▶ TDM .002

[prismods]

Don't, don't, don't throw it away

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"Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels (Official Video)" (Watch on YouTube)

▶ That’s Not a Space Station, It’s a Moon

You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you as you awaken. 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 third month when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for any 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? Am I paying for all those drugs I took back in the '70s? — 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, they recommend that you visit the government archives. The collection features a variety of fiction and non-fiction books, including an eclectic romance and erotica section with titles such as: The Moon Knight's Ravishing, Armed and Amorous: A Forbidden Tale between a Dragon and a Moon Knight, and Silk and Satin, Leather and Moonlace. Also notable are informative textbooks such as Delightful Dragons and Where To Do Them and From Argos to Zhavidar: A History of Alchemy. As you read these books, the photos and illustrations come to life on each page, moving within their borders. It seems this is the norm on Prismatica.

A ⬤ Several librarian droids like to move in and around the archives, zapping anyone who dares utter a single word above a whisper. Silence is absolutely crucial for study and concentration, thus these droids have zero tolerance for sound. If you are caught making noise, be prepared to be chased and have your eyebrows singed off by a disgruntled droid.

B ⬤ Within the library, you will find an occult section which contains various low-budget spellbooks. This section houses a variety of cantrips and basic charms that don't seem to work for the Moonblessed except the occasional, odd fluke spell which will shrink you to the size of a thumb or cause odd sound effects such as fog horns or pterodactyl screeches to come out of your mouth. Please use with caution! The librarians aren't responsible for any mishaps that occur as a result of reading spells out loud, but if you ask nicely they might direct you to a book that has a way to immediately reverse it if you don’t want to wait it out. All effects are temporary.

Eventually you’re called to the docks and led onto a large transport vessel. Destination: Prismatica.

▶ She wants to lead the glamorous life

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.

Before you can enjoy the surrounding shopping centers, they will be dealing with all the standard security checks from some handsy droids that will feel you up, examine your weapons, possibly even cavity search. Nothing like the loving touch of a cool metallic hand.

A ⬤ There’s a gift shop right outside Crystarium Moonports with a huge, eye-catching poster promoting their 80% clearance sale. A must-have souvenir from Lunatia is a memory stone — special blue stones mined from Cordis that can project a happy memory from your days in the city if you rub them the right way. If you need new clothes, this is the perfect chance to grab a shirt with media sweetheart Maria's lovely bedazzled face on it. You might even hear her hit song playing in the store...

While browsing, you overhear a crisp zap! followed by a group of children jumping for joy. They got just the toy they wanted from the high-tech gacha machines lined up in front of the store. Since you have some chroma to spare, why don’t you give them a go? The Mallow Bunnies is all the rage among all Lunatians. Adults are particularly fond of their sleepy series. On the other end of the spectrum, there are also these... uh... what are these? If you can’t whale get the one you want, don’t worry! You can always trade with your fellow Moonblessed. It might pay off to get some extras, too. You never know when you’ll need to sweeten your deals...

B ⬤ The ads are all over the billboards with their neon colors, energetic beats and seductive billion-polygon assets: you too can be a goddess with a blade in League Match Action Online, Prismatica’s number one VR MOBA game! The next LmaO world championship is later in the year, and the grand prize is rumored to be 15 million demichroma. If you want to get a team together, now’s the perfect time to start. In the meantime, try your luck at the smaller tournaments in the lower Levels. You might meet your future teammates and rivals there.

Or you know, just have fun with it. Relax, it’s just a game!

▶ That Smell is Exactly What You Think It Is

On Level 1, you may encounter construction workers rebuilding damaged properties. When asked they’ll answer, "Oh, it was just a bit of a mishap a while ago. It's all been contained now. Nothing to worry about." A couple of streets are cracked and covered in debris, as if a huge monster had crawled under the pavement. Surrounding walls have gaping holes, and dried up viscous white fluid stains some buildings.

A ⬤ While most of the streets are back to normal, there are several areas that local Swiffy bots have yet to thoroughly clean such as the sewers and the backstreets. If you’re interested in helping, necessary tools and materials will be provided. You may team up with your fellow cohorts to scrub, scrape and sweep the vines’ remains. It is very likely that you will find some decaying roots with a rotting, corpse-like smell that makes your stomach turn. Though these plants have already dried and wilted, there are still a few stubborn vines and dried sap that won’t come off no matter how many times you try. Good thing they let you borrow nifty liquefying rayguns! These guns can turn natural waste into clear, thin and biodegradable slime that rolls off surfaces and into the sewers if not sucked into the vacuums of Lunatia’s trusty Swiffy bots. Careful: the raygun also works on fabrics!

H ⬤ Getting around is another adventure. When you head to the subways, you will be met with the misfortune of train carts stopping abruptly at intervals, making you careen into other passengers. Maybe you’ll accidentally land on someone’s seat or get someone pinned against the wall. The trains aren’t fully functional at the moment due to recent events, so doors might not open and stops might be missed as you circle through the endless track.

Might as well strike up some conversation. The news is seen overhead, detailing the attack of the Vinea vehementi from a few days ago. The reporter warns of increased robbery incidents since the attack. Due to the grief, trauma, and debts accumulated from the damages, some Prismals have resorted to pickpocketing in an attempt to recover their losses. Of much less importance is the uptick in stolen underwear cases in the city after the planet-wide release of the B movie Stalking Panty, in which the main character Knickers gains newfound confidence after discovering his talents as an Iris Moonheld and an undercover panty thief.

Moon Knights and kind neighbors warn you of the dangers, but will that stop you from going out at night? You can start hiding your Midlife Sanguis Ninja Turtle boxers, or you can take justice into your own hands.

▶ Questions

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

Comments

Makoto Kikuchi | THE iDOLM@STER

[princeproblems]

THE LIBRARY

[When Makoto wakes up, her reaction is panic. It's strange and new and kinda scary and she's not quite sure what to do with herself until she realizes that there are other people around and that she's not alone. And when they were rescued a couple of days later, she was more relieved than she could actually show. The usual questions passed through her mind, and she found herself asking things like "Are you sure this isn't some kinda elaborate prank?" among other things.

The answers didn't actually clear that much up.

Seeing a library was great because maybe it could help clear some things up. And with that said, you can catch her doing one of two things:

1) She's caught the ire of the library droids by accidentally dropping something and she's started a comical chase through the library where she's jumping over tables and diving under them, spinning around people, and generally trying to get out before she has her eyebrows singed off. She's pretty athletic and fast, though, which is why if your character happens to step out in front of her she's not quite sure if she can stop in time or dodge to avoid a straight on collision.]

Sorry, I'm sorry, outta the way! I don't want to—

[Run into you. Which is cut off because that's exactly what she's doing.

2) The second thing that she can be found doing, either before or after she's escaped the droids, is peering at the low-budget spellbooks with an intense curiosity. They look a bit like a prop for one of the movies she's been in... huh.

Except she reads a spell out loud and suddenly all that can be heard is a pterodactly screech followed by another pterodactyl screech because she scared herself.]

LUNATIA
[When they're finally brought to Lunatia, she's definitely going to be all over the nearest gift shop with all those clearance prices man, does she need new clothes, and if she's going to be someplace weird she's going to enjoy having new clothes that suit her style more. As much as they can, at least. She can be found holding dresses up, trying to decide which one would fit her best.

And eventually, she just decides to go tug on the sleeve of the nearest person, she looks absolutely serious about this:]

Which one looks cuter? Do you think I could wear them both?

THE SUBWAY

[Makoto absolutely has been on this train for forever and she's getting restless. She's pretty sure she's seen this exact place like, 10 times now, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of stopping. And when they do stop, the doors are stuck and won't open.

Of course, the next time it stops and it repeats, she gets up and she starts tugging at the doors to try to help them along, calling out for help.]

Oi, can anyone help me with this!?

subway: eat fish

[princeliers]

[She might have noticed a massive looking shark man in the subway as well, since he was ducking so that he wouldn't have to deal with his head hitting the roof. When he noticed that she was going towards the door he simply followed, nodding along.]

Yes yes, this has been a rather odd ride! Stand aside, I will assist you.

[move over this mans is coming in.]

[princeproblems]

[Honestly, she'd spent the entire ride trying really hard to not stare at the shark man because it would be rude af, but now that he's actually approaching...]

Wouldn't it be better if we just did it together, though?

[princeliers]

Oh, yes, quite! Are you a strong one as well? Do not be shy, let us both try our hardest!

[It's okay to stare he's one-of-a-kind alright. Either way, Sidon was now at the doors to the train, pushing his fingers into where the doors were meant to slide open and he was now starting to pull-!]

Heave...!

[princeproblems]

Ehehe, I think I am? Here—

[And she takes her spot, her fingers prying into the cracks and she's pulling as hard as she can. The doors budge a little.]

Ho!

[princeliers]

It's moving, let us not give up yet!

[And he's pulling again!! Luckily thanks to his overwhelming strength it seemed like the door was slowly starting to move open. Little by little it was pulled, and...! Open!]

Hah! There we go!

library.1

[smallcomfort]

[ neither of them dodges successfully, and so makoto collides with hanatarou at full speed, killing him instantly knocking him flat. fortunately, someone a few shelves over has just started shrieking about something or other, so the enforcer droids abandon the chase for new, noisier prey.

and now...
it's just the two of them. ]

[princeproblems]

[It's not a moment later before she's already climbing off of him and offering a hand to help him up.]

Sorry! I'm sorry!

[smallcomfort]

[ dizzily, he takes her hand! ]

Oh, not at all... It was my fault for being in the way.

[princeproblems]

Hey, it's not like you knew I was coming. You don't have to apologize for that.

[HUP, she lifts him up from the ground with relative ease.]

[smallcomfort]

[ wow so strong!!
(then again, it doesn't exactly take a lot of muscle to lift someone hanatarou's size...
...but it's still impressive!!) ]

Well--if I'd been paying more attention, maybe I would have...
Are you all right?

library

[xioff]

[Running into Xion? Hard to do, when she's got the bullshit agility of a Kingdom Hearts character. As Makoto runs past, Xion summons her Keyblade without hesitation, swinging around in front of her to deflect any of those eyebrow-singeing lasers.]

Are you all right?

[princeproblems]

[Phew. She stumbles to a halt because of the speed at which she was running and turns back when she hears the voice.] >

I'm okay. I wasn't even trying to be noisy, it just... happened.

[xioff]

I'm glad. I don't know what's going-

[... except now that Xion's got a weapon and is reflecting lasers, the library bots are targeting her now. She bats away a laser, and-]

Actually maybe we should keep running!

[princeproblems]

[Oh.

Oh. Okay, still not safe, time to go. Maybe time to actually just leave the library. Can the droids even leave the library? She's not sure but it might be time to experiment.]

—Okay! Let's go!

[And she looks a bit alarmed even as she takes off, trying to escape.]

[xioff]

[Xion's keeping up with Makoto, at least, even as she has to stop and spam triangle bat away any particularly angry attempts to get them.]

The doors should be just ahead, we're almost out! I think!

Lunatia

[incandescentfaith]

[Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the person who's arm she's grabbed hold if is not the most fashion conscious. She is quite good looking and well dressed, she just happens to be wearing the red and white hakama of a miko and not anything truly fashionable. Surprised by the sudden contact from a stranger, Rei Hino's eyes widen fractionally...though she'd say it was in response to the release of Chroma more than anything.]

I. show me?

[The least she can do is be honest. And she hadn't been paying attention to the girl.]

[princeproblems]

[Honestly, they're pink and full of lace and ribbon and it's just so excessively lolita in style that it's bordering on the edge of Too Much. Her own outfit is far more casual and normal in comparison, with capris, a tshirt, and a black vest.

Her eyes widen too, at the touch—it's still new and strange, wow, but still.]

These. They're cute, aren't they?

[incandescentfaith]

They are both that.

[Rei, perhaps to her credit, does not draw away entirely. She focuses on the clothing, giving them some seemingly extra serious thought. They are very, very much not her style, so she doesn't have too much of an opinion, but since she was asked the least that she can do is answer the question with the proper weight and care.]

I like the one on the left a little more, but you could wear either of them without issue. They're both very lacy.

[princeproblems]

[She nods seriously, taking Rei's advice with the weight she thinks the situation deserves.

So she's dead serious about it, actually, because this is her chance to get away with getting the style of clothes she actually wants.]

That's what I was going for. I don't usually get to wear a lot of lace.

[incandescentfaith]

Oh? why not?

[Asks the girl that wears one style of outfit 90 percent of the time, and always has to have red on her somewhere. She's not really much for variation, but also, generally ignores what other people tell her to wear.]

lunatia

[opalcrown]

[ Belias's wheelchair whirs gently as he hears the pair of questions - he turns, and the person Makoto had been talking to looks dubious. Before the man can intercept, he raises a hand in a light wave. ]

Well, I think they both suit you quite well. Why couldn't you wear them both?

Re: lunatia

[princeproblems]

I don't have enough Chroma yet. Believe me, I'd be getting both of them if I could.

[Thankfully, the other man kind of backs off when Makoto like, doesn't actually bother to interact with him, successfully distracted by Belias.]

[opalcrown]

Ah, of course...

[ He needed to keep in mind 'money' and the concept of actually keeping a bank account. Not that he didn't already have one at home, but - well, the royal treasury wasn't exactly the same.

He rolls a bit closer, peering between the dresses, putting a bent knuckle against his lips. ]

The most practical answer is 'which is cheapest', but... are you getting anything else? Something to dress them up?

[princeproblems]

I was gonna try to make a whole outfit, but it doesn't look like I'll be able to do more than a dress and a pair of shoes... It's okay, though. I can always come back later.

[She loves that he's taking her seriously, honestly.]