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

[enma, is he? now, is soma telling the truth, or is he simply saying so for curious ears? nehan does want to ask... but later, perhaps later when it's just the two of them.]

As you should-- it's the Night Parade. If you didn't get a day off, I would have not been pleased. [though he cant say his allegiance out loud, otherwise there would be scrutiny on both of them. best to pretend to be a civilian, if but one involved in dirtier work.]

We've both been so busy lately, haven't we?

[he gives soma a rub on the back.]

Would you take it up with my boss? I'd like to see that, actually.

[ Soma can't help but chuckle at the idea. It certainly wouldn't be anything that he can imagine Nehan actually doing.

However, he does give him a brief look -- he has been giving his dear doctor a lot of information and while he has said he does not mind being a tool for the other, he would like to see something back for his investments. ]

Have we? I'm afraid I rarely hear about what work that you have, darling.

Oh you know. [no, he doesn't but he has to act as if soma knows.]

Nowadays the clubs and brothels have been doing well so they don't need me. [a subtle way of saying that he's in tamamo. but everything is definitely in line with what he does, so he can keep a position in the clan and make some more money.] I'm going to have to do some work in a soon. The orgy, you understand. I'll have to leave you by yourself for a little to make some extra money, but we can reconvene later.

[then he tilts his head, and looks up at soma with a sly smile through his lashes and thick grey hair.]

Perhaps I shouldn't have told you that, in case you decide to get jealous over it.

[ His smile is a real one; it seems like the two of them are willing to believe in one another. ]

What is it that you said? Allowing you to bark so that you won't bite later.

[ Soma shakes his head at the idea of becoming jealous. ] I know who it is that you come home to, and so I don't worry at all who you wander around with, my dear. [ Again, he calls him such endearments, and pauses.

The two of them are aligned only to themselves and their ideals; that is all that matters to either one of them. It doesn't matter what either one of them do, so long as it is not a true betrayal to one another -- all actions are permissible. ]

Really, me coming home to you, when we always meet in my place?

[nehan smiles wide enough to show his fangs, as he pets soma on the head like the human were a puppy. a pet, as they've been teasing and alluding to since this conversation began.]

Presumptuous. But I'll let it slide for now as long as you be good later, when I return from work.

Edited 2022-04-24 14:14 (UTC)

My place isn't as nice.

[ And he doesn't even have to lie; it is only a place that he rests and has done nothing to furnish it in all the time that he has been gathering money with bets and other methods. ]

It seems I'm going to be put through the ringer... well, since it is for you, I don't mind it.

Ah, you are complaining about being put through the ringer? [one ear flicks in time with nehan raising one eyebrow.]

Meanwhile, I have to see at least eight satisfied customers out before the end of the day.

[meaning: spoil him.]

Edited 2022-04-24 14:26 (UTC)

Oh dear, it seems I've wounded you.

[ He offers a smile in turn. ]

That is quite a task ahead of you. [ Leaning in to kiss the tip of one ear, he adds: ] Be sure to hydrate.

[ A slight pause. ] And... I'm satisfied right now, so does that count?

[his ear twitches once, before tapping soma's face as it flutters.]

Only if you come to the orgy and I am already on the clock. No discount or special treatment for partners of employees, but I'm sure you'll survive without free attention from me for a little while.

[he grabs soma's ass in turn, giving it a squeeze, then turns back to the parade.]

Will I?

[ He laments loudly at the idea that he will have to survive without Nehan. Of course, he also gives a small smile at his own groping. They're getting along fine. It's nice when ideals and objectives align.

It will be sad should they ever come at odds with one another. A good doctor is always hard to find. Ah, well; his death would come soon after the betrayal. At least they can both take comfort in that much. ]

I'm quite the needy person, you know.

You've been needy for the entirety of our relationship. [not really, but nehan has to still mention something and make comments about their relationship to give the impression to any nosy bastard that they've been together for a while.]

And you know I allow that within reason.

[then he pats soma on the small of the back.]

Probably best for you not to come, just so you can maintain the illusion that I will only be around for you. Just wait at home for me, hm?

I suppose I have.

[ He is forcing some things on his side, anyway. It's nice to be spoiled and have Nehan give in a little, though. ]

Within reason.

[ His chin dips as he agrees that his actions should be within reason. ]

Yes, I don't need to have my world shattered. I'm certain that those that come to see you will be better equipped than me, as well. [ Excuse him, he is going to take out his handkerchief so he can pretend to cry into it. Of course, it's just to sniffle 'cause his allergies are starting to act up, again. ]

Like these fine gentlemen and ladies running by.

You're a drama queen, Kazuki Soma.

My head will always turn for attractive people-- but you're fortunate that I prefer being loyal.

[which is true in many different ways. really, that comment can be translated and interpreted in many different ways.]

Hm.

[ He can't help but let out a little hum in thought at what is said. ]

I also prefer being loyal.

[ A smile follows.] I suppose that means even despite my dramatics, we are meant to be with each other, hm?

Ah? Is that how you see it? [bit too dramatic, isn't it? because that could be interpreted as soma declaring that they're quite the perfect criminal duo, such and such. of course nehan will accept unending loyalty because that's something important in this place, but... still a bit too over-the-top.

how can he tell soma to tone it down? that's the dilemma nehan is facing right now, and if he cant find a way to deliver it in a subtle manner in a crowd, he'll have to tell soma when they're alone.]

Do you want me to lie about that, or do you want me to tell you the truth?

[ His shoulders lift and lower; he decides not to answer the first question of whether or not that is how he sees things.

Soma smiles yet again. It seems he gets to admit one special skill that he has to Nehan. He doesn't think that he has been able to give that reveal yet; honestly, his "lover" may be right that he has a small love affair with dramatics. ]

You can lie, but I'll still be able to tell what you're hiding.

Then I'll just shut my mouth, because it's the Night Parade and your needy shenanigans mustn't put me off of the festive mood.

[with a soft humph, he turns his head away and up, as if putting his nose in the air. who's the dramatic one in the relationship now, soma?]

The festive mood for orgies, hm?

[ He offers a little laugh, sharing in the joke and dramatics. ]

Ah, well, despite all your worries, I'm certain that you'll be quite popular and have yourself an enjoyable time. [ Soma flashes a smile, before he pulls out his handkerchief to sniffle into the material. ] Ugh, even though we're outside -- I suppose that is just how it is.

This is why I keep telling you to wear a mask. [his ear twitches, before he links his arm around soma's to tug him further from the street with all the dust.]

At least let me try to see what I can do about your allergies once the parade is over.

And risk covering up my face?

[ He makes a gesture to the aforementioned face with a smile. ]

All right. I'll leave it to you to see if you can find some cure for me.

Immunotherapy. [of course he has an answer for that. this is nehan, after all.]

I've read about it. I expose you to your allergen at a controlled level like a medicine until your body is able to fight off the real issue.

Ugh.

[ He can't help but make the noise in the back of his throat. ]

Sounds dreadful, but for you, I'll suffer through it.

[nehan raises an eyebrow, then lightly draws fingers down soma's back, right over his spine.]

Are you scared of a little pain? Inconvenience?

Terrified.

[ He quips back before leaning in to give a soft, quick kiss against Nehan's temple. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

APRIL 2022 EVENT

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