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August | 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 front of a mysterious stone shrine in the middle of a forest, surrounded by the unfamiliar yet worried faces of fox-like humans in red and white robes, speaking in a foreign language that doesn't sound so foreign to you anymore.
Maryouku University
There isn't much time to process what's happening before characters are transported to the nearby Maryouku University. All injuries are completely healed, and those under mental duress will have a powerful soothing spell cast on them to calm them down. Their every need is met: food is offered, and questions are answered. "You've arrived in the Western Kingdom of Nippon, on a planet called Gaia," they explain. "When you became aware of the timeloop, we... well, let us explain."
Orientation Maryouku University, Kyoto
Everyone is brought to a large auditorium, where dozens of other people looking similarly out of place are seated around them. The Kitsune Yokai from before filter on stage, as well as a number of humans and other Yokai in labcoats. And after a brief introduction, they begin to explain. 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, 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 a means of resuming the flow of time back in their home world is found, they'll just have to make due with this one. But not to worry, because Nippon is fully committed to taking care of the refugees!
A Brand New Home Kyoto, Kansai
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 cities 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! As of the beginning of May, 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.
In Higashiyama, a new tea shop has opened selling specialty brews containing mild concentrations of uki weed, a popular recreational drug in the West. Unlike regular uki, these formulations have been manipulated with magic, allowing for very specific effects. One blend simply makes the drinker feel calm and soothed, another causes vivid hallucinations of golden butterflies said to help with insomnia, and another... causes them to flirt with everyone they meet? Hm. Something went a little wrong with that one. Must be why they're giving it out as free samples! At least there's a warning label on it?
Over in Gion, the native Yokai are asking help from the refugees with clearing a recent boom of Tsuchinoko that have overrun the neighborhood. Appearing as short snakes with oddly fat bodies, Tsuchinoko are particularly drawn towards for bars, of which Gion has quite a few. Prone to drinking themselves silly, these reptiles will bite their tail and become upright, rolling around like a hula hoop on the loose as they avoid capture. Some may even take to rolling across the floor like a log. Just don't get bitten, as they're rather venomous, and serious bites may even require a quick trip to a healer.
And over in Uji, a special class is being offered at MRU to beginner magic users, with the focus being on methods of casting spells. Those who participate will be gifted a free item to assist them in casting their spells, ranging from a magic wand to a magic instrument. While most of these classes focus on the basics, such as lighting a candle or making bubbles in a cup of water, one class seems to be going to extra mile by allowing students to duel one another using just native magic. A skilled healer is on hand, and the teacher will intervene before things get dire, but you can do a lot with a single spell before they stop you...
NRL Time Refugee Support Network
Once they've received their housing assignment, all refugees will be given small handheld devices called magi-tech comms, 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. 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
For some reason, the welcome message appears to be glitched, and no one will be able to read the usual playful messages given by the mysterious user scienz_rulz_1899. No other messages follow.
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.
Deja Vu
The month of August has arrived, along with the very hot weather that Nippon's summers are known for. The rainy season has finally passed, but that just means the heat is here to stay. Thankfully, summer activities are kicking into full swing, with various festivals and celebrations happening throughout the Eastern and Western Kingdoms almost every night. All of this is gearing up for the biggest celebration: the Obon festival, set for mid-August. This year is poised to be the most important Obon festival ever, as it'll be the first time the festival has occurred since the time loop ended.
But that's for later. For now, refugees will hear about a number of different festivals popping up across Kyoto. And with their new railpass, traveling to new areas is easier than ever!
And yet as refugees new and old board the train, they might just find themselves being struck by an odd thought:
Have I done this before?
Heavenly Masquerade Uji, Kyoto
One festival sure to turn a few heads is the Kikokugami Festival at the Fushimi Inari Shrine over in Uji. Famous for its thousands of bright red torii gates lining the walkways along the shrine grounds, Fushimi Inari is one of the more important shrines in Nippon, said to be the last place where the gods were seen in the mortal world. As the name implies, the god in question was Inari Okami, one of the principal gods in Shinto. For those who've been wondering just how religious the people of Nippon are, they may be surprised to find that many treat this as a historical event rather than simply a religious one.
As such, the Kikokugami Festival is mean to recreate the final procession given to Inari Okami before they returned to the land of the gods. To accomplish this, volunteers are gathered and dressed in high-quality kimono befitting the nobles of early Nippon, as well as masks to represent the different clans of Yokai who participated in the original procession. Then, just before sunset, the procession will move through the many, many torii gates across the hills, before ending at the location where Inari Okami left the world.
Despite their status as foreigners, refugees will be allowed to participate as well. They'll be allowed to try on any number of outfits, including the masks, which contain a minor spell that creates an illusion to make the wearer appear to transform. Putting on the Tengu mask will cause wings to appear on the back, the Oni mask will change their skin either blue or red, etc. These illusions are not solid, and will disappear the moment the mask is removed.
Or at least, that's what's intended. It seems there's something strange going on with the Kitsune mask. Intended to merely grant the wearer a single tail, some refugees who wear the mask will instead be granted nine tails, which are seemingly very real, and will linger even after the mask is removed. And if that weren't bad enough, those affected may also have their personalities changed. They'll become bold and brash, inclined towards causing mischief, and far more sensual as they seek out whatever worldly pleasures they can find. This effect will wear off after a few hours, but those who experience this effect may find themselves more prone to gaining Kitsune features when experiencing Kizuna side-effects.
According the Head priestess of the shrine, they've never seen anything like it before, and somehow, it doesn't seem to be the result of a spell or curse. Naturally, this leads some to wonder if it could be a sign from Inari Okami, but ultimately, the festival goes on as usual.
Ten Million Fireflies Arashiyama, Kyoto
With the rainy season finally over, the Minobi Festival in kyoto's Arashiyama District could finally begin. Known as the firefly ayakashi, Minobi are small, harmless ayakashi known for the bright and colorful light displays they create during summer months using their bioluminescent bodies. Despite being ayakashi and capable of curses, the minobi have evolved to develop a complementary relationship with the Yokai who live in the West, and are famous in Arashiyama. Rather than curses, their effects are called blessings, and occur only when someone allows a minobi to land on them.
The gold minobi casts a blessing of good luck, making them among the most desirable. Anything you set out to do will be accomplished successfully, or so they say.
The red minobi casts a blessing of infatuation, working as a temporary love spell between two people, should their eyes meet while one is touching the minobi.
The green minobi casts a spell of flight, enabling one to soar high into the sky, before gently descending back to the ground, making it a popular target by children.
The blue minobi casts a spell of truth-telling. Those touched by this minobi will become incapable of lying for up to a full week. It's said they have some innate way of knowing that those they touch have secrets they wish to tell, but don't know how.
And the purple minobi is perhaps the only truly malicious type. Touching these minobi is said to unleash a person's hidden and secret desires, causing wild and erratic behavior.
But above all else, the rainbow minobi is rarest of all. While it never lands on anyone, the locals believe that if multiple people witness a rainbow minobi at the same time, their destinies will forever be entwined, and the minobi will reappear someday to help them stay together. Couples can seen in forests all around Arashiyama, hunting for rainbow-colored minobi in the hopes of affirming their love for one another.
But what happens to those who see a rainbow minobi when they're alone? Ordinarily, nothing. But for the refugees, the minobi's blessing will, for some reason, manifest as a permanent kizuna effect, causing one part of their body to become perpetually rainbow-colored at night. While the eyes are the most common, some may develop a rainbow streak of hair, rainbow fingernails, or even a rainbow dick, because why not?
But perhaps strangest of all, for some reason, some refugees already have these effects, despite not remembering a time when they saw a rainbow minobi. Did they see one and not realize it?
Stationary Gion, Kyoto
With just how much travel is being encouraged this month, naturally refugees will be spending a lot of time in train stations. While most of them are simply means of getting from point A to point B, many of them have become commercial hubs, filled with restaurants, shops, and even tourist attractions. Kyoto Station is one such place, and for the month of August, special markets can be found every weekend, selling interesting and rare goods from across Nippon.
And yet some of the items being sold go far beyond just being rare. Refugees may find familiar items from home being marketed as time surge merch -- items for sale that arrived in Nippon via a time surge, from an unknown point in time. These items can range from the simple, such as a brand of shampoo they used back home, to more complicated things, such as distinctly modern technology or even personal mementos of Refugees. Unfortunately, trying to claim that something they see belongs to them won't go over well with the shop keepers, so refugees might just have to pay up if they want their beloved Playstation 2 back.
But there's something else curious about Kyoto Station. Whether it be because they've been traveling through the station so often, or something else, at some point every refugee will be struck by a strong feeling of deja vu. While not to the same extent as when they noticed they were in time loop, they may feel an odd sort of familiarity with the area, or even with fellow refugees they've never met. That man coming down the stairs, why do you feel like you should know his name? That woman rushing for the next train, why does it feel like you should stop her to say hello?
And if that weren't bad enough, every refugees who passes through any train station will find themselves being stopped by a young woman with kitsune features and bright red hair. With a smile, she holds out a strange golden-colored ticket:
Next time? Unfortunately, there won't be any time to ask what she meant, as she excuses herself with a bow leaping onto the tracks and seemingly disappearing right before your very eyes. While no one else will know anything about the girl in question, the ticket she left behind is very much real.
OOC Notes
Welcome to Jikan's August 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, in both Kyoto and Tokyo. 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.
• All characters may find one non-magical personal item from home in the Kyoto Station market. Non-personal items, like a favorite brand of chips or shaving cream, can be found in any amount within reason.
• In order to fully participate in the event later this month, your character must take the golden ticket. Whether they do so willingly or find that it's been slipped into their pocket is up to you.
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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gion
[Dazai is attempting to herd Tsukinocho out of the way with a broom, with little success so far.]