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July | 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.
In Nihonbashi, the lingering rainy season means the streets are consistently rather wet, causing an increase in accidents as people slip and slide all over the place. Which is dangerous enough on any busy street, but Nihonbashi is completely elevated, with only waterways and the streets of Shitaya below. Thankfully some areas are equipped with nets to prevent people from getting seriously injured, but even so, refugees might just find themselves being called over to help pull someone out from the water!
Things are a little more frustrating over in Little Edo, where some streets have become so waterlogged, they've actually flooded. None of the flooding is too bad, but some refugees might be unfortunate enough to wake up and find a little pond has formed in the genkan, causing their shoes to float away! Better hope your neighbors are proficient in Mizu magic to get rid of all this water!
And over in Yoshiwara's dorms, predictably, the ceiling leaks. Which wouldn't be such a big deal if the rooms were big enough to place a bucket or two. As it is, many should expect to wake up with a soggy futon. Thankfully, certain rooms seem to be entirely unaffected, so refugees will just have to share those rooms until repairs can be done! Just think of it like a bonding exercise.
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
All refugees who see this message will receive a giftbox of Japanese snacks delivered to one of their residences. Strangely, it's not a snack that exists anywhere in Nippon, so this is the only way they'll be able to try Pocky!
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.
Tanabata Festival
As the new month rolls over, most of the refugees have now physically recovered from last month's ordeal, in which a criminal organization from the Western Kingdom held over 100 refugees hostage for nearly a week. Most of the criminals were caught, but the scars of the incident still linger, with many refugees feeling uncomfortable in public and wary of the native population.
In response to this, the people of Tokyo wanted to do something for the refugees, to let them know the majority of the people in Nippon absolutely love and appreciate them. And Tanabata is the perfect time for such an occasion!
The Wish Weaver Nihonbashi, Tokyo
According to legend, back before Nippon was two distinct kingdoms, a human empress by the name of Orihime fell in love with Himeboshi, the Princess of a distant Yokai clan. Aware that bonds between Human and Yokai were forbidden, Orihime attempted to elope with Himeboshi. But she was caught, and Himeboshi was exiled to the furthest reaches of Nippon. Orihime is said to have wept endlessly, and soon, the people began praying for her happiness. Through the power of their bond, the wishes of the people came true, and Orihime's tears became a long river, which Himeboshi was able to follow to reunite with her. For this reason, Tanabata is held at the end of the rainy season, when Orihime's tears have dried and Himeboshi can safely follow the river to return to her side.
Clearly the legend is a little different from what some refugees might be familiar with, and many natives insist there's historical precedent for it being true. In any case, on Tanabata, it's customary for people to make wishes and hang those wishes on stalks of bamboo. While many make wishes for their own happiness, wishes made for the sake of others are said to have a higher possibility of coming true.
All around Tokyo, little displays of bamboo can be found set up on nearly every corner, where people have been writing wishes on rice paper and hanging them on the bamboo. Refugees are sure to notice just how many of these wishes are explicitly for the sake of others, with the bulk of them focused on wishing for the refugees health and healing. But actual wish granting isn't unfamiliar to many refugees by now, as incidents of wishes coming true have been reported since as early as January. And this month is no exception, with one important detail: any wishes read out loud by a refugee will eventually come true, in one way or another. This effect will only last until the festival's end on the 8th, by which time rumors will begin to circulate about the refugees holding some sort of sacred power.
Fire Flower Tokyo Outskirts, Tokyo
Tanabata is a bit wetter than usual this year, but that isn't stopping people from enjoying the brief sun breaks that occur throughout the month. One week in particular sees crowds headed for the Tokyo Outskirts, the name used to describe the flooded region between Tokyo and Yokohama. Once a bustling and busy city, a time surge caused the land to abruptly shift hundreds of years ago, well before it was understood what time surges were. The result is a large expanse of water that stretches like a river through Kanto, connected to much of the flooded areas up north.
Over the years, the artificial Tama Beach was built just south of Little Edo, allowing for some sandy shores. Here, small stalls selling fireworks can be found, which are all offering special deals for refugees. They mostly sell just sparklers and the occasional ground dancer, but one firework in particular has an interesting effect. They're small, slow burning fireworks that take the form of a small fire flower held on the end of a thin string. As it burns, the petals fall based on random timing. And this timing is what inspired a game: The first one to lose all their petals has to tell an embarrassing story!
Refugees may find themselves being corralled into playing this game with children and young adults alike, eager to share their culture and maybe get a funny story out of it. But they should be careful, because while most flowers burn red, those that burn blue burn much faster, and come with a small truth-telling spell to encourage honesty. Just make sure to keep the stories G rated if playing with local kids.
Bamboo Wishes Tokyo Outskirts, Tokyo
On July 7th, the Tanabata Festival begins properly, with festival food and games set up along the Tama Beach. Those who attend are encouraged to wear their brightest kimono, to match the colorful strips of paper used to make wishes. But this year is very special, as for the first time in a very long time, the emperors of the East and Western kingdoms are set to make a symbolic appearance together on a ship crossing the Tama canal, in honor of Orihime and Himeboshi's reunion.
As such, the crowds are larger than usual this year, with a higher number of Yokai attendees than ever seen in Tokyo. With this in mind, security at the festival is much stronger, with Exorcists from the West in attendance to prevent any suspicious magic or spell activity. Powerful Yokai magic users, the Exorcists are the Western equivalent to the East's various Hunter clans, specializing in taming dangerous beasts and ayakashi. While taking their job very seriously, many have also brought familiars to entertain the crowds, including a strange nekomata with an odd, bus-like appearance, allowing passengers to go on high-speed rides bounding across the tops of buildings and trees. Care to take a ride? They promise he doesn't bite!
The festival runs late, well until midnight, when all the bamboo wishes around Tokyo are collected and brought to the water. Here, the bamboo is sliced and cut in half, creating little boats for stacks of paper wishes to sit on. The paper is lit with a match, and the boats are sent out into the water, creating a beautiful display of hundreds of little lights that slowly flicker out as the paper and bamboo burns together. Refugees will be asked to set out the first boats, with the hope that their wishes are granted.
But come the end of the night, only Katsuragi-no-mikoto, emperor of the West, will be seen briefly aboard the royal vessel, looking a bit forlorn as he waves to the people on the beach. Were they not able to meet after all?
OOC Notes
Welcome to Jikan's July 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.
• For current players apping a second character, you have the option to have your character join the game by being wished into existence during Tanabata through the power of Kizuna. These characters will be encouraged to visit the NRL immediately to be examined. They will remember a time loop, but will not remember seeing a door, instead appearing in Tokyo after hearing the wishing-character's voice calling to them. How they appear is up to you, so feel free to get creative or silly!
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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Kiriho | OC
SecondSight: You people have all of this knowledge and are able to write and transmit knowledge from person to person easily.
SecondSight: And you use it on the stupidest messages possible
SecondSight: The fuck was I trying so hard to help my people survive for if this is the future
SecondSight: Gods help us all this is a disaster
SecondSight: I am hungry and I want to eat
User SecondSight has signed off. (05:49 PM)
User SecondSight has signed on. (08:12 PM)
SecondSight: Going out was a mistake, your foodstuffs are garbage.SecondSight: I demand to know where my horse is, and the nearest place to get reagents.
SecondSight: And who the hell did what to your rain deity, because I just wanna have a few words
2. Caught Red-Handed
[You are unlocking the door to enter your room when you realize it was already unlocked. Wait... what? Opening the door, you come upon a petite young man in a white kimono and purple flowered haori overcoat, rifling through anything he can find-- drawers, shelves, any stacks of paper, or so forth. When he hears you, he freezes and turns, staring at you in surprise and weighing what to do next.
In his right hand is something he found in your room and thought was of value-- it might be money or jewelry, it might be a pretty trinket, it might be something that is purely sentimental such as a photograph. As you try to figure out if he is merely lost or confused, his fingers tighten ever so slightly around the item, and he juts his chin out at you, narrowing his eyes.
What is the item, and what do you do?]
3. Playing With Fire
[Kiriho is at the beach, watching children play the game with the fireworks-- from afar, without joining in. All of the sights and sounds of this place are starting to get to him, and the day's humidity and heat didn't help. As he watches the sun setting on the sea and the fireworks exploding overhead, the surrealness of this whole experience hits him hard and he starts to feel as if he is rising out of his body and floating upwards, looking at his toes as he tumbles end over end up into the sky above. Good, he thinks, and he is sure that he can float back home.
That's how it feels, anyway. In reality, his eyes go half-closed, his chin goes to his chest, and he slumps to the ground, about to fall on his knees and then face-first into the sand. His small, delicate hand reaches out to grab onto anything or anyone nearby, which may be you. If you check, Kiriho is burning up with a fever, possibly from stubbornly sitting in the wet in his room in Yoshiwara for the last few days. His breathing is too rapid. You may also find signs that he is dehydrated and hasn't eaten a real meal in several days.]
4. Shopping Around in Yoshiwara
[Kiriho struck out to find supplies and wandered and wandered within this city. It's so huge that he can't begin to imagine how many people live and work here, and why, and how they all survive in one place. Marveling at the buildings and the goods on sale, the restaurants and the diverse people all around him-- Kiriho has never been more fascinated.
As he pauses to look at cheap costume jewelry on display outside a fashion shop, a young woman wearing a fur stole and a flashy, brightly flowered kimono suddenly comes around the corner and bumps into him from behind. Kiriho is shocked to see the woman hang her bag on his arm as he reaches up to touch one of the earrings on display. Then the woman stumbles backwards and throws herself onto the ground on her bottom, legs splayed out painfully and one strap of her zori broken.
"My handbag," she fake-cries to two people who come around the corner next. One is another young woman wearing red and one is a very, very large and intimidating man, big enough to be a wrestler or a bouncer, with his kimono open in the front to show off his huge chest muscles. The woman on the ground points to Kiriho with one long, pink-painted fingernail. "Oh! That guy, he grabbed me and took my bag!"
People gasp, and you hear some comment. A thief, a thief! Someone call the police!
"Get him, Kansuke," the young woman in red asks of the man, who holds up two massive fists like hamhocks, ready to fight. "Don't let him get away!"
Kiriho is so dumbfounded by this scenario that he has no idea what to do at first. During the silence, there is enough time for you to step in and intervene, or maybe you wait to enjoy the beat-down.]
5. Dormitory
[As you are walking down the hallway towards your lodgings, you notice a door open. So much water pours out of it that it looks like there was a swimming pool held inside of it. You recognize it as the door of the room from which there is often a completely lovely golden voice, singing snippets of songs you have ever heard the like of. Maybe you liked the serenade, or maybe you were irritated by the noise each time-- but you know it came from that room.
Kiriho steps out, sniffling and sopping wet from head to toe. He is carrying a small bag of his personal effects and an umbrella. He parks himself in the hallway on an orange crate, huddling into a ball with the umbrella covering his head from the leaks in the roof. He looks up and sees you, and looks away quickly.
"What're you looking at," he snaps, sullen. His eyes are bloodshot wet, and the eye makeup around his eye corners is running, making it look like he is sweating and crying blood. He smells like a certain kind of recreational herbal smoke.
Then after a moment passes, he sighs from deep down and grumbles under his breath, "Okay, fine. I'll tell them, just-- stop." That's when he raises his voice and addresses you again. "Hey-- you. Yeah, you. Look... don't go to sleep tonight. You will regret it."]
6. Wildcard!
5
other than a cold look in passing, he all but ignores being snapped at. if he picked a fight with every asshole who talks to himself on the street who said the same thing he'd never get anything done.
that warning though? not what he expected to hear. ]
The fuck is that supposed t'mean?
no subject
He tries to wet his mouth. It's dry and cottony and feels disgusting. He really wishes that the gods had let him pack a bag of supplies from home before taking him on this little pleasure trip through time.
Fuck them all. And after all I've done for them, too... gave my blood, sweat, and tears to get them what they wanted. And now they dump me in Shitland, population Stupid.
He glowers and hunches a bit on his orange crate. One of his feet kicks slightly, like he's looking for something to do, some movement, some kind of feedback. His hands are itching, and he tucks them into his sleeves to keep from reaching for something to fidget with. He looks away, down the hallway, almost as if looking through things and not at them..]
What it sounds like. If you go to sleep tonight, it's going to be a big mistake. You have to stay awake. There's someone-- a group of them-- coming after you. They're from the other side. Dead. I can feel it. They're angry. They're looking for someone who's killed many.
[He wants to pick at an old scab on the back of his left hand to relieve the pressure he feels inside, and he has to try so hard not to.]
I have sources that're reliable. I can find out more if I get the right stuff to exchange for the info. But... that's all I can get for now.
[Kiriho exhales and he feels it all the way to his toes. He glances up at Izo, waiting to see if the other man wants to pursue this further.]
What do you want to do?
no subject
[ there's a moment or two where it's all on his face, the confusion and then fear and then something somewhere between the two. finally, he seems to catch himself and refocuses. now it's something a little more like anger. ]
Are you fuckin' with me right now? Who are you?
[ is this a joke? he imagines it's a practical joke. in which case it's in terrible taste and as usual he doesn't appreciate it. did someone figure out his true name? but how? there's a nonzero chance he might have given it out in a drunken boast but he wouldn't remember even if that were so. then again, there's a part of him that doesn't want to just blow off the warning. what if it's really real?? ]
no subject
[Kiriho holds out his arms and stands off of his orange crate a bit, spreading his feet slightly in case Izo wants to pat him down.]
Some asshole took my knife-- [Oh, the rancor in those three words. Kiriho is dripping with hatred at the person in question.] --so all I got is my bare hands, and you look like you could snap me like a twig anyway so... there you go.