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.

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[ An interjection. Yuri wonders if he ought to call it that, a thoughtful hum trapped behind his lips as he weighs the thought. Coming upon this scene, he's missed the altercation altogether, but it's clear enough for a man like him what's transpired here. He fancies it would be obvious to anyone, given the classic scenario of two against one.

Numbers don't appear to have availed then any. ]

I don't tell others how to clean up their messes. [ He states as much with a casual shrug, a faint smile of apparent friendliness that's just a little sharp around the edges, just enough to imply what sort of bystander he isn't. ] But I would advise clearing out of here before the local knights come running.

[ And they will, he knows, with ample experience serving to judge. It doesn't matter where one finds oneself. Those who take it upon themselves to impose order will respond, especially with enough commotion. Or, in this case, given the fact that he'd seen a few civilians running in the opposite direction, clearly panicked.

He'd give them two to five minutes, depending on how close by and how zealous these Lunar Knights are. Actually, that wouldn't be bad information to have handy. ]

( the first thought that nehan has is that he's glad this is not some impassioned do-gooder with a fire kindled in their gut to do good and right wrongs. though he had been the object of assault, a fresh eye to the situation might think otherwise, given one of the men was already unconscious and the other was facing down the likelihood of hot lead spearing through his soft palette and into his brain if nehan's finger were to twitch. someone like that skyfarer captain might find it necessary to intercede in such a situation which clearly didn't necessitate additional interference.

one of the erune's eyebrows arches, though it's largely invisible under the fringe of hair. the stranger's blithe attitude was appreciated, though; certainly more so than the alternative. and his advice isn't something to be ignored either. nehan had grown complacent with his position with the magasin — he was too used to leveraging their sway to elude authorities when they did impose. he wouldn't be so fortunate here. )

I would think them spread thin, but... perhaps you're right. ( he lowers the gun, allowing the man to scramble away. he nearly does so clear down the alley, but nehan lazily tracks him with the firearm once more. he fires once, and there's a bright spark close to the man's feet where the bullet splits off of the pavement. the man cries out, half-stumbling, twisting around back towards them.

he makes another gesture with the gun towards the unconscious man. ) Don't leave this for us to deal with.

( he watches as the mugger runs back over and slings his unconscious partner-in-crime over his shoulder, dragging him along the way that he had originally been running. they eventually disappear, and he turns back towards the stranger, putting the firearm safely away in its holster. )

It would be safest, then, for us to abandon the scene as well.

That it would, friend. That it would...

[ The last thing any of them needs is trouble with the local authorities. In another time and place, Yuri might not concern himself with it too much. Given the present state of affairs, however, he deems it best to lie low and get a clearer picture of what he's got to contend with. So much the better that present company agrees, considering the way that gunfire rings through the alleyway. He's never seen the like, and he can only wonder what people would do with such a thing where he comes from.

A thought he shelves for another time as he glances in the direction from whence he'd come. Since that way led to the main thoroughfare, and the thugs were taking the other route, well... With a hum, Yuri spots a nearby door and makes his way over to it. Aged and worn from disuse as it appears to be, this ought to be the ticket.

He waves the fellow over with one hand as he proceeds to grasp the doorknob with the other. If the gunman moves fast enough, or those ears on his head aren't just for decoration, he might just hear the lock click without anything more than a simple turn of the knob from Yuri. Just how he manages that is a mystery as he opens the door.

Beyond it lies a room littered with wooden crates caked in dust, cobwebs festooning corners and light fixtures. If the place has seen use, it certainly hasn't been accessed nor maintained recently. Just the sort of thing they could use, right about now. ]

This'll do nicely.

[ They can exit using a different door, or hold tight until the knights have scampered off. Either's a step up from their other options, so Yuri ducks inside. ]

( the gunshot had surely further highlighted this area for the authorities' interest, and yet nehan can't seem to find it in himself to feel badly for it — the twitch of his finger which had led to that method of communication with the one-time assailant had simply happened before he could think to call out to him. there was no lasting harm, however. or, at the very least, there wouldn't be if they safely absconded from this place.

their avenues of escape were relatively limited. the erune seems interested as the stranger moves towards a seemingly-locked door. nehan was no thief or lockpick — it would have been just as useless an escape route to him as a sheer brick wall. but the stranger gestures, so he begins to make his way over.

then something registers to him, and he pauses. he stoops down to pick something up from the ground — the blade the second man had dropped when nehan had knocked him unconscious. he cleans it, then stows it in a leather satchel at his waist and stands once more, moving to sidle alongside yuri. he does, in fact, hear the tiny click of the mechanism within the lock turn and free. the look he shoots the other man is one which mingles curious and intent, though he says nothing. he simply follows him into the room. )

A better escape route than I could have found on my own. Thank you.

( they wouldn't get too far just yet, however. nehan walks a few more paces before half-sitting and half-collapsing onto one of the crates. as abandoned as they seem, it fortunately holds his weight. he grunts. he shifts and the coat worn across his shoulders shifts to reveal his left arm — the one he had kept hidden, the one that he hadn't used to hold the gun or to pick the knife up from the ground with — bleeding heavily enough that the white fabric of his coat was nearly entirely red at the forearm.

he sighs, as if this was all just some big inconvenience. )

One moment. ( from a different pocket of the satchel at his waist, he pulls a sizable roll of gauze-like cloth to bind the wound, along with a dark vial of some clear liquid. )

[ Isn't that one hell of a nasty gash this guy's sporting. It would've been terribly surprising for him to have come out of that altercation unscathed. Instead, the unexpected reality is that he'd held up as well as he had in spite of that injury. Yuri has his doubts that most could conceal the wound, no less the discomfort that accompanies it.

He eyes the implements the man produces before holdong up a hand to signal that he halt. Maybe this fellow knows a thing or two about patching himself up, the scars suggest a long history with injuries, but that's not something he needs right now. ]

Don't waste your supplies. I know a recovery spell or two.

[ It's far more efficient than staunching the bleeding and...whatever that odd liquid does. Not to mention, it's preferable to save provisions in the event of some emergency. Who knows when they might run right into one, in a place like this.

Yuri takes a moment to lock the door they'd come through, nudging a large crate in front of it. Conveniently he can take a seat on it as he extends a hand and white, glittering light springs into being under his palm. Nasty as that wound looks, it ought to be within his means to take care of. ]

Better not use that stuff up on something I can remedy.

( pain radiated from the wound like light from the sun, but to nehan, pain was a fact, not a factor. he faces it, he recognizes it, and he sets it aside to the place in his mind he had compartmentalized for it so many years ago. it allows him to tend to wounds like this on his own body without too much issue, his hands as steady and sure as they might have been mending a laceration on someone else. he would have sanitized and bound the wound without complaint right here, holding off until later (and better, cleaner circumstances) to stitch it, but he is stayed by the stranger. he stops, looking up to him with the items still held carefully in his hands. )

A spell? Hm... I see.

( the method by which he unlocked the door starts to make more sense. some sort of mage? he doesn't necessarily seem the type, but nehan should know better than to judge someone by their appearance. he slowly lowers the medical supplies, then stows them back into his satchel, studying yuri with an appraising eye. )

It would be rude of me to spurn your generosity. ( he looks with interest to the mystical light that begin to radiate from the man's palm. he extends his arm, baring the gash that the knife had left across the radius of his arm. ) And I must admit, I'm curious to see it.

[ So this fellow will agree to healing. Good. It would only waste time to squabble over what method is employed to treat the wound. Based on the amount of blood, that would swiftly become problematic. With all that in mind, he flashes one of his typical smirks. There's appreciation behind it for the fellow's acquiescence, just the same. ]

There's not all that much to see.

[ He brings his hand over the wound, avoiding actual contact. Normally, these spells get tossed over a distance, but in this instance he suspects he'd startle the other man. The light radiating from his palm reaches the wound, and the torn flesh begins to quickly stitch itself back together.

This man has no shortage of scars. At least this wound won't add to the count. ]

This'll clean right up.

( it's odd: the only thing that nehan thinks as the healing occurs is that it itches. but that is to be expected — that's simply a reaction of the body, the generation of flesh and skin to slowly replace what had been damaged. he wouldn't be able to know many specifics about the magic unless he either asked or studied how it worked, but it seemed to vastly accelerate the body's normal regenerative function while also reducing or eliminating the risk of infection. interesting. convenient, he has to admit. he can't help but wonder at its limitations, its source, if there's any draw-back upon use.

perhaps questions for later.

he studies the stretch of new skin, testing his arm, turning it over one way then another and clenching his hand into a fist. nehan is not an expressive man, but he seems satisfied — it's in the set of his mouth, the relative ease of his demeanor. )

It's not the first healing magic I've seen, but it seems... efficient. Thank you.

( he stands, once again allowing the bloodied sleeve to hide behind the curtain of the coat draped across his shoulders. his blue gaze flickers towards the door. )

The lock... was that magic as well?

[ A pity he can do nothing for the bloodied apparel, attention-grabbing as that could be, but it seems the man's coat will conceal that well enough. Yuri doesn't know how easy it will be for the guy to get around after losing that much blood, but he's on his feet. That much is a good sign. ]

The lock? [ A pause, as he wonders- ah, right. ] No, just a skill I picked up.

[ Where spells would only have so many uses in a short period of time, he could open as many locks as he came across. Not that he'd go around doing that in a populous residential area, but it's an ability that has its uses. ]

I'm not so much of a mage compared to others.

( it's nothing. he will hide it for now, and when given time and resources, he knows of several alchemic compounds that can remove even the most stubborn of stains from clothing if applied correctly. karm was a clan of assassins, after all — they would've had to have figured out such a thing long ago, lest they wear bloodstains day in and day out with pride.

honestly, such a custom wouldn't have shocked him.

regardless, he will be fine. he's not in much of a state to run or fight, but he can continue forward despite some wooziness. )

A skill... I see.

( it wasn't standard lock-picking — no tools or careful concentration. still, to nehan's eye, it seemed more magical than mechanical, but he will let it pass for now. a useful "skill" to have knowledge of, nonetheless. )

It is still more than I could manage. ( the people of karm had never really been endowed with such skills — it's why they had needed poisons, medicines, and drugs to unlock their physical potentials. nehan takes a deep breath and stands, scanning the room once more. he sees another heavy door set into an opposite wall, half-obscured behind some of the old crates and boxes. ) With the dust, I would imagine this place has been abandoned for some time. We might as well continue forward, don't you agree?

I doubt they'll be sniffing around this area for long, so we may a well.

[ If these knights are anything at all like those that he's run afoul of in his own world, they ought to be fairly predictable. Granted, he hasn't been here long enough to be completely certain, but he's scoped this place out well enough to be reasonably confident about this.

Just the same, a little caution doesn't hurt. ]

Something other than the front exit, though. Wouldn't do to have people questioning why we're stepping out of a long-abandoned building.

[ In a structure like this, he can well imagine that there are a few different entry points that one might choose from. Especially when the purpose of this building is apparently storage, options would exist for loading and unloading such large crates. They certainly wouldn't fit through the door that the two of them had passed through just minutes before. ]

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▶ TDM .013

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