prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .010

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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 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Monsters? [That causes her to pause. The other stuff had been mentioned, though not particularly explained in any manner that she felt helpful.]

Ah, um, right! [She turns and leads the way back to her room. It's hard to tell if she's currently the only inhabitant or if she does have a roommate that's as new as her. The room is as one would expect to find a newly moved into apartment, no personal touches around.]

Or dangerous wildlife.

[She shrugs. They certainly look more monstrous than the wildlife kept in preserves in the city, but for communities reliant on Chroma, maybe they simply didn't want to keep creatures that so ravenously devour it.]

There were large flying jelllyfish that could shock people...like an eel. They also would attach to people and try to drain their Chroma. They weren't too difficult to fight. Just numerous.

[She can't even recall how many of the things she cut apart.]

The Queen who sent them was defeated, though, so I doubt they'll be a problem.

Oh.

[She tries to imagine such things as she moves over to the couch, settling on it.]

That sounds pretty scary and probably harder to deal with than some stuff back home.

[Kagura takes a seat beside her on the couch, unsure if she should be the one to start hugging first.

After a moment's hesitation, she wraps her arms around Persephone, if only to make the music and the body temperature annoyances subside faster. That's why they're here, after all.]

I've dealt with scarier things than those. Those were more annoying than anything.

[She won't admit it, but she did feel some fear - not for herself, but for the safety of the people she's befriended here.]

What was it like in your home?

[ Persephone isn't exactly shy about hugging and cuddling, though she does wait for Kagura to get comfortable before curling in against the other woman. The contact certainly helps to quiet the music box a bit more. ]

Oh? [ She has a hard time imagining what kind of dangers there could be. Back home she'd heard and read stories of frightening beasts but never experienced anything until she began her internship in the Underworld. ]

It depends on where you are. I grew up in the mortal realm where it's warm and plenty of nature around. But recently I've moved to Olympus which is a lot like this place with towering buildings and technology. The Underworld is connected to Olympus so it's much the same but really cold.

[It's obvious that Persephone wasn't human just by her appearance and scent, but one phrase in that catches her attention.]

Where I live, mortals and youkai live in the same world...although youkai can survive conditions that mortals cannot.

[Like the poisonous miasma around Naraku's castle. She'd lived in that place with no ill effect, but it not only killed the mortals - it was corrosive enough to reduce them to skeletons in a matter of weeks.]

I'm not sure what youkai are. Are they like gods? [ The ability to survive things that mortals are incapable of sounds like these youkai might be something similar to gods. ]

Somewhat. Some youkai certainly have power people would compare to that of gods, and youkai can live to be thousands of years old.

[Really, it all depends on the gods in question versus the youkai in question.]

I have power over the wind. The strongest youkai I know wields a sword that can bring people who have been slain back to life. Generally, most stronger youkai look somewhat human, whereas the weaker ones have a more monstrous appearance.

I see. I can control the growth of plants. [ It's only fair to share, right?

Her eyes widen a little when Kagura mentions the sword. Such a thing sounded completely unnatural. ]

A sword that can bring back the dead? That sounds strange and like something Hades wouldn't want in the hands of any mortal.

He's neither mortal, nor the sort who would be irresponsible with that power. Although he's a kinder person than he seems like when one first meets him, he's not the sort who feels compelled to save everyone. Or even most people.

[She smiles a little. Despite her description, there's some fondness there.]

The one who wants to save everyone is his loud and rude younger brother, whose sword possesses considerable destructive power.

[She pauses for a moment.]

Who is Hades?

I see. [ She can't help the soft chuckle that escapes her at the description of the younger brother. She wonders what it's like to have siblings. If she had one would they be the complete opposite of her? ]

Huh? Hades? [ Her cheeks darken as her fingers find the hem of her shirt, folding it and tugging on it. The previous heat had receded thanks to their cuddling helping to quiet the music box but she feels a sudden flush come over her. ]

He's, um, King of the Underworld and the God of the Dead and Wealth. And more recently my boss while I'm working as an intern in the Underworld. He's really nice despite everyone thinking he's scary because of the whole God of the Dead thing. [ And she has a massive crush on him. ]

What is an intern? Is that a word on your world for someone who tends gardens?

[Guess who's never heard that term in her life? This lady.

Oh, but she didn't miss that flushing, and can't help but tease a little.]

I take it that he's rather handsome, too?

No, no. An intern is someone who is an unpaid trainee at a business, like a, um, apprentice. [ Though Hades is paying her. ]

Oh, um. [ Is it possible for her to turn even pinker because she certainly is. ] Yes.

Oh, I see.

[Which makes her wonder.]

Why are you working in an apprenticeship under the God of the Dead and Wealth if your power is to make things grow?

[And thus the teasing continues, because she can't think of a reason why that would appeal to someone whose powers seem so contrary to the Underworld.]

Is it because you get to spend more time with him that way?

I-I didn't pick the job! [ Look at her, getting all flustered. ]

Hera decided it for me. And she's the Queen of Olympus so I couldn't really argue it.

[Even while hugging, Kagura can't help the hearty chuckle that escapes her.]

Maybe she thought it would be a good challenge for developing your powers.

[And more teasingly, she adds]

Or perhaps she figured out your interest in Hades and thought she was doing you a favour.

[ Persephone ducks her head, her face practically glowing. ]

Sh-she knows I'm part of the Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood and that Hades is already with someone.

Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood? What happens if you're part of that group and then you fall in love with someone who wants to be with you in return?

[She supposes eternal maidenhood could suit some people. Some people simply don't feel that kind of attraction. But Persephone clearly does. It seems like a bad fit to her.]

That's not an option?

[ She shrugs because she's not really sure. It's been repeated time and again they're never meant to be with men once they join the group. That once you're in that's it. ]

I haven't been properly inducted yet so...technically... [ Technically she could still get out of it but her mother would be furious and she would be out a scholarship. ]

I think you should avoid being inducted. Eternal maidenhood is all well and good for someone who only feels platonic love for others.

[In fact, if there were a male equivalent, she knows someone who'd be a good candidate.]

But you...you clearly do feel more than that, and even if you cannot be with Hades, you could feel that way about someone else one day. Or maybe his relationship with the other person will end. Are they married, or just...dating?

[Dating is a weird word for her, even though she's had months to get used to the concept.]

Perhaps but... [ She trials off, sucking in a breath. So many people would be disappointed in her. ]

I've been groomed for it since I was fourteen. I'm not sure if it's what I want or if it's something I've been told I want so often that I'm just going with it. I mean, maybe it would be better to just swear off such relationships? They seem to be quite messy.

[ But a part of her agrees with Kagura, it's not for her. She's gone behind her mother's back and done things that were certainly unbefitting of a member of the group. And all her interactions with Hades have been so intense without ever crossing the line. ]

They're dating. But it's serious enough that they've announced it as being official.

If people are telling you that you want it instead of letting you make up your own mind, that's all the more reason to avoid being inducted until you are sure.

[She's got some very strong opinions about freedom and letting people make their own choices.]

Suppose Hades wasn't dating anyone at all, and suppose he showed interest in dating you. How would that affect your decision?

Yeah... [ She knows Kagura is right about that but it's never been easy for her to go against what her mother has planned for. ]

I... [ There she goes practically glowing as she blushes. She covers her face with both hands, feeling incredibly hot all over again. The thought of Hades actually wanting her is almost too much to bear. After a moment she lowers her hands. ]

My mother wouldn't approve... But if it didn't matter I wouldn't join.

Your mother isn't the one who has to live with this choice. If you don't want to join, then don't.

[She has no idea what Persephone's mother is like, and can only hope for the goddess that her mother is far more merciful than Naraku.]

Has she ever said why she wants you to join that group?

[ Persephone remains quiet for a few moments, in the silence it's obvious that the musicbox has finally stopped playing it's terrible song. ]

No, she hasn't. [ And some recent revolation have left Persephone with even more questions than she had before. ]

▶ TDM .010

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I am so sorry for how late I am

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