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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They want you tiptop, alright. All us -- [ please hold, Setsura is actually going to take her hands out of her pockets to provide Illyana with air quotes ] -- "Moonblessed". We're vital to achieving their goals, so our physical health is of the utmost importance.

[ "Sanity and comfort? Eh," is the implication of her shrug.

Her hands'll be shoved back into her pockets easy. In a hurry? No, not now, not really. This isn't a heavily trafficked space; she doesn't have to worry about the pheromones with a little distance and how they seem to be clinging to her skin versus the disaster that was the triple moons when they'd spread so much, so fast. She can bide her time; she's curious and she's got an objective, something to work with, at, and that's fine.

She does pause, though. ]

They didn't even give you the basic run down?

[Moonblessed.

Such an odd title. Ana has been called a lot of things, but she can't recall any that related to the moons.

That seemed to be a much bigger deal here.]

They... tried to, I think. It was all very hazy for a while. I'm sure I retained something but it was something of an information dump for how out of sorts I was at the moment.

[She's feeling better now, thankfully, and whatever had ailed her upon arrival that wasn't related to nerves and motion sickness was gone.

That was, of course, leaving her hungrier than she'd been in ages, and her stomach is once more loudly protesting this fact.]

Come on, then.

[ She beckons Illyana with her tail before she quite realizes it, but she's smooth in adapting, turning, in gesturing with her head for the redhead to join her in stepping for the elevator. It's early enough in the month to use it without much cause for concern as much as she could use the basic practice descending the stairs with her feline traits. ]

And mind your proximity to me. [ Not that she herself isn't paying attention, she's very aware. ] One of the potential effects of the blue moon, Cordis, is aphrodisiac pheromones. I was fortunate enough to be so blessed, but they don't seem to be bad today.

[ More like cursed is the implication with her warning to the woman dispensed, but Setsura, that's too many jokes. Stop.

Regardless, she's got several lessons she can dispense along the way. A bit about Cordis, the nature of Moonlacing, Chroma... it'll fall into place along the way and while they're eating. She knows plenty of places as much as she gets around. It's simply a matter of judging the traffic today since the streets are so busy and picking just the right one. She'll earn that coin. ]

[The tail beckon followed by the concerted effort to make it seem like an accident earned an amused smile. She likes this lady. There's definitely something off about her beyond the obvious cat features, but it's not an "off" that is setting off her keener senses.

"Aphrodisiac pheromones" was surprising, yet it made a weird amount of sense given what she's seen and heard so far.]

Mm, I'm not noticing anything, but thank you for the warning.

[She is a new arrival after all. The moons haven't gotten their strange cosmic claws in her completely yet.]

[ Lucky Illyana. Still, Setsura would just as soon avoid complications pertaining to such things. She'likely to deal with them in varying shades during not only Cordis, but Iris and the triple moon and what she's dealt with in previous cycles has been more than enough without lopping additional instances on top of them.

She sinks her finger into the button for the elevator. Wouldn't you know it? There's the ping and the door opens. ]

Mind yourself. Not everyone thinks to offer that sort of thing. The culture here is probably different than what you're used to, too.

[ And she's stepping in, sliding easy to one side, and holding the door for present company. ]

[Give her time. It will happen eventually. She was relatively in control of herself but not in a way that had ever really been put to the test.

She may be in for a nasty surprise later.]

I'm actually fairly used to different cultures...

[That doesn't really mean she's ready for this place, but she's trying to put on a brave face after all of her earlier breaking down.]

[ If only it was a simple matter of a different culture and not meddlesome, hungry gods with consent issues. ]

You'll want to treat this as an independence instance.

[ And down the elevator goes. ]

Complacency is a quick ticket to being in over your head.

[ Here? Anywhere, but she thinks Illyana might have an idea about that. ]

"In over my head" has been my main mode of operation for the past six years...

[Which she is trying to step away from with the guild and her departure from the orders and other groups, but who knows how well that will go.

Ana glances over at Sets with her arms crossed while the elevator lowers, catching a better glimpse of what she thought were simply stylized parts of her hair, squinting for a second.

Were those... feathers?]

Looking for a change? It sounds like you've been living an exciting life.

[ There's no judgment in her tone as she watches the numbers light in ticking down. She'd guess it won't take long, but that'd see the opposite ring true one way or another, especially given the time of the month that it is. There's bustling crowds, but there's also new arrivals planetside looking for housing.

And yes, yes, those are feathers. Setsura feels those eyes at her head, but she'll wait. ]

Oh, I've already been working on that change.

[Ana waved her hand with an awkward laugh.]

I can't say this is the best time for me to be taken away from home, but there were certainly worse moments it could have happened. I'm just hoping the guild hall doesn't catch on fire while I'm gone...

[She's joking, though given the Ackermann twin's track record it is a legitimate possibility.

Her attention turns to the crowds, having a moment of being quietly startled at just how many people seemed to have animal traits. She had seen it during her arrival, but her mind hadn't been in a good place to really take it in.

She was beginning to feel like the odd one here, though that was nothing new for her. Bright red hair did tend to stand out even in human crowds.]

It won't. You're returned to the exact moment from which you're taken, so there won't be any time for anyone to set anything on fire. It's probably the most considerate thing done.

[ Probably, and that's about it. She'll lead the way out of the apartments and onto the streets, immediately moving to take the back ways to avoid the volume. ]

Not used to seeing those traits in people?

That's-- ... well, I'm a little relieved but I'm fairly certain I'm going to make an Asura's head explode when I get back with that information.

[How does the Eternal Alchemy factor into intergalactic kidnapping anyway?]

Ah, yeah, it's... I'm used to Charr. Sylvari. Races that are all one thing not just... bits and pieces...

[It's difficult to wrap her head around even with the visuals right in front of her.]

An Asura?

[ That's... a familiar term, actually, not that she's wholly surprised, but it does earn a little pause given it's from someone she hadn't connected to an Earth. ]

Charr and Sylvari don't ring a bell. It isn't usually such a varied mix where I come from either.

[ Except those things that are. ]

[You're about to be very shocked, Sets.]

Yeah, I'm... thinking that might be a thing, that my world is a lot more varied in sentient races.

[She waves her hand a little as she describes them.]

Asura are very smart. They're mainly from Rata Sum which is a giant floating city. It's very impressive.

[They're also related to... rodents? Ana's not entirely sure.]

Charr are large felines with horns. They're very industrial and have a fairly strict legion system. We... were also at war with them a lot a couple of centuries ago and unfortunately that's still bled over into current relations, not for lack of trying on the parts of the current governments. Syvlari are an... interesting story--

[She paused suddenly, blinking a few times before letting out a nervous laugh.]

I'm rambling. This is probably really boring to you. I'm sorry.

[ Well, Illyana had her up to the "large felines with horns" race, at which point some of the color very visibly drains out of her face. She's got to work on that, she knows, but ugh, the thought just... starts on her nerves immediately despite that there are none here at the moment. That they're troublesome isn't surprising, at least, but then -- ]

[ But then, the redhead pauses and Setsura turns her eyes to her again, blinking. ]

No, go on. I like hearing about other worlds.

[ Her tail flicks behind her with that, head canting slightly. ]

[Sorry, Sets. Charr would probably terrify you. They do not look friendly and most of them are at the very least rough around the edges.

Luckily Ana was looking away while they walked and talked and didn't notice the expression on her companion's face.]

Oh. Alright.

[That was not what she was expecting. She wasn't some Priory historian going on about every tiny detail but she could get a bit overzealous in her own right sometimes.]

Well, Sylvari only came in to existence less than thirty years ago! They were created in a place that was later called The Grove when a centaur named Ventari met a man named Ronan who had planted a mysterious seed. Ventari tended to it after Ronan passed and it eventually grew into the "mother" of all Sylvari, the Pale Tree. We unfortunately learned after they had already been relatively integrated into Tyrian society that they were the product of the elder dragon Mordremoth, intended to be his minions, but many rejected that and fought on our side against him.

[What else was there? Oh!]

And Norn are simply much larger humans who hail from the Shiverpeaks.

[ She's quiet for a moment, wondering, picking at the details Illyana's shared. ]

That sounds like a small part of a greater story.

[ And that has her curiosity. A lot of things do now. ]

Do the Sylvari resemble trees? And... you said an "elder dragon"? Is that an important distinction?

[ Be careful, Ana, or Sets'll have you talking about all your adventures and the bits and pieces that make up the world you hail from. She'll soak it all up, too. ]

Isn't everything?

[Their history encompases entire libraries worth of works.]

Plants and trees, yes. Their looks are as varied as ours.

[As for the dragons...]

They've... always been called that, as far as I know. Whether they themselves made that distinction or it was simply written that way, I couldn't tell you.

[ continued HERE ]

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