TDM #3

[beautifuldreamermods]

TDM #3

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. That said, don't feel as though you have to stick entirely to the TDM prompts – you can use them as a springboard or some up with something totally new so long as it fits into the world of Beautiful Dreamer!

Dreamers on the TDM will have access to all of their starter powers as outlined on the powers page as well as two unique abilities 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

As if apologizing for the miserable weather the month prior, June comes through sunny and bright! It might still be blustery and damp out with some scattered showers but the skies are blue and clear and that summer heat is starting to creep in.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 Yumemigaoka Rainbow Pride Weekend! Yumemigaoka's Pride event falls in June and lasts over a whole weekend with a fun and lively festival held over at Yotsuba Park. There's live music, tasty foods and a whole mountain of cool things to buy from vendors and small businesses. Unsurprisingly, there's a whole lot of Dreamers milling around the event and overall the whole thing just seems like a good, fun time. Just don't get too overheated rocking out at the soundstage or shopping til you drop!

⧖ You're stranded! Thanks to last month's horrible weather, a number of train stations around the city have closed for repairs up and down the city leaving huge holes in the usually reliable train schedule. Of course, this happens to be just as you need to get somewhere important... there's still buses and taxis on the roads so maybe you need to fight a fellow passenger to get on one of those, or maybe you're just accepting your fate and vibing at the station until a good replacement train comes along...

⧖ Matsuba World Market is extending their Golden Week sale to clear out the last of their spring merchandise which means their already low prices are absolutely rock bottom and it's caused a bit of a frenzy over at the market! With this many bargains afoot, are you really going to be able to pick up that cheap spice rack without throwing a few hands first?!

THE DREAM SPHERE

In contrast to the Waking World, the weather over in the Dream Sphere is absolutely miserable once again, bucketing rain all over the Dream Sphere no matter where you are. At least you know your clothes and hair are going to be warm and dry once you pop back over to the other side, but that doesn't make the time you're spending here any less of a horrible endurance test! Fight on, Dreamers!!!

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 NOT cool and chill!!! You'd hope that the downpour from above might have cooled things down just a little but instead, we appear to be dealing with a sauna situation. Every time raindrops strike the superheated rock of the mountains and volcano, they turn into a thick steam that has coalesced into fog and 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 Vale of Sorrow, all this rain is having a bizarre effect on the scenery around you. It's always damp and dismal here but with the new torrents of rain refusing to let up, it looks like the place is at serious risk of flooding! While the water seems like it might remain ankle deep, if you stay too long then you run the risk of an out-of-nowhere tidal wave crashing over you and knocking your feet out from under you... and the nasty Torments lurking and swimming under the waves just might take the opportunity to jump you while you're down...

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illyasviel von einzbern (illya) | fate/stay night / fate/kaleid liner

[reluctants]

( yumemigaoka - transportation trouble )

[ It's hard, isn't it. Not only is the weather absolutely awful, but with the way you can't even grab a train, it can truly be hard to get just about anywhere - and even more so when you can't drive yourself.

Maybe you are having this predicament. Or maybe you're just taking a walk in the rain, if you're the type to do that. Either way, you might see a whole bunch of people struggling to try to get onto the way too few busses. If you end up passing by close enough, or are waiting in line yourself, you might be unfortunate enough to get caught right behind a scuffle of people trying to get on all at once - in which a rather young girl is just small enough to get pushed backwards by one of the bigger people trying to get onto the bus. And with the direction she's knocked back in, she in turn falls right against you.

Do you manage to stay upright, or are you just collapsing with her in a puddle? Either way, the young girl lets out a yelp of surprise, no matter whether she's caught just in time by you or ends up falling with you onto the ground. ]

( yumemigaoka - world market scuffle )

[ Or maybe you're trying to get a great sale. Who would blame you? You sure aren't the only one, judging by the sheer size of the crowds trying get in on those last minute deals.

If you find yourself anywhere even remotely close to the DVD section, no matter whether you're actually there to look those or just passing by, you might find someone - or something? - passing by very quickly all of a sudden.

Turns out it's a young girl who grabs that last DVD off the shelf. Maybe right before you could? Was this a DVD you also wanted? The newest release of some cute anime? Or maybe you weren't going for it at all, but the girl holding the DVD tightly to herself like it's a life raft is staring at you all the same. Her cheeks are red, like she's flustered, but she still manages to stammer out an: ]

I-I saw it first..!

[ Please, Illya, maybe this person wasn't even going for it.. ]

(ooc: wanted to form some au cr with illya, or want to plot? here's my comment! c: if you want to wildcard and make your own prompt, feel free to do so too, or hit me up at queeningsquare!)

transportation trouble

[hanamane]

[Why did it always seem to rain on the days Amane decided to go the bookstore?

He had the foresight to bring an umbrella, at least, given the dreary skies earlier in the day, but what he hadn't accounted for was the sheer madness that was the public transit situation before him at this moment. It was tempting just to wait for the next bus, to avoid getting squished and squashed in the throng of people, but it was already getting a bit late, and he really had to get started on his homework...

He can barely get in through the outer edge of the crowd when a body is suddenly shoved abruptly against him-- and considering Amane's got the build and strength of a twig, needless to say he's not about to be breaking anyone else's falls. With a strangled yelp of his own, he hits the ground with a splash, the collision only slightly cushioned by the bookbag upon his back. He lays there in a daze, dimly aware there is probably someone on top of him at the moment, but right now all he can really muster saying is:]

...OW.

[reluctants]

[ For a moment the world doesn't seem so bad.

Sure, the transportation situation is really horrible right now, and Illya really wants to get home on time, which is a problem if she can't somehow make it to a bus that isn't already full. Sure, she just got knocked back by someone much larger than her, which isn't exactly pleasant.

On the other hand - she just fell, but it doesn't feel like it at all. She's not hitting any hard surface. It's like something broke her fall, like a nice pillow, soft and warm. Maybe this is her lucky day after all? Maybe some kind of miracle tried to make up for how crappy the day has been so far?

.. of course not. No, after a moment or two Illya swears she can hear something, and then it's like the pillow underneath her seems to move a little, like something is squirming, and that makes the girl immediately leap right back up with a yelp, like she just spotted an insect. (It could be an insect for all she knows, and she's not having that, thanks!!)

It's definitely not an insect though. Even if Illya doesn't recognize the other quite yet in her panic, she at least does realise when she's turning her head once she's standing up that she didn't land on a pillow at all, but actually on another person - which makes the fluster kick in for an absolute myriad of reasons. ]

O-Oh my gosh! Are you okay?! Do you need help getting up?! You're not dead, are you?!

[ Maybe the ramble got a little bit out of her control near the end there, but it's not like the girl can help it. Once she gets a little bit too deep into the panic, it just.. goes where it wants to go, apparently.. ]

[hanamane]

[You knock him over and then confuse him for an insect?? Rude, Illya!!

The impact is enough to leave him temporarily winded, and it's not until she's completely off of him that he manages to come out of haze, groaning a little as he tries in vain to sit back up. It's hard to focus on the barrage of panicked questions she sends his way, but somehow his brain latches onto the last one, and he answers in a rare show of black humor:]

N-No... not yet, at least.

[But boy, is he going to have one heck of a bruise later!! And he didn't even want to think of what may have happened to the books in his bag now that they've gotten the full impact of that puddle...

He finally pushes himself up into a sitting position, squinting through the dreary rain to see...

...huh. Amane's not particularly close with any of his classmates, not by a long shot, but he at least remembered her name-- mostly because it was the most unique one of the bunch. Though coming from someone literally named "Normal", maybe that's not saying a whole lot]

... Illya-san?

[reluctants]

.. huh?

[ The girl freezes up, almost as if someone slammed down hard on the pause button, making a movie freeze in the middle of an intense scene. All that energy from a moment ago seems to fade away from her, leaving her just standing there, staring at Amane as if he just grew three extra arms.

Then there's a pause, like Illya has to think - or maybe her brain just has to reboot, considering just how many emotions it went through here in such a short time - and blink, but then.. ]

Amane.. -san..?

[ Look how slowly she says it, like she's not fully sure of the name even once it passes her lips. To be fair, she's at least better with most of the names of her other classmates, but when one is much less there than the others, you tend to learn their name more from rumors than from interaction.. ]

Is that you..?

transportation;

[traceofeffort]

[It's not necessarily that Lisa can't drive herself - she doesn't want to, cars are expensive and that's yarn money! Bus fare is cheaper. When there. Are buses. Which is clearly not any time this month, as she waits more-or-less patiently in line for one to head home after her grocery shopping (one of these days she'll find a store in Koubai that sells her usual odds and ends!), which is stuffed in her canvas tote bag, itself slung over her rain-jacketed shoulder. She's not nearly as miserable as she was last month, but the sheer press of people makes her a little nervous...

...which seems to have been the right decision, as the next bus that pulls in lets a few people off and then what feels like eighty people all rush the doors from all directions. She's pushed sideways - already a problem given the kinda-heavy bag hanging from her - and then someone else is shoved into her from in front, sending her back at an awkward angle, and she lets herself go down rather than try to stay standing and twisting an ankle. She'd have been able to recover from one direction, but both-

-hang on, she recognizes that shock of hair in front of her. Almost automatically, her arms come up to catch the smaller figure before both of them hit the sidewalk, Lisa falling onto her rear end then dropping onto her back. The fall is short and she manages not to fall on her tote bag, which probably would have hurt rather more. Still, she groans softly.]

Why do we even have lines... are you okay, Illya-chan?

[reluctants]

[ It's hard for Illya to immediately register what's happening to her. One moment she's desperately trying to get onto the bus to make sure to get to home on time, and the next moment she's shoved aside to a point where it almost feels like she's flying through the air..

.. except the landing isn't nearly as hard as expected. In fact, it feels like something reached for her in those last few moments before she landed, though Illya isn't sure whether it was her imagination or not.

Or rather - she realises it wasn't when she realises the softness she landed right on top of is, in fact, another person. Her face grows red with a blush as she instantly flusters, skittering as quickly as she can to try to get off the other person, even if that just lands her right on her butt on the sidewalk. ]

Oh..!

[ It's a gasp of surprise, though not from her second landing. No, it's because she looks over at the person she landed on top of, and the sight combined with the voice is just enough for her to realise that she didn't even land on top of a total stranger. ]

I-- I-I-I-I'm so sorry!

[ That's not what Lisa asked, Illya.. But apparently she's so ashamed about having tumbled right on top of someone who's been kind to her that she can't help but immediately shoot into an apologetic panic. ]

I didn't mean to do that, I promise..!

[traceofeffort]

[She's torn between laughing and smiling ruefully at Illya scrambling; she goes with the latter as she sits back up once the smaller girl moves off her.]

Hey, no harm done, it just surprised me a little. And I got pushed, too, so I get it, really! [She looks Illya over; nothing seems amiss, but better to be sure.] You didn't get hurt, though, right? Do I need to go talk to someone?

[Lisa shifts her tote bag to be against her side; the canvas is pretty sturdy, she's not worried about it, even on the ground for a bit. Her handbag seems to have survived the fall too, including the Sandglass clipped to the side.]

[reluctants]

[ At least the panic seems to settle a little bit in the wake of Lisa's relatively calm and kind response. The fluster isn't fully gone, now settled as a pinkish blush on the girl's cheeks, but at least she's no longer yelling. Instead she's staying dutifully quiet, listening to Lisa speak - and then quickly shaking her head when the other arrives at those last two questions. ]

N-No, I'm fine! [ There's a tiny pause, and then she adds, a touch awkward but not ungrateful: ] Thanks to you.

[ Or rather, you know, thanks to Lisa breaking her fall. Details. ]

I'm just..

[ Her head turns to watch the bus they were trying to get onto drive away right in front of them, completely packed. ]

.. just a little worried about still getting home, I guess..

world market scuffle. This man is Not Above This

[finalbows]

_{[ that was, in fact, a deluxe re-release Rose of Versailles set that he was absolutely Target Locked onto. nevermind that he's got stupid money and could buy it online, cash purchases are off the record and he's already been getting nudges about what isn't. ]}

You did not, twerp. You reached it first. Now un-reach it.

this is absolutely beautiful... you go for it, you deserve it!!

[reluctants]

[ Even though they all pass across her face in what seems like a mere moment, it's like Illya is going through an entire day's worth of emotions right here and now. It starts off at least a little fierce, like the moment those words came out of her mouth, but then it goes from shock - at the 'twerp' - to fluster, and then straight back around to a mix of all three of those all at once. ]

Did--

[ There's a few more sputtered words, during which the girl seems to be latching on even tighter to the DVD she's holding.

Though she does finally seem to find her speech again after that moment. ]

D-D-Did you just call me a twerp?! [ The same mixture of emotions is present in her voice, its volume rapidly raising, though shock is probably the most present of all of them. ]

world market scuffle

[norseferatu]

[Let the weebs throw hands over anime DVDs. She's here for boring, normie things like discounted spice racks and perhaps also some animal-themed cookie cutters. Even with the noise and bustle of the crowds, though, there's no ignoring the prickle down her spine, that unmistakable sensation of eyes glaring into her soul. She glances at Illya briefly, then behind herself—was someone trying to intimidate a little kid?

But no. Somehow, Illya is focused on her with all the intensity of a thousand suns, as though Lys had already eaten her pet hamster and was now on the prowl for seconds. With the kind of awkward, tentative smile one might show a hissing stray cat, she raises both hands to show she comes in peace.]

Sure, okay. It's all yours. Promise.

[Tall but not broad, she towers over Illya (then again, who doesn't?) and only briefly hesitates before squatting down to be at eye-level. A rather unpleasant question has just wriggled into her brain, and risk of looking like a condescending idiot or not, she can't just let things slide without an answer.]

Hey, uh...have people been bullying you or something? Is that why you said that?

[reluctants]

[ Honestly, it's not too strange that Lys would arrive at that conclusion. After all, even after she's already made it well and clear to Illya that she isn't here to rip this DVD out of her hands, the girl still seems to give her a half-flustered and half-suspicious look, like she's wondering if maybe Lys is trying to just get her guard down.. Like Lys will rip this DVD away from her when she least expects it..

It would certainly explain why Illya moves to instead hold the treasured object behind her back when the other moves down to her level, like she's just trying to keep it out of Lys' reach.

.. then again, when one expects something to be stolen from them in this frenzy of a sale, they generally don't expect.. well, what's going on here. When Lys continues with those words, Illya's expression shifts. Still a little flustered, sure, but with matching wide eyes of obvious surprise. ]

B.. Bullying? [ She sounds surprised, but on the other hand, with the natural fluster that's hanging over Illya it's easy to assume that Lys is actually spot on..

Even if it's more just Illya being bad with strangers in a stressful situation. ]

W-Why would you ask that?!

[norseferatu]

[Head tilting slightly, she stays like that, long legs folded in a graceful squat. Easy to shove over backwards, should Illya suddenly feel the panicked need to reclaim some space, and that's the point. Risking a pratfall was a small price to pay if it meant appearing at least a little less threatening.]

'Cause you're acting like a random stranger is gonna steal what's yours. Like you said, you saw it first.

[She takes in the kid's flushed face, the hands-behind-the-back...then shrugs, still smiling.]

Just wanted to be sure. [A beat.] Do you want some help, though?

[The reasons why this might be a good idea are politely allowed to remain unsaid: Illya being so small, obviously young, and therefore more vulnerable than most to getting fucking bodied by inconsiderate or inattentive shoppers. Some people in this world have to worry about being stepped on, or not being able to reach things on high places.]

[reluctants]

.. it's just since everyone's being so aggressive..

[ To a point where she definitely didn't believe that absolutely everyone here would actually let her keep this DVD, especially if they were interested in it too. Sure, you don't often perceive just how young and small you are when you are both of those things, but it's hard to not be reminded of it when she's seen literal people fight over objects.

In fact - there's two people fighting over a videogame right in the next aisle, to a point where the silence that lingers for a moment after Illya's mumbled excuse is filled up with mostly just their arguing carrying through the air. ]

I-- I think I can get this to the register by myself though. [ There's a tiny pause, the shouts from the next aisle getting louder, which are perhaps the reason that the girl blushes, looks away, and adds a very uncertain: ] Probably..

[ More like probably not, Illya. The girl seems to be half-realising this herself too, if her facial expression is anything to go by. It's hard when you want to be all cool and grownup and you're just.. not that. ]

world market

[moonlight_fuser]

[Honestly, Serena wasn't really thinking about getting DVDs or games at all when she came over to the market, but she had ended up in this section after getting away from a couple of other shoppers who were not happy about her sniping a deal from them.

She was also a little bit confused when a girl around her age looked at her and then clutched the DVD she was holding protectively and talking like Serena was actually going to try to take it from her (nevermind that the people she had been running from earlier were angry at her for doing exactly that). ]

Ok. I wasn't planning on buying any movies today anyway...

[reluctants]

...

[ There's a brief silence after Serena says that. Not because the girl is ignoring her, mind you - Illya is staring directly at the other, though her defensive look from a moment ago is now changing into something a little bit more complicated and mixed.

After all, Illya was prepared to fight for this DVD, but.. now this other person apparently isn't interested in it at all?! Even though Illya thinks it's such a good one.. ]

H-Hold on a second.. [ At least Illya doesn't sound angry at all. Instead she sounds more flustered - and perhaps a little confused, even as she's still clutching the DVD in her hands for dear life. ] This isn't some trick to try and get my guard down, right..?

[ Illya, please, perhaps that would be more convincing if you didn't sound like a shaking little chihuahua while saying it. ]

[moonlight_fuser]

[...Wow. That's not the reaction that Serena was actually expecting to hear after she said that she wasn't after the DVD. Was this girl used to stuff like that?

Also, if she was was that really any of her business? Sure, she was a Dreamer and Dreamers were supposed to help people, but that was mostly against Torments and Nightmares. Which... probably weren't involved in being upset and worried about a DVD. ]

No. It's not. My guardian just moved here, I have to worry about getting stuff that's more necessary than anything else right now.

[She's still a little miffed about not being allowed to just live on her own, but at least she wasn't being blocked from doing Dreamer stuff anymore. ]

[reluctants]

[ The girl's expression shifts a little as she listens to Serena say that. Her eyes grow a little wider, almost in surprise - or perhaps even a little bit of curiosity, judging by how she blinks at the other. ]

Moved..?

[ She's still holding onto the DVD pretty tightly, but it seems like she's otherwise momentarily forgotten about it as long as no one is taking it from her arms. Instead her focus seems aimed entirely at Serena. ]

Are you new in town too then..?

transportation trouble? nah, we have youtube

[daughterofthemark]

[Arianna has barely noticed the disaster that is the bus crowd pileup. She probably should have, since she's supposed to be taking the bus home from work, but her attention is instead entirely focused on her phone. She's had this "smart phones" for a while for calling people, and intellectually she knew it was essentially a small computer, but that's entirely different from actually seeing websites appear in the palm of her hand. Goodness, they're even rearranged to fit the smaller screen! Science is incredible!

When Illya collides with her, Arianna catches her one-armed without taking her eyes off the video of a dog trying to drink from a lawn sprinkler.]

Please, exercise caution.

[reluctants]

.. huh?

[ That's no wild surprise, mind you. That one little sound comes out of Illya's mouth in such a relatively subdued way that it's pretty obvious that the surprise is still hitting her, and this is just her instinctive initial reaction at having been caught with one arm, practically effortlessly.

A moment passes, then another moment, and it's only then that the girl seems to be properly realising what just happened. ]

W-- Wait, did you just--

[ Catch you?

She sure did, Illya. ]

[daughterofthemark]

[That's a surprised-sounding voice, and one Arianna doesn't recognize at that. That's finally enough to snap her out of her focus on cute pet videos and make her consciously notice what's going on. Situational awareness is having a great day here, folks. She tears her eyes away from the cute dog's antics and looks at... well, a girl she doesn't recognize.]

Oh! My apologies. [For what? Don't ask her, it just felt like the right thing to say.] Are you all right?

transportation

[determinationtofist]

[ With the trains down, Hibiki was desperate to try and catch one of the few busses. Hibiki managed to arrive just as the bus did, so she was quick to join in on the huge scuffle to get on first. It does look for a second that she'll be able to get on, but... ]

Ah...!

[ She notices the poor younger girl get rudely shoved backwards by the scuffle towards her, and she quickly pulls back from the scuffle in order to catch her. Unfortunately, being able to make quick decisions... does not guarantee success. ]

U-Uwah...!!

[ Down they go. ]

[reluctants]

[ Make that a double 'uwah', because Illya is definitely also letting out a very startled noise as they're going down together like that. The only reason no one looks up at the sound is probably due to everyone else still scrambling to make it onto the bus, even if it seems to mean leaving two girls behind there in the dust..

.. or, you know, on the pavement that's wet from the rain.

Illya stirs a moment after falling. First just a little bit, but then more when she notices she wasn't the only one who fell. Her eyes grow wide as she looks at Hibiki, sputtering: ]

A-Are you alright?!

[ The bus is momentarily forgotten. Sure, Illya could jump up and make a last ditch effort to get in anyway, but it's not like she's just going to ignore someone who fell down with her? ]

[determinationtofist]

A-Aah... ahaha... it's fine, I'm okay!

[ Honestly, at this point, Hibiki has fallen out of so many trees that a little fall like that is nothing to her... though it is a bit unfortunate that she's wet now. Still, if anything... ]

Are you okay, though? That would've been a bad fall if I wasn't here!