jigokulogs | 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

(Walking through Shuten territory they go.)

So what's your secret? (You can't just ask people that Hizen--) Why'd the boss pick ya?

(In other words, how the heck did you end up in Shuten.)

[ That question catches him off-guard and...honestly he doesn't know what the answer is? It's just as much of a mystery to him as it is to anyone else how he ended up in this faction. ]

Um... I really don't know why, either.

[ He's not an outstanding fighter, and...he's not going to assume the boss knows about some of the things he's been through the past year, so there's no guarantee any of that had any bearing on why an oni chose him, of all people. If it even would have any bearing, for that matter. ]

I think I'm pretty far off from what most people expect from this faction, if I'm being honest.

I'd say to ask the boss but 's probably a bad idea to go questioning him if you can't do shit.

(RIP, Skylark. You just live here now but at least this kid is honest. Honest? He isn't sure. He figures most people in this faction have something going for them and he wonders if this kid is downplaying it or something.)

Can you do anything? You're gonna have to work here if you wanna live, y'know. Hell still runs on money.

[ Oh, like hell he's going to ask the boss when he isn't sure he's ready for whatever the answer may be. To Hizen's question, however... ]

Well, I've worked as an attendant, errand boy, and doctor's apprentice, and I can keep the books and find my way around the city pretty well, so I can probably find some kind of job...

Huh. (Just "huh" as he listens.) You'll find something.

(Even the Shuten needs people to help manage things behind the scenes, he supposes. Interesting that no one has tapped into his own ability to do some of those exact things but... well, Hizen isn't going to go out of his way to prove all that he can do.

They arrive at one of the Shuten apartments. Hizen makes a point to ignore someone loitering outside-- a neighbor or a guard or whatever-- and starts walking up the steps. Because the elevator is broken. It's always broken.)

Fourth floor.

(In case Lark is keeping count.)

Most of the money's in the arena and beating people up for cash... unless you're real smart. Y'know, into whatever business stuff other people do here.

(Gambling, loaning money, etc.)

[ Walking up the stairs is pretty normal for Skylark, so he doesn't even notice that the elevator is broken. And he was keeping count, in fact.

It makes sense that the arena makes the most money here (and he should probably look into whether people are making bets there too), but, hmm... ]

Ah, you mean the gambling houses? Well, all these businesses must need people handling the paperwork... [ He isn't sure how many of them would take him seriously enough to give him anything particularly important, however. At least at first. ]

(And up the steps they go! Until they get to the fourth floor,)

Yeah. Guess even the clan's gonna need a few bookworms to keep things running. (And he sort of just... shrugs. ) Dunno how much they're gonna trust a newbie, though.

(And here they finally get to Hizen's place. He'll unlock the door and take his shoes off once inside--)

Take your shoes off.

(And he's heading off to get his new first aid kit (thanks Emily).)

Sit.

(There are... not many places to sit! A sofa in the living room and a pair of chairs in the kitchen. That's it! There's not much going on inside It's pretty basic, not very big, but definitely lived in and kept neat.)

I'll figure something out. [ Somehow. As usual. He suspects he might have to prove himself, but that's not unexpected at this point.

He takes of his shoes as instructed, greeted by a small apartment, and decides to sit on the sofa. He and Hizen have both walked, they can have the sofa. ]

(This is fine. It's not even a great couch? Definitely a second-hand thing but not bad. Anyway, he returns with box in hand and sits down across from him.

Holding his hand out for Lark's and will just begin to dab at the scratches and stuff with an alcohol swab,)

... Hizen.

(That's his name, by the way.)

[ He tries not to wince at the feeling of alcohol on injuries. That's childish! ]

Ah, I'm Gracious Skylark. Thanks for the help.

(He just sucks on his teeth. There's a "tch" in response and he just focuses on all of the different scratches. Those birds sure are a pain in the ass...)

If ya walk around covered in scratches and shit, people're gonna start picking on ya here.

(The same way they picked on him when he first arrived. Prone to getting into fights, his wounds not healing as quickly as he was used to. He was really just asking to be hazed in his earlier days.

He reaches for some bandages to put on the more serious scratches,)

Keep 'em covered, got it?

[ ...

This reminds him of Crane and he isn't sure how he should feel about that. The whole not bothering with niceties and curt way of speaking, and even the rough way Hizen seemed to be expressing concern. People who were actually considerate despite how they seemed.

(This is, more or less, much like what she had said to him once years ago, that she was surprised he was still alive even though he looked like crap. At the time he had thought she was just talking about how she hadn't managed to scare him off; in hindsight, she was probably talking about how he hadn't gotten jumped by other people too.

Maybe Skylark's just seeing the similarities because he missed her, which would honestly be a little pathetic.) ]

You'd think people have better things to do...but I will.

Hm.

(Just a quiet sound in acknowledgment and he sticks one last bandage on a scratch and closes up his little kit. It isn't much but... it is nice to be able to actually use some of these first-aid skills he's learning. Sure, this is nothing! Just a few scratches compared to what can happen in this city but even a small difference feels like something after the massive bust that was the previous month.)

You're one of the new ones, aren't ya? Did they get you some shitty place to stay in too?

Pretty much, yeah.

[ Small apartment, very basic and not-quite-comfortable? Yeah. Not that different from the rooms back in Wu-Jian, mostly. The weirdest thing was living in one alone after years of living with other people. ]

Probably ain't got much right now then, huh?

(He remembers how he started off. Going weeks without even a basic futon because he felt like he didn't need one... only to end up with multiples because people felt bad for him.)

I got some spare futons and a couch. (The one they're sitting on, even.) You can stay for a bit 'til ya find whatever you're gonna do and save up.

July 2022 IC Mingle

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