prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .007

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▶ TDM .007

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"Blue Oyster Cult - Shooting Shark" (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.

▶ Keep all Hands and Feet inside the Burning Vehicle at all Times
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Outer Space | 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 mix tequila with xanax last night? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay.

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

A. After settling into the ship and selecting the current in-flight movie, Back Door Slugs 9, you and those around you may eventually feel a bit of turbulence during the movie’s highly anticipated climax. Did anyone notice it, or is everyone too focused on the hot characters?

At first, it’s a small jitter that’s easy to miss or brush off. But as the transport vessel travels on, the shaking progressively escalates to erratic tremors strong enough to cause severe nausea. A minute later, a voice over the speaker announces the ship will have to make an emergency landing, citing technical difficulties.

Sparks can be seen overhead as more ship parts malfunction. This is a good time to hold your neighbor’s hand, say your last goodbyes, and apologize for that horrible thing you did in the sixth grade. Grip your seat with the might of every god you can think of.

B. Another minute later, a follow-up announcement states that external entities have breached the transport vessel. Everyone is warned to be careful and watch out for each other. Small fires will have to be put out before they worsen with either magic or emergency equipment onboard such as extinguishers. In-flight robotic attendants will be scuttling around to perform immediate repairs.

Eventually, an entire power panel bursts, and prismatic jellyfish unnaturally spill out. The jellyfish will try to latch and suction onto any technological devices close by such as the television screens on the seats or communicators and will show preference to Iris Moonblessed over the rest. Be ready to help and pull numerous jellyfish off both the faces of Moonblessed and Prismals!

▶ Jaws IV: Jaws Harder
Planet Prismatica, Outer Lunatia | top

The emergency landing successfully completes and the transport vessel will safely land on top of a gorgeous lake filled with tiny glaciers floating by. When reached out and touched, you’ll find out that the “glaciers” are surprisingly cool crystals and not ice.

The ship will be left hovering idly on the water surface while passengers are ferried to solid ground using portable emergency boats. However, civilization is still a distance away.

A. You’ve probably heard of flying sharks from a veteran Moonblessed. But how about sea lions? These aquatic lions are born with scaly skin and gills outside of their crystallized manes. Unfortunately, they haven’t tasted fresh meat in quite some time. If there are any injured onboard or near your boat, the chances of the sea lions detecting people will be higher as they are drawn to the scent of blood. Growling hungrily, they will be quick to latch onto the boats, biting the edges, and trying to knock everyone overboard for dinner.

After surviving through so far, the Prismals guide everyone to a nearby encampment run by humanoid rabbits. They are tall, built, and have a habit of mentioning their virility an awkward amount of times. They are also generous and will share their game meat and fresh crops while allowing everyone to rest for the night at the only inn in their village.

B. There is no running water all the way out here, so if anyone wants a bath, they’ll have to do it traditionally. The village protects a natural spring, which is a good place to bathe away the sea water. Around the spring, the rabbit folk’s friends — little scintilla chinchillas — will shock away any predators that dare to approach their sanctuary! Be at ease and feel free to offer your friends shampoo massages.

The next day, the rabbits can be seen hacking away at some of the wilder-looking plants for an easier pathway. If you wake up early enough, you can ask some of them for a tour of the beautiful greenery. They mention that it’s thanks to the Moonblessed that their crops have been doing so well lately — the result of all the chroma influx. The rest of the journey to the city will be smooth sailing.

▶ It’s Free Real-Estate
Level 2, City of Lunatia | top

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

A. 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. A new high-end boutique, Prissy Polyp, has opened in Level 2. As compensation for what happened, both Moonblessed and Prismals that were affected in yesterday’s flight will receive 50% off their total purchase. Those unaffected will receive 30% discount coupons as a promotional gift. All are encouraged to visit with their friends or special someone, try on some things together, ~~enjoy each other in the fitting rooms~~, and deal with the loud, ear-blistering background pop music.

Their clothing collections are characterized by bright iridescent designs, some features such as design patterns may glow ethereally in the dark. One of their signature dresses features a one piece (also available on their trench coats) that can amplify the appearance of one’s decolletage, gluteal muscles, and/or bulge with the press of a neon button. Another item among their collection is the maiden sweater: a sleek, backless sweater that shocks those who attempt unwanted touches. Others include skin-tight leggings (also available on their shorts or pants) which produce pleasant and relaxing vibrations on all lower extremities and fashionable polyp-shaped hats for all kinds of people. It’s a huge shop, you never know what else to find in there.

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

▶ IMPORTANT! By request, we've uploaded image samples for the Prissy Polyp clothing collections! Note these are merely samples for a visual guide and we will leave more selections to players.

▶ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A lot of things are Dirk's fault. He's cognizant of that. He's wholly aware. Maybe someday he really will feel guilty and not just muted...something, that he can't quite explain.

The fact that Dave listens, doesn't argue, means a lot. Once he's all done talking he ruffles Dave's hair, like he's a normal fucking brother and not vaguely sociopathic. He felt Dave press into the touch, though, and that means something. As does the way he leans into him. Dirk sighs, hand shifting, but all it does is drop to his shoulder so that an arm around him is keeping him there.

Stay, he doesn't say, but he thinks it.

He doesn't say shit about the show of emotion, either. No quips, no 'man up,' no nothing. Maybe later he'll be a dick and give him shit, but for now... Nah. That's too much. "Stop comparing me to Jesus," he complains, not really irritable at all, "my ego's already fucked and you keep calling me a Jesus impersonator."

He thinks about the suggestions though, real hard, and comes to a conclusion. "We can do all that shit," he says, "if you help me do market research while we do. Trends and shit. It's a good skill to have." But then he pauses, and adds: "that way, we can do all that and you can help me game the system." Like it's all so simple.

Honestly, it's really really weird that the porn empire guy is so against even holding hands with someone. There's definitely something up with that.

Dirk said that Dave didn't need him anymore, said that his entire purpose was Dave's training and entry into the game and that's all there is. He's wrong and Dave hates himself for it and wishes he could agree. Without Cal's influence Dirk is just a normal bag of dicks and not a vicious, psychotic one. This is something Dave can handle Dirk being and especially if it's actually interspersed with some of the vaguely memorable Dirk things from his early, early childhood, like giving a damn in an outward way.

Like a hand on his shoulder that has Dave's fingers curling into fists. He's not upset. He's trying hard to give himself something else to concentrate on other than the actual affection he's been chasing his whole life from this very specific person. Still leaned up against him, Dave lays his head back against the couch and totally not just because then he's leaning back against Dirk's arm. It's not his fault it's in the way and he needs to be comfortable. "Yeah I can do that. You want me to go with zombie instead?" he says flatly, obviously joking but only in the nuance a Strider would understand.

Doing 'all that shit' sounds great to Dave even if it looks like his training is now going to include learning the business side of things. He may as well learn from the master if he's going to learn at all. Dave had every intention of joining the adventuring guild, but he bets he still can and have free time to actually maybe have a normal life. Like a life that actually includes his god damn Bro in it now. This place sucked until he found out Karkat exists here and then it sucked less, now that he's got Bro here and he isn't... how he was, this place is a lot better. He doesn't need that new earth, this one's fine even if he misses his friends.

"Trends and shit. Hell yeah I can. I watch the system like a hawk. There's a fuckin' tonne of perverts here." It's not like they're not generating Chroma just doing this simple thing, but it's not going to build Dirk's empire. "Some not perverts too but a lot of them anyway."

Dirk is still working through the whole "without Cal's influence" thing. Maybe he'll get better slowly as time goes on. Maybe he'll relapse as a coping mechanism when facing his own actions is too heavy to process. There are worse things to be than a regular bag of dicks, but he's been the worse things, too.

He's vaguely aware that even this small amount of affection counts as moonlacing to some degree, and he's kind of weirded out about the fact that they seem to want it to feel real nice on top of the normal emotional reward involved. Fucking weird. He kind of doesn't like that it's played as incentive. Should want to of his own goddamn accord.

He doesn't move.

"Yeah," he says, deadpan. "Zombies ain't cool anymore, so it's perfect." There's irony in a "cool" guy like Dirk being called something uncool. The implication here that Jesus is somehow cool is fucking staggering. Anyway an adventuring guild sounds like it would suit Dave. Dirk would approve. Not that Dave actually needs his approval, but Dirk knows he craves it.

"'Course there's a ton of perverts," he confirms, completely unsurprised. But then he stills, in a way he gets that means he's got an idea. He shifts, suddenly stoked about something, but the movement doesn't dislodge Dave. "Not perverts. Shit. Fuck. That's perfect. How fucking ironic would it be to run a business that's completely above-the-board platonic, non-romantic, non-sexual, in fuck town? Spend your fuckbucks on the least titilating experience ever."

Luckily for Dirk, it isn't the reason Dave is doing this, he'd have done it for free. It benefits them both, but this dream he doesn't want to wake up from is specifically for the chance to maybe do shit right this time. Maybe not be a total fuck up because he's not a tiny child anymore. Except for hearing that Zombies aren't cool. "Whoa, whoa, just a fuckin' second. You can't walk back into a guy's life and tell him Zombies aren't cool. When they fuck'd they become uncool? They eat brains and tear through flesh and get exploded and don't give a fuck. If I was on fire I'd pitch a fit, not go lurching toward brunch. Bro. That is prime coolass things."

He does want the approval but the casual back and forth make for a good feeling too. Something normal even if he's bantered with his friends in the game. This feels "every day" and it feels nice.

Nice until the quiet. That sort of quiet from a Strider can only mean one thing and that one thing usually means something so god damn apocalyptically monumental that shit is about to get real. Dave lifts his head, turning it as he realizes, too, the massive irony of it. "Holy. Fuck." That is a massive yes. "This is why I said you'd figure it out." Dave has no interest in beating the system here, but he knows how competitive Dirk can get. A challenge of any kind is met with effort three thousand fold. This also sounds like a god damn quadrant business and he's still leery of introducing Karkat, but once he gets to the place where he's sure Dirk isn't a brutal maniac anymore, he probably will ask him.

~~Little does he know.~~

"Please tell me employees are going to wear full Grandma clothes. Sweaters and cardigans and wholesome jumpers." Except him. He's not getting caught dead in that.

"Don't got a fuckin' thought in their heads, lil bro. Big blank nothing. Sure, they eat people, sure, pain doesn't bother them. But their mindless, shuffling antics are only so tolerable." There's a pause, like he has some other well thought out reason, but he just adds: "plus, they're so mainstream. Everyone and their mom loves zombies."

What a hipster thing to say.

Dirk is completely invested in gaming the system both because he's used to being rich and because he doesn't want to get even physically intimate with anyone. It's not like he's asexual, obviously, check out his porn, it's just he's got a problem with his own damn sexual tastes. He ain't gonna explore that for real in front of his bro, especially. That internalized homophobia runs deep, even deeper than when he was young and actually experimenting. He wouldn't disown Dave if he ended up being queer, but he'd blame himself like there was something wrong with it, like it was 'his fault.'

So yeah, Dave being enthused about his not-intimate moneymaking is a good sign. "Fuck a maid cafe," he says, "it's time for a granny cafe. Not an inch of skin showing. Wholesome as shit." Dave you too are going to wear a wholesome sweater, just you wait.

This is the best idea he's had in a while, really.

"So minus the mainstream part," Dave starts, laying his head back again to both occupy the wallstreet of arms and look up at the ceiling otherwise, "They're like the old land lady. You could've just been straight and told me we were living in a Zombie society."

Hipster and perfect.

After the game and the world blowing up, Dave isn't so worried about getting all the cheddar and more worried about Karkat's ability to sleep nightmare free. That doesn't stop Dirk's idea from being the best idea he ever fucking heard and Dave wants to see this irony empire flourish if only because it's fucking hilarious. What isn't hilarious is how repressed both of them are in their sexuality and likely it's not easily going to change. "Yes. Fuckin' yes. Come in and let them braid your hair for you, chill out in front of a fire and learn to knit and relax so you're not stressed as fuck from a hectic day of having to bone so many randos to relax at the spa cafe thing. Man you hook that shit up with wifi and maybe some computers to fuck around with game wise? You are set as fuck."

Dirk has been dead so there's that. Let him have an idea based on that alone, an excellent one that Dave is already excited about. He knows the peace isn't always going to be like this, but it isn't so bad for the moment.

If Dirk wasn't so fucking repressed and self-hating he would say "nothing I do is straight" right now. But he is, so he doesn't. That said, he snorts. "See, you do get it."

It isn't even the money, though he is used to being rich. It's that apparently not being intimate makes you sick? Which, kind of understandably, freaks him out, so if he can keep from needing to do that by getting paid, then so be it. He doesn't want to hold hands, he doesn't want to fuck, he doesn't want to do nothin'. "You got the right ideas. Wholesome games only, though. Club Penguin-type shit."

Club... Penguin...

He sighs, dropping his head back and closing his eyes. "It's a good start. It'll feel good to be occupied." When have they ever had peace? Shit's too wild. But no, it's nice to think about.

Even if Dirk had said it, Dave would have taken it as the opportunity to make a joke. He's got a small idea that Dirk might have actually been gay or at least not so in to women based on his teen version but... They don't have to be exactly one another. A sagely nod answers that he does understand and he honestly doesn't miss the days there. They were horrible after a certain point in his life.

Dave doesn't really want to do any of those things, either, he'd rather just go get a job adventuring and fuck off entirely in a different way. Karkat is an exception, but he's not sure where to go when that sort of thing comes up. "Ah fuck." he says, partly defeated in the vocalization, "Meteors blew up club penguin. Now that is a travesty. And IMVU. The new earth is going to have to start strong with both those things." It's got to happen. "I'll settle for something like that here for now but... I dunno, it's good ideas."

Dave nods his head, carefully so he won't end up skull-bone against arm bone-ing Dirk's arm. "You'll figure it out." If anything that's one of the things he believes in about Dirk. There's nothing he can't face. "Just keep the sword in the sheath and you'll do fine." is that a dick joke? Maybe but he's actually talking about any kind of swords. If they gave Dave his, the chances are they've given Dirk his back too. Which is good, he isn't so keen on hearing Roxy took it. "So we're good?"

Sexuality always has to be a punchline, because that means he never has to actually examine it in any way. Humor, irony: good. Actually exploring facets of your personality: bad. That's just how it is.

Dirk has no exceptions. Never really has, for anything past one night stands. He certainly has no intention of opening up to anyone. That probably counts for chroma, if you hold hands during or whatever, but the thought gives him metaphysical hives. "IMVU ain't wholesome." People were wild on IMVU. "I'm sure there's somethin' here though. If not, he knows how to build websites.

"Always do," he confirms, though the dick joke--and sword joke--is another prime comeback opportunity, but that's too gay, so he leaves it. "Comin' around to check and make sure I'm behavin'?" Contrary to his pissed-off speech about six inch rulers earlier, this is chill as shit. Mostly because he's already made his stance clear, and he knows Dave won't go against that, even now. "Think so," he finally says, "good as we can get."

He's definitely inherited that from Dirk's teachings, too. He's grown a little in it but nothing where he thinks he's actually got the testicles made of enough brass to live by it. They were both flawed and neither were capable of fixing it for the other, good times, great parenting and good son-ing. "Everything can have a dick, man. Club Penguin you arrange enough things enough ways, people stand enough ways. You got yourself as wholesome as anything else. "Gotta be. This place is vast as shit. Speakin' of, I'm thinkin'..." he shrugs his shoulder. "There's this guild place in town that looks for freelancers who know how to roughhouse."

See, he thought that Dirk would be more proud of him for going into it. Now? Dirk's right here beside him to hint at instead of outright asking. They're starting to fall into the no feels talk zone and that's alright with Dave. It means normalcy and a chance at keeping it that way.

Another nod of his head, he knows Dirk works it out. Somehow. "Pfft. Yeah, duh. What are brothers for? I gotta make sure you're an upstanding moral citizen, like me." which is said with enough playful tone to indicate he's just been a little shit here the whole time he's been. Yet another soft nod and he rolls his head to the side, it's facing away from Dirk, but it's more obviously being used as a head to armpillow now. "Cool." He really is glad Dirk is here. He really hopes this place doesn't try to fuck with them knowing they're brotherdads either.

"I'll relent. Anything can have a dick." Dave is right. He can admit that. The guild comment interests him though, and he considers it a moment before turning his head to look at him. "What's their aim? Didn't think anybody in this place'd be too keen on roughhousing." It's perked him up a bit. That's his kind of busy. "You thinkin' of joinin'?"

Clearly there are no feels here, just an opportunity to fight or whatever.

"You ain't learned how to be upstanding or moral from me. Where'd you get that?" Deadpanned, but lazily enough that it's clear he got the joke. And oddly, he doesn't mind Dave using his arm as a pillow. It's a little like when he was a real tiny baby and slept in his arms.

He flexes his fingers, just a little. Pins and needles. He doesn't mind that either. "Comfortable?" He's not calling him out. Just commenting.

He's going to mark this day on the calendar for two reasons. One his brotherdad returned from the dead and two, he's right about something and it has to do with dicks. Wait a second. Great. Never mind it's not getting written down it'll just have to be the brotherdad returning from the dead thing. A non-committal shrug is all he has for their aim in it, "There's shit out there that's big and bad and not everyone in this place can fight." It's not like it's Dave's biggest greatest thing he wants to do either, he hates it, but it's a skill he has. "Yeah. I was thinkin' 'bout it. Just. I dunno. There's a ton of shit here but at least I know I can fall back on what I know."

Fighting has its purposes. Dave knows it's dangerous for him, too, if he's fighting for a purpose that isn't just 'okay sounds good' he can die.

"I picked up a dictionary and got bored one day, those two had a definition and I liked what it said." that's how he became moral and upstanding. He hates how fun it is to just trash talk with Dirk. It's infuriating in the best way that he has this now but they didn't have this back then.

As for being not called out. Maybe in Dirk's mind he hadn't but Dave takes it as maybe Dirk wanting to move and sits up a bit. "Sorry, I got lazy for too long." It's not at all that he's been enjoying not having to go at each other's throats after being in the room for more than a half hour together.

Yeah, it's great to be right, but maybe not when it's just about dicks. Still, it's right about something. Dirk nods, seemingly approving of the reasoning. "Sounds good." He considers it a moment, considers Dave, considers how he might feel about it all, after everything. "You ain't gotta be another world's hero, but let me know if you sign up and I'll come along."

Bonding? Bonding.

"Shit, look at you straightening out your damn spine of steel." A low whistle. Trash talking is fun, yeah. He's down.

Then Dave takes what he says the wrong way and moves. His expression twitches minutely, but maybe it's for the best. Maybe he's getting too fucking soft now that he's dead. Dave has a life to return to, a world to return to, without him. Don't get so fucking attached.

"Ain't gotta move while we're shootin' the shit," he finally says, but it's oddly stilted. Maybe he wasn't sure if he should have said it.

A small consolation, but a consolation. The knight isn't certain what he's supposed to do with a sounds good. That sounds like a good. Like he'd done a good. The terminology being thrown his way like 'another' world's hero. He isn't the world's hero from home let alone this place. "I dunno, wouldn't be bad to actually help some of the people around here. They're not all fuck crazy van drivers." Aaannnd? "n' yeah it'd be pretty cool if you came along."

Bonding. By maybe smashing things in the face that aren't each other for once.

The whistle gets a small smirk from him even if he's moved and Dave picks up on the expression barely changing, but when that's sometimes all he had to go on back home, he notices. Selfishly, he's been mostly thinking about how he felt, and yes, as has been stated a million times, he's still not excusing what was done. But if he hadn't done it, Dave probably wouldn't have lived. He would have been another ghost of himself in a doomed timeline. "Nah." he says softly, "Just stretching. Not easy to have a metal spine and balls of steel. Gets hot in the summer." Good yes, talk about your balls, great idea.

He's being a big baby is what it is. If he stops thinking about himself for one second and considers what Dirk has been saying, or trying to, all the way through this... "What's the matter? Shoulder cold? I gotchu." he says lightly before leaning in again, a bolder move to set his head against Dirk's shoulder instead. It's as much as he's done with anyone where not just sitting on his own curled in a corner is involved and it's oddly comforting. Frighteningly comforting. Noticing that his glasses were being moved a little by the motion of his face laying against his shoulder and takes them off to set them in his lap.

Maybe tomorrow he can be the grown man he threw words around about. "I got somethin' that may actually make you feel the human emotions of happiness if you wanna hear it."

"Another way to keep busy," Dirk confirms. "I'll go." Just like that. It definitely means that he's going to be hard on Dave while they're working, but there's no way Dave doesn't anticipate that.

Could be cool.

It isn't right, what Dirk did. He could have done it another way. He's still bad, and abusive, and manipulative, even without Cal's influence. But yeah. Dave's alive, and that's worth... Something. "Heats up in the sun, huh?" He's absolutely not phased at all by balls talk.

"Freezing." It's better than admitting any real god-damn shit, and he sort of... Settles in easier when Dave's resting against him again, arm settling around him. He doesn't give him a squeeze or anything, but the weight of his touch is there. He watches Dave take off his glasses. Thinks about it. A minute later, he reaches up to slip off his own and set them on his leg. Just slow and easy. Like it ain't nothin' when it's a whole fuck of a lot.

"What's that?" There's a joke on the tip of his tongue that he's never felt the human emotion of happiness, but even he knows better than to say it. "Lay it on me."

This. All of this is the exact thing he's ever wanted. He expects that Dirk is going to ride his ass about what he does or doesn't do on the battlefield and he also expects if he takes this job that Dirk is likely to make him train just as hard as before. It's not the worst thing when it comes down to not dying and maybe this time Dave will have a bit more control over it. "Cool." It will be. This time with hopefully less resentment. Less is better, even just by a small margin.

A small amused huff and he's said his peace about his metallic parts getting warm in the sunlight. At least Dirk is playing along and Dave is starting to make his own insinuations about what is or isn't true where Dirk is concerned. The arm around him is even more strangely comforting with the memory that the same arm treating him gently could break his bones ruthlessly. Dave's head isn't so much angled up as it is just across the room but the movement of his Bro's other hand causes him to have a momentary look on the way back down. Those are his glasses too. Dave curls one of his legs up close to himself, leaning his full weight on Dirk and trying to concentrate more on what they're talking about than getting something he's wanted for all his life.

"I lived on a meteor." found out he likes the idea of men a lot more than women but women are still okay, got gay for an alien and then travelled for a few more years. "It was like for three years or somethin'? Got off that rock n' met up with some other players. We're finally done, man. Game over."

Dirk is absolutely going to ride his ass about form and movement and everything else about fighting, but he's going to be impressed and proud too. It's just not clear if he'll show it. Maybe. On a good day. Today, especially, is pretty fucking out there.

Holding onto him, saying real-ass shit, and taking his stupid glasses off. It's so much, all at once, and Dirk is honestly surprised either of them are still functional in the wake of it. But...

Most important of all is what Dave tells him. He tenses, but not in a bad way. He's surprised, maybe. And hadn't even realized he was worried. But he had been, apparently, because then his shoulders slump. He squeezes Dave's shoulder. It lingers. "You did good." That's all. Don't matter how Dave went about it, whether he was ruthless or soft. He got the job done.

"Game over. Shit."

Good, he needs it still. Anything he's learned he's learned on his own from thereon in if it's not what Dirk taught him. Sparring was helpful but being in real battles was the deciding factor if he lived or died. The whole day is agreeably been a fucked up one thus far after finding out Dirk is alive.

At first when Dirk tenses, Dave tenses. It's only after he realizes Dirk isn't moving and that Dave doesn't have to do anything that he calms back down and settles back in... against a shoulder that seems more relaxed than even he had been before. The shoulder squeeze is met with a tilt of his head upward. "I mean it wasn't just me but yeah I did do good." He is proud of what he did. His eyes break away and he nods his head against Dirk's shoulder. "Game over. But not really, man like. They took me before I even know if we made it to the end of the game over. All I know is I was on my way to see... my friend at the platform and then I wasn't. Problem with game over, too, is I got a whole damn earth to protect now."

Well, he'll be here, and heaven fucking forbid if someone tries to critique his shitty parenting.

"Just got more hard work ahead," he agrees, oddly mildly. His grip on Dave's shoulder relents, but his hand stays put. "There'll always be more. Always figured I got off easy in comparison, knowing I'd die before the end. How're people made to fight, 'cause they gotta, supposed to adapt?"

An interesting thing to say, since it's definitely how he feels about this place as a whole. He sighs, eventually turning his head to look at him, curious. He feels exposed without his glasses.

"You gotta go back sometime." Without him. Ain't nothin' but cold death waiting for him if he goes back. But he's resigned to this, to Dave having a greater purpose. He's the vessel, the hands shaping the clay, the stepping stone. It is what it is.

Even with the fatherly wisdom being passed down at the moment, Dave's focus is on the idea that Dirk just said he had to go back. "No, I don't." he'll be the judge of it. "Game's won so... They can do whatever. I'm fine here." Karkat is here, Dirk is here. He has friends here too, even if they're creepy aliens speaking of vessels.

There's a lot here for him and he's not sure it's easier making his own damn world. "I don't got much else to do other than protect it and John and Rose and Jade can do that shit. There's even other players there now that can help." He's not saying at the moment whom but there are.

"Ain't how it works, I don't think." Bluntly. "Responsibility's still responsibility, even if it's shitty." There's a calm in him now, but it's clear he's not pleased with that reaction.

"Besides, you okay with never seeing any of them again?" John, Rose, Jade. Even he knows they were important to Dave. "Don't sound like any you I ever known. Complacency don't suit you. Don't try to play me."

Dave knows better than to speak out, and to hold back the 'responsibility' and 'shitty' remarks he could be making. Dirk might not be happy with Dave's reaction, but Dave is just as unsatisfied with Dirk's remarks.

"It's complicated." where the others are concerned. Miss them? Probably, but he lived just fine with varying degrees of attention regarding anyone other than Rose in that equation and a lot of time he just hung out with Karkat because she's been too busy being aliengay. "It's not complacency." He sits up, slowly, he's not that upset that he's pitching a bitch fit about anything. "Why can't I be happy here? Because I didn't cut seven people in half and throw a moon at their first born offspring?"

"All shit's complicated. Ain't nothing that's simple in our lives." Of which they're both well aware.

And--he sits up a little straighter, and when he looks directly at Dave without his glasses it's a lot more intense than when he's with them. "No?" About complacency. But he also sighs, flopping back and dragging Dave back with him by the shirt, a little like scruffing a kitten. "I ain't sayin' you can't be happy, neither. Better off if you are. But how's this place so much better than home, now that the game's done? The expectations here ain't exactly paradise."

He can't argue with that, even if he tried, but it's not as simple as 'well it isn't easy' at least for Dave. Dirk is so much better with this sort of thing and some days he honestly wishes that he never learned how to un-do small bits of what Dirk did to him emotionally. He says nothing, he's not going to argue with him. There's no winning in a battle and there's no winning in a verbal one either, even if you're right.

Dave's eyebrows knit together at the look, he's not angry still it's curious to see actual facial reactions and even still without Dirk's glasses covering most of them. "No..." he replies easily and right away. The yank of his shirt heralds a tiny surprised grunt, one of his hands hitting the couch cushion before giving in for now. For tonight and tonight only, they could stop being macho bitches. He knows at first light there's going to be so much more to bitch about and so much more to defend from. "'Cause I did what I had to, it's done and now I can do what I want to, I'm done." Giving in, again, Dave just finds a way onto Dirk's shoulder again. He doesn't hate it, he just doesn't know if he's going to live it down later once Dirk wants to tease him about it.

Dirk doesn't want to argue. He's firm in his opinion. Doesn't mean he's not wrong, but--hey. Still, not gonna budge.

He sits quietly, listening to what Dave has to say. He doesn't like it. His silence this time is a little unsettling, because he's frustrated and tense next to him, but hell if he's going to just give in. Finally, after a moment that draws on far too long, he speaks. "Not what I fuckin' asked. I ever teach you to ignore a direct question I asked, David? Not going home ain't just some kind of rebellious game because you think you finished your job, and if you ain't got the good sense to see that, you ain't actin' right."

Something about this is clearly bothering him enough that his facade is cracking, but not quite slipping. It's still mostly there, in his flat tone and unchanging expression, but there's a gaping chasm in his actual words. "You ain't gotta go back alone. Your friend needs to go home too."

That ain't the problem, chief.

"I'll ask again, and I expect an answer. What's so much better about here than home?"

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Have this cute davekat representation

my crops are watered

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