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!
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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ When Amelia flags him down, Sen turns to look at her. ]

Oh, you're the one who talked about Chrissy disappearing!

[ That's not exactly it, but-- ]

That was a good story! I was hooked the whole time!

[ The answer comes later. ]

[Green eyes blink at Sen, somewhat blindsided by his compliment.]

Oh... Thanks. [She almost forgets about her question as she brushes her fingers through her hair awkwardly.]

They really put me on the spot there but I'm glad someone enjoyed it.

Edited 2022-08-26 16:54 (UTC)

Was it a story you just made up right there? That's some incredible improv skills if it was!

[ He'd never turn down an interesting story like that, as long as it's not written. ]

But for your question thing! I'm human, but there was some magic where I came from. I wouldn't say it's blatant like here though.

It's a true story where I'm from.

[Amelia takes her time to jot down some notes now that Sen answered her question.]

"Hair: White (a feature of precognitives where I'm from, may not apply here)
Eyes: Blue
Attitude: Friendly, liked the Agatha Christie story."

Well, it appears a majority of Lost Souls are humanoid at the very least. [She closes her notebook.]

Sounds like my world to an extent... Though I suppose the scale of blatancy also varies.

My name is Amelia by the way. What's your name?

I'm Sen.

[ Just that. Either he doesn't have a surname, or just doesn't think it's important. True stories though... however morbid it may be, he still has a smile on his face. It was an interesting story, and that's what matters. ]

Maybe they only want souls of humanoids for some reason?

[ "They" as in "this place" or whoever is running it, apart from Enma as far as he knows. ]

But it's a magical place in a sense. I feel like I can do anything!

Sen. [She repeats his name and then nods.]

As for our souls... Well, I don't feel that the container is a limitation. These faction leaders the residents and other "Lost Souls" are beholden to just want power when it comes down to it.

[It's the same old story above or below.]

... It is... A place worth studying. [So she says cautiously. Amelia tilts her head at Sen curiously.]

When you put it that way, it makes me think that you had limited freedoms. Was that the case or is it the newness of our new situation?

[ Sen stares at her for a moment, thinking that she uses big words that he doesn't quite understand. It makes him think that he should have paid attention to what Evi must have said in the past.

But huh. She's sharp. He laughs a little. ]

I'm a traveler. Had a traveling partner with me, but he's not here. He's like a restraint, in a way. Not in a magical sense though! It's just that he's so uptight and stuff.

[It's what happens when one mostly reads books instead of talking with other people. Amelia usually doesn't notice the slightly more grandiose manner of speaking she utilizes until someone points it out to her.

She can be weirdly sharp in other ways. Sometimes it works for her, sometimes it doesn't.]

Mm. Well, this place doesn't appear to be as uptight when it comes to vices, so you'll be free to run around as you please, that's for certain.

[She's seen that red light district... All those clubs, karaoke, and restaurants... Really nice looking restaurants actually.

Oh, her stomach suddenly growls. She hasn't really eaten yet and the sound makes Amelia's face turn red even though her facial features (attempt) to look collected.]

... Have you eaten yet?

[ Sen smiles when he hears her stomach growl. The embarrassment on her face is cute, he thinks. ]

Is that an invitation? I have no money to my name, but I'll go with you even if you don't feed me.

[ Talking to others is fun sometimes, so Sen is here to get his mileages worth. ]

... Yes. [She's determined not to act flustered and unbalanced, she's in her 60s for god's sake.]

I'm not so impolite that I'd just leave someone who's answered my questions courteously. And it just so happens that my storytelling on stage has granted me some funds. Not a lot, but it's something.

Really? They should have given you a lot more!

[ Sen looks like he's ready to follow her. ]

Anyway, what did you want to eat? I'm okay with bread.

[ Yeah. Not even a sandwich. Just bread. ]

Just bread?

[She'll start walking then and towards a street where it skirts between Sutoku and Tamamo designations, but neutral enough to not cause either of them problems.]

I think you can do better than that. The food here looks rather decent. We're not lacking in variety at least.

But what if they're expensive?

[ He says it like he's saying some sort of forbidden word. ]

Or are you rich enough with the funds you got even though it "isn't much"?

[ Though he knows fuck all about currency. ]

Two sandwiches and water from the local convenience store aren't going to break the bank.

[She can't quite make out what Sen is all about. It's not so much the magic, but him as a person... But it does explain why he had a traveling companion to look after him.]

Are you... Sheltered by any chance?

[pot calling the kettle black perhaps, but she had her reasons she's sure he does too.]

Sheltered?

[ Sen looks thoughtful for a moment as he follows her. ]

Hm, I guess... that depends? Sheltered about the ways of the world? No. Sheltered as in I never had the chance to do any scholarly things? Yes!

Alright... [That doesn't make the picture any clearer for her, but all in due time.]

You mentioned you were traveling before all of this. What was your destination?

I don't know! But I'm dead now, so I don't think it matters. I was just going wherever my traveling partner wanted to go to.

[ Though, her answer makes him wonder if she didn't fully understand what he meant. ]

Oh, by scholarly things, I mean read, write, and mathematics.

[SEN... SEN SHE IS CONCERNED and she doesn't bother to try and mask it. ]

... Are you sure? Do you remember dying?

[And he just seems to go with the flow in a concerning way??]

Hm... I think so?

[ He doesn't seem too sure of that though. Sen sure does go with the flow anyway, since it's much less of a hassle. ]

But even if this is what they call hell—the place you go after you die—it doesn't seem so bad yet.

[ Is this optimism? Or coping? Hm. ]

[She sighs witheringly while scratching the side of her head.]

Well... I don't think it's hell per se. Just one type of it and we've been given a chance to gain something in return for serving one of the leading figures of this world.

After all, most hells I've read about across a wide array of literature are more of a punishing environment. This is more of a sprawling urban city where you can just indulge yourself silly to your own detriment or not.

[It's flexible, is what she's saying.]

Though of course, based on my questioning of the locals, the past few months have been rather eventful.

What happened? Does it have to do with the things on the telly?

[ Yes. Telly. ]

[She raises a brow at him calling it the telly, but you know what, that has been the least weird thing he's said around her so far.]

Mm, yes that. But even before that high-profile kidnapping, there's been cursed rain in one of the prior months, and the power struggle continues on as usual. There's an uneasy truce among the factions, but it nearly went awry with the supposed death of the Sutoku head.

[yeah she's been busy, girl's gotta be informed]

The kidnapping case seems to be on everyone's mind first and foremost now. And why not? That's a lot of money they're offering.

I don't know how much that is, but it must be a fortune to have everyone looking at it like thirsty people stranded in the desert.

[ That makes him think—but does he really? It seems like he's just head empty, no thoughts. ]

It seems relatively peaceful out here, but I guess that's the face they have to show for the sake of the people.

You can't count a billion much less 100 billion on your fingers, let's just say.

[She says it so dryly it almost doesn't sound like a joke.]

Depends on where you are at any given moment. I think the Shuten clan has been clashing with some local street gangs so a brawl and fisticuffs out in the open isn't an unusual sight.

Do people place bets? Or does the Shuten clan always win?

[ He's seen some of those people and man, they're jacked. He could watch them all day. ]

after the show

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