Cultures & Society
Learn how etiquette, relationships, and reputation shape every encounter across the Academy and the Village.
⛩️ I. Japanese Culture & Daily Life
I. Japanese Culture & Daily Life
Daily life on Mugen Kuppuku Island mirrors that of modern Japan — formal yet fluid, polite yet brimming with quiet intensity. Students, villagers, and visitors alike are expected to observe the traditional customs that define harmony and respect across the island’s social circles.
I-a. Name Usage
In most situations, characters address others by their last name + honorific. Using someone’s first name implies a close relationship — family, a lover, or a trusted friend. When a character stops calling you by your last name and switches to your first, it signals a major shift in the relationship between you.
Nicknames are common in entertainment, street culture, or online spaces. If your character has offered a nickname, others may use it without worry. If not, assuming one can come across as rude or presumptuous.
Using someone’s first name with no honorific at all is considered very forward and often impolite, unless the characters are clearly close. Foreigners may be forgiven once or twice, but repeated missteps can become a source of in-character tension.
I-b. Honorifics
Japanese society is structured around hierarchy and relationships, and that is reflected in the use of honorifics. These are suffixes attached to a name to indicate respect, familiarity, or status.
> Using the wrong honorific can change an entire scene’s tone — from charming to insulting. When unsure, use -san until your character has reason to choose something else.
I-c. Bowing
Bowing is a daily performance of respect in Japanese culture. The deeper and longer the bow, the greater the respect being shown.
Common patterns:
-
A short, shallow bow for casual greetings between peers.
-
A deeper bow for elders, teachers, and superiors.
-
A very deep, held bow when apologizing or expressing strong gratitude.
At Mugen Kuppuku Academy, students bow to teachers as they enter and leave the classroom. Forgetting to bow may give the impression of rudeness or arrogance.
I-d. Bathing
Bathing is not just about cleanliness — it is a ritual of purification.
-
The toilet and bathing areas are separate unless it is a Western-style bathroom.
-
The bathing room usually contains a shower space and a soaking tub.
-
Everyone must wash thoroughly first, then soak in the tub after they are clean.
The bathwater is reused, so entering while dirty is a serious breach of etiquette in both homes and public baths/onsens.
Characters who ignore this may be considered unsanitary, uncultured, or disrespectful of tradition.
I-e. Tattoos
Tattoos (irezumi) are still heavily associated with the Yakuza in Japan. While younger generations are slowly adopting small, discreet tattoos, large or obvious pieces are controversial.
People with visible tattoos may:
-
Be denied access to public baths or pools.
-
Receive suspicious or fearful looks.
-
Struggle to obtain certain jobs or respectable positions.
On Mugen Kuppuku Island, reactions vary by district — the Village’s red-light areas and Yakuza-adjacent spaces may be more accepting, while shrines and traditional establishments may react harshly.
⛩️ II. Bullying & Discrimination
II. Bullying & Discrimination
Conflict is a powerful storytelling tool in Mugen Kuppuku — but it must be handled with care. Bully characters, antagonists, and oppressive systems exist to create drama and growth, not to make players uncomfortable out of character.
This guide exists to help players create effective bullies and intense scenes without derailing the game or crossing OOC boundaries.
II-a. Player (Mun) Expectations
The only requirement for choosing a bully character is simple:
you must not be an ass out of character.
If you play a character who causes harm, fear, or chaos in-character, you must:
-
Be willing to communicate with the other players involved.
-
Be open to adjusting scenes if someone is uncomfortable.
-
Understand that Mugen is not a place for personal vendettas or harassment.
If multiple players report that your bully character feels like an excuse for OOC cruelty, or you develop a reputation as hostile out of character, staff may ask you to retire that character from the game.
II-b. Preventing Over-Bullying
Bullying is fun in small, sharp doses — not as a constant flood.
To avoid over-bullying:
-
Check in with your scene partners OOC to see if they need breathing room.
-
In group events (classes, parties, festivals), keep disruptions light and save major scenes for after the event or in side areas.
-
Respect Game Masters when they ask you to dial it back during an event they’re running.
Some pacing tips:
-
Use subtle actions in large scenes: dirty looks, notes passed, whispered comments.
-
Save full-on fights, public meltdowns, or serious confrontations for after class or away from the crowd.
-
After a big incident, let your bully character lie low for a while to reset tension.
II-c. Handling OOC Conflict
If someone messages you OOC accusing you of god-moding, metagaming, or being unfair:
-
Stay calm. Don’t respond aggressively, even if you feel attacked.
-
Move the conversation to private messages, not public chat.
-
Try to understand what they are actually saying — often, it’s “I don’t want my character bullied like this.”
To prevent god-moding:
-
Ask what they’re comfortable with:
“Are you okay with my character shoving yours / roughing them up / humiliating them in front of the class?”
-
Phrase your actions with room for response:
-
❌ “Bob smashed Dave’s head into his knee.”
-
✅ “Bob grabbed for Dave’s head, trying to smash it into his knee.”
-
Words like tried, attempted, and moved to signal that the other player can accept or deflect.
If needed, you can always contact the appropriate admin or Conflict Resolution staff with a full, unedited log of the scene for review.
II-d. The Bullying Teacher
Teachers sit in a dangerous sweet spot: they have authority, and with it, plenty of opportunity to abuse that power.
Bullying teachers may:
-
Publicly shame or belittle a student.
-
Threaten grades, recommendations, or club positions.
-
Assign unfair punishments or single out a target.
To keep this fun rather than miserable:
-
Do not bully in every single class. Vary your behavior.
-
Sometimes be politely distant, sometimes a nightmare, sometimes almost kind.
-
Use private office scenes or after-class “See me” moments for your more intense bullying, instead of constant public outbursts.
Remember: teachers answer to headmasters, school boards, and sometimes even the Yakuza or local power brokers. If your character faces consequences, that can become its own delicious storyline — reprimands, cover-ups, bribes, blackmail, or shady alliances.
II-e. The Bullying Student
Student bullies can:
-
Start fights.
-
Extort money or favors.
-
Spread rumors.
-
Freeze people out socially.
Mugen Kuppuku uses a sanctions system (see the Academy Guidebook) to reflect realistic consequences without instantly expelling every troublemaker.
Bullies may receive detentions, suspensions, warnings, or special conditions instead of immediate removal, especially if their behavior fuels ongoing storylines. When in doubt about how to escape a punishment or escalate a plot, contact a Game Master for advice.
II-f. The Bullying Villager
Villagers can be every bit as dangerous as students or teachers — sometimes more.
Villager bullies may:
-
Harass students off-campus.
-
Threaten business owners or residents.
-
Use local influence or gang connections to make life difficult.
But they also risk:
-
Arrest or investigation.
-
Attention from the Supernatural Task Force.
-
Being sanctioned or removed from the island in-character.
If your villager is headed toward serious consequences, they might:
-
Cut deals with corrupt officials or local law enforcement.
-
Seek protection or employment with the Yakuza.
-
Appeal to the elders of the village or powerful Academy figures.
Again, Game Masters are there to help you find clever ways to twist the knife without ending your character prematurely — unless you want a tragic exit.
II-g. Extreme or Mature Content
Some storylines may explore dark or mature themes — including violence, trauma, coercion, or other heavy material.
To keep Mugen safe and enjoyable:
-
These scenes must never be sprung on someone without their clear OOC consent.
-
All participants should discuss boundaries in advance (fade-to-black, limits, aftermath).
-
A Game Master or Administrator should be informed if a storyline involves particularly intense content.
Players who ignore boundaries, push unwanted scenes, or use “it’s just my character” to justify making others uncomfortable may be sanctioned and asked to retire or remove that character from play.
We write together. If the story stops being fun for the players, the story needs to change.
⛩️ III. Modern Society & Social Reform
The world of Mugen Kuppuku did not begin in acceptance. Supernaturals fought hard for the right to live openly, to work, to study, and to call Japan home.
In the decades following the drafting of Japan’s post-war constitution, non-human citizens began to integrate into society. Hybrids, anthromorphs, fae, vampires, demons, and other beings were met with a mixture of awe, fear, fetishization, and hostility.
Civil rights movements in the 1960s and 70s pushed for:
-
Legal recognition of supernaturals as citizens when born on Japanese soil.
-
Access to education, healthcare, and employment.
-
Restrictions on abuses like forced contracts or unregulated experimentation.
Progress has been uneven. Older generations often cling to suspicion and prejudice; younger generations are more likely to embrace supernaturals as neighbors, classmates, idols, and colleagues.
In the present day:
-
Supernaturals serve openly in the Supernatural Task Force, enforcing laws on their own kind.
-
Non-humans can be found in hospitals, schools, government, entertainment, and industry.
-
Mugen Kuppuku Island is known as a mecca for non-humans — a place where they can study and live in relative peace, away from some of the harsher prejudices of the mainland.
This doesn’t mean bigotry has vanished — but it does mean your character has space to dream beyond mere survival.
⛩️ IV. Etiquette & Conduct on the Island
Mugen Kuppuku is a place of fragile balance — between mortal and myth, law and desire, tradition and rebellion. Characters are free to push against that balance, but they are expected to understand the rules they break.
Some general in-character expectations:
-
Respect for Rank:
Students respect teachers and upperclassmen; villagers respect shrine keepers and elders; nearly everyone treats the Supernatural Task Force with wary caution. -
Public vs. Private Face:
In public spaces (classrooms, shrines, busy streets), people maintain polite masks.
Real confrontations, confessions, or breakdowns often happen in quieter corners — rooftops, alleys, after hours in classrooms, or along the shoreline. -
Shoes, Space, and Silence:
Remove shoes where appropriate.
Avoid loud, disruptive behavior in shrines, libraries, and spiritual spaces unless the scene calls for it.
Silence or minimal speech is often its own form of respect. -
Supernatural Restraint:
Using powers publicly — especially aggressively — can draw attention from staff, villagers, or the Task Force.
Most non-humans learn to keep their abilities subtle in daily life. -
Romance & Reputation:
While Mugen is a yaoi-focused setting, characters still move within Japanese cultural norms: discretion in public, gossip in private, and the tension between appearance and hidden desire.
You’re free to throw chaos at the system — that’s half the fun.
Just remember: every bow, every honorific, every tiny breach of etiquette tells a story about who your character is, and how they fit into the living tapestry of Mugen Kuppuku Island.