jigokulogs | June 2022 Event

June 2022 Event

1. SWIMSUIT TROUBLES (1 POINT)

As the city goes through its daily motions, the heat bears down harder and harder while bringing out some increasingly overheated behavior from the local population. Summer is here and the natives are flocking to the shopping district: both as a respite from the scorching temperatures and to stock up on the needed supplies to beat the heat.

That means one noticeable problem: the bathing suits left on the racks aren’t the most fashionable at this point! Suits are scarce and what is left over are the skimpy, the oddly-patterned, a size too small, or all of the above. Then again, you are probably just feeling lucky you aren’t in the Shuten Clan, who have been provided their own precious supply of freshly laundered tiger stripe bikinis. And nothing else.

You may be able to borrow around within your own faction, where the pickings might not be so slim, but are still unlikely to match your personal style. Better hope you ran out to buy something nice when the Daitengu first announced the party.

2. BEACH GAMES (1 POINT)

The indoor beach facility that the Alliance has provided is extraordinary. It’s massive! It seems to extend to the size of an entire soccer field. With the combinations of Kappa tech and Tengu magic, the experience has been made as close to a natural one as anyone could ask for. The heat of the beach feels true to the real world, the sand is white and pure, and the waves rolling in and out are just like the mortal realm. Even the palm trees and beach scrub seem entirely authentic. The vibe is immaculate.

Each faction has their own area set up for meeting and mingling but everyone is welcome to let loose and interact among all the groups.

SHUTEN CLAN

The Shuten Clan has set up their beach fort with food and drinks. The drinks on offer are a particularly strong Oni beer and a few spirits (especially sake). These drinks have been mixed so that anyone who imbibes them will feel a heightened sense of competition and the need to prove themselves!

There are plenty of opportunities to show off:
Learning surfing with a few knowledgeable Oni.
Volleyball matches.
Shoulder chicken tournaments.
Beer pong.
Drinking contests that never seem to stop.
And friendly scuffles with some of the Shuten who are feeling more rowdy than usual.
In particular, the volleyball matches appear to be the Shuten Clan’s sport of choice. They’re taking these matches deathly serious. With all powers allowed in play, the game is truly deadly with how powerful, how fast, and how fierce those spikes and volleys are. Hold nothing back and leave it all in the ring!

Toraguma himself is here in his tiger striped best! He’s observing the games and taking note of which Shutens do well and which ones shame the clan with their defeat. He’ll give out rewards to those he thinks are exemplifying the pride of the clan. Don’t worry though, if you’re not up to snuff you won’t be punished; except with Toraguma’s obvious disappointment.

TAMAMO CLAN

The Tamamo Clan doesn't disappoint either. Their tiki bar is set up with a far greater variety in stock than the Shutens. Every drink seems to be made to that Lost Soul’s exact tastes. Watch out, this may compel you to pound them back more quickly than normal. The drinks will make you feel much closer to those around you — either in camaraderie, or something more intimate. The Tamamos have arranged a number of floats, inner tubes, and water wings lounging in the water. Enjoy your time together!

When you aren’t relaxing, the Tamamo Clan has also arranged huge buckets of water balloons and have filled their water guns. The instructions are clear: whether sniping from afar or going in on a full assault, go nuts. Especially against the Shutens. Lady Tenkohime herself has a high-caliber, sniper-grade water rifle with her at her lounge chair. She will occasionally pick some unlucky soul to fire off devastating rounds against. She is not soaking them in just water, of course. This is the Tamamo clan’s patented ‘perfume’, which inspires the most amorous feelings.

Finally, the Tamamo have also inspired a spicy wet t-shirt contest. It’s essentially a sexy beauty contest, but given the variety of bodies and hidden ‘talents’ tucked away under everyone’s clothes, it should prove interesting! Tenkohime has described the simple rules:
One must wear the provided white shirt and only that shirt.
The crowd will soak them down.
And the crowd will judge how well they pull it off.

SUTOKU CLAN

The Sutoku Clan has been given free reign on a fleet of jet skis and paddle boats; perfect for two. There are boogie boards and larger inner tubes ready to be attached to different jet skis. Just be careful, ok?

A large snack bar has been provided with cheerful yokai behind the counter ready and willing to serve up your heart’s desire. There are some strange candies towards the end of the bar, they taste a bit funny but once you eat one you’re compelled to have a few more. These sweets will give you the power to breathe underwater. What is the meaning of this power? Well, you’re in the Alliance, after all, you figure out what’s under the waves.

Sutoku games include things like kan jam and frisbees, but Sutoku Souls are also very much encouraged to participate in the Shuten Clan’s volleyball tournament. Much to Toraguma’s frustration, the Alliance has planted a Tengu referee who seems to really favor the Alliance players over his own. Use your powers liberally.

The Daitengu is in attendance with sunscreen marks on their mask, for some reason. They’re being a total busybody, as usual. They’re really taking the time to chat up Tenkohime and Toraguma, even if the two want to rip each other’s throats out. Could a resolution to the turf war be on the way? One can only hope!

ENMA DEPARTMENT

The Enma is instructing the members of the Department to volunteer (aka voluntold) for lifeguard duty. The shifts are short — it is ultimately a party — and participation will net you both free food and drink from any of the vendors, as well as license to let loose for the rest of the party! The fare provided by the Enma vendors is pretty staid, but it does fill you with the odd need to run down the beach shallows in slow motion. Not sure what that’s about.

There is one further task that is expected of the Enma Department: suikawari. It is a big deal and to be taken seriously! This is the Enma’s favorite beach activity and the only diversion that he cares about. Your guess is as good as anyone’s, but it’s probably because the game resembles a form of execution. Regardless! Every officer is expected to do at least one round of the game as a form of initiation to the Department itself. Captain Shiki hosts the game in the absence of the Enma. Someone should tell her to chill out with that whistle, though.

3. BONFIRE (1 POINT)

As the hosts of the event, the Sutoku Alliance has set up a massive bonfire as the sun begins to set and stars light up the magical sky. There’s a romantic feeling in the air. Things seem as chill as they ever could be, there are no Haniwa in sight! Things feel peaceful for the first time in a while.

A final happy hour is declared, with free libations for everyone to close out the night. It’s time to finish this party in style. For anyone particularly watchful, they may spy the extraordinary sight of Toraguma and Tenkohime together. Off in the shadows while the party rages on, they are sitting together and watching the waves roll in. What could they be discussing? It will remain a mystery, getting any closer to them would be a deadly mistake.

The evening closes without any major incidents. Nothing seems like it could spoil the mood. It almost feels too good to be true.

4. AND THEN... (2 POINTS)

As all the party goers change back into their clothes and exit the facility, there is a rumble of thunder over Jigokucho. The stars are quickly swallowed by a darkening sky and the ground shakes. A minor earthquake? That’s not unheard of but the sky above is looking threatening. Evil. Darkness washes out over the entire city, none of its many bright lights able to cut through. Something is wrong. Something is happening.

A warm rain begins to fall, spattering across you and your surroundings. It becomes quickly apparent that you are not doused with water, but with blood.

The silence is shattered suddenly when a scream cuts across the whole of Jigokucho. An accursed miasma pours out from every direction. Then you see them: the Haniwa. They are everywhere, gazing from every direction, pressing in. Something has gone terribly wrong.

Captain Shiki is the first to act. She makes a call to Kaigo no Bou, but what she hears is enough to freeze her in her tracks.

The containment center deep beneath the tower where the Haniwa were being stored has been compromised. All of the cursed energy that was stored there has leaked out into the city from below. The guards below are dead. No one is answering their radio. It is not just the containment center that has been compromised, but all of Kaigo no Bou.

Captain Shiki struggles to remain calm as she gives out orders. Her entire command structure has been decimated, but she has to keep these people safe. She urges everyone to seek shelter, immediately. Everyone needs to partner up and stick together.

None of the faction leaders present arguments and they enforce this ruling with their Souls. They direct everyone to make their way back to their home base. Shuten to the Arena, Tamamo to Mizukume, and Sutoku to Konoha. There, their faction leaders can protect them.

As for the Enma officers: they are on rescue duty. You will be heading out into the city to rescue as many people as possible from the nightmarish effects of the cursed energy on the city. Captain Shiki will act as their point of command at the indoor beach.

Good luck, everyone.

5. IN THE CURSED NIGHT (2 POINTS)

A rain of blood is sprinkling all around you. It pings off sign posts and garbage bins, it splatters wetly onto the concrete and your face. The scent is pungent and thick; spoiling. It is soaking in to your hair, your clothes, your skin. It is driving you mad: your pulse spinning, breathing short.

There are noises in the impenetrable darkness. Fox feet on the pavement, crow wings shifting on a perch, a stranger's cruel laughter. The dark energy that has swallowed you is bemused by your smallness, is lurking at the edges and waiting for the moment to strike. Hold tight to your fellows, lest in the darkness another hand be placed in yours. Do you know who you walk with? What you walk with?

The Haniwa are watching you from every surface; crowded together as one with their empty eye sockets and open mouths. Their dark eyes turn to follow where you go as you stumble through your nightmares and your delusions. They breathe in your suffering on the air.

Beware the onibi, they will lead you astray.
Beware the grasping hands in the trees.
Beware the whispers in the distance.
Beware the slope to the river.
Beware. Beware.

Welcome to the June event!

Art by astrono77153462
Special shoutout to vandalisto for coming up with the meat of this event; the beach party. They approached us with this as a player plot, and it was good enough that we made it into the full event for the month. Excellent work, Vandal!
If you have any questions about event content, please ask them here!
If your character participated in the volleyball games, see here! If they participated in the wet t-shirt contest, see here!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Fukuda makes himself an easy target, his demeanor perhaps standing out more than his manner of beachwear — not that Sholmes is particularly picky about who gets a blast of water, courtesy of his trusty water gun.

He fires, hitting his mark, and the other man crumples to the ground.]

Well.

[Sholmes crosses over to where he lies sprawled in the sand, hitching his weapon up to let it rest on his shoulder. He looks down at the other through shaded lenses.]

I do appreciate your vigor. [For a dead body!]

[Listen if the great consulting detective says you're dead, you're dead. Obviously? Once Sholmes approachs and addresses him, Fukuda figures he's allowed to talk though he's remaining sprawled on the sand ]

Haha, well I have a lot of practice!
[Fukuda just saying wack shit like it's his job, as usual.]

[Add it to the compiled list of wack shit he's aid in their brief encounters -- noted and, again, remarked upon.]

Do you? A lot of practice being shot at, or playing dead when a detective declares it?

[Sholmes won't lord over him much longer, however. He reaches out to extend a hand, offering to help him up. A good sport has earned it.]

Ah, being shot at, I suppose.

[He will take that offered hand up, though, grimacing slightly as he moves, because the sand only cushioned his fall so much.]

I've only met two detectives before you, and neither of them are much given to playing around like this.

[The grimace is noted. Poor fellow. Sholmes appreciates his enthusiasm, but he needn't throw himself around like a sack of potatoes for his sake.]

That is a very dubious achievement — being shot at with both vigor and frequency. Though I have found myself in similar circumstances in the past, and I cannot say that such instances are always foreseeable ones. Even for myself.

[Idly, he dusts sand off of his flamingo print swim trunks, even if it's a useless gesture. He'll just get more stuck to the fabric when he dramatically dives into the sand to spray another unsuspecting person in the future, probably.]

And what are these other detectives given to, then? Being stern, unmalleable, traditional?

[Fukuda just lets the sand stick to him because he is a pathetic man and this is just how he lives his life. He thinks for a moment.]

Not exactly... I mean, they're probably closer to that than you, but I wouldn't call them traditional. Miss Hondomachi is dedicated to her work and will go to extremes to solve a case. And Narihisago is... well, I suppose he's like that too, but he's also a miserable man with nothing left to lose. I really admire them both.
[This is clearly sincere with the tone of voice he speaks about them in.]

[Ah, so there is a clear fondness attributed to admirable. Ergo, they have some competency about them.

He pushes up the bridge of his sunglasses cheerfully.]

Should you hold them in high regard, I must admit my interest is further piqued. I would like to hear about the cases they've worked, if you're in any position to tell those tales someday.

Haha, well, I think the bulk of their casework I'm familiar with isn't public record, so I'm not sure I can share!
[Which begs the question of why he knows about it. But don't worry about that.]

Proprietary technology and that sort of thing. I'm sure you understand.

[Well, yes. It does beg the question--]

Yes, the usual headaches. [Obstructions in getting to the heart of the matter, the truth!] But it does beg the question of how you know, if the knowledge itself is not public?

[Fukuda smiles a little impishly.]

Aren't you the world's greatest detective? Why don't you deduce the answer?
[Technically if Sholmes guesses it, he didn't disclose any confidential information!!]

[He gives a "ha!", loud and sharp.]

Dear fellow, deduction is drawn from data -- not out of thin air. Though I suppose I might relate to you the likeliest of reasons, if you are determined to remain tight-lipped on the matter.

[Sholmes does like the sound of his own voice, and so he continues.]

Not that the options are many, mind. The first: that you work outside the law, but are keen on following its progressions in the form of criminal cases, though the means in which you do so much imply some familiarity with law enforcement to start. Your description of detectives Hondomachi and Narihisago is at least proof of this much. Perhaps your "in" to this otherwise confidential information, whether or not they realize it?

The second: that you are familiar with the crimes on a more personal, hands-on level. I am sure I needn't expound upon the implications of that.

[Fukuda freezes up a moment, because he honestly wasn't expecting that second guess. But he's got to keep his cool!! Keep his composure.]

Hm? And what about the possibility that I work with them, but as support staff? Surely that's more likely than either of those two options, detective?
[It's a little exciting, but mostly terrifying that he might've gotten too bold and been accidentally found out by a man who he's frankly a fan of. How mortifying would that be. That said, the option he's presenting isn't exactly a lie.]

[Without any real evidence, of course, he cannot accuse Fukuda of one or the other. This is all conjecture based on little more than conversation, but he will poke and prod where he will, and most especially when given an opening.]

That is a variation of the first option, yes. And so, is that what you claim for yourself? In that case, I should wonder why you did not mention it in the first place.

[Oh but he's back on track now, he has an answer for that.]

Mm, like I said, this department isn't public knowledge, and certainly even beyond that, if they were to be employing a civilian in solving homicide cases, that wouldn't reflect well on them. But I certainly can't stop you from deducing things, can I?

[Fukuda: It doesn't count as leaking police information if I just strongly imply a guess is correct. Of course, two of Sholmes' guesses are correct, but Fukuda's going to only imply the correctness of the one that doesn't cast entirely warranted suspicion on him.]

You certainly cannot.

[And he says that brightly, with a smile that is ever hard to read, implying nothing in particular. In the end, his probing will also lead to nothing; and if Fukuda wishes to confirm only the part of the truth that is convenient for him, then Sholmes can hardly stop him.

Besides, knowing so little of the other, what can he do other than trade blows in semantics and logic?]

Well! I should like to hear your investigative tales--or what you are allowed to speak of--someday. Though perhaps on a day less suited to sun, sand, and splashing about in the faux ocean? You should carry on, dear fellow, and not let me stop you.

[He brandishes his water gun.]

Unless you would prefer to be assaulted by a stream of water a second time!

Oh! Yeah, this isn't the right atmosphere for talking about murder, is it!
[Haha! But honestly he is inwardly glad for the tacit dismissal. He needs to regroup and come to his next encounter with Sholmes more strategically prepared. The guy is nice and all but he is the real deal and Fukuda can't risk getting discovered here.]

But surely you wouldn't shoot a corpse, Mr. Sholmes?
[He is dead after all, from the first blast.]

[It is definitely not the atmosphere suited to chatting idly about murder. After all, it's not like something horrible is about to happen mere hours from now or anything!

Anyway, Sholmes just keeps that blithe smile on his face.]

I have always thought that if I were not a great detective, I would have made a great criminal instead. So- [He aims the water gun at Fukuda again.] -you can make that assessment for yourself if you like!

[He absolutely would water-gun you again, Fukuda.]

Haha, well, you're certainly not the only one to connect those two things!

[A weird, cryptic statement he's offering no follow-up because he's basically been given permission to flee. He nods his head and turns to do just that.]

See you later, Mr. Sholmes!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

June 2022 Event

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