prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .009

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You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you. Your body is hemmed in by shards of crystals, gently sparkling and possibly pricking your skin. The surrounding landscape is dyed in the pinks and purples of the dusk filled with crystals protruding from the ground, some as large as a skyscraper. Even the few shy moon creatures you find in the wild have strange crystal growths on their hides. This is far from home— perhaps a dream? You pinch your skin and slap your cheeks, yet nothing seems to do the trick. Searching for answers yields nothing but an endless expanse of purple dust as far as the eye can see. You have four options: one, panic; two, soil yourself; three, admire it all then soil yourself; or four, go into survival mode. Eventually, you’ll realize that you’re not alone.

After a day or two of living off the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. After the strange phenomenon during the past months when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for more Moonblessed to be rescued. You’ll eventually be brought into Iris’s moon government center.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? Why did I inhale all those permanent markers in the third grade? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay.

While waiting for transport to be prepared, you may freely roam around the government center. Eventually you’re called back from exploring, escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the moons and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as the local Prismals. The next destination: Prismatica.

▶ Whip It Good
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Planet Prismatica, City of Lunatia | top

Welcome to Prismatica’s hub, Lunatia, the city of your dreams! A bustling metropolis lush with bright lights, vibrant colors, luxuriant plant life, and all the conveniences of technology absent from your own world… It seems like paradise to all the uninitiated. After a quick tour of the city, new arrivals can find themselves getting cozy in their new homes.

A Settle in your new home at Level 2 to find new roommates and say hello to your neighbors! City officials will give you directions to the designated districts across Level 2 and instruct you to pick out a unit. Each apartment complex has a different aesthetic, some may look cozy, some stylish, and some bizarre. The free accommodations have a basic living space that can only fit two or three people at most in one unit.

Starter Chromaspace furnishings are provided which can be controlled with the touch of a built-in panel. Examples are color-changing curtains, transforming sofa beds, cabinets turning into tables, etc. Customizing your apartment or moving out will have to wait until you earn more chroma. Until then, why don’t you check out your new neighborhood or explore the city levels? Maybe your new roommates or neighbors can give you a “hand” with allowance for dinner.

B At the Crystarium Moonports is a new family restaurant called Grapplebears, here to serve your favorite dishes from all around the galaxy at affordable prices! The menu ranges from the atomically hot and spicy Chamakshalan curry rice, delectable dragonsaur steak served with mashed space-tatoes, to the sweet and creamy Lunatian milkshakes that bring all the boys to the yard, all prepared by their handsome and huggable bear crew.

As you might have noticed, the restaurant staff is a ragtag group with members from planets unknown to both Prismals and Moonblessed. The waiters and waitresses in particular are tall, muscular, leather-clad bears who take your order by whipping you with a special riding crop that compels you to bark out your order — but only if you ask to be, of course! They might induce you to reveal other unrelated interests so make sure you’re not thinking about anything embarrassing!

If you chat up the staff or customers, you learn more about the restaurant’s origins. The bears say their planets* were also wiped by the Calamity hundreds of years ago, and life for them has been difficult for them since then…

*Further information about these planets is unavailable at this time.

▶ Night of the Living Dummy
City of Lunatia | top

The last vestiges of Geistnacht have officially passed and the first chilly autumn breeze ushers in the new season. The city is awash in giant piles of browning leaves that decorate every walkway.

A To deal with the mass collection of fallen leaves, many buildings across the city have been retrofitted with a new disposal system to help clean up. A sprawling network of automated vacuum tubes around the city will efficiently suck all those pesky leaves right up. While children love playing inside and using them to “teleport” around Lunatia, they have also been known to spontaneously suck up anyone who’s not too careful. You may find yourself falling on some hapless bystander on their afternoon walk, or crammed in a tube with your new neighbors. Lunar Scientia officials warn everyone to be careful of where you walk, else you might need to crawl your way to sweet freedom.

B A pop-up shop in Level 1 is attracting much of the locals' attention, run by a peddler who speaks in a low, elongated hiss and wears a hood over his face. He assures you that his face is of no consequence. What is more important is his selection of wares! In contrast to his cloaked, enigmatic appearance, his travel cart is a Barbie pink explosion of frills, hearts, glitter. He will tell all visitors he comes from the Valley of the Crimson Serpents, which Prismals and older Moonblessed arrivals find odd. Wasn’t the Sanguis moon uninhabitable?

Among the peddler’s wares are adorable, wide-eyed and heavily perfumed dolls in all sorts of clothes a child dreaming of rainbows and tea parties could ever ask for. Hug and squeeze a doll, and you will be greeted by a pre-recorded voice telling you how they’re your bestest friend ever. It’s like they were made for lovin’ you! But if you look away for one moment, you can almost swear you hear a snake’s hiss, its long tongue licking the shell of your ear… The next time you see the doll, its body will be in a slightly different position or location. Is it… following you? Fortunately, a minimal amount of moonlacing will make it leave you alone. You can wait it out too, but why would you?

Destroy a doll and it will later reappear wherever you are when you least expect it, good as new, but leaking from their porcelain heads is a strange pink, glitter-covered liquid. The peddler calls it the “love juice” giving the doll an extra dose of affection for you.

▶ Bird is the Word
Level 2, Greatmoon Groves | top

As autumn paints Lunatia with its golden hues, pumpkin decorations and desserts are now in vogue. This is thanks to Chroma-infused pumpkin seeds, which allow them to rapidly grow in all sorts of sizes, shapes, and colors. The Moonblessed are invited to visit one of the largest pumpkin patches in the city housed within the Greatmoon Groves, where they can enjoy the sight of oversized, colorful neon and sparkling semi-phallic pumpkins, expertly carved to greet you with their buck-toothed smiles.

A The pumpkin patch is full of toddler-sized creatures called hugbugs. When they are not tending to the pumpkins, they follow the Moonblessed around, requesting hugs and treats in exchange for their obedience.

Reward them and they will do simple errands for you and give you compliments. They will also be your personal hype men, talking up your strengths, talents, and physical assets to all those special someones you’re trying to impress. Once you earn their trust, they will be your friends for life!

Ignore them, hurt them, or bully them, and they will cry and place a curse upon you, reducing your self-esteem to nothing and magically forcing you to cry along with them. The effects of the curse may last for up to a week if you’re not careful! But how could you do such a thing? The hugbugs are sensitive and want somebody to love.

B If you manage to survive your encounter with the hugbugs, you are welcome to join in on the Prismal knitting group and enjoy creating your own fanciful scarf made of Galadrian thread, which is known for its bright, golden sheen and aromatic properties. Give it to a friend or wear it yourself, and you will notice a strange ability to attract animals and insects of all kinds. Live out your Disney Princess fantasy! Or a Hitchcockian nightmare. It’s all a matter of perspective as a whole flock of honking birds comes bounding towards you.

▶ Questions
If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

▶ As a reminder, test drive memes are for new characters only. However, current players are more than welcome to use these prompts for their own posts in the IC communities, personal inboxes, catch-all posts, etc.!
▶ As our test drive memes are game canon, feel free to keep any threads that happen here as canon for your character should they be accepted.

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You're kidding, right?
_{[ HE'S GOTTA BE KIDDING!!! Wait, didn't they something like this in orientation? Gwaa, I can't remember! ]}

[ Akutagawa frowns. Not that he cares what anyone thinks of him, but he would prefer if he didn't have a weird reputation. Thank you very much.]

Not bad? I'm not sure about that.

[Akutagawa hasn't experienced it for himself, but he already hates it. Whichever moon decides to bless him didn't matter, he'll want to hide away from everyone due to embarrassment.]

In situations like these, I'm envious of those who can go along with the flow.

[ He gazes after her longingly, his ridiculous, moonlaced heart in tatters. It's all he can do to keep from chasing after her and pledging his undying affection.

...

Deep breath. Another. Slowly, his rationality reasserts itself. The intense feeling of love fades away, though the memory of it stays with him. He presses a mechanism at his wrist, and his armored gauntlet extends to cover his fingers once more. Then he flips his mask down. He turns away, faceless, and sets off running across the glittering wasteland, in search of more lost souls. ]

Ah, you saw him too? Guess we're all here now.

[ Lunatia's... not that bad, so it's nice that he's got his friends here. ]

Oh? They must be quite an entertaining person if you want them to be a part of your circus troupe.

[... Though now that he thinks about it, does Grimm have any humans living where he comes from, or are they all just bugs...]

[Woah. Woah. Larry immediately brightens up.]

O-of course! [He gestures to the hall.] Bathroom's on the left, and...there's a tool kit under the sink if you need it?

[What she's wearing isn't what he'd call armor, but...you never know, especially around here.]

And the bedroom is across the way. [He giggles.] Or dealer's choice. I don't have a preference~

[He's got condoms and lube stashed almost everywhere.]

[ As they're each pulling back, Xue Yang studies Wei Wuxian's response to the kiss with the sharp scrutiny of someone who's survived only through constant vigilance and careful manipulation. Wei Wuxian appears stunned but pliant, ready to yield, and Xue Yang doesn't hesitate a second longer to take up Wei Wuxian's hand, turning his head to press an affectionate kiss into the palm. His arm remains around Wei Wuxian's waist, grip loose but steady. ]

They were the best years of my life. [ As Xue Yang speaks these words, he can almost hear the dry rustle of the wind that blew through that quiet, empty town. He can smell the burning of the hearth, hear the distant echo of A-Qing pouting, Xiao Xingchen's soft laughter— Xue Yang blinks, shaking his head to dislodge the past. ]

We were happy. [ He goes on quietly, swallowing hard. ] ...before all the rest came to pass.

[Humans are still Weird.]

Indeed, he is. Dave has prepared music for me to use in one of my performances.

[Music!!]

Money. ( oh. that bullshit concept. ) I do not think I have any from my last... experience.

( all of his yoshiwara fun bucks are far, far away. the money here is less physical and yet even more physical than he expected. )

Pay for me and I will pay you back in kind.

( eg. he won't murder every computer. )

It's not so much boring as it is inefficient.

[ Mikuni could probably adapt ... in time. But for now he was closer to Gonta's end of things, a bit shell-shocked by all the changes and a little overwhelmed by the crowds upon crowds of people. Coming to the pumpkin patches had been pretty nice, even with the phallic shaped gourds.

Eventually though, he could probably do alright.

Especially if he had a place like this "Tsurugi" to come back to. ]

Of course.

[ He smiles. Leave it to Gonta to do something so sentimental and so very much like home. ]

You two have done well I think.

[ He can see all the hard work even if it's more like the village and not so much the mountains. It makes him a bit nostalgic. They're missing a couple of key players but it's still got that sense of home. ]

I wouldn't mind staying in a place like this for a while.

I'm sure they do.

[ Not that he'd probably mind either way. But no one's asking and so he leaves it at that.

His interest seems to pique as the male mentions spending time in a kitchen. In Mikuni's village, everyone cooked. But in more traditional places, women took up that task more often than not. As someone who didn't cook at all for a period of his life, Mikuni is interested in learning more. Someone special in his life reminded him once that he was still capable of partaking in such a thing. ]

In that case, do you have a suggestion? I thought maybe roasting it...

[ That sounded fun to him, and he distinctly remembers the pleasant fall aroma of roasted produce. ]

That does sound like a waste. I can't imagine not using nature to its fullest potential. But that is the way of the jinba.

[—the tingling sensation that runs up from the tips of his fingertips along his wrist, to his forearm, is strange. Not bad by any means, no ... it feels like a shot of honey whiskey, or a sweet cup of sake that's got a particularly warm tail. Only it's coming from the wrong direction, not coating his throat but making his fingers warm, which in turn excites him. His hands have always been sensitive, and the heat that settles onto his nape and splotches across his cheeks feels good. Strange.

If he'd been planning on saying anything about being a house cat or anything of the like, it's completely forgotten in favor of kneading his index finger and thumb against the soft ear he'd found. It's been a while since he'd pet a cat—Shigure always liked them, so on principle, Rokurou didn't—but there's undoubtedly something charming about petting a soft triangular ear.

Even if ... this guy is a man, and not a cat? Though Rokurou's unspoken answer to that earlier question is slowly becoming yes. ]

Hm? [ his eyebrow quirks again as he leans back a little to look down; a little amused, smile beginning to quirk at the corner of his mouth again, ] Who said I was one?

[ Even if former probably counts. Ignoring that, he continues, ]

If you're going to keep flirting with me like this, you should probably know my name. [ another rub to that ear—damn, why is this so addictive, ] It's Rokurou.

[ Well ... he won't say no to a restaurant, because a restaurant means drinks, which this pumpkin patch is sorely lacking in. And now that he's back at Velvet's side, he's more or less willing to toss away his new dream of eating one of the hugbugs, even if he's still convinced their various colors promise something delicious.

So Rokurou nods his easy agreement, reaching down to try and tug the one that's hooked onto his side off—but it refuses, only hugging him tighter, like some kind of brightly colored leech. ]

Hold on. Just. Let me get rid of this. [ he tries again, sticking his hands between him and the hugbug, trying to shove it off of his hip, eyebrows furrowing as it only continues to latch on, ] —oooor I guess it can come with us. It's a good enough substitute for Magilou, anyway.

[ He steps closer to her, ready to follow her lead, before giving the enclosing hugbugs another look. ]

... You don't think they'll follow us, do you?

[ Since Rokurou is an Excellent Gentleman®, when she falls on her ass, he laughs. ]

It's a fair trade. I gave it to you, so now you can buy me lunch at one of those other places you mentioned.

[ Because that was going to be his lunch, after all, mere seconds away from throwing a bunch of logs into a pile and starting a spit-roast of hugbugs. Never let it said that a Rangetsu doesn't settle his debts, be it repaying or collecting them. Lunch for lunch.

Plus, if he can get a drink out of this, he'll take that over anything else. Let this smelly old man get his fix ok. ]

How about curry?

[ please... he only has one computer. ]

I can do that. But, it's easy to make a few bucks here. Do you know how to?

[ regardless of what the cat tells him, ye xiu starts to lead the way to the station. it's time for idle talk. sort of. ]

You do?

[He turned to look at it again, studying it. After staring at it for ]

Well, it doesn't seem to be doing so at the moment. Maybe because I'm here and can see it too? How long has it seemed to be following you?

[He certainly doesn't think she's crazy and he's at least willing to try and help]

Alright.

[Lucifer nods, taking the necessary steps to be inside the room, and leave space for Sandalphon to come in.

He looks around, the place feeling comfortable enough for them to live in.]

You have a beautiful apartment, Sandalphon.

[ Mikuni is looking at the man curiously, tilting his head until the names of his companions are mentioned. That makes more sense why this stranger seems to know about the jinba at least. He got the impression that jinba aren't really a thing around these parts. ]

Gonta has been my friend for many years.

[ Mikuni saved him from melting, basically. But he smiles a little. Konoha of course also has become important to him. ]

Are they really here? If they're the only other jinba...

[ Well that's sad. But also fortunate at the same time? And honestly, Mikuni probably doesn't know what human politeness all entails anyway, so the bow is just an extra treat maybe?? ]

My name is Mikuni.

I'll have to ask him then.

[He didn't expect that might be common knowledge so he was not disappointed not getting an answer there]

Amazing so all of them are here? That's nice. It'll be good getting to spend more time with them.

[Truth be told, he rather liked spending time with the two Gusu Lan juniors and Jin Ling. Here there might be more time to spend with them]

I'm pleased you think so.

[ He replies, stepping into the apartment and closing the door behind him. Of course, he realizes the apartment is a reflection of their tastes, having furnished it together.

Once again, however, Lucifer doesn't remember. ]

I imagine you'll recognize the plants.

[ They're only young plants, full in leaves and little else, but he has no doubt that Lucifer will know primordial coffee seedlings for what they are. ]

Sex, you say... Could I research it on my own?

[He's curious, specially because it's something that shouldn't be shown to others it seems.]

[ Shino, who is often primed to take anything guys say as being a bit more pointed anyway... frowns. ]

No.

[ Then again, saying you're the living sheath for a demon sword that may be a god as well is a bit of a doozie even for the ones who know it's true. Besides, no one really understands what Murasame is. Not even Murasame! ]

That's just something he does for us. If I'm really doing all he work, then he's not manifested at all.

[ The bird blinks, looks at Shino's face, and says: ]

True.

[ In his usual curt, few word manner. His voice sounds rougher and lower than Shino's as a whole. ]

Can someone trick others into caring for them?

[He's heard of people trying to push others away, he's done it himself, but to get other to care?That's new.]

[The place feels comfortable, simple but accommodating, and Lucifer feels welcomed here.

As if Sandalphon knew he was coming.]

How did you get them?

[He walks towards one of the plants, touching one of the leafs, feeling the softness of it.]

That reminds me... I brought some beans with me, they should be with the person that helped me in, downstairs. Do you mind if I get them?

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▶ TDM .009

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i'll wait for Velvet forever!

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no worries!

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