jigokulogs | March 2022 Mini Event

March 2022 Mini Event

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The Night Parade is fast-approaching and each faction will be busy with their own preparations.

1. SHUTEN CLAN

The Celestial Phoenix Casino, a fairly popular casino in the Shuten territory, is overdue on its protection money. This money is sorely needed for parade preparations. Unfortunately, the casino has decided it doesn't need to pay up because they've hired some new unaffiliated muscle. Neither the manager nor their new muscle are the type to listen to reason, so be prepared to exert some intimidation and force to convince these new bodyguards to take their business elsewhere.

The brute squad working for the Celestial Phoenix seems to be made up of several different youkai. Some of them are more human looking than others, but you'll notice no Oni. Even independent Oni wouldn't dare turn against the Shuten Clan. Even lacking in Oni, these thugs are armed to the teeth, swinging several deadly weapons and even a few firearms. This could get rough, so be prepared for the worst. Take the gangsters protecting the Celestial Phoenix out or convince them it’s not worth it.

Once inside, you'll discover that the owner, in a panic, has locked himself inside the casino's value with the protection money owed. This might take some doing to get open...

2. SUTOKU ALLIANCE

The Kappa want to be left alone and the Daitengu has asked Sutoku Alliance members to assure their wishes are respected. Members are tasked with convincing people to stay away from the Kappa's riverside facilities by whatever means necessary. Of course, you may want to take a look for yourself to see what they’re being so secretive about. That’s not recommended, if you don’t want to get into trouble.

It’s not just strangers who are nosy, though. Retinues from both the Shuten and Tamamo clans are making an appearance and asking why the inspections are taking so long. Why are the Kappa dragging their feet? The Alliance prefers to avoid direct violence, so it's up to you to talk to these clan captains in a way that convinces them to leave the Kappa alone.

If you're curious enough to dive deeper into the Kappa's business, however, even your Alliance membership isn't going to keep you safe. The Kappa themselves seem to disappear from sight the further into the sewers you go, as if invisible. Preventing yourself from being spotted by a security camera or a patrolling Kappa is almost impossible. Cover your faces, stick to the shadows, and you might just notice that... they’re building something down there.

Something for the Parade? Who knows? But it’s definitely not decorations or a float...

3. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENMA

The parade route for the Night Parade needs to be "cleaned up". The Department is tasked with getting the low level street gangs and squatters to clear out. The homeless population will resist and may not be so easily persuaded to give up their spots. Your best bet is to offer them food, booze, or shelter for the night. The street gangs will assuredly fight back. Use your strength or your wits to get the job done.

The gangs will not typically be that tough, most don’t want to step up to the Department's goon squad too heavily lest they wind up in a cell for the rest of their lives. Still, some might be hopped up on encouraging substances and try to escalate. Don’t worry, though. You have the authority of the Enma on your side! Don’t think they will get away with waving a weapon in your face.

The homeless, though, lack strength or weapons. They are more fueled by desperation to keep their spots. Winter hasn't been kind to them, after all, and they don’t have much respect for the Enma's authority. Their belligerent behavior is loud, and often violent despite their absence of means to properly defend themselves. At worst, they’ll probably try to use biological warfare. Don’t ask what's in those bottles...

4. TAMAMO CLAN

Parade costumes need to be designed, crafted, modeled, and then likely mended knowing the rough and tumble yokai. The textile shops and tailors of the area need Tamamo Clan members to help them out. Costumes vary from extremely ornate to extremely sexy. These costumes need to merge form and function, for the Tamamo clan parade marchers that means they need to be able to sell their specific wares while wearing them. (wink wonk)

None of the costumes are floor ready and the shop bosses urge you that these cannot be seen by the public until they are ready. This won’t stop some peeping toms and tammies from trying to scope out the goods. Most of the voyeurs are spying for perverted reasons, but some are from shops outside of Tamamo’s influence trying to copy the designs for themselves. Either way, Tamamo Clan members aren't expected to be just pretty faces. So rough’em up.

5. TASTE TEST (ALL FACTIONS)

For those less interested in their faction's work, the restaurants in the Tamamo territory also need help finalizing their menu offerings for the Night Parade. Taste testers and creative cooks wanted! These aren’t just any dishes though and may have some interesting effects. One may be so spicy that everything burns, your face turns red, and you need to cool yourself off. Or maybe your dish is so good that you need to take a nap – it doesn't matter where you are, you'll just fall asleep right on the spot. Another possibility is a dish that gives you unstoppable energy – literally. It will make you want to get up and go and never stop moving. If you stop moving, it may cause a bigger problem.

Welcome to the mini event!

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[ Here Felix is, intent on enjoying his meal when this man over here seems to be with the child, trying to parent or something. Whatever the case, he will make the following comment: ]

Hmph. Good luck with that.

[ Said in the exact kind of tone that suggests he expects Lan Wanji's instructions not to take very well. Sure, he thinks it's easily to get children to not eat with their mouths open, but getting them to stop talking during such things...that sounds like quite the task. ]

[Lan Wangji pauses in eating to examine the stranger and his unasked-for commentary. the fox kit, who appears to be amusing themself by mimicking everything Lan Wangji does, also pauses and tilts their fluffy head in exaggerated inquiry.

their benefactor's eyes narrow. the child is apparently not the only one talking while eating.]

Adults should also know better.

[the fox kit hiccups on their food, cramming a fist in their mouth to stifle giggles at seeing a grown-up get scolded. when Lan Wangji glares at them reprovingly, they yip and shift back to a fox, rolling over to show their belly in wriggling apology and continued laughter. then they snag the edge of their bowl in their teeth and bolt gaily away through the crowd with it, tail high.

Lan Wangji exhales. it had taken some effort to get the child to sit still in the first place. it's Children, 1, Adults, 0 this round.]

...

[ Oh my god...Felix just blinks.

Did he just get scolded like a child? ]

Excuse me?

[ Whatever else he is about to say is put on hold just because the child is laughing and then...they seem to shift forms, including what happens afterwards gets the raven-haired male to stare as the fox kit bolts off. ]

...You know what? I'm not surprised that happened.

[ He actually is, but he's more irritated by being scolded, so petty it is. ]

Hm.

[Lan Wangji had seen the baby shift once before, so he's not surprised at the young kitsune suddenly looking like a fox again. he does wish they had stuck around, but in all honesty, he hadn't really thought to keep them for much longer than it took them to finish the food. he would never say that it's too much to expect that a yao child show good manners -- proper conduct is something that should be expected from everyone, in Lan Wangji's opinion -- but having high standards doesn't mean he's completely disconnected from reality.

it's unfortunate that his willingness to express those high, somewhat arbitrary standards to other adults resulted in the child having a laughing fit and taking off in this particular instance. his even-handedness in being kind of a jerk about it occasionally wins him grudging respect, but (as Felix is proving) not necessarily friends.

he does eye Felix with slightly raised brows and his signature frosty expression, after that discouraging hum of an initial response. does he have more commentary he'd like to give? some quality opinions for this Lan Wangji, random stranger, to be enlightened by?]

[ That is a relatively mild response from a comment he has just made. Granted, it's not one of his worse ones, but Felix is used to unsettling or making people irritable straight from the start.

If anything, that just makes him give a scoff of his own, eyes on the other male...sort of. He's not looking straight at Lan Wangji, as his skills at eye contact with others can be subpar depending on the situation, and despite his fiery attitude. ]

What, you think yourself too above it all to say much of anything else?

[ In other words, Felix has some 'opinions', but they are not really 'quality' ones. Well, if one is speaking in terms of good quality, that is. ]

[Lan Wangji does not break eye contact. dead-eyed or livid stares are an important category in his available arsenal of communication tools, along with tiny neutral noises and emphatic disapproving silence. this particular stare somehow manages to imply both that its recipient is a bug, and that its owner is actually a thousand miles away and doesn't really have any reason to participate in the conversation.

(Felix assumes that Lan Wangji believes himself above their conflict. it's not exactly true, but neither is it entirely wrong, nor an uncommon conclusion among those who've been subject to that wintry indifference. Lan Wangji himself has never developed the skill of de-escalating the impression.)

the other "adult" in this scenario has just been so rude, to Lan Wangji's mind. Lan Wangji doesn't particularly want to spend the rest of his lunch being baited, but for goodness sake, look at that smirky rude face.]

Is this your conclusion?

[ And yet, Felix doesn't even make straight eye contact with the other man at all in this conversation.

All the same, he does wear that smirky rude face proudly (no) ]

Yeah, it is. Do you have a problem with it?

[ As he asks this, he will pointedly continuing eating, having only paused to reply back or comment. At the very least, he has enough manners not to eat with his mouth full, but otherwise he finds no reason why to oblige even that scolding that other man made just a few moments ago. ]

[Lan Wangji's eyebrows climb a bit higher. he rests his eyes briefly on Felix's continued pursuit of his meal; he's not an idiot. he gets the message.

after an equally pointed pause, his reply is cool and neutral, somehow worlds more judgmental than a hot rejoinder would have been.]

You may choose to see yourself contemptible.

Not my concern.

[ Felix's expression looks about as pleased to hear about this as expected. Which is, of course, hardly at all. ]

And yet, here you are, making presumptions of your own about how I view myself.

What do you think that says about you?

[having a face that does things sounds wild. Lan Wangji clearly can't relate; his expression hasn't moved an iota since his last frown.]

You mistake my meaning.

["contemptible" can be read two ways, as Lan Wangji used it in that sentence: "worthy of contempt," or "able to be seen as someone who should be viewed that way." there's no way to know if Felix thinks he's the former. but by definition, reaching the conclusion that Lan Wangji is looking down on him so quickly must mean he sees something reflected in himself that Lan Wangji would look down on him about.

Lan Wangji doesn't know this guy at all -- but to his mind, when someone jumps to defend themselves against perceived scorn from a curt stranger, it says something louder than words about what they're afraid of.]

If you hold concern for your standing in others' eyes, attend to it. "Respect yourself" is a precept as well.

But, you might improve your conduct.

[weirdly evenhanded and unaggressive given the lead-up, paying oddly specific attention to different details than you actually wanted to communicate, and yet still 100% comfortable telling you to your face that you could stand to get your shit together more, in his opinion -- it must be a day ending with Y in a conversation with Lan Wangji.]

Edited 2022-03-22 03:24 (UTC)

[ Indeed, Felix has misunderstood the man. From the very start of the conversation he has presumed that he is being treated like some sort of child, and so naturally in the end this is his conclusion behind the meaning of those words thrown his way.

So when Lan Wangji simply states that he mistakes it at first, Felix's brows scrunch a little in confusion, before it draws back into where it was before, his expression back to being a clear picture of displeasure. ]

I respect myself well enough—my "conduct" is fine the way it is.

Hmph, you sound like one of those who takes an absurd amount of joy in lecturing strangers even when you hardly know a damn thing about them. Am I wrong?

[ Felix lifts his chin a bit, once again facing the solemn man's general direction, even if his gaze lands more to the other male's size. Yet, with that simple action of his it is most definitely a challenge of some sort. ]

[the response to that is utterly flat, and probably doesn't make Felix feel any better.]

Yes.

[Felix may not be following every nuance of Lan Wangji's meaning -- which can be elliptical and stated with strange sparsely-worded over-precision at the best of times. but he certainly isn't mistaken in his general read of the situation! he's getting stared at disapprovingly in public by some stranger in overly-formal getup, who talks like he thinks he's reading out of an antiquated textbook with a title like Ye Olde Weirdo Asshole's Guide To Being Judgmental. that part's pretty obvious. there are things to dislike here!

whether Lan Wangji is specifically trying to make judgments about Felix's character or just his behavior, he clearly doesn't feel hesitation about either feeling entitled to make them, or taking any care to present them in a way Felix or indeed most people would receive gracefully. it comes off as unspeakable arrogance.

it could be argued that Felix jumped with his own mockery into a situation that hadn't involved him from the beginning, and being called out on it was a natural consequence of choosing a target who'd decline to participate in the joke. but it's too late either way. there's no time to quibble over justifications now that they're both dug into the respective trenches of their mutual snit.

...for all of that, though, Lan Wangji isn't lying. his arrogance isn't the arrogance of a bully. it's just self-assurance, mixed with his own perfectionism and a sort of natural impatience without malice at everyone in the world who doesn't meet his standards. it's a category that frequently includes himself.

in other words, he truly isn't actually getting any joy out of this. it is giving him a headache.]

Would prefer it to be unnecessary.

[ It appears that the two of them are like oil and water of this moment, and Felix just pretty much scoffs at the other man's words. ]

I suppose it doesn't look like you're enjoying it.

[ The food here is pretty spicy (or his portion in particular is), though...definitely to his tastes, so he'll casually just order some more. Even with the fact that they're in Hell, Felix feels as if he still does require the same amount of meals for someone who gets as much physical activity as possible. Though, he's not going to necessarily overdo it or anything like that, he won't keep himself from going for at least some good amount of portions. ]

But, you are accustomed to doing it, aren't you?

Do you enjoy bothering others?

Your words were uninvited.

[it's a counterattack instead of just a reply, directly challenging Felix's narrative. who is the person showing up to be randomly judgmental, here?

ironically, it could also just be read as a rhetorical question, though... and that's not necessarily unintended. is Lan Wangji used to lecturing people about rules? does Felix enjoy bothering others? does a bear shit in the woods?

Lan Wangji's own meal is cold by now. following the rules is suffering. he's aware that putting aside the good cooking could be considered rude itself, now that it's been a few minutes -- he should shut up and resume eating soon, though the knowledge that Felix is readily ordering more food and might continue making commentary does not cause that idea to spark joy.]

No, I don't.

[ ... ]

Hmph, then that makes the two of us, trading uninvited comments. So, I think I've leave you to finally enjoy your meal, or do whatever else you like.

[ Felix can't really believe this guy is such a stickler to his own rules that he hasn't even touched much of his food from what he can tell.

When his next helping does arrive, he continues eating, but true to what he's said, he has no more else to say. Even if he has more or less done a rather good job of souring the mood; something which he's particularly skilled at without even trying. ]

[Lan Wangji is certainly an acquired taste, much more so than the meticulously prepared food they're both attempting to eat. but he does try his best to follow his own rules. you have to give him that one... or at least, not everyone would, but those circumstances would need to happen in spite of Lan Wangji making often-obnoxious efforts towards consistency. hooray?]

...

My thanks.

[true to form, now that there's been some mutual acknowledgement that they're giving each other a tough time for absolutely no reason, that sense of fairness forces him to examine his awareness that this whole encounter has been... well. hm. it's not that he's behaved incorrectly, his intention wasn't truly to taunt the other man, and responding in kind to provocation isn't being unreasonable. but it's not how his brother would have handled the situation.

Lan Wangji is comfortable with the fact he's not Lan Xichen, but you could certainly make an argument that the older Jade of Lan is better at upholding somewhat contradictory family principles like "be easy on others" and "do not criticize other people" than the younger.

...he'll exhale and acknowledge his irritation to himself. it is not his master. for the sake of benevolence and justice towards all people, he should probably say at least one thing in this conversation that is not 100% being an arbitrary hardass.]

My response lacked tolerance. Your meal is also significant.

[he's saying this in exactly the same flat, uncompromising tone as the rest of his commentary. does it even help? probably not. his sincerity is matched by how profoundly bad he is at every social nuance he attempts.]

[ Felix gives a small pause when the other states his gratitude sincerely, and then of course follows a sort of peaceful silence between the two. The first since when Felix had arrived, things had essentially already been rough.

Though it is true that Felix's eyebrows furrow as he tries to discern the intentions through the tone, which seem to remain level and flat.

Come to think of it, even when the man had not seemed necessarily annoyed, the tone remained the same even when he had been speaking towards that young child. In the end yes it doesn't exactly help, but he has some clue Lan Wangji wasn't mocking him by now, so there is that. ]

Hmph.

You've got a sizable portion yourself. Anyway, as wretched of a place this all is, the people here serve the food with just the right spice. Which is more than I can say for some.

...

...

...

[for no reason that's outwardly obvious to Felix, this commentary makes Lan Wangji's mouth twitch for the first time in this entire conversation. of course this guy had to love spicy food. because literally every annoying person in the universe has to remind Lan Wangji of Wei Wuxian in some way, now, so he can suffer about it. that's just become his life.]

You prefer greater seasoning?

[ Funny how things work, eh?

Felix truly doesn't get why the other's expression changed for a second there, but...maybe he has an interest in seasonings and such? ]

Yeah.

If I can I'd like it to be in most of my meals. Though, not all of them. It would be foolish not to have some form of moderation.

[ But he wouldn't exactly object to it. ]

[this is going to be a stupidly awkward and out of left field follow-up to the rest of their conversation, and Lan Wangji is going to go for it anyway. he accepts that it's going to happen and that awkwardness is part of life when you have social skills on par with those of a moderatedly uncomfortable chair, and lets out a breath.]

...

Restaurants for such tastes.

Which would you recommend?

[ It certainly is one hell of an awkward follow-up, but Felix has nothing else to do at the moment, and he does consider it a practical topic of conversation. Figuring out what's the best to eat is only beneficial in his mind. ]

I've found a couple. Though, not after dealing with a couple that dared call their cuisine 'spicy' when it was mild at best.

[ Unsurprisingly, there were places like that. Anyway, here in the text box Felix does give the names of those restaurants freely. ]

This one included, naturally.

Thank you.

[Lan Wangji drops his eyes to his own cold bowl of food. it notably doesn't have any kind of spice added whatsoever, though he got it from a nearby vendor voluntarily; it looks bland even from here.

the recommendations aren't for him, though he wouldn't think to volunteer as much in the service of casual conversation.]

Will remember.

[he'll pick up his own chopsticks again, likely signalling the imminent end of his own store of words -- no speech while dining.]

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March 2022 Mini Event

2, taste test;

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