jigokufever | AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

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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.

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3.

[Bridget was drawn by the club as a chance to show off and make some money while doing so. After a moment of equipping herself with ridiculous getta she hit the floor with a bit of flair and ready to take part in the event. Moving from customer to customer, she was oddly nimble, a side effect of having trained in combat her entire adult life, and had a smile on her face awhile doing so.]

Is everyone having a good time!? [she said, while in the moment closing her eyes with a smile, then spilling just a bit of her drink orders for the first time.] Well shoot...

[Bridget quickly went back the routine, but as she did having dropped a single order had shook the rest of her as well thus she looked a little less steady with each step she took...]

4.

[Like her club experience, it didn't' take much to rope Bridget into appearing on stage even if just for a moment. Not only was she a successful bounty hunter, but also a aspiring entertainer as well. Just what being an “entertainer” meant was somewhat nebulous to the young girl, but what she did know was she wanted to appear on stage, with or without back up, for once in her life and feel the rush of the applause of a live crowd.

Thus she took the stage with a her trademark yoyo in hand and bowed before smiling at the crowd.]

Hey everyone! I'm Bridget and tonight I'll be putting on a little show for you all. I hope you all enjoy it, I worked very hard on it.

[She then took her yoyo in one hand and began to manipulate in a manic display of loops and other tricks with a smile on her face, The whole display lasted about 15 minutes before taking a bow and leaving the stage. Off stage, she seemed very satisfied with herself.]

[ Musashi had honestly really appreciated that look of energy the new girl had shown before, but it was hard for her to miss how much that mistake had rattled Bridget. The Tamamo lieutenant's heart moved for the girl, and she had to take a moment to pull Bridget aside, just for a bit, anyways. ]

Hey, hey, take it easy... you're in a strange place, strange people, one spill's not gonna ruin your chances here, okay? That smile was what was winning people's hearts before, more than your sense of balance.

[Bridget was quiet as she was ushered aside. She really wasn't sure what to expect honestly, as someone who more often than not worked with little oversight the thought of what could happen next was a little scary.]

Do you think so? I really thought I messed up there.

What makes the difference is in the recovery from the mistake, not the mistake itself. [ Musashi spoke softly, her words carrying with them an eased confidence that clearly held some experience to it. ]

Don't focus so much on what you did wrong, but rather on what you can learn. We're always growing, after all.

That's good advice...

[She was still a little hesitant. There was quite a bit of difference between entertaining people and beating them up for money.]

I guess I shouldn't beat myself up about something I'm new at.

Exactly! Plus, you'll psyche yourself into making more mistakes if you stay down on yourself. Folks don't care if you spill the occasional drink so long as you have a good attitude!

[ Well. Some folks cared. They cared a lot. But Musashi couldn't pretend to understand that kind of outlook, so she just... wouldn't. ]

If I have anything, it is a good attitude.

[She laughed.]

Just gotta get myself out there and try again.

Exactly!

So... how about you get me a large beer and a bowl of udon?

[ She was still supposed to be working for the competition, after all, and well... Musashi was hungry. She could still help guide new Lost Souls, but how could anyone expect her to do so on an empty stomach! ]

Sure! It will be right up.

[Bridget awkwardly ran off as much as her geta would allow. She sounded much more sure of herself.]

[ Much better! She figured there was a chance Tamamo wouldn't snap up the girl's contract, but regardless of where she wound up, an attitude that could weather mistakes would take her places, regardless.

... She really did have a soft spot for the newbies, huh? Well, that was to be expected... especially when they were so cute!

Maybe that was her hunger talking, though. She leaned back into her seat, waiting patiently for the order to come in as she watched some of the other serves struggle to move even half as quick as Bridget had been... ]

Order up!

[Bridget barged back into the room with a mug of beer in one hand and a Musashi's meal on a plate in the other. She moved with a certain grace that had been missing a moment before and managed to return without spilling a single drop of anything on the ground. As she finally approached with the order she smiled again.]

Here you go, I hope it meets your expectations.

There's the girl I saw earlier! [ Bridget really did have a talent for motion. In fact, Musashi could tell that this girl had experience under her belt in situations far more dangerous than simply trying to get plates of food from one end of a room to another on ridiculous footwear. There was a grace to her motion and a strength that was needed to hold that balance.

Taking the bowl and the mug, Musashi got herself a sip of the broth, and of her beer, before speaking up. ]

So... You're a wandering fighter, too, huh?

Hm? I guess you could say that! I'm technically a bounty hunter.

[She lowered herself to hear just a bit better.]

I bring in the various weirdos with a number on their heads and then pay me. It's good work if you can get it.

No kidding? And here I was doing duels for free like a sucker.

[ Musashi, of course, laughed, indicating she knew well the difference between what she did and what Bridget did, but when it came down to it, the paths weren't all that different. And it wasn't like someone couldn't earn a little scratch on a journey of growth! ]

[She laughed back. There was something similar between the two girls but it was still amusing.]

Yeah, but sometimes I have had to beat up people without being paid for it. The world's just a dangerous place sometimes.

Ok, gotta say... that was definitely one of the last displays I expected to see when I came to this shindig. Pretty impressive, though.

[Admittedly, the blue haired girl leaning against the wall as Bridget was coming down off the stage had no clue just how impressive things could get with that yo yo. She didn't even remotely think of it as a weapon yet after all. Smirking over at her, she waved the blonde over.]

Got a bit of a flare for the stage, do ya?

Thank you! It was actually my first time doing it on stage...I was a little nervous.

[She spoke as she approached the blue-haired woman. Bridget was slightly out of breath and a little sweaty to boot. She wiped the latter from her forehead before she spoke.]

You think? Being an entertainer is my one of my dreams.

Oh trust me, lady. If that's your dream? You're absolutely going to get to fulfill it around here. They love giving us a spotlight whenever we get the chance. All kinds of ways to entertain.

[Admittedly? It probably wasn't just for the yoyos, but the clients in town wanted nothing but to be entertained. She grinned over at her and extended a hand.]

Name's Tenshi. Nice to meetcha.

Well, if they want me on stage then I'll be more than happy to give them a show.

[Bridget took Tenshi's hand with a sly smile.]

I'm Bridget and the same to you.

[She shook her hand, smirking back at Bridget and chuckling a little.]

Yeah, you'll definitely get all kinds of chances. It all depends on what you want to perform in. Kinda also depends on who you end up working for. Maybe you'll get lucky and work for the Enma, and then you can...

[giggle. Snort.]

yeah, they don't do public performances. here's hoping you're with us or Sutoko. Plenty to do there. But, not like that stops folks from doing their own thing on their own time.

Wherever I end up I'm pretty sure I'll be fine.

[There was a lot Bridget could do, she would prefer to start carving herself a place as an entertainer but if not she could always crack a few heads as well.]

I'm pretty good at quite a few things.

Are you now? Well, it never hurts to be at least a little bit versatile around here. Still, I hope you can handle yourself in a fight. We do get into our fair share of tussles, regardless of the faction.

[And forgive her, but she hadn't quite seen what a Yo Yo could do in combat.]

I'm pretty good in a fight! Between these things.

[She flips her yoyo in the air for emphasis]

And Roger I can take on pretty much anyone

[Squint. She was looking at her yo yos and frowning before pointing and stating the obvious question.]

Wait, these are weapons? You use them like bolos or something? Not that I'm doubting you, but I've never seen a weapon quite like this?

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AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

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