▶ TDM OVERFLOW .001

[prismods]

Cybernetic dream, something like you've never seen

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▶ Lisa Frank's LSD Fun House
anytime, anywhere on the moon Iris | top

Everything is darkness except for dim lights sparkling in the distance, a faint gleam that greets you as you start to unfurl from your dormant state. 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. Throat parched and skin dry and aching, you grope your body in alarm to make sure your possessions are still in place. 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 only rewards you with 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.

A ⬤ As you traverse the near-barren landscape, you feel something sting your skin. It's small and subtle at first, then you finally catch sight of it: an elegant, crystalline mosquito buzzing around from the corner of your eye. However, a pest is still a pest. After a while, marks near your welts begin to form strange patterns on your skin, mimicking ancient runes. Each rune has with it a particular side-effect that may hinder you on your journey:

✾ The Mark of the Enchanter: Hallucinations, hallucinations galore. Your character will see everything and anything their imagination can conjure and will have difficulty separating reality from fiction.
₪ The Mark of the Destroyer: Limbs start to cease their function, causing you to stumble or try and get around one-handed. Other certain body parts may be affected as well. Look at the bright side: you can stop worrying about jiggle physics and hiding your fear boner.
⍢ The Mark of the Sinner: Your hunger, your thirst, your fatigue and your desire are at an all-time high. Your impulses are rabid and uncontrollable. Maybe you experience only one of those symptoms. Maybe you experience them all. All you know is that you want relief now.

These effects will eventually clear up with a bit of accidental or purposeful physical contact with another person, making you wonder if there was anything wrong with you at all.

B ⬤ Hunger starts to gnaw at you vigorously. Perhaps you consider hunting the moon's creatures to sate your hunger. That's when you see it: a thick, meaty, juicy meal on legs. No, we're not talking about Alex Louis Armstrong. A wild silver-white pegasus runs across the purple landscape, its hair billowing in the wind as its hooves smack loudly against the ground. Try and shoot it, and you may find your efforts curtailed by its legendary rage. Eyes aglow and wings beating up a storm, this pegasus is no dainty horse. Two thousand pounds of pure muscle swoop down and charge at you, all blades and ammunition deflecting off its impenetrable skin. Taming appears impossible; it will buck anyone away and leave a sizable horn- or hoof-shaped hole in them for their efforts. Hunting it, however, should be easier. Relatively.

C ⬤ Or you may decide that you'd like to take a drink in the prismatic waters. A small pond can be found just a few miles away from where you first awoke, but gazing into it reflects what appears to be a window into your own world. You see the faces of loved ones or at least someone very close and familiar to you gathered around your prone body, shaking it frantically as though to try and rouse you, yet your image lies frozen and unresponsive, not even a whisper of life running through you. Did you die in your world? Is this your afterlife? The questions start to pile up along with the gnawing dread that you may never return home again.

▶ Camp Nowhere
anytime, anywhere on the moon iris | top

Time moves strangely when you're trapped on a moon with no sun to guide you. Hours feel like days, and days feel like weeks. Travelling has rendered you weak and tired. Luckily, a few crystal formations in the shape of a cavern may offer you a small place refuge as you decide to nap. You notice a few artifacts left over from previous explorers.

D ⬤ A comm unit abandoned within the cavern will display the former owner's idol obsession. As you tap the buttons indiscriminately, a holographic screen will appear, and you will see a fabulous recorded concert featuring three bubbly young ladies in animal print, singing to you about something called Cordis, a cat, and a bag of gems. Does this make any sense to you? Probably not, but the beat is catchy. You may even find yourself tapping a foot along to it. Don’t worry. We know it’s plastic love.

E ⬤ There's a small cooler-like container of preserved powdered food bags labeled with only the word “Edible” that can be safely consumed. Although the powder tastes as bland as you’d expect, it’s oddly filling, sating either hunger or thirst. But who will be the first — and the bravest — to try eating them?

F ⬤ A strange, pointed instrument is among the effects found in the cavern. It's silver, long, and thin with a curved end and a light. When you grip it with warm hands, it seems to vibrate enthusiastically and comes in three settings indicated by a frowny face, a neutral face, and a happy face. What could it mean exactly? No one knows, but you can fiddle with it to your heart's desire. Just don't ask yourself where it's been before. You don't want to know.

▶ Interstellar Action Force Assemble
prisma, iris | top

Over a day has passed when a group of people find you worse for wear. Some are full of uncertainty and fear while some are full of curiosity and excitement. They claim that they are scientists from the planet Prismatica here to investigate the sudden appearances of rainbow crystals in the skies. That means you and the others they’ve located within the area. You are all a surprising find to them, and they are quick to load everyone in their transport vehicles for examination and questioning.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? Why are the pegasi so ill-tempered? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They do have questions on their own, so it’s only fair to trade. They tell you about their world as they poke and prod you, trying to understand what you are and how you came into their land. If they’re not trembling in fear, some of them may ask you odd and invasive questions in return, such as what the rate at which your body achieves thermoregulation is, how long your refractory period is, and if you would be willing to submit various kinds of body fluids to them. It's up to whether you wish to comply or protest.

G ⬤ If you react violently, you will be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. They came prepared, so have fun with that! In any case, conscious or not, you’ll be brought into one of the transport vehicles. If you choose to peacefully cooperate, you’ll be provided any necessary first aid and a refreshing drink to help you recuperate after the rough time you had for the past few days. Each transport vehicle has a few small rooms to rest in, but due to the limited space, you’ll have to snuggle up with someone else on that bunk bed. Unfortunately, the moonshine fruit the ship is also carrying in its cargo has an extremely sweet smell that’s been permeating through certain areas of the ventilation system… Taking a whiff of it may inebriate you for the rest of the trip.

H ⬤ It’s a bumpy ride as terrain vehicles draw over various crystal formations until you see a large dome-like structure up ahead. Within its confines lies the seat of the Prismatica's government, Prisma. It’s a bureaucratic wet dream: skyscrapers practically touch the upper surface of the dome, windows glimmer with a prismatic sheen as daylight hits them, and small ships can be seen flying to and from its spaceport. The scientists, members of the Lunar Scientia, usher you into their facilities for tests. Arrivals are likely to twitch, tremble, and panic as Lunar Scientia fellows take and broadcast every embarrassing, unfiltered detail about you — height, weight, age, strange odors, estimated frequency of sexual activity —- to one another. These scientists will ask you politely to undress, too, but understand if you don't want to. They're especially fascinated by the readings of pure Chroma inside you, whispering among one another excitedly about the possibility of the new arrivals being a new moon species. What should they call them? Moonborne? Moonblessed?

I ⬤ At long last, the questions and physical examinations are done. They’ve decided to call the arrivals as the Moonblessed. They’ll take you under their care until they understand more about you. You're allowed a very refreshing hot shower and a warm meal for your efforts. Don’t worry, the meal was imported from their planet. “Planet?” you might ask, but you won’t need to wonder for too long. The ships are preparing for their next destination: the nearby planet Prismatica, where you will be dwelling for the time being. You're free to explore the government center until then.

▶ Wildcard
Lunatia, Prismatica | top

It only takes a couple hours for the ships to reach their home planet. The ships drop the characters off at the city of Lunatia, where they will be given their communication devices and a plastic card they can present to certain landlords at any residential district for their subsidized (read: absolutely free) lodging. Officials at Prisma instructed the newcomers to await further instructions from the government, but you have a lot of time to kill before then. Why not explore in the meantime? Learn the ins and outs of the world, get a job, transform under the full moon, and explore the many mysteries of planet Prismatica!

This is this TDM's overflow. Feel free to move your threads from there and continue tagging!

Comments

[purport]

[From the point at which Sandalphon had been picked up by overeager alien scientists, he's felt watched. And with good reason, because the pointed intent of their examination and interest in every little detail was impossible to ignore. Stifling, even, for all that he isn't accustomed to being the object of such focus.

Even as he stalks his way through the city, looking for anyone else from the crew, that uneasy feeling never leaves him. Once or twice he glances around, only to find a sea of alien faces. And so he dismisses the feeling altogether.

That is, until an alarmingly familiar face sweeps right into his field of vision. He very nearly utters a name, but the first syllable dies somewhere in his throat. No, it's not Lucifer. Lucifer wouldn't casually just step into view and speak of fruit this way]

You again. [He mutters with a sour expression. This man with the nonsensical face he ought not have, of course he'd pop up here. But did he really do just that? Stepping around him just now, Sandalphon suspects otherwise] ...You were following me.

[That explains that nagging unease]

[illuminism]

Was I? I thought I was merely keeping you company while you explore.

[ And keeping an eye on things as he is prone to do even if his role has more or less shifted rather recently. Old habits die hard, he supposes, and Sandalphon is always an interesting subject. A primal who was created with no ideal perfection, one with as much free will as a mortal yet the life span of something beyond. The former Supreme Primarch must have felt some deeper sense of self-loathing to create something so unlike himself. Or he simply knew from the start that he would perish and that the only one who could surpass him was a being given limitless potential merely by being unpredictable from the very start.

He would like to pick through his thoughts some time, but for now, he is content to watch the fruits of his labor meander about. Speaking of fruits- he breaks off a piece to offer to Sandalphon. ]

The merchant assured me they were safe to eat, but if you would rather find a bistro, I won't stop you.

[ Sandalphon's fondness for coffee isn't lost on anyone by now, but it could not hurt to be adventurous from time to time. Lucio himself is curious about the cuisine here as well as the culture, having believed he had truly experienced everything there was to offer in existence, but both the crew and this land had proven otherwise. So many surprises catching him off-guard lately. He rather likes the rush of elation that comes from the unknown after watching so many events unfold according to script.

There's something to be said about the magic of improv. ]

[purport]

[Lucio remains something of an enigma, which is to say, he's a royal headache to Sandalphon. He'd profess that it wasn't simply the physical similarity to Lucifer, not merely his face and voice but something beyond it that troubles him. But no one believes as much when he's unable to define just what it is that eats away at his temper like a lit fuse.

It's a sore temptation to leave him here to his business, presuming Lucio doesn't just trail after him once again. He just might, who's to say, but something roots him to the spot. Maybe it is the damn face. Sandalphon doesn't want to dwell on it now, brushing the offered fruit aside]

It might be safe for the locals, and not for you.

[Judging by their fascination with every minute detail about his own physiology, Sandalphon doubts they know what is and isn't safe for their consumption. For that matter, he isn't entirely sure what Lucio is supposed to be, nor how different he is or isn't from himself.

What he does know is that no one had ever spoken of another angel bearing Lucifer's appearance]

You shouldn't be so cavalier about this.

[But then, look who he's talking to]

[illuminism]

I wasn't expecting you to be so concerned about my well-being. I am a bit flattered, I must admit.

[ Not that he's actually surprised. Sandalphon has always found roundabout ways to show that he cares, especially in regards to the Singularity and his close allies. Lucio isn't sure how much of that extends to himself, but it's always amusing to see what new reactions he can poke out of the cantankerous Supreme Primarch.

And while he likely should be more worried about eating food from other worlds, he would rather taste the effects himself first than wait for someone else to fall prey to it. In all likelihood, it won't harm him as very few things ever do, so he bites into it before closing his eyes for a moment. Such a sweet and exotic taste. He can't think of anything he could ever compare it to, bearing no internal reference for the unique blend of richness and tartness that rolls along his tongue before he swallows. ]

I have passed the trial unexpectedly.

[ His arms spread as his small wings quiver behind him, showing him that he's all good and healthy. Not a speck of poison or any questionable status effects. ]

Don't tell me you're still afraid of a small piece of fruit. I guess you can go without eating for quite an eternity, so it's not as though you have much to worry about.

[purport]

[Sandalphon all but grimaces at the suggestion that he's at all worried, folding his arms across his chest. If anything it would be inconvenient if something rendered Lucio catatonic or otherwise useless, especially when he doesn't know where any of the others are. He has no interest in dragging anyone around, and it would hamper his efforts in rounding up the rest of the crew.

Assuming they're somewhere in this noisesome, foreign place]

I'm not afraid of fruit [And he states as much slowly, flatly, that he may be sure Lucio understands] but I have no interest in stuffing my face.

[Not that Lucio is gorging himself on fruit the way Vyrn does with apples if only he knew someone here dislikes apples, but needling can go both ways. And that's how he chooses to see this pointless indulgence in produce, when they ought to regroup with the others and find their way out of this place]

Are you truly unconcerned with all this?

[illuminism]

Pardon me. I must have looked too eager eating just now.

[ It can't be helped. He was genuinely enthused to try something new. For someone as old as he is, the experience of being surprised is one he'd sorely missed. Too long had he watched the scripted world play out accordingly until the Singularity had started to change it in ways he never would have imagined, and this land has the same element of the unknown. Endless possibilities, endless conclusions.

Besides, the fruit tastes quite delicious, and Sandalphon clearly doesn't know what he's missing out on. ]

As for being concerned... I know the Captain will bring us back when the time is right. Are you afraid to trust him? He seems to trust you quite a bit.

[ And there are those left behind that the Singularity would search endlessly for as there is one particular someone that Sandalphon would wish to return to. While Lucio's magic may not work here to transport them back, he has no doubt that those two together may achieve it, but he is concerned with the big why they were brought here at all to begin with. If not by his master's will, then whose else? Even the Prismals seemed perplexed by their arrival. ]

[purport]

[The question prompts a stiff set to his shoulders, his posture quick to follow suit. Sandalphon wouldn't say it's a question of trust, and neither is he comfortable speaking in those terms, regardless of what has passed. Trust and capability aren't the same thing, and wherever they are now, it appears they have very little at their disposal]

You can't expect one person to resolve this.

[He spreads his arms to indicate their surroundings. Wherever they are, whatever has brought them here, he's unwilling to sit back and tell himself their Captain will handle it. There's too much they don't know.

As for trust being placed in himself, well. He's yet unsure how worthy he is of it, but it changes nothing about their circumstances]

What reach of the sky has moons like this?

[Certainly none that he knows of]

[illuminism]

[ None that he knows of either, but fretting over it will not solve their current predicament any quicker. He'd rather make better use of himself learning what he can of this new world. ]

Do you know what's on the moon you turn your eyes towards every night? There are many aspects of the world we live in that we know little of, and this one is not all that different. Mysteries waiting to be unraveled by curious minds.

[ And he recognizes that Sandalphon's scope is even narrower than his own. Kept so long in the gardens in Canaan, he hadn't even explored all there was of the Skydom. He'd also spent his time festering in Pandemonium after, both things that would have narrowed his view even further. He should learn to open his eyes a little wider, especially given his present role, but Lucio isn't here to teach him.

He joined the crew to learn more about himself and his role in everything now that fate seems to be so far out of his hands, and his master has not risen to play his part in it either. Curiosity has been his only guide for some time now. ]

I can accompany you through the different zones if you're still feeling unsettled. A young woman gave me a festive flyer earlier.

[ He holds up the advertisement for a local arcade, his short wings flitting a bit behind him. ]

[purport]

This one...

[It leads him to wonder whether this is some other world, if only for a moment. The thought is as unappealing as it is daunting, for all that it's well beyond the scope of his limited experience. But he recognizes that it serves no end to dwell on it now, and he sets the thought aside.

Just in time for Lucio to produce a brightly colored flyer]

Sounds like an excuse for you to sight-see.

[He pronounces at length, eyes narrowed at the paper. It strikes him as a diversion from the matter at hand, and he can't understand Lucio's capacity to take this all in such easy stride. Still, he supposes that he can look for the others either way, and he can keep track of Lucio, rather than the Captain having to track him down later.

Puffing out a sigh, he shrugs]

Suit yourself.

[illuminism]

[ Derailment: succesful.

Besides, it's better to think about what they can do here than what they can't. Lucio would rather not dwell on how powerless he is to return himself home over finding out exactly why that is. Whether an accident or on purpose, they're here now, and he does want to know what exists beyond their own stars, relishing a bit in the opportunity to see new worlds, rediscover himself. Find out where he even fits in the cosmic puzzle anymore.

Sandalphon will come to see this as a great learning experience within time as well, though he can sympathize with his worry. It is difficult to leave behind what is known and familiar, and Lucio himself had the same apprehensions when taking on this current guise and traveling among the Singularity and his crew. Yet in doing so, his eyes had been opened, and he had the opportunity to experience what mortals do -their feasts, their holidays, their customs. Everything he'd observed from a distance and never partook in. This is but another chance to live as they do.

And an arcade seems to be the best start as he finds the flashy building and wanders in, expecting Sandalphon to follow. ]

It is rather big, isn't it? Don't you wish to know what games occupy the leisure hours of the Prismals?

[ He motions Sandalphon further inside, caught in the show of lights and sound, his senses assaulted from every angle. ]

[purport]

[Loud, gaudy displays festooned in blinking lights and foreign bodies crowded between them are all that Sandalphon registers at first. He's spent so much of his time cloistered away in his room that he's seldom dealt with more than a handful of people in the immediate vicinity at any given time.

And now there are people pressing in all around them, bumping into them and brushing past, and it's nigh overwhelming. It takes Sandalphon several delayed seconds to process the fact that Lucio has spoken to him, and longer still for the meaning of the words to sink in]

I question the benefit of that information.

[These foreigners have thus far treated them as specimens, and though it appears they're free to roam, Sandalphon hardly trusts them. Being shot with a tranquilizer dart and transported will do that to a fellow. More importantly, he doesn't know if it's worth his time to concern himself with their pass-times.

Surely they won't stay here long enough to make use of such trivial knowledge]

I'd rather know why they were so interested in our physiology.

[illuminism]

We may be thought of as a new breed of animal to them, and their society appears to be built upon inquisitiveness, academia, and exploration.

[ Which should be familiar enough to Sandalphon. The Astrals were very similar, always studying and taking apart everything they could get their hands upon, all in an effort to mimic their creator and also to become said creator's destroyer. Their individual machinations varied, but Lucio doesn't think the Prismals mean harm. Their advanced technology demonstrates and immense capability to easily kill what they deem as a threat if they wanted to, but their curiosity prevents them from doing so.

And beyond the regular mortals brought here, both he and Sandalphon must prove to be greater anomalies. Beings not created through normal reproduction, both holding ancient power within, both capable of being called gods themselves. Could all their machines have told them that much?

At any rate, they have yet to prove themselves untrustworthy, so Lucio is cautiously optimistic at the moment about their presence here. ]

Are you worried what they might find if they studied you closely?

[purport]

Their line of inquiry was...pointed.

[To say the least, not that Sandalphon quite understands what their questions were aimed at. Their purpose seemed terribly specific, and while he doesn't grasp the meaning of some of it, he does get a very distinct impression. The frown that tugs as his lips broadcasts as much as he surveys the crowd with an uneasy shift of weight]

I've been spoken to that way before. [Granted, without quite the enthusiasm or rapt, zealous interest. But he knows what it is to be inspected and appraised] They may think us potential tools for their use.

[To what end, he couldn't say. But the thought is a disquieting one, and it's taken root. As a being who was made to serve a purpose, it's only natural to expect a foreign race with such a keen interest in their bodies and how they work are trying to suss out how they might take advantage of a new resource.

Advanced as this city may be, it hasn't escaped his notice that it also seems oddly singular]