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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[As he runs into the belt's projection, Isaka rushes on forward as well.
At just the right pace so that he'll be able to come in for a rising blow with his sword moments after Tachibana has completed his transformation. He has seen it before, seen it but days ago, in his own estimation, and he believes that he knows his limits. Now, though? Now is the time to test those limits.

He is still very powerful, as far as Undead go. Seven feet of muscle and armor and psychic malice, the same opponent from nearly 15 years before. Surely that will be enough.]

Edited (wait that was entirely wrong) 2020-01-20 04:19 (UTC)

Tachibana is already ducking out of the way, shooting in a quick burst as he did so. He may not have the extra powers from Liminal, but all of the training with Kinji had still taught him a few new tricks that even at his most mundane, he could still use.

Especially since Isaka wouldn't at all expect misdirection, considering how utterly open, direct and without forethought Tachibana's normal fighting style was. But that sort of fighting simply hadn't been enough to even keep pace with the hyperactive ninja, forcing Tachibana to learn how to be calculating in his attacks, to maximize the strengths of his armors dexterity and flexibility. Especially when Isaka's moves were blunt, heavy and relied on brute force when he wasn't using his own projectiles.

[He'd been expecting a parry and a burst of fire, not a dodge... but he could work with that, he was sure. But the next time Tachibana does something unexpectedly dexterous, he starts to wonder if it's not a coincidence. By the time that he has driven the man halfway around the damned quarry, slicing and striking and being relentless, that he has a sense of what has changed. He feels no stronger, his sync is as optimal as it could hope to be, but he is... better. More skillful.

He'll have to do better, then. Another slash of his sword, but then he leaps back and makes a grasping motion with one hand. If Tachibana's not quick, he'll find himself being bombarded with rocks from behind, ferociously lifted from the quarry floor.]

Ah, there is finally is.

Keeping a tight hold on his mental defenses, he turns, shooting rapidly at the rock onslaught, creating a large cloud of dust, obscuring himself and the rockslide.

The sound of his Rouzer silences, the scene seeming to go still as the dust begins to clear.

[Hm. That's fast. Fast enough that he's just as impressed with the success of the move as he is frustrated at its ineffectiveness. But that's not all he has to bring to bear. That extended hand pulls back, and the feathers upon his shoulders charge with energy and burst forward in a wide spread. If he's lingering in there (and he has to be, Isaka is sure), then that should stun him long enough for the dust to clear.]

[[There is a long, tense moment as the explosive energy seems to ring out against the exposed rock walls of the quarry, the dust slowly clearing to show nothing but a pile of pulverized stone, shimmering with fragments of crystal shards.

It is only then when a very familiar sound can be heard. The deep swoosh of a card going through Garren's Rouzer:]]

Drop

Fire

Gemini

[[The sounds ring off the exposed walls, echoing around Isaka, making it difficult to pinpoint the location of their source.

That is, until he thinks to look up.

Standing on the edge of the cliff face above him, Tachibana stands, the energy of the activated cards sinking into his armor. As the last beep of ticking numbers echoes, he looks down, shifting his posture as the attack name is announced:]]

Burning Divide

[The sparkling dust clears and... nothing. There's nothing there. He's been tricked.
And then the familiar voice of the Rider System rings out, echoing from all around, and unwelcome fear rises inside him. This is like the last time, like before, only he can't even find him...!

It is only after Isaka does a full turn about, he thinks to look up. And it is in time to catch Tachibana crouching and readying an attack.

Shit. Seeing nowhere to dodge to and nothing else to be done, he throws up his sword before him as a makeshift defense, hoping that he'll be able to withstand it.]

[[The intensity of the attack would be familiar, but at the same time, stronger than before. What was previously fueled by righteous fury of revenge is now, instead, given the weight of something far more solid: Purpose, duty and confidence.

There's a terrific blast of fire that roars up from Tachibana's boot as it hits Isaka's sword, the intensity and weight of it causing the metal to buckle and bend--

--before giving way with a loud snap as Tachibana's boot breaks through Isaka's last defence and lands firmly on the Undead himself]]

[It is a testament to the inherent strength of the Undead that Isaka's sword does not buckle right away. There is a moment where it holds, where he holds ground, and even dares hope to push back and deflect the attack. But the heat of it is already singeing his feathers, burning his talons... and then it's enough to weaken the sword and snap it in two.

Defenseless now, that boot impacts with his chest, and the force of the kick drives him into the ground with such force that it makes a crater. A burner crater. With him in it, on fire.

Perhaps it is because he has experienced such a thing before, that he limits himself to just a low groan, as he tries to find it within himself to get back up. If he gets back up, then he hasn't lost. And he can't have lost again, not so soon! But after several futile moments, there comes the familiar crack of his belt snapping open.]

Nhggh... no...!

[What is less familiar, is the way his form suddenly ripples and warps, afterwards...]

[[Tachibana slowly rises from where he had landed, feeling the heat of the explosion at this back, the crack of Isaka's belt seemingly just as loud to his ears as it was to Isaka's own.

Reaching for his Belt, he releases his transformation, turning to face Isaka with his own face, no longer hidden behind Garren's mask.

Isaka's form warping back to human, he half expected. The last moments the Royal Undead had before being sealed they often clung to that form, one last question, one last protest, one last gambit...

He reaches into his jacket, only to pause. He had no Blanks, all of his cards were full. And he very much doubted that he could seal Isaka with his own, already occupied card...

So he simply watches. Waiting to see what would happen. Waiting to see what Isaka would say.

.. but one thing did come to mind, as he watched the Undead's chest heave with pained exertion, struggling against the damage he had taken]]

Do you understand, now? You're not a threat to me. And you never will be, ever again.

[Isaka... does not rise. He is incapable of rising. Between the severity of his injury and the raw emotional impact of Tachibana's words, he even finds himself not wanting to rise. And why should he? He has lost. He has lost, and no doubt will find himself sealed any moment now. And so he closes his eyes surrenders with a pained groan... and his form ceases flickering and simply remains human.

He does not disappear. The Sealing Stone does not suddenly materialize to finish this off. He waits several moments before frowning, rapidly becoming aware that something has gone wrong, then manages to weakly lift an arm to rise and grasp at his chest.]

Ngh.

[That hurts. That hurts, but also... that's not his chest, not as it ought to be. He's not... not reverting to his proper form? The sudden surge of confusion that he feels is enough to make him try moving again, and this time he manages to twist and push and roll himself onto his side, where he spits out a mouthful of green blood. Something is very, very wrong. Perhaps he'll even manage to say as much soon. Later. In a bit.]

[[Tachibana steps back slightly, giving him room to try and stagger to his feet if he so chooses, but not much more than that.

The smug, almost proud feeling of victory has already faded, leaving a small, almost almost uneasy feeling deep in his core. It would be fitting, to simply turn and walk away. To leave Isaka where he had fallen, defeated and alone to deal with the reality of this new existence.

But there was no way he could do something like that.

The sort of person he was, he hated to see anyone suffer. Even someone like Isaka, who deserved to feel every hurt he had inflicted on the world. And when there was no telling what Isaka would do next...

He's silent a long moment before finally speaking.]]

The Sealing Stone has no power outside of our world. It cannot seal you, nor can it grant you victory. The consequences of your actions are now yours, and yours alone to deal with.

[There is certainly no telling what Isaka might do next. He himself does not know, past getting himself to his feet. And even that seems like a tall order, given the state that he's in. His clothes are unmarred, and the black hides any blood, but he can plainly feel that he has broken ribs. No punctured lung, for his breathing is not labored enough, but something must be sufficiently torn or ruptured if he's spitting blood. And though most of face is (thankfully) unmarred, he's burnt along his jaw and down his neck... and likely further down past that, where his shirt and coat covers things up.

He manages to at least get to his knees by the time Tachibana speaks. His jaw sets, and he almost protests, for how could he know? Know for sure? How could he, a human, know? But he is not sealed. And if he cannot win...

His shoulders slump, his head dips, his eyes stay firmly fixed on the ground, on the spatter of green blood there. It is as though he's a puppet with half the strings cut.]

Mine... and mine alone?

[That... is a very unfamiliar idea. He does not know what to make of it.]

Yeah.

[[Tachibana looks away, too many uncomfortable similarities to another moment, a seeming lifetime ago. Tiger Undead, staring down at the scattered lunch that Nozomi had tried to reach Mutsuki with.

This was different. This was Isaka.

...and yet.

He pressed his lips together, wrestling with conflicting emotions before finally turning, looking back down at the broken Undead in front of him.

Before silently offering him a hand to stand up.]]

[Isaka is sitting with his loss and confusion, waiting for Tachibana to simply leave. He will leave, won't he? He has made his point. He has grown far, far past him as Garren, and there is no way that he can possibly avenge himself now. He cannot feel the man's mind, cannot will telekinetic force to gather... he is human and he is helpless and he hates this so much.

That offered hand is so unexpected, Isaka does not immediately realize that it is a thing. But the shape at the corner of his eye eventually catches his attention, and he brings himself to look at it.. then run his gaze up Tachibana's arm and to his face. What? Why?

...if he's foolish enough to offer him that sort of mercy, he'd be a fool if he didn't take advantage of it. He grasps the man's hand, looks away, and with gritted teeth and a long and stifled groan of pain, he accepts that help in standing up.

Once he's standing, though, he feels a thrill of something entirely unfamiliar, originating from where their hands are touching. It runs up his arm, settles in his chest, eases his pains... so of course, he reflexively pulls his hand away afterwards, to stare at his palm in confusion.]

Edited 2020-01-22 03:12 (UTC)

[[There's no answer Tachibana could give to that unspoken question. Showing compassion and mercy to the monster who had taken so much from him and had haunted his nightmares for years...

That the trickle of Chroma from that short connection seemed to ease some of the worst of Isaka's injuries was almost an odd sort of relief. As much as Isaka deserved to suffer... the physical pain wasn't the injury that the Undead had to deal with.

There's a moment as he debates explaining things, addressing that additional confusion.... but no. There would be others that would teach Isaka that. What was more important...]]

...If you hurt anyone in this world, I'll kick your ass even worse than this time.

[[And with that, he finally does turn to start walking away.]]

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▶ TDM .011

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I have added some new icons and am excited to use them

:3

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