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

... True.

[ Caduceus is so good at tiptoeing around not saying what he's really saying, it's appreciated. Fjord will ... think over his strategy a little more. ]

Sangal. Sangui? Sanguis! [ Really remembering the important shit over here. ] No idea what it means. What about you, which moon were you landed with?

[ Idly while distracted, he chases the pleasant warmth of their connection and squeezes the fingers laced through his own. ]

[ To be fair, Fjord's insecurity and self-image problems are about as discreet as a tornado warning system... at least to someone with Caddy's eyes.

At the mention of Sanguis, he makes a little 'huh' noise. ]

Sanguis? I'm not sure what it all means, either, but it is interesting. I think mine is Iris, like the flower?

[ His fingers reply subconsciously to the little squeeze with one of his own, because somehow they're still holding hands and it's too nice to let go. ]

Sanguine is a bloody colour, maybe Sanguis is a blood moon. That wouldn't surprise me.

[ With his rotten luck. He looks relieved for Caduceus, checking with a lingering stare to see if the firbolg feels any particular way about it. ]

Of course you get the flower option.

Hmm. Then maybe Iris is a purple moon.

[ He doesn't seem to think it's a bad or good thing, because he has no frame of reference to go from other than 'blood' having some negative connections. ]

I grew some irises in the Grove. Perhaps that's why.

[ ..and, you now, his whole thing. ]

Either way, it's a mystery to see once our moons are up.

There's a purple moon? [ Should he know this shit as a Wildmum holy guy or is it, as he suspects, just Caduceus Stuff? Most likely the latter. ] Whatever will happen will happen, we can't put up much of a fight right now.

[ No use dwelling on it unless they have a plan to cope. Fjord has more current interests literally at hand as he takes Caduceus's under the drape of his cloak, hiding the fact they're touching. It also allows him to feel the brush of thin grey fur around a wrist and find out which way it grows. ]

If something bad happens then you come straight to me and vice-versa, okay? We've got each other's backs.

Well, I don't know? It's not the same as our moons, as far as I understood it.

[ You know, the very small part of that he actually understood at all. Damn that negative int, Cad spent a lot of time just smiling and hoping it would work out. Somehow.

...like finding a friend, so technically it did? ]

Of course we do.

[ You don't just drag anybody out of a monster stomach, after all.

There's a smile there that makes his nose crinkle a bit, amused how Fjord has now essentially kidnapped his hand in under his cloak. He could pull away easily (should, probably) but it lingers there for now. ]

Have you met any other moonblessed?

[ They could ask around about a library, or even use the bracelets to interact with that network thing, the one that sounded liked using Sending. In any case, now the initial embarrassment is gone he's going to keep that hand in his to swing and to play with all he wants, until Caduceus wants it back. ]

Not loads but a couple stand out. A small green tiefling, Molly's fiancé, a human woman called Sypha who spilled her drink on me, a fellow sailor named Julian ...

[ Fjord wasn't shy as he did his best to figure the place out. His grip in Caduceus's hand doesn't show signs of letting go and running after any of those people, however. ]

Who have you met?

[ Cad's long fingers are easy to play with, and he still keeps his hand there, even if it should be awkward by now. (It isn't.) The firbolg is very curious what it means, this warmth to their touch, an he honestly wonders if it would help Fjord commune if it gave this kind of peace right now.

...er maybe he was just touch starved?

The cleric gives a somewhat absent smile as he hears Fjord mention the people he's met. It all sounded like nice, common people they could meet at home, even if 'Molly's fiancé' is still a curious thing. (Not because he knows Molly, but you know. Revival stuff.) ]

You're the first I've spoken to that isn't a native to these parts.

[ Fjord is always low-key touch-starved, even if he doesn't need it. It happened some time after he joined the Nein and everyone was forced to share cramped tavern rooms, falling asleep with a knee in his back or a limb thrown over him, waking up the same way. He's accustomed to casual touch between them all, it's safe in a way it never was growing up at the orphanage. Holding Caduceus's hand is only stressful if he overthinks it (or if a little shit like Nott makes a big deal out of it), otherwise he's happy to hold on and share a warm glow through their connection.

He trusts him like family, so. ]

I could introduce you to them at some point, if you like, since you and I will be sticking together anyway. [ Because of course they will be, that's a natural assumption on his part. ] They seemed like nice people.

[ To be fair, Clay lived most of his life surrounded by siblings, often in a big pile of either cuddles or fights. That's why he enjoys sleeping in the bubble, even if it's not as easy to make a nice breakfast as it is when they have rooms.

(This is just as nice, if not better.) ]

Hm.

[ It goes without saying that they would be sticking together, so he simply nods. ]

I think I would like that. Were you assigned a place to stay?

I was, but Molly's got a huge house that basically feels like the Xorhaus. He offered to let me stay. You'll have to come too, he won't mind at all. [ No one can possibly dislike Caduceus. ] If they don't have enough rooms, I'll find some extra blankets and take the floor so we can share.

[ Despite his preference for a real bed and desperately needing to keep an eye on Molly's general safety, he won't leave his Wildbro out in the cold. ]

Unless you prefer to stay where you are, of course.

[ Someone should really explain to Fjord what an apartment building is. ]

That would be nice. [ He agrees, and not only because he doesn't know the people he's sharing with right now or the fact that he's been somewhat lost. He wants to meet this famous Molly, too. ]

I do not mind sharing, though it is better if you take the bed, Fjord. Most of them do not fit me well, so it is easier to stretch out on the floor.

[ Tall boy problems. ]

[ Apartments suck. Adult versions of orphanages, everyone stuffed in the same building ... ]

We can fix up a big bed for you if we decide to stick around there, you don't have to sleep on the floor all the time.

[ Maybe an extra large futon. ]

[ Well... that sounds like most other houses, to be honest. ]

That sounds nice. I usually curl up a bit.

[ Skinny pink Cad ball. ]

Are you feeling more at ease?

[ Thinking about Caduceus-sized solutions for beds, he blinks at him a couple of times and takes a moment to lodge any understanding. Is he what? ]

At ease? Yes, did I ... not seem at ease before?

[ Like he wasn't a half-orc dollop of stress over a teacup five seconds away from having the handle snapped off. By comparison, Fjord looks entirely relaxed now in the shoulders, leaning into Caduceus's space a little as they hold hands; the fuzzy pleasure definitely soothes Fjord's nerves a treat. ]

I certainly feel fine, thank you for asking.

You seemed concerned.

[ He finally pulls his hand away, no matter how nice it is, and instead places it with a soft smile on the Wildmother symbol he had given Fjord.

He saw that stress, buddy, and the abandonment issues.]

[ It's like stepping back from a hearth when Caduceus removes his hand, the warmth is replaced with cool air and Fjord is reminded they were holding hands at all. His palm is wiped on the inside of his cloak, a little sweaty, and he stills as his brooch is touched.

It's harder to bullshit Caduceus than it is, say, Beau, who usually takes him at his word. Fjord swallows and glances down, only looking back up when he feels slightly less like a jackass for fibbing. ]

I was just ... thinking, a lot. [ About being alone without the team, and Melora maybe forgetting about him too ... ] Evidently not a good idea with no one to bounce my thoughts off.

It's easy to let things spiral when you feel alone and in a strange place.

[ He knows this very well. Cad had his existential crisis on the boat, it was a mess. ]

It's alright, Fjord. You're never fully alone.

[ The cleric gives a little pat-pat on Fjord's chest before leaning back again, reaching up to push his mess of braids and loose locks behind one deer-like ear. ]

Hm. I believe the beard is already coming in.

[ His gaze follows the sweep of strawberry-and-cream hair over a shoulder, Fjord's eyes brightening when his beard is mentioned. Hells yeah, it is coming in!! Just going to focus on that and not the balm of relief he just absorbed via Caduceus's understanding comments. ]

It's thicker, for sure! Do you want to feel it?

[ Unlike how he grabbed Beau's arm and gave her no choice but to suffer, he pats a raspy cheek and tilts up his chin. ]

[ Caduceus gives a little chuckle but he does reach up to feel it so he's not violently rubbed on by an overeager half-orc (mostly because it would mess his own fur up). ]

Mm. It will suit you.

[ Says Mr. Hippie Beard himself, be proud. ]

[ It already suits him 300%, Fjord has decided, so Caduceus is forgiven that slip of the tongue. Whatever it is about getting his cheek rubbed, it makes him laugh lowly at the weird Chroma-tinged sensation and he digs a playful tusk at that hand, just enough to poke. He bites! Careful! ]

It'll be to the floor in no time and then I'll use it as a majestic scarf, way better than Caleb's.

[ You just started, Fjord! It will look even more amazing when it's actual beard and not just... a hint of shadow you sandpaper monks with.

Caduceus chuckles at the attempt at 'goring' him with a bitty tusk, and he doesn't move his hand at first - he fully trusts the paladin to not actually bite him, even in jest. Instead he takes his hand off at his own leisure, bringing ito to meet his other one around the length of his staff. One beetle crawls out of it, wandering over his knuckles and across his fine fingers before settling into another little hole in the wood.]

Now that would be impressive, though probably more painful to get stuck on things than a scarf.

[ It's gonna be a mighty beard, so enemies beware. ]

I'd want to die with it, no sudden trims to save my life.

[ And, fine, Caduceus isn't gored by that incredibly lethal, gigantic tusk. He survives to let bugs crawl over him and nbdhdggfph that's a little gross so Fjord will glance around them. ]

What do you say we get out of here and take a walk? There are some machines they call Vee-Arr Pods that can show you anywhere you like, as if you're really there. I went on a ship with another sailor, it was as realistic as you and me right now.

I'll remember to bury you with it.

[ He says merrily, even if that sounds awfully dark from an actual gravekeeper. Gallows humor is a fine line when you do spooky shit for a living.

Using this very gross staff with his very gross little children in it, the pink firbolg stands up as Fjord suggests they'll take a walk. ]

Like scrying?

[ Cad asks with a confused smile. He's not sure if he's overy into seeing a ship again, he's still recharging on the waterbased trauma. ]

[ That really is some graveside humour, yikes. What a look that cheery, dark comment gets from this overly fond half-orc. ]

I suppose it's like scrying, [ he can only guess, ] but the water felt real on my face and I could smell the brine in the air. The ship's wood was warm in the sunshine ...

[ It was really, really good, as new experiences go. Fjord gives Caduceus a long look, weighing up how long they've been on the road with the rest of the Nein and also remembering the awful time Cad had on the Ball-Eater, the homesickness that made him morose and anxious away from the Savalirwood. It's not really his scene, the ocean.

Hmm ... ]

You could make the pod look like the Blooming Grove, I haven't seen it yet. [ The gentle suggestion comes, ] Would you show me your home?

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