▶ TDM .010

[prismods]

to someone special

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"Wham! - Last Christmas (Official 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 accidentally swallow the worm at the bottom of my tequila? — 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.

▶ I Heat Up, I Can’t Cool Down
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  After settling into your apartment, you notice a shiny silver indestructible mechanoid cube with a pair of tiny stag horns attached to it. The card attached says that it’s a gift from the Lunatian government. One touch of the cube makes it hover in place, light up brightly, and play the classic hit Last Firalia by Blam! on repeat. By the 7th listen, you get hot under your collar, beads of sweat forming on your temples and rolling down your neck, and your breath grows labored. By the 17th listen, you’re all but ready to burst into flames — a stark contrast to the plummeting temperature outdoors.

A bit of vigorous moonlacing should keep you from growing too hot and bothered indoors. Or you could simply decide to chuck the cube out the window and let it be someone else’s problem. That won't really stop it, though. The music only stops once the cube picks up enough Chroma in the atmosphere generated via moonlacing, so go forth, and spread the Firialia lust, love, and cheer!

▶ It’s the Moose Wonderful Time of the Year
City of Lunatia | top

In the city of Lunatia, the streets are emblazoned with beautiful antler decorations, gleaming gold and silver along every walkway. Snowflake holograms appear on shop fronts to announce their annual Firialia sales, and Prismals are all rushing to buy gifts and make preparations for the upcoming holiday.

According to legend, on one incredibly harsh winter, ancient Prismals were downtrodden and on the verge of starvation when the majestic stag king of the forest, Firi, emerged from his humble kingdom to bring them warm clothing, blankets, and gifts for surviving the biting cold. It is said that his spirit remains on the land even after the Calamity, appearing every winter solstice to bless the Prismals for the new year ahead. Every year, Prismals mount festive wreaths on their door, decorated with stag horns in Firi's honor, and exchange gifts to invite the benevolent spirit of Firi into their homes.

 A  Hanging fake deer antlers is a strong Firialia tradition that has endured for centuries — a success that can be attributed to its magical effects, which often compels two people caught beneath to share a bit of Firialia spirit with one another. One can find these trinkets everywhere, decorating even the most secluded of spaces. The antlers come in three colors:

RED: Causes a dangerous but intense feeling of desire to embrace the person you're with! You will want to roughly pin the closest person to you on a flat surface, passionately kiss, and/or aggressively hold hands.

BLUE: Causes people to want to kiss until they’re out of breath, hands liberally moving across each other’s body, and the errant temptation to go further, but no taking any clothes off in public or the Moon Knights will get you! You’ll simply be eager to tease and kiss beyond the lips and have difficulty feeling sated.

PURPLE: Causes people to want to caress each other's faces affectionately, steal soft kisses, and/or tenderly lace their fingers together. They may also feel compelled to offer up some sweet whispers and compliments!

 B  To combat the cool weather, Prismals will also be handing out cups of warm chocolate moose mousse. This light and creamy dessert is prepared in enchanted moose-shaped cups with a pair of festive graham cookie antlers poking out of it. Prismal traditions include taking a bite and passing it to your neighbor, enabling you to get a glimpse of one another’s Firialia wishlists left unspoken. Fancy a new fishing rod this holiday? Or perhaps that saucy leather subligar you’ve been eyeing since your arrival? The words and images that make up your list appear before whoever eats your mousse, so who knows? Maybe you might get it this Firilia...

▶ Are You Not Entertained?
Level 1, PrismaPlace | top

After the long wait and preparations, the League Match Action Online (LmaO) preliminary qualification rounds are now underway at the gaming hub in PrismaPlace in Level 1, as the city will be hosting the LmaO Grand Championship next month. Moonblessed old and new are welcome to take the game for a test drive and participate!

The award-winning VR MOBA boasts amazingly seamless first-person view graphics and a real-time combat mode almost as authentic as real life and guaranteed to wow and amaze. Players can explore and immerse themselves in the fantasy world of LmaO, where they can create their own avatars and either fight with or against players from Lunatia and the Kingdom of Lyestellus for glory and loot!

In co-op mode, you will be battling a selection of huge beasts chosen at random. The most notorious among them is Ogma the Dread Ogre, who has high defense and pesky unavoidable attacks. PVP mode pits you against other players, and getting KO’d three times in a row or having your base captured is a loss for you and your team. Fun mode featuring mini-games such as virtual basketball, rhythm step action, beat sword, and many more. Winning any of these modes nets you loads of in-game gold that can be used to buy aesthetic skins, cute in-game pets, fun game emotes, furniture for your in-game house, or weapon and skill upgrades to make you stronger for the next round!

Event emcees will be recruiting anyone passing by for the preliminaries and showing them into fully-equipped private rooms for teams of two to eight players. Each player will be given virtual headsets and tight suits for immersion and communication. Prismal players may be recruited with Moonblessed teams if necessary.

 A  The scenario for the preliminaries is a majestic coliseum filled with gladiators of all ages and species. In LmaO, weapon choices are currently limited to any melee and ranged weapons you'd find in an ambitious fantasy RPG setting (read: you can find dual swords and grimoires but also gunblades), including an elemental magic system of water, fire, wind, earth, dark and light. Choose your weapon and, with your team, fight for the top spot!

As you begin to battle, you notice that the more you get hit, the more your physical body shows visceral reactions to the attacks. Outside of the game, you lose balance. Bruises appear out of nowhere and mar on your skin. You earn minor abrasions and bleed. It’s possible to feel the sweat or saliva of other players or bots, the sensation of their virtual hands grappling you, or their teeth sinking into your shoulder as they bite. It's a new, tantalizing world of virtual stimulation.

 B  For those of you more interested in the glamour aspects of LmaO, you are welcome to compete against other players in either the in-game or a real glam-a-thon. Festive LmaO cosplayers will be scattered around the venue, dressed in colorful costumes of characters from the game, such as the ridiculously cool cyborg Kenji and the flirty immortal fox mage Yeri. As for the in-game contestants, they are located on a bright sparkling stage. Large monitors at PrismaPlace can be seen livestreaming everything.

Some of the many competitors are dressed in colorful gear, including stylish himations, risque chitons, and a bevy of glittery, neon gladiator sandals. Challenge other players to a fashion walk-off on the raised catwalk. Score high enough on either contests, and you will win an ultra-rare Firialia plump moose mount in-game. You are welcome to invite others on a scenic moose ride after as the plump moose very slowly waddles across the virtual snowfields and exhibits its adorable built-in feature where it decides to take a nap every few minutes.

▶ 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

[lotus_of_rage]

[Competitive with yourself was probably only something that happened here. And as much as Jiang Cheng would deny he wouldn't feel the exact same thing if the situation had been reversed, he probably would have. But yes, that means you too, young Jiang Cheng, can also master that weird communicator device]

As far as I know, they seem to be no closer to sending us home, but others keep arriving. There are a number from our world. Wei WuXian also has a double here, one older and one younger. There are also two more duplicates if I have been keeping track correctly. We also have both Twin Jades of Lan. Nie HuaiSang and Jin ZiXuan. Wen Ning - I would advise against randomly going after him though. [He remembered how he had been at that time. All Wens were evil. Now he had found out more]

There are also a number of juniors who have either not been born or are very young from your time, two Lans, one from Baling Ouyang, and one... from Lanling Jin.

[Since there really is no hiding Jin Ling and their relationship to each other...]

Do not be surprised if the disciple from Lanling Jin calls you by a familial title. Uncle.

[He had promised not to tell, but that was inevitably going to be spoiled in some way at some point. Besides, in the sea of things he'd count as having gone wrong in his life, Jin Ling was not one of those]

[consignation]

[ It takes a minute for Jiang Cheng to connect all the dots. He doesn't get all of them, skips a few, gets a few wrong entirely, but at the news that there's a young Jin out there calling him uncle, he gets the broad strokes of it in awful, stark clarity. Groaning, he reaches up to cradle his face against the oncoming headache. ]

Please, please tell me you're trying to tell me Wei Wuxian married one of the Jin bastards and that's how we have a Jin for a nephew.

[ Even though his opinion of Jin Zixuan has improved immensely over the last few months, that's a far cry from finding him good enough for his sister, especially after all she's already been through. ]

[lotus_of_rage]

[That was the wrong response to that. The look he fixed his younger self with certainly should say that. He began to tap his fingers against his arm, arms still crossed]

No. It was not Wei WuXian. He may be a fancy peacock, but Jin ZiXuan does love our sister and their son.

[Can he use present tense? Yes, because ZiXuan is here and alive. He will likely find out about Yanli as well, but again, not the time for that.

While he had always thought ZiXuan was not good enough for their sister, he had - in the end - loved her and she loved him. He would respect the feelings they'd had despite his own thoughts on it]

And I wouldn't go calling our nephew a "Jin bastard". Jin Ling may behave like a spoiled maiden at times, but he is a good kid and an exceptional disciple. He's as much a part of Yunmeng Jiang as he is Lanling Jin.

[Heck, if Yanli had married into any family except Lanling Jin and the same thing had happened, he probably would be Yunmeng Jiang if Jiang Cheng had his way. As it was, he did his best to train Jin Ling since Jin Guangyao spent more time spoiling him.

Also don't tell Ling he said all that]

[consignation]

What? [ Jiang Cheng's expression sours at the accusation, getting way more information about this apparent nephew of his than he ever wanted. He supposes a bad attitude was inevitable between Jin Zixuan's haughtiness and Yanli's gentle indulgence. Poor thing never stood a chance there.

If only the kid had anyone but Jin Guangshan for a grandparent. But that's not what has him balking, nose wrinkling at his other self's assessment of him. ]

Why would I call our own blood a bastard? I meant Jin Guangshan's litter of— [ He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. It's not worth it. He's not even going to humor the idea Yanli would have anyone's child without marrying them first, wants to believe that even if for some reason she'd gotten into that sort of trouble, even in the absence of their mother he would've marched up to Jin Zixuan himself and wrapped Zidian around his balls until the man wed his sister. ]

Even if he's the worst gremlin child I've ever laid eyes on, that's never stopped us from caring about Wei Wuxian.

Huh.

It's almost like you don't know me.

[lotus_of_rage]

[No actually he did know him. It's the problem that his younger self didn't know he went immediately to the defensive when it came to his nephew. There were reasons, but again, to tell him meant bursting the bubble of obliviousness that they all should have had.

He was far more protective than any uncle should have to be, but it was necessary.

The comment comparing WuXian to a gremlin did get a faint scoff... almost a laugh. He remembered that time so long ago.

But he decided the best course of action was-]

What were you yelling about? Where were you trying to go?

[consignation]

[ Realizing his outburst was overheard by none other than he himself, he flushes hotly with embarrassment. Coughing into his sleeve, he glances away, trying to find a way to word his answer that doesn't just make him sound worse. But there's not much salvaging the situation, and... it's his older self, so it's not like the other man doesn't remember what he was like at this age.

Sighing, he brings a hand up to rub at his forehead. ]

Nowhere, I was just... trying to get my bearings around here. Figure out where things are, how to get to them. Instead I've been lost for hours.

[lotus_of_rage]

[Yep, he remembered how he was. He also knew that he had sworn at the device a few times when he first arrived. He knew swearing at it didn't work but made one feel better]

I can show you around then. Give you at least some idea of where things are.

The technology here takes some getting used to. Once you do, they are more convenient than at home.

[consignation]

[ Swearing does do wonders for morale, they're at least still in agreement there. ]

Is that fine? I'd hate to— [ Jiang Cheng frowns, brow creasing as he thinks about what even means to impose on, essentially, yourself. He sighs, feeling a headache coming on. ]

...if you have time, I'd be grateful. Er... What should we call each other?

[lotus_of_rage]

[It certainly does. Even if it didn't help the situation, it made one feel better]

I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't.

[It's true. If it had been a waste of his time, he wouldn't have offered]

Hmm... that is a good question. [What did they call each other. He silently debated for a moment before answering] What about shige for both of us? Since by the nature of it, we are both of the same sect.

[Yes, he had said he wasn't going to call his younger self "shidi"]

[consignation]

[ That's... pretty smart, actually. Jiang Cheng's a little cranky he didn't come up with it first. He thinks it'd make perfect sense for him to be the shidi since he's both younger and more inexperienced of the two of them, but like hell he's going to make an argument about it when his older self is being so generous. ]

Shige it is, then. [ He offers a quick bow, as one would be expected to give their senior sworn brother. ]

[lotus_of_rage]

[Yes, it did make perfect sense, but at the same time, by the weird twist this place put on things as well, he was also sect leader of Yunmeng Jiang. There was really no good answer to it, so that answer had worked for him. And if the younger wasn't going to argue (which would have been silly for him to do so) then they would leave it at that.

He didn't bow back, but gave a nod in response. Still his prerogative being older]

Now that that is settled, I can show you around. What do you need find first?