8BitBento

Seems like a pretty neat concept. I dig it. Best of luck folks.

Some of the best people I've met in server, with amazing RP all around. Best of luck with whatever ya'll do. Much love and respect.

Insanely hyped to see another Yakuza crew pop up. Here's hoping it sticks and I'm excited to bump into you all. Good luck with everything!

Huge congratulations you guys! Loved every interaction with you all so far! Glad to see what happens from here in!

+1 It's always a fun thing to have more options for role play. After all that should be the focus. Rp and making memories. A big turf war could make for some amazing memories. Setting up a spot and planning for days on end to cook at a portable location? Insane opportunity for prep rp. I think whIle it's definitely a huge thing to tackle for the devs, it's much needed. Every side of the server should have a good amount of options on what they can do. And at the moment Crims feel lacking.

Ringo "Bento" Kihara had been scarce in the city for a long while, due to any number of unimportant reasons. This latest stint however was a bit more grim. As anyone who had lived the life could tell you, gangs get their hooks in deep once they catch you, and the Yakuza were perhaps worst of all in that regard. Kihara's family in Los Santos had all gone their seperate ways, and he himself had moved on, joining the Triads as a Trial and climbing his way into an official place among them, but the hooks were ever present. Almost half a year after joining them, he received a letter, the envelope adorned with the name of a very important figurehead within the Yakuza in Japan. It was a summons, with explicit detail about the consequences if Kihara didn't show. So of course he boarded a plane and made for Japan, and while the islands gave him a sense of nostalgia and comfort, the thought of the meeting did the very opposite. Almost as soon as he touched down he was herded into a car and taken to meet the gentleman who had contacted him. It was not a particularly long meeting, though the disappointment in each of the man's words carried out in what seemed to be eons. Kihara had failed with stretching the influence of the Yakuza as they had wanted, and in most scenarios his life would have taken the same route as the family had.. Lucky for Kihara, generosity was more present than disappointment in the man's office, and he was let go with a warning, and a job. He would be contacted again in time with details, but for now was turned loose, to return to his "golden home of pomp and flash" in America. Kihara breathed a heavy sigh of relief and boarded yet another plane, returning to his hometown in America in case he wouldn't be able to see his family again. It was a nice change of pace, and they were as oblivious as ever to their Son's life choices. Much easier that way. He enjoyed his small vacation with his family, forgetting the stress and worries of the world for a time. But before long he was back in Los Santos, and it was back to business as usual. The hunt for a home for the crew had gone well, and things seemed to be the same as ever for them all. Within no time "Bento" was back in the swing of it all, lending a hand wherever needed. Luckily, the first day back was a busy one. Vince had set up a large shipment of weaponry, and it was all hands on deck to retrieve it. Bento played the part of lookout, keeping an eye on anyone coming and going from Mission Row. Fortunately, the force seemed to be dead for the day, the only few people coming and going being desk jockeys or simple patrols. Made it easier for his part, and put a smile on his face. His own part in the plan was going smoothly, and that would shine well on his place within the family. Not as bright as he may hope, but bright enough nonetheless. As he sat and watched he took the time to write some of an autobiography, hoping to take down some sort of note on his life. Maybe one day someone would read it and avoid the same pitfalls he had dropped into. Seconds slipped to minutes, and soon minutes slipped to hours. And just as quietly as he came, he went. His own part had gone off without a single hitch, or even a bump. He sat with the crew at HQ for a moment, breathing a sigh of relief that he had done well. Once everyone split off, he followed along to help some of the others with a small dinner date, playing the part of doorman at the restaurant. Simple enough, and no real threats, but still just as fun as anything else. And with that, his night was done, and he turned in. All in all, stress and looming threats aside.. It was good to be home..

+1

Eyyyy congrats on official folks!! Best of luck in the future as well.

Kihara was still fresh to the Triads, having only been around for close to two months. But his time with them had been nothing short of exciting ever since he had joined. The time had been filled with watch duty, cooking, shootouts, robberies, and many a car chopped with the grumpy little hermit mechanic who ran the shop. That said, it was a welcome change from the drama and stress of trying to run the Yakuza, and close to the two month mark, Kihara, or Bento as he was known to the family, stepped up from his period as a trial member and was welcomed into the family full on, as a Blue Lantern. It was an honor to have been given the opportunity to improve his standing with them, not to mention an insanely proud moment for the young man. He smiled as he thought about the opportunity now in front of him. The future is bright, and the sky is the limit.

Four holdups later, and Kihara had pulled in a nice near 20k with almost minimal effort, far better than any of the work he had been doing so far. He took note of the recipes from cooking and set them aside for later, maybe try a different lab and see how profits stacked up. But the seaside lab was a rough one, so far out from civilization meant that robberies from petty thugs were common, and there were certainly no shortage of them that night. But all in all it was a successful night, and the first of many for the man. He only wished there were more family to enjoy it with. The lack of bodies in the family had left the second startup feeling lonesome.

New chapters and new stories to tell really! The big thing is this time around we're sticking with our theme and ideals no matter what.

A long day of thinking and fishing put Kihara in a state of boredom, thinking back on the family. He had no people for the ride any more... But it was time to do business. ((To be clear here Hiatus is still effective until the planning and plotting is fully done. Not trying to hide just. Teasing a comeback is all haha))

I think another large issue we hit is with being a "neutral" criminal organization we'll be in a position where other crews and gangs want to push us around or try and force us into situations, and I imagine that same neutrality will brew rumors and get people trying to fight us. So it's also making sure my people can weather through THAT too.

Great read man thank ya. Definitely something I'm trying to sit and do is make a list and plan out each step.

I appreciate it man. The rough part is just sticking to the plan through everything. xD

Oh we plan to. There was a ton of real life stress on the whole lot of us so we decided to take a hiatus. We're still TECHNICALLY inactive, but working on a lot of the IC side of things. It's going to be rough but I still want us to push through and stand out.

Kihara sat to himself at the beach, plotting and planning on a return for his family. It wouldn't be easy, and he didn't have nearly enough time, power, or money to make it work out as smoothly. But he was determined, and at this point it was the only life he knew. And so he sat, and he thought. This time around, they would need to be firm in their ideals. The Ikigai-Gumi were a business organization. Yes there were murders, yes there were drugs and guns and car parts lying in their wake, but it should have all been for business, not just simple pleasure. Everything had to have a reason, and events had made that point foggy in the minds of his family. So the loose ends that didn't mesh well were snipped, and some unraveled on their own. At the end of it Kihara was down to a single thread.. Himself. But no matter what had gone sour for his family, what business had gone wrong, and what rumours had circulated about them... They would persevere. They always had. It was only a matter of time.

I love the detail put into everything so far man! Huge props! Hope to see you guys around soon!

A morning of fun and relaxation took a turn. Kihara was contacted by the West Coast Assassins, requesting a meeting. Not one to upset the higher ups of the city, Kihara agreed and met them for a small meeting. The WCA gave his family an ultimatum. 24 hours, the heads of 2 Russians, or things wouldn't be good. Rumors had started to circulate that the Ikigai-Gumi were befriending and joining Russians, and the simple thought made Kihara's skin crawl. He agreed to their demands, but as he thought it over, it was logistically impossible.. The family wasn't nearly strong enough after their recent strife to manage the demands of the WCA, and so Kihara sat and thought, talking with friends and trying to de-stress. The final decision was to put the Yakuza underground. To disband for time being and simply try and build up some kind of stability in their lives. But the day would come again when they would attempt to find their place. And business would be good again. ((Big props to the WCA, they were a ton of fun to meet even if it was short, and for now it's been a good run but the Yakuza are taking a short hiatus! We need to step back and actually smooth out all the issues we have both IC and OOC before we try and add any more onto it. But we'll be back!!))

If I can manage it we stay neutral with everyone. Just like our Real world Homeland counterparts we're businessmen first and foremost, and we'd like to be able to run business with everyone. I personally adore the Triads I've met, they're a super big influence and inspiration for how I've tried to model the family. Thanks for the kind words though! Hope to see you in town as well. ^^

Kihara would be lying to people if he had said the family was in a good place. Times were hard. Their numbers were low and funds were lower. But as always, the family held on, Kihara doing all he could to keep smiles on faces and spirits as high as the rooftops of their city. There were certainly fun times to be had working with some of the guys, but business was looming, and needed to be taken care of. The men worked for days on end to get tax money for the Council ready, and luckily managed to pool it together in time to get them all paid out early. With that done Kihara could look at properties again, hoping to finally find a home for his family to rest at and work from. Little Seoul seemed the best area, but finding a useable property was a nightmare. It would be simply nose to the grindstone as always for a while, while the family worked to build their funds and numbers back. Even so.. Kihara's life took leaps and bounds, and it seemed to have fallen in around him in so many more ways than just business. But the man kept it hidden in behind his usual professional demeanor, and the smile of their masks helped to shield him from needing to fake a smile of his own.. Yet as always, He stayed moving forward. ((I was hoping to get more in here as far as screenshots go but apparently him fishing was the only one that would fit. So..... Yeah.))

Kihara had been gone from the city for what felt like ages, dealing with both personal issues and business matters, along with family strife. The Russians were causing discord within the family, and a few members stepped away for their own reasons. Things were shaky within the business, even more-so within the family. But Kihara was finally back, and first step was to get tax sorted, then to smooth things back out and keep moving forward. A few rough days wouldn't stop business, and there was plenty to be done. Sorry this one was so small, hoping to get more in here soon and get the ball back on track. Been too quiet from us as of late.

I just wanted to post here an OOC apology for my absence. I've been dealing with moving twice within a week across multiple state lines, only to make it home to no net. But I appreciate all the support we've received thus far and we are hanging in there as best we can. Thanks so much again everyone, Oyabun Kihara

Good to hear it ^^ We want everyone to have as much fun as possible!

Hell yeah girl.