「ᴛᴀᴋᴀᴍᴀɢᴀʜᴀʀᴀ」- the path of cherry blossoms

[Crow]

!! Yes! I agree, the three most evil youkai are definitely not something I see often. I touched on Shuten-doji in planning once, but never really got to it. Tamamo-no-Mae I've seen plenty of, she's kinda popular. Could be integrated as villains? Perhaps they have to do with the abandoned Hell?

Well, Shuten-doji is kind of dead and Tamamo-no-Mae was killed somehow through poison or something, so I guess them escaping hell makes a good deal of sense.

I tend to depict Ibaraki-doji, who in folklpre is some sort of second-in-command for Shuten-doji's armies, as Shuten-doji's daughter.

Factions, yes. I think most are aligned with their own species. Like oni would have their own clans, tengu would have another. Or maybe we should sort them by ocean/sky/earth dwellers?

I also considered the human faction coming in from the outside, hunters getting in the mess? Supernatural obsessed individuals?

Some youkai also worship gods, so there are those and their appropriate shrines.

The idea I had in mind is pretty close to 'each type of yokai has their own clan'.

Of course, there are broader classifications.

Futtachi covers Kitsune, Bakeneko, Inugami, Bakedanuki, Kamaitachi and so on.

Tsukumogami covers Ungaikyo, Chochinobake, Ittan Momen and so on.

When it comes to Oni, there are many different kinds of Oni.

We can make stuff up, like having Undead yokai such as Gashadokuro and Bakekujira in the same faction. Maybe have a faction solely consisting of sea-dwelling yokai like Funayurei and Umibozu?

 

[Mu]

I missed a little bit... If we are going for a more Feudal style Japan will this be pre Tokugawa Shogunate's or right in the heat of it? Just curious because it might show a difference in style

That was the 'aesthetic' I was going for, but generally, I don't think the actual era of it matters. Maybe ancient Japan is a better word for it? xD

If someone has been opening the barrier, are you going for a death to humans sort of plot?

The original idea was that because Hell is being opened up, the cherry blossom are wilting. Maybe the evil influences are bad for it, or the heat from Hell itself is turning it into firewood.

Less focus on death to the humans, I don't plan on going outside the barrier and instead want to develop on what's happening inside. There are plenty of lakes and mountains, we can explore far beyond just the Hell part of the plot :o

Also one more thing:

I would like to be able to create a Rouge Youkai if that would be alright...

Possibly :P, something we can decide on once we have a good plot fleshed out~

 

[Tarieles]

I think I would be interested in this. I don't know a ton of Japanese lore but I'm not heading in blind.

 

[Mu]

Well, Shuten-doji is kind of dead and Tamamo-no-Mae was killed somehow through poison or something, so I guess them escaping hell makes a good deal of sense.

I tend to depict Ibaraki-doji, who in folklpre is some sort of second-in-command for Shuten-doji's armies, as Shuten-doji's daughter.



The idea I had in mind is pretty close to 'each type of yokai has their own clan'.

Of course, there are broader classifications.

Futtachi covers Kitsune, Bakeneko, Inugami, Bakedanuki, Kamaitachi and so on.

Tsukumogami covers Ungaikyo, Chochinobake, Ittan Momen and so on.

When it comes to Oni, there are many different kinds of Oni.

We can make stuff up, like having Undead yokai such as Gashadokuro and Bakekujira in the same faction. Maybe have a faction solely consisting of sea-dwelling yokai like Funayurei and Umibozu?

Yup, classifying them generally like that works for me!

Now the only problem is actually having something not-so-basic than "here's a problem now what do???" xD

and also what the heck to do with the rest of the world.

 

[Luma]

Heeeey, I'm part of the cool kids now? Nifty.

Uhhh.... I'm interested, but everything I know about Youkai is literally just what I've read from Crow's various posts about them, and a 5-minute peek at TVTropes. So like.... I'm pretty sure I'm not even qualified to be interested xD

Also I agree, as it is, the plot is very: "This is evil, go get 'em." If you want more complexity, you throw in some grey zones, misunderstandings, and choices:

• Hell isn't actually evil; they've reformed. Many are, in fact, good people, but their existence itself is still dangerous to Takamagahara, and they physically cannot remain in paradise.
• You're part of a group meant to seal away Hell, but the charismatic leader has a very questionable "by any means" view to tackling problems.
• Humans show up, and views on them range from "burn the intruders" to wanting to give them a tour.
• Humans show up and introduce things like "war" and "territory acquisition." Youkai get pulled into Human conflicts.
• ....and if you wanna really go all-out with plot twists: Takamagahara could end up being a relatively small part of a massive world, which was sheltered for some reason.

Just some vague ideas to mull over. If they're not what you're going for, maybe they'll spark something better from you.

 

[junebug]

 

[Shayla]

Ooooo... I rather like this idea , Count me in for the fun!

 

[junebug]

Are we still discussing the kind of youkai available to play? c:

 

[DoomyCakez]

o - o

 

[Shayla]

I do have a question , will humans be part of this and have they been involved in the plot besides Hell opening up to free the Youkai from their entrapment?

 

[Akashi]

Thank you for the tag @DoomyCakez . I'll definetely join this. I always enjoy a Yokai rp as long as its done right. And so far, it looks peachie <3

 

[DoomyCakez]

There is one issue that I am having with at the moment. The edo period of Japan is not ancient, and the idea of this being is some sort of Edo like structure is fine, but during the edo period, and most period of Japanese history a Hierarchy tends to be the most important. It structures an entire Japanese society and is even prominent to this day.

If the spirit Realm that the Yokai are in is based off of the "edo" period, then a hierarchy should be in place so that we are staying true to the period itself.... IDK it just seems a bit odd to me if not...

 

[DoomyCakez]

Don't get me wrong! I love the idea of this, but that is a rather prominent part of a traditional Edo Japan society...

 

[junebug]

@Sen always makes the best rps! <3

 

[Shayla]

Don't get me wrong! I love the idea of this, but that is a rather prominent part of a traditional Edo Japan society...

I will agree with Doomy on this one for I am seeing that small flaw causing an issue.

 

[Mu]

I do have a question , will humans be part of this and have they been involved in the plot besides Hell opening up to free the Youkai from their entrapment?

As of right now, probably not? This idea is still very shapeless, so feel free to toss ideas at me if you have any!

Are we still discussing the kind of youkai available to play? c:

Aside from named youkai like Tamamo-no-mae, I'm not going to restrict any youkai species :o

There is one issue that I am having with at the moment. The edo period of Japan is not ancient, and the idea of this being is some sort of Edo like structure is fine, but during the edo period, and most period of Japanese history a Hierarchy tends to be the most important. It structures an entire Japanese society and is even prominent to this day.

If the spirit Realm that the Yokai are in is based off of the "edo" period, then a hierarchy should be in place so that we are staying true to the period itself.... IDK it just seems a bit odd to me if not...

I see... then shall we also discuss when would be an appropriate time period? If I had to pick one myself, I was thinking end of Edo -> beginning of Meiji. But I'd like to discuss this further.

My current problems are:
- how the characters would possibly even meet up/work together in a big environment such as this
- how Hell ties into this whole thing (who is releasing them, why?)
- because I only have a beginning point and an end point, would also like to discuss what happens in between.

 

[junebug]

I'm thinking I want to do an Azukiarai youkai. As for an appropriate time period, I'm personally leaning towards Heian, but I'm open and confident with anything decided between all of us.

 

[Crow]

Personally, I want it to be in the modern era, while the Yokai are living in a feudal society remniscent of the eras suggested above. The more modern the era, the more history we have to work with.

If we end up doing past eras, we should leave Shuten-doji and Tamamo-no-Mae alive, and instead of them trying to escape hell, the plans could be changed to Shuten-doji ressurecting his father/mother Yamata-no-Orochi from the depths of hell.

 

[Mu]

Personally, I want it to be in the modern era, while the Yokai are living in a feudal society remniscent of the eras suggested above. The more modern the era, the more history we have to work with.

If we end up doing past eras, we should leave Shuten-doji and Tamamo-no-Mae alive, and instead of them trying to escape hell, the plans could be changed to Shuten-doji ressurecting his father/mother Yamata-no-Orochi from the depths of hell.

Modern era also sounds good! I agree with Luma though, that 'going to stop Shuten-doji from resurrecting Yamato-no-Orochi' is a bit straightforward.

The Hell I sort of envision is like... you know how the UK ran out of space to keep their convicts so they moved them to Australia? Maybe Hell got a bit too full and everyone decided to move to a new location, leaving behind the Old Hell and hopefully leaving behind Orochi hoping it would be sealed until the end of time, except now Shuten-doji has figured out what to do.

Is he innately bad though, or are the myths wrong? Is he trying to resurrect Orochi for a good reason that maybe we're not aware of? Is there an underlying issue that Orochi would have the highest chance of fixing it? Like... who knows, the sky is gonna fall, or the moon's gonna crash into Takamagahara?

 

[Luma]

Modern era also sounds good! I agree with Luma though, that 'going to stop Shuten-doji from resurrecting Yamato-no-Orochi' is a bit straightforward.

The Hell I sort of envision is like... you know how the UK ran out of space to keep their convicts so they moved them to Australia? Maybe Hell got a bit too full and everyone decided to move to a new location, leaving behind the Old Hell and hopefully leaving behind Orochi hoping it would be sealed until the end of time, except now Shuten-doji has figured out what to do.

Is he innately bad though, or are the myths wrong? Is he trying to resurrect Orochi for a good reason that maybe we're not aware of? Is there an underlying issue that Orochi would have the highest chance of fixing it? Like... who knows, the sky is gonna fall, or the moon's gonna crash into Takamagahara?

It might, if you have enough guys with masks dancing around....

Also, at this point I have to admit most of these myths are kinda going over my head (not that I couldn't Google 'em, I'm just lazy tonight :P). Then again, I could always turn that to my advantage. Kooky witch hunters are probably one of my favorite archetypes to play.

Oh, by the way, I do have some experience in the group RPing area (you said you were new to it I think). In general, for every 3-5 people you have, you'll probably want an extra subplot. Basically some excuse to break groups up. Once groups get to around 5+ players, they bog down fast. So instead of having one giant group tackle the main problem, maybe you have one group confront a villain, and another deal with human diplomacy. Not a requirement, just my advice.