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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[Regret. It's a strange thing really; Anduin had been all for saying something, to make himself known and to point out there's no reason to fight here. No Azeroth or Old Golds. None of it. But the moment Sylvanas turns that gaze on him, Anduin feels a sense of cold regret wash over him, harsh and instant. He can almost hear Shaw berating him for showing himself so soon, but what would the point of hiding away be? Eventually Sylvanas would find out and Anduin wonders if she would be all the more angry for finding him later rather than sooner.

He has to own this. Anduin is all too aware he has very little back up here. No Genn Greymane to snarl over his shoulder. Wrathion is around but Anduin isn't sure what's going on there, understands that right now this is all on him and he tightens his grip on Shalamayne, keeping the sword at his side for now.]

Perhaps, but then this place has little rhyme or reason to it. [ Anduin knows he can't leave now; the moment he turns his back is probably the moment an arrow sticks out of it. The comment about them both being in the same place rings true. Apparently changing worlds can't separate them for that long and a small part of Anduin already mourns for the quiet time he could have had.]

There is little here to do with Azeroth. There would be nothing to gain from making us concede.

[It's true, what he says. That at the very core of things, there is no benefit to being at the throats of one another. This is not Azeroth. There is no such thing as Horde and Alliance here. Well. There isn't if they aren't obsessive over it. Years of history, however, are not enough to absolve what has trespassed between them.

No matter how he sounds, she is not fool enough to believe he doesn't mirror the sentiment. Perhaps there is something to be said about that. That in some way, somehow, they can still be united in some fashion. She would never say it like that, however.]

Presumptuous of you to think Azeroth stands to be the only reason we situate on opposite sides of the line drawn.

[Sylvanas leaves her hand on her bow. It tightens when he rests touch on his sword. But she does not withdraw. Like with Wrathion, she does not rush into this. She does not throw herself headfirst into the situation.]

We are both chained to the same fate, regardless of where we are.

[ Sylvanas is right that Azeroth isn't the only thing that binds them. These days some things just run too deep, the scars too much to just simply stop everything due to a change in scenery. Yet back home Anduin would have pushed for a victory somehow, to have kept fighting. Here it's just the two of them and a small part of the priest wonders just how much fighting has to happen again and again before peace falls upon them.

He tilts his chin up, frown still gracing his features as he talks back. Sylvanas is a fearsome opponent but showing any kind of weakness would be his undoing.]

Perhaps, but the point still remains. Have you not heard from the locals here that time stands still back home? Everything you achieve here you would have to repeat.

[ Chained to this fate. Is it really going to be that way? Anduin can't help but think of Genn Greymane, of how bitter the other can be. Or his own father and those outbursts of anger and frustration that (at the time) seemingly came from nowhere. Is he really supposed to just give in and become so jaded he loses sight of what he wants the most?

Anduin shakes his head, unaware he's even making the motion. If he can achieve peace and give people a reprieve then he will do everything he can to achieve that even if there's still the temptation to claim victory over the Banshee Queen. It's just difficult to do such a thing when there is no army at his back and Anduin isn't arrogant enough to tell himself he would outright win in a one on one fight.]

Do you not wish to go back?

[There is a comfort and a familiarity in standing against him. In the past, there were times when the Alliance and the Horde were capable of momentarily setting aside their grievances. She has not forgotten those times.

But that was then and this is now. It's easier to simply fight than it is to spend the time discussing and playing at diplomatic relations. Or perhaps it's simply that Sylvanas has not grown into the most diplomatic individual.]

I have heard it. Among other things. [Hearing it, however, is not the same thing as believing it. She hasn't exactly jumped on taking those things as gospel.] It is foolish to believe everything you are told. There is no benefit to those here spouting truths.

[Yet in the same respect, what benefit is there to them issuing falsehoods? Sylvanas frowns then, somehow caught in her normal expression of distaste when it is not drowning in smarmy demeanour.

His question reaches her then. Does she wish to go back? Was there ever an option not to? She's always assumed she would find a way back. Is that the same thing as wanting it, or is she merely expecting it? Once more, she finds herself annoyed. To think on it implies that Anduin is capable of making her consider. Any implication of 'sway' with him involved cannot be tolerated.]

I will find my way there. As will you. [...Meaning she has no immediate intentions to kill him. To spar. To fight. That is different. She needs a rival. Even far from home.]

[ The expression on the banshee Queen's face is a strange one, something that momentarily throws Anduin until he realises that the other is actually disliking something and not just for the sake of it. It's a strange thing really, one that almost gives Sylvanas emotions, makes them more relatable than Anduin would like.

Maybe he can sway some of this into his favour. If he can make it so the other is not so keen to go on a rampage, or to try to take this place over, then it could be considered a small victory. The pointed remark of as will you does not go unnoticed. It would seem that a fight today is not on the cards.]

From what I have heard there is no way back that we can choose. However, if you take to this world as you do our own then those that reside here will be less inclined to help you find that way home.

[ He's not asking Sylvanas to go running out to make friends and he knows the other knows it. Though for once there's no suggestion of a truce or some kind of alliance; Anduin is beyond believing that can happen. Things are too far gone to wrangle that even in a strange place. Even now the air is heavy, tense with the expectation that the other will suddenly draw their weapon.]

There is no war here for you to fight. You should find your way home and take it.

[Anduin always has a more subtle fashion to the way he speaks, even when it comes to someone like Sylvanas, who has caused many to cow in her presence, and for good reason. Sometimes, she sees in him a reflection of his father, who she can sometimes admit she did not outright loathe. Yet they are two completely different people, he and Varian, and it shows often in the words that pass between them. Biting or otherwise.

Sylvanas keeps her teeth in check, in fact, as her mind turns over the possibilities.

In the end, he is right. Whatever potential war is happening in this world isn't hers and truthfully, she's never given so much as a thought to whatever plights they might be incurring. But that is her way, as well. To be ever focused and intent on her aims, wherever they might rest.

Knowing well enough that Anduin, at this point, is worth more to her alive than the alternative (and even Wrathion, at that)... Again. He's making her think. She hates that. As she hates most things.]

As if I could not conveniently birth one. [Both know she could. If she truly desired to. Does she? That's anyone's guess at this point.] It is in both of our interests to return to where we belong.

[Although... There is a thought.

Suppose she returned to a world where there was no Anduin. How convenient it could be to crush the Alliance beneath her heel. But would that make her happy? Can a creature like her experience happiness at all? Or could it be that she thrives as she does because of the intensity that lingers between them?

She will not say the word 'truce.' She will not set that into the proverbial sand, but in a way, that is what seems to be proposed and considering the state of their affairs, she doesn't provide outright agreement or rejection. Perhaps for Sylvanas, that has come to be expected. No commitment. No promises.]

[ Anduin silently lets out a breath he'd hardly been aware of holding as Sylvanas admits they would both be better off back home. The whole situation is tenser than normal, Anduin certain that the reasoning comes down to the simple fact neither of them have a lot of people behind them right now. It's enough to have Anduin's bones briefly hurt, letting him know that this right now probably isn't the wisest choice. But then what options were there? If he picked a fight now the chances were slim he could best the other in combat and there would undoubtedly be a myriad of casualties and fatalities. The other option would be to simply allow the other to leave and do their own thing?

Neither option seems to ring true, but ultimately it came down to damage control. Which of those two options would be safer for everyone in this strange, new place?]

For once we can both agree on a common, shared interest.

[ Anduin isn't going to extend a hand of friendship or even say the word truce out loud. Some would call him naive (few have outright said gullible) but these days there's less of that. The High King of the Alliance has seen time and time over that some simply could not be trusted and whilst he could wish they would change with all the hope in his heart, the reality was he couldn't take that chance here.

No, this was not quite a truce but a simple staying of the hand until he could figure out what to do next and chances were Sylvanas knew it too. If leaving her be would result in something positive then so be it.

Genn Greymane would have lost his shit he could see the young King now.]

So be it. I cannot extend more than a simple courtesy though there are some who would argue even that is too much.

[She. Does not need to explain herself. Even if that was, for one reason or another, a necessity, she wouldn't. It is best for her and for others that her plans involve as few as possible. The more bodies, the more it can interfere. Even in the face of her family, Sylvanas has had to see her schemes adjusted and changed. She has faced these betrayals more than once. There are very few she believes would not tell her secrets.

It is a seemingly unfortunate overcast day when the only one she can immediately think of is Blightcaller. Even then... Who knows how long that shall last.

Anduin's words resonate within her. A shared interest. Not the first time she's experienced it. Much to her chagrin, the situation places them in similar predicaments with similar causes and similar aims. It is a needless waste of her effort and her time to carry their little war into this new world. Not that it stops proverbial blood from boiling beneath a hardened surface bent on vengeance and distaste.]

For once.

[She's agreeing, a bit sombrely at that.

He's giving in. So is she. This is not a victory. Not necessarily a loss either, but certainly not a triumph, though some objectively might disagree. That Sylvanas isn't immediately leaping to bite at the throat could be considered its own success.]

I don't believe I had intentions to ask for anything. I don't make requests. I make demands.

[And she's not making any of him. Not at the present moment. She doesn't indicate whether she intends for that to change later or not. It's a complicated situation to be certain, not nearly as black and white as she can sometimes paint the picture. In the end, they both want the same thing.

And it reminds her of other times where such a concept has not been so foreign.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

▶ TDM .017

best ever warchief! ♥

I don't like to toot my own horn but...

I mean it's Sylvanas or Garrosh....

Naaaaah. Garrosh can bugger right off.

amen

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