sins gone past...

My lady!

Please make it stop!

It hurts, my lady!

[ It's her nightmares all over again except this time, she's awake and it's daytime and they're all over her. The bodies shamble, some reaching toward her, some split in half but still crawling close with an arm outstretched.

She's trying not to speak, trying not to say a word while she cuts them down. ]

Release us!

Save us, my lady.

KURAHA! SHOW THEM NO MERCY!

[ The last outburst escapes from her as a scream, thrown out to her shinki nearby who's trying to dispatch as many corpses as he can before they can get to his master.

But it's obvious he's hesitating. ]

Lady Bishamon... spare us...

I... I tried... you all... you're supposed to be...

[ It's clear it's finally taking its toll on her as she sinks forward, her large sword buried into the ground.

Unfortunately, the corpses are closing in and Kuraha can only do so much on his own. ]

--

b. Wildcard
[ Hit me up at

10778438 if you want to plan something else or just toss me up something! ]

Edited 2016-12-17 04:16 (UTC)

[It's just another morning. Or it should be. Axel doesn't usually dream much, or remember his dreams when he does, but today he wakes up from what could only be a vivid hallucination with full memory of it.

However, that memory... doesn't fade. Indeed, it grows sharper as he tries to recall it. There's no pain. There should be pain. There's some sort of weapon, hot metal to the gut, bleeding and just. No pain. The knowledge that he - or whoever's memory this is - was dying is there, though. It takes him a bit, but soon enough he figures out what it means. This has gotta be it. He's got a shinki waiting for him.

It takes him a few minutes to prepare, and he gets a little lost on the way to the heavens - he's a fairly new god, after all - but soon enough he's at the meeting hall of the gods. There're more than a few new shinki around, but he knows his on sight. The kid with the deep, yet tired-looking eyes. Even in eternal rest, Chikusa looks exhausted.

Taking a slow meandering path through the building gives Axel time to look at his new partner from all angles. He's tall, but doesn't look that impressive... but then again, looks can be deceiving. The way he carries himself isn't promising either.

Eventually, though, the young god(dess) approaches, an easy grin on his face.]

Hey, kid. You got a name?

[He knows, somehow, what Chikusa's name is, and his shinki name, as well. It's just... he's not positive how this works yet. He needs confirmation.]

Edited 2016-12-17 04:15 (UTC)

zambambos

[As much as Jae-Ha continues to think that he can avoid these events, he can't actually ignores the cries of help when they happen. The atmosphere feels so heavy to him who is especially sensitive to things like spirits, but he's feeling strong, healthy and energetic despite everything else.

He can be found leaping around, flipping and kicking at the bodies of those rotting corpses attacking anyone near him. For anyone worried about their blindspot, Jae-Ha is quick to literally jump in with assistance. Don't be surprised if he drops out of the sky to down a zombie that had been going for someone's neck when they were dealing with one in another direction.]

[Playful talk while fighting seems just fine.]

soul much fun

[Jae-Ha doesn't have much memory to go off of, but he still manages to find himself affected by this. In the middle of his fighting, a hand finds its way to his shoulder, and this time Jae-Ha is too stunned when he turns to finish the elbow he had aimed at their face.

The green hair bears a resemblance to Jae-Ha himself, but it's ratty and all over the place and this soul is grabbing at Jae-Ha more completely now, speaking his name and aggressively demanding that he do something already.

Jae-Ha is stunned, temporarily, a heartbroken look on his face as he stares at this man.]

(ooc: obviously I will NPC Garou here, but know that threads with this prompt will reference child abuse.)

wiiiildcard

[Jae-Ha is around, and when he's not jumping around like a bean, he's probably looking exhausted at all of these ghost people running around like zombies.]

[Sora looks over his shoulder at Roxas with wide eyes. There's some pain stinging his chest at that and he turns around while dissapating his keyblade. He grabs Roxas' shoulders.]

Roxas...! I'm not Sho, and I don't know what's going on but I don't think that's Aki!

[He isn't sure at all if it's her or not... With all the corpses walking around and all the souls hazing the area... Could it really be her? Or her soul?]

[The fact that he's being looked over doesn't escape Chikusa's notice, and he's not sure what to make of it. As far as he can tell, he can't sense any aggression or violent intent from the redhead. Will it be a problem? Will all the others get this inspection as well?]

[It's not entirely unexpected when he's approached, and Chikusa pauses, quiet and still. With how little he knows, he supposes his name logically should be as much of a blank as anything, but-]

Kakimoto Chikusa.

[It's said as slow and quiet as the rest of him. Although it's said in the proper Japanese way, there's an undeniable hint of accent over the foreign name.]

...Where is this?

[And should he be here, more importantly? Frankly, he's puzzled and feeling more than a little lost. What is he doing here, what's his purpose? Being dead doesn't bother him, but not knowing what to do does.]

parade float parkour
[Hazel doesn't often come out to these things—there are only so many festivals his old man heart can endure before he gets cranky about them—but he's here today, and just in time to see the excitement start. Being as he is:

a) an exorcist on the side,
b) keenly in tune with where souls are going, and
c) very deeply familiar with the undead,

it's not hard for him to realize what's going on almost instantly. He doesn't need to listen to the summons to set out to kick a few undead teeth in, after a moment of hesitation—if they were just minding their own business he would leave well enough alone, let the people live out their new lives, but this clearly is not that kind of recently risen dead. So.

At the moment, he is on top of a parade float, calling a "look out" below before grabbing whatever part of it he can and swinging himself down to, indeed, kick an undead intruder right in the face. There's a sickening crack, but it might not be enough to put this one down, still...]

exorcist for hire
[honestly it's what it sounds like

Or: Hazel, being as he is all of those things that give him a unique perspective on this undead-parade thing, has not been having a great few weeks entirely because his sole gift of manipulating souls outside of bodies hasn't been working out for him.

But it's working now. He tries very much on reflex, when an undead beelines suspiciously for him, and when he's suddenly able to pull out that white-hot soul and watch it dissipate into the air while the body crumples into a heap, he's—surprised. It doesn't last long; anyone who spots him in that exact moment might notice him standing there, laughing to himself like he doesn't believe it, before abruptly turning and running off.

He'll be back in the fray soon enough with an actual goddamn tennis racket, for real, which he is brandishing at the undead while apparently speaking furiously at them. Anyone paying attention to that and decently familiar with the Christian Bible will recognize everything he's saying to these undead as Bible verses, which seem to be helping him literally yank out souls and drop the bodies to the ground.

He's... he's just leaving those there, though. Someone else is going to have to clean up after Hazel's personal Wimbledon.]

wildcard
[he's having a great time weirdly enough, hmu for something else]

[This time, Jae-Ha doesn't let himself stray too far from Hazel. He stays within range, but he still jumps freely, flipping this way and that to help with what he can. At one point, Hazel disappears and he's confused, but the next time he looks over, he spots him again with a strange tool in his hand.

Finishing off with another sad soul himself, Jae-Ha watches the unfortunate body drop to the ground before he jumps back to Hazel's side. He rests a hand on one of his shoulders, stepping closer.]

What's that? [The fact that he's checking up on Hazel is clear enough without directly asking him how he is. Tell him about the tennis.]

[If Hazel's mood improving significantly since the first time he looked a little startled about a body dropping thanks to his efforts is very noticeable (it is), just don't say anything about it. Let him bounce around with his mysterious device and think about the deeper repercussions of a "god" who can raise the dead later.

It is Tennis Lesson Time, now. He glances up at Jae-Ha, then wiggles his racket at arms length. Admire it.]

It's for pickin' up souls. [no it's not] Look, each little openin' fits one soul in it.

[Well, that settles it! Definitely his shinki.]

Alright, Chikusa... Let's get out of here. I hate this place.

[With that, he turns on his heel and starts to walk out. Last time he was here, it was for a lecture addressed to all the new gods about the dangers of talking to your shinki about their pasts, and after that everyone kinda looked at him funny. He's still not fully sure about the story behind that, but he didn't particularly appreciate it.

If Chikusa follows, he'll lead him out and through the heavens, on the way to the far shore proper.]

[...Well, at least he has direction now. Considering it's stand around confused versus following a stranger, he guesses he has no choice. So he starts to shuffle after him, not seeming in any particular hurry.]

You didn't answer my question...

[The battle is an exhausting one, and even Izumo could feel himself starting to grow heavy with exhaustion.

However, as he looks around at everyone, he notices someone in particular beginning to buckle and he moves on instinct.

There is a couple dying and considering Zero's reaction to them, Izumo could only figure they were someone close to the former shinki - important enough that he'd begin to crumble like he was now.

He grits his teeth, grabbing Zero by the back of his shirt and yanking him backwards - to stand, to snap him out of it - something.]

Snap out of it. [He grits it out, sparing a glance at the dying couple before he looks back at Zero.]

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011 | Black Parade

NPC requests

ota + locked prompt

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Simon Tam

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Toshizou Hijikata | Oldbie | Open for the most part! CW violence, probably gross zombie stuff, PTSD

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Chikusa Kakimoto - ota

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Zero | VK

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Prompt A

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soul tennis

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Souls