prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .017

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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
07/08 - 07/15 | 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.

▶ You’re as Cold as Ice
07/08 - 07/15 | Level 2, Crystal Beach | top

Summer strikes Lunatia with record high temperatures as the city is wracked by an unnatural heatwave. Residents will feel the burn the moment they head outdoors, kissing their skin pink as it drenches them in sweat. For a hot and sticky day like this, it's the perfect time to head to Crystal Beach for a refreshing dip in the water. All sorts of new stands have popped up by the shore, selling icy treats and frozen cocktails.

The morning news recommends befriending those blessed by Cordis, who can keep people cool with their magic touch. They also warn of overheating machinery and electronics! Establishments and residences may end up dealing with broken air-modulating units if they use them too much.

Having cleared their names, Suzaku and Kaya of former *BTSB fame have decided to reform as a rock band duo called The Nine Tails after leaving their boyband roots. They will be performing their most chill new summer jam, “Fox Girl Summer,” while incorporating Cordis magic of their own to keep the listeners feeling cool and refreshed.

B Those listening to Kaya and Suzaku’s summer anthem might find their beats too chill to relax and party to. And by that, we mean literally. Ice may start to form around the limbs of happy local beachgoers, filling them with unfortunate shivers that will send them running into the arms of another Prismal to thaw. Even more troubling is that some portions of the oceanfront may also start to freeze, trapping some unsuspecting swimmers inside and leaving them in need of rescue. If anyone goes unnoticed, a Prismal lifeguard will be quick to rescue them.

In a panic, Kaya winks at Suzaku, who reassures his worried partner and ends their performance by summoning a mighty phoenix above the stage. Of course, it is only an illusion for the audience as Kaya thaws the partygoers and the ocean with his magic. Suzaku might have gotten carried away with their debut...

▶ Boom, Badoom, Boom, You Got that Super Bass
07/08 - 07/15 | top

The heated beach waters have brought a large onslaught of aggressive super bass close to the shore. Needless to say, the boys with the booming system were not ready for the sudden and alarming increase in population of this particular fish. In response, the beach committee is hosting a fishing competition to see who can catch the largest super bass. They will be providing extremely durable fishing gear and sufficient bait to all worthy competitors, so come to the Crystal Pier with your best fishing know-how and try and break a record or two!

Due to the competition, job openings for lifeguards have become available. Their main task is to keep an eye on participants and the audience. They should be ready to pull them out in case they have trouble swimming back to the pier. Lifeguards will be provided official beach committee high-tech swimsuits (in the form of tankinis and speedos of your choice) that enhance their performance by allowing them to swim faster and breathe more easily underwater. In the dark ocean depths, they glow with patterns easily recognizable to the Prismal eye. They also accentuate the Moonblesseds’ assets very nicely.

C Although they are no different from sea bass in appearance, super bass are known for their monstrous strength and penchant for mischief. They like to fly in the air and slap whoever tries to catch them and their fellow fish with their tail fins. You think you like them better when they dolo? Think again. These fish will purposely grab a hold of something eye-catching such as rainbow-colored sea pearl or other treasures from the ocean and pull the unsuspecting fishers into the watery depths.

▶ Put on Your Red Shoes and Dance the Blues
07/08 - 07/23 | City of Amegahara | top

The city of Amegahara is in preparation for the annual Vulpus Astra Celebration which is coming up in a few weeks. This year is special as the foxes of Amegahara have never celebrated this occasion with the dragons of Lyestellus, making it the first time all three cities in the alliance will be celebrating together. This is all thanks to the Moonblessed, who not only healed their lands but also brought the Prismals closer.

And so for this special year, the upcoming event promises to be an even larger and more extravagant affair. In order to address the extremely high demand for traditional dress and other materials needed for the celebration, many job openings become available in Amegahara. Among these are tailors, glassblowers, florists, and dancers.

D The tailors will be sewing traditional clothes, such as lovely-patterned yukata, kimono, haori, and obi. Glassblowers will create pearl glass plates, cups, and trinkets such as hair accessories and festive souvenirs. Florists will be heading to work at Inari Highway’s greenhouses, caring for flowers and putting together flower crowns, colorful bouquets, and floral arrangements to use for street and interior decorations. It is encouraged to make use of pearl glass vases!

Lastly, dancers will be auditioning for a group of strict Amegaharan foxes who will not shy away from hurling insults if you underperform. The traditional Amegaharan dance features many layers of intricate fan work that is difficult to master, or dancers can choose to take part in the more uproarious Amegaharan drum dance. Be prepared for long and grueling rehearsals after passing auditions, where you will be forced to partner up with one another to bend each other’s bodies as flexibly as it could then dance until every single person in the room has the movements and timings memorized perfectly. Moonlacing will keep one another from collapsing in exhaustion, but your bruised ego may require more tender care.

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B

[He could take the heat. A lifetime in the South had offered him an endurance to the heat that most would find enviable. As air conditioning was a concept that he barely knew beyond stories he had heard of an inventive doctor who found a way to cool the rooms of his patients suffering from Yellow Fever, finding the unfamiliar technology was constantly overheating was met with a practical responce: shut it off and take it outside.

Curiosity took him to the beath and, although he ignored the fanfare of the music, he found himself drawn to one of the carts selling frozen treats-- confections, cocktails, and the like.]

...You call this a 'Paloma?' [he asked suspiciously, eyeing the poor clerk with dark, untrusting eyes. He thought of the soft melodies crooned by talented guitarists in the cantinas. He thought of his horse-- a hotblooded Pinto.

Brows lifted as he eyed the frozen concoction. He had no idea if he could trust this poor vendor to not try to pull a fast one on him.]

C

...Why did I bother coming if the water's hot enough to bathe in?

[He asked rhetorically, heaving a frustrated sigh as he wiped sweat off his brow and tried to make sense of this fishing rod once more. It was a slow, patient art as he recalled, but he felt inept at it. The bait kept flipping from his fingers before he could slide it upon the hook, and jack knife ineffecttually on the ground trying to seek escape and freedom. He was lucky he didn't stick his thumb on the hook.

'Lucky' was never a word that worked in his favor.

Once more sighing his frustration, Marshall leaned down to catch the damned little shrimp before it snapped it's way off the pier--

He felt it before he saw it.

There was a rumbling in the water that all but shook the pier for a split second before a massive fish, shining in a prism of rainbow colors under the sunlight, leapt fully out of the water to smack an offending fishing aficionado with it's impressive, gilded tail before diving for it's freedom like some beast that evaded understanding by the human imagination. Marshall stared awestruck, half blinded by the crystalline droplets that gleamed in the blistering afternoon sun that sparkled with something almost breathtakingly Ethereal--

Or Eldritch. It was amazing how often the two became conflated.]

That, [he declared softly,] Is one gorgeous fish.

Wildcard

[Don't like a prompt? Make one up! HMU on Plurk at

woodrift. There is a quick and dirty of his info here if you want to read up. He doesn't have much in the way of powers besides an uncanny knowing of things he's not supposed to... but he's got a twitchy trigger finger when he's under duress.]

Edited 2020-07-09 02:47 (UTC)

Is Paloma icecream. [ Hey that looks interesting. Don't mind this clearly planty man leaning over to inspect. Hope you don't have any super common allergies- ]

... No... [ Definitely doesn't look like icecream, now that he looks at it. Hmm. ]

[Allergies? Marshall didn't know her.

Casting one last wary look at the poor vendor, he took the pink, frozen cocktail and held it out for the planty stranger to see.]

Paloma, as I know her, is the name of my horse.

[He explained with a shrug.]

Singing that folk song as best as I could remember was the only way I could keep her calm enough to get comfortable with me. This?

...Stranger reports it's a cocktail, but that's no cocktail I've ever seen.

... It's definitely not part of a chicken.

[ ... What, is that not what a cock-tail is-

Actually, you have sufficiently distracted this plant from whatever this drink is- ]

You have a horse? [ Asteffiel knows of horses, they exist, however he's a sylvari, they don't.. use much in the way of pack animals. ]

Are they soft? Centaurs usually aren't friendly enough to touch them, and they're not really horses-

It sure ain't. It's spirits and--

[He glanced the stranger up and down, not even sure if the man would appreciate the meager explanation he could offer. Marshall was far from a seasoned drinker, and he preferred simpler styles-- straight liquor, maybe kick back with a beer. Nothing fancy.]

Paloma? She's no thoroughbred, but she's soft enough. Spirited too.

[And, stepping away from the vendor so the next person could order, he hesitantly sampled the so named frozen cocktail. The tang and sweetness of the sugar and the citrus blended nicely with the liquor he recognized as tequila, and the frozen slush nature of the beverage was perfect for the heat.

...Though, he mused, it could have used a touch of salt to even things out.]

...Can't say I've met any Centaurs, [he replied, thinking.] But if it's possible to meet a werewolf on a train to New York City, then why couldn't we meet a Centaur in... wherevere this place is?

So if someone mixed mead with.... um. Anything else? [ Asteffiel would appreciate new knowledge in all its forms, but exactly what use it would get later is up in the air.

Also he's just gunna follow you around now, sir. ]

... What's a werewolf? ... or a train... [ New York is... probably a town? ]

... Unless a train is when you have a bunch of doylak in a row? I think that could be it. But doylak don't like wolves?

...Why would you mix mead with anything else?

[He had tried it once, while doing one of his infrequent jobs between cattle runs. The drink was cloyingly sweet-- like honey and summertime sunrises-- but also impressively strong. Marshall knew a thing or two about classic literature thanks to his father insisting he learn his letters, and he understood why the drink was prized in Beowulf.

But when the man uttered more words that made little sense, Marshall took a closer look at the plants adorning the stranger... and shook his head.]

Seems like we're talking Chinese to eachother. You spend much time in a garden? Or the woods?

[The woods were scary, spooky climes. Too damp and dark even in the middle of the day, with trees that sang or screamed depending on the season or weather.]

... No idea. [ Cheerfully said. He was taking a guess at what cocktails would be. ]

Sounds like something norn or charr would do. To make it stronger?

[ At the plants he's wearing, or that he is? The veins and ribs of the leaves that make him acceptable to be outside are the same pale purple as his face and hands, and the base is either obscured with more leaves, or melds neatly into his body. ]

Yes, both. I like growing little friends. And Mother is right before the jungle gets thick, at the edge of Maguuma and the sea. [ ... What is Chinese? ]

...I hear ya.

[However, just because he heard didn't mean that he understood. Matters such as the origin of plant men were a touch beyond his scope, and he had no way of knowing how to ask without coming across as uncouth.

He opted to suck more on his strong instead, letting the bite of the tequila in the ice burn his worries away.]

I grew up by the sea, too. [Marshall added at length.] There was less sand and more swamp. Then a hurricane came one year, and there was only water when we got back home.

[ People call his race 'the plant children' for a reason. Curiosity is Curiosity, it's fine-. ]

It depends on where, right? Swamp in some places, and sandy in others. [ He looks like he's thinking hard on hurricane - can he remember... anyone using that- Hmm, not really. He's.. gunna have to try to remember a bunch of these words and look them up, or something- ]

The sea brings us more undead than... hurricanes.... But less now. Lots less now...

... you're right about that.

[He uttered, seeing the decaying bodies overrun with barnacles and kelp in his mind's eye unbidden. It was new information to him, but he didn't doubt it for a second.

He needed to have Words with the Beast. If he could even find the creature made of void and stardust.]

They don't happen as much, that Dragon is gone now! There's just whatever was still in that old human country left. The Awakened also stopped happening, but that's more because the lich making them got eaten. [ Asteffiel, that probably isn't as reassuring as you mean it to be. ]

... Except I don't remember if he had a direct hand in them being made... so maybe... those still happen....

[ Hmmmmm... that's a little alarming...

But then again, why worry about living mummies when they've still got three elder dragons to worry about.

And why worry about any of those when he's somewhere new!

He shakes off any worry for now, then! ]

...I couldn't say. Our homes are a little too different for me to get all that.

[Or, were they? Marshall didn't know any longer-- his life had taken a strange turn on that train, and he didn't necessarily even know how to begin defining his recent experiences in words.]

Let's take a walk, [he suggested, casting his gaze along the street, the beach, the shoreline.] You can tell me whatever you want while we do that.

Most of what I have is more questions. Do you have questions? I could start with that, if you don't want to talk most.

[ But they could just block the poor man's stand further- ah, but moving is a little better yes.

Is the plant scent stronger? There's more pollen in the air as he moves. ]

[ Shigeru is minding his own business when he hears Marshall make that statement. He's standing by the cart himself buying a tasty frozen drink as he gives him a smile. He might fiddle with his device as he types something to him. He'll point to his drink and tilt his head in a curios manner. ]

What's a Paloma?

[Forgive him, for he is Tall and unused to phones and other such things. Marshall tipped his hat upward to regard the stranger and his device, bending down to read the text with narrowed eyes. The screen was a touch too bright and the letters blurred around the edges... but this was fine. He could deal.

Sighing, he shrugged.]

Paloma is what my horse is called. It's also the only song she'd calm down to-- she was a nervous thing when we met.

...Though the drink doesn't seem half bad. Grapefruit and Tequila, was it?

[He looked back at the vendor-- who nodded affirmation vigorously, as if hoping that the responce would get the looming man to leave.]

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▶ TDM .017

Carey Marshall | Original Character | Iris (Probably)

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