018 | Season Spirits

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Season spirits and spooky things
When: IC August 1-15
Where: The Near Shore and Far Shore
Summary: It's the time for spirits to get a bit more 'lively'.



August is a spiritual season in Japan with many people preparing for the Obon festival but many others get into the spirit in another way. All across Japan, people have begun to share their favorite summer ghost stories. Movie theaters advertise the hottest horror flick of the season, teenagers challenge each other to do trials of courage, haunted houses begin to pop up, and it feels like you can't change the channel without switching to some ghost hunting urban legend special. All of this talk about spirits comes at a cost, though.

July comes and passes easily enough but it's almost as if as soon as August begins, so do the incidents. There's an increase in spiritual activity and shenanigans on both shores. Some of them are harmless spooks but others are much more sinister. Arm yourselves with all of the ofuda and omamori you can find and get out there and restore peace!



Possessed Possessions

Inhabitants of the Far Shore may awaken to find their sheets trying to strangle them and shoes stomping on the floor around them. Others may go about their day and find out their teapots suddenly only serve lukewarm tea or their weapons are trying to take swings at them. They're just playful spirits that will abandon their hosts if you shove any ofuda/omamori at them or yell loudly enough. They aren't malicious spirits... they were only just trying to have some fun.

Spirited Festivals

There's a festival every weekend and some of them have set up haunted houses for patrons to visit. You have your standard haunted house thrills... costume make up, jump scares, special effects smoke, the usual! But it looks like some real ghosts have made themselves at home here. Visitors are going in and emerging hours later absolutely traumatized. It looks like once you enter, the real spirits walk you around in circles and give you real scares. There are some spirits here just to have fun thrills and these are spirits that can be chased away with regular ofuda. But it looks like the more violent ones are actually ayakashi out for vengeance. Be careful in there!

Cursed Charms

There sure are some weird trends out there, huh? The latest one is buying cursed trinkets off the internet and passing them off as gifts to unsuspecting victims whether it be to prank a friend or get revenge on an enemy. Cursed mirrors, dolls, fake ofuda, VHS tapes, and so on are being passed around the Near Shore and spreading all sorts of curses.

• Bad luck. As long as you're in possession of the cursed item, you'll be followed by bad luck to varying degrees depending on the quality of the charm.
• Fear. Holding onto this charm results in intense, crippling fear. The fear can manifest as an intense paranoia at all times or being frozen with fear in the face of danger. Some say you can even die of fright...
• Sickness. This charm is pretty straightforward. Having this charm just makes you feel incredibly under the weather and your health will worsen the longer you have the charm.
• Evil. Holding onto this charm results in you being followed attracting evil instead of warding it. Suddenly, you feel as though you are always being followed, as if something is stalking you and clearly out to get you. You begin to run into smaller ayakashi at first but they keep growing in strength and number until you can't fight anymore.
• Bad romance. Someone's meddled with a romance charm so it ends relationships instead of making them! People stuck with this charm are suddenly hyper aware of the faults of others. Everything gets on your nerves and you can't stand being around that person because they're just that annoying. It doesn't just work on couples! It also works on friends and relatives too.
• Bears? An oddly specific curse. It looks like someone has taken a protection from bears charm and made it so now you attract bears where ever you go. Some of them are nice but others...

You can try to destroy the charms but you will find that unless you have purification powers or rend it, the effects last. It looks like most people have been able to shake off the effects by simply disposing of them at temples and buying another charm to counter the effects.

Haunting Hour

There are reports of violent attacks at night-- people being pulled into alleys and attacked, school children being chased by slashers while walking home from school, homes being broken into-- and all of it is done without a single clue left behind to explain who did it. People are warned to be careful at night and as the sun begins to set, something happens. The hour between sunset and dark is supposed to be the scariest hour them all. At this time, the shadows are suspiciously bigger and darker and you constantly see things just out of the corner of your eye. Suddenly, the wind blows cold and there's a rotten smell in the air like blood. It's Oumagatoki, the hour evil spirits meet. Small time ayakashi and spirits on the verge of becoming ayakashi spill into the streets and begin to terrorize others. Protect the people of the Near Shore and watch your own backs.*

* These are just generic ayakashi! Nothing special, nothing specific. Feel free to make up and NPC your own two-bit ayakashi.

THEN WHO WAS PHONE?

In the evening, everyone will receive a set of coordinates and a message from an Anonymous sender,

I want to talk about the
mysterious things that have been happening
lately.
OF course, i
NEED
EVERYONE to come. so don't be
late! see
yoU.
:)

Everyone receives it and there is no way to track where the message came from. If you follow the directions, you'll arrive at a small temple on the outskirts of a city. A sacred fire is lit on the grounds for people to dispose of any cursed or old charms they may have collected. Hang around a bit and it'll become obvious that no one knows who has gathered all of you here tonight. The only ones around are gods and shinki. It doesn't look like any evil spirits are around so other than being invited to the middle of no where at night... there's nothing to worry about. If you wait around, nothing will happen. So while you're here, you might as well discuss the strange happenings! Or tell ghost stories around the fire.

Wildcard

Choose your own adventure! Feel free to make up your own prompts. Ronald Knox's player (diehardreaper) has offered up their temple as a test of courage in the Far Shore for those who want to try their luck. Check out their description under the Baron's manor.

In Summary:

• Beat the heat by feeling a scary chill
• Deal with cursed and spirit-imbued items
• Keep the Near Shore people safe
• Chat about your scary encounters
• Have fun~

Comments

C

[dragonflood]

["I don't get involved with human conflicts" is almost on her tongue when she catches herself. She's a god here...surely she can bend that rule.]

Alright. Did you get everyone's addresses?

[freezetheheavens]

[..........

Tsuzuki, after this, he's going to fire a shakoho at you.]

I'll pass. I don't--

["Please, Shiro-niichan?"

Himawari tugs on his hand, looking up at him. Toushirou pauses briefly, staring down at her before he sighs heavily.]

...Alright.

[reformedsinner]

'Day of the Animals'? No -- 'Grizzly.'

[Look what you've done to this man and his once-respectable body of knowledge, Davesprite.

Hakkai chuckles, drawing an absent spiral in the dust with his forefinger.]

Although shinki don't seem to get hangovers as badly as gods do.

[This could possibly be related to the fact that he'd always had a higher alcohol tolerance than Gojyo, of course, or the sheer quantity of wine and beer Gojyo had managed to put away as the god of the former. There's a little nostalgia in his tone.]

[reformedsinner]

[The towel feels freezing cold, too, and Hakkai can't stop himself from shivering. Once he starts, it's hard to stop. He reaches up anyway, pressing the towel against his forehead with his free hand. It's a little easier to think with it there, and it seems to be helping with the headache, too.

He still misses his grip the first time he reaches for the canteen. Without depth perception, it's sometimes hard to make the proper calculations for size and shadow to guess distance. When he's this disoriented, it's almost impossible. His hand sweeps through empty space again before he manages to catch the canteen. Water sounds good.]

Can we die of illness?

[Gods are mortal: there's no doubting that after the bodies he's seen.

How mortal is a more interesting question. He blinks at his rescuer, managing to focus enough to make out his features. Ah. Not Sanzo, after all, although their straightforward personalities do have a thing or two in common.]

Kurosaki Shun. [There's an ironic edge to his smile. Of all the people to find him this vulnerable....] You're helping me?

[redmare]

[That was weird, especially since it didn't look like Hibiki had to go under the desk to retrieve her handkerchief.]

...You sure?

[She was sounding less and less like it.]

Maybe you should sit down for a bit?

[redmare]

[He knows now, that's for sure. Chinatsu was feeling some of that second hand embarrassment.

Shrugging off the light jacket she had on, she tosses it towards him.]

Here, you can wrap that around your waist. It should cover you up enough.

[reformedsinner]

[The paper rips easily, no stronger than paper should be, but the shreds and tatters keep moving with the same murderous determination. It takes Hakkai a few more seconds to claw away enough of it to draw a breath, even with Sharak's help, and he spits fragments of paper from his mouth as he pulls back and braces his hands over each other, conjuring a shield against the dangling, clinging, tangling streamers.

It glows against the darkness, lighting his face with an unearthly blue-tinged light as he glances over at her.]

Shame there are still mortals in here. I'm starting to think we should burn it down.

[redmare]

....Is that possible? Like..box them in or something?

[She has her hands parallel from one another, imagining a border...box?]

[genkireaper]

[ Oh, she may look to only be 16, but she's giving you quite the scrutinizing look. Him moving and pushing himself up interrupts her flow enough to stop the process, meaning she could now reach over and pass the glasses over. ]

That's all well and good right now, but we can't really have you sitting in the sun like this. I can fly you to where you need to be, but you'll need to...

[ Does he need to be coherent and steady enough to sit on the oar? ]

Well, I suppose I could sling you over and hope you don't slide off.

[sweetdeath]

[He might be an adult man, but he's not too proud to hide from a possessed bit of wicker behind a little blue-haired girl with a big stick. She's doing better against it than he was, anyway, which is his justification for scrambling up and making sure she, and her oar, are between him and the futon beater as it struggles to escape from the bush.]

I don't know! I was just going to air out the futons and it came to life on me! I've been taking good care of it, I swear....

[Sure, it'd been in the shed before, but a lot of useful things had been in the shed. He'd taken everything he could fix and put it back in use.]

[sweetdeath]

[Tsuzuki suspects that Hitsugaya could use the chance to play a little, too. Couldn't everyone? Fun and cake make the world go 'round.

Beaming outright now, he hastens to declare:]

Not it!

[sweetdeath]

Thanks.

[He couldn't exactly take his shirt off to wrap around his waist: that'd be almost as embarrassing. He carefully wraps the jacket around, tying the sleeves together, and glances over at her, rubbing his nose with a knuckle. The blush has got to fade eventually. It isn't yet, though. He'd been walking halfway across the Heavens before he ran into her!]

... Um, I. I didn't catch your name? I really owe you one.

[reformedsinner]

I think I should probably go back to my temple. I can give directions if you can help....

[He releases her wrist, and takes his glasses, sliding them on. It doesn't help the fact that his vision's a little fuzzy as a result of the fever and headache, but they do make him feel a little less helpless. Slightly more put together, even.

It'll do.

Cautiously, he adds:]

Sling me over what, exactly?

[genkireaper]

[ ... How old are you? At least have some pride, and stand up for yourself a little. Actually, while suddenly being the shield for this person against the beater, Botan realizes that she really doesn't know any exorcisms. Nothing to remove a spirit from an item it was possessing, if that's really what this was. Even if it wasn't, short of destroying someone's things, she wasn't sure of what to do.

Especially with how much it was fighting to get out of that bush. It must've been weirdly caught on some of the twigs and branches. ]

I'm starting to think you and it have different definitions of 'good care.' C'mon, get on.

[ She holds the oar horizontal and, as it stays there, easily hops on without a dip in elevation. ]

If it finds you after this, you really must've upset it.

[genkireaper]

...

[ She holds a hand out to the side, letting the oar manifest with little more than a poof. Don't make fun, she has a lot of pride in what it can do. ]

This.

[clothes_make_the_man]

B-but don't female mermaids protect the men? I'm sure you said that before!

[Look at them both standing there frozen in fear.]

[freezetheheavens]

Or something, but I suppose it depends on how long you can hold a Borderline. Even then, Rending them seems to be the best solution in this case.

[freezetheheavens]

["Not it!"

Tsuzuki, he's going to punch you.

He sighs.]

Best to start running now then.

[priforprince]

[ An appraising look. God or shinki?

....shinki. She refuses to consider anyone with that moronic an expression on their face could ever be deified, even by an unknown cause. Hibiki's smile is slow and not particularly concerned. ] The average person's "business" takes a matter of moments for a genius.

[ Genius time also runs differently than average time. So there is no reason for him to be nervous at all. ]

[priforprince]

And you didn't return immediately?

[ This is not concern for your well-being. This is disdain for the state of your brain.

This is Shikyoin goddamn Hibiki believing you have made a poor life choice.

You're welcome. ]

[very_goodman]

I mean, I could probably get 'em to chase me, but then we'd have a different problem.

[And Barry's not entirely confident he could outrun them.]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki doesn't relent so much as twist the invitation around to suit her purposes. She smiles at Chinatsu. ] If you'd care to join me.

[ The water pools on the desk, looking simultaneously disappointed and relieved. Somehow. ]

[very_goodman]

Nah, I keep my axe locked up. Plus, it's way too big.

[Thank goodness for that, at least.]

[lostinshadows]

Moving makes me sick.

[Again, said in a deadpan voice. Why do you think he hasn't bothered budging from this spot?

Don't judge him, Hibiki.

Although, there is a cassette tape sticking out from his back pocket if she looks closely enough.]

[priforprince]

[ Ugh, she's been given an out and she still. She. Hibiki sighs. ]

Permitting you to perpetuate that incompetence upon her grounds is hardly my style.

[ She steps forward, hand out to take the errant beater. ] Relinquish it.

[ ....squish, goes something beneath Hibiki's foot.

Were you chewing gum earlier, Tsuzuki? Even if you weren't, there was gum on the ground. Somehow. ]