APRIL 2022 EVENT

[jigokumods]

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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

[worldbent]

[The lies of humans was a different thing from the ignorance of knowing what was below the surface of the living world, now wasn't it? Matoba sees this answer for what it is, and lets out a soft breath in the wake of the man's explanation- maybe in sympathy, maybe in pity.]

[Ayakashi created enough problems for mankind. Men didn't need to create more for themselves. The pettiness of human infighting was truly a foolishness he couldn't stand.]

In general, I dislike this situation, [Matoba admits, looking out on the crowd. He will be frank, since the man has given the same] That is, ones such as yourself and your presence here. The Sightless need not be involved in these ayakashi squabbles. Leaving you to your "explanations" would have been just fine.

....But what is done is done, and now you know the truth of the world you could not see. [It wasn't "Sight", but rather like pulling back the veil entirely. It was strange, Matoba felt when he first arrived- to be able to see them and interact with them, minus the second nature of feeling them that was spiritual perception.] Don't worry- there is still some logic to this world, too. The trouble of it is that ayakashi follow a logic of their own, and it tends to be quite incompatible with us humans.

[dehallow]

[ It is hard to take offense to Matoba's assessment that he should not be here - van Zieks rather agrees after all. As much as this world seems designed to torture him personally, he has now spent long enough in it to understand that no such karmic punishment is truly taking place. Jigoku-Cho is just a place. The place worst suited for van Zieks. And yet, here he is, working himself into exhaustion every day for the sake of this town. ]

I never once doubted that this realm likewise operates on rules. Many things that would have been trickery in my world are daily life here, but I will not believe for a second that these 'magical' events are not bound by their own laws of possibility.

[ And he'd love to just leave that weird logic be, judging it from afar, but... ]

Unfortunately for everyone involved, I have been placed in a situation where I need to be able to understand even the inexplicable so I can enforce order onto it.

[worldbent]

[Hmm.]

[Matoba looks at the man for a moment, as if in consideration- consideration of his character, of an idea. He doesn't seem the type for whom an 'exchange of mutual benefit' seems like something that is going to fly, but maybe he can make the offer cleanly, and work around it after the fact as something useful.]

[Any connections were useful than no connections.]

As it happens, amongst my other services, I often act as a consultant in matters of spirits and the unseen world. As my profession in life, I mean, [He tilts his head with a small, business-like smile.] I realize that there are likely many options in acquiring information about this realm all around us, but I believe a human viewpoint can be uniquely useful, given our ...disadvantage.

[The fact that they were few and far between, that is. Matoba had scarcely seen but a few Lost Souls that were even human; to say nothing of the lack of human souls in this realm. There was a camaraderie, in that.]

Should you have any need in the future, I would be happy to make myself available. Re-establishing my business here is something I have been considering, regardless.

[dehallow]

[ Van Zieks considers this quietly for a moment. At least externally, there is nothing awkward about the way he just goes entirely silent. His frown and his sharp eyes do a lot to make him seem like somebody who just commands that time for himself. ]

There is no guarantee that your expertise from your own world applies here in its entirety - but I assume you have considered as much and are working on bridging any gaps.

[ The idea of parallel worlds is still a doozy. So many Lost Souls are from Earth but there is nothing between them that can be treated as a given, as common knowledge that truly unites them all. ]

Nevertheless, your services sound useful for our kind. Do you expect to be paid in money or through... other means?

[ Not something he sounds enthused about, but then again does he ever sound enthused? ]

[worldbent]

Indeed, there seem to be quite a few unexpected differences in how ayakashi here are organized, from what I am used to. That is to say, they are far more organized than our clan's history has ever noted. It's rather interesting, actually, [Matoba rubs his chin,] professionally.

But adjusting my expectations is something I must always do, when working with the unpredictable and unknowable beings that are ayakashi. It is a profession in which you are always coming across something new.

[Interesting. So the man caught on right away, and didn't seem to be balking at the idea. Matoba, his face never betraying any expectation, tilts his head thoughtfully with a cheerful little chuckle.]

Ahaha, well, generally speaking I always work for money, [Naturally. Not untoward or anything.] ....But, I'm aware we Lost Souls are working with limited resources. Expecting my normal prices would be foolish.

So if there is anything which you could offer in place of money, of course I would consider it. I am a reasonable businessman.

[dehallow]

[ Van Zieks nods, satisfied with the elaboration. Whatever else might be going on with the man in front of him right now, he does appear to be committed to making sure his information is the best it can possibly be. His ethics meanwhile... that remains to be seen. The ever-present frown van Zieks wears deepens. As I thought... ]

If it is inside information from the Department that you are after, banish the thought right this instant.

[ To his dismay, van Zieks knows that his refusal of corruption is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. There is no shortage of Enma officials who could easily be bought - and after all, why not? The Lost Soul do not owe particular loyalty to their new leader.

But van Zieks does not allow himself to stray one step from the straight and narrow path he set before himself. He will not falter, he cannot. ]

[worldbent]

I wouldn't dream of something so bold.

[Matoba chuckles, a knowing smile like it is some private joke between them. Obviously, that's what anyone would want from an Enma worker, right? Which is why it's also so obvious that he'd never get it.]

[But this man seems like the sort who is saying that not because some external force is watching and expecting it of him, but because the very idea of it insults him to his core. A sort of personal code which would not allow it.]

[Not up front. Not under normal circumstances. 'There is more than one way to skin a cat'. ...At least Matoba can respect that he acts under his own convictions.]

Until there is something that I can do for you, it isn't fair to expect an answer from you, right? So I'm sure by then one of us will think of something. Or maybe you'll get a pay raise, who knows?

Ah, how rude, I haven't introduced myself. Matoba Seiji, head of the Matoba clan of exorcists. [He hardly appears old enough to be the 'head' of anything, but he gives a professional little incline of his head.] Please, call me Matoba.

[dehallow]

[ Van Zieks does not seem at all taken aback by the mention of that title - he has become the head of his own family when he had barely graduated college. He understands that tragedy sometimes strikes and makes stepping up necessary even when your age has not prepared you for it in the slightest. ]

Barok van Zieks, prosecutor for the British Crown. A pleasure.

[ In truth 'pleasure' is debatable. Matoba's attitude is hard to place and harder to trust - but he may prove quite useful to know. ]

I do not expect the Enma to be generous with pay any time soon, but I do make sure to have some savings set aside for important matters. We shall see if the time comes for it to exchange hands between us.

[worldbent]

[And sometimes your family prepared you for the tragedy your entire life.]

It seems that the Enma's employ is a perfect fit for you, then, [Matoba says cheerfully, and in a way that doesn't seem especially sarcastic, but not clearly enough to tell.] But that is the life of the public servant, isn't it? Thankless and difficult. Luckily, what is accomplished is payment in and of itself.

Or so I've been led to believe, by your comrades. [He smiles privately.] Please feel free to contact me via message or phone, should need of my services arrive. My name on that 'network' is... well. My name.

[dehallow]

[ That, of all things, actually gets an amused huff out of van Zieks. ]

A sensible decision. My contact information is designed the same way.

[ Victorian man has learned about internet handles and decided he Does Not Care For Them. ]

Though I hope you will have little to no reason to contact law enforcement in the near future.

[ Nor does he believe that Matoba would have much of a desire to do so, even when trouble is afoot. Most people in the other factions seem as unexcited about police presence as one would expect any member of the underworld to be. ]

[worldbent]

I understand and respect others' need for.... discretion. But I am simply unaccustomed to it. Where I come from, hiding my identity is a bit of a moot point. [Because his clan has a nasty-ass reputation preceding them; karma, what're you gonna do, right??]

[Matoba also gives a dry chuckle, to that end.] As do I.

[Not to say that he didn't have an equal number of police and political connections back home as underworld ones. One of the nice things about filling a niche need in society was that everyone had need of your services, a little bit, at some point. Navigating that in life had made it easy for him to do so here.]

Well then, I do hope you'll stay well until we next meet. [Matoba pauses as he chews on something, and then smiles politely as he adds,] Don't be too dazzled by the fireworks.