Yukimatsuri (Yuuyake Koyake)

[Yuki Akuma]

Hikari eeps at the 'ghost', and quickly jumps into Keiichi's lap, and... poof! Is now a rabbit. ... Oh dear.

One has to wonder what happened to her clothes.

[Sicarius]

Mizuki

Reel him in... "Ow...I think I got it in my eye... She rubs her eyes for a bit, wanting the tourist boy to stare at her face.

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

"Don't make fun of the possible ghost girl! She's cute! Or scary. I don't know, if she's a girl then it's all up to her what emotions we're supposed to be feeling."

[Tichrondrius]

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1 DP to Ryuta.

[Kuma Da]

Mizuki

"I'm so sorry. Does it sting?" He leans in a little bit, his face a mask of concern. You make eye contact. Whatever you’re planning, now is the ideal time to strike.

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Just realized that, in my last post, I awarded you a DP in the spoiler for the 'everyone else' section. I think I kinda assumed that everyone reads everything, but that’s probably incorrect. Anyways, if you didn't see it there, then 1 DP for being a menace to my NPCs.

Everyone Else

The young woman on the edge of the clearing startles, backpedals away from Shuichi, and bounces off the trunk of a pine. She doesn't quite overbalance into the snow, but she does stand there windmilling her arms for a few seconds.

Ghosts are probably not this clumsy. That leaves artist and 'on something illegal'.

At about the same time as the "ghost"'s doing her try-not-to-faceplant dance, you see Hikari bound over the side of the tombstone in a blur of white. There's also the soft thud of a furry body impacting on a student. You hear a girlish shriek from Keiichi.

"I'm not some sort of spectre, I promise," says the 'ghost', as soon as she recovers her balance. I just wanted to watch the fireworks with," her mouth starts to shape the sound of a 'ke', then quickly shifts into "everyone."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the tombstone, Keiichi is staring wide-eyed at the girl-turned-cruise-missile-turned-rabbit that just landed on his chest.

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Ryuta, I can't not give you a DP for the "if she's a girl then it's all up to what emotions we're supposed to be feeling" line. So, 1 DP awarded to you.

Mistformsquirrl, don't worry about absences. There is absolutely no pressure to post for this game. If it ever starts to be work instead of fun, then I am obviously doing something wrong. Heck, the whole point of running this is for people to feel good.

Everyone

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Sorry about the posting delay. I ended up going back to my home town with a friend so he could get his post-wisdom-teeth-stitches out, and by the time I got internet again the site was freaking out. Anyways, that's over with. I can continue updates at their usual pace now.

[Tichrondrius]

Shuichi

"Oh... are you okay?" Shuichi asks, taking a step forward now that hes sure this person isn't a ghost. "Of course you can watch with us!" The dogboy continues impulsively and smiles his trademark goofy grin. Then he notices Hikari.

"Hikari-chan! You can't turn into rabbits in front of people you silly- uh- rabbit, you! Kei-Chan will probably try to eat you instead of date you now." He says, shaking his head at her and clucking his tongue.

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We missed you in all my games, Kama Da. You never notice how regularly someone posts till their gone.

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

"That was a slip, I meant if she's a girl then we should do what she wants. I mean, if she's a girl, then our best option is to hide. No, I meant if she's a ghost then we should try to be nice and courteous. Yeah, that's right."

Ryuta gingerly walks over to the girl and outstretches his hand.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Ryuta and I'd be happy to help you not fall over. What's your name? And are you some sort of beast-person like Hikari?"

OOC:

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1 to Shuichi and 1 to Hikari.

[Kuma Da]

Everyone at the clearing

"My name's Amaya, and I am perfectly okay." The new girl stares at Ryuta's outstretched hand for a few puzzled seconds, then exclaims "oh! You must be cold! That is something that happens to people sometimes!" and pulls off her mittens. She sticks them on his hands and walks on past before he can object.

Picking her steps through the snow with care, Amaya crosses the clearing to the tombstone and Keiichi. She peers over the side of the stone slab at the boy. "You have a rabbit on you."

"Yes. I know."

"And that rabbit was formerly a girl."

"I was kinda hoping I'd imagined that. Maybe Yukiko just heaved a bunny at me."

"I most certainly did not!" Yukiko's voice has an edge of uncertainty to it. She's pretty clearly out of her depth with all this talk of ghosts and people changing into things.

"But...people don't just..."

"Change into rabbits?" asks Amaya. "I didn't think they did but I wanted to make sure."

"Um, wha--"

"Hey, so...if the bunny sitting on you is actually a girl and I'm a girl too then can I sit on you?"

Keiichi splutters.

Zounan Zaraki:

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There's something vaguely off about Amaya's accent, even though the words she's using are modern. You haven't heard one like it in a long time.

Everyone else:

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There's something vaguely off about Amaya.

Everyone

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1 DP to everyone for fantastic RP and for leaving a wake trail of traumatized NPCs behind you. I realize I've been kinda stingy with DP, so I'll try to hand out more in the future.

And, yes. I know Amaya comes off as completely, ridiculously crazy. There's a method to her madness.

Finally, I'm having a little trouble with the NPCs wanting to yell "OMG shapeshifter!" and run off terrified into the night. If anyone wants to step in and prevent another Urashima incident, now is the time to do it.

[Sicarius]

Mizuki

Mizuki moves in closely, pressing her lips firmly to the lips of the concerned tourist, taking him completely by surprise and pressing into him hard enough to make him stand back a step.

"It does, but I feel a lot better now."

[Tichrondrius]

Shuichi

"Don't worry, Kei-Chan! Its not as odd as you think- we're all shape shifters. Don't be scared though, you've probably been around shape shifters before and don't even know it. Anyone you know could have been one, even people you've known for years." Shuichi said cheerfully, leaning closer to Kei-Chan. "We are all around you!"

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I'm helping. ^^

1 DP to Sicarius for raping hapless NPC number 27s face.
1 to Kuma Da for craaazy girl.

[Dorizzit]

Zounan, who had remained silent for quite some time, shoots a suspicious glance at Amaya before going to stand in front of the confused Keiichi. Sighs, understanding that it would be a long time for the human to grasp and accept what was going on. Humans these days.

"Alright, let me explain more...thoroughly. All of us and...Mizuki...are Hengeyokai, as the myth. Hikari-chan is a Hare...Shuichi-kun a dog...Agoshi-san a cat...Ryuta-kohai a crow...Mizuki-kohai a Tanuki."

Zounan places a hand against his chest.

"My full name is Zounan Zaraki. The Zaraki. That's why I know what Nagoya castle looks like. I've been there. On multiple occasions."

He pauses for a second.

"And I do actually have six tails."

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Sorry about not posting, finals week and work on a competition play did'nt give me much time to look at the forums. I should be back after today.

[Yuki Akuma]

Hikari nuzzles up against Keiichi and whimeprs in a surprisingly childlike way for a bunny. She tries to hide in his shirt, but then Zounan is introducing her...

There's a 'poof!' - even a small cloud of smoke - and she's suddenly human again. "I am not a hare! I'm a rab-" She's also not wearing that incredibly thick winter coat, being dressed in a cute little summer dress. At least Keiichi can see her hair now...

"COLD!" He eeps and clings to Keiichi!

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1 DP to Mizuki for obvious reasons, 1 DP to Ryuta for the tongue-tied-ness, and 1 DP to Shuichan for helping!

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So, uh, how much TP is it to transform to human form again?

[mistformsquirrl]

Yumii

Well... I suppose there's no use trying to hide it now hehehe...

Yumii lets her ears appear, and pulls her tail out of the back of her winter kimono.

Zounan-sama... I'm not sure it was the best of ideas to tell them that though... oh well. Yumii gives a shrug and a smile.

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Don't worry DM of coolness hehe <@_@> believe me, its not you; its my brain chemicals - they make me feel like crap with absolutely no reasoning behind it sometimes; so then I just kinda pull back for a bit <>.<> Such is life! <@.@> I have fun with this game though!

[mistformsquirrl]

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So, uh, how much TP is it to transform to human form again?

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I *think* its 4 - Shifter; but it depends on if you want to go full Human, or keep your bunny ears and tail; if the latter, I believe its 2 - Shifter.

- Shifter meaning subtract your Shifter score from the amount you need to pay >.> ... I thinkt hats right.

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

"Ummm...kay." Ryuta is confused as to why the girl placed her mittens on him and tries to give them back. "I was giving you my hand so I could carefully lead you over to your obvious crush, not steal your woolly things. I don't know why everyone likes him though."

"Hikari, you have to think about what clothes you want to wear when you change back. Otherwise you just go to your favorite outfit. I'd show off by transforming, but people keep thinking I'm a shinigami or something. Us crows get no respect."

OOC:

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Can I call for a shifter knowledge check to see what sort of mystical creature Amaya is? Or a beast check to smell what kind of animal she really is? And how does Zaraki have a child score of 0?

2 to Kuma for Keiichi and Amaya. Is this the canon couple we didn't know about yet?

[Kuma Da]

Clearing Group

"Don't worry, Kei-Chan! Its not as odd as you think- we're all shape shifters."

Keiichi looks at Shuichi as if he had just announced that everyone was a Martian.

"Don't be scared though, you've probably been around shape shifters before and don't even know it. Anyone you know could have been one, even people you've known for years."

Yukiko's brow wrinkles with skepticism. "You're all shape-shifters. Uh-huh. Does this have anything to do with the zodiac? Or fruit?"

"We're all around you!"

With a poof, the little white rabbit that had just burrowed underneath Keiichi's coat suddenly snaps back into the shape of a girl. This has the same general effect as sneaking up behind someone who's watching horror movies in their living room late at night and flipping the couch over on them. Kawa Hikari's 'eep' at the cold is drowned out by a much louder eep from Keiichi.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" It resounds off of the snow and the pines and the crystal clear night sky. "EEEEEEEEEEP!" It rebounds off of the tombstone, the hengeyokai, and one very startled Amaya. Her expression seems to say "why is this bothering him? should I be bothered too? Is that the appropriate response to this sort of situation." She joins in with a much milder eep of her own, but it's quickly drowned out by "EEEEEEEEE-!"

Yukiko walks over to the panicking boy, taking care to sidestep around Shuichi and Ryuta. She kicks him in the side and the breath puffs out of his lungs in a cloud of steam. "-P." Finishes Keiichi, lamely.

"Are you quite done?"

"Yeah. Maybe. I think so. There's a girl inside my shirt."

"Happens to the best of us. Now, will you please listen to what the, um, shape-shifters have to say? Once they've finished, then you can start freaking out again. I will probably join you." Yukiko's face is extremely pale, but she seems to be holding together pretty well.

"Okay." Mumbles Keiichi.

As the two of them subside into silence, Zaraki begins his explanation.

All of us and...Mizuki...are Hengeyokai, as the myth. Hikari-chan is a Hare...Shuichi-kun a dog...Agoshi-san a cat...Ryuta-kohai a crow...Mizuki-kohai a Tanuki.

"I am not a hare! I'm a rabbit!" Protests a little voice from within the poofiness of Keiichi's coat.

Zaraki continues, taking little note of the interruption. "My full name is Zounan Zaraki. The Zaraki. That's why I know what Nagoya castle looks like. I've been there. On multiple occasions. And I do actually have six tails."

Yukiko and Keiichi look suitably impressed. Amaya hesitates for a second, then decides to look impressed as well. Overhead, fireworks begin to go off, outlining Zaraki against a background of brightness.

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Keiichi and Amaya are not actually the canon couple. Although, by this point, I think the whole OTP thing has gone completely out the window. I have no idea whether this story will unfold the way I had initially predicted or not.

As for trying to figure out what Amaya is, she smells human. A shifter check of 6 will tell you whether she's human or not as well as maybe giving you a hint about what she might be instead.

Team Mizuki

Confusion flashes across his features and the boy's whole body stiffens for a second. Then some much neglected part of his hindbrain kicks into gear and notifies the rest of him that dude, a girl is kissing you right now. Go with it. He does.

When the two of you eventually break contact, he takes a hesitant step backwards. A blush sweeps across his cheeks and he blinks frosty lashes. "I...I'm not really sure what to say after that. I mean 'thank you'. Obviously. But, um, maybe I should introduce myself." He dips into a quick bow. "I'm Hisoka Yoshida. Pleased to meet you. Um, would you like to go somewhere warm? Like a restaurant or something?" He looks like he's on the verge of saying something else, but then the both of you hear a loud crack and the sky lights up with a shower of color. It seems that a fireworks display has started.

DM's Note:

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I figured you were going to pick his pocket or something when I was writing that last post. I was not prepared for attack-snogging.

Everyone

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First things first. As the Teller, I am spending five of my eight accumulated Dream Points to create a strength 1 relationship with the players. Its contents are "you guys are effing awesome". Feel free to add it onto your character sheets.

Now, since there were some questions about what determines shifting difficulty, I'm just going to post the list of random modifiers. Keep in mind that you do add your Shifter ability score to any Thought or Mystery points that you spend on the check.

Time of day: Morning or noon (+4), Evening (+0), Night (+2)
Thoroughness of shapeshift: Full human (+4), Small wings or tail (+2), Ears/tail or wings big enough to fly with (+0)

So, with a Shifter of 2, Hikari could shift to human form plus a puffy white bobtail for free. Although, I'm going to rule that after this transformation night has officially fallen.

Finally, DP awards.

1 to Shuichi for "Don't worry, Kei-Chan! Its not as odd as you think- we're all shape shifters." You guys just have a knack for saying creepy stuff to the NPCs.

1 to Hikari, for turning back to human form inside Keiichi's shirt.

1 to Mizuki, for attack-snogging.

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

The bird-boy looks up at the fireworks and speaks without moving his head. "Yay, it's time to say 'Ooh' and 'Ahh'! Ooh. Ahh. Pretty."

OOC:

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I'll spend 3 thought points figuring out what she really is. With my shifter score of 3, that makes 6, right?

[Kuma Da]

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Yup. That math works. Unfortunately, the check is just to determine whether Amaya is human or not with the added bonus of maybe a hint about what she is. I thought I should probably mention that again. Let me know if you still want to spend the points.

[UglyPanda]

OOC:

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Spending it anyway. And how do you get more thought points? Do you just get them after each scene?

[Kuma Da]

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TP and MP carry over between scenes and everyone also gets TP/MP equal to their connections at the start of every new scene.

As for the results of your skill check, Amaya is human. She's not wearing an illusion, and she is made of solid matter. However, she seems to be completely unaccustomed to having a physical body and some of the nuances of human interaction have thrown her for a loop. This means one of a few things.

She might be a ghost possessing a human body. If that's the case, she undoubtedly has some sort of history with Keiichi. Religious talismans and prayers should drive her out of her body, returning it to whomever it originally belonged to.

Alternately, she might be a god in mortal form. That would account for her odd accent and mannerisms. It also might explain some of her craziness.

The last possibility to occur to you is that some supernatural creatures can temporarily give up their other-worldly abilities and become mortal for a short while. This is usually in conjunction with some sort of event: either the anniversary of an date that was important to them or a local holiday.

[Tichrondrius]

Shuichi

"Awe, don't freak out Yukiko. I can turn back into a dog again if you'd like." Shuichi says to her, smiling, and then notices the fireworks, so he allows himself to just fall back on the snow to cushion his fall. "Oooo, fireworks."

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Also, what do Mystery Points do?

I spend five points to upgrade my relationship with Keichii to + (Friendly)

[Yuki Akuma]

Hikari carefully extracts herself from Keiichi's shirt, cute bobtail twitching a little as she does so. She then promptly snuggles against him in the proper way for a human, glancing at Amaya and giving her a cheery smile. "Hi!"

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I shall also be spending 4 TP on that Shifter 6 skill check to figure Amaya out.

Hikari hmmms, looking Amaya up and down for a few moments... she then promptly produces an o-fuda from... seemingly nowhere. She then yells something or other and throws it at Amaya in an attempt to stick it to her forehead!

[Kuma Da]

Clearing Group

Fireworks continue to go off overhead and Amaya quickly loses interest in looking impressed by Zaraki's explanation. She turns her attention to the fireworks instead. "Pretty," she murmurs, "but why?"

Yukiko, meanwhile, is staring at Shuichi. "You're the stray dog from before, aren't you? I petted you. I'm not really sure I'm comfortable with that." She frowns.

Keiichi coughs discreetly. "Yuki, I have a girl who is also a rabbit sitting on me. Let's not talk about comfortable."

"That's comfortable? Yay!" Amaya sits down on his legs, pinning them to the snow. "I am glad this is fun for both of u--ow." She rubs her forehead and her hand comes away with an o-fuda stuck to it. "I am not a message board! What's all this funny writing about, anyways?"

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Mystery points are used to activate your abilities as a shape-shifter. They can also be spent on shape-shifting checks. Shuichi, for example, can spend them on stuff like Pat the Puppy and Bark.

[Tichrondrius]

Shuichi

Shuichi rolls over and props himself up on one arm. "Your not comfortable around me?" The dogboy whines, looking at her with literal puppy dog eyes.

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So, if I'm doing this right, I can spend four Mystery Points to use Attached, and make Yukkio feel comfortable. And get two Thought Points. If that's right, then I do it.

[Kuma Da]

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"When the dog playfully gets attached to someone, they give that person comfort." Basically, this ability has the same sort of effect as, say, a stray dog taking an instant liking to you. It does not magically make anyone feel at ease, although Yukiko will probably feel a little safer around Shuichi because of it. The main point of the ability is to generate though points.

Do you still want to use it?

[Tichrondrius]

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Sure, I'll use it still.

[Yuki Akuma]

Hikari hmmphs a little bit as the o-fuda fails to work. "Well, either you're not a ghost, or Zounan-sama's sanctified talismans don't work." She makes them herself, sure, but they are sanctified by Zounan!

"...Oh well. Hi! My name's Hikari. Will you be my friend?" She promptly attempts to crawl into her lap instead.

[Dorizzit]

"Well, I didn't specifically ward them for any purpose. More like general good luck. Not very powerful."

Zounan snaps his fingers.

"Oh, I almost forgot..."

A loud boom sounds behind him.

"Never mind. After the fireworks."

He drops to the ground and gazes into the sky.

[Sicarius]

Mizuki

Mizuki yelps and puts her arms around his waist. "Sorry, that was surprising." She tries to look as sheepish as possible.

[UglyPanda]

Ryuta

The bird-boy is too busy staring at the sky to be aware of what's happening at ground level. "Hey look, those fireworks look like smiley faces! It's all so pretty. And loud."