▶ TDM .009

[prismods]

Now whip it

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"Devo - Whip It (Video)" (Watch on YouTube)

You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you. Your body is hemmed in by shards of crystals, gently sparkling and possibly pricking your skin. The surrounding landscape is dyed in the pinks and purples of the dusk filled with crystals protruding from the ground, some as large as a skyscraper. Even the few shy moon creatures you find in the wild have strange crystal growths on their hides. This is far from home— perhaps a dream? You pinch your skin and slap your cheeks, yet nothing seems to do the trick. Searching for answers yields nothing but an endless expanse of purple dust as far as the eye can see. You have four options: one, panic; two, soil yourself; three, admire it all then soil yourself; or four, go into survival mode. Eventually, you’ll realize that you’re not alone.

After a day or two of living off the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. After the strange phenomenon during the past months when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for more Moonblessed to be rescued. You’ll eventually be brought into Iris’s moon government center.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? Why did I inhale all those permanent markers in the third grade? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay.

While waiting for transport to be prepared, you may freely roam around the government center. Eventually you’re called back from exploring, escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the moons and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as the local Prismals. The next destination: Prismatica.

▶ Whip It Good
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Planet Prismatica, City of Lunatia | top

Welcome to Prismatica’s hub, Lunatia, the city of your dreams! A bustling metropolis lush with bright lights, vibrant colors, luxuriant plant life, and all the conveniences of technology absent from your own world… It seems like paradise to all the uninitiated. After a quick tour of the city, new arrivals can find themselves getting cozy in their new homes.

 A  Settle in your new home at Level 2 to find new roommates and say hello to your neighbors! City officials will give you directions to the designated districts across Level 2 and instruct you to pick out a unit. Each apartment complex has a different aesthetic, some may look cozy, some stylish, and some bizarre. The free accommodations have a basic living space that can only fit two or three people at most in one unit.

Starter Chromaspace furnishings are provided which can be controlled with the touch of a built-in panel. Examples are color-changing curtains, transforming sofa beds, cabinets turning into tables, etc. Customizing your apartment or moving out will have to wait until you earn more chroma. Until then, why don’t you check out your new neighborhood or explore the city levels? Maybe your new roommates or neighbors can give you a “hand” with allowance for dinner.

 B  At the Crystarium Moonports is a new family restaurant called Grapplebears, here to serve your favorite dishes from all around the galaxy at affordable prices! The menu ranges from the atomically hot and spicy Chamakshalan curry rice, delectable dragonsaur steak served with mashed space-tatoes, to the sweet and creamy Lunatian milkshakes that bring all the boys to the yard, all prepared by their handsome and huggable bear crew.

As you might have noticed, the restaurant staff is a ragtag group with members from planets unknown to both Prismals and Moonblessed. The waiters and waitresses in particular are tall, muscular, leather-clad bears who take your order by whipping you with a special riding crop that compels you to bark out your order — but only if you ask to be, of course! They might induce you to reveal other unrelated interests so make sure you’re not thinking about anything embarrassing!

If you chat up the staff or customers, you learn more about the restaurant’s origins. The bears say their planets* were also wiped by the Calamity hundreds of years ago, and life for them has been difficult for them since then…

*Further information about these planets is unavailable at this time.

▶ Night of the Living Dummy
City of Lunatia | top

The last vestiges of Geistnacht have officially passed and the first chilly autumn breeze ushers in the new season. The city is awash in giant piles of browning leaves that decorate every walkway.

 A  To deal with the mass collection of fallen leaves, many buildings across the city have been retrofitted with a new disposal system to help clean up. A sprawling network of automated vacuum tubes around the city will efficiently suck all those pesky leaves right up. While children love playing inside and using them to “teleport” around Lunatia, they have also been known to spontaneously suck up anyone who’s not too careful. You may find yourself falling on some hapless bystander on their afternoon walk, or crammed in a tube with your new neighbors. Lunar Scientia officials warn everyone to be careful of where you walk, else you might need to crawl your way to sweet freedom.

 B  A pop-up shop in Level 1 is attracting much of the locals' attention, run by a peddler who speaks in a low, elongated hiss and wears a hood over his face. He assures you that his face is of no consequence. What is more important is his selection of wares! In contrast to his cloaked, enigmatic appearance, his travel cart is a Barbie pink explosion of frills, hearts, glitter. He will tell all visitors he comes from the Valley of the Crimson Serpents, which Prismals and older Moonblessed arrivals find odd. Wasn’t the Sanguis moon uninhabitable?

Among the peddler’s wares are adorable, wide-eyed and heavily perfumed dolls in all sorts of clothes a child dreaming of rainbows and tea parties could ever ask for. Hug and squeeze a doll, and you will be greeted by a pre-recorded voice telling you how they’re your bestest friend ever. It’s like they were made for lovin’ you! But if you look away for one moment, you can almost swear you hear a snake’s hiss, its long tongue licking the shell of your ear… The next time you see the doll, its body will be in a slightly different position or location. Is it… following you? Fortunately, a minimal amount of moonlacing will make it leave you alone. You can wait it out too, but why would you?

Destroy a doll and it will later reappear wherever you are when you least expect it, good as new, but leaking from their porcelain heads is a strange pink, glitter-covered liquid. The peddler calls it the “love juice” giving the doll an extra dose of affection for you.

▶ Bird is the Word
Level 2, Greatmoon Groves | top

As autumn paints Lunatia with its golden hues, pumpkin decorations and desserts are now in vogue. This is thanks to Chroma-infused pumpkin seeds, which allow them to rapidly grow in all sorts of sizes, shapes, and colors. The Moonblessed are invited to visit one of the largest pumpkin patches in the city housed within the Greatmoon Groves, where they can enjoy the sight of oversized, colorful neon and sparkling semi-phallic pumpkins, expertly carved to greet you with their buck-toothed smiles.

 A  The pumpkin patch is full of toddler-sized creatures called hugbugs. When they are not tending to the pumpkins, they follow the Moonblessed around, requesting hugs and treats in exchange for their obedience.

Reward them and they will do simple errands for you and give you compliments. They will also be your personal hype men, talking up your strengths, talents, and physical assets to all those special someones you’re trying to impress. Once you earn their trust, they will be your friends for life!

Ignore them, hurt them, or bully them, and they will cry and place a curse upon you, reducing your self-esteem to nothing and magically forcing you to cry along with them. The effects of the curse may last for up to a week if you’re not careful! But how could you do such a thing? The hugbugs are sensitive and want somebody to love.

 B  If you manage to survive your encounter with the hugbugs, you are welcome to join in on the Prismal knitting group and enjoy creating your own fanciful scarf made of Galadrian thread, which is known for its bright, golden sheen and aromatic properties. Give it to a friend or wear it yourself, and you will notice a strange ability to attract animals and insects of all kinds. Live out your Disney Princess fantasy! Or a Hitchcockian nightmare. It’s all a matter of perspective as a whole flock of honking birds comes bounding towards you.

▶ Questions
If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

▶ As a reminder, test drive memes are for new characters only. However, current players are more than welcome to use these prompts for their own posts in the IC communities, personal inboxes, catch-all posts, etc.!
▶ As our test drive memes are game canon, feel free to keep any threads that happen here as canon for your character should they be accepted.

Comments

QUESTIONS

[prismods]

[pushpin]

likelihood of adopting a hugbug as a pet......./roommate? 👉👈

Louisa May Alcott | Bungou Stray Dogs

[littlewomen]

[A: social anxiety]
[Mother and Father, I've been taken to someplace very strange.

If it's a choice between living alone and rooming with complete strangers, Alcott would like to live alone. Unfortunately, after some time searching, she's been unable to find an empty apartment.

So she should ask to room with someone. It's the only way. Just knock on a door and ask if they need a roommate... ask a complete stranger if they will do her a huge favor... aaaaah...

Louisa is pretty sure she's been standing petrified in front of a random apartment door, with her hand raised to knock, for about ten minutes now. The idea of actually knocking is no less terrifying than at the start.]

[B: a series of tubes]
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!

[And that was Alcott dropping directly on top of you from one of those vacuum tubes, screaming the whole time.

At least she's light.]

[C: please stop hyping her]
[The hugbugs are actually terribly cute, and it had helped Alcott to relax enough around them to hug one. And that's where her troubles began.

Find her attempting to hide behind a large pumpkin while one of the hugbugs calls out.] Louisa? Louisa, where did you go?

[Visibly panicked, Louisa holds a finger to her own lips. Please don't give her hiding spot away, please please please.]

[D: wildcard]
[I live in a hell of my own making]

b

[dereban]

[ Well, it doesn't matter that she's light because Inaba has absolutely no muscle, which is probably why she winds up screaming herself.

Rest in pieces, both of them.

But mostly Inaba, because she is the victim here. ]

Ashe | Overwatch

[turn_to_ashe]

A. The Drugged and Dirty Outlaw - Iris Government Center

[Here comes the Big Omnic Butler...better known as B.O.B.! In his arms is a groggy white-haired woman with a black wide-brimmed hat pulled low over her groaning face as she hands limp in his giant, gentle arms. Very carefully he sets her down on the bench, where she immediately slumps and mashes her cheek against the wall. Her glassy eyes are half-lidded. Guess who got a little rowdy during the physical exam? Eventually the numbing sedatives will pass through her system and get worked out of her blood stream.]

[B.O.B. sits patiently beside her. His tiny green eyes are alight, flicking back and forth with muted whirrs and whines. Pass the odd duo, he'll tip his little bowler hat in greeting, while Ashe emits a feral snarl...from her stomach. B.O.B. visibly jumps, both hands held up as if to say 'Oh my!' as he stares down at her. Then he takes a little notepad out of his fur-lined vest, a sharpie, and he makes a few quick sketches before turning it to you. It looks like a roast turkey and an apple. His head jerks indicatively toward Ashe and her growling, empty belly. Please feed this human.]

-----

B. Roommates?! - Lunatia, Level 2

[Ashe barges right in, not bothering to knock. Protest, she'll flash the key she was given, and plant a hand on her hip.]

You must be the roomie. Can't say I've ever had one of those before. Hope you don't mind that I make myself at home. B.O.B.!

[At her sudden bark, a giant robot appears in the doorframe, carrying a suitcase. He turns sideways, barely squeezing through, and catching his hat when the top of the doorframe knocks it off. The hat goes back on. He looks at Ashe's roommate, but says nothing, instead moving to stand beside the smaller woman.]

The name's Ashe. This here's B.O.B.

[He tips his hat. How do you do?]

Now...which room's mine?

[The corner of her mouth lifts in a smirk.]

We should probably discuss just how much moonlacin' you're fixin' to get so we can work out a schedule.

-----

C. Sucks to Be You -- Lunatia (anywhere)

[First the vacuum tube snagged Ashe's hat. Then it snagged the rest of her too, and boy did she raise a ruckus the whole way through. Blink and you'll miss her shooting past, a streak of screaming snarling curses left in her wake.]

[But eventually, the tube sees fit to spit out the flailing woman, who rockets straight into the hapless person who was probably enjoying a nice walk on a crisp fall day. Down they go in a tangle of arms and limbs. Or, maybe, their reflexes are fast enough to straight up catch her in their arms.]

And just what in blue blazes was that all about?!

[Is she yelling at the person, or the tubes? Both? Either way, there's not much sting to her words when her white hair looks like so much dandelion fluff sticking every which way after her surprise wild ride.]

Who puts a mess of--

[Oh hey, there's her hat, blown smack dab into the middle of her face.]

C

[tramputee]

[Kieran wasn't exactly enjoying the crisp fall day when it started raining women (or one woman?) down on top of him, but he had been trying to familiarize himself with Lunatia. So much of what was laid out across the city resembled something out of an 80s sci-fi film or one of the many things he'd glimpsed on a really wild acid trip. Needless to say, it was a lot to take in! But the moment that Ashe fell from the sky and they both went tumbling to the ground...all of that changed.

A gentleman might have immediately set about asking the woman if she was alright after plummeting so far from above, but Kieran? He was a far cry from a gentleman, and an even further cry from being able to form a coherent thought when her hat smacked straight into her face.

It was just loud guffawing then, the sort of side-splitting laughter one might expect from a child, not a damn adult! At least he wasn't making any move to throw her off his lap?]

Sh-shoulda seen th'look on yer face! Oh man!

Trish Una | Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

[goingsoft]

[ A: That one prompt where someone's gotta figure out cuddlebucks ]

Hey. Uh-

[ Alas. Woe. To be without Chroma is truly a terrible fate, all the more so at dinnertime. Clearly, the solution here is to awkwardly ask someone to hold her hand for a while, so they can both make a little cash and- ]

I'm hungry. Buy me dinner.

[ -or that. ]

I probably won't be paying you back.

[ B: Lunatia is a Series of- shit this joke already got used ]

[ You were probably having a very nice time walking through the freshly-cleaned streets, weren't you? How horrible it would be if there was suddenly a hand around your ankle.

Which there is, as Trish grabs on. It feels like she's clinging for dear life, but if you manage to reisit being pulled into the tube for more than a few seconds (...which is something of a feat), you'll see her trying desperately to punch the mouth of the tube.

If not? Congratulations, you're going on a waterslide date with a cute girl. Except there's no water, the slide is full of leaves and trash and said cute girl is swinging her fists around in a manner that's liable to cause collateral damage to you. ]

[ C: Your fave is problematic - she bullies small cute things. Also, assumes she's your fave. ]

Geez. You're the really ugly sort of cute, aren't you?

[ That was all! All she said! And it's true, she stands by it, they're really kind of ugly!

But fate does not care that she doesn't deserve this, and so two minutes later Trish is sitting in the mud (ew.) and curled up in the centre of a circle of glittering rainbow dick-pumpkins, bawling her eyes out. ]

[ D: Wildcard! ]

I'm open to whatever! If you want to plot hit me up by PM or at oglops. Note that Trish is 15/16, if that would change your characters' reactions to her.

C:

[teaserving]

[It's the bawling that gets his attention, because here he is! Trying to have an okay time! WITH PUMPKINS. Sure they're dick pumpkins but he takes what he can get sometimes. But anyway, someone is crying, and that someone is--]

Trish?!

[Honestly, with the pink hair, he almost thought it was Reimi for a second, but nah. It's Trish Una. What the fuck.]

What the hell is the matter with you? [She's not really the kind if person to lose her shit, at least not in public.]

Leaks | Lamento ~Beyond the Void~

[dissonyance]

ooc note: CRAU from yoshiwara nights. please don't hesitate to PM if you have any questions or concerns!


I.)

( it takes him no time to settle into an apartment--- after all, leaks doesn't care for much when it comes to material wealth. he doesn't really care about the fact his door is wide open either, and if one is to walk by and peek in, they'll find that the walls are completely covered by bookshelves. empty and clean bookshelves, with nothing on them as of yet. and in the middle, where not even a bed or couch or chair adorns a mostly empty floor, is the dark-robed cat whose ears and tail are completely still as he addresses each one with a very soft sound of contemplation:

'hou'

though, as soon as he feels someone's eyes, leaks will spin around on the ball of his heels and immediately glower. for someone to catch him by surprise is unwelcome, but he's already chiding himself for allowing anyone to peer into what will be his future (and hopefully temporary) home. )

Unless you have books or clean paper and pens, what good are you.

( he stares, waiting for an answer. or a challenge. or both. )


II.)

( he's been distracted by the color of the falling leaves as they drift past him, the occasional one or two landing squarely on top of his head and making him have to shake them off immediately, lest he make himself look picturesque. the idea of changing seasons is something he'd brush off if he were back home, but at this point? he's had two, and the second one is currently fresher in his mind: a small apartment that had a shared living space with others that was clean and let him have his privacy when needed. the walk to his prior job would allow him to enjoy the scenery and it's one thing that leaks missed most; consistency.

but suddenly feeling his tail get sucked, along with the rest of him? incredibly unexpected, and this is why leaks is hissing in irritation as he feels himself getting dragged through the series of tubes, ending unceremoniously on top of something.

or someone.

he's not sorry, by the way, and his claws are already out. and even if he's in someone's arms already, he'll make sure to exasperatedly huff out: )

Do not touch me.

( hiss. )


III.)

( his hugbug has been safely secured back in his room, and now he's back at the grove in order to knit. yes, his personal gnome-sized creature is still alive; the magic it must contain in order to cause amazing fits of crying and depression can totally be weaponized at some point... probably. either way, the opportunity to make something with his own hands cannot be ignored. though he could easily use his magic to conjure up some kind of accessory, being able to use the thread from this world means more from a learning perspective.

but it doesn't take him too long to knit a long scarf, one that's easily as long as his body, and he wraps it loosely around his neck and shoulders. it's soft and comfortable and the scent within its fibers are soothing to say the least. the flock of birds? not as soothing. but as he raises his hand and fires mingle around his fingertips? )

Move.

( he's saying that to the closest person, almost out of courtesy. but in reality? he doesn't want to take a risk of someone else catching fire and potentially ruining his new scarf. )


IV.)

( obligatory wildcard. meow. )

ii.

[innkeeps]

[ well.

isn't this how all meet-cutes begin? someone falling from above, strong arms to catch them, some cheesy line about heaven losing one of its stars, etc. etc.

except— well. reality is sharp-clawed and fang-bared, and Bardo wavers on the balls of his feet as he tries to set the newcomer onto the ground and out of his grip. yeah, yeah, he gets the hint. ]

Alright, fine, but you have to pull your claws out of my arm f—

[ "—irst." ah.

a closer look, a twice-over. he notes the ears, the tail, the sand-brown hair. familiar, but vaguely unfamiliar. ]

...Konoe? [ that was his name, wasn't it? that country cat with his crooked tail, wearing caution and discomfort like the cloak he came shrouded in. ] Oi, it's really you, huh.

Cassim | Magi: The Labryinth of Magic

[fogofdread]

Housing

[What happens when you have someone from a Vaguely Historical world and put them face-to-face with this level of tech? Hilarity.

What happens when you have someone from a Vaguely Historical world who's also never seen anything nearly as fancy as the city and put them face-to-face with this level of tech?

Imminent disaster, apparently, as Cassim is tired, sore, overwhelmed as heck, really pissed at this stupid touchscreen lock, and about ready to just smash it to bits. He starts looking around for something, anything to get him in the damn apartment.]

Vacuums

[So, the first thing Cassim did after getting settled and figuring out how money works here (and getting dinner) was buy a cigar. He needs it after the insanity of this place, alright, no judging.

The vacuum tubes, however, seem to take offense to Cassim's addiction because no sooner does he light it then he's being sucked up into the tubes. He's spat out on you poor unfortunate soul a short moment later, cigar thankfully extinguished. He coughs and swears as he struggles to get up.]

The hell--you okay?

Hugbugs

[Cassim sits on one of the less-phallic pumpkins, head in hands as a pack of about five or six hugbugs try to cuddle or otherwise compliment him. Someone made the mistake of assuming they were children and bought candy to give them.

The hugbugs have a new favorite person, and it's Cassim. Help.]

Housing!

[actualwizard]

[ It seems to be that time of the month again, when groups of new arrivals start appearing and looking confused and uncomfortable. Billy is starting to get used to the predictability of this place. He usually just goes about his business, but if he sees someone who might need a little help he’ll stop to chat.

Like now.

The guy who seems to be moving in across from him looks ready to take the door down with his bare hands. ]


Need some help?

Lancer | Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works

[battlefrenzy]

Whip it

A

[Lancer had no master, thereof had no mana. This wouldn't really be a problem except he was still wearing rather bloodied clothes. His wounds were alright, especially after a doctor's appointment, but he had had no chance of cleaning his clothes. He was pretty sure he could substitute this 'Chroma' with mana if necessary. Especially since he wasn't summoned to another war. War rules weren't in place now.

His to-do list was as such:
- Find a place to crash
- Find someone to "moonlace" with
- ... or just get a shower and find new clothes
- Find new clothes anyway

Right now he was dealing with finding a place to stay, so he was checking the various apartments one at a time. Sorry if a man with bloody clothes suddenly spooks you. It looks like he was stabbed to chest.]

Oh, this taken? Sorry, my bad.

Night of the Living Dummy

A1

[Lancer got sucked into a tube. Now he was on his way somewhere.

Most likely straight onto someone once he exists. Hi stranger (?) meet Lancer.]

A2

[Alternatively, it's easy to hear Lancer yelling from one of the tubes.]

Hey, a little help? Kind of stuck here!

[Or you might be stuck in one with him. Either way, it'd be good to get out.]


Bird is the Word

A

[Of course, Lancer is nice to his new friend, giving it treats. So he has one dark green hugbug following him around and giving him compliments.]

Ah, man, it's nothin'. I don't need to eat so might as well treat you, right? Here, have another.


Wildcard

Plot with me either on plurk (sasageyo) or Discord: Shiranna#8997!

A

[greedyvixen]

[To say that Rin looks shocked to see him would be an understatement. When did he appear? Oh, is it new arrivals time again?

WHATEVER, MORE IMPORTANTLY -- That's Lancer. Or some version of Cu anyway.

... What the hell happened to him?! Give a girl a moment to remember how to breathe and speak at sudden (un)dead man in front of him... ]

What the hell, don't just appear in front of anyone like that!!

cain ✮ starfighter

[feck]

WHIP IT + ARRIVAL

[ It's the same type of bullshit he's heard from everyone else wanting to put their hands on him. So, of course, when they finally drag him in from whatever place he's been trying to survive through, they have to subdue him to finish the exam. Slightly disgruntled might be the word for it, but he's actually pissed. Questions don't matter when he's spent the better part of an hour with three separate people before they finally hit him with something that makes everything delightfully and annoyingly numb.

And par for the course, they toss him on some transport to go to some city when it's all said and done too.

The place itself isn't bad, just something he isn't used to. There's a lot of light, a lot of people, a lot of noise. Space had been one of those weird things where it had been too quiet, almost eerily so, and Cain hisses out another complaint when he's left to his own devices. Finally. He shoves his hands into the pockets of the jacket he's wearing, purposely pulling his shoulders forward as he eyes the situation and tries to figure out what to do. He'd never heard of any place with these names back home, even if he hadn't been all that well-traveled, and it honestly feels like some drug-induced dream he should be waking up from. Except – ]

What the hell are you looking at? 

[ He visibly bristles when someone takes more interest in him that he cares to acknowledge, and caring little for who it actually is, Cain steps forward, loosening his hands so he can curl his fingers into fists. Maybe a fight would help to ease this weird tension running through his body. ]

BIRD IS THE WORD

[ If he thought about admitting it, the change of season is kind of nice. It's different, more life than the cold emptiness of space, but really, he's in no mood to admire it as much as a lot of these other idiots happen to be. Cain still wanders around though, kicking at the ground as he lingers just outside of the patches with their weird-ass vegetables that seem to stare right at him if he looks too long. There's not much to actually say and little he wants to do, but causing some trouble seems to be the only real entertainment around here. 

So, casual as can be, he finds the closest person – or maybe even group of people – to start a conversation with the slightest tilt of his head and a smarmy smile. ]

You could do a lot more with those. [ Considering their shape. ]

WILDCARD

[ Open to anything else too, honestly! Unsure about current canon point, so flexible there for anyone canon familiar. If you want to plot something else, throw me a PM and we can work it out c: ]

Bird is the Word

[locktouching]

[That closest person is a man dressed like a rogue, with an eyepatch, cloak, and a bow and staff on his back. That smarmy smile is met with one just as smarmy.]

Oh, I know. These ones are my favorite, with their enticing shape. And so big.

[Crouched down, he reverently strokes a hand over one of the large brightly-colored phallic-shaped pumpkins.]

Maybe too big, unless you're exceptionally brave.

asato | lamento: beyond the void | ota!

[roofwalker]

A. the road less traveled
( first: asato is confused.

this is a cat whose entire world had been, up until very recently, confined to a single remote village and the territory surrounding it. he would have lived his entire life there, thinking there was no world and no living outside of those boundaries, but konoe had led him away, and he had discovered the world was so much bigger and more confusing (and more exciting!) than he could've ever imagined. but from the moment he woke up, startled and confounded, ensconced in crystal on the moon, to now, wide-eyed and dumbfounded in this city, he's realized even ransen was the tip of the metaphorical world. the world is not just a village, and not just a city, and isn't even just an island — planets! space! people, so many people, and they weren't even cats?! not that he's seen, anyway. what are they even, then??

most of the explanations had gone in one feline ear and right out the other. all he knows that is that he's in a foreign place surrounded by strangers, that konoe is not here with him, and that he is about 70% terrified and 30% thrilled.

the people were for the most part the source of his fear, so as soon as he's loosed on the city, asato immediately runs and finds a place where he can scale up onto a building. he's remarkably good at finding hand-holds and ledges, alternating leaping and parkouring up the sides of buildings and bridging the gaps between them. he is cautious and practiced, but his skill is by no means perfect. perhaps he ends up crouching on the balcony to your apartment, taking a breather and a look around. or perhaps he dislodges something from a rooftop, causing it to clatter to the ground nearby where you stand, causing you to look up and see a very sheepish-looking, dark-haired face disappear over the roof's lip. or perhaps you just see the dark form flit from one place to another out of the corner of your eye and decide to track it down and investigate it.

regardless, one would do well to keep in mind proper etiquette when approaching a strange cat: do so cautiously and non-threateningly, unless you wanted it to run away or become aggressive... )

B. curiosity killed the cat
( next: asato is stuck.

how he ended up like this is not important. or, well, maybe it is, but it's also very embarrassing, and you'd have better luck pulling one of the teeth out of his head than trying to extract the truth from him (unless you witnessed it happen, which, if that's the case, it's probably best to leave it unsaid regardless).

one of two things happens:

a) you actually run into asato in one of the tubes — almost literally. he seems to have panicked, while on his adventure through the thing, and is currently contorted into a bizarre shape which has also gotten him completely stuck. his eyes are wide, wild, and scared, and the fact that you are a stranger is not helping him. whether you actually want to help assuage his fears or just get him out of your way so you can get out of this thing, something has to be done.

or b) asato manages to become unstuck on his own and eventually gets spat out the other end of a tube. maybe onto the ground in front of you, or maybe directly into you. either way, he's stunned and discombobulated, only muttering a low and half-growling, ) rrrngh... ( as he rubs his head. )

C. spin a yarn
( lastly: asato is going to get in trouble.

somewhere nearby, people are knitting. those knit goods are being given to friends and strangers, worn, and fawned over. asato doesn't care about any of that. because where there is knitting, there is yarn, tons of it, all wound up into yarn balls. though textiles certainly existed in sisa, he had never been confronted with them like this, and it awakens something in him. something deep, something ancient, something primal. asato's pupils go wide and round and dark, then he crouches and sprints, tackling into a collection of where many of the currently-not-in-use yarn balls were being kept.

several of the people orchestrating the event and a handful of those knitting take notice and begin to raise objections, a few of the former getting up to try to approach and intervene. but asato doesn't pay them a single iota of attention, all of it absorbed into the thoughtless, instinctual glee of pawing at the yarn balls, chasing them, and eventually getting utterly entangled.

he's purring the whole time... it's cute... maybe that's the reason why no one's bothered to try to extract him yet. either that, or because he's a six-foot tall catboy who is very nearly part of the yarn at this point. )

D. wildcard
( anything else that comes to mind! )

c

[dissonyance]

( he's been able to keep his focus mostly on the knitting and his eyes off and away from the growing grumbling and rumblings of other knitters becoming bothered by... something or someone. and leaks is, above all, capable of parsing the unnecessary noise and antics as something he doesn't need to pay any attention to. knitting is the most important part, using his claws instead of needles, and doing his best to follow the right amount of stitches and avoiding---

why is his yarn suddenly caught on something?

and why does he see someone tangled in it, when he turns his head?

and

why. is asato. like this. )

Stupid cat.

( it's not as fueled with vitriol as it might've been at one point, it might almost be a term of endearment! but no, leaks is angy. )

Get yourself out of there at once.

Rita Skeeter | Harry Potter | ota

[quickquotes]

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY

( There is the sound of a pop.

Perhaps it's in the distance or immediately in front of you (or directly on top, if you're particularly unlucky), and a middle-aged blonde woman appears from thin air, clutching a crocodile-skin handbag and looking incredibly frazzled. She gives off the air of being an individual who cares very, very much about her appearance, which is quite at odds with the leaves sticking to her emerald-green robes and strewn through the tight curls of her hair.

Her eyes narrow behind the lenses of her spectacles, and she barks: )

What do you think you're looking at? I haven't got all day, you know!

( Full of self-importance, this one. )

BIRD IS THE WORD

( Rita is quite the sight as she storms out of the pumpkin patch, leaving behind a gaggle of angrily crying hugbugs in her wake. Annoying, irritating, insignificant things. At one point, she twirls around on one foot, and draws her wand from within her robes. ) I'm not the one who's snivelling and pathetic!

( She's Rita Skeeter, journalist extraordinaire! All the same, there seems to be tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.

Utterly ridiculous. )

IN AND AROUND TOWN

( If you've captured Rita's interest, she'll stroll right up to you with an air of confidence and arrogance. She looks far more put together than her previous appearances, her hair perfectly put in place and her nails repainted. )

Do you have the time for an interview?

In and around town

[plagiarisms]

[Neito has done his best to investigate the strange circumstances he's found himself in. The locals are courteous, at least. It's his fellow newcomers that he feels more of an obligation to.

Though he's only sixteen, he is a hero in training and attends one of the most prestigious schools worldwide for aspiring heroes. His school regularly appears in the news. It's why he's only somewhat surprised at being approached for an interview, rather than shocked and confused.]

I do, ma'am. What news outlet do you work for, if you don't mind me asking?

[Manners are important, but so is a healthy dose of skepticism.]

Lewin "Lightning" Light | Blue Exorcist

[lightningruins]

meet the neighbors
[You've left for the day, and forgotten to lock your door.

That's a mistake, because it's time for a round of new arrivals looking for housing, and one's already claimed your living room. Don't worry, he checked to make sure there was an open room in your apartment beforehand (if there wasn't obviously space, it wouldn't be worth his time to even be here).

The man sprawled on your couch is more than a little scruffy-looking, with shaggy hair and an unshaven face and clothes with way more holes around the edges than is socially acceptable. He waves lazily when the person who actually owns this apartment opens the door, taking his feet off their coffee table with a thud of dirty workboots on the floor.]

There you are! [He says, perpetually cheerful.] I wanted to talk to you about the empty bedroom in this apartment.

zoom
[There's the whir of vacuum tubes and occasional yelp of some poor Prismal or Moonblessed caught up in the nonsense this cleanup attempt has turned into. Or, you know, someone reaching a hand out of the opening of a tube and grabbing at anyone passing by.

Help a guy out?]

wingbug
[Lewin is a nice guy, or something like that. Nice at least, especially to weird little creatures asking for some friendly physical contact.

As a result, there's a sctuffy-looking guy with a little swarm of hugbugs around him, chattering for hugs and headpats.]

Come meet this guy! [The little creatures chatter, waving you over to their new best friend, who grins from under the shadow of his bucket hat and shaggy, eye-concealing bangs.]

He's really nice, and he has a great smile! [They're uh. trying their best to play up Lewin's good points, but it's hard when he's a hobo type with dirty clothes and an unshaven face.]

neighbors

[satanslash]

[Locking doors wasn't a common thing where Rin had come from (after True Cross, that is), and most of the buildings were in such a state that a good solid could bring the entire house down. It was a hard habit to get out of, and as such he returned home not to his girlfriend but a very shaggy man lounging on his couch like it was no big deal.

A shaggy man that was very familiar.]

L-Lightning?! What the hell?!

Yehn'a Amariyo (WoL) | FFXIV

[masterofmagic]

A: A New Place, a New Adventure, New Housing

[He wished he could say ending up in strange places suddenly and without explanation was a strange and new thing, but sadly it was something he was getting used to. Almost expecting now. There wasn't much he could do about it, so might as well explore the city now that he was somewhere with people. Even if it was all strange.

But even if he was a little jaded to strange sudden happenings, there were a few things that still surprised him.]

Wait... so, if I understand this right, I can just... I can just live here? Everyone who arrives just gets a basic apartment?

[He didn't have to rent an inn room, he didn't have to buy a space? He didn't have to try and compete in a violent housing market?]

That seems far too generous....

[What was the catch? What was wanted for that exchange?]

2: Merchant of Dolls

[Yehn'a had stopped at the merchants cart curious of his wares. It was always important to know what was sold and where, but... something about the dolls felt unsettling. He didn't exactly like such dolls, bringing up rather unwanted memories.]

It gives me a bad feeling....

[Like a curse.]

3: Gardening Bliss

[When one of the hugbugs ran up to him he wasn't sure what to do at first. It didn't ask him to do anything other than give it a hug, that seemed simple enough, who was he to deny it that? It was when it offered to do errands for him it threw him off more.]

I don't really have anything that needs to be done, but I appreciate the sentiment.

[But, being followed around and being old how great he was definitely was too much.]

There must be a way to get them to go... somewhere else, right?

4: The calmness of Crafting.

[After somehow getting away from his new friend for life, he found a group that was knitting scarves. That seemed pretty interesting, and most important calm and simple, so he joined in. He wasn't that practiced with a knitting needle, but the group seemed more than happy to lend him some advice. It was nice to just sit down and do basic things for once. Not have to run around, kill things, and solve whatever crisis was going on.

Was it wrong to want to stay...? At least have a vacation.]

This is pretty nice, there's a soothing repetitiveness that's rather calming.

A)

[menphina]

[ Surprise of surprises, they didn't have to get up at an appointed hour to race through lots and snatch up plots. The wonder of a curiously new world.

Not new to her, of course, even if she is freshly returned after finally going back, and didn't even remember that she was ever here in the first place until she returned. So, as she's trying to reacquaint herself with her surroundings, her ears flick up at the sound of the person speaking, and when she turns— ]

... never mind that, it looks like this place continues to be fond of people like us if it's dragged you here. But I suppose it's not that much of a stretch to see why...

[ Moonblessings, Moonblessed and all. She looks up the other miqo'te then, a hand to her hip as she tilts her head curiously. ]

Dropped in just recently too then? Take your pick of a place to live in. They usually don't complain about where you want to be, aye?

[ And even more inquisitively— ]

Humor me, lad. Do you go by Miqo'te, Erune, Mystel or Ribika?

[ With those being the names she's heard referring to people like them, she has to ask. ]

Hubert von Vestra | Fire Emblem: Three Houses

[darkseal]

I.

[So as it turns out, all of this is a little beyond what Hubert was trained to deal with. Absolutely none of this can be solved with dark magic and/or murder, and Lady Edelgard is nowhere to be seen. In short, it's a total disaster and he's already reached the point of being done with everything. It's certainly not that all of this is overwhelming and throwing all the things he knew as facts into question, it's just that he's tired and exasperated by the current circumstances. That's all.

Naturally, the first thing to do on being turned loose to find a place to stay, is to pick out somewhere unlikely to draw attention. He chooses an apartment complex that's fairly out of the way in the hopes that he'll manage to avoid dealing with a roommate, and walks in.

He couldn't have picked something with a more inappropriate decor if he'd tried, given how bright and neon everything is in here. Hubert stands there, holding the door open and tries very hard not to turn around and leave.]

Why.

II.

[Hugbugs are... interesting creatures. Hubert isn't sure what to make of them, and he ends up bribing a couple with sweets so they'd stop pestering him. They're still pestering him, but at least they aren't asking for hugs anymore. Instead, they're going on and on about how kind and caring and sweet he is, and Hubert looks like he'd rather die than listen to this for another minute.

That's about when he notices you, and guess what! You're getting roped into this nonsense, have fun.]

Why don't the two of you go play? [He gestures in your direction. The intention is obvious: look, it's a new person, go bother them!!] Surely you'd like to make more friends.

[Even if you look like the least friendly person!! It'll probably be fine.]

WILDCARD.

[Feel free to hit me up with something else entirely!]

I

[hagrides]

[Grimm had just been passing by, but something about the combination of that decor and the long-suffering response.]

You may change the decor to your liking very easily, if you take exception to this style.

[He's certainly not one to talk about styles that aren't 'circus goth'.

Also, hello, Hubert, there's a six foot bug speaking to you.]

Yeager | Tales of Vesperia

[scythegun]

I.

[Yeager is - as always - completely nonchalant about everything that's happened so far. Including and especially the fact that he's just been unceremoniously dumped out of a tube and onto a complete stranger. He gets up, brushes himself off, and waves cheerfully.]

Oh dear, so sorry! I certainly didn't intend to land on you! I do hope you aren't injured.

[He says it so easily, like he's really not concerned at all... Thankfully, he's not as heavy as his height would imply, but it's still not pleasant to get a person dropped on you out of nowhere??

Anyway.]

Is this a common occurrence around here?

II.

[By now, you're probably used to weird things happening in the city. But things are about to get even weirder, because wherever you are, Yeager approaches and shoves a scarf at you.]

Here, a present for you! For being such a good friend~!

[...You have probably never spoken to this weirdo before in your life. The scarf itself is somehow managing to be both really tacky and really poor quality, as though the person who made it couldn't be bothered to learn how to actually put it together and just did whatever the hell they wanted. Who even pairs neon green with eye-searing yellow?? Is that orange too? Yikes. This scarf is a mess.

Yeager's already spinning on his heel to leave, and judging from how quickly he's trying to get out of here, there's probably a reason for it. Said reason is probably the large flock of birds quickly approaching from the direction Yeager came from - they are absolutely after that horrible scarf.

So uh. Have fun? Or make him deal with this stupid mess he got himself into, that works too.]

WILDCARD.

[Feel free to hit me up for anything! It's also worth noting that Yeager has a ridiculously thick German accent despite there being no Germany in Tales of Vesperia, look don't ask questions, I don't have answers for you.]

II.

[uglypet]

[Mantis stumbles back half a step as the mess of a scarf is pushed against her chest, her arms automatically rising to keep it from tumbling to the ground. This is so unexpected!]

I can have this...?

[Her mouth falls open in purely delighted smile that only gets wider by the moment.]

I have never received a present before. I will treasure this!

[Happily she hugs the ugly garment, which is...well she's not sure what it is. A colorful rope for tying things together? A hand-drying towel? Who cares, it's her first real present and she's so happy. But why is he leaving? Is this man very shy?]

Thank you, Good Friend! But I do not even know your name...

[awk awk awk awk awk awk awk awk]

[Mantis lifts her head, and points at the incoming writhing shadow. She knows what birds are, having witnessed her first when she came to Lunatia. But she's never seen birds cluster together in this manner to the point she's not even sure they are birds.]

What are THOSE?

Shyvana | League of Legends

[cinderhulk]

🔥i. TAKE MY HAND

[Your roommate today is a very tall woman covered in what appears to be parts of armor, but her skin is notably scaly and purple with her eyes looking like they should really belong on a lizard or something.

But hey. Anyway. She's staring intensely right at you before holding out her clawed hand.]

You there.

Hold my hand. Right now.

[Well at least she's straightforward.]


🔥ii. TUBULAR

[Currently being sucked into one of the tubes, Shyvana is snarling and trying to claw her way out. The stages of Pissed Off are there, and she looks angrier and angrier until she's--

Oh yikes, she's just suddenly burst into flames, it seems.]

YOU THINK I WILL BOW TO YOU?! I THINK NOT!

[lend a hand? walk away and pretend you saw nothing?]


🔥iii. THE TROUBLE WITH HUGBUGS

[Naturally, she has refused to embrace any of the strange little critters. Which means, in turn, she has been cursed! CURSED!

Is there nothing more hilarious than a giant muscular dragon lady sitting in the mud, weeping openly? Probably not.]


🔥iv. WILDCARD

[feel free to make your own prompt!]

ii

[trenchdoting]

[This scruffy-looking detective was on his way home with arms full of groceries when he witnessed the angry stranger being pulled into a tube. And he only became more alarmed when she suddenly burst into flames.]

H-hang in there!! I'll help ya, pal!

[He sets down his groceries, pulls a jug of water out of one bag, and... tries to pour at her, because clearly being on fire must be part of her problem.]

Song Zichen • Mo Dao Zu Shi

[mysophobe]

ARRIVAL

(( Waking up in this strange wasteland was a shock that paled in comparison to the shock of waking up gasping for breath; Song Lan had no need to do that in years. What’s more, the tongue that Xue Yang cut out so long ago is now intact. An air of dread, the gnawing sensation that something’s amiss settles deep in his chest. He climbs to his feet, light eyes scanning the area around him for any signs of immediate threat or other people.

What is this place? How did I get here? he wonders.

It’s then he’s stricken with the realization that there is only one sword strapped to his back.

Shuanghua!

The sword is famed far and wide, recognized even by those who’ve never laid eyes on its beauty from description alone. The sword of his dearest friend. How? How could he lose Shuanghua?! His initial assessment of the area revealed no clues. Shuanghua is nowhere to be seen. Only the crystal terrain stretching as far as the eye can see.

He could go without eating for several days thanks to Inedia, but Song Lan has no desire to remain in this strange waste any longer than necessary. Everything about it is too alien and strange. Little changes that assessment once the Moon Knights bring those stranded to the government center. Explanations are given and some strange examination performed before Song Lan is set loose to wander in this exotic world of artificial lights and bizarre machinery.

Song Lan’s arrival on the planet’s surface is uneventful… Other than everything behind so unfamiliar to him. He’s still worried about what happened to Shuanghua. ))

WHIP IT GOOD → Option A

(( Song Lan stands before the built-in touch screen, staring as if he can make it do his bidding by sheer will. If only. That would make his present situation much less ridiculous. While others seem to take naturally to this place, he’s from ancient China. All this technology is new and boggling to him. After a few minutes with no results, he finally pokes his head out of the door to hail any passers-by who are willing to speak to him. ))

Excuse me. Beg pardon. Are you familiar with this…

(( He gestures vaguely at the touch screen that seems to control the accommodations. ))

There is no such thing where I am from. Could you assist me?

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY → Option A

(( This place grows stranger and stranger. He’s sure what little silver he has won’t get him anything here. Chroma, he was told, is the currency in use. Chroma, something which has little to spare. At least the Inedia will keep him from starving immediately. However… the moonlacing… Song Lan’s more than a bit mysophobic. He will definitely need to acquaint himself with someone quickly, someone whom he can tolerate to touch and be touched by…

So lost in thought is he that he doesn’t notice the proximity of the vacuum tube until he’s pulled off his feet and sucked inside. He turns and tumbles among the leaves until he finds himself dumped… ))

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY → Option B

(( … Just near a crowd gathering around a street vendor. Though he has no chroma to spend, it doesn’t stop him looking at the seller’s wares. Ah, but a person covering their face must have something to hide. Song Lan eyes his wares with suspicion, listening as the hissing voice describes the dolls and their so-called love juice. He doesn’t know enough about this place to wonder about the peddler’s place of origin, however, he knows better than to handle the wares of a hooded figure. What need has he for dolls, anyway? ))

BIRD IS THE WORD → Option A

(( While wandering, Song Lan finds himself in a pumpkin patch filled with bustling little creatures. At first, he pays them little mind as they work. They’re sort of cute and look mostly harmless. But a few moments there and the little creatures are around him, requesting hugs and treats— neither of which Song Lan has to give. He arrived with nothing but the small bit of silver in his money pouch and Fuxue on his back.

The hugbugs nearest him grab playfully at his legs as if to hug them and he shudders. ))

No, please, do not touch me.

(( It’s enough to make him pull out his pouch and give a few small pieces of silver to the little creatures. He hopes they will return to their work and leave him be, but three of them begin to follow him, praising such mundane things as his height, the style of his hair, the dark color of his robes… ))

How long must this go on?

WILDCARD

Choose your own adventure. Feel free to reach out to plot: WeiWuxian | daozhangs#1296

BIRD IS THE WORD → Option A

[resurging]

I think they're just needy for any sort of attention.

[ wei wuxian is carrying his own on his back, giving it a piggyback ride as he walks around. they look silly, but wei wuxian's never really minded looking silly if there was something good to be gained from it.

the man in front of him looks faintly familiar, though, in a way wei wuxian can't quite place. the sword, too, begs for recognition - there's a name that he can't get off the tip of his tongue for some reason. ]

I hope this doesn't sound too forward, but have we met before? I feel like I've seen you.

Virus | DRAMAtical Murder

[biggestfans]

I: Arrival/Whip It Good
[Unlike many of the other Moonblessed there is one blonde young man in a well-tailored suit who hardly seems bothered by the strangeness of the city around him. Or any aspect of this situation, really. In fact Virus can presently be found casually tapping away on a device in Grapplebears, equally unfazed by all the leather and whipping. The piece of tech is similar in nature to the device provided by the Prismals but clearly not quite the same, and whatever he's trying to do doesn't seem to be working. If one is quick enough they might see the word "Trip" flashing across the projected screen.

For once it seems as though he's without his usual "shadow"... Ah well.

But he senses that he has caught someone's eye. Instantly a practiced friendly smile slides onto his lips as he turns to the stranger.]

Can I help you with something?

II: Roommates
[After doing an amount of exploring and investigation that the deems satisfactory for the moment he decides that it would be wise to settle in. He makes his way to the apartments and begins perusing the rooms until he finds one that seems to be adequate enough for his liking. Of course really the specifics of the room hardly make much difference in the end as he has no interest in personal or homey touches, but it would be more convenient to have something about the size of the residence he was accustomed to.

But the blonde only makes it a few feet inside before he catches sight of someone else- whether they're unpacking or already lounging- inside the room. He flashes a friendly smile.]

I'm sorry, I hadn't realized this one was occupied.

III: Night of the Living Dummy
[While Virus is lucky enough to avoid being sucked up by those tubes (so far), he does juuuust barely manage to step out of the way in enough time to miss being fallen upon by some other poor Moonblessed who wasn't quite so fortunate. Blue eyes blink down at the stranger in a heap on a ground, head tilted slightly.]

Oh- It sounds like you landed pretty hard.

[He chuckles before seeming to remember his manners, stepping closer and reaching out a hand to help the person up.]

Are you all right?

IV: Wildcard
((ooc: If there's anything else you want feel free to DM me so I can write something up or just go ahead and toss an idea up. I'll roll with pretty much anything and so will Virus.))

look, if anyone is a living dummy...

[talkscrap]

WhoooOOOOAAAAAAAAAA!!

[The scream of panic (or at least intense confusion) is muffled by the pipe at first, but soon becomes louder as Aoba approaches the exit, only to drop right down on the ground. He doesn't really take note of the person he just missed, at first: he's a little too busy trying to deal with the shock of his sudden drop, and the way it knocked the wind right out of him.]

Ouch-ouch-ouch...

[Pffft... Okay, no, he's got this. First, turn around so that he's sitting; he can catch his breath and recover a bit more before he gets up.

Except while he's still sitting, taking in his surrounds, he finally realizes that he knows that person, pointing at the familiar face as if it might somehow disappear if he doesn't quickly call it out that way.]

Virus?!

[Aoba himself is pretty recognizable, too, even wearing his Brain Nuts jacket... though he's wearing something Virus hasn't seen him in underneath. (It's cold, or he wouldn't be wearing his jacket over it!)

Depending on the calendar, you could also have a bunny boy Aoba, if you so wish. Same outfit, but with some blue bunny ears and a blue bunny tail; yanno, the usual.]

Cheshire Cat | Are You Alice?

[petstray]

01. NEW “NEIGHBOR”

[You probably did lock the door when you left, didn’t you? There’s no puppy happy to greet you at the door, no roommate that should be in, no spouse, so... when you arrive home, why are the lights on? Why is there a savory aroma emanating from your kitchen along with the sound of the microwave plate spin spin spinning in happy heating circles?

Why is there a man sat on your couch like he owns it, one long leg crossed over the other and gaily bouncing a dress shoe on his toes, up and down as he casually turns the pages of one of your magazines?

And why, when you enter the living room, do feline ears atop his head twitch and bring his gaze up, blinking in surprise as if he’s the one who’s just spotted an intruder in his home?]

Oh, my... is this one taken?

02. TUBE TROUBLES

[Far too much fuss over a few leaves if you ask him. Tubes to suck them up and blow them out goodness knows where? Children shrieking in delight and adults popping out of thin air to land on others?

It’s a very Neverland thing to do... and he can’t say the nostalgia makes him terribly fond. Still-]

I’d not go that way, if I were you.

[The soft ring of a bell, the sort you’d expect from a pet collar or the like, is the only accompaniment to the voice, a sudden warm sound that seems to be right at your ear-

But it isn’t. He hadn’t been there before, had he? But there’s a man now, tall and lean, tapping at your opposite shoulder with a smile and a helpful point, ears peeking from long, auburn hair and swiveling as if to join in on the pointing.

Up. At the tube you were about to walk under.]

Unless, of course, you delight in being topsy turvy?

03. NO THANK YOU, GRAPPLEBEARS

[Maybe you came to actually eat at the new restaurant, maybe you’re just curious, but your way is initially blocked by the sound of a fuss inside... and a man being ushered out the door. His first order of business is to fix himself up, suit jacket and hair in a bit of disarray, but halfway through that-]

I dare say I haven’t been treated this badly since my last visit to the Hatter’s-

[Oh, is he blocking the door? With a flourish of a mock bow he moves to the side to let others pass, straightening back up with a helpless shrug before... you. Yes, you will do.]

I don’t suppose you’ve the appetite for a more... relaxed meal? The staff here are terribly strict...

[How could you say “no” to that charming smile?]

3

[inabluemoon]

[Vanitas had been admittedly a little intrigued about the establishment after he caught a glimpse of those outfits the waitstaff was wearing. While he's not exactly an exhibitionist he has very little shame and was curious to see what trouble he could get up to.

Unfortunately for the doctor his nosing around is cut short by the small commotion that ends in a certain cat-eared man being led out. At first he scowls just a little at his way being blocked, the vague irritation quickly turning into the first hints of wariness as he feels the way the stranger's eyes linger on him. He already knows this doesn't bode well, somehow.

But at the comment he just snorts, arms crossing and head tilting.]

Oh? Couldn't handle a little discipline?

H.P. Lovecraft | Bungou Stray Dogs

[cthulwho]

1 - introduction

[H.P. Lovecraft is exhausted.

Waking up on a crystal-laden moon while he was having the best sleep in ages? Exhausting. Being poked and prodded by excited strangers? Exhausting. Being forced into a cramped ship and sent to an unfamiliar world to apparently live there? Exhausting.

But you know what makes this terrible situation just a little more bearable?

Candy.

a. With Geistnacht having come and gone, Lunatia is overflowing with leftover candy. And while Lovecraft should be looking into an apartment that the Prismals told him about, he can instead be found loitering around common areas and sneaking handfuls of sweets from bowls left out for people who...actually live in these apartment complexes...

b. Alternatively, the tall, dark and gaunt man can be found staring down a display of deeply-discounted candy at PrismaPlace. If anything could get him to suffer through dealing with crowds, it's this. Despite his efforts, though, he lacks an important component for getting that candy: Chroma.]

What an annoying concept...

[He grumbles to himself, gazing wistfully at the display. Must he have to interact with people more than necessary to obtain those delicious sweets? Hasn't he suffered enough?! UGH...

Having made up his mind, he...turns and reaches for the first hand he sees.]

Excuse me...

2 - tubes

[Lovecraft heard talk of a beach, so that becomes his next destination. Why bother with an apartment with over-complicated technology when a perfectly good body of water is right there? Unfortunately, he seems to have stumbled into an inconvenient detour. Worse, he has found himself firmly stuck in the tube that rudely sucked him into it.

The next unfortunate victim is going to slam right into a dark mass as they make their unintentional journey.]

Do you mind?

[Oh, the dark mass talks.]

3 - hugbug? more like botherbug

[Lovecraft came here for the pumpkin bread stand and honestly he feels so attacked right now? A small horde of hugbugs follow him through the patch, begging him for the candy that he has stuffed into his coat pockets.]

No. I worked for these. Go find your own.

[While claiming he worked for it is dubious at best, it doesn't satisfy the hugbugs either way. They all burst into tears and threaten the poor tired-looking man with a million curses. He's clearly unimpressed.]

My existence is already a curse.

[Joke's on them, he's already in a bad mood!

Still, he would probably greatly appreciate some help in getting these nuisances off his case.]

4 - wildcard

[Feel free to hit me up at Arystar if you'd like to plot out a different prompt!]

1b

[graftage]

[Ah, candy. Truly, the best kind of magnet for any sweetaholic. Steinbeck likes sweets, himself, but honestly, he was never had the biggest sweet tooth in the family. That would have to be Ruthie, pie stealer that she is, and he smiles to himself a bit - ha, she would like this kind of display, wouldn't she? He could just imagine her and Winnie just scrambling all over the thing, yelling loudly for their big brother to go and buy them the stuff.]

[Of course, there's another sweet lover he knows. Lovecraft wouldn't be the type to go crazy over such a thing, not crazy in the way his younger siblings would, but sweets were something that could motivate that man on even the laziest days. He reaches forward, thinking of just getting some of the stuff for himself, and a slender hand meets his.]

Hm?

[He stares at the hand on his, then to Lovecraft. He nods in reply. He looks back to the candy, opening his mouth...]

[And freezes.]

[He does a doubletake at the other man. His jaw hangs open, and he just looks like deer caught in headlights, stunned. Haha, this is...some kind of joke? Right? Some kind of hallucination? T-This can't be happening, right?]

...Lovecraft?

[His voice cracks slightly on the last syllable.]

Beast | Kuroshitsuji

[beast_trainer]

Whip it good: A

[This was not home by any stretch of the imagination. Beast stares at the open door to an apartment. It was far from the circus tents she was used to living in. This was something far above her normal living arrangements. Regardless she enters dressed in leather and fishnets she knows she must be quite the sight to people here. That was the main reason why she was going through a set of drawers. Sorry if it's yours, she needs something.]

Night of the Dummies!: A

What the hell!!

[Falling from one of the tubes she hardly volunteered to enter she was heading towards the ground. If she was prepared she might land on her feet but that seemed unlikely at the moment.

If she isn't caught she lands with a thud on or off of someone with a string of curses flooding from her mouth.]

Bird Work: B

[Now animals was her comfort zone. Sitting down from the knitting group scarf on her neck as small animals surround her feet. Far from the tigers and lions she's used to. Still cute. Anyone about to step on them earns a sharp stare.]

Watch it!

A

[tramputee]

Oi.

[The voice came from behind Beast, from a tall figure leaning against the door frame with all the aplomb of a wolf staring down a rabbit who'd made the mistake of hopping into its den. After making his way back from the bathroom (without using the damn thing, he wasn't sure he could trust something with so many buttons!) Kieran had taken to watching the young woman for a few moments as she rifled through his drawers. There wasn't much in them, obviously. But they were still his because he'd claimed this room first.

Was he aware of his kindergartner mentality? Probably not, but that had never stopped Kieran before!]

S'my shit yer goin' through. 'm a kinda guy who believes in fair trade, babe. Ya want somethin', ya gotta give a lil' somethin' in return.

Gavril | Franken Fran

[hungry_like_the_wolf]

1A

[Congrats! Not only have you been spirited away to an alien world, but upon arriving at you’re apartment you will find someone is already there. In this particular case, that someone is a strange-looking girl wearing a leather jacket, matching pants, and what look like egg timers on the side of her head. All of that may raise questions, but the questions keep on coming as all over her body are markings that very much look the stitching on an old-timey doll. Tying together this conundrum of a woman was a rather vicious looking scowl that dominated her face.]

So what the hell do you want?

[She said as she rolled her eyes.]

VIDEO

[Gavril was bored. Given she had been lying low until she could find a way to get back to her usual criminal mayhem. After all, it took time and effort to build a gang from the ground up and then ever more of both to whip said gang into fighting shape. Till then, she had other needs to satisfy, so why not use this video network to do just that.]

So I see people using this thing to bitch, moan, and ask questions I don’t give a shit about. So I’ll make this quick, anyone out there up to hook up and fuck around for the night?

I’m up for pretty much anything just too. I won't judge ya either. Just name whatever depraved stuff you’re into and I can probably fulfill it and more. It comes with the territory of being able to change the shape of every part of my body.

Anyway, that's too much talking on my end, I'm looking forward to seeing what you perverts come up with.

Later!

video

[zunge]

What, you some kind of shapeshifter?

[Those don't exist where he's from, but magic exists here and in other words. It's the first explanation to come to mind rather than anything surgical.]

Jacob "Styx" Graves | OC

[tothemetal]

one; the doll's not the only dummy here

[Valley of the Crimson Serpents? that's pretty damn metal, and Styx is more than delighted to tell the peddler just that. having only recently arrived he has no idea that this is an extremely suspicious location to hail from; the most thought he gives it is a small lament that the guy's not interested in showing his face. considering how cool all the other animal-people around here were, a snake dude probably looked fucking killer.

the oddly dissonant cart that the mysterious merchant is operating holds his attention just as well, thankfully. someone as massive as he is - with the appearance of a consummate thug to boot - sticks out like a sore thumb browsing these wares, but he doesn't seem to really notice that. his childhood had been almost completely devoid of real toys and...well, everything's awfully cute. that he isn't really the kind of person who should be enjoying this sort of thing isn't something he'll realize until someone else points it out.

there'll be a lot of shame when that moment comes, but for now...he's especially charmed by one of the dolls, a little brunette done up in a lovely Victorian dress packed to the brim with frills and lace. he can't help laughing when she speaks unexpectedly after a little squeeze, patting her on the head affectionately like she can actually feel it.]

They're pretty soft for being kinda breakable at the edges, huh?

[he doesn't usually solicit conversation from strangers, too down on his own ability to be particularly interesting, but he's just bubbling with good feelings and warm amusement to keep it to himself. giving the doll another gentle squeeze, his smile tugs a little wider at her next saying.]

...think they cost a lot?

one-adjacent;

[or maybe you run into Styx later, after his broke ass has been forced to say farewell to his new friend. he's in a completely different part of the city now, just ambling about and taking in everything (and god, is there a lot to take in) when something catches his eye - and he can't help leaning in with complete surprise.

was that..? it was. the doll he'd been admiring earlier in the day, sitting innocently atop a crosswalk box. totally ignorant of any strange vibes that she and her sisters have been emanating since the peddler pulled up, he assumes a much more rational explanation - and turns to the nearest person with an innocent question.]

Oh, uh, is this yours? You're gonna forget her if you don't watch out.


two; like one big ugly family.

[the pumpkins have been absolutely delighting Styx during his entire visit, big kid that he is, but it isn't very long before he's sidetracked by the gourds' tenders. he doesn't even have anything that he's interested in getting the hugbugs to do for him; he simply relates to being constantly hungry and wanting some positive attention, and has been freely giving the little guys snacks even before being prompted by them.

this is very adorable, especially when it results in him sitting on the ground and practically swarmed by the workers, laughing with delight as he obligingly gives them hugs, one after the other. the hugbugs respond with just as much positivity, showering him in compliments and enthusiasm that continue no matter how many times he tells them that it's fine, honest, they don't gotta say stuff like that. he's just glad they like the same candy he does.

it's all harmless fun until the chubby monsters decide that, hey, Styx is a great guy! everyone should be appreciating him, not just them. as soon as someone's walking even remotely close to this moderately chaotic scene a few of the hugbugs are breaking free of the cuddle pile and swarming this stranger, gently tugging on their arms to entice them over while singing their friend's praises.]

Look at his chest! You could crack a whole watermelon with those pecs!

His thighs, his thighs! Nobody's got thicker ones in the whole city!

And he loves chocolate!

[by the time Styx notices what's happening, it's too late. his face turns bright red and he's trying to reach out (with those massive, rippling arms, a hugbug pipes up cheerfully) to gently tug the little guys away from the unfortunate victim. and maybe hope he can melt into the ground himself a little bit.]

H-hey, guys! Cut it out, they don't wanna hear that.

[you don't, right? of course you don't.]


wildcard;

[I am open to all things, grace me with any dumb shit that your heart desires.

little info in Styx since he's an OC and doesn't have anything in his journal yet: he's a normal dude from a normal world whose most interesting features are that he's 6'8", probably almost as wide, and the drummer for a black metal band. he's dumb as a bag of rocks and has no self-esteem, but his heart's as huge as the rest of him and he's pretty damn gullible. also, he is 19!! in case you need to know that as well. uwu]

two

[tramputee]

[There's a lot of weird shit to take in, so much that Kieran's giving up trying to make heads or tails of most of it. When he suddenly finds himself swarmed by hugbugs at the pumpkin patch, the cute little critters yelling at him about the fabulousness of another guest? He just nods, ponytail bobbing right along with that head of his.]

Yeah, yeah...can see that! Broad pecs! [The hugbugs point out Styx's thighs, and Kieran nods again.] Mm, could prob'ly crush a skull with those!

[They go on to tell him how amazing it is that Styx loves chocolate, but by that point Kieran has started to wonder why these little guys aren't throwing praise his way. What gives? The big guy was a little bigger than him, sure...but not that much bigger!]

Oi...what 'bout me? Whatcha like 'bout me?

[The nearest hugbug that looked like a distant relative of Cousin It held out its hairy paws and requested a treat.]

...shit, I think it's ignorin' me? Or maybe it can't hear?

martin blackwood ( the magnus archives )

[buffeted]

[ ooc; potential for spoilers for the finale of season four here! ]


( whip it good )

[ martin's already had time for his emotional breakdown, thankfully. of course, he's still not in a great place.

which is how he's come to be laying in the middle of the floor in the living room of the flat he was offered, hands laced together over his chest as he stares blankly up at the ceiling.

none of this seems real yet. ]

( bird is the word )

[ the hugbugs had sort of weirded him out at first--in his experience, anything distinctly not human is usually bad--but they don't feel like one of the fears, and god knows he knows what the fears feel like now.

but.. they're cute, and they seem harmless, and when one of them asks him for a hug martin finds himself crumpling like a flimsy sheet of paper. he's currently seated on the ground with his arms around the little creature, his face buried in the fur on the top of its little round head. he's shaking, but he's probably not crying, at least.

this is ridiculous and impossible and he feels like an idiot, but he just doesn't have the energy to be embarrassed when--even if this is some kind of elaborate hallucination--at least he's getting a break from how horrible things are at home. ]

( network | un: m.blackwood )

Hi. I'm looking for a man named Jonathan Sims, sometimes goes by the Archivist. If he's here and you could point me in his direction or vice versa, that'd be lovely, thank you.

Also, how much do we physically change during these moons I keep hearing about? Does it hurt? Can you tell beforehand what's going to happen? Thanks again.

( whip it good )

[resurging]

[ wei wuxian returns to the room he'd chosen for himself to find that there's a stranger now lying on the floor, staring forlornly at the ceiling. he approaches cautiously, and then joins the stranger on the floor. ]

Sir, are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?

Hazuki Mina | Darker than Black

[wetworking]

01. ARRIVAL, LUNATIA MOON

[Her task was done. She’d killed who she’d had to (who’d she’d wanted to), she’d escaped PANDORA’s base...

Only to land herself in another trap. It was the only explanation Hazuki could think of, a Contractor’s abilities surely the only one that could create such an elaborate illusion... crystals, a barren, lunar wasteland... and no way to fulfill her obeisance. The need to sate her contract was tugging at the back of her mind, growing stronger even than the pain from the wounds she’d accumulated in her battle against Genma.

But she’s the only one around- or so it seems. Her mind turns logically to what she can do... and does it. She secures a defensible position wedged against a thick crystal outcrop, she strips her suit jacket and fights the scream of broken ribs in order to apply pressure to the wound on her side, panting softly-

Until a sound, distant, but growing closer, catches her attention. Causes a blink of synchrotron lights to flare up in her eyes, humming back to battle ready in less than a second.

Just a little closer... just a little closer...]

02. THIRD DISTRICT BAR

[It was getting more difficult to come to the conclusion that this was an illusion. The more rational conclusion is fast becoming the one that most people would find ridiculous- That she had somehow been taken to another world, outside of the time and place she had always known.

But after the prophecy, after the mystery of what lay beyond those fake stars... It seemed she had a new set of rules to follow, new terms to learn and to know. Moonblessed. Moonlacing.

If it did provide money, if it did speed healing as she’d been told-]

This seat taken?

[The speaker is dressed in a plain pantsuit that has seen better days, one arm in a sling and standing a bit stiff. Everything about her seems slightly stiff, taking features that could have been a fine example of classic Japanese beauty and turning them just a bit too cold, a bit too serious.

Brusque as the question is, when those words could be said far friendlier, far more sensually... a hand lands on the back of an empty seat at the bar of a third district establishment, waiting for permission from the woman (or easily-mistaken-for-a-woman man) she addresses.]

03. THE HUGBUG CURSE

[What need had she for giant pumpkins? (Very phallic gourds, to boot, a disgusting addition to an already strange item.) What need had she for strange creatures who pleaded for her attention like children?

So Hazuki ignores the one that tries to entertain her, brushing past it and seemingly uncaring for its feelings as the hugbug begins to tremble in upset-

And tears form in her eyes.

She stops outside the patch dead still, uncaring in that moment if she is blocking the way for those trying to enter, if others have noticed the wailing hugbug behind her...

Because Contractors don’t cry.

So why- Why are there warm tears on her cheeks?]

2

[ugliestking]

No, not at all.

[ He makes a small gesture with his hand for the young woman to take a seat. It's easy to not be able to tell if he's a man or woman without speaking to him. The problem is his face -- when people look at him, they aren't able to remember what he looks like even if they're looking right at him. It is as though his face is filtered from their memories. Weird! ]

I could really use some company. [ He wears a white trenchcoat that directly contrasts her own attire. It's pristine and seems to almost glow in the dimness of the bar. ]

Alibaba Saluja | Magi

[flamebearer]

A. Arrivals

[ When he opens his eyes and stares up at an unfamiliar sky overhead, Alibaba's first reaction is... regret. Not shock. Not confusion. Just a worried sort of grimace as he carefully pushes himself into a sitting position and stretches his limbs out in front of him, testing the feeling in his fingers and toes. Which he can feel again. Not what he expected, but... was this the Afterlife? Or somewhere else? He had no idea what Hakuryuu had done to him in that final attack, but he had to hope that he'd held out long enough to put an end to the war. Was Aladdin safe? The rest of them? Groaning, he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees, body aching from the terrible battle that had come before, and takes a moment to get his bearings. Then, pushing unsteadily to his feet, he starts to move, trudging forward with no real goal in mind - but clearly he can't stay here.

When the Moon Knights find him, he's about to drop from exhaustion and weariness and he's so relieved to see another person that he doesn't even question the strange tale they tell him. he already knows he's nowhere near his home any longer - whether he can get back there or not is another matter entirely. Because he's pretty certain he might be dead? But like he's going to let that stop him from trying anyway. He has promises to keep, after all.

Letting himself be taken back to the Government Center, he submits to the Healer's examination and lets them patch him up. He's still bruised and sporting quite a few bandages as he heals, but at least he doesn't look half- (or all-) dead anymore. Set free from their inspection, he wanders the base, pestering anyone he sees with questions and inquiries, gathering information as he goes. He's never heard of this realm, and as far as he can gather, no one here has heard of his either. Which leaves him in a bit of a conundrum, but he's not going to let it daunt his determination just yet.

Although he does stop short when he catches sight of the vessel that's meant to carry them to where the rest of the Prismals and Moonblessed live, gaping in shock. That's sure like no ship he's ever seen before. Suddenly how far he is from home is hitting really hard... Someone might wanna nudge him, otherwise he might miss his ride. ]

B. Whip It Good

[ He'd settled into his new living space, poked around the new neighborhood, but it hadn't been long before he'd gone exploring for supplies and food. Which is how he found himself in the new and popular restaurant called Grapplebears. A pretty strange name, in his opinion, but here he is, coming inside with the intent of ordering some of that spicy rice. Only he's not sure he's in the right place after all and he stares with wide eyes as a leather-clad waitress saunters over to his table. He's still blinking, distracted, when she asks him something, and he agrees without really paying attention.

...The next thing he knows is there's a riding crop coming down across his thigh with a sharp smack and he yelps in surprise, jolting in his chair. It's not his order he blurts out, however, but- ]

I don't want the brothel special!!

C. Wildcard

(( Leave me a general prompt below or hit me up at chaneystarr with questions/ideas! ))

Arrivals

[fogofdread]

[Alibaba's hardly the only one dazed and confused by all of this, though Cassim has a slightly more important thing to be doing than wandering around in awe and asking questions.

He desperately needs something to smoke. He's been freed from the Healers, but he's anxious and unsure and honestly a little overwhelmed, so he's going up to people who look like they might have something and asking.

He doesn't see Alibaba walking behind him until he steps away from the latest person he asked, meaning he steps on the poor guy's foot.]

Ah, sorry.