jigokulogs | July 2022 Mini Event

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Tanabata is on the horizon, and the city seems to be recovering well from last month. But there's work to be done, and it's time to get to it...

1. SHUTEN CLAN - THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS

With construction wrapping up, the new Shuten Clan casino will be opening soon. The casino has a number of new staff positions opening. It is a golden opportunity for anyone looking for a cash rich position. The money promised upon assignment to the underground casino is bound to be life-changing. Given the potentials in clientele, Toraguma is expecting the very best. Shutens are to report to the above ground Celestial Phoenix casino for their training.

They will be taught all the traditional casino fare, both Japanese and abroad. This includes being taught how to cheat at these games as well. For example:
Blackjack dealers will learn card count, and how to catch others doing the same.
Roulette attendants will learn both how and when to discreetly adjust the wheel.
Craps and Cee-lo dealers will learn how to feel for loaded dice and how to switch in the house's dice without notice.
Cee-lo dealers are also taught a specific way to line the dice tray to cause more lost throws.
Cho-Han dealers will learn how to distract players as they adjust the dice.
That's not all the Shutens will be learning. The clan needs skilled bouncers as well: people who can handle rowdy customers or haughty celestials. The more tenured Shutens will take up the roles of rude customers and challenge the trainees in how to handle them.

While not everyone will receive employment in the casino, they are all expected to participate in training. Shuten officers are expected to guide and oversee their juniors.

2. TAMAMO CLAN - CHARM SCHOOL

The Tamamo Clan also has preparations to make in anticipation of the underground's opening. The clan is opening their own brothel and cabaret, as well as providing food and drink services to the new Shuten casino.

All Tamamo Clan members must report for training at Mizukume. The lesson of the day is to use one's charisma to secure a huge payout. For example:
Hosts and hostesses will learn the art of schmoozing away clients' money.
Performers will learn more provocative means of soliciting large tips.
Oiran are taught the erotic arts; the perfect balance to both please a client, and how to leave them begging (and paying) for more. There's no technique Tenkohime finds too shameful. Money is power, and power is freedom.
Food service workers are provided master classes in mixology, plating, and how to serve high-profile clients without breaking a sweat.
Each role comes with its own set of pressures, but also the promise of great reward. Everyone is going to get rich, if everyone plays their part well.

Tenured Tamamo are asked to roleplay as clients for the benefit of those Lost Souls new to the work. While not everyone will be selected to work in the Underground, everyone is expected to train for it.

3. SUTOKU ALLIANCE - BLACK MARKETS AND BACK ALLEYS

After months of meetings, it's finally time for some real action. Sutoku Lieutenant Ryouma Sakamoto has made some pretty big commitments on the Alliance's behalf. His temerity comes from his earnest belief in the other Sutoku Lost Souls! No pressure, though!

To succeed, the Alliance must determine who is behind the current black market operation. Ryouma is relying on the Alliance's extensive information network and the hard work of the Lost Souls to make it happen.

This is the work that Ryouma mentioned when he welcomed the new arrivals recently.

This assignment is all about what you know. The Sutoku need to learn more about the competition, through any means necessary. The Alliance wants to know everything about what goods are moving around the city and who is moving it. Time to follow the money. You might even discover an unfulfilled niche in the market through your investigations.

The current influx of Stardust in the city is a great opportunity to investigate the existing dealers and supply lines. The Alliance is gathering Stardust just like everyone else, but it is becoming increasingly scarce as the factions vie for it. The value of this commodity is shooting up every day. Take some cash or other compelling bartering tools with you to grease the palms of a few shady dealers. Try to convince them to be more honest about their supply lines, beyond just the sparkly stuff. Stick the landing, and you might just be closing in on the heart of those shipping loopholes.

This is no easy undertaking. Creativity and tenacity will determine just how far you can go. Be careful not to be too obvious, the threat of unwanted attention will cause your sources to clam up.

4. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENMA - CRACK DOWNS

The Stardust's street presence has shifted naturally over the past few weeks: from an easy resource to simply scoop up in garbage bags overnight to a hot commodity. The street value of the material has increased considerably, and that means that the unaffiliated street gangs are greedy to get in on the action.

Enma officers are called upon to round up any black market dealers of Stardust and confiscate as much of their supply as they can find. This might just bring them into some direct conflict with the Sutoku Alliance members hoping to connect with market insiders. That's just how things boil out sometimes, though.

It is more important to the Department to get Stardust out of the hands of the black marketeers… and into their own lockers.

Officers are given permission to use any amount of force against individual actors, and members of the Law and Records Department are expected to draft up warrants (no matter how doctored) to obtain access to buildings they otherwise would never be allowed into; even Mizukume and the Arena. The Department's orders are clear: if it's not an approved market, shut it down.

This is in the name of maintaining Order, so get out there. Move at least in pairs, or you're likely to meet some serious resistance, and keep an eye out for the newbies.

5. ALL FACTIONS - LUNAR RABBIT RETURNS

It isn't just the factions, dealers, and petty gangs who are interested in the Stardust now that it's a premium item.

A familiar face has resurfaced: the mysterious gyokuto medicine woman and her army of white rabbits. While her little kin have managed to gather a healthy amount of Stardust for her "research", she still needs more. She is willing to pay a huge premium to those who retrieve more materials for her.

She understands that this will require you to either pilfer from one of the factions, or potentially someone even more dangerous. She will be providing samples of one of her drugs, which can grant temporary invisibility in moonlight. Use it for whatever hijinks you want, but she really would prefer if you brought her the goods in the end.

If invisibility doesn't cut if for you, she can provide another sample that provides 10 times your normal strength. While you can KO anyone who gets in your way, it wears off within 5 to 10 seconds. She is very clear that you should not take more than 3 doses of this, or you will very possibly die. Probably. Maybe? It will be unpleasant. So use it only when you need to.

The reward for getting her some Stardust, depending on the amount, can easily pay all a character's expenses for a month, if not longer. The temptation is great, but do you trust this strange rabbit woman?

Welcome to the mini event!

If you have any questions about event content, please ask them here!
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FOR THE PURPOSES OF REWARDS, since all of these prompts tie into the main plot in some way, we will count all qualified threads in this post as 2 point threads!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ A bemused look, he knows it doesn't suit Izo very well. He didn't really want it to suit him either, but he just can't mind his own fucking business. He sees other people struggling for something important to them... and just cares about their success. His sense of investment is quick to take hold. ]

Sure. I'll think of somethin'.

[ He's really not been in the mood, in general, but Izo is trying to help in his own uncertain way. ]

Ya did a good job showin' 'em what a real nuisance is gonna look like.

[ He's only teasing a little. ]

[ Izō honestly doesn't know how to help. Pushing people away for most of his life means that anything he does to reach out is unsure and shaky. He tries his best for the people he cares about, but his best isn't very good.

He knows that. He tries not to dwell on it. ]

Yeah, well...Gotta get 'em ready. Wasn't gonna make it easy on 'em.

[ He also knows he has a pretty intolerable personality. What not put it to good use for once? ]

They'll be lucky if I'm th' worst they gotta deal with.

[ Yeah, well. That's the life. High risk, high reward. ]

Better than some've th'jobs the clan has goin'.

[ There's much more violence waiting out there. ]

Yeah... [ Like the jobs Izō typically does; the bloody, dirty work everyone knows happens and no one talks about. ] Prolly for th' best they're gettin' started here.

[ He sits back with a sigh. ]

Got a lotta fuckin' work ahead t' get 'em ready.

[ That's the life. Blood, sweat, tears. Majima just sits back with his arms crossed to watch as things progress. He's watching if any of the girls get too flustered, if the bouncers get too heated. He might get up now and then to split a pair apart and remind them that they absolutely must be civil.

It's a while longer of watching imaginary altercations, but people wander out at a drip as they have other things to do or feel satisfied. Majima dismisses the last few determinedly snarling it out and then returns to Izo with his hands loose in his pocket, ]

Battin' cages?

[ Izō doesn't just sit back, getting up when his help's needed and hanging back when it isn't. It took awhile, but he's finally easing in his position. The new recruits need someone more reliable and Majima is only one person. It's time he stepped up.

He gets up as Majima comes over and nods at the suggestion. ]

Sure. Hittin' shit after dealin' with this all night sounds fuckin' perfect.

[ This is far from the only thing on his mind. Hitting shit, in general, is the cure to all of his woes. He steps out onto the street, loosening his tie with his cigarette smoldering at his lips. The tie gets stuffed unceremoniously into his back pocket. He's always clearly over it for the day when he just doesn't even have the patience anymore for the pieces of his costumes. He sometimes throws Goromi off with the same exasperation. Everyone has their limit, and Majima still keeps this little bubble of authenticity squirreled away to fall back on.

He is, at heart, just a dumb kid who wants to hang out at the batting cages with his friend. He swings into a corner store for some beer. A meaningless amount for a pair of hard drinkers, but that's not really the point. ]

[ Izō never had the chance at an adolescence. Sure, he had some free moments as a child, but more often than not he was helping to farm just to keep his family fed. Then the war broke out and there was no hope for a normal life. It's nice to reclaim some of that, to forget about his responsibilities and just go hit shit with a friend.

It's nice to have a moment of freedom where they can both just let go for a little while. Nothing matters but the two of them and the cathartic release of seeing how hard and how far they can hit that damn ball. ]

[ Luckily this place is set up for people of yokai strength... Majima is able to absolutely whale on the ball to his satisfaction. The rhythmic and resounding crack everytually starts to be more soothing than not. He can pay more attention to Izo's laughter and smiling, maybe even taste some of the beer.

God everything has felt like a fucking shitshow lately. This is probably the best he can as apology for the moment. ]

Got some shit t'do before I head home. See ya later, all right?

[ Better, but not quite ready to settle down. ]

[ It's fine enough. Getting to spend some quality time together, no matter how fleeting, is all that matters to Izō. He just nods and hugs Majima, lingering for a moment before backing off. ]

Yeah, don't get yerself into too much trouble without me.

[ Izō flashes him a grin and waves as he heads off into the night himself. ]

July 2022 Mini Event

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