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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm not going to apologise for them being ugly! If they want an apology for how weird they look they can go ask God.

[ That would be a really metal thing to say in any situation that isn't this one. As it is, wailing in a field of rainbow dick pumpkins kind of takes away from the effect. ]

Or their parents, for giving them those looks in the first place-

[ WAIT NO, 'looking exactly like ones parents' is a bad topic to touch on when Trish's shield of usually-unbreakable high self-esteem is compromised. Oh god. Oh god. The waterworks increase. ]

-Oh god, they look like their parents. They probably have to look in the mirror every day and see-

[ Whatever she was going to say is muffled because she picks up one of the hugbugs and starts crying into it. It's not very absorbent, so tears just dribble down its belly. But that's- kind of a hug? Things might start improving???? ]

[ Sure, but there's a good chance she's going to charge him someway, somehow for it since he's not one of the cute Prismal kids she's taken to fishing out on occasion, not that she doesn't realize this when she goes to grip that grabbing hand of his. Her grip is firm, perhaps noticeably restrained should he be the perceptive sort, and rooted so as to prevent him from dragging her along with him should the vacuum kick up. That's an equally measured tug being implemented by five feet, two inches of hooded someone in possession of the sort of strength one wouldn't normally attribute to someone of her size and stature, but then, what's 'normal' about this situation? There's a guy stuck in a giant tube and -- well, there's a half human, half night sparrow youkai attempting to disregard the disgrace that is the cat ears and tail presently functionally attached to her body and do a man a chargeable solid.

At least she's not trying to throw him? She might even be tugging with the intent to place him neatly on his feet. Maybe. She's putting a good bit of energy into making sure the hoodie's hood stays over her stupid ears and her tail stays tucked in her pants even with that tug. ]

Come now. You aren't a leaf.

[Honestly, Atsushi could relate, at least about the pining for discounted candy. He tried not to splurge on sweets too much, even if he liked them, but with this sort of discount...

He's so distracted doing mental math to calculate how much he could reasonably spend and near-drooling over the candy display that he doesn't even notice Lovecraft at first. When someone reaches for his hand he takes it without a glance at first, used to people doing this to make up the chroma difference by now.]

Ah sure, I could use the-- Eh?!

[Wait a second. His head turns so fast as he recognizes that voice that he might give himself whiplash.]

A-Aren't you the... with the guild?!

[ Cue a very confused looking little princess, who is... likely standing there, watching this destruction with a rather concerned expression. For all the destruction happening, she's a bit calm (though whether it's because she's seen this before, isn't scared at all or just frozen in shock remains to be seen).

His yelling is also a bit unsettling, but he might just really be upset... so she gives him a small pass for it. She's hard to miss, a splash of reds across the cooler shades of the building, and she lifts a hand curiously to under her chin before watching him when he steps out. ]

Forgive me... you seem troubled. I-Is there something I could assist with instead?

[ Just so he doesn't keep breaking and throwing things!! She probably looks as befuddled as him, even if she's been here a while... ]

[despite appearances, wei wuxian knows how to pay attention. he didn't come by jiang fengmian's good will just because of his sad origins, after all - he did the legwork expected of someone who's been welcomed into the sect, never mind the clan itself, and wei wuxian had excelled with equal measures of gratitude and precociousness.

so when lan sizhui's face journey takes him to a hundred places in the span of three heartbeats, wei wuxian understands that there's a lot more to what the gusu lan disciple isn't saying. it's a little worrisome, but he figures there's time for it later.

timing is everything, for some things.

that being said, lan sizhui's statements and enumeration paint a distressing picture. wei wuxian frowns, as he touches his finger to the side of his nose, tapping gently against the bridge.]

So we're in a place much further than beyond the oceans and seas, where cultivators from other worlds are also present. And from different times— Ah, I assume that's been tested, too? Controlling life and death, that's within the realm of possibility where cultivation is concerned, but to control time—

[wei wuxian's frown deepens, before smoothing out into a smile. though wei wuxian's thoughts are rushing at a great speed, the thought of his friends and family being here reassures him.]

Let's pore over those thoughts later, Lan Sizhui. Do you know where Lan Zhan is staying? Or A-Cheng? If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like to see them.

—Wait, Huaisang is Sect Leader? Has something happened to Master Mingjue? Ah, this is one of those time-related affairs, isn't it?

[wei wuxian covers his face with one hand, then. this really is a lot to take in in a single sitting. or standing, as it were.]

The Young Master Jin, it wouldn't be Jin Zixuan, would it?

[and et cetera, indeed.

wei wuxian looks between the young woman and the control panel, thoughts running a mile per minute. she must know what it does, then, or at least understands its arcane commands. wei wuxian can feel his heart leap just from thinking about it - can the panel be controlled without touching it? what powers it? who invented this device, and can it be learned both in theory and in practice?

his curious mind is excited beyond words.

but first - manners.]

It's an honor to make your acquaintance, Lady Kozukata. [her name, while distinctly different from the conventions that wei wuxian is familiar with, is at least familiar in tone. he hopes his assumptions about her name order is correct, or he'd have likely offended her. ah! he keeps thinking faster than he himself can keep up.] Would it trouble you to teach me how to use the... control panel, correct? I'd like to learn how it works. Is it possible to build my own? Is there a scholar that teaches its precepts and philosophies? And what is it made of, I'm—

Speaking so much. I'm just so curious about this! [wei wuxian presses one of the buttons on the panel, dimming the lights.] It controls the light, and so quickly, too! It's wonderful!

[wei wuxian's getting worried about the growing crowd, as well. is this normal for this place? would animals flocking in considerable numbers a thing that happens here? he looks around with no small amount of wariness, as an owl - an owl! that bird eats rabbits!!! - perches on a nearby branch abovehead.]

I'm feeling rather disturbed by this growing flock of birds, Nam Seon-ho, I won't lie to you.

Do you... Do you have any idea what's attracting them to us? Is it an amulet, perhaps?

[in fact, wei wuxian starts patting himself down, just to see if anything's been slipped into his clothes. so far, nothing feels displaced, or replaced, but he wouldn't be able to tell unless he stripped down to his bare skin and turned his clothes inside out. doing so right now would be indecent, on the other hand.

wei wuxian picks up the other bunnies, and, holding them close to his chest, gestures at nam seon-ho to follow him.]

Maybe if we moved from this spot they'll leave us alone.

[ It's... complicated. But once all is said and done, the number of people of equal or greater importance to Sizhui than Wei Wuxian can be numbered on the fingers of one hand. To face him when he doesn't know so much of what is to come... it is not easy. ]

It may be not only beyond the oceans and seas. It might be beyond the stars, since I don't think there is a place in our world that can have three moons, or change people as the moons here do.

[ Sizhui shakes his head and smiles. ] You will see for yourself. And yes, I can take you to Second Master Lan - he adopted me when I was very young, so naturally in this place I live where he does. And Sect Leader Jiang does not live too far. Sect Leader Nie's older brother suffered a qi deviation around... ten years ago for me. Although... I am not sure it has been that long for Sect Leader Nie.

Young Master Wei... in both homes, there will be someone that you will meet that will make you feel complicated. Are you sure would not rather meet at least Second Master Lan on your own, first? Oh, and Sect Leader Jiang was gifted a puppy for his birthday.

[ In one house, there is the Senior Wei who has been here for months. In the other, there is Jin Ling, not to mention Sect Leader Jiang's well-known attitude towards Senior Wei... ]

[ in spite of himself, he goes weak with relief, helpless and grateful. at least if martin's going mad, jon's here with him. jon, his.. he's not sure. it's not as if they've had time to discuss it, what with the end of the world happening and all. ]

It's me. Are you okay?

Everyone's so old... How old is Lan Zhan now? How old are you?

[it feels a little like a riddle, wei wuxian thinks. two houses, each with a complication, each with a motivating factor also. does one choose a smooth rock or a blunt knife, in search for a wound that might answer one's questions? wei wuxian, for a heartbeat, is uncharacteristically quiet.]

I'd like to meet A-Cheng first. [much as wei wuxian would love to meet with lan zhan immediately, at this point of their friendship the trappings of etiquette and respect still wins out, and wei wuxian owes it to his brother to attend to his house first before anything else. he desperately wishes for yanli-jie to be present, to hold her and cheng close to him and ground himself in this strange reality, but there has been no mention of her.

she must still be back home, wei wuxian thinks with no small amount of relief. his disappointment reassures him; if she's not here, then she must be safe. nowhere else is safer for her than in master jiang fengmian's home, after all.

wei wuxian smiles brightly at lan sizhui, even if it doesn't quite meet his eyes entirely. what kind of complications await him? how bad has things turned out?]

A-Cheng with a puppy - I'd love to see that. He must have frowned himself to wrinkles before the day was done.

Oh god, Martin! You're here.

I'm fine. I mean, this place is generally annoying but-

How are you?

[ martin blinks when a stranger joins him, turning his head to look at him. for a moment, he doesn't have the energy for his usual behavior.. but as always, he musters it from somewhere and sits up, offering a small, apologetic smile. ]

Oh, um, no. I'm okay. Sorry, did I--? The door was unlocked and there was no name or anything so I wasn't, uh, sure.

[ and he'd needed a few private minutes just to.. deal. ]

If it's at all my decision, I don't intend to go far from you ever again. [ oh, that was.. bold of him. but it's true, isn't it? everything he's done for years has been for jon.

'generally annoying,' though.. it sounds as if jon's familiar with this place? ]

I'm okay, I guess. It's nice having a breather from the apocalypse, if that's what this is. Where are you? I didn't see you during that mess when I woke up.

[they're definitely a sight for anyone unfortunate enough to be passing by; despite the extremely benign expression on Styx's face they probably look like they're a few moments away from throwing these tables over and beating everyone with their own knitting needles.]

Yeah, right? Dunno what the needles've got to do with all that shit. [he chuckles] Be a big knot by the end if I ever gave it a go.

[but that was fine, just as he didn't mind hearing the other boy talking about his father. his own empty apartment at home, void of items as it was, did have a tendency to get pretty drafty despite the functioning heat system. he could definitely see where the guy was coming from.]

'm Styx! Guess I'm still pretty new? I dunno how long anybody's been here, so...

[he gives a bit of a lopsided shrug as he trails off, shoving another cookie into his mouth. it's a great disguise for his idiocy, he's found.]

Figured it can't hurt to try and see everything, you know?

Don't intend to- But you-

[But Martin has barely spoken to him in months, even if he ignores the time spent here and it isn't that he objects and then he reads on and-]

Apocalypse? Martin, what's going on?

No, never mind. Where are you?

[ something is definitely not adding up. martin stares down at the response uncertainly. jon should know, unless he's had some kind of break from reality. but that's not the way jon responds to trauma. honestly, that's not how either of them respond to trauma. so if neither of them's going mad, then.. what. ]

I was brought to an apartment building. I'm told it's where all new arrivals wind up. I'm on the fifth floor.

Right. I will come and find you. I think I know which building new people are being sent to this time.

Give me... fifteen minutes?

[ Oh my....such anger.

Rosetta is but a mere bystander some five feet away, watching curiously as this (rather attractive) man channels his inner anger and flings that poor doll as far away as possible, whereupon it bounces sadly on the ground a few times before getting sucked up by a vacuum tube. RIP doll.

But never fear, it'll be ba(h)ck.

Once it vanishes from sight, she takes it as her cue to lightly step up towards him, a polite smile on her face and her hands clasped behind her back. ]

Do you really dislike dolls that much?

[ Please don't mind the fact that she is 1) showing off a lot of leg, 2) has bare shoulders, and 3) the cut of her dress is, ahem, extremely low. ]

I'm not hitting you, you're getting in the way of my hands!

[ Geez, just stop getting punched and this wouldn't be a problem! Why is this so hard? It's only when Narancia lets go of the tube that she succeeds in getting a hit in on this inanimate object that's all around her, and it's entirely because she slams against the wall.

Which then inflates, so they're stuck in the air in an expending bubble full of leaves and trash. ]

Yeah, me. So, you know. A - Get better at dodging. B - Do you know where this thing goes? Because I really don't feel like going to an incinerator. B part 2 - Ew. [ She pulls a banana peel off her head as she says that one. ] C - Hello I guess?

[ WHAT DO YOU EVEN SAY TO DEAD PEOPLE WHEN YOU SEE THEM? Whatever she's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Sometimes you just find dead people in trash tubes and it's great don't question it. ]

Yes, of course. I'll wait for you outside the door. Be careful.

[ true to his word, martin is lingering anxiously outside the door of a flat on the fifth floor. he looks, well.. like himself, in worn jeans and converse, and a squashy, comfortable looking jumper.

curiously, the ever-present feeling of the lonely is all but absent, only a faint whiff of it remaining around him.

when he spots jon, for a moment he's frozen, brown eyes going wide.. and then he's practically flinging himself at the other man, hands fisting in his shirt and face mashed to his shoulder. ] Thank God you're okay!

Uh- yeah. Obviously. And hmm, something without mushrooms. Maybe fish.

[ She considers what kind of food she wants to mooch before considering Mista further. Because of course she does. Then looks at his hands around her arms. ]

Does this count? Do I get money from this?

To be fair, I didn't know one had to put their name on the door. I am at fault as much as you are, if not more.

[wei wuxian holds out his hand to the other, offering his help in standing if the man were so inclined towards it.]

You might like to lie down on one of the beds instead; the floor can't be comfortable.

I'm Wei Wuxian, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you!

[Jon speeds over as quickly as he can and stops dead when he sees Martin. It is him. And he feels such a wash of relief that he barely has time to process it before Martin launches himself at him, and he's got his arms full of him and it's so unfamiliar he doesn't know what to do at first. It leaves him tense and only slowly able to relax and wrap his arms around him.]

Martin- I'm- I'm fine. Are you-

[He gives a strained little laugh.]

It's good to see you.

[He would have been crushed if he were a normal human. When she came careening out of the transport tube his instincts were first to take over with his conscious decisions following shortly after. He had to be very careful with his movements else the nice groceries he purchased would suffer a terrible fall, and that would be a real tragedy.

The world seemed to slowdown as she fell towards him and his decision was to give the bag a gentle toss, not too high but just enough so he can move. Next he spread his arms, one hand higher than the other to guide him so he can properly catch her. Next was to estimate where his bag would land and how fast, though given the situation he'd have her catch that for him. Best compromise in this case.

By the time she's any wiser Litchi would find herself in a princess carry, her rescuer still looking up and taking a step back.]

Hands out please! Groceries incoming!

[ Aymeric, too, had found himself at the same door; and with relief found at least a familiar-seeming person also considering the entryway to what were to be their quarters. The heavy pauldrons of his ceremonial armor cast an imposing shadow, and so he was careful to keep his smoothly patrician voice companionable. ]

In Ishgard, there is an old fable told to children, warning of such situations as this.

Great gifts always have a price. Always.

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Page 23 of 219

▶ TDM .009

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1B

Whip It (A)

i don't think i'm ready ahaha oh no

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nooobody is ready also I AM SORRY EVERYONE IS A WALKING SPOILER

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it's okay, i've been reading a few chapters ahead bit by bit, i am not a very patient reader haha

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strap in cause it's only gonna get softer from here

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DOLLS...creepy creepy dolls....

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C - NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY (Also, LITCHIIIIIIIIII)

A)