TDM #1

[beautifuldreamermods]

TDM #1

Welcome one and all to the very first test drive meme for Beautiful Dreamer! 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 AU Planning meme to see what juicy ideas your fellow players are cooking up!

In order to not spoil the opening of the game for players, 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

It's a busy day just like any other in a town as big and bustling as Yumemigaoka. With the last days of winter finally at everyone's backs, spring has begun blooming in earnest and the cheery seasonal energy is pretty infectious. A number of events are taking place around the city, so why not take the time to look around and have fun?



⧖ The Tsubaki Department Store is beginning to hype up their upcoming Golden Week extravaganza with a number of small sales and promotions. Maybe this year you'll finally be able to snag that air fryer you've been eyeing?!

⧖ It's cherry blossom viewing season! Hina Flower Gardens are holding a free event with a number of special seasonal goodies and some absolutely beautiful scenery to take in.

⧖ 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, life doesn't grind to a halt just because it's nice and sunny outside. Now the city is getting busier and more touristy, the folks who keep things running are starting to get some pressure put on them! And if you happen to be a student, end of term exams are starting to loom on the horizon, with particular pressure put on those just about to graduate their respective schools... Not to mention with spring coming around, allergies are running riot!

Let's just hope you're not feeling too stressed. After all, with all this energy running rampant and regular life starting to really push down on everyone, who knows what those negative feelings could spawn...?!

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. Spring has sprung over on this side, too, with iridescent flowers and colorful trees growing right out of the streets and buildings all over the Slumbering City and the sky above turning a particularly pretty shade of pale pink to match.

That makes it especially bizarre that it appears to be snowing all over the Dream Sphere, no matter where you go but on closer inspection this snow is actually cherry blossom petals raining endlessly down from the sky. How pretty! Of course, for those of you with allergies, maybe it's just rubbing salt on the wound. Your nose isn't itching, is it? Achoo!

Pretty or not though, if you're on this side then you've got work to do! With the Waking World starting to gear back up after winter, some of the associated stress is starting to funnel into the Dream Sphere and cause no small manner of trouble. 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...


⧖ In the Vale of Sorrow, it's still raining and pouring despite the change of season and that combined with the dusting of petals across everything has turned navigating the place into a real task, even for a fully prepared Dreamer. The ground is even more of a wet and soggy mulch than before and to make matters worse, a group of particularly nasty Torments are gathering and seem to be made out of bristling vines and piercing brambles... they're unusually quick and vicious even for Torments so you better act fast and deal with them ASAP!

⧖ In the Reverie Necropolis, the season of spring hardly seems to have touched the place. If the sky has changed at all, it's hidden behind the bone white clouds that hang low and every single petal that touches the ground immediately shrivels and dies once it lands. Once you actually enter the labyrinth, frantic whispers can be heard and the scratching of disembodied pencils scribbling over papers can be heard echoing up and down all the halls. 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

Franz d'Epinay | Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo | Dreamer Baron

[discretion]

Yumemigaoka
1. Tsubaki Department Store

[Franz squints at a sign nearby a display of colorfully printed silks.]

Uhm, pardon me-- are these cravats? Ascots? Scarves? [He looks a bit apologetic. It's not like he can hide that he's a foreigner, though he speaks Japanese well enough.] I was just thinking this one was a good color... [He points to a light silk scarf of sky blue.]

2. Hina Flower Garden

[For a long moment, Franz simply finds a bench to sit on and watches the scenery and the people drifting through the gardens. He unwraps a sakura manju and takes a bite.]

Hm... not bad.

The Dream Sphere
Vale of Sorrow

[As a Dreamer, Franz's hair has gone a strawberry blonde color, flowing down to shoulder length and drifting as if beneath water, his eyes a burnished sunset gold. Dreamer Baron is dressed in a flowing seafoam colored cassock, with a pale pink tunic of silk beneath, and boots and gloves of pale sky blue. His musketeer's hat is a lavender color, with a crystalline feather the shape of waves decorating one side. The details are all glass and bubble-like, and his sword appears as mother-of-pearl, with the crash of waves and smell of sea as her summons it.]

Hup!

[Dreamer Baron has little concept of his powers aside from using his sword, so he's going to use it to slash at the brambles. As he rushes forward, his foot gets stuck in the mulch!]

Vale of Sorrow

[darcangel]

Take care!

[ A barrage of.....doves made of light, flapping and cooing...?? soars over Baron's head, colliding with the brambles and exploding on impact. A hand is offered to him, to help him steady himself.

This sure is a magical girl who's showed up. She's got her own sword - glittering blue and red crystal, nearly broadsword-sized though she supports it one-handed - in her free hand. ]

Are you harmed?

[discretion]

Oh... thanks!

[Franz laughs, unsticking himself from the muck and steadying his feet.] I'm alright. Just still not quite used to this whole - Dreamer thing. Were those doves?

[Another Torment flings itself toward them both, and Franz slashes it through with a glittering movement.] Nasty little buggers!

[darcangel]

[ He's new. Okay. Good information. Dreamer La Pucelle glances around the battlefield. How many of them....? ]

You are new? Take heart. We--

[ Thorns burst from the ground and race towards them, and she exclaims in exasperation: ]

In God's name!

[ A glowing golden barrier pops up to shield them both. ]

[discretion]

[It seems as though there are three of these quick-moving, brambling Torments still darting about. One dives at them, bouncing off the golden shield.]

--Thanks. I think I've got my wits about me now.

[He takes a breath, readying his sword.]

All the years of fencing lessons won't go to waste!

[darcangel]

[ He fences! They shall discuss that later. Right now they must keep these Torments from harming anyone. ]

That is the spirit. As long as you believe in yourself and act sensibly, there is no enemy you cannot defeat.

[ She hefts her own sword. ] Come, let us go boldly!

[ CHARGE! ]

[discretion]

Right!

[Emboldened by her words, Franz jolts forward, slicing one of the Torments in half as it springs at them!]

[darcangel]

[ Oh, well done indeed! Dreamer La Pucelle will have to do her part, as well!

She plunges into the thick(et) of Torments, slashing and whacking. He might see some moves reminiscent of saber fights in fencing, though her sword is definitely on the...large side....for that....

.....No, that one feinted! ]

Behind you-!

[discretion]

[Franz barely clears a barb, and it slashes at him - leaving a bit of diaphanous fabric and feather from his hat in wake of the movement before he runs it through.]

Thanks!

[Wait. He didn't totally clear it. There's a cut on his cheek, bleeding.]

[darcangel]

[ No, it grazed him! La Pucelle is glad the damage was not worse, but if these Torments are so persistent, defeating them one at a time is not the soundest option. The best way to handle being outnumbered is - ]

Have you a wide-scale attack?

[ To try and clear out some more herself, she switches her grip to two-handed on the hilt, and the blade glows, sheathed in a golden light shaped like a cross. Which she then uses to mow down several Torments at a time, like she's wielding a holy claymore or something. ]

[discretion]

I'm not really sure, this is only my second time--

[He almost gets bowled over by one of the other Torments, managing to slash it through as he attempts to get away.]

I - I have to announce it or something, right? How's this work?

[darcangel]

If it is your finishing attack, you must. The words should well within your heart.

[ La Pucelle hits a few more out of the park, so to say. ]

For other attacks you need merely concentrate.

[discretion]

My - my heart? I don't know what you're talking abou--

[Franz fends off another attack with a swiping motion. He seems nervous, faltering.]

That - that sounds awfully - sparkly - and embarrassing!

department store;

[traceofeffort]

In my refined, semi-professional opinion... [There's a young woman here, peering at the scarf more or less without fanfare. She tilts her head back and forth, examining it. (Or at least appearing to.)]

It's a scarf. Decent construction, but it's mass-produced, of course. [And then she looks back at him, nodding.] It is a good color, though. Definitely would suit you.

Re: department store;

[discretion]

Oh -- right, I don't expect anything but mass-manufactured at that price point. I suppose it'll work in the evenings when it gets a bit cooler for a few more months... [Franz holds up the scarf, gently laying it on his arm and comparing it to the warm undertones of the back of his hand.]

So you said you're a refined semi-professional. [He asks with a touch of amusement.] Can I hear about your qualifications?

[traceofeffort]

Mm, it'll keep you warm well enough. That much, I'm sure of.

As for my credentials, well. [She pulls a moderately fluffy scarf out of her bag and puts it on. It's a vibrant red, with embroidered music notes, and she wraps it around her neck with a satisfied smile.] Maybe not to department store standards, but I knit scarves. I'm no master tailor, but I like to think I do okay work.

[discretion]

...Wow. That's pretty stylish! Do you do any other crafts like that, like embroidery? [Franz tries on the scarf in a nearby mirror, clearly still debating. He glances over to his new found conversation partner.] You shouldn't downplay its quality. It's handmade, after all. The flaws are what make it special.

[traceofeffort]

Thank you! And, uh, a little bit! I make plushies sometimes, I do some detail work... I'm a little bit of an all-rounder.

[She glances at him too, nodding.] Hey, that does look good. And... yeah, I know, but it's still a little hard to accept sometimes. [Lisa fiddles with one end of her own scarf idly.] I made something fuzzy and warm that suits my style. I know it's cool, but people can be weird sometimes. Especially about fashion.

[discretion]

That's adorable, honestly! I bet it's a hit with your friends, hm? [He tsks a bit quietly when she comments about fashion.] People are always weird about things that tie into one's image. So much of it is about, hmm, well, fitting into a certain box. They say they want unique, but you mustn't be too unique. They think people with good taste should look classy and expensive, but not overtly so. And so on like that. [He pulls off the scarf, tucking it on his arm - it seems he's decided on it.] Anything caught your eye?

[traceofeffort]

[Lisa scowls softly.] Yeah. I know about fitting into boxes. I hate it. Act like this, do this, look like this- [She cuts off, shivering, and not in the way her scarf suddenly seems ill-equipped to handle.] Sorry, don't mind me.

[She shakes her head, and claps her hands to her cheeks.] Anyway! Thanks for the compliment - I really like this one. My department is less over here and more in kitchen tools and electronics, though. Sometimes I walk through here for ideas. But I can't knit a new spatula.

[discretion]

[Franz chuckles quietly.] It's tough when folks have high expectations of you, right? And they're all too ready to let you know what's at stake if you're less than graceful.

[He glances over in the direction of the other departments.] Would it inconvenience you terribly if I asked for help finding a few basics for the kitchen? It's a little embarrassing at my age, but sometimes I have trouble reading the signs.

[traceofeffort]

...Yeah. You can say that again. Expectations through the stratosphere. [Her grumble is almost as much for herself as it is for him.]

But, um, sure! I don't mind. And knowing my luck they'll have just added something else to the racks I can pick up. I don't think you can ever have too many kitchen gadgets.

[discretion]

I just need a few pans and the like. My apartment didn't come with much, and I figure I shouldn't live off convenience store food forever. [Franz laughs self-deprecatingly.]

I'm Franz, by the way. Franz d'Epinay. I got to school around here.

[traceofeffort]

Oh, no, don't do that. Even if it's cheap, it's more fun to do it yourself! And you can always take leftovers with you later for lunch or something, too. Cooking is the gift that keeps on giving.

I'm Lisa! Lisa Imai. I've lived here forever, but I guess I also go to school around here too. [She grins up at him.] Welcome to Yumemigaoka.

[discretion]

The gift that keeps on giving... true! Life would be heinous without good food.

And thanks! Last time I was out here, I really only saw Tokyo, and I think once we took the bullet train to Kyoto. It'll be good to have a friend my age to show me around...!

[He stops at a display of crepe pans.] Hmm...