baofeng (
baofeng) wrote in
jigokulogs2022-05-15 03:05 pm
Entry tags:
[OPEN] hey young blood
Who ⬤ Yizhi and you?
What ⬤ May catch-all log! Yizhi watches some Arena matches, does some sidestories, and gets his bread.
When ⬤ Early May
Where ⬤ Around the city, particularly Shuten / Tamamo locations
Content Warnings ⬤ None atm
The Arena (Shuten territory)
[Yizhi, perhaps surprisingly, visits Shuten territory on a semiregular basis. In May, he spends part of his promotion bonus for a bloodred phoenix-print scarf; when he wears it out the oni that used to catcall him on the street raucously congratulate him, like he’s a funky little stray animal they’ve come to appreciate. They don’t like him, no. Especially not with the turf war brewing between their clans. But this tentative unnameable camaraderie is enough for Yizhi, who ultimately doesn’t like them either.]
The Mizukume (Tamamo territory)
[Tenkohime had offered him a managerial position here. It’s not his ideal career, but he wants the connections and he wants the money, so. He’s opted for a more modern-style uniform: a suit accented with the red and gold Tenkohime favors. When nicely dressed up he’s almost as beautiful as the courtesans themselves, but he’s firm about not playing courtesan himself. And the Mizukume’s longtime clients know better than to push their luck with a worker.]
Wildcard
[Have an idea for a thread? Hit me up via PM / plurk / discord!]
What ⬤ May catch-all log! Yizhi watches some Arena matches, does some sidestories, and gets his bread.
When ⬤ Early May
Where ⬤ Around the city, particularly Shuten / Tamamo locations
Content Warnings ⬤ None atm
The Arena (Shuten territory)
[Yizhi, perhaps surprisingly, visits Shuten territory on a semiregular basis. In May, he spends part of his promotion bonus for a bloodred phoenix-print scarf; when he wears it out the oni that used to catcall him on the street raucously congratulate him, like he’s a funky little stray animal they’ve come to appreciate. They don’t like him, no. Especially not with the turf war brewing between their clans. But this tentative unnameable camaraderie is enough for Yizhi, who ultimately doesn’t like them either.]
i: Arena noticeboard
[At the Arena, he pours over the lists of fighter names and match times. He takes his time, scrutinizing intensely… but eventually, steps back with a sigh. Another yokai shoves past him to look at the lists- or maybe you’re the one struggling to get a better view.]
ii: Match spectating
[When an anticipated match is played out, the roars from the Arena stands sound like a single gargantuan beast. Yizhi looks reticent, staying in his seat as other yokai leap up around him to cheer and jeer at the fighters- but he’s watching, clearly kind of intrigued with this form of entertainment. Chat him up while he’s here. Or, eventually, when a junior bookie comes wading through the stands, shouting for people to place their bets on the next fight. Then, Yizhi looks to the notes he’d been keeping on his phone and to the Lost Soul in the seat next to him.]
Have you made any bets before?
[Or something else. Throw popcorn at him, whatever.]
The Mizukume (Tamamo territory)
[Tenkohime had offered him a managerial position here. It’s not his ideal career, but he wants the connections and he wants the money, so. He’s opted for a more modern-style uniform: a suit accented with the red and gold Tenkohime favors. When nicely dressed up he’s almost as beautiful as the courtesans themselves, but he’s firm about not playing courtesan himself. And the Mizukume’s longtime clients know better than to push their luck with a worker.]
a: On the clock
[Those who splurge on an evening at the Mizukume may come across Yizhi, though he’s usually working with the front-of-house staff rather than manning the counters himself.
If your character is a fellow promoted Lost Soul who’s taken up work at the Mizukume, you’ll see him more often- and if you’re next to him in the stylish pantry at breaktime, he might lean over to you and share an article or rumor he’s read about on the public web. Did you hear, this really good teppanyaki place is doing a promotion! Did you hear, an umishika businessman ran off with 3 million yen they raised for a sham ‘investment project’ and disappeared down the Sanzu!?]]
b: Substory #2 - Vend me a Dream
[A kejourou in the city has an ambitious dream: they’re assembling a photocard collection of all the beauties in Jigoku-cho (or all the ones they like, but that’s splitting hairs). And with all the Lost Souls coming to them for information on a certain vending machine, they’re closer to that dream than ever. There’s just one problem: a few of those “beauties” are courtesans at the Mizukume. And unlike Sutoku host clubs, the Mizukume doesn’t do photocards.]
-no, we don’t do pictures, and no, the kejourou can’t come in to take a photo either. They’ve asked before and we already told them no. That’s weird and creepy.
[Yizhi’s tone of voice is distinctly “Sir/Mdm/Distinguished Guest, you’re already speaking to the manager”. If it was the kejourou he would’ve called security already, but the yokai’s figured it out and are sending proxies now. He doesn’t want to shoot the messenger, but good heavens.]
What about this- what if you find another model and pretend it’s a photo of Hina-san? The kejourou’s got hair all over their face, their eyesight can’t be too good. I can try to loan you one of our kimonos to make it even more convincing.
[Please let this nonsense end, he wants to go home on time today.]
Wildcard
[Have an idea for a thread? Hit me up via PM / plurk / discord!]

arena ii
Dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, combined with his already inhuman features, he looks much more like a native inhabitant of Jigoku-cho rather than a fellow Lost Soul like Yizhi. ]
I have little money to spend on gambling, [ is his oh-so-serious answer, his hands clasped tightly as he sits straight-backed in his chair. ] I am interested in their prowess, but not interested enough to throw my own coin after it.
[ Someone else's coin, sure, but definitely not his.
He glances at the speaker, his eyes keen. ] And yourself?
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His clothes aren’t too different from Kimmuriel’s, so they must look a well-matched pair to onlookers, but the traditional hanfu style of clothing that Yizhi exclusively buys is flowier and drapes against the edge of his seat. One can barely see his hands fishing out a leather wallet.]
That’s wise, [Yizhi agrees with a nod,] but I find the locals are less judgemental if I spend like they do, and have looser tongues. I hope you’re not one to judge if I do, sir, even for such a frivolous reason.
[Honestly? His well-mannered tone is what you would expect from a face like that. He fiddles with a 1000-yen note absently.]
But I haven’t come in a while, and I feel I’m out of the loop on who the good picks are. Do you have a favorite?
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To gather information, one must make necessary sacrifices. [ He's not nearly kind or reassuring enough to say 'I'm not judging' because he's judgemental 24/7 at baseline, but it's a logical enough action that he's not objecting to it. ]
Not yet. [ He's basically scouting out the competition, so he can't really say he has favourites... ] That one there looks like she might be trouble, however.
[ He indicates a muscular oni who doesn't seem to stand out very much physique-wise, save for the way she keenly observes the audience as well as her opponents as she awaits her next bout. ]
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Not judging is a pretty good result to him! Yizhi flashes a small smile back, warming up to the conversation. It seems he’s the less guarded between them, and for an unimportant occasion like this, he doesn’t mind.]
Oh, that one, next to the one with spiky hair? They seem quiet, but I think quiet competitors have much better betting payouts if they win. I haven’t figured out a way to tell which of the quiet fighters will win, though.
[He waves over the bookie and asks for the oni’s odds. This warms up the yokai immediately, who takes the time to circle the oni’s name in a pamphlet of fighter odds before tossing it over. If you’ve got any other questions you can ask him, alright ya pretty bastards?]
Sure. [Yizhi turns back and holds out the paper so Kimmuriel can pour over the listings too.] Oh- by the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Gao Yizhi.
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It's honestly hard to get more guarded than Kimmuriel is being. He's just Like This, sorry Yizhi. He leans over to look at the paper, scanning the arena below as he matches names to faces, clearly wanting to memorize them. ]
Gao Yizhi. [ He repeats the name to be certain he can speak it; he's clearly not used to the language, speaking slowly and carefully. ] Is there a name you prefer out of those? [ Many here seem to use a different format for names than what he's used to, with family names coming first rather than last. He's not experienced enough to tell whether this is a case of latter or former yet. ]
no subject
[With their heads bent close to the paper like this, this is shaping up to be a great socialisation exercise.]
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...It is dependent on the status of my people's...clans, and the manner of address. [ Being called by simply his house name was as likely as being called by his given one, back when he had a house to belong to. Not to mention all the fuss of titles. ] But on the surface, and among relative equals, given name is the preference.
Does your clan name come first or last? I am used to such indicators of family being placed after the given name, but many here seem to handle it differently.
no subject
[A beat. Yizhi’s expression flickers briefly.
But he decides not to say anything more in the end, and moves on, continuing a light-hearted discussion on conventions of address. You know, #just people-with complicated-relationships-with-their-heritage things.]
But yeah, it’s something similar for me, too. “Relative equals” should be people like classmates- [
and love rivals apparently but we won’t talk about that now] -but a few people I’ve met say it’s over-formal to call them Mr or Miss so-and-so. Speaking of which, what should I address you as, Mr-?[It’s not that he doesn’t want Kimmuriel to keep his secrets, but … he needs something to call the guy by…]
Arena i
Lalli's looks haven't changed since the last time they crossed paths either. Same clothes, same catlike eyes, same everything. The only difference is that a mask (number 47) is partially visible under his cloak hood, hanging off the side of his head rather than tucked away under his clothes like it usually is.]
Careful.
no subject
I am Kimmuriel. My family name is Oblodra, but it has been of little relevance for a long time. [ Since it had come up, he figures he might as well say a little bit about it. ] And you would prefer to be called Yizhi, yes?
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[This isn’t the first time there’s been jostling at the leaderboards. But today someone reaches out to steady him, and it stops his stumble from turning into something worse. Yizhi looks up to thank whoever felt magnanimity in their heart that day, because even a simple gesture such as that deserves a simple thank you, but pauses at the stranger’s face. He knows this person, doesn’t he? They briefly talked in the first few days they arrived here.]
-oh, it’s you! Fancy running into you again here.
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This is fancy? But it's so crowded here.
[Crowded enough that Lalli will hols onto Yizhi for a few moments longer, to make sure they don't get separated by all the people pushing to try and get closer to the leaderboard.]
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[Turning his attention back to the betting:] Fighter Okina’s odds are 3-1 in her next match at… [*checks his smartwatch*] Oh, it’s coming up soon.
no subject
[
that's more of the player's bad, actually, I can't think of a Chinese saying that's similar enough to fudge an explanation for. cryinglaughingemoji.jpg!!!Yizhi returns the grasp, wrapping his slender fingers around his companion’s wrist. Platonically. He’s just like that, and by 'like that' I mean unafraid of male intimacy. Either way, this is no place for a catch-up at all. The gathered crowd buzzes like flies around a carcass, discussing odds and favorites. Yizhi looks around hurriedly.]
Perhaps let’s withdraw to somewhere quieter… that way?
[He indicates one of the room’s exits- he thinks that leads to the Arena’s cafeteria? Lalli’s welcome to suggest another direction- there’s a long list of places that’s nicer than here, and the Arena must have a few locations on that list.]
no subject
No it's okay, Lalli just doesn't get figures of speech. It's how he is.Lalli doesn't seem to think the grip is weird, especially since he's the one who grabbed Yizhi first. Holding hands is better than being separated right now after all! Lalli isn't usually touchy-feely, but practical exceptions do happen from time to time.
He glances in the direction Yizhi points, and he nods. Quiet would be better, Lalli doesn't want to get overwhelmed by the sound.]
Okay.
[To the cafeteria they go! Admittedly there's still a lot of people there, but they're more spaced out and there's room to breathe.]
Why are you watching the fights?
[It's a direct question, perhaps a bit rudely-worded too, because Yizhi doesn't look like the kind of person who would be interested in fighting.
no subject
The smartwatch gets a glance, though. ]
More artifice? They really do try to fit everything in one device. Even a pocketwatch. [ His voice is downright contemplative for him, which mostly means a small amount of audible interest. ]
no subject
Ah, it’s a bit of a long story.
This is the kind of place someone I know might end up at if they were to ever be brought here, so I check in sometimes just in case.
[Sorry Shimin for the typecasting, but Yizhi doesn’t see why the thing that clearly worked for him in the past shouldn’t be relied on again. It’s all guesswork and predictions, really, but Yizhi has put more on the line for less and he needs to compensate for no longer having the information networks he had back home. So why not take a day trip out to the other factions’ territory every so often.]
And since I’m already here, might as well learn more about this sphere of the city. What about you?
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[Weirdly, the profile photo on the vitals tracker is a mugshot of a a completely different guy. Yizhi coughs loudly when he lays eyes on it as if he’d forgotten he’d set this up. OKAY LET’S TAB AWAY REAL QUICK.]
no subject
Some of it he can at least sort of parse; others are completely foreign to him. Things like 'a calendar' and 'a vitals tracker' he can grasp, sort of. ]
I would not imagine there was so much interest for tracking your own vitals. [ Pretty sure Faerun doesn't have the concept of Fitbits etc. ] Would it not be more useful in detecting others'?
[ He's basically conflating 'smartwatch' with 'magical artifact watch' which...not completely wrong but not correct either. ]
sorry for the delay! gonna continue to be slow for a bit, am sick ;w;
[Now Kimmuriel knows about Fitbits. A groundbreaking discovery for Faerunkind!]
no worries, being sick is rough! take your time
We have things like it, but nothing so specific or multi-functional. Your watch would be considered a potent magical item, and likely the work of an exceptionally skilled artificer on top of that.
I suppose physical training must have its own complexities. I have never paid much attention to it. [ In all respects he does not look like someone who is deeply interested in physical pursuits; he's somewhat scrawny as well as short. ] It is not within my fields of expertise.
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[A bell dings; another match is another to begin. The crowd’s cheering gets louder in anticipation.]
But then if a guy can just bend metal with his bare hands, that’s also impressive in a different way. I’d also think, “woah, is such a thing really possible?”
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I prefer precision and engineering, but I would be a fool to deny that physical skill has its uses. [ He's just biased and he doesn't care about it very much, really....He's shallow!!
He turns his attention to the arena below, watching to see if his assessment, unrelated to all this talk, is right. ]
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The butterfly person you were looking for?
[That talk happened months ago, but Lalli still remembers it. To him it would make sense to keep looking for the same person, but it's also better to ask than just assume, so here he is asking.
He looks back to the screen, watching as one of the fighters delivers a finishing blow that knocks the other out cold. The countdown happens, and the still-standing fighter is declared the winner, which is met with both cheering and booing depending on who bet on whom.]
We don't have things like this where I'm from. I was seeing what it was.
[It seems like a strange ritual to him, but he also recognizes that he is a twig of a man and that someone built for physical activity might enjoy it more. Someone like Sigrun would adore this, he's realizing quickly. The hard part would be keeping her from trying to take on someone twice her size.]
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Ah, you remember?
[Yizhi’s surprised that Lalli remembers such a detail from their chance encounter months ago. He laughs in response, a little bashfully, a slight tinge of pink perhaps visible on his pale cheeks- but chooses not to give a straight answer, letting Lalli draw his own conclusions. Well, he’s not denying it.
When Lalli turns his gaze to look at the screen, Yizhi follows suit: fights are just interesting to look at, whether one likes to admit it or not. And it becomes much easier to admit when it seems like the combatants are here to build a career, or sheer enjoyment of violence, rather than financial desperation or coercion. When the fighters are glorified, rather than looked down upon as mere entertainment.]
I’ve heard of such things where I’m from, but they do it very differently here. It’s… eye-opening, seeing how the Shuten can make violence into something to be proud of.
[He wouldn’t be surprised if seedier rings exist where the latter happens, but for all his faults Toraguma has made his den of vice an unexpectedly proud establishment, as Tenkohime has with the Mizukume.]
By the way, I don’t think we ever exchanged names previously? My name is Gao Yizhi. It’s nice to make your acquaintance.
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The only time I've seen people fight is for training, and that was very different from this.
[Those fights were more about strengthening one's body and learning how to move in a fight, rather than for showing off how strong one was. Every soldier wanted to be in top condition when facing down a troll, after all. Even if casualty rates were low, they were never truly 0. Losing a fight and dying was always on a soldier's mind.
Lalli might be a scout rather than a cleanser, but the same worries live in his mind as well.]
Mmm. Lalli Hotakainen.
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[Yizhi asks, not because he hasn’t seen such things before, but because it’s a good way to carry the conversation forward- and besides, what Lalli thinks of as “training” could be nothing like what Yizhi’s seen at the Great Wall. Much of a pilot’s training regime would be designed around fighting Hunduns in a Chrysalis, a type of warfare that did not seem to exist here or in the places that other Lost Souls come from.
What do people from other worlds train for?]
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The enemy has no purpose other than infecting the non-immune and eating any living creature. They outnumber us millions to one. Eliminating them from the world is an eternal struggle. Right now it's most important to keep them away from where the non-immune live, so there are no more outbreaks of infection.
[It...might not be that different from fighting Hunduns, honestly. Just they have to fight with their own strength instead of getting magic mechas to use to fight.]
...it's good that they don't have to fight like that here. Fighting for entertainment is better than fighting for survival.
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[As he expected, there are so many differences. Though there are just as many similarities- hearing Lalli speak of the enemy outnumbering them “millions to one” and the difficulty of envisioning victory reminds Yizhi chillingly of his own homeland- he finds himself never having to consider stealth before, or the concept of immunity. Chrysalis pilots relied on teamwork as one of their strengths. Engineering prowess, as well, but one of the first lessons he’d been taught as a student strategist was that humanity could somehow never outpace the Hunduns. They always seemed to know when they’d developed a new Chrysalis.
Yizhi doesn’t ask any follow-up questions. It might be cruel to ask Lalli to relive and explain what sounds like a harsh environment. He simply nods, his face serious, and hopes his unfamiliarity with the concept of “infection” wasn’t too obvious- he can guess from the name that there’s nothing good to say about it.]
It’s good that it’s not like that here. There are a lot of things in this city that would be bad to get involved in, where I come from, but it’s better here. It’s interesting to explore those things with less of the stigma and the problems.
no subject
But it's not bad, he's found. Noisy, annoying at times, but not bad. The sounds of life are ultimately better than the utter silence that the Silent World has to offer.]
It's very good it is not here. Nobody understands how to stay silent here. Even their breathing is too loud.
[Lalli will still complain when given the chance though. He's a bit of a stick in the mud.]
But with no Trolls to fight, then humans fight each other I guess.
no subject
[That would be his guess. Lalli’s blunt judgment reminds him a bit of Zetian, who knows the mountains better than he does, who every so often says I guess you wouldn’t know about that, you’re from the city. She taught him more than he could ever learn from his tutors, which is perhaps the point of Huaxia’s city planning — no one living in Chang’an need ever know the fears of living on the frontier, and giving up on the wisdoms of living on the frontier was a fair exchange for it.
Still, there is something else he believes:]
If something like what you have in your homeland appeared here, I think people’ll figure something out. Adaptability is one of the best virtues we can have.
no subject
[It's for the best, Lalli reminds himself. He has seen two entirely different worlds now, and he's heard stories of dozens more. Through those tales he has been able to pick up on just how messed up his world truly is, and how it's a good thing that certain parts of it don't exist here. As annoying as it is to not be understood in the way that only someone who has lived the same struggle as you can understand, he'll take that over the pain and death that has defined nearly all twenty-one years of his life so far.
Besides, living in the same world isn't a guarantee that he would be understood anyway. Only a handful of people ever really 'got' him, and most of those people are already dead.]
The survivors would adapt, yes. There's enough people here that a few would learn and find ways to keep living. And the tengu would probably be alright as well, they're not mammals.
[At least his world's zombie death plague only affects mammals!]
no subject
He will, however, offer friendship. Yizhi nods in agreement to Lalli’s assessment, delicately resting his chin on one hand to further present the image of deep thought.]
Mmm… there are probably other yokai that aren’t mammals either… like the kappa? I’m not sure. [A pause, before he adds:] Do you like this place, so far?
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[He already complained about it being loud though, so he won't repeat himself too much there.]
The food is good. So many different people means so many different ways of cooking.
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[Not quiet, for even without the intermittent birdsong there persists the thrum of the city, only more distant-sounding as if through a fog. But they’re a compromise, and Yizhi enjoys them. Lalli seems the sort who might like them, too.]
Mmm, you can find nice food in a lot of places. Even here, I hear they have really good spicy chicken. [He glances around, trying to find the stall he’s talking about.] Apparently almost everyone buys some before watching the matches.
no subject
[It's not the same as the forests he grew up in, but then again nothing is the same as home. If he keeps trying to find 'home' here then he's just going to end up disappointed.
The mention of spicy chicken is something though. After hearing that, Lalli turns to look over towards one of the food vendors. The lines are short right now, and it's a perfect time to get some grub.]
Okay. Let's eat.
no subject
[After identifying the stall, Yizhi rises from his seat. It’s spicy chicken time!!!]