jigokufever | June 2022 Test Drive

Entry tags:

June 2022 Test Drive

1. CLEAN UP

The curse has broken, finally banishing the oppressive air around the city and the many sightless eyes of the accursed haniwa. Life will have to return to normal now but first there is lingering clean-up that must be attended to:

SHUTEN CLAN

The Shuten Clan is out in force to rebuild damaged storefronts. Eager oni appear in their festival happi, singing oni working tunes. You can pick up the words easily enough, join in and help out. The mood starts bright, but after a number of unlucky accidents there is less singing and more grumbling. The cursed energy left behind has made all of you much more prone to workplace accidents but the storefronts need to be scrubbed, broken glass needs sweeping, new furniture needs construction. There are any number of thumbs smashed by hammers, hands cut on saws, heads hit with falling debris or that board of wood you didn’t see someone carrying towards you. It’s a cursed day to be out on the job.

Rewards will come in the form of free drinks for a week from specific bars and a generous amount of chips for the casinos. If you aren’t of age to drink or gamble? Well… they’ll look the other way this time. Have fun.

It should be noted that the uniform -- a happi, a hachimaki, and fundoshi -- is required. The Shuten Clan is very traditional, after all.

TAMAMO CLAN

The bathhouses in Tamamo clan territory remain full of bloodied water. They need to be drained and scrubbed to make them new again. However, reaching the drains is a tricky business. You can’t simply reach in to pull out the plug, you will have to wade into the water to twist it free. Easy enough, right?

Unfortunately, residual curse energy has made this a very dangerous task. Phantasmal hands will reach out and try to drag you under as you get too close to the drain. The phantasms can be distracted, so you’ll need some teamwork to succeed. Your reward is a significant amount of free bath coupons. Some of the advertised baths even have “special” properties. Take the chance to relax, you probably need it.

Those that are rejuvenated in the newly purified baths will find themselves with seemingly limitless vigor. That vigor may sometimes manifest in the form of desperately needing to fuck the first thing willing to do so. Which might turn out somewhat embarrassing...

SUTOKU CLAN

The residual cursed energy in the Sutoku Alliance territory has congregated in their many arcades. The prizes in the UFO catcher machines seem off and they keep shifting around. If you happen to win a prize, the prize slot snaps shut on your hand with amazing force: the machine out for blood. To clear the curse, the prizes need to be removed from the machines and purified with the help of a local shrine maiden. Unfortunately, the key ring to open the machines has been stolen by some of the unruly prizes. You will need to use your UFO catcher skills to fish it back out.

Try not to lose any fingers.

Other machines are shooting tokens out of their coin slots at astonishingly painful speeds. A strange phenomenon, as even the machines that take swipe cards are doing it. Where are those tokens even coming from? You will have to get the machines open and give them a deep cleaning to get all the residual blood off the coins and mechanisms. You need the same keys that are stuck inside the UFO catcher…. Better hope you can fish out the one you need.

For your troubles, you will be given unlimited free plays for a month. Perfect for winning a totally-not-cursed prize for your sweetie.

ENMA DEPARTMENT

It’s the Department of the Enma’s turn to go begging for good will. They are considered to be mostly responsible for the way the cursed haniwa were handled in the first place. Enma souls should get out on the streets and see what the people need: Food, clean water, housing repairs and maintenance, as well as exorcisms. They’re all high on people’s priority lists and most people want it done pronto. Try not to get snappy with the angry people, the department’s reputation is on the line.

The Enma is slated to give a press conference at some point. It's up to the rest of the Department to assure that there will be reception to his words. They are likely to be of grave importance to the rest of the city.

A hard day’s work is its own reward, but you’ll also get a day pass to a theme park on the edge of the city – in the name of community outreach, of course.

2. GHOST SHARKS

The very streets themselves are treacherous with residual curses. The isonades may have been intimidated out of town for the moment but the anger of their ancestors lingers in the bloody puddles that still glisten in the streets. Come too close to these puddles and spectral sharks will lunge from beneath the surface: Blood for blood! Lives for lives!

While spectral in nature, the teeth on these sharks can still do real harm to anyone they lash out at. They don’t seem to take damage in kind, but will pop and disperse for a moment when struck. The ghostly sharks are being populated by a magic totem that has been partially buried in the dirt of a local park. Destroy it and the sharks will disappear.

Unfortunately, a pack of snotty local children have taken a shine to this magic totem. They are not keen to let you take it from them, nor break it. It’s theirs. It’s special. If you’re feeling brutish or cruel, you can fight the children or deceive them, but your boss would probably suggest you try to bargain with them for appearance’s sake. They’re entirely unreasonable though, as children can be, and it will be quite a chore to get them to agree to your terms.

3. CURSED CORNERS

There are certain corners and alleyways which are simply predisposed to gather cursed energy. These areas are still haunted enough to affect the reality around you. You may experience hallucinations or visions of lost loved ones, past regrets, personal failings. These visions are played out in the area for all to see. You will remain frozen in place until your moment is done, or someone brave comes to pull you out.

Now that the worst of it is over, some of the more morbid and voyeuristic members of the public may be lurking around these haunted areas, waiting to see what horrors will be unveiled. They have out their phones and their cameras to record the show.

The cruelest of the spectators provide commentary to their social media followings as they observe. Anything for that monetization!

The biggest of the streams is a kerakera onna who goes by her channel name: Lipsticki. She leans in over the rooftops to cackle loudly at people’s misfortunes and give petty, scathing commentary about their misdeeds and failings.

4. THE ENMA SPEAKS (PLOT RELEVANT)

Outside the hospital where the Enma was being treated, there is a huge press gathering. The judge arbiter has been deemed fit enough to release. Hungry for word, journalists from every publication swarm the area. Most press-outlets in the city are controlled by the Sutoku Alliance, who have a vested interested in interrogating the Enma.

A number of other onlookers have tacked on as well, including Lost Souls both old and new. Lost Souls may even find themselves ordered to attend the statement by their faction.

It is assumed that the Enma must have something of grave importance to say, after all.

The Enma approaches the podium. He is dressed in his usual suit, his crown, and his stern expression; it puts a hush over the crowd through its tremendous pressure alone. No questions have been asked, yet, but a statement has been prepared. He clears his throat:

"The cause of the curse, the enemy of Jigokucho, is... Haniyasu. The Department's focus will be shifting to determining our next action in regards to this entity. That is all."

Just like, the Enma's secretary and a retinue of armored shinigami move to flank the Enma and guide them to a waiting limo down the steps. The press yells their questions over one another, but are pushed back. The Enma doesn't even seem to perceive them, simply focusing on getting into the car.

Unfortunately, if you're a representative for one of the factions -- especially the Department of the Enma -- that makes you fair game to hound for questioning too. Do you stand your ground or try to run away?

[[banner art by s-tokimura]]

Welcome to the test drive meme!

Threads here can be considered game canon.
Characters can be recruited to do work for any faction until they're given their official assignment.
New characters can link their toplevels here!
If you have any questions about the TDM content, please ask them here! You can find information on the story so far here!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.
Reserves are open until July 5th
NEWBIE TOP LEVELS

Threaded | Flat

Cleaning Up - Sutoku Alliance

Nobara wasn't really the kind of girl that liked arcades much. She preferred to go shopping for clothing and accessories, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to stop by the Arcade and see just what kinds of silly things that people could win. She wasn't expected to be pelted by coins as soon as she walked in front of one of the machines. It didn't even look like it took coins! She rubbed her arm and moved out of the way of that one machine, only to be pelted by a few coins right to her backside by another.

"What in the world is going on here?!" she exclaimed as she began to dodge more coins as she headed out of the arcade. Once she was out of range, she reached into her jacket and pulled out her hammer. She didn't exactly sense any cursed energy in the machines, but she wasn't about to go back in there without her hammer and a few nails at the ready. She really didn't want to damage the machines, but she doubted that she could protect herself without doing something to them.

Cursed Corners

Nobara knew it was her duty as a Jujutsu Sorcer to take care of anything that has to deal with cursed energy. So when she heard about certain areas holding more cursed energy than usual, she decided to go check it out. She didn't know what she was going to run into exactly, but she had a straw doll ready, and plenty of nails for her hammer. She didn't like that there were a lot of people just standing around, waiting for something to happen. She was used to no one noticing what she did as a Jujutsu Sorcer.

She didn't understand what was going on until she realized what she couldn't move. She had walked right into whatever these people had wanted to stream. She struggled against what was holding her as images of the small village she came from started to appear around her. The scene shifted, showing a young Nobara and another girl talking and playing. An image of a vandalized car with writing all over it appeared for a moment before Nobara appeared again, this time by herself and looking at a now empty house.

She could hear people talking around her, but she couldn't react. She still couldn't move.

The Enma Speaks

Nobara was still pretty lost as she stood behind everyone as the press conference began. She had been hoping to get some more information on what was going on, but she was still just as lost. She sighed and shook her head and turned to head off as it ended. She was too new to be a representative for anyone, let alone the faction she was a part of. She was still trying to wrap her head around all of this.

I. Clean Up | Enma

[Apparently Sannan "looked like an Enma" (whatever that means) to someone who saw him soon after arrival, which means he's being put to work cleaning up someone else's mess. Funny thing, though. He doesn't seem to mind. While he doesn't seem thrilled to be walking among the people and proverbially kissing some backsides, there's a part of him that is happy. It's been, after all, a while since he could spend time doing "normal" things around other sane, logical people.

So he takes to it with dignified enthusiasm, though he doesn't say much outside of the work. He seems to find his niche in directing and advising people.]

If you'll put the water over there, I'll get someone to bring the rest behind you in a moment.

[Although, you might also catch him when he's taking a break, being that he seems to retreat to a corner for that, out of sight of the majority of folks. He seems... winded? Strained?]

II. Sharks?

[He just arrived, hasn't even been given an assignment, but someone said he "looked official" (whatever that means) and now he's ~dutifully~ fulfilling the request given to him to help with the totem issue. Of course, after helping with the clean up he's easily in the swing of things, and he examines the situation before coming up with a strategy.

That strategy involves candy.

And somehow, it seems to be working so far. He's bargaining with the child who appears to be the leader of the little band of merry men, and the other children are gathering around to listen.]

--And in exchange for you assisting with the tasks, I'll ensure you receive the aforementioned amounts on a weekly basis for two months' time.

[Yep, he's sending the kids off on errands, or at least he's trying to.]

III. Cursed (cw: uhh tuberculosis???? blood, possible death mentions)

[He's new here, so he'd rather not be weirdly haunted by his past right away. After all, it's a complicated thing, with twists and turns, and loss on a scale he doesn't want to think about. He's proclaimed himself well past it all in life, in a sense, though the demons (ha) that come for him in his lonelier hours are mixed and mingled with the touches of insanity that come with his condition. Here, though, they're real. And the one he's being mocked for is especially cruel.

He stands before a man in a robin's egg blue jacket who can't seem to breathe, who is gasping for air, but for whom that air is expelled in blood-laced coughs and hacks. He couldn't do anything for him then, and the solution he offered was a cruel one.

What he doesn't understand right away is that this is a hallucination, and the man isn't really there, struggling as he had in life. As such, all he's doing right now is staring, some combination of the spectators and his own regret staving off action. Or is that what's going on...?]

IV. Chomp (the ~vampire~ option)

[At some point in the goings-on, when Sannan seems to least expect it, his mood takes a vicious downturn. The platitudes and nicety wither, and he seems snappish and volatile. Though he is aware of the mood shift, he doesn't do anything about it. He'd been assured (dubiously) that he wouldn't have much of a problem with his condition here. That person was wrong, obviously.

The tips of his hair begin to lose color, like the (un)life is draining out of him from the ends, and it's at that point that he abruptly retreats without another word to the least populous nearby place he can find. It doesn't do anything about the issue, though.

Should this moment be intruded upon, the passer-by will be met with him suddenly sporting stark silver-white hair and glowing red eyes. And the look in those eyes? Well, let's just say you might want to be extra nice unless you want to help him with the problem.]

CLEAN UP - TAMAMAO CLAN

[There's a lot disturbing about this kind of work. Nito doesn't exactly hide it; the way he scrunches his nose and furrows his eyebrows. But it's most definitely not going to clean itself up and he knows full well that there's always going to be the kinds of work that no one wants to do. Someone has to do it-- and it does come with a pretty decent reward for their troubles. So... with a deep breath, Nazuna begins rolling up his sleeves.]

Hey! You wanna give me a hand over here?

CURSED CORNERS

[Something about this place just feels... cold. Although it seems unnecessary, Nazuna finds himself subconsciously shivering and drawing his arms around himself. It wasn't so strange to see people loitering about on their phones, so even with the unpleasant lump in his chest he ended up just averting his eyes and pressing ahead... until the moment he realizes he can't take another step. The creeping cold feeling has seeped into him; like his blood has stopped cold, frozen. His delicate, cute features held perfectly still-- just like that of a porcelain doll.

The vision that's forcibly pulled out of him is one that was buried quite deep. At the center of it is a stage-- and what plays out on it is the sabotage of the idol unit "Valkyrie". An artful, precise routine derailed by sudden equipment failure. Though they complete the song, the final moments of the vision are dark. Nazuna, frozen and his mentor; collapsed and fallen to the ground in the wake of this unsightly failure. Embedded in that vision are his own fragile thoughts and fears.

If I.. stopped being the “cute doll” that Mentor likes… what would happen? Wouldn’t I just be shoved into a garbage bag and thrown away as an unnecessary thing? Or would I stay Mentor’s “favorite doll” my whole life? In any case, would I be alright with that? I.. am I really alright with that? I’m alright with it right now, but what about in the future…?

Valkyrie's dark hour... Nazuna doesn't have to look. Even if he closes his eyes, he can see it. He remembers far more than that moment. Painful, stifling yet beautiful days and the people he'd loved so dearly-- left feeling betrayed and defeated. He can hear laughter around him and it pisses him off.]

Who said... you could... see that kinda stuff without asking!?

[He jerks his body back, finally unfrozen from the spot. His hands are curled into tight fists-- like he might strike out at the next person that laughs or makes some kind of unwarranted comment.]

THE ENMA SPEAKS

[The problem with important events like this is that they're always busy affairs; making getting around nearly impossible. But more than that-- even if he wanted to see (and he does)... almost everyone is a good bit taller than he is. Even though he's nearly twenty years old now.

Even doing his best to use his small stature to weave around the people around him only gets him so far. He's not trying to push and shove here, but he definitely ends up bumping a few people in the process. Those who block him out; whether it's on purpose or not, get a slightly sour look from him.]

--hey, watch it! I'm try'na see!!

[If he gets worked up his stuttering is just going to get worse. He takes a deep breath.]

What's everyone looking at anyway?

WILDCARD

Alternative cleaning prompts, sharks, you name it! If there's something different you want to do, you can throw a unique starter at me or let me know what and we can make it happen.

Edited 2022-06-27 00:18 (UTC)

A. Clean-up (Tamamo)
[ You know, when Skylark was told that this city was in Hell, he wasn't expecting it to have bathhouses? But here he is, supposed to help clean the bathtubs of...bloody water...

Apparently, he decided to go on ahead to try and drain the tub by himself, because you'll find him dragging himself out of the bathtub after a failed attempt at pulling the plug, soaked and coughing up some water. ]

Sh-should...have known...

B. Clean-up (Sutoku)
[ Skylark has never been to an arcade or even seen an arcade machine in his entire life until now, but it's not hard to figure out how these games work. He's taken it upon himself to try and win prizes, with the goal of hopefully trying to fish out the keys so that they could all get this over with sooner.

The good news is that it only takes him five tries to win his first prize, having gotten a hang of the UFO catcher very quickly, and might have gotten it earlier if he hadn't been pelted with tokens at the worst timing. The bad news— ]

Fuck!

[ —this is how he learns that even his fingers are in danger, as he tries to pry his hand out from the prize slot. ]

C. Cursed corners

[ Let's get familiar with the alleyways here, he thought. It certainly paid to know your way around them back home, so it wouldn't be a bad idea here too, he thought. Great idea, Skylark, this is why you're in this situation where there's an audience spectating an old moment of hurt and shame.

In the hallucination, a younger Skylark is sitting in bed, covered in bandages—at the very least, he has a broken nose and a wound on his forehead, and from the way he winces, it's likely he has more injuries that aren't readily visible. A pale, white-haired girl who seems to be only a couple of years older than him, with an arm in a sling, has grabbed him by the front of his clothes with her good hand. There are dark circles of exhaustion around her eyes, the expression on her face like thunder.

"I was just trying to help—"
"I don't need your help! You can’t even pull your own weight in a fight, but you go and start one! Why don’t you just walk off the pier while you’re at it? Since you want to die so bad! Idiot! Useless! Worthless! Why do I even bother—"

And all the Skylark of the past can do is meekly apologise to her. She's stunned out of her angry tirade. “You…” She bites on her lower lip. “What if—that stupid girl hadn’t suddenly decided to feel all guilty and dragged your sorry ass back? If she had just left you there to fucking bleed out all over the floor? Or some shady bastard found you did gods know what to you? You could have just vanished and no one would know! How would your mom feel? How should I feel?

“I don’t want your help if this is what happens,” she says. Her voice quavers like she's about to cry. “Just, just mind your own business. I’m not your friend.”

The Skylark of the present is in such a daze reliving this moment that he doesn't seem to notice the crowd that's gathered to watch and record this childish drama. ]

D. Wildcard
[ For anything else! Permisisons and first impressions here, and you can contact me at

paperforest or PM this journal to plot! ]

01. ) LEVEL UP

//////////////////////////////// SUTOKU TERRITORY ////

( The machine he's in front of is pelting him with tokens — and hard. However, he's unphased, arm up inside the machine like it's nothing.

Then, without turning around: )

What's up, you want a round on this thing or something? I'm busy.

02. ) GHOST SHARKS

//////////////////////////////// ???? ////

Listen — it's only a matter of time before the scary ghosts take a bite out of you. See?

( He holds up his arm, which is covered in bite wounds. Again, unphased. These poor kids; maybe help him? Or them, rather; he's terrifying, but the children only squeal and kick his shins. )

03. ) CURSED CORNERS

//////////////////////////////// SUTOKU TERRITORY ////

( There are eyes everywhere, blue and piercing and maybe a little ... crazy looking.

He freezes, feeling a chill down his spine. )

You do this? Trying to get one over on me?

( His tone is even, addressing someone nearby. )

I. Sutoku Alliance

[It absolutely sucks that he has to go about this with a machine, but this place seems to have taken his magical power from him. He stands in front of the UFO machine and sighs deeply. Better to get this done than to live with tokens slamming into every passerby that ever comes in here.

He's terrible at it.]

Damnit. [He mutters under his breath, as the prize slips out of the mechanical claw hand.]

II. Cursed Corners

[The hallucination starts with a freezing cold, chilling him down to his bones. A man with black and white hair and a scar gets caught, a boot on his back. Two young, black haired twins looking down at him with threatening smiles.

Nero can't seem to get away.

He bristles as the scene fades, turning to look at the gawkers... and promptly pushes past all of them. Somethings you don't want to talk about. Somethings are better left unsaid.]

Get rid of that.

III. The Enma Speaks

[Honestly, what was that about? He's here, but he doesn't look like he wants to be. All of that for a speech that lasted less than ten minutes? Does that name even mean anything to anybody?]

Why'd they send me here...

[Is this a "Go get up to date on the happenings of the city?" That was hardly even informative. It feels like he's missing the context to everything.]

Clean Up – Sutoku

[ What the hell are these machines and how do they even work?! Zhongli is trying his best to even understand what these things do as the machine shoots tokens at him. He’s at least agile enough to dodge them but other people might have a harder time in doing so. He is persistent, if anything else, and will dodge another token aimed at his head before moving off to the side to hide behind one of the cursed machines. ]

Unfortunately, I am not exactly well-versed in whatever these strange machines need us to do. I will try to protect us both while you fish those keys out of its innards.
[ He’s saying that so matter of fact and deadpan serious it’s hard to take him as such. ]

Clean Up - Enma

[ As being part of the Enma Department Zhongli is of course helping with whatever might be needed from the fallout of what appears to have been a curse. So, he’ll be offering bottles of water, food, and whatever help he can assist with as the day goes on. ]

If there is something I might be able to do for you, please state it as such. I am here to offer my help in any way possible.

[ Is what he’ll say to someone that looks like they need it. ] Even if it is some to simply talk to. I have quite the vast amounts of stories to tell if that’s something you would be interested in listening to.

Ghost Shark

[ Well this is certainly unfortunate. As one of the poorest archons Zhongli has little to offer the children in exchange for the totem. He might be standing there with his usual expression and arms crossed over his chest. He's in deep contemplation it seems before opening up his amber eyes. ]

These children are not unaccustomed to the methods of trade and bartering. However, I am without sufficient payment to appease their part of the contract. Do you perhaps have anything that a child would deem sufficient?

[ He doesn’t know how humans work, let alone human children?! Please help him… ]

Cursed Corners

Vision 1)

[ Being alive as long as Zhongli one is going to have loved ones, failings, and everything in between. It’s of no surprise that when one might happen upon him, trapped in his own accursed vision there is a myriad of ones to play out. The woman he sees is that of a loved one, long since gone, her flowing robes and hair ethereal as she walks slowly and silently towards Zhongli. Zhongli’s amber eyes widen slightly as he finally hears that voice that has been silent for over two thousand years. ]

Why were you not strong enough to protect me?

[ The ex-archon remains all but silent, aside from the sigh that he lets out, the regret in his expression is easily seen through his amber eyes as they tick away before the vision dissipates into nothingness. ]

Vision 2)

[ A mighty stone dragon roars with pain and anger as a familiar figure, resembling that of Zhongli, stands before it. Morax doesn’t look to have any sort of feeling or doubt about what he’s doing, only that it must be done. The dragon, Azhdaha yells in defiance once more- ]

How dare you turn your back on me, Morax!! All for the sake of these worms!!

[ The vision will end with Azhdaha’s imprisonment and Morax’s sagging shoulders as he looks tiredly away from the beast that once was one of his best friends. ]

Wildcard!

[ Feel free to write up a prompt not listed or hash something out with me! ]

Edited 2022-06-27 21:34 (UTC)

i. sutoku alliance

[Isaac has pretty much just been trying to keep to himself since arriving, clearly intimidated by anything and everything he encounters, but he just can't help himself when he hears there are machines going haywire. He might...actually be able to help with those, after all.

Though he's a little less confident now that he's learned he can't just crack it open with tools. So here he sits at a UFO machine, leaning forward slightly, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.]

So if the angle's like that, then we should be able...to...er, no, I still don't know how much force the machine will grip the prizes with, so I'll have to experiment, won't I...these are supposed to make money? Probably not very strong, then...

[He's not having much initial success, but if someone watches him for long enough they might just be able to see him math his way into finally fishing out the keys he needs to get working on the machine—and holler in pain as the machine gets payback for eventually being outdone when he reaches into the slot to grab them.]

ii. ghost sharks

[Isaac is crouched on the floor, hugging one of his shins. It seems like the talk with the kids to give up the totem didn't go over too well and he got kicked.]

Ah...hey there, cousin. I'll be fine, just gimme a minute.

[Eventually he stands, wobbling a bit, though from nerves or residual shin pain it's hard to tell.]

I have a kid sister so I thought they might listen to me, but...well, she's way more well-behaved than these little tykes, so...

[He's looking at whoever happens upon him like they're his last hope. He's a grown man who just got here and then immediately also got destroyed by children, he has nowhere else to turn to for assistance in trying to get this shark away from them.]

iii. cursed corners

[The hallucation Isaac's being treated to is a huge computer screen, displaying what appear to be memories from someone else's life—a handsome young man with flowing hair the color of moonlight. A wall of tanks full of glowing fluid can be seen behind the screen, and if someone looks closely at one of them, a disembodied brain, its eyes still connected to it, swivels to look over—

After it's over, Isaac just sort of puts a trembling hand on his chest and wheezes a little.]

O-Oh! Sorry you had to see that. Uh, probably best if you forget it, I think? I try to. Probably need to work a little harder at it, huh...? Oh, man...

[He really wishes he had his best buddy here to help him out, or tell him to get a damn grip, but Raybury's gone now, after all.]

[potential Endwalker spoilers in the tags - if you would prefer to avoid them, please let me know!]

Clean Up – Tamamo, part 1

Hythlodaeus does enjoy being helpful, so he willingly ventures onto the streets and into businesses to clean, although he's still not quite clear on what happened to cause all of this mess. This much blood is a little...more than he's used to, but he'll do his best to remain his normally cheerful self throughout the cleanup. Even standing next to a large, bloodied tub, drenched in slightly reddish water, he's smiling, though it's perhaps a touch strained at this point.

“It seems this is a job for two,” he greets his fellow cleaner as they enter the room. “I'm afraid going in by myself just made more of a mess. Perhaps one of us can lure them away from the drain?”

Clean Up – Tamamo, part 2 (NSFW; open to all 18+)

Hythlodaeus also enjoys indulging himself when given the opportunity, so when he's rewarded with free bath tickets, he decides to try one out. Semi-public bathing seems quite scandalous to him, but that just makes it more fun, doesn't it? So he does leave the door open for any new friends to stop by.

The bath is exquisite, leaving him cozy and flushed as he lounges. Almost a bit too flushed, perhaps...and it would certainly be nice to have some company, wouldn't it...?

The society he comes from is quite strict about propriety, but he's still experienced enough to notice the effect the water is having on him. For a while he silently debates the merits of trying to take care of things on his own versus giving in and trying to find a partner. He hasn't exactly been in a position to enjoy the company of others as of late, what with certain events going on back home, and it's awfully tempting to just have a bit of fun...even if he would most assuredly be chastised for it by his dear friend, assuming said dear friend were to find out about all of this (and knowing him, he probably would find out somehow)...but...

Eventually, either someone takes the open door as the invitation it's meant to be, and makes the decision for him; or he ends up giving in and calling out to someone wandering by in the hall.

“Hello,” he says breathlessly, leaning coyly against the edge of the bath, half-in and half-out. Cheeks glowing red, and damp hair loose about his bare shoulders. “Won't you come and join me?”

Ghost Sharks

It's been a bit of an adjustment, going back to living in a bustling city, but he feels like he's getting acclimated. Yes, it's quite different in look and feel from Amaurot, and yes, there seems to be a worrying amount of blood and gore about, but it has it's charms too, and he's certain that he can make the best of things. After a week or so, the suspiciously dark puddles littering the streets don't even bother him that much anymore!

That is, until he accidentally steps too close to one, and out pops the stuff of his most annoying nightmares.

Unfortunately, Hythlodaeus' first reaction is not to strike, but to take a step back. And unfortunately, the slick road means that he ends up on his backside with a spectral shark bearing down upon him. His mind does go to his creation magicks, automatically weaving them together to craft his bow -

Ah, but his magicks don't seem to be working, do they? He already knew that, but in the midst of such an unexpected attack, it had slipped his mind. Even his meager abilities are beyond him right now.

The Enma Speaks

He would not be his annoyingly smug self if he didn't strive to learn all he can about his temporary new home, so of course he inserts himself into the growing crowd in front of the hospital. Hand on his chin, he analyzes the reporters, studies the reaction of the citizenry, makes note of the extensive security that accompanies the man of the hour.

Once the Enma's vehicle has departed, and Hythlodaeus has determined all he can with his own perceptiveness, he casually sidles up to a fellow Lost Soul.

“Well, I can't say I understood any of that,” he says cheerfully. “Might you have any insight into who – or what – this Haniyasu is?”

option i. ( shuten )

[ While Mion herself isn't exactly the most eager to clean up somebody else's messes, she certainly finds herself at home doing the duties of it. Although there is the matter of the uniform, something that she finds herself laughing about. ]

I'm

[ And she turns to the nearest person. ]

option ii.

[ Mion immediately cracks her knuckles, her eyes glistening with determination. ]

wildcard

I - Sutoku

"Jesus!"

His hand flew up to his straw hat as his feet worked over time to scramble out of the way of the incoming fire. The sound of the coin ammunition crashing against glass and arcade cabinets echoing around him.

Not pinball, absolutely not pinball at all! Then again if it was then he had the distinct feeling that he would be dodging metal balls instead of coins. Carl didn't know which would be worse.

"Practically feels like we're caught in a shootout!" Because they pretty much are!

II - Ghost Sharks

Ugh, he's not good with kids, never was. Even when he himself had been a kid. Now he was busy trying to negotiate with the little ones? "Alright, alright hang on! Hang on. You know I don't got that much on me, and what little I did have was spent trying to find- hey hands off the camera!"

Sighs, no, he's not getting anywhere fast like this. "Hey, look, there anything else you kids want in exchange? Anything at all- I said not the camera!"

Send help.

III - The Enma Speaks

"Hey, wait a moment! Carl Kolchak, INS. Can I just get a word... a word! Damn it."

He tried to call out over the crowd, raising his hand and waving his straw hat above it all. Nothing. Instead what he did get was a few quick pictures of the Enma, annoying camera flash illuminating the world around him.

What's a fella gotta do to get some additional information and quotes?

"Hey, how about you? Ya got anything else to add?" Always quick to jump to the next potential source.

[WILDCARD]

[You know what this is, go ahead and pm me or simply start up a random thread and I'll follow along! Especially interested in anything dealing with "Cursed Corners".]

Edited 2022-06-29 05:12 (UTC)

1 - Tamamo
Well. That's unpleasant.

[Sonja sounds quite a bit less perturbed than she probably ought to, considering that she's standing at the edge of a bath of bloody water, skirts gathered in her hands, carefully just out of reach of two or three phantasmal hands trying to grab at her legs. Hopefully out of reach. She hasn't seen anything come further out of the water than about up to the elbow, but she hasn't any evidence that they can't emerge further either. Probably she should take another step or two back.

She does not take another step or two back. She doesn't even keep her eyes on the the pool, as she turns to whoever's convenient.]

D'you fancy keeping these things busy or making a mad dash for the plug? I could do either.

1 - Sutoku
[The UFO catchers are a complete novelty to Sonja, and under better circumstances, she would probably be charmed by them. Under these circumstances... she's been at the task of trying to fish that ring of keys out for long enough to have circled around past "frustrated" and into "spiteful". After the ring once again slips out of the claw, she groans, and takes her hands off the controls.]

Is it just me, or does the contraption not even grasp tight enough to hold the weight of the keys?

[She drops into a crouch, glaring at the keyring as if it has offended her personally, and thoughtfully taps a finger against the lock on the outside of the machine.]

A decent set of lockpicks would solve this whole mess, of course.

2.
[Back home, this would be simple. There is not an urchin gang in London that Sonja cannot bribe, cajole, or bargain with. These, however, are not her kids.

Well, where trading favors fails, there's always that good old diplomatic standby: thinly veiled threats. (Yes, they're children. They're children who are cheerfully permitting the city to be plagued by ghost sharks. Sonja does not feel particularly bad about any of this.)]

Ah, sure, I'm certain the lot of you could run me off. You might even get a few more hours before anyone else figures as you've got the thing causing all those shark attacks, yeah? But then, the only thing I want to be smashing up is the shark, aye? I don't figure that what you've got for constables are so very different from the ones back home - ah, or the gang toughs, neither. You looking for them to come wading into the middle of your territory?

Wildcard
[[Hit me with something else? Or get in touch at

bramblepatch.]]

[Please let me know if you'd prefer to avoid spoilers for GAA when threading! There may only be so much I can do, though, so tag at your own risk.

And To Whom It May Concern: Kazuma is from a 1-2 pull point. :)]

[ 1. clean up | tamamo clan ]

[To say that Kazuma finds Jigoku-cho disorienting would be an understatement. Everyone else at least has the advantage of prior memories for context, enough to know that the place they are in now is not where they are supposed to be; at least they know who they are. Kazuma simply woke up here already adrift in a sea of nonsense and knows nothing else. He has very little option but to take the whole thing in stride. Who is he to say that youkai running the streets is a metaphysical impossibility? He doesn't know shit about fuck.

What he does know is this: there is, for whatever reason, a lot of clean up that needs doing--some sort of disaster that happened here recently--and he has the wherewithal to do his part. Even if he doesn't know the how and why of it all, having a concrete task in front of him helps with his confusion, his helpless restlessness. It's a distraction from the existential dread of not even knowing his own name. And that's how he ends up knee-deep in a bloody bathhouse, fishing for drains, trying not to let his thoughts drift anywhere else but on the job he's doing.

Some lingering stubborn part of his personality has him mostly working by himself, though, which leaves him rather vulnerable to certain wandering ghost hands...]

[ 2. ghost sharks ]

[By now Kazuma has managed to acquire: a stick. As weapons go, it's not great, but for some reason he just feels better with the weight on his hip. He's sure it's not a stick that's meant to be there, but it's better than nothing. It also gives him some defense against the ghost sharks, because he simply can't get away from being set upon by phantasms with an agenda.

At least he seems to know how to use the stick, or at least he's able to substitute muscle memory of something else, because he's able to smoothly dispatch any sharks that try to ambush him. Unfortunately, this only seems to encourage them to multiply. Just his luck.]

They don't stop coming, do they?

[There's got to be a better way to do this.]

[ 3. cursed corners ]

[All the mockery from passersby means very little when Kazuma himself doesn't know what he's looking at.

He keeps finding himself returning to these corners, hoping in desperation that this time they will show him something he recognizes. Even the paralysis is nothing compared to the frustration of confronting these endless phantoms that he knows, or that he knows he should know--people who evoke a sense of familiarity in him and nothing else. People from his past that he simply can't remember. A young man in a black uniform, a girl in a pink kimono, a taller man with his face in shadow, a sickly woman on her deathbed. None of them ever say or do anything; they simply stand there and stare at him, as if expecting something from him. And he doesn't know what. He doesn't know who they are, and he knows he should.

Over and over he comes here, on purpose, hoping that this time seeing them will jar something loose. It never does. It only leaves him with a steadily growing ache, a widening hole in his heart that fills only with anger, as if they're doing this to him on purpose.]

Who are you?!

[As always, they only look solemnly back at him.]

[ 4. wildcard! ]

[Throw whatever at me, I'm flexible! Or you can PM me if you want to work out something specific.]

ARRIVAL

[ It's been a long period for Helly. She went through the sterile waiting room for her ticket to be called, got shuffled out as soon as she got her assignment, and had to stumble her way through the city in dissaray to arrive at the department headquarters. Of course she got assigned a fucking job, because truly there's no rest for the wicked when it comes to office workers.

But then the meeting ends, she gets her own key (and assured twice that yes, this is her own living space, it's hers) and is escorted out of the building. Once alone, on the busy streets, her breathing increases, her chest heavy, and a smile bubbling up on her face. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. ]

I'm free. [ She mutters with a large grin, staring at the key to her new home between her manicured fingers, and bursts into laughter ] I'm free! I'm fucking free!

[ As her laughter explodes, Helly starts to jump in the air in place. She pumps her arms up and cheers, screaming up to the sky- ] GO FUCK YOURSELF LUMON! I GOT OUT!

[ This continues on, no matter how many people awkwardly stare and try to avoid her when she goes into the crowd in her jubilation. ]

Clean Up [Enma]

[ Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Ok, that's not fair. Having a job is still bullshit, but she has her own place, her own autonomy, she can even dress herself like a normal person does. She can't be too mad about having to do some bullshit labor. At least it's not in front of a computer sorting weird scary numbers.

So, she'll be going up to people's apartment doors, a quick few knocks, and waits idly. And when you open up (or maybe you don't?) she'll be on the other side with a polite smile. ]

Hi there. I'm Helly R. and I work for the Enma Department. I want to know if there's anything you need to help you right now with the, uh, cursed stuff?

[ She honestly didn't read the documents they gave her about it. Whatever. ]

Cursed Corner [Spoilers for Severance]

[ "I know you're unhappy with the life you've been given... but you know what, eventually we all have to accept reality. So here it is." ]

No.

[ Helly hitches her breath and stares at the woman in front of her. A woman who is her near mirror image, only dressed in a more business casual look. A classic thick blue shirt appropriate for winter and a tan pencil skirt, black pumps for easy comfort and daily use in the office. Yet the more eye-catching thing is how distorted she appears. It may remind some on-lookers of watching a person on VHS tape, trapped in the box and its imaging.

Helly tightens her fists and steels her expression. She wants to punch her. She wants to grab her hair and pull it so hard it starts tearing off the skull. She could even kill her.

Not being able to move is a nightmare she never thought. It was just like the first time.

"I am a person. You are not. I make the decisions. You do not. And if you ever do anything to my fingers, know that I will keep you alive long enough to horribly regret that. Your resignation request is denied." ]

You bitch.

[ Finally she's released and her body stumbles forward, catching herself before she falls onto her face. There was so much struggle to get free before it happened. When she looks back up the mirror image is gone. And instead all that's left is to coldly glare at a spot on the concrete where she was. ]

I hope you die. I was so close. [ She inhales and then lets it go through the nose, eyebrows raising. ] But hey - always next time.

[ And if she ever gets a hint that bitch could come out, she'll do it again. ]

Edited 2022-06-30 01:10 (UTC)

(( ooc: The first AITSF is a pretty old game by now, but I hope I don't spoil the experience for anyone still looking to play it. Because there's only so much I can avoid with this guy... ))

🎆 1. Clean up : Tamamo
cw: non-graphic gore-y imagery if you squint

[ If one happens to walk in, whether be they a passerby attracted by the loud thud of something hitting the floor, or another rookie tasked with cleaning, they'll find a blond man crouched by one of the baths, pool broom lying at his feet instead of in his hands. He's leisurely repeating the motion of tracing the surface of the crimson water before scooping the liquid, then letting it slip through his fingers. As if enthralled by it.

He quietly laughs to himself as he wonders how many fireworks would have to be fired for this amount of blood.

Perhaps the manic grin on his face is a hint that it might be wiser not to approach or talk to him, but... ]

(( ooc note: the "fireworks" here are an analogy to a gunshot to the head, hence the cw. ))

🎆 2. ~~Unreasonable~~ Ghost Sharks

[ "Unreasonable" is what Saito thinks of the boss' orders to destroy the totem (he doesn't see why doing so is a good thing). Unreasonably is how he'd go about accomplishing this if he were certain there would be no consequences.

He tried being as reasonable as he could, despite being an unreasonable man. But when asking nicely or trying to bribe the children with candy (as per the boss' suggestion) doesn't work, it's time to be a little more unreasonable. ]

Ah. I see how it is.

[ The wailing of children can be heard next, as he grabs one of the group by the wrist and starts dragging them in the direction of the nearest puddle. ]

I guess I'll just have to feed one of you to the sharks, then.

[ Stop him? Help him? Grab some popcorn and watch? Call the cops? (please don't) ]

🎆 3. Cursed Corners
cw: mentions of murder and vague-ish spoilers for his canon

[ Perhaps the biggest regret Saito has is not finishing off that man as soon as the transfer was complete and he finally got what he wanted. But that memory isn't what the visions show. Instead, they show a sequence with five different people: a light haired woman, a man, a highschool girl, an old man, and a brunette woman.

Each scene shows one person getting murdered by the next: the first person dying by the hands of the second person; the second by the third's, and so on. After the vision shows the fourth death, it rewinds back to the first and repeats a few times. As if inviting any spectators to solve the mystery behind the sequence.

But are these scenes even real? Perhaps the blond witnessed this chain of murders in some horror movie and it left such an impression on him that it became a trauma? Or is there a deeper, hidden meaning behind them?]

🎆 Wildcard
(( You know the drill ✌️ dusty plurk for contact:

positron ))

Edited (added context note) 2022-06-30 16:02 (UTC)

▶ ( CURSED CORNERS )

( A ) [ he should be used to annoying crowds and obnoxious kids, phones pointed at everything to get a good shot of this and that. shinjuku, after all, has no shortage of such, especially in recent days.

but it would be better if their attention weren't directed at him- no, at the scene playing out in front of him.....well, not like he's in any state to say anything about it. his limbs ironically feel just as leaden as they had in this scenario, rooted firm to the floor as a sharp ringing seems to reverberate in his ears, something that sounds like screaming and multiple faceless, vague figures run by. but they don't matter, because there's a shiny black barrel pointed at him, the long hair of the young man behind it floating eerily in the night, the mere sight making his blood freeze.

but it's not quite as cold as the soft, translucent green hair of the woman in front of him does, delicate hands dropping their shopping bags and reaching out for him, only him, to shove him out of the way when he wants to scream even as her hands go right through him-

and the muffled noise of a gunshot, both sharp and yet not, before the figure falls to the concrete floor. the red that spreads across her breast and on the floor isn't real, but it looks real, feels real, smells real, and the strangled noise that slips from his lips is very, very real. as are the rolling of the cameras, leaning in for a better shot of the scene and his shaking form.

this is a fucking nightmare. ]

( B ) [ he has no love of ghosts and poltergeists, still finds it a bit hard to choke down even after wandering and processing, but he has no love for those who feed off the pasts of others, either. he sure as hell wouldn't want his skeletons out for all to admire, and while it isn't his business, he could really just be on his way, it'd just be another annoyance to deal with...

he still reaches out. ]

what are you, a pack of vultures? take a damn hike and go play with your toys elsewhere.

[ the grip he has on the other person's arm is not particularly gentle, but it's enough for him to yank, hopefully enough so they can get clear of the crowds....provided they cooperate. no matter what, he lets go as soon as they're clear of the snapping of the cameras, turning back with a mildly aggravated look in his eyes. ]

don't get the wrong idea. [ a cluck of the tongue. ] i'm just not interested in looking at anybody's dirty laundry.

▶ ( THE ENMA SPEAKS )

[ takeru hasn't been here long enough to peace together what exactly the hell is going on, but a man like him can get the gist of it. so many questions and none of them answered, the flurry of questions and demands flying in the air as the crowd rile themselves up. he's seen this scene a laughable amount of times before, it's almost ridiculous. ]

what a joke.

[ not that he's much to talk, at the moment, but...it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. while not his personal reason, he can see some of the others back home biting their tongues at the obvious disregard for the people. he opts to lean back, far enough away from the crowd to not be swallowed in their throngs, but close enough to hear their shouts for answers as he mutters to himself. ]

like anybody's going to accept that garbage. i've seen wild dogs make a better effort.

▶ ( WILDCARD )

[ got something specific in mind? just throw it at me. want to plot something quick? feel free to pm me! i am always willing to hand out one nasty hackerman. ]

CLEANING UP –– TAMAMO A

Travis has never been much of a swimmer. He's a guy who has religiously maintained the same wardrobe for the better part of two decades –– there's just something fundamentally incompatible with wiggling into a wetsuit, no matter how much menial labour he's done. It's just not his fucking vibe, you know?

But a job's a job, and the allure of experiencing "special" baths makes for a sweet, sweet dollop of icing on the cake. So here's Travis, skinny jeans soaking wet, water beaded on the lenses of his aviators, hair floppy. He's aggravated, but he's committed. Eyes on the prize.

"Hey," he calls to the nearest person. God, collaboration is always a bitch, but he's come this far, he ain't turning back. "You wanna be the bait?"

CLEANING UP –– TAMAMO B –– horny shit

Now this is the fucking life. Travis Touchdown, passing assassin, draped against a rock feature, chest-deep in deliciously hot waters. He also has a raging erection underneath that water. That part ain't bad –– he's had a hell of a lot of them since coming here, given the place is chock-full of the stuff that's fueled his weirdest lifelong fantasies, the kind of shit you only find on obscure hentai sites –– but aren't you not supposed to do this shit in a public bathhouse? There's rules, right?

Sweat dribbles down the back of his neck.

It is getting increasingly difficult to maintain a cool and collected appearance. Harder still to sit still and just enjoy lounging there.

"They really weren't kidding about the special effects," he mutters, figuring he's alone. (Surprise, he is not.)

CLEANING UP –– SUTOKU

In a universe where he did not kill people for a living, Travis figures he could make a pretty tidy life for himself as a professional UFO catcher player. It'd be easy, right? Fly to Japan, set up in some cheap place, like the Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro or something. 3,500 yen a night for a bunk in a four-person room with a mattress so thin you might as well sleep on the floor –– a staple for Japan, he's read –– and cheap beer and fried chicken a short walk down the street in any number of hole-in-the-wall joints. (Good ramen, too. Incredible ramen.) Five minutes through the thriving nightlife and you can pop into any number of arcades, some seven stories tall, all with wall-to-wall UFO catches, some so close that the aisles are barely enough for a person to walk through. If you're shit, you might play a round or two just to say you did, 300 yen for the fantasy of winning a prize figure or something. If you're any good, you can rake in prize after prize, and shuck it down to the local K-Books and sell them for four or five times what you paid to play.

But the real strategy is to get a whole suitcase worth of shit and then sell it to fellow otaku at anime cons. You can turn a 300 yen prize figure into fifty American bucks. An entire suitcase could be turned into a thousand bucks.

Or so he's theorized, anyway. He's not very good at numbers. But it'd be a good way to afford regular trips to nerd mecca, right?

Two close calls with his fingers later, Travis isn't so sure he'd be raking in the dough. On the third, he's got a broad gash on the back of his hand for his trouble, but he has the key in his hand, and he can finally sit down and scrub the damn things out.

Only problem is he's not sure how he's supposed to mop up blood when he's adding his own blood into the mix. He could bind it with his shirt or something but the shirt's vintage. The hell is he supposed to do with this? He wanders down the aisle, holding his hand out in front of him and dripping on the floor. He doesn't seem to be in much pain despite the size of the gash, but god, what a pain in the ass.

"Little help here?" he calls.

WILDCARD

Anything you can dream of! Permissions are here, or you can PM me to chat!

[ooc: i am taking ryu from the end of the second game, so please let me know if you don't want any spoilers!!)

1. Cleaning Up

Well, he was in hell. This time literally, it seems-if the people who somehow brought him here to believed. Maybe Professor Harebrayne was onto something after all, or he has been knocked unconscious and is comatose in a hospital.

Still, Ryunosuke was surrounded by so many incredible technologies that he almost forgot that he was now stuck in a city that was far beyond anything London had to offer him. Apparently magic here was real and had cursed this odd carnival machine that he was now trying to get to calm down. The thing moved and he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to do that.

"Ugh, why am I in this sort of situation again??" There was no Iris or Susato around to give these (admittedly) cute prizes to, but he did cheer to himself when he finally got one down. Score for the ace attorney!

Unfortunately when he reached inside to get the prize, it immediately snapped closed on his wrist. Ryunosuke let out a rather ungentlemanly scream, tugging unsuccessfully at the machine. "Let me go, you piece of junk!!!"

2.Bathhouse

Going to a traditional bathhouse sounded good. It might remind him more of home, and he needed to relax-except of course, the pools were filled with blood. To clean them they had to wade into the clearly cursed water and pull the clearly stuck plug. To make matters worse, there were also ghostly hands reaching up and trying to what he presumed drown him, which is how he ended up on this situation.

This being standing on a box with his feet bare and pant legs rolled up, clutching a mop in both hands. He was right at the edge of the pool and all the hands were clawing around his makeshift platform. He didn't survive makeshift law school to get taken out like this!

Someone still probably should help him.

3. Wildcard? Go nuts, make Ryu's life worse

one. clean up - tamamo clan.

[ free baths for a quick clean up? say no more - except, maki needs to remind herself that she isn't exactly as strong on her own compared to others. taking in a deep breath, maki crotches down as she examines the bloody water. the thick sloshing sound is enough to make someone's stomach turn when it is disturbed. it is good that she has an iron stomach at this point.

maki stands up and turns to her partner. ]

so, how do you want to go about this? i doubt either of us want to go in there.

[ not that she can blame them because this will be uncomfortable. this isn't like anything maki has personally experienced before, but it's something she will get done if she needs to do it. maki would just prefer if she wasn't the one getting dirty. ]

two. bullying sharks or bullying children?

[ maki has seen an odd curse here and there (no, that's a lie, she's seen some really weird-looking ones), but she never imagined that she would encounter a shark that isn't an actual shark - you know, the ones that are in the water and not some ghost? so far she has been able to hold her own against them. it isn't too hard when you know how to use all sorts of weapons.

bit of a shame that they're not cursed tools. oh well.

the issue now is that they need to get the totem from these brats and let's just say that children are not maki's forte. if they were a curse then that would be a different story but no, they're not. crossing her arms, she chews the inside of her mouth as she glances over to her new company. ]

So, since we can't exactly beat them up, what do you suggest? ... or do you suggest we just be mean to them? Maybe we can make them cry and give it up.

[ she isn't being serious. is she? ]

CLEANUP SHUTEN

[ She isn't there to help build. That much is obvious by her outfit alone, it is impractical for construction work. However, she was walking by with a bubble tea when she saw several workplace accidents that drew her attention. So she adjusts her bag, the most stylish first aid kit you'll ever see, and approaches. ]

Let me take a look at that before you bleed all over.

[ Was being manhandled by a bountiful rabbit doctor on your to-do list today? ]

CLEANUP ENMA

[ There's a bunny lady going full Karen on a sweating Enma Department clerk: ]

I've seen the news. Sutoku healers were able to synthesize an effective medicine against this impurity.

Well, yes, ma'am but that's not our Department.

And yet, it's your department begging for the good will of the people. Do you want me to research and provide more options for dispelling the lingering effects, or don't you?

Ma'am... you don't have the credentials... for those pharmaceuticals...

[ She scoffs at him, slamming her hands down on his desk and glaring. ]

Fine. I'll do it myself then!

[[ Please feel free to hear about this Karen moment or see it on youtube or something? She will also not be quiet that she wants to work on making purification and dispel potions widely available for people effected by the curse!!! Wildcard your way in. ]]

CURSED CORNERS

[ She is walking around the perimeter of the spectators, trying not to get caught up in any of it herself, but her attention catches on a crowd of teenagers trying to push someone up to the corner to take their turn. She watches the teenage yokai sweat and struggle and laugh uncomfortably. Heng Yue lips purse and she tosses her hair. She pushes the group aside as she walks past them: putting herself out as the victim instead. It doesn't matter to her. They won't understand what they're seeing or hearing anyway. It is a song written only for her.

She stands on the corner drinking her bubble tea as her worst nightmare plays out in 1080p:
The miracle – an obelisk of power and stone – floats above her. It thrums with energy, and creatures of stone and magic drift hungrily around its core. It gathers only more energy, glowing purple and taking over all the color in the sky. Then it releases a vibration that tears apart the city below.

She resonates: changing in an instant, warping to suit the music that fills every cell. The swirl of music is gentle, ethereal, but cold. This is the song of an isolated, distant moon and a woman's dreams of eternity. Distant stars glitter; beautiful and untouchable. The music is accompanied by glitching magic, fracturing reality, bursts of color, steaming energy. She was not always this rabbit woman, she was made into this, she was altered by this music.

It certainly looks like a magical girl transformation but, rather than joyous and powerful, Heng Yue looks down into her own two hands and wonders just what it is that she has become.
The burst of Chang'e's healing music has stunned the onlooking crowd. They shuffle and glance at one another, made uncertain by the strange feelings it invoked. They begin to disperse. Heng Yue watches them, simply continuing to drink her tea from where she stands beneath the streetlight. Anyone who lingers will be told condescendingly, ]

Go on now. That's enough.

WILDCARD

Please, go nuts. Do you.

cleanup - sutoku

[ These machines are truly odd. Mona can admire the aesthetic of the prizes within, but, to her, these are designed to be traps. Their intended purpose seems to be to trick people into wasting all of their money for things that aren't even practical, and while she believes she's above such nonsense, part of her newfound responsibilities are to assist with this task. Therefore, she must do what has been asked of her.

At first, Mona stands back to observe one someone try their luck at some of the machines. They seem to be intent on winning one of the stuffed animals, until it flies from one end of the case to the other, hitting the window with a loud thud. Mona's eyes widen at the sight. The player keeps going, though, and what follows is a little bit of a brutal sight.

So, later, if someone else decides to approach the machines, Mona will call out: ]

Be careful. The machines and their contents are quite vicious, and I would rather us not have to clean up any sort of mess that's left behind due to being careless.

cursed corners

[ Mona is far from being unaware that something is amiss in this city, and that extends to the way that some areas and corners on the streets are filled with strange montages that are leaving people frozen in place. She wants to learn more about the energy itself and what's causing it to affect people so deeply, but what frustrates her is that people aren't only trying to spectate other people's tragedies, but they seem to be following her, hoping for the same thing. Hah! As if she'd allow herself to get caught unawares like a novice.

(It'll probably happen at some point.)

Either way, this is sickening, and Mona wants out. But she sees someone frozen in place in front of her, and as their memories start to play out, she'll try to interrupt them by clearing her throat behind them. They're in her way, after all. ]

Come on, snap out of it! These people are seeking pleasure in exchange for your pain. You can't allow them to best you like this.

wildcard

[ Over at amplitude or available via PM if you'd like to do something else! ]

cleaning (tamamo)

[The problem, of course, is that it's a big bath full of bloody water. Anders has seen plenty of blood, been covered in plenty of blood, the stuff does tend to splatter, but— well there are limits. Limits that certainly include wading into the mess at the behest of demons, to deal with other demons?

He's got questions about the whole thing. But mostly, immediately:]

Oh, don't look at me. You've got no idea how hard it is to get bloodstains out of feathers.

[The pauldrons are the biggest concern, of course.]

--

[...Alternatively, if he's already been ~~bullied into~~ convinced to just take off the coat and get in the pool, he's there, but he's definitely been physically incapable of holding back his Commentary the entire time. Sorry about this.]

—Is it moving? [The drain,] I swear I had it underfoot a moment ago, and it's not like it's possible to get turned around in this dismal little tub.

[The complaining continues... At some point he'll inevitably be impatient enough to duck his whole head under the water to see what he can see, popping up a few moments later with a decidedly disgruntled expression. Disgruntled and... exhausted?

What could it possibly be now?? It's ghost hands baybee:]

If one more of these bath ghosts tries to get ahold of me above the knee, I'm freezing the whole place solid.

enma speaks

[It's out of a morbid curiosity that Anders joins the crowd waiting to hear the Enma speak. He's not, hm, profoundly interested, and tries as best he can to linger near the back of said crowd and not arouse any attention from anyone who smells blood in the water and wants to talk about it all, as it were. At least, that's the plan. The plan is definitely to stay out of the way, roll his eyes, and get back to his own business, but—

Well, it's kind of a short speech. The Enma is shuffled urgently back into some kind of vehicle, and Anders makes it a whole few beats before he says, far too loud for the more sedate back-of-the-crowd area:]

That's it? Not even a plate of cheese or some drinks to pass around as thanks for coming? I knew this would be a waste of everyone's time, but I didn't think it would be so obvious.

[Oh, now he's getting stares. Now there's at least one journalist turning, as if too shoulder past a few onlookers to ask this Opinionated Fellow some things, at which point Anders does the only reasonable thing and turns to the nearest person: you. Hi.]

Don't you agree?

[don't you?? the Journalism is coming.]

wildcard

[howdy from under the wire for this round huh. i have a world state super draft if that appeals which accounts for endgame but canon point will probably be mid-act 3... lmao.

anyway: normal wildcards also encouraged!!]

I – Enma Cleanup

[This is not something that she’s accustomed to. Helping individuals meet their base needs, that is. It’s something for the living, for mortals, to figure out amongst themselves, to struggle with and overcome. To grow and surpass. Lenneth is still not unopposed to lending the helping hand, least of all as it seemed to be a duty that this “Enma” wished to be done. Evidently even here they were still beholden to the whims of those underneath them.

God, spirit, demon, or otherwise.

The goddess found it amusing and took to the tasks with a mixture of indifference and undertone of amusement. Potentially much to the chagrin of those that were feeling less than stellar about the Enma Department. The exorcisms though, those were what had caught her attention the most. She isn’t familiar with most of the spirits here, but those that caused harm and problems to others are no strangers to Lenneth, all the same.

It wasn’t difficult to find her as she busied herself with dodging out of the way of thrown objects from a ghostly apparition.]

II – Tamamo Cleanup

This might prove to be a challenge.

[Lenneth stated, looking over the pools of blood-filled water. She didn’t need to her abilities to sense the absolute wrongness within the baths. Something predatory that seemed to be watching her and those that came and went nearby. Yes, these baths do need to be cleaned and then some. She is currently judging the whole drainage system of the baths. But she’s also no engineer.

The Valkyrie takes a closer look at the polluted waters. Hm, yes this whole city seemed to be suffering from the remains of some cataclysmic curse. Unsurprising, given what’s learned of recent events. Further inspection revealed what appeared to be… hands? Moving below the surface.]

I wonder why they had simply not sought to purify the waters.

[She mused openly to herself. Perhaps this Tenkohime simply didn’t wish to expend the energy to do so when they would be drained? It would still make the job all the easier and safer had they been. Keeping a stoic face, she readied herself to enter the waters. Better to get things done and over with fast.]

I will deal with whatever happens, focus on the drainage system only.

III – Ghost Sharks

Away with you, spirit!

[The woman commanded, sword flashing out and striking the spirit shark in its belly as it dove for another person. Blue armor shining as the spirit dissipates. There’s more of them, she knows and spares a quick smile to the other person.]

I’ve been told that the source of these beasts lies near. Tell me, do you know the location of their vessel?

[It’s at least worth a shot to ask.]

IV – Cursed Corners

[Just like with the sharks and bathhouse, areas that were cursed called out to her like a moth to a flame. Places where those restless souls gathered, haunted, harassed others screamed and filled her senses. Even if Lenneth herself currently could not feel their calls, held no connection to the souls here. But it was still difficult for her to ignore any of it.]

To laugh at the misfortunes of others.

[She sighs, and pauses before entering into the current, unfortunate individual’s vision.]

Oh- at least this presents a familiar sensation….

V – Valkyrie and Time Off (Tamamo District)

[Lenneth had decided to go ahead and let her hair down, so to speak. Sitting in one of the Tamamo’s bathhouse/bars and enjoying a meal and drink. Wearing a blue dress, long hair flowing down her back as she downed another cup of sake. Taking a moment to enjoy the floral smells and taste and bite as it slid down her tongue.]

Not bad….

[She sighed, letting the alcohol do its work in depressing her body. Letting her relax further and further. It isn’t often she gets to enjoy herself like this.] Please, leave the bottle.

[Yes, the Death Goddess has already decided to stay, just for a moment longer. To stay and enjoy spirits of a different sort.]

[WILDCARD]

[ooc: You all know what this is! If anyone wants to do something else fill free to just type “wildcard” in your subject line and tag me with whatever! For those interested, my discord is billbill#6387 and plurk is

mr_cynicalperson. So feel free to hit me up on either of those.]

Edited 2022-07-07 07:43 (UTC)

1. CLEAN UP. (SUTOKU)

_{[ Needless the say, Kel didn't have too much of an idea of what was going on since he arrived here, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to absolutely be unhinged and jump right into the fray. He was possibly also trying to befriend and associate people and characters who could otherwise be very dangerous, but heck if he could read the atmosphere. Anyway, some UFO machines were acting funky? He was pretty eager to help with something like that, considering his competitive attitude. The arcade games here were really impressive compared to the old, run down ones in Faraway Town, so he's a little starry eyed when he gets there. ]}

WOAH!! These are so cool! Okay, soooo... that's the thingy I gotta get, right there..

_{[ said Kel to nobody but himself as he presses his face and nose against the glass and leaving a nasty mark (gross.) He turn to literally anyone and anything that could possibly be nearby and calls out to them with a thumbs up, the tip of his tongue sticking out: ]}

HEY!! Wish me luck, okay?

_{[ Fearless. Relentless. Or just a dumb ass. You decide. ]}

2. OPEN.

_{[ i'm literally open to anything else that could possibly happen in this game so hit me with something else if you're not feeling the singular prompt i gave... feel free to pp justaways or pm me if you have any questions! he's a very sociable person so you can really assume he could be doing anything... ]}

Edited 2022-07-14 21:55 (UTC)

1. tamamo clan.

(He hasn't been out of his own store in a hundred years, so it's not a reach to say he's a little taken aback. Everything is so bright, the cities so populous, and the people he comes into contact with don't need him to fix anything. In fact, it's not like he's anyone at all here, every little power that grants him the title of Temporary Space-Time Witch dissipated and left him to just be Kimihiro Watanuki.

A man whose age surpasses a hundred years, but his face shows no changes since he had been seventeen. The distinctive feature of heterochromia doesn't make him stand out as much, neither does the red kimono he wears, nor the kiseru pipe between his lips.

He's seen the little cursed hands, attempted his very best to barrier against them, but well. Nothing happens. Spirits have always glued to him like he was a magnet, so he isn't particularly scared. To whoever comes help him, he gestures towards the tub after a long drag.)

I can distract them, and then you pull the plug. Would that be acceptable?

2. cursed corners.

(Just odd, walking around freely like this. The energy is not visible to him, not anymore, so he isn't suspicious of all places unless there's real reason to be so.

Which is how he finds the corner. Of course he recognizes the Kerakera onna, but he fails to negotiate with her to quit. He'll have to come with something more interesting to trade with her attention, everything is an exchange, after all. Right now, however, he's more focused on trying to wake up others, and eventually, he'll find himself in it himself.

... But so far...)

Hey, it's an illusion. We must go.

Edited 2022-07-18 00:11 (UTC)

Threaded | Flat

Page 3 of 4

Nobara Kugisaki || Jujutsu Kaisen

Keisuke Sannan | Hakuouki