September 2022 Mingle!

[jigokumods]

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The influx of fresh Lost Souls means the factions need to have a little welcoming party for them. So some recreational activities are in order. All Lost Souls will receive a message from their respective faction leaders with orders to go have some fun.

Shuten - WEENIES ON PARADE

Shuten Clan newbies will be summoned to the Arena, which has been set up with a very different kind of fight than usual. The members of the Shuten Clan do nothing by half-measures. Partying, drinking, and eating are all encouraged to excess. This time they're inviting new recruits to test their mettle in various eating contests. You'll need nerves of steel and a stomach of iron to succeed. Hot dogs, marshmallows, pizza, lobster rolls, breakfast cereals, rice, and more are all on offer.

See how much you can eat and try not to get sick! Competitive eating is a messy, disgusting affair, regardless of the emergency buckets stationed strategically throughout the building.

If you're feeling especially ballsy, you can take on the biggest onis and other youkai by teaming up with your fellow Shutens. They're all confident enough to take that bet.

Glory, prize money, and antacids to the winners. Shame to the losers – they'll be run through town in weenie costumes.

Better eat up 🙂

Tamamo - ALL NIGHT LONG

The newest Tamamo recruits are summoned to a local gymnasium. Strangely, rather than sports equipment laid out on the court, there are a number of light futons, blankets, and pillows. Everyone will be sorted into one of two yukata patterns – one purple and one blue – and sent to their respective sides of the court to lie down in bed and pull up the covers.

It is then that the referee will explain the rules of competitive pillow fighting. When the whistle blows, jump up and grab one of the authorized pillows at the center of the court. It's a game much like dodgeball, but the goal is to hit the opposing team's king with a pillow from your half of the court. Team members use blankets and sometimes their bodies to protect their king.

There will be a few rounds, and you can rotate who is king at your discretion. Protect them with your life! Or whatever. Star players will receive a bonus and a coupon to one of the best Tamamo spas.

When the competitive stuff is done, the sleepover proper will begin. There will be liquor, sodas, and light snacks for everyone while movies are projected onto a screen late into the morning. The movies range from classic dramas and romances to outrageous yokai comedies.

Sutoku - GROSSERY GANG

The Alliance has found themselves in the possession of an entire truckload's worth of reject children's toys. Ever the opportunist, the Daitengu has assigned the project of inventorying and trashing the particularly offensive ones to the new guys.

Of course, you're expected to play with a few of them as well. Maybe one of them is decently fun, and they could sell the rest, you know? Many of these toys are gross out bathroom humor in nature, and spit water randomly at anyone who loses their round. The Daitengu has thoughtfully provided a selection of alcohol to make this game a little more adult friendly. Toys that lack the appropriate spitting mechanism can still be played over shots, really, go nuts.

While you 'work', there will be plenty of motivating music piped into the warehouse. The sound quality is not great, but they tried?

Everyone who sorts through a decent amount of toys will get a little extra pay, although who is really paying that much attention to who's doing what here?

Credit where it's due: We turned kids toys into drinking games

Enma - BREAKING THE ICE

Welcome to the Department of the Enma. New Lost Soul recruits will be summoned to a large conference room in Kaigo no Bou, which has been outfitted with a variety of buffet table offerings and tables which seat between 5 - 6 people comfortably. You are invited to fill your plates at your discretion, the craft services people are used to feeding bottomless yokai stomachs and the food will not run out.

Clipboards with a variety of icebreaker questions have been provided at each table. The pens have assuredly been firmly affixed to the clipboard. Please return them together.

Every 30 minutes Captain Shiki will blow her whistle to signal that you are to migrate to another table with fresh companions. You are, indeed, being forced to get to know your coworkers, lucky you. This isn't tedious at all.

Pick a few of the questions below to answer, and get chatting. Or Captain Shiki may come over to stare at you with intense disapproval. You can't get away with just zoning out to that sweet smooth jazz playing overhead!

1. If you had a time machine that would work only once, what point in the future or in history would you visit? 2. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? 3. If your house was burning down, what three objects would you try and save? 4. If you could talk to any one person now dead or alive, who would it be and why? 5. If you HAD to give up one of your senses (hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting) which would it be and why? 6. If you were an animal, what would you be and why? 7. Do you have a pet? If not, what sort of pet would you like? 8. Name a gift you will never forget? 9. Name one thing you really like about yourself. 10. What's your favorite thing to do in the summer? 11. Who's your favorite cartoon character, and why? 12. Does your name have a special meaning and/or were you named after someone special? 13. What is the hardest thing you have ever done? 14. If you are at a friend's or relative's house for dinner and you find a dead insect in your salad, what would you do? 15. What was the best thing that happened to you this past week? 16. If you had this week over again, what would you do differently? 17. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about 'God'? 18. What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? 19. If you could change one problem in the world today, what would you like to change? 20. What book, movie or video have you seen/read recently you would recommend? Why?

All Factions - THE GIFT OF SONG

Did you all enjoy having some of your wishes granted? Well, so did a flock of those annoying magpie! They asked for the gift of music. These feathered nuisances, however, have fallen in love with an old school metal band. That is all they will be singing for the foreseeable future! Different members of the flock have taken up different instrumentals and vocals for the track, spread out across electrical wires and rooftops, singing their favorite rockin' tune to the skies!

Lost Souls have been asked to please catch them and get them to knock it off, they are truly annoying everyone, across all factions.

Should you catch these musical magpies, and not one of the other clans, they will tell you their sorry tale! They love this band, but the group broke up years ago. All the magpie want is for their favorite old dudes to be reunited to jam with them, one more time!

The old dudes are out there in the city, but who knows why they broke up and if they can even be convinced out of retirement. Good luck, if you succeed your boss will give you a favorable bonus, which would be a great boon to a newbie just getting settled.

In the meantime:

Shabadabadia
Shabadabadia
Babababa
Babababa
Babababa

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Comments

emily dyer | identity v | sutoku alliance

[medicative]

reject toys.

[she'd thought she'd be doing the quiet, simple duty of greeting the newbies and answering their questions. but it never is that easy, is it? no, instead they're given this new task, and the alcohol and music don't make it better. really, what was wrong with a nice dinner and a gentle round of discussion as a get to know you? not to mention the recent events that got under her skin...

one could simply throw out the toys. that would be one way to deal with them, tidy and no fuss. but at the same time, she sees someone dealing with them with a decisive strike from a wooden mallet, rendering it unsalvageable. and so it is that when they've stepped away, she steps in, quietly picking up the hammer. one of these is particularly irritating, with the beeping unable to be stifled, and before she knows it, she brings the mallet down on the toy, cutting it off and breaking the plastic. it takes a few hits before it's completely destroyed, but now...

again. again, because it is filling her with a sense of controlled calm to do this, to bring the hammer down on the broken toys, to shatter them into nothing more than trash now. away with you. if they're supposed to be playing with them, then Emily in her own way is "playing," with an intense look and a steady hand. still, though, she does feel eyes on her, and looks up, quickly schooling herself into nothing but mild politeness.]

I'm sorry, did you want a turn?

[that's the best way to play this off, right?]

meet and greet.

[of course, one can't purge the stress from their system forever. so it is that later, when things have at least gotten into full swing and it seems to be going well enough, that she'll duck out. not too far yet, there's still obligations, but she has a glass of ice cold water and fresh air, and Emily feels restored from it. hey, she'd tried this time, so the Daitengu can't find fault with her having fun.

it's when someone else comes away from the gathering, with that telltale cast of simply needing a break, that she speaks up. soft enough to ignore if they want, but still there if they'd like.]

It's quite a lot, isn't it?

wildcard.

[want something else? let's go for it! check out my cr meme comment for ideas, or just throw it at me.]

reject toys

[psionicmolotov]

[ Kimmuriel is fastidiously tearing into broken toys himself, pulling them apart piece by piece with signs of none-too-savory enjoyment. He had been pausing only to look at Emily smashing her way through more of them because he perhaps recognises a kindred spirit in this sense. ]

I am not so overtly physical. [ A pause. ] I appreciate our leader [ for once ] for providing such a stimulating activity to work out...frustrations, however. Do you not agree?

[medicative]

[at him saying he's not the same type of physical, her eyes do flick down to the toys he's pulling apart, but she says nothing instead. he's not devoid of the same impulses.]

I do. While this isn't quite what they had in mind, I'm sure, it is perhaps the most enjoyable I've found these particular gatherings to be in a while.

[a wild party isn't her scene. but the secret opportunity to blow off a little steam? that she can get behind.]

Usually, they're more work than play.

[psionicmolotov]

[ He's a serious person who has some very concerning outlets, but hey, don't we all. no, kimmuriel ]

If they did not want us to smash these amusing things, they should not have provided them. [ His voice is almost serene as he rips the head off some poor, broken children's toy that didn't deserve the fate of coming into his clutches. ] But you are right. It is enjoyable.

[ He can just demolish things and not talk to people mostly! He loves this. ]

They do seem very intent on making the mixture of pleasure and business far more of the latter than the former, yes. One wonders if there's a meaning to it beyond simply just wringing as much use out of us as possible.

[medicative]

Possibly it might be that they see this as pleasure as well. With how frequently our leader has told us to enjoy ourselves at events, they might find more excuses to marry the two together.

[who knows what the Daitengu likes in their free time. they're still as mysterious as they were the day she first spoke to them, but she still trusts them now - it's better than it could be, frankly.]

I've heard a few horror stories about some of the other clans' meetups, anyway.

[psionicmolotov]

That is true, [ he acknowledges. ] Demons rarely approach things in the same manner as other beings, even if they can do well at imitating such thought patterns. Perhaps this is all the same to them in some ways.

We seem to have gotten a leader who is less of a stickler for tradition. I suppose it seems that we are the fortunate ones. [ As fortunate as you can get in hell... ]

At least they are simply setting us loose on odd jobs and not forcing us into suits or making us pick up garbage. [ Well, sometimes they do have to clean up, but it's not the Enma's idea of fun and orientations.

He drops the broken pieces of what was once a toy and picks up another one, dissecting it with a methodically clean approach. Ah, this is fun. ]

[medicative]

[her eyebrow lifts at Kimmuriel referring to demons - she can feel the youkai in her snickering at the idea, but thankfully they say nothing for the moment. instead, she moves the now shattered toy into a small trash bin, and gets a replacement, frowning at its shape.]

No, that's true. The only dress code we need abide by is to look better than the others when the time calls for it, after all.

[that she's started adopting more traditional clothing for official matters is her own choice.

it's a satisfying thwack and crunch of plastic with the mallet.]

Of all the leaders, the Daitengu seems to be the most modern, the most willing to adapt. But also the one that has to fight the hardest.

[psionicmolotov]

[ The only reference he has for yokai are the demons of the Abyss, which he knows better than he wishes to. He's seen no reason to ease up on that comparison, unfair as it is.

The Daitengu is surprisingly relaxed about the collection of oddities they seem to have under their sway. It's something Kimmuriel, in some small way, appreciates. ]

I am not interested in fashion, but being seen to upstage other factions is an acceptable use of it. [ He's petty. He doesn't care about hiding it.

He pauses to watch Emily destroy yet another ill-fated toy with her mallet, seemingly approving of it all. ]

I suppose that is the price of avoiding the stagnation that comes with entrenched power. Tradition is ever seen as a marker of strength and stability, but it is also a shackle. [ And doesn't he know it. ] All too often, it is easy to become enslaved to it and what it gives.

reject toys

[slippin]

[ Jimmy—well, Saul, as he introduces himself regardless of whether or not anyone has asked—is having a grand old time. Tacky bargain bin toys? Questionable music? Open we-didn't-bother-with-a-bar? This is his element. His energy in sorting through toys is surpassed only by his commitment to devising drinking games and floating alternate product names and taglines. He has absolutely filled one of the squirting toilets with vodka, and tried to sell anyone in hearing range on the idea of toilet cocktails.

At the moment he's standing off to the side, smiling at nothing in particular in the way of the truly plastered. He jumps a little—flinches—when she starts in on the first toy, drunkenness warring with tension, resulting in a kind of nebulous sense of alarm that gradually ebbs. He watches her face for a few seconds, drawn back into the memory of Kim hucking beer bottles off their balcony. The look in her eye, the sound they made shattering.

At her question he shrugs expansively. ] Not if you're in the zone. [ His tone's admiring, but, you know, also drunk. ]

[medicative]

[despite how he sounds, she can't help the slight fluster that creeps into her expression before gently setting the mallet down. with luck, he'll be drunk enough to not really recall it in the morning - less than civil behaviors, after all.]

Not really. I suppose I merely got carried away for a moment.

[that said, his face isn't one she's seen before, and she marks that. it could be her simply missing someone, or it might be...]

Enjoying yourself, though?

[slippin]

[ The little details may be lost on him, but Jimmy's not so far gone that he doesn't recognize the shift into politesse. He dials it back as much as possible, which is about half a notch. ] Easily amused, I guess. [ A smile kind of leaks out the side of his mouth. He turns his head to disguise it, ostensibly surveying the toy carnage. ]

I was thinking of going all Godzilla on them, but— [ He lifts one foot, displaying an expensive-looking loafer—a stark contrast to his rumpled dress shirt and messy hair. And then he wobbles.

And takes an exaggerated step to regain his balance. Without missing a beat: ] Get you a drink? [ He seeks out her eyes, points a finger at her. ] Come on, one drink.

[medicative]

[while the Godzilla reference sails past her head, his wobbling does not. combined with a swift evaluation of the rest of his condition, she makes a decision that while she could argue in favor of staying here and continuing to pray no one sees her experience catharsis, it'd be better to look out for him. plus, it means she can satisfy her curiosity on whether he's a new recruit or not.]

One drink, then. I'm sure someone would say I could use a break.

[a touch of humor at her own expense. putting the mallet on the table, she rises and comes to his side - it's more to make sure he keeps his balance than anything else.]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr...?

[slippin]

[ There's a “break” pun to be made, and regrettably he seems to be considering it, lips clamped against a smile, a half-sly look on his face—but in the end refrains. ] Saul Goodman. [ That comes out nice and polished. Alas, miraculous Japanese fluency hasn't stripped him of a broad American accent that bulldozes everything in its path.

His gaze lingers on the mallet a moment, and then he's off. ] Here for all your legal needs. [ Tossed over his shoulder as he veers toward the alcohol, graceless and determined. Someone's arranged the bottles on one of those industrial metal racks—very smart—and he steps aside to let her browse the labels. ]

[medicative]

[that answers the question, then, and she nods her head in acknowledgment. it's as if whatever mysterious forces were out there had seen their previous troubles and said there would be an answer. briefly, she hopes there will be enough to offset how much of a headache this poor man will probably have once he starts looking into how tenuous the Alliance really is.

her own voice has the clipped vowels of a life in England - the months away haven't banished it from her system yet.]

Emily Dyer. [the one from the network, who had introduced herself as a physician and an officer.][and since it would be rude to turn an introductory drink into water alone, she picks out a red wine that seems passable and will do no harm.]

reject toys

[socute]

[ Totoko looks a bit puzzled, considering who was speaking to her and how furiously she seemed to be destroying the toys. The calm was kind of scary, but those toys were actually seriously annoying.

Pretending like she doesn't know for a moment, she taps her chin. ]

Mmm? I don't know. Would anyone get mad if I gave it a try?

[medicative]

I don't see a reason they would. They haven't gotten mad at me for it.

[and it means Totoko can pass the buck if someone does get mad, since someone else started it. holding out the hammer to the other woman, it's a true offer.]

1/2

[socute]

Well I'll... give it a try, I guess.

[ She takes the hammer, and catches one of these lousy toys that won't stop burping, placing it face down. ]

[socute]

OOOORYA!!!!

[ And now she's going ham on smashing it to bits, shattering it and pounding away until it completely shuts down. ENOUGH OF THAT! ]

[medicative]

Yes! That's exactly the spirit!

[how delightful, to see her own sentiments towards the objects mirrored in someone else's violent actions.]

[socute]

THIS! IS! SO! STUPID!

[ Each word punctuated by another blow with the mallet, subbing in another toy! ]

How's this supposed to get us anywhere, huh?

[medicative]

Quite so!

[she'll even help, when a toy is smashed, putting in another annoying, revolting one in its place.]

Reject toys

[peacewithouttyranny]

[Soundwave- in a different form -catches Emily smashing through toys and pauses to watch her.

In the avatar's hands is a toilet toy which squirts water. The avatar's front bangs is wet and dripping. Doesn't take a genius to know why he's contemplating on destroying the toy in his hands. Plus, the music on loop is getting on his nerves, too. ]

You seem into it that I thought I shouldn't interrupt. But if I could have a turn... [He looks down at the toy in his hands.] No one will care or get mad, right?

[medicative]

[it takes her a second, wholly believing the person before her is a newcomer, before her mind aligns his voice with the form she's seen before. shapechanging shouldn't catch her so off guard. but in answer, she extends her hand with the mallet. he's welcome to it, to vent his own feelings.]

If they get upset, then you can blame me. I started it, and I handed you the hammer.

[there's enough broken, annoying toys for the both of them.]

[peacewithouttyranny]

[At least one way to ensure he's recognizable to faction mate who had maybe seen him before. Even if a robotic voice coming out of a human woman might be weird.

The avatar grabs the mallet and sets the broken toilet down to be smashed to oblivion. The avatar appears to be expressionless, as he lifts the mallet above his head.

When he brings the mallet down, it's with the force of a person who's been holding their growing frustration for hours and finally be granted the opportunity to blow them all off, striking and shattering until it become an unrecognizable mess and pieces of plastic. Enough of this stupid scrap.]

[medicative]

[ah, there's the right spirit to it. she relates too well, and when it's gone too small to offer any satisfaction in destruction, Emily smiles, and sweeps away the debris with her hand, putting a different toy in its place.]

Somehow, I doubt you're through with it.

[vent it all out. it helps.]