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.

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[The trees stuck out because in this particular clearing there weren any others. Of course, he couldn't know they were grown by her.

Still, feeling tired was a sympton of low Chroma levels...besides she's new. It wouldn't be a surprise if she were lacking in Chroma.

So, very stiffly, he held out his hand for her.]

Take my hand. [He looks vaguely uncomfortable with this and the tips of his ears are faintly pink because.....she's a woman. This is highly improper on so many levels but there's nothing to do about it!]>/small> It will help.

[Persephone isn't one to say no to a little handholding. Its such an innocent act to her and one that brings a great deal of comfort to her in stressful situations. And this situation? It's certainly stressful as indicated by the growth of her hair. It looks like a pink river puddling around her and the tree.

She smiles softly and takes the offered hand, eyes widening as a strange sensation comes over her. It's warm and comforting, like a hug but somehow better? She can even feel a bit of energy coming back to her.]

That does feel a little better. [She responds, her voice soft as she relaxes against the tree.] Thank you, but how?

It's nothing.

[He insists like it's important that no one thinks he's kind...for some reason.

But he relaxes when she says it makes her feel better. So his assumption hadn't been wrong.]

It's called moonlacing. This world runs on an energy known as Chroma. While we're here, we also need it in our daily lives, especially for those of us who have special powers. To generate Chroma we have to engage in...physical touch. Different sorts of contact generate different amounts of Chroma. You will learn more about it later.

[The whole explanation is pretty seriously delivered! Except through out the whole thing his ears are still flushed red in embarrassment.]

It's not nothing if it helps. [Too late, she's thinking him to be quite kind of helping her in this situation.

Generating energy through physical contact is an interesting concept. She's not sure she can quite get her head around the logistics of it but it seems like some kind of magic. The kind that Eros and Aphrodite would love.

His reddened ears don't go unnoticed by Persephone and she can't help but chuckle softly.]

Thank you again for this.

I just happened to pass through this place.

[He says...as if it's normal for people to just happen to stroll through the wilderness...on the moon. (It's even more ridiculous considering that he actually hates travelling to the moon because he's afraid of heights.)]

Besides...I'm a part of the Moonknights. Helping find newcomers is part of my duties.

[And Gu Yun, that jerk, had gone off in his stupid flying armour and left him to explain to people what's going on!

He definitely glares when she laughs. But...well. It's better than crying or fear...though he'd never admit it.]

Can you walk?

Oh. [Her voice is quiet as she begins gathering up her hair. Though she pauses and looks back to him with a bright smile.]

Well, I'm glad you did. Pass through here that is.

[Once she has all her hair gathered up she moves to rise.] I think I have enough energy to do that now.

[...that's a lot of hair. He'd thought so even before he had to watch her gathering it up. He was used to dealing with long hair, of course. Apart from monks, most people didn't cut their hair but this length was...something else.

He pressed his mouth into a severe line.]

Turn around. Let's do something about your hair first. [Pause.] It'd be annoying if it got caught on something. [Just in case anyone misunderstands why he's making that offer!]

[The mention of doing something about her hair she straightens up.]

Actually, if you have a blade we could just cut it off. It doesn't need to be neat or anything... I can, um, control the growth. [And then a bit quietly.] Except when I'm stressed.

[He'd, of course, heard that last part. A benefit of being a cultivator is that his senses are exceptionally honed, after all.

And, really, he can't fault her for being stressed...but since he wasn't sure how to offer comforting words he chooses to pretend he hadn't heard instead.]

I don't have one that's suitable. [Since he does have a sword but it's full of killing intent. Also he's a bit worried about summoning Huaisha after seeing how much Chroma Jiuge consumed...

There's a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision and he reached out to catch a falling leaf between his fingers. Hm.]

How short should I cut it?

[He doesn't say anything like, 'I might have an idea' because that seems like a waste of time and breath.]

Oh... [She deflates a little before she begins to attempt working her hair into a braid. She only stops when he asks how short he should cut it. She blinks at him before giving a little shrug.]

As short as you feel comfortable going with it. It's okay if its a little messy.

[...what does his comfort have to do with this?

He looks confused (and a little annoyed) for a moment before he decides that it doesn't matter anyway. He looks at her hair for a moment, before reaching for a spot that would leave it at about waist length.

Then, the leaf in his hand glowed with a golden light briefly as he let some spiritual energy pour into it, honing its edge. It was a rather showy if not very complicated cultivation trick. But it'll serve its purpose.]

Don't move. [And that's all he says before he starts cutting her hair. Despite her telling him it could be messy he takes his time to make sure it's even...of course, that means he goes painfully slow until he's cut it all down to what he feels is a very manageable length.]

[She's simply trying to ease any nerve he might have about cutting someone else's hair. She knows not everyone is so comfortable just lopping someone's hair off.

She does as he says, sitting still as a statue while he cuts away her hair. As each strand falls away it dissolves into a shower of pink petals.

Once he's done she runs her fingers through her hair to get a feel for the length. It's longer than she'd like but it's manageable. She works quickly at splitting her hair into two parts and pulling it up into buns, little flowery vines grow around the base of each to hold them in places.]

Thank you. [She smiles brightly at him.]

[He lets the leaf go when he's satisfied.

The hair disappearing into petals...he didn't want to say she wasn't human since all sorts of powers existed across different. Still, it was different.

His expression remains pretty unchanged though, beyond a flicker of that interest in the way his eyes lingered on where her hair fell and where the vines grew and held her hair up, curious.

That was, until she smiled at him and thanked him. He looked surprised before he turns his head away. His expression is annoyed but there's the faintest blush of red at the tips of his ears, embarrassed.]

Stop thanking me for things. [Then, still in a scolding tone.] And don't waste Chroma frivolously.

[...says the person who used Chroma to sharpen that leaf into a blade.]

[He's not wrong about her not being humans. She isn't even mortal, though she cares a great deal about them.

Her smile doesn't fade, his bashfulness is cute and somewhat amusing. It makes her feel the urge to poke a little fun at him but she holds back. Best to not upset someone just after arriving.]

But you've been so helpful, it's only polite.

[Her smile drops a little when he scolds her. She lowers her head a little, fingers twisting together.] But if holding hands can replenish it, it'll okay, right?

[Well, it's not like he's human either though he doesn't...know that he isn't.]

You're mistaken.

[He's the opposite of helpful!!

He didn't feel guilty about making that smile drop...yet, when it does his annoyance is inexplicably expelled.

He frowned, then sighed.]

...running out of Chroma could lead to many problems. You have to be careful to manage your Chroma levels.

[He holds out his hand for her again.] Let's go.

[Her eyes narrow at him when he says she's mistaken but she decides to let it drop. For now.

Okay. [There's a little bit a pout as she takes his hand again. She doesn't see how it could be such an issue if everyone needs to do it.

Now on her feet and ready to follow him to where ever it is they're going.]

As long as you know.

[It's an issue because he has intimacy issues coupled with weapons that consume Chroma like crazy.

He leads her through the wilderness! He's not much for small talk but he's actually really, really interested in magic and spells and...everything like that. It was mostly limited to cultivation back in his world but that's because it's all there is.

Now his interest has expanded.]

How did you do that with your hair?

[The quiet is a little discomforting to Persephone but she's finding herself at a lack of things to ramble about. Luckily he asks his question when he does.]

Oh, um, I'm sort of a goddess of spring. [Not just sort of or a but that's not important right now. Though that answer probably doesn't explain a great deal.]

[He doesn't question it. Everyone comes from vastly different places. Even if it's different from what he knows it doesn't mean it isn't true.

So when he looks at her, there isn't a hint of disbelief in his expression. Just curiosity.]

How did you become a goddess of spring?

I was born to be such. My mother is the Goddess of Harvest, Demeter. [There's a pause before she realizes they haven't properly introduced themselves to each other.]

Oh! I'm Persephone by the way. And, erm, I'm not a goddess of spring but the Goddess of Spring. I'm just an amateur goddess tho. I barely know the extent of my powers.

[Hm.]

That's not quite how it works where I'm from. Those of Tian Yin Tower have divine blood but gods aren't born into their positions like that.

[How interesting!]

Chu Wanning of SiSheng Peak. [Simple, short...and basically missing every other bit of information.] Everyone begins as an amateur. [It's nothing strange.] Is your mother teaching you to use your powers?

I don't think all of us born from the current gods are destined to be the same. My mother is just... She groomed me to be such. [Groomed her to be a goddess. Groomed her to be part of an order where she's meant to remain a virgin. Groomed her to one day take over her business.

There's been a lot of pressure put on Persephone to be perfect.]

She was. I've recently moved to Olympus to attend school and -- well, not that my mother would approve -- but get to the know the other gods.

[She smiles.] Chu Wanning it's nice to meet you.

[He considers all that for a moment.]

Is that what you want to do?

[Because...it was important, for a student to be able to choose their own path.

...he's not even going to touch on the 'nice to meet you' part. Though he seemed surprised to hear it for a moment.]

I don't think I have a lot of choice as mortals already worship me.

[They'd chosen her name, the one she uses now. And last time she interacted with any form of mortal they'd begged her to bless their lands with an abundant harvest. To make their daughters fertile. Hades was right, there was some things she needed to speak to her mother about.

If she notices his surprise she says nothing of it. She was being polite, though he seems nice enough that she can't see a reason to not think it's nice to meet him.]

How do the gods gain their position where you're from?

[He can understand that but...]

Whether or not you do something about it is one thing. What you think about it is another matter. At least, you should be able to be honest about your feelings,.

[It was important, he felt.]

Most gods were originally mortals who had ascended, usually by completing some sort of tribulation. From there, what sort of god they become depends on what they'd done during their mortal life. Many people practice cultivation for the sake of one day ascending to godhood.

[The last part is said rather disdainfully.]

There are also the members of TianYin Tower. Most of them carry divine blood in them. They act as the arbitrators of justice.

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ragingnature - 2019-12-22 15:24 (UTC) - Expand

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