jigoku_mod

Game Basics

What's the genre and pace of jigoku_apts?

jigoku_apts is a jamjar game that uses themes from the Asian horror genre. Influences range from movies, comics, and urban myths – mythology and religion is used sparingly if at all. Occasionally, we'll take some inspiration from western horror, but not often and not much.

The game itself is a sandpit, with a very relaxed application, a linear timeline with no day ratio, and backtagging is encouraged. If you're looking for a fast-paced game, we're probably not for you. If you're looking for a slow game, somewhere to try out a new muse, or a place to ease you back into RP as a hobby, we might be just right for you!

Can anyone app?

At this time, no. jigoku_apts is invite-only, and if you have not been invited to the game by a current player who has cleared it with the mods, your application will not be processed. Sorry!

How do I contact a mod?

Unfortunately due to bereavement our founding mod had to drop from the game. When she has time, she is looking for an official moderator to pick the game up. If you think you could help or have a suggestion for her, please PM the mod journal and those with access to it for lists and events will send the message her way!

For the time being, we have event-coordinators and people to manage the lists. However, they do not have the time to dedicate to full modship, so please do not PM the journal and expect them to handle issues they've not signed up for.

We're extremely sorry for any difficulties caused by this situation.

What's the setting?

The town's true name hasn't been discovered yet; maps, phone books, and other documents appear to have it scribbled out, burned out, blotted with water damage – etc. There was once a sign on the front lawn of the apartments proclaiming the building's name, but time and the elements have also faded it to illegibility. The name 'Jigoku Apartments' is how the buildings are referred to in online documents... or scribbled on the wall in blood.

The apartments and town itself are inhabited by ghosts. Most of these ghosts are Yūrei, or imprints of the people who once lived there and appear to be carrying on their lives and jobs as they had before. Other ghosts are Onryō, and they are deliberately malicious, vengeful spirits, seeking to harm those who have invaded their territory.

The town and all its buildings are decrepit, dying a slow death due to time and neglect. The living will find that they are able to live in relative comfort, but without any of the luxuries to which they may be used from their home worlds.

Why am I here?

The simple explanation is that the living are a source of fuel for the dead. Life as a spirit has its hardships and it's difficult to exist as a mere shade of your former self without someone to acknowledge your existence. Thus the ghosts validate their hollow existence by the impression they make on the town's new residents.

The second and more complicated part of the explanation is that every living creature gives off a certain kind of energy that the dead do not possess. They covet it greatly. While they are usually satisfied by being near this natural aura, sometimes their hunger will grow enough that they'll actively leech energy from the living. This results in headaches, feelings of nausea, dizziness or weakness, or inexplicable chills. The severity of the effect depends on the strength of the ghost and how much energy it's trying to draw from the person in question; players are encouraged to experiment with the whole range of the spectrum.

Those with supernatural abilities are especially attractive to the ghosts, particularly when they use their powers. Any such outpouring of power will attract hungry ghosts to that physical location where they will eagerly try to leech the source of the power. Thus, those using their powers may feel the drain more acutely than those who don't have powers, or who don't use them.

It is to be noted that some characters may deem the drain worth it, as making the ghosts stronger will cause more terror and chaos among the town's residents. These characters may eventually be able to control the spirits that feed off of them and have become dependent on their dark energy. If this is something in which you're interested, please contact the event co-ordinators and they'll help you spring it into action!

What sort of technology exists here?

The apartments have electricity, heat, running water – all of those things that would be considered basic amenities. The light bulbs, no matter how high their wattage, always seem dim. The televisions are functional, but there's no cable – not even what would be considered 'basic' or 'local' channels. Each apartment has a computer that's wired into an intranet, but there's no access outside of the apartment's network. Hardware-wise, each computer possesses a tower, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and webcam; none of this equipment can be considered top-of-the-line and is actually rather average in nature. The computers can be used for text, voice or video posting to the network, via an engine similar to Dreamwidth (i.e., characters can type or record a 'journal entry', comment on other's entries, encrypt entries to certain people, hack encryptions provided their skill sets allow, etc.).

Sometimes the computers may pop up with a mysterious file transfer that turns out to be a clip of information about the apartments or the town. Sometimes the televisions will turn themselves on and blare out a sudden, static-filled news broadcast. If you're lucky, turning on the television will yield at least part of an old movie from back home (though we can't guarantee that the audio and video are from the same movie). Or sometimes you might sit down in front of the screen only to discover it's the events going on in another apartment that are being broadcast.

In addition to the computer found in each apartment, every resident will also find in their possession a fully charged communicator resembling a Blackberry. The 'Jigokuberries' can be used for text or voice posting to the network, and have limited video capability. They also function as phones, and can be used to call another resident directly. Their range extends to the furthest points in the town, such that no matter where a character is, they can always get in touch with the apartment network.

Provided the ghosts aren't interfering with the signal, of course.

If the computer and/or Jigokuberry is broken, what happens?

If the item is broken through clumsiness or deliberate destruction by another living resident, the item in question will remain broken. It may be possible to replace it by looting one from another apartment or from the town, but doing so won't yield anything super-highly technological or shiny and new, and still won't enable characters to access the internet outside of the apartments' network.

If the item was damaged by spiritual activity however, it will be fixed when the character's back is turned. For the Jigokuberry, it will be found as good as new in a drawer, on a desk, or wherever the character typically keeps it. For the computer, it will be mysteriously fixed when the character isn't in the room, even if that absence lasts only a few seconds.

What do the apartments look like? Do they all look the same?

All apartments were previously lived-in, so the furniture and décor may not suit your character's tastes. Characters are welcome to attempt to personalize or redecorate them with items from other apartments, from the mall, or from the hardware store. Just note that they may not stay redecorated. It is entirely possible for someone to wake up one morning and find that all their hard work has been erased overnight, such that the apartment has returned to the state it was in when they first arrived.

Each apartment has two bedrooms meaning that two people could comfortably share an apartment while still retaining some semblance of privacy when they desire it. Apartment layouts are like this and generally do not deviate. For a listing of taken, blocked, or special apartments, please see this post.

How do my characters get an apartment?

Upon your acceptance, the mods will assign an apartment to your character. You may be roomed with another character as it will be a randomized selection. Of course, you are welcome to have your character move out and in with someone else if you arrange it with the other mun! No one is forcing you to keep the apartment your character first woke up in; only that they live in the apartment building.

What about plots? Is everything mod-run, or can I create my own?

There will be mod-run events and plotlines, but players are both welcomed and encouraged to create their own as well. The only thing we ask is that the mod team should be informed of plots involving more than three or four people. This isn't meant to control or squash player creativity in any way, but is meant more so we can work with you, if necessary, so that there's not too much happening and things all running into each other at once.

How does time work in-game? What if I miss something due to time zone restrictions?

There is no day ratio in this game. Posting is sequential – something posted after another entry will always occur after it unless explicitly stated otherwise (a backdated log, or something happening at the same time, etc). However, we do not follow any day ratio. Events will be scripted in real-time OOCly, but that doesn't have a bearing on the IC timeline. Backtagging is encouraged in Jigoku – don't feel hassled to finish a thread!

Will there be activity checks?

Nope, no activity checks! jigoku_apts is meant to be a relaxed and slow environment, we don't want to pressure anyone to tag or post here. However, if you have been absent from the game for three sequential months and haven't posted a hiatus somewhere, there's a likelihood you'll be cleaned off the lists. You can post hiatuses in the hiatus and drop post or make a post in the OOC comm and tag it !hiatus.

The computers and Blackberries are all connected via a wireless intranet (the server of which is currently physically inaccessible to characters, nor can it be hacked through the network). As such, the characters can use their computers or Blackberries to post to the network in a fashion similar to you or I posting to Dreamwidth. The network supports text, voice and video posts and replies.

Like Dreamwidth, posts can also be encrypted to or away from a certain character or group of characters; this is done by noting said encryption in the header or body of the post or comment. Do note, however, that no encryption is ever one hundred percent unhackable, and a character whose skill set includes the ability to hack computers may be able to gain access to the post.

We do ask that both encryption and hacking be kept in line with the characters' skills. A character who is using a computer for the first time isn't going to be able to make a post that's at a high security level, and a character who's computer skills include only minor hacking isn't going to be able to hack into a locked post made by a computer genius. Above all, please obtain permission from the mun in question if you wish to have your character hack a post, and respect the answer if it happens to be 'no'.

So, characters can see other conversations/threads in someone's post, as long as they aren't locked or otherwise specified as being closed?

That is correct! As long as a thread isn't marked as private to or from a character or group of characters, anyone can see and/or comment on it. Thread-hopping is allowed in the game, but we ask that if a particular mun doesn't enjoy it to not pursue the activity.

When text messaging with the Jigokuberry, is it assumed that they go to everyone? Or is it like a cellphone, where they are sent directly from one phone to another?

Text messages or posts, like any other type of post, are assumed to go to the entire network unless otherwise specified in the post itself (i.e., if the post is locked or otherwise noted as being sent to one specific person).

Are video messages limited to the webcams attached to the apartment computers?

Video messages can be made from the computer's webcam (which can be moved the length of its cable, which is approximately 6 feet / 1.8 meters). They can also be made via the tiny camera on the Jigokuberry.

What about language issues? Will my character have to learn another language?

All written signs and information will be presented in Japanese unless given by the moderators. For example, any information that comes up over the computers will be in an alphabet and language your character will understand, but building names, food packets, books and newspapers will all be in Japanese. If your character cannot read Japanese, then they won't be able to read them.

The ghosts will naturally speak (when they do speak, that is) in Japanese, but your characters will find themselves being able to understand them anyway. The same goes for television or radio broadcasts.

The game itself is played in English, because it is the language common to the entirety of the playerbase. Please recognize, however, that it is not everyone's native language, and be respectful of language barriers.

We allow characters from all fictional sources (animanga, books, movies, video games, etc.) as well as well-thought-out original characters from their own universe and fandomverse (OCs). We're sorry, but we do not allow any portrayals of real people.

My character is just an average human. Will s/he see the ghosts?

Absolutely! If your character doesn't see the ghosts, they is either blind or in some serious denial. Your character doesn't need some special kind of perception or sixth sense to be able to see the ghosts.

Do note, however, that the ghosts at times may not want to be seen by everyone. It's entirely possible for a ghost to appear to one character and not another, especially if the ghost in question is fond of either mundane or malicious tricks.

Will my character have his/her weapon or power? Will it work against the ghosts?

If your character possessed a certain item in canon, then they was likely brought here with said item (for example, Link with the Master Sword or Vincent Valentine with the Cerberus). It may hurt the ghosts a little more than a non-magical weapon – at least until the ghosts realize they can feed off of its energy.

Weapons will work against fellow residents of the apartments, and it's certainly a fact that not everyone is the friendly, neighbourly sort. We just ask that any violence done against another person's character be done only with their express permission.

Characters will maintain their powers, though if they're OP they may be significantly down powered. If they're still pretty strong, keep in mind that a character who uses strong magic or skills all the time will become a veritable ghost magnet.

Characters with a canon ability or knowledge that can repel ghosts will still possess it, but keep in mind that too many repulsions will make the ghosts angry. Additionally, any attempts at permanent destruction or exorcism will fail at this time.

What happens if my character dies?

If a character dies, they will remain dead for approximately twenty-four hours. This will extend to forty-eight hours after the second death, seventy-two after the third, etc. After this waiting period, the character will be resurrected, however they may be temporarily possessed by one of the ghosts of the apartments. More often than not, this ghost will be malicious and might very well attempt to do harm to others, particularly close friends or loved ones, while in possession of the body. Possession lasts approximately twenty-four hours, after which point the spirit's hold on the body weakens enough for the person's life energy to push it out.

As far as the details of said possession, a lot of it is being left up to each mun; consider it a chance to explore something entirely different in personality than the way a character would normally act. The only stipulation is that even though the possessing ghost is now in control of a physical body, it would still not want to cross the red tape.

Death is not the only way for a character to become possessed! If you desire to play around with a possession plot without having a character die first, that is perfectly acceptable. As always, we ask that plots involving more than three or four people be run by the mod team, just so we're aware of what's going on.

Do note, however, that character death shouldn't be used as a cheap gimmick or something to do 'because you were bored'. At this point the mod team isn't putting a cap on the number of deaths, but if we notice the same character dying every other week without good reason, we may enact a cap on the number of deaths a given character can have, and increase the possession period for those characters.

What if I want to drop?

It happens to everyone, and for various reasons. While we will be very sad to see you go, we're people too and we understand how it is.

While you're not required to make a drop post, we do ask that you comment to the hiatus and drop post, just to help us keep our records straight. Additionally, if you don't mind, your character will become a ghost, added to the collection of the apartments' haunts. Please say so on the drop form if you're okay with that happening!

Is there a specific age limit for characters?

There are no formal age limits and the application will be judged just like any other. We do suggest that if you plan on playing a a very young character that you might want to find another character in-game who would look out for him or her either before applying. Chances are good that someone with a protective instinct would be willing to take the character in question under their wing.

If you check out the profile page of

jigoku_mods,

jigoku_apts,

jigoku_ooc or

jigoku_logs, you'll find links to the game's various resource posts. In addition, here's a quick list:

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FAQ