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jigokufever2022-06-24 11:00 am
jigokumods) wrote in jigokufever2022-06-24 11:00 am
Entry tags:
June 2022 Test Drive
MAIN NAVIGATION
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]]
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- NEWBIE TOP LEVELS
places my paws on you
[ or whoever works at it. anyway, he leans forward and places his elbows on his knees, watching with fascination. he's being pretty thorough, and cabinet almost looks good as new aside from the marks that have probably been made by frustrated youkai who got their ass beat in their game. ]
... you missed a spot.
[ murr more than happily points at a few splotches of blood just below the coin slots, before resuming his movements. ]
It's kinda funny how all the machines have lives of their own! If you burnt it down, it'd almost be like killing a whole bunch of innocent things!
[ 'innocent' is the key word here ]
holds ur paw gently
[He scoffs; at that, and also the comment about missing a spot. While he looks like maybe he's too angry that someone pointed out a flaw, so he was just going to ignore it-- instead he rolls his shoulders to shake out the shiver up his back, and almost immediately turns back to the machine to rub the remaining blood spots clean. Just leaving it alone out of pettiness would be unsettling.]
Seriously? Are you one of those people that thinks their old toys have feelings too? [He sighs, apparently unconcerned with the potential death toll of his statement.] They're just machines. Even if it looks like they're moving on their own, it's not like they have souls.
wiggles beans
but he's also glad that this man would take care of that tiny, itty bitty droplet. it's important to do it; murr knows what kind of effects it might have on the machine, especially as he watches coins legit take some people out. ever get a coin stuck in your nose? it's like that. only worse. ]
Ehehe. You'd be surprised! Sometimes, things just start livin' because they're that old.
[ like mold. ]
But no, it's a little different. It's all the blood, bein' spooky and cursed. Does that scare you, knowin' you're touching something evil?~
[ wiggly fingers time. this should enhance the spook by about 200%. ]
uguu
If I were a tsukumogami, I'd be more concerned about being covered in blood than shooting people with coins.
[Also he may not be entirely sure what these machines do, but he's pretty sure they're not old enough for that anyway. Rest assured he would also kill mold without reservation.]
Seriously...? Aren't you too old to be acting like a child? [He looks at Murr again with an absolute lack of amusement. Besides, he's pretty sure nothing any worse would happen to him just for touching some curse energy.] I don't care if it's good or evil. It's gross.
uwu~
[ he's pretty sure he's heard that before? or maybe not; it's a word that he doesn't recognize as he quietly gathers some of the coins that have been shot around and begins to clean them up with the bottom of his shirt. ]
Eh? Honestly, I think I'm so old that I've come full circle.
[ a bright smile accompanies him holding up some of those coins up to his eye, before beginning to balance them on his nose. ]
Can you tell me what a tsukumogami is?
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You really are kind of an idiot, huh...? [He's casting suspicion on the whole 'too old' part, considering he's balancing coins on his nose.]
They're a type of yokai. When an object like a sword or a bell has served its purpose for long enough, they get a soul and become self-aware-- or at least that's how the story goes. Even children know that sort of thing...
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[ nevermind that at one point in his life, murr was literally a genius! before his personality got broken into many pieces by a calamity in the shape of the moon
and then he thinks for a second... ]
Oh. So they're ghosts? Ghosts that possess things! You coulda just said that instead of calling them a... tsukumogami.
[ and now he stands up, to join eiichi. ]
It's not very nice to call people idiots just because they don't know what they are, nyehe~
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You're going to criticize me just for telling the truth? ...How cruel. [Would you make a liar out of him Murr. He can't help it if idiots make it so obvious and he hates being nice for no reason!] Did you think I was a good person to ask your questions of....?
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[ eiichi is lucky that murr's been relatively patient and entertained by his efforts. he seems so... serious! so stuffy. with a hum, he rocks back on his heels, then forward onto his toes before hopping in place and raising both of his arms outward--- smacking someone who has been trying to play one of the arcade games and causing them to move away from the excitable murr. ]
And yes! I think so! You're funny, you know that?
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[Well. Eiichi sure is stumped where that impression came from, because rest assured he was definitely not trying to be funny.
Even if Murr doesn't end up touching him with his arms swept out, Eiichi leans considerably out of the way with a look of aggravation. This entire conversation was aggravating. Murr should be less entertained.]
You must have a twisted sense of humor... But I don't have anymore answers for you.
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Fine, fine! At least you did a lot of my work for me... thank ya for that!
[ as the wizard snickers, he gives the cabinet a few pats. ]
Didn't really feel like cleanin' up. It was fun watching the games have some fun for once!
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[Seriously it felt like this whole town was full of busybodies. And Eiichi was certainly not falling for Murr acting all cutesy.
He was more of a dog person.]In that case, you owe me for having to touch so much blood... Then again, do you even know how to clean up? [He is doubtful.]
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looks at my dog sleeping on my bed ]
You could've just done nothing. [ murr says the obvious and then immediately bounces a few times off the balls of his feet. ] And sure, I can pay you back! There's a bar I like to hang out in, I bet the owner would give you a drink for free!
[ maybe... maybe. ]
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Doing nothing would've been worse. Then I'd have to rely on some other idiot to clean up the smell of dried blood. [His desperate need to not walk around in a filthy, bloodstained city, thankfully overruled his distaste for such work.]
I'll pass. I don't really go out to drink with strangers, especially not at some bar.
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[ btw guess who your new friend is. ]
But don't worry about the blood. Hopefully this will be the last time we see anything like that ever again!
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Delivery for alcohol...? [That sounded. Ridiculous. Also why would you do that? Eiichi sure wasn't going to let some grubby stranger deliver alcohol to his house. Or like, anything else, really.]
I'm not interested in making friends or meeting strangers. Especially not the kind that get obnoxious and sweaty drinking late at night.
[...He is pretty glad the blood thing isn't typical, though.]
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How do you feel about cats?
[ this question, however. murr stares at him with a smile that is very wide, but perhaps not the friendliest one. a smiling of warning? a smile that says 'don't hurt my feelings', though wizards probably don't have a lot of those to begin with... ]
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C-Cats...? [This guy was just... fast-thinking? And off-putting enough for Eiichi to be stuck on the metaphorical back step, and that was extremely irritating!!]
They're filth. [Sorry Murr,,] But most animals are. They're not so bad if they have short fur at least. My friend has one creeping around his room all the time back home.
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I'm going to pretend you didn't say that! [ the grin stays on his face, though. ] You may wanna hold your tongue in front of the bakeneko here, 'cause they won't be afraid to burn you alive!
[ they won't care about the 'not so bad' part. ]
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Why ask if you didn't even like the answer? [For some reason he feels like he's being threatened. Probably because of the cheerful tone and the thing about burning alive.]
I suppose if a bakeneko really takes issue with it, they can do their worst. [An astonishingly lack of giving a shit about the possibility of burning. Actually he sounds kind of bored about it.] You must be one of those crazy people that's obsessed with cats?
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[ also he's totally not being threatened. murr's just... he's learned how to smile and also learned how to Smile, all thanks to his fellow wizard.
speaking of wizard: ]
Not "crazy"! And not "people". I'm a wizard!
[ he's not debating the obsession with cats. as far as he knows, he's like the next step to cat-dom. something like human -> wizard -> cat. it's pretty logical. ]
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What the hell is a 'wizard' supposed to be? [Y'know if it's somehow... a species? That you can be instead of human?] Isn't that just the western idea of a spellcaster...?
[Hopefully Murr will drop his ongoing cat-dom theory. ]
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[ wiggles his hands about. ]
I guess you could call us spellcasters, but there's more to us than that! We're not all just about magic!
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I'm sure I'll regret asking, but I'll play along... What are you 'about,' if not magic?
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[ you know. f is for friends that do stuff together, etc. ]
Life's too short to be so grumpy. You should keep that in mind!
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ok we can probably wrap this one up ily
blows u a kiss