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.
• 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!

Comments

[perfectdistance]

Sure. Tell me which bird you're aiming for and get ready.

[This is absolutely a waste of carrot. But if Kuro is further away now, then Nero can use his magic a little bit easier, especially if his focus is on the bird and not on him.]

[truestrength]

[ He glances back at Nero for just a moment before pointing at the bird on top of a fence, singing out a sick guitar solo. ]

That one.

[ He focuses, waiting for the carrot to fly past him so he can start moving. ]

[perfectdistance]

[ Ah good, he's not being looked at anymore. He mutters his incantation under his breath, and a copy of that same carrot goes sailing directly at this birds chest.

Nero definitely didn't retrieve that other thrown carrot, but nobody ever buys just one.

Upon impact with the bird, it dissolves into nothing, though the force was certainly real. It at least stuns the magpie for a moment. ]

[truestrength]

[ The carrot dissolving sure is strange, but Kurogane's seen enough strange things in his life that he doesn't give it another thought as he runs straight for the magpie, jumping up and lunging towards it.

...


He snags it! Despite his irritation, Kurogane doesn't squeeze the bird in his large palm, even though it lets out a few panicked squawks. ]

Finally. Maybe now you'll shut the hell up.

[perfectdistance]

[ This guy is actually skilled enough to grab a bird. That's not easy, even with magic. ]

Maybe they've got something to say for themselves.

[ Like why they've been kicking up this racket for the past few days. Then again, maybe they just enjoy annoying people. ]

[truestrength]

[ Kurogane stares down at the bird, who stares back up at him...

And then the bird starts going on a long winded tale about how all of the magpies love a certain band, but they broke up, and that all of them wish that the band would get back together one more time just so they could all sing with each other.

Meanwhile, Kurogane doesn't seem all that impressed. ]

You really expect me to give a crap?

[perfectdistance]

[Oh.

Of all the things he was expecting, he wasn't expecting them to have a weird little sob story.]

If they broke up, they probably did it for a reason. You shouldn't force people back together.

[Hopefully this just sounds like normal advice and not Nero intensely projecting his problems onto another bird.]

[truestrength]

[ Kurogane nods. He doesn't seem suspicious about that advice, at least. ]

He's right. You don't know what went on between them. Sometimes people just stop getting along, and they're never gonna get along again.

[ The magpie doesn't like that answer, however. It starts saying that anything is possible! If they were a band before, they can be one for one performance! ]

[perfectdistance]

[Just normal advice from a normal lost soul passing through.]

It'll be worse for them if you force them back together for your own sake.

[That's just selfishness on the magpie's part, as far as Nero is concerned.]

[truestrength]

[ The magpie reiterates that it's just for one more performance. ]

Nah. Even a single performance can be too much for people who don't get along. I wouldn't even want to train with the people I can't stand.

[perfectdistance]

It's fine to treasure the memories you've got, but asking somebody to do somethin' on your behalf is a big ask. Do you even know them personally?

[It's Even Worse if it's a bunch of strangers begging a group to get back together.]

[truestrength]

We've seen them around plenty! We just can't find them now! That's why we need your help.

[ Kurogane looks incredulous. ]

So you don't know them.

[ The magpie looks as close to sheepish as a bird could be. ]

[perfectdistance]

[That's so rude, it's almost inspiring the sheer amount of gall these birds have.]

Don't ask a total stranger to do somethin' for you.

[That's basic!]

[truestrength]

[ Kurogane glances over at Nero, giving him a small nod. He's relieved that the person he requested help from isn't going to sympathize with this bird. ]

You might have better luck with some other sap.

[ He opens up his palm so the bird can fly off without hassle. Unfortunately, the magpie stays. ]

Are you sure? We would all greatly appreciate your help!

[perfectdistance]

[As an eastern wizard, Nero fully respects "stay in your own lane" and is slightly annoyed when other people don't keep to the same rule. He gives a slight nod back to Kurogane.

He really expected this bird to head off. Does it really think these two are gonna help it out?]

Leave those retired guys alone.

[truestrength]

[ The magpie turns one last pleading look towards Kurogane. ]

Go find someone else.

[ Sensing that the two aren't going to budge, the bird lifts off of Kurogane's palm and flies off.

He turns to Nero. ]

Thanks for not caving. The last thing I wanna do is go find some members of a band I've never heard of.

[perfectdistance]

[They didn't successfully stop these birds, but at least they left this particular area.]

Yeah, me too. I wouldn't even know where to start in a city this big.

[What do they look like? Who knows. Hopefully they can keep incognito and away from the birds.]

[truestrength]

[ He shrugs. ]

I don't even know my way around this place yet. Finding someone is a lost cause.

[ The magpie would have much better luck with someone else, in all honesty. ]

[perfectdistance]

You're one of the new arrivals? Settling in okay?

[truestrength]

Yeah. As for settling in, it's hard to say. I guess I am, but there's a lot going on here.

[ Plus it's weird to not be with his companions, as painful as it is to admit to himself. ]

[perfectdistance]

Yeah, I feel that. I've been here for a couple months, but I don't feel all the way settled either.

[truestrength]

Kind of hard to get settled in a city like this. I've been traveling a while, but this place is really different, aside from it being hell.

[perfectdistance]

[Wait. Hold on, he said something weird.]

Were you in hell before you got here?

[truestrength]

No, but it sure felt like it. Whole city was burned to the ground and it hurt whenever it rained. That place felt closer to hell than this one.

[perfectdistance]

[He sucks in a breath between his teeth. Terrible. How often did it rain? Did they even have an indoors there? Or was there nothing left to shelter underneath?]

This place mostly feels like a large city to me.

[Beyond the contracts that are tying them here.]