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

Yeah. [ Her response is quick. She doesn't have to think about it. ]

This Sephiroth and the one I remember, they feel... different. It's like... He's purer. More... like himself. [ Sure, he's still the man that they knew. Still, there is something not quite the same. ]

You know what I mean?

Kind of. I couldn't explain it myself. But he seemed. Strange. Like he...

[ He shakes his head. The thought is half-formed, and the second he reaches for some kind of way to explain it, it's gone. ] I dunno. He seemed off, but not in a... way that made me think it wasn't him, yeah.

Not that it's stopped him from being the Sephiroth I know, in all the worst ways.

[ A thought strikes her, but she sees no need to verbalize it. It isn't like Cloud, or anyone else, for that matter, would understand what she meant by it. "Maybe the Sephiroth we know isn't quite himself," wouldn't make a lot of sense to anyone but her.

So she listens, instead. ]

Really? Like, what? What's he done to you?

[ There's a moment where Cloud think he really shouldn't tell Aerith all of it. It's too... well, it's too crazy. If he explains it, he doesn't know if Aerith won't just- ]

[ She... probably won't. Not here, anyway. But it's gonna be weird to explain. ]

I've run into him a couple times. In the underground. Around the city. Egging me on, challenging me... it's like he's... obsessed. Or possessed.

He'd shown up to me before - before we saw him in the drum. Or at the end of the highway. But then it was more like... he wasn't there. Not really. Just a phantom. But he sounded the same as when we met him.

[ He is vaguely aware of how crazy he sounds, right now. ]

The times we've met here... something's off about them in a way I don't really get.

[ Lucky for him, he's talking to the last remaining descendant of the Cetra. Extraordinary as this is, Aerith only plucks one thing out of Cloud's worse: The Sephiroth back in their world is haunting him. But why?

This one is different. He's not really haunting Cloud— he's insisting on being part of his existence. ]

Hm. [ It's a soft hum, carried away by ocean waves and sea breeze. ] Do you think it's... his motive? [ She's quiet for a moment longer before she looking over at him, expression empathetic. ] We'll figure it out.

[ The truth is, he can think of a reason Sephiroth is haunting him back home - a really big reason, even.

I killed you with my own-
Oh, you need not remind me...

But explaining that - well. It'd take time. He doesn't really know how to put it together just yet. It'll be something he tells her - later, properly, when he's figured out exactly how to explain it. ]

It could be, I guess. [ He's not going to say he doesn't know why, because it's not a lie if you don't say it. ] But... yeah, we'll figure it out. It's still better he's here, where we can keep an eye on him, I suppose.

Edited 2022-06-20 08:22 (UTC)

[ With a shrug, she can only agree. ] Maybe we're lucky. [ Optimistic, or maybe just trying to lighten the mood. Cloud can decide. ]

Could be our chance to stop him. [ You know, away from Midgar itself. She wonders if it goes deeper than that, this time. ] No pressure, right?

None at all. Me without my sword, no Tifa, no Barret- [ He's sarcastic, but it does clearly lighten the mood a bit. ] Do you even have any materia on you? Because I don't.

Trivial, really. Don't know why we thought he was a problem.

[ He'll let that sit a minute - mostly because he figures that'll also at least pick up Aerith's mood a bit. He might be looking to get a laugh out of her. ]

Edited 2022-06-20 08:51 (UTC)

[ Hands on her hips, she swivels to face him. The smile on her face? Blinding. ]

Where would you be without me?

[ The staff turned watergun is no longer Aerith's weapon of choice; from her Inventory, she plucks out the Reinforced Staff. The yellow materia glows. ]

Looks like it's my turn to make your life easier.

...You're kidding.

[ But no, he can see it. A small yellow materia slotted neatly in her staff, glowing brightly. He doesn't inspect it long - this isn't the kind of trick Aerith would pull. Besides- ]

-Let me guess, it was a real pain in the neck to acquire, right? Bet you didn't just find someone on the black market selling weird crystals for a discount.

Mm-mm. Would be a lot more interesting, though. Tenkohime called for me. She took me to her garden, and gave it back to me. They came together.

[ It disappears back from whence it came then, and Aerith's hands slip behind her back. ] Pretty sure it's actually for good behavior! So, you know what that means, right?

'Connections get you jobs, jobs get you rep, and better rep gets you better connections.' [ He practically recites the advice Tifa gave him in the Sector 7 slums. ] In other words, play their game.

[ That said, it's at least reassuring that apparently they're holding onto their belongings. It made sense - they were the people making sure Hell ran smoothly. ]

[ Of course, now he can't help but say something else. Something that's going to get him into far more trouble. ]

Well, if they're rewarded for good behavior, that show you put on should have you in Tenkohime's good books in no time.

[ Uh-oh. ]

[ There's no denying it. Biting her lip, Aerith doesn't even bother trying to respond to what he says at first. The mention of her little "show" is enough to get her; he saw that, huh? ]

That's the plan. You know, Cloud, it probably would have worked for you, too.

[ Just sayin'. ]

Keep it in mind, at least.

Uh-

[ Cloud's taken aback for a minute, but his face settles into a half-bemused expression, even if he can feel his ears go a little pink at the tips as he retorts. ]

Worked for her? Or for you?

[ Her response, a low and teasing hum, definitely doesn't help. ]

You'd have to find out, I think.

[ Just saying. ]

[ For a second he thinks he might have crossed the line. When she retaliates, though, he gives that soft little 'huh' he's so fond of, the one that's just barely audible - not a scoff, but more of understanding. ]

I guess I will. I'll keep it in mind, next time there's a chance to show off. Not like you've missed a performance of mine before, right?

[ In this kind of banter, even the Honeybee Inn dance counts as a weapon. ]

[ Unfortunately, he is quite right. Aerith wants front row to this, should it ever happen. ]

I've never missed one of your's, sure. But I think you'll be remembering mine, won't you?

[ She got the head start on this one, and she isn't going to let it go. ]

[ He can't help but catch himself, a tiny 'ah' escaping before he unties his tongue and finds his response. The tips of his ears are probably red with embarrassment, but thankfully they're mostly hidden under his hair. ]

For a while to come. You sure know how to leave a good impression.

[ Which might be the closest Cloud Strife will come to remarking on Aerith's 'assets'. ]

[ She'll take it. Like a champ, in fact. He's always fun to banter with, and anyone eavesdropping has to think it's fun, too, right? ]

Thanks! Someone's got to pick up the slack so you have something to study for your debut.

Maybe, but I don't think I could deliver the same kind of performance. I think I'm missing something.

[ The words are out of his mouth before he can take them back. So what does he do? Commit. ]

But it never hurts to practice.

[ Ah, there we go. An opening. ]

How about right now? [ No time like the present, right? ]

R...right now?

[ Oh, his heart just lept into his chest. This was one turnaround he wasn't expecting. ]

W...what kind of practice did you have in mind, Aerith?

[ She flashes him a brilliant smile, all teeth and rosy cheeks, but Aerith does not answer. Instead, she peals off to the shore, rushing into the ocean, braid swinging madly behind her. As she goes deeper, the skirt of her pale pink dress floats along the surface, exposing her milky white, long legs.

Twisting at the hip, she waves at him to come join her. ]

C'mon! [ Don't mind the bratty tone. Apparently, she just isn't done playing with him. ] It's way cooler in here than out stuffy there.

[ Getting wet counts as practice, right? ]

Edited (hmmm. freudian typo.) 2022-06-23 05:52 (UTC)

H-hey! Wait up!

[ He watches her go into the water, chasing after her in his one-piece swimsuit and monochrome open shirt. Honestly, she's right, it is cooler out here. ]

[ The fact it might be harder to spot the fact he had been blushing for a moment there watching Aerith? A small bonus. We won't talk about it. ]

[ He does manage to catch up with her, briefly winded - but only briefly. ]

What's gotten into you? [ It's more amusement on his part, than anything. ]

Edited 2022-06-23 06:40 (UTC)

[ That's a good question. She smiles at him, then watches the stars twinkle in the reflection of the water. Crystal clear, she can see straight to the bottom. ]

Hmm. [ It's that sweet tone of voice again, the one she adopts when she knows she's about to knock him off his center. ] You have!

[ Sinking deeper down, Aerith giggles and lets the water take her. Her head stays over the surface but she leans back to take in the night sky. She could sink to the bottom now that she's said it.

It's true, terribly so. She missed him. ]

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hi lol

hello

:)

hmmmm,

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