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[prismods]

SHOOTING SHARK

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"Blue Oyster Cult - Shooting Shark" (Watch on YouTube)

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.

▶ Keep all Hands and Feet inside the Burning Vehicle at all Times
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Outer Space | top

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 mix tequila with xanax last night? — 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 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 that makes frequent trips back and forth between the moons and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as Prismal locals. The next destination: Prismatica.

A. After settling into the ship and selecting the current in-flight movie, Back Door Slugs 9, you and those around you may eventually feel a bit of turbulence during the movie’s highly anticipated climax. Did anyone notice it, or is everyone too focused on the hot characters?

At first, it’s a small jitter that’s easy to miss or brush off. But as the transport vessel travels on, the shaking progressively escalates to erratic tremors strong enough to cause severe nausea. A minute later, a voice over the speaker announces the ship will have to make an emergency landing, citing technical difficulties.

Sparks can be seen overhead as more ship parts malfunction. This is a good time to hold your neighbor’s hand, say your last goodbyes, and apologize for that horrible thing you did in the sixth grade. Grip your seat with the might of every god you can think of.

B. Another minute later, a follow-up announcement states that external entities have breached the transport vessel. Everyone is warned to be careful and watch out for each other. Small fires will have to be put out before they worsen with either magic or emergency equipment onboard such as extinguishers. In-flight robotic attendants will be scuttling around to perform immediate repairs.

Eventually, an entire power panel bursts, and prismatic jellyfish unnaturally spill out. The jellyfish will try to latch and suction onto any technological devices close by such as the television screens on the seats or communicators and will show preference to Iris Moonblessed over the rest. Be ready to help and pull numerous jellyfish off both the faces of Moonblessed and Prismals!

▶ Jaws IV: Jaws Harder
Planet Prismatica, Outer Lunatia | top

The emergency landing successfully completes and the transport vessel will safely land on top of a gorgeous lake filled with tiny glaciers floating by. When reached out and touched, you’ll find out that the “glaciers” are surprisingly cool crystals and not ice.

The ship will be left hovering idly on the water surface while passengers are ferried to solid ground using portable emergency boats. However, civilization is still a distance away.

A. You’ve probably heard of flying sharks from a veteran Moonblessed. But how about sea lions? These aquatic lions are born with scaly skin and gills outside of their crystallized manes. Unfortunately, they haven’t tasted fresh meat in quite some time. If there are any injured onboard or near your boat, the chances of the sea lions detecting people will be higher as they are drawn to the scent of blood. Growling hungrily, they will be quick to latch onto the boats, biting the edges, and trying to knock everyone overboard for dinner.

After surviving through so far, the Prismals guide everyone to a nearby encampment run by humanoid rabbits. They are tall, built, and have a habit of mentioning their virility an awkward amount of times. They are also generous and will share their game meat and fresh crops while allowing everyone to rest for the night at the only inn in their village.

B. There is no running water all the way out here, so if anyone wants a bath, they’ll have to do it traditionally. The village protects a natural spring, which is a good place to bathe away the sea water. Around the spring, the rabbit folk’s friends — little scintilla chinchillas — will shock away any predators that dare to approach their sanctuary! Be at ease and feel free to offer your friends shampoo massages.

The next day, the rabbits can be seen hacking away at some of the wilder-looking plants for an easier pathway. If you wake up early enough, you can ask some of them for a tour of the beautiful greenery. They mention that it’s thanks to the Moonblessed that their crops have been doing so well lately — the result of all the chroma influx. The rest of the journey to the city will be smooth sailing.





▶ It’s Free Real-Estate
Level 2, 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. 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. A new high-end boutique, Prissy Polyp, has opened in Level 2. As compensation for what happened, both Moonblessed and Prismals that were affected in yesterday’s flight will receive 50% off their total purchase. Those unaffected will receive 30% discount coupons as a promotional gift. All are encouraged to visit with their friends or special someone, try on some things together, enjoy each other in the fitting rooms, and deal with the loud, ear-blistering background pop music.

Their clothing collections are characterized by bright iridescent designs, some features such as design patterns may glow ethereally in the dark. One of their signature dresses features a one piece (also available on their trench coats) that can amplify the appearance of one’s decolletage, gluteal muscles, and/or bulge with the press of a neon button. Another item among their collection is the maiden sweater: a sleek, backless sweater that shocks those who attempt unwanted touches. Others include skin-tight leggings (also available on their shorts or pants) which produce pleasant and relaxing vibrations on all lower extremities and fashionable polyp-shaped hats for all kinds of people. It’s a huge shop, you never know what else to find in there.

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

▶ IMPORTANT! By request, we've uploaded image samples for the Prissy Polyp clothing collections! Note these are merely samples for a visual guide and we will leave more selections to players.

▶ 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.

Comments

[widows_kiss]

[ What a good day.

Her return smile is bright and utterly unrepentant as she hangs the horrid jacket back on the rack and thankfully out of sight once more. As much as a bright orange anything can be out of sight, anyway.

She casts him a playful wink as she turns back towards him. ]

Oh, absolutely. You should try it sometime. It makes for endless hours of entertainment.

[the_archivist]

[Apparently it is bully the Archivist day. Typical.

He can't argue with what she says about the staring though. Generally, that sort of intense staring has ended with him tearing a statement out of someone and the feeling of that is... it feels incredible.]

I'm sure. I think I'll pass though.

[widows_kiss]

[ It's now a national holiday and can fall on any day that ends in 'y'.

For now, though, she just gives a shrug, easing up, her smile turning more wry as she turns to face him. ]

Your loss. Although if you came in here looking for new clothes, I'm afraid you might not have much luck. They all seem in a similar vein to this. Although they have vibrator leggings over there if you're looking for a little self-fun. Apparently they're a big hit.

[ ...Okay maybe she's not easing up completely then. ]

[the_archivist]

[The expression that he makes at that suggestion displays his definitely distaste for the idea.

God he hates this place.]

I'm sure they are. Most things here lean towards the... lewd.

[widows_kiss]

Well, considering that's supposed to now be our... variety of employment?

[ She tactfully picks out those words as she goes, trying not to smile at his expression of distaste. ]

I suppose that leaning makes sense. It's very open-minded of them, in fact.

[ Did he really just call the whole setup 'lewd'? Maybe he needed that chastity sweater instead. ]

[the_archivist]

Unfortunately true. It's awful.

Lucky them, they get everyone here doing the dirty work for them, getting sent into danger because we owe them a favour just letting us exist here.

Excuse me if I'm not planning to throw a party in their honour.

[He doesn't need chastity. He just isn't interested.]

[widows_kiss]

Danger? And here I thought they just expected us to hold hands a lot...

[ Her voice is dry as she crosses her arms over her chest and eyes him curiously a moment. ]

Then again, I've been here for all of a few hours now, so I'm still playing catch up.

[ Although it's not like 'danger' is necessarily a turn-off for her. ]

[the_archivist]

If only.

[He returns her gaze unflinchingly, blinking slowly at her.]

Well, they sent a large group of untrained Moonblessed down to their prison level on an undercover mission, with vague instructions and no idea if anyone was actually good at undercover work. This group included teenagers.

They used us to test experimental war machine technology and sent people on a long trek across a murderous desert with minimal training.

[widows_kiss]

[ Now that gives her pause, a slight frown tugging on her lips as she ponders over the possibilities there, piecing together more of the bigger picture than she had before. ]

Are they trying to get rid of the unprepared, or are they just that badly equipped to understand how to run something like this?

[the_archivist]

I don't know. I don't think it's necessarily deliberately malicious. Possibly incompetence coupled with trying to get as much out of us as they can. Why risk your own people when you have strangers turning up every month who you can throw at things?

[widows_kiss]

[ She gives a quiet scoff at that and lets her gaze scan her surroundings once more, out of habit. ]

Well, at least that's ingenius of them, even if it is accidental. I'd tend to believe incompetence over malicious, from what I've witnessed so far, but I've only been here a short while, so I've not had time enough to observe enough for a more educated guess.

[the_archivist]

I don't trust them. They seemed very well prepared for the huge influx of people, despite claiming nothing like this had happened before.

And their history has large gaps.

[widows_kiss]

Missing information is often a big red flag that something's fishy, yes.

[ She tips her head in consideration as she absorbs this information, tucking it away for now. It's certainly something to look into, if in fact something more nefarious is going on here than what they'd been told. ]

Then again, from what I have witnessed, they seem to be a surprisingly adaptive people. And certainly with one of the more... unique societies and economies I've seen.

[the_archivist]

Don't I know it.

[Missing files, the dreadful organisation system in the Archives... should have suspected something sooner. Shouldn't have been so arrogant as to assume that Gertrude was incompetent, when he had no idea of what was going on.]

Unique is one way of putting it I suppose.

[widows_kiss]

[ Her lips twitch at his obvious distaste. ]

Is holding hands or giving a hug now and then really such a hardship?

[the_archivist]

Yes.

[It's awkward and uncomfortable and he's pretty sure he's been touched more here in a few months than in the entire previous thirty or so years of his life combined.]

And when the entire place is pushing sex on people as much as possible it's even worse.

[widows_kiss]

[ She just waves a hand dismissively at that. ]

There are always loopholes. And no one said that sex is the only way. I might be new here, but even I can see there's a trick to it. If you're uncomfortable with it, then maybe finding someone who's more comfortable and you can trust not to push could make a very lucrative arrangement for you.

[the_archivist]

It's not a matter of comfort. It's a matter of I don't have any interest.

And I'm fine with what I have right now. I just don't have to like that it's everywhere and expected.

[widows_kiss]

When they make it a matter of commerce and survivability, I would think that would hold some interest, would it not? [ She casts him a crooked smile before shrugging. ] But I see your point. Suit yourself.

Although I don't think the atmosphere of it being everywhere and expected is going to shift to ease your discomfort. Most people seem to be settling into the way of things quite smoothly here.

[the_archivist]

I can't just make myself be attracted to people and interested in sex.

[There are people he likes, but he just doesn't feel a pull to have sex with them. Even with Georgie. He'd loved her, but there hadn't been a real urge to sleep with her.]

Good for them.

[widows_kiss]

Again, I'm pretty sure you don't have to have sex with them. There's more versions of physical contact than just that, you know. hell, I've heard even physical sparring counts.

[ ....then again, some people count that as foreplay, so maybe that's also not a fair comparison. ]

[the_archivist]

[Jon gives her a dry look. Look at him Natasha. He is a scrawny nerd with zero combat skills.]

I do. I hold hands and occasionally hug people.

I think sparring would hurt more than it helped.

[widows_kiss]

[ She just arches an eyebrow at him, like that's no excuse. ]

That just means you're doing it wrong. Perhaps you should learn to do it right?

[the_archivist]

I never learned how to do it at all and I don't really see the point. I work in an Archive.

[And the things that could potentially kill him will do so whether he can do... karate or not.]

[widows_kiss]

[ Arms cross over her chest as she gives him a look. ]

You may work in an Archive, but you just got done telling me about the dangers unprepared people were sent into here. You might very well find yourself among them. I would think that's at least one reason to learn a little self-defense.