TDM #2

[beautifuldreamermods]

TDM #2

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

May comes rolling in full of blustery winds and heavy rain, blowing away the sleepy spring atmosphere with aplomb! While the second half of the month perks up a little and there's more sunshine to be seen, the first half of May is decidedly dreary and wet. Hopefully nobody's plans fall through on account of all this miserable weather...


⧖ It's Golden Week! The city is buzzing with excitement as the holiday brings in crowds of tourists and locals alike, all aiming to take advantage of sales and promotions or just enjoy some hard-earned time off. Of course, this unfortunately means the city is a little more jam-packed than usual and maybe it causes just a few traffic and transport delays... but it's better than being stuck in work, right? Why not go out and see what all the fuss is about?

⧖ Yikes, watch that forecast! A massive thunderstorm blows in just over Kihada, plastering the streets with rain and causing a blackout that lasts a good few hours. Some people might be upset, but there's nothing quite like a good storm to make things more fun and exciting... so long as you're viewing them from a distance, anyway. You WERE wise enough to find safe shelter as soon as it started bucketing down, right?

⧖ Moon Bunny Market are organising a stamp rally all around the neighborhood, with prizes on the line if you manage to collect them all. Just find the right stalls and speak to the right people and you could win a tasty prize!

Of course, even with the city being in such a jovial mood that doesn't mean things are all fine and dandy. With midterms and exam results on the horizon and the high-strung anxiety and stress of muddling your way through a major holiday it just makes sense that some of that might seep through to the other side...

THE DREAM SPHERE

The Dream Sphere might be a very different kind of place to Yumemigaoka but that doesn't mean it's any less busy. The weather is miserable over on this side, too – the usually pretty skies have turned bruise purple with low, heavy clouds that are swollen with rain. Thankfully, it seems like more of the places around the Dream Sphere are getting away with just a few light showers but things are still pretty cold and miserable over here. Good thing you've got work to distract you, at least!

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...


⧖ At Fury Peak, things are hotter than hot! There's no rain here but the volcano is steadily leaking a heavy black smog which has turned navigating the place into a real task, even for a fully prepared Dreamer. To make matters worse, a group of particularly aggressive Torments made out of volcano glass and black rock are gathering and ganging up on any Dreamer they see. Torments at Fury Peak are even more foul tempered than usual and they're hitting especially hard today so you better act fast and deal with them ASAP!

⧖ In the Reverie Necropolis, the sky is hidden behind black clouds that hang low and a horrible cold wild blows all through the inside and outside of the place. Once you actually enter the labyrinth, frantic whispers can be heard and the scratching of nails against brick can be heard running up and down the corridor. The vibes are absolutely rancid, is what I'm saying – made even worse by the fact that when you stumble into one of the open caverns, you come across a Nightmare just about to manifest?! Better hope you're not alone, because you'll need some good strong teamwork to keep things from escalating any further!

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Comments

[hanamane]

[If Tsukasa was any bit apologetic for the mischief he caused, he certainly didn't look it, just merrily cackling in response as he hung loosely in Amane's grip like some impish little kitten caught by the scruff of their neck.]

Are you here to hang out with us today, Ai? Are you--??

[He's cut off by an abrupt jerk to his collar; nowhere near hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to get the message across.]

... Tsukasa. ENOUGH.

[The silent, pointed look Amane shoots his twin couldn't be any more clear-- "Stop using her name out in the open, you idiot!!"-- and he shakes his head once before letting the other boy go. It was a miracle either of them kept their secret identities intact with Tsukasa's brain-to-mouth filter being what it was, but his brother did know how to keep a secret when it counted. Today... just didn't seem to be that day, though.

Despite the extra bit of scolding from his brother, Tsukasa seems to be rather unperturbed by the whole thing, happily accepting the hair ruffle from Ai with a wide grin before scooting back under the table to... presumably clean?? Amane, however, can't help but heave a long sigh, and he's about to check under there again to make sure that's what his twin was really doing, before Ai's words take him completely off-guard. His cheeks and ears flush a bit in response, and he can't help but pout as he mumbles:]

W-Well... you were gone for a while. Of course we did.

[liedol]

[ The already sunny smile on Ai's face turns up a few extra watts and she gives him a grin that's as cheeky as it is apologetic. ... well, mostly apologetic, anyway. This is still Ai we're talking about. Is it a little mean to just drop a line like that right on his head? Probably, but it's just as she'd said – it's nice to hear that she'd been missed, even though she isn't, strictly speaking, needed here in the way she used to be. Maybe that's what people mean when they talk about empty nest syndrome – Amane obviously isn't hers, but seeing him spread his wings makes her feel a little proud and a little sad all at the same time. ]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I missed everyone as well. Vacations are nice, but there's nothing like being home where you belong, huh? – ooh, speaking of...

[ With that, she goes digging into her bag for a moment before emerging with two hefty boxes and two stuffed bags of what are unmistakably sweets and treats. ]

Souvenirs! I promised I'd get you both a little something, didn't I?

[hanamane]

[Honestly, Ai had nothing to be apologetic for-- Amane was definitely getting to that Teen Boy Age where admitting to his softer feelings was a bit embarrassing for him (not to mention his shyer nature in general), so it was good she managed to drag it out of him when she did! He knew well enough that she was a busy woman, with duties and responsibilities on either side of the Dream Sphere, and he would never begrudge her for needing to take a break from it all. But... well. She was also an honorary Auntie, of sorts, one who'd been close to his family from as far as he could remember, so of course he was going to be a little bit childish about it all. Amane may be growing up and coming into his own as a Dreamer (for better or worse), but he's still just a kid, despite it all.

But even he can't pout for long at the sight of those generously packed gifts, and his moon-like eyes practically light up, despite his flustering for the sake of propriety:]

Ah-- you really didn't have to...!!

[There's a blur of motion from under the table at the mention of souvenirs, however, scattering papers every which way as Tsukasa bolts straight for one of offered boxes to grab.]

Snacks!!!

[... welp, Amane's going to need to peel his brother off the ceiling at 2 AM thanks to the sugar rush this is inevitably going to give him, but! He's too thrilled at the prospect at all of these goodies to worry about that right now. Something crosses his mind, however, and he pauses before he takes his own portion from Ai, his expression suddenly one of (mock) seriousness.]

... there ARE donuts in here, right?

[Please tell him you brought him The Goods]

[liedol]

[ And Ai IMMEDIATELY puts on such a perfect look of innocent befuddlement that you could almost take it at face value and believe it. ]

Hmm? Donuts? I didn't even think about picking up donuts... You don't even like them anymore, right, Amane-kun?

[ ... almost if it wasn't for the way she's clearly struggling to keep a straight face as she says it. She only manages to hold onto it for a second before her expression breaks and she laughs. ]

Okay, okay – there's plenty of donuts in there! Jeez, didn't you realize that was first on my list? It's not my first day picking out snacks for you two.

[ She hands off the bundle of snacks to the two boys but even with delicious snacks handed out, she ends up going to her bag to root around again. She waits until Tsukasa's just distracted enough that she doesn't feel too bad handing over something a little extra and leans in to Amane with a little stage whisper. ]

And– this is just for you.

[ With that, she sneaks over one more box – some fancy cheese cookies, a Hokkaido souvenir staple. ]

It's a little bit late but... consider it a graduation present from a very proud senpai.

[hanamane]

[THE AMOUNT OF "JIIIIII" HE'S SENDING IN YOUR DIRECTION AI, OH MY GOD-- he's become savvy to her ways over the years, so he's gotten a tiny bit skilled at seeing through some of her antics (though nowhere near entirely, because Ai is Ai, of course), but even this was pushing credulity. Still, he keeps the faux grave look upon his face, staring her down until she breaks her own act, before breaking into a wide, delighted grin of his own as he happily accepts his snacks.]

I knew you were our favorite regular for a reason ♡

[With that cheeky smile on his face, you can almost tell, for once, how this normally mild-mannered kid was the playful little brat that he was back over in the Dream Sphere. Of course, it shows how comfortable he was around Ai that he'd let that much slip around her in general... although it was also kind of a moot point, considering she was one of the seldom few who knew him inside AND outside of the Dream Sphere.

Amane's about to rifle through the goodies to possibly put one aside for later (though considering how Tsukasa's tearing into these treats, maybe it was good to just pack up for the day?), when Ai's whisper catches his attention, and his eyes fall upon the extra gift she sneaks in his way. The grin from earlier falls away as her words sink in-- truly sink in-- and for a moment, his eyes shimmer with some sort of emotion as he stares at that box of fancy cookies. Was it pride he was feeling? Disbelief? It was hard to say. The past year had felt-- for lack of better term-- like a dream, and to come this far already in such a short time, despite the trials and tribulations and accidental poisonings...

The smile he sends Ai's way is a softer one, a smile full of gratitude, and he carefully tucks the cookies out of sight. If Tsukasa wasn't here, he probably would have been a bit more openly excited over them, but for now, he'll say, in a whisper of his own:]

... thanks, Ai-senpai. I like these way better than the donuts.

[Well... maybe not entirely true (donuts will forever reign as snack supreme for him), but because they were from Ai, they meant a whole lot more. He gives her a little beam, before nodding back over to the store.]

Do you wanna go in and say hi? I'm sure Mom and Dad'll probably be happy to see you.