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  Corpus: 6 / 5 | Plasm: 14 / 5 | Willpower: 4 / 1 "Somebody has to save Momoka! I've got Ikeda, go!", Kokoro says, wincing as she grips an arm around herself to steady herself despite. It wasn't exactly pain, but it still was deeply unpleasant. She gestured at the creature, flame bursting on it once more. "I don't want to hurt you!... but..." What choice does she have? Ikeda was a friend. "... I'll make you into ash before you can lay a hand on him!" Where did that come from? Everything felt dull, but that connection she had with him... that meant something, giving her power she didn't think she could wield. Still, silly Kokoro! It doesn't have hands! Another 1 Plasm and 1 Willpower for a second attack on Shadow #E, with another 3 successes. Chance die to resist poison has 0 successes and no dramatic failure. 1 corpus of damage as a result.
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May 26, 2017 01:14
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| # ? Jun 9, 2024 21:13 |
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 ‘Simple destruction will not bring you any closer.’ Kaede felt a mixed sense of relief and disappointment at those words. Things could never be easy, wasn’t that how it worked? Of course, it wasn’t as if she truly intended to kill Momoka, no matter how much she disliked the girl. There were simply limits that one did not cross… at least, unless one was forced to cross them. Between her own life and Momoka’s, Kaede saw no reason to pretend there was a real choice to be made there. Shaking that thought aside, Kaede said, “Who knows, Shoko-san? Maybe we’re superhuman then, heh. Have a good night.” Giving a slight bow (Chiyoko may have been rather crass, but that did not mean she had to be), Kaede began to walk down the temple steps in no real hurry, leaving the others to follow or ask further questions as they pleased. As interesting as the conversation with the priestess had been, it still left Kaede with many questions about their predicament. Here’s hoping the other four had better luck getting something of Ueno-san, she thought to herself. Heading over to the 7-7 to meet up with the others. At a normal walking pace since Kaede sees no reason to take it quickly.
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May 26, 2017 01:27
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 Temporary Stats (Caul): Strength 4 Takeshi's mind swirls as the possessed tough guy jumps out in front of him. Among other things, the fresh smell of combat fills the air. It's the kind of scent that seems both unfamiliar and yet completely familiar at the same time -- like a repressed memory. You know what this feeling is. Hunger. Go feed on it. ...Feed on what, though? He had a hard time placing his finger on exactly that should be. It felt like a shortcoming of the whole 'instinct' thing. Feelings are harder to pinpoint than words. What was he supposed to do, just take a bite out of this guy?! Maybe. The prospect didn't seem that appetizing. It was like... thinking about eating a crab by biting through its shell. It felt like he should be taking another approach entirely, but what was it? Can you not see it? Stick your head Underwater, open your Eyes. Then you'll see it. The soft underbelly. He could feel some invisible cord hanging in front of him. It feels like it's attached to something, and it even kind of seems like it's attached to himself. But that other part of himself. That part that's now very much physically a part of his body. Still though, there's something that feels like it's not here but there. Somewhere else. Maybe it's on the other side of that cord. So he pulls on it. A quick tug, or more like a quick rip. Like tearing out a suture, almost. And then everything changes. It happens in a flash. Suddenly everything's just a little bit different. Everything has a different tone, a different taste, a different flavor. There's a slight pressure on Takeshi's ears, like he's underwater. But he's not. Not technically. He's seeing things in Twilight now. "Somebody has to save Momoka! I've got Ikeda, go!" Kokoro's voice cuts through clearly, grabbing Takeshi's attention. Her ghostly voice had been echo-y and hazy earlier, but now it's as clear as before. "Right!" Takeshi shouts back. They were here for a loving reason, right? He ducks down and quickly shifts his weight onto one foot. This shadow-possessed tough guy might be in his way, but he's not the loving problem right now. Takeshi needs to get past him and do something about the freaky old spider-rear end in a top hat going after Momoka. With all of his weight on his right, Takeshi slides forward and does a quick dash past the bald aisle-blocker. There might not be that much room to go around, but he's been through rush hour trains and mosh pits before. It's not that tough. "HRYAAH!" The moment Takeshi gets a clear line of attack, he leaps towards the spidery old man and the shadow controlling him. Takeshi grabs the old man with both of his hands, but not to attack him. No, the old man just an obstacle, a shell, an empty vessel simply blocking him from his true prey... With a hard yank, Takeshi pulls the old man closer until the thing on the man's back is right in front of him. And then Takeshi leans forward, opens his mouth wide, and bites. There's a fresh taste in his mouth. Synergy roll to Reverse-Possess my Geist: 9 Dice, 6 Successes. Since it's an exceptional success, I'll take the Familiar condition as listed in the Caul doc. Attacking Ikusa A directly by biting it with my Caul teeth, spending 1 Willpower: 4 Strength + 2 Brawl + 3 Willpower - 2 Direct Attack Penalty: 7 Dice, 2 Successes
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May 28, 2017 21:36
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 "...thin line between victim and....Nightmare..." The notebook claps shut and is placed back in its customary right rear pocket. Jiro bows slightly to the priestess, and turns to leave. "Thank you for the information, our other companions will be delighted to know the cause of what's been giving us the worst week ever. I'm going to go inform them before they run off and make an ill-considered decision." He slips a 1K yen bill in the box with 'Money Please' scrawled on the front, and walks off after Kaede.
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May 30, 2017 08:04
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   Scene: Leaving the Temple, Shimokita (Chiyoko, Mako, Kaede, Jiro) Incidental Music: Shimokita by NightThe priestess chuckles and offers one last parting word at the donation in a sort of bemused thanks. "Namaste, I did not expect hungry ghosts to be so generous." She lets her feline eyes pass over the lot of you as you make to move, lingering last on Mako in which it the smile begins to fade, and she eventually turns her eyes away. She has her own thinking to do, before she can really trust, and her own debt to repay in addition to that, and the conflict is less than comfortable for her. Yet the night grows long, and it is nearly ten o'clock. The streets are still filled here and there with people going about their daily lives. Where to go from here? Home, the 7-to-7, CIVIC-TV, the abandoned "church"? It will take some time before you are in earshot of the shouts and shrieks within the convenience store, as well-insulated it is from the outside world and its jingle muzak making it an island of reality. It is not too far, but in the heat of action, minutes can be everything. If you find a reason to hustle, you can arrive at the convenience store on Turn 4 (the next turn), otherwise it'll be Turn 7. If you want to go someone else, just state as much, though the hour is getting quite late, and you may need a good night's sleep after all of tonight's revelations.    Scene: Battle for a Few People's Souls, 7-to-7 (Kokoro, Sayuri, Takeshi, Kaito) Action Music: 347 Midnight DemonsThe blast of ethereal flame from the ghost detective's fettered Shadow once more does nothing to deter the grasping tendrils of hair coming from the Yomotsu-Shikome, especially as the psychokinetic attack by Kaito seems to go wide, as its shrieks begin to take on an almost human quality, even a voice that can be understood, though you aren't certain it's even saying words as such. <Impudent little witch! How many times will you die for a scapegoat's fate?> Its face burned and yet in clear relief now in manifest, it hovers now over the ghost, cornered against one of the more solid echoes in the Twilight of previous displays, giving it just enough time to get a burst of speed and close in.  Yomotsu-Shikome suffers 3 Lethal wounds from Kokoro's Agi attack.The Yomotsu-Ikusa shift their battle tactics, letting out dissonant moans as they seem to work in concert and with precision, more detached than the vile poison spit out by the Shikome. The one possessing the female new hire is the most grievously wounded, the blade tearing through its conical straw hat and revealing a hideous corpse-like face underneath for a few moments before ectoplasmic mist roils out and it recoils along with its possessed body. The old man is stopped in his spider-walk by the Prey, torn into his Twilight flesh and tasting something wretched, like fetid moldy bread, not even meat. At this point, they all throw themselves entirely into the attacks, exposing themselves more, but also relying on their human shields as much as possible. Ikusa C suffers 3 Lethal wounds from Kokoro's psychopomp attack. Ikusa A suffers 2 Lethal wounds from Takeshi's Primeval attack. The Yomotsu-Shikome's hair seems to twist around itself and harden, becoming almost like pointed spears more than anything, and lash out, pinning all around the ghost detective against the Twilight echo of the mochi display case, and then beginning to wrap its body around, its wretched hag's face moving in close with its tongue outstretched near Kokoro's face. Willing to hold her and let the poison do its work, though she could smell the venom and foul breath in the air. <You shouldn't have burned me so dearie, now it looks like I need to feast before I return...>  The Yomotsu-Shikome attempts to grapple Kokoro: Grapple Kokoro: 6d10o10h8 1 (Rolled 3 too many dice, still a success however.) On your turn you must make a Power + Brawl - 3 (the Shikome's Power) roll to contest per the Grappling rules (CoD p89-90), and state which move(s) you'd like to take if you win the contest. This does prevent you from using your Numina unless you successfully break free, but would not prevent you from demon negotiation.With the old man having been assailed by Takeshi, it rolls up his body and leaps to grab him, though not to restrain. Instead, the injured Yomotsu-Ikusa rears back its flat-headed polearm, and it begins to take a solid shape manifest from plasm. With a wicked, hellish thrust, the polearm plunges through the body of the old man, piercing both him and Takeshi and grievously wounding both, seemingly to further leverage the human life to try and push the Bound to back off. Ikusa A spends a point of plasm to make a Reaching attack with a damage bonus equal to its Rank. The Ikusa attacks Takeshi all-out, sacrificing Defense: Attack (All Out): 3d10o10h8 3 Ikusa A deals 4 Lethal damage to its own human shield, as well as Takeshi.When Takeshi turns his back on him and pushes forward to the old man moving on Momoka, the bald tough that was threatening Takeshi to begin with almost instinctively moves to take the old man's place, moving while Takeshi is locked in a mortal confrontation to try and grab at Momoka, but she shows a surprisingly amount of nerve, kicking at his grasping hands and moving up to try and scramble and run since she is no longer blocked off from the direction the old man was coming from. Ikusa B attempts to grapple Momoka: Grapple Momoka (All Out): 3d10o10h8 0 Failure!The remaining two that had been engaged with Sayuri split off with their improvised weapons, with the girl attacking the murder-minded Bound with her box-cutter with just enough force to break through the bloody shroud and hit the flesh, while the other tackles the newly transformed Kaito and breaks his glass bottle over his shoulder, trying to keep him from engaging with their obvious leader, the Yomotsu-Shikome. Ikusa C attacks Sayuri all out: Attack Sayuri (AOA): 5d10o10h8 2 Ikusa D attacks Kaito all out: Attack Kaito (AOA): 3d10o10h8 1 Ikusa C deals 2 Lethal damage to Sayuri (reduced to 1 by her Stigmatic Shroud) and Ikusa D deals 1 Lethal damage to Kaito.pre:Ikusa A | Action: Attack Takeshi | Engaged with Takeshi | Rank 1 | Resistance 2 | Defense 0 (-2 targeted directly) | Corpus (☒☒☒☒☐)☒☒☐☐☐ Ikusa B | Action: Grapple Momoka | Engaged with Momoka | Rank 1 | Resistance 2 | Defense 0 (-2 targeted directly) | Corpus (☐☐☐☐☐)☐☐☐☐☐ Ikusa C | Action: Attack Sayuri | Engaged with Sayuri | Rank 1 | Resistance 2 | Defense 0 (-2 targeted directly) | Corpus (☐☐☐☐☐)☒☒☒☐☐ Ikusa D | Action: Attack Kaito | Engaged with Kaito | Rank 1 | Resistance 2 | Defense 0 (-2 targeted directly) | Corpus (☐☐☐☐☐)☐☐☐☐☐ Shikome | Action: Grapple Kokoro | Engaged with Kokoro | Rank 2 | Resistance 4 | Defense 3 | Corpus ☒☒☒☒☒☒☐☐  It's your move. Remember if you want to take an option to use demon negotiation, it can only be done on a Shadow no one has attacked or taken a hostile action against, so it'd behoove you to state your intent early.
Tricky Dick Nixon fucked around with this message at 18:17 on May 30, 2017 |
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May 30, 2017 14:46
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Temporary Stats (Caul): Strength 4 "Pfth!" Takeshi turns his head and spits on the ground the moment the rotten taste of shadow kicks in. He makes a 'bleh' face and retches a little bit, taking away a bit from the monstrous gravitas he just had and making him look a little more human again. It's kind of like he suddenly becomes just someone cosplaying as a monster rather than a monster himself. Just for a moment. It's almost kind of cute, if you happened to be into that sort of thing. Otherwise he just looks like someone that made a bad choice for dinner. What's absolutely not cute, however, is the sharp blade that suddenly stabs through him. Ghhkt! As it withdraws, Takeshi staggers backwards in a daze. His eyes are wide open, and his pupils are tight. They are full of a very real fear. Takeshi's hand reaches up to cover his fresh, new wound, and his whole body twitches as it processes a basic, instinctive fight-or-flight reflex. Even before his brain has the chance to formulate a response, his body already knows his life is in danger. And unlike last time he's in a position to do something about it. Run away, maybe. But it's not like there's anywhere to run to. His feet don't seem inclined to turn around or run backwards, anyway. The decision is made in a split-second, faster than his head even has time to consciously think. The energy running through his veins and the voice whispering in his heart already knew what they wanted to do, anyway. They wanted to fight. Takeshi rushes forward again, but this time without any restraint. He collides with the old man, who collides with the shadow, and sends both of them crashing into a display case behind them. No special care is given for where the Ikusa's impaling spear is in this exchange. Then quickly he raises his hands in the air, sharp claws on his fingers gleaming in the twilight, and brings them down on the target in front of him with a terrible rake. And he brings them down too, on the obstacle between him and the shadow. Attacking Old Spider Man/Ikusa A, not opting to go around the shield this time: 6 Dice, 2 Successes
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Jun 1, 2017 02:46
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Corpus: 6 / 5 | Plasm: 14 / 5 | Willpower: 4 / 1 Kokoro squints, tensing as she struggles, but she's not powerful enough to break free unless she pushes herself... but then just tenses. "What are you even here for? What's Ikeda or Momoko to you...?", she mumbles, confused. It was easy to just see it as a monster to burn, to fight her way free, but maybe she could try and understand what was happening instead. Be a detective. It's all she can do not to panic, but one thing her ghostly form was good for was the lack of instinctive feedback. Fear still burned through her, but it felt one step removed, at least. Like she was playing out a memory in the present. "Is this is really just because of a stupid tape?" Let's start Demon Negotiation with Persuasion + Empathy (9-again) - 2. That'll be a 0 successes, nonetheless.
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Jun 1, 2017 04:37
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"Hmph!" Too late!? What are these, children?! Of course they were, but the part of Chiyoko that was Suspiria didn't really notice, or care. Primarily the second of the two. No matter. Chiyoko was confident that given her new abilities she could figure out what to do with the...thing in the Smilers' church. She knew the way, of course, everyone knew the way to the weird church in town, because it was weird and no one except those who were in the cult went there. Of course if it was a charnel house and the monstrosity inside it did have something to do with everything being horrific, then it would be best to solve the issue sooner rather than later. And Chiyoko wouldn't let her Kaede end up in any sort of situation like her own, or her fellow...Bound was it? No, Kaede would have a happy and fulfilling childhood and Chiyoko would take whatever steps to make sure that occurred. So off she went to figure this out. It was the middle of the night so any other plans would have to wait, after all. Best to make a good use of her time.
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Jun 1, 2017 05:43
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Pennywise or not, Mako's a kid, and she doesn't quite pick up on the subtleties of Shoko's emotional reaction. "Okay, bye, goodnight! Thanks for the strategy guide! See you soon!" Well, of course Mako is going to check out the church, too. If Shoko's fake ofuda aren't going to keep the sea monster away anyway, she may as well scope out its lair and see what she's up against. Even if a full confrontation ends up having to wait, her Oracle can show her a new perspective on it.
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Jun 1, 2017 07:58
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Health: 6/7 | Willpower: 3/6 | Plasm: 5/14 | Defense: 1 Sayuri stands perfectly still as the Shadow makes it's attack, not making any effort to dodge it. It breaks through the shroud of red mist that was surrounding her, and leaves a large cut on her left cheek. It stings, a lot, but Sayuri finds herself enjoying the pain, almost as much as she enjoys inflicting it. This pain feels good. It reminds her that she's still alive, which is more than you could say to the poor Shadow who happens to be standing in front of her. In almost an instant, before anybody could even blink, she slashes her knife at the Shadow in a wide, horizontal arc in one clean motion, and, after a few seconds, the upper half of it's body slides right off. The first kill, and it has been fittingly been made by the bloody-minded girl. More. It's not enough. More more more MORE!!! Yes. It isn't enough. One kill isn't enough to satisfy her. She needs more. She stands up straight, pushing her glasses back in, and eyes her next target; the Yomotsu-Shikome. At this point, she could care less about saving Momoka, or helping Kokoro. All she cares about is quenching her own bloodlust, and she will make sure not a single shadow leaves here alive. Attack Ikusa C (2 Strength + 1 Weaponry + 3 Willpower - 2 Penalty): 4d10o10h8 1
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Jun 2, 2017 21:08
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Health 6/7 | Plasm 6/14 | Willpower 4/5 Kaito winces at the bottle broken over his shoulder, but shakes it off and delivers a swipe towards the old man who attacked him. Attack: 1 sux
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Jun 3, 2017 02:41
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Scene: Fending Off Hell, 7-to-7 (Kokoro, Sayuri, Takeshi, Kaito) Action Music: 347 Midnight Demons <Foolish girl! The scapegoat still lives, and so do the rest of you! The Yomotsugami must punish for such a transgression! The Nightmare will not end until she dies!> The words are with a wicked cadence from this severed head, no visible eyes on the hag's face but fleshy holes behind the prehensile strands of hair. Was it not a similar motivation that Jack had mentioned before? Do the Shadows not want the Nightmare either? The smell of her breath is that of the grave, even through the muted perceptions of one who is plunged in Twilight. The strands begin to squeeze, and choke the life, or whatever facsimile remains, out of the ghost detective. It did nothing to bring it to recognize you as part of itself, but it did give an idea of what it was here for. Demon Negotiation: The Yomotsu-Shikome has three Doors, with an Irritable Impression. Failure means it will attack as its Counter.Before the Shikome can cause any more pain than it already has, content to let the spiritual poison do its work to weaken Kokoro's will to live until she is ready to fully surrender to the will of the Underworld, there is a loud hissing sound as someone unloads on both the manifest Shikome and the ghostly Kokoro with a spray from a fire extinguisher. Ikeda, having seen the arcs of flame, seemed to zero in on this as the source, but there is a fearful recognition in his eyes as he lowers it, seeing that it has no effect on either of them, and looking at Kokoro. "O-Ootori-san!?" Wait, he can see her!? Elsewhere, a scene that had been stark becomes bloody, as Takeshi's claws pierce not ephemeral flesh, but real, actual flesh. It has the texture and scent to his Geist of greasy, raw pork, though he cannot raste it himself. The old man's breath escapes his lips as he is taken and savaged, mauled by the predator-driven Bound, and with his last breath the Shadow's power is let out with that dying breath, and Takeshi is hit with the noxious realization that he has nearly killed someone, even if the responsibility for that life is shared. The old man suffers a single Lethal wound and is incapacitated. The remaining damage is taken by Ikusa A as a single Lethal single wound from Takeshi's Primeval attack.He is not the only one to draw real blood. With the unlocked Rage of Devilman, Kaito brings down psychokinetic power on the new hire kid that is attacking him, cutting through his clothes and cracking his bones as they are marionetted by the riding spirit of the Ikusa shadow, dealing damage only to the human shield, and not the Shadow hiding behind it. The male new hire, the human shield of Ikusa D, suffers 2 Lethal wounds from Kaito's Pandaemonic Rage.It is Sayuri who shows grace under pressure, maneuvering with all the glee embodied by the passions of her Geist to strike solely at the heart of the Shadow that is possessing the female new hire, twisting the kitchen knife to twist inside its ephemeral body, as it lets out a horrifying scream and explodes into a mass of ectoplasmic particles of red and violet, much like blood but not quite, showering all around in the Twilight before coalescing back like a collapsed star into a flickering wisp, surrounding a single skull that seems to occupy the Twilight on its own. Beneath is the unconscious body of the girl with the box cutter that tried to cut and stop Sayuri a few moments before.  Ikusa C is defeated by Sayuri. A wisp of its power will remain for a number of turns equal to its Rank (in this case, 1 Turn), that can be consumed with ectophagia. Doing so is an instant action but will give you 5 Plasm.Momoka, having evaded the clutches of the bald tough possessed by one of the Yomotsu-Ikusa, scrambles to her feet and begins to run, holding her hands on her head as she barrels towards the automatic doors, which still are not opening as the lights flicker in this nightmarish reflection of the usual 7-to-7, banging desperately and pushing past some of the other customers trying to get out. The tough simply pursues, looking to push back and grab her just as before. The Yomotsu-Shikome, sensing Ikeda nearby, reaches out with its strands of hair to entangle first his hands with the extinguisher and then his neck and shoulders, bringing him into the fold all around her as her form seems to be both material and not, cackling as she makes to drag both Kokoro and Ikeda with her towards that fissure to the Underworld below, and fulfill her mission to the Yomotsugami. The Yomotsu-Shikome, unopposed in her grapple with Kokoro for the time being, attempts to grapple Ikeda as well. Grapple: 4d10o10h8 1 Success!The remaining Yomotsu-Ikusa still engaged with the Bound are the one that formerly possessed the old man, and the new hire kid with the broken bottle, and both attempt to attack the ones they are engaged with, the former with his spectral polearm, expending more of his energy to do so even as his wounds wear him down, while the other swipes and connects with a cut that creates another bloody tear in Kaito's henshin armor. Ikusa A spends a point of plasm to make a Reaching attack on Takeshi with a damage bonus equal to its Rank: Attack Takeshi: 1d10o10h8 0 Miss Ikusa D attacks Kaito with a broken bottle all-out: Attack Kaito (AOA): 3d10o10h8 1 Ikusa D deals another point of Lethal damage to Kaito.Elsewhere, near the crowds of people, the bald tough being driven by its Shadow master flings itself wildly into the crowd, and manges to grab onto the young girl's pastel hair and drag her from it as the rest of the people manage to pry open the doors and push out, ignoring the scapegoat's fate as she is pulled just as the Shikome designs towards that fissure in the center of the Seven-to-Seven, screaming the whole while, and managing this time to say something coherent this time, from what she last remembers. "Someone... Takeshi... Please!" pre:Ikusa A | Action: Attack Takeshi | Engaged with Takeshi | Rank 1 | Resistance 2 | Defense 2 | Corpus ☒☒☒☐☐ Ikusa B | Action: Grapple Momoka | Engaged with Momoka | Rank 1 | Resistance 2 | Defense 0 (-2 targeted directly) | Corpus (☐☐☐☐☐)☐☐☐☐☐ Ikusa C | Wisp (1 Turn) | Eat to gain 5 Plasm Ikusa D | Action: Attack Kaito | Engaged with Kaito | Rank 1 | Resistance 2 | Defense 0 (-2 targeted directly) | Corpus (☒☒☐☐☐)☐☐☐☐☐ Shikome | Action: Grapple Ikeda | Engaged with Kokoro and Ikeda | Rank 2 | Resistance 4 | Defense 3 | Corpus ☒☒☒☒☒☒☐☐ It's your move. Scene: The Old "Church", Shimokita Nights (Chiyoko, Mako, Kaede, Jiro) Incidental Music: Are You SureFollowing another thread in our dark tale, the remaining Bound find themselves going to the place where Mako's family were killed. Nothing really more than a mostly abandoned office building, it had no great indications anymore of the "church" it used to be the front of. Nor, however, was there any real indication of an investigation or anything blocking you all from entering. In fact, it was eerily similar to how Mako left it, that night, likewise with no power or lights, and a waiting room. The only difference being, no music. Just a sort of yawning silence. There was even the pictures that the kids were working on here and there, and that long hallway that lead into the conference room, where the ascension was supposed to take place. The door of course being locked, and then barred with a chair, overlaid with several chains, and covered with some kind of occult ritual. Piercing the door was a dull ritual knife, and all sorts of colored yarn was tied up using that and pins in the chains as anchors in some kind of overlain designed. There were candles, none of which were currently lit but had been recently used, and bowls with what looked like oil and now rotten food on them. Shoko had not been completely lax in her duties, but they were not the more direct talismans like the ofuda like one might expect. There were other rooms as well, office desks and overturned file cabinets where the cult members might have kept things. But what were you looking for? How were you looking for it? What are you hoping to find. Investigation Start! Just as before with Momoka, you folks have an opportunity to search for a Clue to the overall mystery, though whether or not this is connected with the Nightmare is not yet decided. As before, you have narrative control as to what you might find, and how you might find it, though the scene will definitely progress if you try to break Shoko's seal and enter the ascension room. As before, you will not know the amount of successes you need to get a complete clue, and you will only get one roll before the action scene at the Seven-to-Seven ends and likely someone contacts you, though you may return here later.
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Jun 7, 2017 01:35
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Kaede hadn’t gotten far down the street before she realized there was only one set of footsteps trailing behind her. Not a child’s footsteps either, judging by the sound of the impact. With a puzzled frown dawning on her face, she whipped around to see that only Jiro was coming along with her towards the Seven-to-Seven. Walking in the other direction was Chiyoko and Mako, apparently heading somewhere completely different. Normally, that wouldn’t bother her. Kaede wasn’t sure why or where they were going, but they were free to do what they pleased. Yet after all that happened, she couldn’t help but be at least somewhat concerned for Mako’s safety. And Chiyoko… well, Kaede had little reason to trust her with said safety, at this point. Besides, it wasn’t as if there was any real rush to meet up with the others. Thinking that, she starts to chase after the other pair, saying to Jiro as she passes, “C’mon, Kurokawa-san. We probably shouldn’t leave those two to wander around by themselves after all that happened this past week. Hey, Satou-san, Mako-chan, wait up!” --- Incidental Music: Are You SureSome time later, and Kaede was feeling almost regretful about following them into the church. Religious places such as this was never really her thing, as it were, and that was before any brutal murder incidents occurred. But they were her now for… some reason. Why were they here again? It was terrible what had happened to Mako, what she had gone through, but was this place even related to what had happened to the rest of them? It was at the Seven-to-Seven that the young girl had seen Momoka, after all. Well, since they were here, Kaede figured she might as well see if she couldn’t piece anything together. Stepping gently over the scattered pictures, Kaede began to walk down that long hallway, glancing back and forth between the various tools seemingly used in some type of ritual. Shoko’s work, presumably. While she wouldn’t call it a specialty by any means, Kaede had picked up a few things about the occult from quite a number of different sources. The constant exposure to horror movies, rumors whispered around the high school, and even a interesting topic or two that she had investigated on her own time. Most of what she had learned was utter nonsense, but some of it… Investigating the Occult Ritual (w/ Willpower): 6d10o10h8 2 ...some of it had stuck, a lot of it without Kaede even intending it to. Things like the fact that when you were attempting to restrain or seal away an unruly spirit, the number of implements you used had to be all too specific. In simple terms, more was not necessarily ‘more’ when it came to the occult. If a novice such as Kaede knew that, then Shoko certainly must have. So why then, the girl thought to herself, was there a candle too many on the ground before her?
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Jun 8, 2017 23:20
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Temporary Stats (Caul): Strength 4 As the old man lets out that dying breath, a sudden feeling hits Takeshi like a sharp wave. In an instant, everything feels different. It's like a light has suddenly started shining right into his eyes. A certain kind of fog that he had let seep into his mind is suddenly gone. There's no room for doubt, no room for ignoring the details. His hands are covered in flesh and blood in a very real way. This whole fight isn't some abstract thing happening in dreamland, but a real life-or-death struggle happening in the Seven-to-Seven. All of this is real. All of this is happening. And you just basically murdered somebody. Taheshi's whole demeanor turns around on a dime. As quickly as he leapt forward in frenzy, he staggers backwards in fear. His eyes go wide and his body trembles and shakes. That powerful instinct which seemed to drive him forward before is gone, leaving behind a man suddenly left in a moment of trauma. He looks down and stares at the two things on the ends of his arms. Claws. Murder weapons. Appendages that were his but, at the same time, not his. Didn't they really belong to that other part of him? That thing. Jaws. I am thou, thou art I. "gently caress!" There's no room to cast blame on anything else, is there? It was still him that did all of these things. It's not like he actually lost control. Jaws is a part of him. Undeniably. Especially now, when that thing is part of his flesh and blood. Flesh and blood... Or- was that really the truth? Are they really one and the same? Isn't there a difference? Is this who he really is?! "gently caress you." Takeshi mutters again, bitterly. Not that he even has a good idea who or what to even be mad at right now. A loud scream cuts Takeshi out of his introspective haze. "Someone... Takeshi... Please!" All of a sudden those questions didn't feel so urgent. "Momoka! Hold on!" Takeshi takes a step back, then turns his back on the old man's shadow. He runs quickly across and with a level of fluidity that seems almost instinctual. But not like an animal. No, he's moving in a way that's very desperately human. Like somebody trying to catch the last train, like someone running for their life, or like someone trying to save someone from an incoming tsunami. He runs quickly, but clumsily. His path is littered with knocked-over shelves and strewn merchandise. A few times, he trips on something and almost falls over. But he catches himself and keeps going. And when he closes the distance, he jumps forward again at the shadow threatening Momoka and strikes. His movements this time are still wild rough, but not like an animal. He brings his claws and teeth down upon the shadow not like an animal, but like human. Just one that's never had any formal combat training, and still has deadly monstrous appendages. Attacking Ikusa B, spending willpower: 7 Dice, 1 Success
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Jun 11, 2017 19:08
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Health: 6/7 | Willpower: 2/6 | Plasm: 10/14 | Defense: 1 Sayuri feels a strong urge building up within her as she stares at the flickering wisp in front of her. The urge... to consume it. She reaches out a hand, and grabs the wisp. She brings it closer to her, and inhales it. The smell is almost intoxicating. This, this is what death tastes like, and the feeling it leaves her with is... it is beyond words. How do you even begin to describe it? Is this... what it feels like to be warm? Is this what it's like to feel whole? The death-obsessed girl isn't sure what this wonderful feeling is, but whatever it is, she wants more of it. Sayuri turns to her next target; the Yomotsu-Shikome. She adjusts her glasses, and, almost like a shadow, soon disappears into the darkness. A light flickers above the Yomotsu-Shikome, revealing Sayuri standing right behind it, suddenly appearing like a silent stalker. She leans her head closer to the shadow, and whispers, "The only one who is allowed to bring her to hell," her knife gleams in the darkness as she raises it, "Is me," and thrusts the knife right into the back of it's head. Consuming the wisp, and spending a point of Willpower to attack the Shikome. Attack Shikome (2 Strength + 1 Weaponry): 3d10o10h8 2
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Jun 11, 2017 20:49
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Corpus: 6 / 3 | Plasm: 14 / 4 | Willpower: 4 / 1 Kokoro doesn't even watch the Yomotsu-Shikome as it falls away, instead having her eyes on Sayuri, silent as if finally observing her without the mask for a moment. The others reacted with panic, righteousness, but this was different. She then brushes the hair off of herself, making her way past. Not enough time to consider what's going on there. Looking to Ikeda, she gives an apologetic look, "I'm not going to be able to make it in to work. Sorry..." With that, she focuses on one of the shadows' forms on her side of the barrier, unleashing Jack O'Lantern's flame on it to finish off the Ikusa at Takeshi's back and free him to engage the one on Momoka completely. She throws another look to Sayuri now that she's at her back. After all, she's vulnerable... but how her "friend" reacts to that is a clue all its own. Doing Agi as an all-out attack against Ikusa A for 2 successes on 7 dice, which will likely eliminate it, and spending 1 plasm (noted above). Taking 1 Corpus and remembering to mark the Corpus loss from last turn, also noted above.
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Jun 12, 2017 03:42
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No happy looping music, no electricity, and no people. For the first time, the Heaven Smiles "church" looked about as unsettling to Mako as it did to a normal pedestrian. She pointed to the depowered lights. "I did that. Lemme try to turn 'em back on again!" She touched her temples and opened her mind...but there was nothing there now. That psychic channel had been devoured for good. Feeling like a live chicken whose thigh had already been fried and eaten, she pulled her hoodie tight and backed off. "uh. never mind." That spider-crawling feeling on the back of her neck wasn't going away. She walked Chiyoko and Kaede and Jiro through the upturned rooms, explaining what they were supposed to be and exactly what had happened that night, for whatever it was worth. "There's some boring files and stuff in here...and a bunch of kids' drawings and songbooks and Heaven Smiles pamphlets over here...and a crummy toybox and piano over there...and that room with the wards is where my mom and dad went forever." She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and stared quietly at her fake big sister Kaede studying the ofuda. Pennywise descended from the ceiling, dangling on puppet strings. hey, kiddo. you remember that fun trick i showed ya, right? put on those x-ray specs. you can see all sorts of surprises in the deadlights. Mako shut her eyes and whispered. "maybe later. i wasn't that nice to shoko, and i think it's your fault." She poked her head into a utility closet whose door was slightly ajar near the blocked-off conference room. "I always thought a monster lived in here. I guess I was wrong!" Even in the dark, the out-of-date boiler in the back of the maintenance closet just didn't seem so scary anymore. She looked at it with the white glow of a cell phone screen to be sure. Actually, one of the linoleum floor tiles seemed loose... Mako pulled at it. It came loose without a fight, like a baby tooth. "Hey, there's some kinda crawlspace down here!" And you know who's small enough to crawl inside? This kid. Dexterity 4+Stealth 3+Hidden Places 1+Small-Framed 2+Willpower 3. 13 dice: 5 successes! Optimized crawlspace build really paying dividends It was a little smaller than those ventilation shafts you see in action movies. She didn't even think about the risk of getting stuck, and mercifully she didn't have to. The crawlspace started out cold metal, and as it proceeded toward the conference room, it dropped vertically a few feet into a plywood-lined shaft. She crept downward and followed the turns and tried to think about what an adventure this was. The wood gave way to packed earth. The earth was warm and damp. How? She stopped when the passage started to open up. Inexplicably, she felt air rising from below. It smelled like hot breath. Was that faint sound...machinery? Time to go! The grown-ups were probably waiting for her! She curled into a tight ball to turn herself around, and just barely made it. A dangling bright-red clown nose helped guide her way back in the dark. beep beep. After a few minutes, Mako crawled back out of the utility closet. She was stained with black and brown and dark red. "I don't think this place has a basement, but it goes down. Way, way down."
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Jun 12, 2017 04:33
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| # ? Jun 9, 2024 21:13 |
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"Well, this is certainly unsettling. Nothing feels quite as off as an empty building normally full of people. I felt this same way once before, when I had to return to my high school after hours to grab a book I had forgotten. Walking through that liminal space gave me both the heebies and the jeebies. Maybe it would be best to come back during daylight hours, when it feels less like we're going to be killed...again. And we can involve the others, so that there's safety in numbers"
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Jun 17, 2017 22:45
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