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

[But Poe doesn't know just how horny on main Ranpo gets, yet.]
[It's too daunting to bring up how maybe they should talk out what just happened... So Poe just lets himself be helped up.]

Hm? I like the idea but you won't be able to watch any sort of mystery without guessing the plot thirty seconds in.

[That was the obvious choice but. Now there's a lil twinkle in his eye.]

...How do you feel about horror movies?

[VERY Christmas themed, yes.]

[Y E T . . .]

[But yes, let's just ignore the whole Poe-pinning-Ranpo-against-a-wall-and-also-eyefucking thing.]

You say that like I can't guess the plot of any movie I watch.

But a horror movie, huh? That's fine with me! They don't really have anything we'll recognize, but we can just pick one that looks good!

[This is a dangerous genre to just be picking at random?? But it's fine, ~~Netflix~~ Prisflix has lots to choose from!]

[Yeah, ok, guess they're going to be bros and hang out now instead. Very regular and ordinary day.]

That's fine by me. Maybe there will be something original finally! [There won't be.] ...At least maybe an interesting story...

[He looks in between his device, Ranpo, and the TV setup. This IS Ranpo's apartment. But Ranpo has been notoriously bad at working things and navigating in the past. So, Poe lands on the nearest couch to start up Prisflix. The menu is hovering over a psychological horror by the time he even remembers that food was the second part of the plan.]

[Meanwhile Ranpo is on his phone ordering them some takeout from PrismaEats, because apparently Poe gets no say in this. But it's fine, he knows his friend's taste!]

[Plus it's only fair, since he's letting Poe pick the movie and Ranpo's the one paying and all. ~~I can't believe Ranpo is Poe's sugardaddy rn~~]

Hmm, that one seems kinda interesting?

[Poe makes an affirmative noise and queues it up to play once Ranpo can settle in.]

[It's fine no matter what Ranpo orders since he's apparently... paying for it again. Something about this situation seems reversed. Poe settles further into the couch and hugs a pillow to his chest in place of Karl.]

The ratings were pretty good! It's ready whenever you are, Ranpo-kun.

[Since it's a Prismal movie there's naturally a romance subplot in there despite being psychological horror. It wasn't in the movie description though so how was he supposed to know? Still a bit naïve towards Prismatica bullshit. Hopefully the protagonists aren't also stupid but they probably will be.]

Yeah, I'm ready!

[And Ranpo, so used to cuddling during movies with just about anyone he watches them with, settles right next to Poe and rests his head in his shoulder before he even realizes what he's doing.]

[Heck]

[...]

...this is your cuddle tax to pay me back for lunch.

[A NICE SAVE]

[Poe stiffens as the unexpected weight settles into his side. He side-eyes Ranpo with a dubious look.]

I do owe you...

[It seems reasonable enough. The first 15 minutes of a horror flick usually reveal something that hints at the big reveal at the end. His competitive streak drives Poe to pay attention in the off chance he can solve it while Ranpo isn't paying attention.]

[Meanwhile, Ranpo--]

Ahh, it's so obvious his twin brother is the real killer... is this supposed to be tension? It just makes his girlfriend look stupid.

[--has no problem with just spoiling the movie right off the bat, having figured out the plot in the first five minutes.]

[Oh there it is. He both loves seeing it happen and hates going up against it.]
[Poe was the one distracted in the end. He didn't realize one of the characters would resemble Ranpo once he put the glasses on--]

Making the leads unaware is a narrative tool to keep the audience uneasy. But it's ineffectually used in most movies.

[Since it's spoiled already they may as well pick it apart. The first murder had just happened on screen even.]

The groundskeeper was a red herring- but doesn't the medium have to be in on it? There's a supernatural element involved after all.

Edited (oh I got accepted and immediately forgot how to grammar) 2019-12-17 19:41 (UTC)

[Ranpo shakes his head.]

The medium is a bait and switch -- to make you think it'll be something supernatural, but it's just mundane in the end.

[Kind of like Ranpo himself, actually.]

Ahh, see right there? The first time we saw the killer, he got blood on his face. Now this guy shows up, coming out of the bathroom with a hand on his cheek -- and they're really trying to make us think the killer's just been walking around with blood on his face up until now? He's at the mall!

Oh, that's disappointing.

[Conversationally, as if there being a lack of something even creepier is a loss.]

There's nothing on screen that suggests the killer would be at the mall. But it's to replace the sweater he was wearing in the opening sequence isn't it? The twin would notice it missing. It was probably a recent gift from him.

That's what they want us to think! But he's actually just buying a matching sweater -- ah, that's going to be the twist, by the way.

[The killer shown in all the scenes has been wearing a certain sweater to make it seem like it's obvious which twin is the killer. In reality, one is innocently planning to dress up exactly like the other as part of yet-unrevealed Christmas tradition.]

Ah, they're showing some things out of order, too... what a cheap story-telling mechanic. Why write good twists when you can just confuse the audience instead?

They could've gone with something else! The twins trope has been done plenty of times before. They should've made the girlfriend the initially unwilling culprit if they wanted that kind of impact.

[Poe is only passively paying attention at this point. The back and forth is way more gratifying. Some of that romance sub-plot is playing out on screen right now anyways.]

It's obvious that they didn't prioritize the writing in this one. Employing those unfair tactics makes it harder for the average audience to solve it right away.

[He did the same thing... but that... was for revenge... ok. Didn't need to be fair! Didn't even work!!]

Hmm... maybe having her fall for the killer would be more interesting? Instead of her just mistaking one for the--

[Ah yes, the romance sub-plot.]

[The one that earned this film an R rating.]

[With it's usually graphic sex scene.]

[Which, naturally, is on screen at this very moment.]

[...]

You know, another good plot twist would be if Yosano-san walked in right at this particular moment.

[TWO BROS, WATCHING PORN ON THE COUCH, 2 INCHES APART BECAUSE THEY ARE-- wait]

[Poe strangles the pillow he's still holding. He also takes this opportunity to look away from the screen and to the door just to check she isn't there.]
[Then he desperately tries for casual commentary but his ears are bright red.]

T-this is usually where t-the-the killer would come get one of them, but-...
Didn't you say she was at the clinic?!

[WOW! The actors went HAM with their volume in this scene. Poe almost gets drowned out.]

She is! But if I said that, and she ended up coming home early, it'd be a good plot twist, right?

Unless the real plot twist is that she's been reading in her bedroom the whole time.

[Who needs psychological horror movies when you have Ranpo??]

[All this time the final boss was Ranpo.]

[This sex scene is also lasting way longer than what he's used to. Poe will just turn all his attention onto Ranpo how about it.]

You did have me worried for a second... She wouldn't have waited so long to come out would she?

[DONT DO THIS. He doesn't know her well enough to actually know.]

Do you really think she'd come out after hearing you slam me up against a door earlier? This is probably just confirming what she thought we were doing in the first place.

[I can't believe Ranpo is out to kill Poe.]

But-! We're not-!

[Aaaaah he's yelling. Didn't let him forget about that for long didja? Poe is still feeling all kinds of... weird about it.]

[Accusingly:]

You're just teasing me.

Of course I am! Did it really take you until now to notice?

[He's so rude smh]

No! But I didn't know how far you'd take it. Are you really that bored with the movie?

[and Poe sadly is fond of this nasty little gremlin.]

Eh, the movie's all right. But talking to you is more fun!

[Seriously, he's out for blood rn]

[There's been one other time Ranpo has laid it on him (at all) like this so it's not entirely unprecedented BUT STILL... It's sad he feels pleased hearing such a mundane thing.]

Well, I think so too- The talking is more fun that is. Shouldn't it be a less absurd topic though?

[Misdirection attempt #1.]

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