prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .011

Entry tags:

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. After an hour or two of wandering through the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. Because of the strange phenomena 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? — 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. You will then be escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the Iris moon and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as the local Prismals.

The next destination: Prismatica.

▶ There and Back Again
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 As a Remooning gift from the Lunar Scientia Headquarters, the dedicated team from the Amphoria Room has released their latest perfected technology: Amphoria Pods. These VR Pods, which can fit up to four people at a time, have been set up in the gaming hub within Level 1’s PrismaPlace. They allow users to upload sceneries of their world in order to create a realistic holographic landscape of their homes that others can access and play around with, granting everyone the means to relive past memories with their loved ones as well as interact with the bestiary of other worlds. The pods also use the same technology that enhanced the popular virtual game, League Match Action Online (LmaO), which means you’re liable to feel the chill of cold environments, the burning heat from boiling water, the hard slap of your ex-lover, or the biting sting of a stray wasp. All who use the Amphoria Pods for the first time this year will also receive a small amount of Chroma in case things get too real.

▶ God Save Us from the Queen
Level 1, PrismaPlace and Level 2, Greatmoon Groves | top

The first month of the year is packed with two of the most important winter events this season: Queen Elara’s birthday and the League Match Action Online (LmaO) PVP semi-finals. It just so happens that the Queen of Lunatia is also a huge LmaO fan. Coincidence? Definitely not! LmaO players and royal family fans alike can meet her at PrismaPlace, where she will be appearing in cosplay of her favorite hero, Ah-Kari, while holding a body pillow of Commander GareBear. You, too, can get an autograph or selfie with the birthday girl if you’re willing to fall in line! Her bodyguards will also be in LmaO cosplay, keeping the crowd under control during the long wait.

Queen Elara

Good day to you all! This may come as a surprise to our guests the Moonblessed, but I am a normal person despite my exalted position. Please do not think of me today as Queen Elara. Instead... my name is Ah-Kari, sorceress of the crystal! With my soul fan blades, through the darkness, I shall slice all who dare hurt my commander in twain!

But when she is not meeting and greeting...

Queen Elara

My comrades, we're going to make history today. We're going for a new record. Perhaps the highest kill counts or the fastest clear for this map — it matters not. We’ve practiced day and night for this tournament, so let us show everyone that we’re not to be taken lightly! Also, the livestream is going in the royal archive, so make your successors proud!!

... she will be furiously grinding her character and training her skills in LmaO in the hopes of qualifying for the finals. Spectators will see her bring her own team full of hapless palace attendants who are there to either serve as her practice match partners or provide support to the one-woman army that is Queen Elara.

PrismaPlace is packed with giant crowds, many of them also in cosplay. While the semi-finals are taking place, new and old LmaO players alike can participate in the game’s current campaign: players who form teams get an improved chance of spawning unique monsters as well as winning rare items and skins in those prized lootboxes! Teams can also try to clear the event’s story together, featuring an aerial battle fought on griffin-back, which is heavily inspired by the popular Lunatian epic, The Battle of Abraxas, a colorful and complex story about the conflict between two families fighting over the fictional land of griffins, Abraxas.

A Progression in the event requires acquiring a griffin mount and getting it ready for battle. You can lure a wild one to yourself with a special veggie pie on a fishing pole. Should the griffin reject the lure, your character will be caught in a wind gaol and can only break out with the help of other players. Should you succeed, raising the griffin is a tedious task that involves players training alongside their respective griffins, running laps with them, taking them to hunt monsters, and feeding them properly. Depending on their diet, the food you give them will affect the color of its plumage and their battle stats.

Or you can skip the hard work and simply moonlace with your teammates through all the progression bars and required materials to save time. Once finished, you’ll be able to battle one another through the thunderous aerial domain of Abraxas. Clearing the event will net you an event-exclusive skin inspired by the royal family’s shining celestial robes and a weapon skin of a body pillow with your favorite character, so do your best!

B In celebration of Queen Elara’s birthday, the office of the royal household is hosting a modest tea party in the Greatmoon Groves. Swiffy bots that are normally programmed to remind visitors to keep the groves clean are now playing a birthday jingle on repeat. For people who prefer to be away from the blinding neon lights and the thumping techno music of PrismaPlace, this is the ideal escape. Unlimited tea and cookies are being served!

The tea is a soft-colored lilac concoction made from Ehrysian tea leaves that are known to cause a huge spike of alertness and is popular to Moon Knights and office workers with long night shifts as well as gamers for those all-night grinding sessions. The assorted cookies have either Ah-Kari or Commander GareBear printed on them. In case it isn't obvious yet, both are the birthday girl’s favorite LmaO characters.

Any Moonblessed looking for extra income is welcome to be royal attendants for the day; the hours are paid by Demichroma. They must be properly dressed up as maids or butlers (outfits provided by the royal household) as they serve tables.

▶ Say Cheese
Level 3, Caihong | top

Meanwhile, Caihong is in the midst of Remooning festivities in celebration of the new year, and merriment usually lasts a fortnight, filled with fireworks in the sky. Upon entering the district, beautiful Prismals with rat ears and tails greet you with a Happy Remooning and eagerly tug you along to join in.

Those welcomed will receive a pack of multi-colored sparklers, mooncakes topped with cheese, and a glowing drink called Champagne Supernova, poured in a thin glass in your hand. If you are over eighteen, the rat Prismals will ask if you prefer your drink with a kick. If you say yes, then they will add flavorful ice that causes extreme intoxication and might leave you to be susceptible to all levels of suggestion. Saying no (or if you’re under 18) will simply leave it as a sweet drink.

A One of the party games being played by the locals is called Lucky Tail, which is basically pinning the tail on the holographic rat stand-in — with a twist, it must be played with a partner! Another participant will blindfold you, spin you around, then push you forward. The stand-in is located at the end of unsteady elevated platforms forming a maze, filled to the brim with distracting objects underneath. They’re long, they’re thick, and they’re vibrating furiously in an attempt to knock you off the platforms.

Your partner must guide you by voice to successfully navigate through the maze! The game is rigged with various mechanisms, so stepping on specific platforms will activate a number of traps against you or your partner: machines that may tickle, drop colorful slime, or cause the platform to repetitively spin, and who knows what else?

Should you manage to get through the obstacle course and pin the tail successfully, you and your partner will win copious amounts of Demichroma, courtesy of Buwan from Buwan’s Stop.

B Another attraction is a fun magic glamour booth known for its face or body swap features. The booth staff, clad in their festive rat paraphernalia, will encourage you and your friends to take aesthetic shots using an illusion generator. The effects last an hour. Photographed images can be instantly uploaded and shared in Prismagram. New year, new you! Why not take the chance to celebrate this momentous occasion in a unique fashion? It’s all in good humor.

There are two buttons to press: (A) CUSTOM or (B) RANDOM. Pressing A will allow participants to customize their desired effects. Pressing B will cause the illusion magic to randomly rearrange participants in questionable positions, new outfits (or lack thereof), and you may even come out of the booth looking like your best friend or your worst rival. The possibilities are endless!

▶ 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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

"That's a shame to hear; they're always quite fun to watch and to participate in. If you think you may be amenable, we should try it together. See what all the fuss is. You'd be welcome to my half of the prize; I don't need it."

A hand meant for shaking in greeting is instead offered his prosthetic, and her surprise is a mild fraction of her eyes widening before she shifts and takes hold of it with care. Her other comes up beneath (wooden?) fingertips to rest in her palm while the one she'd initially offered takes him by the "elbow", gentle in her exploration with a little smile that only grows the more she finds. The smooth of her thumb works over the carvings at the top of the bone used as a base, along the "tendons", examining the grappling hook and the attachment, and then up to where it fits over the remainder of his upper arm, fingertips brushing over his skin.

"You can tell he cared very much in creating this. It's made with a fascinating level of detail and function. Are these the only sorts of materials available, where you've come from? I've only ever seen metal and plastic prostheses; never anything like this. I actually create limbs like this myself. I'm a doctor as well. Thank you for letting me see your arm."

She won't hog it for more than that spare minute spent looking it over; she's a curious sort and she looks quite sated with the new knowledge.

[ He notices that ring, being far more sober (out of the effort of balancing with a new tail, more than anything, but that's not important right now) with only Fish to hold his attention. He gives a shrug, it not being his place to comment directly.

Still with a few silver to give, though. ]

Molly's the love of everyone's life, [ that guy is a whirling dervish of lovable asshattery, ] but it would take someone very special to make him settle down. I've been told that's you.

[ He hasn't even seen Molly yet, still absently stressing over how that will go (if Molly even wants to speak with one of the people who wasn't there to save his life), but that doesn't mean they ever stopped being family. As subtly as he can behind a mild pokerface, Fjord sizes up the person in front of him and will continue to do so for as long as they talk.

He doesn't offer his hand to shake purely because he felt the reaction of doing so with someone else earlier and was blindsided by the intimate moment, but he gives a polite nod instead. ]

I'm a member of Molly's party, the Mighty Nein. My name is Fjord.

There's a good bunch of us here now. Some from every house and then a number of the faculty too.

[As evidenced by, well, her.]

But I started a school here. To teach combat as well as magic and even the basics such as reading and writing. Even though there's already a school here I thought it would be nice to have something that offered lessons in other matters.

Grabbing a blanket, he brought it over and wrapped it around Dorian before settling down on the floor next to him. Sighing, Bull made himself comfortable. "You know, I could really blackmail you with all the dirt I got on you from this."

He could. But he wouldn't.

"Honestly though I think getting to say I had your naked ass in my bed is enough for me."

[ At the name, Fish pauses in their thoughts. Hold on... hold on... ]

Fjord...?

[ They look back at him, scrutinizing him, their eyebrows creased in confusion. If only they could dispel magic to see his real form under that temporary illusion! ]

It's only been the one time, but I met you months ago! You were a sailor, right?

[ Uhh. That made zero sense and was the last thing he expected to hear. ]

Begging your pardon, but we've never met. That does make me curious as to how you know about my past, though ...

[ It sounds like how he used to present himself, as a roughshod drawling sailor, too friendly to be threatening to anyone. A thickset half-orc with fewer brains than muscles. ]

I don't ... don't remember this land, or you. [ Also, ] I would never have left without Molly.

Well, that’s fine. I shouldn’t have drawn my sword on you if you couldn’t fight back. [ Not an apology....

Now that he’s calmed down, it’s easy for Jin Ling to see that this man is definitely not Wei Wuxian. They might share a face but their mannerisms are completely different.

Weird. ]

You did? What’s he like?

[ A pause and then a little colour to his cheeks. ]

I’ve been told that he’s here but I haven’t— I haven’t been introduced yet.

[ He glances at Xaio Xingchen, far more inclined to take his word, and tries to mute his enthusiasm as he jogs to catch up to Sir Zi Xi.

He has a bunch of questions all ready to trip over his tongue, but they all disappear as soon as he sees the magestic beast.

It’s even in Jin Sect colours...

He stares for a few seconds and then looks between the two men. ]

Can I — touch it?

...

[ The words make emotion suddenly surge into Fish's chest. To everyone else, Molly was always happy, carefree. When his friends started disappearing one by one, Fish saw it behind closed doors-- saw him lose a bit of the light in him. Those words about not leaving without Molly-- they made them want to bite back.

Yasha was the last to leave and losing her hit Molly the worst. And the pain they saw Molly go through... they didn't want him to go through it again. Not anymore. They promised him that. They promised they would never leave him.

Their lips tighten, they blink back their tears and the bitterness. No matter what, Fjord is Mollymauk's friend. Molly would still want to see him. Fish certainly can't sour things between them. Still, they had to speak truthfully. Their cadence is measured, their delivery steady... doing all their best to keep their emotions in check. ]

You were here once. You spoke differently. And then, you disappeared. You, Jester, Caleb, Caduceus, and Yasha... there's no explanation to how it happened. It could be some anomaly of the moons or planes... but you all did. And Molly was left here all this time.

[No, not an apology... and still no introduction either. Really, manners!]

And who would you be then, Jin-xiaogongzi?

[But the next questions are definitely bringing a surprised look to his face, and he frowns, cocking his head to the side again.]

What good is it asking me this? I have met him all of two times [And one of those times, they were both fluffy foxes more interested in eating and then cuddling together]. If he is your father, shouldn't you know him much better than I do?

[ Fjord's not the subtlest when it comes to emotions, he doesn't have Jester's sweet touch or Yasha's gentle insight. He hears what Fish isn't saying, by mentioning Molly being all alone, and his jaw tenses up. To his credit, he keeps his voice steady and addresses each of the issues laid out before him. ]

I worked through my own problems for a long time, it included adopting a fake accent. If any of us were here and now we don't remember — if we were split up from Molly again — I can promise you it was not by our own volition.

That goes unsaid for all the Nein.

[ Didn’t he already warn you that he has no manners, Moran?

At least when called out he has the decency to flush a little.

He sweeps his arms out in front of him, clasping his hands and giving a quick bow. ]

Lanling Jin Sect, Jin Ling. [ He does not give his courtesy name, because fuck that.

He stands back up and only flushes darker at the continued question, turning his head to avert his eyes. ]

He died before my one month celebration.

At first he just gives a grunt of agreement. It wasn't exactly the easiest way to do things.

However as he tinkered he shared a thought "Perhaps they wish to keep us feeling independent so we're not as hostile about being brought here against our will." He's assessed that the Prismals had not hand in this, but many others would lack the patience to find this out or be too suspicious to trust anything they said.

[ At least the sobbing is slowly stopping, giving way to a look of utter loss on Jin Ling's face. He doesn't know how to deal with this.

And he hates that a part of him - a very large part of him - just wants to pretend too.

Can't he just pretend he never found out? Can't he just pretend that this is Mo Xuanyu, who is a little drunk and doesn't remember him, but was kind and smart and good? Why does this man have to be Wei Wuxian, of all people?

Why did fate have to do this to him?

So he just stares helplessly as Wei Wuxian for several seconds, before dropping his eyes down to his robes, indeed seeing the dark patches where his tears had fallen and seeped into the cloth. The despair rose in him again but he didn't sob this time. What was the point? He had nothing.

He didn't have his uncle.

He didn't even get to have his hatred.

He didn't know what the point to any of this was at all.

Shijie. He knew what Wei Wuxian meant and that just made him feel more helplessly lost.

He sniffed, loudly, and rubbed his nose and his eyes with his sleeve before finally letting go of Wei Wuxian's hand and looking away. ]

You're drunk. [ He decides. Look, he's a little slow on the uptake. ]

How old are you, anyway?

The Wolf tilts his head "Why do you want to participate if not for the prize money?" It wasn't a no, he was just curious how much joy she'd get out of it otherwise. The task wasn't impossible but there was still some difficulty.

He's fine with her examining the prosthetic itself, but as she puts her hand on what's let of the arm there was a momentary twitch, just a slight negative reaction. He doesn't pull away however.

There was some metal elements to the design but the fact there was such a large bone bracing it, it made sense Angela would notice. "I don't know what sort of material 'plastic' is, however forging it all from metal would be very expensive."

"You're welcome, I won't be able to answer questions about its construction. I... never met Dogen." He was politely saying Dogen was dead.

Well I’m not generally concerned about vats of boiling laundry —

[ Wait. Her name specifically didn’t ring any bells, but that second part ... ]

I’m. I’m sorry, did you say Emperor Li Shimin? Second emperor of the Tang Dynasty?

[ Look, as an eldritch researcher, Martin knows all kinds of miscellaneous tidbits, depending on what he’s dealing with. ]

[Ah, finally a name to go with the face.

And then... Moran's earlier tetchiness with the lack of manners pretty much evaporates, a sympathetic look now lighting up his features.]

I am sorry to hear that. But really, I am not the best person to ask. Someone from your world would probably have more answers for you.

And at least you have that resource available to you. You should ask them. Or the man himself. I am sure he would be thrilled to see you.

...

[ Fish is quiet. It's difficult for them to really trust him... not when they barely knew each other before his disappearance. Jester, they would quickly trust though. Yasha, there was no question about her. She was the most protective over Molly. Caduceus was good to them as well.

But Fjord and Caleb were absolute enigmas to the merfolk, save for a single meeting many months ago.

Their bright blue eyes are trained on him, standing their ground. ]

I'm nowhere near the kind of fighter Molly is... I'm not that remarkable of an adventurer either. But if you hurt him, I...

[ Their fists curl, knowing full well that they don't have anything to threaten him with. Well... maybe just... ]

I'll make sure word goes around that you shit on beds.

[ He knows that look. He’s used to that look. It’s pity - or at least he thinks it is - and his expression darkens a little. ]

It’s fine. Forget I asked.

I am going to see him. And people do tell me things. But they never tell me what they really feel. They either tell me what I want to hear, or mock me with it. I just thought someone from outside—

Never mind.

Look I’m sorry for calling you Wei Wuxian. [ There, see, he did learn something. ]

I know he’s here too, they told me.

... That is uniquely disgusting imagery.

[ As a threat that came out of left-field. ]

Very well, since we're doing this, [ gesturing to the SHOVEL TALK STUFF between them, which Molly can never know of, ] the next person to hurt Molly will find two Eldritch Blasts meeting in the middle of their body via two of their holes.

[ It happened to a creature he fought once and he never regretted standing so close to an enemy in all his life. A memorable death. ]

... Anyway. [ Clearing his throat, he rolls his shoulders and shifts his weight from boot to boot. ] I don't want to threaten someone he cares about. [ Despite that being exactly the case here. ] I trust that he knows what's good for him.

[ ~~Most of the time.~~ ]

And I appreciate any help you can offer, given I'm at a distinct disadvantage in these lands.

[ doppo's staring, wide-eyed, gawking like a dumbass because nothing in his life has ever prepared him for something like this: an anthropomorphic rabbit in a -- in a --

-- what the hell is this?! no, he knows what this is (it's a love hotel, not that he's ever really been in it personally, but that's not the point), but why is he here?

congratulations, haru has found a person far more skittish and anxious than her. between the unfathomable sight of a rabbit who clearly isn't a very small person wearing a bunnysuit and the fact that they're somehow in a seedy pay-by-the-hour room, doppo's entirely unclear on what to latch on about first. ]

No, uh -- [ why's she on the bed? no, he will stick right by the back of the door and give her all the moments she needs and then some, thank you very much. not that she isn't pretty for a rabbit, she actually is kind of really pretty in a rabbit-y way, but all of this is so weird, and what kind of depraved place is this, that they'd have rabbits in sex hotels? ] -- sorry. Uh -- you're -- [ no, doppo's very sure she knows she's a rabbit. there's a bigass mirror right there by the bed. he tries again. ]

...gardening club?

[It's so much more than pity, Jin Ling.]

I am sorry I cannot be of much help.

I lost my father as a very small child too, and there wasn't really anyone around who was willing or able to tell me much of him. Maybe in a way, you should count yourself lucky that you are granted the possibility of meeting him and asking him directly. But it's understandably daunting. There is no rush.

[He shakes his head at the apology, even if really, it's not for calling him the name you should apologize, Jin Ling, it's for threatening him with a sword. But anyway...]

No harm done. As I told you, it is an easy mistake to make. I am used to it.

[Of course, now he wonders what could possibly make this young man so incensed about Wei WuXian... but it doesn't feel like the best time to ask.]

He is here, yes. And not that much older than you, it seems. Which I assume is not how you remember him.

[He can't imagine the bright young man he met having done something heinous to a child that would provoke that much hatred.]

[ Y E P. Yeah. Definitely. Blasting creatures? Nah. That ain't Fish's work. Their specialty is manipulating the field, charming creatures, and maybe the occasional vicious mockery. ]

Well, that certainly is a way to fuck someone up.

[ They whistle. ]

Right... well, have you found a place to live at yet?

[ He really hopes this merfolk doesn't try to drown him in his sleep, he just got over that sort of thing a few months ago. ]

Maybe. It's ... not what I would prefer, living with complete strangers, but that's hardly a dealbreaker.

[ Spending as much time outdoors as possible and away from the shared living space is more his speed. There is, after all, so very much to see and learn; nothing in all of Exandria can possibly compare. Fjord's thirst for knowledge as a Warlock refuses to let him stay put (that, and he's just really fucking nosy). ]

You have a home here, I presume.

Yes. I live with Molly. All of the Mighty Nein once lived in the same building... there's a garden on the roof that Caduceus used to tend to. We take care of it now, along with anyone else that happens to live in the building. There might still be some empty rooms.

So... the government forced you to room with complete strangers?

[ Fish kind of cringes at the thought. ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 137 of 205

▶ TDM .011

no subject

WHOOSSSSHHHHH

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

SORRY I MISSED THIS there was no notif

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

2.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject