[Video]

[koukai_kirai]

Posted: June 4th
From: Hachiman

[The video feed shows a rather spartan room in what appears to be a simple, old-fashioned Japanese building -- dark-stained wood framing, tatami with a hint of green left in the grass, a shoji screen that's been pushed open to reveal part of the gardens. Hijikata sits in the middle of the screen, dressed in a plain black yukata with a simple crest embroidered into the shoulders. Those familiar with Shinto mythology might recognize it as Hachiman's, though it's common enough to have been used for a number of different groups and households, including Hijikata's own in life.]

This is Hijikata Toshizou, the current incarnation of Hachiman. I apologize if any of this has already been said on the BBS. I'm still not as accustomed to this sort of technology as I'd like to be, so I'm sure I've missed a number of previous discussions. That said, I have a couple of open announcements.

Regarding the recent incident at a festival on the Near Shore:

It strikes me that the creatures we fought there were, in a sense, not unlike many of us. Souls taken from their proper time and place, and brought here. It doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibility, or even likelihood, that the incident had a connection to whatever force disposed of our predecessors and has been bringing us here to replace them.

[His expression, already serious, hardens into something outright murderous for a moment.]

If that's true, then on the off-chance that whoever is behind it monitors this network, I want them aware that my opposition to them is now a personal matter.

[He pauses, calming himself a little.]

I'd also like to discuss more generally the concerns that have come up in recent weeks and months about the treatment of shinki. If a shinki has no power to reject an unwanted bond with a god they never chose, then it seems to me that gods are going to need to be responsible for policing each other's behavior towards their shinki. Anyone interested in being part of such an effort should discuss the matter with me. I'm especially interested in hearing from shinki about what sort of systems it would be helpful for them to have in place.

That will be all, for the time being.

[[OOC: tl;dr of what's behind the cut: Hijikata is pissed about his theory about the zombie incident, and interested in brainstorming about forming some kind of Shinki Defense Squad with any other gods who think the shinki situation is pretty BS, hit him up!]]

Comments

private | voice

[brynwieldr]

Agreed on both parts.

Likewise

[koukai_kirai]

I trust I'll have your support in these matters, then?

[brynwieldr]

Of course. I do think, however, there should be a way to determine if a shinki genuinely didn't want the name or if they're just trying to start a smear campaign.

video;

[slantedcross]

I appreciate your righteous anger. I haven't had the energy for it.

[Had to pencil in crushing depression, you know, couldn't miss that appointment.]

How would this policing be enforced? [And can he submit a god for review preemptively?]

[koukai_kirai]

[Hijikata's a multitasker. Crushing depression can always run in the background, for him.]

First, establish guidelines for how to treat one's shinki, in cooperation particularly with shinki who are unsatisfied with their situation. In order to maintain the credibility necessary for shinki to trust that we're acting in their interest, all members of the group are to be held strictly to those standards.

Establish safe methods for the reporting of potential abuses of power. When a situation is reported, either directly by a shinki or by an observer, work with the shinki in abusive situations to see what they want to do. Help them get the support they need, whether that's help working things out with their god, backup so they can safely demand to be released, a new place to go, physical shelter, more aggressive intervention... It will depend on the case.

[slantedcross]

What about non-members, who don't act in shinki's best interests? Or deceptive members?

[Because that's... that's going to be the chink in the armor.]

How much interest have you drummed up so far?

Text

[fullcowl]

[Izuku doesn't do murderous, but he can certainly understand why Hijikata would be.]

It seems unfortunately likely. It was even during the time people usually arrived. I don't know where they found that many people or that many corpses.

I would like to be part of the shinki defense effort.

[koukai_kirai]

[Hijikata's done murderous over far less than putting his shinki in danger from potential exposure to people they used to know, forcing him to put down someone who already gave their life in his service, and forcing him to kill the best friend he spent the last year of his own life mourning. Whoever's behind all this had better hope he never, ever finds out who they are.]

I met some people that day who'd arrived the same day, now that you mention it. How frequent is it, in general? About every 10 days?

I'll be glad to have your help with it.

Private | Voice

[bussounoshima]

[Sharak approves of your righteous, murderous anger, Hijikata. She didn't see anyone she knew that day, but when she thinks about what could have happened to Kainé and the other shinki being exposed to all that...]

Like shinki but with their memories intact. It was dangerous in more ways than the obvious one.

[Yes, yes, zombies trying to eat them, but a lot of the shinki had people recognising them.]

I'd be interested in being involved in any effort you put together.

Same

[koukai_kirai]

[Hijikata suspects from some of the feelings that Souji had when they were separated that someone recognized him that day. He still hasn't had the nerve to try and figure out who -- any possible option makes him a little sick to his stomach.]

I wonder if putting them into corpses was intentional, or an accident when trying to make gods or shinki. If it was on purpose, maybe whoever's been stirring things up was trying to make themselves an army...

I'll be grateful for your help. Your name?

Text;

[oathkeeper]

you really think whoever caused the zombies to all attack everyone at the parade was someone's doing? i thought it had to do with something about the day of the dead. something upset all those souls and they got angry. if someone caused that all on purpose that's bad news...

and i would like to help with what you're planning, hijikata, if i can. i've had problems with this before. if i can help stop that from ever happening again, i want in.

[He won't be specific about the details of his shinki being taken, because he knows that god is here on the network sometimes. If Hijikata wants more information he'll go private.]

[koukai_kirai]

I think it's more likely than it happening by some coincidence. And many of the souls showed clear signs of not being from this place or time, or even this reality, the same as us. They were upset because they were being forced to exist here in a way that they weren't meant to.

You're more than welcome to help. Did someone give your shinki trouble?

Video;

[theunluckygirl]

Mr. Hijikata... [She trails off; she knows he's not doing this whole Shinki Defense Squad just because of her or anything, but she's sure her whole situation hadn't helped any.

She's in no place to tell him not to or anything, but he can probably feel her concern for him.] Please be careful.

If there's anything I can do, please let me know.

[koukai_kirai]

[He can feel it, and for a moment, he looks a little surprised by it.]

[He's used to having people care for him, but somehow it's different to feel someone outright worried about him like this. Especially someone besides Souji.]

It's fine. I'm always careful.

Anon|Text

[noli_oblivisci]

[That tension in Psyche's head keeps her from thinking too much about the implications of other taken souls seemingly knowing them. However, other implications were too strong to ignore.]

If those souls were brought here and bound to someone, I'm not quite sure it's the same being that might've brought us here. Shinki and gods have been brought here on a regular basis, while being mostly in-tact. The undead during the festival were not only shambling corpses but were also mostly incoherent or outright begging for death.

As for self policing, someone said there was a welfare office for shinki but it couldn't help to have other policies in place.

[koukai_kirai]

Yes. I recall how they were acting.

But it seems more likely to me that the original party tried doing something different with the souls they've been bringing in from outside than that there are two parties independently bringing in outside souls. It's not impossible, but it seems like a bit of a stretch without further evidence.

And if there's a welfare office for shinki, then it hasn't goddamn well been doing enough.

Video

[adventurology]

[Lara's grown more accustomed to using webcams of late and since Hijikata started with video, she'll reciprocate. The room he gets a peek at is all dark wood paneling, dimly lit save for a few small lamps, decorated entirely with bookshelves laden with tomes. Lara herself is dressed in a grey tank top emblazoned with a quote: Time is the wisest counselor of all along with the name Pericles. She's begun taking this whole Athena/Athens business more seriously now, and that's why she's responding here.]

I agree with you on all counts, Hijikata-dono. It doesn't seem entirely unlikely that our troubles were connected to the mystery of our appearance. A specter I encountered had the face of my friend Alex Weiss, a man I buried several years ago. Others saw similar things. If someone has decided to toy with the souls of our friends, then it should be our personal mission to uncover who did it. And to put a stop to it by whatever means are at our disposal.

[And as efficiently as possible.]

On the more general matter, I would gladly be a part of that effort. Shinki are our partners, and they deserve to be treated with the same respect and deference that we show any other human being. They have passed on, but they aren't any less human. To say nothing of the fact that we rely on one another. Two halves of a whole.

[koukai_kirai]

Ms. Croft.

[He inclines his head, as polite as he ever gets without extenuating circumstances.]

I had... some similar experiences that day as well. And I have no intention of granting any mercy to whoever is responsible for bringing harm to those people, much less for forcing me to raise my weapon against them.

[If history's remembered enough of who he is that Lara recognized his name, he's sure she can make some educated guesses there. At any rate, a publicly visible conversation isn't the place for going into the details, not with Souji around.]

Some people are too quick to forget that, if shinki are objects that can be theirs. There are always going to be petty tyrants out there, demanding respect without earning it, and they're never to be tolerated.

private | text from: Cho Hakkai

[reformedsinner]

Well, that sort of announcement is very brave of you. There can't be any doubt that the incident was connected somehow, by the way. The soul of my first goddess was among them.

As for policing other gods' treatment of us, are you thinking of ways to encourage good treatment, or of ways to force them to release a shinki if the shinki wishes it?

Do make sure that all of you know how to name and release shinki. Some of the new gods don't think to ask those questions when they first arrive.

also private

[koukai_kirai]

Hakkai. Good to hear from you -- thank you for your help that day.

How long were you with that goddess? Did you part ways of your own will, or was she a disappearance?

And I'm thinking of both. Establishing clear protocols so that gods will know what behavior is and isn't acceptable is a high priority, but there will be cases that require more aggressive intervention.

I hadn't considered that anyone might not ask. I'll be certain to make that information available to whatever gods are working with us.

private, video

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun doesn't video chat often, but he has no reason not to in this situation, and it seems better for this kind of exchange. All that's visible of his own surroundings are the stark white cushions of a couch, and a large window behind that which looks out onto some nondescript, grassy plain on the Far Shore. As for himself, he's business as usual aside from the lack of his thick blue coat, a high-collared black shirt replacing it.]

I never thought I'd be grateful my comrades' souls are trapped back in my world, but hearing what really happened that evening makes it seem somehow better than the alternative. It's getting more and more likely that the ones bringing us here are the same enemy conducting all these attacks, unless there's more than one powerful opponent to the Heavens standing up at once.

As for shinki, I suggested something similar when Eros brought this up, and I'd definitely be part of it. His idea of a team wasn't well thought out, and I figured something more like this would be better, where shinki know they have the option of coming to a network of safe gods to deal with rogues.

With that bastard who forced someone to nora recently still around, the quicker we can get something like this set up, the better.

likewise

[koukai_kirai]

[Ah, Shun. Another person he likes well enough and views as basically sensible. Hijikata doesn't smile or anything, but his shoulders do relax slightly at the sight of him.]

Even if there was more than one party acting against the Heavens at the outset, having interests that intersect that closely would make it fairly likely that they'd be working together by this point.

Running this sort of organization is something I've spent a lot of time doing. Eros meant well, I'm sure, but for better or for worse, there are a lot of people here who have... more limited experience with handling conflicts.

I've heard two separate reports of shinki being forced to nora at this point, though it seems the same god is behind both incidents. I'd like to be able to address this matter in particular as soon as possible, so I'll certainly be working to set things up as quickly as I can.

Anon; text

[volksdaemon]

Any basis for that theory of yours, then? About the zombies and predecessors.

[koukai_kirai]

Multiple sources, at this point, have confirmed that they encountered souls from their own homes. It's highly unlikely that our predecessors are just naturally dropping like flies and being replaced by people with no understanding of this place and no preexisting reason to have loyalties to the existing order of the Heavens. If one presumes that someone is actively causing that to happen, it's more sensible to say that they were likely involved with a huge, destructive influx of outside souls all at once than to say that it happened all on its own or to presume that multiple completely unrelated parties are independently involved in bringing souls over to this world.

It's only a theory, but it's a likely one, based on the information available.

anon, text

[kokuyoyo]

If the person behind this is monitoring the network, then aren't you just making yourself a target?

As for your second point, I'm a shinki. How could we be certain that the people in your proposed group would be trustworthy? It's easy to lie and be manipulative.