prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .013

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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.

▶ Welcome to the Jungle
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.

▶ Let’s Do the Time Warp Now
Lunatia | top

Time is relative, but the days do seem shorter — or longer — than usual. A minute passes like an hour. An hour passes like a minute. Everything appears to be moving along as normal, but the numbers and hands on clocks flicker and spin with an unusual and worrying slowness or quickness. Eventually you notice that the darkness of the night barely lasts long enough for you to fall asleep while the sun seems to glare down upon you for an eternity. The temporal shifts disorient your body, which now grows lethargic from being overworked and underslept. Soon, the temporal abnormalities reach a critical point…

B Due to the temporal distortions, Prismals and Moonblessed new and old feel their bodies sporadically transform in the strangest of ways. Your joints ache like they’ve carried a lifetime’s weight of misfortune and regret. Your voice turns high-pitched like a certain pair has yet to drop. You turn into a confused infant in one moment and the seasoned fighter you always wanted to be in the next. Your memories also shuffle around along with your apparent age, leaving you confused and unsettled. The transformations can occur and last for as long as the 11th, when everything turns back to normal without incident. That time your baby self peed in your pants? Never happened. Until then, moonlacing seems to stabilize the weird abnormalities.

▶ Starlight, Star Bright, First Star I See Tonight
Lunatia | top

The city’s landscape is not spared by the erratic flow of time. Buildings and streets continuously flicker between the beautiful and vibrant paradise it has become to the ruins of glory days long past. Your eyes may struggle to adjust as you try and convince yourself of what is real and what is not. High rise towers one moment will become wreckage the next, filled with technological debris and the echoing cries of the terrified, and the mighty wingspan of an unknown creature continues to hovers in the distance. The illusion will only last but a minute before you’re back in the present, going about your daily business. However, your trip from the future and back is far from over.

Soon, breaking news reports will inform the city about the sudden vanishing of certain celestial bodies in the sky. Though the moons remain where they should, the nights grow longer and darker as the stars in the sky start disappearing one by one until only the sun remains, eclipsed by some mysterious force. Lunar Scientia has already sent capable teams to investigate the abnormalities, so they ask the public to be patient as they wait for the reports. Until then, they have issued safety guidelines and measures to effectively light the city. The Caelus Tower appears to burn brighter than ever.

C For these dark hours, Lunar Scientia releases their latest Chroma-powered technology for Moonblessed use: star lanterns. When a star lantern is held by two Moonblessed, it absorbs newly generated Chroma from them, enabling it to light up the missing stars in the sky as you travel from place to place. The light’s color and intensity will depend on you and your partner’s bond, the spectrum ranging from a violet of hatred to a red full of love. Indifference, however, will not light the lantern at all. It also comes with a float function so that it can be released into the atmosphere without needing to carry it everywhere. Since the technology is limited in stock, Moonblessed may only have one star lantern in their possession.

One of the issued guidelines is to never walk through dark alleys alone even with the lanterns, as the crime rate has increased lately due to those taking advantage of the chaos. This is especially rampant in Level 3, at the mouth of the Lightless.

▶ Oh, They Just Can’t Wait to be King
Outside Lunatia, Port Sylvel | top

On the ides of the third month, an emergency broadcast appears from Captain Natela:

Captain Natela

Greetings, Prismals and Moonblessed.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce that Port Sylvel has been completely crystallized. The Moon Knights are currently recruiting willing explorers and scientists to investigate the cause. Investigations are still pending, but the outlook is grim. The only survivors were among the few we carried out of the city last month. The rest perished from the crystallization.

Our heart goes out to those affected by this plight. There is no cause for panic. There is no sign that the crystallization is spreading beyond Port Sylvel. We Moon Knights stand with the people of Prismatica, as we have done for centuries. We are not mere defenders of a city but protectors of a planet. We endeavor to find the cause of this tragedy and bring peace and justice to the lives it claimed. Until then, we ask for your cooperation. Stay calm and press onward.

Those who volunteer to participate in the expedition will be rewarded for their efforts. They will be assisted by experts from the Lunar Scientia as well as the bear Prismal and Moon Knight Fahrouk, who looks worse for wear after hearing the news.

Officer Fahrouk

Oh, Moonblessed. It's you. Yeah, Hala is doing good. Won the spelling bee! I think she might make the nationals. ... I… I don't think I ever told you. Port Sylvel was our hometown. My wife is buried there. We’d go there every spring. Hala loved picking the flowers there. Did you know that different flowers grow in Port Sylvel compared to Lunatia? Haaaah...

Moonblessed! I know you think I'm not cool enough to hang out with you, and all I do is ask for your help, but please let me go with you! Please… This is something I have to do as a soldier, a husband, and a father.

… What? You always thought I was cool?

Finding strength and resolve after the participants tell him he's supposed to assist them on their mission anyway, Fahrouk distributes LIFE suits to the participants as he briefs them on what they're about to do. He and the participating Moonblessed will then be transported via a large transport vessel.

Port Sylvel is hardly recognizable. What was once an idyllic coastal town is now a site of tragic beauty — crystal formations encase buildings and Prismals like jagged glass coffins, as if preserving life in its final moments. Readings from life detectors tell you that everyone in the crystal has passed on, but you and your fellow Moonblessed think you can still hear their cries of distress carried along by the wind, warning you about the Prideful King.

D Gigantic crystal lions flank the passage of the port city, their wings spread open and blue flames pouring forth from their mouths. You hear rumbling guttural noises, and if you approach them, their roars will escalate to warn you about proceeding any further. Beware: a single bite from these lions can easily tear through the LIFE suit and cause your body to crystallize quickly unless someone rushes in to moonlace with you to halt the effect. These lions are unlike the beasts you’ve fought before: their otherworldly strength is overwhelming, and nothing seems to wear them down. Destroying them seems pointless, as they quickly regenerate the minute they are obliterated.

Eventually, transmissions from the LIFE suits announce an order for escape. Buildings collapse and shatter in your wake, and the ground quakes violently as something awakens in the far distance...

▶ questions

If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

WHO CAN POST? ▶ Test drive memes are for new characters only. Existing players may not post starter threads in the test drime meme. 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.!

IS THIS CANON? ▶ 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.

ANNIVERSARY ▶ Happy first anniversary, Prismatica! Thank you to all of you who have been with us since the beginning. We appreciate it immensely! Remember that we always welcome input and suggestions from players. This event is a little out of the ordinary because of our anniversary celebration.

OPT IN AND OUT ▶ For current players, please do not be alarmed! As always, you do not have to be affected as there are safe areas across Lunatia that remain as is.

AGING UP AND DOWN ▶ You have free reign over how long and how many times your character will be affected. If a character doesn’t have a canon appearance from the past or future, you are welcome to provide one of your own from imagination and use your own PB. You are allowed to speculate on how they’ll look, act, their potential future, and so on. All of these will be temporary to this event. The intensity of the effect is also up to you: whether it will only affect appearance alone and retain their current memories.

IMPORTANT ▶ As a reminder, writing sexual content with characters below 15 years old is a violation of the game's rules and potentially Dreamwidth’s ToS. Players caught doing this will be banned from the game.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I. Let's Do the Time Warp

[Waking up in confusing situations? That's the name of the game when you're a Redfield apparently. Shifting between ages? Now that's a little different. And frankly it's getting on Claire's nerves.

She's parked herself outside of some random coffee house or cafe in Lunatia, still attempting to settle in and now attempting to deal with remembering where the hell she is one moment and then utterly forgetting it the next.

For the moment at least she's her correct age... it is her correct age, right? Mid-thirties and not nineteen all over again? Or maybe nineteen is the right one and this mid-thirties business is a fever dreams. Everyone has nightmares about being middle-aged, yeah?

One hand clutching her mug and the other pinching the bridge of her nose between forefinger and thumb, she hmphs as she tries to set her mind straight for the thousandth time today.]

I'm pretty much over this mess now.

II. Starlight, Star Bright, First Star I See Tonight

[With the permanent lights out in the wake of the disappearing celestial bodies Claire herself takes to the streets on some evenings. It's been heavily impressed upon her by now that the star lanterns are vital so she's carting hers along like a good Moonblessed. It's also been heavily impressed how dangerous the streets are but that's a little less heeded. She wasn't exactly one to shrink from rough situations after all.

And for the most part the streets have been relatively tame. Her mission seems clear enough when she happens upon someone else and gesturing her weakly glowing lamp with a crooked smile states:]

Not lost in the dark, are you? Need any help getting home?

[Yeah maybe it's silly to be doing this but without TerraSave and her obsessive workaholic habit being fed Claire is restless. And for now this seems to be helping more than it's harming so why not.]

III. Oh, They Just Can't Wait to Be King

[Fahrouk really knows how to make an emotional appeal, doesn't he. Not that he has to try particularly hard in Claire's case. All the Moon Knights needed were to ask for help and there she was, first in line and more than ready to throw herself into a cause of some sort.

Maybe I should get another hobby or five. She can't feel too bad though once she's managed to get into her own LIFE suit and now looks through the clear helmet at the carnage -- or crystals -- around her.

She's not precisely a stranger to things crystallizing, whether just something she reads in reports or more hands on experience. What is unique here is the voices on the wind, the cries of distress. If nothing else at least those seem to hit Claire in a particular way.

Her brow furrows and she glances, her posture speaking of attentiveness not rigid but somehow still present.]

You hear that?

IV. Wildcard

[Feel free to hit me with other prompt ideas! PMs are open if you have questions.]

...trying not to.

[the softly murmured response isn't meant to be dismissive; rather, it's confirmation that Claire isn't the only one being struck in a very specific sort of way by those voices. Hazel's tilted her head to the side, eyes half-closed as she attempts to pick out something concrete from the sorrow wrapping around them all like vines. did they know what they were doing? or were these just echoes?

...a better question, which answer would she prefer?]

Think it's just us?

[the moonblessed, she means. if it was just the two of them specifically she'd be extremely concerned about this other woman.]

[Meanwhile Claire's trying not to listen. Nothing good comes from listening to disjointed murmurings and particularly not after someone is supposed to be dead.]

Well I didn't hear any of the native Moon Knights talking about it.

[And she assumed if they came looking for helping then they're bound to have been here before to assess the damage. Even now as Claire begins to pick her way further into the crystallized mess she can see other Moon Knights both native and Moonblessed around.]

Do the Moonblessed usually experience a lot that the natives here don't?

[probably the better choice, Claire. you'd think that someone steeped in death and the dead themselves would know not to tune in at this point, but Hazel's never been known for her impeccable decisions.]

Your guess is as good as mine, I'm still pretty new.

[pressing a hand against one of the crystalline columns reaching up for the sky against all common sense (would she hear something louder?), her lips settle into a soft frown. this was...shit, even without the voices in everyone's head you could practically hear the pain emanating from this place. what the hell kind of world was this?]

My money's on yes, though. People who don't 'fit' usually catch other stuff hanging out on the fringe. All that focus' gotta go somewhere, right?

[they were like magnets...just like home, she thinks cynically.]

Yeah, I guess. This place sure does like it's focusing and energy, at least if the whole moonlacing business is true.

[Which frankly she didn't believe until this moment. With crystals as far as the eye can see, there must be something to this 'connecting' stuff.]

Maybe the dead just has so much feeling in their last moments it got caught up in the crystals? I never imagined I'd say that sort of sentence in my life but hey, this isn't the first time that's happened.

[There's a Prismal nearby suspended in what could be called a jagged coffin. One can still see their distinctly feline ears and tail -- was it their Moon then? Claire hadn't been around long enough to experience it but she'd seen her share of Prismals under the moon's effects so it wasn't a shock to see.]

They look surprisingly peaceful.

[Which is kind of nice to be bluntly honest. She's so used to seeing dead bodies in mostly stages of "that's not good" to "jesus what happened" that seeing someone look somewhat at peace is kind of relieving.]
[Half of the shit that went down with Umbrella or B.O.W's in general was stuff you never imagined saying in normal, every day life.

[There's another person at a nearby table who is very disoriented in the wake of all those age shifts. Quite possibly even more confused! He's a scruffy-looking man wearing a large trenchcoat. At this moment, Gumshoe's currently peering into his cup of coffee, as if hoping that it will reveal all of life's mysteries.

When it fails to do so, he figures he maybe the nearest person will instead. So he calls out to the nearby lady.]

Um, excuse me pal! I need help figuring something out, and I need a straight answer! Don't hold back! Just tell it to me how it is, pal!

[After a beat, he comes out and asks the burning question.]

Am I a baby right now?

[Claire looks over at the voice, first cracking just one eye open and then both as he dives into his burning question. She's all curiosity, raised brows and questioning gaze as she waits.]

... You know. Any other time? That question would really make me wonder.

[Right now though? Claire can't help the amusement.]

If you're a baby then your mother is a real trooper.

[He feels like he can't even trust his own senses right now! So a second opinion is very appreciated. As she passes her judgement, his shoulders ease, and he lets out a relieved sigh.]

Oh, thank goodness! My mom's a real trooper anyway, but that's got nothing to do with whether or not I'm a baby! [He does sound somewhat proud as he says that, grinning. And then he scratches at his head.]

I guess that would be a really weird question to ask normally. But you sound like you know what I mean! Y'know... all this weird age stuff, pal!

[Pff, she can't help how her smile just grows as his shoulders ease. He seems like a nice guy just based on that impression alone. Not that she hasn't been fooled before of course.]

Yeah tell me about it. I haven't been a baby though. Maybe eighteen isn't that far off at my age.

Eighteen... Heh! [He smiles back nostalgically.] Thinking back that far does sound close enough to babyhood to me, pal!

So that's the age you've been turning to, huh? So how old're you normally? [After a beat, he starts to worry.] W-wait a second, is it okay for me to ask that?!

[She considers joking around with him just for that comment but even Claire isn't quite that evil. Yet anyhow.

Instead she leans her head back dramatically and blowing out a breath seems to debate.]

Thirty-two now. Time really flies when you're working way too much.

[A relieved exhale. Seems like's safe, for now! And he grins at her answer.]

Oh hey, we're pretty much the same age! I might be thirty-three now, but I was still thirty-two when I first got stuck in this world! [He says excitedly.]

Wait, we haven't done introductions yet, have we? That usually comes before ages... Anyway, the name's Dick Gumshoe, pal!

[ Jill, naturally, doesn't trust shit. She sees the darkness as a perfect opportunity to skulk about unnoticed -- or less, at the very least. Though she's heard rumors and had some confirmations of strange goings-on, there's nothing solid and set in stone for her to research. She really wants to believe that they're all just in an unlucky situation and that the government of Lunatia is mostly altruistic toward people like herself. Months of time here hasn't quelled her suspicions, especially when something like this seems to happen like clockwork; you get comfortable then you're pulled out of it quickly with discomfort or danger.

She's been slipping around he streets when a familiar voice catches her rounding a corner. Jill gets a better look from the illumination provided by the other woman's lantern and it clicks firmly in place for her. Eyebrows up, eyes widened and shoulders slackened from the rigidity they'd possessed only moments before. She huffs out a relieved sound, smiling around her words. ]

Well, lookie here. Fancy meeting you down a dark street.

[ There's still some pent-up tension in her bones, but she wants to hug the other woman. It's not a reminder that everything is fine to her, but it might as well be. ]

[One could forgive either of them for not recognizing the other frankly. There's enough glow from each respective lantern to keep from running into one's surroundings but shining lights in other people's faces from afar isn't really the best way to make friends. Besides, keeping the option of stunning someone with light is worth waiting to figure out if it's friend or foe in Claire's opinion.

Once she hears the relieved tone in Jill's voice and likewise notes who it is, she can't help that amused snorting laugh that she lets go of. It's relief and surprise and maybe misplaced amusement mixed together.]

Okay, no offense but you were like the last person I expected.

[She raises her lantern a little so Jill can have a better look at her as Claire does the same with Jill. Both her brows are raised and compliment the quirked grin she wears on her lips well.]

You always go skulking about dark alleys?

[ It's definitely luckier for Claire than Jill, but the darkness was worth using to her advantage for the moment. Perhaps nothing of value would be uncovered, still, but it allowed her to travel without being seen -- or at least without being recognized with ease. It's rare that she's explored out in the open with exception of the blizzard, but that didn't allow for much investigating before it became quite deadly. ]

No offense taken. I've learned to not expect people I know to show up here, but boy am I glad it's you.

[ Something lingers in her voice to suggest that she's close to giving a very awkward hug. Thankfully, Jill being herself isn't one to indulge in something like that right about now. Claire looks a little different, but she hasn't seen the other woman for nearly four years while under Wesker's thumb. Though she doesn't want to think too hard on it, people change. Time passes. With or without you.

Jill playfully cocks her head like the question doesn't translate and the corners of her mouth still turn sharply while she pulls in her smile from the middle of her lips. Finally, she chuckles and ducks her head, shaking it. ]

Oh, you know me. Always keeping an eye on things. [ She looks behind her, though there's no sound or sights to see. ] Don't know how long you've been here, but for me it's been a few months. Can't keep the suspicion down and what better time to investigate than when the Moon Knights are preoccupied?

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▶ TDM .013

Claire Redfield | Resident Evil | Sanguis

aah, claire! ;; also 3

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sanguis buddies (ii/wildcard/wherever you feel like taking it!)

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