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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This person is noisy, but that's not a bad thing altogether. He's used to noisy; he's used to Cathy's particular brand of boisterousness, to say nothing of Zack's. Neither of them are like this, but for the time being this is acceptable.

That said, he lowers the crossbow, and he sets it back at his side, and his attention remains on the person in front of him.]

Their priorities are with the patients, and understandably so. As long as there are threats to their safety, I imagine they will continue to not complain about those threats being dealt with.

Mhmm, yeah, that makes sense.

[Does it really?? Who knows. But hey, new world, new rules, who is he to complain? Besides, it means there's a guy in here with a crossbow, and that's pretty damn cool—

Oh, wait.]

Oh, hey, hang on - are you a priest, mister?

[He's finally taking note of the guy's clothes, and more importantly, the cross.

Despite the (still entirely too cheerful) expression, the look doesn't reach his eyes at all. They look more dead than anything, though that's Danny's area of expertise and not Gray's.]

[You'll have to meet Danny one day. Perhaps he'll like you; perhaps Gray won't care for that. He tends to not care for the results when Danny decides he likes someone.]

I am indeed. And who might you be, my child...?

[is that more or less cursed than whatever this is going to be]

Oh, whoops, sorry! Kinda rude of me not to introduce myself.

[He grins and holds up a hand.]

I'm Ryuunosuke. Pleased to meet you! Or, well, as much as I can be right now. Are there more of those weird crystal-things attacking people?

[Not that he sounds particularly bothered by the idea, but you know. Can't ask for too much here.]

There have been a few.

[...Do you ever not shove like four different subjects into one relative paragraph. He doesn't mind, per se, but this is a lot.]

You're welcome to stay close, should it comfort you.

[You look like they'd destroy you.]

[sorry, you expect him to pretend to be sane when we have crystals attacking people?? nope.]

Oh! I'd really appreciate that. Thanks a ton!

[Not like he'd really care all that much if they destroy him, but it's definitely better to avoid that if possible. There's still so much of this world he has yet to see, and it's all been pretty cool so far. So he'll just enter the room to chill in here with you, hope you don't mind.]

I don't think I caught your name.

...You may call me Gray.

[Title is optional; this one already knows he's a priest. It's better than "mister", anyway.

Either way, there's a patient in here but they're not really in much position to say much, not right now; they're seeming rather out of it, really, just kind of staring at nothing. They're probably fine.]

[Hmm, how interesting! He'd definitely be interested in getting a better look at them, buuuut that's probably a little weird for this crossbow-wielding priest here. So he'll at least try to go back to pretending to be a normal person.

This would work marginally better if Ryuunosuke was having any kind of sane reaction to this situation, but it's not like he's ever had to act his way through a crisis. It doesn't even really occur to him that he should be having some sort of reaction to this, so that says pretty much everything about him.]

Gotcha. I won't forget it!

[...you'll be lucky if he calls you by name.]

And thanks again. I definitely wasn't expecting this today.

[Weird monster-things, the crossbow, all of that.]

I doubt that any of us were.

[He's here to administer rites and not care at all that these people do not understand what the hell rites he's administering.]

Are you a recent arrival, Ryuunosuke?

[bold of you to think he has any actual understanding of religion besides whatever nonsense he's making up.]

I am, yeah. This whole place is really cool; it's completely different from what I'm used to.

What about you, Reverend?

Very recent, yes.

[He'll glance over, however, once that's out there.]

You seem to be taking all of this rather well.

[Oh.]

Well, panicking isn't going to do us any good, right?

[Hmm, he's not very good at pretending to be worried...]

It's refreshing.

[The response is immediate. Abrupt, but not cruelly so.]

[It feels like he's missing something here. That was a pretty quick response, and given his own lack of response to the rather dire(?) situation, there must be more to it...

Oh well. It's not like it really matters all that much.]

You're welcome, then.

[Probably not the right response, but he smiles easily anyway.]

Hey, so... Why a crossbow?

[Kind of an archaic weapon and while it's totally cool to see one in use, it seems like it wouldn't be very practical...]

[Good. We'll just keep ignoring each other's weirdness until something boils over, this is fine.]

Why not a crossbow?

[I don't know what you expected.]

[It gets a laugh out of him; he wasn't expecting this priest to have a sense of humor!!]

Well yeah, I mean it's really cool, don't get me wrong! It just seems like it'd be kinda difficult to use.

It is as most things are: it isn't difficult with enough practice.

I'm practiced enough, and I dislike guns.

Makes sense. Guns are... [he waves a hand while he tries to find a way to word it] a bit much.

[Impersonal. Boring. Definitely not cool.]

Are crossbows pretty common where you're from? I've heard some people are from some really different places.

They're considered archaic. Guns are far more commonplace. However, I dislike the finality of them. They're destructive, and pointlessly so.

[His angels don't, and that's fine. But he's always found them a bit impersonal for his liking. Entirely too simple to take a life, with not enough deliberation behind it.]

Crossbows allow the wielder to decide whether there's going to be a fighting chance or not.

Oh, that's a very interesting way of looking at it! Your aim's probably really good, huh?

[So you can either shoot to kill or you can just incapacitate! Fun!!]

I've never seen one in person before. It's pretty cool!

[...This isn't quite reaching the level of Bizarroland Conversation as talking to Cathy tends to be, but this is getting up there. Not that Gray minds it, per se, though he does glance over at Ryuunosuke from time to time. Considering, but not judging.]

You won't be permitted to shoot it. I would like to conserve the bolts I have for it. But it's not often I meet someone with such appreciation for it, thank you.

[He's particularly fascinated by Gray's eyes - not to Danny levels, but he's definitely not attempting to hide his interest any. He doesn't say anything about them, though, and instead holds up his hands as if in surrender.]

I wasn't going to ask! I mean, look at me. [waves his hands a bit!!] I'm preeeetty sure I'd break something if I tried to fire it.

[are you seeing these noodle arms??]

Edited 2020-02-18 05:43 (UTC)

Crossbow recoil is minor to minimal. Though that still doesn't change the situation.

[Like, you're a noodle, yeah, but you'd probably be able to shoot if you were allowed, which you aren't. Gray isn't exactly the strongest, either, but he manages just fine.]

Huh, really? Well, if you ever change your mind, definitely let me know! I'd love to try firing it at least once!

[But he's not going to press, and it's not like he expects Gray to actually change his mind about it, so whatever!!]

Perhaps. That will depend, however.

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