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

[redmare]

[She glances at the hand, but doesn't mind it. Her eyes are back on Hibiki.]

...What do you mean?

[That wasn't a no, yet.]

[priforprince]

I'm a god of Entertainment.

[ Stating the premise first. In a world full of lies and falsehoods, such formalities are necessary.

Hibiki waves a hand, conjuring illusions of Natsuru, Kuroyukihime, and a third figure who's still only a silhouette dancing on stage. ] Those who find their hearts responding to their stage are drawn here.

To me.

[ Who has her hand. On your shoulder.

Thoughts on this? ]

[redmare]

[Chinatsu watched as the illusions formed, not recognizing any of them. Her eyes were drawn to the silhoutte that moved across the stage, not sure why.]

I....guess

[priforprince]

[ .....Promising.

Hibiki steps just slightly more into Chinatsu's line of sight, offers her a hand. ] Shall we?

[ She's curious, once she got Chinatsu onto a stage, what sort of movements she'd make unconsciously. ]

[redmare]

[Hibiki distracts Chinatsu from the figure, gaining her attenion once more.]

Wha--up there?

[She glances back at the stage, then back at Hibiki's hand. After a brief pause, she takes her hand and follows her up the stage.

The room might be empty, but the being up there still made it feel like a hundred pairs of eyes were on you. It made her heart pound a little faster.]

Wow, do you actually perform here?

[priforprince]

There are many more stages like this one.

[ Hibiki holds Chinatsu's hand just a smidge tighter. Is her pulse...? ]

This is a temple of Entertainment. Any sort of dream can come true.

Should you -

[ She steers them so she, and Chinatsu, have their bodies angled towards the "audience", then gestures out at the expanse beyond them. ]

Desire it.

[redmare]

I...

[The thought if hundreds of people watching her sent a chill down her spine, but somehow it wasn't scary.

She shakes her head as she snaps out of it]

--I wouldn't even know what to do, though.

[priforprince]

[ That's okay. Hibiki does.

Her other hand goes to Chinatsu's shoulder, reassuringly. Bracingly. It could be she's wrong about this, that there's nothing hidden in the memories Chinatsu has lost. It could be that Chinatsu's simply a girl who carries herself well and enjoys going to the theater, which would be pleasant, if not the stuff of genius.

But Hibiki makes a point of knowing everything. About everything. She will not satisfy herself with "could be". ] Close your eyes.

[redmare]

....Why?

[She raises an eyebrow at Hibiki. Not exactly sure where this was going.]

[priforprince]

I have a present for you.

[ The present of knowledge about yourself. Or something.

It is one of her favorite things to say, okay. ]

[redmare]

erm...okay...

[It's not like she thinks Hibiki will do anything bad. Definitely not.

Maybe something weird though.... Despite being a bit reluctant, she closes her eyes.]

[priforprince]

[ Ah, a nervous mademoiselle. Hibiki will move slowly, then, so as not to startle her.

One hand lifts Chinatsu's while the other comes to rest in the small of the girl's back. She begins leading them in a very basic waltz, for starters - just seeing whether the act of moving her body on stage inspires anything. Picking dance was a fluke, really: it's her style. Besides, if Hibiki goes with a formal dance like this, she's better able to guide her partner.

And see what comes of that. ] Follow my lead.

[redmare]

[Her eyes open when she feels them move, taken by surprise. It's not like she disliked it though, so she plays along. Somehow, and she's wondering if it's just her, but it felt like they were bumping a lot.]

Sorry..I don't think I'm used to this...

[It felt like her body kept trying to push against Hibiki's. Like it wanted to go a different direction or move a different way. There was tension in their hold too. She frowned a bit, trying to let Hibiki lead, but Chinatsu was just..not having it.]

[priforprince]

[ This is peculiar. Normally Hibiki's overpowering presence and talent has any girl following along, but Chinatsu is different. Chinatsu is - fighting? Not consciously, not out of desire to not be dancing, but - ]

You may be someone very interesting.

[ More so than you already are.

And just like that, Hibiki - stops trying to lead. To see what will happen. She can take the reins back any time, of that she's certain. But she has to find out if her hypothesis is correct.

She has to find out if Chinatsu wants the part she'd automatically claimed for herself. ]

[redmare]

[Once again, she had no idea what Hibiki was talking about. Suddenly, it's easier to move, and the way she wants to. It was a little weird though, dancing without any music. What would suit this?

Chinatsu takes a moment before a song starts to play in her head, nothing too fast or too slow. That'd work. How did she even want to move? Ah, a spin might be nice? She squeezes Hibiki's hand, leaning a little on the side of their extended arms to hint where she wanted to go]

[priforprince]

H--

[ Hibiki follows along with the spin, but not without a moment of surprise - both at the movement and at being made to follow, made to follow, despite that having been the plan. Chinatsu'd seemed uncertain of something just a moment ago, so, how -

But never let it be said that Shikyoin Hibiki can't cover. They finish this spin with purple sparkles trailing behind them. ]

...Very daring.

[redmare]

Was it...?

[Chinatsu chuckled awkwardly. She wasn't sure that it was even done right, but it did feel right.

So now that they were facing this direction...She takes a step forward with her left, pushing Hibiki back a step, then takes them a step to her right, closing her left foot to her right on the third count. She continues, doing the opposite this time. 1 back, 2 left, and 3 to a close.]

[priforprince]

[ She knows the steps. Hibiki isn't showing her what to do anymore, and she still knows the steps. Given the nature of shinki, she can't immediately jump to assuming "genius" when it might be muscle memory, but "talent"? Yes. That is an appropriate label.

She'd try to determine more than that, but while her feet do respond automatically to the lead - she plays off her partner when acting, after all - her posture is a bit stiff and her grip a bit forced. Every muscle in her own body longs to return to taking the lead. Just a little longer. Just a little longer....so she can be sure....

Permitting others to control one's steps is exhausting. ]

[redmare]

[Chinatsu notices that awkwardness. She could feel that Hibiki wasn't comfortable..like she wasn't all into the dance.]

Um..am I doing something wrong..?

[priforprince]

[ And suddenly Hibiki fixes herself. Causing a lady anxiety must be avoided. ] No, you're magnificent.

Shall I take it from here?

[ Double purpose here. One, to see how aware Chinatsu is that she prefers leading. Two, to give herself an out.

She has not determined what she is going to do if that out isn't taken, yet. ]

[redmare]

[Really? Because Hibiki didn't seem to be enjoying this.]

Er..yeah, go ahead.

[Hibiki probably knows more about this anyway.]

[priforprince]

[ And Hibiki slips back into the lead, instantly filling herself out again into a whole, vibrant, overwhelmingly perfect human being. ] Your dance style is intriguing. Instead of cooperation, competition. Dance as a battle of wills between partners.

[ She has since come to see the merits of cooperating, but there was a time where she would be down on one knee, proposing, by now.

Let them spin. ] The friction by which a jewel is polished.

[redmare]

[It was like watching a deflated balloon fill up with air again.]

Can that even be considered dancing/

[She laughs dryly. Her movements get larger, not feeling comfortable or satisfied with how she's moving just yet.]

[priforprince]

You tell me.

[ Hibiki loosens up accordingly, allowing Chinatsu some room to improvise if she wishes. Is this how to resound with the young lady...? ]

[redmare]

[How was she supposed to answer that? She moved along with Hibiki, but the way she gave her so much leeway..]

Hibiki-san...did you want me to lead again? I'm kind of confused since you're..kind of holding back.

[If she was going to be lead, she wanted to be lead.]