▶ TDM .009

[prismods]

Now whip it

navigation ⬤ faq ⬤ reserves ⬤ world ⬤ moonblessings

"Devo - Whip It (Video)" (Watch on YouTube)

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.

Comments

Arrival

[sizhui]

[ Sizhui does his best to go and help new arrivals. It doesn't happen every month, but he tries.

So here he is when he hears the swish of robes, turning to see if there is someone who might need his kind of knowledge... and he stills. ]

S...Song Daozhang?

[ What is... when is he from... oh dear. ]

[mysophobe]

(( Unfortunately, though Song Lan recognizes the young man as one of the juniors in Yi City, proper introductions had never been made. By the time everything came to its conclusion, everyone was sad and tired. And Song Lan wasn't able to speak. Now, he looks more than a little harried. Not only did he arrive here without Shuanghua, he discovered shortly after that the qiankun pouch containing the remnants of Xiao Xingchen's spirit.

A wave of relief washes over him seeing a familiar figure. Even if he didn't know Sizhui by name, he recognizes the Gusu Lan robes. He lifts his arms in a polite, formal salute, bowing gently. ))

Yes, I am he. Forgive me, I do not know your name.

[sizhui]

[ Sizhui cups his hands in a greeting immediately. ]

Lan Yuan, courtesy name Sizhui, Daozhang.

I... I am sorry for the forwardness, Daozhang, but what is the last thing that you remember, before arriving here?

[mysophobe]

(( The odd question makes him wonder... could it be that people can arrive from different points in time. Well, if they could come from different places, why not different times?

Song Lan lifts a hand to his chest, fingers curling lightly in the fabric where a certain spirit-trapping pouch should have been. ))

I had left Yi City to travel with Shuanghua and Xingchen...

[sizhui]

[ Oh.

That is...

That startles Sizhui. Mostly because Song Daozhang can speak, all things considered. But... it's not a bad kind of surprise. He nods, slowly, his face turning serious. ]

Song Daozhang, this...

Xiao Daozhang is here. He... I think he is from before you reached Yi City. Certainly from before he found out everything.

[ There are more words he needs to add, but this is already a big enough shock. ]

[mysophobe]

(( Everything in his face screams surprise. An odd mix of shock and pure hope shines in the eyes that haven’t always been his. Long fingers clench in the fabric of his robes without reservation. Xiao Xingchen… alive and in this strange place. Even Song Lan can’t name what he feels at that news. Elated, nervous, guilty… A little of them all at once. ))

Xiao Xingchen… he is here?

[sizhui]

Yes, Daozhang. Right now, he is not doing too well, because he found out that all that time, it had been Xue Yang, but he hasn't attempted... [ Sizhui's fingers touch his own throat, and he makes a sad face, just a little. ]

He is safe and not alone, in Hanguang-Jun and Senior Wei's home.

[mysophobe]

(( The mere mention of Xue Yang is enough to make anger flash in his eyes. It's fleeting, lived only as long as it takes for the name to be uttered and forgotten. That man hurt so many, cost Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen so much... How could he have anything but animosity in his heard toward Xue Yang?

But upon hearing of Xiao Xingchen's state, worry forms a tight know in his chest. Hanguang-jun and Senior Wei, those are names he recognizes. It was they who freed him from bondage to Xue Yang in the end. Song Lan is relieved Xiao Xingchen isn't alone, but with kind and just people. Still... ))

Do you think he would see me?

[sizhui]

[ Sizhui's lips thin a little, because that is the kind of phrasing he would have expected from Senior Wei, who can't take anything seriously unless people's lives were at stake, and even then only sometimes, but he does realize Song Daozhang did not mean it as a jest. ]

I... do not know why he would not accept talking with you. But I can ask.

[mysophobe]

(( Song Lan is quick to cup his hands and bow deeply in gratitude. ))

I would be much obliged, Lan Sizhui.

[sizhui]

Of course. [ Sizhui watches him for a moment, then bows just as deeply. ] Please be careful with him, Daozhang.

This way.

[mysophobe]

(( He nods his head in silence, following the young man in white to where Xiao Xingchen is. His heart raced the entire time, pounding so hard he thought Lan Sizhui could hear it, too. It's been such a long time and, Zichen thought he would never be able to heal the wounds he inflicted in a moment of pain. After all, Xingchen died in front of him. But now... It's kismet, this second chance. ))

[sizhui]

Daozhang, this might be a good way to show you how to use the communicator, no? It is sometimes necessary and often a good thing to know how to.

Since I will be making a call to Xiao Daozhang, you can see how it is done.

A lot of people use text, writing messages - usually short ones - but since he would have to use the text-to-speech function to know what it is, calling him with my voice will be easier.

[mysophobe]

(( Song Lan nods, eyes wide and fixed on the strange device. This junior disciple seems at ease with it leaving Zichen to surmise he's been here for some time. Perhaps Xiao Xingchen has been, too. It's a strange thought, but this is a strange place. ))

How long have you been here?

[sizhui]

A...round four months. Senior Wei had been here first. When I came, it was at the same time as some others, including Hanguang-Jun. Xiao Daozhang came about two months later, I think, along with others of my peers who were at Yi City, and Mr. Wen. Wen Ning.

[mysophobe]

I understand.

(( Yes, four months is probably long enough to acclimate oneself to a place to a degree. ))

I thank you for all your help. This kindness will not be forgotten.

[sizhui]

Please don't worry about that, Daozhang. I could do nothing less.

[ He means that, too. He's not doing it to incur gratitude or favors or anything of the sort. It's just that leaving people in pain...

Honestly, neither of the men who raised him ever could do that, and he's not very different. ]

[mysophobe]

(( After a moment of hesitance, Song Lan softly asks: ))

Will I be able to hear him? Through that?

(( He gestures to the communicator. ))

[sizhui]

... yes, Daozhang, I will make it so you can, right now, and then I will teach you how to do it yourself.

It is useful, to be able to talk with people from a distance.

[mysophobe]

Thank you.

(( He pauses a beat, then adds: ))

I will stay quiet.

(( Lest he upset Xingchen.

He gives a quiet nod to indicate that he's ready and watches Sizhui intently. ))

[sizhui]

[ Sizhui nods, then shows the exact steps needed to make the call. ]

[mysophobe]

(( Song Lan listens silently as Sizhui speaks to his estranged friend. Are they still friends, he wonders. After all he said, could things ever be like they were before? Ah, but if Xingchen could just hear him out… he would not ask for more.

At the sound of Xingchen’s voice, tears well in his eyes. He sounds… tired. World-weary. Before Baixue Temple was massacred, that was Zichen’s biggest fear: that Xingchen would see the ugliness of the world and regret leaving the perfection of his master’s mountain. That his idealism would be worn down by the messiness of the world.

He listens silently, heart racing and breathless at the same time. The long silence leaves his heart pounding in his ears and a thousand butterflies fluttering in his stomach. The sound that came after broke his heart. Song Lan covers his mouth to keep from making a sound.

Will you bring him here? That’s all it takes for the wetness welling in his eyes to spill over his cheeks. Once the call is disconnected, he looks to Sizhui, eager through the tears. Xingchen wants to talk with him! Xingchen is willing to hear his apologies! Truly, he promises to the heavens, he would not ask more than that.

Song Lan nods. ))

Please lead me to him.

[sizhui]

[ Oh. Sizhui averts his eyes to give Song Daozhang the privacy of his tears, though he does touch his sleeved arm gently, briefly, in attempt he knows will not succeed - there are wounds he can't even reach, let alone soothe, much as he might try. ]

Of course. This way.