▶ TDM .006

[prismods]

This Is Our Time

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"SelloRekT /LA Dreams - This Is Our Time" (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.

▶ The Mirror has Two Faces
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Planet Prismatica, City of Lunatia | top

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 think drinking alcohol made in a bathtub was a good idea? — 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. Destination: Prismatica.

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. 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. All apartments have been officially upgraded with special mirrors in the master bedroom that allow you to modify your features using a chroma-powered side panel. You can change your hair color, clothes, add animal parts, and even reduce or augment any feature of your body. Play around with it and see how you look! Sometimes, the mirrors will glitch and give you access to another person’s mirror, letting you see inside their apartment and catch them unawares. To their (your?) horror, you can hear them as well as they can hear you. Hopefully, you’re not caught doing something you shouldn’t be!

▶ Knottingham Forest
Level 2, Greatmoon Groves | top

The whole city receives an invitation to watch a once-in-a-lifetime outdoor play in Level 2’s Greatmoon Groves. It will be performed by the renowned traveling fox thespians from Amegahara.

It’s been a whole month since these fox envoys came to Lunatia. The Amegahara foxes ended up staying in the city longer than expected because of the fiasco last Vulpus Astra. Aside from needing to smooth things out with the Lunatian government, they also need to regain enough chroma to travel back home.

The locals aside, wanting to make up for their carelessness from the past month, they’ve primarily put together this play while keeping in mind the Moonblessed who were most affected. Though the Conclave of Amegahara and the Oracles of the Sinless are not affiliated, the Amegahara foxes regardless wish to apologize for the wrongdoings of the Sinless because they’re still their kin.

They hope everyone can move past it. Eager to show the real beauty of their culture, they encourage all to attend and bear witness to a truly tantalizing feast for the eyes. All Moonblessed will receive VIP seating and special service. The play does not start until the evening, but don’t worry, there’s more entertainment prepared around the groves!

A. Trending online is the Tree of Knots, a large tree with low-hanging branches covered in thick ribbons of various colors. It's such a hit with the locals that there are long lines for those who want to take Prismagram-worthy selfies.

The Amegahara foxes will explain that knots are sacred to their kind as they represent deep passion and eternal bonding. Participants are encouraged to work in pairs to loop a ribbon around a branch and then pull either end to ring around the tree. The bigger the knot, the better! Once a knot is secured, the two Moonblessed may find themselves, well… stuck together. Their hands will lace, and they will not be able to pull free for an hour. Enjoy the quality time spent with a friend and/or stranger… Hope you don’t have to go to the bathroom any time soon!

B. Cozy up with your fellow Moonblessed at the comfortable VIP seats facing the stage. Plates of delicious food and drink will float around to serve you until the show is over!

Under the moonlight, the play tells the tale of the Queen of Loch Drasta. The aloof and sheltered queen is seduced by a winsome village maiden named Peirene, only able to meet her when the night is upon them.

Special effects spellcasters make illusions of stars that encircle the audience, their bright glow emitting a comforting warmth that may lull audience members into a peaceful trance that lasts well after the show has ended. Those affected may find themselves feeling intoxicated. Strange — they haven’t even had a single drop of liquor! They’ll be prone to feats of reckless abandon or be charged by feelings of either elation, desire, or happiness. Possibly all of the above!

▶ Preparation H
Level 1, Lunar Scientia Headquarters | top

It’s almost time for the Conclave of Amegahara to return home and they will be taking the Oracles of the Sinless with them. Though, it seems they’re not the only ones heading out. As part of the ongoing efforts to bridge relations between all cultures, any willing Moonblessed will be invited at the end of the month to travel together to Amegahara, the Oasis in the Nothing, to give them a chance to learn more about this world. It’s also a volunteer experiment to see how their special moonlacing will affect their dead environment.

It’s said that the Amegaharans developed their own culture and technology independently from the Prismals of Lunatia, as their lands are separated by a large ecological wasteland created by the Calamity—dead lands which they call the Nothing. In order to traverse this dangerous territory, appropriate equipment developed by the Amegaharans will have to be used given that the Nothing is inhospitable and impossible to breathe inside of.

And so, to make sure nothing goes wrong, a proper testing and training session in Level 1’s Lunar Scientia Headquarters will be underway before the big trip. The Amegahara foxes warn that the current calibrations are for their kind, so it will likely be incompatible with the Moonblessed at the moment. Part of the test procedures is to find the right configurations, so brace yourselves.

A. L.I.F.E. or simply “LIFE” is a special form-fitting full body suit and helmet that are capable of providing ample chroma to keep the wearer alive through the most hazardous environments, such as toxic air.

One of malfunctions may potentially cause suffocation by squeezing the wearer’s bodies too tight. Another is that it might drain chroma instead of providing any. Stay with someone nearby to help you strip and moonlace with!

B. Another piece of technology available for testing is the aerial mecha suits called GIGA, which require at least two to three people to pilot one. Similar to LIFE, the suits also have a few noticeable glitches. Sometimes, the flight function stops completely, making it impossible to hover more than a few feet off the air. Other times, the emergency function suddenly ejects pilots straight into the ground. A neural cord that is supposed to affix itself to the pilots’ central nervous systems has also been coming out from the bottom of the seat instead of linking to the back of the pilots’ neck as designed, making for a particular uncomfortable seated experience.

As always, please take note of all glitches and errors and report them to your nearest Lunar Scientia employee!


▶ 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

Mayuzumi Chihiro | Kuroko's Basketball ( plus CRAU from Empatheias)

[overcloaked]

A. The Mirror Has Two Faces

[ Mayuzumi probably made a mistake in spending way too much of the demichroma he's been able to scrape together in that game center earlier; the prize he'd finally gotten out of that crane machine is currently still sitting in its box: a small collectible figure of a girl from what seems to be a popular game around here, with green hair and kitty ears.

Actually, he's absolutely positive that was a mistake, considering he can't bear to even look at it since he got home and shoved the thing under his bed to go along with the others he's accumulated over the past few days, but whatever. It's not the first time in his life that he was right about something feeling too good to be true, so he'll get over losing the few people who actually began to matter to him just like he's always had to get over other disappointments before. Eventually.

He just really needs to find a less expensive coping mechanism, even if there's a definite sense of familiarity to this one...

He's got the more immediate problem of having a stomach that won't stop growling and not even enough to his name to afford a cup ramen from the convenience store, which is why he's knocking on his neighbor's door. ]

…Hey, uh. It's Mayuzumi from next door.

[ He says it even if they might not even know his name at all, since he hasn't introduced himself before now.. ]

Think you could help me out?


B. Knottingham Forest

[ He might not be much of a theater goer or know a thing about these Amegahara foxes, but he is kind of curious. And besides, all that talk about special VIP treatment for Moonblessed sounded pretty great and a good way to unwind; the refreshments at least look the part. He's snagged a bit of food and a drink and as the play goes on he's actually feeling…pretty good. Like a weight's been lifted off of him, and replaced with an upbeat kind of buzz that makes him feel like he's floating.

Enough for him to actually talk to the person next to him without being prompted, even. ]

You know, this place really isn't so bad, huh.


C. Preparation H

[ It's probably only natural for him to be fascinated by the testing; playing test pilot sounded a bit too risky, but how dangerous could it even be to just try on a suit? The skintight suits look like something straight out of a sci-fi light novel, for sure, so he just couldn't resist the urge to give it a try.

Except instead of smoothly fitting like a glove, the thing seems to be constraining him in all the wrong places, and it's making him feel lightheaded and unsteady on his feet. He tries and fails to unlock the latches that will let him remove the helmet, trying to keep calm despite his building nervousness. ]

Can someone give me a hand with this thing?

(( OOC: I'm open to him suffering from either the suffocation or the drain effect, so choose whichever floats your boat! ))


D. Wildcard

[ Feel free to tweak these prompts to your liking or come up with your own based on the other TDM prompts. You can also have your character run into Mayuzumi anywhere around Level 1 or 2 in Lunatia while he's exploring the city, like encountering him in one of the game centers. If you'd like to plot something more specific, hit me up via PM. ]

(( Additional OOC Note: Mayuzumi here arrived with CRAU development from Empatheias, so fellow transplants are welcome to recognize him. ))

h!!

[hoasen]

[She's more curious about the travel, which was why she was here. In addition, she wonders if it was something essential for someone of her kind to require the suit, since her constitution could survive it. Then again, she might not risk it. Still, she wasn't trying on the suit yet when she heard a nervous voice, and spins round to see him fumbling at the latches.

She moves immediately, and the seriousness of the situation has her firm up. What on earth (lol) happened?!]

Sit down and stay still.

[Her hands grip his arms to keep him steady, but if it's the helmet that needs removing, she of a much shorter stature needs him to keep low so she can start to unfasten it.]

Hey there!

[overcloaked]

[ He definitely isn't gonna argue right now, if only to conserve his oxygen so he doesn't pass out. ]

Y-yeah. I just can't get this thing off.

[ He does plop down pretty unceremoniously on his butt so she can help with the helmet, dignity taking a backseat to the more immediate danger he's facing.

And here he thought this part of the testing would be safer; maybe he really should've signed up to play at being a hotshot mecha pilot for a day after all... ]

HEELLOOO finally we play

[hoasen]

[How cooperative! As he settles as best he can, she moves instantly behind him, circling him on her knees to find the latches.]

I found them!

[Her fingers slide to unfasten him without having to tip his head a lot, hoping that by doing so she wouldn't have to have him narrow his windpipes. That done, she places her hands on the surface of the helmet to pull it off of him.]

Careful, I am removing it.

[Focus on conserving air! And now that he's free of a helmet, she looks carefully.]

Is that better? [Or is this entire suit a disaster.]

yes!

[overcloaked]

[ He tries to be patient while she's working on unlatching the helmet; his expression might not show that the lack of air's stirring up some low-key panic he's trying to keep under control, but the cold sweat breaking out on his face might.

He gasps pretty loudly once the helmet's off. It takes a moment for him to catch his breath enough to answer her with more than a nod; while he does so he's able to loosen up the suit's collar and pull down the zipper a bit to make sure his throat's not constricted either. ]

Thanks. These suits really need to go back to the drawing board.

[ When the researchers mentioned there might be compatibility problems for non-foxes he didn't think that meant compatibility problems with breathing! ]

A

[toservehuman]

What kind of help do you need?

[ Shell, with a fanged smile, is inclined to help anyone who asks. This isn't his first rodeo, coming from Lagunbiru station before being plucked from his own world, so he understands that some people might need more help acclimating to a new environment than others. ]

<3

[overcloaked]

Well, it's...

[ This is pretty embarrassing to ask about, really. He might've gotten a little better at talking to people over the past few months, but it's still a bit of a struggle. Especially considering he's asking for help from a total stranger.

...A total stranger with fangs, he realizes; now sure, vampires might be totally fictional back home, but they sure weren't in the other world he ended up in before he got here, which kicks his nervousness up a few notches. Maybe he should've tried his neighbor on the other side first.

His stomach must be impatient that he's taking his sweet time to just spit it out though, so it decides to answer for him, choosing that moment to rumble loudly. It makes him pull a bit of a face and rub the back of his neck awkwardly. ]

...I guess that answers that, huh. I'm, uh, a little short on Chroma right now, and haven't had anything to eat today, so...

[toservehuman]

[ Humans and their food. Shell was almost jealous; he knew he was losing out on a world of cuisine just because he was hard-wired to drink blood instead. He could eat meat, sure, but usually only the rarest-cooked.

Even living among humans in space for a while, he's still not entirely sure what the monetary value of food is. ]

How much do you need? Fifty Chroma? That's probably a little more than we can make if we've just met... I might be able to lend you some, though.

[overcloaked]

[ Fifty?! Isn't that way too generous?? Is this guy (vampire!) way too nice for his own good, or does he not get the value of money (because he only drinks blood so he doesn't need to eat!)?

He might be kind of tempted to take advantage of that...but scamming his next door neighbor (who might suck him dry like a juice box in retaliation!) seems like it'd probably be a bad move. ]

Uh, that's nice of you, but you don't really have to go that far.

[ He clears his throat. ]

I wasn't thinking about that much, more like five or ten. I mean, I, uh, wouldn't want to put you out or anything, especially if you're new here too and all that.

A

[accurately]

[ At precisely that moment, Midorima is coming down the staircase with a wrapped bento box that smells pretty good. It's his day off of work so he was going to go eat at the park and enjoy the outdoors. The name "Mayuzumi" perks the tanuki ears atop his head up even if he didn't particularly see him at first.

In fact, only his head is visible from the stair banister on the far side of the landing when he actually looks over at him. He's giving him a good hard stare from the stairs before deciding to speak up to see if it actually is him.

(..It's not like he paid him a whole lot of attention, he was pretty easy to ignore with Takao around making him useless, and he only saw him at a distace during the Seirin game.) ]

Mayuzumi.

[ If that doesn't get his attention then he'll just keep going down the stairs. If not, Mayuzumi can look over and just see Midorima's nose and up, with a pair of tanuki ears, peeking out from behind the balusters. ]

[overcloaked]

[ Hearing his name in that voice definitely gets Mayuzumi's attention and he turns around, spotting what's become a familiar crop of green hair, eyes widened in surprise. ]

Midorima? Didn't know you were here too.

[ ...And that weird behavior's another thing he's gotten used to. Even if the ears are different, it seems like some things never change. ]

...Uh...if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing over there?

[ Peeking around the corner like a total weirdo instead of walking up to talk to him like a normal person, he means.

Curiously enough, the tension does drain out of Mayuzumi's shoulders and his expression regardless, even if his eyebrows are raised. ]

[accurately]

[ As far as he's concerned he barely knows Mayuzumi beyond having passed him on the court a few times. It isn't as if he has a reason to particularly run over excitedly to greet him.

He does head up to the landing once he's sure it is someone he recognizes. ]

I've been here for months. I was heading out to have lunch at the park.

[ Look at this beautifully packed, delicious-smelling bento, Mayuzumi.. ]

[overcloaked]

Months?

[ He's definitely kind of confused by that, although it's not the first time he's encountered that kind of time-space discrepancy during the previous chapter of his real-life isekai adventures. Does that mean Midorima ended up here after his time in Verens due to cosmic shenanigans, or is this a different, parallel Midorima from the one he lived with for months?

Although he does need to swallow before he tries to uncover some answers on that topic, because whatever meal Midorima's got packed up smells absolutely tasty...despite how deceptive that fragrance might be considering the risk that Midorima prepared it himself. ]

Hey...this might sound like a weird question, but how well would you say we know each other?

c

[schmisse]

[ Weiss has managed to get out of her suit and back into her poofy dress by the time she comes across Mayuzumi. She almost bumps into him because of how unnoticeable he is, but thank god for her quick reflexes and heightened senses that she sees him before impact. ]

Oh, sure. Can you bend down a little for me?

[ He's a little too tall. And hey, at least she doesn't elbow him during their first meeting in this universe. ]

[overcloaked]

[ His gut tightens a little reflexively at the memory, but right now his survival instincts are way more focused on how compressed his ribcage feels. Besides, Weiss ultimately had seemed like the kind of person who meant well that time, anyway.

He nods, having to brace his hands on his thighs to keep from toppling forward when he bends so she can reach the helmet latches. It makes the tightness in his chest worse, so his next words are more gasped out than spoken. ]

Thanks, this suit's...way too tight.

[schmisse]

Don't take this the wrong way, but it definitely looks way too tight. I'm impressed you managed to fit yourself in one.

[ She tugs on the helmet, and perhaps adds a little too much force, though. At least she manages to get it off, even if she ends up staggering backwards and pulling her along with him.

Watch out! ]

[overcloaked]

Wasn't...that bad when I put it—!

[ He's already pretty shaky on his feet as it is due to the tightness of the suit and his lack of breath, so the force Weiss uses to get the helmet off is enough to pull him off-balance and he stumbles forward, falling pretty much flat on his face.

Whether he ends up sprawled out on the floor in the most embarrassing way possible or gets a softer (for him, at least) and even awkwarder landing depends on whether she can get out of the way in time... ]

b

[finethanks]

Well, it can certainly always be worse. It's true that this place is pleasant most of the time, but comfort leads to complacency, you know? That's a dangerous thing to hold in a place so far from your own home.

[Despite his words, though, he's feeling quite happy, himself. The trance of starlight has fallen over him like a glow, and he's completely moved by the play. He'd been able to grab so many techniques, just by watching... and he's overcome with the desire to run up on stage for himself, but he resists. Such things require booking, after all.

Instead, he'll focus on this stranger.]

Are you a new arrival, perhaps?

[overcloaked]

Yeah, I haven't been here that long.

[ The atmosphere around Mayuzumi feels outright cozy thanks to the shimmering stars hanging over them; that warmth in the pit of his stomach almost gives him the sense that he's been drinking. But that can't be on the mark; the concoction he's been sipping throughout the performance definitely doesn't taste like there's alcohol in it at all.

The entranced state he's in right now seems pretty impervious to his usual negativity too; the recognition that he's feeling somehow intoxicated doesn't trouble him, and neither does that dose of reality this guy gives him. ]

I suppose you aren't wrong, but if complacency's the worst thing I have to worry about around here then I wouldn't really have much to complain about.

[finethanks]

It's truly not so bad at all.

[He laughs, softly. Despite his words, he really was just speaking lightly... He's just like that.]

It's best to get to know one another and exchange names, so why don't we do that? My name is Eichi Tenshouin. It's nice to meet you. Please, if there's anything I can help you with, you're free to let me know.

[overcloaked]

I'm Chihiro Mayuzumi. And same here, I guess.

[ Really, his worries feel kind of remote at the moment thanks to the good mood that's enveloping him. Even his expression's more unguarded than usual. ]

That's pretty nice of you though. It's true that I'm still trying to get a handle on how things work around here. Like the moon alignments and things like that.

A

[dragonfall]

[ It takes a bit of time for the door to open, suggesting that Mayuzumi's neighbor is not, in fact, home. Eventually, however, there are muffled steps beyond and the sleek door slides aside, revealing the following:

A tall, severe-looking...elf?

The ears suggest elf.

One that scowls as he looks down, his own height putting him a bit above Mayuzumi. ]

What?

[ As in, what do you want?

And also: what is a child doing at his door? ]

<3

[overcloaked]

[ Mayuzumi's just about to give up when he hears movement on the other side of the door.

He actually has to crane his neck up a bit to look the guy in the face once the door slides open.

...What's with this sour-looking old guy? Who feels kind of incongruous to meet in this futuristic kind of town on top of that, even if magic's a thing around here too; talk about genre blending. This guy (elf?) looks like he'd fit in way more back on that other world Mayuzumi was stuck in until a few days ago.

He's aware that he needs to be polite considering he's essentially trying to mooch off a total stranger here, despite the level of disapproving frown he's on the receiving end of right now. Buttering the guy up will probably do more for him than laying on the sarcasm. ]

Sorry for the trouble, hope I'm not interrupting anything. If you wouldn't mind, I could really use a hand.

[ Except his flat expression doesn't quite line up with how solicitous those words might be on paper... ]

[dragonfall]

[ It is something like looking into a mirror.

A mirror that could certainly dispense with the pleasantries. ]

What is it, then?

[ A curt tone, but at least not one of dismissal...? Estinien was not in fact doing anything of note, save for a few mindless chores about his bode, not the least of which was pulling tremendously long white hairs out of his couch. His own hair, thanks to the monthly Sanguis cycle, and all it entails. That is probably the source of his sour mood.

But he does at least listen. ]

I have never seen you before.

Are you newly arrived?

[overcloaked]

Yeah, I just got here a few days ago.

[ He's aware he's stalling; god, he really hates this. His pride is taking a major beating right now and it's all his own fault, too.

His own fault for getting attached to someone he knew he had no guarantee of ever seeing again if and when he left that world; hadn't he already seen that kind of heartbreak happen to Akashi? And since when did he become such a sentimental idiot, anyway? He's ended up completely throwing money away just because he found a character that happens to look just like...

It's been a while since he's been under Adult Scrutiny like this, too. Sure, fine, he's technically an adult, worked part-time jobs and had a boss and all that but this is different. He's spent a number of months now being someone who's been inexplicably looked up to and relied upon and expected to be the grown up in every situation. Being the one who's on the needing assistance end is a foreign experience for him at this point, and somehow the way this guy looks at him with that serious face makes him feel like he's back in high school all over again.

His deadpan expression wavers a little, and his eyes glance downwards. ]

...It's...

[ His stomach growls a little as if to give him a kick in the ass to get to the point already.

He sighs. Pussyfooting around isn't going to end this awkward encounter or get him dinner. ]

I've screwed up and ran out of chroma, more or less. I won't get paid for a couple more days and I haven't eaten today yet, so...if you could lend me something or...uh, help me make a little...

[ That second part makes Mayuzumi even more hesitant; how would that even work, anyway?? The idea of even holding hands with this guy feels beyond weird, and he doesn't want to think about anything that much more advanced than that. He isn't completely inexperienced now but he's still technically a virgin. ]

I get that I'm probably being pretty rude right now bugging a total stranger about this, but I don't really...know anyone here.

[ At this point he'd be happy even seeing Kuroko's annoying face, but he hasn't even seen that guy. As far as Mayuzumi knows he really is on his own here. ]