jigokufever | AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

1. SHUTEN TERRITORY - Muscling In

art by tohdraws

In the aftermath of the curse crisis, the Shuten Clan forgave a bunch of protection payments in the region, and helped cover the costs for rebuilding. Unfortunately, some of the street gangs in the area are much less civically minded. They have used the Shuten's relaxed policies as an opportunity to turn their own screws on the local business owners. These unaffiliated youth gangs have been much rougher with the locals, and have been asking for even larger collection fees. This has pissed off the folks who are just trying to get their lives and businesses back on track!

Unfortunately, the opening of Sai no Kawara in the underground drew so much of the clan's focus and manpower, that the issues up top just slipped through the cracks. Until now! Toraguma is in a bad mood and is looking for people to take it out on: the youth gangs will do just fine.

Volunteers are being solicited to join the regular Shuten enforcers in driving these interlopers out of Shuten territory. The gangs are wise to the usual Shuten tactics, though, and they're prepared for a fight. They are also appealing to the influx of Lost Souls: they act as though they're the victims of the factions' power struggles! They propose that taking up arms against the Shuten Clan will win them favor with the other groups in the city. (It will look less good with the Shuten Clan, should you be assigned to them.)

Fight with the Shutens, or with the gangs. Either way, a fight is coming.

2. TAMAMO TERRITORY - Throat Goat (NSFW)

at by akai riot

This prompt is overtly sexual in nature. Please use the proper NSFW labelling in your top levels and threads.

While the Palace of Sai in the underground is doing well, that doesn't mean the other businesses in the Tamamo Clan's collection have been slacking. One of the least "classy" soaplands has decided they're going to hold a contest to drive up business for themselves! They are partnering with some of the other sex clubs in the area for the sleaziest of events.

The Hyottoko Cup is looking for volunteer participants! The competition is pretty straightforward: a ruler is drawn on the throat of each participant and an array of members is presented to swallow. Whichever contestant can take the guests deepest and longest will take home the "coveted" Hyottoko Cup! Ok, there's a little judge favoritism involved too, so put on a show.

The guests have likewise been pulled in as volunteers, with instructions that they don't have to make this easy on the participants. Guests are provided with special seals that they can use for the length of the competition to enhance their natural assets. For those lacking the equipment entirely, there's a seal for that too.

Have fun and play nice.

3. TAMAMO TERRITORY - Strike a Poise (GEN)

Other businesses looking to jump start this month's earnings are also getting in on the spirit of competition! Businesses less oriented towards sexual service have come together as a means to draw in the high dollar clients, and one local club has proposed something old school.

Sign up for the Poise Contest, where contestants are placed into more and more ridiculous geta while tasked with serving drinks to the guest. Spills are expected, and the guests are cheerfully kitted out with cheap club-branded ponchos to protect their clothes. (Marketing, am I right?) While spills are expected, the contestant will lose points for each of the spilled drinks. Try to keep your balance as you attend to increasingly absurd drink orders. The intensity of the traditional footwear will only make your job that much harder.

Do you have what it takes to pour a champagne fountain while wearing teetering tengu geta? Prove your balance and dexterity is the best and the take home prize is some sweet cash. For Lost Souls freshly in the city, the chance to win some extra money can't really be passed up, huh…

4. SUTOKU TERRITORY - Jigokucho's Got Talent

Ever since Moonday's beloved singer – Ringo-chan – was kidnapped at the Tanabata festival, the band has had to cancel all of their scheduled gigs. Unfortunately, they were a hugely popular act, booked solid in most of the Sutoku Alliance's various nightclubs. This has left a ton of empty spots that need to be filled quickly, before the crowds get upset and demand… refunds.

That's where you come in, Lost Souls! Desperate promoters and talent bookers are literally grabbing Lost Souls off the street and begging, pleading, with them to perform a set for the night. They just need to have something to fill the space Moonday would have otherwise occupied. At least give the crowd something to see!

Acts do not need to be of the musical variety. Any performing talent is accepted, no matter how esoteric or bizarre! If it can fill out a 15-30 minute set, the club owners will be happy and the customers will at least see something interesting; even if it's a bad kind of interesting. So get on stage and show this city what you've got!

( Help us fill our time slots, please! We're desperate! 😩)

5. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENMA - Sticky Paws II: Outta the Bag

The Enma Department is busy: they have a kidnapping to investigate, a primordial god to pin down, and the crisis of their ever-shifting public image to manage. However, crime never sleeps and is always there to add to the troubled Department's workload. Worse still, we thought this little crime spree was over six months ago! But here it is again, much to the Enma's chagrin.

Cat cafés are a popular tourist attraction all across Jigokucho. About six months ago, a gang of bakeneko infiltrated several of the cafés to rob customers occupied with kitty bliss. Wallets, jewelry, and anything else those sticky paws could snatch away were being picked in droves. The cat capers are afoot once more!

Are you a hapless victim of these furry thieves, or are you helping the Department of the Enma track down these cat burglars? Unfortunately, the bakeneko are exceptionally clever and are using a seal to disguise their secondary tails. This makes them look just about like any normal cat. Better make sure your lead is good, or you'll be chasing down an ordinary Felis Catus. Soft to pet, but not going to return your pilfered cash.

Of course, the café staff might be in on this caper too… It's never easy to tell who's getting a cut of the profits. Be careful who you trust out there.

6. ALL OVER - The 100 Billion Yen Man (PLOT RELEVANT)

The local TV news has been announcing that Kaberou Kannazaki – the legendary finance wolf and the father of kidnapping victim, Ringo-chan – will be making an announcement this week. People have flocked to television sets throughout the city; at the squares, around TVs in bars, electronic stores, each other's phones, and any other venue with a connection. The kidnapping has been a highly public ordeal and the talk of the town. Many of the locals were present at the festival and witnessed the crime. They want to hear what the word is!

The public doesn't have to wait long. Wolf-eared Kaberou sits at a press desk, surrounded by microphones, and dazzled with flashbulbs. He clears his throat and, as he begins to speak, he is direct and to the point; not unlike a wolf lunging for the throat.

"As of today, I am issuing a bounty on the man known as the Iron Bear, who has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of my daughter, Ringo Kannazaki. The payout to the party responsible for bringing me Iron Bear, dead or alive, is 100 Billion Yen. Individuals or groups, I don't care. Just bring my daughter back to me, and the money is yours."

Well! The Department of the Enma's hopes of an orderly investigation have been dashed, but this is certainly an opportunity for anyone brave enough – or, more accurately, stupid enough – to traverse the Wasteland. Maybe one of you out there will find the legendary Iron Bear and bring him to some form of justice.

Local businesses are quick to leap at this opportunity, too. They begin to aggressively push sponsorships at would-be bounty hunters. Weapons? Armor? Survival gear? All at discount prices! Each faction has their interest in collecting the massive bounty as well. They will all be putting a lot of pressure on recruits to get ready to head out to the Wastes.

If you just got here? Well, it would definitely be in your interest to start finding gear, and finding people willing to collect that bounty with you. It could mean a big step forward toward your eventual contract, after all.

Welcome to the test drive meme!

First of all, big thanks to our discord chat for the "Throat Goat" prompt idea. Stay golden, gang.
IF YOU'RE TOP-LEVELING A NEW CHARACTER, post it here!
Characters already in the game can top level as well.
Threads here can be considered game canon.
Characters can be recruited to do work for any faction until they're given their official assignment.
If you have any questions about the TDM content, please ask them here! You can find information on the story so far here!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.
Reserves are open until September 5th.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

1. Jigokucho's Got Talent (Hopefully)

[As an active idol, you'd think Madoka would have this in the bag. She already has one of her idol outfits with her, she's used to singing and dancing for multiple hours. Fifteen minutes is nothing. The issue?

Well, the issue is she's not that used to doing it on her own. A single solo, sure, but not an entire performance. She's not nervous, exactly - she's just bled dry for material. She only has one song to her name right now. Her group has others, but she doesn't have any practice doing them solo.

Therefore, there's one (1) girl standing outside a popular club. Her outfit isn't exactly standard, though maybe it doesn't stand out that much compared to everything else going on in this city. Regardless, when someone passes by, she's reaching out to their shoulder, taking them by it, expression flat -]

Hey. Do you know any easy solo idol songs? I go on in an hour.

[... Yeah. She's got cramming before the test brain.]

2. Jigokucho Has Talent (Including You)

['Introducing... Higuchi Madoka, of Noctchill!'

The song's lowkey. Casual. She had one of her CDs on her, too, so she could just hand the CD over and tell them to back her with the instrumental. It's not the kind of song you dance to much, so she's mostly just stood in the center of the stage, singing it as best she can -

It goes well! Unfortunately, she is now Out Of Material. The lights come back up for a second, she's still got the mic in her hands. She's got her best idol smile on, a little small but still very sweet - all the 'thank you's and 'thanks for coming's she can muster, but eventually the applause dies down. Her expression returns to a more neutral one.]

Well. To be honest with you all, I'm a little starved for a song list. I thought I was only going on for fifteen, but that turned out to be a misunderstanding... well, that's my mistake. More importantly.

[She's peering out over the crowd -

And pointing directly to your character.]

Why don't you come up on stage?

[Her expression says 'just go with it, please,' but it's not like there's any real leadup. She's just going for it. Please help her kill a few minutes.]

3. Sticky Paws

[With the Cat Cafe Crisis, there's obviously a lot of amateurs trying to hunt down their stolen goods, in addition to the actual Department of the Enma and their associates. In other words, basically every cat in the city is getting accosted.

Therefore, Madoka's got a decently sized cardboard box. Inside of it are about six to seven cats. She's wandering around town with it, trying to peek down an alley - pushing the lid down, then telling the cars 'shush' and pushing it back down when they inevitably open it back up. Or stick their paws out of the airholes she's poked into the box.

She's trying to stick to the backalleys, but inevitably someone looks her way - maybe you, maybe an Enma officer who's suddenly very suspicious, maybe someone who had their jewelry pilfered - maybe all three - and she has to clutch the box tighter to her chest, eyes narrowing slightly.]

... There's a good explanation for this.

[The cats mewl, unhelpfully.]

[Azula had been looking for cats stealing valuables.

What she had not expected to find was... new Lost Souls stealing cats?

Okay, well, she doesn't even know what this, or if it's actually illegal, but it's clearly incredibly suspect.

Madoka, you're getting a severely unimpressed look from one (1) Enma officer right now.]

Go ahead. I'm listening.

[ This is definitely the definition of 'I went to search for a bronze and got a gold', because Yae was walking around aimlessly in the district trying to find anything interesting, only to get poked by this.

Holy hell that's one of the most unique and adorable choice of clothing that she has ever seen in this place. Then again, after seeing Haruka and some of the other idols doing their stuff in Jigoku, it shouldn't really be a surprise to her anymore. ]

My, you're asking me? Sure, I do know one or two songs, but...

[ Yae rolls her eyes, rather playfully at it. It's not like she doesn't listen to some of them, but well, she definitely isn't an expert at one. ]

[Makoto hadn't seen a show like this since he was in middle school. He loved watching concerts and talent shows on his TV before the Tragedy happened. Seeing those dazzling faces so bright and hopeful always made him feel so small yet free. He remembered wrestling over the control with his sister to see what they would watch. They would always eventually settle with watching Maizono's concert, arguing over which song of hers was the best.

Maizono...Seeing this girl perform he could almost see her again, her face shining with sweat but also happiness as she danced and sang with her friends. His eyelids lowered slightly as he remembered the last time he saw her alive. Her smiling face as she promised that she wouldn't open her door for anyone till morning. Her desperate face as she panicked and the feeling of her in his arms as she clung to him for comfort.

Before he could stop himself, his mind wandered to that fateful morning, and the following trial. The feelings of sadness and anger as he confronted Monokuma. Watching helplessly as his other friend was dragged to his death. Kuwata's desperate face as he faced his punishment.

Maizono, Kuwata... He hoped they were happy where they were now, in a place with no talents and no despair. He hoped that he knew that he didn't hate them, that he missed them every day. All of his classmates and... He closed his eyes solemnly as he yearned. ...He hoped to see them again one day.]

Why don't you come up on stage?

[Makoto was forced out of his thoughts by those words. Blinking his eyes opened, he looked up and saw the performer pointing at him.]

Wh-Me?

[He pointed at himself in confusion. Did she mean him? Before he could ask, he saw her face, begging him to go along with it and his confusion fell into acceptance. ...He could do that. He was no Ultimate Pop Star or something like that but he could at least give this girl some assistance. He nodded gently at Madoka and got up on the stage.]

What do you need me to do?

AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

Madoka Higuchi | THE iDOLM@STER Shiny Colors

3!

1

2 (Danganronpa Spoilers)