prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .014

Entry tags:

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.

▶ Rock Your Body Right
Lunatia | top

Oh my god, they're back again. After taking more than a year-long hiatus, *BTSB (Backstay Sailor Boys) takes the planet by storm once more with their latest single, Anybody (Yeah). With an album out and a concert on the way, the five-man fox Prismal group from Amegahara has been busy with promotions. Their appearances on billboard ads, magazines, TV shows, et cetera make their worldwide handsome faces pretty hard to miss! Everyone and their pet robot in Lunatia can be found jamming to their songs, and every teenager on the street can tell you who their bias is and why.

B Be a part of *BTSB's Prismagram campaign and get a chance to win a physical copy of their album and backstage passes to their upcoming concert! Simply take a picture of you and your friends with official merchandise and post it on Prismagram with the hashtag #WeAreBTSB. Be careful, though: touching *BTSB merchandise tends to make people crush on the first face they see. The posts with the best pictures and stories will get their prizes in the mail on the 24th.

Why would a Moonblessed want to meet them, you ask? Community spirit! A sizable portion of the locals will start singing or dancing with you and your friends! “I want it another way. Tell me why? I never want to hear you say, I wish it wasn't that way. Don't be that way!” Play along and they’ll be willing to pardon your unpaid meal tab for one time or offer an incredible discount for one item you really wanted at the mall. The boys are also considered talented magic users in their own right. They might have some spells and magic tools to add to a Moonblessed's arsenal!

▶ What’s the Deal With This Pop Life?
Lunatia | top

Before you meet these foxy boys, you'll want to do your research on them. Thankfully, their ridiculously huge fanbase (who refer to themselves as NAVY) has already done the work for you.

Suzaku is the leader and the brains of the group. Both his witty, rapid-fire raps and lightning-fast spinning breakdances are known throughout the planet. He is also a newscaster and likes making informative but interesting Prismagram posts. His brother is also an idol, albeit a washed up one-hit wonder.

Kaya is the group's down-to-earth mom friend and soulful vocals. He is the most responsible of the boys and handles their meals and laundry. A former delinquent in his youth, he now spends his free time cooking for schoolchildren and advocating fox rights. He does not support fox pelt products and owns an animal shelter for strays.

Lecter is a dancer who oozes with sex appeal. If not in the studio, he is always hitting up the gym. Once a member of the Little Moonblessings Club in his childhood, he has grown out of his boy-next-door image. Currently, he is #2 on Prismal Magazine's Top 100 Sexiest Men Alive for his well-built frame and photogenic looks. Contrary to his cool appearance and reserved demeanor, he is surprisingly personable. He is also a prolific actor. He likes cats.

Tarn is the baby of the group who maintains a gaming channel. He often does spontaneous livestreams where he does Let’s Play sessions, live Q&As, and encourages people to make memes of his face. He jokes about playing more LmaO than going to practice but he’s got clear and strong vocals.

Rasha is a narcissistic man who can’t get enough of his fans and himself. When hanging around his fans, he tends to ask if they have a mirror to look at himself with. Don’t let his vanity fool you! He’s funny, incredibly easy to be with, and willing to treat people to drinks. He writes most of the lyrics for the group’s songs.

C Every hour, you will receive a text from the official *BTSB fanclub with a link to a poll. The texts will not stop unless you answer the poll. Please answer it ICly, as the answers will affect the event later this month!

Upon voting on the poll, you will be redirected to a video and text chatroom where you will be connected to a random stranger who has also answered the poll. Both you and the stranger will then need to answer the following questions:

Do you think the other person in this chatroom can be your fire? One of your many desires? Tell me why. Be honest.
Among the Moonblessed, who do you think is tasty? The tastiest?

Until both questions are answered truthfully, it will be impossible to switch apps, close the app, or delete it entirely.

▶ 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.

PRISMAGRAM CAMPAIGN - The mods will not will not be picking any winners for this contest OOCly. Feel free to assume your character/s won (or lost terribly).

PLAY ALONG - The gifts you can earn from playing along with the locals, as mentioned, includes free meals or drinks, a good discount for a high-end shirt, and so on. Feel free to come up with your own prizes OOCly this as long as it’s reasonable. You may not have won the lottery, but you could get a small token of appreciation!

NEW SPELLS AND MAGIC TOOLS - Details of these will be released in the next event!

POLL - Please answer the poll ICly, as the answers will affect the event later this month!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I left that much behind? Sounds like I'm gonna have to give myself a talking to.

[Yeah, that's just too weird. Kind of convenient, but wow.]

Alright, let's go see what I left me, I guess. You lead the way.

I don't think you had a choice. I imagine it's sort of... some sci-fi bullshit, I guess. [ She laughs at that, but still offers an empathetic smile so it's not laughing at him. Not exactly, anyway. ] Obviously you can crash there if you want, but I get if you'd rather have an apartment for yourself.

[ She definitely gets the "why" for a lot of people here. Privacy, either to yourself or for moonlacing if that was their thing. ]

Alright, let's get a move on, then.

[ She lightens her pace even though it's clear she's the type to move quick and with purpose. No rush, but she doesn't want to drag it out and make him uncomfortable. She turns a block toward the more suburban areas pretty quickly and though she's all for working out, it's pretty clear Jill isn't the type to lie about how close it is.

Even if that would be a little funny. ]

Sci-Fi bullshit. Story of our lives, don't you think?

[He'll have to consider his housing arrangements. Getting tossed into all of this makes it pretty damn hard to get your bearings...]

I don't know how thrilled I am with the housing they give us anyway. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but being kidnapped and 'given' an apartment is a little too good to be true.

To think, give or take fifteen years ago I wouldn't have even thought anything like this was possible. Lucky us.

[ Jill will naturally offer again, but she doesn't want to push. Things are already a bit awkward and uncomfortable and she'd rather not make him feel like he has to do anything. ]

Don't disagree with that. I've been investigating the local law enforcement -- "Moon Knights," as they're called -- and the government as well as I can. Seems so far that their intent is honest, that we're beneficial enough to them that the cost of housing and the like is an easy trade-off for them. [ She leads him down the street, though her pace picks up a little. They can always talk when they're there. The trip to the house isn't necessarily needed to make or break it. ] It's near the beach, by the way. To help you get your bearings of the area.

You know, I can hardly remember the last time I've been to a beach. Might be nice.

Sounds like you've picked up some good intel. Wouldn't expec anything less from a former S.T.A.R.S. member. I'll have to ask what you've got in depth later on. From what I could tell, these Moon Knights don't seem like enemies either. You think we can trust them?

I remember. But it was in passing on a mission. Just a point of arrival.

[ Stern, but open. It's clear she gets it and it's about the specificity of it all. And how it sucks. ]

I consider forming the BSAA to be more of an accomplishment. So much of that was... it felt staged, unfortunately. The Moon Knights, though? I don't know. I don't distrust them, but they do work for the government. It's best to take what they offer but not rely on them, I think. My friend and I have suspicions and maybe we're just overtly cautious, but they're still native to this world. They'll never be the same as us.

[ As they near the house, she grabs his arm and gives him a tug before quickly releasing his arm when they turn. The house is simple and pleasant. Unassuming. Leading into it, she pulls out a key and unlocks the door.

Ushering him further, it's relatively simple. Not without decoration but clearly the simple home of two people who are used to being on the road more than anything -- and trying to make it a little more personable beyond weapons. ]

Fair enough. Take them at face value, but don't put too much stock in them.

[He can do that easily enough.]

Not a bad hideout. Looks like the sort of place I'd set up, alright.

You understand what I'm going for, in that case. Glad to hear it.

[ Although someone other than Dick on the inside would be nice. She'd find the everyday work fulfilling, but she can't quite double-down on something like that yet. Sticking to training people seems to work better. ]

We swore we'd go shopping and make it a little less empty, but we kinda... didn't? [ Jill laughs a little but leads him to the kitchen. The fridge has a newer photo of Chris on it and a photo of STARS, but the real star of the show is the lines of liquor bottles. ] We focused on what was important first, naturally.

[Straight to the point. He takes a quick stock of said bottles... Yeah, decent.]

Really, what else do you need? Seems like you've got the bases covered.

[Guns, drinks... someplace to sleep the drink off before messing with the guns... It checks out.]

[ Hey, fuck that shit!!! It's more than decent. Sure, it doesn't have the best from their world but Leon didn't indulge in physical interaction and neither does she. They really put forth their best to be comfortable... ]

Try to. Don't want to admit it, but company means a lot. Not the same as my partner, but it lingers and lets me feel more human at times.

[ Which potentially implies a lot but isn't addressed. Whatever it means, one thing or many, is held tight to her and hidden. It's not honest and there's nothing to indicate it is hidden. It's too clear. ]

I think we both had as many bases covered as we could. It's fucked up. Not easy to figure things out that work, you know? But nice to have someone who gets it and understands rather than just ignores shit...

Someone who 'gets it', you mean. Not exactly the easiest club to be a member of- "almost got eaten by zombies" is a pretty shitty line on a resume.

[He pauses to look at those photos again.]

You know, I can't say me and the big guy always see eye to eye on things. But I think I can imagine how rough it would be to get taken to a place like this and not have anyone to relate to.

Ain't saying it's worth a trophy or anything. I just... have been through more. As you obviously have.

[ She pays no mind because as much as the photos matter, they also hurt. It's easier to play unfazed than anything else. She lets him assume, lets herself feel like she isn't earnest and in control. It is all a sharp and poignant turn -- and one she's unprepared for. ]

...I've been here for months. You were the first I could relate to and still are. I accept that it may be impossible for some, but I'm here to see faults and bring them to something... ah, brighter. I want more.

[ She means this utterly, in every sense. Not just in art but in personal relationships and then some. She wants Chris, but she knows she'd topple over for something meaningful that engulfed her. Someone like Gumshoe. Or, frankly, others. She realizes now that it isn't limited. ]

...It's not easy, but there are always worse thing than that. Harder things to move on from.

It's driving me crazy that I can't remember it. I guess part of me was hoping that if I came back here, it might knock something loose upstairs, but it doesn't look like that's happening.

I might not be the 'me' who was here before, but I'm here now, if you don't mind taking it from the top.

I feel shitty bringing it up since that happens, apparently, a lot here? People come back and don't remember, sometimes from different times in their lives. It's weird but it doesn't seem like people are addressing it a lot. But if I get to talkin' about "old times" or anything, just let me know. I'm happy to get to know you again.

[ To which Jill almost shyly smiles before gently punching his bicep. It's softer than she's capable of and playful. ]

Just came in and... well, we talked and I mentioned not wanting to stay in an apartment and so did you, so we went house-hunting. This was the nicest and we could afford it. Convenient. Plenty of space for fiddling with weapons and a big yard. Extra room for me to teach -- that's what I do here, mostly. Teach hand-to-hand combat to people and train them. Don't trust the Moon Knights -- like cops -- enough to join them myself. And I don't... indulge in the more intimate things, so it was usually just us and some decent alcohol and talking late into the night when neither of us could sleep.

[ Honestly, it isn't until now that it really strikes her how much they were alike. And that she really had missed him. ]

We never really had the opportunity to know each other back home. So it was strange to get on so easily and have so much in common outside of... well, BOWs? Not much else to say. But I imagine you know bits and pieces of what happened to me from around 2005 to 2009. I don't mind talking about it. I trust you.

I'd rather hear it from you than stumble blindly into it later, so don't worry about it. Just try to skip the stories where I make an ass of myself, okay?

I won't lie, it sounds pretty nice. And this place is a hell of a lot nicer than the places they give us. More trustworthy, too. I can't say I'd mind picking up where 'I' left off, if you're still offering. Fill in the blanks as we go along.

[Hell, it's not like he ever seems to know what's going on until its litterally on top of him anyway, right?]

Good, because I plan on laying down anything that might be useful -- and you haven't. Didn't think we'd get on as well as we do, actually.

[ More a note that she didn't think they'd have so much in common with their personalities and sense of humor, even if everyone they knew had a lot of that in common. ]

That's fine by me. Let me show you a few things though. [ She escorts him into the living room. All plain again and normal, but she still focuses on the wood coffee table. She puts her hand beneath the middle of it where some books and manuals are littered (seemingly all technical for fighting, survival, and so forth) and the edge of it pops open to reveal two ARs and some ammo. ] We each have an armoire in our bedrooms that are similar. Never can be too careful, right?

[That's actully really impressive and all, but he can't help but to laugh a little.]

You know, I always wondered who actually makes little tricks like that. God knows I've run into enough of them, about time one of them's actually useful.

Unless this is the part where the roof starts coming down, of course.

[ Jill mildly taps the top of the table before sliding it back in place with a click. ]

Well, thanks. I modified a coffee table for this -- had one back home, too. I'm sure you can find something like it premade, but I'd rather it be out of the norm, you know? Hopefully we won't need it.

[ She stands upright and hovers a little, figuring he doesn't need her to escort him around. ]

I really hate puzzles. Have I ever mentioned I'm tired of them? And cranks.

That makes two of us.

Seriously, what is the obsession with bioterrorists and cranks? I swear I never even see them unless I'm on a mission.

I'll let you know when I figure that out, alright?

[ It gets a laugh out of Jill, even though she's the one that brought it up. ]

Pianos, too. Just glad it's an instrument I can play. If it was a trumpet, we'd be screwed.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

▶ TDM .014

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject