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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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Cursed corners B
Once Takeru lets go and tells him that however, he lifts up his hands to his sides in a show of "no misunderstandings, got it". ]
Not a single wrong idea here, nope. But...thanks, still.
no subject
[ takeru merely gives an unimpressed look to the show of hands, crossing his own arms across his chest as he straightens up. honestly, dragging a brat around is not how he saw his night going. he's not into babysitting, thank you very much.
he snaps another look the way they came before looking back at skylark, an exasperated sigh slipping past his lips. ]
don't walk around so carelessly if you can't keep out of the crowd, nobody wants to waste their time. get a buddy to hold your hand like other kids your age do if you must.
no subject
[ Just saying that he chose to help even when it wasn't strictly needed!
...Honestly, he wishes he could be more surprised that the crowd decided to treat that vision as a play, but he isn't. ]
no subject
[ sorry, did you say something? the two inch height difference make it hard to hear you down there. his eyebrow raises for a brief moment before dropping back, making a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. ]
being alone sure didn't help you, did it? [ he shifts his weight to one foot, tilting his head in the direction of the murmuring crowds they've left behind. ] and you were in the way. scavengers will flock around a meal even if it's laying in the middle of the street, unless there's something there before them.
[ a pause. ]
unless you want to be caught alone again, so the whole world can see your face plastered over the internet? if that's how you want to be famous, be my guest.
no subject
I just arrived here. [ So of course he's alone! And he has no idea what this" internet" is, but he can guess it has something to do with those strange things some of the crowd where holding up earlier. ] Nor was I expecting something like that to happen. I don't intend to just let it happen again.
no subject
and? so did i. [ maybe he shouldn't be bullying kids right out of the gate but to be fair, that's his natural state of being. and he'd argue it isn't bullying if it's honest. ] hoh. getting confident, aren't we. so you are capable of barking a bit.
[ chihuahua...no, not yappy enough for that. pomeranian, maybe. ]
bark loud enough next time and maybe you'll scare them off?
bless Takeru ftr
Though to be fair even Skylark wouldn't really think it's bullying, just kind of annoying to deal with. ]
Nah, a crowd like that isn't going to disperse just because someone "barks loud enough". That sort of thing only happens if they have a reason to be scared or something. And as much as you say being alone didn't help me, it's not like I can always be accompanied by someone whenever I'm out and about, so... I suppose the only thing I can do is try to walk away with some dignity.
[ Were you expecting a serious answer— ]
he does his best <3
for a moment, takeru just pauses as the kid just...launches into a far more serious answer than he was expecting. his faces blanks over, arms across his chest loosening as he stares with an unreadable expression on his face as he lets that sit in the air for a hot minute.
eventually, he furrows his brows, slowly opening his mouth. ]
...i thought that eyepatch idiot was dense, but you're something else, aren't you.
[ oof. is it even safe to leave a kid like this on his own...feels like he'd get eaten alive if you left him to his own devices. ]
at least keep your phone on you if you're going to just take it. vultures like that don't give up just because you decide you want to walk off and save face.
no subject
What's that supposed to mean? [ Whymst is he being compared to an "eyepatch idiot"! ]
I know. Thanks for the advice. [ He means it too, because at least now he knows what those devices are called. ]
no subject
it means your head might as well be a rock. thick and nothing gets through it.
[ brutal. but sasazuka's shoulders sag after a moment, as if defeated- an almost impressive feat, considering his track record. congratulations, skylark. he lets his gaze flicker elsewhere, giving a dismissive wave of the hand. ]
it's not advice, it's common sense. [ what teenager doesn't keep their phone glued to them, anyway? ] and if you knew, then you wouldn't wander off into back alleys. have some self preservation.
no subject
Also, if only Skylark was from a place where phones existed,,, ]
I mean, I'd rather get familiar with the layout of the back alleys than not? [ It just seems like common sense to learn them when back alleys were also common back home. ] Admittedly, these back alleys are...weirder. [ Sort of. He never had weird hallucinations of the past sprung on him back home. ] But I have plenty of self-preservation.