jigokulogs | September 2022 Mingle!

September 2022 Mingle!

MAIN NAVIGATION

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

Welcome to the IC mingle!

If you have any questions about the mingle content, please ask them here! We're trying something a little different to help reduce comment clutter a bit, so that link actually goes back to a header on the Substory post.
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.
For Rewards, threads in the mingle will be worth one (1) point!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This ain't just tawdry, man. It's torture. That's Hell we're walking into.

[ that line's a little less impactful when they're literally in hell already, but. y'know. details. the dried squid hits her mouth; slowly, with painstaking movements, she reaches up and pops it into her mouth.

look. she's trying not to make a bad impression. but it's kind of hard when a load of kryptonite's just been dropped on your head like an anvil. ]

How much longer you think we've got in this one?

[ Kojirou glances at the screen, then at the clock on the wall. ]

This movie has been going on for about half an hour, so probably another hour or so.

[ However much hell she has endured, here's to twice as much. ]

But if it offends your sensibilities that much, have you tried doing something else?

An hour?

[ head in her hands, she flops over onto her futon, howling in agony. or rather, very gently hissing. listen. she might be a dumb asshole, but she's not going to ruin a movie for everyone else... on her first week in the faction, at least. ]

It's inescapable. [ her voice is hollow. haunted. this is the voice of a woman who has seen true misery. ] Snackies won't make it go away. Drinkies won't make it go away. Killing the projector guy...

[ slowly, nazuna's head swivels. she stares directly up at the box the movies are being projected from, and she thinks real fucking hard. finally, a palpable few seconds later, she sighs heavily. ]

...is probably not cool. [ she turns back to kojirou, not bothering to push herself back up to a sitting position. ] What other options are there?

You could just step outside, enjoy the night breeze.

[ Honestly quite an immense privilege, if you asked him. Kojirou has spent an absolutely bizarre amount of time stuck, either on a single flight of stairs or an Antarctic base with only simulations to occupy him. ]

Failing that, [ he has to pause to think. He knows of movie theatres but he's never really been in one. The knowledge exists but it's buried far from the tip of his tongue. ] I believe modern teenagers enjoy using the cover of darkness to, as they say, "make out."

I ain't a quitter. [ and then, a bit more pointedly: ] How would it reflect on a new arrival to chicken out just because of a little hazing? Besides, the first movie was good enough. Maybe the next one will be worth my time.

[ she hears out his next suggestion in silence. he might be a little judgmental, but he is offering her ideas, after all - it's the least she can do.

and then he finally comes up with something, and it's so ridiculous it almost makes the active torture being projected worthwhile. ]

Hmmmmmmmmm? [ long, languid. teasing. ] Oya, oya, what's this? Who would I be making out with, exactly?

[ this time, she pushes herself upright - looking kojirou dead in the eyes. her muscles are still a bit tense, but at least she's not actively twitching like this. ]

You offering yourself up, my man?

I wouldn't put it past the witch in charge to come up with new and unusual punishments, [ he barely knows Tenkohime, he's just biased ] but I don't think a bad movie you can sleep through is supposed to be hazing.

[ I mean. Probably.

Not that Kojirou's fairly weak objections are likely to matter, considering she seems much more interested in his second suggestion. Odd, because he thought his first one was a lot better. ]

I was expecting you to already have a favourite. I don't think most of today's youth choose to "make out" with the mysterious stranger they just met.

[ He was just trying to be helpful, but... ]

But I suppose in my day it was not that strange. [ JAPANESE YOBAI was a thing, men crawling into the beds of women they just sort of liked the look of. ] And with all the beds laid out like this, it seems to be in the spirit of things...

[ He's considering it. ]

Edited 2022-09-14 04:52 (UTC)

[ she ignores his clearly incorrect opinions on romance movies. she's not insecure on that topic, after all! she doesn't need outside validation of what she already knows! besides, there's a much more interesting topic right in front of her now. ]

A favorite? Maybe I do, maybe I don't. What's it matter? [ she reaches up, rubbing at her jaw with one hand. jeez, she's been clenching for a while now, hasn't she? ] This is the clan of freedom, ain't it? Throw out your inhibitions. Live free and true. That's the Tamamo way, right?

[ he speaks of yobai, of young men crawling into women's beds. but the one who scoots closer, crossing one foot of several between them, is nazuna herself. ]

Well? You gonna tell me to stop?

[ if he does? she'll laugh it off, maybe tease him a little. a fun distraction from a miserable hour. and if he doesn't...

well. just because she's inexperienced doesn't mean she's not aware of the theory of this all. ]

There is more than one way to live freely. [ To not be bound to anything works both ways. Not every restriction becomes a bond, but there are no bonds that don't come with obligations.

But the person before him doesn't actually seem interested in debating the philosophy of hedonism, and Kojirou knew what he was signing up for when he agreed to the terms of his contract. Besides: ]

But to reject the advances of a lady is a man's shame.

[ It's not like he was watching the movie either, and so he doesn't move from his spot as Nazuna approaches, instead quietly shifting the bowl of snacks laying before him out of the way. ]

[ nazuna's particular form of debate has always been a simple one: others argue their positions, and she ignores them in favor of living her own life. it's remarkably effective, as long as she doesn't want to bother convincing people - and it's not entirely ineffectual at that either. she approaches assassin on hands and knees, an almost feral glint crossing those blue eyes as she draws near. ]

Live however you want. Shameful or shameless... It doesn't matter to me.

[ if he doesn't stop her, she'll lean in, avoiding his face to instead nestle against his shoulder- ]

Just speak if I go too far, you understand?

[ -and licking along the muscle on the side of his neck. whether it's a game, a distraction, or an indulgence... it doesn't matter right now. she's having fun, and that's all that matters. ]

I will do exactly that, then.

[ Kojirou chooses to be a man of honour, which for some reason has led him to noodling with a strange woman he just met. Life, even the afterlife, always has surprises in store for him. ]

Just don't bite too hard.

[ As Nazuna approaches, Kojirou wraps an arm around her shoulder, letting her into his space without resistance. As a man who has threatened to chop other people's heads off as frequently as he has, he's perfectly aware of how vulnerable he's leaving himself. But that's why it's called intimacy, isn't it? And perhaps that is also why Japanese men have let themselves by fascinated by the slips of a woman's neck for so many centuries. ]

No promises.

[ she whispers it into his ear, then moves to catch his earlobe between her front teeth. she is shockingly gentle, right now - testing the waters, seeing whether it's safe to continue with each motion. her own arms slide under his, long claws running along the fabric on his back, and in a single smooth motion her own body is pressed flush against his.

for someone with no experience, she certainly seems to have a grasp on the fundamentals of the topic. but then, maybe that shouldn't come as a surprise. after all, virgin or not, nazuna's been comfortable in her own skin since practically the day she was born.

she nibbles, and she teases, and she drags her tongue in tiny little licks across kojirou's exposed skin. and in between motions, she murmurs- ]

Does it feel good?

[ perhaps he'll have noticed by now: despite those cruel fangs, she's made every effort to not pierce his skin, even once. maybe she's more conscientious than she'd let on, hmm? ]

[ The large hall they're in is dark enough, illuminated only by the single bulb of the film projector. Shadows of actors and actresses flit across their features, briefly lighting them up, but for the most part it is difficult to see anything particularly well.

Under conditions like these the other four senses sharpen to compensate, and Kojirou had been born with particularly strong senses in the first place. So there is no mistaking the sensation of tooth and claw making their mark against his skin, and no mistaking the movements of the musculature under her clothes that tell him these could leave so much more than a mark. ]

Mm... It is certainly an experience. I have never laid with one of the ayakashi before.

[ And to think he had asked her not to bite mostly in jest. But now the small bits of bare skin along the side of his face: his ear, his neck, the places touched by her lips, tongue, and teeth all seem to burn lightly, his mind's eye telling him that he is at risk.

But he was never the type to run away from a challenge, and so instead he tilts his head to the side, slipping a small piece of the yukata they were provided off his shoulder, as though daring her onwards. ]

[ she remains blissfully unaware of kojirou's thoughts, occupied as she is with the man's body, but that doesn't mean she can't feel some of his tension. his muscles don't clench so much as prepare; his body feels like an intricate machine beneath her, each tendon and capillary moving as a perfect unit. it's utterly enthralling, in its own way. ]

Ayakashi, obake, kyuuketsuki... It's fine, it's fine. Call me whatever you want. I'll listen, for tonight.

[ the tilt of his head catches her attention, her eyes dropping down to fixate on the slight movement of cloth against skin; when he pushes the yukata down, her eyes follow it perfectly, watching each bare centimeter with a hungry sort of intensity. right now, she can't find herself caring if it's a challenge or not. all that matters is that a meal is being laid before her, and she intends to indulge.

...at least, to the extent she can in good conscience. she's promised a few things already, after all. some uncaring vampire she is. ]

Oh? Presenting yourself so openly... You're a bold one, aren't you?

[ she reaches up, tugging at that exposed weakness. she bares his skin, inch by tantalizing inch - his shoulder, his collarbone, the top of a pectoral. and then she drops the fabric down, leaving a fair (but still respectable) swath of bare skin to toy with. ]

I-ta-da-ki-ma-su.

[ she might be avoiding any outright bites, but that doesn't mean she has to go easy on him. she attacks with renewed vigor, licking and sucking and kissing at every inch of exposed skin she can find; on one return up to his neck, she nips with her front teeth and sucks, trying to feel the reaction of his body through their yukata.

there's more than one way to mark someone, after all. ]

Only for tonight? Are we to be strangers again in the morning?

[ Kojirou is mostly joking. As Lost Souls of the same clan, they are going to meet up again sooner or later whether they want to or not, but it does occur to him that he doesn't know her name.

But you don't need to know a name to know everything you need to about a person. ]

Then we had better make our one night a good one, miss vampire.

[ Of all the creatures of the night that simply feels the most right. The others would probably be less focused on getting a taste of his neck and shoulder, and they would have more than a single pair of sharp teeth.

Teeth that have now touched every inch of bare skin on his neck and left shoulder, leaving him absolutely no doubt of their nature. ]

Ah... [ Kojirou lets out a small gasp as she finally starts sucking on his neck, but without her fangs piercing his skin the pain was more surprising than anything resembling danger, a sting that reminded him he was, for all intents and purposes, alive.

It also meant he would not be wearing his third Ascension outfit tomorrow. ]

How is it? The taste of a nameless stranger?

[ He asks as his arm around her shoulder slides up to the back of her head, holding the vampire's lips right in place until she had her fill, and his other hand, trapped beneath the half slipped off yukata, grabs a handful of the sheets beneath them, holding the entire structure of their bodies up. ]

Were you expecting otherwise, stranger? [ she speaks into him, soft lips teasing at the newly-formed bruise. ] Living without regrets... It's what guides us through the darkness. Why stop before we're satisfied?

[ she kisses up, this time - his neck, and then his jawbone, and then finally, finally his lips. for a vampire's kiss, it's shockingly gentle; she teases and nips, but her actions are fond and her lips are soft against his. there's no romance to it, no real choice of meaning to her partner. he's cute, he's around, and he's a part of the tamamo clan, same as her. this is to pass the time: to learn a bit about her clanmate, herself, and little more past that.

when she pulls away, she says- ]

Not half bad. Tempting, y'know? [ her finger runs down the hickey she's already left. ] It almost feels like a shame to not bite.

[ There is a lot that a person can glean from a kiss. That she has some attraction to him but not much affection, that she has definitely done this before, and that she is remarkably gentle for someone who is that fascinated with his little wounds and blood. ]

It might be a pity for such things to be lost to history. [ Maybe. It depends on how the rest of the night goes, but so far it's going surprisingly well, and for his part Kojirou never forgets a pretty face.

The fact that he doesn't even know her name is secondary. You don't need a name to know someone. ]

I suppose I did you a disservice by asking you not to bite. [ Or perhaps it was his instincts kicking in and saving his life? It's obvious to him now that she's a vampire, but there are as many stories about vampires as there are stars in the sky, and each one seems to have a different idea of what exactly a vampire bite does.

But she has, at the very least, honoured his request not to bite. ]

A disservice? [ she chuckles, prominent fangs poking out of her grin. ] You were honest, weren't you, man? Why would I be upset by a man who follows his desires?

[ she reaches up, running those black nail-talons along the back of his neck - light, oh-so-delicate, and yet still enough to raise tiny pink lines along the skin. ]

I wouldn't have bit you anyway. [ another kiss, languid and slow. she's in no rush for this; she isn't building to an intended end, she's enjoying the process for what it is. ] I promised a guy. He's the only one I'll be drinking from, as long as he's around.

[ she doesn't bother to provide more information than that. despite all appearances, she's not here to kiss and tell, you know? this man doesn't need to know all about that. it's a simple reassurance - nothing more. ]

Or is that regret in your voice? Hmmm? [ she moves past his cheek to whisper into his ear, soft lips tracing against the shell of his ear: ] Do you want me to bite down?

I could hardly be the one to make you break your promise. [ Sasaki Kojirou: Not a fan of NTR confirmed. ] But I guess you did have your favourite after all.

[ And yet here they are, still kissing despite that. But this is one thing Kojirou won't think too much about. ]

But if you won't be the one to bite, then perhaps I should? [ Kojirou wonders aloud, voice barely raising above a whisper. For however close she sidled up to Kojirou, he was just as close to her, that tended to be how things worked.

He had allowed himself to be covered in the small marks of her affection: love bites and scratch marks all along his side and back, but had not done anything himself. Not yet. Perhaps this was the time for his own attack.

So Kojirou leans inwards, finding the exact spot on Nazuna's neck where she had left the hickey on his, and it's his turn to lay a kiss on her skin. Lightly at first, but with intent to leave at least one of his own marks on his partner for tonight. ]

[ a little ntr's fine as far as nazuna's concerned... but only on a tv screen, you know? in person, it's a whole different matter. ]

I told you already, didn't I? That doesn't matter right now.

[ it does matter, is the thing. it's mattered the whole time. it's why she's so open to certain things, and so hesitant about others. it's why she won't bite, despite her instinct telling her otherwise.

but as far as what they're doing right now-
as far as a man and a woman sharing a futon, and skin touching skin-

it matters a lot less than you might think. ]

Oh? Bold words, for a human. Are your fangs really so...

[ do you hear that, kojirou? that's the sound of a squeaking vampire. as his assault grows strong, nazuna begins to shift in his lap, flushing a bright pink as she tries to endure. ]

H-hey... Wait a minute, now, that's not...

[ he nibbles at her neck, midway through the marking; she gasps, clapping a hand to her mouth immediately after. holy shit. is that what that feels like? how in god's name was he not writhing underneath her?!

when he pulls away, it's all she can do to keep her voice even a little even. ]

You're a lot more experienced than you look, aren't you?

[ backhanded though it may be, it's certainly not a complaint - at least, if the waver in her voice is anything to go by. ]

I wonder how I look to you? [ Kojirou has lived a longer life than he looks, and he is certainly stronger than he looks. Enough to take a real bite out of a vampire if he really wanted for sure, but luckily for everyone involved he isn't secretly a cannibal.

Besides, giving someone a hickey is all in the lips, he's not actually biting her. Not yet. ]

The way you're moving around like that, a man might think you're enjoying yourself.

[ He continues to whisper into her ear, but the lady vampire shifting in his lap might very well realise that she's not the only one enjoying themselves tonight. And precisely because he's still having fun, Kojirou presses onwards, hand sliding down her back, drawing a line down her slender body to her waist, ever so deliberately loosening the ribbon of her yukata with trained fingers. ]

Pretty boy, late twenties, looks good in a ponytail? [ sorry, kojirou. right now, nazuna's sarcasm machine is a little out of order. ] Of course I'm enjoying myself, dumbass! What the hell, does this always feel this good?!

[ she's... she's a lot newer to this than it would seem on first glance. but even so, she still continues to perform admirably on instinct alone. when she shifts down against him, feeling the undeniable proof of kojirou's own enjoyment, she doesn't flinch or back away; she makes a small sound of surprise, a tiny "oh" of realization, and then adjusts to press gently against him. like this, she can grind along him, seeking pleasure without going too far past the line.

when he loosens the ribbon of her yukata... she allows him. the room's dark, isn't it? other people are busy watching the garbage behind them, aren't they? and even if they aren't, who cares? people have done worse in this place, she already knows. ]

We're... we're not going all the way. [ there's a moment's regret in the statement, but only a moment. she speaks quietly but firmly, standing her ground on it. ] Anything before is fair game, alright? But I'm not breaking my word.

Edited 2022-09-18 23:48 (UTC)

Mmm... [ There is a wordless noise of assent, almost a purr that travels down Kojirou's body. ] I like to think I know my way around a woman's body.

[ It is almost in his nature as a hero who went unrecorded in history that he never got the praise and appreciation he arguably deserved, and while it's not something he actively seeks out, there is something deep in the human psyche that simply can't help but find joy in the acknowledgement of others. ~~Maybe he should sass his bosses a little less.~~ ]

I was not planning to go that far in the first place, but if you are giving me permission to do anything else, then... [ With her yukata loosened, he slips it off her shoulders and runs his (unclawed) fingers down her front, tracing a line down the side of the vampire woman before him. ]

Not anything. [ it's strangely insistent, for a token complaint. like she's holding onto some scrap of dignity more than complaining outright. ] But I'll... I'll stop you if it's really an issue.

[ her yukata slips off her shoulders, pooling at her hips and leaving her petite figure mostly bare. a thin black top, more of a sports bra than anything - clearly chosen for freedom of movement. and all around it, an expanse of soft, pale skin, nearly ethereal in the projector-light of the room. she shivers as his finger runs along her side, from fabric to rib to the curve of her waist. ]

I'm not gonna be the only one shirtless in here, [ she says with a sudden insistence in her voice, reaching to tug his own ribbon free. ] C'mon. It's only fair, right?

[ First impressions really are just lies, Kojirou decides. This girl who had initially been so forward, and so ready to try anything, really just ended up being surprisingly pure at heart. Devoted, even.

It is, as they say, cute. ]

I understand. I don't want to scare you off: I'm enjoying myself too much for that. [ He moves his hand hovering over her body to her wrist, guiding her wordlessly to the knot holding his yukata together. He has absolutely no objection to joining her in throwing off the restraint of their clothing, although he is genuinely wearing nothing beneath.

When the rest of his yukata falls away, that much is clear. There isn't much to hide, the result of a life spent training, farming, and not having all that much to eat. He would not be considered very strong among Servants, but for any normal human looking in he would probably seem like he was built of steel. ]

Is this to your satisfaction?

September 2022 Mingle!

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