APRIL 2022 EVENT

[jigokumods]

MAIN NAVIGATION

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.

Comments

festive fun

[strikingchords]

[there's a pause, and the foot -- in a suspiciously spotless white leather boot, even after tramping through the street dust -- is withdrawn. there's another pause, and then an equally neatly kept hand is reaching down to wrap around his wrist and haul him bodily the rest of the way up out of the sewer entrance. the stranger doesn't lift him exactly without effort, but definitely with less than should be the case for a Lost Soul stripped down to purely human or near-human abilities. maybe this dude works out.

either way, Xinqiu finds himself nearly dangling for a moment, face to face with a frowning man in robes, before the grip eases and he's teetering on the edge of the manhole on his own power once more.]

...

[the stranger frowns harder. absolute pro at starting conversations, this guy.]

[rainswords]

[ The instant that the pristine white boot is no longer weighing down on his hand a sigh of relief escapes him, Xingqiu's next plan of action is to get himself completely above ground. He doesn't get the chance to do this himself, a hand tightens around his wrist and soon he finds himself aloft held by the very man who had previously been stepping on him. Confusion is blinked away as he stares into eyes not so dissimilar in color to his own. What. Unfortunately, the height difference means he is just going to hang there a moment as they're face to face. No point in kicking his legs about. It's tempting though.

Strangely, he isn't surprised to find that there was almost relative ease in lifting him. Although Xingqiu would definitely rather believe it is due to the man before him taking part in training, rather than the other possibility involving his own weight. He is young, he is definitely still growing, he has some years to go. At least, he is assured by the fact he is taller than his friend even if it is by just a few centimeters.

Just before he gets a chance to wave a greeting with his free hand, he is set back down where he precariously balances on tiptoes at the very edge of the manhole. ]

Good evening... [ A laugh follows, short and sheepish, completely off balance in the presence of the silent and handsome stranger. Yes, it's something to note. A second taken to compose himself, he would speak once again. Well someone has to anyway. ]

Allow me to express my sincerest gratitude for your assistance. [ While his smile is met with a frown, his expression doesn't waver. ] However, first, if you wouldn't mind. I would be content in putting some distance between myself and this opening.

[strikingchords]

[this request is considered, then met with a nod. Lan Wangji steps back and away from the sewer entrance, turning his shoulder as he goes to give Xingqiu an easy exit path; he'll reach for the manhole cover itself as Xingqiu moves away, carefully setting it into place before either of them can reenact a cartoon skit and disappear into it once more. he's centuries too early and miles away in personality from being able to properly appreciate a good Looney Tunes reference.

he doesn't respond to any of Xingqiu's attempts at pleasantries, just straightening up to watch him with interest once the street has been returned to normal. for all that his face stays mostly impassive, there's an open air of assessment in his gaze.

what was this junior doing down there? he might ask, but he's pretty sure he already knows. it's context -- and whatever was found -- that he's interested in.]

Are you all right?

[this question is the most important, however.]

[rainswords]

[ The elapse in time (though short) as the request is considered, leaves him momentarily wondering if perhaps he should simply circumvent the figure before him. Fortunately, he is soon given ample room to step away from the edge of the manhole, in fact, the stranger goes one step further and covers it. That was something he planned to do himself, no need for anyone to suffer any unfortunate accidents. Sadly, he might have appreciated animated comedy involving a mischievous rabbit but he is a whole world away, not just centuries.

A question comes, and every word he previously spoke is ignored for a more blunt and direct conversation. Of course, polite and idle chatter wasn't favored by all but he has been raised to show his best and polished manners. ]

I'm well thank you, no need for concern. Again, let me express my gratitude.

[ Of course, if there is no direct inquiry in regards to what he may have been doing previously that led to his appearance from out of a manhole then Xingqiu won't speak of his excursion, or at least attempted exploration, once again into the sewers and the kappa's work during the time most were attending the festival.

Actually, that causes him to tilt his head slightly as he regards the figure clad in white. What was this man doing all the way over here, silence around them makes it clear merry-making is far from where they stand. ]

If you don't mind, and if you would pardon my prying, sir, then let me ask. Do you not intend to attend the festival?

[strikingchords]

Mm. No need.

[Lan Wangji acknowledges the thanks this time at least, with a slight but graceful incline of his head. he means that "no need;" he'd have done the same for anyone who seemed like they could use it, even if he didn't come dangerously close to stepping on them. as for small talk... well, Xingqiu might be waiting a long time for him to get better at it.

right now, for example, Xingqiu's question has given him an easy way to straightforwardly and bluntly address the elephant on the street with them.]

Was previously in attendance.

Had traveled here to judge whether the path remained blocked.

[it looks like Xingqiu was able to make that particular determination first.]

[rainswords]

[ Of course there is a need to express gratitude from his part, it's only natural to do so and acknowledge the assistance he was handed when he least expected it. All the same, he also comprehends that there are people who are reserved when it comes to receiving words of thanks, doing good without looking for even the simplest form of compensation but his gratitude would remain, it is genuine after all. If ever this individual needed assistance then he would have to repay him in kind.

Having a better look at Lan Wangji, he can't quite form a full opinion of him, all he knows he was assisted by him. Xingqiu won't make bounds and assume there is a virtuous nature, as pure and pristine as the man's clothes. But... just by appearance alone, anyone could mistake this man as a heroic figure, surely. ]

I see.

[ His tale is much the same, he had attended briefly, but he wasn't about to linger to watch figure works alone when there was a point he had done so surrounded by friends. But that is far away from the present. Besides, he had other things to look into. ]

The paths. He taps his foot. [ Indicating what lay beneath the cement of the road. ] It's actually much more difficult to traverse through there than before.

[strikingchords]

How far had you traveled, before?

[Lan Wangji turns, as if to walk back towards more populated areas... but the path he takes is meandering, giving them a bit more time away from the celebration to talk. he's hardly a stealthy individual, but he can buy them a bit more time to compare notes with a minimum of fuss.

he's reassured by the easy switch to shop talk -- he knows they're fellow members of the Sutoku Alliance, and apparently most of the Lost Souls who are part of that faction are on the same page about making sure they're all as informed as possible. even if interfering with the Kappa's activities isn't quite the direction that the Daitengu had previously given.]

As well. What manner of difficulty?

[rainswords]

[ Give him a moment. It was difficult to truly judge distance when there were many winding paths, and diverging routes, and the darkness along with solitude made it difficult to truly gauge how far he really traveled. What he does know is that he spent quite a bit of time there, especially taking into account accumulated hours from each trip.

As for directives, it could hardly be expected that they would keep in line when they knew very little of what was happening. Sutoku Alliance member or not, it's likely not only people from their own faction that managed to travel through the sewers.

As Lan Wangji walks, Xingqiu is quick to follow and keep pace. If it wasn't for the festival it was likely their whole interaction would have drawn attention, as is, this street is devoid of people aside from themselves. ]

It was quite a distance, I think the longest time I was down there was about three hours or so. More or less. As for how far I got, I can't give you an accurate distance. I traveled far, oh, but I did leave some markings during each trip. If that helps...

Well, maybe not now.

What made it difficult is that there were obstacles in the way that weren't present before, the tunnels are now gated off. Really, if they wanted to keep people out they could have used this method from the start.