jigokufever | AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

Entry tags:

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

...eh?

[ the moment leviathan brings up "dating," a marked change happens. nazuna freezes in her tracks; her eyes go wide, her cheeks immediately flushing bright pink. for a moment, all she can do is stare, completely dumbfounded by this new accusation.

and then it sinks in, and nazuna makes a sound much like a whistling teapot. ]

Nnnnnnnnno! No, no, no, NO! [ her hands fly up; she waves them back and forth uselessly in the universal symbol for "what the fuck man." ] No way! I don't- I'm not-

[ whatever levi thinks nazuna is about to say, it's probably not what ends up stumbling out: ]

I don't do r- ro- romantic- [ she practically tries to charade it out, then gives up in dramatic fashion. she can't even say the word without stuttering. ] -boyfriend-girlfriend stuff! That's not my style! Gross! Weird! It's- It's not me, so...

[ is she. is she shaking? she is. she's shaking like a terrified chihuahua. she covers her face, all but yelling through her hands. ]

And he's fourteen! Not thirteen! At least get that right!

[this is supposed to be the fearsome, intimidating vampire? leviathan is... not for the first time in this conversation, somewhat stunned. this whole reaction feels—well, it feels childish. and maybe that's the thing here, you know? maybe the issue is that in vampire terms, nazuna is still very young. maybe that makes it an actual reasonable thing to do, what she's doing.]

[levi tries very hard to be open-minded. they really do.]

I see now that maybe I overshot your age a little bit. [sometimes, though, they can't resist making a jab or two.] You're okay with people putting their parts in each other's mouths, but holding hands is a little too far for you? You are... one of the most interesting vampires I've ever met, Nazuna.

[it doesn't answer the question! nothing does! but. they're also not really asking that question right now.]

What is he to you, then? You certainly seem possessive enough of him that he could be your boyfriend.

Shut up, shut up, shut up! [ not that it sounds very convincing, muffled and behind her palms. ] Age has nothing to do with it! And putting parts into someone's mouth is perfectly normal, okay?! Animals do it! Humans do it! Vampires do it! It's the l- luh-

[ you've got this, nazuna. let it all out. ]

-lovey-dovey crap that's weird!

[ nailed it. nailed it so hard. ]

He's my prey, got it!? My local blood bag! I get good meals off of him, and he gets the honor of a gorgeous, sexy, super cool and super hip vampire chick drinking his blood! [ and that'd be a really bad reflection on her, if she knew how to keep her mouth shut for even a fucking second. ] And yeah, sure, we're friends! So what?! He's a cool kid! Way cooler than you! What, just because he doesn't work in finance and wine and dine some corpo head, that makes him someone not worth my time?!

[ uh. ]

Get real! Fat chance! He's- he's at least twice as cool as any other lame servant I could have chosen! He doesn't wanna become a vampire because of some stupid reason like- like love, or romance, or any of that other dumb shit! He just understands what it's like to be a part of the night, okay!? Get off my case! He's not my boyfriend, he's not my lover, and he's definitely not a boytoy or anything like that! Kou-kun's my best friend, okay?! My friend!!

[ this seems like. it might be addressing some issues that leviathan never even brought up. ]

So if he- If he, you know, does end up- You know-

[ do they???? ]

-then it's not my fucking problem, got it!?

[see, everything that levi needed to hear began and ended with "he's my best friend". everything else just seems... well, a little unnecessary, but also very funny. they try their best to keep a straight face, but by the end of it they are laughing quietly with their hand curled up in front of their mouth.]

I understand. [they don't think they do. they really don't think they do. but it's okay, because it's funny. this reaction is so over the top that it makes leviathan feel like they have the upper hand—though, well, they do have one part of this record that they absolutely need to correct. everything else, they no-sell. they wait for nazuna to calm herself down and thank whatever god is listening that they're not that bad (anymore).]

But I'm not in finance and she's not a corpo head. Say what you want about the rest of me, but I'm absolutely not the kind of person who would make themself any corporation's lackey.

Good! Good. Guess we see eye to eye then.

[ this person's laughing at her. and, well - that sucks, but at least they're not saying any more gross and weird stuff about- you know. relationships.

... ]

Fine. Whatever gets your salary, then.

[ yeah, she's just kind of deflated at this point. the earlier stammering fury is just gone. ]

Mentoring meta-humans and vigilante philanthropy.

[they say it after a long pause, worrying that maybe they've done something incorrect. the freakout stopped far too quickly—but they don't know, really, do they? they're not good at reading people, much less vampires. they are going to try not to dwell on it. already, it is not working; they can even feel their speech stiffening along with their shoulders.]

That's how I used to get paid. I was a trusted enough member of my organization to be left with the development of new members of meta-humanity in my hands. It's not exactly the same here.

Meta...

[ she understood approximately half of those words individually, and definitely not any of them put together. ]

Hey now, hey now, are you just making things up?

[they tilt their head. it shouldn't be a surprise to them anymore that people don't really know what meta-humanity is, but they thought that, you know. a vampire might be able to piece some stuff together? well, maybe that was also part of the bit. either way, they're not gonna leave her hanging.]

No I'm not! Meta-humanity is... it's a new step forward in evolution, if you believe certain scientists. Basically, it's otherwise normal humans who were born with some sort of mutation that grants them extra abilities. [they can't quite generate a harmless ball of lightning in the palm of their hand yet, but ever since that letter from the daitengu they've been eager to get back to the casual spark lightshow that they use to self-regulate, so they do that with the tips of their fingers. it's a similar display to the one that they don't know nazuna had seen.]

For example. I generate electricity inside of my body.

[ nazuna hears a lot of words, once again, that she doesn't really bother keeping up with. evolution, and scientists, and mutation - but that one shows up in videogames sometimes, so maybe she'll still pay attention, y'know?

and then leviathan shows the lightning again. a part of nazuna's brain finally lights up - this is something she understands, now! - and another part completely shuts off, and she says with a cheery smile: ]

Ohhh! Gotcha, gotcha. Sheesh, you should've just said!

[ did she... did she actually get it? ]

So like, humans with magic, right?

[ no. no, she did not. ]

[no. well, yes. well, not really. they don't exactly correct nazuna, but they don't want to get totally the wrong idea across, either.]

In a sense. It's biological instead of magical, though—mine is all localized within my heart. I knew people who were extremely strong, or who could generate fire the way I generate lightning. Things like that.

[they think by saying more, they're just going to bore nazuna. but they also think that they can't stop themself.]

If you believe the propaganda, we're evolving so humanity can take its new place among the stars. I'm not sure how true that really is, but it's still a new phenomenon. Maybe that's what it's for after all.

...you're human aliens with magic?

[ sorry, leviathan, you said the magic word. she looks starstruck. ]

Holy shit! Hey, how strong is the lightning? Can you make it rain? [ she grabs leviathan's shoulders, staring up at them with a look of utmost sincerity. ] Have you ever been on a spaceship?

[oh, no.]

[well. this is a better reaction than the alternative. and it's not like they've never run into people who are super excited about meta-humanity before... just not in this way in a while. despite themself, they feel their lips turning up in a smile.]

We're not aliens, and I've never been on a spaceship. [they laugh gently at the idea. (of course, they'd been slated to see what carassia energy's partners had been developing on mars, but that was before the troubles.)] We're just humans with a little extra, and honestly, cyberware is so advanced that you can emulate a lot of meta-humanity with technology.

[they have... mixed opinions about that, but they try not to let it show on their face. still, they know they're looking off to the side, not caring about the way their shatterscar eye glimmers in the ambient light. they can pretend that it's all okay in the name of education.]

The lightning is usually pretty strong, but I think it's on a resistor here to prevent me from... well, taking out the entire power grid. And no, I can't make it rain. It's just electricity.

Ah, come on! You've gotta get a spaceship at some point, right? If technology's so far ahead, where's the UFOs, huh!?

[ if nazuna notices levi's own opinions wavering, she sure doesn't show it. and at the same time, if nazuna thinks levi's scarred eye or powers are weird...? she doesn't show that, either. ]

Damn, the whole power grid!? Are you a superhero? Are you Th*r!? [ HOW DID SHE DO THAT A SECOND TIME. ] Ah, sheesh, that's so cool... You gotta stop that, man, you're making me look like a wuss over here! Humans aren't supposed to be stronger than vampires, y'know!?

[ but she sure doesn't sound upset about it. not in the slightest. ]

[they laugh, and they're just a little embarrassed about it, because, well—]

To be completely honest with you, I've never really tried to see how strong it can get. I don't know if it would be smart for me to do that. After all, imagine how much strain that would put on the body, channeling that much lightning through it for so long.

[imagine the strain on their heart. imagine the life slowly being pulled from them as they do it. imagine falling into a coma. these are all things they decidedly do not focus on when they think about their mutation.]

But don't forget—I'm not a human, really. I'm a meta-human, and there are no rules about how strong we're supposed to be. I bet there's some out there who can breathe in space all on their own.

[ imagine how much strain that would put on the body.

she doesn't really have to imagine shit. she already knows a human who's dealing with that every time he sees red. kou's leaps, his landing from stories up, his getting shot... none of that is something a human body should have to go through.

she reaches up, patting levi's shoulder without asking. it's a weirdly genuine response. ]

Figure out your own limits first, yeah. Don't do anything too stupid. [ she grins, wide and toothy. ] But if you're not just human anymore... You'll get there eventually.

[ just like kou. she's got faith in that much for both of them. ]

[now, that is a surprise. it's like a complete 180 from what they've seen from nazuna so far. they take a moment to process it, their eyes widening before falling back into an expression just a shade off from neutral.]

...Thank you, Nazuna. I don't plan on doing anything too stupid, no—that's probably another reason I have this limiter on, you know? It wouldn't do much good to have a Lost Soul try something that leaves them unfixable. [that's probably the closest they've come to the real reason behind it, they think.]

I've never really had a need to test my own limits like that... I mean, I know what most types of electronics need without overloading them, and that's what I used my mutation for. Doing good for the people in my city instead of... zapping bad guys.

That's really cool, yeah... But both is even better!

[ yeah, okay. that's the nazuna levi knows and regrets. ]

You can even play games in a blackout, right? Ahh, sheesh, that's soooo useful... [ she turns, pointing directly at leviathan as she walks. ] You've got a pretty awesome set of skills, man!

[they laugh, at least in good spirits about that switch back to the better-known vampire.]

Maybe. It's gotten me pretty far in life. It might not be quite as convenient as some others' mutations, but... well, it makes people's lives better and that's all I'm trying to do. [and at the risk of learning more about nazuna than they're prepared for, they ask,] What kinds of things are you trying to do? Back home, I mean.

What kind of stuff...? [ a beat - and she laughs sheepishly, waving one hand. ] Ah, you know. Just... stuff, right? Cool vampire stuff, ahaha!

[ her hand drops back down to her side. she tries to keep up the smile - not very well, though. and after a moment, she just. exhales. ]

...honestly, it's not as cool as you'd think. [ simple. truthful. not ashamed, but not proud of it, either. ] I live in an apartment. I eat, I sleep, I play games. We vampires have a lot of time on our hands, y'know? I run a cuddle clinic when I run low on spending money, and that's pretty fun, at least.

[ she continues walking as she speaks, almost thinking aloud to herself. ]

...I don't know if I'm really trying for anything in particular. [ she reaches up, scratching at the back of her neck. ] A lot of stuff has happened in the past few months, you know? I started hanging out with a kid that wants to become a vampire. My old senpai tried to get me to kill her. My... My best friend got shot.

[ she sighs. and then she tries to laugh, pushing a smile back on her face. ]

With shit like that, is it really so wrong to want to just live each day on its own? To just... live, without having to worry about plans and goals and guns and hunters and all that crap?

Edited 2022-09-01 00:30 (UTC)

[levi feels the sympathy swell inside of their chest. they recognize what it looks like when someone is just trying to get by. when the world is placing expectations on them, or when someone else is doing it, and all they want to do is make it to the next artificial sunrise. leviathan has seen it rise again and again in the faces of the people they've helped on the streets, the new meta-humans they've mentored, the friends they've made in the NSO.]

[it's the main factor that causes their steps to slowly quicken so they can keep better pace with nazuna. when she starts talking about everything else that she's been through, levi's heart aches with that same pain. and it's the last line that crushes them.]

[it's what everybody has ever wanted.]

Hey, Nazuna. [they touch her shoulder, then her other shoulder. and with the distance already closed between them, they pull her into a hug close against their body. she can probably hear the way that levi's heart is beating a little faster, just as a result of any kind of intimacy even if it doesn't actually mean anything. but in this case it means... a surprising amount.]

It's not wrong to want that. That's the kind of thing that I worked for every day of my life at home. It's what I want everyone like me to have.

[ like this, with her defenses down, nazuna's expression is a little more readable than usual. there's none of her usual laissez-faire attitude, no laughter or bawdy jokes or half-assed flirtations tumbling from her lips. there's just a tired young woman there before leviathan, a bit of confusion in her eyes.

(she's small enough that she has to crane her neck to rest her head on leviathan's shoulder. "like a doll," some people had called her. they're not wrong.) ]

...that so? [ she finally moves to hug leviathan back. her arms wrap around the other's frame; she exhales, somewhere between fond and hesitant. ] Guess you get it more than I thought.

[ she steps back, that small grin still on her face. ]

I ain't in finance or anything like that, but... what's your thoughts on grabbing a drink with a beautiful vampire instead?

[the finance thing again. the tightness in levi's chest dissipates as the hug breaks, and they're left just standing there, not quite processing how vulnerable they'd just let themself be, looking down at the most human vampire they'd ever met. they breathe out a laugh.]

Let's go. I still have some winnings from tanabata saved up—my treat. What's your drink of choice, anyway?

[they really can't tell by looking at her, but they've never been able to do that anyway. one way or another, they seem in fairly high spirits now that they've had this kind of moment with her. speaking of 180s.]

Because I've never been much for alcohol, but it turns out Hell has some pretty amazing selections available.

Uweeeeeh, it's gotta be beer, right? Booze is good, but beer is better! [ she says it in a cutesy tone, intentionally lisping the words. like she's mimicking some party girl or something. ] Cheaper, too! And it lasts longer! It's all around the perfect drink, y'dig!?

[ y.... y'dig....... ]

[and levi, well. they aren't going to laugh outright again, but that answer does change the direction of where they were planning on taking nazuna. they shift away from the sort of classier little bars, the ones that they were a little more familiar with just from the kinds of things that ursula had spoken about. instead, they redirect towards the type of bar that one jill stingray would typically work at, which has its own kind of undeniable charm to it.]

I'll have to take your word for it. Here, I actually know a place near where I live—we're not too far from it. The beer is... mm, well, I don't know that I have a frame of reference, really. But I think you'll have a good time. I think we both will. Perhaps it can wash the taste of something else out of my mouth.

[they rub at their throat again. this is a joke. it is a joke meant to rile nazuna up, but it is a joke nonetheless.]

[ nazuna's vibing along with the conversation. how could she not? this is great! she's getting beer out of it, and this person actually doesn't suck. it's awesome. she's loving this place.

and then leviathan says "wash the taste out of my mouth" and rubs their throat, and nazuna just. freezes in place. she says, after a moment, in some combination of intrigued awe and utmost betrayal: ]

You did go for the Big Gulp?

[ please don't call it that. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject