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 rolls his eyes.]

I'm not in the business of taking bets unless I have a prize waiting for me at the end. Try again, or cease your lecture.

[ rather grudgingly: ] I do not have a prize.

[ he sighs and closes his eyes briefly before opening them. dimitri is a straightforward, rather square individual who is very much used to people obeying him, as he is - was - a prince. finding someone who resists his natural urge to scold and lecture is difficult for him, though that's been a constant here since he arrived - he is nice, but then he forgets who he is.

in any case nehan's stubbornness is exasperating to him. ] This is most disappointing.

[ he says this like it will change his mind!! ] I won't push any further than I have today, but know that I will remind you to pursue healthier habits all the time.

[nehan celebrates this "win" by inhaling deeply from his cigarette and exhaling slowly, breathing out a large cloud of smoke like a fire dragon.]

And you should keep in mind that I will always ignore your nagging, because it's not your place to push me in a direction I do not want.

It is fine. I will accept the stalemate.

[ nothing more to do than to move on, as he's lost this battle. dimitri takes out a bento he'd bought from one of the stalls. ]

Will you have some?

[ the bento is rather spicy. dimitri doesn't seem to care much about it, taking a bite of the meat. he's awkward with chopsticks, so for now, he's still using a spoon as he eats. ]

You don't know how to use chopsticks, do you? [it's that obvious, especially when the bento has a pair of chopsticks still taped to it, but dimitri is using a spoon. you don't eat meat with spoons!

then again, that frees up the chopsticks from himself. nehan breaks the sticks apart and swipes them to remove splinters before picking the meat as quickly as a bird steals a treat from someone's hand.]

[ dimitri smiles ruefully. ]

I'm not very good with it, it's rather embarrassing. I need to practice some more before I feel confident enough to eat with it in public.

[ he isn't picky about the food, at least. dimitri likes to try everything in the bento, including more of the ginger and the wasabi. mostly because it looks appetizing, and not because of the flavours at all. food is just food, though he feels good sharing it with someone. ]

They sell children's training sticks in certain stores. [a simple response, before he grabs some rice as well. unlike dimitri, nehan is experienced, this culture is not so different from his own.

though he does snuff out his half-used cigarette before he goes any further.]

Though they may be a little too small for your hands. As an adult, people are expected to know how to use them easily, or settle with forks.

I have such a pair. [ dimitri looks thoughtful as he describes it. ] It's blue, with a lion design on it.

[ he does look approvingly at the way he snuffs his cigarette. he won't mention it, for their sakes. instead, dimitri takes out his thermos from his bag. ]

Would you like some tea as well? I only have chamomile, but I'm willing to share.

You may keep it. I'll be having sake soon. [one vice out for now, only to give way to another vice coming soon.]

Or another blend of tea in the meantime.

[though nehan does help himself to a tamagoyaki. he samples every piece before he stops, because he doesn't want to put the human out of a meal.]

Alright.

[ good for him, because he enjoys his chamomile tea: it is fragrant and cloying in the way strong tea that's been brewed well is. dimitri takes his tea seriously.

dimitri tries out the takoyaki. ]

Do you cook, Nehan? I've been trying out simple recipes that remind me of home, and have been so far marginally successful with my attempts.

I've been living on my own and fending for myself for a long time, even longer than I've been here. Cooking is one of those life skills you need in order to survive on your own, unless you want to spend money to eat out every day. [and it's fairly obvious to him that dimitri didn't have to do the same until he arrived here.]

Hopefully you didn't have any major accidents.

No, it was rather easy to learn and experiment. [ a pause, and then he adds, ] Now that I don't have to worry about my strength, doing smaller and more delicate work is much more manageable.

[ he does have experience with cooking before. sort of. they relegated him to chopping duty because he breaks everything else ...

but as prince of faerghus, it's never something he needed to be concerned about on a daily basis, so nehan's right on that. still, it's an experience to be on his own, and dimitri does enjoy the work a lot more especially now that he doesn't have to worry about breaking things in half. ]

You are quite independent, and that is very impressive. [ a pause, and then he adds - ] While that has not been my experience, it has been an interesting time living here. I enjoy it, though I miss my home often.

Edited 2022-04-07 15:40 (UTC)

That's what happens when you're an orphan. [and someone whose owners forget to feed sometimes. it shows in his height, even if he makes up for it in build and attitude. then he shakes his head-- he's not willing to continue that line of conversation.]

Buy a cookbook, there are bookstores everywhere that carry them.

... I see.

[ it sounds like a very tough life he's had. dimitri feels sympathetic, having taken care of the orphans that were taken in by the church a lifetime ago. but he doesn't continue on, so he lets the subject drop as well.

instead, he continues on with the talk of food. dimitri smiles at the suggestion as he's been doing just that, but then it's not much fun if he's only cooking for himself. ]

... will you let me cook for you? Just for fun.

... Very well.

I have no preferences when it comes to food. [except, perhaps, nostalgia. the ones his parents and sister used to make for him when he was a child. but he doubts dimitri would be able to make them as a beginner in the kitchen, and he's already found a few small holes in the wall that actually cater to that.]

No allergies either, but hopefully you wont poison me just because you're new to cooking.

I'm not that terrible at it!

[ smh!!!

but this gives him a chance to practice ... use someone as a guinea pig ... all is well. ]

I will do my best to make you a bento box.

[ there's elaborate styles with some of them, though he doesn't think he's going to be that good yet. and nehan says he's not picky with food ...! what a delightful opportunity. ]

Edited 2022-04-09 03:56 (UTC)

Are you advanced enough for that? [the unspoken question: do you even know how?]

Perhaps I should make one, as an example.

An exchange, then?

[ because that seems fair, even though dimitri wouldn't mind making something for him just because. ]

I feel I am getting the better deal, at the end of it ... but if it's not to your tastes, I will treat you out to a restaurant of your choice, as my penance.

You had better be careful with your words, because I see that as an invitation to choose a very expensive place-- such as Peking duck, or a premium sushi restaurant with centuries of history.

[of course, he's not actually serious about this. he just wants to scare the pants off of dimitri in some way.]

I don't know what a Peking duck is. [ dimitri says, rather thoughtful as he considers the ramifications of his offer. ]

It might be worth saving up for a delightful culinary date. I certainly don't mind treating a friend. [ unfortunately, that's who he is. and dimitri, being who he is, wouldn't mind going the extra mile for someone he's considered as such, even if it costs a lot. ]

[nehan's brow furrows.]

Friend? [what kind of word... no, what kind of brain is in dimitri's head for him to be saying such a thing?

surely it's because nehan looks unassuming, he doesn't look like someone who has gotten into trouble. it's as if... if he didn't have the glamour that hid most of the scars on his bare back, dimitri wouldn't be saying that, or something to that extent.]

You see me as a friend?

[ well, dimitri mirrors the face he makes, frowning at nehan greatly. he's a bit cautious when he speaks again - ]

Are we not?

Forgive me if I've been too forward. I simply think ... you would not bother with myself if we weren't. You're certainly not timid in telling me off. I enjoy your company, despite everything else.

[ dimitri pauses, and then he adds, ] I do not want a lot of things from people, but if it's not something you feel is proper, I have no problems rescinding it for the sake of peace. [ and this one, more to himself - ] Ah, I really should be more careful .... I always forget myself.

[both nehan's ears tilt this way and that as he thinks. but without understanding dimitri's thought process in its entirety, he doesn't quite understand what the man is saying. two meetings don't make a friendship, do they? especially when nehan has been snappy for two of them-- unless that's a friendship in dimitri's eyes?]

You are... very friendly, if you think declaring such things on the third meeting is good enough. [nehan starts to rummage through his sleeves in order to find his cigarettes and lighter.]

I don't think I mind.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

APRIL 2022 EVENT

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject