▶ TDM .011

[prismods]

plays hard to get

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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.

Comments

Special Agent Dale "Actual Cinnamon Roll" Cooper | Twin Peaks

[intulpable]

Hard To Get - A: Reasonably Priced Accomodations

Dale cooperated quite affably with all the tests, and has been shown to his living quaters. He doesn't have much to do there at the moment, though, so he onlynstays long enough to give it all a cursory glance before going out to explore. The last meal he remembers having was at the Great Northern before the beauty pageant, and that was hours ago. He's starting to feel a bit peckish.

Without hesitation or reserve, once he's out in the street, he approaches the closest person and taps them politely on the shoulder.

"Excuse me? Hello. Sorry to trouble you, but I just arrived, and I'm looking for a good, reasonably priced dining establishment. Preferably one with excellent coffee."

God Save Us - B - Happy To Help

The LmaO atmosphere is not quite Cooper's speed, and the tea party is a bit too twee, but he won't pass up an opportunity to get to know Prismatica better. He's volunteered to wait tables: it seemed a perfect way to overhear the maximum amount of information while having the minimum opportunity for social faux pas in a new community. Also, the uniforms aren't so bad.

He sidles up to your table with a perfect, natural smile that might make you feel like you've known each other for years. It could be the tea, or maybe he's just that charming.

"Can I get you anything?"

Say Cheese - A - There's Always Music In The Air

He's been eyeing the maze for a while now, and if Dale Cooper is anything, it's trusting.

"This looks like fun," he says, grabbing a blindfold. "I haven't done anything to hone my senses in a while. Would you mind helping me through? We could take turns if you like."

((Permissions here!

SORRY TODAY HAS BEEN HELL AND A HALF-A

[burnt_offering]

[Ace turns back, staring at the person who tapped him.

Dale has also made a mistake. Ace's idea of excellent coffee means it's over half cream and sugar, topped with whipped cream, and served cold.]

Yeah, I got you. You mind stuff like sandwiches? The place with the best coffee has lunch stuff mostly.

It's all good I still love you

[intulpable]

Sandwiches?

[he brightens, that already warm smile turning positively sunny]

I love a good sandwich. Best tuna melt I ever had was at a place called the Lamplighter Inn. The perfect blend of tuna and mayonnaise with just a touch of celery for texture, and a hint of onion salt. Bread? Flawlessly toasted. I gotta tell you, it was a zen experience in roadside dining.

[he sticks out a hand] Special Agent Dale Cooper. A pleasure to meet you.

/is loved!!!!

[burnt_offering]

Yeah, they have great ones!

[Okay, Ace likes this guy already. And Ace can't help but to grin in response.] Never had a tuna melt, but they have these sandwiches you can dip in sauce, and the beef is amazing. And little chicken sandwiches that are fried, and subs too.

[Ace grabs the hand, and firmly shakes it.] I'm Ace, Portgas D. Ace. Want me to lead the way?

[intulpable]

[years and years of cross-country travel have taught Cooper that if there's one thing people can always have in common, it's food. not only that, but he'll always enjoy a good meal on principle. everything Ace is describing makes his mouth water, and he realizes he hasn't eaten in a good number of hours]

I'd be delighted if you would. I take it you'd rather I called you Ace?

[burnt_offering]

[Food is a great common denominator, and Ace loves food more than almost anything else. So if he's not pushed aside or told to go away, he'll probably join Cooper for a meal.]

Yeah, sure! Ace is my name, so go for it. [He might notice that Ace's accent is odd, not English or American.] Are you okay with me callin' you Cooper? Since we're on a first name basis now? [He assumes that it's Dale's first name.]

[intulpable]

[he technically went with Ace because it was the first part of his name he'd been given, but when he says first name basis, something clicks.]

Honestly, Ace, where I come from, people put their first names first, so it's actually Dale ... but I have several very dear friends who call me Cooper.

[he touches the fishing lure on his lapel briefly, both as an indication and a reminder to himself of the person who put it there]

So I think I'd be okay with it. More than okay, as a matter of fact.

[burnt_offering]

Oh, okay. Got it. Some places work like that, some don't. It's pretty crazy.

[Ace looks at the fishing lure, and doesn't get it at all. But it obviously means something. And that's what counts to Ace.] Alright then, Dale. Nice to meet you. Let's go have the best sandwiches in the city! [Are they? That's negotiable. But they're filling and fresh, and Ace loves them. So he grins and leads the way, heading towards his favorite eatery.] The buffets here aren't bad either, but they don't have great coffee.

[intulpable]

Well, that's a no-go for me, then. I have to have a good cup of coffee in the morning. Absolutely essential. Though, I have to say, I'm sure the buffets aren't as bad as the worst mug of joe I've ever imbibed in my ilfe.

[he has no problem talking as they walk, letting Ace lead, drinking in any notable landmarks or details as they go. it's all absolutely fascinating, from the buildings to the native citizens to the wide variety of other Moonblessed who walk around, their bodies free of the peculiar shimmering patches visible on the Prismals]

It wasn't very long ago, as a matter of fact. I was visiting the home of someone who'd come to be a dear friend of mine, Pete Martell. He's a logger and a very avid fisherman, quite a sharp mind and a deft chess player, too, good old Pete. I'd come by to ask him some questions, because he'd been the first - unfortunately - to discover the body of a young girl who'd been murdered. He was kind enough to offer Sheriff Truman and myself a cup of coffee, but ... somehow, for whatever reason, he'd forgotten that he left something in the percolator before brewing the coffee.

[he pauses, both out of disgust at the memory and for comedic effect]

... A fish.

THERE WAS A FISH IN THE PERCOLATOR!

[burnt_offering]

I don't drink coffee in the morning usually. But when I want it, I really want it. [When Dale starts talking to Ace about the worst cup of coffee he'd ever consumed, Ace has no idea what a wild ride of a story that he's in for. He turns and walks backwards while listening, with a steadiness that's surprising. Pete sounds like a rough and smart guy, totally pirate material! And there was a murder? Shit. That's crazy.

Not as crazy as fish percolated coffee, though. And Ace's eyes wide for a moment, and his mouth contorts into a frown at the imagined taste.] I can't think of a worse way to have a coffee. Fish flavoring isn't good for it!

One of the top 5 canon moments right there... <3

[intulpable]

[Dale notes - and is soon impressed by - Ace's ability to walk backwards so deftly, and starts mentally compiling a list of possible explainations. performer. construction or road worker. tour guide. et cetera]

You're not kidding, Ace, it was the most terrible thing I ever tasted. Even two cups of the Double R Diner's coffee wouldn't wash it out. I had to have three pieces of cherry pie before I couldn't taste it anymore.

[he gives a little shudder]

The only thing coffee should taste like is coffee.

It was fantastic. Such a great part.

[burnt_offering]

If it took that much pie to get the taste out... [Ace can't remember the last time he willing ate pie, especially cherry. It's not the flavor at all that's the problem. He remembers once really liking it. But he can't eat food savored so happily now by someone he hates.] Fish is good a lot of ways. But fish coffee is something that never needs to happen again. Coffee should taste like coffee, that's just how it is.

[Or like coffee and cream, or coffee and flavorings, but Ace isn't going to go into details right now. He's too focused on the idea that fish coffee existed somewhere. And is mildly horrified at the idea still.]

It won't take too much longer now. It's pretty close. Which is good, 'cause I'm starving. [Ace is usually starving, honestly. He eats like a monster, and his abilities consume so much.]

The llama is my favorite though XD

[intulpable]

Good! Maybe I'll see if they've got a good fried fish sandwich. All this talk about fish is making me want some, myself. Do you know what a haddock is, Ace? I'd love something that tastes like a nice, light, crisp haddock.

[he takes on an almost dreamy look as he says it, as though he can already picture and taste the sandwich in question.]

And french fried potatoes. Yes sir, that seems like just the ticket...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9bpuJRoyU My favorite

[burnt_offering]

I could go for some fish too. They've got some good sushi here, but I don't remember the last time I had any haddock. Never had it in a sandwich, either. So that means I gotta try it now!

[Ace looks so thrilled, eyes bright at the idea of eating a fish sandwich. The guy is food motivated, and always hungry.] Yeah, I think we can find it there. And if we can't, I'll show you somewhere else that does.

[Someone coming close isn't paying attention to the direction Ace is moving, and while he seems to be able to step around people with a dancer's grace, they're just fated to run into him. It looks like they're going to hit him, but Ace burns away at the shoulder and chest and hip, turning into fire in the area that they were close to making contact with. The fire doesn't burn, and the person startles away dazed but none the worse for wear. And the massive fire lined hole on Ace closes back up like it was never there.] Oops. Guess I should walk beside you after that.

That whole sequence and the one in the S2 finale are so epic *_*

[intulpable]

You know, of all the fuss people make over sushi, I've never had it. Could never get past the fact of it all being raw. I got sick a lot as a kid, so - I try to avoid things that might make me ill as much as possible. ... The fish coffee was definitely a fluke.

[look at them, two food-motivated dudes on a mission. it's a good time for Cooper, absolutely, and he feels like this is just one more way fate has shown its hand to him, just as it always seems to when he needs it. life is a strange, intricate thing, and nothing is random. he's convinced, and it never ceases to make him happy, even when things are strange as they seem to be today]

Sounds like a plan. How long have you been here, Ace? You seem to kn--

[and then the near-collision happens, and Ace becomes fire, and not fire, and himself, and Cooper looks at him as though he's seen a ghost. not a frightening ghost, mind you, just something strange and unexpected and momentous. meaningful. when he first arrived, he had thought it was the Black Lodge, but the Prismals on the moon had insisted it wasn't. now, seeing Ace thus transmogrified, he's not so sure he wasn't right in the first place. he speaks without really thinking about it, his voice scarcely above a whisper]

Fire, walk with me.

[burnt_offering]

There's cooked sushi too, and if it's made right it's really safe! Shrimp and egg and tempura usually. But if you were sick a lot, maybe it's not so bad of an idea to skip out. Sometimes you just gotta eat what's good for you.

[Ace is actually really enjoying himself. He makes new friends easily, and it seems like he and Dale are getting along just fine.] I've been here for a couple months, disappeared in-[It's all cut off by the near-collision, and then Ace blinks at Cooper's expression. It's wild, he's not seen someone react quite that way before. But what he says really sits with Ace, and not at all like the way the words feel for Dale.

Fire, walk with me.

Ace tips up his hat with a flaming finger, and then settles beside Dale to walk normally for a bit.] If you insist. [Ace grins cheekily, he's so pleased.] I'm the fire human, I ate the mera mera no mi. So yeah, fire's walking with you right now.

[intulpable]

[at first it seems like he only half hears what Ace is saying in response, still lost in thought as they walk. hadn't he just been thinking about fate? it's irrefutable. even if it isn't the Lodge, he's meant to be here. and if he'd had any doubts before, he accepts it in that moment, one hundred percent. the moment that decision is made, it's like he never even skipped a beat]

Now, see, vegetable tempura, that I've had and quite enjoyed. Especially the water chestnuts, they get such a nice snap to them.

[he peers with open, childlike curiosity at that flaming finger]

Is a mera mera no mi a kind of sushi, then?

[he does feel the need to explain his strange little non-sequitur, but the conversation is going so nicely. he'll wait until he can find a way to naturally turn it in that direction. it does, after all, seem like they'll have a lunch to talk over]

[burnt_offering]

[Ace grins at the idea of tempura, and is happy to talk about that as he keeps walking.]

Tempura is good stuff, I like the kind with potatoes and pumpkin, bamboo shoots too, and all of the meat and fish ones. But I'll take 'em all. I'm not too picky about the type of food I eat, as long as it's cooked right.

[The flaming finger solidifies into flesh, the fires wicking into Ace's skin.]

Nah, but if it was sushi it woulda tasted a lot better. It's the devil fruit I got my powers from. It turned me into fire.

[intulpable]

Pumpkin tempura! [his voice lilts in wonder] I've never heard of that, but it sounds interesting. I wonder how you keep the pumpkin from going soft...? And what, exactly, is a devil fruit? Is it related to dragonfruit?

[he's never met anyone with powers before, not like this. Margaret had her connection to the log, sure, and there was the Giant, and Mike, but ... that was all something entirely different]

[burnt_offering]

It's really good! It's firmer than you'd think, I've never had mushy pumpkin tempura. Maybe it's just how it's been cooked for me. I've had famous chefs make me good things to eat. [Ace beams, fully in tempura craving mode now. He could eat fifty pounds of it easily, and still want more.] Devil fruits are these magic fruits that hold special powers if you eat 'em. That's how I turned into a fire human! My brother ate one too, and he's made of rubber now. He can stretch as much as he wants.

[It's surreal to think about how different things are for them. Ace will never lack wonder when talking about the differences in worlds.] What about in your home? How do people get strong there?

[intulpable]

Famous chefs?! Ace, you're one hell of a lucky man. [he gives Ace a beam to match, and listens intently as he explains the Devil Fruit]

Magical fruits that grant special powers. I can't say I've ever heard of anything like that, but it sounds absolutely fascinating. Where I'm from, strength and skill come from months of good, hard, dedicated training. And people certainly can't turn into things like fire or rubber. ... These fruits, do they grow naturally in the wild, or were they specially cultivated?

[burnt_offering]

Yeah! Thatch was the best chef to ever sail, no one could ever touch his cooking. And he was a powerful guy too. And Sanji, he's amazing. He was trained at the Baratie by Zeff himself. That's a big deal. I had such a good life. [Ace is very well aware that despite the pain, he lived a life that was amazing. He met wonderful people, had the best family ever, and was so loved.]

You gotta train with those too! If you don't, you won't have any real skill with 'em. At first I could just turn into flame, and catch stuff on fire. But it took about a year before I really mastered it and became worthy of the name Fire Fist. [Ace shakes his head, and looks a little sheepish then.] I dunno. A lot of people back home still don't believe they're real until they see the results for themselves.

[intulpable]

Then it seems that mindfulness and control truly are two of the cornerstones of the universe, regardless of which world one views it from. ... How long have you had this power, then, Ace?

[burnt_offering]

I think you're right. Even wild beasts rein themselves in to keep safe from harm. [Ace tilts his head, thinking again. He can't remember the exact date, unfortunately.] A few years, not too long. Most of my strength I got before then. Living in the mountains means you can't be weak.

[intulpable]

It certainly does! I can't say I grew up in the wilderness, but I did train to become an Eagle Scout, which means I spent many, many weekends and evenings in my youth learning how to survive outside of civilization. There's something to be said for living off the land. A sort of clean, uncomplicated dignity. ... Though I will still laud the finer points of a well-made, soft mattress any day of the week.