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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[ Brave. Maybe, but he was close to giving up and crashing before Jester spoke to him on that ship. Terrified, homesick and so very confused. Everything had gone up and down like the water's edge by the sea, but following your destiny will never be easy. That was what faith was all about, going forward even if it was hard - because in the end, the path back might be even more difficult.

He's changed. He's not the same Clay that left this graveyard and he cannot go back to that person, even when sitting in the very best version of his home. Yet he doesn't regret it, because it has brought him so much more.

Cad smiles a little when they hands touch again, an eagerness in the way his ears perk a bit and his fingers move to grip Fjord's. He meets the half-orc's eyes with such softness on his features.

When he first met Fjord, the man had struck him as an angsty teen, but they had time to get to know eachother. Now he understands that loneliness, the need to be useful and important. The fear of abandonment. ]

You are a strong person, Fjord. I believe you were always meant for this. You only got a little lost on the way. [ Thanks to some sneasnake. ] I am... I am happy I could be there to help you return to your road again.

[ As Fjord leans against him, the firbolg carefully does the same. It's easier, in couches made for his people. Less strain on his neck. ]

You helped me remember my path, Fjord. We helped eachother.

[ That tricksy sneasnek almost ruined everything, luckily this feckless half-orc is more stubborn than was counted on. A little lost, says Caduceus, but Fjord feels like he almost went off the deep end for a hot minute (or month) there; Avantika was ... persuasive.

All thoughts of her are banished by the way Caduceus leans in, much closer as he gives Fjord his full attention. His fingers twitch under Caduceus's and he links them for a firmer hold, squeezing as he looks up at him with a content, somewhat dopey smile. This house is lovely and his friend is ... is wonderful. Selfless, supportive, giving. Fjord rests his weight against him and as his gaze drops down the firbolg's features he hastily gives him a soft headbutt on the shoulder, free hand crossing over himself to slide into the crook of Caduceus's arm and rest there.

He breaks the silence with a soft snort, wiggling his feet where they hang off the couch. Too emotional and flustered to discuss them, he shifts the focus to lighter subjects. ]

... This must be how Nott feels when it comes to furniture.

[ This is really nice, Caduceus thinks with a content sigh. They're, for all intents and purposes, snuggling, and he realizes he really needed this. Jester was the person who mostly hugged him (and so were random people), but it had been a while by now.

That headbutt draws a little amused huff out of the cleric. Cad is a little bony, but he's plenty warm and Fjord fits in really well by his arm. He takes a moment just to enjoy the moment, in a vision of his old home and with a new friend.

His droopy eyes glances down at Fjord again as the other man speaks, and then the firbolg starts chuckling. ]

This would be a lot of space for her wouldn't it? [ She would need a stool. ] It's rather different to be out there where things are built for one size or smaller.

[ Thankfully he's pretty good at dodging door frames by now. ]

[ Things that Fjord loves: physical contact. Slumped together, warm and cosy in the old Blooming Grove temple as sunlight filters through the homely windows, he could probably fall asleep if he let himself and get lost in the illusion. Caduceus is real and that's all that matters, Fjord thinks as he absently rubs his nose on the silky, spidery fabric of a sleeve. No point pretending he's not comfortable. ]

I would say you're just the right height.

[ Shooting a smile up at his tall friend, who isn't currently all that far away given their seating arrangement, Fjord finds the room less interesting to look at than his companion, ~~flirting~~ teasing him for the fun of it. ]

What's the weather like up there, Deuces?

[ Cad shares this feeling - he could just close his eyes and fall asleep right here, soft and warm and happy, but he's not sure if that means the place will shut off. Maybe it worked like a concentration spell, and he would like to enjoy it just a little bit more. Everything he loved was right here.

(There's a stain on the rug where Colton fell with a whole bushel of blueberries. It kind of looks like a dog.)

When Fjord asks a somewhat weird question, those soft deer-like ears flick a bit in confusion before it slowly dawns on him what Fjord means. ]

Very warm and toasty. How is it down there?

[ Not that Fjord was that short, but they're ~~flirting~~ teasing. ]

[ Those flicking ears are distracting. It's nice to be able to read Caduceus by whatever those are doing, a grin spreading wide on Fjord as he gazes up. ]

I'm very cold, actually.

[ The most blatant of liars. ]

[ You don't even need passive insight of a lot to see that one, but it's sweet. It's... something. If he leans down a bit to slip the blanket more over Fjord, they get almost equal in height for a moment. ]

How's that?

[ He didn't think this through. He never thinks anything through (untrue) when it counts (true) and now he can see the pink of Caduceus's long eyelashes and the faint fur on his cheeks where it blends into rosy scruff over a jaw, all of him very close, right there. The air feels charged like it's his turn to make a move but Fjord is rooted to the spot with memorising every last detail, his smile softening as he looks Caduceus over from eyes to mouth and back again. His hands are so hot, one held and the other hooked on an arm, and the infusion of feeling a sudden(?) attraction amplifies the tingling wherever they touch.

Caduceus shared his blanket, that's all. That's all. ]

You're ... so pink.

[ Pink hair, pink eyes, pink lips ...

It's possibly the stupidest murmur that he could have let slip, but his brain is busy. ]

[ Fjord is having a moment. That's quite obvious, with that comment and the unfocused yet very focused look in those yellow eyes as he seems to take in every part of Caduceus' face. It makes the cleric's heart hop a little again in his chest, but even though the moment is loaded and full of possibilities, he has to be the one that pulls away, the one that shares the blanket and sits back.

He tries to ignore the blood rushing in his ears and making his cheeks pink as well, because right now Fjord's emotions is pristine sand at a beach, easily affected by him in any way he puts his footprints. Caduceus has been his guide in this spiritual awakening, and it's not strange to feel so close that it's touching on more. He's not in a position of power over Fjord as much as he's in a position of (perceived) gratitude, which could ignite things in the wrong way and could hurt their relationship. ]

It's the lichen.

[ Cad says softly, somewhere between amused and wistful. ]

[ See, gentlemanly shit like that is the reason for Fjord's dewy heart. He isn't sure why he's disappointed when Caduceus sits back up, or rather he refuses to think too deeply outside of the fuzzy warmth their proximity is causing. Blaming the Chroma seems an easy excuse. ]

Oh. [ Hold on. ] Wait — [ That guy doesn't have lichen on his face!! Fjord huffs and gives him a gamely shove, eyeing him cannily. ] Sure it is. I believe you, thousands wouldn't.

[ Adjusting the blanket over his shoulders, he thinks it's a real shame they can't take it with them. A thought that comes randomly out of nowhere. He doesn't want to leave this lovely giant-kin house, but. Time is steadily marching on and he suspects they are pushing for it. ]

We should probably get going ...

[ Whether it was true or not isn't important, really. It was as good as an explanation as any, and it did what it needed to do. Break the moment.

(He misses it already.)

Fjord does get a conspiratorial wink before Caduceus catches up with what the half-orc is saying. It freezes him for a moment, awkwardly sitting up straighter. Right. This isn't real. This isn't actually his home. Another moment to break.

Gently, he stands up and gives Fjord the rest of the blanket, turning to look at the rest of the interior of the Blooming Grove temple. The sun is setting outside, warm orange color highlighting the firbolgs hair and creating a kaleidoscope of colors from the gossamer sleeve. ]

I'll show it to you again, Fjord. When we return.

[ When it was restored. ]

[ It hurts to see Caduceus so openly raw, the longing in the firbolg for his home an almost tangible emotion in the air. With the blanket around his shoulders for as long as it lasts, Fjord slides off the sofa and takes one last look around at Caduceus's side, subtly slipping a hand back into his for emotional support. ]

We'll come back here. We will. You'll cook us dinner and I'll steal all your blankets for the longest nap in the history of Wildemount on that amazing couch of yours.

[ He rubs the toe of his boot on a stain, on the carpet bearing a blob shaped like a dog. Fjord eventually takes the initiative and turns to head out, loosely keeping a hold of his friend as he glances over a shoulder.

Softly, he coaxes, ] Come on, Deuces.

Alright...

[ That hand is appreciated and honestly needed right now. He already left this home once, and now he had to do it again. He doesn't regret coming, of course - if anything it gave him more resolve and a better understanding on how far he had come. On the other hand? Home.

There's another sigh from the cleric and he runs his fingers gently over the back of the couch, the wood on a dresser - the little carved creatures. This was a dangerous invention, this Vee Are machine. People could lose themselves in memories or things that will never be.

He's coaxed along with Fjord to the door, and stops there for one last look. Reaching out by the door, he moves one out of a set of runes on the wall down to the small bowl under it.

One child was outside the home, it meant.

He would return eventually. ]

[ Fjord can only guess what the gesture means as Caduceus moves a stone to a bowl, holding his tongue as he stays by his side all the way out into the immediate garden, a peaceful sunset glowing golden around the temple. The warm halo that also surrounds Caduceus is rudely stripped away as the VR pod shuts down, leaving Fjord disorientated for a moment as he blinks rapidly in the cold light. ]

Gods, fuck — That's damn bright.

[ He has to let go of Caduceus's hand to rub at his own eyes as they exit onto the bustling nighttime streets, throngs of people chattering suddenly like a sledgehammer to the senses after the haven of the grove. ]

That'll give anyone a headache.

[ That's such a change in light and the general tone of everything that Caduceus had to take a second to even know where they are. He also rubs his eyes slightly, making sure he could see fully before he steps out of the pod. The cleric is so befuddled that he almost forgets his staff, hurrying to reach it before the pod closes again before he joins Fjord's side again. ]

Hm. It could have been a little less abrupt.

[ Do they... talk about everything in there? The moment, the memories? He's not sure any more, and instead falls silent next to Fjord as they leave the VR pod area. It's colder out here, both in temperature and in his heart. ]

[ There's a lot left unsaid, swept under the proverbial carpet by Caduceus back in the Blooming grove, and that's okay by Fjord. He would never push or ask for more, it was wonderful getting to see his friend's home and share a moment that was just for them (increasing as they are these days), so now that they are back to reality with an unceremonious bump he makes it his mission to find them some solid footing again.

Fjord was the one making it weird, he knows that. ]

Hey, look!

[ There are lights fizzing on the end of sticks, sparklers he hears someone say. With a determinedly upbeat smile, he tugs on Caduceus's sleeve. ]

Let's see what those are all about.

[ As if their former foray into the pods was just one more experience, with more to come tonight. Nothing out of the ordinary. ]

[ Part of him regrets it deeply, but he knows it's not the time. Fjord had a lot of his own growth ahead before he could even entertain the thought of running his hands through that salt-n-pepper hair.

Time would tell if that infatuation was from the guidance and acceptance of another person, or something deeper. For now? Sparkly things on fire.

Cad easily follows along, smiling serenely as they walk among sparks. They're not really hot enough to burn, so when he finds himself with one in his hand (and wow, apparently that moonlacing really worked as currency??) he's curious to see the sparks rain down like a waterfall of fire.

It was a bit reminiscent of the forge in Cinderrest Sanctum and the pieces of the glass-like shards hissing as they hot the lava. ]

This is nice.

It really is! [ Fjord's inspired distraction proves a little too genuine once he has two handfuls of sparklers, golden eyes bright in their glow as he swirls them around. ] Caduceus, check it out — Eldritch Blast!

[ He swirls his sparklers around in a dramatic way that Eldritch Blast has never been used (the lights linger in lines, it's a trip) and makes the 'whhphboom' noise for effect.

Then he holds them all in one hand and pretends to be using a staff, levelled at Caduceus's. ]

En garde, fellow cleric!

[ That's exactly how Caduceus looks when casting, yes. ]

[ Okay, that's adorable. It will never not be endearing that Fjord shouts out his spells (if a little tactically dumb) but doing so while waving sparklers around his even better. Caduceus looks happily bemused, ears perking a bit as he's 'challenged'. (At least he thinks that's what that means?)

There's a beat, and then he's holding out his sparkler as well, taking his usual defensive battle stance and letting his staff be the 'shield' this time.

The sparkler doesn't shoot very far when swished dramatically, but he can pretend it's a sacred flame. ]

Pew?

[ He says, somewhat bewildered - but into it. ]

Oh, fuck! Little bastards.

[ A few sparks fizz his way and he swishes his back and forth like a flaming sword-shield (this man is shit with the latter, okay) to ward off those harmless specks. And he only says Eldritch Blast out loud (outside of needing to here when playing pretend) because it's his Thing. His cool thing. Everyone agreed, so it's true. ]

Fair warning, as a swole Cleric of the Wildmother I show no mercy to my foes. Err ...

[ Wait a minute, he has to remember which spells Caduceus has. ]

Oh! Think fast! Blight.

[ ... He spins his sparklers in circles. What a dangerous spell. ]

[ Things can be cool and endearing at the same time! It's a Thing!

Caduceus laughs, bright and honest at Fjord's proclamation, and it shakes off any lingering thoughts in his head. This is familiar, easy. Just the M9 being ridiculous. ]

Oh dear, that's a nasty one.

[ He raises his 'staff' to 'block' it. ]

Guiding Bolt!

[ Wiggle-wiggle-wiggle of the sparkler. Even serene grave clerics can be funny! ]

Edited 2020-01-21 13:52 (UTC)

[ Fjord clasps his chest and swoons to one side, his moans catching some concerned looks before bystanders realise he's just being an idiot. ]

Oof! Argh!! You got me! Oh, gods, what a world to do this to a half-orc in his prime!

[ The back of a hand finds his forehead as he walks backwards through the street, facing that sunny firbolg smile. ]

How could you do this ... ?

[ Caduceus huffs in amusement, smiling while carefully wiggling the very last part of the sparkler before the embers stop falling. ]

We all must pass one day, even good men.

[ He says sagely and 'casts' Toll the Dead. ]

I'll remember to keep the beard.

I trust you would! My hero.

[ Sad to see the sparklers die, he tosses them in a bin and sidles back up beside Caduceus as they wander the streets. This is nice. It's almost like a ...

Fjord spots some hot food up ahead and pats him on the arm. ]

Are you hungry? That sign says they sell vegetable options.

[ He joins Fjord in disposing of the sparkler ends and then happily walks along with him. He's still smiling - it felt nice to goof around a little bit. (It was a bit difficult to do so when everyone else in their group was a mess.) ]

Hm? [ He turns to look when his arm is patted. ]

Oh, that would be nice. I haven't tried the food here.

[ A little too confused to think about cooking, honestly. ]

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halforc - 2020-01-23 22:46 (UTC) - Expand

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▶ TDM .011

when your goddess watches with binoculars yelling 'SOULMATES' from the sidelines

she's got the tshirt

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