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

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

c

[empression]

[ Haru continues to watch as the members of her clan make horrible decisions and she kind of winces as she makes the rounds yet again, only to see one of the youkai drape the costume on the defeated body of-- ]

Eddie-san? Do you need some water? Just to sip at slowly and carefully?

[axeiled]

[Bad decisions? It was free food! How on earth was this a bad decision...?

Yeah. It was a bad decision. Eddie shifts a little, just enough to turn his head and peek above the barrier of his arms and from beneath the shade of the weenie costume draped over his head.

Oh. Hi Haru.]

I've got... my beer.

[A few cans are already empty, actually. One about a third of the way through.]

[empression]

Water, Eddie-san. Alcohol isn't going to help.

[ Oh, boy. And he's... three in? Two and a half? She can't tell. ]

[axeiled]

[Yeah, he's a few in. It's probably not as bad as it looks, with all the alcohol having been sopped up by the hot dog buns in his stomach, but ultimately, it didn't help much with how he's feeling now.]

Water?

[Weakly, though still kind of sarcastically-]

They serve that here?

[Huffs a laugh. This party was kind of wild. Who's been sipping water this whole time? the smart people]

[empression]

They do. Well, some of the more experienced speed-eaters have been making use of it, so it may be more of a tool to them than anything.

[ But she excuses herself briefly (she doesn't think he's going anywhere) and returns with a glass of water, settling down beside him and nudging it against his hand. ]

Please, just try?

[axeiled]

["Experienced speed-eaters?" Does she mean that he's been downing beer like a chump while he should have had a tall glass of water by his side, instead? The very thought is kind of funny in that self-deprecating kind of way, and Eddie chuckles a little.]

Wish somebody would've told me that first.

[Not that it would have mattered, he still would have been laid-out flat by overeating. So with a great effort, Eddie pushes himself up by his elbows to straighten, his weenie costume crumpling down onto the back of the chair. He grasps the glass of water and takes a long sip.

Setting it down, he cranes his head back, eyes closed, letting it go down his throat. And then, a groan-]

Haru, don't ever let me do something like this again, okay? What the fuck.

[HE NEVER WANTS TO EAT AGAIN]

[empression]

If you consider doing something like this again, I promise to find a way to firmly incapacitate you if talking won't suffice.

[ Diplomatically. Probably sincerely.

What a good and gentle friend she is. ]

[axeiled]

[oh my god... He cracks open his eyes to look at her, weary. A part of him believes it.]

What, are you going to twist my arm around my back and sit on me until I get some sense into my head?

[Then again, if it stops him from doing this again, then he'd allow it.]

[empression]

Is that what it will take, Eddie-san?

[ Because if it is, she will do it. ]

[axeiled]

[There is a— cheeky remark to make, here, but he decides not to. Instead:]

You know what? I’ll take your word for it and not risk anything.

[Another tired gulp of his water.]

You don’t look like you’ve been partying too hard, party girl. Are you just here to make sure no one makes a fool of themselves?

[empression]

For the most part, yes. But I do enjoy eating, just not... competitively.

... I'm afraid I'm not much of a party girl at all. [ a little bleakly. Sorry, Eddie. She's no fun. ]

[axeiled]

[Wow, that’s not how he meant it at all, Haru.]

That’s all right. Just means you’re the smart one here. Look at me.

[LOOK AT HIM, HE’S A MESS]

You don’t wanna end up like this.

[The weenie costume looms ominously over his chair. The humiliation is still not over.]

[empression]

Did you at least have fun with it? You look a little miserable...

[ delicately patting his back. It's true. She has no urge to end up stuffed to the brim with hot dogs while also dealing with the looming threat of the Price for Failure. ]

[axeiled]

It was great at the start. Everyone’s having fun, and the food was free.

[Free competition, free food. Free beers? How could he not indulge.

Jerks his thumbs at the weenie costume.]

But now I have to wear this thing.

[empression]

Not for the entire time, at least?

[ Hopefully? She doesn't actually know how long. Oops. ]

[axeiled]

[Shrugs a shoulder, makes a non-committal noise.]

Any amount of time is too long. I'm going to look really stupid.

[But, humiliating or not, there is something... vaguely amusing about it. He'll appreciate the inanity of it more once he's had some time to recover.]

[empression]

I'll walk with you.

... I don't think that will make you look any less absurd, but...

[ Well. At least she's honest. ]

[axeiled]

[He scoffs a laugh at her honesty.]

Thanks.

[Okay, Munson, you can do it... He sits his glass down with a thunk and pushes himself up to his feet. His weenie costume still hangs loosely on the chair.]

All right, might as well get this over with. [He's only a little wobbly.] Just gotta wrangle myself into that thing-- I'm guessing there's a zipper somewhere.

[empression]

... Would you like help? I can at least zip you into it.

[ he's wobbly? He's wobbly. Haru might be semi-amused, but she's also still concerned for his state, stepping closer to steady him if need be. ]

[axeiled]

Uuh...

[Weighs his pride versus how his agility stat feels now, after eating so much...

Yeah, no.]

...Yeah, if you don't mind.

[empression]

I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't willing.

[ She will help you don. The Weenie. ]

[axeiled]

[The Weenie.

It is a clumsy process. It's not like the costume is particularly snug--in fact, it's probably a size too big for Eddie--but he still feels kind of gross, and like he needs a very long nap. Without Haru's help, there's no way he could have gotten into it, but when she zips him back up, and he's officially donned in his Weenie Garb, he still manages to give her a smile through the hole where his face goes.

It's only a little facetious. Might as well revel in the ridiculousness.]

Well, how do I look?

[empression]

... Very stunning.

[ He looks ridiculous. He probably knows he looks ridiculous. But that's the point of the costume, isn't it, and although he's swimming in it, he's looking like a good sport to willingly go through with his loss like this in the first place. ]

Are you able to move in it?

[axeiled]

["Stunning". Yeah, he looks stupid.]

Sure. I think.

[Wobbles back and forth in an experimental way. He's as silly as he looks in a mostly vertical weenie costume, and he figures he's going to have to waddle his way through their walk together.]

I feel like it's a little top-

[Top heavy, he was going to say, but he stumbles forward slightly before he can finish his sentence. Right, it'll take some getting used to.]

[empression]

[ Oh, dear. Haru's here to steady yet again, wincing sympathetically. ]

All right, I think we can agree that this is something best taken... incredibly slow.