生肖家族 (Chinese Zodiac) [10 SPOTS OPEN!!!]

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firejay1

The Phoenix
Original poster
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Look for groups
  2. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. Multiple posts per day
  2. 1-3 posts per day
  3. One post per day
  4. 1-3 posts per week
  5. One post per week
  6. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
My times are pretty erratic, but I try to avoid being on EST 11pm-9am.
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
  4. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
Genres
Fantasy, Modern, Historical Romance.
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The Chinese Zodiac, as it is known, has become a pop culture icon in modern times. People use it to speculate about their personalities and relationships, and any prestige it may have once had has become obsolete.

But that doesn’t mean some part of it isn’t grounded in truth.

Unknown to a majority of the human population, there are thirteen houses scattered around Asia. The reality is that, for reasons that have been forgotten even by those who have received, thirteen families have been blessed by the heavens. All that is left of the truth is a legend. While this legend has been modified over the years, each house owns one very specific copy in a book that ever seems untouched by time or violence, written in a language no one has ever heard of but everyone understands. And thus the story goes:

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“Long ago, the Emperor of the Heavens up in his palace, wished to know the animals he ruled over, so he descended to earth in the form of a Great Man. After much time had passed, and many adventures transpired, he decided to return to the heavens. Before he returned, however, he summoned all the animals in creation to come before him to bid him well before his departure, but only thirteen came. To celebrate these animals, he decreed that on the day of his birthday, they would all be invited to a great feast. An old friend he had met during his travels also came to see him off, and when he saw the animals gathered and heard the announcement, he told the Emperor that he could predict, from the number of toes each animal had, in what order they would arrive at the palace. This except for the cat, whose claws had all been broken in its lifetime. The Emperor found this prediction amusing and decided to indulge his old friend, so he told the animals that their arrival would be a race. He would rearrange all the heavens, dedicating one year to each of them, and their order in the Great Cycle would be decided by this race.

Now, the rat and the cat were great friends, and the cat asked the rat if he might help remind him of the day, as he might not remember, and the rat agreed. On the day the feast was to occur, however, the rat forgot to remind the cat and went on ahead. The cat did wake up, but when he realized that the rat had neglected his promise, he was angered and quickly ran to catch up to the rat. He met up with him as the rat reached the river, and for the moment, they both agreed to set their differences aside, as it had been an accident, and in the end, no harm had been done. Neither of these animals were very great swimmers, however, and so they pondered how they should cross. At that moment, the water buffalo arrived, and the rat and the cat together came up with a clever plan. They would trick the water buffalo into allowing them to ride on his back. So the rat called to the honest-hearted water buffalo and offered to sing for him, but when the rat sang, the water buffalo could not hear, so he allowed the rat to ride on his back, that he may hear his song better. The cat, too, was allowed to ride, as he claimed he wished to hear the song as well.

In this manner, the water buffalo began to cross the river, but halfway across the river, the water buffalo stumbled slightly in the strong current, causing the rat to bump into the cat. The cat whose claws had all been broken, slipped off the water buffalo and into the water. He drowned, and with his dying breath, he vowed that he would never forgive the rat, for he believed that he had been purposefully pushed, especially as the rat had neglected to keep his promise. The rat, concentrating on singing and not falling off himself, did not notice his friend fall.
Eager to finish the race first, the rat quickly jumped off the water buffalo’s back once they reached the shore and was the first to arrive upon the grounds of the Heavens.

The water buffalo arrived next, just barely behind, and the tiger, who had fought the currents with his great strength, behind him. The cat’s body washed upon the shore next, but he was far from the others, and was discovered only by a small child, who had been watching the procession of animals from afar. Next came the rabbit, thumping along quickly and nimbly from stone to stone, but halfway through, he slipped and arrived washed ashore by clinging onto a log.

After him came the dragon. The Ruler of the Heavens was curious as to why a swift creature such as himself should come so late, but he explained that he had had to stop to spread the rains to the thirsty earth and, seeing a rabbit struggling in the river, had blown him safely across. The horse was the next across, but just as he arrived, the snake, who had been hiding behind one of his hooves, jumped out, startling him and causing the horse to fall back, that he may earn a higher place than the horse. The sheep, the monkey, and the rooster came together, crossing the river on a raft the rooster had spotted, though the sheep and monkey had worked together to get it free. Although they arrived together, the sheep stepped off first, then the monkey, then the rooster.

Then the dog came ashore, though he was thought to be the best swimmer of them all, for it had been long since his last bath, and he had greatly needed the fresh water. And finally, the pig. The pig had gotten hungry and had stopped to eat, but after eating had fallen fast asleep, and had barely woken in time to reach the palace before the end of the day.
The sun was setting and the feast was soon to begin, but the Emperor wondered why the cat would not come. The water buffalo had been so engrossed in the rat’s song that he did not remember the cat, and the rat himself did not know what had happened. In an attempt to alleviate the great Ruler’s anger, the rat claimed that it had been his fault. He had forgotten to wake the cat up, and the cat surely would realize his mistake and be very angry with him.

As it was, however, the cat had not arrived, and the Emperor rewrote the heavens without him. After the feast had passed, however, the child who had been watching came forward and revealed the truth to the Emperor, showing him the cat’s body and telling him that the cat had come before the rabbit. The Emperor was grieved by the cat’s death, and how it had come about, but the heavens had already been changed, and he did not wish to change it again and confuse those below.


So instead, he chose to commemorate the cat. He implanted into the minds of men that four was the number of death that they should never fail to remember the death of the true fourth member of the zodiac, and that among thirteen, one would be lost. With this alone, however, he was not satisfied, and he granted to the cat’s spirit one last gift: the ability to stand equal with the rest of the animals, though it had not earned his place in the skies. Thirteen ordinary men and women were given great magic in exchange for the promise that they hold true to the memory of each animal’s loyalty, and to them, the Great Ruler of the Skies entrusted the spirit of each animal, that the blameless cat may hold its head high among its brethren.

Many thousands of years later, a great mortal ruler looked up and noticed a pattern of twelve strung across the sky. In an effort to quantify this mysterious phenomenon, he assigned the patterns of twelve, characters without meaning, and for long it thus remained, but the Emperor wished to honor his promise and make it known to the people of the world he had visited so long ago. He returned, again in the form of a Great Man, and spread the story of the race, knowing that it would one day reach the ears of another mortal ruler. So it came to pass.”


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The book makes no mention of what happened to the blessed families afterwards, but from a historical standpoint, it is safe to say that the blessed people were either chosen across East Asia, or scattered naturally. Though they can interact with the outside world, and many of the houses have even amassed wealth using their abilities to improve their occupations or businesses, their existence as a clan is unknown to regular humans, who cannot even see the properties they have decided to call home. While their magic was once varied and powerful, and remnants of it can be seen in the houses – the most important of which is a protective barrier established around each property which marks it as their territory, prevents other powers from entering without invitation, and shields them from nonmagical eyes – the descendants of the original blessed now only can use the simplest of magic. Being able to control and speak with their host animal is something they know how to do from childhood, and there have been many a lament that old arts have been lost. As for the book itself, strictly speaking there is a great deal of doubt as to the story’s veracity, as no one knows how their ancestors came across it and who wrote it. For all they know, it could simply be a magical picture book. As contact between the various households has become practically illegal, few even know other houses have a copy.

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But enough about the past. It is what is happening now that concerns this chapter in the history of the Zodiacs. In recent times, members of each zodiac have been disappearing and coming back with their memories wiped, their personalities changed, and their powers... gone. This has been going on for a couple months now, and the panic has been setting in for each house. On December 12th, they each separately received a missive. The message was delivered in a variety of ways, by a handwritten note mysteriously showing up somewhere, by an untraceable email or text, and even tattooed into the skin of a victim, but the content was the same for each:

“In a year’s time, by the celebration of the Lunar New Year, every last one of you will meet the same fate, and the Thirteen shall be no more. I will give you a chance, however, to still win this game. You have this entire year to find me and make your choice. Your first clue can be found at the mountain no one can forget. If you try it alone, you will surely fail. P.S. Once you decide to begin, beware air travel. I will be watching and the hourglass will be turned the moment you take your first step. Good luck.”

Before any attempts could even be made, however, yet another message was sent to each house, this one in the form of an actual messenger. One neighborhood child from the vicinity of each house knocked on the door they’d never been able to see before, and in a ghostly voice informed the one who opened the door that the Four Pillars of Destiny commanded they come to a specific address in Beijing for a conference to be held on the 24th of December. It is now the 24th, and while the rest of the planet celebrates Christmas, the zodiacs are gathering for the first time since their creation.

Who can say what will happen now?

Many questions yet need answering. Who are the Four Pillars of Destiny, and why have they not been heard of before? How can this threat to the houses be resolved? What does their mysterious attacker want? What will happen if they do not succeed? And just what, exactly, is the choice the note speaks of?​


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“Now, I know y’all know the rules and I don’t have to repeat them, but I’m gonna, cause I wanna. And here they are!
No biting, no scratching, no kicking, no burping, no slurping, no cussing, no squalling, no rassling, no heeing, no hawing, and more than anything, no cheating.”


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1. You can cuss in the roleplay if you want, but be respectful of your fellow players and don’t cause unnecessary OoC drama (in IC, though, drama is very much welcome. :P).

2. Please be dedicated at least. I’m not expecting speed of light posts every day, or even necessarily every week, but don’t just drop out.

3. No godmodding or metagaming.

4. Posts should at least be a couple small paragraphs, and don’t leave someone hanging for three weeks. If you’re having problems posting, please warn me and anyone you are interacting with.

5. Don’t post OoC in the S/U thread. CHARACTER SHEETS GO ONLY IN THE SIGN UPS THREAD AND ONLY CHARACTER SHEETS GO IN THE SIGN UPS THREAD. OoC is also not welcome in IC.

6. Keep everything PG-13 please, guys.

7. You gotta have good grammar and spelling, seriously.

8. Be creative and be prepared to make and control multiple NPC’s, as your house will be severely lacking without them.

9. READ WHAT I WRITE IN THE OVERVIEW AND MY GM POSTS. I sound a bit grumpy right now, because I'm quite sick of having to correct people or answer already answered questions. This is not to say I'm not open to questions, I am more than willing to answer questions and let people get away with not noticing little details I've put in my overviews etc, but there is no easier way to irritate me than to prove to me that you are not willing to READ something I've just spent three hours writing.


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Based in Korea, they are thought to be shrewd, charming, and ambitious.
TBU

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Based in Vietnam, they are thought to be industrious and patient.
TBU

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Based in Korea, they are thought to be ferocious, just, and graceful.
TBU

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Based in Japan, they are thought to be swift, cautious, and outwardly pure. They are also associated with luck, fertility, and the moon.
TBU

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Based in China, they are thought to be proud and dignified, and passionate and impetuous.
TBU

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Based in Thailand, they are thought to be wise, mysterious, and a little unscrupulous.
TBU

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Based in Mongolia, they are thought to be loyal and powerful. They are also associated with freedom.
TBU

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Based in Mongolia, they are thought to be innocent and submissive.
TBU

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Based in Japan, they are thought to be curious, playful, and clever.
TBU

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Based in China, they are thought to be reliable, straightforward, and a little egocentric.
TBU

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Based in Bulgaria, they are thought to be faithful, honest, sincere, but a little bad at socializing.
TBU

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Based in China, they are thought to be optimistic, generous, and a little gullible. They are also associated with financial luck.
TBU

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Based in Vietnam, they are thought to be sensitive, kind, and attentive to detail.
TBU


 
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Guys, someone's shown interest in sheep, too! Now we just need rooster and water buffalo.
 
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My CS would be going much faster if I wasn't having to deal with work. Crazy week. Plus, putting in a lot of research time. Learning way more about dogs and Bulgarians than intended on ever needing to know . lol.
 
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Pig should be up this weekend, I know a bit about China but need to do some more research^^
 
I have my last exam tomorrow, so my schedule should clear up by then.

I will have my CS up by Saturday morning, at the latest.
 
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Is this still open?

Edit: Scratch that, I see 2 spots are open. Hmm....To go for a Rooster like I am...Or Buffalo...
 
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Ah. I'm sorry. Water Buffalo was just taken. I still need to edit the sign-ups. If you're still interested in Rooster, though, I'll label the RP as closed.
 
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Ah. I'm sorry. Water Buffalo was just taken. I still need to edit the sign-ups. If you're still interested in Rooster, though, I'll label the RP as closed.
Ah no problem. I'll take Rooster
 
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And with that we are all filled up!! Please post your CS's soon guys. Mine is also incoming. XD
 
Hey everyone. Please submit your CS by the end of this week. I know that the holidays are drawing near and life is getting a bit hectic, but I've recently had an RP die, so I'm feeling kind of antsy about the success of this one, and would like to get it started as soon as possible. It's also important to note that although the two submitted so far have really similar styling, you don't necessarily have to do the same, so don't feel pressured to write as much (or as little, haha) as the people before have. If it needs more detail, I'll ask for it.

@Estrèlla @Circe @King★Shattered★Heaventric★Charming @Aislo @Chapatrap @Shadow_Snow_Storm @SanguineCetus @Crow @Soulless @Vio @Karma200 @Raven Haruka
 
I'm working on my character sheet, gradually, but I just came out to visit my mom and brother for the first time in like, ever. I can get MOST of my cs done by this week but I doubt I'll be home much, also... do our characters necessarily have to live in the home place of their Zodiac? Growing up in it, sure but can they go live somewhere else?
 
Yup. They should be ethnically from there, but they can be currently living somewhere else. If you have most of your cs done, you can throw it up there with a "WIP" at the top as long as it's mostly done.
 
I'm here still. Winter break, spring break, and the month of July are literally the busiest times of year for me at work. I'm really trying to work on my cs, but my work has me working split shifts for the next 2 weeks. :/

Almost double my normal time, and quadruple the work.
 
I'm here too. My apps already up but I've been keeping an eye on the thread.
 
I'm just putting a little note here that my sign up post will be a bit on the massive side because I am splitting into two parts. I am making a character sheet for the house representative (my character) and then a separate sheet for the house itself.~
 
Alright. That's fine. I'm... not quite sure why or how you'd make a separate CS for the entire house, per se, but I'm really fine with as much detail as you want to put on it.
 
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And of course I am still here, just been busy but I shall have char up before the week ends.
 
I don't think I'll have time to play in this roleplay after all... So sorry! I really do hope that everything goes smoothly.
 
I'm so sorry to hear that. *waves
 
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