prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .005

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▶ TDM .005

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"Anri 杏里 [1983] [Timely] - 11 Remember Summer Days" (Watch on YouTube)

▶ Fox and Friends
Moon Iris; Lunar Scientia, Lunatia | top

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. Even the few shy moon creatures you find in the wild have strange crystal growths on their hides. This is far from home— perhaps a dream? You pinch your skin and slap your cheeks, yet nothing seems to do the trick. Searching for answers yields nothing but an endless expanse of purple dust as far as the eye can see. You have four options: one, panic; two, soil yourself; three, admire it all then soil yourself; or four, go into survival mode. Eventually, you’ll realize that you’re not alone.

After a day or two of living off the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. After the strange phenomenon 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? Why did I think grocery store sushi was a good idea? — 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 gives 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.

While waiting for transport to be prepared, you may freely roam around the government center. Eventually you’re called back from exploring, escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel. Destination: Prismatica.

a.) An envoy of Prismals with fox-like traits is currently visiting Prismatica to meet with the Queen. Their kind was so awed by tales of the Moonblessed that they have gathered to greet all of them with a ritual dance of their people. They also offer to teach the Moonblessed an amazing trick — with a wink!

Flowing robes follow their delicate bodies as they perform a passionate series of steps and acrobatics with their paper fans. Early in the performance, they peek above their open fans and wink at their audience. At that moment, your limbs are suddenly enchanted with exceptional grace. Couldn’t put your leg behind your head before? Had trouble doing a split? Well, now you can perform these flexible feats and more. The fox Prismals will be inviting the Moonblessed to join them so they can attempt to feel their invigorating chroma against their bodies.

b.) The dexterity spell the fox Prismals cast is one of many a fox has in their repertoire of charms and curses. It can be very useful for making a quick escape! While the older fox Prismals teach this spell to the interested Moonblessed (read: teach them how to wink and use chroma at the same time), you can explore the city with the younger fox Prismals.

A delicious drink called bubbly tea is very popular among teenagers in Lunatia right now! Unfortunately, defective apricot pearls inside may cause you to float a few feet in the air. This effect goes away as soon as the affected pass the pearls at a bathroom, but getting there will be an adventure. Maybe you Moonblessed have abilities that can get rid of the effect? The fox Prismals don’t have a spell to cure this...

Help the affected young fox Prismals get to a bathroom and they will teach you another spell: simply place a finger over your lips, and no one else but your friends can listen in on your secret conversations!

▶ Crab ‘n Go Menu
Lunatia | top

Several tents decorated with streamers, shells, and pearls have been set up along the shorelines of Level 2. A giant clam mascot tells you that hey, hey, hey! There’s a beach festival happening tonight! It will be full of fun activities, and anybody who is anybody will be there. The Prismals involved are inviting people all around Levels 1 and 2. Bathing suits will be provided to all participating festival-goers. What are they celebrating? Who knows. Maybe Prismals just want to have a good time! Hey, hey, hey!

a.) One of Lunatia’s favorite beach party games is “Find the King Crab.” King crabs have a golden belly and are hidden among other disgruntled crabs. Protip: king crabs are often found in the center of large clusters of crabs. Be careful while flipping them; they are very eager to clip anything that comes near their nest! Be the first to find a king crab and claim the grand prize —- an all-you-can-eat buffet for four at a King Crab Sandcastle, a high-end seaside seafood restaurant. You now get to exact vengeance on these crabs by eating as many as you please.

b.) There’s an educational tent promoting the soothing pastime of conch listening. Glossy conchs of various shapes and sizes can be found on the tables. Some special ones are said to link to one’s innermost self. Special conchs are encrusted with tiny glistening gems, making them easy to spot in the sunlight. Pressing them to your ear will draw forth the sound of someone’s voice — be it yours or someone familiar. Depending on the listener’s mood, the sound of the voice will range from peaceful singing to blood-curdling screams.

c.) Another tent is dedicated to scuba diving. You can either rent out a special set of nodes which are worn on either side of your neck to replicate the function of gills, allowing you to breathe safely beneath the water, or traditional scuba diving gear since some Prismals like the challenge! Explore Lunatia’s vast undersea world and bear witness to its wonders, such as its crystalline corals and tropical fish, a myriad of species unique to Prismatica. A few of these species are the rainbow seahorses carrying newborns in their pouches and greater clownfishes that can’t seem to find their offspring. Venture further under and you will eventually find aquatic bears with scaled bodies that seem to be very territorial over their habitat and hoard of delicious (?) sea honey. As they often say, don’t poke the bear…

As the festival winds down, some Prismals can be seen dancing and eating by the campfire. Everyone is welcome to relax and watch a nice fireworks show by the pier while a local band known as the Briny Seamen plays a compilation of their greatest hits. Expect an uncomfortable amount of marimba solos!

▶ Some Assembly Required
LEVEL 2, LUNATIA | top

Once you’ve been all crabbed out for the day, you can finally settle in your new home in Level 2:

a.) 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.

b.) All Moonblessed new and old receive a frazzled email from their favorite Moon Knight, Fahrouk. He was involved in Obscuria’s Glow affair, resulting in both him and his daughter becoming new unofficial Moonblessed Community Ambassadors.

Officer Fahrouk

Subject: MOONBLESSED THERE’S A SALE AT KRABBA!!

To my heroes and my greatest inspiration,

New arrivals, welcome! Old friends, hello! I hope all of you are doing well.

I am writing to let you know there is a sale at KRABBA, Lunatia’s most popular flat-packed furniture store. All crab-themed decors are 50% off!

Here is a picture of my daughter with her new KRABBA shelf. Now we can display our Moonblessed bromides with joy and pride! We had so much fun putting it together and hope you do too.

Here’s a big bear hug from us both! We also attached directions to KRABBA. Happy shopping!

Love,
Fahrouk and Hala

True enough, attached is a picture of him and his daughter standing in front of some newly assembled furniture as well as a map to the KRABBA store in Level 2.

Also true is the sale at KRABBA! The prices are affordable, but the crab-themed items are especially cheap and ready to brighten anyone’s day. Among the notable items in stock are a sea shell-shaped loveseat called Havsskal, a foamy green kitchen table named Tång, and a bed named Havsbotten that somehow resembles the sandy sea floor. Please do not lie down on the beds! The staff have been made to wear crab-themed outfits and will not hesitate to use those claws to get people in line.

After paying at the cashier for your items, feel free to order some of KRABBA’s signature meat (?) balls with Moonberry sauce. You deserve a break!

▶ Questions

If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

▶ As a reminder, test drive memes are for new characters only. However, current players are more than welcome to use these prompts for their own posts in the IC communities, personal inboxes, catch-all posts, etc.!
▶ As our test drive memes are game canon, feel free to keep any threads that happen here as canon for your character should they be accepted.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nor one for spending time with his children.

[Guess what he thinks of that whole 'Hollow Knight' project, Hornet. Guess. He admires the craftsmanship involved, but that's about it.

But that clears up this bug's identity, at least in the most basic terms.]

I have only heard of you as the payment for a contract, not as a person in your own right. What shall I call you, child of Herrah?

No. I did not see much of him.

[Despite being mostly raised by his wife. Herrah certainly couldn't, after all. Doubly unsurprising that she'd not have been described as a person. Her mother had loved her, but like the rest of his forgotten children, she was only a bargaining chip to the King.]

Though I was still met with a better fate than my siblings, of this I am aware.

Hornet is my name. I did not believe, after the White Lady hid herself away, that I'd speak again with another Higher Being.

Hornet. The pleasure is mine.

Let us not stand on ceremony. I am near as much a Vessel as your siblings, and I can hardly imagine them demanding the 'higher being' treatment.

[In no small part because they have no voice to speak, but also, they don't have the ego for it.]

My child is being taken care of by the little Knight, or was when I left, and it's not in my nature to be cold to family of family.

Granted, but a vessel with a voice and a name. Regardless, I will try to be more informal.

[As best as Hornet can. She'll not comment on the state of the Knight's will nor mind, however. They were less... empty, the last she'd encountered them, whether they were aware at that point or not.]

You've entrusted your young to them? ... I suppose I could not think of better hands for them to be in.

[No doubt this child was leaps and bounds above a common bug, she was sure.]

I wonder if this would make me an aunt now...

[About as light and whimsical as it got with the stern creature, but she said she'd try.]

I have no objections if you have none. Perhaps my child would take to you as strongly as they've taken to the Knight.

[But then, Grimmchild is the affectionate type - it isn't hard to get on their good side.]

Introductions will be in order, once I am reunited with my dear one.

Perhaps, though I feel I may be too harsh for a child.

[It wouldn't be intentional, no! But she does know herself pretty well.]

I would not want to upset them, should they appear here.

[Please, she isn't going to say this out loud, because it sounds really pathetic, but please don't leave her alone with the baby. She doesn't know how to baby, this idea is actually kind of terrifying if she thinks about it.]

Your sibling has done well with them. Perhaps they could offer guidance.

[Is taking care of babies a normal family activity? As opposed to what Hornet and the Knight usually do together?

Perhaps it would be a welcome change of pace.]

[The concept of 'normal' has long ago been regulated to myth for Hornet. But it made sense, that the little knight did so well. They'd always proven capable of handling whatever had been set before them.]

... Perhaps they could, yes. It would certainly be a new experience.

[On many fronts.]

What is the child like?

My dear child is endlessly curious about new things and new people. They're a quick study, and it won't be long now before they've surpassed me.

[Just a Ritual away, really.]

They enjoy naps, especially on top of other people, and they're quick to grow affectionate with those around them.

[If she knew the mechanisms of that ritual, this conversation might have been a touch more grim, for lack of a better word. She wasn't a tender person, but she was hardly unfeeling.

As it was, well... Grimm sounded no different than any other doting father. It contrasted so sharply with his appearance, it wrapped right back around again to completely charming.]

Then I suppose it's hardly surprising the little ghost has fared so well with them. Even as quiet as they are, I've noticed that many have found them quite charming. An affectionate child would probably be inseparable from them.

The Knight is a formidable little warrior. I'm sure that your child will grow to be then, as well, with such an apt teacher.

[What is there to feel grim over? Burn the father, feed the child - that's how it's supposed to be. And all good parents want their children to surpass them.]

Oh, I know how formidable they are. They were masterful in our last battle, I almost want to dance with them again.

[She is in no place here to say what is and isn't normal in a father and child relationship but she's almost certain that part of it involves a lot less literal sacrifice]

You've done battle with them yourself?

[Ah, a distinct note of immediate interest in her tone]

I too have met blades with them, twice they defeated me. No one has accomplished that before or since. For something so small, their strikes land twice as hard as one twice their size.

Indeed I have. Their nail strikes true, and they dodge attacks in the time it would take others to even see the flames coming. Truly a marvelous opponent, with few their equal.

[Grimm voice: one time the Knight beat me up, it was awesome.]

Edited 2019-07-10 05:06 (UTC)

There was no better, to meet the Hollow Knight head on.

[Everyone else, after all, had fallen easily to her needle. If they had been unable to best her, well there was no way they could handle the Hollow Knight.]

It sounds as if you took exceptional delight in this battle. You find yourself to be a fighter of exceptional skill, I take it?

I have some experience stoking the flame of battle.

[so yes.]

Speaking of your other sibling, they picked up a few tactics from me while still unbound. Wyrm was not particularly pleased about that at the time.

[He would probably still be mad about it if he were alive, but he's not, so.]

I'd enjoy one day then, testing that assertion for myself.

[She'd be a liar if she were to claim she took no joy in battle, after all. She'd been doing it for so very, very long now.]

You met the Hollow Knight before their sealing? Indeed, I cannot imagine The Pale King enjoyed anyone interacting with his pure vessel, let alone teaching it.

[Let alone the vessel of another Higher Being, the King was a jealous creature, she'd found.]

What did you teach them?

A number of things. Better aim of their projectiles, how to make spikes from Soul... They may have picked up their crouched battle stance trying to match my height.

[Grimm's tall, but he's not that tall.]

Wyrm hated anyone who treated your sibling as a person. More than teaching them, that was what he was most angry about.

[She'd only seen glimpses of that monumental battle, until the Knight vanished into the realm of dreams for the final time. Unable to enter the egg while the infected knight was still so powerful.

Still, from the little she'd seen, Grimm accurately described it. If anything, it only spurred her curiosity regarding the bug's talent in battle.]

I never faced my eldest sibling, not alone. The little knight crossed blades with them, as I was unable.

[Ah, but the wyrm, and his less than stellar parenting]

It would have rendered them impure.

[Though she damn well knew that it was doomed to fail from the start. Regardless, that had been her father's reasoning.]

Though it seems no creature, no matter how carefully crafted, can remain empty forever.

They were not empty to begin with. Had the Pale King not been so convinced of his own genius, he might have recognized that his plan was doomed.

But then, the Pale King was never one to understand the workings of mortal bugs.

[The Nightmare King can only recognize that perspective through his vessel's eyes. Radiance was heedless of the amount of damage she caused striking back at the Pale King, the White Lady is slowly going mad, and Unn - the most sensible of the lot - sleeps.]

I regret that I could not do more for your sibling, back then.

Not empty, then blank, perhaps, would be a more fitting term.

[An untouched slate that easily collected marks, no matter how delicately it was handled. And the king certainly never handled any of his children with anything approaching any kind of care.]

I don't think it would have been possible for him to be able to. He was not, and never would be one, no matter how his form changed.

[He'd no more understand the workings of mortals as she'd understand the workings of crawlids or gruzzers.

But now she fell silent, unable to come up with how to respond to such a soft sentiment. Could anything have been done for them? Short of simply tearing them away from the Pale King himself, she doubted it.

Had he seen the alternate route she'd found, perhaps there might yet still be a kingdom to go home to now.]

... We cannot fix what has already passed, you need not feel regret.

[A hesitant, halting assertion. After all who was she to talk about the uselessness of regret?]

[Hornet is not one who leaves shades of her regret across the kingdom, it's true. And yet her words do much to lift the sorrow from Grimm's face.]

...Thank you.

Forgive me. This sad talk is hardly appropriate for the time and place. This is meant to be a party, is it not?

[A party is meant to be enjoyed, not shadowed by thoughts of the past.]

...Though I admit I'm not much for swimming.

[Flames and water, not a good mix.]

I would enjoy the idea of a party more if I'd been invited to it, rather than have it imposed upon me.

[So she could turn down that invitation and continue being a sullen hermit, of course.]

That would make both of us, though these odd, soft bugs seem to enjoy the water quite a bit. Why, I cannot fathom, I've nearly been dragged away at least once.

[Oceans! Actually a little difficult to take a calming dip in.]

[That does not actually count as enjoying the party.]

While I appreciate the lack of acid... [A plus in most bugs' books.] The bugs here are terribly strange, aren't they? No carapace to speak of.

[He knows he's considered weird by at least Dirtmouth's standards, but he has no idea what they'd make of this.]

[She enjoys every party she doesn't go to, it's a great time]

I had thought them a type of grub at first, but they don't entirely fit that description. Too many limbs to be slugs as well.

I wonder how so many of them came to be, without a shell to protect them. They must come from far kinder places.

Though, a few have crafted armor, I have seen.

No wings for escape, no poison skin to discourage predation... Truly, they must come from lands of peace.

Even their crafted armor seems decorative rather than protective. A nail would pierce through that instantly without even slowing down.

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