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

[koshien]

[ oh, great, the last person mei wanted to see this morning. look at him, he still has his facemask half on, and now he has to face hibiki?! very funny, heavens!!!

so, of course, mei puffs up like a little, angry bird, and starts off on a tirade. ] What are you even doing here with that dumb expression--[ right then, of course, the pants bop him over the top of the head, sail across, and throw themselves, full throttle, at hibiki's tea saucer. ]

[ he doesn't even say anything, just makes an annoyed snarling noise and shoves forward to catch them his own goddamn self ]

[koshien]

[ onee-chan, save him...!!!

mei blinks at what he's crashed into, sleepily, and rocks himself back into a standing position. he clearly does not look well, cheeks flushed, sweating, and he mumbles: ] Valkyrie...sorry.

[ which is like way more than he'd ever normally offer someone, so consider yourself well liked or him delirious, either are possible. ]

[lostinshadows]

I honestly think she was more concerned about the fact she stepped in gum.

[He grins.]

But yeah, I owe Hajime one now.

[birdstheword]

If you do you're taking me out for something sweet when you feel better to make it up to me. That's super gross but not the end of the world-

[Hajime pauses as she suddenly remembers something. Something time saving!]

I always forget about! Hold on Lavi, we're going to test your stomach!

[And with that she teleports with him--to the front door of Neith's temple.]

[fullcowl]

... You're probably not wrong.

Hajime's a good friend. I'm sure whatever she asks will be reasonable.

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki is not the most methodical of searchers, opening sliding doors at random and peering within them. ] Princess?! Princess Sakura!

[ Not here....She presses onward. Now that she is on the case, Sakura has nothing to fear; but circumstances dictate just the slightest hint of haste. A Prince is dashing when they rescue the Princess, are they not? She shall proceed accordingly.

What a good plan.

It's entirely possible the puddle isn't mad at Tsuzuki himself, but mad that Tsuzuki got in the way of its true objective...Perhaps. It's certainly blobbing angrily towards the temple. Maybe it means Sakura harm!

Maybe it just wants to team up with the futon beater and hit humans. Or maybe the water portion followed Hibiki here. ]

[fullcowl]

[Izuku moves to a slightly more shadowed part of the hallway when somebody approaches.

... Of course, he's a Far Shore resident, so people have trouble seeing him. But he's never quite adjusted to thinking he's invisible.]

[priforprince]

[ That she did. And no, it is not.

She makes a disgruntled grumbly noise in the back of her throat that might be interpreted as conceding the point. ]

[freezetheheavens]

[Himawari laughs when Tsuzuki faceplants while Toushirou watches on with amusement.

Yeah, him getting caught isn't likely, so he's enjoying the scene of the shinki chasing after Himawari. The little girl spirit yelps out when she realizes that Tsuzuki is chasing after her.]

[forreal]

Closed to Ann

[It was a strange start to an even stranger day for Ryuji. He woke up like it was any other ordinary day, ready for breakfast and whatever else awaited him downstairs. All was good and well until he reached for a fresh pair of underwear - these ones are a bright neon green with an even brighter neon pink band and a pair of matching pink handprints slapped right on both cheeks. They're his best pair and undoubtedly the most comfortable so they're the first he reaches for.

Too bad there's something stuck inside them and at first, he's too groggy to notice as he slides them up over his legs. Or tries to. He's still... wearing his pajama pants. Not only that, but when he lifts them to eye level he notices something weirdly familiar about the stuffed dolphin grinning back at him.

Holy shit, mom, what the effin' hell!?

Yeah, so that's a thing that happened. Later on, when he next sees Ann, he invites her out to this festival thing that all the people are raving over. A spooky festival of sorts. Yeah, he can be brave. No problem.

Antsy as hell, he awaits her at the time specified, his foot tapping nervously against the ground as he searches the crowds for the familiar pigtails. There's a backpack strapped to his shoulders and inside is the stuffed dolphin. The very same one she had paid for all those years ago in middle school... and the one he's pretty sure he still owes her money for...]

Closed to Makoto

[Jump scares can be pretty funny under the right circumstances - mainly, funny at someone else's expense. When it's his own, he doesn't appreciate them much, if at all. Yeah, no. Definitely not at all. It isn't until after dark that he finally leaves, this time with Makoto at his side because quite honestly, he'd be too scared to journey out with anyone else. At least with her, he knows that should anything jump out at him...

... She'd be able to kick its ass.

So they wander through the streets, away from this so called "festival" back to their temples, and he remains blissfully ignorant of the reports talking about what lurks within the shadows.]

Pretty sure I lost count of the number of times I almost shit my pants in there. Festival, my ass.

[reformedsinner]

[Near-unconsciousness is as close as Cho Hakkai will ever get to purity of thought, and for the moment, it seems to be working.

Sharak, though... he groans into his hands. The sarcasm will be scathing. But he can't give directions in this state, Neji is sleeping at the school, and thinking up other options makes his head ache almost as much as the sun.]

That's... fine.

[And maybe Sharak will send him back to his temple. He certainly can't teleport like this, not unless he wants someone to have to chip him out of a wall.]

[freezetheheavens]

Ah, yes, thank you.

[He looks at her curiously before he switches his attention to the cub.]

Is there any chance that you can convince this one to return to its mother?

[freezetheheavens]

[Toushirou gives a nod, almost seemingly tired of the bears already.]

Thank you again for the gift, Shion, and be careful.

[Try not to get cursed, please.]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki does not move. No, that's inaccurate. She lowers her teacup. And scowls. ]

Don't try to hold a serious conversation while engaged in such an idiotic display.

[ You're giving her a headache. Do something about the pants. ]

[priforprince]

[ That flashlight beam does indeed sweep right over Izuku as this person - a security guard - goes about their rounds. The flashlight beam does, however, catch something slipping down a corridor beyond Izuku...

The guard picks up the pace and goes to investigate, reaching for their walkie-talkie. ]

/cracks knuckles

[erogappa]

[ If he'd known that Hakkai's temple -- or Hakkai's school, for that matter -- were on this end of the Far Shore, he'd have made sure to stay far far away. But between the suddenly-alive shoes and the suddenly-alive bedding and the suddenly-alive hairbrushes and the suddenly-alive... well, shit's been rowdy, that's the point here. Shit's been rowdy and he's tired of being attacked by inanimate objects.

So he's out, getting some sun and fresh air, wandering with no real intent. It's the kind of day that makes him want to run, or get in a fight (or sit by a pool with a cooler of beers and watch the girls in their swimsuits), and he's feeling antsy, picking paths at random, eyes everywhere but on the road ahead.

He doesn't actually step on Hakkai, but it's a nearer miss than it really should have been. ]

Oh shit!

[ He's on his knees checking for a pulse before the man's identity registers... and when it does, he's not ashamed to admit that he keeps going with his exam. Pulse, breathing, forehead and cheek temperature, pupils the right size... he's had to do the rundown a couple times for drunks passed out in (and behind) the bar, so he's getting pretty good at it. ]

Oi, wake up! [ He pats Hakkai's cheek, then pats it a little harder (which is technically a slap). ] What happened? You eat somethin' funny?

[lostinshadows]

[Hajime, give him a better warning next time.

When they arrive in front of the temple, he kind of dry heaves, doubling over a bit. Fortunately, nothing really comes out, even though Lavi feels like he's just gone through a rollercoaster.

He hates being sick.]

[lostinshadows]

How did she manage to become a god.

[...This is honestly a very worrying question. How many followers does Hibiki have while they're at it.]

She already requested I take her out to get something sweet.

[lostinshadows]

[He's sick, but he'll still manage a soft laugh.

Only to be interrupted by a coughing fit. Fortunately, he'll turn his head away from Hibiki so that he actually doesn't cough on her.]

[fullcowl]

I have no idea how anybody becomes a god here.

[And here he is, kind of lost but doing his best.

The Izuku way.]

That seems pretty reasonable.

[fullcowl]

[Yeah, that's not surprising.

He considers going after the guard, but the target in question is the exhibit- so instead he heads that direction.]

[reformedsinner]

[Forehead and cheek temperature are both much too hot, and he's breathing, but his breathing is a little fast, a little raspy. Whatever it is he's caught, on top of everything else, it's given him a sore throat.

The touches hardly register at first: cool hand on his face, his wrist, a spark of childish comfort. Someone's taking care of me -- he's not awake enough for pride to sour it, not until the hand on his cheek turns into a swat that startles his eyes open and his breath into a gasp.]

Gojyo? Fine -- I'm... under the weather -- rest...

[The disjointed mumble isn't the most convincing lie he's ever told. He's not in bed, is he? He'd thought they were at home, but no. He's on his back. Hard surface. Sun overhead.

Oh, he's passed out outside, he thinks, and closes his eyes again. That's very unfortunate. Maybe if he can just....]

... can you. [He drags in a deep breath to expend on:] Help me home?

[lostinshadows]

In a way, I don't blame Fuujin for not liking us so much. [Because there are a whole bunch of gods here that makes him doubt everything right in the universe.] Gotta admit I'm glad you're a god, though.

[Lavi gives a nod.]

It's Hajime. I'm not too surprised by her request.

[fullcowl]

Ah well... We make some strange gods.

[Izuku's doing... his best here, but he's not exactly god material. He's a hero in training, not a god(dess) at home.]

Any specific kind of sweet?

[birdstheword]

[But he didn't ask for a warning.]

Ah, bad idea? Well, you're tough Lavi. I mean, I could teleport back and we could walk here instead.

[She's teasing, taking him inside the temple. It's once they're in the living room that she pauses on what she wants to do. HMMMM]

I guess I can set you up in my room. I would borrow Yuto's bed while he's out but I dont want you to get him sick.