jigokufever | June 2022 Test Drive

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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.
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NEWBIE TOP LEVELS

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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.

[ she should have probably stepped in earlier, seeing her fellow enma being harrassed -- but this stranger was so stunning, so glamourous, that mitsuri's starstruck. ]

Um! Ma'am, sorry... but I don't think yelling at this person is going to help you.
They can't change the rules we've been given... [ protocol is protocol, after all.

but still -- ] Were you saying something about researching a cure? Are you some kind of doctor?

[ She has that effect on people. She can see it in their eyes, watching as the beauty of the moon entrances them with its false light. It frustrates her, although she keeps that reaction buried deep under her beautiful appearance and cold expressions. ]

Yes. Doctor Heng Yue, I am chief of the med ops team for the Esper Union. I'm a pharmacologist and a healer.

[ No one looking at her would guess this, even the medical kit that she is carrying is dressed up like a beautiful purse on her arm. It's not her problem that people find appearances to be deceiving. ]

Oh! [ she perks up at this new information, visibly excited at the mention of the word “pharmacologist”. ]

My friend Shinobu-chan is like that, too! She knows a lot about medicine and how to make them, and stuff … But there don’t seem to be a lot of doctors here that I know of so it’s nice to meet you!! My name is Kanroji Mitsuri.

[ the woman’s appearance, while beautiful, does little to make mitsuri question her credentials. many people doubt the slayer for her own appearance too, after all. ] What kind of things would you need to know to make a cure? I don’t have access to the pharmaceuticals, but maybe there’s something I can help with?

I am already knowledgeable on dispels and purification, I simply need the appropriate herbs. Of course, for such a specialized concoction, the herbs required are not readily available in the consumer market.

[ She motions back at the Enma office she came out of. ]

Which is why I went to talk to the local government about the project. But for some reason they've brought me here just to denigrate my qualifications.

[ She has had her qualifications questioned often, when she talks about 'her qualifications' she is haughtily inflamed that anyone would dare doubt her. ]

Wouldn't you rather help the people who did the work instead..?

[ since ryouma tries to make it his business to hear about this sort of thing, it makes sense that word would make it to him one way or another. he just finds an opportune moment to appear and... here they are. ]

Couldn't help hearing about what you're after. [ could anyone? ] I can tell you're very motivated.

[ She turns to pay attention to him in a swish of hair and fabric and perfume, contemplating him from behind her tinted glasses. Her scrutiny is cold and impersonal. ]

What I want is to get relief to the people who need it as quickly as possible.

[ Aka she does not care who she works with, she just wants it done. ]

[ well, she is very lovely, isn't she? ryouma notices because it'd be impossible not to, but he brightens visibly at that very good answer. ]

Hoh? Well, in that case, you and I want the same things! I'm sure the others would appreciate the help too. If this is your area of expertise, we're all lucky to have you around, but the Department is a bureaucratic nightmare on a good day.

[ 'You and I want the same thing' oh yes, how convenient. She does not look visibly moved by this statement. ]

So is the Esper Union.

[ And yet, somehow it is the Esper Union that cringes from her cold gaze and scurries out of her way when she walks through its halls. ]

But clearly my credentials are meaningless to the Department's assessments.

[ She smiles. Nothing makes her more powerful than being discounted, and she does not forget a slight. If they don't want the publicity, she will take it elsewhere. ]

I'm the medical operations chief for the Esper Union. Heng Yue, pharmacologist and healer.

[ She absolutely does not bow in greeting. ]

Esper Union..?

[ he almost wants to ask if that's like the counter force or something more organised and official. later, perhaps. ]

Well, I dunno what that is, but it doesn't really matter either, to be honest with you. I've always only cared if someone can do the job. I'm sure that the only credentials the Department cares about are its own.

[ handing business cards to people has streamlined that whole process, so he produces one for heng yue as well. ]

Sakamoto Ryouma. I'm with the Sutoku Alliance.

[ God, she gives him such a look. Of course he doesn't know what the Esper Union is, that wasn't the point. She stares him down icily for a long moment before she takes his card. She holds it between two fingers while she reads it and then slides it into the pocket of her coat. ]

You can introduce me to the healers, then.

I'm fine, I'm fine I'm telling ya! Just some broken glass.

[Jeez, talk about workplace safety hazards, he actually wondered if unions exist here. If they did... Kolchak was actually rather certain they don't. Given who holds power. Maybe he should write up a story about that?

That's for much later. For now, he was trying to wave away the woman with kit and ignoring the exploding glass of the store fronts. Just another day in hell it seems.]

You have a cut, you old goat.

[ She answers with her condescending drawl. The insult lacks any real bite, though. She grabs his head and turns it this way and that. ]

Sit down and I'll dress it.

Old Goat? I'll have y-!

[He's cut off at the sudden grabbing and forceful turning of his head this way and that, popping his neck in process and getting sputters of protest from the reporter. Along with a pair of hand moving to grab her wrists. A large cut accross his forehead and a few lacerations here and there on his face. By and large Kolchak doesn't look all too bad.

This is rather clear, as curiously, his iconic, straw hat still sat snuggly on his head.

The major one is probably on his palm.]

Stop, stop I said woman! You're gonna end up ripping my head off at this rate!

[An old goat is very much a good description for him.]

And I am not an old goat!

You are oldest goat I have ever met.

[ She answers without hesitation and she also does not stop. She grabs his wrist in return, turning his hand out to expose the big cut on his palm.

She points expectantly at a bench along the pedestrian path. ]

Sit down.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

June 2022 Test Drive

Heng Yue | Dislyte

Cleanup!

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enma cleanup

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Shuten

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