▶ TDM .001

[prismods]

Cybernetic dream, something like you've never seen

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"Michael Sembello - Automatic Man (original music video)" (Watch on YouTube)

▶ 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 discover the many mysteries of planet Prismatica!

TDM OVERFLOW can be found here!

Comments

[princessascended]

Oh, it's fine. It faded, I'm back to normal now.

[She's just glad she didn't have to fight anyone in that state.]

You think? I guess that'd make sense. I dunno how close the nearest world with humans on it is.

[Mostly because she has no idea where they are.]

Yeah I got the same view, though, uh... transports like that are crazy advanced for me, not moderately.

[erranthero]

[Well, if she wants to stand there, Kerra will shrug and slide further onto the small bed, putting her back to the bulkhead.]

Could be one system over, could be more. It's hard to say. The human diaspora is pretty galaxy spanning.

[Though that last comment earns Kairi a lifted eyebrow.]

Where are you from?

[princessascended]

[Oh, that... somehow she missed the invitation to sit. Blushing, she moves to set herself down on the bed, wondering just how distracted she has to be...

Okay that's a dumb question. She's pretty distracted.

And she has no idea what a diaspora is, but she does know that yeah, humans are on a startling amount of worlds. As to that question...]

It's called the Destiny Islands. As far as we know there are only a few islands and just endless ocean besides that, so... guess the name's kind of obvious, huh?

[erranthero]

[Kerra chuckles, playfully prodding Kairi's leg with her own when she sits. She's a tactile person in general, and she figures her new bunkmate could use the encouragement.]

Sounds nice, though. Honestly sounds like home for me. Aquilaris is an ocean world, just a few islands and not much else outside of the orbital transport hub.

We actually had a place called the Destiny Reef, too.

[princessascended]

[A little amused, Kairi responds by poking her bunkmate in the side. Gently, of course.]

Maybe it's an ocean thing. Sitting there, on the shore, looking out at the waves... it can get you thinking of things like that.

[erranthero]

[That earns a laugh, short, light, and there is a brief pause before she says anything further because it feels good. More than maybe it should. She has no idea why, but every time she's had physical contact of any sort here, it's been nice, and not just because she's generally touch starved.]

Maybe...yeah. There's a lot to be said for island living. I wouldn't trade my life for it, but I can see the appeal.

[princessascended]

Well, we did kind of want to set out and see new places, my friends and I.

[Her hand spreads out on the bed, and her fingers touch Kerra's side. She barely even seems to notice, but at the same time, she does feel... oddly good, almost subconsciously.]

[erranthero]

Hah...yeah? How'd that go?

[Kerra gently reaches out, her fingers brushing against Kairi's shoulder, the strange smell in the air making her feel just a little more friendly than she would otherwise be. And maybe it's comforting to have some human contact, given the strangeness of this place.]

Did you go off and have the adventure of a lifetime?

[princessascended]

[She responds to that with a groan and moves her hands a bit so that it's all the way on Kerra's stomach, as if she needs the physical contact for support or something.]

I think we all ended up deciding that adventure's overrated.

But we're probably gonna go on another one anyway.

[erranthero]

[Alright. That...feels really good. Surprisingly so. The dark cloth she's wearing is armored with a fine mesh, but even the gentle pressure of a hand against it is surprisingly pleasant.]

Adventure is overrated. But it's addicting, that's for sure.

[She sighs, running her finger down Kairi's arm, still playful and lazy.]

Never knowing where you'll end up, or where you'll be. The kinds of people you'll meet...there's something to be said for the variety.

Any thoughts on what you wanna do, at the end of the next journey?

[princessascended]

[Kairi doesn't feel any real need to go further than this, but she also doesn't make a move to stop Kerra from touching her. It feels... tingly, where she touches her arm, and warm and comforting where her hand's touching her stomach.

Speaking of which, if she's feeling correctly, those are some nice abs. Hmm... maybe she'll just feel those a bit more after all.]

At the end? Honestly, instead of an adventure I'd like to go on a vacation, just me and my boys. I'm not sure where exactly, but I've got a few ideas.

[erranthero]

[Kerra definitely has a toned form, and she allows herself a small groan of acknowledgement. Something about this contact is having an interesting effect, and she's not really against to getting a little more of it. She wriggles a little closer, her hand slipping all the way down Kairi's arm to rest on the hand. Calloused fingers, a bit rough from work, curl gently around the younger woman's hand...the tingling pleasantness continuing to build.]

Vacations...hah...those are always nice. It's been years since I visited a resort world, I should fix that when I'm done in the Grumani sector.

[Probably gibberish too Kairi, but who knows.]

Think you've earned the break?

[princessascended]

[Honestly, at this rate Kairi's starting to think she should just cuddle up next to Kerra and be done with it. It'd be a good way to make good use of the space, if nothing else, and it definitely feels nice being close to her. Comforting, relaxing... safe. Maybe it's just that her build kind of reminds her of Riku's.]

I think the Islands kind of would be what most people think of as a resort. So I'd be looking for something completely different.

[Does she know what the Grumani sector is? Nah. Does she care? Not really.]

Even if I haven't, they definitely have. No question.

[erranthero]

[Maybe she should. There certainly are worse people to cuddle up with. Kerra certainly likes the idea, because that warmth is really, really pleasant. It's a little like being drunk, without the alcohol, meaning without the hangover. She's certainly cute enough to warrant a cuddle, too.

Kerra turns to the side, keeping contact but worming herself up onto the bed more. She casts a significant glance down at the bed, then back up at Kairi.]

I'm sure you have too. Any adventure deserves a break. [Seriously...]

I could suggest Coruscant, if you like cities. A planet-wide city. Anything you want, at your fingertips.

[princessascended]

[Oh, that's... that's kind of an obvious invitation, isn't it? And Kairi is kinda feeling like lying down would be nice... after a moment, she flops backwards, stays there for a moment looking at Kerra... and then rolls over.

Yes, this was a good decision.]

Mmmm... I haven't been to many cities before. One covering a whole world would be really interesting. Sounds like it'd be easy to get lost though.

[erranthero]

[Yes, this is good. Kerra smiles and just kind of gathers Kairi up against her, curling inward to create as much contact as possible. She's warm, and cute, and the little contact high from being this close to someone after spending a year waging a guerrilla war is enough to addle her touch-starved senses. It's not as though there's anything wrong with this, it's cozy and warm...and Kairi's clearly okay with it.]

There's guideposts, and hovercabs.

[tipping her head near Kairi's ear, Kerra half-laughs...a slightly inebriated giggle.]

Heck, if we get out of this together, I'll just take you and your boys.

[princessascended]

[Ahhhh, perfect cuddles. Kairi sighs in contentment as she pillows her head on Kerra's shoulder. If they fell asleep like this she'd wake up totally refreshed.]

That sounds good. You're probably a way better pilot than any of us anyway.

[After all, the one of them with the most experience is Sora.]

[erranthero]

[Laughing lightly, Kerra leans her head forward, just enough to bury her nose into Kairi's hair. This is really intimate, in a way, but she's fine with it. Her hands mostly behave, resting flush with the other's stomach, but her fingers do trail in restless little circles.]

I'm definitely a capable pilot. If it needs piloting, I can work it. It's part of my training.

[She hums...and then admits it out loud:]

I'm a Jedi Knight, and as long as I'm here, you don't need to worry. I'll absolutely keep you safe.

[You and everyone else, if she has to. The words might have more impact if she wasn't this lightheaded...or of Kairi had a clue what she was talking about.]

[princessascended]

A knight, huh?

[The Jedi part flew over her head, but Kairi knows what a knight is. She smiles fondly at Kerra, wrapping her arms around her back.]

I'm a keyblade wielder. Not a master yet by any means, but we're warriors who defend the worlds. So... I should be able to protect myself.

[Should, though... that's the operative word, isn't it?]

[erranthero]

Don't think we're from the same galaxy then...haven't heard of keyblades. But sounds like we do the same thing.

[Travel from place to place, helping those in need. Defend the defenseless, fight the good fight? That all adds up.]

Guess we'll be in each other's hands. Though hopefully our new friends are as friendly as they seem.

[The arms around her back, the fingers against the curve of her muscles...that has her sighing softly. God, she's missed letting herself be vulnerable like this.]

Keep...moving your fingers. Please? You're very warm.

[Maybe she shouldn't ask anything of Kairi, maybe she should draw back, but they're already this far along. It can't hurt to ask a little more can it?]

[princessascended]

Your back? You need a massage?

[She rubs as best she can with her fingers as she ponders what Kerra just said.]

I guess we are pretty similar, huh? But you're through with your training, right?

[She only wishes she could say the same. So much would have been different.]

[erranthero]

Not...strictly? Just. touch? It's been a long time since I was really around anyone that wasn't trying to kill me.

[A painful, but truthful, admission.]

And I guess we are. Though, I'm not a Master either. Dunno if I ever will be. Or want to be, since it's a lot of responsibility.

[princessascended]

Oh jeez. That sounds like someone else I know actually.

[Poor Aqua. The very thought makes Kairi tighten her hold a little more.]

Mmmm, well, with us I think Master's just the title you get when you finish your training. I don't think you have to have pupils to get it.

[erranthero]

Hah...

[Kerra huffs and lets her eyes open a bit, staring into Kairi's.]

Jedi Masters have...well, you have to have a student, and you have to sit on the Council and I want neither of those things.

[She's just not very good at sitting still, and even worse at finding peace and serenity. She'd be an awful teacher. And she'd be even worse at Council meetings.]

And I'd probably not wake up on strange planets with cute girls...which, I think'd be a total loss.

[princessascended]

Keyblade Wielders don't have a council... there's nowhere near enough of us.

[They've got literally seven.]

It'd kind of be nice to need one, I think.

[Just imagine that many keyblade wielders being around. Xehanort wouldn't have stood a chance.]

But I think strange planets would probably still be something we run into.