person_off
Deleted user
(Sorry y'all, fell asleep.)
The Crimson Lantern Festival | Chinese and Japanese Influenced Roleplay | Closed
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(Totally understandable)
Qinguang turned to the small female.
”Ah yes… fate can be cruel at times. I’m sorry but unless there’s an error, no one can change it” the judge confirmed.
“I’m interested” Kaito spoke up concisely with his hands in his pants’ pockets. He wasn’t in much of a stressed posture yet it seeped from his eyes that he was indeed afraid of the outcome though he supposed there wasn’t another better choice.
”Alright, the other three?”
person_off
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"You know what, why the hell not!" Koki punched her fist into the air. She was dead now, she could swear without having to put her money in the swear jar. Well, she was worried about her family, but turning into a magical animal was kinda in the front of her mind instead of her family.
Jennifer inhaled sharply. Not that she needed to, but…Ohhh my god….gods…whatever it is now… She'd been killed. It wasn't that she'd forgotten or anything–she remembered being pulled into an alley, several sneering people, a gun, and then…waking up somewhere completely opposite to where she had been. "I…" she struggled for words, still grappling with the fact that she'd been killed, that now she was just going to be a statistic when people discussed muggings. And her family…Jennifer took a deep breath and looked at the other people in the room. Part of her wondered how they had died.
(sakdsnkvnon I wasn't aware that the scene they started with referenced the way they died, I thought the idea was just "they wake up somewhere different, there might be a shrine, and then they go to a hall" rip. Anyways, yeah, Jen was murdered for cash)
Ryuusei pulled at his wet tattered clothes, feeling almost bad for the dirty puddle he had created on the clean polished floor, his bare feet no longer feeling the tickle of the cold water, mixed with drops of blood seeping from his empty eye socket. He looked up at the judge.
Refuse the offer and be thrown back into the chaotic cycle, risking to be reborn as who knows what or take the offer and work as a spirit to help humanity, with the chance of a fresh start? The offer sounded very tempting, though the idea of combining his soul with a mythical creature's was pretty intimidating - Ryuusei had grown up fearing the evil spirits and praising the good ones. This guy was one of the ten judges of the afterlife, so he surely wouldn't mix him with a bad spirit right?
Plus, the prospect of a good life after rebirth did make his now still heart long for the things he had been denied all these years.
"I'm in."
Jennifer looked back at the judge and nodded; the opportunity to help people live peacefully and have a happy afterlife was a good one in her opinion. "I'll do it too," she said.
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The judge smiled at each of them as they gave their answer.
”Very well, now before we begin the process as the one preforming the process is not here, what mythical spirit would all of you like to be mixed into your soul’s system? Let’s go in order from the one you agreed first… the black haired young man?” the judge turned to face Kaito with the face of kindness. It was first seen by the man whose chest was soaked in blood that after everyone had agreed to the offer, the judge’s eyes had turned gold which was mystifying for sure.
“Would a Baku or Dream Eater be an option?” The black haired soul asked in a calm tone.
”Absolutely, the youngest girl?”
person_off
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Koki scratched her head, thinking for a moment. "Would a Zashiki-warashi work? Am I pronouncing that correctly?" Koki wasn't great at pronouncing things, as she still had a thick Italian accent from where she was born.
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The judge narrowed his eyes a bit.
“A guest room child spirit, my lord” the older man who was familiar with the name helped the judge to understand.
”Ah, that is definitely allowed. I apologize as I usually work with spirits of a different region” the judge laughed a bit at his lack of understanding.
”Uh… next, the soaked man. Also, don’t worry about the carpets, I’ll get someone to replace them later” the judged reassured as he turned towards Ryuusei.
Ryuusei hesitated for a while, mentally flipping through the hundreds of spirit names he had memorized in his life, separating the good from the bad and reviewing all of their said abilities. There were so many options to choose from, so many it made his head spin.
The faint pain throbbing in his skull where his right eye had once been reminded him of what he had endured in his life, all the things he had gone through before meeting his end at the bottom of a watery grave. He now knew what he wanted.
"I… I dont know its name, but… It's a great beast living in the mountain tops, half dragon half fox, rumored to protect those who need it" he slowly spoke, trying to find his words and control the faint gurgling noise coming from his water filled lungs. He looked at the others with his remaining eye, sizing them up, observing their injuries and feeling something akin to pity and understanding.
"That's the one that i want."
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The judge made a mental note of that.
”So… a Kirin kind of creature but as a fox mixed with a dragon… possible indeed” the man in black and gold then turned to the last person.
”And finally, the last lady”
Jennifer went over the list of spirits she knew of–all Japanese, either through media or discussions with friends she'd made back in her senior year. One of them stuck out, and it brought a little bit of a smile to her face to think about it. Almost everybody she knew loved cats, and she herself had grown up around them, so… "How about a Bakeneko?" she asked.
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”The shapeshifter, sinister little cat. I like that” the first judge stated before he turned to see someone had opened the doors of his court.
“Fifth Judge Yanluo is arriving!!” The soldier who came running in shouted into the court as the first judge knelt down, going down immediately on his knees.
Without given the chance to tell the four visitors what they should do, the person who was named paced into the court.
A scarlet robe with white lapels and golden accessories, red eyes with sharp edges and the hint of cruelty, black hair in a shoulder-length straightened hairstyle with a small ponytail coming out from the back, a cutout of a crimson colored Oni mask which covered the judge’s face’s bottom half still with white sharp fangs on them, a fan made of white and black feathers, and a golden trident strapped to his back.
The soldiers who guided him made way for the new judge who had came in as the first judge, Qinguang, bowed once.
”Greetings Judge Yanluo, I hope you are having a fantastic day today” the friendly first judge greeted as the red irises of the fifth judge scanned the room, looking at each individual.
”So these are the ones you told me about…?” the fifth judge’s deep voice was crippled slightly by the mask he wore.
”That would be correct…” Qinguang confirmed.
The fifth judge pointed his fan at Kaito…
”Baku”
At Koki…
”Zashiki-Warashi”
At Ryuusei…
”A Kirin mix between a fox and a dragon”
And lastly, at Jennifer…
”Bakeneko”
”Alright, all of you come closer to me” the fifth judge jerked his hand towards himself.
The four soldiers who came with the judge were all in their kneeling position, not one of them saying a single word.
The boy had bowed his head as soon as the fifth judge had walked in. Bowing before a superior could mean the difference between life and death where he was from, so he quickly showed respect to the new judge out of pure habit. He remained still, his head bowed, listening to the man's words as water drops slowly dripped from his soaked hair.
He raised his head slightly when he heard his name, enough to get a better glimpse at the new person and everyone else around, before raising up entirely when the judge called them forth. Hesitantly, Ryuusei took a few steps towards the judge, his hands clenching the torn fabric of his sleeve, not daring to raise his eye towards the face of the other
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When Ryuusei took a slight step forward, Kaito did as well. It was a weird sensation; a judge who did not look as friendly as the first one gave him chills down his already hurting spine. He did the same thing Ryuusei attempted, avoiding eye contact with the fifth judge.
”Hm…? Do you two not even have the wits to face me directly? Pathetic…” the fifth judge turned away in disgust. It was hard to tell what he was thinking but it seemed like he wanted to see courage and confidence from the souls around.
person_off
Deleted user
Koki hummed a bit as she stepped forward, not bowing. Most people did, but it wasn't part of her culture. "Hello! I'm Koki, that's a nickname, Popoli." She stuck out her hand in greetings. "It's nice to meet you!"
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(I needed this kind of character, thank you XD)
The fifth judge, who had his hands behind his back, turned to the small girl, his cruel red eyes widened at her. He stared at her for a bit.
”I’m not shaking your hand, but the name’s Yanluo, others would know me as the fifth judge” the judge turned back to Ryuusei and Kaito. He eyed the small child again once, his face shaking back and forth slightly for an unknown reason.
The first judge, Qinguang, looked at the situation and smiled warmly at what had happened. He pretended that he had no idea though.
When Yanluo’s head became still, he raised it to face the two people coming towards him…
”Would you two hurry it up?!” he growled at them.
Maybe by instincts, Kaito’s speed was increased significantly and not long after, he was in front of the fifth judge.
person_off
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Koki frowned, she looked like she was about to scold the judge. "That is incredibly rude mister. I would understand not wanting to do the cheek kisses, that's for family and friends. But shaking hands!" Koki spoke with her hands, her frown deepening.
(First impressions are very important to the Italian culture XD)
Jennifer bowed as well, since this was Japan and the fifth judge was definitely someone who deserved respect. "Sir," she said, looking him in the eye. It wasn't a matter of what he said, it was a matter of how she'd been raised: eye contact equals respect and shows you're listening. Jennifer was certainly listening; hanging onto every word that would decide her fate, actually.
The boy felt a slight chill run through his numbed body, raising a semi tensed gaze upwards, his mouth slightly opened, his tensed hands nearly tearing apart the worn fabric of his sleeve.
"I meant no disrespect sir." he quickly apologized, doing another quick bow. "It was just that i was always told to never face a superior directly. I apologize."
He did another bow before returning to a standing position, this time his face raised towards the judge, his single light green eye gleaming in its socket
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The fifth judge turned back to face Koki.
”Not in my culture I’m afraid young girl” the eyes of the judge didn’t look so stressed… or at least not as stressed as they were before.
”…and you—“ he pointed with his index finger at Jennifer ”—quit the formal greetings and get over here” he said in an almost threatening voice.
He turned his attention back to Ryuusei.
”…alright, I forgive you this time, but there’s no next time for me. When I’m talking to you, either look me in the eyes or show me some confidence in your lifeless shells” the judge demanded with widened eyes as if he’s ready to tear someone apart.
(Ryuusei: kldjasvndsonfon I WAS TOLD IT WAS DISRESPECTFUL I'M SORRY
Jennifer: Wdym it's like literally the most respectful thing you can do)
((lmfaoo, poor boi is from dem old times when not bowing to the lord could get u executed xd))
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Koki frowned but kept her other thoughts to herself. I have to remember that this man is Japanese and some sort of god, not my gods. She reminded herself, clasping her hands.
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(then there's Koki: … Just… Handshake… Like a normal person.)
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((Despite all the growling, scowling, and weird personality traits, Yanluo has one… one really big weakness though and I’ve already mentioned it subtly. Let’s see if anyone catches it :P))
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(Oh yeah, another thing, I’m thinking that since we’re like… already here, you guys wanna close the rp now?)
(im fine with closing it)
person_off
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(He probably had a daughter, around Koki's age. Probably died. Yanluo most likely carries around the guilt of not being able to save his kid, which causes him to be more patient with kids.)
(There's my psychoanalysis of the day.)
((oop, i was thinking that too))