The City Closest to Death (Take Two!)

[thecaffeinator]

So I've worked a bit more on my horror DR idea, although now I'm looking at it as a PSL! The setting is loosely based on Another, and takes place in the same city. There will be horror elements from other settings that'll appear as well.

This will be a relatively short term PSL, running maybe six months or so at the longest? I'm looking at 2 days in real life for every day in-game for now. I don't want it to drag on forever, but I want there to actually be time to do things. So the game itself will take place over the course of 3 IC months. May, June, and July.

Setting

Yomiyama is a small, rural Japanese city. At first glance, it seems like a wonderful, quiet place to live. It's peaceful, and everyone seems to know each other. However, all is not as it seems. Yomiyama is a cursed place.

It started more than 20 years ago with Class 3-3 of Yomiyama North Middle School. Misaki Yomiyama had been one of the most popular students, until he died in an unfortunate accident. Unwilling to believe this, his class treated it as if he was still there with them. During the end of the year, when the class photo was taken, Misaki was in the picture. The dead had been among them. Every year afterwards, there always seemed to be one desk short in the classroom. There was one student that should not be there. One student that was dead. Unless certain measures were taken, and even then it didn't always work, those related to the class began to die one after the other.

Only twice was the calamity of 3-3 ever stopped prematurely. After the year Mei Misaki's class prematurely ended the curse, it remained dormant for ten years. Then, everything went to hell. Odd events began occurring, and it was no longer limited to just those of Class 3-3. The curse had spread from the class...to the city itself. People were dying in horrific ways, rumors began to spread of ghosts and...other nightmarish things, some even say they've seen someone die and be alive the next day. The curse was striking the entirety of Yomiyama. Now no one knows how to stop it, and no one even knows where to start. Most people think if they simply ignore it and let it be, they'll be safe. But this is where the players come in. Some beings have been pulled in from alternate universes and dimensions. Do you have what it takes to solve the mysteries surrounding the curse? Can you save the lives of all the people in this city...and your own?


Characters

In addition to the various NPCs that I'll be playing when necessary, there has to be player characters! I'll be looking for somewhere between 5-10 characters. Preferably one per player, unless there's a real need to fill out the roster. Due to this being a horror setting, this will be limited to players ages 18+ (although there will be no such limit for characters). Graphic violence, gore, smut, all that's allowed here. I would ask that you give a warning label stating what to expect, though.

Currently interested player characters are:

1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)
8.)
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10.)


Characters from any medium are allowed! They can be treated as if they were really just dropped in here from their home, or you can give them memory loss! CRAUs are allowed too. On a side note, your character doesn't have to be one who'd be interested in solving the mysteries. They could totally be looking to interfere or add to them, too. If this is the case though, give me a heads up so we can discuss it. Although I can't imagine why someone would want to stay in this accursed place.

Also, characters with powers will be nerfed most of the time. However, there will be instances where they may regain them at full strength, or perhaps gain powers they never had before. Pretty much, anything game-breaking will be nerfed. Any destruction to the city will vanish after a short amount of time (a day or two, possibly more during events), and no one besides player characters will remember it ever even happened.

Please, if you're interested in playing in this, understand that there is a very high likelihood of your character dying. Curse-related deaths will be done via RNG, while there may be opportunities for plot related ones as well. In either case, I'll discuss it with you and other players it may involve. Also, death isn't completely permanent. Most of those who die...seem to return, although they're different. Brainwashed, possessed, or even void of memories. Or perhaps they've become a ghost! Options may change depending on what's currently going on in the game.


The City
Some information on Yomiyama itself would be pretty helpful, huh? Here's a few images to give you an idea of what Yomiyama looks like: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Yomiyama is a small Japanese city, but it has just about everything you'd expect. Technology is limited to that of the mid-90's or so. Don't expect iPads and flatscreen televisions. While it looks like there used to be a train, travel is done by car or bicycle. Or y'know, walking like a normal person.

Locations of note include:
Yomiyama Hospital: A standard hospital for its time. Staff here is generally friendly, although some parts of the building look like it has seen better days. One of the elevators has been shut down permanently after an accident that ended in the death of a nurse who worked there ten years ago. Rumor has it that voices can be heard from the lower levels at night, especially near the morgue.

Public Library: Just your average, everyday library! Need a quiet place to think or do some research? This is the place to go. Just be quiet, otherwise the librarian will tell you to leave.

Yomiyama North Middle School: The place it all began. The school consists of two buildings, although they are connected. The new school building is relatively new, but the old building is well, not completely safe. Several windows are broken, and everything is pretty dusty and unused, save for a few spots where students ventured last year. The old building is technically off-limits for students.

Occult Shop: A store that opened up after the last curse ended. Most of the residents of Yomiyama stay far away from it. However, the owner doesn't seem all that bad. The shop carries various incense, 'spellbooks', and various other occult items pertaining to witchcraft, cults, and other things.

Misaki M. Studio: A rather expensive doll shop/museum. It's also the home of one of the survivors of the last calamity. For a small fee, you can walk around the shop just to browse. It's usually watched by an young woman with an eyepatch.

A handful of old warehouses: Just a couple of old warehouses that haven't seen use since the train wreck twenty years or so ago. Some say they've seen shadowy figures lingering near them at dusk.

Small markets: As with any city, there are a small number of individual markets that sell anything from groceries, to furniture, to other household appliances and whatnot. They each tend to be relatively small, though.

Florist shop: Another newer shop that opened since the last curse ended. It deals in exotic plants and flowers. The owner is extremely friendly and is always willing to help pick something out if you can't think of anything on your own.

Bookstore: Just a small-ish book shop that carries just about everything from cookbooks and DIY books to manga. There are a couple of tables to sit down at, although the shopkeeper would appreciate it if you didn't sit there and read all day without buying something.

Café: This little place is pretty popular with both students and adults alike. It mostly sells coffee and other beverages, but it has a pretty good lunch menu too. A great place to hang out with your friends.

River: There's a river that runs through the center of Yomiyama, which is more akin to a canal. It doesn't run too fast, but it's nearly impossible to get out of some parts of it.

Forested mountain (with a shrine): Behind the old hotel is a forested mountain. There are paths going up it, but they are seldom used. Deep in the forest near the top is the old shrine, which was cleaned and fixed up by a previous class of 3-3 some years ago. It's a pretty beautiful place, but some of the cliffs are pretty steep.

Old hotel: Before the mountain is the remains of the old hotel. It used to be a lovely place to stay until it burned down during the last calamity. There may still be bloodstains and...other remains here.

Amusement park: On the far end of the city is a small amusement park. It's only open during the warmer months, but it consists of mostly kiddy rides, a few snack and souvenir vendors, and two or three larger rides, the biggest being a ferris wheel.

Housing: Housing in Yomiyama consists of a mix of both modern and more traditional style houses, as well as a few apartment complexes the closer to the center of the city you get. It isn't uncommon for a business to be on the bottom floor, while the top floors are someone's home.

To the west of the city is a swamp and an abandoned train station. While nothing will ever be up and running, some of the cars could be used as a temporary shelter or something.

Characters may of course, attempt to leave the city. However, they'll simply eventually end up finding themselves back at Yomiyama North Middle School with no recollection of how they ended up back there.



Plotty Stuff

Long story short, your character has arrived in Yomiyama for the reason of supposedly stopping the curse. How this happened is a mystery that may or may not be solvable. From then on, you're stuck in this cursed place with seemingly no way out...other than to stop the curse or die. This PSL is loosely based on Another, but will incorporate elements from other series as well. There will also be mystery and survival elements. Your characters actions can and will likely have consequences.

Arrival: All characters will arrive in the courtyard of Yomiyama North Middle School. They'll simply just appear there with no idea exactly what just happened. As for memory loss/whatever, that's up to you at this point! They can remember where they've come from, or they can be just utterly clueless. (Which is not recommended for survival, by the way.)

Common Knowledge: Going around and speaking to the locals, there's knowledge everyone will be able to access without any hassle. You can learn about Yomiyama itself, the locations of businesses/important places, places to stay, things like that. Asking about how you got here will just result in them looking at you strangely and trying to figure out what kind of joke you're playing. However, there may be an NPC or two that might be able to help. Asking most locals about the curse will quickly result in them shunning you. They want no involvement in that whatsoever. Most folks are nice enough, though.

NPCs: There will be a number of NPCs, several of which are important, and will make multiple appearances! It's probably in your best interest to help these few stay alive, but you don't have to. Interaction with most of the locals can just be handwaved, but there will be chances to interact with NPCs that have faces and personalities! There will be a proper NPC page that will be filled out as characters discover and interact with them.

Currently known NPCs: Mei Misaki

Information Gathering: Of course, in order to solve the mysteries surrounding Yomiyama, you need to have information to work with! How this will work is I'll put up a weekly post where you can put up a top level comment with your character. You can ask up to five questions (ICly) to different NPCs. How you approach characters and what questions you ask will have an impact on the answers you receive and may have an effect on the plot! For good or bad, you'll have to find out.

Clues: Sometimes when you gather information, you'll receive an important clue! It might not seem apparent, but if you're lucky enough to get one, I'll shoot you a PM letting you know that the information you just received is VERY important. Some characters may not figure it out right away, but some might think it sounds interesting enough to look into.

Mysteries: The Curse is not the only mystery of Yomiyama. There have been many reports of odd and unusual things around the city. Are they all related? Who knows. But solving one might give you an important clue as to how to stop the curse...or maybe it might open up an entirely different mystery.

Death: As this is a horror/survival thing, there WILL be death, and likely lots of it. Player characters and NPCs will be put in a RNG of sorts, and for the most part, that is how deaths will be decided. However, players can potentially take this into their own hands as well. Who said the curse has to be the one who kills? Maybe you want to see everyone die. If you're interested in trying to kill another character, contact me and we'll all try to work it out. Remember, death has consequences.

Endings: Depending on what the players figure out and do, there are different ways as to how the end will play out. I can't say much more than this without giving anything away, so keep that in mind!