[OPEN] someone please suggest cut text and subject title for me

[mahoraga]

Who ⬤ Megumi and awesome people (YOU)
What ⬤ May catch-all - substories, IC Mingle log, Megumi's part-time job, anything else that comes up
When ⬤ Throughout May
Where ⬤ Various places
Content Warnings ⬤ N/A - will add as I go


SUBSTORY #1: thanks mods i happen to love body heat meme

[ This is just about the last time he takes free food from anyone, even if they look like a harmless rabbit. Curse his slight fondness for rabbits. While Megumi went a good half hour with no side effects, the chill gradually sets in after that, his long-sleeved clothing and large collar that usually keep him fairly warm no longer making the cut. The worst part is, the effects set in right in the middle of the busy pavement. He would be able to deal with this better if he could wrap himself up at home.

Megumi tries to tough it out for as long as he is able to, arms wrapping around himself as he tries to keep the shivers at bay. He doesn't particularly like to draw attention to himself or make people worry about him, but it's hard to walk normally when the chill seems to have permeated every inch of his body. ]

What did she feed me ... [ Another day he wishes he could summon Divine Dog. Their fur would actually feel divine right about now.

Eventually, his hands seem to seek heat on their own, grabbing the sleeve of someone nearby to give them a light tug closer. ]

SUBSTORY #2: the one with the butts and wild goose chase

[ As if life couldn't get any harder, upon Megumi's refusal to help it with its pointless request, the shirime in all its eye-in-butt glory has taken to following him around, harassing him with its request incessantly.

"So, you'll help me, right? Hey, are you listening? Will you help me? I want the A5! You'll help me, right?"

There's only so much of being followed around and pestered that a boy can take. He doesn't even know which vending machine the shirime is talking about and it keeps ignoring the question when he asks.

There's only one way to solve this problem: Pawn it on someone else. Though he feels a little bad about this, there's no other choice. Megumi addresses whoever might be nearby, thumbing at the silly-looking yokai who's following him. ]

You. Can you help him?

IC MINGLE #1: welcome wagon

[ Megumi doesn't particularly care about movies, preferring to spend his evenings with a good book. When he does watch movies, it's when he's being roped into it by someone else.

He doesn't have much interest in using the movie ticket but it also feels like a waste to throw it away when someone else might want to use it. Anyone who's hovering around the theater will be approached by a tall young man with a deadpan expression. He straight up puts his ticket in your hand. ]

Here. Enjoy.

IC MINGLE #2: haniwa dolls

[ As the night goes on, and the partying locals and lost souls continue to drink themselves silly, a lot of people are focused on having a good time and paying less and less attention to the sporadically emerging dolls. They were creepy at first, but after the fourth time you see one popping up, it becomes a bit easier to ignore, apparently. It's because people are paying less attention that they're being less cautious and allowing themselves to be exposed to its cursed effects.

At a local nightclub, a fight seems to have broken out, a wolf demon randomly breaking out into some paranoid hysteria about everyone else's faces changing, and charging at the other patrons with his sharp claws. At the center of it all is a haniwa figure, and though Megumi's spiritual senses have dulled immensely, he can still pick up its off-putting, dreadful aura.

The other patrons, some also succumbing to the hallucinations, are obviously going to return in kind. A bottle thrown by one of the angry patrons sails through the air towards your character. Before it can hit, they'll be yanked to the side by a young man with dark hair. ]

I have to get rid of that figure. [ He turns to the person he's grabbing now. ] Go somewhere else.

[ He can handle this!!! (Allegedly ... )

ooc: As a note, Megumi is a helpful boy who will be trying to remove the statues as advised by Enma. He might succumb to the effects after a while and i'm happy to plot it out with whoever ]

PART TIME JOB: book shop boys (later in the month)

[ Megumi has found a part-time job at a local bookstore in the Sutoku Alliance. There are books of all sorts available, and the colourful and upbeat members of the staff (with the exception of .. Megumi, who stands out with how quiet he is by comparison) are always ready to help out.

A: If your character looks unsure of what they want to browse, they'll be approached by a quiet young man in a blue apron, who will point at one particular book in the non-fiction section. ]

This one wasn't bad.

[ The title reads 'Everything You Need to Know About Concrete Engineering'. That's ... so boring, why would anyone (who isn't a builder) ever read it??? ]

[ B: Or, if your character happened to wander near the shelves behind some bashful yuki-onna who quickly takes off and leaves, they might get falsely accused of a book-related crime.

Megumi will approach them with a book in hand (a romance story, apparently) and open up the cover. Written on the pages are the romantic exchanges between two regular patrons, who have chosen to trade their love notes through this one book.

The latest one reads "There isn't a day I go on without thinking about you. I long for the touch of your fingers, to hear the sound of your voice. My heart can take no more of this cruel fate that separates us."

Love between enemy faction members? Whatever, he doesn't care. Megumi looks very unimpressed. ]

Please have your love affair somewhere else.

[ OOC: Do something else with me??? You can reach me via PM or at charsiu (feel free to add) ]

Comments

SUBSTORY #1

[moondregs]

[ It is by total happenstance that the person Megumi reaches out for is someone from his own world. Junpei tenses at first when he feels a tug at his sleeve - situations from both his old life and his new have conditioned him to expect the worst from random encounters on the street.

When he recognizes Megumi he relaxes. Itadori had briefly introduced them, and Junpei trusted the boy to have good taste in friends.

Still, they’re unfamiliar enough with each other that he addresses him in a polite, neutral tone. ]

Ah, hey ... are you all right?

[mahoraga]

Oh ...

[ Megumi pauses, his thoughts catching up to his actions. He releases his hold on Junpei's sleeve immediately, taking in the situation. It's that friend Yuuji made back home when he was playing dead (that idiot). A sorcerer as well. But far quieter, more unassuming and seemingly nicer than the sorcerers he's met (who usually present as a bunch of noisy, zany and selfish characters). They're both in Sutoku together too, so he had intended to get more acquainted. Just not in this particular circumstance. ]

Yoshino-senpai. [ Polite when not peeved about something, Megumi usually uses the appropriate honorifics for the situation. Junpei is technically his senior in their clan. Though he's still shivering, he tries to keep the symptoms at bay, not keen on making others worry about him. ]

I'm ... fine. Sorry for just now.

IC Mingle 1

[localweirdo]

[In response, Hu Tao just looked at the boy and then back at the tickets and then back at him. While she was aware that there were other people who knew what a 'movie' was, it still seemed like a shame for him to miss out on such an event. Even if the novelty of a 'movie' wore off on him, the important thing was to go and have fun.

With that, she shook her head.]

I don't think I can accept that. Not when you could go and have fun too.

[mahoraga]

[ Fun ... what is fun ... Having been born in 2002, movies are commonplace to him and he sees no novelty in them. ]

Well. Romantic comedies aren't really something I can relate to. [ Since if he dies alone, he would have absolutely no problem with that. Now that he's met up with Hu Tao again, though (and they are ... mingling, exactly as Daitengu intended), he's starting to think the movie is quite fitting for her, given the work she does. ]

you know the one

[paperpusher]

[In Megumi's defense, Natori is hanging around in front of the theater with a formless bucket hat over his hair and a pair of... interesting glasses, poking at his phone with the air of a boomer who isn't quite used to smartphones yet. Then again, he's also standing next to the poster for Fiance of the Funeral Procession, so.

He looks up at the voice and blinks in surprise to see the ticket held out in front of him. For a second, he looks genuinely amused, glancing between the text on the ticket and the sullen teenager offering it to him. When he sees that it's not a joke, he clamps it down into a polite, if dry, smile.]

Thanks, but I've seen it already. [don't be a dick, don't be a dick, don't be a di--] Several times.

[mahoraga]

[ Give him a second. He was too fixated on how stupid those glasses look. Why do they look like that and why isn't this person embarrassed? At the edge of his senses he can pick up on some spiritual energy coming from this person, the sensation of that energy shifting and moving from place to place. He keeps that in mind but doesn't say anything about it. ]

Give it to a friend then-- [ Okay, now it hits him. His eyes widen as his gaze darts between Natori and the poster. ]

Oh. [ First time he's ever met a movie star. ]

substory 1

[sweetsong]

[ well, now you know why robin couldn't help himself the first time these youkai offered some kind of experimental treatment... at least for megumi's sake, it's in the form of food! robin had to endure a more direct way of absorbing their pharmaceutical trials, so. be happy, gumi-kun.

anywho.

of course he's at the moon viewing. it's one of the better times to try to advertise for the bar that he works at; he'd like to find a better job but as of now, he's more than content dressed up in a pink kimono, hair up in a very loose bun, and getting the occasional wolf whistle or snide remark. rarely does anyone come up to grab or pinch a cheek (not the face) but... ]

A-ah!

[ a surprised yelp escapes robin and his first instinct is to, instead of scream 'help' is to. hug him back. yep.

at least he's cool, like the underside of a pillow. that's somewhat comforting even though he's a little distressed... ]

Re: substory 1

[mahoraga]

[ so, his hands just did a thing. it might be a sexual harassment thing. he was resisting the chill for so long that his body seemed to seek warmth instinctively, only it missed the mark by a few inches and grabbed somewhere else that's also warm but not at all appropriate.

this is officially the worst day he's had in Hell so far. he's mortified.

Megumi's about to apologise profusely, when the young man (or woman?) in question does the unexpected thing and pretty much walks into his arms.

they're embracing now. he should break it apart - every rational thought is screaming at him to - but the other body in his arms meets a need that has been present for a while. there's warmth radiating through his skin, quelling that annoying chill, and a flowery scent that graces him. ]

So... rry? [ Megumi will stand here frozen as he tries to process the situation, hands resting on Robin's back. ]

part time job. b.

[rainswords]

[ All the bookshops in town are known to Xingqiu. No matter how small, or out of the way, they may be he made it his mission to discover every single one. Now with that knowledge, he navigates the city with ease to his heart's content in search of novels to entertain himself.

It's a wonder that for all his love of literature he hasn't found a job at one of these shops. For that the answer is obvious — far too distracted in a sea of books he would go through the day without completing a single task. It was safer for him to continue working promoting one of the Sutoku Alliance's arcades.

For now, he is content to browse through selections on his lonesome in search of a single piece. How unfortunate it is that he was never approached with the recommended thick tome, of course, he would be the guy who would actually reach through the whole of 'Everything You Need to Know About Concrete Engineering'. Because why not.

As he turns the corner, attention mostly on the books lining the shelves he hardly takes note of the yuki-onna and her quick departure. Odd but not worth his time when there is a particular book he is on the hunt for and from information he has heard it's been seen floating around this shop. It has to be here somewhere. The sound of steps causes him to look up from his search. There it is! That's the book!

No, there is no need for those anniversary editions or the leatherbound version touted about, this is a true first edition original. Give!

Excitement quickly gives way to confusion as the contents of the book are revealed to him. Ah! Someone wrote in it! No! This is awful! It's not even anything particularly profound, although he understands longing it's not the way which he would have chosen to describe the sentiment and — ]

Huh? What love affair...

[ A one-sided relationship would hardly lend itself to communicating through such methods. Did this person really have to say that way? It almost feels like he is being needled. ]

[mahoraga]

[ Truthfully, he has been aware of this vandalism for the past few days, and he has been waiting to find the culprit. It's just unfortunate that he happened to step in minutes after the actual culprit had darted out. Megumi is usually someone who chooses not to expend energy getting frustrated about petty matters, but as an avid reader he finds it disrespectful to write in a book that doesn't belong to you. The shop owner has been such a friendly youkai so far, too (and a dog ... he loves dogs). It peeves him when people think they can do whatever they want.

He points at the words written on the title page, annoyance in his tone. ]

This. This isn't the first time, too. If you want to write in a book, buy it first.

haniwa dolls

[himbosupreme]

[The worst part of hearing all the commotion, was not being able to see it other than a few scattered souls, and the sounds. Trying to figure out what was happening, Cain didn't notice the bottle flying towards him until it was too late.

Thankfully, a hand suddenly yanked him aside and just like that, Cain could finally see his rescuer. He appeared to be a young man around Arthur's age, but couldn't dwell on it more as the kid tried to shove him away and go after the doll himself. Cain turned his grip then on Megumi, holding him back this time.]

Wait just a second-do you know what you're doing? You don't even have a weapon!

[mahoraga]

[ Cain is ... absolutely right that he doesn't. Not only is he without a weapon, but he's also without any usable amount of cursed energy to use his technique. ]

... I'll manage. [ Maybe. Chances are not as high as he's hoping, but he's fairly confident in his hand-to-hand combat skills. Yokai may be much more durable than humans, but they at least don't regenerate themselves the same way curses do. If he can get that wolf yokai in its vulnerable areas, he might be able to take them down.

Turning to Cain, he tries to shake himself out of his grip. ] Unless you think you can help? [ Cain would probably be trying to run away in this situation if he were helpless. ]

IC MINGLE #1

[fullgauntlet]

Eh? Wait-

[Izuku is actually a big fan of movies! But the title of the movie is confusing and not to mention the whole thing around the show as well. This was supposed to be a gift from their new ... clan. The Sutoku Alliance. They're part of this group now and would it be a little insulting if they were to just drop it?

... He's still trying to get used to all of this.]

Fushiguro-san?! You're in the alliance as well? Wait- You can't just leave, can you?!

[Don't leave him here!!!]

[mahoraga]

Midoriya-san. [ Though his greeting sounds very unenthused, that is simply the way he talks. He's actually taken a liking to Midoriya and finds it a good thing to meet a familiar face in this clan. He has no idea why the other boy looks so nervous though. ]

I don't think they can make recreation mandatory. [ Maybe. Who knows. He feels like he can leave if he wants to, but now he feels bad doing it, because he would be leaving Midoriya all alone. There's a sigh. ]

Were you planning to watch it?

part time job a

[enlighteneds]

[ There are simply two types of people when it comes to visiting a bookstore: those who have the beelines on what they wanted to get before entering the store and those who do don't. Yae herself is surprisingly the latter despite being an ex-publisher herself. After all, there are so many differences between this world and hers that there'd always be something new that she'd learn every other day.

So when Megumi approached her and basically shoved the book about concrete and how they worked, Yae blinks in surprise before she takes a deep, long stare at the summary of the book. ]

What a curious topic. Does this one give you enough information about this industry?

[ Not something that she usually read, but living for hundreds of years taught her one thing that helped her survive everything: A man can be all-powerful, a man can be morally perfect, but no man is above learning a new lesson. This is just another one of those. ]

Re: part time job a

[mahoraga]

[ Please don't humour him, Yae, he is so boring. Megumi doesn't even have a particular interest in building and construction. He just enjoys the quiet process of being absorbed in a book and learning something completely new. Just like other people enjoy consuming movies and anime, he enjoys taking in factual information. ]

Not enough to work in it. But you'd probably need training for that.

[ He picks up that book, flipping through the pages. ]

It was interesting to learn that when decomposed at high heat, concrete can turn into molten lava.

IC MINGLE #2: haniwa dolls

[worldbent]

--Oh, we meet again.

[Megumi is lucky that Matoba recognizes him quickly after being yanked; his hand was halfway to reaching for the tanto sheathed in his sleeve, to take it off of whoever had dared to grab him.]

[Luckily for him, Matoba will allow the transgression once. He tugs himself smoothly out of Megumi's grip and crosses his arms into his sleeves instead, ignoring the rowdiness of the club to instead focus on the boy.]

In your current condition? ...That's very reckless of you, isn't it? [As if Matoba was one to talk about that, but Megumi doesn't know to call him out yet, so hah.] Very well. Shall I lend a hand?

[It won't be for 'free', but then, nothing ever is.]

[mahoraga]

[ Wow wait until he calls you out in return someday. ]

I didn't say I would be giving up my life for this. [ Putting himself at risk of harm? Maybe. But his investment in this matter isn't so strong that he would push on and keep fighting if it meant losing his life over it. Megumi does want to help, though, because he can sense some cursed energy emanating off that haniwa doll and he has a strong feeling that's the cause for the hysteria. If this were a regular bar fight between drunkards and violent people, he would probably just let them sort themselves out. These lost souls and youkai are not acting out of their own accord, so that makes them innocent. ]

You didn't strike me as the heroic sort, senpai ... [ Very rude. But he accepts the help. Megumi is a rational boy, not at all prideful or the type to demand to fight his battles alone. If he can work in a team, it generally raises his chances. Matoba probably has a reason he's offering his help, but he'll consider that later. Realistically, he might fare well against a group of regular humans with minimal cursed energy, but it's less certain when dealing with spirits. ] Are you good with hand to hand?

book shop boys - b

[laughitoff]

[Wei Wuxian looks down at the page with its romantic notes.

he looks up at Megumi.

he looks down at the page again. well, this is unfortunate, isn't it? he thinks. he really just wanted to see if there was anything interesting in today.

he looks up at Megumi again, and because he is something of a gremlin, he considers and discards an apology, and considers and discards an honest explanation, and lands on giving him a look of fluttering, half-flirtatious shock that wouldn't look out of place in Tamamo district, a hand coming up to his mouth]

Oh, but young sir, what's this? Are you truly handing me a written proposal and rejecting me all at the same time? I know youthful feelings are tumultuous and conflicted, but this is definitely a first, a first!

[the worst part of this is that he's wearing a Sutoku rank badge. sorry about adding to the weird authority figure adults in Megumi's life.]

this made me laugh

[mahoraga]

[ So, this older guy who looks to be his superior in Sutoku is taking quite a while to process his simple request. All they really have to do is accept the accusation and apologise, or contest it and start an argument? Those are the two responses he was expecting to face. It's after Wuxian finally speaks that Megumi realises he was probably pondering the best way to be an absolute menace.

What is it about him that attracts people like this?

Dryly: ] That's not it at all. How did you even come to that conclusion ... [ Does this look like a flirtatious face? It does look like a rejecting face, though. ]

for @ahost

[mahoraga]

[ They technically aren't allowed to spend the night at the residence of someone from a different clan, but if Megumi let the rules of society dictate his actions, he would be an entirely different person. It doesn't sit right with him to leave Yuuji alone, far away in a different part of the city. Even though he no longer has Sukuna within him, Megumi continues to feel unease when he can't keep watch over his friend. That's why he's taken to sneaking around, climbing in through the window after nightfall. Doing this would be a lot easier if he still had a usable version of his shadow.

It's commonplace for him now to visit and relax, sitting on the ground with a book and chatting with Yuuji about whatever had come up that day. Today was certainly ... an interesting one so far, given that he had to suffer the supremely awkward experience of close physical contact with a stranger. He doesn't think he wants to repeat it again.

Off hand, as they chat about the happenings of the day, he recounts his experience. ] ... You're right about the food here.

[ahost]

[ whether it's against the rules or not, they're not hurting anyone by sharing space. megumi had his own bed and corner in the apartment now, free to fill it up the way he wants and make it his personal hub. while it is a slow process, but this once grim apartment had taken a major upgrade over time. there's more color, life, and warmth. ever since megumi stepped in, this place is starting to feel like it belonged to them ... and yuuji found himself eager to make it back; unlike before when he'd rather wander the streets until his feet couldn't bear his weight anymore. now? he didn't waste time rushing back, only to find there's someone waiting for him.

finally he could say— 'I'm home!'.

there's a smile on his face as megumi spoke about his day, listening to all the small details as he kept toying with a game on his phone; chilling on the bed as they carried on the conversation. ]

Hmm? What do you mean?

substory 2!

[beginanew]

[Sasuke had been mining his business, ignoring the begging of the weird creature-person and the boy that he was begging to, when the boy actually spots him.

Crap.

He clicks his tongue.]

...With what?

[mahoraga]

[ Though he's relieved that someone actually responded, his voice continues to sound dry and unenthused. ]

He'll tell you.

[ The shirime randomly decides to be quiet, putting Megumi in an awkward position having said that. He furrows his brows, feeling slightly betrayed and sounding more annoyed now. ]

... He needs a certain item from the vending machine.

Haniwa dolls

[protectorofkouka]

[After almost a year in Hakagemachi Soo Won knew better than to mess with cursed objects. Turning a blind eye to them completely was too risky though so he was observing them from a safe distance for the time being. Which led him here. Soo Won was considering how best to approach the dangerous situation when Miyako, the yokai inside him chimed in with a frantic flurry of telepathic notes from a gottan as a warning. Soo Won's eyes widened in surprise when Megumi beat him to it and pulled him out of harms way.]

Ah! thank you.

[Soo Won glanced back at the violent fight with an incredulous expression.]

You're planning on fighting them alone?

[The violent yokai aside, any reckless action could shatter the haniwa doll which Soo Won would prefer to avoid.]

[mahoraga]

[ After he gets close to this other person, he does pick out the faint aura of a youkai, his spiritual senses just not as pronounced as before. It's odd that it would emanate from this person, and it makes Megumi wonder if he's a youkai himself, or has something living inside of him like Yuuji once did. There isn't much time to think about that now though. ]

Do I have a choice? [ He's not a fight crazed maniac, but he's also not someone who can ignore when there's a call to action. Leaving the bar fight as it is, lost souls and youkai alike are going to get hurt, and the dolls may get knocked over also, which he somehow has a bad feeling about.

Look, he's open to a team up if it comes to that! ]

Substory 2

[cutcloud]

[ An exorcist's work is never done, even in the spirit realm.

Unfortunately, that work has very little to do with exorcisms these days, which is a bit of a downer for a boy who's best (and only) social skills are rooted in it. Introverted otherwise, he's put in a lot of effort to try and branch out ... but in the end he always goes out looking for jobs to handle and for evil spirits to purge. While many of the spirits around have been mischievous, weird, or annoying, none aside from the black-clad assassins during the night parade have been hostile.

Which is really just longwinded way of saying that Chongyun is often dragged into tasks he doesn't want to do while investigating leads that lead nowhere. Like now. He's carrying six bags of beans that aren't his own, trailing after an azuki hakari that's pawing along the ground in search of more beans to count. He's actually not even sure how he got landed with this, but such is his life.

Blue eyes turn onto Megumi at the question. Then, flick over to the butthole youkai. Despite the absurdity of its appearance, Chongyun's expression stays flat as it bounces between the strange other boy and the strange youkai. That's really an eye in a sphincter, huh. This may as well happen.

His own weird youkai snuffles forward, sniffing and poking around Megumi's shoes, "More beans, more beans! Where are the beans? I want to see the beans. Let me see the beans!" Do toes count as beans? The creature is very insistent that they do. Or maybe this azuki hakari has a thing for feet. ]

You want to trade?

this killed me

[mahoraga]

[ Who knew a life in hell would be riddled with such harmless but annoying absurdities? Megumi was expecting more in the way of eternal pain and suffering. This isn't ... bad, when compared to that, but it is very bewildering. Or making having your toes counting incessantly by a youkai is someone's personal hell? Actually, it could be his.

He takes a step back, away from the youkai. ] I don't have any beans. [ Toes are not beans! Unless in a cat or dog. Either way he is very uncomfortable with this attention to his feet ksmryjjhv

Now, regarding Chongyun, whom Megumi has sympathy for immediately. ] I can't tell who has it worse.

[ Having to stare at a butt all day, or having your toes prodded at? It's bad. It's all bad.

The shirime attached to him comes to bother Chongyun now, bobbing around in front of him. "Hey, hey, you'll help me right? You'll help me find the A5? I need it, dude! I need it!"

Somehow it feels like they're both naturally saddled with each other's youkai and their associated problems. ]