FAQ

Unless the plot point is relevant to your character’s history, no. The mod team hopes that accepted members will have fun connecting the dots themselves over the course of IRK’s timeline.

Discrimination is mainly limited to a character’s socioeconomic status, political alignment and wealth, as well as their clan’s (if their lineage is documented) involvement during the 300-year war. For the creative liberty and comfort of the mod team and all applicants, there is no segregation between classes based on race, sexual orientation or gender.

Only an arbitrary, fictitious form of Japanese that largely uses Kun’yomi, though the mods do their best to follow rendaku and compound rules. Any dialects are determined by the prefecture, and applicants are free to depict these dialects as they see fit. All characters must have Japanese or Japanese-sounding names. RP is done in English, and any Japanese terms used in which there are no direct English terms are listed in the glossary.

Places, names and terms in Ashihara are all decided by a figure in verse. Just like in real life, the way these words are pronounced and written depends on the person who created them. We decided to name things this way for immersion, even if it won’t make much sense linguistically.

Ashihara is located in a fictional, folkloric world named Utsushiyo. Ashihara is known as the domain of earth and is surrounded by a vast ocean, named the domain of water, O-una-bara.

The most commonly accepted term is domain or realm. The inhabitants of Ashihara are largely unaware of the concept of a globe, country, or continent since to their knowledge there are none. They only know of established regions and empires in a political context.

Utsushiyo has three moons, which makes a ridiculously large ocean more challenging and unsafe to navigate! What little ships return from ventures outside of known landmasses are scraps of wrecks that wash up on the shores.

It is comparable to the period between the 1870s and the 1920s. Most machinery has been around for at least ~60-100 years and sees rapid advancements by the year. Ashihara has an expansive railway system and fledgling radio-computers, as well as preliminary landline phones.

The standard animals you can expect in Japan, with an exception of the ones that are actually ayakashi. There are no hybrid animals or pokemon-like creatures.

No, all the plants are regular real-world plants. The most fantasy a plant can get is if it's actually an ayakashi.

Ayakashi is a term for ‘unpure’ spirits that regularly occur in nature. Yokai is a term for spirits that exist because of, or for, a specific purpose. Both terms are used to explain phenomena that do not ‘naturally’ occur in the world by the standards of the Go-dai or Kami.

‘Unification’ efforts during and after the 300-year war have made it so that the overall culture and traditions of Ashihara are rather streamlined. As of the present day, there are only four ‘distinct’ ethnicities in mainland Ashihara (See world lore for more about these ethnicities and their culture!).

We would prefer if applicants stick to the provided lore as a guideline to create their characters. We may accept supplementary world lore and ethnicities from members at a later time, though!

No, the IRK is an arm of the government and is at liberty to report your character to the authorities. Culture in Ashihara makes it difficult for a supposed heir to 'disappear'.

Clothing paints a sharp image of class separation and ideological polarisation amongst commoners. The working class of Ashihara prefers slender-framed, simplistic and cheap buttoned blouses, slacks and coats. Browns, reds, greens and whites are the most predominant dyes as they are affordable. Those of wealthy standing can be seen wearing dyes and fabric that are significantly more expensive; thick overcoats dyed in rich colours like purple and blue. Some may sport additions like pelts, scarves and hats, or enjoy sleeves modified with lace or frills.

The traditional hitoe with a trailing tail, long straightened hair and blackened teeth is a rare find outside of the traditionalist corners of the aristocracy. Most kimono worn by commoners are of poor quality and manufactured in bulk for cheap, as traditional hand-made kimono have become expensive.

These ‘modern’ kimono can be distinguished by dyes depicting simple linework, floral designs and grass patterns on a bright monochrome palette. This is in stark contrast to the more grandiose style of the traditional kimono which features deep palace-style dyes, and ornate designs, depicting birds and other animals, celestial bodies, trees and waterfalls; a style which references the clan’s individuality and history.

Spotting a priest or onmyoji on the streets is quite easy, as they are the only ones who still wear full ceremonial garments, such as kariginu, hakama and hakui, as their everyday attire.

There are indeed certain pleasure districts, though they are illegal and difficult to find. The IRK advises Renritsuin against visiting unless absolutely necessary, as this may negatively impact their reputation. All consequences are IC only, all the mods ask from members is that no explicit NSFW is roleplayed.

Public bathhouses, sentō, are a normal part of the day for the common folk. Sentō are local establishments meant to serve practical hygiene needs as regular homes do not usually come with baths unless the house was built for a very wealthy family.

Onsen are natural hot springs that are built near the mountainous areas of Ashihara, known for natural warm water and minerals that are good for the body. They are not typically visited by the common citizen unless it’s for vacationing purposes, wealthy families may frequent them, or even own one.