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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm not interested in games.

[zixuan's initial response, perhaps harsher than necessary. he reaches up to remove the blindfold, but it only slides down halfway, still secured yet giving him a good view of the woman in front of him.

he suddenly feels awkward, in a way that zixuan rarely does. there's only one time and one person who can do that to him.

right now he's blaming it on the fox ears.

jin zixuan frowns, but looks very much like he's reconsidering.]

What kind of game?

[Yanli giggles, tail swishing idly. She doesn't quite recognize him just yet, perhaps due to the clouding influence Cordis is having on her mind right now. Normally, she'd be able to understand this strange pull and overwhelming sense of familiarity as the same one she feels around the otherworld twins that she's met here. But right now, she's simply wildly attracted to this man without comprehending why just yet.]

It's a maze. You wear the the blindfold and I'll give you directions through it. There's traps along the way so you'll have to trust me to get you through them.

[She beams brightly.]

There's prize money at the end that we can split.

[And right now, Yanli needs all the Chroma and Demichroma she can get. She and Jin Zixuan are funding a wedding and future life together. Every little bit helps.]

Do you think you can handle that?

Edited 2020-01-09 00:08 (UTC)

[zixuan listens to the instructions. simple enough. challenging. but most of all there's something about her that makes him want to impress her, without really understanding why...or even how.]

I won't need the money.

[jin zixuan has never wanted for anything, he barely understands the concept of money. that will likely change, and soon.

at her last question, he merely pulls his blindfold back in place.]

You needn't worry about that. Let's begin.

[Spoken like a true Jin. Even if Yanli doesn't recognize him specifically, she recogizes the colors and cinnabar mark of his sect, at the very least. She's thankful when he replaces the blindfold because she can't help but smile at his naivete. Hadn't Jin Zixuan just confessed how poor he was to her just minutes before asking her to marry him? Of course, his circumstances were special; he'd been a married man unwilling to cheat on his wife.

For now though, she simply focuses on the game at hand. Yanli places the pinup tail on his hands first, then reaches out to spin him in place, giving the man a gentle shove toward the nearest platform.]

All right. Take three small steps forward. There will be a platform directly in front of you but be careful getting onto it.

[not being able to see feels strange. zixuan starts trying to rely on his other senses, which aren't much help, before he finally realizes that it's her voice that he should rely on.

and that feels even stranger. he's more used to giving orders than taking instructions, but he's agreed to this game now.]

What are "small" steps?

[confused already. but what's "small" to him might not be "small" to her! still, he shuffles forward until he feels the platform and cautiously steps onto it.]

Now what?

[Bossing him around is kind of fun, Yanli has to admit. Maybe it's the effect of the moon that's making it so but she giggles again, feeling strangely giddy at the realization. But focus! She has to focus! This next platform might be a little tricky.]

Good job. Now take one big step forward, twice as big as the ones you just took, then turn left. Take another small step forward, the same size you did before.

[She goes quiet a moment as she studies the maze carefully, trying to calculate the shortest and safest route to the holographic rat.]

[there are so many instructions, mildly confusing because zixuan grew up learning archery and swordsmanship, not "big steps" and "small steps".]

Am I actually getting anywhere?

[it doesn't feel like it, but maybe it's the blindfold.]

Give me a more challenging route.

You are.

[A more challenging route, he says? Yanli had been trying to restrain herself but here it goes. Perhaps a little less guidance and a little more freedom is in order. Another pause as she studies the maze again, remapping the route once more in her mind.]

Very well. Walk forward. Use your other senses and keep in the mind the length of the last platform. This one's about the same size. There's a few suspicious tiles along the sides but if you stay in the middle, you should be fine.

[Let's see how he navigates this one. Like all the platforms, this one's shaking, too, but he should be alright, right?]

[he tries to adjust to the shaking first, as much as he can before moving forward. this one's about the same size... small steps and large steps, jin zixuan blindly measures the size of the platform.

his foot comes to the edge, and he tests for the next one to find nothing but air. zixuan tilts his head.]

I'm going to jump!

[it looks a little too far, but he can make it.

probably.

he wobbles on the edge of it, arms thrown out to his sides to help him regain his balance.]

There. How many more?

[he feels like he's getting the hang of it!]

[Yanli giggles, clapping softly at his triumph. She can't help it; it's just her nature to be supportive and encouraging, And he had navigated through the traps pretty well without such close instruction.]

There's one more platforms left after this one and they're rather large and full of obstacles so you'll need to be careful.

[She chuckles once more more, shifting vantage points to get a closer look at the platform he's on. It looks to be more or less the same as the last one but with a more complex and greater distribution of traps. She'll have to give him a little more direction on this one, she thinks.]

All right. Take four steps forward, three steps right, three more steps forward, and then four steps left. You should be able to jump to the next platform from there.

Just one?

[he's not saying it to be arrogant this time. if there's only one more platform, then it must mean that the game is near its end. disappointing. zixuan is starting to enjoy the challenge of this game. it gets the blood going in a way not unlike a night hunt.

jin zixuan listens to her instructions, but maybe not as closely as he should have. he ends up taking one less step than he should have, which makes his jump a little short. his feet miss the platform, but he catches with his arms, dangling there before managing to pull himself up.

he pauses just long enough to catch his breath before standing straight again.]

We will finish and win this.

[Okay, she's paying attention now that he's toning down the arrogance. She's lived most of her life with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng; she seen too much of that trait in them to find it all that charming anymore. And as she watches him misstep and nearly fall, it's what he does immediately afterward that interests her more.

He simply gets back up, squares his shoulders, and continues to face the challenge.

Now that is impressive.

Yanli falls silent for a bit, just studying the maze once more. If he really wants a more challenging route, maybe she could try a little harder to give him one.]

...Two more. I miscalculated.

[Just what she miscalculated is anyone's guess but at least, she's willing to draw the game out a little longer.]

This one has even more traps than the last one so watch your step.

[She proceeds to give him the proper directions through it, speaking a little more slowly than she did during the previous platforms. Yanli's so focused on him that she forgets to mention one of the traps in his way.

Will it hit him or her? Who knows. But oops?]

Lady...?

[he didn't catch her name and he should have. unacceptable. being here should not shake him to the point of forgetting basic courtesy. she's quiet now, and he suspects that she's figuring out their strategy. but it's difficult to stand in one place for too long when these things are constantly batting against him.]

'Watching' isn't an option.

[blindfolded. he knows what she means though. zixuan takes a step and suddenly feels a rope dangling next to him, and snorts before removing his hand. do they really think that he's naive enough believe it's there to help him?

even that's a trap, and it's too late. he didn't need to pull it, the touch was enough. zixuan hears something opening above him, and barely makes it to the last plaform before the slime starts splashing down.

it doesn't stop there though. it sounds like it's moving, and zixuan grits his teeth and braces for it...except it doesn't sound like it's moving towards him.]

Maiden, look out!

[he tries to run back in her direction, but the platform starts to spin. his only hope is that he can reach the rat before the trap reaches her.]

[Now with the trap sprung, some odd contraption on wheels with feathers and wiggling, mechanical fingers is released from a hidden door near to where Yanli is standing. Is it controlled? Is it intelligent? It's hard to say, given her lack of familiarity with Lunatia's technology. Regardless, it seems intent on pursuing her around the designated partner area for this game. Given how giggly she's been during this Cordis cycle, if gets her in its clutches, it's over.]

It's at the end of the platform!

[She quickly gives out her instructions in short bursts, having to stop for a second to evade the machine, before continuing. They're a bit more concise but more importantly, they're accurate. Success or failure is up to him now!]

[jin zixuan doesn't know where the end of the platform is, or what's between him and it. and it doesn't matter. even if she recruited him into this game, if she suffers because of his failures, he will surely never live it down.

he runs, following her instructions to the letter. the blindfold is still securely in place over his eyes, but he moves now without the earlier hesitation.

he must be close. he has to be right at it. zixuan's nearly out of breath when he leaps up, seeming to hang there for a moment before he thrusts the tail at the holographic rat.]

[The moment the tail registers as pinned, a bunch of flashing lights, bells, and whistles go off, signaling the game's at its end. Game attendants rush out seemingly out of nowhere to usher them both out of the play area to make room for clean up and the next pair of contestants. They leave quickly enough but not before informing them both to check their personal devices for pending Demichroma transfers in the next twenty-four hours.

Either way, they've been turned loose and left to their own devices. And honestly? Yanli's fine with that. She's still worn out from being chased around so much so she's fine just lingering for a bit to rest and catch her breath before parting ways.

She turns to her companion with a somewhat shy but sincere smile that's a little at odds with the confidence she'd displayed during the game itself. Yanli plays with the tip of her tail idly before speaking, her tone grateful.]

Thank you for helping me, young master. The prize money will come in handy.

[Demichroma's not worth as much as Chroma but it should still help cover at least some expenses. And she adds, realizing that might sound a little too much like she was just using him:]

But I had a lot of fun and you did great out there.

[Yanli has to give compliments where they're due He really did handle himself very well.]

[jin zixuan rips off the blindfold and hurries back in her direction. he's frustrated at all the attendants and their sudden appearance, wanting only to see to her well-being. she looks fine, but it's such a strange thing that they've just been through together.

he's grateful when they're finally alone, even if he struggles a little with what to say or do. he can hear his mother screaming inside his head, and actually...that helps.

Would you like to sit down?

[he gestures to a place nearby. when she thanks him, he can only nod, finally feeling a little pleased with himself.]

It was an experience. [challenging in its own way, and he likes that.] Should you ever find yourself in need, I would offer my services again.

[jin zixuan stumbles over the words a little, but still not as bad as he imagined.]

[Yanli doesn't mind the stumbling; she never has. If anything, she finds it charming in its own way. She's never been the type of woman to be impressed by opulence and splendor on its own though she's certainly appreciates it quality when she sees it.]

Yes, please. I could use a rest after all of that.

[She sits down on the bench, hands folded demurely in her lap, and turns to him with a smile.]

Thank you for your kind offer, Young Master Jin. I'll keep it in mind.

[Now that things have calmed down a little, she can focus on him a little more and start piecing together observable about his appearance. He's certainly a gentleman of the Lanling Jin Sect for certain, even if the clothing's a little different from what she knows.]

[he sits down beside her, with much a mind to do the same, take a better look at her and maybe figure out what this familiar air about her is.

but he finds himself being looked at instead. he should feel confident in at least that much, and he certainly doesn't mind it, but he ends up looking straight ahead for a moment before summoning the courage to look at her again.]

Have things been difficult for you here? Do you have any family to look after you?

I wouldn't say they've been difficult so much as very confusing.

[Yanli's smile turns a little wan and tired. She's barely been in this world a month and so much of that time has been filled with overwhelming strangeness. A weaker woman might have crumpled under the weight of a future she can't see but everyone seems to know about except her and a handful of others.]

I have family here. I live with my brother, Sect Leader Nie, and my...

[She hesitates before calling Jin Zixuan her fiance. After all, they haven't announced their engagement publicly yet. It's bad enough that she's already let the news slip to Nie Huaisang and the otherworld's Wei Wuxian before informing her own brother.]

...suitor. The four of us share a home here.

[She hadn't been on her own very long before Jiang Cheng and Jin Zixuan had found her and taken her home with them.]

What about you? Have you met anyone you recognize?

[his concern deepens, because confusion is a hardship all to itself. jin zixuan is only feeling the beginnings of it. but if she has family here, she'll surely be okay. a brother, and-

a familiar name. he's about to ask how they're acquainted when the rest of what she says sinks in. a suitor. ah. well of course she'd have a suitor. he shouldn't be surprised. time to get his thoughts in order.

when he does, his brows knit together.]

I met Nie Huaisong earlier and he said he was alone. He must not know that his brother is here.

[because he's not the sect leader nie that zixuan knows.]

Edited 2020-01-20 23:07 (UTC)

Oh. Nie Huaisang is who I meant. He's the leader of his sect now.

[Even if Yanli is from the same place as her housemates, timeline differences make everything so much trickier to navigate.

She sighs softly.

She almost feels guilty for finding the otherworld twins so much easier to talk to. Different worlds and memories aside, they're familiar enough is spirit to those she personally knows to be comforting in a way she can't bring herself to express.]

He lives with Jiang Cheng, Jin Zixuan, and me.

[Though now she's wondering if Nie Mingjue is here somewhere, too, and she simply hasn't seen him yet.]

What happened to Nie Mingjue?

[his brows knit. but zixuan already knew that huaisang had different memories of jinlintai. it was his first introduction to people he knew but also didn't.

he'd almost managed to wrap his mind around it. ...until she says that name.]

Jin Zixuan? [his eyes grow wider.] You're sure of him?

[he could be...an imposter...of himself.

he needs another drink.]

[She glances up at him, curious and slightly concerned. Yanli remembers all too well how overwhelming and bewildering everything was her first day. Without really thinking about what she's doing, she reaches over to give him a comforting pat on the knee.]

Yes, I am. He's two years older than he was in my time but he's unmistakably Jin Zixuan.

[A soft, fond smile surfaces on her face, her gaze turning distant and tender. Oh, the sweetness of a young woman in love.]

His room's just across the hall from mine so I'm very sure. As for what happened to Nie Mingjue, I don't know any details. I just assumed that he passed away at some point.

[When his younger brother is the sect leader now, it's a sensible conclusion to draw. From what little she knows about Huisang's brother, Yanli can't imagine that he'd ever abdicate his position willingly.]

Edited 2020-01-22 21:34 (UTC)

I...see.

[no he doesn't. he's not even sure what to really do or say yet. there's the beginnings of outrage, but he doesn't know what or who he should even feel that way towards. does he go and confront himself? and for what crime?

he watches her face for a moment, and that feeling starts to fade.]

And he's good to you?

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infiniteheart - 2020-01-28 16:10 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

▶ TDM .011

good!

I apologize in advance for this disaster lol

oh don't worry, i love a disaster!

excellent, me, too!

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