TDM #20

[beautifuldreamermods]

TDM

Welcome to Beautiful Dreamer's test drive meme! If you're unfamiliar with the game, then you can check out the navigation to get yourself up to speed on all the relevant info pages then check out the most recent AU Planning meme to see what juicy ideas your fellow players are cooking up!

As the prompts in the TDM are based on events from the prior in-game month, the overall TDM is not canon to Beautiful Dreamer though players are free to treat individual CR/threads on this post as canon to their characters if both players are happy to do so.

Dreamers on the TDM will have access to all of their starter powers as outlined on the powers page as well as two unique abiliites to play around with as you please.

Some prompts and location details have been provided below for you to play around with but please feel free to go hog wild and have fun!

YUMEMIGAOKA

Fall is officially in full swing as of November, which means everyone gets to enjoy crisp mornings, cool nights, clear skies and, most importantly, northern Japan's famous vibrant autumnal colours! It's pretty consistently overcast and rainy for the whole month which would usually make things all sorts of gloomy - but thankfully, as the month grows colder, trees all over the city are turning cartoonishly yellow and red and orange, decorating the otherwise grim fall atmosphere with pops of warm colour that have a way of brightening the mood. Unfortunately for folks working in hospitality, the change in weather and the famous fall colours also means that a whole lot of tourists will be invading the city for autumn sightseeing. Be strong, our soldiers..!


⧖ It's Culture Day! Schools around Yumemigaoka will be holding their cultural festivals, which usually includes performances put on by school clubs, booths run by classes and, of course, lots of food stalls run by students. Cultural festivals are also open days, so family members and friends from other schools will be able to come and hang out during these days! Come have a nostalgic wander around your old haunt or use visiting a friend as an excuse to snoop around Promised Morning and see what the heck a school for mahous even looks like, I ain't your boss.

⧖ It's blustering out there...! A nasty storm has blown in that's currently wreaking havoc all over Yumemigaoka with high winds and heavy rains - thankfully, it's not a full blown typhoon but that doesn't mean it's any less of a pain to deal with! Traffic has slowed to a crawl, as has public transport, and cafes and shops are overflowing with people trying to stay out of the rain! If you're lucky, you can stay home and avoid the weather, but if you really do need to go out, well... we'll be sure to remember you...!!

⧖ Hoping to do some regular shopping at the department store this month? Unfortunately for you, Tsubaki Department Store are having a pre-Black Friday Sale Sale (??!??!) to hype up for the winter season and is usual for when prices drop at Tsubaki, competition is fierce! Nobody will judge you if you have to throw a few punches to pick up a new microwave today. With how dangerous things get during these sales, it's basically self defense.

⧖ Midway through the month, the holiday spirit really starts to show itself in Yumemigaoka! The Yumemigaoka Christmas Illuminations go up all around the city with a lighting ceremony in the evening to celebrate turning them on. Food stalls with tasty food and hot drinks will be available for everyone to check out or maybe you just want to enjoy the pretty lights. They're only here for one month a year, after all!







THE DREAM SPHERE







Over in the Dream Sphere, fall fever has taken over here as well! The air is crisp and clean and those leaves raining down from apparently nowhere aren't letting up in the least. They're nice and pretty and all, but they're also piling up everywhere around the Dream Sphere, leaving a really good hiding spot for Torments who love to jump out and smack you. So really, it's just good manners to kick those piles and scatter leaves everywhere as soon as you see them.

As usual, the emotions stirring over in the Waking World have begun funnelling into the Dream Sphere and causing all manner of problems here and there. Torments and Nightmares won't hunt themselves so be sure to properly scout out all the available locations of the Dream Sphere you can access just in case - maybe you'll find a new teammate to work with while you're out there!

In particular, it looks like trouble can be found...


⧖ Twinkle Keep and the Whispering Grotto have been taken over by Torments! These little Halloween suckers are NOT respecting the seasonal aesthetic. Make sure to each them a lesson - but don't get Tricked in the process!

⧖ Fury Peak is just as unpleasant as usual, though the crisp fall atmosphere does seem to have cleared some of the usual smoke in the air, making it a bit easier to fight and, you know, breathe when you're patrolling here. The Torments on the Peak seem to be in a pretty bad mood this month, though - maybe the seasonal change is getting to them? Either way, they're responding to this by... pelting any Dreamers thry see with rocks?! It's different from their usual tactics to be sure but you have to wonder how effective it is... it is really annoying, though, so better take 'em out!

⧖ The Reflection Glades aren't usually a hot spot for Torment activity but with all the unusual happenings in the Dream Sphere lately, it looks like whatever force is usually responsible for keeping Torments at bay isn't quite as effective as usual and a startling amount of the little boogers have breeched the Glades' safety and started going after Figments in earnest! Thankfully, a whole bunch of Dreamers have been dispatched to take care of the issue so even though there's a fair bit more pressure than usual with all these Figments who need protecting, you're not alone – and who knows? Maybe this is how you'll stumble your way into a new team!

⧖ In a rare change for the Abandoned Dojo, its usually rainy weather has almost entirely cleared in favour of crisp, wintery fog that definitely effects visibility more than you would maybe like it to when hiking this path but something about it is kind of refreshing, too. Even so, there's an odd tension in the air today and all the Torments you face on the way up here seem on edge as well. It isn't until you reach the Dojo itself that the cause becomes apparent – a Nightmare is starting to spawn here, right in the middle of the Dojo's training arena, as if it's waiting for a truly powerful opponent to turn up and challenge it... If you act fast, you might be able to take this Nightmare down before it awakens and starts rampaging, but maybe not all by yourself...

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Comments

[olruggio]

i. Promised Morning's Culture Day

[Olruggio hates travelling. The DU was nice enough to give him a few days to adjust to the timezone difference, but with his internal clock the way that it was there was no real way to 'adjust'. The time difference actually suits the night owl in him better! If anything, it's the physical aches and pains that come with being cooped up in the airplane seats that he needs time to recover from.

His legs and lower back were killing him by the time he landed in the airport. Olruggio's just grateful he doesn't have to worry about moving his luggage around.

Which doesn't explain why the DU thought it would be a good idea to extend an invitation to visit Promised Morning's Culture Day to him. He thought he'd made it clear that he had no interest in becoming a mentor to young Dreamers when he'd first graduated to Experienced. Though... It wouldn't hurt to stretch his legs and see how the Japanese students were faring. What sort of Dreams were they seeing? How did their powers manifest?

And who knows? Maybe he'll find some inspiration for some future commissions...]

Pity there isn't anything like a beer garden here...

[Thus there is a foreigner peering thoughtfully at some of the stalls and what the students have set up, with a focus on the stalls manned by the arts clubs though he looks at the food stalls as well]

Mmm.. Then again, maybe a coffee would be the better choice.

ii. 'Glowstone Path' Installation

[Throughout the second half of November, a portion of the front entrance to the DU Headquarters is sectioned off as construction and electrical crews take over.... They're going a little overboard for their usual Christmas lights, aren't they?

Olruggio technically doesn't have to be here for this part of the install. His job was just to design and sort out the logistics of the lights and tiles, not so much the installation process itself. But he's nothing if not a perfectionist. 'Olruggio of the Torch' has a reputation for a reason! He would sooner lose sleep than let his immaculate image be tarnished because some third party contractor or another decided to cut corners on a project with his name written on it. There was simply no chance of such a thing happening.

He doesn't get enough sleep to deal with the damage an accident might do to his public image!

Which is where someone might find him, looking harried and sporting posture so terrible that your average salaryman would wince, hanging out in front of the building speaking with the foreman and possibly yelling at the curious onlooker or two]

Oi! Did you not see the sign? 'Authorized Personnel Only' means stay back unless you're part of the crew!

iii. Reflection Glades

[he has been here less than a couple of weeks and the DU is already sending Olruggio out to do Dream Sphere patrols. Is this a joke? The reports had painted this area of the Dream Sphere as being quiet and relatively Torment free... And yet when he steps foot here, Torch finds that things are almost anything but quiet.

He's a Saver, not a Striker! The amount of Torments here outstrips what was reported previously, which points to either the Yumemigaoka Dreamers' questionable work ethics or this area of the Dream Sphere being more susceptible to outside influence following all those Disturbances]

What a mess...!

[with a flourish, he kneels down, pen gliding across a page of his circular notebook as he does so, before he presses the drawn spell against the floor. The ground glows for a moment before pillars of flame erupt from below to knock back several Torments, forming a temporary barrier around an unfortunate few Figments. It's certainly flashy, but so far as actual damage, it seems to be... a little lacking? With the Torments' advance momentarily stymied, Torch steps forward to start herding the Figments away from the Torments as fast as he can.

Once he notices another Dreamer approach, he yells out to them;]

What are you just standing there for?! [he jerks his head back] I'll support you, so get out there and help.

iii

[hanamane]

[It's not very often that Hanako visits the Glade on his patrols-- not because of the atmosphere or anything like that, but because... well, there wasn't really much to do there, really. With how quiet and peaceful it normally was, it felt sort of like a waste of time to hang around, especially if there was nothing to fight. It was a nice kind of resting spot for the Novices when they got bored of just hanging around the city, but aside from that...

There had been talk, however, that there was unusual activity cropping up there recently, and given the pattern of certain things as of late, he figured he'd probably check it out himself. And once he arrived... whoof. What a mess, indeed! He didn't think he'd seen this many Torments in the Glade before like-- ever. He barely has enough time to take in the situation when an eruption of flames grabs his attention, drawing his eye to the scruffy stranger currently wrangling in some of the Figments behind it. Ah... right, there were an awful lot of those here, weren't there? And if the Torments got their hands on them...

He's just about done summoning his Hakujoudai to help, when the old guy goes and yells out to him, drawing something of a petulant pout upon his face.]

Um, excuse me. I just got here, y'know!

[He can only act so quickly, okay!! But even Hanako knew better than to start an argument when there were lives (or Dream-lives, rather) at stake, so he wastes no time jumping into the fray, directing his orby-bois where to go with a sweep of his hand.]

Go get 'em, Hakujoudai!!

[At that, they barrel into the closest cluster of Torments approaching Torch's barrier, hoping to knock them back far enough so the other man has some more time to herd those Figments to safety. If he could maybe push them back towards one of the lakes around here, that would be ideal, but...]

[olruggio]

[The break from Torments that comes with the Hakujoudai barreling through them is enough for Torch to direct more of his focus to directing the Figments - barely conscious as they are - towards safety. His barrier of flame fades as he does though it doesn't completely dissipate; experience makes it so that his magic is precise in it's use and the efficiency lets it fade away more slowly.

Once the group he was protecting is safely moving away from danger, he turns back to the Torments and the boy who was attacking them.... One who was passively floating in the air. Far be it for Olruggio to judge; he technically has flight as a power as well. But the benefit of Hanako being at range is that Torch doesn't need to worry too much about healing him for the moment. Instead, they can turn their focus to protecting the Figments still trying to escape.

He draws another spell and sends a plume of flame in the center of a group of Torments, spreading them out enough so they don't start combining, but not so far as to make it hard for Dreamer AOEs to hit them]

Oi, doesn't the DU have patrols going around making sure to keep their numbers down?

[like seriously, what's even happened here?!]

[hanamane]

[His Hakujoudai were strong enough these days to dissipate weaker Torments upon impact, which helps considerably in thinning out the herds of critters trying to get the jump on them here. Not too surprising that a relatively chill place like the Glade would have comparatively weaker Torments, but it was more the number of beasties and the proximity of this many vulnerable Figments that made the fight a trickier one. But as long as they were careful...

He can't help but catch a glimpse of the old guy's Sandglass when he pulls it out for his next attack, and-- was it a pen? A notebook? Both??? Not that Hanako has much time to puzzle over the nature of his weapon, however, as that next burst of flame sends that group of Torments scattering, some of them just within arm's reach. With a flourish of his fingers, he summons his own Sandglass knife to his hands, swiping and dodging between the wayward creatures to further shave down the bunch. Not that he doesn't have the time to answer the other man's question, though--!]

Beats me ☆! I don't usually do patrols in this section! [H-Hanako.... should you really be admitting that so cheerfully to him....] I mean, as far as locations go, this place is pretty much a tutorial level, so there's usually not a lot of Torments in general around here.

[So, needless to say, this sort of infestation wasn't a common thing the DU had to worry about!! Which in and of itself made the situation a lot more concerning...]

Not sure what happened that made it get this bad, though. It's definitely not normal.

[Something similar had happened last year, when the Vale had detached, where all of the zones started flip-flopping in their risk levels, but... as far as Hanako knew, the other locations had been pretty much the same (save for those odd holiday Torments, of course). So what gives?]

[olruggio]

[in all fairness, his spellcasting is hidden in case any of the Figments are lucid. An older Dreamer, he's acutely aware of how important people's impressions of them are and there's just something infinitely more impressive when you think the spells are coming from out of nowhere rather than being drawn. Yet, for Olruggio, one of the easiest ways for him to get his thoughts in order - to use his magic - is by drawing it into being... Hence, he hides his casting from Figments.

But enough about that, back to the fight at hand!

He spots the Sandglass knife and... Decides to not question it for the time being. The information that Hanako has is more important. It does explain why the sortie was so abrupt... Torch heaves a sigh at the thought of needing to wake up early to handle the plans for his new commission before focusing up]

Then it sounds like we need to forcibly reduce their numbers. [he watches Hanako slicing through the Torments before suddenly calling out] How far up can you fly?

[hanamane]

[He pauses with his slicing and dicing just long enough to look back at the other man, letting his Hakujoudai remain on autopilot to keep the remaining Torments at bay. Not the first time he'd been asked that question, but--]

Hmm... about three feet, I think?

[Definitely further than he's been able to float the past (maybe because he grew a bit??), but still not very high up, all things considered. He could cheat it a little if he had a lift of some sort beforehand, but asking this guy to Fastball Special him in the midst of battle seemed like a bad idea. Still, with all that said--]

Why, what do you got in mind?

[olruggio]

That works.

[he surveys the area around them. He has to make sure his magic stays below three feet while also weakening the group of Torments he targets as much as possible... Maybe if he had some set up then-]

It might take me a minute to set up, but use those little sprites of yours to gather up as many Torments as you can. On my cue, jump and stay high as you can.

I'm going to try taking out the weaker ones all at once.

[he sweeps his heavy velvet cloak out before kneeling down, the material settling around him and hiding his hands while he focuses quietly on the spell he's working on]

[hanamane]

[He tilts his head a little at the plan, as if taking it under consideration, but... well, it's not like he was going to say no to it or anything. It might have been one thing if this guy was a Novice, but from the way he acted and carried himself, he definitely must have seen his share of Torment battles over time. Maybe not here in Yumemigaoka, if his unfamiliarity with the Reflection Glades was any indication, but certainly elsewhere.

Finally, Hanako gives him a nod, readjusting the grip on his knife a little.]

Alright, gotcha!

[He glances over towards one of his orby bois, currently in the midst of plowing through some critters, before giving it a short wave.]

Hakujoudai, start herding 'em up!

[At his command, both of the orbs switch gears and start circling in opposite directions around the Torments instead, forming a sort of cycling gate around them. Hanako, on his end, starts to goad the stragglers outside of the Hakujoudai Time Out Cage, dodging and weaving their blows until he leads them inside of the barrier with the others. There was a bit of a concern, in the back of his mind, whether putting this many Torments in one spot was going to be a good idea, but-- clearly the other guy knew what he was doing right? (... right??)]

Ready whenever you are, old guy!

[HANAKO, PLS, YOU JUST MET HIM....]

[olruggio]

[Torch's magic always leaned towards precision and this was no different. Fire high enough to cover most of the Torments, in the area under where they've all gathered... And enough that it wouldn't hit the young Dreamer currently working with him. He had to mind any wayward Figments too... But with any lucky, the sight of the wildfire will actually help chase the vulnerable targets away from the Torments.

Ever the professional, Torch doesn't even bat an eye at the insult(?) hurled his way as he finishes his spell.

The effect is slow to start, embers popping at the Torments' feet for a few seconds before flames quickly erupt from the ground without much of a starting point. Hanako better be floating at max height, because those flames are swallowing up the smaller and weaker Torments while damaging the larger ones caught in the radius. Some of the stronger ones stagger out, but it's doing it's job of thinning out the number of Torments they need to take out, just like Torch said he'd do.

He stands while sweeping his cloak to one side, pointed hat not even askew]

And I'm not old enough for that moniker yet. Whatever happened to the manners that the Japanese are so well known for?

[hanamane]

[He doesn't notice the start of the fire until the flames suddenly leap into being, the surge of broiling heat on his rear surprising a yelp out of him. Thankfully, he has the common sense to float as high as he possibly could before those flames could turn him into barbeque, but... wasn't that guy supposed to give him a cue beforehand or something??? Or was Hanako giving him the OK the cue...? Well... whatever. At least his outfit hadn't got burned, which was more than can be said about the Torments caught in that flashfire. With the purpose of their corralling done, the Hakujoudai break from their cycling around the critters to go and wallop the smoldering stragglers of the attack, whittling down the number even further from what they started with.

Hanako's in the midst of brushing off his butt bow when the other man's comment grabs his attention, pausing in his actions just long enough to pipe up:]

Mmmm... generational gaps, maybe?

[Hanako, don't pin being a lil shit on Gen Z, that's all on you-- although his manners were still miles above his brother's, in any case!! Not that one could tell, by the way he's sizing the other man up, cocking his head a little as if to get a better look at him. With those heavy bags under his eyes and that bad posture...]

But c'mon, you gotta be like... in your thirties or something, aren't you? That's kinda old, isn't it?

[WELL... OLD TO SOMEONE HALF THAT AGE, ANYWAY.... excuse me while I go cough up blood]

[olruggio]

[Torch huffs through his noise at the generational gap comment, making his way over once the Torments are mostly dealt with. He's pretty sure his magic wouldn't have been high enough to actually hurt Hanako, but it seems some minor damage was done anyway...

Then Hanako goes and deals emotional splash damage to everyone in a two comment radius, and Torch's head snaps right back to look at him with such offense]

Who are you calling old?! What sort of metric are you even using for this sort of measurement?

Honestly-

[he holds his hands together, connected at the thumbs, and sends soothingly warm air at Hanako. A warm, toasty feeling that's at odds with the furious look Torch is giving him... And a quick check will reveal that it's apparently a spell! A healing one if the damage repairing itself is anything to go by]

I'm not even technically middle aged yet! At least give me ten more years before making me confront that can of worms.

[hanamane]

[He blinks back at the other man, eyes full of absolute, honest-to-God innocence (really!!), before blithely adding:]

I mean, don't they say things go downhill once you hit thirty...?

[And considering the shape this guy was in... was it really that inaccurate of an assessment??? Hanako stop hurting everyone with this commentary, is2g

Still, it was hard maintaining the Awful Catboy Schtick when this guy was literally radiating comforting waves of air in his direction, and the urge to curl in on himself and bask in it was strong. It was like the best parts of coming back indoors after a long day in the snow, or snuggling under the kotatsu, or... something equally warm and cozy. A weird feeling indeed, considering the Torments getting roasting mere feet away from them, but he wasn't exactly going to complain about it! (Unless this was a ploy by this old guy to Warm Fuzzy him to death in revenge for his remarks, which in that case he was probably cooked--)]

That's a pretty nice power you got, though. It's a healing one, right? There's not a lot of folks with that kinda ability around here, believe it or not.

[Yes, distract the man from his anger by changing the subject-- totally flawless strategy here, Hanako!!]

[olruggio]

Hey! I'll have you know my health is at a plateau, thank you very much!

[Hanako, please! The psychic damage you're dealing everyone is too much...!!

Once he's sure the boy is sufficiently healed by a power he doesn't have in game rip, he turns his attention to the dying flames of his magic, a few of the stronger Torments waddling off to try and chase any remaining nearby Figments. There weren't a lot, and the Torments themselves were so sufficiently crippled by the damage they took that it didn't take much for others to come in and clean up either.

If Hanako was trying to divert Torch's attention, it failed miserably...-]

Oh, I'm well aware. Reports have made it to other branches of the DU about your lack of Savers here. Just because Chaosbringer and Ai-Doll manage to do without needing a Saver doesn't mean the rest of you should follow suit.

[-and how]

glowstone

[liedol]

[ It should go without saying that Ai is Absolutely Being Nosy. She'd heard rumblings that this was getting installed for a little while now but she'd sort of assumed it was a hypothetical next-year project, so it's kind of startling when she gets to work one day and part of the pavement is just... gone. Huh.

It takes her a second to work out exactly who is supposed to be the architect here but once she does, she casually sidles up to him and meets his energy with a cheery grin - and as if to preempt any complaints about authorization, she cheerily lifts her employee ID dangling from the lanyard around her neck. ]

Wow, you guys are going way more all-out than I was expecting...! This is gonna be pretty extra once it's all installed, huh?

[olruggio]

[Olruggio grimaces when she raises her employee ID at him, like he's not supposed to recognize the face of the Main DU HQ when she waltzes up to him. Like her presence wasn't already drawing the attention of some of the workers trying to get a glimpse of her.

He most certainly has not slept enough to deal with this, as he feels all his complaints turning to ash before he can even voice them]

'Extra'!? [he heaves a sigh] I would hope not. It'll be pretty, sure, but it shouldn't impede foot traffic nor should it distract from the main focus here.

Pretty sure it already got run past all of you before we started tearing up concrete.

[liedol]

[ Cheerily; ] Oh, I didn't have anything to do with approving it! That's not even a little bit my department. By the time I saw the designs, it was basically all approved already.

[ Well, that's not strictly true - she didn't have anything as extreme as final approval, but her opinion would've been taken into consideration if she'd given it. PR means looking after the DU's face as well as showing her own, after all. ]

I bet it's gonna look even better in person than it did on the design documents, though! I've seen photos of the one you set up in England and it's really amazing.

[olruggio]

[he huffs, crossing his arms in front of himself as he turns his attention back to the construction work happening. Then she comments on the work he did back in England and he at least looks a little embarrassed at the praise]

... It goes without saying. Photos never really manage to capture the full colour...
[another huff, because of all people, Ai Hoshino would understand where he's coming from] That, or the printers decide that the photo you did approve needs some touching up and next thing you and your editor know, the saturation of the blasted thing is all over the place.

Something for people here to look forward to... Not that they need it here.