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

Corrupting the youth?

[nazuna is what, ten years older than them? it's so funny that it's technically accurate. they're used to being one of the older influences in people's lives, but maybe it's not bad having a... mentor, if that's what nazuna is.]

Trust me, Nazuna, I'm taking this at my own pace. The night makes some interesting arguments, but I know my own limits. I've been living with them for fifteen years now. [they gently rest a hand on nazuna's shoulder, a touch brimming with gratitude.] That doesn't mean I can't take some inspiration from your ideas. Nothing that frightens me about the night has killed me yet.

That's how they getcha, you know. First you're getting kissy with a cute girl, next you're staying up late and sneaking into bars without an ID. It's one of those, whatchacallits... [ she snaps, looking for the words. ] A gateway drug?

[ she doesn't push their hand away. she just lets her hand drop, shoving it back into her coat pocket with a grin. ]

Well, if you really insist... I guess having a copycat ain't the worst thing to happen to me, right?

Oh, Nazuna. [they smile so, so sweetly.] One of these days I'm going to tell you the kinds of things I used to get up to when I was younger, and it's going to blow your vampire mind.

[they drop their hand finally, and they choose to allow nazuna to interpret that however she wants.]

But that day isn't today. Have you heard anything interesting from any of these birds? Since you can speak their language, I mean.

Whoa, illicit dick sucking competitions?! You're a lot more adventurous than you look, Leviathan!

[ first of all, that's how the two of you met, not some memory from fifteen years ago. second of all, nazuna. ]

Huh? Oh, they speak Japanese just fine.

[ ... ]

I just don't know where the guys they're looking for are, so I decided to help 'em out by singing instead.

[ nazuna....................... ]

[they have chosen... poorly.]

You know it isn't that, Nazuna. [but maybe it's less shocking right now. maybe they're letting her get away with it.] Despite my better judgment, I'll let you speculate for now—but what do you mean, the guys they're looking for?

I haven't really had the time to listen to them. The magpies and I have... a history.

Huh? Oh, you know. The ones who wrote that song.

[ a history, huh...? oh, she's kinda curious about that one! she wants to ask... but she points back up at the magpies first. ]

Want me to ask one of 'em to repeat it? They're pretty cool guys. Hakaku told me all about the guys, but I already forgot most of it.

[ "SHABADABADIA," cries a particular magpie from above. nazuna turns, giving a thumbs up and calling it back.

god, they're all idiots, aren't they. ]

[hakaku...]

Shabadabadia...? [they try calling it back in time with nazuna, but they're far from confident about it. those syllables coming from their mouth sound pretty silly, to their own ears. best leave it to the professionals.]

You'll have better luck with them, I'm sure. I did try to capture a lot of them with a net two months ago... and one of them nearly made off with my glasses. I don't think that they think we're exactly even yet.

Hmmmm? Not like that, person. You've gotta do it with feeling.

SHABADABADIA!!

[ "BABA-BA-BA," screams the bird in response. a group of the magpies bob their heads in unison. she turns back to leviathan, grinning wide. ]

Come on, now. If you leave your desires unfulfilled, it'll just keep you awake at night. [ she claps a hand on levi's shoulder, her fangs peeking through those perfect lips. ] C'mon. Give 'em a little fun, alright? And, a one, two, three...

[ she takes a deep breath, cupping her hands around her lips. and regardless of whether or not levi sings along, she bellows: ]

SHABADABADIA! SHABADABADIA!

[leviathan looks wearily at nazuna. there's no getting out of this, is there. well, maybe it's a good way to make amends. they cry out in a voice that's just shy of in tune, but definitely has some passion to it that they don't really make a habit of showing off. it's the fire that comes after a lightning strike, and it's being used for this.]

SHABADABADIA! BABA BA BA!

[they don't know the guitar riff. or, rather, they've heard it before, but only in chirps, and it's not as melodic as it probably could be. and yet, the magpies join in like one massive chorus pedal along those single notes, and they could swear they recognize one of the ones doing it. it has a sparkle to its eye in the way that levi's left eye doesn't. they look down at nazuna after crying to the heavens and getting their reply.]

You know, I think I can see what they like about it.

See!? Worth it, right!? [ and she holds up her hand for a high five, practically beaming leviathan's way. ] Yeah!

[ not that levi has much time to take it. the bird nazuna has been yelling at flaps its wings, abruptly lifting off and divebombing the two of them-

-only to drop a crumpled piece of paper from one talon. ]

Ah. [ nazuna reaches up, snatching it out of the air - and hands it to levi. ] Right, right. These guys, yeah? Remember their faces.

[ sure enough, if levi unfolds the paper, they'll be met face to face with a photo of the band in question - old, stained and ravaged by time, but unquestionably them. looks like this was valuable enough to some magpie to hold onto. ]

[they're mid-high five when the bird attacks them, and they end up missing nazuna's hand entirely and pitching forward just a little bit. by the time they recover, they're ready to receive the picture. the thing is...]

Wait. This one. [they point to the one in white face paint with black lipstick.] I've seen him before. He was at a bar that Mona and I investigated for—[don't say drug trafficking don't say drug trafficking]—drug trafficking. It turned out to be a dead end, so I think he was just an old man out for a drink. But we could head out to that bar and see if anyone knows him there.

[they look around, sort of having their bearings here. they think they could direct nazuna there, too, if they had to. it shouldn't be too hard.]

Wait, for real? [ her voice drops to a whisper. ] Leviathan... Do you have a photographic memory? Are you one of those superdetectives? Are you Sherlock Holmes?

[ they're not holmes, you fucking idiot. also, it's hard to forget makeup like that. she coos appreciatively, holding up her hands in an expression of - incredibly - genuine astonishment. ]

Yeah, yeah. Let's do that. [ a beat. ] Ah- Can you give Hakaku his picture back? He's really attached to it, y'know?

[ the magpie doesn't scream a lyric, this time - but it does look expectantly at leviathan. ]

I was always partial to Arséne Lupin myself. [they don't answer beyond that, instead reaching their hand out to hakaku to return the picture.] Here you go. Sorry about all the net stuff the other month, if that got you or any of yours caught up in it.

[they watch hakaku tilt his head, then pluck the picture from their hand with his beak. if there's any acceptance of that apology, they haven't picked up on it. but with that taken care of, they get back to their full height and look out over in the direction of that bar that they'd investigated.]

Come on. Oh, wait, crap—um. If anyone calls me Hesiod, they have me mistaken with someone else. Do you understand? [they're sure nazuna does, but they want to head it off at the pass. it's not important enough to stop them from starting to walk, but they're definitely keeping an eye on nazuna for her answer.]

Ah, that guy from the cartoon! I see, I see... I didn't think you'd go for the pervert type, Leviathan!

[ she's not even actually trying to be rude here. she's just... that much of a ditz, sometimes. ]

Gotcha, gotcha! No Hesiod here. None of that matters. [ a beat. ] Ah, wait, is that one of those death names? Should I forget that?

Death names? [they tilt their head and tap their chin, and then it all clicks, and they laugh brightly.] Deadnames, Nazuna. And no, it's just a different name that I went by when I was investigating. I'd prefer to keep that identity intact.

[they wonder, though. maybe one day.]

I needed something that felt uncomfortable for me. [they slouch their shoulders, stick out their stomach a little, and lower the pitch and speed of their voice like they'd spent some time practicing it. to finish it, they push back their hair; it would usually be tucked under a hat, but they'll make do. the effect is harder to pull off, overall, with the way they're dressed, but this is enough to get the idea across.] Hesiod is just... a tired salaryman, trying to get by to his next paycheck so he can drink his depression away. He likes sake and people-watching, and he's not interested in starting a family yet. He blends in perfectly.

Yeah, yeah! That one. [ don't ask how she learned about it, leviathan. youkainet has some useful qualities, at least. ] A tired salaryman, huh? Kinda down, tired out... I see, I see! You're pretty good at this, aren'tcha?

[ she reaches up, throwing an arm around levi's shoulders and patting. it's near impossible to read in a sexual way, for once - thankfully - but it's still some unexpected contact. ]

Hey, hey, I've got a friend back in- well, Japan, I guess. The land of the living? [ a bellylaugh. ] She can do some crazy things with makeup and wigs, y'know! Want me to point her your way if she shows up?

Oh! That would be fantastic if you could, Nazuna.

[they smile at her, not having thought that... well, having a seamstress friend would make things a lot easier. but it would, and it's another benefit to knowing someone so well-connected through the night, they think.]

You may have noticed, but there are some parts of me that are a little more... distinctive than others. And I haven't bothered with makeup in years. If I'm going to be acting like some kind of master of disguise... [they ponder what that might look like, and they grin.] Yes. I think that would be a lot of fun. And in the meantime, since we're not trying to track down any illicit drugs, I think we should be fine just walking in like this.

With all due respect, I think you'll leave more of an impression than me.

[ "a seamstress" is one hell of a way to undersell her senpai. besides, as a detective, she'd probably end up in sutoku anyway... unless the whole "killing" thing got her enma. who could guess? who could say? ]

The boobs? [ those are probably not levi's most distinctive feature, nazuna. ] Don't they have, like... Fancy sports bras for taping them down? That's gotta be a thing, right?

[ nazuna nanakusa is a girl who has never, not even ONCE, had to worry about "breasts too big." it's kind of obvious just looking at her, really. ]

Right, right. Makes sense. Vampires are just kinda like that, you know?

[they take off their glasses and stare at nazuna, making sure she gets a real good look at their messed up eye.]

Not my boobs, Nazuna. My hair and my eye. [once they've made their point, they slide their glasses back on their face.] I doubt I'd leave much an impression that way anyway when we have people walking around who can't see their own feet over their chests.

[it's not bitter, and they don't necessarily have anything to be insecure about either; they're just, in their mind, speaking a fact.]

And you wouldn't have to be a vampire to make that kind of impression, either. You have one of the biggest personalities of anyone I've ever been friends with—and to be clear, I hope that's a compliment. It already makes a good team out of the two of us.

Oh. Those would've been my second guesses anyway. [ an awkward beat. ] Wait, who? Do you know their name? Are they on Ember?

[ jesus, nazuna. contain your thirst. ]

Ah, for real? Thanks, I think. [ definitely thanks, now that levi's specified. she grins, rubbing at the back of her neck. ] I'm used to getting yelled at for it back home. Feels kinda nice to not have Nico on my ass for once, you know?

Oh, please. Nazuna, I've worked alongside people who are just as loud while having the disadvantage of saying the stupidest things imaginable with their full throat.

[hm. well. okay. all right, be nice to her.]

And if I didn't reprimand him for it, I'd be quite the hypocrite to come for you. Come on, let's get to the bar and try to get this band back together. [they cast their eyes up at a magpie and tap their index and middle finger to their brow as a salute.] Suddenly, I'm starting to like our odds. And maybe you'll find that person with the big boobs while we're there.

Big boobs...

[ it's said almost reverently. she's really into this idea, you know? you know. like a fucking idiot. not that there's anything wrong with that. ]

Yeah. Yeah, I think we've got this. [ she looks up to the magpies, mimicking levi's own salute. ] C'mon, person, let's go.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

September 2022 Mingle!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject