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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

—Where are my manners!

[ wei wuxian bows to lan sizhui, sincere dismay on his face over his lack of decorum. it's one thing to be so casual with lan zhan, but it's another thing to be so with a relative stranger, especially one who's his junior and from a well-respected sect. he still represents the yunmeng jiang sect, in name if not in blood. ]

Wei Ying, by the name Wei Wuxian. Though you already knew that... ah, I don't think we met during the lectures, I would've remembered if we were in the same class.

Do you know where we are, exactly?

[ L-lectures.

Sizhui knows that people come from different times. He knows some of the differences might be very large, even. But... it seems that this... that this Wei Wuxian is about his age. And that sounds wrong.

He manages a smile, and shakes his head. ]

I am sorry, Se-- Young Master Wei. This place is very different and very far from the Cloud Recesses, from any place that knows about the Cloud Recesses, though there are some people here who are from our world. And there are cultivators from other worlds, too. It also - the moons bring people from different times. When I come from, it has been twenty years since you attended lectures with Shifu.

[ So...rry. But hiding it will not make this any easier on Senior Wei. ]

A lot of people might recognize you, because of that, even if you do not know them. From those you would know, there is Ha-- Second Master Lan, as well as, [ he swallows, trying to mentally shift to proper references. ] Your shidi, who is Sect Leader, and, and. Sect Leader Nie, Nie Huaisang. And young master Jin.

[ Jin Zixuan. Jin Ling's brother.

He should probably mention about Jin Ling. Maybe. There are so many things he should mention. But this is probably already A Lot. ]

[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?

[ 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... ]

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.

[ Sizhui... blinks slightly at that response. He is aware just how much terror and courage it cost Senior Wei to bring that tiny puppy to Sect Leader Jiang's house, so I'd love to see that is. Very strange. Even very strange for a Wei Wuxian, and that is saying something...

Still. He shakes his head. ]

From what I have been told, he enjoys it very much. But yes, Young Master Wei, I can take you there, so long as you are certain.

[ Sizhui has never met Jiang Yanli, though this place makes it not impossible that he might. Most of his contact with her has been through her son. Who is the complicated person in Sect Leader Jiang's house. ]

Did they show you how to use your communicator? You do need to mind your Chroma levels, so if you have questions about that, I will do my best to answer. Oh! And I am sixteen, and Second Master Lan is in mid-thirties, I believe.

[ It's impolite to ask, gossiping is not allowed in the Cloud Recesses, and, honestly, for all that Hangunag-Jun is his father, his exact age is... none of Sizhui's business? ]

[there's no need to explain it to everyone else, wei wuxian realizes, least of all to someone who's essentially a stranger to him at this point and time, but the fact remains as such: in making his own son give his dogs away for wei ying when he was adopted, master jiang fengmian gave wei ying a debt to jiang cheng that he has yet to repay. jiang cheng is of jiang fengmian's blood; wei ying is not. to choose the needs of another family's child over his own must have earned wei ying no small amount of resentment from both the lady yu and their trueborn son.

and it's true, to a point. the lady yu has made her points about wei ying and jiang cheng differing in skills, even when they were children, proclaimed loudly in the presence of family. wei ying hasn't forgotten. master jiang could have easily let wei ying be raised as one of the disciples, instead of raising him as his adopted son along with his children.

so if jiang cheng now has a dog, in a household that is to his name, then wei wuxian will accept and face it. even if his heart beats ever steadily harsher in his chest at the thought of facing a dog. it's a small dog, right? he can stand up against his fear for as long as it takes to make his salutations to his brother, surely. he can do as much. to ask jiang cheng to hide his own pet in his own home would not only be the height of disrespect, but a mark of careless disregard for a familial debt owed since they were children.]

Ah! I haven't tried it yet, though I've been shown how to turn it on and off? [wei wuxian demonstrates, as well.] I think the better statement would be what I don't have questions about - it would be such a short list.

[at the mention of lan zhan's age, however--]

That's a lot older than I am. He must be so wise now. Ah, I'm so tempted to run around and find him now! He must know so much now, I'll have to do my best to keep up.

[ Perhaps... but Sizhui has witnessed how Senior Wei is around Jin Ling's dog, the chonky, soft, smart Fairy, and he also knows the debt towards his nephew...

All the same. It is not his place to question, even if he may wonder. And he won't comment on it, anyway.

For the moment, Sizhui nods his head even as he motions them to get started in the direction of Sect Leader Jiang's home. ]

That is useful, but being depleted of Chroma is dangerous - perhaps lethally so, if I understand this place correctly. And while we have our spiritual energy intact, when we use spiritual energy, it burns Chroma, as well, and Chroma can only be restored by moonlacing.

I think Peak Lord Shen, Shen Qingqiu... ah, the one who has been here longer, can tell you about it more. He was very serious about it, and I think he lost somebody dear to Chroma deprivation.

At least moonlacing is nice and can be done slightly depending on people's tastes, though if H-- if Second Master Lan were here on his own, I would have been worried, with his dislike for touch generally.

[moonlacing - he remembers being told about it, when he'd asked his questions during the physical examination conducted on him. the people were nice, though wei wuxian understood so little of what they were saying, in equal parts because of disorientation and a distinct lack of context.

thanks to lan sizhui's explanation, some of the phrases now make sense. he'd been wondering about moonlacing, and from the sound of things it's a different philosophy on harnessing a specific type of qi - like passing through a sieve where there were none before. if he could further understand its intricacies, then he could develop new spells founded in its principles, maybe even a new school of cultivation that marries what he knows and what this world knows - the possibilities are limitless.]

If it pleases, I'd like to speak with him sometime. I'm interested in learning more about this place.

[...hey, wait. he's piecing together the implications of that statement.]

Say, Lan Sizhui, are you saying that Hanguang-Jun has a partner?

Yes, of course. Learning is good thing. And I can show you what it is like, moonlacing, because - it's always a good thing, to have Chroma stored up, in case of emergency.

Young Master Wei, about that...

[ As far as Sizhui knows, Hanguang-Jun did not acquire that title until the Sunshot Campaign, but if it is known, that will make it easier. Just a little. Not much.

And the next part. He can avoid the topic for now, but what good would that do? Wei Wuxian has always been brilliant and curious, and hiding things for him can't end too well. ]

When I said earlier that in each house, there is someone who will make you feel complicated...

Hanguang-Jun does have a partner. It is you - an older you.

Senior Wei has been here for longer than any of the rest of us from our world.

[ wei wuxian's instinct is to laugh. it's disrespectful to laugh at a peer, even one's junior, so early into their association - and yet wei wuxian can't help the short huff of incredulous laughter that bubbles out of him.

the look of seriousness on the young man's face dispels his doubts about the sincerity behind the statement. it's not a lie - what is there to be gained in lying about this.

but of all the things wei wuxian's encountered here thus far, this is the most difficult to understand. ]

A man can't be in two places at once. That's— the level of cultivation required of it would be—

[ wei wuxian puts his hand to his forehead, eyes closed, brow furrowed. to transmute spirits into energy is one thing, but for two beings to exist in the same space is to create something out of nothing, thus breaking the main foundation of transmutation. the cost of doing such would be too much, even by wei wuxian's own measure.

what kind of place is this? ]

You have me at a loss for words, Lan Sizhui.

That... is why I was so surprised to see you just now, Young Master Wei. Though this place is already far too confusing.

This is why I suggested that I call Hanguang-Jun away so you do not have to face the entire household just yet.

[ A beat, and then Sizhui decides that maybe a change of topic is better. Just until the information is processed. ]

Young Master Wei, did they tell you about how important moonlacing is? Especially for those of us who can use more than just physical powers?

[ wei wuxian is quietly grateful for the respite, breathing a sigh of relief discreetly when lan sizhui delicately changes the subject. he's a true lan, wei wuxian thinks; he has the well-known elegance of their speech. ]

I've been told that it's important, but not the nuances of its importance. What does moonlacing entail?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

▶ TDM .009

i'm playing from ep 10 of cql, but i'm at ch24 on the novel, PLEASE BE GENTLE WITH ME

I REALIZED I HAD BETTER ASK oh you have a wild ride ahead of you, both show and novel

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

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

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

you are lucky the translation is complete... WAITING for a week for a single chapter was fun.

oh man that's rough

We live in better times.

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