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jigokufever2022-06-24 11:00 am
jigokumods) wrote in jigokufever2022-06-24 11:00 am
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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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iii!
but oh, that's a sight for sore eyes. shylock creeps up behind nero and whispers right into his ear in his trademark sultry voice: ]
Where would you rather be, Nero?
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Whoa. [Of all the people he could run into from home, Shylock was low on his list.]
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Fufu. Well? Where would you like to go and catch up, Nero? It has been quite a while.
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[Where there's Shylock there has to be a bar.]
How long've ya been here?
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[ his assessment is right on the money. with tenkohime's utmost support, shylock was able to get his bar up and running after last month's turf war shenans. it was rough. ]
It's been around four months, actually. Time flies by when this realm is constantly on the verge of falling apart. It almost reminds me of home.
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Figures it'd be a mess. [Even when he runs he finds Mess.] What was that guy even talkin' about?
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[ and here we are -- hemlock. shylock had closed for the day since he needed to attend the presscon, but... well, wasn't that a waste of time. he shows nero in and positions himself behind the counter as always. ]
Firstly, what would you like to have?
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[He's sure it's fantastic, he just doesn't know what's available in hell.]
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[ some of them are poisonous to humans, stuff like that. ]
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Your favorite wine then.
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[ he'll let his magic mix it up for him, he'll need to pay more attention to the newcomer wizard here. ]
Now, how have you been? Good, I hope. I know Easterners aren't too good at acclimating to new environments, but...
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Still gettin' used to the place.
[He CAN adjust, but he doesn't like to.]
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Well, you'd better get used to it soon. Not everyone has recovered from what had transpired the week prior.
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The Haniyasu thing?
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[ he serves up the sangria to nero, as if to say "you're gonna need a drink while listening to this." ]
Last month, there was an infestation of these cute little clay figures called the haniwa. Adorable as they are, they induced hallucinations and horrid nightmares if you are within its vicinity for long. And trust me when I say that they were everywhere.
[ give him a moment to whip out his pipe to take a drag from it. siiiiiigh. ]
Now, the Department of the Enma was tasked to collect as many of these clay figures as they can and take them to the Kaigo no Bou, the tallest building in this realm. Over time, however, it has proven to be too much, and its growing influence spilled forth and summoned a rain of blood that persisted for weeks. The nightmares then manifested into the real world, forcing anyone to fight against them if they have to.
[ you know, kind of like faust's affliction. only way worse. ]
Fortunately, a certain group of people managed to get into the cursed tower and figured out what was going in there. You'll want to ask Cain about the details on that, since he's one of the people who joined the efforts. [ he smiles. he's so proud of cain??? ] And as it turns out, the haniwa are mere vessels implanted by an entity outside this realm's walls named Haniyasu. That's all we know at the moment.
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... Are ya saying there's no curse breakers here?
[If it's already so obvious these things are cursed, then surely somebody has the magic to undo the cursing? Send it back to whoever cursed them in the first place? Figure out a way to purify things? If people have been here for months, like it sounds like to him, surely somebody can dispel that sort of thing?
Or maybe it's like the afflictions. Maybe it's one of those things with no counter for a while?]
Cain, huh? Good for him. [Centrals sure get into things.]
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[ not that shylock isn't being hounded either thanks to his own helpful contributions, but shhh. ]
But yes, Cain did quite well. He'd gotten injured for his efforts too. How nostalgic.
[ only shylock would say that it's nostalgic... ]
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Nostalgic... He doin' okay now? [Sounds like a fight. But with the nerfs and everything, he's probably not healing as fast as normal.] Maybe I'll make him something.
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[ even though he was almost on the brink of death during that attack on central country a while back, he bounced back pretty fast. centrals really be like that... ]
Oya, you won't make me something after coming all this way to see me?
[ a teasing smile. come on nero, throw your favorite westie a bone here. ]
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[Because he is very small and he has no money, and you can imagine the kind of stress he's under.]
What are you feeling?
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[ as for why he keeps ingredients for stew at the back... why not? what are you, a cop?
as for nero's question, shylock can only let out a wry laugh. ]
Oh, I don't even know where to begin with that question. Famished, perhaps, now that you're here.
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He lets out a little chuckle and starts prepping it all.]
They ain't feedin' ya?
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I keep myself and Murr well-fed, but there is no replacing a seasoned chef's expertise. I look forward to whatever you cook up for us today.