HC: Champion Island (origin)

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Champion Island was one of the oldest lands of the Doodle world. Originally, some certain places bore the birth of living beings such of mortals and yokais, with the latter possessing more powers yet could easily be outnumbered by the former. As communities of each kind developed separately, mortals grew the fear over supernaturals, eventually referring yokais as "demons" and hung prizes for whoever could bring back a demon head. Yokais, on the other hand, felt superior to mortals and started to torture then as a way to claim dominance. Normally, it was mortals who perished yokais thanks to their wits and number, resulting in most full-mortal lands. However, there were also cases where the yokais' rage burned down everything and made yokai territories. That's why mortals had become oblivious of supernatural/magical powers, some were even afraid of them: Lucky was perhaps the first mortal to ever attempting to bring back the awareness of the existence of powers, as well as break the boundaries straining mortals from reaching further strength. That's also why yokais were disdainful of powerless beings while some others were fearful of their desperate capabilities: the Tengus were the first pack of yokais to make a move to becoming friendlier to mortals by using their powers for chasing ill-spirits, aka berserk yokais and their energy which could harm mortals.

On Champion Island, however, it was different. Somehow, mortals and yokais learned to coexist. The land was isolated from others, surrounded by sea, so the ideal world they had in mind was unchanging. It was a peaceful, harmonious, and hospitable place. Inhabitants were various creatures living in a ruler-less community. Yes, no authority, no rules, just do what's right for each other. It was just normal to see mixed families on any part of the island. There was a little but of every kind: rabbits, dogs, deers, humans, cats, ushis, kappas, kijimunas, etc.

If anything, it was like true paradise. The power that yokais bore was shared to the island and its powerless inhabitants, lifting it above normal existence so it stood between realms, including the kamis'. They named it "Origin Island", for it was the only place to remain like its initial. Fukuro was the kami sent to live here as the bringer of good fortune for the islanders. He created the land the variety it had at present days, and taught the creatures there some culture.

There was a long, long beach with smooth golden sand that kept getting carried away and back by the cyan blue waves. The same could happen to anyone who let themselves dip into that tropical beauty, their soul would be so carried away like in a romantic movie scene. There was a thick groove forest farther on shore full of not-so-tall but lively trees. The East Islet, North to the beach, which later renamed Oni Island, was volcanic. There wasn't a volcano, but a geographic rift had leaked lava onto the surface, flowing in streams and pools. The land there turned black and hard as stone, but it got the benefit of being truly warm and comfy for a destressing vacation. The reddish crows there was a type of yokai called "karasu", sun goddess Amaterasu's trusted earnest messengers. Further north was a hill covered with a thick bamboo forest. Every breeze that flew by made a melody. Every bird that built its nest there gladly joined the orchestra. Every flow of water down the creek spun the waterwheel rhythmically 'tap', 'tap', 'tap'. The bamboo villagers had a custom moon-gazing. At the northernmost dock was a mountain range tipped in snow but had a series of hot springs on the side. The higher you climbed the more dangerous cliffs and slopes you faced, and there was a chain of caves too, the kind of cave that made you feel as if getting lost in a maze. This was also where Fukuro, in his owl form (which happened to be a snow owl) resided. A few minutes walk west to the beach were the rocky dunes. Layers of flat rocks were carved into a fin-like structure by the force of the sea. The land went slowly up until the rocks became soil. For that natural advantage, the land was the main producer of the island's living, hence the main force was the bull yokai, "ushi". North to the place was a quite separate smaller island attached to the land only by a long wooden bridge. You could imagine it as a giant earth donut, seeing how seawater surrounded it and a lake right in the middle. This was where the kappas (yet another kind of yokai) dominated - naughty, fun-loving amphibian boys that might freak you out at first sight but later reduced to just...annoying. And then there's a boathouse village at the northwest. The water there was also shallow, much like at the beach, but the shore was muddy and hard instead of having soft sand.

So, there you go, the nameless paradise lost in the ocean!

Decades later, the god and goddesses of the wind, the sun, and rice descended to join him: Fujin, Amaterasu, and Inari. After another century, the gods of strength and trees came as well: Hachiman and Kugunochi.

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