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April | Test Drive Meme
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You've seen this before. The thought strikes suddenly, during whatever it is you were doing. Having an important conversation? Running away from home? Dying in the midst of a fierce battle? Where ever you are, one things is true: you're certain this isn't the first time you've lived through this. But upon realizing this, that's when it happens. Like someone hitting rewind on the VCR, you're back where you were ten minutes ago. And it happens again. And again. And again--Until finally, something is different. A door stands in front of you. Will you go through it? Nothing else seems to be working, so this might be your only chance.
Upon opening the door and heading inside, a strange feeling overwhelms you. It's comforting and warm, like being enveloped in a soft, heavy blanket. You hear a voice murmuring in your ear, but it's unintelligible.
And in the next moment, you've appeared in a laboratory, surrounded by the unfamiliar yet worried faces of people in lab coats, speaking in a foreign language that doesn't sound so foreign to you anymore.
Nanjikan Research Laboratory
There isn't much time to process what's happening before characters are ushered out of the arrival room. They're passed between a medical and a psychiatric team, checking them for injuries and psychological trauma. Their every need is met: food is offered, injuries are tended to, and questions are answered. "You're in the Eastern Kingdom of Nippon on a planet called Gaia," they explain. "You were brought here because you became aware of the timeloop... we'll explain everything."
Orientation Nanjikan Research Lab, Tokyo
Everyone is brought to a large auditorium, where dozens of other people looking similarly out of place are seated around them. The scientists and doctors from before file on stage, thoroughly explaining the situation. What they experienced back home was a timeloop. While the loops in their home worlds are smaller and likely to resolve on their own, the fact that such a small amount of time is being repeated is what makes them so dangerous for those who become aware of it. And they've been working around the clock in collaboration with the neighboring Western Kingdom, checking adjacent universes for others who've become aware. While the technical explanations may go over the heads of most, that's not the reason they were all brought together like this.
And they continue to explain: their own world was trapped in a year long loop for decades, if not longer. Through the use of an ancient form of bonding magic, they bound their world to the present flow of time, allowing it to progress past the timeloop. Or at least, that's how they thought it worked. In truth, Kizuna is very powerful reality-warping magic. And thanks to the powerful bond all refugees now share with the country of Nippon, the magic surrounding them will only continue to evolve.
Until they find the means of resuming the flow of time back in your home world, the refugees will just have to make due with this one. But not to worry, because Nippon is fully committed to taking care of everyone!
A Place to Call Home Tokyo, Kanto
Once orientation is over, characters will be allowed to choose housing in both Kyoto and Tokyo, enabling them the means of easily living between both Kingdoms if they please. These housing options will be fully paid for by the government of Nippon, with the NRL and MRU providing a stipend for food expenses in Tokyo and Kyoto respectively.
In lieu of providing transportation, all refugees will be granted an unlimited rail pass that they can use to travel all across Nippon! Thankfully, express routes connecting Tokyo and Kyoto will be running at all times of day, allowing refugees to freely travel between the Eastern and Western Kingdoms as they please. While this TDM and its prompts are focused on the Eastern Kingdom, you are welcome to have your character arrive in the Western Kingdom instead.
For those bound for Nihonbashi, be careful not to board the train too late at night. Because on Friday nights, the Loop Line's final train of the night is a party train! Every train car is set up with its own theme and decor, with this week featuring the return of the ever popular sexy maid cafe in the rear of the car! Dress up in a surprisingly demure maid outfit (this is 1921) and take customer orders, or have a seat and peruse the menu. Aside from a small bar, there's no actual food service or exchange of currency going on here, so it's all in good fun! The train will loop endlessly past the same station until sunrise, so hopefully they weren't planning on an early night's sleep.
In Little Edo, a Great Nippon Salamander has been spotted wandering the streets in search of clean water. While this may not seem like a big deal, these creatures range in size from that of a large dog to that of a large house. To subdue the creature, the local hunting clan, the Hanzaki, are searching for volunteers to help coax the salamander back out into the swamplands of the Tokyo Outskirts. While the safest method is to lead it using a hose or another source of water, those looking to get the job done quickly may instead choose to fight the creature, causing it to flee in whichever direction they point it in. Careful, they move faster than you think!
Over in Yoshiwara, the Tokyo branch of the refugee-owned nightclub, Club Hexxx, has finally opened its doors! Enjoy a dark and spooky atmosphere while listening to the latest jazz hits. And best of all, refugees will be offered a free glass of Club Hexxx's signature drink: Kinklist, a coffee-flavored drink that turns white after one sip, and causing the drinker's deepest sexual desire to appear written on their cheek in black ink. The text will remain until they finish the rest of the drink.
NRL Time Refugee Support Network
Once they've received their housing assignment, all refugees will be given small handheld devices called magi-tech communicators, or magi-comms for short. They're heavier than a conventional smartphone would be, but far sturdier, and powered by the ambient magic that flows through the city. Now available with limited sepia-tone color, and video cameras! They don't need to be charged, but they won't work outside of cities at all. Upon booting it up, they'll find a message linking them to a special channel for refugees.
#nrl_time_refugee_support - online
Use the following code for your top-level if you'd like! This is how network communication will look for characters in the game until more advanced magi-tech comms become available for characters.
Springtime Flowers
With the changing of the seasons, the cherry blossoms have finally bloomed, painting the landscape with dashes of pink and white on nearly every corner. Not even the busy citizens of Tokyo can resist stopping to smell the flowers, or even enjoying picnics underneath them!
And those looking for the best place to view the flowers need look no further than Little Edo, a suburb in south Tokyo that borders the vast wetlands that separate Tokyo from Yokohama. And between the lush parks, interesting shrines, and mysterious ruins, there's no shortage of things for those settling in to explore!
A Very Special Festival Kanayama Shrine, Tokyo Outskirts
While most residents are celebrating the spring season under the cherry blossoms, a different sort of celebration is taking place at the Kanayama Shrine, located just south of Tokyo on a tall, narrow hilltop that juts out of the flooded landscape. Once more, it's time for the annual Kanamara Matsuri, and all refugees will find themselves invited to the little island to see the festivities. And what sort of festival is it, you may ask?
Why, it's the Festival of the Steel Phallus! According to legend, there was once a plague of a type of ayakashi that was known to live in the genitals of humans, whose vicious bite caused the birthrate of a certain city to drop down to zero. To combat this, an afflicted young woman asked a blacksmith to forge a steel phallus in order to break the ayakashi's teeth, freeing her of the curse. It's said the original phallus remains enshrined in the innermost chambers-- and in honor of this most venerated dildo, a festival is held every spring to celebrate sexuality and fertility, all leading up to a procession in which a giant steel phallus is paraded around the island.
(And no, I didn't make this one up.)
Refugees visiting the shrine will find no shortage of phallic-shaped foods and merchandise. Outside of the wide array of oddly shaped dildos to choose from, in terms of food, there are stalls selling lollipops, popsicles, sausages, grilled squid, octopus balls, cream-filled dick waffles-- but there's more at work here than a simple theme. Those who choose the popsicles will find themselves with a temporary oral fixation, causing an urge to have something between their lips at all times. Now, is this a naughty trick, or merely a marketing ploy to sell more popsicles? It's hard to say.
But the real treat is inside the shrine itself, where a single dildo stands tall among gilded offerings and flowers. The inner chamber is only ever put on display once a year, and for good reason. Anyone whose eyes fall upon the majestic phallus will become overwhelmed with a desire to fill or be filled - which might just be why viewings are done in groups of two or more, with the outer doors of the shrine closed behind them for privacy. There's a nice pile of pillows and no shortage of lubricating oils available, so why not get into the spirit of the season with a friend or two?
Flowers of Evil Little Edo, Tokyo
Festivals aside, many people are coming out to Little Edo to enjoy the array of cherry blossom trees for Hanami, or flower watching parties. Of these, the refugees will find themselves invited to a special gathering, taking place under the shade of a massive cherry blossom tree that was planted in their honor the year before. And yet despite it's young age, it's the largest tree around, continually growing since the initial growth spurt when it was planted. Although most understand that it was likely Kizuna that caused its sudden growth, locals have begun treating it as something sacred, leaving offerings and making prayers beneath its branches.
And should the refugees decide to take part as well, they may be surprised to find that whatever they wish for comes true. These wishes are rather limited, and some may only exist for a few minutes. But for those wishing to meet someone from home, the may be surprised to find that the person in question will appear beside them in Nippon... (See notes below for details!)
But while everyone else is enjoying the cherry blossoms, a certain park in Little Edo is drawing crowds for a different reason. After last year's outbreak of jubokko ayakashi, the cherry blossom trees in this area were permanently stained by the jubokko's red pollen, causing the pink petals to develop distinct red veins.
However, unlike the jubokko's pollen, these petals carry a very different effect. Anyone who stands under the shade of these trees will feel an irresistible urge to confess something. This can be something minor, like a strange food combination they are particularly fond of, or something major, such as the name of the last person they had sex with. This urge will linger even after leaving the flowers, until they've either confessed enough to appease the tree, or until the trees go bare when the blossoms fall.
Underwater Mysteries Tokyo Outskirts, Kanto
Those who are familiar with some version of Nippon may find the changed landscape to be rather confusing. Due to a massive time surge many decades ago, the entire region of Kanto was flooded, leaving many cities underwater or transformed into swamplands. As nature took over, the flooded region surrounding Tokyo came to be known the Tokyo Outskirts.
Ordinarily, exploring this area can be rather dangerous, given both the presence of dangerous Ayakashi and the unstable landscape that's peppered with the ruins of drowned cities. But this week, those looking for a little adventure can take part in special boat tours exploring the ruins and viewing the cherry trees from a unique vantage point.
Up to four people can fit in a single steamboat, which is preprogrammed to follow a path that will take passengers past the top of a large hill that's almost completely covered in cherry blossom trees, with the ruins of a few old buildings just barely visible beneath the overgrowth. But beauty aside, the real marvel is within the water itself, which is clear enough that one can look down and see roads, trees, and even entire buildings still mostly intact beneath the surface. You'd think the water just appeared one day, given that nothing seems to have been destroyed when the flood occurred.
But not every trip will go as smoothly as planned. Hidden beneath the pink petals that pepper the surface of the water, unlucky refugees may spot the long, long body of an Ikuchi, the sea serpent ayakashi. Thought to be the longest Ayakashi to exist in Nippon, these thick, snake-like creatures may take entire minutes just to pass under a boat. Spotting the body is simply distressing, and thankfully not of much concern. But should someone make eye contact with the third eye on top of its head, the Ikuchi will climb over the side of the boat and coil around it, attempting to drag it beneath the surface. And for the one who initially made eye contact, they'll find themselves affixed with a curse that temporarily makes it impossible to float in the water.
Thankfully, this ayakashi isn't interested in attacking those who fall overboard, and there's plenty of spots where the water is far more shallow. But those who fall in will have to wait until another tour comes by to ferry them back to shore.
OOC Notes
Welcome to Jikan's April TDM! The TDM is considered game canon, and also serves as the intro log! That said, whether you choose to carry threads over to the game or not is up to you!
• For this month only, please include in your top-level if you are a new player without an invite! Those seeking an invite can do so here!!
• CRAU characters may start regaining their CRAU memories one month after the TDM. However, vague feelings of familiarity are allowed between previous game CR! For more on this, please read the FAQ!
• You do not need to sign-up for housing! Choose whichever style you prefer. Roommates can be chosen by the characters or can be random. If you want to switch housing later, your character has the option of moving at the beginning of each month.
• Despite everything, Kanamaru Matsuri is considered an all-ages event!
• Wishes can be anything, from food items to items from home. All characters in the game will be allowed to redeem one item, magical or otherwise, from home using this prompt! However, for new character apping into the game, you have the option to have your character join the game by being wished into the setting. The wish can be anything from a direct plea to see a certain castmate again, or even just a wish for more friends that goes awry. These characters will still remember a time loop, but will not remember seeing a door, instead appearing in Tokyo after hearing the wishing-character's voice call to them. These characters will then be encouraged to visit the NRL for orientation, and will be offered an explanation that Kizuna saved them from the timeloop directly.
• While characters may attempt to fight the Ikuchi, it will not fight back, and cutting its body will cause it to grow another head and become another separate Ikuchi. This new head is also capable of cursing people, so it's probably best to leave it alone.
Please leave any questions about the TDM prompts in the thread below! General game questions can be directed to the FAQ!
Apps are always open!
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no subject
Lilia's sudden appearance isn't really surprising, given how often he would usually pop down from the ceiling unannounced around the other students of NRC. what he says after is even less so, if only because Malleus was used to this kind of treatment from the other fae. ]
I'm not a child, Lilia. [ the menu is laid down on the table, and it's telling that his expression doesn't shift into embarrassment as a particularly wet, lusty moan sounds through the air, accompanied with the unmistakable sounds of skin against skin. ]
But you are mistaken, on several counts. [ his gaze drops to the menu again. there is a vague air of disappointment in it. ] I incorrectly assumed they would have something to eat.
[ he doesn't have to eat, but given how how much time he'd spent at the little cafe serving the mountains of ice cream, there's really only one conclusion. ]
no subject
[He still remembers Malleus with eggshell on his face, and when he was so young and nervous he couldn't control the flames he wields so easily now... But, he has to admit, he has grown.
Which means it's perfectly okay to tease him.]
I hope you were a considerate lover.
[He absolutely does not believe Malleus has actually fucked, but he'll leave it to his prince to confirm his suspicions on that.
His lips quirk, before he laughs and shakes his head.]
I feel this is a poor atmosphere to serve food in, though I do believe that there are some acts humans refer to as "eating". Though I can't say I know if those are on the menu or not as I haven't looked myself.
[He's very curious about what's on there, so pardon him as he leans over the table to look at it.]
no subject
[ it's not a scolding by any means, but there is a note of exasperation in his tone all the same. he can be princely and regal sometimes.
either way, that doesn't stop him from leaning a little away from the menu, sliding it closer to the other fae with the tips of his fingers. he catches sight of one of the "entrees" and finds his brows furrowing, not because of the nature or the description of the dish but because he imagines it would have been a good name for a frozen treat of some kind. ]
You've traveled more than I have. Is there anything like this in the lands you've visited?
no subject
[And then, cheerfully:]
Would you like to hear more about my experiences with them? You are an adult now, after all.
[So it's totally not weird to hear about Lilia's sex life or anything, of course.]
no subject
it's not like Lilia hasn't raised him from an egg or anything
it really almost feels like Lilia is trying to get a rise out of him, trying to prove that he is in some way still a child. while he knows there's several years age difference between them, he's old enough that that shouldn't make a difference nowadays. as isolated as he was he's had some world experience; his enrollment at the college was proof enough of that fact. ]
I suppose there's no place better suited to hear of your escapades.
[ it's not a yes, but it's not exactly a no, either.... ]
no subject
But Malleus has grown up, beyond the way he towers over Lilia. He's a powerful mage and a handsome man, even if he's still prone to brooding and willfulness.]
I could think of a few places that could be better, but I don't see why any of this would need to be kept private. I don't have a reputation to protect here, after all.
[He doesn't have any reputation or image he has to uphold - for himself or Malleus.]
But let's see... I believe the first time I encountered something similar to this was in Shaftlands. It wasn't on a train, of course, as such a method of transport wasn't very commonplace up there - hard to get the tracks through all of those snowy mountains - but you could still find busy red light districts if you knew where to look. Some of the people who would go to these establishments were quite interested in the fae, even after the war, so I'm sure you can imagine how popular someone as cute as I am would be.
[Fufufu.]
My first visit, I met a man who had no magic to speak of. He had not participated in the war himself, so he had never seen a fae before. He was rather curious, and also incredibly well-endowed.
[How much worse does he make this, now.]
no subject
it wasn't as if he'd imagined Lilia to stop, but he also hadn't really expected him to go on like this, either.
admittedly, he is a little curious but that really only stemmed from the fact that he had seldom traveled outside the confines of Briar Valley, so a majority of his interactions and understanding of the world beyond came from Lilia's stories and the little souvenirs he would bring home from his travels. in a situation like this it might just prove to be his downfall.
unfortunately, there is nothing to distract him from the words coming out of Lilia's mouth. it isn't as though he's any kind of prude, but there is a weird kind of detachment he's feeling from hearing one of his retainers - could Lilia even be considered that - speaking so openly about his sex life.
that the fae might be doing it to get him to react or fluster in some way just makes him want to allow him to keep speaking. what better place, after all - and certainly without Silver or Sebek there to look scandalized or embarrassed for either of them.
so he only meets Lilia's gaze, holds it. and then he inclines his head, encouraging him to go on. ]
no subject
He's sure the prince just wants to see how far Lilia is willing to go - and he's not one to back down from a challenge.]
It was my first time with a human, and there were quite a few people interested in watching. He was a man of... particular tastes, beyond his interest in the fae. He likes to get people under his control, liked having power over them. I could have easily bested him in a fight, but I must admit I was curious about what he would do, and it was perfectly acceptable to rut like animals in the open at this lounge. You know I love a good performance, Malleus, so I'm sure you can imagine I enjoyed the attention.
[He is the picture of innocence as he recounts this. It's all true, of course, and he's sure Malleus realizes this.]
He wanted to tie me up, and I obliged quite willingly. It was almost kind of cute how he thought ropes would be enough to restrain me, really, so I thought I should play along. Everyone else seemed to enjoy watching a fae be put in his place as well, as I'm sure most others who stopped by were not as willing to let themselves be dominated.
[Which is a shame, but he digresses.]
I was expecting him to be rougher. The bruises he left on my throat only lingered for a matter of hours, and the ones on my hip for only a day. It was a shame, really, but still enjoyable in the moment. Some people are, unfortunately, under the impression that I'm quite fragile. Perhaps another fae would know how far to push my limits, but there are few outside of Briar Valley.
no subject
at least some good could come out of this.
Malleus was a fae, and while not exactly experienced in the ways of the world himself, he had read many books. many books. Lilia will find no blushing, prudish virgins here.
(of course he'd not had any firsthand experience, but he imagines Lilia already knows that) ]
If it is another fae you are looking for to give you the treatment you desire, I suppose this world we've ended up in is as good a place as any to look. Did you know, Lilia, that there is a woman who calls herself a hanyoukai here? I am unfamiliar with the term, however she had strength a-plenty to be able to move a sea serpent that was several times her size.
I imagine should you find her, she would be more than happy to sate your interests. I cannot guarantee she will say yes, however, but I cannot imagine anyone not liking you.
[ he says it honestly, as though it is an unshakeable, undeniable truth. it comes from both a place of familiarity and of affection, though it's up to Lilia to decide which one he means more. ]