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

[ She can't remember the last time she slept. At some point, Andy knows this mortal flesh is going to make her pay for that, but she's managed to keep the consequences at bay somewhere between all the black coffee, cigarettes, and sheer stubborn willpower. That does nothing for the dark bags under her eyes, but fuck it. It's not like she's trying to win any beauty contests around here.

Most of the last day and a half have been spent in a folding chair beside Majima's bed in the clinic as he lays unconscious after being found in the river. It's a near Herculean effort to get up, but she needs a minute to stretch her legs and get another cup of coffee, maybe splash a little water on her face. In this state, she spots Emily — and almost passes by, thinking better of disturbing their overworked doctor. But, after a moment, she comes to lean in the doorway instead. Quietly, in lieu of greeting: ]

He's still sleeping.

...I'm not surprised.

[she exhaled, bracing herself against the counter. she can't really figure out the flow of time beyond what needs her attention when, trading shifts with the other volunteers, and applying her magic to those in desperate need. it drains her, but she has to keep going. six hours of sleep can't sustain her forever, but she doesn't know what else to do. Izo's somewhere out there, holding down whatever Toraguma told him to, and Goro is here, unconscious and with a void that Hibiki had forced her to stop trying to heal. it was throwing energy down a well, even if she keeps doing it when she can spare it, trying to warm him again.]

So long in that river...it's a miracle his soul wasn't swept away in that current.

[something stiffens in her spine, and she puts the containers she was dealing with in the cupboard with a little more force than necessary.]

I should have been looking for him. I should have figured out that thing was wearing his skin.

[but how could she both look for him and keep the incense burning that shields the most vulnerable? what could she have done, apart from forcefully trying to keep him by her side?]

[ Something softens a little in Andy's expression. She knows there's nothing any of them likely could have done — shit happens. Sometimes relentlessly. Usually unfairly. But it's easy to blame yourself. She's always done the same thing. Sometimes for centuries. There's an odd kind of comfort to the guilt. Familiarity. Maybe even a sense of control. If there was something that could have been done — but, no.

It's just one cosmic shit show, and they're all just miniscule pieces in the grand scheme of it all. ]

You were needed here. [ She digs into her pocket for her pack of cigarettes, tapping one out and pressing it unlit between her lips. Normally, she'd try not to smoke in the clinic — but maybe the occasion calls for leniency on that policy. With a twinge of hollow wryness: ] Not every fucked up thing that happens around here is your responsibility. You know that, right?

He needed me as well.

[without saying anything, she goes and cracks open a window so that Andy will understand her intent. smoke if you want, but push it outside.]

If anything was to be my responsibility, checking in with him ought to be part of it.

[all she could do was apologize when he wakes - over and over, begging forgiveness. how could she have been so blind? so foolish? and how had that thing blocked Hibiki from speaking to her?]

[ Truthfully, it probably doesn't matter what she says. Guilt is a powerful thing. And she doesn't have any argument convincing enough to change Emily's mind. If it were her, she'd probably feel the same way. She does, a little. Maybe that's why she's here now.

Andy just sighs, slowly pushing off the doorframe to come over to the open window instead. She leans against the sill as she lights her cigarette, taking a slow drag before she finally speaks again: ]

When was the last time you ate? Slept?

I've eaten and rested. You on the other hand haven't, and don't pretend you have, because everyone here is honest to me. Go home, Andy. I can keep watch as well as you.

[she won't force her. but her point is that she does leave at times ostensibly to rest. she does force herself to eat. she's just bound up in enough nerves that when things actually settle, she feels like a silk rope slowly dragged across a sharp edge. fraying, bit by bit, every day.

if she lies to herself, she can keep going.]

I'm fine. [ The answer is automatic — almost dismissive. Like she's give this same answer to similar questions a hundred times before. ] I'm used to this. Could probably go a few more days, if I needed to.

[ As if she hasn't been "going" since the day the blood rain started. But it's not completely dishonest. A half-truth. She's an old soldier with plenty of experience with sleepless nights, more than a few of which were spent keeping watch. It was easier when she was immortal — when she didn't technically need to eat or sleep — but that's a technicality she doesn't need to explain now. ]

You can leave this one thing to someone else, Em. It doesn't always have to be your burden.

[she barely, barely manages to bite back the vicious snarl that wants to tear out her throat, that wants to scream I tried leaving it, and look what happened. she had tried to trust that things would be okay, and here they were, in another cursed city, the world gone to frenzy. if she's not on guard, if she's not alert, aware, maintaining things, what would happen? this, apparently. she relaxed, and look what happened.]

...He's not a burden. I love him.

[soft, so soft. even knowing it, even as dear as she holds it, she says it like it might shatter if she drops it.]

[ Maybe this would been easier, if she would just snap. Just scream, this once. That would probably be more bearable than hearing her whisper, her voice so small it's hardly there at all, the words so terribly fragile that, for a long moment, Andy can't even bring herself to reply.

It's a little painful, just to look at her. Andy turns away, glancing out the window instead. ]

...I didn't mean it that way. [ She sounds a little chastised. And tired. As if suddenly the weight of her weariness has come to rest fully on her shoulders. ] I know you love him. I know you'd do anything for him. But it doesn't make a difference to him right now, whether it's you or me sitting in that fucking chair.

[Emily Dyer does not scream at people. if she raises her voice, it's only to be heard above noise. it feels like it's been forever since she actually let someone have it, and maybe it has been. but she can't do that, least of all here, and she just takes a breath, folding up feeling like she does clothes, shelved, the door gently closed. there is a time and a place for all of this. not now. instead, she reaches to touch Andy's arm.]

I know you didn't mean it like that. What I'm trying to say is...I won't abandon my patients. I know they're asking for a lot. But I can't begin to think about telling them no when they're in need.

[when this city threatens to tear them apart with their own minds. how is she to look at them, and turn them away? when every one of them, there's the specter of their death somewhere that makes her swallow her pride. she'll work until her hands shake rather than admit she can't.]

They are my responsibility. And since he's in that bed, he falls under that category. There's nowhere safer for him to be.

[ Andy's eyes drift to where Emily gently touches her arm, then lift up to the woman's face. The look there is wry and skeptical, though not entirely unsympathetic either. Sometimes you have to lie a little bit, to get through these things. To yourself and to other people. She understands that better than she'd probably like to — and in the end, it's probably more for Emily herself than anyone else. ]

Tell yourself what you need to. Dress it up how you like.

[ She looks away again, using the excuse of her cigarette as she takes another drag, exhaling smoke out the window. ]

But I wouldn't waste the energy pretending with me. I'm staying. [ A sidelong glance, then. ] And I'm not sure there's much you can do about that.

Edited 2022-06-16 06:53 (UTC)

I'm not pretending, Andy. I mean what I say.

[there's just....more than what she's saying, and she shakes her head.]

Fine. Do as you please, I won't stop you. But if you don't find a way to get some sustenance in you and some actual rest, then I'll have to book you in as another patient.

[it's a concession of defeat. she's not going to win this argument no matter how she phrases it.]

[ With a twinge of dryness as she presses her cigarette back between her lips, letting it hang precariously at the corner of her mouth: ]

As much as I like it when you use your doctor voice with me, I think I'll pass on being checked in.

[ She stretches both arms above her head, joints popping with the motion, stiff and reluctant after so many hours seated in that damn folding chair beside Majima's bed. ]

Your hands are full as it is. And you can't cure me of being fucking obtuse.

No, I can no more make you unsheathe your wit than I can stop the heavens from raining like this.

[it's not a negative thing, just a simple observation. but she has one more bullet in her arsenal to pull out.]

If I ask Nishitani to make food and bring it here for you, will you eat it?

[there. Andy doesn't have to leave, but food will still occur. Emily reaches up to her own neck, pressing into the sore muscles - one of these days, she wants to sit in a public bath for an hour and not move.]

[ That bullet of hers earns a reaction - a little face, Andy’s eyebrows pinching ever so slightly. Honestly, it’s entirely too effective as a threat. She misses Nishitani’s cooking. She misses their shitty futon. And if she dwells on that too much, her resolve won’t last. ]

What is he, my fucking babysitter? [ It’s petulant. And mostly for show. There’s a quiet exhale before she half-concedes: ] …Later, alright? I’ll eat. Just. Not now.

[ Then a small pause, as she watches Emily for a beat or two. ]

Come here a minute.

Hm?

[she pauses in her work, turning back to Andy. under the surface of her mind, thoughts buzz and flow like a swift current. what needs to be done, procured. what might be needed. endless worries about those she knows, trying to swallow the rock in her chest the longer this goes on.

they can't lose this world. not without some kind of promise that they'll see each other again.]

[ Andy pauses to snuff her cigarette out in one of the ashtrays Emily keeps around for all the chainsmokers. Then with a little exhale of effort, she pushes herself away from the windowsill, moves to close distance between her and Emily. She moves to stand at her back, her hands surprisingly soft and warm when she lets them rest on Emily's shoulders. Her thumbs brush lightly against the baby hairs at the nape of her neck before pressing with firm care into the knotted muscle there. ]

Here. Let me.

[there's a sharp inhalation from Emily, but that has nothing to do with the proximity and everything to do with the fact that Andy will soon realize, which is that Emily's muscles practically feel like cables, they're so tight. it's been somewhat better since she learned to dismiss her wings, not needing to keep them pressed back, but it's still very tight from stress, from work, from keeping this place together. thus the pressure is a deep and welcome relief, even if it's painful.

every time she thinks she'll take an afternoon and go take care of this, something pops up. it's inevitable.]

[ The muscles in her neck are so tight it's as if she were born with them in a state of contraction. Andy can guess why — the woman is constantly overworking herself, always worrying for other people, always trying so same hard to hold herself together. And there isn't much to do about any of that now. But Andy can patiently work her thumbs against those knots, coaxing them to loosen just a little.

If she's honest, the repetitive motion is a bit comforting for her too. She lets herself find a rhythm, absently leaning forward so that her forehead rests lightly against the back of Emily's head, her eyes half-closed as her hands work more or less of their own accord. ]

[the relief of it is considerable. if she wanted, she could explain the processes that were going on, the bloodflow eased through channels, but it isn't necessary. all that matters is that she's feeling the changes, that the muscles are easing under the attention, and she relaxes more and more. deep, slow breaths - it hurts, but it's a good sort of pain, a necessary thing, to let knotted flesh yield into what it really should be.]

[ She's honestly not sure how long she goes on like that, letting her hands automatically feel out the tight knots in Emily's neck and upper shoulders, instinctively working them out as much as the chronic tension will allow. Truthfully, she nearly dozes off standing like that, lulled by the repetitive motion — and maybe the comfort of another person being near, that slow and deep rhythm of Emily's breaths. It's only when she registers the pull of sleep making her lean a little too fully against the other woman that she finally withdraws, exhaling as she rubs at her own eyes a bit.

No time for that now. No time for getting comfortable or feeling tired. ]

Fuck. [ It's a little mutter. ] Do we still have any coffee in this place?

[she feels absolutely tranquil for a second, lost in the feeling of the pain as relief, loosening the tension that's probably been there for at least a year. it fills her head, blots out her thoughts, and her eyes have closed from it. she wants to capture this, this memory, because it's unlikely it'll happen again soon - when will there be time?

when Andy pulls back, Emily takes a quiet breath, and then opens her eyes.]

Always. I'll get you a cup.

[her head feels a little light - or that's just unimpeded blood flow, for once.]

[ Not so fast, doctor — tired though she might be, Andy's still quick as a snake, reaching out to catch the other woman by the wrist to stall her. ]

It's alright. Just show me where. [ With a little wryness: ] Don't be in such a fucking hurry to undo all my hard work.

Getting you a cup of coffee won't undo all of that, Andy. I'm grateful - truly, I am - so let me show it.

[given the circumstances, there's no chance of Emily lying down and simply resting right now.]

[ It's really a matter of principle at this point, and for a second, it seems like Andy might refuse a second time, her grip lingering on Emily's wrist — but after a moment, she sighs and relents, letting go. ]

Fine. But I'm coming with you.

[ Not that making coffee is a two person job, but. ]

June 2022 Event

[CLOSED] ANDY & EMILY

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