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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Just Faust. [Technically "Faust" was just a codename in the first place but he also genuinely didn't have a surname.]

Less than a week. [He paused briefly before choosing his next question. There were a couple things that he briefly considered asking simply for the sake of gathering information and getting a better handle on the whole situation of his own presence here, but eventually reconsidered.]

So what were you doing before?

[Joshua picked up on that little bit of information - that Faust wasn't his 'true' name - but he wasn't going to pry. It didn't matter all that much, so long as he wasn't lying to him.

With his next question, Joshua looked back over the sparse crowd of nightlife and gestured towards them.]

Eavesdropping - scanning their minds. I do this a lot when I'm bored. You'd be amazed by all the funny things people like to think about, especially in the shadier parts of town.

And you?

[Faust raised an eyebrow, head tilting slightly as he followed Joshua's gesture to the people milling about and enjoying themselves. Really he couldn't imagine why someone would want to listen in on what these people were thinking but maybe if he had that sort of ability himself he'd feel differently. But probably not.]

I was learning the layout and infrastructure of the area. [He knew it likely wasn't exactly as necessary a thing to do as it was back home but it was also a habit. And in his experience one could never be too prepared.]

How long have you been here?

Would that I could grant you the ability so you could try it out for yourself, but unfortunately all the means to do that are back in my own world.

[And honestly, that was probably for the best. Some minor chaos might erupt if he'd just happened to drop a Player Pin in the city streets. In the wrong hands, it could cause problems.]

You seem paranoid enough, though. I'm sure you'd find a use for it. [Not subtly taking a jab at Faust's need to scout the city.] Anyway, I've been here for two days, roughly.

Your 'Arts' as you called it... Aside from invisbility, what other fun tricks can you do?

[Now that tidbit of information definitely earned a raised eyebrow. He could somehow grant other people similar abilities? Faust was definitely filing that away for later.]

Don't mistake being prepared for paranoia. [Really such scouting was only to get a layout of the most advantageous positions even though with his skills it wasn't actually necessary. He was more than capable of defending himself even at close range and despite seeming cautious he actually wasn't concerned about a possible fight. It was just the norm to do this sort of thing.

It was... Weird for someone to be unfamiliar with Arts, but given that no one here seemed to know Originium or Oripathy either he supposed it made sense.]

Arts vary from person to person. [He shrugged a shoulder.] I'm a sniper, so it shouldn't be hard to figure out what I use them for.

Depends on what you're preparing for, and right now I don't see anything to prepare for.

[Lio picked up on those thoughts, about how the other seemed to think he didn't recognize what he was talking about. On the contrary:]

I don't think our worlds are all that different when it comes to abilities, it just seems the vocabulary isn't the same. They aren't called 'Arts' in my world, they're called 'Psychs', and not everyone can use them. My ability to hear thoughts is a Psych. I was simply wondering if you had more than just the one.

You prepare to ensure survival.

[Even if this place seemed much more accepting and peaceful it was difficult for Faust to just... Take that at face value and relax. On Terra there was virtually no place he could go without being constantly in danger so it was hard to just let go of that.]

Are you born with your abilities? [Conveniently stepping around the topic of whether or not he could do more. Of course he wasn't going to just spell out all his skills to a stranger.]

Some people are.

[Conveniently interpreting that 'you' as the plural 'you' and not specifying for himself. He noticed that little dodge, though, in answering the implicit question Joshua had put forward. It was the second such deflection. There were ways around that, though.]

What sort of people do you hunt for a living?

[Faust didn't make any indication of being shocked or bothered by basically being called out. In a way Joshua reminded him of Mephisto, only he seemed less straightforward.]

I only hunt my enemies. And I don't do it "for a living"; now you're the one making assumptions.

[And that wasn't a lie. Despite essentially being a terrorist he didn't shoot people who posed no threat to himself or his companions and he was no mercenary. But if someone posed a threat... Well. Then he didn't hesitate.]

[Joshua rolled his eyes.]

It was an expression. Terrorism, though? Now that sounds interesting.

I'd like to know who or what you consider to be 'enemies'. Hopefully you've crossed me off that list?

[Faust shot him a look that bordered somewhere between warning and irritated but it returned to that usual stoicism a moment later.]

I haven't decided yet. But how much you go reading my mind might help me choose.

[Was that a genuine threat? It was impossible to tell. But to have people know too much about what he did back home was liable to cause trouble which was the last thing he was interested in.]

I shouldn't be here in the first place... But since I am I just want to survive. Anyone who tries to get in the way of that is my enemy.

Oh, scary.

[Joshua giggled as he flipped some hair from his face. Threat or not, he definitely didn't see Faust as one.]

Don't worry, I'm good at keeping secrets. And I'm just as far from home. I wouldn't dream of doing anything to put you in any sort of danger, Faust.

[He definitely wasn't about to trust someone with a giggle like that but it was pretty clear that it didn't matter to Joshua what he thought. Which was fine.]

Even though you don't know anything about me? Or are you just confident that I won't kill you?

You won't kill me.

[Joshua would have went one step further and said the whole truth: "You can't kill me." But Faust was already acting suspicious of him, and a bit twitchy. Joshua wanted to try and maintain a relatively low profile in this place - he didn't need someone here spreading word about him.]

Besides, it must be exhausting, looking at every little thing that could be a threat to you as an active one. Even if I can undermine your Psych - excuse me, your 'Arts' - that doesn't make me your enemy.

I don't exactly have a motive to harm you, now, do I?

[Joshua wasn't really wrong about the fact that Faust wouldn't make any move to try and kill him; at least not unprovoked. Unlike many of his colleagues back home he had patience and more mercy than he let on.

And at the same time the other did have a point. Since Reunion didn't exist here it was unlikely that anyone would exactly have a bounty out on his head. Of course the whole matter of his Oripathy had him concerned even if the doctors hadn't seemed to share that worry when he was initially examined. That had been... Weird.]

Where I'm from almost everyone is a threat. So it's strange to be somewhere I can walk around like this.

Oh I'm sure. [He said, with absolutely no sympathy in his voice whatsoever.] But let's use that wonderful brain we're given and realize just how far from home we all are, hm? Relying on instincts in an alien world might get you into trouble.

You're lucky I'm not looking for any trouble. Just a way to kill time.

Now, were you done with your questions? Would you humor me and let me ask one more of my own?

[Faust noted the lack of genuine emotion but was unbothered. It didn't make a difference one way or the other if Joshua actually meant any of his sentiments.]

I could say the same to you.

[While he wasn't interested on instigating anything and he wasn't going to underestimate Joshua if they did ever face off he also wasn't going to leave a vague threat without a retort. Then he seemed to consider the last question before finally responding:]

... Fine. What's the last one?

Right, lucky me.

[Ever the feisty one, Faust.

Joshua hummed as he gave Faust a more serious look, albeit still with that slight upturn at the corner of his lips.]

Your world. What sort of world are you from? The name of it, the characteristics...

I'm more lost than I'd initially hoped, and right now my map consists of only two points: my own world, and this one. A descriptor of one more might help me find my way.

[... An odd question that raised others, but Faust figured it was harmless enough.]

It's called Terra. The technology of this place is a little more advanced I guess, but not by too much. [He tilted his head, considering.]

... As far as "characteristics" there are the Catastrophes. They're essentially giant natural disasters that have made most cities become nomadic to avoid them. If that sort of thing is a problem here I haven't heard about it.

[Joshua put his hand to his mouth in thought, the amusement on his face finally leaving as he considered what Faust was saying.]

... It's hard for me to say which of us is the outlier. This world, and your world, are nothing like mine.

[And then he sighed, with a shrug.]

Well, you know what they say about being lost in the woods. Better to stay put and wait for help than to keep moving and make yourself impossible to find. At least this has been informative.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

▶ TDM .017

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