jigokufever | (OVERFLOW) 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!~~ 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

[ mitsuya watches takemichi twitch for a hot minute, following his gaze like he's waiting for the grim reaper to appear- and honestly, that's not too far off of a description at this point. at the very least, that's something they're both fully in the know of.

mitsuya lets his gaze flicker downwards as takemichi pulls his purchases out...somehow, he doesn't know what he was expecting. ]

Heh. Yeah, that's totally 'you', Takemitchy.

[ whether he takes that as a compliment is up to him, but yeah, it suits him. definitely the only type to run into a fight wearing elbow and knee pads swinging right and left. ]

Doubt there's much zombies out there, just a bunch of trained thugs, but you're probably on the right track. [ he tucks that shirt under his arm, grabbing some gloves and hand wraps to put underneath them. if he's going to be punching a lot, might as pre-emptively save himself some knuckle damage. also, the stitching on these is pretty nice... ] Last thing you want is someone bashing in your kneecaps off the bat, since some of them probably got weapons, too.

[It's okay, Mitsuya. He knows. That's why he's hiding it until they're already out in the wastelands, and Mikey can't make him return it to the store. It's totally lame for a delinquent to be wearing all that protective gear! But they're not heading out for a straightforward brawl with another gang. They're walking straight into the literal wilderness, and, like Mitsuya says, nobody they find is going to fight fair.

Takemichi refuses to be the one to hold everyone back just because he can't dodge fast enough.]

If I think of them as zombies, I'll probably move faster. [It's worth a try!] Maybe I should watch a zombie movie before we go....

[He slides the pads back into their bag and peeks around Mitsuya's shoulder at the shirts he'd just snagged. If Mitsuya approves of them, they must be good, right?]

[ well, as long as he's self-aware. mitsuya, for his part, won't protest...he knows takemichi is physically the squishiest of them all, even if he's got a backbone made of fucking steel. he'll let it slide. the last thing he needs is all of them beat to shit all over again, without home in sight.

a slit eyebrow quirks up at that, amusement bubbling up in his chest. ]

You aren't going to give yourself nightmares doing that, right? You're my hapless junior, but I'm not gonna hold your hand because you choked down too much gore before we left.

[ he's ribbing him, for good reason. help make the mood a little less heavy, for the both of them. he watches takemichi take a little peek, and holds his own choices up for a better look. ]

It's made with kevlar. It's heat-resistant, and pretty durable- should survive a trip out there, or at least better than most things. Helps keep the sweat off, too. Not the most comfortable, though...

Of course not! I can handle some zombie guts, no problem! [He insists with the fervor of someone who knows no one will believe him until he shouts at the top of his lungs.] The Mizo Middle Five's snuck into more slashers than you can count!

[Well, maybe not more than Mitsuya can count. More than most of the gang can count, at least.

Takemichi's indignant chipmunk cheeks pop and deflate upon hearing the word "kevlar," and he takes his chance to lean in extra close, rub the fabric between his fingers.]

Maybe... But it definitely sounds like the ultimate zombie fighting gear.

[BRB, grabbing two.]

[ he says that, but mitsuya isn't too sure how well he believes that. takemitchy's gang of weirdos from the first division? ragtag bunch they were, but somehow he can imagine the gaunt looks on their faces as they leave the theatre. points for trying, though. ]

Right. Whatever you say, Takemitchy.

[ chipmunk boy...he can't stop himself from laughing a bit at the look on the younger's face, only shifting a bit to allow him a better look. ]

If you get bitten, I'll make it quick. [ just a little joke... ] Don't blow all your cash at once. Pretty sure none of us have jobs, and we're gonna have to be buying our own food and shit from now on.

[Yes, well. They don't talk about the Saw incident anymore. Not unless they're bored enough to fight with each other.]

Ah! Oh... Yeah.

[Reluctantly, he puts one shirt back. Having spent so long as a teenager is messing with his sense of reality, enough that he'd actually managed to forget the true hell that is living paycheck to paycheck. He really is in trouble, isn't he?

His shoulders sag with the burden of crushing disappointment, but the weight of his situation only has him clutching those knee and elbow pads tighter to his chest.]

It's okay. I'll start looking today. There's gotta be something out there no one else in Shuten wants to do.

[ mitsuya watches that look on takemichi's face as he slips the shirt back on the rack, and lets an amused look flicker in his eyes. he knows that all too well- wanting something, but knowing you can't afford it. such is life, for people like him, and now everyone else.

well. at least he's got plenty of advice to offer.

there's a sigh, and he up and pushes his hand down on the younger boy's head. ]

I'm used to working on a budget, you know. Don't be afraid to ask for a tip or two.

[ he's always been the poor one, handmaking toys and clothes and doing the shopping, the cooking, the cleaning...at the very least, he'll thrive. everyone else....well, he'll just have to impart some advice. ]

We'll figure somethin' out. Don't sweat it too bad, Takemitchy, or you're gonna give yourself a headache.

[Mitsuya's hand is heavy and reassuring, even as Michi squirms beneath it. How does one sweat their problems at a normal, healthy level? That might need to be the first thing Mitsuya teaches him.]

Uh- then! If you don't mind my asking... What's the cheapest health food you can buy at a convenience store?

[ oh, takemitchy. you're so bullyable. mitsuya may be nicer than some, but his grin is still wicked as he ruffles his hair a bit like one would a little brother. ask for his wisdom, and ye shall receive. ]

Takemitchy...there's like, discount grocery stores all over the place. Don't stick to the convenience stores.

[ he's giving you that judgmental look. ]

If you really wanna save, check all the stores near you and see when they have sales. When they restock their shelves, it usually goes half price, so you can stock up for cheap. Getting dry rice is also way cheaper than getting pre-cooked.

[ there's a moment before something seems to hit him. does...does he... ]

...Do you know how to cook at all?

[But, Mitsuya, they're convenient.]

I can cook! A little. Sorta. [He winces, looks away guiltily.] I heat stuff up on the stove sometimes.

[ CONVENIENT is not HEALTHY. ]

...You for real? Reheating ain't cooking!

[ He runs a hand through his hair, not even bothering to suppress his groan. He's forgotten pretty much all of these guys had people to do the cooking for them. ]

C'mon. I'm not gonna cook every meal for you guys, but I'm not lettin' you live off ramen noodles and convenience store bentos, either. Feels like an affront to myself, seriously...

(OVERFLOW) AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

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