prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .012

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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.

▶ 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.

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A very long story, one I would not burden you with on first meeting. The shortest answer is 'a plague'.

[But it's a lot more complicated than that.]

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It sounds like your home's been through too much.

[YES.]

I don't think I've seen any sort of beautiful creature like you before... What's your name?

[The nicest 'what the hell are you' he's gotten so far.]

You flatter me, kind stranger. I am Grimm, and yourself?

[He glances over to the other person and smiles.]

Thank you... [The smile fades.] But I doubt it would. A machine just can't recreate the quality and aesthetics of an artisan's work.

[Seriously, have you seen how tacky Ikea can be?]

[To be fair, even if he wasn't drunk on octo flesh, he has seen worse monsters than Grimm.

He gingerly puts a hand to his chest as he introduces himself.]

You may call me Shin... Now, is it alright to ask what sort of creature you happen to be?

A pleasure to meet you, Shin.

[He bows, as any polite bug should.]

I am a moth. And you are a human, I would presume?

Runyu is not quite bold enough to clamber back into a near stranger's lap, is surprised at himself for chasing something he would not dare to even humor the notion of were this back home or even any of the adjacent realms. Even knowing this place is so far removed from his own domain that thus far no one has recognized or even heard of him, he can't help an instinctive anxiety that rumors will come of this night.

And yet still, his arms loop around Xichen's own, drawing the young cultivator in.

"...I have found that immortals are more similar to those in the mortal realm than we care to admit. Though we claim the mortal realm is a place unique for its suffering, all that is different is the passage of time, the swift brutality of it, the scale," he murmurs, idly stroking Xichen's arm as he speaks.

"Regardless of realm, people are fundamentally people. Those in Heaven conspire, they covet, they lie, cheat, and steal. There is... more loss than you would think, and danger. My brother was nearly killed recently, and I..."

After a moment's hesitation, he rolls up his sleeve to show Xichen the burn scar on his forearm, expression mild and grieved.

"...Xufeng has it far worse. As our primary peacekeeper, head of our military, his body is covered in far worse scars."

Oh no, absolutely agreed! I'm kind of an artist myself, so I can definitely understand where it's disappointing to see this kind of thing.

[He moves to just lean in the doorway, since this is a conversation we're having, why not!!]

So what kinds of furniture do you make? Do you focus on just one thing? I don't really know much about it.

I do believe there is a small table for two right over here~

[Just a table in the hallway not too far from them, perfect for nurses to sit down for a moment and being close by in case issues occur. Bringing her little treat cart with her, she scans the items.]

Unfortunately, I don't have much snack wise. Most beverages here for the weary yet hard-working.

[Ladiva got herself a cup of hot chocolate, just to take a break from the coffee.]

Would you like some sugar? For your coffee, I mean.

[Gumshoe chuckles and gives a dismissive wave of his hand.]

Actually, pal, there's all sorts of things that can get me down! [He remarks in a very casual manner.] That just doesn't happen to be one of them. So no problem!

[And he gives a more sheepish chuckle as he considers the state of his hunger.]

W-well I'm the chef! I'm supposed to focus on makin' the food, not eating it. I was gonna wait until you were done to get something for myself, but... sorry. I guess I gotta listen to my gut!! [With that, he starts to chew down on a portion of the dish!]

"I have been low on power since arriving, but this weakness is new. Only since I came into this apartment, but no... Even then..." Making the connection in his mind, he realizes he only grew sick after handling the feathers that reminded him of Xufeng. For Kuanglu's safety, he banishes the remainder of the feathers from his quarters with another wave of his hand. This is answered by another wave of dizziness and he sags against her, eyes briefly shutting in his exhaustion.

"We must take care in this realm. Its dangers are largely unknown to us." Pausing to breathe, he collects himself a moment before going on.

"...it is improper to stay in such close quarters, but⁠—" He pauses, lips thinning as he finds himself about to make an allowance he would not give were this any other realm. "⁠—there is a spare room here. I would have greater peace of mind knowing where you were while we get settled. Perhaps it is worth the impropriety, when there is no one here to speak of it behind our backs."

[ titus rolls his eyes extravagantly (it's a reflex), then exhales in resigned frustration. ]

As you say, then.
I seem to end up upsetting you somehow no matter what I try, so...
Is there anything you would like me to say or do, at this point?

[ He doesn't need food or sleep either, and he'd state as much, but a more pressing matter comes first.

That being: what in the blue Skies did Richard just call him. ]

..."Angie".

[ He repeats, tone flat, like he's been called something offensive. Where does that even come from? ]

[ titus's first impulse is to complain about how pointless a charm that is!! and here he thought it might actually be useful!!

but that would be super rude, so he manages to contain himself to just making a slightly sour face for a second. (hopefully his new pal can't see it from this angle anyway... and hopefully his lap is comfy) ]

It is, right??
Or, well, I don't know how it works for you back home. But in my world, magic power is generated by individual souls... we cannot share it with each other, and it has to be restored little by little over time. So the way it works here is much, much better!

[Her response to Oz's advice amounts mostly to a low hum of acknowledgment. He's right, of course, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy.

But then, things that are worth it usually aren't.]

You keep saying things that make me worry.

["In this body"? Seriously? The only way that makes any sense is if...

Well, of all the things to have to contemplate. And to think she was already softly crying on his shoulder... Well, one more reason to return the favor for him once she's collected herself. He almost certainly needs it, and she doubts he'll ask.]

What young man are you talking about?

As far as I'm aware, it seems to be true. . . although I totally understand the worries. I have school activities to get done myself, after all.

[ And there it is.

She finds herself laughing a little awkwardly, rubbing at the nape of her neck. ]

You really should be glad I told you before you did anything to some random stranger.

[Can't anyone let him just sleep peacefully? The movement elicits instant action as he snaps awake even before the foot makes contact. Small flames of fire briefly leave his lips turning into mist in the cold night before he brings a had forward between the both of them.]

I'm fine. I can't really catch colds anymore.

[See? Everything's good.]

I could say the same to you.

It can be anything. I do not control when they happen, or how often, or what I see. This, the stars get to decide. But as you can imagine, if I am shown anything that has some sort of significance, it rarely end up being a very happy occasion to witness.

[His ability has been useful in staving off some disasters... and rather useless at other times.

He points at his forehead.]

But when it happens, my star symbol will glow. So i wonder if you making it glows might not trigger it somehow, even though I am not able to trigger it myself. And... I'd rather it didn't.

[She's dumbfounded? Consider him shocked as shit that actually worked. No time to celebrate, though. Majima turns and heads back inside his apartment post-haste.]

Hate to break it to ya, but I haven't seen a duck since I've been on this planet.

[On his way back through the door, he leaves it open, because he doesn't want to send the kind of message that shutting some young girl he doesn't know in here with him would. She can go now, preferably. But if she doesn't feel like braving the duck hall yet, he won't do anything about it.

For now, he's just going to take a seat on the floor by his table and get ready to chow.]

You didn't take food or drink from some stranger, did ya?

"If you have no other attendants here, my lord, staying in close quarters is our only option until someone else joins us." As she is one of his retainers, it is her place to fill the role to the best of her ability.

"The second room is more than enough for me and none would accuse you of anything of the sort, not with your devotion to your fiancee." Because anyone with eyes can see he's completely in love with Jinmi and has eyes for no other.

It was that or Archie. I like Angie better.

[This is such a useful answer, right? He smiles a winning smile, one that is of pure innocence because he is trying to connect and not to offend, yes.]

Oh, I do not require a snack nor sugar. Come now, no need to serve me. You must get some rest.

[In fact, he's the one herding her to the seats.]

You are extremely proactive, so it would be wise to remember to rest on occasion.

I don't care about your fairy tale, lover boy. I was hoping for a tragedy.

[But she is still here, helping herself to a piece of chocolate and eating it the same way Sokka is.]

Well, most love stories eventually end in tragedy anyway. That's how it is, too. I should know.

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▶ TDM .012

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