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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[Hakkai stares at her for several seconds. Then, slowly, he looks up at the bears around them.

Since she's clinging to his arm, she'll be able to feel the faint tremor as he attempts to repress laughter.

... and she'll definitely notice the moment when he fails to repress it, and leans forward, laughing helplessly with one hand over his face.]

Ah -- I'm sure it's not -- don't you eat fish too?

[Oona looks offended for a few seconds--EXCUSE YOU HER LIFE IS ON THE LINE--before his question makes her pause and her face go blank with realization.]

Oh.

[That's it. Just "oh." Because yeah, she does eat fish, but... but!! She gives his arm a little shake again] But am only fish here! [Pause] Half-fish. [Another pause.] Sort of.

You don't really smell like it. I doubt they've noticed.

What is your domain?

[There must be some reason that she's being followed by bears! He stifles a few last snickers as he brings himself back under control, and watches a half-grown cub shamble hopefully forward, sniffing wetly as he approaches Oona.]

[Oona makes a face at the bear and half-hides behind Hakkai, looking irritated. It's... it's kind of cute... The bear is fluffy, she wants to pet it, but she's half-convinced she's going to get mauled if she tries.]

Eh? Ehh... Am Eris! [She looks stupidly pleased about it too, lifting her chin smugly] Goddess of strife, chaos, and discord!

[She makes a face again] But, is not funny when chaos things happen to me. [Everyone ELSE, however....]

Hmm. In that case, it may just be your chaos for the day.

[He glances down at her with a slight crinkle at the corners of his eyes, and reaches out to shoo the bear away. It rears up on its hind legs, turning out to be very nearly as tall as Goku at full height, and swats at him with one, well-clawed paw.

Hakkai takes a step back out of range, one hand outflung to protect Oona.]

Oh my, they aren't very tame, are they?

[Oona pouts and reiterates:] Is not supposed to happen to me. [There's definitely a slight whine in her tone. So not fair!!

She nibbles her crepe with a greater sense of purpose when the bear seems more than ready to throw down if provoked enough. She can't fight anything with a handful of deliciousness, after all, though the look she gives Hakkai is sort of like 'seriously?']

Is bear, not dog! [Oona takes a step back, eyeing the bear nervously.] Ehh... Will you have to fight it? ['You,' she says, because of course Hakkai's the one who's gonna have to deal with this!]

Bears can be tamed.

[But Hakkai would rather not have to kill a bear whose only crime is following a goddess: he stays still, hands held unthreateningly out a little from his sides, and waits while it stares, and slowly lowers itself back onto all four paws, and whiffs at Oona again.]

... Let's see, perhaps we should go somewhere else and leave these bears to wander off home....

Would like very much to see you try to tame anything wild. [She's amused, despite herself, and watches Hakkai with a small grin.

A grin that immediately turns into a scowl and a suspicious look at the bear as she begins to eat the crepe with more fervor than before. She wanted to enjoy the damn thing, but she's not above sacrificing her slow enjoyment if it means they don't get any of it.

Still, walking away seems a good enough idea, and Oona turns on heel and hurries away, but... The bears just.

Start following.

She whirls back around and cries out in dismay, a slight whine in her tone, like a child complaining to a parent] Hakkai! They are still following!

I'll have you know I'm very good with animals.

[There's a return glint of amusement in his eye as he strolls after her, watching the bears. They're ambling after her on four feet, appearing utterly peaceable and calm. Hakkai raises his eyebrows at them.]

But these seem smitten.

[Oona frowns. Smitten? She can glean a sort of meaning from context, but she's not sure if it's the correct one. Probably something with how more-or-less docile they're being since they don't seem to be trying to chase her down or anything, they're just.

Following.]

You say you are good with animals, yes? Make them be smitten with you, then!

Hmm, I'd try starting by feeding them...

... that does help make friends, doesn't it?

[He may be teasing her a little, judging by the innocence of his grin.]

Hmm, suppose. [...

Wait.

She shoots him an accusing look and huffs, trying to fight a smile] Hey! Are you trying to say am like animal? [But she doesn't mind, really, since she supposes she is more animal-like compared to a human.]

What is human saying? About getting to heart through the stomach? Is not my fault if people want to keep making food for me if they think it helps! [And nevermind that it DOES totally work. She's a simple fish.]

I prefer to get to it between the fifth and seventh ribs, myself, although if you have a long blade and a bad view up through the diaphragm works just as well.

[He flicks a grin her way, and looks back at the bears with his smile slipping in favor of a thoughtful expression.]

Metaphorically, of course, it's true of most species I've encountered. Bears are omnivores, but I think we can find something for them other than your crepe.

[There's the distinctive greasy odor of a ramen restaurant up ahead, and one thing that's reliably true of a ramen restaurant is that they'll have pig's bones in their trash. Well-boiled pig's bones, smelling of rich broth. Hakkai waves a hand ahead.]

Shall we help them raid a Dumpster?

[She makes a face at him] Too much work. Just stab until they stop moving.

[The smell of more food just makes her more hungry though, her thoughts running along the lines of 'fuck the bears, what about me??' as she considers this.]

Am not going into dumpster. [Just putting that out there.] Spent enough time going through trash before this place. [It's hard to survive when you're on the run, okay?] Lead them and then maybe they are no so stupid as to not know what to do themselves.

[Hakkai wrinkles his nose in instant distaste.]Certainly not. Neither of us are going in.

[That rancid pig fat scent might appeal to bears, but its charm ends there.]

I thought we'd just open it and then, you're right, they can do the rest.

[And the two of them can leave while the bears gorge. It's not exactly a foolproof plan, but it should be effective.]

Oh, good. [Much better plan. Oona finishes off her crepe and eyes the dumpster, which is...rather bigger than her, but she's still trying valiantly to get it open. She'll probably need Hakkai's help, but once it IS open, she stands back with her hands on her hips and a triumphant look.]

There! [And it seems to work as the bears amble over, ignoring both herself and Hakkai in favor of trying to raid the trash.]

Works! [Huzzah! But now she kind of wants ramen too. She looks at the restaurant and then at Hakkai with a hopeful look. Buy her something to eat do it do it]

Ah, much better!

[...he eyes her eyeing the restaurant, and lowers his voice conspiratorially.]

But maybe we should get away from here before they finish their supper.

[Bears won't, unfortunately, stay distracted forever. And someone is going to get upset if they spot them here.]

[Her face falls with a pout and she instantly reaches for his arm to tug on it childishly]

Hakkai should cook for me again! [A pause, because she realizes she should probably give a reason or something, and adds with the utmost solemn sincerity:] Has been very stressful day.

It's been a very long day for me, too. And you got a crepe.

Perhaps you should cook for me, Oona!

[He matches her solemn sincerity exactly.

He has no idea if she can cook, but he's interested to see how she gets out of that argument.]

[Oona goes curiously calm all of a sudden, tilting her head back thoughtfully. It's true, she did get a crepe, but she's always hungry for more, but...

She looks away, considering, and then nods firmly as if determining something.] Hmm. Okay. Is there place to fish near?

Ah... that's a good question. I think there's a river through town.

[How about that? She seems to be taking him seriously. He's curious enough not to argue.]

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018 | Season Spirits

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