starsand | 【WINDCHIMES EVENT】

【WINDCHIMES EVENT】

damn windchimes

GENERAL INFO KAMI & SHRINES LOCATIONS LORE DROP FAQ CLAIMS LIST OPEN MINGLES NPC CONTACT

The Bonds That Tie Us

It’s the later end of June now and the summer heat is getting pretty stupid. Though Wind and Water spirits still bring cool breezes and rain showers, most of civilians hang around the pools or in their homes with wide open windows. There’s been a burst of curiosity regarding a new shrine that is being built for the Kami of Sin, especially with exciting talk of an upcoming festival. Whether intended or not, this eager gossip has led to the ghost stories falling in popularity. And now, the Fallen Stars are here to put those nasty Rumors to rest once and for all.

This event is split into a few parts and forward dated for convenience. It will end right before the Watanagashi Festival.

The Windchimes Rumor

The main Rumor for this event is the Windchimes Rumor. Though the scam operation will be successful in restoring the Love Kami's faith and discouraging the sale of more windchimes, the lingering effects of the curse will remain.

On the night of June 17th, a sudden meteor shower will be announced over the news. Everyone in the city gathers outside that night for the chance to see shooting stars and the civilians encourage their Fallen Star neighbors to participate. It's a peaceful night and nothing will seem out of the ordinary.

On the morning of June 18th, this will prove to have been misleading. Characters whose names were written thoughtfully on windchimes will have vanished overnight. Their beds are empty and there is no sign of a struggle. A quick investigation will find that the windchime hung in their honor has turned pitch black and somehow negates light rather than reflecting it. It's quite plain to see that the windchimes are involved in the disappearances.

Fortunately, there will be methods to find the missing characters. But the missing aren't helpless either.

Missing characters will wake up in a strange facility, lightly bound and sore from travel. They will be able to band together and not only escape the facility, but finally investigate the group that is causing Rumors.

In other words, there will be two groups for the event. Group A with be focused on action and fighting, while Group B will be focused on investigating a clue gathering.

This part of the event will not immediately go live, giving players some time to plan which group they want to be in. If you want to be in Group B but did not have your characters' name hung up, there will still be ways to get in Group B!

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Organization Rules:

Please limit yourself to 2 characters max for Group B.

Please understand that Group B is in a disadvantageous position power-wise.

The event is split into pieces so that I (the mod) can keep the timeline in order.

Table of Contents

PLANNING

Group A - The Rescue Group
Group B - The Investigation Group
Questions - Ask here!
OOC Plotting - For plotting!

JUNE 17TH
Meteor Shower Watching: A peaceful start to the event.

JUNE 18TH - GROUP A
Reactions: A section for reacting to missing people & realizing you did this.
Shrine of Love Meeting: Gathering to discuss the windchimes & get the tools to find friends.
Arriving at the Nightmare
Battle Rooms

JUNE 18TH - GROUP B
Arrival: A general reaction to arriving somewhere bad.
It Got Worse
【Trial Group 1】 YOR, MIZUKI, SORAWO
【Trial Group 2】 NOE, KEVIN, SOMA, JEANNE
【Trial Group 3】 Velda, Kokichi, Rui
【Trial Group 4】 AKUTAGAWA, TAU, LEO
【Trial Group 5】 Dazai, Inaba, Ryoma
Groups Begin to Merge

JUNE 18th - REUNION

code

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

trial group 4 - welcome home, tau

Upon awakening, the three victims of trial 4 will find themselves separated. They are in a large space with painted black walls, a raised stage, and rows of theatre seats. Akutagawa and Leo are seated next together in the front row, initially groggy from awakening. Their powers are gradually restoring in full, but they feel disturbingly numb. In front of them, standing on the stage, is a slowly waking Tau. Her powers are also beginning to return and she has a chain on her ankle, tying her to the stage. Behind them is a huge banner reading “Welcome Back, Tau,” and below it are three art easels with names and paintings:

Akutagawa & Dazai (a childish watercolour painting of Dazai)
Leo & Elliot (a childish watercolour painting of Elliot)
Tau & Yuuto (a black canvas)

The lights suddenly come on, bright and obnoxious, and confetti begins to fall from the ceiling. A man’s voice, familiar only to Tau, plays over a loudspeaker:

”Welcome home, Tau. And good job. The Kami of Love will be here soon to pick you up, and all of her captives. You’ve done a good job luring them all here. What is Tau’s reward?”

The speaker crackles. A familiar voice speaks in a robotic voice:

”Two powerful spirits have been selected for Tau’s use. You may claim their love and faith, Tau. We look forward to seeing the stronger ‘you’ in the next room. Do not disappoint them, Tau.”

A lock clicks behind them and a wide pair of theatre doors open. They lead into pitch blackness.

Edited 2022-06-14 04:58 (UTC)

Please ask questions here! They can be OOC or IC. If your character would investigate or try something related to escape, let me know here.

Also, please confirm here if your Windchimes Bond will transfer pain to another character or the Kami of Love.

Akutagawa - Dazai
Leo - Elliot
Tau - Echidna

Edited 2022-06-14 05:00 (UTC)

OOCly giving my permission for Echidna's bond with Tau, unless the player would prefer the pain to transfer to the kami of love!

permission for the bond with Echidna!

[in a voice akin to dave from alvin and the chipmunks]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKUTAAAAAAAGAWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

[confirming pain]

[He feels the resentment through the ether and is deeply ashamed

But also you did this to yourself, quite literally.

Also confirming pain]

discussed pain with elliot-mun. bring it on.

You may now respond!

Please try not to skip other members in your group.

Mod replies will come when characters affect the setting.

Edited 2022-06-15 00:15 (UTC)

[Tau wakes up on the hard floor for a second time in a row. As she pushes herself up into a sitting position, she feels and hears the chain around her ankle. She glances at it for a second, and then whips her head around to find any immediate threats. There's nothing that she immediately notices other than the canvases. At least until the lights go on, and she sees the banner, her named reduced back to a letter.]

No...It cannot be...

[But it was. She could recognize that voice anywhere. She listened with growing horror as he implied that she was the reason more people were going to be suffering. And then she was given a task. Kill two spirits...But the only other living beings around besides her were...]

[She finally stood up, and turned towards the two members in the audience, now easily recognizable in the light. She backed up slightly, chain jangling along until it stopped her from moving.]

T-tau is...sorry...

[ His senses return to him slowly, the words over the loudspeaker seeming muffled at first while he woke from whatever forced slumber he'd been put in. The light that shone down on him did help to hasten the process though, immediately taking it as a possible threat.

He wasn't entirely wrong, it would seem, as the girl he was interacting with shortly before was now chained up on some kind of stage, and the man he had investigated the previous room with was beside him in a similar state to his own.

The implication that the voice wanted Tau to kill them wasn't lost on him. They seemed to be the only other beings in the room. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't speak yet, still gathering information. Besides if she wanted to kill them, she'd need to free herself first and she didn't appear to have a way to do so just yet.

Akutagawa looked behind them at the banner and the easels, making note that the last of the three was a plain black canvas whereas he and Elliot's respective protectors were illustrated on the other two. Suspicious. There was also what was said before they had passed out. Something about their pain being transferred? It occurred to him dully that his chest pain, the one he'd lived with for most of his life, was no longer bothering him, though he still felt the need to cough every now and then. He made a mental note to apologize to Dazai when he saw him next. ]

... Tau.

[ His voice was quiet, but firm ]

Do not apologize. Explain what is going on. Who was that and why do they know you?

[The lights clicked on and Leo dragged his consciousness out of its dazed state. The last thing that he remembered was the horrific realization that Elliot and him were connected. That meant that recklessness was further off the table than he had initially planned. But as his surroundings faded in, Leo realized that he would not be able to prioritize Elliot alone. Ahead of him was a stage featuring the young lady from before and next to him was the man who had given him his pen.

Before matters could get any more complicated in his head, Leo did a normal person thing and pinched his ear. Hard, with his nails, leaving a subtle mark. He couldn't feel it, but he hoped that the pain would reach Elliot in the same way that Leo would pinch him if they were together. There was no doubt in his mind that Elliot wasn't tearing apart the city to find him. Leo smiled briefly. This was supposed to punish him, but it had done the opposite. He now had a link to Elliot and a reminder that his own physical well-being was always linked to Elliot's anyway.

He wasn't going to die or get hurt. Not when Elliot would be picking up the pieces later.

Much calmer now, Leo turned his attention to Tau. It seemed that Akutagawa and him were on the same page when it came to prioritizing her wellbeing.]

You can explain on the way, Ms Tau. Let's get you down from there and leave this place.

[Tau shook her head.]

Tau cannot leave yet. They will not be happy i-if Tau does not-

[She shook her head again. This time to get back on track. She could explain, probably. They deserved to know something, right? As long as the end result was the same, it should be okay. Maybe?]

T-terrel. He was... in charge of us. T-tau and the other experiments t-that is... They were supposed to be gone...They were all supposed to be gone...

[ Experiments... Well that certainly explained her response to his posing the idea before. Unfortunately it appeared that he'd been right in his deduction ]

Why did you believe they were gone?

[ He's anticipating some kind of fight. People rescuing her from this place, or something of the like, but it was information they may need in order to get out of here. He rose from his seat, glancing back at the easels for a moment. Any other time he might have gone right up and slashed the chain, to hell with the consequences, but he had to think of Dazai and the pain he was already in just from being linked to him. ]

... I do not particularly care if they are happy or not. If someone is not willing to kill, they should not be forced to.

[ He tilts his head at her, gauging her willingness to work with them ]

Do you wish to leave? If so, I can easily sever that chain.

[Experiments. With unwilling children, no less. Leo can feel his temper being to rise and has to consciously bury his emotions. But memories of the kids at the orphanage and their unwilling fates haunt him. Tau is different from those children. She can be saved. She's already acknowledged part of the truth and Leo, for one, will not look away.

He follows Akutagawa's lead and stands up. But while Akutagawa is talking to Tau and within reach of her chain, Leo is very carefully scouting the perimeter. He won't go very far from them, but he's looking for an alternative way out. That door seems too easy.

Leo closes his eyes, confirming the presence of Jabberwock. Then looks back at the stage.]

And I can get us out of here, Ms Tau. Someone you know loves you enough to be bonded to you now, right? Let's return home to them-- Together!

Mom said they were...

[She was tearing up. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home. She looked between Akutagawa, Leo, and the black canvas with her brother's name, and then back to Akutagawa. It took her a moment, but she made her decision.]

I want to leave...please...

[ His expression softens a tad, and as she gave her answer, a black tendril rose from his coat, glowing faintly red as it shot forward and sliced the chain binding Tau to the stage. He then held out his arms so that he could help her down from there without her hurting herself ]

If I recall, you said your father was the Curiosity Kami. I don't believe you told me who your mother was, however given your resemblance and the fact the speaker from before mentioned her, I assume she is the Love Kami?

[ He recalled his meeting with her. She had been... nice to him. It was pleasant if a bit odd. ]

I've met her. I'm sure we can get you back to her safely.

[Leo hadn't realized how tense he was until Tau answers and he relaxes. They'll have to talk to her mother when this is all done... and now that Akutagawa mentions it, Tau's red eyes do match those of the Love Kami. For her to be so afraid even with two Kami as parents must mean that they are up against a sizable threat. It makes her trust all the more worth protecting.

He smiles, trying to project confidence.]

Which way would you like to leave, Ms Tau? I can take down any wall or even the ceiling, if you'd like. Fate is in your hands.

[Tau nodded.]

She is, yes...

[Tau accepts his help down, and when her feet are on the ground, something changes. They were still in a theater room, but the open doors are gone, relpaced by wall. All of the walls were a lot more staticy looking than they were a minute ago. She lets go of his hand.]

Tau is...sorry...

[She thrusts her hand as if to push him back towards the seats and instead a blue energy blast shoots out.]

[ His ability responds on its own before he can, several wolf-like headed tendrils of his ability extending to meet the energy blast, consuming the space between them and the blast in order to block it.

His mild surprise is quashed by disappointment almost immediately. He's no stranger to betrayals, after all. He simply didn't expect it from her. ]

I suppose if that's how it is, we'll have to do this the hard way. I cannot allow you to harm myself or Leo.

[ With that said, several tendrils erupted from his coat, going different directions. Some lashed out to the side, others headed straight for her, but all of them were aiming to restrain her regardless of their course. It was merely a barrage intended to confuse her. ]

[Leo's eyes widen with surprise. Betrayal should be soul deep for him, and yet he did not expect that Tau would choose violence... That was foolish on his part. Naive. He understood that the threat was great. Akutagawa and him have done nothing to prove to Tau that they can overcome her enemies, so why would she ever trust them? Especially if she has a loved one on the line...]

JABBERWOCK!

[With a flurry of black feathers, Leo summons a creature only a mother could love. Jabberwock stands behind him, but he folds a wing in front of Leo for protection. The change of scenery is disorientating. The door is gone, but that's fine. Leo wasn't intending to use a door anyway and he points upward.]

Get ready, Jabberwock.

Akutagawa! We'll grab her and go! We'll prove it to her by escaping!

[There was a lot going on here, and Tau didn't like it. She wanted them to succeed. She couldn't let herself lose.]

Ah? Heck!

[She wouldn't be fast enough to avoid the tendrils. Even though she was caught, she wasn't struggling. Instead the room was changing around them again. Or well...The chairs were changing, growing sharp teeth where their cushions were and their metal legs moving them onwards. They'd be splitting up to go after both Leo and Akutagawa, trying to keep them separated.]

[ With Tau secured, he gives a soft sigh before turning to look at the advancing wave of monstrous chairs with a malicious glint in his eyes that hadn't been there when addressing Tau. The tendrils that hadn't grabbed Tau diverted underground. ]

Rashomon: Sawarabi!

[ The tendrils shot back up in time with his shout, impaling several of the chairs, then retracted back into the ground to repeat the process. With the crowd thinned, he retracted the tendrils. ]

Rashomon: Renmon Agito!

[ A swarm of the wolf-like tendrils from before erupted from his cloak and crushed any of the chairs to come close to him while he walked over to Leo's position. Clearly, he's not having any of this. ]

[Akutagawa and Rashomon are much more useful than Len. It stings his pride, actually. But at least it gives Jabberwock some extra time to gather energy and point his mouth at the ceiling. Leo taps his chain's arm and it reaches out to take Tau.]

Jabberwock, carry Ms Tau. Akutagawa, let's go.

[Leo motions for the man to grab one of Jabberwock's large dragon legs. Its feet are sizable enough to be stood on like platforms. Once Jabberwock is ready to blast down the ceiling, Leo intends for them to fly away. Hopefully Tau quiets down once they've escaped, since Leo can't very well fight those chairs himself.]

We're leaving in 3 seconds!

[The crowd was thinned for all of the the second it took for Tau to think up more. Realizing that her monsters weren't even slowing them down, she made the ground into quick sand. The bigger they were or the more they struggled, the faster they'd sink in. They're sinking quickly regardless. The chairs are the only things not sinking.]

[She wanted them to be right though. She didn't want to have to fight them seriously. She wanted to go home. She was scared though. So scared. But maybe she could trust them? Meekly she asks.]

I-if we leave...They will not get Tau again...right? promise?

[Akutagawa's not in the business of lying to children. He doesn't know what the future will bring or if the ones who brought her here would pursue her again, but he did know one thing.

Turning to look at her, he wrapped a tendril of Rashomon around the Jabberwock's foot and pulled them over to it.]

Even if they do, we'll come back to rescue you. You will not be left here.

[He looks up to Leo]

We're on!

[He coughs roughly after calling up to him though. He's straining his condition by using his powers this much, but it can't be helped.]

! Organization Rules:

【Trial Group 4】 AKUTAGAWA, TAU, LEO

OOC PLANNING

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IC / ROLEPLAY

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Organization Rules: