[ open ] birthday time!

[picky]

WHO: Marcille, Ryoji, and YOU!
WHAT: A party for the April (and May) birthdays!
WHERE: LILICO Game Center in Akihabara
WHEN: April 20th
WARNINGS: TBA

No matter who you are, you receive a text early in the morning from Ryoji (memors):

Good morning! Did you know it's a special someone's birthday today? Actually, we have several birthdays to celebrate, so join us today at the LILICO Game Center! There will be cake! Lots and *lots* of cake. Hope to see you there!

This is an open log, so feel free to tag out or top level or respond to the prompts below. Have fun!

Comments

LILICO GAME CENTER.

[picky]

A train ride to Akihabara later and you find yourself in LILICO Game Center! To borrow from the Locations page, the Game Center has claw machines, Gachapon machines, arcade games of any sort imaginable, a pachinko parlour, and the shining star of the center: The Immersive VR experience. (Please use responsibly. This is a family-friendly party.)

You can find the party in the Jump for Joysticks arcade section of the game center. There really is every arcade game you can imagine, albeit with different names to prevent fourth wall-breaking: Mrs. P*cman, DDR, M*rio Kart, Str**t Fighter, Skee Ball, Wack-a-Mole, etc. Here's a list if you need it.

Try a new game! Teach someone else how to play! Go nuts!

kaito nagano / original

[seafloor]

[ There is a disturbance in the F*rce at the arcade.

Walking down one of the aisles, your foot bumps into a Doraemon plush. Odd. Some careless kid must have dropped it.

As you take a closer look however (whether by stopping down or just by continuing your walk), another plush you comes into sight. SnoreMax. Next to it, some angry mole wearing a hardhat. Dracula's third child, Alacrud. An abomination with soulless eyes, tufts of fur in its ears, and a narrow yellow beak.

These toys are not strewn about haphazardly, no. Following them is akin to traversing a fuzzy, fluffy trail, with increasingly varied prizes stacked in mounds the further you advance. Rulers, coolers, vinyl decals, instant noodles... All laid out like bodies on a windswept battlefield.

And at the end of the path, surrounded by fluorescent lights, you see him. A madman wearing Everlight's colors, stopped in front of a crane game machine.

—No, not just a crane game machine. It's the only machine in the entire sector of the arcade that still has prizes inside.

Tokusatsu figurines, for the record. And they're quickly disappearing, vanishing into the prize chute before tumbling next to Kaito's feet.

A few employees are just kinda standing at the outskirts, expressions varying from astonished to impressed to outright mortified. They all look to you as if you might have a constructive solution for the rampant 'destruction' wrought by this 'force of nature'.

Do you? ]

[yormama]

[ Housewife, mother, assassin, and now...a would-be game master?

See, that'd apply if Yor was attempting any of the other arcade machines, but she's not. Instead, she's going absolutely buck wild at the DDR machine. After a shaky start, she's actually building up a pretty good score!

Now the question is, do you join her in trying to beat her current score on the machine next to hers? Or do you egg her on to see if she can actually make it to ten million points? ]

[memors]

[ Arcades make him nostalgic. He can be in an entirely different Japan than the one where Paulownia Mall exists, but if he closes his eyes...it's the same chatter of chiptunes and odor of potato chip-encrusted carpets. Just like home!

He's developed a love of video games despite having not played very many. At present, he is approaching one of those full-body, immersive arcade games advertised as Crypt of the Undead. There's a sign outside the machine painted with bloodlike lettering: "enter if you DARE!" ]

This sounds serious.

[ Waving any passersby down!! ]

Want to give it a try? It can't be as scary as it sounds. [ Probably. ]

[picky]

[ Find Marcille at one of the racing games lined up near the front of the arcade center. Two seats for M*rio Kart are impossibly, blessedly open for once, though maybe not for long. She's wearing a simple blue dress with sandals and a green paper crown over her head. Her hair is in an intricate braid over one shoulder.

She isn't sitting on the seat, but her hand is pressed against the headrest as she leans over and watches the screen. It looks like you're trying to move along a pathway somehow... And there are bombs? And bananas? And ways to crash?

Whoever walks by, she's waving you over. ]

Do you know what this game is?

Shoto Todoroki | Everlight / MHA

[heir_conditioned]

A mass birthday? Well. He's already given Bakugo his present, but that also doesn't mean he can't attend and try to help other people celebrate. From what he's heard there isn't a lot of downtime when things start kicking off and things certainly kick off here. Plus who doesn't love a good game or two? He's seen a few arcades walking around and maybe it'd be a fun way to meet new people, make new friends, or even help out.

I. On the train
Shoto sticks out like a sore thumb. His hair does him no favours and the idea that he's actually looking intrigued by the way the train moves quickly passed the scenes outside makes it look like he's never seen it before. He has, not often, but he has and it's as exciting every time. Anyone who happens to sit next to him, he will have no problem turning to speak to, even the most introverted of people. "Is this your first time on a train?" It isn't his. Not by a long shot having to live here.

II. A) In The Arcade
Arcade games weren't really a thing for him in his lifetime, not until UA, and not frequently then either. He's more interested in watching the games, especially the dancing one. It's not until he crosses the PVE fighting games that he's most interested. Or even more so in the jump-scare games where he has to use a gun to do them. It doesn't seem safe, but he realizes quickly they're not actually loaded. He's all for pretty much any of the games, or learning about them, or watching others play and experiencing them that way, too.

B) A More Direct Approach
On his way around, Shoto notices someone has dropped one of their coins and picks it up to jog the few steps up behind them and give it back. "I think you dropped this."

III. Clean Up Crew
True to form Shoto also has no problem sticking around after festivities to give a little bit of help cleaning up. He can be found doing various clean up jobs, wiping a table or cleaning up smaller messes left behind. It'll make for a good night's sleep when he's finally home. Or whatever can be called home here.

IV. Wildcard
Have fun. The only thing I'm not interested in is sparring/fighting pretty much. There isn't much else I won't roll with. If you're unsure please contact me!

BIRTHDAYS.

[picky]

Is it your birthday, or is your birthday soon? If you or someone else tells Marcille, she will come over to you with a paper sash and crown in various colors. The sash definitely says "Birthday Girl/Boy" or "It's my BIRTHDAY!"

She is giving you the biggest moe eyes and the most hopeful smile ever. You know why she's here.

You can choose to argue with her, or if you opt to wear it, feel free to show it off! Or just have your friends compliment or make fun of you for wearing it.

[the_fourteenth]

[Raidou gives in to Marcille's demands, too polite to fight too hard about it. But now he's standing around at this party even more awkward than he already is at parties. Turns out he likes it better when he's in charge of them, because then he can busy himself with keeping things stocked and clean and avoiding small talk and socialization.

Anyone who approaches him while he's wearing his purple crown and birthday sash will get cut off before they can finish their birthday greeting.]

It's not my birthday.

[Blunt as ever, but still polite.]

--Sorry. It's not for two weeks yet.

CAKE AND A SURVEY.

[picky]

Off to the side, the arcade staff has agreed to watch over the table nestled against a wall of the arcade. On it sit two cakes, necessary plates and utensils, a line of sodas, and a decorative sign that says Happy Birthday Yor, Bakugo, and Marcille! The cakes are strawberry shortcake and devil's food. If you want different flavors, you'll have to bring them yourself!

Cakes aside, there's also something interesting on the table: a few sheets of piece of paper and a pen snapped onto a clipboard. A small sign next to it states the following:

Please write your name and birthday!

[memors]

[ He couldn't decide between the two cake flavors, so instead he has two small-sized pieces, one from each. Hopefully these suit everyone's preferences, but if not, he will absolutely book it to the nearest bakery to get what they want! Even if it's not their birthday party. It's fine.

Anyway, he's filling out the survey, dutifully writing down his name...but hesitates before putting down his birthdate. ]

Oh, right. I should decide on that...

[ How do you pick a day to celebrate yourself? ]

[rikugan]

[ he just came for the cakes, so after helping himself to two slices, gojo's just gonna float cross-legged in the air near the refreshment table.

nothing like strawberry shortcake and devil's food to lift the spirits. does he know who any of the birthday girls/boys are? not really, but considering it was an open invite, it shouldn't matter what reason he has for being here. right?

anyway, feel free to ignore him. he's just munching away and enjoying his dessert — very possibly upside down and gliding past overhead.

oh, but if you don't want your slice, don't mind if he reaches down and takes it off your hands~ ]

[bowtography]

[ March is going for the strawberry shortcake, but first things first--which is, of course, filling out the paper.

With a slightly furrowed eyebrow.

Feel free to stare at what she's written, but it might just be confusing if you haven't talked to her properly yet.

So it's--

Name: March 7th
Birthday: March 7th?????

Simple enough?? ]

[picky]

[ Rather than picking up the piece of cake yourself, Marcille offers you a plate of either option. ]

Thanks for coming! Strawberry or chocolate?

[icyspicy]

[ Winter won't say no to cake! Though he does pause to peer at the papers, considering. His birthday was made something of a matter of public record at the last place he was, before LILITH brought him here. It's the only reason he knows when it is at all, now.

Might as well share. Maybe he'll get some gifts when the time rolls around again.

Winter
Nightal December 21st

Yeah, go figure the man named "Winter" was born on the solstice. ]

[cranekin]

(He'll help himself to cake but as for the survey itself... he eats a piece of strawberry and hums,)

If you could choose any birth date, which would you choose?

(Birthdayless questions.)

[yormama]

[ Mixed in with the other cakes is Yor's own section where she's placed the cupcakes she bought for, well, herself. There are 48 in total across two three-layer towers. The flavors all vary, from chocolate to white to lemon to red velvet, and so on, and the toppings are of all different colors. Some with candy mixed into the icing, sprinkles, a macaron here, a strawberry there.

When she's not sweating herself to death at the DDR machine, Yor's handing out cupcakes to whoever might have their eye on one. ]

[penaltypoints]

[ Primarily in the interest of continuing to learn the names of the other recruits and remember the faces to go with them, Yesod has made his way here, too. While he isn't touching the cakes, he does linger by the table for some time, studying the clipboard. (If you know yours, let's celebrate together, Malkuth's note had said.)

Eventually, he writes down what he can:

Yesod
July ]

THE AFTERPARTY.

[picky]

Once the arcade festivities are over and night falls, the party will move over to a nearby restaurant-bar area in Akihabara. Assume it serves the usual Neo Tokyo plates and drinks, although unfortunately not for free! You'll have to foot the bill yourself, or if you're feeling generous, pay for other people's!

Everyone is encouraged to mingle and wind down. Are you comfortable with people knowing about your birthday? Do you think celebrating is appropriate, given the situation? Are you happy to have a distraction? Much to think about!

[ignoreher]

[ mm. her favorite part of celebrations... food and drink, though malkuth is being So Careful not to drink alcohol tonight. it's one thing to do it on a date with someone, it's another thing to do it in front of so many!

...

well, one cocktail can't hurt. it's such a pretty rainbow color too, malkuth humming happily as she kicks her feet. oh, right-- she'd slipped away to bring her camera back from her room, and she takes a picture of it before turning the viewfinder around on the people mingling in the post-celebration. hm, hm...! ]

Wanna take a picture? We oughta remember the good times we're working to protect!

[ and she'd like to add to her photo album, too. be it single shots, couples, selfies... malkuth's really down for anything.

and she might be taking some sneaky shots too anyway. trying her best not to be caught. she's gonna be caught. ]

[picky]

01. DRINKS.

[ Marcille will always prefer juice to alcohol, though she's mainly only had beer and wine. She never had any interest in trying hard liquors from back home, assuming the potency of the alcohol would only be worse. Gross.

That might be true for her world, but looking at the bar's menu and after talking to Ishmael about soju, she's gotten curious. There are two instances where she'll let herself indulge: one is if it pairs well with whatever she's eating, and if it's a special occasion.

Soju will be saved for later, but rather than asking the bartender for help, Marcille turns to the person next to her and taps on their shoulder. If they turn to look at her, she'll hold out the drink menu to them. ]

Is there something sweet on this menu? Preferably something that doesn't taste like alcohol?

[ There are plenty of sweet and fruity cocktails, but she's inexperienced. Please help. ]

02. MORE DRINKS.

[ If you pick this option, please let me know if you're NOT okay with Dungeon Meshi spoilers!

This is after Marcille has had a few of whatever she cocktail she ends up nursing for the night.

She swivels her seat to whoever's next to her, and it's clear by her limberness that she's been drinking a bit. Her eyes are also glassy. She sniffs. Yes, she's a teary drunk. ]

How long are you going to live for?

[ She says you like an accusation, jabbing her finger at them and narrowing her eyes. ]

toji fushiguro | jujutsu kaisen | brimstone

[assassinsgreed]

1. PACHINKO & CAKE.

<sub>[ A. There's nothing like coming back from a bad end canon update and wasting any remaining cash leftover on pachinko. Coincidentally, this is when there is some kind of celebratory event going on. He didn't regard the text message that went out, really, because every received message has gone ignored over the past few days. Dull, half lidded eyes watch the dazzling lights from the pachinko machine, taunting him even when he finds just the right pressure on the knob to send the pinball flying close to the target hole. The flashing slots appear, but exactly with his luck, they never hit anything. Perhaps you're standing by and are trying to grasp the concept of pachinko, or maybe you get some sadistic joy out of watching this depressed guy lose over and over. That's just his life, apparently.

B. Not long after this, though, he does catch the whiff of something sweet and free, so he'll make his way over towards where he finds it, along with a sign. Happy Birthday whoever, whoever and .. Yor? It was her birthday recently? Aren't you supposed to do something about that? Well, he can't get too involved with that right now, there's a slice of cake sitting on the table waiting for him and he's gonna take it (though, it's probably someone else's... yours, maybe? ]</sub>

2. GAMES.

_{[ Toji never had an interest in playing the crane machines, but how hard can it be, right? This is, what he thinks, will be a cheap way to get some sort of last minute present. He makes his way over to a frilly, pink and cute UFO machine and dispenses credits. Every item in this particular machine is this toy, so surely he can get at least one, right? As crane games are rigged along with his shitty luck, he plays this game for a long amount of time, gradually losing his patience. Though, Toji can't help but feel some satisfaction in playing as it is similar to gambling. He's at his limit, though, and clunks his head against the machine, banging one fist on the glass in defeat, not realizing he's caused a crack in it from the impact of his fist. Please, admire this huge, intimidating man and his defeat against the shiba inu toy. ]}

3. DILEMMA. _{( Closed to Megumi & Yor. )}

<sub>[ One way or another, he's ended up with the toy (probably by cheating, somehow) and he makes his way to try and find the person who will be the recipient. Toji has caught glance of her nearby, playing a round at the DDR machine, and awkwardly just kind of.. stands off to the side. Distracted, he doesn't realize he's bumped into somebody else until it's too late.

When he glances down at who it is, it happens to be Megumi, and Toji doesn't also realize the situation he's about to be in, standing with this shiba inu toy where his son can see. ]</sub>

What.

2

[saudadist]

[ C'mon man this is just sad. A grown man who can't win a crane game? He's embarrassing her and she's literally only here to improve her Bubble Bobble score. And bring something for Raidou since his birthday is Soon Enough, but that's not important. ]

You uh...you gonna be okay there?

[ Maybe if she gets him to try the game again, she can covertly knock one of those plushes into the drop square so he'll stop being such a mess. ]

1.b

[gimu]

[ choso turns around just in time to see Toji pick up his cake and walk away with it. after the long moments it had taken him to cut out a slice of the perfect size, dimension, and amount of frosting (not too much, not too little), it's virtually the perfect slice. (in choso's humble, strange opinion.) ]

Oi!

[ dat mine, his stance says. ]

2................................

[originbullets]

( There are times when Kiritsugu can be so quiet and still that he nearly goes unnoticed. Nevermind that his steely eyes are fixed on Toji, in this moment. Watching him fruitlessly engage in a war against the crane game, studying his movements in contrast to how the machine operated, the timing of the crane, the dimensions of the toys, and strategizing the best method to acquire the aforementioned stuffed toy.

In honesty, he probably ought to learn to ignore this guy by now. But watching him was kind of sad, in its own way. Why did he care so much? Why did he not want to see him lose?

If/when Toji decides to look over from the machine, he'll notice a familiar pair of eyes boring into his soul. )

3

[seaurchin]

[ Megumi almost never comes to the arcade alone, but he tends to wander wherever his friends are at, and he just so happens to have some pretty extroverted friends. That's why he's here, hanging at the side and watching people play their games. None of them particularly interest him. He does like the plush animals in the crane game, but he knows those things are rigged and he isn't stupid enough to try them. He's already ... wasted some money attempting to find the gacha capsule dog that he wants, anyway (the hunt continues).

He's walking leisurely across the arcade, reading a book he's stored in his ocular implant, when he's abruptly stopped by what feels like a brick wall bumping into his shoulder.

There's just a flat stare, and his gaze falls on the toy as well. ]

... What.