▶ TDM OVERFLOW .001

[prismods]

Cybernetic dream, something like you've never seen

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▶ Lisa Frank's LSD Fun House
anytime, anywhere on the moon Iris | top

Everything is darkness except for dim lights sparkling in the distance, a faint gleam that greets you as you start to unfurl from your dormant state. 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. Throat parched and skin dry and aching, you grope your body in alarm to make sure your possessions are still in place. 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 only rewards you with 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.

A ⬤ As you traverse the near-barren landscape, you feel something sting your skin. It's small and subtle at first, then you finally catch sight of it: an elegant, crystalline mosquito buzzing around from the corner of your eye. However, a pest is still a pest. After a while, marks near your welts begin to form strange patterns on your skin, mimicking ancient runes. Each rune has with it a particular side-effect that may hinder you on your journey:

✾ The Mark of the Enchanter: Hallucinations, hallucinations galore. Your character will see everything and anything their imagination can conjure and will have difficulty separating reality from fiction.
₪ The Mark of the Destroyer: Limbs start to cease their function, causing you to stumble or try and get around one-handed. Other certain body parts may be affected as well. Look at the bright side: you can stop worrying about jiggle physics and hiding your fear boner.
⍢ The Mark of the Sinner: Your hunger, your thirst, your fatigue and your desire are at an all-time high. Your impulses are rabid and uncontrollable. Maybe you experience only one of those symptoms. Maybe you experience them all. All you know is that you want relief now.

These effects will eventually clear up with a bit of accidental or purposeful physical contact with another person, making you wonder if there was anything wrong with you at all.

B ⬤ Hunger starts to gnaw at you vigorously. Perhaps you consider hunting the moon's creatures to sate your hunger. That's when you see it: a thick, meaty, juicy meal on legs. No, we're not talking about Alex Louis Armstrong. A wild silver-white pegasus runs across the purple landscape, its hair billowing in the wind as its hooves smack loudly against the ground. Try and shoot it, and you may find your efforts curtailed by its legendary rage. Eyes aglow and wings beating up a storm, this pegasus is no dainty horse. Two thousand pounds of pure muscle swoop down and charge at you, all blades and ammunition deflecting off its impenetrable skin. Taming appears impossible; it will buck anyone away and leave a sizable horn- or hoof-shaped hole in them for their efforts. Hunting it, however, should be easier. Relatively.

C ⬤ Or you may decide that you'd like to take a drink in the prismatic waters. A small pond can be found just a few miles away from where you first awoke, but gazing into it reflects what appears to be a window into your own world. You see the faces of loved ones or at least someone very close and familiar to you gathered around your prone body, shaking it frantically as though to try and rouse you, yet your image lies frozen and unresponsive, not even a whisper of life running through you. Did you die in your world? Is this your afterlife? The questions start to pile up along with the gnawing dread that you may never return home again.

▶ Camp Nowhere
anytime, anywhere on the moon iris | top

Time moves strangely when you're trapped on a moon with no sun to guide you. Hours feel like days, and days feel like weeks. Travelling has rendered you weak and tired. Luckily, a few crystal formations in the shape of a cavern may offer you a small place refuge as you decide to nap. You notice a few artifacts left over from previous explorers.

D ⬤ A comm unit abandoned within the cavern will display the former owner's idol obsession. As you tap the buttons indiscriminately, a holographic screen will appear, and you will see a fabulous recorded concert featuring three bubbly young ladies in animal print, singing to you about something called Cordis, a cat, and a bag of gems. Does this make any sense to you? Probably not, but the beat is catchy. You may even find yourself tapping a foot along to it. Don’t worry. We know it’s plastic love.

E ⬤ There's a small cooler-like container of preserved powdered food bags labeled with only the word “Edible” that can be safely consumed. Although the powder tastes as bland as you’d expect, it’s oddly filling, sating either hunger or thirst. But who will be the first — and the bravest — to try eating them?

F ⬤ A strange, pointed instrument is among the effects found in the cavern. It's silver, long, and thin with a curved end and a light. When you grip it with warm hands, it seems to vibrate enthusiastically and comes in three settings indicated by a frowny face, a neutral face, and a happy face. What could it mean exactly? No one knows, but you can fiddle with it to your heart's desire. Just don't ask yourself where it's been before. You don't want to know.

▶ Interstellar Action Force Assemble
prisma, iris | top

Over a day has passed when a group of people find you worse for wear. Some are full of uncertainty and fear while some are full of curiosity and excitement. They claim that they are scientists from the planet Prismatica here to investigate the sudden appearances of rainbow crystals in the skies. That means you and the others they’ve located within the area. You are all a surprising find to them, and they are quick to load everyone in their transport vehicles for examination and questioning.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? Why are the pegasi so ill-tempered? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They do have questions on their own, so it’s only fair to trade. They tell you about their world as they poke and prod you, trying to understand what you are and how you came into their land. If they’re not trembling in fear, some of them may ask you odd and invasive questions in return, such as what the rate at which your body achieves thermoregulation is, how long your refractory period is, and if you would be willing to submit various kinds of body fluids to them. It's up to whether you wish to comply or protest.

G ⬤ If you react violently, you will be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. They came prepared, so have fun with that! In any case, conscious or not, you’ll be brought into one of the transport vehicles. If you choose to peacefully cooperate, you’ll be provided any necessary first aid and a refreshing drink to help you recuperate after the rough time you had for the past few days. Each transport vehicle has a few small rooms to rest in, but due to the limited space, you’ll have to snuggle up with someone else on that bunk bed. Unfortunately, the moonshine fruit the ship is also carrying in its cargo has an extremely sweet smell that’s been permeating through certain areas of the ventilation system… Taking a whiff of it may inebriate you for the rest of the trip.

H ⬤ It’s a bumpy ride as terrain vehicles draw over various crystal formations until you see a large dome-like structure up ahead. Within its confines lies the seat of the Prismatica's government, Prisma. It’s a bureaucratic wet dream: skyscrapers practically touch the upper surface of the dome, windows glimmer with a prismatic sheen as daylight hits them, and small ships can be seen flying to and from its spaceport. The scientists, members of the Lunar Scientia, usher you into their facilities for tests. Arrivals are likely to twitch, tremble, and panic as Lunar Scientia fellows take and broadcast every embarrassing, unfiltered detail about you — height, weight, age, strange odors, estimated frequency of sexual activity —- to one another. These scientists will ask you politely to undress, too, but understand if you don't want to. They're especially fascinated by the readings of pure Chroma inside you, whispering among one another excitedly about the possibility of the new arrivals being a new moon species. What should they call them? Moonborne? Moonblessed?

I ⬤ At long last, the questions and physical examinations are done. They’ve decided to call the arrivals as the Moonblessed. They’ll take you under their care until they understand more about you. You're allowed a very refreshing hot shower and a warm meal for your efforts. Don’t worry, the meal was imported from their planet. “Planet?” you might ask, but you won’t need to wonder for too long. The ships are preparing for their next destination: the nearby planet Prismatica, where you will be dwelling for the time being. You're free to explore the government center until then.

▶ Wildcard
Lunatia, Prismatica | top

It only takes a couple hours for the ships to reach their home planet. The ships drop the characters off at the city of Lunatia, where they will be given their communication devices and a plastic card they can present to certain landlords at any residential district for their subsidized (read: absolutely free) lodging. Officials at Prisma instructed the newcomers to await further instructions from the government, but you have a lot of time to kill before then. Why not explore in the meantime? Learn the ins and outs of the world, get a job, transform under the full moon, and explore the many mysteries of planet Prismatica!

This is this TDM's overflow. Feel free to move your threads from there and continue tagging!

Comments

[mylawn]

[76 recognizes military when he sees it--takes one to know one, after all. What strikes him about this man in particular is how is gear is not necessarily unfamiliar to him in the sense that it's not alien. He recognizes training when he sees it, too, but not quickly enough to alter his immediate attack.

The most he can do is keep steady, not allowing his opponent to knock him off his feet, though this doesn't happen without some stumbling as he resists the maneuver.

He's quick to recover, however, though he seems to realize that he's not going to be able to pull a fast one on this guy. He'd find it more refreshing if he wasn't trying to get to the bottom of what is clearly an abduction or a hallucination or both. 76 squares off, settling into a defensive stance.]

Not bad.

[notpliskin]

[ That said, Snake is pretty light on his feet and the stance he falls into isn't quite matching anything SEALs are taught.

Comparatively, Soldier 76 was looking pretty damn alien to Snake, but since there's no gun on him, his gun stays in the holster and without a follow up attack or an attempt to alert someone else there's no real call for further aggression from him, just yet.]

Who are you?

[mylawn]

You first.

[Not that he thinks the answer is going to mean anything to him. What 76 really wants to know is if this guy knows what's going on, something he's had little luck with so far. He starts to circle, ready for another attack, should it come.]

You from here?

[notpliskin]

[Snake watches, making sure keeps an eye on 76 while keeping his footing stable in case of another attack. Sure he could initiate, but he absolutely preferred a defensive play if he could get it.

My name is Plisskin. Iroquois Plisskin, and no I'm not.

[How's 76's knowledge on movies that are older than Reinhardt? Snake omitted the fake rank he attached to the alias because frankly, while blatant that 76 was a fighter, there wasn't necessarily anything that said 'military' other than training and a rifle, neither of which were particularly exclusive, and the unfamiliar tech with a showy paint job suggested mercenary at best.]

[mylawn]

[76 doesn't recognize the name from any relevant media he only knows Apocalypse Now, but he can tell a call sign or an alias when he hears one. He can't say he necessarily blames the guy.]

Wake up trapped in crystals?

[Because that's definitely what happened to him, and he's starting to wonder if it's something they all have in common.]

Also possibly Gran Torino

[notpliskin]

Yeah.

[Unfortunately no one involved in this conversation is terribly loquacious so there's not much to glean from conversation.]

Now you.

the only two movies that matter

[mylawn]

[Now that 76 is starting to get the idea this guy is not a threat--and that they're stuck in the same situation, he seems to relax a little, letting his defensive stance become a little less defensive. It's clear he's still on his guard, however, just in case this clearly-using-a-callsign guy tries anything funny.]

Don't know how I got here. Woke up same as you. Can you blame me?

[His immediate response in a situation like this is to fight, of course.]

Snake needs his old scifi films

[notpliskin]

[For bonus points, it's not even his real callsign but an incredibly nerdy joke about his callsign.]

Not really, not how I'd handle it, but I get the impulse.

[His choice in handling things being heavily related to getting the heck out of sight and calling Otacon. figuring things out from there.]

Bit hot-headed for your age?

[mylawn]

You're only as old as you feel.

[Just kidding, he feels very old all of the time.]

If it makes you feel any better, I've decided not to shoot you.

[notpliskin]

Fuck, if that was the case I'd've been a million before I turned twenty-five.

[He's just going to slowly get out a cigarette, more to chew than light up. At least trying to make it obvious he's not getting out a weapon.]

Same for a guy I knew who used to say that.

[mylawn]

[76's face isn't visible, but the angle of his head and the furrow of his eyebrows indicates that he's watching Snake's every move closely. He follows the motion of hand to jacket to cigarette to mouth, and then nods to acknowledge it.]

I'm sure that's not helping.

[He is, of course, curious as to who Snake means, even if it's someone he doesn't know and will never meet, but he doesn't address it outright, instead waiting for any elaboration.]

[notpliskin]

[Snake snorted, then shrugged.]

Helps more than drinking.

Figure most people are entitled to be a bit tired when they're over fifty and still doing shit like this though.

[Snake vaguely gestured at the uniform and the rifle he's carrying.

What elaboration Snake's willing to give is limited, but since most of his friends are dead it's not like he'd ruin some operation or mission if he did decide to talk about them in real detail.]

[mylawn]

Well, you know what they say about an old man doing a job where people die young.

[He’s that much more dangerous, is the implication. 76 knows he can’t hide the military formality ingrained in the very fiber of his being, so he might as well own it instead, slinging the rifle over his shoulder and shrugging a little.]

You seem like you’ve had some training yourself.

[Takes one to know one.]

[notpliskin]

[Snake gets the implication and to be honest, men like Big Boss, Ocelot and Miller are probably a fair example of that, but well...]

Means more enemies too though, he was murdered in his home a few years back.

[Sure it was less about enemies and more about enabling a terrorist action, but it was still getting shot in his own house after somewhat official retirement. Though sometimes Snake was a little undecided on if it's better or worse than waking up hungover to the army shoving guns in your face to make you come out of retirement.]

Could say that, coming up on ten years.

[Ten years of what, he could afford to be vague.]

[mylawn]

Comes with the territory.

[In that he, and anyone else in his position certainly understands the risks, and had been no stranger to . Perhaps 76 expects something like that to one day happen to him--all of that, however, seems moot now that they've ended up in this place, wherever it is.]

Military? What branch?

[Something of a shot in the dark, sure, but 76 likes to think it takes one to know one.]

[notpliskin]

[Since he's in the fatigues he may as well stick to the story. Especially since SEAL Team Six wasn't exactly that far off from the Green Berets.]

Navy.

[Though that mullet and stubble situation he's got absolutely doesn't meet grooming standards for any branch, at least for his time period, who knows, maybe they relax that a bit in the future.]

[mylawn]

[He makes a thoughtful-sounding hm noise, but otherwise doesn't comment. 76 doesn't offer any information about himself in turn, though he does seem to acquiesce on the introductions front.]

You can call me 76.

[Which is also, you know, a callsign.]

[notpliskin]

I can work with that.

[The number of people in his life he thinks of by a person's name and not a code name could easily be counted on one hand, so there's no need to press even if he was genuinely curious enough to bother asking.]

Think we should move on before someone else decides to come out swinging?

[mylawn]

Glad to hear it.

[The less people question, the better, and 76 is perfectly content to leave the matter of introductions behind to focus on getting out of the situation at hand. If there is a way out--he's starting to wonder.]

Safety in numbers, right?

[notpliskin]

Nah.

Unless you need the extra pair of hands, I was mostly trained for solo missions.

[Sure he has the training to work as part of a unit and that solo work usually had a support team involved, but solo work was ultimately what he was most comfortable doing.]

[mylawn]

Suit yourself.

[An extra pair of hands is nice, sure, but 76 is just as content to go it alone. Given the fact that just moments ago he was ready to fight Snake, he can’t really blame him for his answer.]

I’m sure I’ll see you around.

[If they don’t, you know, die in the wilderness.]