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~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( She'd never thought she'd be able to hit a ghost. The strike almost scares her as much as the idea of the ghost itself and she shrieks, jumping back to try to get away from it. Except... That sounds an awful lot like, )

Tsu... Tsuzuki-san? ( Her voice is just a timid whisper. But then he shrieks and she's sent dashing right towards him, grabbing onto his sleeve and practically cowering behind him, ) Wh-what is it? What's there?!

( She's normally timid and anxious but right now, this entire place has her anxiety levels going through the roof. )

I'm sure it's nothing! Just, um, just...

[He's searching the wall frantically. It's dark, but if there was anything there, he'd see it, right?

He can't see anything, but he sure can feel something. There's a nasty aura in here. He swallows, and tries to get his voice back down from a squeak to its normal register.]

... just my imagination! Or a breeze or something but there's definitely something in here, just not over there, I can sense it, you can too, right?

[He's babbling a little.]

( Can she feel anything? It's difficult to say. The air is colder than what she's used to but its also air conditioned inside this stuffy building. She can't sense any auras and really, there's nothing she can see to suggest something is out there.

But there's a stubborn feeling in the back of her mind telling her to go somewhere. It's the same unexplainable feeling that brought her here in the first place. It's only the vaguest sixth sense. )

I... ( She's quiet. How does she explain this? She can't. She curls her fingers into his sleeve but nervously points ahead with one hand. It's a point in the haunted house where two paths split. One into a bunch of strung up cotton cobwebs and one that makes a sharp turn to somewhere they can't see. She's pointing at the one with the sharp turn. ) O-over there.

I want to... go over there.

( Once they pick the path, they'll hear a kid's voice whine, "Aww..." )

[Tsuzuki's gaze sharpens as he hears the child's voice, and his head snaps around with an acuity that's at odds with the way he huddles close to Sakura's shoulder. He steps forward, turning his hand so that he can catch the hand she's gripping his sleeve with and squeeze it reassuringly.]

... Did you hear that?

[His voice is quiet, but he surveys the crooked path, and steps forward, tugging Sakura with him.]

( She yelps with everything that's happening. Tsuzuki is grabbing her, there's creepy laughter, they're in a tight corridor now, she can barely see. )

Y-yes...

( She tries to peek around him to see where they're going. It looks like the corridor just keeps winding with the purpose being to disorient anyone who came down and make them feel claustrophobic.

Luckily, it's just paper so it's easy enough to get free. )

P-people come here for fun...?

( This isn't fun at all.

They get to a point in the winding corridor where streamers hang from the ceiling and brush agains them as they pass. Somewhere along the way, though, the streamers begin to feel... cold? Like fingers touching them as they walk by? Sakura is short so she seems to be getting her hair caught in the streamers and her face touched but Tsuzuki, being taller, might feel the streamers trying to go around his neck. )

Kids are weird.

[The corridor's tightening around them, and Tsuzuki makes sure he's holding her hand tightly. He yelps at the first brush of paper, then laughs nervously.]

Haha, it's just a streamer. [That's mean! Mean and spooky, but he charges forward determinedly, ignoring the little brushes of touch against his face. They're getting colder. Maybe it's an air conditioner? That'd be a good spooky idea.

Except now they're tangling in his hair, and curling around his throat, like someone--

-- like someone is really grabbing him, and as he tries to press forward, they tighten.

His nerve breaks, and he shrieks, letting go of Sakura to start trying to swat away the streamers, or hands, or -- or whatever they are. They're grabbing and tangling around his arms, too, but not choking. Still: he's stuck.]

Or very brave...

( Braver than her, at least. She follows after Tsuzuki, flinching from time to time to keep the streams out of her hair. She's short enough that they seem to just be getting in her hair. One wraps around the cherry blossom hair piece she always wears and she cups a hand over it to keep it down. And then Tsuzuki suddenly shrieks, and she shrieks along with him. She flails to grab his hand but he's so busy swatting at something? The streamers?

Are they...? )

T-Tsuzuki-san...! ( She splashes for a way to help and all she can think of is to reach up and grab him by the shirt and

pull him down to her level and lower so they can crouch on the ground. ) I'm sorry.

( She didn't mean to be forceful. )

[She tugs him down, and the streamers are attached to the ceiling: a few of them tear free and float down around them as nothing but harmless paper as he follows Sakura down to crouch on the floor and stare wide-eyed up at the dark ceiling.]

I-it's okay! Thanks! You really saved me.

[Breathe, Asato. Breathe. He might not need to but boy, does it help right now, and he feels like his heart should be racing. When he presses his free hand against it, of course, it's not beating at all: it never is.

He blows out that last breath in a sigh, and looks over at her.]

Okay, so. If we stay low to the ground, those things can't reach us, right?

( She can't even say "no problem" because she's absolutely on the brink of tears right now. If she speaks, it'll give away the obvious tremble in her voice that she's trying to hide right now. She needs a moment to catch herself again. Honestly, she's still holding onto him, hands trembling and she can only manage a nod for now. Let's just go, okay? )

[Tsuzuki really hates this whole haunted house thing, but Sakura's really scared, and he can tell from the way she's clutching his shirt that she's still shaking. He hesitates for a moment, looks up at the freaky paper things, and promptly sweeps her into a firm, brief hug.

He's freaked out, but she needs somebody to be cool about this, so he manages a reassuring grin.]

Count of three? One, two, go!

[And, reaching out to grab her hand firmly, he starts scrambling towards the door.]

( She makes a sound that is something between a squeak and a gasp when she hugs him.
This is definitely way more forward than what she's used to but she doesn't mind. It reminds her of her family back home. He gives her a smile and she takes a deep, shuddering breath in and exhales. Everything will be okay. Things are scary but she isn't alone in this scary place. Count of three? Ah. )

Y... yes.

( She nods, taking his hand without any hesitation. Holding on tightly, she follows closely, focusing on his back. Ah.... he's really cool right now, isn't he? She's truly fortunate to have him with her right now and she makes a note to thank him properly. )

[They can do this. They can totally do this! They're fine, they --

Tsuzuki's foot hits a board that squeaks loudly, and he jumps six inches in the air with a stifled squeak of his own. He's not that cool.

He lands with an embarrassed laugh, and points ahead. The stairs are up there, veiled in darkness, with dramatic big spiderwebs draped all over them. They're probably the fake polyester kind, but they're gross anyway, and... and there are weirdly oversized lumps in the webs. Like spider egg sacs, or something. (Or maybe just places where they had to stretch it over the stair railing, but the atmosphere is creepy in here, and his mind keeps jumping to the grossest possible option.) He shudders.]

Okay, I bet that's the way out! Up the stairs, across the second floor and then we can get down again. Ready?

( She yelps right along with him, just as startled as he is. What was that? Ah, the floor? Well, the floor is better than the other alternatives (like a real ghost). It's easy to look down at the ground-- dark, dirty, covered with tapes covering wires but it's easier to look up at Tsuzuki who is considerably less scarier than the floor.

She's hesitant to see where he's pointing. What if she sees something in the shadows? But he seems confident and she gives it a chance. Stairs? And all of those webs... She gives him a glance. She really, really doesn't want to but the alternative... )

I-It's better than staying here, right...? ( And she gives the weakest laugh. But yes, she's ready and she nods but before they go running up any stairs, she tugs at his arm once to get his attention and says, ) Thank you. F-for everything, uhm... Asa--Tsuzuki-san.

( She tried. An attempt was made. )

[She tried!! He's absurdly touched, and beams at her despite the spider-maybe-egg-sacs and the creepy stuff all throughout this way-too-haunted house, reaching out to put a comforting hand on top of her head.

(He doesn't ruffle her hair, because it would really mess up her hairpins, but he's temped.)]

My pleasure, Sakura. C'mon. Let's go!

[He reaches to take her hand again, takes a deep breath, and bolts for the stairs.

Above them, unseen on the second floor landing, a little monkey-like ayakashi with handfuls of puppet-strings giggles to itself and yanks on the strings. Plastic spiders burst out of every lump in the webbing, all together.]

(She could have just fixed the pins later as long as they didn't fall (which would have been incredibly unfortunate because you better believe she'd run back into this haunted house to find it if she did).

She holds on and follows him up the steps. These fake cobwebs make her skin crawl even if she knows they aren't real. But... they aren't real. They aren't real, they aren't real, and they're almost out and-- giggling )

W-what was that--?! ( The cobwebs shift and suddenly tiny black things are falling on them and she shrieks, holding onto Tsuzuki's hand tighter and looking up at him. Please don't fall. Even if she wanted to (which she does!), she's too small to catch him from falling. The most she can do is try to push him with one hand, urging him to keep going. ) P-please, don't fall.

(P l e a s e.) )

[Not falling. Not falling! He is flailing and flattening himself to the side of the staircase, up against the wall, as the spiders cascade down over them, but he's not going to fall. Oh man, all those tiny little legs, all over him--

... wait.

All over him, sure. But they're not crawling. They're not sticking or climbing. And did he hear laughing upstairs just a minute ago? Tsuzuki's eyes narrow thoughtfully and he reaches for his sleeve, patting it before he finds one of the "spiders" stuck in a crease. Sure enough: it's rigid plastic.]

They're just fake....

[He looks down at Sakura, embarrassed. Nobody ever needs to know he shrieked just as loud as she did. Right? Right.]

It's just a trick. C'mon, we're okay. Let's go!

(You would think she'd jump at the chance to escape and she would but something is bothering her. Before Tsuzuki can press on, she grabs the back of his shirt, stopping him. There are fake spiders all over them and even if they aren't really, they give her the creepy crawlies. She's making a face as she tries to find her voice, willing it to sound stronger than she's feeling,)

Someone laughed. I... I want to find them first. (She's meek and timid and easily frightened but her mind is made up right now.) I w-won't let them scare anyone else!

It's probably just whatever kid's running the effects in this room...

[Tsuzuki trails off, because he doesn't believe that. There'd been something strange about that giggle, and this room gives him the creepy-crawlies for reasons totally unrelated to the gallon of plastic toy spiders all over him and Sakura. He brushes down his shirt front, combs a few out of his hair with his free hand, and sags.]

... But okay. Just be careful, all right? Stay behind me if anything looks weird. I think it came from upstairs.

( She nods, helping him brush off some of the spiders. There are some on her too but they're not important. The laugh.... it wasn't a recording, was it? If she was prolonging their stay here or no reason, she'll feel awful. But the timing of it all just seemed too coincidental. )

Th-thank you. ( Truly. ) And you too. Please b-be careful.

( Now, lets go find whatever is behind this. )

... Hey, you've got one stuck in your hair.

[He plucks it out gently, and grins at her, trying to look brave. It'll be fine! It'll be fine. It's just some kid, probably.

He heads up the stairs, shoulders squared. Above them, the little monkey-ayakashi peers around the edge of the banister, almost-but-not-entirely hidden. One purplish ear pokes out, and a big, malevolent golden eye, before it ducks back and starts piling spiderwebs atop itself to hide.]

( She blinks. Ah, in her hair? She reaches to see if she can remove it but Tsuzuki is one step ahead of her. She touches the spot where it had been, smoothing her hair over and smiles lightly. Even if Tsuzuki is putting on a face, it's working.

She follows closely behind, watching to see if she can catch anything. It must be somewhere up here, right? That's where they hear the laugh. And they must be somewhere where they can manipulate these webs so... She looks at the walls, following the trail of cotton webs along them and up-- )

There.

( It's just a whisper but she can see it's glowing eye. That isn't a normal spirit either, she realizes and she wonders if Tsuzuki notices too. )

[Tsuzuki follows her gaze, his lips flattening in suppressed worry as he spots the creature just as it disappears around the edge. He whispers back.]

That's an ayakashi. Sakura, do you think you can fight it? We've got to do something, or it'll hurt people in here.

(An ayakashi. More dangerous than a regular spirit. Does she think they can fight it? She doesn't have her healing spells and she isn't sure what Tsuzuki can do, really. There are those spells that only shinki can do and she can call his vessel name to change him after, maybe? L o o k she's fought with stranger things in her world, to be honest.)

We... we need to bring it down first. (Bring it in range.) And i-if we can trap it then maybe...

(She isn't a tactician. She doesn't know what she's talking about but she is experienced.)

I'm pretty good with Borderlines, so I can cut it off if it tries to get away.

[He's been practicing, and although he's not a tactician himself, he thinks he might be able to wing it. She's right that they need to get closer first.]

So... I'll run upstairs and chase it towards the balcony with Borderlines. You stay downstairs, and when it falls, call me, and you can, um...

[He's a spoon, and he really hates that sometimes. He chews on his lip.]

... hit it, I guess?

(She nods. It sounds like a good plan to her but there's one caveat,)

Be careful. Don't... don't hurt yourself, okay?

018 | Season Spirits

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