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.
• 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

[shikanoinheizou]

[For someone as observant as Heizou the apprehensiveness in that first smile is like a beacon. He chooses to be kind and not draw attention to it, and instead plants one hand on his hip as he looks up at the birds again.]

Investigating? No, I was just looking around and happened to come across them here. There are more than enough people harassing these birds without me needing to get involved.

[The detective gives an airy little chuckle.] Besides, something far more interesting just crossed my path. I didn't even know that you were here. [His bright eyes sparkle with mischief, but there is a certain gentleness about it. He doesn't mean any harm in his teasing.]

What a treat to finally get the opportunity to speak to you.

[schmoozing]

[schmoozing]

Ah, thank you.

[He's not so sure if being described as something far more interesting is really good for him, even if he can tell that Heizou isn't being malicious or anything. He's done nothing wrong, so there's no reason to worry, right?

Right?]

Though, I don't see myself as any sort of important person to be excited to speak with. Unless, of course, you want to hear all about what I had been planning on cooking for dinner if you happen to catch me on a run to the market.

[To be fair, he does do that often!]

[shikanoinheizou]

[Heizou is capricious as they come and what interests him and draws his attention tends to be wholly inscrutable to most. Right now he finds Thoma far more interesting than the singing birds because, for as long as he can remember, Thoma has been avoiding him. He doesn't need to ask why. A lot of people ignore him and usually for similar reasons.

With his warm approach to finally speaking to the other man it's clear he didn't take any offence.]

And if I did want to hear about that? [He asks with a curious tilt of his head.]

One doesn't need to be 'important' to be worth speaking to. In fact, people like yourself are usually more worth speaking to than anyone in a position of power.

[schmoozing]

[What Heizou's definition of 'worth speaking to' is probably pretty broad, he thinks, given his profession. Anyone could be of help to him, given they have the right information, even someone like him. Thoma imagines that when he refers to people in power not being as worth speaking to, it's because they're harder to crack and get what he needs out of them...just like in those stories from Yae Publishing House.]

I'm flattered you think so! Not everyone wants to hear about a day as trivial as mine.

[Though that's not true at all, what Thoma does is hardly trivial, though he's trying to refer to just cleaning the Kamisato household rather than his 'fixer' duties.]

[shikanoinheizou]

[He'd be half right. People in higher positions can be more difficult to talk to simply by virtue of their status, but there is something else to it as well. People like Thoma - and any other servant or 'ordinary' person' are often privy to details that even they might not realise are vital to an investigation.

Their master missing a button when they arrived home. The colour of dirt on a shoe before it was cleaned. Raised voices in a room where no one was allowed to enter. Addresses written on mail. An untouched meal. So many little things that could make or break a case.

People like Thoma could be more important than they might ever believe... even without his 'fixer' work, which Heizou is more than aware of.]

Are you interested in the birds? [He asks then, tilting his head towards them as they continue to make a racket.] I'm sure we can get hold of one if we put our minds to it.

[schmoozing]

[Thoma is a bit too caught up with the fact that he's trying to act natural and failing mildly at it that the question catches him off guard. He realizes that yeah, he's not being questioned right now as if he were involved with something nefarious, but it's hard not to feel a little nervous around Heizou.

His eyes widen, gaze returning to the birds who are singing their hearts out. Which, by the way, is still impressive to Thoma. It's not like Teyvat has anything quite like singing magpies.]

Sure I am. I've never heard animals sing uh...whatever style of music that is. But if you're not all that interested in interrupting them, why would you want to catch one?

[He's kind of trying to get out of this.]

[shikanoinheizou]

[Oh, he can read this situation. It wouldn't take a genius - and granted, Heizou is one - to realise that Thoma is entirely uncomfortable around him and would like to be excused from this situation as quickly as possible... which honestly makes him all the more curious, and makes this situation all the more fun.]

I think it's some kind of rock music.

[Not really his type of thing, but...

He shoots Thoma a sidelong look and smiles. There's nothing predatory about it - it's quite a kind look.]

And I'm not, but I'm interested in continuing to speak with you... and I'm wondering just what you've been told about me to make you so nervous to be in my company. I don't bite, you know.

[Now he's drawing attention to it.]

[schmoozing]

[Oh, oh no. He'll think of a way out of this. He will. He has to. The first thing that goes through his mind is if he's offended Heizou- which he didn't mean to-! But he hasn't exactly been warm to hanging out with the guy at all. But maybe just being honest will help here.]

Am I acting nervous? Sorry...I didn't mean to give you that impression. I guess...

[How does he put this without putting his foot in his mouth.]

I suppose I've just always had this impression of you that if you've got to talk to someone, it must be because something is afoot and I just don't want to get tangled in with it. I know, that sounds pretty irrational when I say it out loud like that, because it's not like dealing with these singing birds is anything to really be concerned about.

[No one is breaking the law, after all, they're just...annoying people.]

You'll have to forgive me, I guess I just let my nerves get the better of me.