AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

[jigokumods]

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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.

Comments

sabo 🎩 one piece

[vivens]

ᴊɪɢᴏᴋᴜᴄʜᴏ's ɢᴏᴛ ᴛᴀʟᴇɴᴛ

[ the desperation of the club owners must have reached an all time low as sabo finds himself in a predicament that he's trying to get himself out of. he had simply been curious about what all of the fuss was about because clearly he had been living under a rock and not because he is brand new here or anything. somehow his curiosity translated into interest to performing on the now extremely vacant stage and one particular club owner seems to be Very Adamant about getting sabo onto their stage.

on their stage to do what? good question! sabo doesn't know and he's attempting to slip of their hands and worm his way out of the predicament he didn't expect to find himself in. for all of the pushing and shoving, however, sabo doesn't seem to be any bit angry. just apologetic and a bit flustered. ]

I'm really sorry; I'm not a performer of any sort. Really!

[ you may decide to help. you may decide to further throw him into the fire. hell, you may even decide to watch him suffer while eating a snack. all are acceptable decisions. ]

sᴛɪᴄᴋʏ ᴘᴀᴡs

[ technically stealing is wrong and people who are involved with that sort of behavior should be apprehended to be trialed and appropriately punished in the eyes of the law. technically. however, where sabo's from and the people he deals with, it's not always bad to do a bit of thievery. you never quite know who is involved in what and given that he's brand new here? sabo's not forming strong opinions just yet.

he, however, has scooped up a black cat with four white socks into his arms. softly but consistently, he'll be pressing his thumb into one of the cat's paws. it's a simple joy he must share with someone else so— ]

Look, look! The cats here are so friendly! They'll let you touch their paw pads without putting up a fuss.

[ now, is that a cat or is it a ""cat""? the smile on sabo's face and the sheer delight of being able to squish the cat's beans allude to neither one. ...though maybe the panicked expression on the cat's face is a clue of some sort? just maybe. ]

ᴛʜᴇ 100 ʙɪʟʟɪᴏɴ ʏᴇɴ ᴍᴀɴ

[ being a new arrival to the city and caught out in the middle of the streets, sabo drifted towards one of the tvs that were on display where he quietly listens to kaberou's statement and reframes from making any kind of comments just yet. mildly he makes note of the distress at the clubs but once kaberou is done making his statement, sabo can't help but make his remark with a bit of a huff of a laugh. ]

Some things don't change regardless of where you go or where you are.

[ still fine with being a bystander, sabo will gracefully dodge out of the way of those who are instantly blinded by the prospect of the monetary prize as well as the shift in the shop keeps who want to monopolize on the opportunity. before he seeing if he really wants to put a metaphorical horse into this race, he wants to know a bit more.

he'll turn towards the nearest person to him to get a better feel of what the general feeling is on the ground. some people have made their opinions very obvious and clearly some of the shop keeps are very eager to sell particular wares. however, sabo is curious where your character stands, and will do so politely. ]

So. [ a gesture back towards the tv where the "normal scheduled program" will start back up again. ] Do you think that making a statement like that will really help him find his daughter any sooner?

ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ

[ exactly as it says. just leave me whatever you want! ]

sticky paws

[beginanew]

[Sasuke was trying to help with the case, since Enma and all, going to different cafes to find out any clues, but... He's surrounded by cats. They're rubbing on his legs or trying to climb him and he's slightly annoyed.

Moving to a couch nearby, he chuckles when he sees the excitement of the guy pressing the paws of a cat.]

Some of them do.

[He picks up a cat to sit on its spot, and the feline decided to make Sasuke its bed, starting to purr.]

Never been here before?

[vivens]

[ look, sometimes it's nice to be experience the simple pleasures in life such as squishing a cat's beans. that said, sabo finds himself a touch amused at how the cats seem to gather towards him. ]

No, I'm what I suppose you'd consider a "new arrival".

[ he'll stop squishing the cat's paws and instead just cradle it securely against his chest and wanders over towards the couch. ]

Judging from what you've said, does this mean that you've frequented this place often?

[beginanew]

Not this particular cafe, but a few in the area.

[He sighs, passing his hand trough his hair.]

The bakeneko is hard to catch, and has been avoiding me, I'm sure.

[He looks at the cat on the guy's arms, raising an eyebrow.]

Fan of cats?

[vivens]

[ sabo doesn't say anything and just nods along. he remembers overhearing information that were consistent with what he was being told here. it certainly doesn't seem like an easy "problem" to deal with. ]

I see; I'd imagine that if they knew you were looking for them, they wouldn't be particularly eager to be around where you are.

[ he'll look down at the cat in his arms and the cat will look back up at him. it doesn't seem to want to do any more squirming and sabo smiles at it. ]

Maybe a little. You could say that I like the reward of earning their trust and affection. [ a small laugh. ] Of course, super friendly and welcoming cats exist as well.

100 billion yen man

[slippin]

[ There's something a little novel and a lot scary about everyone—everyone—stopping what they're doing to glue themselves to the nearest screen. Jimmy's no exception: though he hangs back from the crowd, his expression flickers more rapidly than the image on the TV, from wide-eyed attention to bafflement (it's like someone's never seen wolf ears on a guy before) to stunned dismay. ]

Guess not. [ He breathes in response to Sabo's first comment. At some point his hands found their way into his pockets. He slowly takes them out, gives the other man an inquiring look. ] Wait, what do you mean?

[vivens]

[ sabo muses softly at the agreement of his first statement though when he responds to his question, he briefly looks over towards the crowd before looking back over. ]

Making an announcement like this and causing this much of an uproar among the public—

[ he places a hand on his hip and and allows the other one to drop to his side as he better explains what he's looking for. to see what the opinion that's developing or has developed is. ]

What do you think this Iron Bear will do? I don't know anything about this man. Is he the type to think of this as a challenge and confront those who will come after him or is he the type to go deeper into hiding?

[ for a moment it might look like sabo will want to say something else but ultimately he doesn't say anything else. this is enough for him to chew on. ]

[slippin]

[ Jimmy glances away. The kid's dead. That's his instinct, a tight knot in the pit of his stomach that he refuses to shape into words. Where's the point in keeping her alive now?

But okay. Not what he's being asked. He ponders a moment, grateful for something like a distraction. ] I don't know either, but a guy who goes around calling himself Iron Bear, you gotta figure he'll hunker down. Otherwise he'd be Shifty Weasel or something. [ L...ogic? ]

Maybe Lon Chaney's [ a helpful gesture at the TV ] hoping some of his own crew will turn on him. [ If they saw the broadcast. What's reception like out in the capital-W Wastelands? ]

[harimaya]

(Hizen is quiet. He's keeping to himself and trying to listen to all of the boasting and dreaming around him. Someone has to know something about the Wasteland, right? There's gotta be some story or rumor that people are talking about but he has to filter through so much bullshit he feels like he's getting driven up the wall with annoyance.

Sabo approaches him though and Hizen thinks for a second before replying,)

Think it's gonna cause more trouble first. Look at everyone.

(They're buying out all of the stores. Everyone's going into a frenzy for money.)

They're like koi.

(Fish in a pond at feeding time......)

[vivens]

They sure are. [ sabo hums thoughtfully for a moment as he looks to the side and sees a shop keeper having to tell someone that they're currently out of stock of something but—what do you know! there's something else that's just like the previous thing but ""better"". at a premium price, of course. ] One hundred billion yen doesn't seem like money that anyone would sniff at.

[ he looks back over and crosses his arms then does a quick look over. sabo isn't sizing him up but he just wants to see what he can quickly gleam from appearances. ...even if they're not to be entirely trusted. ]

And it sounds like you're not going to be one of those people who are biting. Unless you're waiting for what happens next?

[harimaya]

(Of course. A new and improved version of a product with improved features even though there's no old one to compare it to. It's probably a different color too like jet black instead of khaki or camo green. Uwah.

Hizen rolls his eyes. That said, he doesn't adjust his posture or change at all under Sabo's eye. He's just a moody teen-slash-adult with slouching posture and a gloomy air to him.)

Money's power. If you can get that much, you could do almost anything. A bunch of people got some big debts to pay off here, too.

(That's it. That's the appeal. He still isn't rushing into it.)

I'll bet ya a thousand the boss is gonna give some orders soon.

(The boss. Toraguma. But he supposes he could be talking about anyone.)

jigokucho's got talent. i'm sorry naru

[dadsandals]

[ Yamato, who's also being harassed by promoters, is looking for an out. Any out. He's trying to redirect them to literally anyone else who looks like they're capable of putting on a better show than him. Sure enough, there's a guy with blond hair that catches his eye for some nebulous reason who's in the same predicament. Yamato feels slightly bad for this, but in a move of desperation, he directs them to poor Sabo. ]

Hey, what about that guy? Seems pretty charming, doesn't he?

[ One of the promoters can't seem to take their eyes off of Sabo. They look at Yamato right before making a beeline over to the other man to start pestering him instead.

Sabo may notice that the promoter came from Yamato's direction -- who is, by the way, still gesturing towards him while talking with the club owner left behind. ]

no you're not but that's okay w/me

[vivens]

[ love the fact that despite sabo furiously expressing the fact that he doesn't have any kind of talents, people are crowding him. however, with enough protesting and maybe a threat to break one of their hands if they pulled on his coat, one of them seemed to be backing off.

...only to be replaced with another person. a person that sabo doesn't miss who was also deflecting the club owners to any other poor sap who is declining the advances. on some level he respects it but largely he isn't cool with it. ]

Hey—! [ he's just going to casually jerk his arm back from someone who has gotten handsy. ] Don't go passing off them onto me!

[ and then in a moment of not exactly pettiness (but couldn't be said it wasn't pettiness either) sabo has an idea. if he must go down, he will go down with another person. ]

...partner.

[ the club owners looking pawing at sabo suddenly stop and look back over towards yamato. like sharks to blood in the water. ]

cheld,

[dadsandals]

[ Look, he's a handsome lad, that's all they need apparently – and Yamato is close enough to where he catches that last bit. Partner. He sees their eyes go back towards Yamato, and the one that had been talking to Sabo earlier makes his way over to Yamato instead. It's a silly game of back and forth, and once again, Yamato tries to shoo them off towards Sabo.

What happens instead is the promoters end up pulling Yamato towards Sabo instead. They stand back and look at them, as if they're trying to assess something...

Meanwhile, Yamato gives Sabo a wry smile. ]

Heh, guess I deserved that one. [ He sure did. ] Now that we're here, we might as well try to come up with an escape route.

ᴛʜᴇ 100 ʙɪʟʟɪᴏɴ ʏᴇɴ ᴍᴀɴ

[perfectdistance]

Faster? Nah.

[With that kind of statement, he's going to get people desperate for money, unprepared for the wastes, not properly stocked up on supplies. It's very easy to imagine a future where this gets a lot of people killed.]

[vivens]

[ sabo doesn't know enough about the wastes to know what kind of fates that await people who are blinded by greed, but the idea of people getting in over their heads and killed in the process wouldn't be new.

actually, it wouldn't be anything surprising or the first time. somethings remain the same no matter where you go or are, right? ]

Then what do you suppose it will end up being?

[perfectdistance]

A whole lotta desperate people are gonna end up dead just because of this guy's bounty.

Takes a lotta skill to deal with hostile environments, and this one ain't familiar to most.

sticky paws nya

[reifies]

[ Friendly cats? Sen thinks the cats are cute, but that's about it. They must be friendly enough to be in a cafe, but he wouldn't want cat hair in his food.

Anyway. He looks at the cat and then at Sabo. ]

I don't think I've ever seen a cat that looks so scared for its life.

[ But instead of chiding Sabo, he joins him in trying to squish its beans too. He's partially amused with how this situation might go. ]

They really feel like jelly beans...

[vivens]

[ there are worse things to have in your food than cat hair, honestly, but sabo gets it. for the moment he will ignore the comment about how paniced the cat looked and focused on the praise of the beans. his face alight with joy. ]

Right? Aren't they? I understand why people get so worked up about them now.

[ but really if the cat was suffering then that wouldn't make him happy by any means. though, if this was one of the thieves... perhaps this could be fair punishment. ]

If we give them treats for all of this as an apology—that'd be an even trade, don't you think?

[reifies]

Yeah! I don't have any money to buy treats with though.

[ And it's not like he can just pilfer them either. He heard this was the police district.

And yet. ]

Do you?

100 billion yen

[mortelix]

[ to be quite honest, mort didn't really pay attention to things that didn't naturally tickle his interest. but, that didn't explicitly mean that he wasn't aware of the events that occurred around him. while he doesn't go out of his way to be informed, it never hurt to know a thing or two.

it's after the announcement, that he sees someone has asked him his opinion. hence, it's easy for mort to ponder on the why. why was this stranger interested, perhaps. but, maybe it also stemmed down to something more fundamental.

"some things don't change regardless of where you go or where you are." ] You ask as if you're sick of it, or perhaps, merely just accustomed to it. [ it's a clear statement as he looks into the stranger's eyes, studying him carefully. the composure he shows as well was a fairly good indicator to his character and mort can't help but be a caught in by it. but, to answer his question: ]

I don't think it really changes much. If anything, I would say this "Iron Boar" or whatever he is called... [ bear mort. ] may just be reveling in his desperation. [ because... really, isn't that what these sorts are about? ]

[vivens]

You could say that it's a little bit of both.

[ the answer comes simply enough because it isn't anything that would give away more than he already has. he's not too shocked that anyone would have overheard him; it wasn't like he was trying to hide his voice or anything. he'll shift his weight to favor one foot as he rests a hand on his hip. ]

But if we want to be particular, then I'd say that demonstrations like these were fairly common where I grew up. [ to say the very least. pirates and their bounties. ] Which is why I'm inclined to agree with what you've said. This Iron Bear does sound to be the kind of person who would revel in this kind of attention.

[ don't mind sabo casually correcting mort without exactly pointing it out to him. or, well, if it even counts as a correction. ]

I wouldn't be too surprised if he didn't try to up the odds himself with his own announcement.

[mortelix]

[ he hums along to sabo's statements, even as he's being corrected. if anything, he seems to not even recall if there was any sort of error on his part. poor iron bear. the disrespect it real. regardless, as he crosses his arms over his chest, he does give a small nod of comprehension. ]

You really do sound experienced. [ it was a rare thing, he thinks. so many people were so caught up in their own altruism that they might have failed to see the larger picture. mort gets the feeling that the person in front of him was more methodical than most.

which, was genuinely amusing to him. ] So? Does that mean you're going to partake, or not? [ it's said with genuine curiosity as he studies the man. it seems like an oddly timed question considering how heated all the vendors are around them. it does seem like a good opportunity, but mort can't state how exciting it would be to hunt down such a man or a hostage. ] I admit, I can't read your decision. [ but he kind of preferred that. ]

paw pads

[transcompilation]

Ohhhh, really? I know they're more used to it, since that's partially the point of these cafes and all, but usually they start squirming if you push it a little too much ... or I thought so, at least?

[ hello poor cat. or ""cat."" help is...

not here for you today. absolutely not, as 45 settles down right by sabo and attempts to curiously squish a paw pad, just to see what he means.

is she aware of our sticky pawed fiends? is she doing this on purpose? who knows. ]

stares at my hands, ignores the date stamp, and fights the comment count

[vivens]

[ do we feel bad for this """cat"""? oh, no, we definitely will not feel bad for this alleged cat for they are """cat""" instead of just cat. not that we can confirm or deny that this is actually the other kind of feline "friend" or the like.

but as 45 squishes the beans, the """cat""" will squirm and have their tail twitch back and forth a bit agitatedly but not to the point where it will want to fight (bite) back with any kind of response. ]

Maybe this one is extra tolerant to having their paws played with. They are multi-colored. Most of the cats that I've seen typically have pink ones.

[ :) ]