jigokulogs | July 2022 IC Mingle

July 2022 IC Mingle

1. ITADAKIMASU!

After the harrowing incidents involving the curse last month, unity is the theme for welcoming the new influx of Lost Souls. The factions are still busy with cleanup efforts and making sure their personnel are in fighting shape. What’s more, most of the usual spots that would play host to the factions’ parties are either closed until they’re repaired, or in no state to be hosting parties that big.

Thus, an agreement has been reached. All of the factions will hold their mingles together and host a food truck/yatai festival in the blocks surrounding Theater Square, in the Sutoku Alliance’s territory. This gets money into the hands of the local vendors, and allows the community to spend time together in relative peace. It’s still Jigokucho, there are punks prowling to start fights and steal wallets, like they always are, but it’s a breath of fresh air after everything that’s been happening lately. Just keep your wits about you and enjoy the food. Takoyaki is one of the most popular items and competition between the carts motivates chefs to make them flair and style!

Kushiten, yakitori, dango, croquettes, senbei, onigiri, yakisoba, taiyaki, you name it, it’s probably represented here in some form. There are even any number of your favorite treats from home, even if your home isn’t Earth. It might take a little poking around to find them, but isn’t that part of the delight of exploring a city’s food?

The falling Stardust has made its way into the food as well. You may notice that some vendors are grinding up the glowing stellar fragments and putting them into the food itself as a spice. Are… you supposed to eat that?! Oh well! When it’s time to party, you can’t go wrong with a little Stardust.

2. MUSIC GOT ME FEELIN SO FREE

In the center of Theater Square, surrounded on all sides by the many colorful food stalls, they’ve set up a stage for local artists to perform on. There are a great variety of acts who come and go to play a few songs. The music reaches all throughout the square and may be little more than background noise, until just the right tune catches your ear.

Jenny⁣ – This all-girls story of hidden love should be hitting all the ladies in the crowd a certain kind of way. Have you been admiring a friend or coworker and just never taken the plunge? Now’s the time for that kiss, the music is playing.
KONNANじゃないっ⁣⁣ – This sweet idol bop about striding bravely towards your best future fills you with inspiration and hope for the future. You may feel compelled to bring your hopes and dreams into every conversation. The future is bright!
Running Up That Hill⁣⁣ – As the singer performs some kind of interpretive dance, she sings about her frustrations with never truly being able to see from another person’s perspective. What would you do to show your true self? Maybe it’s time to iron out that ongoing misunderstanding you’ve been circling.
Love Warriors⁣⁣ – A simple act with a guitarist and singer, she sings a mellow piece about the true value of love. What a beautiful message. Your heart might begin to overflow with feelings of care and affection. Will you finally spill those all-important three words? I-love-you.
One More Time⁣⁣ – The last act of the evening is lively, colored lights flashing out across the square. They begin to play an impossibly catchy beat that no one can resist dancing too. Dance like no one is watching and enjoy the sweet catharsis of a good dance session. You’ll feel better for it tomorrow.

(Players are more than welcome to use their own song and effect. 💖)

3. BIRD BOMBS

At some point during the festivities, the Daitengu takes the stage. They’re in exceptionally high spirits. They give a shout-out to Toraguma and Tenkohime for helping to make this happen. As usual, The Enma is not present. However, the Daitengu forgoes any snide remarks, although they do seem a bit let down. Hope springs eternal, one supposes.

Next they would like to announce that they have even more reasons to celebrate: a truce has been declared between the Shuten and Tamamo clans. The war for the Underground is over (for now) and new construction has started on a new casino and adult entertainment complex in the once-contested territory. They hope that this will lead to an ongoing era of financial cooperation between the three factions.

They thank Sakamoto Ryouma for making all of this happen and give him a shoutout in the crowd. Word has spread all over the Alliance about their deeds, and what they managed to pull off; a blessing and a curse. It becomes obvious that not every tribe within the Sutoku Alliance was okay with putting the Alliance itself up as collateral to make this happen. The Kasasagi Tengu Tribe, in particular, has decided to let their protest be known by storming the party in a flood of aggressive magpies. They vulture the food, they pick at jewelry, they’re an absolute menace.

Good luck shooing them away. The vibes are counting on you to deal with these feathered buzzkills.

Welcome to the IC mingle!

If you have any questions about the mingle content, please ask them here!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.
For Rewards, given both the Stardust and Turf War prompts are involved in all three, threads in the Mingle log count for TWO (2) points!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ His voice cuts through silence easily. Aerith's head snaps in his direction, just in time to catch a magpie looking to descend upon him off guard. Aerith shoos it away immediately, and it flies away, up into the sky. ]

Don't worry about it. You get picked at or anything?

[At the sudden motion, he ducks down as she shoos it away. His motion showing him clutching a scone in one hand.]

They've been trying to without a lot of success. You all right?

[ She laughs, because of course she does. He's ridiculous, but charming. ]

Yeah! Still got all my fingers and toes. [ He'll see the blurry outline of her, arms outstretched with something long and dark in her grip: The rod. ]

I'd zap him for you but it might be wasted effort with a chunk of them out of here, now. Wanna play round up, instead?

[It's a relief to hear that, at least. She'd been kind to him when he first got here, so it's good to know she's all in one piece.]

...'Round up' how, exactly?

[ Great question! Her answer is immediate. ]

We should get everyone to safety! Inside, maybe?

Inside - probably the safest bet for this sort of situation.

[He's looking around - He can't really see the birds clearly, just quick dark flashes but he can hear the wings flapping. Seems more like just a pest control problem - nothing gulls at the beach didn't prepare him for.]

Just tell me what to do.

[ This time, there's not a lot of time to lose, so she grabs his hand. Hopefully he's getting used to being manhandled by a florist. ]

Crowd control! I'll lead the way, you make noise!

[Jon doesn't see her reaching for him, doesn't know to prepare for being grabbed. What Jon does know is one moment he's fine, and the next his muscles are tense and he's trying to jerk his hand away as quick and hard as possible, trying to put space between them as his breath is suddenly gone, head empty. All he can think coherently is don't touch me don't touch me doN'T TOUCH ME and waiting for whatever immediate pain there will be before he can get his hand free.]

Don't!

[It takes a moment, forcing his breathing steady and trying to look around him, through the sound of flapping wings and his own heart racing in his ears. God, it's- it's just this young woman trying to help. Not anyone trying to hurt him. He's trembling, a short rush of adrenaline and his own fear (and what a sensation that is: a rush of fear that he isn't being fed back and see for what it is) as he blinks rapidly trying to see.]

....Sorry. I- I'm sorry.

[ It's perhaps hard to make out her expression now, but Aerith wears concern as easily as a mother fretting over a child with a fever. It comes to her naturally, and though she takes a step back to allow him to breathe, her immediate thought isn't about her own feelings, but whatever it is that might have made him jump back like that. If nothing else, he managed to freak out on someone with a good backbone for the consideration of others— not that one might always assume it, considering her lack of disregard for personal space. ]

No worries. [ Shaking her head, she does still lean over at the hips to try and inspect him for any further upset. ] How about you lead, and I'll make the noise, then? You probably memorized how to get to the bigger buildings better than I have, anyway.

[ She knows the streets, but still, it's better to give him an option. Control is always good when you have a moment, like that. ]

[Does he? Does he have the ways memorized? His thoughts are scrambled now, even as he tries looking to see what he does recognize in his short time here. It doesn't matter does it. No, they do need to get people inside.

A deep breath. A second one. It's going to be all right. This place is still better than where he was before. Jon is still at a bit of a loss, but he'll do whatever he can to help those around them.]

Just. Just point me in a direction.

[ For a moment longer than intended, Aerith is silent. She's mulling over her options, wondering just how much control she can give him right now. A distraction must be best, in any case. Nodding even if he can't see it, Aerith raises one braceleted arm up to point down a street with a large, imposing building at the end of it. It's an indoor shopping mall; perfect for getting a number of people in. ]

Can you make it there?

[He follows where he sees her hand pointing, the building ahead. He's fairly certain he can do that. Just start shouting and get people to follow him there... probably.

Jon nods.]

Yes. I'm certain I can. I'll try.

[He has to do this. It's what he's able to do, given the circumstances - powerless and really, he should go get glasses, stop holding on to the tether of wanting proof that he's no longer connected to the Eye, just go get glasses like a normal fucking person - and it's easy to say he'll do it. Another thing to take that first step.

But given the moment to get his breath, he'll go. Calling out to the people he runs past, careful to not touch but gesturing for them to follow him or run ahead of him to the building.]

[ While Jon grapples with the state of his existence, Aerith fights to give him enough space. It goes down like this: she watches the crowd go after him, picking up in droves to conglomerate like big blotches of colorful ink. They follow him calmly, and when the area is mostly cleared out, she brandishes her staff again. ]

Heya! Yoohoo! I've got something shiny over here!

[ No magpies were hurt in the making of this tag.

They take the bait and Aerith handles it withot a single casualty. It only takes a little bit of her time but eventually, after getting caught in flag after flag, batted away like a giant baseball and all manner of chaotic solutions to the invasion problem, the coast is clear.

Finally... it's over. For now, perhaps, but long enough to regroup. She leaves to find him, a ice cold bottle of water in hand. Whenever she does find Jon, wherever he is, she'll hold it out in his field of vision, and beam. ]

It's done. Great job.

[He feels almost out of breath by the time they settle in the enclosure. Jon's rubbing at his bad leg, looking around and making sure no one's grievously injured. He wouldn't forgive himself if he led them somewhere more dangerous.

But it feels good to be helping. Being useful again. The Apocalypse was so deadening as far as trying to save anyone went, this is a strange change of pace.

He seems something jut into his view and squints before looking to the person holding it. Smiles gently as he takes the bottle.]

Your direction, your plan. It worked.

[ Even though he calls her out on it, and she would be a liar to disagree, she thinks it's a two mon job at the least. So Aerith settles in next to Jon and watches as people wander around under the safety of a ceiling. Periodically, someone strategically lets in more people. There's enough room for hundreds of youkai and humans alike to mingle here, and while she sips water, she ruminates on the day so far. Perhaps once it's cleared out, they'll be back out there, joyously feeling the music and dancing. ]

Forget about that. More importantly... how are you, Jon?

[It takes him a proper moment to get the cap off and slowly sip from it. He's relieved, though. Eager to help and happy to be of use. Hearing everyone safe is honestly a blessing he isn't sure he'd trade for anything now.]

I'm- I'm all right. I mean, everyone's a bit jittery now, but...

What did you do, exactly?

Told them I was tast! Then, ...they followed me!

[ This is a lie. She's joking. ]

You know what I mean, Jon! C'mon. I'm sorry. [ Yes, she's really asking about earlier— a social faux pas, perhaps, but when has playing by the rules gotten anything done? ]

[He doesn't seem to get what exactly she's asking about or apologizing for. What she just said was a joke, obviously, but one he gets and wasn't going to take seriously.

He blinks at her confused.]

I don't... There's nothing to apologize for.

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July 2022 IC Mingle

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