8BitBento

Jesus. That poor bastard.

Funny you should mention the Japanese xD We'll talk more about that later.

(Short setup for this one sadly.) The family's numbers were exploding far faster than Kihara was truly prepared for. His brain felt fried from doing paperwork at the bank all morning, making sure his family was set up to conduct business as smoothly as possible. It had been a stressful time trying to take care of business, and the paperwork was piling up quite a bit. But luckily the family was growing, and business would be starting soon, filling their pockets well enough. There were plenty of new prospect coming forward about the family as well, asking Kihara for as much information as possible, and three new members were pulled into the fold, with even more filling Kihara's phone. (Kihara and Cleo meeting Cage and Tyr to induct them) It was still blowing the young man's mind, and it brought to attention who was spreading their name like wildfire, but it was a nice change of pace from his lonely life of grinding out a living before. He had a nice family growing, and they were good people. It would be a fun ride..

I appreciate it, and glad to hear from the other Ringo even if it is only OOC

Ohhhh shit that was you?? Nice! It was a cool meeting for sure man! Hope to have more fun with ya!

Sorry to hear it man. Hopefully if we ever meet it would be better rp. I hope to have a lot more of that business-class criminal style going on for us. Well good ^^ That's what we go for!

Kihara had been away from the city for far too long, missing month's worth of work of the crew. Cleo had been the one to deal with everything in his absence, and to make up for lost time the two went hunting. It was a peaceful reunion, and Kihara was glad for the time. The mountains were always a wonderful place for him to visit, the sights never failing to put the man at ease. (Kihara enjoying the sights during the hunting with Cleo) Shortly after, Cleo mentioned an old friend returning to the city, and they left to meet him. He was a fun man to talk to, and soon enough was part of the family as well, and the trio left to get some sort of work done. The afternoon was hectic to say the least, but a fun time all in all. There were some horribly tense moments, and some silly ones to lighten the mood afterward. (Kihara, Cleo, and Jordan posing on the large bridge near Sandy Shores) (The men offering a silly dance for Cleo to lighten the mood.) The rest of the day however was nothing short of slammed for Kihara. Gun sales were slowly starting to take off, and his first customer ended up asking to join the family, and a stranger from the bank approached Cleo wanting to join as well. Karl, Kihara's customer, and Dan, Cleo's recruit, both took well enough to the family and stepped up to the plate, ready to help in any way possible. Kihara was glad for the spike in numbers, but it was only the first major step in a long period of growth. (Karl being inducted into the family) (Cleo and Kihara meeting with Dan to induct him) However, the night took a turn. Zetas approached them in a pack outside Ponsonby's, demanding they find them before the day was over. It was a bizarre turn of aggression from the larger gang, and Kihara was starting to wonder just how much their name was spreading. A Russian approached Kihara shortly after in the bank, explaining to them the other side of the coin in the city. A war was brewing, and Kihara's small family was slowly being pulled towards it. The young man vowed to keep his family out of the crossfire as long as he could. He had no issue with himself being attacked, but his family was another matter. Whether they were willing to stand with him or not, he would rather they not have to make the choice. (Kihara and Cleo discussing the events of the day in private on the beach) Luckily, the Zeta conversation later at a tavern party was simpler than their earlier aggression had implied, and it seemed the rough encounter was a byproduct of the fighting within the city. It was a simple tax conversation, Kihara having to once again pull tax for his family to remain neutral with the Council. It would be much easier now with the recent recruits, hoping they would be able to help alleviate the tax from his and Cleo's shoulders a bit. Either way.. The Ikigai-Gumi were growing, and people were starting to take notice. That counted for something, and it was a good day to be back. (We made some major steps this time guys! Big recruitment spike and a lot of people approaching Kihara about the crew. All in all a good time!! And hopefully the first big day of many!)

We're still exceptionally small and growing, but hopefully we see you out and about soon. Keep an eye out for the masks mainly.

I apologize for our silence as far as this post has gone. It's been a slow startup for us and I've been trying to think of the best ways to find things for us to do for income that still fit into our themes and goals, which has been a bit hard. But we're out and about and looking to grow our family! As far as this post goes, I've been recently diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, but have started taking major steps to beat it down as much as possible, which has been rough. It's trying to rear it's head and hang in there, and my sleep has suffered quite a bit, but I plan to try and get some posts or makes some videos for us. Just some fun stuff to have for you all! Thank you so much for those who have stuck with us through all this, we'll be great before too long!! See you all on the streets! -Oyabun Kihara

Enjoying the read, glad a war didn't shut you guys down. Hope to see you in the streets. -Oyabun Kihara

Nice xD It's a gorgeous painting.

Tell me about it. It's been a big frustration due mainly to a mask issue with another gang. And in the end we went with our original want. But this IS the last time. These changes are also due in part to me jumping the gun on these forum posts.

Real world Yakuza and Triads share a great deal of similarities yes. And it is a worry that our take on the Yakuza will do the same. More so than the real world businessmen style of the Yakuza however, we're a family first and foremost. Our ideals I think differ a bit from the Triads but I'm certain similarities will still crop up. Both are asian based, China and Japan are similar countries in many ways, both are business based. But hopefully we still manage to stand out in our own unique ways.

For what feels like the millionth time now, the gang is being reworked and changed to fit better with what we want to do and how we want our ideals to go. I won't pull the post down this time around, since we're not making major changes. We're still the same people, same goals of having a family for the broken souls of Los Santos. Same rules and ideals. Only thing that's changing is our name and uniforms. Thanks for all the support so far guys and I apologize for the inconvenience to the forum admins. Hopefully this will be the last time.

Likewise! We'll be out and about a lot here in the next few days. Hoping to have some meet and greets.

I appreciate it. Definitely what we're hoping for.

Sadly not too many to give at the moment. There will be more to come and I plan to keep this updated in a sort of storyboard fashion. But we're still super fresh into the city.

This is actually the second time now we've posted this. There were numerous issues with the masks so I just rebuilt the whole damn thing. But thank you. We're hoping to spread some fun both in RP and in just general atmosphere!

We're going to try and keep these posts updated as best I can, just hard in the moments of excitement to remember to snap some screenshots or get video. But bear with us! Hopefully these posts will get better and better!

Current priority is to get a home base to work from, preferably a business but we'll see, and of course to get our numbers up.

A quiet night of simple cruising turned into a fun experience with new family, as Kihara and Cleo were able to get their new family member Chad through the paces of labs, and almost a store robbery. There were run ins with Zetas and other stray hoods, but nothing solid. They learned a gang war was brewing, and Kihara just hoped that their small family wouldn't be dragged into the fray. But unfortunately with those matters, only time could tell, and it would be hell to be caught in if they were somehow thrown into the fire of it all. Maybe the chaos would create opportunity however, or perhaps forge new friendships in times of need. On a much lighter note, Kihara managed to find and house a new friend. A single, sad little hemp plant, now named Jeffrey. A silly addition to the family but loved no less than any other member.

Finally, the Family had their first taste of action, and it went amazingly well. Kihara was able to get help from Byakko and Cleo, and they managed to clean out a small convenience store up North. It was a nerve-wracking experience for Kihara, and the first true taste of criminal activity for the man, but it went off without a hitch, and the crew left as quietly as they had appeared. The poor clerk shook the entire time, but the small group was able to keep him calm, explaining that the only issues would be between the Ikigai-Gumi and the owner of the store... Unless of course the Clerk decided to get antsy and try anything. But Byakko held the situation down well enough, and they were able to take what they needed and leave, wishing the man the best of luck for the future and a happy afternoon for now. It wasn't their place to hurt simple citizens, and Kihara felt bad enough that the man had been caught up in it. But it was done, and no real harm was done. But it was the first step of many, and he knew in his gut that eventually blood would be spilled...

=- The Family -= Kihara was a simple man, born to hardworking American father and a loving Japanese mother, and led a simple life. The job market proved to be tumultuous at home, and Kihara found himself bouncing job to job quite a bit. One morning he saw an ad for Los Santos, the golden city of opportunity, on social media. And so his mind was made up. He packed up everything he had and moved, excited to find a city of chances waiting to be taken, but the reality was a harsh surprise. Kihara was stripped of his belongings and money almost immediately, and he saw a large split in the city. There were those on the bottom, either robbing or grinding out any living they could manage, and those who had made it to the top, driving nice cars and living in penthouse lofts. It was a rough sight to see, but he knew that no-one would just put a silver spoon in his mouth. He had to earn it himself. He had to grind out his own life in the city. But soon he noticed other men and women who were struggling to do the same. Stuck in a vicious cycle of robbery and poverty, and an idea struck him. He would hide it as long as he could, but he would bring his own sort of family to Los Santos to help those in need. For some reason he clung to the ideals of the Yakuza, from his mother's homeland of Japan. Crooked men who would murder you at the drop of a pen, but who still gave to charity and treated each other as a family. It was an odd sort of paradox, but it fit with Kihara somehow. And so he formed the Ikigai-Gumi, Los Santos' own Yakuza family. Ikigai was their word for a "reason to live", something that would motivate each of us to get up and keep moving each day. Now all that was left, was to bring those in who needed help most.. =- The Code -= - We are a family above all else. We take care of each other and we help each other. When we aren't working, we bond with each other and grow together. - Any sort of legal worker, or simple citizen, such as Miners, Farmers, Couriers, and other workers, are off limits. We're here to grind out our own living, and despite being seen as good for nothing men and women we do have morals. - Whilst with us, wear our colors with pride. We don't seek to hide away or cower, and we take pride in our family. - We are not petty thugs, so do not act as such. Any squabbles or issues are handled promptly then left to the side, and moved on from. We also aim to avoid stepping on any toes, and squabbling in the streets will only hold us back from that. =- The Goals -= - Grow our numbers. Our greatest strength is in our bonds with each other, and we seek to offer a helping hand to all those who need it. - Secure a home for the family to work from. It would improve morale and presence to have somewhere to turn in at the end of the day. - Secure steady income through some form of business, whether legal or otherwise. If possible we would like to operate on both sides of the badge. - Improve relations with the other gangs and organizations within Los Santos. The more friends we can make the better off we and the city will be. =- The Style -= Much like the Yakuza in the homeland of Japan, we wear dress clothing during our day to day lives and during our work. Our mask is a bit on the side of less serious, but still carries a certain image of the homeland, and felt fitting. =- Closing Words -= If you see us in the streets among you, fear not, for we simply wish to make our own way and live among you in this city. Those who wish to join the family, feel free to speak up and join us, and help us all grow together. Best of luck, and thank you all for your time. See you all on the streets.

Excited to see what all happens with it! Hope to see ya on the streets!

It was a lovely experience with you as well. And I'm sure we'll see each other more.