prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .011

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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. 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.

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[ Well. Martin brightens too to see it. As if Jon had a very friendly dog that had just rushed up for pets. ]

Oh, hullo there. Good to see you too.

[ Wait. He. Said that out loud in front of Jon. RIP what little is left of his dignity. ]

-- Y-yes, tea would be. Lovely. Thanks.

[ the cocktail of hospitality, good food, and the lingering aftereffects of an upbeat song all serve to lower Diarmuid's guard; there's no refusal to meet the other man when he approaches, and the stalwart set of his features soften when Bishop comes within arm's length.

it's difficult to refuse such cheerfulness. despite the beat it takes for Diarmuid to properly appreciate the proffered hand, he eventually takes it. firm-gripped. ]

—Bishop. [ he confirms. ] Call me 'Lancer'.

[ an alias if anyone's ever heard one, but they might have that in common. he wouldn't know.

a bow of his head, in polite respect. ] I've yet to make up my mind about staying in these so-called apartments, but your warm welcome is appreciated.

Edited 2020-01-10 11:20 (UTC)

I'm called Kars. [ Ah, right. Maybe there's some benefit in minding his manners, here. Jolyne's way of speaking is unfamiliar to him, but he notes that it's slang. Whether or not it's relevant or commonly used here, who can say... in any case, he sees her hand. Given the way it's extended, he knows to take it. Her hand is enveloped entirely in his own once he does. ]

Hm. [ Interesting. There's definitely some kind of pleasant sensation going there, but it's very mild and sort of boring. Jolyne did say that it was the lowest form, after all. ] I expected better than this. [ He holds her hand tighter, wondering if the feeling will intensify. It doesn't— it actually sort of weakens, because him squeezing her knuckles like that can't feel too great. ]

Uh...

[Had Martin just talked to the tape recorder? He lets out a soft, amused sigh.]

It just showed up here with me. I generally assume it will just turn on when something important is happening.

[He heads into the little kitchen and puts the kettle on and-]

Ah, how do you take it?

[ He sure did. He's just. Going to pretend he didn't and hurry to sit down on the couch. ]

Which. Which includes me showing up?

[ Apparently? Either that or it really wanted to know Martin's tea preferences. ]

Oh, er. A little milk? And honey, if you have it.

[ hm. his head tilts, angling his jaw so that his one unruly bang sifts over the bridge of his nose. considering, contemplating. ]

Not quite human, but not one of us— a Goddess, perhaps?

[ curiosity widens his eyes and fixes his attention on the outline of the small woman in front of him. she's lovely, to be sure— something he hardly has to point out for anyone to know— and it wouldn't surprise him, really, if she were something divine.

needless to say, he's disgustingly earnest about all of this. ]

If so, it pains me to keep my name from a higher entity.

Edited 2020-01-10 11:28 (UTC)

['Lancer', huh? Sounds like a code name, but who is he to question it.]

Oh, it's my pleasure. And hey! If you do settle in you have a friend down the hall. Everyone needs a friend.

[This guy is a fighter, the spears were a dead give away and the grip of his handshake tells him he's a rather good one.]

Actually, if you've got time, I have a bit of a favor I'd like to ask. [He jerks a thumb back to this open apartment, the smell inside now starting to flood the hall.] I have a dish I'm trying out and I could use some opinions on it. I'm a chef you see and my boss is planning to have a special menu item one day every week. Interested?

[ That certainly consumed more than she ought to be using, considering how minimal her own chroma reserves are. Though, the contact he makes does help her, and she places her own hand over his, a little flustered. Would that she'd be stronger... ]

Please don't worry... you were upset. As was I... so it worked out for us both, didn't it?

[ Though being this close does fluster her, and she gives him a weak smile as she breathes out and attempts to steady herself. ]

Thank you, though. It is very kind of you to worry... did you just recently arrive? I'm sorry that was an experience you had to endure. The Prismals can be a bit overzealous but they usually don't mean any harm...

[ Despite it all, she's still trying to be understanding. She does attempt to give him a return of his personal space, though, bowing her head to him as she stands before him. ]

What may I call you?

[ He's helped her and she wouldn't feel right if she didn't at least give him some care in return. The way he stood up for a complete stranger was very gallant, reminding her of her own retainers... it's been hard to find that kind of chivalry in people here. ]

Obviously that's important.

[Because it is and Jon says it without really thinking about how it might come across.

He finishes making the tea and brings out the mug for Martin, along with a jar of honey and a spoon.]

There.

Kars, the Ultimate Being. [ If anyone else had said it, it might've been hard to take seriously. Kars, without a doubt, means exactly what he says. His eyes are level and unwavering, because what's stated is now a scientific fact. ]

Your familiar, Mitsu, is welcome. [ Kars seems vaguely interested in Mitsu, but not enough to change the topic at hand. His arms fold over his chest and he nods his chin towards the door as if to urge the two of them in. ] Go on, see it for yourself. [ He sounds unhappy with the apartment even now... ]

[ In all fariness, Sizhui only usually does hands holding and cuddling. A lot of cuddling. The few exceptions-- never mind.

He can only think of his dads doing more, and, well. Also never mind. ]

They used to be able to, I think. At least that's what I remember people saying. But the calamity which devastated the world made it impossible for them to do so.

[ Sizhui can't help the shy smile of his own. ]

It's... very different from the Cloud Recesses, even in that respect. But ... do you think affectionate would not be a nice thing?

[ Oh. That's - a few months ago that might have made him feel very differently. Now ... there's a layer of fog still in the way, blanketing him. The quiet is so much less painful, and yet. Not being on edge makes him sink back into it a little.

He takes the tea and the jar, adding a small dollop of honey to the cup. ]

You - you said you'd. Been here for nine months?

[ don't worry, Rin— Lancers pay for their good looks with dirt-rank luck. it evens out.

but. speaking of luck, it looks like Diarmuid isn't clawing at the bottom of the barrel for once. it's evident from everything that he's been hearing that not only is the little Master in front of him someone with courage, she's someone who can reach into her well of empathy and say, with conviction, that she values the connections she's made.

this, this, he values above most everything. a lasting friendship, a fondness without calculation.

"they're important to me", Rin says, and he can feel the warmth settle into the pit of his stomach. ]

...Such fine words.

[ still a bit playful, but with sincerity tempering any traces of patronization. ]

Your faith rivals the strength of an army. I would pity any Servant who fails to serve valiantly under your lionhearted command.

[ and, really???? Rin should be glad Diarmuid isn't a mind reader??? he'd be the first to accidentally spill the beans about how soft Rin is... RIP. he's a terrible liar, text it.

case in point: he looks really enamored. ]

[ Ah, damn...

He smiles very gently to her at that, though it's in a small and bittersweet sort of way. She'd said something like that earlier too when he thought this was all just the result of a concussion or somesuch. Something about kingdoms he'd never heard of. ]

I'm from England... [ Mostly. ]

My name is Allen Walker. [ And he hesitates, fingers curling together for a moment like he's torn about something. ] All I mean is, even if it's hard to thing to accept or even understand...

[ Would she let him take her hand? He's not sure, but he reaches out to her to offer his. To help her ground herself, maybe. To feel a little stronger. ]

Even if it's hard, if we don't understand the situation how can we hope to change it?

But like this it also doesn't have to be something we're alone in. [ he says, the most hypocritical.

But this is about her and making her feel connected, not him. ]

Edited 2020-01-10 21:16 (UTC)

[ Oh she'll get plenty of emotion out of Martin. He seems - he is - blissfully unaware of her status, other than being extremely impressed by her attire. But it's not the same pressure of someone intensely aware of the entire context of her life. ]

Ah, well. Even food colouring would have a hard time of it. Maybe it's a variation of butterfly pea flower...?

[ That produced a violet tea, given some lemon juice, but nothing this shade of lilac. ]

What - what sort of tea d'you usually have, then?

[As he does, she follows suit, wondering what he was contemplating. Although, she coughs right after.]

A goddess! [She has been described as divinity before, which after being explained how it also involves beliefs, she could see how she is described as such. It just doesn't feel like it, to her.]

My, if only I could be described as such. Although, my existence is not so far from it, as some have told me.

[She flushes as he continues, now saying she's a higher entity, and quickly shakes her head.]

N-no, do not consider me anything higher. We are comrades here.

[He shook his head slowly.]

I th-think it is wonderful.

[Really it was the sort of thing he could only dream of. You could not have affection without kindness, and he felt kindness was most important. Kindness could bring people together, allow for understanding, enable greater heights.]

P-perhaps this was meant t-to be, such a p-place seems nice.

[ You have no idea, Elsword. No idea.

But - far-flung from home is a good place to start; it's certainly one of his most pressing issues at the moment. ]

I don't. I don't think they can actually force me to wait tables. It's simply easier to go along with it.

[ SIGH. ]

And I don't want any sweets, but I will sit for a moment.

[Jon goes to sit down on the sofa at the other end, curling his hands around his own mug. His gaze flicks back to Martin, watching him as he sorts out his tea. It's... god it's good to see him.]

Yes. It doesn't always seem that long, and then sometimes it feels like forever.

[ He doesn't seem to have any new scars, at least, but that washed out colouring is even more pronounced in the light of Jon's flat. Subtle without a photo to compare it to, but distinctly wrong.

He clings to the cup for a moment before even drinking, letting its heat sink into his frozen fingers. Opening his mouth to ask a question - and then realising he has a much more urgent one. ]

You've been away from the Institute for nine months. Are you - how are you feeling? How have you been eating?

[ Between the presumed lack of statements and the Eye's employee contract, he was suddenly deeply concerned. ]

[She's also the type who wouldn't pick a crowded place as her first option, and yet here she is. It is, in a way, the best way to learn about other cultures, and one could investigate further that way.

On the other hand, someone just offered her multi-coloured sparklers.]

Oh? Do you not want to use them up right now? [Seems like a waste not to.]

[ And that look is met by a helpless expression, near smile, before the words make his eyes widen and he steps closer, immediately and without hesitation. ]

I... [ he swallows, because otherwise his voice might break, ] I'm here. Any way you need me, of course I'm here.

[A trust exercise? This could go all sorts of wrong, but the promise of all of that demichroma makes it worth a shot. Besides, it (should be) harmless, no? Then again, she has learned not to trust how safe this place is. Contemplating the best way, she decided that depending on her partner in this game, she will be the one to be blindfolded. After all, she's incredibly sturdy, and is patient enough to endure having to be told where to go.

Her partner happened to be a man over two metres tall, and she's pretty sure that a brick wall would break if he walked into it. Meaning, she actually had to get on a stool to try to tie the blindfold on him.]

Ah, please excuse my slowness, I had to get down.

[He may be looking right at her, but she fears nothing. What are immortals meant to fear in the face of a simple game? So even if he could see through it, somehow she's missing that point because...well, she had to get down from her stool she hasn't noticed yet?!

Back on the ground, she places her hands on his arms. Wide.]

I will now begin. [She's assuming he's ready considering he was getting impatient, and starts to turn him.]

I'm still trying to figure that out, too.

[Whether he's dead, that is. Yuri's last memory was of being stabbed and falling from Zaude, and the only reason he survived was because of the Moon Knights. Assuming he did survive, that is.]

But I also don't think overthinking it is gonna get either of us anywhere. The way I look at it, this place needs a hand before we can go home. All we can do is help them get enough Chroma so the world stops dying and they can... finish their research, or whatever.

[He waves a hand vaguely. Yuri's not a science or techie nerd, he has no idea how these things work.]

[That made him feel a little better, but now he has questions.]

Like a dog?

[That's a little rude but when someone tells you they smell real good, how else are you supposed to react.]

Also wouldn't you smelling your way here be, I dunno, considered cheating?

[After all, the point was to cooperate and trust your partner right?]

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▶ TDM .011

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he's such a dingus... please dunk on him freely

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c!!

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say cheese!

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he is the goodest boy