Is your Desire the real thing?

[ERode]

Located on the eastern coast of Japan and enclosed by high mountains, it is a modern town, isolated if not for a few mountain roads and railways leading through the winding mountain. The crows fly overhead, and the sun shines heartlessly over the gray, impressionless city. At night, inhuman shapes flutter in the darkness, the supernatural youkai waltzing under the black sky. The locals keep their homes shut tight, windows and doors plastered with talismans.

Despite the fear, despite the superstition, despite the unexplained noises, it is a town that is vivid, alive with a melting-pot culture that grows as more visitors become residents. Though the unknown is feared, it is respected, embraced as one of the hundred myths that have already been sewn onto the town's tapestry. Its festivals are colorful, and its people are alive, filled with energy and imagination in a world that fostered the incomprehensible.

And now, it is a town of unexplained incidents. A house spontaneously combusted, lighting up without so much as a 'boom'. A man was found on the mountains, floating inside a van filled to the brim with water. Several residents reported seeing a large eye appear at their windows at night. Children wake up to find their toys floating around them. The trees in a park disappeared without a trace, leaving an empty, grassy field, as if they had never existed. And, one day, an unfinished building appeared in the middle of the city, standing far above any other.

A series of events, either by coincidence or fate, connects you to this madness.

And one day, as you live your life, you receive a box from an unknown sender.

In there is a red cellphone, and a message, written on a yellowed sheet of paper.

[ Is your desire the real thing? ]

---

​

You know me as much as I know you, child. If you wish to learn of my identity, share yours, and perhaps it will become apparent. Or perhaps it won't. It all depends on your own perception of the world on the underside of reality, doesn't it?​

• What is your Name? Age? Gender?​
• What do you look like? A picture speaks a thousand words, but there are words that can explain what pictures can not.​
• Who are you? Tell me about yourself, your habits, your quirks, your fears.​
• What are you? Where do you come from? Who are your parents? How was your life, up to this point?​
• Whom are you acquainted with? Who are your friends? Rivals? Enemies? Role models?​
• What is it that you desire, that which you can not attain with your own power?​
• And finally, child, what am I?​

 

[ERode]

The Shrines

No less than eight different shrines can be found in the town of Kirisama, each tucked away from civilization yet frequently visited by those who wish to seek divine counsel, whether for love, studies, or life. Cared for by the shrine maidens of the Toujou family, it is often assumed that the offerings are taken as donations to the shrine themselves, but offerings of food left on a Monday will not be present when the shrine maiden comes on Friday.

There is a central shrine of sorts, set halfway up one of Kirisama's mountains. It is this shrine that people go to for major festivals and events, such as New Years Celebrations. Most of the time though, it is the loneliest shrine, its paper lanterns ceaselessly burning through the night.

Lawson

What sort of Japanese town would it be without a Lawson? A 24/7 convenience store that's pretty much everywhere else in Japan as well, the Lawson at Kirisama is a relatively new branch, having only opened a couple years back. Now, it's a relatively popular destination for students to get cheap junk food or work at minimum wage. Of course, there's been rumors that Lawson's competitor, Family Mart, has also been planning to expand into Kirisama...

Also, all the female employees are cute, young girls, while all the male employees are balding, fat men. Wonder how that happened.

Kirisama High

Oh, you thought that your high school aged child would have multiple options for local high schools? Think again. Kirisama High is pretty much the only high school in town, and thus, is a relatively large one. With a student population of five thousand, it boasts a variety of classes and clubs, for people with all sorts of interests. Tea ceremony? Go for it! Scuba diving? There's a reason why we're at the coast! Ghostbusting? Just don't cross the streams!

With three floors, a rooftop garden, and a variety of other amenities, Kirisama High really is a paradise for students who want to have a fun life. Then again, they're the only school in town anyways, so one must ask. Why are they trying so hard to keep everyone happy?

Boulangerie le Trefle

Translating into Clover Bakery if you used Google Translate, Boulangerie le Trefle is one of the few food trucks going about Kirisama, always ready to serve European pastries to those who are willing to pay. Run by two friends (Sachi-chan and Ami-chan) who totally didn't drop out of high school, it's often set up nearby the ports, where the employees would then bring out a bunch of collapsible tables and chairs, creating a portable cafe of sorts. Sadly, their coffee sucks, but hey, what sort of Japanese person drinks coffee? It's all about tea, after all!

No one has told them that the spelling on their truck is incorrect and lived to tell the tale.

---

Being in any close proximity to the color red (whether wearing it or seeing it in vegetation, etc) whilst walking through a forest is considered bad luck and ominous.
​

When entering a tall building, one must clap three times before entering the staircase or elevator. Not doing so is considered disrespectful towards the spirits on high.
​

On the day of the new moon, continuing your daily routine is considered extremely unlucky. In order to avoid bad luck, one should change at least one thing in their routine.
​

Also; if you have not resolved conflict with another before the night of the new moon, they will be your enemy forever.​

Dinner is eaten at 7PM, and is initiated with three claps, 'itadakimasu', and a sip of miso soup. In this way, you honor the three land gods that govern the food of Kirisama, the person who cooked the food, and the ancestors that have existed in order to allow you to exist.​

 

[ERode]

---

​

​

THE IC​

 

[ERode]

@Asuras @Polystical @Mglo @Skyswimsky @Karo @MotherOfCthulhu @Click This @Ookami

We have eight players. Quite the lucky number, if you're Chinese~

And even if one of you die, it'll simply become seven, which is also lucky~

Anyways, you may do whatever now. I'll be getting up locations and such throughout the night, but feel free to create your own buildings. Just put in a picture, a name, and then a paragraph-long description. If you want to add in superstitions, use the examples as a guide. Don't do something like "If a school girl enter's a man's bedroom, they must remove all their clothes except for their kneesocks."

In regards to your character appearance, yeah, use an image with a description, for maximum points. Note that they'll probably be Japanese, unless they're filthy foreigners coming to taint the glorious nippon soil.

In regards to desire, I'd prefer if it at least a subtle tie to a supernatural incident that your character is related to. That's sorta mandatory.

If you have any more questions, go shoot~ Free bumps~ Waste time~ Yay!

 

[Asuras]

What do you mean by 'desire tied to supernatural incident'?

 

[ERode]

An easy example would be something along the lines of finding the identity of the asshole who burnt down your house.

A harder one would be doing your best to try to figure out what had happened in that house fire as an outsider, but failing to do so, and wishing that you had the ability to understand why the police or whatever were unable to find any evidence of anything.

A psychopathic one would be to see that house fire on the news and going 'wow, I'd love to get some tips from that dude, cause I want to set some asshole's house on fire as well'.

Or something like that.

 

[Asuras]

Are we limited to the supernatural events you already listed only?

 

[ERode]

Feel free to make it up. Just keep in mind that there's a difference between horror and supernatural. A thin one, but yeah...pls no slenderman.

 

[Karo]

On the day of the new moon, continuing your daily routine is considered extremely unlucky. In order to avoid bad luck, one should change at least one thing in their routine.

Also; if you have not resolved conflict with another before the night of the new moon, they will be your enemy forever.

 

[Mglo]

Sorry guys, I didn't mean to make it so long >.>
I just started writing and... it escaped me. Anyway I put it in a spoiler to avoid unnecessary scrolling.

Spoiler

What is your Name? Jun Soda
Age? 17
Gender? Male, of course.
What do you look like? I like a tough but clean look. Sharp, yeah that's it. I look sharp. Imma be honest and say I don't like to look typical cause I want to stand out. Grooming is very important to me so even if I look like a hooligan you'll find that my nails are always cut short and cleaned and that my eyebrows are always on point. Now, let's get something clear: I'm not vain… per se, uh, I mean I just think appearance is important. It says something about you, I suppose. Anyways, clean cut is my style. Like I said before I look sharp so my wardrobe's sleek and shit. I like dark colors. Don't have any piercings n' such cause my body is a temple so I make sure to stay in good shape and eat healthy.

Who are you?This is getting odd… but alright, I'll humor yah. I'm disobedient whenever possible. That's fun, but also just a knee-jerk reaction. What can I say? I like to live up to my name hahaha!
I've been told I tend to have a contradicting attitude n' that my type of humor is mocking. I guess some have said that I look down on them often. I mean, I have flaws. Ok. But people need to get over it and be honest. If they don't want me walking all over them or whatever it is they say I'm doing, why don't they just tell me? I'm not gonna tip toe around anybody.
I like things to be straightforward and in order so I tend to help out with that, sometimes without thinking.
I'd say I'm a pretty confident guy. Can't really think about any fears I might have… I guess, being forever stuck in this isolated town counts as a fear. I wouldn't want that in my future.

What are you? Is this a trick question? Uh… a teenage boy?
Where do you come from? Oh, I see what you mean. I was born and raised in another town. One much bigger than this one, and one that was much closer and within good transportation from a big city. So yeah, I still don't understand why we downgraded.

Who are your parents? My mom's been a stay-at-home mom all her life. She had me very young, barely made it out of school before the bump started showing. My dad dropped out of college to get a job. They were too young, unprepared, and definitely struggling so it wasn't strange when they decided to call it quits. Mom and I stayed with grandpa but it wasn't long before my mom got engaged to a co-worker and thereafter married.

How was your life, up to this point? Well, life hasn't been easy that's for sure but I'm not the type to linger on negativity. My step-dad's a nice guy and my mom's happy so... I guess it hasn't been too bad since he came along. My only complaint is that we had to move here. I thought we were doing just fine before but whatever. It was probably my step-dad's boss who sent us here, they didn't get along from what I could tell. The company isn't even that big and its branch in Kirisama is practically a dead end. He's basically an unnecessary middleman between the farmers and outside businesses that want their products. Anyway, cost of living is cheaper and with the baby on the way I guess it's not too bad. I'm on my last year of High school and aiming to go to college somewhere near my birthplace, keep my grandpa company, n' save on rent money. Kinda sucks that I'll be missing out on my little brother or sister but I plan on visiting as much as possible.

Whom are you acquainted with? Well, I was the last one to move here out of my family. I'm just starting the school year so I'm still pretty new to Kirisama.

Who are your friends? At my old school I had quite the following even though people said I didn't seem like the kind to get friendly with. Whatever that means. I think people generally thought me cool? Some of my friends said they liked that I treated everyone equally without picking favorites, even if my attitude wasn't exactly role-model of the year. Who knows tho, small town people can be so different. We'll see if I make any friends, and if I don't it's no big deal, I'll be out of here in a year.

Rivals? I had a lot at my old school. I mean, they labeled themselves I didn't really care to pay attention.
Enemies? Nah. I don't bother with that.
Role models? My grandpa without a doubt.
What is it that you desire, that which you can not attain with your own power? I want to know why this town is so weird. No wait, scratch that! I want to not get involved in any of this town's weirdness. Ah! maybe I should've said for my baby sibling to be born healthy...

And finally, child, what am I? Dude, I'm a teenage boy you've just met. If you're asking me that, you've got some serious issues. But if you really wanna know: you're a creep. Don't let anyone catch you asking personal questions to a minor. Laters~

 

[ERode]

Be a man. Easiest way to get a harem.

 

[MotherOfCthulhu]

Sorry i'm GMT Tim Zone (London, England)
I'll be playing a girl.
I'm thinking she'll either have dryad or Yuki-Onna in her far distant past, leaning towards the later. Which will give her a reason to look into the supernatural and give her a slightly different appearance to a normal kid but nothing further than that. If anyone wants to figure out how their characters know mine let me know. :)

 

[ERode]

I'd have to say no to that, sorry. They should be human to begin with, and, if they do have some sort of heritage, discover that through the course of the RP. If they are already aware of their supernatural-ness, they would already know of the other side.

 

[MotherOfCthulhu]

Ah no problem. I can work on a different idea ^_^

 

[ERode]

A few noteworthy locations added. Now I'll sleep.

 

[Skyswimsky]

I go with a girl and I haven't played something insane in a while, might go with that but gotta wait until Ero is awake~

Oh yeah and my timezone is GMT+1.

 

[Mundane Monster]

I haven't decided if I want to make a girl or boy yet. :o My time zone is EST. How about for a superstition: When encountering a white cat you must make an offering to it (like a snack or something). And if you harm it you'll loose ten years of your life.

 

[Asuras]

GMT -8 if I remember correctly.

 

[MotherOfCthulhu]

• What is your Name? Age? Gender? My name is Mashiro Y-yukino, I'm fifteen and I'm a girl.
• What do you look like? A picture speaks a thousand words, but there are words that can explain what pictures can not. Here's a Picture of me and my friend Miyo, we were doing a school festival. I'm on the right.
  

I'm about five foot two I guess, so sort of average height. I have long black hair which I usually wear in a ponytail to keep out of my eyes and I have hazel eyes. I don't...really know what else to say about me. Outside of school I usually wear comfortable clothes and jumpers to keep warm and I'm not really a fan of heels so I wear flats most of the time. I don't really wear make up either...I'm sorry I'm not very good at this.

• Who are you? I...I sing in a school band with my best friend Miyo, she plays keyboard, I also like to grow fruits in pots, I'm growing strawberries and raspberries at the moment because they're my favourites. I like to share what I grow with my friends but I'm really shy and I don't like confrontation so I guess I sort of do it while they're out to lunch and not looking? I'm not overtly social but I'm not cruel or mean. If people talk to me I'll talk back I just don't go out of my way to put myself in overly social situations. I'm scared of spiders and of thunder and don't like raised voices. I'd rather leave a room than stand around people fighting and I'm not brave enough to try and stop a fight. I like ice cream and warm over sized jumpers when I'm not at school and I used to like taking walks through the park.
• What are you? Where do you come from? Who are your parents? How was your life, up to this point? I guess I'm just a high school girl? I was born here, my parents are Nikolai and Leena, my Father was born in Russia and worked for a big magazine company, he came to Japan and met my Mother who he fell in love with and they got married. My mother Leena worked in a factory before meeting my father then worked in an office. She doesn't work now after the car crash, we were all okay but I think it shook her up a little, dad too as he works from home now instead. I've had a rather ordinary life, my parents have been very good to me and while I don't have much other family here in town I've never felt lonely. I've got my best friend and my hobbies so that keeps life interesting but I'm okay with it just being a little...dull. Excitement is over rated in my opinion.
• Whom are you acquainted with? Who are your friends? Rivals? Enemies? Role models? Other than my mother, father and Miyo I don't really have anyone else who is close to me. I know people at school but we don't spend a lot of time outside of school socialising, my Dad's a bit funny about having people over since he works all sorts of strange hours now that he works at home. I don't think people in the real world have rivals and enemies...I don't think so anyway. I don't really have much of a role model either, I guess if I had to pick someone I would pick....maybe my second year teacher. She was really kind and always smiled, everyone in class loved her.
• What is it that you desire, that which you can not attain with your own power? I...I want the tree's back in the park, I miss them but I don't know where to start looking for them..can you help me?
• And finally, child, what am I? A...are you the devil?

 

[ERode]

Just a heads up.

When doing your CS, answer ze questions. Don't convert it into a more standard CS format, pls. Also, for bonus points, do it in first person, as if your character was answering it in the realm of dreams~!