jigokufever | 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!

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NEWBIE TOP LEVELS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ That gets Chris to continue walking, a few steps away, suddenly perplexed as she looks Soundwave over, up and down, realizing that there's no recognizable cockpit or anything of the sort. ]

Y-y-you're... you're just... a robot? Robots can go to hell?!

[She doesn't think he's a suit a person pilots, which... Sounds gross. Robot isn't much better. Though he can handle it to a degree, he'd rather correct her on that, too.]

That would be surprising to me, unless the robot has a soul of their own.

[One hand rests on his hip.]

No, I am not a robot, either. I am a Cybertronian- a living being.

A... Cyber...tronian.

[ Chris squints. ]

...but you're still all... totally mechanical?

[ Isn't that just a robot??? ]

I'm glad that you are able to see that.

[Yeah, that was a snarky reply. But he does soon answer seriously.]

The term isn't used in the traditional sense that you and other organics may used it...

But calling Cybertronians a 'robot' implies that we are not real and living people. Additionally, we are not programmed or built... We are formed just as natural as any other sapient life in the galaxy.

[Aliens...]

...wha...

[ HOW IS ROBOT BORN??? ]

Okay, sorry, I'm just - I'm real confused.

[Now that requires a long explanation...]

Perhaps, it's clear you haven't met a mechanoid lifeform before me... [Most humans from his universe never see them as any more than unfeeling robots. Not exactly surprising that humans from other universes would have a harder time comprehending.]

I will simply be clear about it... The point I am trying to make is that I am a real, living person, there is no 'pilot', and not to call me a robot.

[ Chris mulls it over. She's been less than human to most of the world since she was an infant; but no one uses mana here, that she's seen, and yet they aren't like her either. As confused as she is, she knows she likes just being another person. And this... Cybertronian... is being reasonable about it so her hackles remain unraised. ]

Alright. I don't - I don't really get it, but I'll just treat you like a big metal person.

Good.

[That's all he really needed to hear. To be treated as a person. He's glad that this human girl understanding, even if she doesn't fully get it. Oh well, so long as she doesn't call him a robot or a machine again...

While keeping his optics open for ghost shark, he switches to a more mundane topic.]

Am I right to assume you are a new arrival, as well?

[ Chris nods. ]

I'm gonna be honest, if you weren't here I might still think this is a nightmare.

This is the reality, unfortunately. Stuck in hell until the contract is completed.

[He doesn't sound so perturbed about being in hell, already accepted that he had died. He tilts his head slightly towards her.]

Curious, why did it take until you see me to accept that it isn't a nightmare?

Honestly, I could probably make most of this up in my own head, at a really long stretch.

[ More or less. ]

But I don't think I could come up with the word Cybertronian at least.

I see. It is rather odd to find humans not knowing what Cybertronians are, however.

[Maybe that's a good thing for him? Not everyone is a fan of Cybertronians for very understandable reasons in his galaxy.]

No one here knows what I am either... but it's not so obvious at least.

[ And people REALLY hate what she is back home. But here... it doesn't seem to even come up accidentally. ]

[Hearing that piques some curiosity. She's right, it's not obvious. She looks human, as far as he can tell...]

What are you, then?

I'm...

[ Her voice shakes a little; the way she hesitates, it's not easy to come out and say in wider society.

But why would he care? He's a - not a robot, but very much not a human, and he's never heard of what she is so why would he be disgusted by it? ]

W-well call them 'Norma'. Most people - where I come from can use mana to do... most things.

But some small number of girls can't. I guess it's just girls. That's what they tell us. And society has... a really big problem with that.

[Even without his powers to help him tell people's emotion, the shakiness in her voice is telling enough that it is a heavy topic.]

Simply because they were different? Was that it?

[Assumption but... It's not too different from what he's experience during pre-war Cybertron, albeit in his case Cybertronians with abilities or extra powers were considered a problem in society.]

Seems that even in other worlds people are persecuted based on how they were born.

[ Chris nods. She doesn't even know the whole story, few people do, but she knows what she's been treated like. ]

They call us... monsters. Say we're born more violent than everyone else. Even blame us for it, as if we wanted to be born like that.

June 2022 Test Drive

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