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

I can walk--

(Someone snaps at Hizen to shut up and that he's going to bleed himself out. They also call for Emily when they see her. It's someone from the Shuten clan dragging Hizen along. He has his hand on his side. The red of his sweatshirt is wet and dark where his hand is.

They aren't exactly gentle either as they drop Hizen off in front of her and tell her to check him out. They're quick to explain he was shot and kept fighting for who knows how long.

Anyway, there's Hizen, sitting on the ground and already trying to get himself back up on his feet. He winces. The adrenaline is starting to wear off and the pain is beginning to settle in but he refuses to stay down. )

I'll be fine.

(Will be.)

[instead of making him get up, she kneels down on the pavement, already flipping open her kit and grabbing for items inside. he's been hurt, and she needs to move as quickly as possible so his stubbornness won't override the fact that he needs help right now.]

You'll be in even better shape if there's no bullet lodged in you to impede your healing. Can you raise your clothing so I can see the injury, or should I do it?

(He sure is stubborn and the only thing stopping him from getting up completely is the fact that he feels... dizzy? Light-headed?)

This wouldn't be a problem if I was normal.

(His usual self. This is stupid. If he was at his full strength, it would take more than this to take him down. But he feels like he needs to make this clear to her. He's not weak. He's not usually this weak.

Reluctantly, he lets go of his sword, setting it down close beside him begins to roll up his sweatshirt and then the black t-shirt underneath. Given the colors and material, it's hard to see exactly how bad it is but he can feel how wet his clothes are. Underneath it all, there's a hole in his side. A lucky shot in the sense that it looks like it probably missed anything important but he's still bleeding quite a bit. There's no exit wound either. )

Hurry up.

I can either hurry and stabilize you to get you to more extensive care, or I can take more time and leave you in somewhat passable condition. Which is it to be?

[her voice is firm, but kind. this is a decision he has to make - she can't just leave him one way or the other.]

...

(He's not the best at thinking but he isn't foolish. He wants both and he isn't sure which one is best for him. He reaches for his sword, his hand wrapping around the scabbard and holds it tight. He wants to fight. He still wants to fight! He can't sit down. Being like this is humiliating and infuriating and he hates it but he doesn't... know...)

Just...

(The longer he waits, the more aware he becomes of the pain in his side. That something is in him. That he feels both warm from the fresh blood and cold from the loss,)

Do what's best.

Okay. I know it's hard right now, but trust me - I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you can get home.

[that spoken, she looks in her kit for a local anesthetic - it's not the full numbing he might need, but it'll take the edge off when she needs to stitch him up. that found, things to clean the area are next, to ensure there's no gunpowder and to reduce the amount of blood in the way. forceps next, to remove the bullet.

deep breath, since it's not the easiest to grab, but with steady hands, she grasps the bullet, and carefully extracts it from his side. fortune favors him, since it's not hit anything major they need to worry over.]

I'm not going anywhere.

(He's not going home. He's staying.

Everything feels slow to him. It's so painfully slow that he can feel his temper rise and the blood rush in his ears. For a moment, he practically shakes with anger until she puts her hands on him. His entire body goes tense and he grits his teeth as she works on removing the bullet. He refuses to show any weakness right now. He's shown enough as is and he hates it.

he hates it he hates it he hates it he hates it and yet, as soon as it's out he demands,)

Give it to me.

[he's in pain, and she's used to people snapping at her during treatment since they were distressed. but what he's asking for, she doesn't understand, already putting the bullet to the side.]

Hold on. You'll get your stitches as soon as I clean this out. I don't want you getting an infection.

(Eyes following what she does with the bullet instead. If he hadn't already decided to behave for her, he'd just take it... but he still needs her help so he sits still for now.

Stitches?)

Fucking hell...

(He hates this more and more. Infections? Things he's never really had to worry about.)

Human bodies are a pain.

They are, but at least you have one.

[she can take him not being human in stride - there were no humans that weren't lost souls, she was finding, more and more a rarity. which, she supposes, helps in terms of blending in, seeming normal.

he can fuss all he wants, but she does need to inject him with a local anesthetic so that the area will numb a bit before she can start with the stitches. those won't take too long once she begins, knowing exactly how careful she has to be with her needle and thread, tight knots to ensure nothing will fall apart.]

I didn't ask for it.

(He stays still and lets her do her work. Just when the pain is beginning to grow beyond uncomfortable, he can feel it melt away. He's aware that he's hurt, he can feel the ache in his side, but it all feels... dull and vague. What a strange feeling, he thinks. He can even feel her working at her stitches but... not.

He tenses, holding his breath for most of the time, only letting out slow breaths to ease his discomfort. Stitches. He thinks about them. They'll keep him together... but he'll have to be careful, won't he? He can't open them or else...

... He'll lose more blood.

Ah, he's lightheaded, he realizes. Reason is settling where there'd only been desperation, stubbornness, and spite. At his side, his hands clench into fists,)

How bad is it.

(It's barely a question.)

You're going to be fine, so long as you don't overexert yourself for a while. That means no getting in brawls until these are out of your skin. If they tear, I"ll have to retie them, and your healing will take longer.

[she says it soothingly, though, trying to reassure him that he'll survive this moment.]

But if you can keep a cool head, then you shouldn't have to have them long at all.

(Emily... the Shuten and Tamamo are gonna have some news for you later.)

Damnit.

(He grits his teeth and just. Punches at the ground. Yeah, with his bare knuckles.)

The hell am I supposed to do right now, then?

(When people are still running around, fighting, getting hurt, getting away--)

[she dares to reach out and lay a hand over his wrist. keep this up, and she'll have no compunctions about making the next injection a sedative.]

You focus on preserving your life. No one wishes to see you dead in the streets because you couldn't control yourself. Wait until things calm a little, and then look to what needs doing that doesn't involve your sword.

(Thanks, Emily. When everything is over and he's let himself cool off and really think, he'll have to apologize to Emily later for being difficult but right now, in the moment, he's still getting his head back.

His shoulders drop and he hangs his head down. It's clear that the defeat is setting in. Despite his wishes, he's out for the rest of this fight. He can't help but let out a broken sort of laugh.

Somethign that doesn't involve his sword?)

Haaah... 'S all I got. (He is his sword. Not that she knows.) The only thing I'm good at.

(He's useless now and he'll be useless later.)

Certainly, that's not true.

[she says it with a calm, firm conviction, and decides something instantly.]

I will be in need of a capable man to accomplish things that require no weaponry whatsoever, but nevertheless would greatly benefit from another pair of hands to the task.

[it's an offer, but one worded so as to not affect his pride, which she can sense is fragile as spider's silk.]

You don't know anything.

(Despite her kindness, he doesn't know how to accept it. He just snaps back, though, there's no real bite to it anymore.

He's quiet and it's really difficult to tell if he's listening and reflecting on her words or not. (He heard her. He's just in no condition to really think right now.) After awhile, he speaks again,)

I want it. The bullet.

You can have it when I'm done. I promise you that.

[it's not moving, and he can still see where it is, sitting next to her. in the meantime, she goes back to finishing the stitches. when those are handled, she can cut the threads, and clean the area for bandages. infections will only make this worse.]

...

(Eyes look up just slightly to look at her, to see if she really means it. He doesn't believe in promises, especially from strangers. But he's going to hold her to that promise all the same and if she's really going to keep it then... he can behave and stay still.

The stitching is clearly going to be uncomfortable but it's hardly the worst pain he's experienced.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

APRIL 2022 EVENT

cloudage

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cw: needles, stitches

Re: cw: needles, stitches

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