jigokulogs | 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

If it's a festival, then you shouldn't be left alone.

[Even Lalli, who dislikes parties, knows how festivals work. In general.

But as he looks out over the lines of trees, he gets a distant look on his face.]

This place reminds me of something from home. The parts of the Old World cities that were full of ghosts. I didn't like going there, but it was a part of my job, so...

Reminds me'a somethin' from my home, too. Th' trees look weird here...

[ Nothing is quite right. Enough about that, though. ]

Ghosts, huh? Not like th' troll things I saw that one time, right?

Not exactly. Ghosts are lost souls without a body. Trolls are lost souls that still have a body.

[So similar cause, but different result.]

As long as you ignore the voices you'll be fine. The danger with ghosts is listening to them and having your mind taken over.

They fuck with yer head instead'a jus' tryin' t' kill ya outright? Huh...That's pretty fucked up.

[ Nevermind that Izō is now curious about the little voice he hears at the base of the tree. ]

No, they just kill you too. But people know to avoid the places where they can be found. Trolls and ghosts can't go out into the sunlight, so they whisper to you and get into your head to get you to walk into the dark where they can kill you.

That's why you have to ignore the voices: whatever they're telling you, it's so they can get the chance to kill you. Don't give them that chance.

[Izo actually gets a far kinder description than what he would give most people, since Izo is his friend and he genuinely cares about his wellbeing. Others would get something like 'don't die uselessly' or something along those lines.]

[ Huh. Izō recognizes the significance of what Lalli says for once in his life and takes it serious. ]

I don't think what yer hearin' in anythin' like that, but...don't dig too deep under th' trees. Jus' in case.

[ The youkai are probably harmless, but sometimes it's better safe than sorry. ]

I wasn't going to.

[And still he stays, because he doesn't want Izo to be by himself around these youkai. He also has food too, which will always get Lalli to stick around.]

You're like Onni. You get lost in your head sometimes. So I'm staying here in case you get lost in your head again.

[He might just be making excuses to hang out with Izo too, that's a distinct possibility.]

Uh huh...Ya don't gotta find an excuse t' hang out with me, ya know.

[ Yes, Izō is just gonna call him on it. ]

An' I don't get lost in my head. Nothin' up there to get caught up in.

[Rude! He's so called out, and will call out in turn.]

And you don't have to hide yourself away from me either. I know enough not to ask about the heavy stuff.

[In his mind, acknowledging that it exists isn't the same as asking about it.]

I'm supposed to guide the lost anyway.

I ain't lost! I know right where I am!

[ Yes, he's being fussy for the sake of being fussy. ]

...Wonder if ya'd be able t' talk t' all th' souls in th' river. Might be too much even for someone like ya.

[Fussy fussy man.

But hmm, now there's an idea. Lalli frowns thoughtfully as he considers the possibility.]

...maybe. But I need to get the rest of my magic back first. They're too far away if they're in the river.

Dunno if ya'd get anythin' useful outta them, but who knows? There's a lotta dead souls down there.

[ It's an idle thought. He's curious now, though, what all the souls know and what they might have to say. Probably lamenting their lives that got them to this place. ]

Usually the dead are confused and say things like 'help me' or 'it hurts' or 'I'm scared'.

[Lalli, once again unintentionally revealing how horrible his world is. And he developed his magic at like six too, he's been hearing those voices for a long time.]

But if they're here, it might be different. They might understand more.

[ Oof, that's rough. Izō frowns a little. ]

Jeez, maybe it's better ya don't try an' hear 'em. Thought it might be diff'rent than that for ya.

It's something you get used to.

[A pause, and then:]

But listening to the living is better, yes.

'Cause we're still alive an' most people ain't yellin' about bein' saved.

[ Izō looks down in his cup, then shoves it at Lalli. ]

I know ya don't like booze much, but I think y' can use this more'n me right now.

[ God knows if he could hear the dead, he'd be drinking more than he already does. ]

Getting drunk doesn't make them quieter.

[But he does take the cup, and he will have one drink. That's not enough to get him drunk at least, and Izo is sharing so he won't say no to that.]

Listening to the living makes the dead's voices distant though.

APRIL 2022 EVENT

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