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

Oh, I see...

[Vigilantes... she had heard some people here and there since she began her journey talk about justice, but coming as she did from a more rural village far from the centralized government of the shogunate... most justice she knew was more "vigilante" than it was organized...

A second too late, however, she realizes that she sort of just "oh, I see"'d the fact that he was raised an assassin. And that's definitely not "oh, I see" material. Pulling a bit of a double take, she stares back (and slightly down) at him with a rapid series of blinks, struggling for words.]

I mean- Not "I see"... I don't see... Because we just met...

[He said "raised an assassin" not "that I am an assassin", so... Probably alright? He didn't really give off a scary assassin vibe... you'd probably know that sort of thing if you felt it, right?]

[ six's ears turn towards her, and then his gaze follows, head titled slightly to the side. he would almost come across as curious if it weren't for the fact that he's just... staring back at her too. he's all but stopped moving ahead too, waiting for her to start moving again before he does.

(it's not like he has any idea where they're going anyway...) ]

I can clarify anything, if you want.

[ the only parts he has to keep a secret are anything regarding the specifics of the eternals' missions, so... ]

[She's really glad he has ears. She can't decide if they remind her more of a cat's or a fox's, but they're super helpful in her attempts to read his body language, a task hobbled greatly by... the scary looking metal mask he wears on his face. Still, she thinks he isn't offended... so,]

Are you... still an assassin now?

[Konoh can't help but start there, as simple as it was. As much as she thinks, a second later, that an active assassin probably wouldn't just admit to being one??? Jeez-]

No.

[ comes the swift answer, with barely any hesitation. she's staring at him right now so that's the perfect excuse to stare right back. it's easy enough to tell who's about to win this staring contest! (not that he's trying, or whatever...) ]

Is that concerning?

[ listen. when you've lived your entire life as a fighter, these types of things become more normalized as time passes. ]

[Phew! He says "no" and she looks a bit relieved almost immediately, followed then immediately by... a bit of embarrassment for being so obviously relieved. Honestly, she was easy to read from a mile away.]

Oh, no, just... I wouldn't know how to explain to my parents how became friends with an assassin. Or my husband, either, haha...

[Is she already calling this relationship a friendship? Maybe.]

Was it... I guess it was really strict growing up like that, though... right?

[She's imagining... something like a ninja's upbringing?]

[ underneath the mask, six must look so ridiculous; he's blinking wildly out of surprise over what she just said. friends. she'd mentioned becoming friends— but that can't be right, there's no way someone like him is worthy of that. if only she can see the look on his face, because he's thinking hard about what this could mean, but then again, maybe his prolonged silence is a good enough indicator.

in the end, he doesn't even address it. his gaze is now averted, finding the nearest wall infinitely more interesting. ]

It was isolating.

[ everyone who's ever heard of the karm clan would know; it's no secret, so he sees no point in holding back. the way he speaks makes it all seem so normal despite how terrible it is. ]

I was able to learn all of my clan's techniques when I was young, but I... They didn't approve of how strong I was.

["Isolating", he says, and Konoha's brow furrows a bit in sympathetic reaction, because that sounded like an even stronger word than "lonely". To her, anyway. Not that she imagined "raised as an assassin" to be anything sunny, but...]

What do you mean they didn't like how strong you were? Isn't being strong a good thing?

[She certainly wasn't. Not in that way, at any rate, in the way of warriors and fighting. Didn't regret being weak... But she knew that was a luxury not afforded to everyone.

Probably not to people raised as assassins, for sure.]

[ six falls silent yet again as he contemplates his answer. this time, his gaze is diverted to the ground, as if it holds the key to stringing words together. it doesn't at all, but he doesn't keep his eyes away from it. when he finally speaks, his voice just sounds so far away— ]

I'm not quite certain. I was never given the chance to ask.

[ not even his own father's journal holds the answer to that, no matter how many times he read it over and over. ]

They simply called me a monster and left it at that. [ ... ] I suppose it does not matter so much anymore. It's all in the past, after all.

[He says it so matter-of-factly that Konoha doesn't quite feel like they're even talking about such a serious topic, her brow still furrowed slightly as she looks for... everything but his facial expression in attempt to read where she should and should not tread.]

Well... I don't want to slander someone I don't know by calling them a liar or anything, but...

[But her gaze falls to the cup of half-eaten mousse. Parents were supposed to love their children, and protect them... To hold them, just like the babe in her part of the Firialia vision, and keep them safe. Raise them right... not into assassins who thought they might be monsters. Mind made up, she finally points to the cup as evidence.]

But this said you want to protect people... and "monsters" don't do stuff like that, so... You're probably just really strong!

[ his gaze follows hers until it settles back on the half-eaten mousse, remembering the way it revealed his innermost desire out in the open. it was the same wish he made when his comrades asked why he sought out strength, why he wanted to become so powerful that he would be strong enough to take down nine others who were on the same level as he is— all because he wanted to protect the ones who trusted him enough to see past the darkness, the guilt, and the regret.

konoha is right here telling him the same thing, and maybe, just maybe, one day he'll start believing it. ]

You may be right, perhaps. It is not the first time I have been told the same thing.

[ even so, the past is still a part of him, and when it's so deeply engraved into his own soul, it's not so easy to shake it off entirely. ]

Regardless, we should get back to the task at hand.

[ he doesn't mean to change the topic so quickly, but it's not like he really knows what to say anymore. still, he no longer sounds as lost as he did just a few moments ago, feeling lighter compared to almost suffocating under the weight of his own thoughts. ]

[Konoha might have already called them "friends", but she's not that naive. They had just met, so she's glad to hear that she wasn't the first person to say so. Not only because that would be sad, but. Because it was better to hear from people you knew longer, trusted more.

But at the very least... his voice sounded a little different. That's a start!]

Ehe, sorry- I'm such a busybody, everyone says so...

[She gets it from her mother. Well, adopted mother, but it was basically the same when she had no memory of her actual parents, an armless broodmare and an escaped stud dead before she was old enough to remember anything but snatches of sound and impression of warmth.]

Do you remember what the person who gave this to you looked like? Some of the Prismal people have kind of distinctive markings, like when people get the moonblessings...

[He was new, wasn't he? Or- newish?]

Which one of those are you? Do you know?

[ six could only shake his head. ]

No need. The sentiment is... appreciated.

[ it's hard to say that with a lot of conviction, but it's close enough for it to count. this will likely be a concept he'll struggle with for quite some time so at least he's lucky to have enough busybodies in his life. the skies know he certainly needs them. ]

As for the one who passed it on to me, I recall they have ears like mine but dipped in black. [ the rest of the features he describes seems like it belongs to someone with a cordis moonblessing! anything else he remembers are things like clothes, distinct markings - like a mole underneath their eye, etcetera. ] I am not so sure there is a way to find out what moonblessing I am just yet.

[ he's heard about them— from the scientists, mostly. ]

Unless I am just unaware of it—?

[It's not the most solid "the sentiment is appreciated" that she's ever heard, but Konoha will take it! She's not terribly hard to please, anyway, and so she nods at his description, squinting to look about through the crowds.]

Okay, so... nice ears with black tips... and a mole... and maybe they're Cordis or just a native...

[Repeating the description like a mantra, she clops her way around the square, prattling along the way.]

Oh, if you're new new then yeah, there's no way to really know... Until you just suddenly know because the moon is out and you change.

[She can't help but kick her back legs a little bit at the reminder, tail whipping beneath her "skirt".]

My coat turns all doe-colored... and once, my hooves even got split...

[Judging by the shudder... that was a very weird sensation.]

[ this is probably a futile affair, looking for the one who gave him the mug, but he thinks it's worth giving it a good attempt at least once. he scans the surrounding crowd for the one he's looking for, if only because he knows he will recognize the person right away.

so far, nothing's come up yet. ]

... I see. So it's one of those things where I will have to experience it myself to know. [ troublesome, but not the end of the world.

he does, however, see her reaction when she remembers her own experiences. ] "Once"? Are the transformations not consistent?

[ wait a minute. ]

Yeah, unfortunately...

[Konoha hasn't seen this exact person, yet, but... she feels like there may be more cups in this area of the crowd? Maybe they were getting closer to where they were handing them out... ?]

The change isn't always the same... I thought it would be, but some months it's worse and some months it's better... But not for everyone! I know some people who say theirs is the same is the same always, but... some change a lot...

[Her expression all but says "I know, it's awfully confusing, I'm sorry", even as she scratches self-consciously behind an ear.]

I even heard sometimes people change moonblessings, like from Sanguis to Iris, or Cordis to Sanguis...

[ the crowd seems a lot more lively now that they've conquered some distance, and he notices the same thing she does: there are more cups around here. he scans the area for anyone that fits his memory of who gave him the mug— black-tipped ears... black-tipped ears... his own ears perk up when he sees someone up ahead, crowded by festival-goers who just want more of the sweet drink.

not that he changes the course of their conversation, not yet, but he still starts guiding them over where they need to go. ]

So it cannot be prepared for. [ if the only consistent thing is when it happens, then that doesn't really bring him much comfort. ] You've given me more information than I've received from the scientists, so it's helpful regardless.

[ and appreciated, but instead of saying that out loud, he reaches for the mug in her hands. ]

I can take it back. [ quietly: ] Thank you.

[She knows it isn't the best news she's delivering, that it was difficult to plan for the moonblessings that had the potential to have such a huge affect on their lives here. Still... She'd been so lost with all the jargon and explanations the scientists had thrown at her upon arrival that she thought hearing it more in a more relatable way would help, so...

She did her best.

There's a moment when he reaches for the cup that she almost demurs, says something about sticking with the task until the end, but. Thank you, he says. And she knows that tone well, so with a little blink...]

Alright...

[The cup is surrendered to his hands instead, and she gives a little smile and a wave to send him off on the last leg of their strange quest.]

You're welcome, Six!

[... She'll just have to check up on him later.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

▶ TDM .010

the same way he's so edgelord, bless

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