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

Garry - OTA

[artificialrose]

A - Spirited Festivals

[The sad thing is... Garry hasn't even gotten into one of the haunted houses before being sick with terror.]

[Literally, practically sick. Just getting into the shopping center was a trial with how many posters seem to have been plastered everywhere advertising haunted houses and scary movies. With one hand bracing him against a wall, he bends over slightly with his mouth covered. With how the chills are going up and down him, he guesses he should be glad he brought a second layer even though it's the summertime...]

Why... Just what is the obsession with scary things this time of year!? I can't deal with this...

[Then again, maybe it's not just his general fear of horror... but the uncanny valley affect of some of the dolls and humanoid props that some haunted houses are using.]

B - Haunting Hour

[You know who never learned about all the Japanese mythological lore, including things like Oumagatoki?]

[Probably the poor foreigner running his ass off down the street while pursued by a small hoard of ayakashi, screeching as he puts those long legs to use.]

[SAVE HIM]

C - Wildcard
[I'm game for anything else you can come up with?]

A

[asterflower]

[Oh that is one unhappy and sick person... Shion wanders over and places a gentle hand on the other's shoulder.]

Are you feeling alright? ... I think the festival is supposed to pay homage to spirits. I guess everyone gets a little carried away.

[Can he get you some water or something?]

[artificialrose]

It's the goriest homage I've ever seen!

[Seriously- he's dead and he can quite confidently say that this is the worst kind of homage anyone could ever make. Seriously, the hell is this?]

Ugh... I think I've broken into a cold sweat with everything that's been put up...

[asterflower]

[Shion can't help but glance back towards the haunted house entrance to see if he can spot anything gory from here.

Then he gives the other another sympathetic smile.]

Just try to remember that it's all fake and decorations. [He thinks...? Who knows with all this afterlife stuff...??] It's alright if you don't have a stomach for it. Come on, I'll help you get some water.

[artificialrose]

Even then...

[The fear factor is still there, prickling the back of is mind. Still, best he can, he pushes himself up and does his best to try and not look.]

Thank you very much. I didn't mean to trouble a stranger.

[asterflower]

It can be very life-like.

[Shion nods sagely. Then he smiles as he offers an arm should the other one need it. No shame here.]

My name's Shion. It's no trouble. It would have been ruder to leave you here like this.

B

[redotiertwo]

[Davesprite's mostly been trying to avoid the creepy-as-hell hour - not knowing the legends but absolutely feeling the air of malice that's suddenly stirred itself up around this time of day - but it's kind of hard to keep doing that when he sees some poor fucker tearing off down the street pursued by ayakashi. Especially when he gets close enough to realise it's that guy from the training meet a few days ago.

Swooping down so fast that he vanishes from sight for a moment, he slashes out a borderline on the ground between Garry and the ayakashi before flying past him.]

Are you still good to haul your own share of the ass here, or am I gonna have to do that too.

[artificialrose]

[Holy- Garry doesn't dare look behind him at the sound of wings beating, but jeez is it a relief when he sees that neon orange swoop past him. Only one person he's met so far has been that kind of eye-searing color.]

[Running his ass off as he is, he can't really answer because his lungs are being used for other more important things, but he gives a hasty sort of hand-flap thumbs-up combination that looks an absolute mess.]

[HE'LL BE.... FINE.... JUST LET HIM REACH HIS GOD'S SHRINE, HE'LL BE GOOD]

[redotiertwo]

[Thankfully, Davesprite gets the message, however mixed it might be, and provides a considerably more chill and distinct thumbs-up in return.]

Keep firing borderlines, got it. [It's probably a good thing he managed to get his head around how to do them more effectively a while ago now, because this...is going to take some doing.

Shooting off a couple of offensive ones to snipe back any outliers, Davesprite draws another line to catch the mob up whenever they get through the first one.]

[artificialrose]

[Davesprite is a saint, no matter what anyone else says. Garry is positive of that right now as he makes a sharp enough turn that almost has him stumble.]

[Soon, however, a familiar sight is up ahead, and Garry nearly crashes into it with his hands clinging to the shrine.]

Clear! Come on!

[redotiertwo]

[Drawing another borderline behind them just to make sure any stragglers get their asses caught up as well, Davesprite swoops towards what he assumes is Garry's home base shrine. He used Hajime's to get here, but it wasn't nearly as close as this one.]

Right behind you. [And preferably out of here, because he's pretty sure ayakashi can't cross Shores without help.]

Haunting Hour

[nibelungvalesti]

[The Valkyrie appears -- well, literally out of nowhere, her souless shinki of a sword sweeping an arc through the air that cuts through some of the ayakashi as quickly as it takes to describe it.]

You are not training well, I see.

[artificialrose]

[WELL THAT HAPPENED]

[Garry nearly has a heart attack at the sudden appearance of the Valkyrie, although that's half because he's nearly there to start with. Once he realizes what's happened, however, he slows to a stop, clutching at his chest.]

I.... heard... [Okay, wait, no, let him catch his breath first.] I heard that ayakashi could only be destroyed by Rending them... so I didn't want to keep near them...

But whenever I tried to draw a borderline, a few would always end up past it before it was done, or they'd break through it.

[It's still something he's working on improving, he knows.]

[nibelungvalesti]

That is correct on the surface. Ayakashi cannot be destroyed without a god and a shinki working in tandem. But they can be grievously wounded.

And there is no better place for you to learn than in battle. [She levels her glowing sword at the ayakashi who swarm beyond its reach, daring them to advance.]

Join me in this fight.

[artificialrose]

[uM]

Right now?! [Shit shit shit- hastily, he looks around and makes a dive for an old mop that's apparently being thrown out with someone's trash.] But there's a lot of them!

[nibelungvalesti]

And you stand with the Valkyrie, the Battle-Maiden, the Chooser of the Slain. Do you think we will fall so easily against this rabble?

B

[fortunesmiles]

Daki!

[Garry's god has arrived. And, fortunately, Komaeda is quick on the uptake; as soon as he sees Garry running, and what's chasing him, he calls Garry's vessel name. To his mind, he's confident that this will solve two problems at once.]

[artificialrose]

[One second he's running, and the next 'running' is kind of impossible concept because he's in the strange shinki space and also lighters clearly don't have legs.]

Ah! [Komaeda can probably feel the trill of alarm through their connection, along with all the other heart-stopping fear Garry has just been full of, before it eases up as he realizes what's happened.] Komaeda!

[fortunesmiles]

[Komaeda smiles reassuringly, even though Garry can't really see it - certainly not in the traditional sense, at the moment.] It's all right. We can handle these things, can't we?

[And Komaeda flicks the wheel of the lighter. But instead of a tiny flame, what bursts forth from it is a long, spear-shaped plume of fire, a bit taller than Komaeda himself. But, conveniently, since it's a weapon made up of more energy than mass, it's remarkably light. Komaeda brings it down in a blazing arc, pointing it directly at the ayakashi and spirits that no longer seem quite as certain about their trajectory as they were a moment ago.]

You're more than strong enough to destroy them for us. Shall we?

[artificialrose]

[It's a lot more reassuring when Komaeda is full of that casual confidence- and also, apparently, when everything is on fire, he guesses. Well okay that's a little bit of an exaggeration but...]

Right! [The cocktail of panic and fear becomes watered down.] Let's go, then!

[fortunesmiles]

[Some of the spirits aren't even full ayakashi, and the ones that are...well, they're relatively weak. Against a god and his shinki - well, Komaeda has every right to be confident. They aren't much of a threat.]

Rend!

[He could almost feel sorry for them. But even if they are, as he feels, aspects of despair, they're weak ones. Whether it's hope or despair, weak manifestations of them will always be crushed by stronger ones. It's the way of the world.

Once the coast is clear, Komaeda snaps the lighter shut, dissipating his (Garry's? Perhaps the distinction is meaningless, if Garry is also his) fire spear. He looks down at the lighter in his hand.] Are you all right now, Garry?

B

[oldblue]

[ Well that's just pathetic to hear. At this point Ao has managed to learn to sense the presence of ayakashi, and it's easy enough to hear the person being chased by them. While he doesn't have any chance of rendering them on his own, he has practiced the borderline, and because he has trained a lot, he does it fairly well when he slashes a wall that only the person being chased can pass through but the ayakashi can't over the ground. ]

...fucking pathetic.

[artificialrose]

[Honestly? For a second he almost forgets about how borderlines work, but his momentum means he can't stop- which is good in this case. As he hears ayakashi crashing into the borderline behind him, Garry slows down, doubling over with his hands on his knees as he pants.]

[The commentary earns a tense smile.]

Not all of us came out of amnesia with battle skills, I'm afraid to say.

[oldblue]

[ Being unable to actually fight the ayakashi on his own is a great annoyance to him. He doesn’t want to depend on or work with a god. But that means that he stubbornly has been learning other things that he actually can do on his own. ]

This isn’t a fucking battle skill, it’s a damn wall.

[artificialrose]

That you have to use in battle!

[Yelling? Him? Noooo. Just. Raising his voice a little.]