jigokulogs | APRIL 2022 EVENT

APRIL 2022 EVENT

1. HANAMI

The week of the Night Parade is marked by the traditional symbols of Spring in Japan. Somehow, several city blocks have been turned into cherry blossom groves as a show of goodwill by the Sutoku Alliance. These cherry trees don't feel normal. They are more like spectral manifestations. Rumor has it they grew so quickly because they're planted on top of a graveyard. That's just a rumor, though. Don't pay it any mind! Don't listen to any whispers you might hear if you walk through the rows of trees alone and certainly don't dig under them for proof of their provenance.

Accompanying the hanami are copious amounts of food and drink. Such as dango, specialized bento, sake, and festive drinks. They are all available to purchase from stalls near the spectral grove. The refreshments may have a little something special added to them:
Ingredients that promote peace (calming any angry or upset feelings)
Ingredients that promote romance (gives soft, warm feelings towards the first person you see).
These effects are mild and only last as long as you're in the boundary of the grove. Eat, drink, and be merry with your fellow lost souls.

2. KANAMARA MATSURI (NSFW IMAGERY)

In addition to the simple joys of flower viewing and the cherry blossoms blooming, new festivals pop everywhere. They are inspired by various regional festivals from all over Japan. Some of these are benign and feature your normal festival fair. Others are a little more unusual, such as the Kanamara matsuri-inspired treats. You can thank the Tamamo Clan for this. Don't mind the giant phallus being carried down the street or the wooden phalluses you can ride on or the interesting mascots walking down the sidewalk, or the suggestive vegetable carvings.

Surprisingly, none of these foods are spiked, at least not more than the experimental recipes had been during the parade preparations. The spirit of the thing is more just the amusement of genital-based foods rather than anything meant to entice a sexy sort of good time. That will come as the parade rounds out onto the bath district...

3. HADAKA MATSURI

cw: nonsexual nudity

If that cheeky festival isn't your kind of fun, maybe the hadaka matsuri is more your speed. The Department of the Enma are probably the most stressed out faction in the entire city, so the Enma has allowed them to put on a festival to blow off some steam! It's a bit different from the traditional celebration: it's not contained to just men and it's not contained to a shrine.

This event is a mobile mob of nearly naked people and youkai running after a cart with a masked person throwing out small sticks. They represent good luck for the people who manage to nab them. There are far fewer sticks than there are people present and everyone will do a lot to get one of the coveted prizes. Try not to get in their way!

Or you can get caught up in it all and try to snag one yourself to see what your fortune holds. (No, the Enma isn't participating. Too dirty, for his tastes.)

4. FESTIVE FUN

A. SUMO
Some other festivities you might come across are miniature sumo tournaments put on by the Shuten Clan. Raised dirt circles with chalk rings on the outer perimeter pop up seemingly everywhere. Two people are allowed in the ring at one time and there are strict rules to be followed. If you disobey the rules, you may find yourself suddenly ejected from the ring with magical or physical means, and at the mercy of a Shuten enforcer.

Play by the rules to beat your opponent and victors will find themselves rewarded with a strong bottle of booze. The winners of each bout are handed out a commendation by Toraguma himself, which comes in the form of a commemorative sake gourd. This is probably the kind of prize you'd expect from an Oni at a festival like this.

B. FOOD RUNNERS WANTED
If you're in the mood to pad your pockets, maybe you want to help the Tamamo Clan out by running food delivery. This opportunity is available to anyone regardless of affiliation. Runners will be fitted with a contraption to carry the food orders on their person and may proceed either on foot or on a small motorbike. Be careful and make sure not to drop anything! Any ruined or undelivered orders will come directly out of your pay.

It's harder than it looks not to drop the food with all the excitement going on and your delivery recipient may be similarly hard to locate.

C. HOT BATHS (NSFW + cw: optional aphro)
The Tamamo Clan has set up a sanctioned orgy in one of their larger brothels. Rooms are available for whatever your heart desires, including one with exposed windows if you like being watched or if you want to watch in kind. Baths and pools are available for all your indulgent fantasies. Everything you could need is at your disposal: toys, restraints, costumes, lubricants, condoms, aphrodisiacs in many forms. It's a proper bacchanal celebration!

All that matters is your consent and enthusiasm.

5. NIGHT PARADE

One of the primary highlights of the Night Parade are the fantastical floats depicting scenes of legendary events. Keen-eyed observers may note that the humans are portrayed as the bad guys in most of them. While a few of these are mounted on motorized vehicles, most of them are carried by people. That means you'll probably be called on to help carry one along the parade route. It's a fun job, if exhausting.

If you're not the type to wear yourself out carrying a float, ride on one instead! There's plenty of things to toss out into the crowd along the street; candies and trinkets. Dress up in a fitting costume and walk around the float. Have fun scaring bystanders or just have fun hamming it up and celebrate the peaceful night.

5. FIREWORKS

The parade's central stop is the festival square in the heart of the city, just under the shadow of the Kaigo no Bou Tower. There is a stage set up here where the four faction leaders and their personal entourages have assembled. All of them are giving pretty typical speeches. The Enma has declined to give one, having no patience for unnecessary oration. Tenkohime gives praise to the unifying factors of love in the city, while Toraguma rallies the crowd like a sports hero; encouraging them to get stronger and do better in the coming year.

The Daitengu is the last to speak and they also seem to have the largest entourage. The entourage is quite conspicuous: White Wolf Tengu, each standing well-taller than the Daitengu themselves. They are carrying massive broadswords strapped to their backs and hunting about the area for anything suspicious with keen eyes that seem to see right through the crowd and the heat of night.

The Daitengu's speech is also pretty typical, although much more humble than their fellows. Mostly, they just wants to hurry up and get to the fireworks. Just as they finish speaking, the sky lights up.
There are a few peaceful moments beneath this spectacle as the crowd enjoys the display of unity and phantasmal wonder that this unique and strange world has created.

But the explosions aren't just in the sky. One particularly loud boom seems to rattle the very earth beneath the crowd. That is the only warning anyone gets before...

6. A NIGHT PARADE TO REMEMBER

Every manhole cover on the street bursts open, injuring anyone that was standing nearby. Far worse is the deluge of steam that rushes out from the underground. Pillars of hot, blinding steam spill into the air, quickly filling the streets. The luminescence of the festival lamps and city lights are diffused and blurred into singular blobs of color, obscuring all vision and making it impossible to see what's going on. The panicked cries of the crowd also make it impossible to hear. Everything happens so suddenly, so violently, that ascertaining what's going on takes time.

Too much time.

In the chaos, gunshots are heard. They seem to come from several directions. Fighting is breaking out. It's difficult to tell from where and who is in the brawl. Previously unseen figures in full-body black coverings appear from nowhere, rushing the stage. They zoom past any Lost Souls nearby, ignoring their presence. They are focused on a singular goal. The barking of the White Wolf Tengu further indicates the goal of the attack.

Struggle in the steam, help others get to safety, get caught up in fighting the other factions, try to protect the Faction leaders, or try to keep up with the black-suited youkai rushing the stage; do as much as you can.

When the steam finally begins to clear, however, there will at least be one thing that is certain: the Daitengu has been killed.

Welcome to the April event!

If you have any questions about event content, please ask them here!
We also have OOC top levels for Shuten Sumo Results, Tamamo Partner Cards, and Hadaka Luck Draws!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[nehan takes the offered drink, glad that it's tea rather than a fizzy drink. he might have refused it otherwise and raided the basket instead. he sets the basket down on the nearest table, but doesn't sit because his back and backside are sore.

he sighs as he twists the cap and wipes his mouth with his yukata sleeve.]

A drink is enough. Hunger isn't an issue right now, just making sure I'm ready for the next one.

Do you still have painkillers?

[It's hard not to notice that Nehan isn't sitting, even moreso once he asks after painkillers.]

Mm, I've got acetaminophen on me, or can run for a pharmacist if you'd rather go with herbal medicines. [Hedging his bets, since in his experience most ayakashi prefer traditional over Western-style when it comes to just about anything; then again, considering that he was able to buy acetaminophen here, there must be a market for it. He hesitates for another moment before he adds] ...Was everything alright, or...? You can have breathing room between this and the next one if you need it.

I'll take it. [and holds his hand out for it. it's not ibuprofen but the ache in his back isn't so bad that it needs full relief, he thinks. or he's just underestimating it.]

I take on the rougher clients, so it's standard procedure for them and not unusual to need a pill or two afterwards. Was this not noted in the roster?

[nehan being given the bigger, badder clients, that is, not his need for a painkiller.]

Edited 2022-04-04 08:01 (UTC)

[Natori hands over the little bottle automatically, his face fixing into a carefree smile as he does so.]

Well, so long as it's just that. I was worried you were developing a headache from the festivities.

[No he wasn't; it was just as circumspect a way he could think of to say "did you get hurt, but like, in a way you didn't expect to be, or is everything good?" Funny that he doesn't blink an eye at everything going on around him, but also shies away from putting any of it into words. He's always been awfully indirect: genuine emotions are difficult, so he has to go at everything sideways.]

That said, we have plenty of coverage if you want to go enjoy the festival. Not to imply you wouldn't be missed, but the fans would understand.

[nehan shakes his head.]

Work is work, and that means money. You do know the clan head offered a reward for anyone who fills their bingo card, yes? [and he wants that. he absolutely wants that. depending on what he gets-- which he hopes is money-- he could get out of his small apartment with its too-thin walls and too-noisy neighbors.]

I'd rather fulfill it than not.

Not to mention, I'm one of the few currently on roster who can handle the rougher ones.

Edited 2022-04-05 09:24 (UTC)

You're taking the work very seriously, huh. [He had said something like that the last time they spoke, too-- about wanting to get paid for the welcome party. It's really the money that he's taking seriously, more than anything else. He can't help but wonder what the urgency is, but he's never been the sort of person to ask outright when he could snoop instead.]

...How are your numbers so far? [and then because he's noticed a theme in their conversation, he adds] Before you ask, no, I'm not keeping track. I have enough to pay attention to.

Two so far. [nehan sighs deeply, before sitting down on an armchair, tucking the yukata around him and crossing his legs. he doesn't feel as sore as before, or perhaps it's been long enough that his brain can ignore the pain now.]

One of them took... a while. [meaning, was insatiable. took a lot of nehan's time and energy.] That one may have taken an aphrodisiac for longevity.

Does the bath house have one of those?

[well, he has an idea of the answer, but still, best to ask.]

...Ah. And it's out of eight, right? [No wonder he was so focused on staying on shift-- it'd just be perfect if he managed to get to seven and then ran out of time, right? All of that effort without the extra reward.]

...I know where I can get some. Can you give me... mm, fifteen minutes to be safe? I'll try to get multiple doses.

No, no-- I don't need it. I just want to know if we had some on stock, if the client got that from here, or if it was... [illegally brought in? usually anything goes, but some of the employees who have been here longer then to turn their nose up at drugs from outside, when the tamamo clan is more than generous with what they supply their brothels with.] Something just riding in a pocket.

[then he sighs, cricking his neck before sucking down more tea from his bottle.]

Ah, I see. That I'm not sure about. Or how many different types there are out there in the first place, come to think of it.

[It makes sense as a concern, not just for the time it takes to deal with the customers who take it but also to keep the boundaries in place. After a moment of thought]

I don't know how much leeway it'll get you, but we could argue that customers going off on the one-on-ones need to be sober. That could prevent the same situation from happening again. [aka one customer taking up a disproportionate amount of time.]

I wont say no to the ones who opt to have something from the event itself-- those are known to us. [nehan starts taking stock of himself, pulling his sleeves up to inspect his arms, and then his robe to check his legs, completely unbothered by the fact that he has no underwear, and that there's someone else in the room. why bother? he's currently a sex worker in his own place of employment, however temporary it is.

he does need to be in good shape for the next customer they send his way, too. he did clean himself up before coming, at least.]

If all else fails, we can have a guard frisk incoming customers. Cite safety reasons and whatnot, when everyone is naked or vulnerable.

Honestly, that sounds like the sort of policy we should have at all times, not just during the festival. Though I suppose in normal times no one would want to risk Tenkohime's wrath by attacking her clan members at their workplace?

[Natori is also completely unbothered-- not only are they in a brothel discussing the logistics of sex work, but Nehan isn't even human. It'd be bizarre to feel any sort of self-consciousness about seeing (what he assumes is) just one more ayakashi in any state of undress. Then again, that's also the reason he's back of house staff here; it'll be a cold day in Hell (in Jigoku-chou?) before he unwinds enough to allow that level of emotional intimacy around an ayakashi, no matter how much pay they're offering. Exorcist problems.]

Unfortunately for us, it's the night parade. [He says that like it's self-explanatory; again, exorcist-talking-to-assumed-ayakashi problems.] I'll see who we can get that's a little more imposing.

[nehan still doesn't know what the night parade is. but then again, he can make an educated guess at it with all the context he has... and as long as he doesn't make mention of specifics, people wont realize that his ruse as a youkai is exactly that-- a ruse.]

A youkai is a youkai, even outside of the parade. Someone might just get bold or decide it's better to ask forgiveness than permission.

When it comes to sex, some people just get stupid.

Haha, well. [Nehan said it, not Natori! He inclines his head in agreement, as if nothing more needs to be said on the nature of youkai.] We've got at least one clan member going around beating ayakashi with dildos when they don't play by the rules, so maybe they'll learn about asking permission after tonight.

[You go, Monts, you queen.]

But I'll see what we can do about searching customers. I don't suppose you know enough about the drugs here to be able to recognize some contraband if we confiscate it? [Since Natori has not given anyone any opportunities to have him try some since he and Nehan last spoke, he doesn't actually know much about what they're dealing with.]

[the erune tilts his head, one ear twitching as he considers the question, before shrugging.]

I do have some experience in the things the clan creates, yes. Not the names or the conventional packaging, but I may be able to know them if I see them or smell them.

Though that's no help when I'm with a client. Perhaps the best that can be done right now is frisk the incoming customers and leave the ones already here alone. [and keep an eye out for trouble on the floor, he thinks.]

Really? [It's more than he was expecting, so it doesn't even matter that it's not a practical solution to their current problem. Maybe that comment Nehan made the first night about testing out the drugs was more than just ayakashi being ayakashi.] No, I guess it's not a solution, but... maybe something to keep in mind for next time. At the very least, I'm curious to know how many different substances are out there...

Well. If it interests you, I'll set aside anything we confiscate for after the night parade.

[nehan gives a nod. he'll accept that.]

I'll take care of the note to Tenkohime myself. [then he cricks his neck and sighs.]

Has anyone requested me yet?

Really eager to get that card filled out, aren't you? [It seems awfully quick of a turnaround time to Natori, but... well, he's not here to lecture people about their life choices, especially not ayakashi who clearly know what they're getting into. Who is he to question it?] If you're ready, I'll let them know you're available.

I like money. [for emphasis, since he's already said this before, nehan raises a hand and rubs his thumb over his index and middle fingers in a circle, the universal sign for cash. well, what he assumes to be the universal sign, anyway.]

And if the boss is giving money for fucking, I will do it.

Haha, well. I suppose you've made that clear. [No shade... Again, the substantial difference between Natori's form of easy money and Nehan's comes down to the level of physical intimacy and nothing more.] Alright. I'll have the next one in shortly.

[Go fuck your best life, Nehan.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

APRIL 2022 EVENT

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