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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I didn't bother to ask his name. He wasn't interested in fighting so I got bored. [ And or uninterested in learning more. But he was there, and there wasn't really any denying it now.

Plus.. it could prove to be a useful thing to know if push came to shove. Claiming of territories, and all. ]

Still. It's to be considered.

[ Hiei's learned how to play chess when it comes to power, it would seem, in his time with Mukuro. ]

Hmm...

[ Politics weren't lost on Shishi either, obviously, although to a much lesser degree than Hiei — and frankly, Shishi preferred to stay impartial if he ever could. But indeed it is good to have in mind. Or just to know such a youkai exists here. Even he hadn't met tons of daiyoukai himself, when it really came down to it. But if the guy wasn't interested in fighting — Hiei was right, how boring. ]

So. Obviously there is no barrier between realms here. What do you know about the political situation here? Is this the kind of human-youkai kumbaya paradise our world is supposed to be headed toward?

Some have never even heard of or seen demons, so I doubt that was the intention. [ Not that Hiei begrudges that fact. He isn't quite sure what his final opinion is of the world Yusuke Urameshi envisions, anyway, or if it was even all that feasible in the long run.

At the end of the day, demons were demons, and they liked blood, gore and violence. One day a regular competition wasn't going to be enough and they would go back to the blood bath of before. ]

Though I did meet a woman who looked human and didn't smell it... so there are other types of beings than demons here, as well. Which is an interesting change.

[ Shishiwakamaru was actually of the same opinion as Hiei on the matter, and this awareness made him dubious about this city just as well. ]

I suppose it'd make sense — alien planet and all. Never in my wildest dreams...

[ He still felt so exhausted by the whole experience, and raised a hand to his temple stressfully. ]

So how long have you been here, exactly? Please don't tell me something mortifying like "a year."

If I were to ever embark on something like this I would have thought it would be at Urameshi’s request. And yet.

[ and yet the spirit detective isn’t here. Yet anyway. ]

A month at most. [ and there’s one of those venomous looks out of the corner of those red eyes. As if to say he was daring Shishi to say anymore. Though; now he’s curious -]

What is the last thing that happened, back in our world, for you?

[ A month. That's not so bad. Shishi wasn't leaving a lot behind like some people, frankly; who was he going to miss, truly, Suzuki? Maybe... Touya? Jin? Even his friends annoyed him, although surely he'd come to miss them in time, especially the clown... At least he wasn't doing anything so crucial at home at the time that he couldn't afford a month or two off. He's still trying to convince himself this will be temporary; Da Nile ain't just a river in Egypt, Shishi... ]

Well... I suppose the major thing would be that Enki won the tournament a while back, declared peace between Ningenkai and Makai... But personally, I've just been training under Genkai with the other guys since then. You?

Edited 2020-07-19 19:54 (UTC)

So we're at the same point in time. [ Hiei confirms it easily enough, though he isn't so forthcoming with what he's been up to in the meantime. More than likely with the demon rumor mill, Shishi already has an idea of what people think Hiei's been up to anyway with the border patrol and Mukuro.

He shrugs at the prompting, and then says rather simply : ]

Training. Apparently being classified as an 'ET' by human papers if Kuwabara is a reliable source.

Edited 2020-07-20 23:15 (UTC)

[ The comment brings a twisted smirk to the samurai's face, letting out a derisive snort of a laugh. ]

Actually, we saw that on TV, too... They captured your likeness quite well. So famous these days!

[ Suzuki, Jin and Touya had all been tuning into the television and radio stations more recently, and while they were more curious about the news coverage on youkai ~~and even found themselves mentioned!~~, Shishi was usually more just hanging out than tuning in. The youkai media buzz in Ningenkai was becoming annoying to Shishi already, and was still frankly a bit surreal, such as all the attention those girls from the Dark Tournament were getting on air lately from the humans too, but there was some... bemusing amusement to find in the overall media reception of the shift. Well, maybe at least just in Hiei's alien sketch. It really was very good. ]

Although, I guess now that you're here, there's technically some truth to the 'ET' bit, isn't there?

[ Oh, Shishi, shut your mouth, just quit while you're ahead... He should know better than to goad Hiei, and he does, but it's just such a comforting knee-jerk reaction to him when he's otherwise feeling so powerless in this situation. He really wasn't in the mood for a fight, though, all things considered, and was still feeling strange from being nerfed in the morning — all bark, no bite today, unfortunately, although he'd never admit it. ]

I should've erased his brain. [ Hiei notes it with a definite side of irritation about being caught and described. The portrait wasn't entirely wrong, after all, and it isn't like Hiei particularly cares other than the ribbing he gets for it.

Though, if he wants to continue on about 'ET' - ]

Are you not an ET too, then, being here? [ Here's Hiei giving Shishi that dry stare that says he's debating kicking his ass in that moment. He's itching for a fight after being turned down by Sesshomaru, on top of it. ]

I don't need toys to win a fight, after all.

[ That knocks about half the smirk off Shishi's face — the remaining is for show. He can pick up on cues, those icy looks are their native tongue; but he tosses his hair over his shoulder instead of returning that challenging gaze, closing his eyes with a light huff, politely (?) declining Hiei's invitation to fight, as well. He knew he wasn't up for the battle today, he could tell his youki was still weaker than usual from that damn shot when he'd arrived — he wasn't gonna try it. He may be arrogant, but he's not a fool. The jab about the "toys" will not be forgotten, though. He resented that, Hiei hit his mark. ]

...We're both 'ET's now, indeed — heh. So, what do you make of it, then? You've been here a month.

[ Even when trying so hard to be amicable (~~is that what he's been doing?~~), he can't resist the bait. ]

Will I need my toys here?

[ He places a hand on his katana hilt, readjusting — not in a way that suggests he's about to draw it, but just to draw attention to it. He's slightly more at ease knowing his hagoromo is folded up, tucked away inside his kimono sleeve, as well. Even if he's not keen to whip them out right now, he's inwardly incredibly relieved he'd been sent here with his weapons. Because yeah, he's proud of his toys, screw off, Hiei. ]

It's a lot like being on probation in the human world. [ There's even Kurama to keep him from murder when he feels so provoked, but since he is, of course, only being a certain level of friendly he isn't going to reveal the other half-demon's presence just yet. Hiei cracks a knuckle, though, at the sudden realization that that's what this is like, and suddenly he's a new level of base-level angry about this whole thing.

The angle of his frown increases somewhat, but other than that there's no immediate indication of Hiei's irritation. ] Surrounded by weak humans and the occasional apparition who is also inconveniently stuck here for who knows how long.

[ Hiei gives one of those sharp, single chuffs as Shishi asks about his toys, though. Red eyes narrow and dart the other demon's way before he asks : ]

If you're speaking generally, apparently there are battles that crop up every few months, according to an apparition I've gotten in contact with. So we may yet get a chance to measure up against others without directly engaging with them.

Though, personally, do you want to test what I've built up with Mukuro that badly? Do you think death will help you escape this place?

[ Shishi met Hiei's chuff with an airy chuff of his own. It's aggravating knowing he needs to turn down a fight — but he can't do so without some small amount of bravado, it's uncouth, practically. But he really is too tired and weary and bewildered by all this ~~and deep down he knows Hiei would whoop his ass and that's just not necessary~~ so just keeps his cool. ]

Hmph. I'll give it a whirl "being on probation" here first, and I'll let you know if the place wears me down enough to reconsider your offer. How's that.

[ Could be after a while he'll be itching to flirt with death — at least he's got someone he knows is formidable here. Hiei and Shishi never got the chance to fight, but he knows what the other youkai is capable of — and knows that he's capable of even more than that now, too. It'd be a waste to fight him now while he's not tip-top, they wouldn't get to show off their new tricks. ]

I did hear about these battles, though — we're paid to fight, apparently? An apparition I met, myself, mentioned there are some native beasts that sometimes pose problems. Something about swarms of flying jellyfish...

[ He knew to take Kaguya's words seriously when she explained the dangers here to him, but he still hadn't really wrestled with the idea of being chroma-mugged by a jellyfish when she'd described those battles to him. It's a lot to take in at once, and that detail just stuck out. ]

Fine by me. [ Though - on the mention of that - ] If you need Chroma, there is something of a fight club around here. However, the human who runs it prefers to keep it kill free, so it's useful for nothing other than a Chroma boost since they're all weak.

[ Hiei listens to Shishi talk about the battles, being paid to fight... and the details all sound familiar. Of course, he doesn't doubt that Shishi has sought out other demons just as he had to see what was available to them here so far as demons and the like.. but the comment about jellyfish sounds like she has a bit of a script for new people that show up here.

Amusing. Hiei, classically, gives no indication of why he's so amused right now. ]

Was this apparition an air demoness named Kagura? [ He's very familiar with her, by now. ]

Sounds boring. But good to know.

[ He skips a beat, raising his eyebrows at the mention of their mutual "friend." ]

Ah — yes, indeed she was. So I take it she seeks out other youkai. A small comfort, I guess.

[ Shishi's surprised to hear Hiei mention Kagura's name, but he's equally not surprised under similar thinking — of course they both sought out other youkai, or in this case, other youkai sought them out, perhaps... But more people in common between them. Great. Even if back home they were only adjacent to each other at best, by virtue of Kurama, Shishi was more surprised by his growing relief for Hiei's insight and presence — another "never in my wildest dreams" moment, but a somewhat neutral plus at the same time. Any familiar faces are welcome, finding himself a stranger in a strange land. Shishi's never the first one eager to make alliances, but it seemed at least youkai were sticking together here to some degree, from the sounds of it, so that's something, right? Could be far worse. Could be far better! But could be far worse, indeed. ]

That's what I told him. What's the point in beating each other almost to death? [ Not that Hiei's let Bui go or anything - but he would maintain that he only let him live because he asked Hiei to kill him. Giving people what they want is not Hiei's specialty after all. Unless they are Yukina, that is.

Hiei's shoulders shrug at the comment about Kagura seeking out other youkai. He wasn't wrong, just - ]

I projected my demon energy as much as I could considering this Chroma bullshit. She and the daiyoukai found me because of that.

There could be more out there that simply didn't wish to be found. But if that's the case they probably aren't worth the trouble.

[ The quip about beating each other almost to death actually gets a little huff of a laugh out of Shishi. He couldn't disagree. ]

Human pacifism is so vapid.

[ Hiei's remark on the other youkai raises Shishi's brows, though. It hadn't occurred to him to project seeking other youkai, although he'd never admit that to Hiei, cuz he felt doomed to be surrounded by humans from the start, and hadn't felt any other youkai's aura until meeting Kagura. ]

The daiyoukai sought you out, then? What was he like? Apart from not wanting to fight... I'm curious.

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▶ TDM .017

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