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.

▶ Questions

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[ Oh, boy... Zuko follows him a few paces behind with the most bemused look. ]

What's the problem? Wouldn't that just make it easier to make tea?

[ In fact, Zuko happens to be excellent at making acrid water, so this dilemma is lost on him. His uncle would be ashamed. He worked in a tea shop for months! He should be sharing Tamaki's outrage! But instead it just seemed... practical? ]

❰ the reaction is actually a bit shocking to tamaki, used to shock or horror from other upper class folk when he describes to them the way that commoners live and exist. zuko...perhaps you are a man cut from the same cloth as he is, more than willing to understand the mindset of the common man. ❱

Your highness, that is exactly the point of it! So it's not so much a problem, as long as you're okay with it. I didn't expect for a prince to be so accommodating. For as tragic as I find some of the ways common folk cut corners, it's always interesting to think about the how and why of it all. Practicality is the main reason for many of the things they do.

❰ they're suddenly in the kitchen now, and tamaki pulls open drawer after drawer, emphatically gesturing with the hand that still has fingers glued together; he doesn't seem that bothered by the predicament...or more like he can't help his mannerisms, no matter how many digits are unusable.

frittata forgotten at the moment, he does find something more presently useful, even if he feels he must also explain this to zuko in the interest of increasing their connection over practical, common tea-making methods. ❱

We have perhaps been deprived of the opportunity to try the instant tea, but they do have tea bags available. About as practical, but a little more time consuming if you want your drink to steep properly.

Would you prefer... ❰ he examines the options for a moment before reporting back a menu, ❱ Chai, English breakfast or the adventurous raspberry?

[ Zuko leans against the counter, not quite able to tell if Tamaki's high energy and talkativeness was energizing him or exhausting him. He was treating Zuko like royalty, but he was acting like he's royalty too — what's with that? Like the snobby guy on the beach. He's not currently too concerned with being treated like a prince, but he's not uncomfortable with it, either. That's one of his nicknames, for all intents and purposes — "your highness" is fine, at least for now. ]

Chai, I guess. [ The only one he knows... He skips a beat. ]

You say "common man" this, "common folk" that — are you nobility?

❰ okay, chai. tamaki flips a bag of raspberry over a few times before he decides on it. he hasn't had this kind in a bag before, so might as well expand his horizons.

now he's got to find a tea kettle, which he sets about doing while answering the question posited to him. ❱

No -- where I came from, my family is very well-respected and wealthy, and we're incredibly well off. So a silver spoon, but certainly not as polished as yours, your highness. ❰ his manner of speech is just...grand, that's just one of his various eccentricities. except, well...gosh, he can't help himself. ❱ But I will say, I am quite known for my princely demeanor.

Not that it holds a candle to the real title, of course. ❰ the tea kettle has been found, and water is going in from the sink now. he'd prefer distilled or some kind of spring water to boil, but he doubts there's a wealth of it somewhere in the apartment. just please don't take his ability to boil water for tea as any kind of indication he knows what he's doing in the kitchen. ❱

[ No, he absolutely takes it as indication. Zuko has also mastered the art of boiling water and steeping tea leaves, so if he can go from his own feeling of accomplishment at that, then he's impressed with Tamaki's skillfulness in the kitchen already enough to trust him — what can we say, talk is cheap, and the boy is still young and naïve and foolish. He's a sheltered sixteen-year-old.

But the deference isn't necessary. Zuko can draw the royal line there. ]

It's not as great as you'd think. It doesn't matter anymore anyway... I'm here now.

[ Cryptic enough, but hey, this is actually surprisingly open and emotionally vulnerable for him. The whole situation is still steeping in his mind. ]

❰ tamaki nods as he turns a stove burner on and sets the kettle on to boil. it's true -- who they were before they were here doesn't much matter now that they're in a new place with no transfers of status. but it also means that this fellow young man isn't a native, nor did he gain his prestige here. they really are in a similar boat. ❱

It's true that who we were before this situation isn't really of consequence here...but it also feels a little freeing, no? A lot has been lost, but a lot of potential has been gained.

❰ being a wealthy heir is a huge part of who tamaki is, but he's still himself even removed from that situation. there isn't a family here for him, through blood or bond, which is a catastrophic loss -- though certainly not a burden to place on anyone else. still, there's a certain allure to being on a level playing field with everyone else, now a common man himself. nothing expected of him, no pressure to be the dutiful and shining suoh son, status as a bastard not at all of consequence.

-- but he'd rather be rich and surrounded by his loved ones than an everyman, all alone. ❱

At least where titles are concerned, anyway.

[ Zuko casts his eyes aside, silently considering the boy's words. In fact, they were in such surprisingly similar boats. More than either knew so far. ]

...I guess.

[ He can't think along those lines still. The wind was really knocked out of him about his original idea of needing to be home in 24 hours to fight in the war — he'd realized he had no idea how long it even took him to be transported here. He could have been unconscious for days, weeks, while in space. There's no saying those crucial 24 hours aren't long since up. And he's spent so much of the day dwelling on all the various potential outcomes, some quite horrible, of what could happen at home without him, or trying and failing to wrap his head around the idea that when he returns, all will be as it was, as if none of this had ever happened, destiny uninterrupted, as someone had told him. It was too much to comprehend — his mind reeled in all directions all day long, and it was exhausted. He'd said enough to Sypha earlier in the evening that he'd needed to get off his chest, and by this point in the night just... wanted to turn his brain off. He'd rather talk about anything else, think about anything else.

And in this weird mood, he can surprisingly appreciate that they're talking how they've lost their titles — lost their noble responsibilities, all high expectations — and here they're just... people. Tamaki and Zuko, not Tamaki Suoh and Prince Zuko. So in that spirit, after a moment to consider, Zuko reaches for his inner everyman, too. ]

I've done this before, actually. I-I mean — not this, this is crazy — but I mean... Not being a prince. A while back, my uncle and I lived in a city faraway, in hiding. We kept our identities secret. I went by Lee and he went by Moshi. No one knew who we really were — fugitive Fire Nation royalty posing as commoners in the Earth Kingdom... No one had any expectations of me — no assumptions — no rumors... I was just some guy who worked in a tea shop.

[ There's a very short ruminative pause at Zuko peers down at his own clothes, Fire Nation clothes. There was a time he wore green instead of red. ~~cuz wtf Avatar nations are color coded can you imagine only being able to wear one color ever~~ It was calmer. Ironically, even as fugitives, there was a certain freedom in being unknown, Tamaki was right.

A second thought quickly occurred to him to explain, and he looks up to Tamaki with wider eyes, finding it necessary to clarify this important detail hastily. ]

Oh, uh. We ran a tea shop there. The Jasmine Dragon. Uncle loves tea...

❰ ~~tamaki would rather die than be constrained by one colour~~

despite being involved in similar scenarios, tamaki certainly doesn't have anything so dire to consider leaving behind -- at least in the grand scheme of things. being a dramatic and sheltered person, he'd say that losing everything he cultivated so carefully feels like maybe he lost something akin to a war. it's like being back at square one, but at a severe detriment -- it was easier to make friends before when you didn't really have experience with losing them.

but zuko talks and it sobers him. he may not have any sort of personal empathy for something so extreme, but zuko immediately has all of the sympathy in his body. being on the lam, hidden royalty in some feudal situation is fun and games when he's watching a drama dvd, but it is still something people once lived through. something zuko was living through very recently. there might be more thought towards sides in a war, where this person in front of him stood on the scale of good and bad...but tamaki isn't automatically that kind of person. ❱

You've been through a lot, Prince Zuko. All the more reason to deserve a little break from it all. But I do understand that means losing a lot as well.

❰ like maybe his uncle, who may or may not be here, just like tamaki has no one to lean on either. for as much as this is a potentially cathartic situation, sharing his own feelings is something he'd rather not do; tamaki switches back to a less serious thread in all this: ❱

You must know a lot about tea then! I'm sure this wouldn't be up to your uncle's standards, but! Consider it an expansion of your knowledge as a tea shop boy. If it's a profession you ever wish to return to, you can share the knowledge of the modern commoner's tea-making methods. I prefer a nice gyokuro tea with milk, but there's something fun about how sweet and unoffensive they make their fruited teas.

[ The stark empathy takes him by visible surprise — he was under the impression he'd been sharing something kind of neutral about himself; those were his most peaceful days in the past several years, after all. So to hear "you've been through a lot" in response to your attempt to emotionally diffuse yourself — it sits weird, enough that he chooses to gloss over and ignore the comment. This is the second time today he's realized when talking to strangers that even his happy memories aren't objectively happy, and it sucks to have that thought occur in this overall wild situation. Zuko's more than relieved to keep on the topic of tea. He'd also rather not talk about his feelings much more than he already had. ]

Oh, um. It's really more Uncle's thing than mine...

[ Awkward head-rub. He's definitely misrepresented himself. A beat. But tries to push on positively, albeit awkwardly? ]

But I bet he'd really like it? We just have leaves at home...

[ In fact, Zuko could just imagine Iroh in the kitchen here with them now, fussing over the teabags fascinated with Tamaki, probably feeding each other's enthusiasm... He was annoyed and endeared and saddened by his own imagination. Again, searching for something emotionally neutral to talk about — maybe not Uncle himself... Maybe Uncle wouldn't even like the commoner tea, anyway. After all, Zuko hadn't — there! Conversation topic! ]

Oh! I had commoner "tea" tonight!

[ Sup, air quotes. There's a new burst of energy in the boy as he suddenly recalls his alien Arizona tea experience earlier in the evening. Outrage and anger are his native language, there we go, opening up. ]

It was awful! It was cold, not hot, in a bottle — I got it at some weird store. It said it was "green tea with ginseng" but it was... not, I don't know what it was. Didn't taste like any tea I've ever had. It was so sweet! But somehow also bland? I didn't find it "unoffensive," ugh. How can something be tasteless and bad at the same time? You seem to know a lot about commoner stuff — they really drink this stuff? Have you had this? You know what I'm talking about? Is it just this planet sucks at tea?

Edited 2020-07-19 22:06 (UTC)

❰ the energy is infectuous; tamaki is a sponge when it comes to the emotional air in a room. it's also a welcome change of pace from being so muted, and it's about a topic that he's immediately fascinated by. he's animated, excited by this first hand account of a commoner's food review. ❱

Your highness, you don't understand how vital this information is to me! One moment!

❰ drawers open and close at furious speed, regardless of those still connected fingers, until tamaki finds a stray marker. he pulls his sleeve down, taking notes on what he's just heard. cold, not hot, bottled, ginseng, sweet... ❱

Yes, okay... ❰ he finishes scribbling on his arm, previous decorum half-forgotten -- at the very least, this vision of tamaki is much more off the wall and perhaps more in line with the man laying on a couch making a miniature robot as opposed to making a prince tea. after he reads over his sleeve again, he stares at zuko, dead serious: ❱

Prince Zuko, are you familiar with the concept of vending machines?

[ what is h a p p e n i n g

All that was worth taking notes? He said it was bad, why — is this guy gonna go hunt it down just to confirm it's bad? Tamaki's made a pretty odd impression on Zuko thus far, but this ups the ante. ]

...No?

❰ the answer is 'yes'. ❱

While not the same thing, I think it ties in closely with what you describe. Instead of simply purchasing a drink in a store, which may not be nearby, commoners have come up with the idea of vending machines -- standing machines that dispense drinks when you insert a proper number of coins into a slot. They hold milk drinks, sodas, but also cold and bottled tea drinks. Not unlike the one you're describing to me!

So I'm familiar with the kind of tea that you speak of! I haven't conducted any taste tests yet -- there are so many varieties of commoner foods to try out, I have a long list -- but these teas come in a wide range of flavors. I'm excited to find this same brand and have my own experience to see how it matches up with your description. I'm sure it's as awful as you describe it to be, but I have a knack for finding a positive aspect to the palette of any common food item. Underneath the notes of fruit and corn syrup, you can taste hope, passion, drive and diligence!

❰ aaaaaand there goes the tea kettle whistling. ❱

[ . . .

For the first time today, something's actually humored this big grump because. wtf. tamaki.

He keeps a straight face through the whole bit, right up till the end, but he cracks at the final remark. He can't help but let out a sort of snort of a laugh at Tamaki's gusto. The horrible tea tastes like "hope, passion, drive, and diligence?" He can't handle it...! His sister would probably be laughing her head off at Tamaki right now in the most obviously mocking, derisive, insulting way, so really, Zuko's chuckle could be so much worse. It wasn't necessarily nice to laugh at this guy, since he was being nice to him, but he was just so over-the-top! And yet, there was something weirdly refreshing about his excessive cheer. Kind of like Aang, it occurred to him. Something in the good vibes. Those were hard to come by on this guy's end — especially today. ]

You want to try it? Really? [ lol ] Hold on.

[ Zuko will leave Tamaki to his own devices with the ~~hopefully~~ good, successful, real tea, and steps back into the other room. When he'd plopped down at first, he'd left his plastic shopping bag on the ground beside him. Sypha had taken him to a convenience store, where he'd stocked up on beef jerky and hot chips, and one single banana (these things may come in handy later, post-"frittata"); but in the bag as well is the unfinished bottle of tea. He comes back in smirking, setting the bag on the kitchen counter as he walks up, with the tea in question in his other hand, outstretched toward Tamaki. ]

Here. I never finished it. Enjoy.

Edited 2020-07-22 07:48 (UTC)

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