June (Dianir) Test Drive Meme

[hugtopiamods]

June (Dianir) Test Drive Meme
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Dianir, the month when Diacht's power begins to take hold, has begun and the effects of the previous month's rejuvenation have finally worn off. The city is fresh and new with flora and fauna, and the weather begins to turn ever hotter with each passing day as summer begins encroaching upon spring. The natives and new residents alike are adjusting to the first major changes to Havenwell's layout in centuries relatively well, all things considered, with natives slowly and cautiously beginning to expand businesses and homes into the newly opened areas. The temples are abuzz with activity as adherents flock to them, offering praise and words of thanks for the gods and the offworlders, without whom this major step forward would not have been possible.

❥ PROMPT I: Basic Instincts

Randomly and without warning, characters will find that, depending upon the strength of their deity, they may begin exhibiting some...odd qualities associated with their god. Those whose gods are the weakest will find the desire to give in to these qualities are the strongest, bordering on nigh impossible to ignore. Like an itch in the middle of your back that you can't reach, but you're going crazy trying to get it. The longer your character ignores the desire, the stronger it gets. Those whose gods are the strongest will find the urge there and definitely annoyingly loud, but not impossible to ignore for longer periods of time. And what qualities are we talking about? Well, from strongest to weakest, those qualities are...

♥ Ohma (strongest urge): While normally standoffish and languid, this feline god can also cling to things and people at times with an almost obsessive fervor. They need everyone to know that what is theirs belongs to them, and what better way to do that than to mark what is most important to them? People and things adherents of Ohma deem essential or necessary to their lives will find that their Ohma-driven friends are unusually clingy, wanting to hold hands or press up as close as possible to them. It might be hard to go about your day when an Ohma adherent has their arms around your waist, face pressed to your back or chest, unwilling to let go! Another unusual trait to pop up is their hunting instinct. This seems to come out most strongly around the followers of Ainea and Diacht, where Ohma's predatory instincts cause them to play-stalk and play-hunt their fellow offworlders. It's all in good fun though! Give them a tackle or a tag and the urge to 'chase' seems to go away.

♥ Ainea: The little mouse deity is renowned for her compassion and family devotion, but a little known trait of hers is the need to gather. Whether it be people or things, Aineans will find an overwhelming need to pack-rat and hoard as much stuff as possible. Oddly, things that aren't owned by other people already (such as items from stores or museums) hold very little value to them. But that scarf someone else is wearing? Yoink. That person who catches your eye as they walk down the street? Yup. You're going to be gathering everything you can and everything that catches your eye into a central location - be it your home or some other meaningful place to you - in an attempt to bring together a cozy, happy home. Once you've created your perfect little cozy pile, wouldn't it be nice to just dig in and snooze with all of your favoritest things and people? Of course it would! It just might be hard because people tend to want to go about your lives and you? You'd rather they stay right where they are with you.

♥ Diacht: This is the beginning of the avian god's cycle and when their power is beginning to grow incrementally, but that doesn't seem to be excluding them from the chaos. While known for their honesty and honor, Diacht isn't above their more basic instincts. One of which is an almost comical obsession with anything shiny. What's shiny to a Diacht adherent? Well, that depends on each person. It could literally be a bit of tinsel or metal that glints in the bright early summer sun, or it could be a person with whom you've begun to feel a special connection. Diachtians will feel an urge to rush in and snatch up what catches their eye the most, which could put them at odds with both Aineans and Rawnas trying to hold onto their belongings. Beware of the Ohmans who might be stalking you from the shadows, too. If you manage to successfully make off with your latest prize, where better to stash it (or them) than high up, right? You'll be wanting to take over a high perch in town, which might put you into direct confrontation with the Rawnans as you bicker over who really has the right to claim the town fountain, the research towers, or the newly discovered colosseum as their own.

♥ Rawna (weakest urge): Currently the strongest of the deities, adherents of the draconic god will find these urges the easiest to ignore for the longest possible time. The desire is still there, however, and seeing everyone else go buckwild around you might just trigger something deep within: a sense of territorialism. That's your stuff they're taking! And your people! And hey! That's your house! That's your garden and no one else is allowed inside! The urge to protect and keep what's yours for you and you alone is extremely high this month. Sharing is not caring, thank you very much. In fact, it might be easiest to keep an eye on all that you own if you're also the owner of the highest points in town - the town fountain, the research towers, and the newly discovered colosseum. Rawna adherents will find themselves fighting and bickering among themselves and with the Diacht followers to claim ownership of the highest points of land that they can find. Don't be too violent though! No one likes a sore loser. They'll also want to watch out for the Aineans who might just steal that which you hold dearest.

❥ PROMPT II: What'd You Say To Me?

With the gods so thoroughly distracted by their baser needs, it seems something fairly important to the off-worlders' lives has also gone on the fritz. Randomly throughout the month, characters may find that they suddenly can't understand each other. The universal translation magic that's been holding everything together will randomly cut in and out, like spotty WiFi at a public bus station. You could be in the midst of a conversation and suddenly everything that comes out of your partner's mouth turns to gibberish, or just into their native language which you, unfortunately, don't seem to understand. Speak every language fluently? Have a spell that makes you telepathic? Chances are, it won't work. Whether it's written, spoken, thought or gestured, the language barrier is nigh insurmountable whenever this malady passes over you. Thankfully, as with most things here, if you and your conversation friend decide to touch for awhile, the effects wane and pass on as if nothing had gone wrong at all. Let go and it might come back though, so you best be prepared!

❥ PROMPT III: Gotta Make Money to Spend Money

Clothes in Havenwell for more than just offworlders are starting to become a thing, although the availability of good clothing and custom clothing can still be quite expensive. With natives and non-natives alike trying to vye for the latest fashions and outdo one another for an upcoming competition, what little was available is pretty quickly gone from the shelves, leaving the few tailors in town charging premiums for any new products that are needed. Luckily, the wheels of capitalism don't stop, even in this faraway land, and paid jobs are currently plentiful. If you aren't looking to join in the festivities, don't despair! The dora you earn through these tasks can just as easily be spent on other goods and services as you like. A job board is posted in front of tailors and other shops, advertising the following things that people are willing to pay to get done:

• Research Towers: Attention, Offworlders! We hear your calls for innovative cuisine! Create a recipe using available ingredients in Havenwell (replicated or not) with a friend and describe it in detail for potential use in future replicator recipes. We only require that you and your friend taste test and be able to describe the taste, texture, and feeling this food gives you. Please deliver your completed recipes to Research Tower East. Edible and named recipes, regardless of whether they are utilized or not, will receive dora in exchange!
  
• City Council: Attention, Offworlders! We have heard that "homesickness" is a thing that many people might be experiencing and we have heard you! Please are paying for people to bring us examples of your home cultures - be it stories, plays, history or something else. Dramatic reenactments, video recordings, and physical recreations are preferred.
  
• Entertainment District: Attention, Artists! We are experimenting with new synthetic materials that may be useful for your artistic endeavors. Please visit your local museum to pick up a sample pack. Payment for acceptable artistic creations that utilize these new materials in a new and innovative way is being offered. Materials include: new colors of synthetic paints, a more malleable synthetic clay, and a synthetic marble for carving. Offworlder models preferred.
  
• Business District: Help Wanted! We are looking for delivery drones. Those interested should contact the delivery center. Requirements: be capable of moving quickly, carrying large loads of cargo, efficient, and safe! We need machinery, building supplies, personal packages and more shipped and delivered across all of Havenwell. Most packages currently awaiting delivery will require a minimum of two people to deliver. For those without transport, we are offering a crash course in piloting our newly minted three-wheeled delivery scooters.

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Have fun however you like with the setting! Make a network-style toplevel, make up other prompts based on the general setting, go wild. Havenwell is your oyster.

This TDM is for the July application round. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread below. The reservation round begins on June 29, 2020 at 10:00PM EST and our applications will run from July 2, 2020 to July 9, 2020 from 10:00PM EST to 10:00PM EST.

♥ Taken Characters ♥ Reservations ♥ Applications ♥

Comments

[daikonrose]

[ With the conversation fading out, Kyoko picks her pace up too, running whenever there's enough space, not minding the robot heads swiveling to glance in mild confusion after this pair of offworlders cutting through the crowd. And just like that, soon enough Rawna's temple is rising up before them.

Slowing to a stop, Kyoko pauses just for a moment to catch her breath--and now it's time to sprint, right on in past the priests milling about and a fledgling dragon sunning on the steps.

Bye. ]

1/3

[hansha]

[ Hey, they're quite a good duo, aren't they? Yuuji hasn't felt this kind of excitement for a while since his arrival here. Okay well he's gotten up some roofs and buildings, but that's different!! They're blasting through the crowd, efficiently dodging people and robots, towards the same destination!!

When the temple is finally in sight, he can't help but be enamoured by the look of it. It's something that he thought he would've only been able to see in TV shows, but here it is, a Greek (maybe?) temple, right in front of him!! He doesn't need a passport to see it in person!! Seeing that Mogami isn't winding down just yet, he too continues to zip through further into the temple, though not without cocking his head from left to right to admire the sight. He doesn't get it but all those carvings and pillars look real neat! So grand!!

He only skids to a stop when they arrive before a huge, glistening stone. Sunlight shines down on it, reflecting rainbows in his eyes, that even someone not religious like Yuuji can tell that it has, uh, some kinda significance. It's ethe... ethe...something.

This is it, right? This is where they're gonna do it? ]

[hansha]

[ Alright, he's got this, give him a moment.

He takes a deep, deep breath.

3...

2...

1. ]

[hansha]

RAWNA-SAAAAAANNN!!!!!!!! GOOD AFTERNOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ Nailed it. ]

[daikonrose]

[ Unfortunately, they didn't chat ahead of time about coordinating their message, so Kyoko starts shouting at exactly the same time. ]

EXCUSE ME! I NEED A WORD WITH YOUUUUUUU!!! LISTEN WELL!

[hansha]

[ Whoops. He turns his head to Mogami. ]

Ah, sorry. Who should go first?

1/2

[daikonrose]

[ Kyoko pauses long enough to drag in another deep breath. She doesn't look at Itadori, but speaks coolly to him as she raises her head. ]

Leave this kind of thing to your senpais.

[daikonrose]

I TOLD YOU FROM THE VERY START! YOU REALLY MESSED UP BRINGING ME HERE! AND I'M STILL NOT INTERESTED IN BEING YOUR EMERGENCY BACK-UP BATTERY! AS IF BRIBING ME WOULD WORK!! KEEP IT!!!!

1/2

[hansha]

[ Senpai!! ✨ He immediately responds with a salute, back straight. ]

Aye aye, Ma'am!!

[ Yuuji knows how to be a good kouhai and will definitely take mental notes of how she does it, he shall watch him over from here!! ]

[hansha]

[ As expected from Mogami-senpai!! So cool!! So powerful!! As a good kouhai, he must back his senpai up!! He takes another deep breath, before yelling out: ]

SHE'S RIGHT!! RAWNA-SAN!! I'M SURE THERE'S A WAY TO FIX THIS!! IT'S WRONG TO PAY US FOR PHYSICAL CONTACTS!! WE... [ He pauses. ] WE'RE NOT HOSTS OR CABARET GIRLS!!!!

3/3 wait i lied

[hansha]

[ No, wait a minute. ]

EVEN HOST CLUBS AND CABARET CLUBS DON'T ALLOW TOUCHING!!!

[daikonrose]

[ Yeah! Well said, Itadori!! Kyoko breathes in, ready to scream louder. ]

RIGHT!!! SHOW US AT LEAST AS MUCH RESPECT AS YOU'D GIVE THE AVERAGE STRI--

[ Oh, a priest has awkwardly shuffled in front of them, hands held up to gently encourage them to back away. Rawna's temple might be for dealing with negative emotions, but you guys, please. Sleepy teenage dragons are poking their heads up from their napping spots all over the temple, sending blank stares their way. ]

[hansha]

[ Yuuji here's ready to nod vigorously when the priest appears in their line of vision. Oh? What? Are they too loud? Rawna-san could hear them?

Then... ]

STRIPPER!!

[ Look, he toned his voice down a little! As a good kouhai, he has to finish his senpai's sentences! This is what he's here for!!

Their surroundings become quiet as his voice echoes in the chamber. The priest looks increasingly uncomfortable with their presences, gently asking them to take their leave for the day, and that there are other people who are waiting in line to talk to Rawna. ]

But we're not done yet!! Will Rawna-san answer us? We'll wait if it needs time!!

[daikonrose]

[ Thank you Itadori, you have been a true asset to this cause.

Rawna hears all who pray to him, they are assured, as more priests assemble to herd the two of them back towards the entrance. They will know his answer in their hearts when the time comes.

Kyoko is all huffs and scowls. ]

He should answer right away for once! I've been his follower all this time!

[hansha]

That's right! I'm... I'm new here but isn't it the god's job to lead us to the right path? This is wrong, don't you think?

[ The priests just continue to skirt around the issue by repeating what they have said. One of them adds that good things will come to those who wait, and asks them to practice patience. Yuuji's not having it! Even if they're pretty much out of the temple now, he's not backing down without a fight! When the priests are ready to turn their backs, he calls out, ]

Wait!! But this is the least he can do! He's the one who forced us to come here... Don't you think we are owed some explanation?! Will we be able to go back home, too?!

[daikonrose]

[ There's a pause, as the priests seem to exchange looks. The answer for that will come in its own time as well, is the only answer they receive--it's what Kyoko expected too. She's simmered down into a quieter bitterness by the time they reach the entrance. ]

It's useless.

[ Turning sharply, Kyoko starts to trudge down the steps. ]

For one reason or another, they definitely won't tell us the answer to that one.

[hansha]

[ Yuuji takes a few steps in front of Mogami and turns to her, his fists balled. ]

Mogami-san!! I haven't given up! We shouldn't give up-- they said our time is over for today, that means we can always come back again and keep trying!! You want to go back home too, right?

[daikonrose]

Of course that's what I want.

[ Her own hands clench in to fists as well, quietly at her sides. ]

Of course I'll keep nagging them about it. But it's not just the two of us who've been asking that question, you know. Whether we scream it to the heavens or ask politely, the answer just never comes. It's always like this, every time.

[hansha]

I see!

[ He beams for a moment, in relief that Mogami's not giving up yet, but the smile in his face quickly dims when he hears what she said next. ]

That so...

[ Of course. They were all being brought here by force, there surely had been people who revolted against this. That makes a lot of sense. It makes him think of the worst case scenario: not being able to return, ever ― which also inspires a question that he's not sure he really wants the answer of. ]

...

[ He'll ask, anyway. ]

...Say, how long've you been here?

[daikonrose]

[ Oh, it's this question. Answering it now somehow isn't as depressing as it was when she was newer; it's more worrying about how the other person will take it, at this point. Kyoko levels a look at Itadori. ]

... It's been about seven months now. But there are people who've been stuck here for a year already, too.

1/2

[hansha]

Seven...!

[ A year, even. That's. Way more than he had expected. ]

.....

[ One week-- no, even just one day will already make a big difference. If his disappearance doesn't affect the resonance of the fingers, or worse, Sukuna found a new host, Yuuji can't even begin to imagine the number of casualties there will be.

Still, there's no point trying to figure that out now, when the situation is that he's stuck here.

He understands why Mogami feels so strongly about it now. She has been struggling with these feelings for seven straight months, without even being able to resolve it, not even getting the answers to her questions. ]

[hansha]

Mogami-san... no, Mogamin.

[ He places his hands on Mogami's shoulders firmly, eyes directed right at hers. ]

I'm not really smart so I can't say that I know what we can do right now, but I promise you we'll figure this out together. We'll find a way out of this!! We're not gonna lose!!

[daikonrose]

"Mogamin...?"

[ Kyoko had been expecting the alarm, even if that look of distress on this boisterous guy's face is a little heart-wrenching to look at. Ah, was there a gentler way she could have told him? But sugarcoating it wouldn't have sat right with her either.

But a moment later he's all revved up again, jeez. What should she do with someone like this? Sure, Kyoko can get pretty intense and pumped up herself, but she still has the weight of pessimism to bring her back down to earth. But this guy--he's just so much. It's like looking at the sun through a telescope.

Staring back at him head-on, she lifts both her hands to grasp his wrists firmly between her thumbs and index fingers, and plucks them up away from her shoulders. ]

... Just what kind of shonen manga are you the protagonist of?

[hansha]

[ It would be a huge lie if he said that it wasn't a punch to the gut finding out that there are people who are stuck here for a year, but there was no need to drag the mood down now. Being down doesn't resolve anything then, it won't any resolve anything from here on either! He'll have his moping time when he's on his own. What's important now is for Mogamin to know that he's here for her!! And he'll find every way possible to get them out of here!! ]

Eh? What brought that on suddenly? [ He looks at her in pure confusion. ] Do I look like a shounen manga protagonist? Like Goden from Tiger Ball?

[ Hahahaha. ]

[daikonrose]

It's your personality.

[ That answers both questions, right?

Rather than stay on that subject any longer, Kyoko moves to walk around Itadori and continue down towards the street. ]

Come on, you still haven't eaten yet. Even your type shouldn't be allowed to run on an empty stomach forever.