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April | Test Drive Meme
Jikan Test Drive MemeMinimize
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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Dongsvol!
Baffled enough that he doesn't immediately notice the odd feeling he's getting off them.
His eyes go from the coins being offered to the wrapper in his hand. While his experience of mortal life is still relatively short, he knows trash when he has it. The confusion is no doubt abdundantly clear in his expression.]
This? [Uh.] Are you... all right?
no subject
I'm, um. Fine. [ He's not fine. He's not subtle. ] Having an insatiable craving for that [ He points, licks his lips. ] and I haven't seen it anywhere, not in any vendors since earlier in the day. [ Raphael's confusion is abundant so Bricks tries to salve it over by flashing those gold coins again. Money always talks very clearly, right? ]
...Really money is no object, so what do you say?
no subject
[UH.
Look, Raphael doesn't know too much about humans all the time but he's pretty sure people in general don't go around begging other people for their trash in such a manner. The offer of money only serves to add to the confusion.]
If you're hungry I can get something for you to eat, but this is just cardboard and paper... [If it's really, really what he wants then he can just have it, but really..? If he's just that desperate for food, the angel doesn't mind just... buying him something edible.]
no subject
My mistake. Not what I thought it was.
[ It didn't even matter what it was! Regardless, Raphael's offer humbles him, grounds him enough to try and regain his own composure. There was something else there, something simultaneously soothing about this man's presence as much as it was intimidating. The longer he lingers around him the more he gets the urge to bolt. Bricks persists in spite of all that. ] My apologies, I must be daft. Or um... short sighted.
[ He nervously half laughs at his own joke. By comparison Raphael had several inches over him, to say nothing for his eyepatch and actual limited vision from it. ]
That's quite kind of you.
no subject
[He's trying to be reassuring, though he isn't sure how well it comes across. Raphael's attempts at conversation can sometimes be a little awkward, especially when it comes to mortals... where he really has to work on not showing just how interesting he finds them.
Most mortals, he finds, do not appreciate being examined so closely.
So he smiles a bit and gestures to one of the nearby stalls where food is being sold. There's still something odd about this person, something he has yet to put his finger on... familiar while not being quite recognisable... and he wants to know what it is.]
And everyone can use a little kindness at times, don't you think?
[Words to live by as far as Raphael is concerned.]
You can choose whatever you want.
no subject
That feeling gets so bad at one point he literally shoves his own index finger past his lips the moment he thinks Raph is distracted and not paying attention. His tongue lathers over his own finger and he sucks, trying very hard to not whimper at himself. It satiates momentarily enough, but all he can think of is how he really wished he had something else bigger and more filling in his mouth instead.
What is wrong with you, Brickston?
If (read: inevitably) when he gets caught he'll try to play it off coolly, as if he was innocently biting a nuisance hangnail off then will banish his hand to his coat pocket. Totally normal! ]
I have no issues repaying this kindness, by the way... be it monetary or in the form of a favor. Have you a name?
no subject
A name? It's Raphael.
[It doesn't feel that long ago that he was introducing himself as Azarias, terrified of what might happen to him if anyone were to find out just who and what he actually was. He had since realised that it didn't really matter... when most people here were unaware of his origins entirely and those who weren't did not look at him too strangely.]
And repayment isn't necessary... kindness is its own reward. [He smiles softly as he says this, very much genuine in it. He's still trying to work out just what feels odd about his new companion.] What should I call you?
no subject
Raphael's smile is incredibly reassuring, though it continues to add a layer of unidentifiable discomfort for Bricks. He's spoiled and likes being spoiled, but somehow here and now he feels more than imposing to his man's kind charisma. His kindness is almost saintly! ]
Brickston Bartholomew Penderyn. [ Normally he'd introduce himself in this front and center, proudly and almost out of obstinate habit but, here in Nippon his reputation and wealthy family name means little. It's sort of refreshing on one hand but makes that habit more awkward to correct. ]
Ehm, bit of a mouthful, isn't it? Brickston is fine. Where are you from, if I may ask?
no subject
That's not an easy question to answer.
[Where is he from? From beyond the Earthly sphere. From a plane of existence beyond the understanding of any mortal. From somewhere that no longer exists, at least not in a way that any who were originally born from it would recognise. He hasn't been back there in centuries.
Raphael tilts his head towards the stall in front of them, still waiting for Brickston to choose something to eat.]
Do you have stories of angels where you come from?
no subject
[ He rubs his chin, not having had as much vested interest in them as he'll explain; ]
Much less emphasis is placed on tales of them compared to demons and devils and the like... the latter being as real and tangible where I'm from as any spook or specter.
no subject
I'm an angel. An archangel.
[It's still not easy for him to just come out and say it, but if he can sense something strange from this young man it's just as likely that Brickston is able to feel something from him... and maybe that will clear some things up?]
Real and tangible, as you can see...
no subject
...you're serious?
[ For once, Bricks is short on words and gestures loosely (not sarcastically) in a, "where's your wings and halo" motion on his own body. ]
no subject
[Reactions when he says such things have been varied, though he has not yet had a bad response to revealing exactly what he is. That has given him confidence over time and he smiles a little at Brickston's obvious confusion.
It takes him a moment to understand what the gesturing means and he glances up over his own head as if, in jest, he is surprised that said halo is currently missing.]
Ah... you're looking for something more... classical?
[They're in too crowded an area for anything too dramatic, but he supposes he could... do something, if only to allow for convincing. The archangel gently unfolds the holy aura he's been holding back, pushing it outwards and drawing the attention of a couple of nearby yokai. To Brickston's eyes he might seem to start to glow, the edges of his shape growing golden and fuzzy.
And, just for embellishment, he makes a small gesture to the softly shining halo now present over the crown of his hair.]
Something more like this?
no subject
I didn't... [ He stammers, for once short on words. ]
I had no idea. [ He tries. Logistically, it makes sense of course. He's met other demons here... what does he even say to meeting an angel? ]
[ It actually hurts to look at him like this, so Bricks begrudgingly turns his head. In doing so he takes note of the other yokai staring. ]
Point proven. It's quite impressive you, ah, you don't have to keep up any appearance on my behalf.
no subject
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you.
[There is a good reason that angels bringing messages always announce themselves with 'be not afraid'. The agents of the Lord are terrifying in many respects.]
It's... simply the easiest way to prove myself. [He smiles faintly, but gently.] And being able to be my true self here is... a very precious thing to me. So I hope you won't think poorly of me now that you know.
no subject
[ He lowers his arm. ]
Just a bit flabbergasted, to be honest.
[ Flabbergasted. Astounded. Briefly terrified. Burning with curiosity now. How old is Raphael? What else can he do? Is he a guardian angel or working independently? Are there more like him? What other abilities does he have? What sorts of wonders has he seen in his life? Unlife? What's he think of this crude penis festival?
None of those questions manage to make it out of his mouth, as he's still blinking back some of that holy haze. Bricks nearly impulsively comments on that—that his natural form's brightness was so incredible that it physically hurt him to look at, but thinks better of it. ...What if he shouldn't even think of it? What if Raphael was also a telepath or or—
He bites on his knuckle, finally that urge to shove something in his mouth also returning in full force. He's tolerated a lot of strange and uncomfortable situations, especially in the name of curiosity but this was cultivating into broiling awkwardness that is about to spill over. ]
Sorry. I'm being awfully strange aren't I? I should, um. I could go? I could leave... you. [ He thumbs over his shoulder in a random direction, nervous giggles threatening to erupt. ] —To your business whilst I go figure out what to shove in my mouth.
[ He grins, wincing at himself, already taking physical steps out of the conversation. He just met a hot guy who was super nice and also an angel??? In the middle of a dick festival??? And he's pretty sure he's been nothing but weird and wants to literally go choke on a dick at this point and end himself out of sheer embarrassment. ]
Other than my foot. Repeatedly.
no subject
I've found you quite charming. [In an awkward, doltish way... but charming none the less. Raphael loosely folds his arms and doesn't make an attempt to stop the man from backing away... reasoning that would probably just spook him more at this point.]
And the offer to purchase something for you still stands... [Luckily for Brickston, Raphael is not in fact a telepath. He doesn't need to be one to read Brickston's awkwardness right now, however.] But if you want to go, I won't keep you.