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September | 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, with express routes connecting the two kingdoms. Additionally, teleportation terminals exclusively for Refugees can be found at the NRL and MRU, allowing instant travel between Tokyo and Kyoto. 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.
In Nihonbashi, a section of the bridge for which the district gets its name is undergoing emergency repairs. This wouldn't be a problem if not for the fact that the entire district of Nihonbashi is a massive multi-path bridge, and one section being cut off means entire roads are now isolated and inaccessible. As such, many Refugees living in apartments in Tokyo are being temporarily housed together, resulting in upwards of five people forced to share a one or two bedroom apartment. Naturally, they have the option of simply moving to one of the dorms in Yoshiwara in the meantime, but let's be real, that wouldn't be much of an upgrade in comparison.
In Little Edo, there's been a recent outbreak of tsutsumi-bara, an ayakashi that takes the form of thick creeping vines covered in sharp thorns. Although rarely seen in cities, a large number seemed to have been growing inside an abandoned home, and upon breaking free, they quickly spread throughout the neighborhood. Growing fast enough that they appear to move, these vines will coil around anything in their path, and can only be killed when pulled up by the roots. The city is asking volunteers to help find the source of the vines to stop the outbreak, but for everyone else, be careful! Not only are the thorns painful, the barbs they release into the bloodstream can cause severe chest pain that can only be cured with magic that can draw the barbs out.
Over in Yoshiwara, a certain bar has been making waves recently after reports of them pumping aphro-laced incense through the air conditioning system. While the owners were caught and their business closed, the idea has led to a number of copycats, meaning just about every bar in Yoshiwara is filled with a certain tantalizing scent. Summer is almost over, so perhaps they think they won't be caught before the need for AC comes to an end for the year?
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.
Summer's End
Summer is coming to an end, but life in Tokyo never slows down! From the elevated streets of Nihonbashi, to the sizzling night life of Shinjuku, it seems like people are always bustling about their lives no matter the season. But some neighborhoods are quieter than others, and Tokyo's Setagaya neighborhood is among them.
Although it pales it comparison to Shitaya's demographics, Setagaya is still well-known for its high population of Hanyo, people of mixed Human and Yokai descent. Perhaps that's why so many Refugees have chosen to settle down here, as Kizuna effects have famously made many Refugees carry the same characteristics as Hanyo.
Temple of the Cats Setagaya, Tokyo
Despite Bakeneko Yokai being among the most elusive, Bakeneko Hanyo in a Tokyo seem to outnumber all the rest, due in part to the heavy discrimination they face in the West from their whole-blood counterparts. After all, unlike other Yokai, Bakeneko Hanyo are very obvious: Bakeneko rarely grow more than 3 feet tall, while Bakeneko Hanyo are generally closer to 4 or 5.
Perhaps that explains why one of the most popular temples in Setagaya is one dedicated to the Maneki Neko, a popular folk legend in the Western Kingdom. Known as Gotokuji, this temple venerates the first Bakeneko who gained sentience, graduating from Ayakashi to Yokai. This Bakeneko would become the first Kaibyo of Shikoku, beckoning her followers to join her in a sacred pact that would allow the Bakeneko clan to prosper. Of course, little history remains to verify this story.
The temple itself is famous for housing thousands of Maneki Neko statues and clay figures, as well as a large population of friendly stray cats, making it a popular stop for anyone traveling across Tokyo.
But this many cats in one place comes with a downside, as Nekomata have been known to linger on the premises as well. Those who happen upon a cat with a split tail better be sure to greet them with a proper bow, or else they'll be cursed. The curse is harmless, but very embarrassing, causing a voracious appetite and increasingly cat-like behaviors. The curse will abet after nine days of humiliation, or until they can find the cat who cursed them and bow to them in apology.
And if that's not bad enough, recently there have even been reports of attacks late at night, as Nekomata feed on humans. At night, they can grow over twenty times their normal size, making for a rather dangerous encounter. Best to practice to the buddy system if going for a late night stroll in Setagaya.
Stupid Sexy Steamtrain Tokyo Loop Line, Tokyo
As one of the furthest neighborhoods from the city center, Setagaya's trains don't run as late, often forcing visitors to head to the nearby Shibuya to catch the last train of the night. However, those boarding the last train on Friday nights will find that the train never reaches its destination. And while the train falls victim to a time surge causing it to loop the same section of track over and over again, those on board take full advantage of this, turning every Friday night into an all-night party!
And this month is a special occasion! Although typically the train cars each contain a given theme, ranging from cat cafes to costume parties, this month marks the first time that over half of the train will be dedicated to things of a more intimate nature, as part of a special collaboration with a number of sex clubs in Yoshiwara. And thanks to a little help from some special incense imported from the West, those who would otherwise not participate may find themselves feeling more open-minded than usual.
In one car, every person who enters is designated as a sub or a dom at random, and are given free rein to fulfill their roles within the confines of the car. Doms are allowed to gives order to subs, who in turn must serve the doms in whatever manner they desire. The scent of the incense is strongest here, and in addition to a variety of kink-related outfits, there's even a few room dividers set up for those who want to play with a little more privacy. And don't forget: the safe word is choo-choo.
Another car appears to be holding some sort of competition, in which competitors will be blindfolded and asked to identify someone solely through touch. Although not inherently sexual, at some point, it becomes clear that going for the chest seems to be the most efficient method of identification, much to the amusement of the those watching.
And in the very last car, the lights have been turned off and the windows covered, with each person given only a pair of glowing bracelets to put on their wrists to identify where they are. Clothes are tossed to the wayside as the soft music and hum of the train running on the tracks sets a sensual mood, inviting anonymous touches and cuddling. While guests are welcome to do whatever they'd like in the dark, some have simply decided to try and sleep, as the incense is known to cause sexual dreams. And thanks to Kizuna, some of those dreams might even be shared between multiple people.
Wish Upon A Setagaya, Tokyo
Although the NRL itself is located in Nihonbashi, a new facility for Kizuna research has recently opened in Setagaya, where many Refugees have taken up the mantle of Kizuna researchers. After all, who would know Kizuna better than those who experience its side effects on a daily basis? Unlike the NRL, this facility is far less industrial, with many design choices clearly meant to replicate the home worlds of the Refugees who work there. Some workstations are entirely outdoors, others look more like modern classrooms, and some just look like a fancy European-esque parlor room.
As part of a major study on the impact of Kizuna's ability to manipulate reality, the Refugee Researchers are calling upon their fellow Refugees to take part in a simple experiment -- albeit a somewhat dangerous one given the nature of reality manipulation.
The trial itself is one that older Refugees may be familiar: Kizuna's ability to grant wishes. However, in this experiment, the wishes must be things that should be impossible, but still safe. You can wish for macaroni to rain from the sky, but you probably shouldn't wish yourself into a tree.
And for good reason, as this experiment will quickly turn to disaster, as every single wish made in this fashion will come true. Thankfully, the chaos is brief, as these wishes will only exist for a period of ten minutes. But in that time, strange things rain from the sky, plants of all varieties grow out of nowhere, people pop in and out of existence, teleporting here and there... and a few even seen to have snuck in more dangerous wishes, such as resurrecting dead loved ones, controlling the minds and actions of those around them, or transforming into various creatures.
Once the situation is brought under control, it's revealed to participants that 5% of the wishes made just now became permanent (which may or may not be obvious seeing as it will be snowing despite the hot weather), and this figure is considerably higher than previous experiments.
Of course, maybe having a large number of Kizuna users in one place using Kizuna at the same time just skewed the results...
But for all the trouble, those who participate will be gifted with the fruits of their research: a wristwatch that suppresses mild Kizuna effects, with a 99.9% success rate. Unfortunately, moderate effects will still manifest as normal, and severe effects will cause the device to break, releasing enough Kizuna energy to manifest severe effects in anyone around them. Still, it's a step in the right direction!
OOC Notes
Welcome to Jikan's September 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!
• Current players are more than welcome to top-level, or take prompts from the TDM and use for their own logs! This may change in the future depending on how busy TDMs become.
• 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.
• Feel free to get creative with what sort of things can be found on the Loop Line Train!
• New characters are welcome to be wished into the setting using the wish granting mechanic! These characters will still remember a time loop at their canon point, but instead of a door, they'll hear the wishing character's voice calling their name and they will suddenly appear in Nippon. These characters must go to the NRL sometime after for orientation and ensuring their bond with Nippon is stable.
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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