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

[medicative]

Yes, if you don't mind.

[she looks at him a bit curiously, but when you've a community presence and some standing in your clan, sometimes people know your name. instead of pursuing that for the moment, she just makes sure the box is safe.]

I'm making a delivery of supplies - it's just down the way, but some of the components are more fragile than others. I can't risk breakage.

[the telltale clink of glass in the box should affirm her.]

[osteoderm]

It's not a problem.

[ after all, there are answers to questions to be found here, so how can he say no? naturally, this means there's whining from the gaggle of his abruptly-gained entourage, but he gives a dismissive wave and assurances to answer their questions later, should the opportunity arise- not that he expects anything more than more curious poking and prodding.

the clink of glass is a bit nostalgic if anything, and he reaches out to take the box carefully, with all the care of a man used to handling delicate lab materials. after all, you can't work with broken tools; he knows that firsthand. ]

You seem quite busy, Doctor, so at least let me lighten your load a little.

[ even if he is so ever, deathly curious about what has her looking somewhat haggard. working ever so hard, even without the manor to run them ragged? ]

Would you mind indulging me in some conversation on the way?

[medicative]

[it's unasked for but deeply appreciated. the heft of the box isn't so much that it's a struggle to carry, and probably even easier for a man used to maneuvering around a lab. the children disperse, clearly over now that they won't get any more questions answered. easily coming, easily going.

Emily's smile is polite, but she hasn't lost the vague curiosity around it. he's a gentleman to assist, no doubt, but to already know her in relation to the clinic....another medical scholar? would fate be that kind?]

Not at all, sir, but I must confess you have me at a disadvantage. You know me, yet I don't know your name.

[please...introduce yourself? she'll talk about anything after that.]

[osteoderm]

[ with the retreating pattering of small feet, soon it's just him and her, and the soft clinking of medical equipment. he adjusts it for a better grip as they scamper off, before turning back to the doctor herself.

at her statement however, his smile, naturally, does waver in favor of surprise.

that's...interesting. very interesting. for a moment, he says nothing, clearly lost in his own thoughts for a while before he finally shakes himself out of it, offering a curious tilt of the head. ]

I must admit, I wasn't expecting such an answer. [ curious and curiouser. has something happened to her? ] Have you memories of the manor at all, Doctor, or is this truly the first time we've met for you?

[ ah, but she did ask him something, didn't she. ]

Since this is apparently our first meeting once again, allow me, then. Professor Luchino Diruse.

[medicative]

[at the mention of the manor, she pales, eyes going wider in a form of shock. and the name, she stops walking altogether. searching her memory, finding inconsistencies - oh, some things never will be mended, left threadbare and vacant from an endless repetition - or is it something else?

clearly, there's been something missing. something she shouldn't have forgotten.]

I...

[it's difficult to think of there, even now, even so far away. but she makes herself breathe, and makes sure she's standing straight.]

My deep apologies, Professor. I do have memories of before, but they aren't....entirely intact.

[because she knows that name, but not as a man standing before her. or does she, and it's fallen away with how many times she's run the same loops? what else is gone, then?]

[osteoderm]

[ oh. now that is an interesting reaction.

for a moment, he just watches, brown eyes focused on her still form, the panic that flickers in her eyes. a natural reaction, perhaps, for most who have been through what they have. they are not all like him, who thrives off the unknown, who feels moreso the adrenaline thrumming through his veins rather than the fear-

not intact, she says. his eyes light up at that, but he dims them down. no, this is not the time for his boundless need to know, not when she is not likely to share if he digs too deep. ]

...I see. I've caused you some distress.

[ luchino has, at least, dealt with this as well. students on the verge of overworking themselves, stress wearing them down to the marrow of their bones. more soft clinking from the box, as he gently adjusts it once more, before idly tilting his head. ]

Would you rather sit for this? I was a fairly new arrival compared to some, but perhaps I can help jog your memory, if you'd permit me.

[medicative]

If it's all the same, we can keep walking, unless you need to do anything. We're nearly at the shelter - we can give them their supplies, after all.

[but she had shaken her head at the idea of him giving her distress. it was her own to bear up with, her own to resolve. this was going to happen one day, wasn't it? the past would return, the way it had for others she cares about. hers just wasn't so deeply wounding.]

Please, Professor - I'll go along with whatever you have in mind.

[osteoderm]

If you insist.

[ with that, he'll wait for her to continue, a mildly amused smile tugging at his lips at the notion he has other things to do. no, he's fully capable of walking and talking, so this will do just fine.

at the very least, there's not too many people around to give the duo the eyeball. ]

Well, I suppose we should start with the obvious; what exactly is the last thing you remember from the manor, Doctor? The last person you remember arriving, perhaps?

[ he keeps his gaze ahead, on their path, giving her a bit of time to think if needed. ]

[medicative]

...Mr. Gupta. The cricketer. Though the circumstances of his arrival are somewhat hazy to me, I remember his face.

[that's the strongest face she can recall before everything with the masks. Hibiki.]

[osteoderm]

Ah, yes. Quite the unsociable man, he is- but reliable, all the same.

[ still, that was...quite a while back, if he recalls. not that he's been there very long, but one can learn a lot during the nights when miss bourbon opts to fill everyone's cups with liquor and the air with chatter. both her and mr. ellis were chatterboxes in their own right, welcoming and willing to speak while both deep in their cups and not. ]

I may not have the order right, per-say, but I do believe I know most who arrived after him.

[ if anything, the movement helps him think. after all, it can quite literally jog the memory. ]

Let's see...there's Miss Anne Lester, the Toy Merchant. Then Miss Ada and Mr. Emil, who arrived as a set. Orpheus, the Novelist, and the little girl who seems quite attached to him... [ a sharp nap taps absentmindedly on the box, a soft hum escaping. ] Mr. Joker was the arrival before me, and before coming here, the latest was Miss Qi Shiyi.