Octo

Realism no Mononoke: An Urban Fantasy RP

Hina tumbled out of her secret treasure room with a melon soda and a box of animal crackers in hand. She sipped the soda like some sweet elixir, and it replenished her not at all. All the money she spent on snacks could have been donated to a worthy cause, and might have gone on to help groupings of Humans in need. But the only cause she cared about... was the state of this soda coursing through her Youkai body. And also finding the secret penguin animal cracker. It had been a long night of owning scrubs online at UMvC3, but someone had to do it. Humans had to learn that all their practice, dedication, and devotion comes to naught in the face of the infinity that is a Youkai as immortal and long-lived as her. And also, Soul Fist spam is bullshit.

Hina looked vaguely around the clubhouse, and noticed that pretty much everyone was here today. It was probably a super fun new case. She put her box of animal crackers down and crawled to the table where Tomoko had presented the newspaper article. She nodded as she read the paper, and soon would give her valuable and probably correct opinion.

"Alright, I see everyone is just huddled up in my house without asking," she muttered, looking around at the other club members (it was a club room and not her house). Especially the Humans, "that's cool. Uh... paper says there's a sale at Don Quijote. That is indeed very suspicious because all their prices are rock bottom already. There's also, ah... kidnappings. Oh."

Hina scratched her head, slightly embarrassed that she'd caught onto the wrong thing, but if it turned out that sale is also a Youkai's doing, she knew that she would look super smart.

"Uuuhhh Nurikabe," she said, going directly to her default answer, "one of these days it's gonna be one of those funny wall guys, and everyone will praise my genius~ do we know what time of day these kids disappeared? All at night? Some during the day? Were they being naughty? Maybe it's a Human after all. I think you underestimate them, sometimes."

Hina climbed up on the table on her hands and knees like a cat, and swiped up as many Spider Cookies as her tiny hands could hold, getting crumbs all over herself and the table.

Realism no Mononoke: An Urban Fantasy RP

Fantastic. I'll probably post something tomorrow.

Realism no Mononoke: An Urban Fantasy RP

Zashiki Girl

Name: Hina

Age: 674 (looks ~13 at the oldest)

Gender: Female

Race: Zashiki-Warashi (Chopirako Class)

Appearance: A young-looking girl that very obviously does not belong in high school, though insists that she’s just very short for her age. She has long brown hair, and tends to wear traditional clothing that makes her stand out quite a bit. Hina has a light and a beauty that is unimpeachable, as expected of a top-class Zashiki-Warashi. The smile on her face is perpetual, the smile in her heart is not.

Personality: Though she acts friendly, and is often genuinely playful, there’s a deep darkness in her heart at the very edge of perception. She tends to look down on Humans, despite nominally getting along with them, and plays pranks often. Sometimes, however, what she thinks is funny and what others think is funny are two different things.

Abilities: Hina is able to bless and curse others at her whim. She has some control over how powerful these blessings or curses are, though they can be made more powerful through offerings. A great enough offering may allow her to bless or curse someone to an immense degree for an entire lifetime. Hina can become tangible and intangible, can walk through nonmagical walls and obstacles, and is capable of flight. Anything she wears or holds can become intangible with her. Hina does not need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe. Biological factors, such as disease and poison, do not affect her. She also cannot get drunk, even if she would like to. She can still eat and drink if she wants, but it doesn’t do anything on its own.

Skills: Hina has been around for longer than most Youkai, which gives her a bit of a leg up. She’s learned a lot in her years, but only about things that seemed fun. She won’t learn anything boring! She can cook well, and is very good at almost any game on the planet. She’s an origami expert, and is surprisingly good with computers as well. She’s the best at cartoon trivia, and knows a good amount about other Youkai too. She’s also good at drawing and writing, and publishes manga online.

Equipment: Hina keeps a big pile of offerings and treasures in a locked room of the clubhouse due to her deal with Tomoko. Most of it is junk, but chances are if someone needs something weird and/or mundane, Hina can find it in her treasure room.

Brief Backstory:
“So… that’s what the bitch was protecting,” said the long-haired man, scowling down at the baby on the ground. It was crying, smothered and choked in the cold of the February rain.

“We… we can’t. You’re not going to kill the child, are you?” the short-haired man replied.

“The Ashikaga made it pretty clear. Look at those adornments, and tell me the kid isn’t important. No nobles. As many as we can find.”

The short-haired man approached the baby, and examined it.

“It’s a girl,” he said, trying to swallow his disgust, hoping the long-haired man would be dissuaded.

“Then it won’t be missed,” the long-haired man said, pulling a dagger from his belt.

The short-haired man shook his head, and turned away.

“I can’t be a part of this.”

“Then be silent and leave. Go imagine how honorable you are elsewhere, while I take care of all the tough business.”

“You’re a monster.”

“Better a monster than allowing yet another generation to fall into the horrors of war when that girl grows up looking to stake a claim.”

“You… could leave her. Here. Like this. She’ll pass eventually. You don’t have to-”

“Now which of us is being cruel?”

The short-haired man sighed, and went off to find a shovel nearby. As he began walking, the crying stopped.

“I’m so, so sorry, kid,” he muttered, “you were born under an ill omen, at a bad time and place. That’s all. You didn’t… do anything wrong.”

Hina knew, from the very beginning, that the darkness in the Human heart could surpass the cruelty of any Youkai. Blood in the soil. A mother and daughter, ripped asunder and reunited in death. A house built on a foundation of flesh and bones. Hina awoke in the sitting room of a just-married couple. Her first guests. They imagined that she was just a cute neighbor girl that came over often to play, only realizing in the years to come that she never aged. They had been offering her snacks and sweets, even when they didn’t know she was a spirit, and that good will paid off. They bore an unequivocally healthy child, who went on to become a truly renowned samurai. This boy came back to the house, and started his own family, paying reverence to his childhood friend and guardian spirit, Hina. Each generation, however, that reverence would wane. The children would forget their old friend when they grew up. A spot that was once designated for offerings would instead be used for archiving mail. Then, converted into a litterbox for a cat. Eventually, it would be torn out for a luxuriant add-on that no one would thank Hina for, despite her blessings.

It was not over a short time that Hina felt herself come to resent Humans, even though her genesis was a true act of demonic cruelty from a very Human heart. She wanted to care for her families, because she was never given the chance to do so as a person. But they kept treating her worse and worse. They’d take what they wanted, and then forget who gave it to them. Offerings would dry up and, when she wanted to pull a prank for attention, they’d call a priest and attempt to exorcise her. However, she was one of the longest-lived Zashiki-Warashi in Japan. It would take more than that to get rid of her, and she had gotten fed up. The cruelty. The insult. The young master would never have stood for this treatment, yet his descendants were a gaggle of overprivileged ignoramuses. Hina left that house, she was powerful enough to beak that bond and strike out on her own. The hundreds of years of fortune turned into misfortune, and the entirety of the household imploded in a matter of days.

Thus, Hina went on a rampage. She’d take up new residences, give the families immense fortune, and then depart and turn it into a curse. This led to a bizarre series of strings of good luck in a small area, quickly turning catastrophic, all among unrelated persons and families. To call it a challenging case for a young supernatural investigator would be an immense understatement. Hina was not just any Zashiki-Warashi, she was an unnaturally vengeful one with a grudge, and she was always moving around. Her behavior was odd and unpredictable by any stretch, and the only way to get ahead of her would be to look out for people who seemed unnaturally lucky, determine whether they lived in a feasible area given where the previous incidences occurred, and then go to those houses and determine whether or not there was a supernatural entity there and, if there was, determine whether that entity was capable of doing all the things it seemed to be doing. It was lengthy, required hours of research and legwork, had a ton of red herrings, and occasionally it would be too late once Hina was tracked down, already having moved on. Even so, she was eventually cornered. However, Hina didn’t want to fight, and suggested they play a game instead. Tomoko won (likely by cheating) and offered Hina a spot at her club. Because Hina had been caught, she thought it seemed right to go along with the girl. Maybe it would be a fun club. Besides, Tomoko said she would give Hina a space to keep offerings. Finally, a little respect.

Realism no Mononoke: An Urban Fantasy RP

@VitaVitaARI have in mind that they can get pretty powerful with a large enough offering, but without an offering, it's basic stuff like "small misfortune: clumsiness" or "small fortune: fast recovery". Mundane things within the realm of possibility, percentage chances turned into near certainty depending on the size of the ask.

The power of an "offering" depends on various factors, such as the spiritual power of the offerer (when you make an offering with your soul, some of your energy goes with it. This powers her blessings and curses). The size of the offering is also important, but only relatively. If a poor child gave her their last cookie hoping for fortune, they may receive some moderate luck. If a rich kid with an abundance of sweets gave her ten cookies, he may only receive small fortune. Similarly, if one of her friends gives her all of their money with the expectation that Hina will work a miracle and then give it back, they'll receive only the minimal amount of fortune. They have to give with the expectation that they will never see that thing again.

Her fortunes become truly supernaturally powerful when a large enough offering is given by someone with an abundance of power with all of their heart. For instance, if a strong medium gave her a beloved keepsake from their now-deceased grandmother, she could grant that person immense luck for a long time, or curse an enemy powerfully.

Another factor is household. If she occupies a house, whether or not she gets offerings, she passively gains power from the daily lives of the household members (the more the better) and can routinely give them more powerful fortunes (but only them). A special effect of this method is that, if she then leaves that household, the occupants will be afflicted by severe misfortune proportional to the fortune they previously received.

I wanted to kind of simplify it for the sheet because it was already verbose, but this is how I envision the power working.

As for how intense exactly a blessing or a curse can be (if we consider that the client is powerful and sacrifices their most beloved pet or something equally immense) it should be something strong enough that the client couldn't do it on their own, or they'd just do the thing themselves. Largely, if an offering is given, the client tells her what they want and she'll put everything she's gotten from them towards making that thing happen. For immense curses or blessings, I don't mind if you just tell me how far I can go with it and that thing happens. These are just the guidelines, and Hina is mostly supporting.

@Rune_Alchemist I'm sure I've already learned that giving her attention is exactly what she wants.

Realism no Mononoke: An Urban Fantasy RP

I made a Zashiki-Warashi. It's wordy and a bit out there, but is she acceptable?

Zashiki Girl

Name: Hina

Age: 674 (looks ~13 at the oldest)

Gender: Female

Race: Zashiki-Warashi (Chopirako Class)

Appearance: A young-looking girl that very obviously does not belong in high school, though insists that she’s just very short for her age. She has long brown hair, and tends to wear traditional clothing that makes her stand out quite a bit. Hina has a light and a beauty that is unimpeachable, as expected of a top-class Zashiki-Warashi. The smile on her face is perpetual, the smile in her heart is not.

Personality: Though she acts friendly, and is often genuinely playful, there’s a deep darkness in her heart at the very edge of perception. She tends to look down on Humans, despite nominally getting along with them, and plays pranks often. Sometimes, however, what she thinks is funny and what others think is funny are two different things.

Abilities: Hina is able to bless and curse others at her whim. She has some control over how powerful these blessings or curses are, though they can be made more powerful through offerings. A great enough offering may allow her to bless or curse someone to an immense degree for an entire lifetime. Hina can become tangible and intangible, can walk through nonmagical walls and obstacles, and is capable of flight. Anything she wears or holds can become intangible with her. Hina does not need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe. Biological factors, such as disease and poison, do not affect her. She also cannot get drunk, even if she would like to. She can still eat and drink if she wants, but it doesn’t do anything on its own.

Skills: Hina has been around for longer than most Youkai, which gives her a bit of a leg up. She’s learned a lot in her years, but only about things that seemed fun. She won’t learn anything boring! She can cook well, and is very good at almost any game on the planet. She’s an origami expert, and is surprisingly good with computers as well. She’s the best at cartoon trivia, and knows a good amount about other Youkai too. She’s also good at drawing and writing, and publishes manga online.

Equipment: Hina keeps a big pile of offerings and treasures in a locked room of the clubhouse due to her deal with Tomoko. Most of it is junk, but chances are if someone needs something weird and/or mundane, Hina can find it in her treasure room.

Brief Backstory:
“So… that’s what the bitch was protecting,” said the long-haired man, scowling down at the baby on the ground. It was crying, smothered and choked in the cold of the February rain.

“We… we can’t. You’re not going to kill the child, are you?” the short-haired man replied.

“The Ashikaga made it pretty clear. Look at those adornments, and tell me the kid isn’t important. No nobles. As many as we can find.”

The short-haired man approached the baby, and examined it.

“It’s a girl,” he said, trying to swallow his disgust, hoping the long-haired man would be dissuaded.

“Then it won’t be missed,” the long-haired man said, pulling a dagger from his belt.

The short-haired man shook his head, and turned away.

“I can’t be a part of this.”

“Then be silent and leave. Go imagine how honorable you are elsewhere, while I take care of all the tough business.”

“You’re a monster.”

“Better a monster than allowing yet another generation to fall into the horrors of war when that girl grows up looking to stake a claim.”

“You… could leave her. Here. Like this. She’ll pass eventually. You don’t have to-”

“Now which of us is being cruel?”

The short-haired man sighed, and went off to find a shovel nearby. As he began walking, the crying stopped.

“I’m so, so sorry, kid,” he muttered, “you were born under an ill omen, at a bad time and place. That’s all. You didn’t… do anything wrong.”

Hina knew, from the very beginning, that the darkness in the Human heart could surpass the cruelty of any Youkai. Blood in the soil. A mother and daughter, ripped asunder and reunited in death. A house built on a foundation of flesh and bones. Hina awoke in the sitting room of a just-married couple. Her first guests. They imagined that she was just a cute neighbor girl that came over often to play, only realizing in the years to come that she never aged. They had been offering her snacks and sweets, even when they didn’t know she was a spirit, and that good will paid off. They bore an unequivocally healthy child, who went on to become a truly renowned samurai. This boy came back to the house, and started his own family, paying reverence to his childhood friend and guardian spirit, Hina. Each generation, however, that reverence would wane. The children would forget their old friend when they grew up. A spot that was once designated for offerings would instead be used for archiving mail. Then, converted into a litterbox for a cat. Eventually, it would be torn out for a luxuriant add-on that no one would thank Hina for, despite her blessings.

It was not over a short time that Hina felt herself come to resent Humans, even though her genesis was a true act of demonic cruelty from a very Human heart. She wanted to care for her families, because she was never given the chance to do so as a person. But they kept treating her worse and worse. They’d take what they wanted, and then forget who gave it to them. Offerings would dry up and, when she wanted to pull a prank for attention, they’d call a priest and attempt to exorcise her. However, she was one of the longest-lived Zashiki-Warashi in Japan. It would take more than that to get rid of her, and she had gotten fed up. The cruelty. The insult. The young master would never have stood for this treatment, yet his descendants were a gaggle of overprivileged ignoramuses. Hina left that house, she was powerful enough to beak that bond and strike out on her own. The hundreds of years of fortune turned into misfortune, and the entirety of the household imploded in a matter of days.

Thus, Hina went on a rampage. She’d take up new residences, give the families immense fortune, and then depart and turn it into a curse. This led to a bizarre series of strings of good luck in a small area, quickly turning catastrophic, all among unrelated persons and families. To call it a challenging case for a young supernatural investigator would be an immense understatement. Hina was not just any Zashiki-Warashi, she was an unnaturally vengeful one with a grudge, and she was always moving around. Her behavior was odd and unpredictable by any stretch, and the only way to get ahead of her would be to look out for people who seemed unnaturally lucky, determine whether they lived in a feasible area given where the previous incidences occurred, and then go to those houses and determine whether or not there was a supernatural entity there and, if there was, determine whether that entity was capable of doing all the things it seemed to be doing. It was lengthy, required hours of research and legwork, had a ton of red herrings, and occasionally it would be too late once Hina was tracked down, already having moved on. Even so, she was eventually cornered. However, Hina didn’t want to fight, and suggested they play a game instead. Tomoko won (likely by cheating) and offered Hina a spot at her club. Because Hina had been caught, she thought it seemed right to go along with the girl. Maybe it would be a fun club. Besides, Tomoko said she would give Hina a space to keep offerings. Finally, a little respect.

Realism no Mononoke: An Urban Fantasy RP

I don't suppose you're still taking applications?

To Become a Knight! ~ A Chivalric (Mis)Adventure

Oh no
Two water-cowards
The Knighthood stays eating

To Become a Knight! ~ A Chivalric (Mis)Adventure

Ah, yes, that thing I would have read if I were slightly more diligent. Thank you.

That's quite a convenient process. Perhaps I'll try writing a water-coward. Cowards of all sorts make great knights, you know.

To Become a Knight! ~ A Chivalric (Mis)Adventure

@Feyblue

Ah, I understand. Thanks for the clarification~

I don't even wanna be that dude's successor anyways, he was a butt.

Oh, one more thing I was wondering: How does one know one's affinity? Do you understand it innately, or is it a trial and error thing? Is there a test for it?

To Become a Knight! ~ A Chivalric (Mis)Adventure

@IzurichLmao. Would have to somehow be tied to both Fendel AND the Grayle royal family for that, methinks. Which would be... a hell of a crack ship, honestly.

Though, technically speaking the Curse of Fendel gives you like... pseudo-darkness powers? Mark appears on your body, starts warping it in weird ways based on your thoughts or your environment, and gives you a weak Darkness Aura in addition to effectively random mutations. Unfortunately it also controls your mind and drives you very quickly insane, brainwashing you into a loyal servant/cultist awaiting the coming of your master, and the only cure is either purification via light or death.

...Which is actually pretty bad, now that I think about it, since we have no light users! :thonk:

EDIT: Oh boy, Vita. If she and Julian uncover each other's secrets, they're gonna have a lot to bond over. Julian's sorta in the same boat, though in her case it's more because she's used to it and had to change and, y'know, chest binding is pretty uncomfortable and all that, rather than a repressed desire for something she never got to have.

@Feyblue

So, I take it that running a character with an undocumented Darkness aura would be rather difficult seeing as it comes with a super evil insanity-inducing mind control curse.

Would the concept of someone born with this power but who doesn't use it out of fear of the evil it might cause be untenable? I'm a big fan of self-loathing cowards. Too scared to use that which makes you special, and also too scared to tell anyone about it for all the trouble it might cause you and your family. I was thinking about something like that. I just wanted to check that the concept was at all acceptable before anything else.