prismatica | video;

[ The camera turns on to reveal a young face, currently in transit. It's Rebecca, walking down one of the broad, bright streets of upper Lunatia. She's a little unused to mobile videos, so occasionally she bobs out of frame. You can see her short hair, the pink choker she perpetually keeps wrapped around her neck, and the top of a green baseball tee. It is the nineties, after all.

More of relevance is probably the flushed cheek, the slightly heavier breathing. Iris is in full effect, and it's not giving her a second of mercy. She gathers herself before starting, eyes flicking over the display to make sure everything is set up and working correctly. ]

...you guys really weren't kidding about the effects of these moons. The physical and physiological changes already didn't make any sense, but this is just-- [ She puffs out a breath, shaking her head. ] Maybe there really is some merit to the lunar effect. We have all sorts of old wives' tales back home about how the full moon makes people go crazy, and we've only got one of them.

[ She pauses, glancing up to cross a street. Once across, she flashes an embarrassed smile at the camera. ]

Anyway. That's not what I wanted to talk about. Now that I'm settled in and things seem...peaceful... [ Her expression creases briefly, a nonverbal "for now". ] I was wondering, how do you all fill up your day?

I'll start! I'm Rebecca. [ She gives the camera a little wave. ] I haven't settled on a job yet, so mostly I'm going to the gym or at the cafe if I'm not in my apartment. I love sweet drinks, so it's nice to just relax in the sunshine with a book. I like playing basketball, and piano too, but those sort of fell by the wayside. All that keeps me busy, but when the moon's full, I'm still kinda lacking strategies to...distract myself.

[ It's about the most polite way she can conjure of saying, "Jesus Christ, nobody told me the moon effects were this bad, I'm going out of my mind here." ]

I figure we should all be trying to help each other out, even if it's just with sharing coping mechanisms. I'm always here to help if you need a medic, or even just a sympathetic ear. So...let me know!

weiss;

[ And then, as if by divine providence, a familiar, stylish ponytail of white hair exits a building. Rebecca lowers her phone and squints after her. She's much more put together now, but...yes, it is the girl she'd had that talk with!

Rebecca's wandering route has taken her near to the theatre. Was that where she was going? She's briefly caught in internal debate, not wanting to bother the girl, before managing to push. She breaks into a light half-job and quickly catches up. ]

Weiss?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh! You're in medicine? I'm a field medic, plus a degree in chemistry.

[ This from a girl who looks like her eighteenth was last week. She flashes a brief smile, as if to say "I promise I'm not that person who brings up their accomplishments all the time." ]

It's been worrying, but also really interesting. There's not a lot of data yet, but the things I've seen suggest there's only very broad commonalities.

[ Probably for the best - Virginia has a bit of a chip on her shoulder about the fact that she doesn't have a degree. ]

I'm just a...lowly research assistant. [ She says that with a certain wryness - she doesn't believe she's "lowly". ] But I am interested in the physiological implications of these cycles we're all subjected to. And I suppose to do that, I'd have to get some knowledge of... non-humans? Aliens? Are there any of those here?

The Prismals must be, right? As for Moonblessed, there's plenty of people from different worlds than ours. They just seem to...also be humans. Not from Earth, or at least not from the same version of Earth.

[ It brings up about nine thousand questions, none of which she's qualified to answer. ]

If you ask around, I'm sure some people would offer.

I'm sure they would. It's surprising, sometimes, the things people will volunteer for.

[ Or Gini is just good at convincing them. Regardless. ]

Honestly, it's a little overwhelming. I hardly know where to start. Except with myself - see what happens for my first, uh, cycle, maybe go from there. I hear some people practically turn into animals?

Pretty much. From what I've gathered, some of the changes are relatively 'normal' - you sprout bird wings, or cat ears, or things like that. But people also suddenly got the ability to twist their heads like owls, or to open their jaws nearly to their ears...

None of that's happened to me so far. I can't work out why it's only affecting me, um...internally.

So, you haven't experienced any external changes, but... what sort of internal things are we talking about?

[ Oh no, you've really piqued her curiosity now. ]

Um.

[ What is a tactful way to put it...? ]

I'm noticing, um...heightened feelings. Much more than normal...and nonstop. For the past several days.

...Arousal?

[ Virginia stops herself, and smiles a bit. ]

Sorry, it's just... I study sex, back home. It's what I do. There probably isn't much you could tell me that I would find shocking.

Really? Wow, you're in the right place, then...

Um, yeah. Arousal. [ She exhales quietly. ] Sorry, it's just embarrassing to talk about. It started slow, but crested, and now it's just...staying at that level.

It's fine. You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm just curious. I need to - do a lot before I'm ready to actually collect data here, anyway.

[ She gives a sympathetic smile. ]

But it's probably good that you've plateaued, at least.

I guess. I'd just like the plateau to drop. I'm trying to work out, keep busy, not think about it, but it's not anything I've experienced for this long before.

I don't suppose you have any...advice, Virginia?

Well, have you tried masturbation? It could ease it, at least temporarily. Of course, it might also just intensify the feelings of arousal, but you don't know unless you try.

Uh-- [ Oh god this is mortifying ] Yeah. It...doesn't do too much.

It's clear they really want us to...touch each other, not ourselves.

It seems that way. I mean, it's always up to you, of course, but if it might help, it might be worth a shot.

No, you're right. Sorry, I don't wanna seem ungrateful - I really appreciate the advice. [ She laughs quietly. ] I didn't think I'd get to ask the opinion of an expert.

I'll be sure to take your advice into consideration.

I don't know how much of an expert I am, but I'm happy to try and help in any way I can.

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