prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .012

Entry tags:

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.

▶ I am the Terror That Flaps in the Night
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 Your new flat is covered in a sprinkling of feathers here, there, and everywhere! They appear to be coming through the air vents. This seems to be a city-wide problem in all buildings, as many news outlets are informing people to stay alert. They believe the feathers are from the masked seraphim, King Majestas, who attacked the Elaran Amphitheater a few weeks back.

You are advised to destroy the feathers on sight. Prolonged contact with these feathers cause hallucinations and paranoia. You will feel as if winged creatures are always after you, be it one-winged angels or dark-winged ducks. Other side effects include hearing the chanting of voices in an indecipherable language out of this galaxy. These hallucinations may cause headaches, dizziness, or nausea. Thankfully, a bit of moonlacing will heal these symptoms away.

▶ Got Milk?
Level 2, Crystal Beach | top

With the Coiled Hearts Festival fast approaching, local fishermen have already begun procuring food across Crystal Beach’s clear waters to meet next month’s demands. Around this time of year, the popularity of octopus dishes dramatically rises. The Lunatians have an annual tradition to prepare flavorful octopus dishes for the romantic season, such as the much-lauded dark chocolate-coated octopus or the mouth-watering octopus braised with red wine.

Everyone is welcome to join this heart-throbbing affair. During the Second and Third months, everyone is encouraged to give your loved ones something special for a long, successful relationship. Friends, family, and new acquaintances are traditionally given a small amount of Demichroma in tiny cute cases, while lovers are given something that reminds the gifter of their homeland.

A Interested in catching your own octopus? Horned taurus octopi very frequently migrate to the shorelines to perform their elaborate mating rituals. It’s easy to find clumps of taurus octopi participating in a vigorous dance, filled with undulations and strange moaning noises that octopi should not be making. You can lure the octopi by either using a special flute which mimics their moans to gather them in heavy droves. It’s ideal to have a partner with you to scoop the octopi quickly into water containers once they’ve become entranced enough.

Play the flute carefully! If the taurus octopi grow too excited by your music, they will squirt white ink. If you are spritzed with the thick substance, you will start either randomly puking or uncontrollably secreting a milky sweet substance from any body part that secretes liquids. Luckily, the high-end boutique Prissy Polyp is nearby in case you need a change of clothes due to any sizable stains. Effects will naturally wear off after an hour.

B Come with a friend and enjoy learning some octopus recipes together. The Crystal Beach Resort has opened a seminar where several professional chefs will be demonstrating and teaching how to cook various dishes of different flavors and ingredients guaranteed to impress your date, and taste-testing is free!

One dish makes use of horned taurus octopi skin as the star ingredient, renowned for its irresistibly delectable scent. The chefs explain the palatable skin is a potent ingredient in various love potions and aphrodisiacs, so add or mix them to your dishes in moderation! The effects have a significant delay, so you may feel fine for a while, but when it hits, it hits hard. You will become enamored with every little thing — hey, you just met them and this is crazy — but that person’s smile, the sound of their voice, or the way they say your name will make you unable to resist the urge to shower them with your affection.

▶ Going Viral
Level 2, Moonlight Medical Center | top

“Help Wanted” posters can be found on virtual forums and announcement boards across Level 1 to 3. The Moonlight Medical Center has put out a call for volunteers due to a recent shortage of medical staff. The work involves filling in for overworked nurses, performing tasks such as feeding patients their meals, wiping away their sweat, changing their clothes, encouraging their spirits, and so on. Any volunteers may directly walk-in at the hospital. You will be provided a nurse uniform and any necessary equipment while on the job.

The shortage has resulted from the hospital recently taking in a severe number of patients from a nearby small village to the west of Lunatia, Port Sylvel, a known shipping and freight destination. The number of patients worryingly keeps on rising by the day and will soon fill all available rooms.

A Some of the patients are experiencing varying degrees of paralysis. The worst cases have crystallizing parts of their body. The hospital staff will stress that you should be careful around patients with crystallized limbs. Patients like these have a history of aggressively biting anyone who comes close hard enough to draw blood. Those bitten will exhibit similar symptoms as the victims, including crystallization on their bodies, and experience a steady drop in Chroma. An uncomfortable heaviness will cause you unable to move without the aid of others as well as an uncontrollable urge to aggressively bite someone.

While affected Moonblessed can cure it by moonlacing, the Prismals can only be cured by a gluteal inoculation the Lunar Scientia has recently managed to develop. The sick and beleaguered will probably hate you less if you aren’t the one trying to stabbing them with injections in the hindquarters.

B Aside from nursing duties, other available tasks to be completed include making coffee for fellow nurses and doctors, delivering flowers to patients, and general housekeeping. Specifically, disinfecting medical equipment, tidying up rooms, and cleaning the spaces around the hospital. As a result of the current situation, many crystal shards can be found decorating multiple surfaces, such as floors, walls, toilet seats, and so on. These will have to be swept away!

However, as your work day progresses, some of the shards can be seen suddenly moving on their own. These crawling shards will start clustering together to turn into elaborate, floating monolithic formations that will then begin attacking anyone nearby. Their main ability includes shooting diamond spears to impale any unfortunate victims in their line of sight. In the midst of the chaos, nurses and doctors will beg the Moonblessed to please protect the sick and wounded. The crystal formations can be destroyed by any method, though because of their incredibly sturdy composition, they require multiple hits before they shatter into dust.

▶ 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.

Page 118 of 175

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

'Thousand?'

[Moran shakes his head.]

Hundred?'

[Another shake of the head and a small frown. Was he imprecise in the way he said the words? Or do they have a dialect difference? But here it should not matter at all.

The movement towards his forehead makes him pull back a little, but nothing dangerous seems to be happening, although once again his star sign glows on his forehead, briefly. And Runyu's surprise seems to puzzle him.]

Of course I am. What else would I be?

[He picks up another bun. Monch.]

And do what? Become next? [ After all, Moonblessed had so far avoided infection, and though she would probably never ever in her life say anything like that, her genetics don't exactly bend too humanoid anyway. In all honesty Iggy probably knows nothing about that too so that she wouldn't have any inclination until something like what happened with Romdeau Dome, but it doesn't stop Re-L from being a bit of a biting viper at the moment.

For her part Re-L is unmoved by the change in her Entourage - she's seen it enough to know that the one he's least a threat to is herself in that moment. ]

A bite wouldn't have killed me. If grandfather couldn't achieve that than this Prismal wouldn't. [ Confident for a girl who has no way of knowing that. Thankfully with Re-L out of immediate danger Iggy's demeanor switches back rather quickly, instead fussing over looking over her hands and arms.

She's glared at Iggy enough for the autoreiv not to notice it one bit, it would seem. He's lucky, at this point, that she hasn't cancelled his Turing application and not had any opposition at all. But after his meltdown in their own world.. she's trying to be kinder to her poor Entourage. ]

Yes, well, let's avoid another coming back nearly dead incident. [ Apparently Re-L's given her Entourage snark in his personality programming, too, and she laments to the room, half-hearted : ]

Why did I program you this way?

[He notices her little flush but does not call attention to it, instead following her inside and then asking for a table in that same genteel yet commanding manner he seems to have. While there is an air of authority around him, he treats the waitstaff kindly, asks for recommendations on the menu, and gives a rather enamored and blushing maid a brilliant smile as he finishes placing his order and hands her back the menu.]

Are you a cultivator too, Miss Luo?

[So far, all the ones he has met are men, but none of them have said women were barred from it, and Jiang Cheng did take in Yuri, which seems to imply it is normal to have women in the ranks as well.]

[Oh, there it goes... Colress is in the process of getting back up on his feet when Kabu approaches, and he waves the apology off as he straightens his clothes.]

No need to apologize! I am fine, and so is Klinklang.

[He says that, but Klinklang still sounds a little unsure of what just transpired. He gives the pile of gears a reassuring pat before turning back to Kabu.]

Truthfully, I am very excited to have met another Pokemon. There aren't very many Trainers in Lunatia! Are you a recent arrival...?

[ every muscle tightens; every nerve recoils. howard has always been one of the easier options when it came to discussing steve, his absence, his lasting impact on their lives. but that doesn’t mean she enjoys it.

(and now, with things as complicated as they are…)

peg’s almost grateful that howard won’t look her in the eye. ]

I’ve got a bottle of whatever passes for whiskey in this place. [ a beat. ] Just say the word.

In his disorientation, it takes him a moment to even place his new guard in his memory. But it does return, in quick and brief flashes, the enlistment ceremony, their interview, the soldier's adamance in coming to work for Runyu's empty, joyless palace.

"Kuanglu...?"

He raises a hand to her face, not entirely used to seeing her out of uniform.

"When... did you arrive? Are you well?"

He tries to sit up, brow furrowed in concern. As his guard, she is his responsibility.

Glancing between the door and the state of himself, Runyu does briefly consider asking to be let down, but when Xichen makes no move to set him down he bites down briefly on his lip, then opens the door with nothing more than a gesture of his hand. Once they are inside, he closes it with another gesture, then smiles softly the mortal's way.

"...I believe I am well enough to stand on my own feet, but I confess I have not minded this closeness."

She's more concerned than anything else, shifting to support him when he tries to sit up, keeping him steady. "You shouldn't move if you're unwell, my lord." Because that's what matters more than her own health.

"Not too long ago, but I didn't expect to see you here."

...little star. [ The term of endearment comes out half in admonishment, a helpless, mildly exasperated fondness on Runyu's face. He gives one of those fox ears a gentle tug, shaking his head as he does. ] You have the appearance of a nine tailed fox. I nearly mistook you for a relative of my uncle's.

Is it some manner of illusion...?

"Nor I you," Runyu murmurs, vertigo returning with his efforts to drag himself upright. He winds up falling against Kuanglu, gripping her for stability as he tries to gain his bearings again.

"I know not what has come over me... This place has done something to my abilities."

He's never felt his spiritual power so low, and yet sitting with Kuanglu this way is bringing clarity and strength back to him.

"Have you suffered anything since arriving...?"

[He takes her hand as he bows with a flourish, tipping his hat with his other hand.]

You're too kind, Miss Kohaku. My name is Johann Faust-- ah, but just Faust will do.

[He's already learned in El Nysa that just because someone is from another world doesn't mean they won't recognize Mephisto Pheles as Demon McFakename.]

I've been rather fortunate that most of the people I've met have given similar offers. I'd like to extend the same-- though I can't say whether there'll be much need for a wizard in a world like this.

[Already back on his bullshit smh]

"I haven't been here very long, it may be related to time spent here." She shifts slightly, adjusting her hold on him to provide more support until he's in a more stable position.

"This place is strange,though It may be any number of things affecting you. We should find a healer."

[Moran's ear flick again under the tug, and he gives a shrug.]

But... I told you there is no heaven where I am from, and that gods and demons don't exist there either, and that I wasn't either one of those things. And that I did not know your uncle. You didn't believe me?

[He knows he told you that, although you were a little faint so maybe you do not remember, Runyu.]

This is just the moon here making me look like that. And it's the first time I have nine tails this month. Before, I just looked like a normal white fox. And when the moon is not out, I don't look like this at all.

[The white hair and ears he got used to after a while, the tails are a new addition and more cumbersome. The gold eyes are new too and seem to fascinate quite a few people.]

Maybe when we next meet you won't recognize me at all.

[Monch. The plate of buns is basically gone now. Hope you didn't want any, Runyu, because he's moving on to the next thing now.]

[Considering Mephisto's standards involve instant ramen and scraps of deep fried batter, it's not like the bar was ever set very high.]

Fufu, as expected of Okumura-kun!

[Too nice for his own good, even to assholes like Mephisto.]

[Ah, but Crystal Beach is their destination, right? Well, given the time of year and particular mating season for a particular special of octopus, as they walk towards the restaurant, a glance at the beach will reveal it to be filled with bizarre mounds of writhing and groaning (???) octopus, some within just a few feet of the restaurant.]

[...]

It's, er... a delightful view?

[Robin cherishes all tact from Servants because IT IS REALLY RARE.

he can't decide if Richard is more like an excitable child or an old man, though.]

Yeah. What a time to be alive... [he murmurs it to himself, distracted from looking at his device now.]

You should have one too, you know?

[DID HE NOT GET ONE..... is he leaning closer to look at his....]

I confess I presumed you said such things in jest. Such is the nature of foxes.

That the moons have such power here... It is no wonder I have no command of these stars.

[ Murmuring this in wonder, Runyu picks up the plate of dumplings to offer Moran's way, contenting himself with tea in the face of his guest's healthy appetite. Is this a normal amount for humans to eat? He's unsure. ]

As for the matter of recognizing you, however...

[ Smiling faintly again, he transfers another trickle of power to Moran to make his star symbol flare. ]

...I think I shall recognize you just fine.

Edited 2020-02-18 19:55 (UTC)

[Some people just come from worlds where ridiculous names are ordinarily. He replies to her with a good-natured smile.]

Don't sweat it, pal! I make mistakes all the time! [Even if that's not exactly something to be proud of...]

And I'm really happy you're enjoying it, too! Eat up to your heart's content!! [Although, staring at this food which came out pretty good, he can't help but feel his own stomach rumbling.] ...Um, also... would it be okay if I had a taste, pal?

"No need," he dismisses with a shake of his head, rarely one to seek help in his times of need, seldom even to speak of his own suffering. This does not even rank as suffering, as he is merely weak over injured, and he's starting to feel better besides.

"Just help me inside. And stay a while, if that is agreeable to you," he murmurs tiredly, patting her lightly on the arm.

There is... the faintest of smiles back. Part amused by the use of power, part sheepish, all shy because smiling...

It used to come easily to him. It has not, in months now.

"I will admit that I find such things quite pleasant, too. Cultivators are supposed to conduct themselves with dignity, which I can and do do as appropriate. But the necessity of touch here... I do not mind at all."

Going to the lengths of moonlacing that some do? Not quite. But being close, holding and being held. He has not taken his fill yet, and he is not sure he will.

[Well, those dumplings are going to go the way of the buns, because Moran just put three of them in mouth at once, and the hamster chewing is back.

But then, there's another flare of that power that feels both a little alien and yet so familiar, and he knows the star sign on his brow is glowing again, and suddenly he grows more serious, actually scooting back just a little as he swallows his last mouthful.]

You... probably shouldn't do that too much.

"Of course, my lord. I'll stay as long as you need me to."

She helps him to his feet so he can lean on her before letting him direct her inside and up to his residence so she can get him settled comfortably.

"I see nothing but dignity in your conduct in all things, Lan Xichen," Runyu observes, finding the longer he is held the more loathe he is to part. This closeness is not something afforded to the Lord of Night, the warmth of Xufeng's power when offered to him the nearest thing he gets.

"I misspoke earlier. Would that all realms encourage and allow such conduct, perhaps existence would be a kinder, brighter thing." Pausing, he flushes just faintly at his one remaining uncertainty with this arrangement, his one lingering discomfort, that being that Xichen has been standing holding him for a while. He should hate to tire the young cultivator, or have him feel put out. Besides, adjusting to closeness is one thing. This is starting to feel like talking advantage.

"Would it be amenable to you to... continue this from the couch...? Unless you have a prior engagement I am interrupting—"

[ ........have we mentioned feeding Moran has quickly become his new favorite thing? He's currently eyeballing his residence for what else he can turn into food, mulling over what kind of food to make it at that. What do foxes like to eat? Oh, but Moran is not actually a fox— Humans, then...? He has not studied enough about humans and will have to amend that at his earliest opportunity.

As he thinks, he also listens, head tilting inquisitively at that warning. ]

Forgive me, have I overstepped? I did not ask you the nature of your mark— That was presumptuous of me. Naturally, I will not do such a thing again without your consent.

People don't use swords anymore, where I'm from. They've become very expensive relics.

[ Guns have become more efficient. That, and bizarre soul manifesting powers. ]

This place does seem relatively peaceful. [ Or maybe it's just his fresh new non-criminal lifestyle. ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 118 of 175

▶ TDM .012

no subject

take this one back Regis she's A Lot

no subject

no subject

no subject

drapes arm around

no subject

Re: drapes arm around

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

no subject

since when

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject