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

Of course I have. And properly cheering for you as well, if you heard it.

[his grin is answered with her smile and an appreciative glance at his form. what, she appreciates strength and seeing it utilized, and particularly when she's fond of the person involved.

her bets have been carefully managed - she never bets more than she'd be comfortable losing, and Izo winning is a very nice contribution to the funds she needs towards her greater plans for herself. it wasn't a path she would have thought about taking, but one night of risk and reward won't destroy her as long as she made sure to stay on the side of profit.]

'Course I heard it! Don't think I woulda done so good without ya cheerin' me on.

[ Don't think he doesn't notice her looking. Does it fluster him a little? Yeah, but it's fine. He's in too good of a mood to let his normal tsun habits come into play. ]

Yer a li'l closer t' everythin' now, ain't ya?

[ Surely Emily isn't the type of gambler he is (the bad kind, the kind who bets everything and thinks about the consequences later). ]

[good, because she'd like to keep looking if it please her.]

Yes! And rest assured, I won't lose my gratitude to you for making it possible.

[because after all, her able to do business doesn't mean she won't still provide personal care to him when he's hurt. that won't change.

it's nice to be able to plan for the future, though. it feels more settled - like the ground under her feet.]

Do you think you can make it all the way to the top?

I'm sure gonna fuckin' try.

[ That'd be something, wouldn't it? Another thing for him to brag insufferably about. It'd do wonders for his overinflated ego. Izō pulls her into a one-armed hug and gives her a kiss on the temple.

Must be in a good mood if he's being this affectionate. Who else here has their very own cheerleader waiting for them? ]

Gonna be easy if yer cheerin' for me, ya know.

[he's being openly affectionate, and it gives her an idea, enough to chuckle. ego or not, it's a good thing to see Izo happy, and she's glad he's enjoying himself without a care in the world except his next opponent.]

I could try and make it a little easier. Here...

[her hand is a gentle nudge, to turn his face to hers, and she kisses him properly. the atmosphere must have gotten to her as well, to do that without thinking much of the circumstances, but...]

For luck.

[lord knows, that never goes amiss.]

[ Never ever.

The kiss makes him blush, of course, and he laughs. It's rare to see him in such a good mood -- there's only a few people who can make him like this. Izō rests his forehead against hers for a moment with a smile still on his face. ]

Alright...I'm gonna go make ya proud an' maybe make ya some more cash, if yer in a bettin' mood.

As long as you're having fun with it.

[of course she'll bet on him again. what kind of cheerleader would she be if she didn't?]

I won't take my eyes off you. It's a promise.

'Course I'm havin' fun! I get t' fight people an' no one's yellin' at me for it, what's not t' like?

[ He pats her shoulder before trotting off back to the ring. His next opponent is an oni that looks like they could tear Izō's head off without even trying, which is not a deterrent for him whatsoever. It's just motivation to throw them out on their ass and show them who's boss.

Not that it isn't a struggle. Izō gets backed up to the very edge of the ring and it's only through sheer force of will and a very forceful shout that he doesn't lose. A series of hard chops and more screaming later results in Izō forcing the oni out of the ring and onto their ass.

Maybe now's a good time to stop. His chest is bright red from that bout and he's just about reached his endurance limit. ]

[it would be a good time, except she doesn't think he's going to, knowing his personality. even though she just won her bet on him, she's doubting putting down another, with that look in his eye. instead, her hands clench into fists, and she can't help but to call out to him:]

Izo!

[look her way, and know she won't call you a coward if you step down for now. be brave, but don't be stupid.

though she assumes he's going to be stupid.]

[ That's normally a safe assumption. For once, though, he decides to not be stupid and steps away from the ring instead. He collects his clothes from one of his fellow Shuten operatives, who claps him on the back hard enough to make him stumble, before going back over to Emily. ]

Well, 'm fuckin' starvin'. Let's go get some grub, huh? My treat.

[ Don't ask him where he's keeping his cash. He still hasn't put his clothes back on. ]

Here I was thinking you might go until you finally met someone big enough to knock you out...

[read: worried he'd bite off more than he could chew. but his concession for now is a welcome relief, and she hope he at least remembers to get dressed before eating. if not...well. she'll take the relief of him not nursing bone fractures for now.]

What are you in the mood to eat?

Somethin' hearty. A lotta meat...How's yakiniku sound, huh?

[ It'd feed them both well and probably not question his state of undress too much... ]

...Are you going to at least put on some pants?

[she can tolerate a lot, but she's not going to go eat somewhere if he doesn't have some decency left.]

[ If it were anyone else, he'd tell them to get bent. It's Emily, though, so he grudgingly stops long enough to put on his kimono and loosely tie it at the waist. He's decent enough. ]

...There, ya happy?

Thank you. That's acceptable.

[good enough. enough that they won't be glanced at too strangely when they go to eat.]

[ Izō would just make a scene with anyone that dared looking at him funny. Emily would probably like that even less than him going in nearly naked. ]

Yeah, yeah... [ A huff and he gets over it. ] Ya been havin' fun with these festivals poppin' up?

More than I thought I would.

[it sounds a little strange to say, so she's quick to clarify.]

I haven't actually gotten to do anything even close to this in...quite some time. Even before that city, so there's something truly refreshing about it all.

[no need to name it. but being a very rare occasion to dress up and have actually no responsibilities? it's practically written across her face that she's in a good mood.]

Have you been enjoying yourself, outside of winning your battles?

[ When's the last time either of them got to feel this relaxed? It won't last, surely, but it's nice to enjoy it for now. Izō looks down shyly with a little smile. His nature is never going to make this kind of conversation easier. ]

'Course. Food an' drink everywhere, I ain't complainin'. A chance t' really jus' let loose don't come 'round often, ya know?

[ He huffs a quiet, sad laugh. ]

Ain't felt this good in a real long time...

Then I'm wholly glad all this happened.

[they'd spent a while soaked in misery, as thick as the clouds that hung over that city. if that's broken, even for a little while - if he can remember happiness, then she hopes for many celebrations, many moments where he can be proud and smile truly, leaving that sorrow behind. and of course, smiles like the one she sees out of the side of her eye, small but treasured for its own sake.]

...After we have food, what else of the parade do you want to see? Unless you're bound to run back to the battle.

[it's not a planned date, but she's glad enough to spend time with him regularly, and so being able to steal him away for a bit in a way that seems made for it, of course she'll take advantage.]

[ What else does he want to see...? Does it matter?

Wait.

This is a date, isn't it? Is this what normal couples do?? ]

Ya seen th' cherry trees yet? If ya haven't...How 'bout we head over there?

I'd like that. I only managed to see them in passing, after all.

[it is a date, or at least she was trying to offer one out. by the time that sinks in, maybe he'll register that she actively wants to spend time with him, and is taking advantage of a perfect opportunity.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

APRIL 2022 EVENT

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