thenearshore | 018 | Season Spirits

018 | Season Spirits

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~

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Your god?

[ Yata just shoots him a bewildered glance at that, surprised by the offer. ]

I thought you didn't want me anywhere near your temple.

[ And he tries to hide the uncomfortable surge of nerves and dread at just the mention of being named if he didn't want to. That entire incident was something he was trying very hard not to think about, because he still broke into a cold sweat anytime he did.

He quickly averts his gaze back to the fire, shoulders hunched in a little defensively. ]

Nanako? That the little kid who's always hanging around Izumo and Goten?

[ Checking out books? Tsubasa didn't even know this was a library. She'll make a mental note of it, but first: ]

It's the ghosts. Do you have any tools for exorcising them? The sentinel's sword may be powerful, but it cannot cut through that with no form.

[Honestly, watching Izuku swear is a little like watching a kitten try to pull off a spiked collar: cute and amusing, but the longer it keeps happening, the more embarrassing it gets to watch. While he casts an aside glance towards the pillows (some of which are decidedly angling a bit more towards Izuku as they slowly recover themselves back into a throwing pile), most of what he has right now is an unimpressed stare all for Izuku.]

Japan proper has expectations in place for multiple murders to be dealt with. This is probably the first time they've ever had to deal with a murder spree as opposed to single deaths or all-out war. You don't get heads as inflated as some of the old gods' are if people can murder you at a moment's notice.

The safe assumption is that this is a new god or shinki. I'm the last person to say their reaction is right or not complacent, but with the kind of power her advisors have, I doubt they took the threat seriously.

[It's not exactly a surprise to see Lenneth out dealing with something like this. She talks a big game, but as far as Shun's concerned, as long as she puts her sword behind those words, he couldn't really care less.

There is a somewhat skeptical look as he glances behind them, though.]

Don't count on getting it done alone. This level of activity from spirits and ayakashi is like nothing I've seen before in my time here.

As if I'd agree. [More like bad ideas, from Shun's point of view, especially given the Look he's now casting Fubuki.

Shun shrugs a little at the question.] Not exactly, but it's only been an hour or so. They finally pissed me off enough inside that I made them earn their keep outside.

[After another moment or two, he decides he should probably clue Fubuki in on his other bad decision here.] You know those are going to--

[And then he just stops as the two pillows Fubuki's leaning on unanimously decide to drop like rocks. At least he might get half a soft landing from all the pillows around his legs.]

Thought so. At least this didn't happen on your first day. [There's a somewhat dry note to his tone there, as if he's very familiar with the grind of that happening. When his own arrival involved purging ayakashi from a school, he was never too surprised when things got worse.

Her question gets a shake of the head.] Aside from the powers all gods have and the unique one I was given, I don't have anything else supernatural about me. Including being able to sense spirits.

I wondered what it was. I figured it was something to do with the hauntings, but that was as far as I got. [Later in the day he'd wondered if it might have been a curse of some kind, once he'd had the chance to see others suffer from them, but he hadn't given it too much thought.

That gets a slight hum of assent.] That kid needs to take better care of himself. [Says the guy one year older who takes possibly even worse care of himself.]

So I've seen. It's only been cursed pillows at my temple so far.

Almost. I doubt I'm going to be able to do much but make it ease down temporarily. [It's a hell of a bad one, and Shun doesn't have any actual medication to use for it, nor would he really know where to start for something this significant. Battlefield medicine is usually a bit more immediate, in his experience, and they had very limited access to actual medications back home anyway.

The openness of that information definitely has Shun suspecting Hakkai still isn't quite all there, given their relationship normally couldn't really be called anything better than civil. Still, he goes along with it, not pressing for information (because he knows exactly how pissed off he'd be if someone took advantage of him being in this kind of condition to do that), but also not outright blocking the subject.]

I figured there had to be a reason you confused me for him.

Well, I can certainly try.

[Taking a step closer, Celestia lowers her head slightly to address the cub.]

You're very far from where you should be. Don't you think it'd about time you returned home?

[ The pigeon comment has him heaving a very put-upon and exasperated sigh. ]

That's not better! That's still freaky! But not as freaky as that. [ Because wtf is that, it looks like something out of a horror game. This isn't supposed to be Silent Hill!

Still, he can take gross monster better than he can take ghosts, so for the moment, he just grips his bat tighter and puts on a burst of speed, Red sparks shooting out from the wheels of his skateboard as he lunges ahead, going in low and fast.

The back swings at one of the ayakashi's knees, hoping to cripple his movement to make him an easier target. Although that tongue is freaky long and he has to duck it on his approach, when it lashes out at the air over his head, as if tasting his scent in the air. ]

Yeah, that is not a compliment coming from you, dude.

Fuck yeah.

[ He gives the burning pile of... whatever that is, a wide berth, sticking close to the walls instead as he moves around it, eyeing it with skeptical disgust. ]

Ugh, it stinks, too. I am all for getting out of here.

[ Except they move out of this hallway and into the next and Yata stops short. And stares.

It's a hallway full of doors, over a dozen of them at least. So many choices and impossible to know which one might lead to the exit.

Somewhere up ahead, behind one of them, comes another of those eerie giggles. ]

....Shit.

Heh. You could try.

[ The voice is mildly familiar and Yata skids his board to a stop, gaze searching the shadows for the source as Munakata steps out to reveal himself. Propping his bat on one shoulder, he gives the guy a once-over. ]

Someone's been fucking with this area. Attacking people, breaking into places, causing lots of damage. All after dark. Figured this at least is something I could easily stop.

[ Borderlines might be a problem, but bashing in the faces of assholes? That's something he excels at. ]

[Considering her earlier impression of him and his current appearance as she turns to regard him, she immediately concludes it is the latter.]

You look incredibly unwell. You should not be out and about.

[Pitiless and blunt as she is, at least her words betray a certain amount of concern.]

[ Alas, Yata can't read English; he only knows a few sporadic words from it, thanks to a friend he doesn't remember ~~Eric~~ frequently insulting him in it.

But despite not knowing what that words say, just the appearance of glowing orange words appearing on the ground in front of him like that is enough to make him yell all over again, jumping back to put some distance between himself and... whatever is causing that. ]

What the hell?! That's so not funny. Who the fuck is doing this? Show yourself, asshole!

Eh? 'Byon'? [ What's a byon?

Yata looks up at the words, glancing around until he spots the guy who yelled. Is he familiar? Yata had given a lot of people rides on his skateboard, which one had this one been? Oh wait, he thinks he remembers the right one. ]

I guess I did. What was your name again?

[ This guy probably wasn't the one attacking people and breaking into buildings. At least, that was his first assumption, so some of the hostility falls away as he turns to eye him curiously. ]

There is truth in what you say. Nevertheless, there is no excuse not to do what I can simply because I cannot do it all.

[A simple and straightforward philosophy well in keeping with her views on duty. Losing a human shinki has not done any wonders for the Valkyrie's attitude though.]

Do I look like I was mistreating the fucking bears, I'm mostly just trying to work out how not to get anyone else mauled.

[Despite the swearing, his tone is pretty much flat deadpan the whole way through rather than actually annoyed. While Davesprite could be using his own wings, for now he's happy enough perched in the tree and well out of the bears' reach anyway.]

Can gods teleport bears, I'm pretty sure it's a long haul out of the city.

Nice. You're going to have to lead me to her shrine, though, I've never been there before.

[Also he's pretty sure Barry would have to be the one to actually use it, given what shrines seem to be like normally.]

[Given Yata's reaction isn't specifically to the message left, Davesprite gives himself a minute to kick the apparent universal translator that came into effect when he got here in the teeth so he can write something readable this time. He's managed to nestle himself comfortably under the base of the haunted house, peering out through a very slight gap in the wood but otherwise unnoticeable.

Another message writes itself out a few moments later. The handwriting is garbage and it's entirely in hiragana and katakana, but at least it's in Japanese this time.]

It's haunting season, who the fuck do you think it is? Get your Sixth Sense game happening, dude, we're right here.

[Making references to Western films probably isn't going to make him a very convincing Japanese ghost, but hey, ghosts can migrate, right.]

Specifically 70s Hammer horror, maybe, when they dicked up their good run of cult classics. Fucking definition of the film industry ignoring "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

[Meanwhile, Davesprite's just going to privately start curating a list of things he'd totally show at a movie night, half actually serious and half so-bad-it's-good, shooting the shit suggestions.

Davesprite is mostly just staring into the fire, though his shades make that a lot easier than it probably would be for others.] Hey, at least he was getting into it. More than some gods can say.

[ Of course Ron would notice. Part and parcel of this being his domain after all. Though his apparent mood does seem to lift upon seeing someone else.

Give him a second to shake the leaves off... well, as many of them as he can. ]

Emizel! Didn't think I'd see you here of all places, mate! What brings you about? Should've let me know you fancied coming by. Would've put a pot on.

[ Oh hey the party's here.

But let him exhale slowly as he brushes the leaves off best he can and lean against the tree. ]

Another one gone. Not the same way as Rei, mind. He's just.... gone.

[With Shion's luck...]

You're welcome. Take care.

[He'll try to get out of the way because he's not the most suited to be fighting off bears.]

[Letting out another squeal, the little ghost girl chases after Toushirou this time.

It doesn't exactly surprise the shinigami, but at the same time, this also means that he can't deploy certain evasive maneuvers. So when Himawari chases after him, he actually slows down a bit, but not letting it be too easy for her.

Eventually, she does tag him: "You're it!"]

[The cub shakes its head, pressing closer against Toushirou's leg.

He sighs, staring down at it.]

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018 | Season Spirits

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