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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[ sorry if jumbling up temporary furries and real furries is offensive, he knows no better— ]

I don't plan on using my sword.

[ Seeing the fear instilled in their eyes even as they cool down is enough to prompt a small smirk from him. What he wanted to do was scare them which? He did. It's not like he can fight Poseidon again here, so this is the most satisfying thing right now. The sword runs back into its scabbard as he reaches for a regular knife.

It's not like he notices the sudden drop in temperature. His eyes shift from the chefs to his assistant, somewhat curious about her ability. For now, he's grateful for the chill that stills the sea creatures... It makes the octopi less. Grabby? ]

If you don't want ink everywhere, it's better to kill them swiftly. [ He uses the Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship to its Peak Potential—cutting the smaller seafood into portioned and even pieces. Shrimp, fish, squid, you name it. ] The chefs didn't teach anyone how to do that despite providing us live ingredients.

[ The chefs scoff, saying that it's not necessary unless you're a fisherman yourself. Looks like they'll be teaching the seminar now? The audience is listening! ]

The brain is located between the eyes and one solid bite should be enough. [ The audience is not happy with what they hear... To have fresh octopus, they would need to bite it?! He looks at his assistant after he takes the larger octopus out of its bowl. ] You can try it on a small one.

[ Since Pramanix wants to learn, she'll have to learn. It may appear horrible, but... He did give her a small one? ]

[ combined with being his new assistant for this impromptu show, she's a little embarrassed for believing he'd use his sword, cheeks a little pink. Operators are a peculiar bunch, some she wouldn't doubt using their weapons in the kitchen. But it amuses their audience amidst their disbelief at joonghyuk's antics. Maybe that's good. ]

Swiftly...

[ The knife she selected had the best point, and yet it was also the broadest. We're she to use it, the cephalopod would definitely be cleaved in two.

... Ah, that's not what she should do though, according to her teacher. There are whispers of if she will actually put it in that her mouth, small and ladylike.

She's doing it though! A bite helped by feline fangs to pierce its brain, but swift as agreed upon. The tiny tentacles clinging to her fingers for dear life go limp once that life is extinguished ]

They should be cleaned up next... They didn't teach that either, but it's simple.

[ For the second she had it in her mouth, it shouldn't cause too much issue, save for the whines of either cleanliness issues or for her to do that again... Um. She does whisper to Joonghyuk in a hushed breath. ]

It wasn't that good.

[ Instinctively, he leans over to catch her whisper and... What did he even expect? Sure, he knows people who eat live octopus in Korea, but it's dumped in a sauce before devoured.

Brow furrowing, he looks down at her... She isn't wrong, though. When he chomped onto his octopus like how he was taught in the First Murim, it was. Eh. He's already skinning and slicing it into pieces, but leaving the tentacles for later. ]

The way they prepared it wasn't good, either. [ Let him add onto it. ] It's awful.

[ It was his mistake to even try a single bite today... He heaves a deep breath. The chefs are simmering, close to their boiling point despite the chill. ]

This is why I don't eat what other people make.

[ Never again. Taking the small octopus from her, he starts skinning that one, too. ]

[ She nods in agreement. There's a few, somewhat cynical thoughts in Pramanix's head. What makes this octopus so unpleasant for them? Is it prized for the effects of its skin, rather than actual taste? Would that make cooking it and making a show of it a lie? Something something vehicle of nutrients or what have you for an impermanent vessel.
Right, she has herbs and a stock to tend to. For now, it's a basic affair.

She's swiping some fish heads and bones that have yet to be discarded to throw in the pot with water. Now that's getting a few looks, but they must have never made a fish stock before. Her attitude ntion is more on her... Head chef? Partner? He said something peculiar. ]

Isn't it lonely?

[ As well as many other things. But her face and low tilted ear also imply it's sound a bit concerning. ]

[ Pramanix is so analytical on the octopus front when Joonghyuk is 100% sure everyone's cooking is subpar compared to his—but then there's some residual paranoia in being poisoned. Even when he doesn't need to worry about that, it's almost instinctual.

But her question strikes him in a way he didn't expect. The words that hang off his tongue is "I've always been alone," but for once he doesn't think that's true. Even when he's worlds apart from his comrades, he doesn't... Feel alone. It took him a while to get it through his head—a lot of lectures, battles, and watching a specific someone die in front of him then come back to life. They've gone so far.

... Why is the audience suddenly looking at him, expecting an answer? All he's doing is massaging the octopus pieces? He was sure they were watching Pramanix make fish stock. ]

I'm used to it.

[ It's the truth, though not at all reassuring.

Octopus takes a while to cook and the longer the better, so he adds a decent portion into the fish stock once he places a perforated divider in first. Shrimp can go in later since it cooks faster. Peppercorns? Leeks? Onions? Mushrooms? He puts those in, too. Also, kelp. The chefs start complaining that this will take too long... As they anticipated, but the aroma already wafting around is good? ]

It's nothing worth pity.

[ Don't worry about him? It's okay. ]

[ She nods in understanding. It's not ideal at all, but she doesn't want to place pity where it isn't wanted. That kind of response is... Relatable for her though. ]

Alright. I'm glad then, you are comfortable with the humble assistance.

[ Were she more outwardly cheekier, she'd ask if this was breaking his rules. Like if her own hand in this cooking endeavor makes it difficult? Or less enjoyable, which is honestly important.

At least now, they can wait for things to cook a bit, and Pramanix is leaning over to catch a glimpse of the pots content swirling with the currents.

Hearing the whining about the time being wasted does set off something, with a previously curled up tail flicking at the end. The other feline-familiar furries might recognize the irritation, but say nothing to her passive face. ]

Perhaps when treated like a proper ingredient and cooked with patience, it will taste as such. Otherwise it's appeal really is... Skin deep?

[ It hard not to laugh with how unenthused she makes that sound with a big of unsureness at the end. As if shallowly trying to come up with quick trendy ways to cook the aphroctopus isn't funny to think about. This is now Good Eats, they will science its true culinary worth. ]

[ Honestly, he could have gone without an assistant, but the chefs were so annoyingly persistent. If picking one up would get them to shut up even a bit? Worth it. Whatever he thinks, he decides not to speak his mind this time. Not when she hasn't done anything wrong nor has she struck any nerves.

Joonghyuk merely sets a timer as he leans against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. He's the type to be content with silence, so he doesn't try to add more to the conversation when they're being hassled by the chefs. It's best to ignore them, so his eyes travel elsewhere to admire Prismal architecture and the like. Maybe his gaze passes by her tail, still unsure of what any of the twitches mean. Only when she nails her punchline does he squint... Oh, no. That was so bad, but.

The crowd loves it? They think that was so clever?! He heaves such a deep. Sigh. Why is it he is usually surrounded by idiots. ]

Was that a joke?

[ When the time comes, he adds oil to a pan and starts frying octopus skin. Skin deep, indeed. ]

If it was seen that way... I don't think I could say otherwise.

[ She shrugs, patting Joonghyuk on the shoulder as she walks by. There's nothing completely wrong with the laughter in her opinion, they have to be quieted down at some point so the chefs can work without much distraction... Even if they were trying to be distractions to these two earlier with their balking at this duo's cooking. ]

Will it be a crime if we use the fried skin as a... Topping? Or are you going to be more creative than that.

[ Can she feel his disdain for everyone? Well, she's more surprised he's willing to cook it up, since it's the part everyone is vying for. ]

[ Joonghyuk's expression doesn't budge, except when she pats his shoulder?? It gains a slight frown from him, but nothing more. The audience seems to like her boldness in hitting him, too!! Considering that he's so intimidating. It gains a flat stare from him, but he turns back to his cooking. ]

Sometimes simple is best.

[ Joonghyuk isn't one to go the extra mile unless it's worth it. Once the skin is fried perfectly, he puts it aside to work on a sweet and spicy glaze... Another pan has regular octopus to go with the soup as another entree. Once the octopus let out most of its moisture, he adds it to the glaze pan. The soup can cleanse the palate and cool down the heat.

The skin should be used sparingly, after all? Who wants to be turned on instantly after eating a bite? ]

Do you know how to cook noodles?

[ Since re-hydrating them is fast and they're susceptible to overcooking, he left it for last. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

▶ TDM .012

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