December Announcements

[godsoffortune]

December Announcements

Here we are again, bringing you the news of Near and Far Shore events for the month of December!



Happenings

The Near Shore

It's March, and the very first cherry blossoms are starting to bloom across the island of Honshu! Finally, spring is here.

• Crowds are packing favorite cherry blossom viewing spots. Join them to relax with a good drink, enjoy seasonal treats and beautiful views, and bring good fortune by making sure no one who overindulges in plum wine ends up falling in a ditch.


• It's the Year of the Rooster, and in addition to good luck charms and promotional items, real roosters are showing up all over Tokyo. Is this a prank? A good omen? A mass escape from a feather farm? Wherever these birds came from, their early morning crowing is making a lot of enemies. Help clear the cocky birds out before sleep-deprived office workers turn them into chicken kebab.


• The Tokyo Museum has an exhibit of beautifully carved Hina-matsuri dolls from different eras of Japanese history this month, and it's a big draw-- but maybe the old superstition about not leaving the doll displays up past March 3 is right, because it seems like couples who visit the exhibit keep breaking up! Help clear out the lurking ayakashi that are bringing bad luck in love.

The Far Shore

Spring is fully here, and the weather is mild and beautiful as cherry blossoms join the plum.

• The burned cherry grove near the Meeting Hall still shows signs of char on trunks and branches, but, surprisingly, it has burst into full bloom with the advent of Spring. The scenery is truly heavenly, and visitors don't even need to bring their own wine to enjoy a blossom viewing in this grove. The scent of the sakura flowers alone is enough to get drunk on... literally, for those who linger under the trees for more than a few minutes.


• The spring edition of "From Ama" has been released, featuring advertisements, candid shinki interviews, advice from how to get along with your god to the best strategies for borderline practice, and plenty of photographs. In fact, it looks like their photographer has paparazzo tendencies: a lot of those photos are candid shots of the Heavens' denizens, in moments when they could have sworn they weren't being watched. Secret worries, embarrassing habits, stolen kisses -- is that Bishamon in a hot spring wearing nothing but a censor bar?!


• A mystery benefactor is leaving thoughtful gift baskets on doorsteps across the Far Shore. Sweet snacks and savory, toys, trinkets, flowers and accessories fill the baskets, but none of them have a card or hint about the gift-giver, except for one thing: they all have the same pretty pink-and-green ribbon bow.

Noteworthy Ayakashi

• Umbrella ayakashi are lurking in public umbrella racks outside stores and restaurants, spreading an atmosphere of gloom and misery. It's really hurting business at the unlucky establishments they frequent. Help out some shopkeepers by clearing up their umbrella problem, but be careful: they have big, sharp teeth!


• Clouds of gnat ayakashi are swarming around outdoor parties. Their tiny bites provoke mortals, turning happy family outings into angry fights, and swell up into big, nasty, blight-ridden welts on any unlucky Far Shore denizen who gets in their way.

Weather

Here you can see the weather starting on March 1.

Event

Doll's Festival

• It's Hinamatsuri! Join other gods and shinki to celebrate the festival on the banks of Tokyo's rivers, and help guide boats carrying straw or paper dolls out to sea to carry away ill fortune and impurity. But look closely -- there's something weird about those dolls...
• IC Date: March 3
• If you have any questions, feel free to reply to the comment marked 'Event' on this post.
• To participate in the event, you will just need to comment to the event log after it goes up on December 1 at 7PM EST.

Past Happenings in the Heavens

Major Events

July Announcements	August Announcements	September Announcements
October Announcements	November Announcements	December Announcements
January Announcements	February Announcements	March Annoucements
April Announcements	May Announcements	June Annoucements
July Announcements	August Annoucements	September Announcements
October Announcements	November Announcements

• Last month on February 14, two enterprising shinki set some Far Shore denizens up on blind dates while others helped answer romantic prayers or fight ayakashi attracted to unhappy romance.
• On February 21, new arrivals were brought to the Meeting Hall for orientation and training.

Player Plots

If your characters have been up to anything this month that other characters may have noticed -- parties, ayakashi attacks, violent rampages through the Far Shore -- leave a comment on this post to let your fellow players know what's going on!