aburaya, the bathhouse, is known to all in the spirit realm of japan. it’s grandiose design and elaborate structure are just a few reasons why it is beloved by the spirits. gods as old as time and spirits anew all find sanctuary in this place where they may rest and be attended to by the most elite customer care.
for centuries, the witch yubaba has been proprietor, running the bathouse with an iron first. yet, for all the power, magic, and wealth she has accumulated, she has been unable to quench her thirst for more riches. eager to sate her obsession with gold, she continues on to expand her business.
in partnership with an overseas warlock, a new bathhouse has been established on jeju island. here, the new building hosts similar warmth and glamour as the original. set to replicate the same success of the original, a similar system has been implemented within the bathhouse. contract systems have been set for all employees, of course still on a name stealing basis. hierarchy is well maintained -- head warlock and guests at the top, followed by higher ups made to be the supervision and eyes where the warlock cannot be. well below are all the entertainers and attendants.
make no mistake that the lavish nature of the bathhouse is all possible by the grueling work of those employed, maintained by a just as cruel and ambitious owner.
now with the bathhouse being well established and attended by the local deities and mythical beings, the story unfolds.
SUGGESTED CHARACTERS.
guests — honored guests are typically deities, spirits, and gods who are well off. every whim of theirs is catered to at the bathhouse. * we highly encourage you look into korean mythical figures to help you think of muses!
higher ups — apprentices of the head warlock, bath tokens manager, bodyguards.
entertainers — the people who give life and spirit to the bathhouse. they gamble, speak, perform, and so on. hierarchically, they are a bit above attendants. however, their living conditions are still roughly equivalent and they are expected to work just as hard.
attendants — these are the employees that attend to customers directly in regards to baths, servicing of food, cleaning, and etc. typically, employees have an area of focus, be it the cleaning team or solely servers. some attendants also have apprentices that they are tasked to train.
hosts — the face of the business. they are the ones that guests first meet when they set foot on their grounds.
others — messengers, chefs, gardeners, boiler room workers, etc.
INSTRUCTIONS.
ooc, this au will be open from jan. 19 - feb. 21. unless extensions are announced, you are free to continue threads but are no longer allowed to start new ones after feb. 21.
tag any posts relating to this universe: “#spiritedaway!au”.
if you will be using a non-default fc, reply to this post with your chosen fc and their occupation (for example: kim junmyeon/suho, exo).
after deciding on your faceclaim, you are free to post your official character blurb (ocb.)
you are free to format your ocb any way you want and to include any information you want, but your ocb must contain the following information:
faceclaim
character name (must be different from faceclaim’s name + one character name if an employee.)
pronouns
being ( for example: oneuli - goddess of time, goblin, nine tailed fox )
FACECLAIM: miyawaki sakura
CHARACTER NAME: kazumi
PRONOUNS: she/her
AGE: twenty
BEING: human
OCCUPATION: host
BACKGROUND
She doesn’t remember quite exactly how she ended up working as a host for Yubaba’s new bathhouse in Jeju Island, but she does remember her new name, Kazumi, and she remembers being lured into a bathhouse for whatever reason it may be near her hometown in Japan.
The spirits and deities have taken a liking to her appearance and was appointed to be one of the faces of the new bathhouse in an island of South Korea, with the approval of Yubaba. Many guests mistaken her for a kitsune or a siren for being seductive and persuasive without having to try so hard. And, she really doesn’t try so hard at her job, to be honest.
Kazumi is a little mischievous and would rather play around than doing her job properly. She’s not exactly fearless, but more curious of all the beings she comes into counter with. For the most part, she gets along well with the rest of the crew despite not being a mythical being due to her kind and bright personality. She typically gets away with her work ethic because she is the face of the abode and all she has to do is exist and pledge her allegiance to the bathhouse and the spirits that dwell upon it.
PERSONALITY
(+) good-natured, bright, loyal, kind
(-) a bit childish, gullible, impulsive
especially when you have high standards such as lin. she has more tails than people she consider to be good friends. somehow jin made the cut. a guest who she’s taken a liking to — for reasons beyond her understanding that she’ll gladly admit. honesty is the best policy after all, unless pranks ( harmless or not ) are involved. in that case, screw the policy.
she plucks a daisy out from the flowerbed beside her, picking the petals off one by one as she goes off about the woes of being an entertainer and how she deserves a raise. not just for working at the bathhouse for over a decade, but for having to deal with freaky guests.
the attendants are truly commendable.
she really has no clue how they deal with stink spirits and all.
“moral of the story,” she plucks the last petal with more force than the previous ones. “the system is corrupt and men, no matter what species but specifically the head asshole, are trash!”
the gumiho throws the mutilated flower onto the ground, before taking in a deep breath and looking at jin. “so, that was my day. how was yours?”
a selfless being granted the pleasure of inhabiting the moon, overseeing the world. you would regard him as blessed, the poor thing, to be placed on the moon and spoken about, years and years to come, adored by children. to have his story retold come chuseok, when the moon is at its fullest, roundest.
but a story is but a story.
what happens after is never told.
no one really cares about what happens after the happy ending. after he is grounded to the moon, a restless spirit, shouldering on loneliness that prickles at every nerve.
no one really cares about the thousands of years spent in solitude.
personality
as far as shining definitive traits go, selfless is the word that rings familiar with the likes of the moon rabbit. although you could argue that it wasn’t selflessness that drove him to sacrifice himself. rather shame. rather a sense of being not good enough. what was it? insecurity. yeah, you could argue that. but he won’t tell.
nevertheless, jin remains a kinder spirit. if not just a smidge awkward. on the moon, he’s seen all, watched all, knows secrets he’s better off keeping to himself. though it has made him an expert at observation, intuitive to a fault — he isn’t the best at conversing. socializing. if only for the fact that his companion for years him, himself, the lady of the moon (who is a crassly bore), and the occasional human that would land on the surface of his home.
{ there were tales of the creature built of cherry blossoms and spring water, carried upon wings of the softest scales, and a heart much too small for its body. those who seen him were granted long life, and those who attempted harm were never heard from again. he existed there for years, and through his power came the rise of new life among the melting of snow. }
{ Kang Sunjin ( Bang Yongguk ) — 1267 — He / They — Korean Dragon of Spring
The dragon was born deep within the wild mountains, surrounded by swaying ferns and babbling brooks. He rose with the same intensity carried by the great phoenix of the skies, breaking free from an oppressive shell with a flurry of unchecked magic. Contrary to outside views, not all dragons are made of muscle and sizable enough to eclipse the sun. No, Sunjin was much smaller, the size of a ferret but with the unmistakable power of spring humming within him.
This was his purpose. There was a name, there was magic, and there were thoughts not yet his own. The little dragon knew only spring and growth. Unbeknownst to the fiery soul, Sunjin was created from fresh dewdrops and scattered flower petals. His purpose was to create, to usher in new life with each passing winter, and guide the souls seeking rebirth among the land he called his own.
This worked, for a while.
But dragons were restless creatures. Sunjin’s creators knew this long before his egg had been so lovingly crafted. They knew the little creature would eventually fall astray, learning how to mimic the humans slowly stealing the land the dragon was made to protect. Sunjin did not lose purpose like they were expecting, however. Rather, the dragon used his newfound skills to better protect. The anger and sadness soaking into the earth went within his scales instead. So much hatred stored within a body as small as his was not healthy, however, and soon the Spring Dragon began to weaken.
Fearing the loss of their tiny warrior, the gods that created him whispered of an island. An island containing a hot spring meant to cure the darkness accumulating within the dragon’s body. With what little strength remained, the Spring Dragon set off for the bathhouse promising good health.
And his struggles paid off. This was the beginning of Sunjin’s regular visits. The bathhouse cleansed the corruption and anger left within his soul from the humans around his forest. From this sprang the dragon’s ability to hold human form longer, to exist in a state not so taxing, while still allowing him to help the land grow.
Sunjin built a tiny cabin near his birthplace. His knowledge as the Spring Dragon unlocked herb names and useful skills like brewing potions and making medicines. Soon, the Spring Dragon became more than an enigmatic soul in the woods; he began selling medicines and potions to the local village. This turned into his source of income, and with an added dash of magic to each, they were guaranteed to work. The anger and pain from the humans sharing his homeland grew dimmer but Sunjin still visits the bathhouse on the regular, even if he doesn’t need cleansing.
HEART & SOUL.
Sunjin is a protective dragon, both of the creatures they grow attached to and the little cabin they built. It is, in a way, their ‘hoard.’ Their home is filled with plants and fungi of all varieties, and Sunjin is far from afraid of dirt and ‘creepy crawlies.’ In fact, one of their best friends is a spider in the corner of their cabin. Spiders do make excellent conversation partners.
They are small, even by dragon standards, and are the size of a large ferret. Their ‘true form’ is about a foot long and the color of bark and gold, dusted with white flecks. Their wings mimic maple leaves, allowing camouflage within their forest; they have two horns with absolutely tiny sunflowers sprouting from them. Sunjin is capable of flight; they do not breathe fire. Instead, their breath contains healing properties and can be used to fix cuts, bruises, and minor fractures. Sunjin is not capable of bringing people back to life, but can resurrect plant life of any kind.
Sunjin’s outward appearance mimics the roughness of tree bark. Even with their human form and learning the capabilities of humans, they don’t chat that much in the beginning. However, that quickly changes once they warm up to someone; Sunjin enjoys meeting new people even if their facial expression suggests otherwise. The desire to heal and protect is strong, human, spirit, or animal, and Sunjin will try everything in their power to provide that help. They are fiercely protective of the ones they call friends and won’t hesitate to rush to their aid should they need it. Sunjin is, in true dragon fashion, incredibly sassy. They can be quite the tease and aren’t afraid to put themselves out there. Payment for their potions doesn’t always have to be money.
> welcome to the spirited away verse, CHERRYCOKE !
> HWANG EUNBI has been chosen as your desired faceclaim !
> loading character stats ...
introducing LIN, a 138 year old GUMIHO. SHE works at the arubaya bathhouse as an ENTERTAINER !
> loading character traits ...
LIN is known for being PLAYFUL, QUICK-WITTED & AMUSING but also has a reputation for being CUNNING, DECEITFUL & SELF-SERVING !
> loading character background ...
gaeul has never been bound by rules, call her a free spirit if you must. constantly up to no good with numerous tricks up her sleeve, teeth ready to sink into the livers of those that fall for her tricks.
if there’s a childhood she could remember, it would go here. but she remembers nothing of that sort. all she’s known are wicked games, beautiful faces, and bared fangs. if she ever came across those like her, it’s a chance meeting. brief and nothing more. call her a lone spirit if you must.
for a hundred and twenty years, the nine-tailed fox roamed both the spirit realm and the mortal realm until trickery became boring, repetitive. one can only enjoy the taste of liver for so long. hearts were an acquired taste she grew tired of as well.
but then, a change of scenery.
a bathhouse.
ever so curious, the spirit entered the establishment and found herself signing a contract to work as an entertainer out of boredom. name stolen, she now goes by lin. worry not, her name might be gone, but her nature, sly and playful, remains the same.
the day is more chilly than she prefers so she finds herself sitting on the railing of the bridge leading to the bathhouse, legs dangling off the edge as she takes in the sunlight. peak hours aren’t for another two hours, so she still has time to kill and mess around. upon hearing footsteps approach, she turns and spots a familiar face heading her way.
her lips quirk up into an amused smile.
it’s people ( or in this case, spirits ) like gae that make her job as a gumiho easier.
easily entertained, trusting, and most importantly, gullible.
a trickster’s ideal target.
now, lin has no intentions on doing anything aside from teasing the firedog spirit. though, she often wondered what the bathhouse’s protocol is regarding her habits — but maybe, necessity to live would be a better term. but that isn’t on the plan today, nor would the lively spirit actually be a target. livers and hearts are off the menu. this is merely harmless banter she indulges in.
so she stands up on the wooden railing, balancing with ease as she walks towards him, steps light and quick. “gae, watch out! you’re gonna step on a soot sprite!”
As much as Kazumi liked the times of daylight, she thinks that she might like the times of moonlight just a teeny bit more. Don’t get her wrong, the hours when the sun is up fills her up with happiness and joy of being able to see the wonderful world around her. But the hours when the moon is up shows her a different kind of beauty of the world that can only be seen under the moonlight. It is also, for the most part, quiet around her aside from the whispers and small talk of the workers that call the bathhouse their homes. Kazumi is a bright host, loves to talk and be with people, but she swears the moon has powers because she feels a lot calmer and more sentimental.
Tonight’s weather is perfect for a walk under the stars, the smell of nature invading her senses as the wind runs through the locks of her hair and softly blows her kimono behind her. She walked without a destination in mind, letting her feet lead her around the perimeters of the bathhouse; not too far, but not too close either. Kazumi kept her gaze above her head, mostly staring at the twinkling lights above her instead of her immediate surroundings. It wasn’t until she spots a figure in the nearby distance where she halts in her tracks.
She sees the male in her sight with his entire body lying on the grass on top of the hill, staring at the sky above him. She recognizes the moonwatcher and immediately skips up the hill, swiftly and quietly to not disturb him. Kazumi is sure that he must have sensed her presence as she neared his spot, although, doesn’t seem to be startled or moving away as soon as she laid down next to him in a comfortable distance.
“Doesn’t the moon look extra beautiful tonight?” The question is but a mere whisper spoken for the wind to take it to its course, not minding whether or not it reaches the male’s ears.
