prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .008

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▶ TDM .008

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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. 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? Is sexorcism a legitimate profession? — 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.

While waiting for transportation, you may freely roam around the government center.

▶ When There’s Something Strange in the Neighborhood
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and The Glory, Tower of Whispers | top

After the Viergean invasion weeks ago, the Iris government center has been repaired! The staff is hard at work now that the Iris moon base is fully operational once again. Many of them are still recovering from the attack, but they still managed to prepare something special for the Moonblessed. They happily declare the results of their research and compiled excavation efforts from the Glory, all of which are available to view at the Tower of Whispers. The tower is the largest and most well-preserved locations from the excavations, composed of spiral staircases and seashell designs. Its walls and columns filled from top to bottom with shelves upon shelves of old-world scrolls containing information about ancient Prismals. Little is known about the language used here, so like the machine translations of the Glory’s ruins, the texts remain largely indecipherable.

The Prismals warn the Moonblessed that the tower is haunted; they say if you close your eyes and listen to the silence of the tower, you will hear whispers of the ancients, unintelligible to Moonblessed and Prismal alike… For those daring enough to explore, you sense something amiss. A shiver runs down the back of your neck. A chill passes through your spine. Good thing you have the Lunar Scientia’s librarian droids to keep you company —- they will watch over and protect the archives, quick to ward off any theft or anyone mishandling the ancient scrolls.

As you peer into the scrolls, you find crude drawings in place of where you would expect ancient writings. There are illustrations of a three-headed dragon, a giant boar wearing a crown, a seraphim clad in a lion mask, a naked woman covered in snakes, a basilisk skewered by multiple boat masts, a sleeping one-eyed giant, and a beautiful satyr with flowing, flaxen locks.

A Stare at the contents of the scrolls long enough and the illustrations will soon transform on the parchment. The dragon may start breathing fire, the seraphim’s closed mouth might open and scream, and the basilisk might even start bleeding past the margins… But once you blink or look away, it’s as if nothing ever happened. On some pages, readers may find a disturbing ocular symbol fading in and out. “I told you this place was haunted!” you overhear some of the staff say. Other staff members mention seeing white figures and feeling something cold touching their heads or shoulders. Too spooky.

B After staying in the tower for a while, you might find yourself behaving a bit strangely. You’ll have the urge to knock scrolls to the ground, pull down the pants and skirts of neighboring Moonblessed or Prismals, kick over librarian droids, and generally cause chaos. You don’t know what’s making you do this, but you swear that you’re innocent. The librarian droids will be having none of this! They will send everyone out of the tower to be horrible geese somewhere else. These urges will continue for about an hour, so make sure you don’t steal someone’s lunch, sneak into rooms you shouldn’t be in, or do anything that will get you on TV!

Eventually you’re called back from exploring, escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the moons and the planet. The passengers on board include both old and new Moonblessed as well as Prismals. The next destination: Prismatica.

▶ Hail Hydra
Planet Prismatica, 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.

B As part of the maintenance done after the invasion, broken public toilets were upgraded to what Lunar Scientia calls the Raging Hydra 5000, fresh from the factory and ready for use. Aside from its reliable auto-flushing and sanitizing features, these toilets are equipped with a vigorous pair of hydraulic AI-powered snakeheads that will sprout outwards from inside the water tank to give you a cleansing spray with a delightful little encouraging slap on the bottom at the end. They’re capable of intimate massages too should you ask nicely.

Designed to discourage poor eating habits, the AI will also give you unwarranted comments about your dietary intake. Its voice is reminiscent of the shrill nagging of a caretaker. One can simply walk by the public restrooms to overhear their incessant screeching. Some AIs may even go so far as to complain about your grades, your job, or how you never spend time at home anymore...

If you are impressed with the Raging Hydra 5000, you may purchase them at KRABBA: Lunatia’s most popular flat-packed furniture store! Local Lunatian testimonies mention feeling as fresh and new as the day they were born! You’re encouraged to submit feedback before you leave the restroom by tapping the mirror to access the survey. Yes, it doubles as a touch screen! If you leave the restroom without submitting feedback, the survey will keep popping up on your communication device until you answer it. How annoying!

▶ I Don’t Think You’re Ready for This Jelly
Lunatia | top

The scent of paranormal activity and pumpkin spice lattes is in the air! That only means Geistnacht is around the corner. According to local myths, Geistnacht is the night when the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead will be at its thinnest. It’s all the media ever talks about around this time of the year!

Activities like masquerades, bonfires, and communal seances are encouraged every single day for the rest of the month. One way of celebrating is to dress up as a deceased ancestor, friend, loved one, or any figure from history or myth they want to celebrate, and wear a colorful mask while taking part in the dancing and merriment.

A During the day, Prismal children will be going door-to-door, partaking in a custom known as Ainfeil’s Feast. They will be in cute costumes while wearing boar masks and crowns, requesting to be fed as much candy, pastries, or confections as possible. Take care not to be deceived by any naughty children returning with a different outfit. Refuse their request and they’ll run in your apartment or house to steal any eye-catching item from you or your roommates!

Though it is popular with children, adults also take part in the festivities. The Moonblessed are welcome to join in. Simply download the “A-FEAST” app to get started! The goal is to eat the most amount of confections before the night of Geistnacht falls. Using A-FEAST, scan each candy wrapper you have to earn points. Wrappers that have already been scanned don't count! You must be in costume or you won’t be given any treats!

Lunatians may occasionally give out other “treats” such as condoms, intimate apparel, edible undergarments, and/or flavored lubricants. When questioned, they will encourage the Moonblessed to make the most of their lovely costumes together. Winners will be given the hottest and most luxurious Geistnacht treat this year: crystal candy, a gourmet dessert platter crafted by celebrity chef, Sheldon Romsay. Tastes like a billion Chroma gem: you're an idiot sandwich to let this chance pass.

B Lunatia’s food industry is booming with fresh jellyfish meat because of last month’s incident. Vierge jellies are a rare delicacy, so get them while supplies last! Huge meat bargains are slapped all over the fronts of supermarkets, and butcher shops and restaurants are taking full advantage! Considering the festive season, it’s the best chance to grab your party grub for the month!

Food blogs on the internet frequently post about jellyfish sushi, watercress and nettle salad, stinger soup (extra spicy!), jell-ato, jell-atin pudding, peanut butter jellyfish sandwich, and the electric punisher cocktail. Comments left by Lunatians often mention enjoying their vengeance on these critters. Be careful: jellyfish may be tasty but eat in moderation! Overindulging may cause side effects such as indigestion, heartburn, and diarrhea.

Mages like to collect this meat for other shocking uses. Consuming Vierge jelly meat may slightly and temporarily increase the power of your electric magic or energize your body’s electrolytes (perhaps a little too much)! Shaking hands with others is not recommended while this is in effect! Unfortunately, this kind of jellyfish meat expires in a few days, so stockpiling it is impossible.

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

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Workng away at this room to make it more cozy had been a calming process and Hornet is just finishing up with her cocoon when she hears the sound of the door opening. Unfortunate. She was hoping no one else would decide to take up residence here--with the possible exception of her siblings she doesn't care much for the idea of living with someone.

So when she hears the name of her home spoken she's surprised and pops her head out from behind the cocoon to observe Grimm.

Indeed. It was another bug.]

....greetings. And who might you be?

[She swiftly dropped down to be on even ground with him.]

[That is a bug of Hallownest. If they were some other kind of spider, Grimm would still be somewhat pleased to have a more familiar species around.]

I am Grimm. [He bows, politeness ever at the forefront of his mind.] Before I arrived here, I was in residence in Hallownest.

[Ah. So this was Grimm. Not too surprising seeing as how the Knight hadn't mentioned there being any other bugs aside from their sibling and him. Unless others had appeared at the same time she had, there weren't many possibilities.

She inclines her head in return at the bow, not accustomed to such formalities. Or, to be more precise, not accustomed to much conversation of any sort.]

That is where I hail from. My sibling mentioned you--I am Hornet.

Child of Herrah. I might well have guessed that you would come to join your siblings in this place.

[Two of the last living - if you could call what the Hollow Knight was enduring living - children of the Pale King had arrived, and were permitted to spend some time together as family. A third was only fitting.

She, too, deserves that family she was denied.]

The Knight and I had been discussing them missing you, not long ago.

[The mention of her mother's name still stings. It hasn't been that long since she had simply stood aside while the Knight put her to rest for good. It had necessary, and given the choice she would do it again, but it didn't make the passing easier.]

Is that so... [Hornet recalls their excitement upon seeing her. It...befuddles her still, and so does this information. It's not that she thinks they would hate her but she wouldn't have expected such an enthusiastic reception. She's not really sure how to feel about it, so she doesn't dwell on it.]

How is it that you met them?

They summoned myself and mine. The lantern was lit, and their role cast along with mine.

[wow that explains nothing]

Your other sibling, I have known far longer. They required tutors, when they were still called a Pure Vessel.

[Grimm has always hated that name. Awful enough to impose something upon a child who cannot possibly achieve it, a lack of mind and will, but worse to make that the cornerstone of their identity - the only part of their identity you will acknowledge.]

[...yea. Yea. It doesn't. His acquaintance with Hollow Knight makes much more sense but is even more surprising. Her sibling had been trained by many but that was all so long ago, back when the White Palace still stood. If they had been called the Pure Vessel back then, that was long before she was born, when her mother still still ruled over Deepnest.]

...

[She really wants to ask about her. Hornet can barely recall her these days and wonders if the feelings she holds are true. Most records and the people who remained sung the Pale King's praises, but had little kind words to spare for her the "beast"]

I see...how have those two been faring here?

Quite well. It is good to see them having the peaceful time as a family that they deserve, with no infection to seal or enemies to defeat.

[The life they should have been able to live, long before this.]

[Hornet can't help but give Grimm a sidelong glance, feeling cynicism well up within her. She appreciates him answering her question, but why would he care about something like that? It's hard to take him at face value with such a saccharine comment. If he cared, why had he involved himself in her sibling's training?

Hornet almost asks it but she stills her tongue for now. She only just got here and had already gotten in one fight. She didn't want to risk getting into another, especially not with someone her siblings seemed fond of.]

That's good. They do deserve it.

[Instead of what they had gotten.]

[Because the Pale King had called him first, and by the time the Pure Vessel was born he was already wrapped in too deeply with this mess. Because they deserved someone who treated them like a person.

If he notices the suspicion, he doesn't comment on it. He has received worse than glances in his day.]

They will be happier still to have their sister with them.

[If she can do that for them, then that would be desirable. Hornet is still having a lot of trouble believing a lot of this is true. It had only been a couple of weeks since she had seen them both dead, lost in the battle against the Radiance; but if by some chance this reality still exists tomorrow then she hopes her presence really does help them.]

And you. They are fond of you.

[While she doubts most people here are keen about being stolen from their homes for these two maybe it's not so bad. It's a nice thought that they have been spirited away here where they can live freely. It certainly puts her heart at ease.]

Is there anything I should know?

[Y'know. About how they've been...how they've changed....anyone she needs to maybe beat up for harassing them?]

Such is an honor, one I do not take lightly.

[Hm. He weighs his words carefully.]

The Hollow Knight fears acknowledging their own mind, even now. It may be best to tread lightly on that subject, lest they withdraw even more. They have been slightly more social, but it is a delicate matter.

The subject of the Pale King is a touchy one as well.

[Hornet nods in understanding. Truthfully there is no surprise there. Hollow Knight had the fate of a kingdom riding on them being 'pure'. All those years of practice, of duty wouldn't disappear so quickly....and if hate for their father is one of the few theys thing would allow themselves Hornet can certainly see where that is coming from.]

I will avoid bringing him up. [That would hardly be difficult. Their father is a subject she too would rather avoid discussing.]

And the little one?

[It would be easier if they hated the Pale King.]

Better. They're excited to experience new things here, and are quite social. Their roommate is a young woman named Usagi, a kind young woman who cares for them enormously.

[So Hornet doesn't need to go and threaten her or anything.]

Usagi. [An odd name, but it rolls off the tongue]

Well it seems that they have been doing well for themselves here. The both of them. You have my thanks for letting me know. [She's dubious about this place but considering the alternative is them being more or less dead...well...she's willing to give some benefit of the doubt.

Her mind returns right away to her mother and she can feel the questions there on the tip of her tongue, but she swallows them and instead just shifts awkwardly.]

Does this place often bring back the dead?

Frequently.

[There are questions about what happens to the revived when the moons lose their grip on them and they leave Prismatica, but those are questions he cannot answer.]

They are, at least, both aware of what has happened to them. Having to inform them of their end would be... difficult.

[Telling the Hollow Knight the Pale King was dead was bad enough, and that was something they had already known on some level.]

[Hornet nods in agreement, though a part of her suspects they would be contented to know they had been successful.]

Hopefully it doesn't revive anyone undesirable. [If the Radiance was brought here Hornet would be more than a little peeved]

As I hope for the same.

[The Radiance, and Grimm really hopes that the Roc Lobco spoke of is deceased. If not, then he will burn him to dust himself.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

▶ TDM .008

caught a great big moth

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