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

[freezetheheavens]

At least it gave people a way to rid of those cursed charms.

[A glance over at the bonfire.]

But we might as well look.

[sweetdeath]

It does seem kind of ... nice, you know?

[He glances uncertainly over at Hitsugaya, and shrugs, pulling his phone out of his pocket to look at the message again. Maybe there's a secret message? Like in the capital letters, or something? The capitalization is weird....

Reaching to scroll, he pauses, and looks down at the screen half-obscured by his thumb.

He blinks, shifts his hand to more deliberately cover everything but the first letters of each line, and holds it out for Hitsugaya to see.]

Hey, look at that.

[freezetheheavens]

[He patiently waits until Tsuzuki is finished inspecting the message. His eyes are focused on Himawari as she seems to be interested in looking at the bonfire.

When the shinki goes to show him the phone, he blinks once upon seeing the message there.]

...Seems like someone just wanted a lot of company tonight.

[sweetdeath]

I guess it is just a surprise party.

[That thought's taking care of the last bit of his nervousness. If it is just meant to get everyone to hang out together... that's pretty nice! And aside from the natural creepiness of being out in the woods at night with a fire, he can't sense anything dangerous around here.

He's not always the best at spotting those auras, but it's something.]

[freezetheheavens]

Certainly one way of lightening the mood around here.

[But he doesn't lower his guard down.

He looks at Himawari as she runs to the bonfire, excitedly calling out to them.]

[sweetdeath]

Hey, it's a nice change from my futon beater trying to beat me instead!

[He grins at Hitsugaya, hooking one thumb into a pants pocket as he saunters over to the fire. It's not like the night is cold -- it's summer, after all -- but there's fewer mosquitoes over there.

He suspects a few of them might have gotten him while he was trying to hide in the bush. It seems unfair: without a heartbeat, shouldn't he not have blood either?!]

[freezetheheavens]

There are ways to drive spirits out.

[But he does follow after Tsuzuki.

He's not bothered by the bugs, really. Any that tries to get close would probably die before they could even get a sip of his blood.]

[sweetdeath]

I just ended up apologizing and making friends with it! I think we'll be okay.

... Um, but just in case, suppose you could show me one of those ways? I can't talk down everything.

[He glances around once he's closer to the fire, but there don't seem to be any snacks here. Oh, well: the fire's still nice and warm, and there are fewer bugs nearby it. He leans back against a tree, watching the flames.]

[freezetheheavens]

I don't mind showing you, but remember that our energies and techniques are different. Using ofuda can help.

[He doesn't stray too close to the fire, keeping a good distance.]

[sweetdeath]

Yeah, I know. [He crosses his arms, still watching the fire absently.]

... I'm wondering if it'll jog my memory about my techniques, that's all. There are a lot of things I feel like I should know, but muscle memory only goes so far.

[And it doesn't cover complicated mystical techniques. Not well, anyway. Not well enough that Tsuzuki's going to risk anything serious on the strength of his damaged memory.]

Ofuda for purification?

[freezetheheavens]

[Toushirou is quiet for a moment.

Sighing softly, he closes his eyes.]

Ofuda do have various techniques applied to them if used properly. It depends on how skilled you can be with those, however.

[sweetdeath]

Mm. They do feel very familiar.

[He pauses for a moment, and then, watching Himawari dash around the other side of the fire, trying to catch a firefly in her hands, speaks slowly.]

If I could try to draw up a few I think I could, would you be willing to look at them for me? And tell me if they look like they should?

Not tonight, obviously.

[He waves a hand, flushing with sudden embarrassment.] I don't mean to be demanding! Just -- sometime. I'd like to know.

[freezetheheavens]

[He shrugs.]

I don't mind. If it helps you, then I have no complaints.

[Toushirou spares him a side glance.]

I've already told you that if you need or want help with anything, just tell me. I have no other matters right now to attend to.

[sweetdeath]

Yeah, well, you know. You're a god and I'm just a shinki, so it feels weird.

[And a shinki who apparently failed at being a god badly enough to wind up demoted, at that. He laughs, embarrassed.]

But thanks. Seriously. If there's anything I can do for you in return....

[freezetheheavens]

Hm, if you say so.

[A blink before he shakes his head.]

If there's anything I might ask you to do for me, I'll tell you.

[sweetdeath]

If there is, just let me know. Anytime.

[His smile shades into sincerity for several seconds before he gets embarrassed again and glances away.]

Anyway -- look after Hiwatari, okay? Until you figure out how to help her.

[freezetheheavens]

[...Toushirou looks almost amused.

But he gives a nod.]

I will.