avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

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A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival

KERPLUNK, SPLASH!

Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's chilly waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's paralyzingly cold for a few seconds before you're approached by the Lady of the Lake beneath the water's surface. She puts a vial of a vibrant, glowing red Everwarm* potion to your character's lips. The icy water doesn't feel so icy once consumed and you'll be able to move your limbs enough to swim to shore on your own. She can't stick around to explain, she's got to get this to all the new arrivals! Many of which you'll see plopping in around you.

If you can't swim, a handful of helpful ice turtles will scoop you up from beneath and drop you off at the shore. When not helping people, the turtles are going around and hitting the ice that keeps forming on the surface with their shells to keep the surface open for the falling arrivals or pushing personal items to the beach near the new arrivals they smell like (belong to). If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. If anyone with Animal Magic asks the turtles, they will give the full spiel, but very slowly, and they like to get off topic and gossip about other turtles you've never heard of. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, but if you do fall, be prepared for a mysterious sand hand to reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly.

B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot

Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones, a pair of earbuds, and a winter cloak** to everyone before getting them settled in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and give them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go.

These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service,

avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk.

C ⦿ The Red Spring

The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies.

If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out!

The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there.

A ⦿ Trial and Icy Errors

Winter has arrived in Avalon, and with it has come to a change in the weather. Puffs of breath precede sentences when outside, small fires fill braziers to allow people to stop and get warm for a moment between where they come from and where they are going. Snow has begun to fall; at first, it is the same, fluffy, white flakes many adventurers will have seen. However, as the day progresses, the snow begins to shimmer; it’s like a prismatic effect, a magical light catching against every little crystal and illuminating sparkling flakes, so vibrant it’s clear someone has enchanted the snow.

Shortly after the change, there will be a text alert to all devices:

Tired of the same old routine with your magic? Ready for a little something new? Come on out and have an old fashioned snowball fight with a magical twist. Be sure to practice your new powers and have fun! 😉 -Merlin

Those who come outside to find the rainbow snow already being packed into neat balls by Camelot's citizens; go ahead and grab a basket full but remember, don’t just toss them. Let’s get magic with it!

Different types of magic will have different effects on the enchanted snow:

Use kinetic magic to toss three at once. Nevermind if they suddenly balloon inside and burst into a snow shower over your opponent, throw a couple more; some are bound to hit, right?

Throw a little animal magic in there and morph a few into a bear or some other animal of your intent; sorry about his random dance attack, at least your opponent will be laughing too hard to throw a snowball at you.

Try hiding them in a shield or cast an illusion with some light magic; better apologize when that goes sideways and the snow hardens, bursting into rainbow crystals at your opponent's feet.

Team up with someone who has cognitive magic; they can telegraph you the plan without your opponents being any the wiser... except the snow seems to be picking up on it and sending those thoughts right to your opponent! Perhaps use this as an opportunity to learn control!

Maybe you want to try using a little wind magic if you’re of the elemental class; watch out for the rainbow snow squall your perfectly lobbed snowballs will become.

Healing magic is one you might not see coming-- enchanting a snowball with healing magic can result in positive mood enhancements. Give your enemies a blast of zen to lower their guard and make them an easy target!

A dark magic user might think to add a little hex to their snowball; give themselves an edge... too bad, without practice, that hex might be a little too heavy and burst over the maker before it even leaves their hand! Hope you know how to fix it.

Alchemists are welcome to change the shape of those snowballs. Maybe try and craft them into something a little more stealthy or projectile. Too bad that snow seems to want to turn into a batch of butterflies and be free... magic sure is tricky! But hey, they sure are pretty.

In the end, it seems while adventurers will be able to get plenty of practice in, some of that practice is going to come from trying to stop the side effects of mixing their powers with the magic snow; welcome to your first lesson in control. If one is going to use magic in conjunction with already magically imbued things, they ought to know the right amount, seems Merlin wants you all to learn in a trial by snowball error.

Those who practice their magic and participate in the snowball fight will be given hot chocolate, warm soup, fresh baked goods, or other treats to warm them up after their training is done. But don’t slack off! You’re like to find your hot chocolate spiced with pickle flavor, that warm treat suddenly turns to ice cream in your mouth. Avalonians want that practice to happen, and are willing to add some incentive... whether that means the carrot or the icicle.

All throughout the City of Camelot is a buzz of excitement about the oncoming winter solstice on the 21st. Citizens will tell you of the winter solstice's importance in cleansing the flow of Avalon's magic each year and absorbing sunlight to increase its potency. In other words, the winter solstice generates a significant amount of magic if the proper ritual is followed, so the visitors from other worlds really should head on over to Albion's White Cliffs.

A ⦿ The Darkness in the White Cliffs

The first task that you'll experience during the ritual is asking the Cliff Beast's permission to enter the cliffs. Though they look wholly solid on the outside, these cliffs contain a veritable labyrinth of magical caves that weave in and out of the chalky cliffs. As there is danger within these walls, it is recommended no one go alone. The Cliff Beast will only open a door to the caves for parties of two or more who present him with a gift. The gift doesn't need to be something significant, just a show of courtesy-- a lovely rock or a seashell will do, placed at the base of the cliff. The only gifts he will outright reject are precious gems and metals. Honestly, they make him a little nauseous-- and you don't want to see a cliff beast nauseous. In fact, if you try it, the Cliff Beast will suddenly burst into a rockslide right near where the gem was left. Watch out!

Once you gain entrance, you will find there is no light within the caves and the door seems to close behind you. Non-magical lights won't illuminate anything within these caves, so you will need to either navigate through the darkness or find a magical means to light your path. Be wary-- traveling in the dark will be a much safer journey if you can find your way through the caves and keep track of your companions. The reason there is no light are the bat-like creatures that eat energy like fire and electricity. With the magical light attracting them and nothing to consume, they'll be very aggressive and swarm anything emitting heat.. like an unsuspecting traveler. Make too much noise, and the Cliff Beast will spit you out back onto the sand and you'll have to start over.

B ⦿ "For a greedy man, even his tomb is too small."

Those who persist within the caves will eventually come upon a room whose ceiling glistens with bioluminiscent microbes that are too small for the bats to eat. These little glowing creatures create reflections in the room that show just what it contains-- glimmerings of precious gems, gold, and other treasure cover the walls and floor, save for a large flat stone altar in the center. There are many hand-crafted clay cups filled with what appears to be water. The side of the alter has a very simple message: "TAKE ONE CUP TO THE SPRING, LEAVE THE REST. SPILL NO DROP." Sure enough, this matches with the instructions you were given about the ritual: Take a cup of waters harvested by the Asrai, a fairy that lives within the walls of the cliffs that cultivates it every year to bring to the Red Springs for the Winter Solstice.

There is no clear warning about what will happen if you take anything besides your one cup. However, characters who disobey this instruction and take any of the riches within the cave will initially experience severe symptoms such as magical blockage, an endless common cold, and food turning to ash in their mouth. They will experience dreams in which they are urged to return the treasure and a day later, advanced symptoms if it goes on for too long have been known to result in vomiting frogs and snakes, insomnia, speaking in tongues despite the translation spell, bleeding from the ears, and eventually death.

C ⦿ Drink Up

Those who listen and take the Asrai's cups to the Red Springs will notice while carrying the cups, all creatures and threats will leave you in peace. Neither rain nor snow will touch you, parting from your path in both the sky and on the ground. The effects will only last as long as you don't spill a single drop. The ritual can still be completed, but the protections only work if you don't spill-- otherwise you'll be fighting off weather, creatures, other people, and whatever else you encounter as the effects of a spilled cup will cause those around you to try to steal your cup without thought for your safety, even if they might not even think to do normally.

Upon arriving at the Red Springs, a party of people there to guide those who have made the ritual's journey to a particular pool within the vicinity of the springs. Characters will be directed to take a sip, then pour the rest into the Spring alongside your peers, finally throwing the clay cup itself into the spring. Throughout the day, you will begin to feel strangely giddy, but it will pass. Nothing much will seem like it happens otherwise, but the guides assure you that you will understand on the night of the winter solstice when the ritual is complete and your body becomes a conduit to purify and rejuvenate Avalon's magic.

For now, as thanks, the guides offer you one of the celebratory gifts they have to offer-- free drinks (this time of the age-appropriate alcoholic or sugary variety), a free night's stay at the Red Springs, a yule log, an escort, a Recipe: Snow Dance. (Effect: Snow Dance will cause small flurries to pick up where the spell is cast, resulting in decreased visibility. Only works if snow is already present, as it cannot generate elements.) The choice is yours. Pick one.

MOD NOTES:
• All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post.
• If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities.
• If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt.
• The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but may contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly.
• Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

*This Everwarm does not count toward your potion collection for those who wish to take up potion brewing. You must obtain Everwarm from the Elphame Trader's to count.
**Jackets come in a variety of neutral colors, enchanted with a fit-adjustment spell that will adjust to your character's size.

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[ Miwako, as cute and shameless as she is, is shrinking into herself as he goes on, knees tight together as she leans away from the hot spring once she’s scrambled out. Her eyes find Hikaru’s for a second as he speaks, but mostly stay locked on the water like it’s poison now. ]

But it’s a natural spring... Doesn’t that make it better for your skin? Minerals or something, right? I thought it was bathhouses to worry about, not hotsprings!

[ Get ready to have a casual skincare debate with some random weird terrified girl in her underwear. Welcome to Avalon, Hikaru, although it seems like a scene that should be from Prismatica... But no, she’s just a weirdo. ]

[Although not aware of it, Hikaru is weird himself. Really, not much about Miwako throws him off. Many events in his life are comical and even this is, too.

And he's so ready to talk skincare.]

Yeah. Hot springs usually have loads of silica and that's good for you but that's back on Earth. Or wherever you're from. [If she's talking about hot springs then she's probably from Earth...? She looks Japanese to him but he's learned that not all Japans are the same.]

But we're in whatever the hell this place is and it's still public. Anything public is bound to have who knows what kind of bacteria. Magical bacteria? Who knows. I just know I don't trust it.

[He really might just be a snob.]

But they said it helps soothe weary travelers... Would they be encouraging us to go if it wasn’t safe?

[ She’s saying this as she comes to appreciate the fact that she’s standing in her underwear in the dead of winter — not so enjoyable. She’d liked her soak in the warm waters before Hikaru ruined it. ]

People go to public pools all the time and they're advertised as safe but you still can get plantar warts, right? It's just like that.

[But boy does she look cold. So is he...

But he also can't trust this? What if he does get warts? That's absolutely mortifying.]

[ This is certainly a conundrum. Miwako hums in disappointment, but suddenly has a smart idea — mark the date! The confused, deliberative pout on her face is wiped away by a bright smile, spinning round suddenly. A few steps behind her, there’s a towel lying neatly on a dry spot of the stone walkway. She bends over, butt out and up in the air, best face forward to Hikaru clearly, and digs around within the towel’s folds. She doesn’t even remember she’s in her underwear, it’s such a low priority. It’s not that she’s shameless, immodest, or promiscuous; but as far as she’s concerned, apart from choice of fabric, the only difference between what she has on and a bikini is consent. And she’s clearly got no problems.

And indeed, she’s got one less, now. She turns back to the boy, holding her arm straight up in the air with her device in her raised hand, a triumphant look on her face. She trots up to him, closer now as her face is fixed on the screen, fingers typing with some urgency and stops beside him. It takes her pause, scrolling and speed reading, before her face lights up. ]

The Internet here says we can’t get warts!

[ It takes a village... ]

[Honestly, the more he looks at her the colder he feels. How is she not dying of hypothermia by now? And she sure doesn't care that she's just in her underwear but realistically what else was she supposed to be in? Hikaru's in his boxers but it's different for boys.

She had a good idea, though, even if he doesn't quite believe it? You can't trust everything on the internet but when he looks at everybody else in the springs, all he can think is how cold he is.]

Screw it. I'll chance it! [And he's going into the springs and wrapping his arms around himself.] Who said it was safe? Was it this place's site because you definitely can't trust that.

[ The reality is Miwako’s just as cold as Hikaru is, but she’s powered by forces unknown to mankind when something has overtaken her brain... She’s shivering for sure, though, holding her phone tightly in both hands. When she hears Hikaru’s resignation, it’s like the wave of relief that washes over her is warm and beckons her back into the springs after him, stopping to return her device within her towel. When she gets in, she’s still shivering, and sits down right beside Hikaru, slipping down til just her shoulders and décolleté are showing. The shock of the heat against the cold is a little unpleasant at first, but she settles in soon enough. ]

No, it was like... a medical page...? Miwako just typed in “can hot springs give you warts” and it said no. While I was scrolling, though, I saw the summary of an encyclopedia article about this particular spring... it says it actually has healing powers! And helps with feeling too drunk or hungover! Although I didn’t get drunk enough in the carriage for all that...

[ She mutters the last bit to herself more than Hikaru. But she definitely drank in the caravans. She can’t take this shock entirely sober, for real? Who wouldn’t need a stiff drink or two? ]

Aah~ It’s so warm... Warm and without warts!

[ She gives a little giggle, almost in spite of herself. She hadn’t even been the one paranoid about this. But she can certainly share in the relief. ]

Sounds like a lot of crap to me. [But whatever it is about this hot spring, he definitely feels more relaxed. Actually, it seems kind of dumb that he wasn't in here in the first place. This place is magical or something, right? Surely he can just find somebody to magic them off? Something like that anyway.

Even thinking too much seems like too much work when he can just soak.

Hikaru would be fine not talking at all but she was so close to him now. It was awkward not to talk? And his last stay in a mysterious world had taught him that it wasn't a bad idea to get help from different people although he wasn't sure how much help this girl could be. Still...]

Uh, so, your name's Miwako...? What's your last name? [Calling her by her first name while she's in her underwear and you're soaking in a hot spring is a lot too quickly.]

[ The question snaps her back to attention, a slight blush crawling over her face. This is what embarrasses her? ]

Oh! I'm so sorry, where are my manners? I'm Sakurada Miwako... I'm from Tokyo, Japan, on the planet Earth. And you?

[ Her introduction here is a little over-the-top and amuses her as much as it bemuses her, but there's no telling who she might be talking to, she figures. Her head hurts over this place. Thinking too much is too much work for her at home, let alone here. ]

Hitachiin Hikaru. [By now, he's used to nobody knowing his family name so he doesn't expect her to know it.] Japan, too, but we're probably from different Japans because I don't think I've met anybody else from my Japan.

[That probably sounds absolutely crazy.]

Ehhhh~ The different Japans again...!

[ What a headache. She's heard this from someone else already, and it's never going to stop breaking her head. ]

How do we know if we're from different Japans, or we're both from Japan-Japan and we just don't know each other back home? Hmph.

[ It's clearly aggravating enough to make her a little pouty about it; it's a big concept to grasp in one day, after all. She's no philosopher. But in its simplicity, it is a fair point. ]

For most people it is pretty hard but for me it's easy. If you were from my Japan then you would go "Oh! Hitachiin? Like Hitachiin Yuzuha, the famous fashion designer?!" Unless you're just living with your head in the ground or really dumb about fashion. Even then it's like "Hitachiin? Where do I know that name...?" Something like that.

[People tended to know of the Hitachiin name at the very least where he came from. Nobody else had yet and so Hikaru didn't think anybody would be from his Japan.]

But you're right. It could be the same Japan for other people but you just don't know it.

Ah?! A fashion designer?! Who is Hitachiin Yuzuha, your mama? The name doesn't ring a bell, but Miwako's sister is a fashion designer! Kouda Mikako! Do you know the brand Happy Berry?! It's famous, too! Maybe you've seen ads in magazines like Zipper? Nee, nee, you'd know the logo, here—!

[ As soon as the words "fashion designer" fall out of his mouth, her face lights up. She's all but sparkling with excitement — in fact, is she sparkling...? It's hard to tell before she stands up abruptly in the water, and turns her hip slightly to face away from him; it's to show him her backside, shameless still, in fact pointing proudly to the Happy Berry print on her panties. ]

[It's saying a lot that this is a pretty bizarre moment for Hikaru but here's this cute girl showing off her backside to him in a hot spring. Wow. This never happened to him in Prismatica and it would have made sense if it had but no. The weird RPG world is where this is happening. Okay.

His face is a little red and he ushers her to sit back down. Like he can take a lot but that is a little much.]

I've never even heard of Zipper. We have Buckles in my world? If you're talking about some fashion magazine that is.

[Different universes are weird, Miwako.] Cute logo, though. What kind of stuff does your sister do? My mom's in haute couture and she's trained my brother and I for that.

[ She's put out that, once again, someone doesn't know Happy Berry... but she runs across this even in her own world. Mikako is not a haute-couture designer — but nor would she want to be, really. Her sister has her own unique vision that she'd never want to be compromised by luxury bigwigs. Miwako's satisfied just to be around another fashionista, and takes her seat with a huff and a soft smirk. ]

Hehe, "Buckles~" Like an alternate dimension Zipper... Zipper's a fashion magazine, yeah, kind of like FRUiTs, but with more editorials kind of like GLB. Oh, and stylish shoujo manga sometimes, too~

[ Like Paradise Kiss. Down with the Fourth Wall, motherfuckers. ]

My sister does mostly streetwear. It's high-end, but she loves to play with many styles~ She doesn't want to pigeonhole herself into only Lolita or only casual or whatever. She just wants to do whatever she wants with her visions. She's the founder and president of her company, and her boutiques sell only her brand! She's a genius, she can do anything...~

[ The wistfulness in her voice shows her admiration for her sister clearer than day. It certainly brightens her smile, and she tilts her head quizzically looking back to Hikaru. ]

Do you and your brother study fashion design in school, then? You look about my age, nee~ Have you ever heard of Yazawa High School of the Arts? It's very famous! In my Japan, I mean, boo...

[Hikaru can understand where her sister is coming from even if his mother is a luxury bigwig although she's always managed to do whatever it is she wanted anyhow. That's part of being a Hitachiin.]

Nope. Haven't at all. We don't study fashion design in school, either. We don't go to a school that offers anything like that. [Which really is a problem, Hikaru has thought and he knows Kaoru has probably thought the same thing. Their future is in art, they both know that, but they need more schooling to back that up.] Our mom trains us when she has the time. She's like a drill sergeant. We don't ever really get a break.

I guess you go to this famous school, then?

[ Miwako nods, smile softening but staying put. "She's like a drill sergeant. We don't ever really get a break." It's a bittersweet statement, even if it's a joke. ]

Mmn, mmn! I do. And so did my sister, like... nearly twenty years ago. But we both studied fashion design there~ The other departments are visual arts, interior design, and industrial art design. It's top-notch education~ Though our main fashion teacher is like a drill sergeant, herself... That's how to get good, though, nee?

[ Any slight mistake in Hamada-sensei's class is read to filth; if a garment's not ready to be sold on a hanger, she's merciless. Sloppy stitchwork is met with harsh criticism so that next time... it's always a lot less sloppy. She wouldn't ride someone so hard if she didn't see their potential. ]

If you can't withstand that kind of stuff then you probably don't belong in the field at all. [Or for Hikaru's case, his family.]

Do you plan on working with your sister or something?

[It seems like the logical next step for her.]

Hehe, that's probably true — how to separate the amateurs from the pros~

[ She nestles down in the waters a bit, smiling despite herself. She can't withstand that kind of stuff sometimes. She has a good relationship with Hamada-sensei, but the scrutinous woman doesn't bully Miwako the way she did Mikako, and Miwako knows why. Her smiles stays put but takes on a vague wistful quality, at least around the eyes. ]

Yeah... Not as a designer, but yeah. I just got a job with Sissy lined up, actually — I'll be starting after graduation. Or... I guess— I would have been...

[ That realization takes the wind out of her a little, and it flashes across her face. She shakes it off in a split second, though, noticeably forcing a smile back in its place by turning to Hikaru more brightly, happy to hand over the spotlight. ]

And you? Will you work for your mama's company someday, too? Nee, how old are you, anyway? I'm seventeen!

[It's a common story. Being brought to this world and having to let go of whatever plans you had. It had to be hard for Miwako, obviously she had been looking forward to working with her sister and who knows if that would be happening any time soon.

Too bad Hikaru is bad at sympathy.]

Sixteen and who knows? My mom didn't do what my grandmother does and then my dad's got his own thing. Maybe we'll start our own line. My brother and I, I mean. Like how we planned before we got brought here. [Most of Hikaru's classmates were burdened without inheriting the family business. The Hitachiin family were unique in this regard. Their whole life's motto was just doing whatever you wanted.]

Ah! Cool! What kind of clothes? Are your father and grandmother artists like you guys and your mom? Miwako's family is all different mix of artists, too~

[ Her wistfulness is easily hidden. For as transparent and emotional of a person as she is, she swallows her sadness with such grace. She'd been excited for her job at Happy Berry. Her world might be ending. She'd rather talk about art and family. The things that make her happy. ]

My father's the farthest thing from an artist. He works for a computer software company. The annoying hag is an ikebana master. [The annoying hag is his grandmother. Not the most normal family but when is a family full of artists ever normal? Adding rich bastards into that only makes it worse.]

What about you?

[ Yikes. Harsh answer. Miwako falters for it, not expecting him to call his grandmother an annoying hag... But she's in no position to argue. She pushes on a little awkwardly, but still in good enough spirits, outwardly. ]

Well, uh... Sissy is a fashion designer, like I said, um— Sissy's husband is a fashion photographer, but he makes little sculptures and trinkets for fun, too. Miwako's papa is a nature photographer, and Mama is a shoujo mangaka. They've been traveling abroad the past few years working, so Miwako moved in with Sissy's family... My boyfriend and I grew up together like family since we were kids, too, and his mom studied at Yazagaku with my sister, as well. She used to design punk children's clothes before Arashi was born. And Ara's dad is a famous punk musician who's never really home cuz of his work. Nagase Takeshi. Have you heard of him?

[ She knows he probably hasn't, because Japans. She also has a feeling he wouldn't know him even if they were from the same Japan. Something tells her this guy isn't exactly a punk... ]

Nope.

[Miwako is right that Hikaru is the farthest thing from being a punk.]

But wow, your family's got all their bases covered. [He gives a little clap at that. Not an enthused one but still!] Mangaka isn't something I'd ever try. All the weirdos you'd get as fans...[Otaku are the worst.] but photography...never considered that. [Maybe this is another hobby to pick up!

But that also requires money and all for a good camera.] Ugh, starting all over in a new world is the worst. [If he was not in this hot spring then he would have been much more irritated. This is just petulant whining.]

[ Miwako settles a little deeper into the water at that, joining him in his pout. ]

Yeah... I'm gonna have to start my whole closet over... They sent me with some Happy Berry clothes, at least, but— hmph. I still can't believe what's happening, honestly... Aren't you scared?

[ It's an earnest question, a genuine one. It just reminds her of the reality of where they are, what they're doing. It's a lot to take in, and needs far more time to soak than they could possibly spend in the hot springs. It's far too much to process in one night. ]

(no subject)

irritated - 2021-01-24 18:19 (UTC) - Expand

gioetjskelf 15 years later, sorry;;; do you still wanna continue with her and hikaru's CR??

happyberry - 2021-03-17 22:27 (UTC) - Expand

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