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jigokufever2022-02-22 06:06 pm
jigokumods) wrote in jigokufever2022-02-22 06:06 pm
Entry tags:
February 2022 Test Drive
MAIN NAVIGATION
1. ENTRY
It feels like a dream as you wake up in what appears to be a government office. It is remarkably mundane: white walls, small screens with the number that is being served and at what desk, chairs along the perimeter of the room, and pleasant music playing from unseen speakers. There's nothing out of the ordinary, right?
Then you take a look at the inhabitants in the office: Lost Souls and youkai alike make up the ranks of a never-ending line in front of a desk manned by an akaname in a suit. However, another youkai, a hyakume, is your first contact in this world. You're instructed to take a number and stand in the queue. Take a seat if you want– but you're reminded to be quick when your number is called or you'll be passed by.
Congratulations: you're in Hell.
If you're lucky, you're in line behind a fellow Lost Soul. If you're less lucky, you're stuck behind any number of youkai that may be disturbing to look at or ones that may actively try to harm you. The ones with long arms may even try to steal your ticket from further back in the line.
Make small talk, try not to freak out, and keep your ticket safe (or maybe try to steal a better one) as you make your way up in the line.
2. THE CITY
Once you've been processed through the line, you're given your assignment to one of the four possible clans with directions to their respective clan offices. The city itself looks remarkably similar to a modern Japanese city, complete with narrow alleyways connecting wider streets. Glaring neon signs advertising various businesses compete for your attention, even the most mundane businesses.
Once you tear your attention away from the myriad distractions, your task is to find your way to the office. The akaname didn't exactly give you clear directions, just a piece of paper with an address printed on it. You’re on your own to find your way there.Ask your fellow Lost Souls for directions or stubbornly find your way to the office all on your own. No matter how you get there, once you've made your way to the office you're given your lodgings (for rookies, it’s always the cheapest inn or apartment block in the area) and told to go out and get a feel for the city.
- Those assigned to the Shuten Clan are directed to the gambling district.
- The Tamamo Clan members are directed to the red light district.
- New members of the Sutoku Alliance are pointed to the entertainment district.
- Those assigned to The Department of the Enma are sent to the administrative district.
3. STREET FIGHT - SHUTEN TERRITORY
Scuffles break out all the time in Jigokucho, especially in the district dominated by the Shuten Clan. Whether it's a rival clan posturing over someone being on the wrong turf, shakedowns of all sorts, or just someone with a chip on their shoulder picking a fight: it always draws a crowd of onlookers.
No matter what street you're going down or what you're on your way to do, there always seems to be a fight to block the way. Take a look, take bets, or maybe you're the one caught in the brawl. Maybe someone decided they didn't like the way you looked at them or maybe they're trying to catch you in a petty scam. You may also feel the need to step in when fights are looking particularly one-sided.
Get used to this happening.
4. STICKY PAWS - SUTOKU TERRITORY
One of the more adorable features in the city is a cat cafe. Located within Sutoku territory, it always draws a steady crowd. If you're lured in by the adorable cats in the window, you're welcomed into a pleasant, cat-friendly environment with cats of every shape, color, and size lounging on various surfaces while being doted on by patrons. Of course not everything is as it seems: these are no ordinary cats. They're bakeneko in disguise and this cafe is a clever way to spirit away a few more coins for the Sutoku Alliance's coffers.
You may notice your wallet is a few (thousand) bills lighter at some point during your visit or your wallet may be missing entirely. Maybe it was one of your fellow patrons helping themselves while you were playing with a cat or maybe it was one of the cats. Who's to say? You quickly realize this place is not on the up and up; you have to do something about it.
Chase down one of the cats, confront your fellow patrons, or maybe try to shake down the owner for information. The latter won't get you very far, but maybe it'll make you feel better about losing your cash to a cute scam.
5. HELP WANTED - TAMAMO TERRITORY
CW: potentially NSFW, optional aphro
If you find yourself in the red light district, you might find yourself pulled into something else entirely. A scout in front of one of the numerous clubs drags you in off the street, assuming you're from the Tamamo Clan. It doesn't matter if you are or not, the scout is not listening to your protests. They say something about staffing shortages as you're shoved into the employee area of the club. The club manager then pushes some clothes at you and tells you to get out onto the floor once you're dressed. It might be a host club, it might be a bikini or banana bar, or maybe something even more salacious – whatever it is, you're working there for the night.
There are also barkers aggressively recruiting clients for these clubs, promising a good time for anyone who wants it. Whether it be the company of a pretty host or hostess, the lurid appeal of a strip show, or perhaps even other pleasures of the flesh: there's plenty to tempt even the most resistant.
Work at a club for the night or partake in the pleasures. Drinks flow like water, some with a little something extra to help things along. Everything is transactional here. As you have the money, you're bound to find something that tickles your fancy.
Welcome to the test drive meme!
- Threads here can be considered game canon.
- If you have any questions about the TDM content, please ask them here!
- If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.
- Reserves are open until March 5th.
no subject
It was kind of weird.
Was she sitting there making math problems out of random numbers?
Was she that board?]
Eh?
[The blue fin-like ears along the sides of his head perked up as he met her gaze with bewildered curiosity.]
Uh, you mean 69? Like, 60 + 9? Wait. Hold on.
[This gets him to pause. He seemed to start counting on his fingers for a few moments before getting up to run back over to the desk.
It seemed he was asking a receptionist for a pen and paper.]
Okay. Wait, I think I got this.
He starts jotting a couple of things sloppily, his eyebrows scrunching as he bit at his lower lip. He had a rudimentary education at best, but he was pretty sure he had an idea--]
96 - (3 x 9)
Wait.
[He sat up straight. Suddenly realizing what he was doing and how it made absolutely no sense considering how they were just waiting around.]
Why the hell are we doing this again?
no subject
I didn't expect you to play along like that. But you know, if I'm gonna be waiting in a line like this, you gotta make your own fun, right? My type of fun when I'm totally unoccupied is easy math.
[A shrug.]
So yeah. Why not?
no subject
Oh no.
What a cute laugh.
Still, a little baffled by the whole experience, Gojyo could only sit by and blankly stare at her as she got her humor out. The fins along his ears lowered back down once more as he put down the paper and scooted forward in his chair.]
Really? Is math your way of having a good time?
[He could think of better ways of having a good time.]
I can think of better ways of ha-- Ah!
[He seemed to stop himself short, though. Gojyo's body instead seemed to stiffen for a second before quickly shaking his head as if to fix his train of thought.]
Er, um, that is-- 'Sup. What number did you get?
[He says, tossing a small nod of his head and as classy of a smile as he could manage.]
no subject
To answer his question, she holds up her ticket, emblazoned with 'No. 83.']
I can think of a few ways to play around with this one, but it's not as fun. So lucky you, for getting the sex number.
[Wow, she said that last part with a completely straight face and a sweet tone of voice.]
no subject
[He is very proud of himself and is grateful that other people recognize this excellent sign for what it was. What great fortune!]
Let's see.
[With that, he tilted his head back in thought. His eyes glossed over the tiled ceiling as he tried to parse together some more rudimentary math in his head.
Damn, this was his fault for not getting past middle school.]
Ah. I got it.
[He smirks.]
8 x 3 + 8 x 3 + 8 x 3 - 3
no subject
Not bad. And with my number too! Nice work there. Now let's see...
[Give her a minute... A soft snap of her fingers follows.]
(420/6)-1.
This is probably the dumbest tag I wrote in a while..... Thank you. :,)
He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he just had to make sure. Gojyo returned to his pen and paper and scrunched his mouth to the side somewhat as he started writing out the divisions manually.
Damn. Yep. That was what Monts was doing. Okay. He needed to up his game here.
Which was why Gojyo turned, only for a split second, if to look her directly in the eye. A determined glint was sparkling out to the challenge. He might not have been some super-ultra pro math whizz... But he was competitive.
And so he got to work as he hurriedly scribbled down on his sheet of paper. The frustration was apparent in his expression as he went through math problem after math problem in his head to figure out what would work to get the result he wanted.
And it took him a bit. Indeed passing the time as the game was supposed to do. But when he got, it felt like he hit a revelation. His expression lit up as he slammed down the worn-out piece of paper on his lap before turning to glance at her with unbridled glee.
This was it.
The ultimate equation.]
420 x 6 + 420 x 9 + 420 x 4 + 20 +4 x 2 + 0
you're welcome, i'm glad math was finally entertaining
... 8008... But that isn't... Oh!
[She gets it! Hopefully.]
Though, I think the end result looks funnier on a calculator than just in my head.
Math memes? In my RP?
[He responds with a playful grin. The accomplishment of his effort showed off in his excited reaction. He was outright giddy over this silly little game.
At least-- Until the receptionist called out for number 97 to walk up to the counter.]
--Eh?
[Wait. Did the youkai bureaucrats say what Gojyo thought they said?]
Did we just get skipped?
no subject
Maybe they didn't appreciate our math games... Or they're not as organized as we thought.
We're gonna be here for a while, I can tell you that for free.
[So in the meantime, now that she's found a friendly person to talk to (fins aside, but that's not really an issue tbh), Monts decides to settle in.]
I'm Monts, by the way. What's your name?
no subject
[His shoulders eased, sighing out with the acceptance that things were quite obviously a bit more unorganized at this office than even he initially gave credit.
She was right.
They were probably going to be stuck there for a while.]
Gojyo. Sha Gojyo.
[He said, not once dropping the sly charming smile that seemed to satin his features.]
And I have to say; it's quite a pleasure.
[His eyes traveled over her, summing up her general appearance as he said that. Something was bothering him about her, something that rang out differently from everyone else sitting around them. But he knew better than to bring that up just yet.]
So what brings a cute, unassuming girl like you to a place like this?
[It was cheesy, even by his standards. But it was good enough of an opening statement to keep the conversation going.]
no subject
But she won't talk about it unless asked or only if it's important at the moment.
Monts smiles back at him briefly.]
Glad to make your acquaintance then, Gojyo.
[Her expression turns somewhat more serious after he presents his question.]
I'm not sure. I don't think many of us are certain at all.
[She puts a hand over her chest where her heart is; it's beating, pumping blood, just all the normal and vital functions working as usual.
As usual.]
Do you feel like you're deceased in any way? I don't think I would know if I could tell.
no subject
[He seemed to take the question with a confident and carefree attitude. Throwing his arms up behind his head as he leaned back in his chair, making himself comfortable for what was quite obviously an unforeseeable amount of time.]
I'd remember it if I was dead.
[
Besides, as if anyone could kill a guy like him. He had grown confident and cocky in his resilience over the years with how many times things could have killed him, only for him to pull through despite everything.]
Why? Do you remember dying?
[It wouldn't be the first time he had met someone who said they had died before. So even if Mont was dead, he wasn't going to worry too much over it.]
no subject
No. I was just at my job and... Well, I might have taken a nap.
[There were slow days and nights at the Grind after all. And it wasn't as if Oren or Iona minded since she was awake and alert during the busier hours. Reaching up to rub the back of her neck, she continues slowly, trying to see if she can retrace her memories back to anything particularly important.]
It was a day pretty much like any other. I didn't even feel as if anything was going to be off. I work at a cafe, but it wasn't very busy from what I'm able to recall.
[Letting out a huff, she rests her face in her palms.]
I half expected to find my boss here, to be honest. This would be more up her alley than mine.
no subject
[Huh. What an intriguing thing to say for someone who supposedly works at a cafe. But sure enough, this line of conversation alone was enough to confirm some of Gojyo's assumptions about Mont. This sort of situation wasn't a usual place for her. Which meant the world they were in was not normal for her.]
So you are new here, huh? How interesting.
[He tilted his head to face her. His crimson red eyes were intense as he met her gaze. That, along with the matching color of his hair contrasting against the blues shimmering scales which crept along his cheeks.]
Tell me, have you ever had experience with youkai before?
no subject
[Monts straightens out her back and glances at Gojyo with a smile.]
The cafe I work at is owned by a witch and it gets all sorts of customers from... Everywhere? Pretty much anywhere and everywhere. I guess I should have led with that. Our customers are anyone from a normal human to anyone that's gifted with powers or non-human.
[She points at the redhead.]
I can safely say, some of them looked a little like you.
no subject
[Her response was enough to get a full-out laugh from him. With everything he had seen in his life up until this point, a 'cross-species cross-world cafe where just about anyone hung out' was enough of something that could exist as any. His smile was wide as his eyes flashed in response to her perception.
Not that he was hiding anything. Just cautious considering where he came from. He knew the implications that could come with their line of conversation.]
Ahah, but yeah, you're right. With how you're describing it, you probably came in contact with a few people like me.
[Well, not exactly like him. He was a bit of a rare case, even by most standards. But Monts wasn't wrong in her trail of thinking.]
You're pretty interesting, aren't you? In more ways than one.
[Well, no point in either of them cutting around corners. Gojyo may as well get to the point with how the conversation was going.]
You're human, right?
no subject
[When Iona had offered Monts to work at the Midnight Grind, she didn't accept right away. It seemed suspicious and kitschy after what she had been through, but she had owed the witch and her golem. And before she knew it, time had passed her knowledge of other worlds and other people had expanded. Her heart didn't heal per se, but it slowly opened up, softened, always eager and interested to know who or what else would come through the door of the cafe because they were all different and they all had a story that made her feel less lonely, day by day.
And yet when it came to herself... Well. It wasn't the first time she's heard a question like the one Gojyo just presented to her.]
... I started off that way.
[She turns away from him to look at her clasped hands resting in her lap.]
And currently, I'm... Well, I'm just me. [She tries to smile lightly to alleviate the tension and somewhat reassure Gojyo that he didn't overstep his boundaries.]
More than one customer has asked me that question before. My easy answer is just, 'yes.'
no subject
[So they had some similarities did they? Maters of 'mostlys' 'maybes' and 'soft-ofs' seemed to be becoming more and more a way of life the further he traveled between places such as this.
It was reassuring in a way, of course. It left that lingering feeling of not being so strange as he once thought he was. It was nice.
And it certainly made him feel a hell of a lot more relaxed.
His eyes once more seemed to linger over her cautiously as he tried to gauge something up.]
Funny. Up to this point, every human I've run into had a mask with them. I thought that was just how things ran around here.
no subject
[She wishes it wasn't and that it really was just all in her head (but that's also the problem, everything in her head that is).]
A mask? Are you talking about literal ones or metaphorical ones?
no subject
But that was neither here nor there. Since the topic wasn't being pushed any further, Gojyo was more than happy to move on in their conversation.]
Literal. Like, hold on--
[Shifting around, he began untying something that was attached to the belt of his yukata. Holding up a small mask decorated in shimmering blue scales. He offered it out in her so that she could better look it over.]
It usually comes with those of us dragged over from other worlds. At least that's what I've been told when I first ended up in Hakagemachi. It's supposed to represent your attachment to your youkai.
[He paused, a small smirk forming as his eyes traveled over her once more.]
But you don't seem to have one. You're the first person with any human blood in you I've met in months that didn't.
no subject
That so? I've never heard of Hakagemachi, but that's an interesting system from what you're telling me... I don't think a mask would fit my style if I had to wear one.
[She looks up at Gojyo, her eyes widening slightly in surprise when he mentions the fact about being dragged from and to other worlds.]
So this isn't your first ride then? I knew about other worlds, but I never thought I'd be taken to one so randomly.
[Working at the witch's cafe for her, meant she had a polite distance from whatever was on the other side of the door. Said door also ensured her safe return to her home.]
no subject
The youkai scene is more or less typical for me, though.
[He watched her examine the mask cautiously. He may have empathized with Mont, but there was still reservation regarding sharing his experiences.]
They're less of a representation of you and your aesthetic and more something to represent the youkai possessing you, I think. I guess what it looked like before it took us over? Everyone who got spirited would usually end up with one. So things this time around are a little weird.
I don't know. Guess noticing you lacking a mask solidified that things aren't exactly par for the course.
[
Everything until this point pretty much matched up to Gojyo's other experiences. But Monts was something new and different.]
no subject
[She holds out the mask to return it to Gojyo.]
There's one guy I know... Not a youkai, but he's classified as a mizuchi or a water dragon.
[He's also annoying, but Monts doesn't really hate him. Sort of.]
I did ask him if I was some type of youkai, or something similar. Because...
[Monts reaches up to touch the back of her neck.]
... Well, it's probably too much to hope for. I wouldn't know what to do if I had a definite answer anyway.
no subject
[He knew what it had meant to be between things in life, to not fit in any one place or another. But at least he had a clue as to what he was, as messy and convoluted as it may have been.
He couldn't imagine what it felt like not even to know that much.
Taking the mask back, he wrapped it over his forehead, allowing it to rest above his brow. The oddly growing comfort of its presence reassured him in his thoughts.]
Well, you said it yourself. You're you. And, yeah, maybe there is some comfort that comes with knowing the details about yourself-- But in the end, I think whatever odd combo came together to bring you here today is pretty awesome in itself, yeah?
[He slumped forward in his chair, digging into the folds of his hakama to pull out a pack of cigarettes. If they were going to make him wait this long in an office forcefully, they could deal with his smoking.]
We mix-breed weirdos have some complicated shit to deal with, but what's the fun in living everyday life any other way? If anything, it's people like us who know how to have fun, right?
[Hell, he'll even toss another playful wink her way in an attempt to accentuate the point.]
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