September 2022 Mingle!

[jigokumods]

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.
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Comments

Hizen Tadahiro | Touken Ranbu | Shuten

[harimaya]

( SHUTEN ) GOOD FOOD,

(Usually, Hizen isn't one for these clan get togethers. He's always been on the more introverted side and prefers to keep to himself. He finds large crowds to be exhausting and he never feels completely comfortable. He's always quick to leave without saying good bye to anyone but today?

He's right in the thick of it. He stares at the different tables with all of their different foods! Gyoza! Rice balls! Sushi?! Ramen! Chicken! There are so many options and so much food. And there's alcohol too?!

He's practically sparkling. If he had a tail, it would surely be wagging right now, It's he best day ever. The absolute best day of his life. He is here to eat and while that alone would be enough to make it a good day, he also has no intention of losing!

No one mind this short twink signing up for a table for a competition. Are you going to let him sign up all on his own? Offer to join him? Or maybe you're already aware of Hizen's bottomless pit of a stomach and came looking for him…)

( SHUTEN ) GOOD DRINKS,
cw: excessive alcohol, potential violence

(This is truly the best welcome party ever. This is the longest Hizen has ever stuck around for a party. Normally he would have left hours ago but he's still here. This time, he's sitting at a table with some oni and they're all taking turns pouring drinks. The glasses never run empty and it eventually gets to a point where they're starting to carelessly spill almost as much as they're drinking.

Hizen is really getting into the mood. It's obvious that on top of getting (being?!) drunk he's getting influenced by the oni around him― becoming uncharacteristically boisterous and… well…

He catches you looking at him and grins. He's confident-- pushing into arrogant-- and doesn't seem to have any cares in the world. There's no sign of his usual gloomy or reserved disposition, )

What're ya lookin' at? I'll kick your ass.

(All you did was look at him and he's ready to throw hands???)

( SHUTEN ) GOOD NIGHT...?

(And as the party comes to an end…. he is here. He is still here. He has literally never lasted this long at a party ever. He's full of food and booze and with things quieting down, it seems he's taking it easy too. He can be found at one of the tables with his head down. He's holding onto an empty cup in one hand and is cradling a bottle in his lap.

He looks like he might have finally conked out after a full day of eating, drinking, and picking fights except for the fact that he moves and starts to talk,)

... had too much...

WILDCARD

❀ Hit me with your own idea or you can message me if you want to work out a custom starter
❀ I also have a catchall with some substory prompts if you'd rather meet Hizen when he's more himself
❀ cr meme comment if you want to plot anything else out
❀ contact; yosakoi | discord: eski#9874 | PM

Good Night

[inspiteful]

[ Just when he thought Hizen could be trusted to be acceptably irresponsible, he gets proven wrong mere days after. Maybe he shouldn't be so surprised since there's food involved, though... ]

Come on, we should head back home.

[ He's done with all the partying, and he gets the feeling the journey home is going to take a while. ]

[harimaya]

(Yeah, it's about time for everyone to start heading home, huh? He should do the same but he just feels so heavy. All he wants to do is lay down on the ground and take a nap so when Lark approaches him, he just grumbles,)

Ugh.

(Home is... so far away.)

[inspiteful]

...Unless you're saying you want to sleep in the arena tonight.

[ Which...actually he wouldn't put it past Hizen right this moment, shit. Does he have to find a cart or something? ]

[harimaya]

Hell no.

(He sits up suddenly, looking groggy as all hell and he raises his cup to his mouth to drink-- ah, it's empty. Of course, it's empty. He'd never leave a full cup sitting as long as he did.)

This place sucks.

(It's a mess. It smells like booze. The floor is sticky. There are already some oni taking the best spots........)

good food

[neonleon]

[This kid looks about Mikey's size. Not height, but the everything about him. And it does make Leo a little... Well. Call him sentimental.

So he sees Hizen signing up and decides to join him.]

So what kinda meal you looking to get out of this?

[harimaya]

Everything.

(He is a simple spirit. He will eat everything. Anything. The table is... gyoza. They have some time before the match starts so Hizen will turn to see exactly who is talking to him and. Oh. It's the not-kappa.)

[neonleon]

[Oh, Leonardo grins.]

Good answer! Great. You'll do fine.

[He looks! So proud of you, Hizen! He doesn't even know you.]

Any favorites?

[harimaya]

Rice.

(His favorite.... the onigiri competition had truly tempted him but in the end, he settled for something he can't really get everyday instead.)

Don't get to eat gyoza all the time, though....

good drinks;

[littleshield]

[ Felix has never been one for parties, but there has been an abundance of good food, so he finds himself in the thick of things. He himself is rather grouchy about being pulled into things, though as long as he doesn't have to talk to people, it's fine. He doesn't plan on staying late.

All the same, he decides to do so, seeing how rowdy some of the onis get, and if he has to put them in their place, he does. After two or three drinks, Felix comes across Hizen looking like that, and a smirk of his own is almost appearing across his face. ]

Hmph. You really think you can take me as you are?

[harimaya]

Yeah.

(He sounds confident,)

Gonna take more than this to trip me up.

(He's leaning across the table now to talk to Felix, his voice a little louder than his usual, tired tone,)

I learned from one of the best, y'know.

[littleshield]

[ Felix really shouldn't indulge in this, but Hizen isn't the only one making questionable choices. Besides, it isn't like he's had many brawls with familiar faces or with people he might judge to be well worth his time. The smirk is there, and so is the challenge in his eyes. ]

If you can actually get up without stumbling to your feet, we'll have a go.

[ Some of the onis in the background are probably cheering or encouraging this nonsense on, because of course they are. It's like, part of the Shuten clan experience. ]

[harimaya]

Watch me.

(He says while finishing his cup of sake in one last gulp and reaching for the sword leaning at his side. He slams his other hand on the table and starts to get up! He's a little wobbly but he seems to be standing with no problem. He isn't so drunk he's lost all control of himself... he's just loose.)

Ready to get beat in front of everyone?

good drinks

[karumic]

[Well, well, well. This is certainly a sight Kazuma isn't used to seeing.

Under normal circumstances, he might even find it funny, but considering how horrible he feels right now (which is entirely his own fault, but never mind), Kazuma isn't really in the mood to humor him.]

Hello, Hizen.

[He just sounds tired and grumpy, because he is. He is also a little bit drunk himself.]

Maybe you should drink some water.

[harimaya]

Nah. (He leans across the table, propping his arm on the table and resting his cheek on his hand,) Could go for another round, though.

(He's drunk and he still isn't finished.)

C'mon. That sword of yours ain't for show, is it?

[karumic]

[Kazuma almost looks disappointed in him.]

A katana is a solemn weapon, deserving of respect. I would not draw it for something so crass as a drunken fight.

[He manages to make that sound impressive, but he grips the handle of his own sword unconsciously, like he's thinking about it anyway, because he is nothing else if not a competitive meathead. He also sways a little bit with the effort.]

[harimaya]

...

(Oh, that's an answer he didn't expect at all and just give him a second for his thoughts to really catch up with him about this. It's taking a lot of effort to rub his brain cells together to form a coherent and reasonable thought but after a delayed moment........)

You're trained, aren't ya?

good drinks ✨

[swordhardy]

[ Okay, the drinks are where it's at. Rokurou helps himself to a cup, but it looks like he's a little late to the party—the group surrounding the bottles is good and drunk, hilariously so, and it's one of the rare times that the daemon gets to enjoy being on the only 'slightly tipsy' side of a drinking night. Not that it'll take him long to catch up to the sloppy drunks, lightweight that he is.

He spies Hizen and watches the guy with a little smile of his own. For someone who comes off as introverted and a bit uptight, it's cute to see him cutting loose. Of course, the spirit senses his gaze, and Rokurou nearly spits out his sip when that comes out of his mouth. Damn, people really do change when they get some booze in 'em. He wouldn't have pegged Hizen as a slutty fight flirt when drunk. ]

P'hahahahaha! Can y'even stand right now? Maybe you should slow down a'lil.

[harimaya]

Ain't slowin' down 'cause ya can't keep up.

(Like this, even his accent seems to change. There's a confidence he doesn't usually have and... he sounds like a boy from the country. Overly casual, definitely rude, and slurring his words as he leans across the table and holds out his empty cup.)

C'mon. You're the one that asked for a fight before. Didn't change your mind, did ya?

[swordhardy]

[ A man's cup should never go empty, even if he probably should be cut off! Which is why Rokurou fills that cup without question. It's fine, it's fine, he'll roll Hizen home if he passes out. This is, of course, neglecting to remember how he'll probably pass out before Hizen does. ]

No way! If you're wiling t'fight now, bring it on! I really wanna cross swords with you.

[ ... okay, but even Rokurou can acknowledge that drunkenly swordfighting is a bad idea and likely to end up with someone's hand getting chopped off. Which is why he tosses back another drink. ]

Or drink you under the table! Hahaha, can you handle it? Or are you scared?

[ Anyway, if it wasn't already clear that he's some kinda masochist ... but a challenge is a challenge! ]

[harimaya]

(Hizen will fight drunk. Nothing will stop him. Except more drinks before he can even get started and he raises his freshly filled cup up high in the air,)

Hell yeah.

(Of course he can handle a challenge like this and holds his head up high,)

I'll show ya how they drink in Tosa. (Head tilted back, he brings the cup to his mouth and downs it all again. He's like a fish drinking water. This is nothing to him.) Don't call it "Sake Country" for nothin'.

[invinciblemikey]

(mikey's no different. it's no different from his usual routine of eating, sleeping, getting hungry because he slept, getting sleepy because he ate. the only thing that isn't in his stomach is alcohol, because he's not very tolerant of it - he can underage drink when he doesn't feel like his stomach has become a gym ball.

so, here he is, right next to this man who is not too different from him.)

I won't eat for a week...

[harimaya]

Ain't gonna move for a week...

(And like that... he slips off the table and just lays down on th bench, )

Shouldn't've ate so much.

(Because clearly the problem is all the food he ate and not the sake bottle he's holding close to him.)

[invinciblemikey]

Dumbass, you're drunk.

(at least someone can point out the obvious, but the shove he gives the other is much more like a weak nudge.

take him, lord, release him of his misery.)

[harimaya]

Sake doesn't make me tired, dumbass.

(Right back at you, Mikey. And it's true, really! If he'd only been drinking, he'd just be loud and boisterous right now. Toss in the excessive amount of food and he just becomes full, useless, and a total slacker after a large meal.)

Eatin' always makes me lazy, though...