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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

[concealedpresence]

It's in that moment that Tetsuya's keen observation skills kick in, the sound of movement nearby quickly catching his attention. He's only afforded a glance at the unfamiliar creature before it flings itself at him, the teeth on it alone making it a little alarming. Instinct takes over as it speeds toward him, his hands lifting to slap the creature away from him as he might do when passing a basketball, sending it colliding with the opposite wall of the hallway. It isn't until it thuds loudly against the wall that Kuroko blinks and stares at it.

He honestly has no idea what this thing is. It's alive, that much is certain. Guilt immediately washes over him as the sound of the deep voice catches his attention. "Uhm..." Tetsuya speaks up to the man nearby, cautiously taking a few steps closer to the black mass that he just swatted away. "This might be what you're looking for." Tetsuya keeps his distance, but kneels down to peer at the creature, head tilting slightly to the side.

"Are you a Giggity?" He asks, not sure if the thing can or will respond.

[talkingtrashtank]

Like a basketball, the spriggan swats away into the wall. Unlike a basketball, rather than bounce back and repeat its assault on his comm bracelet, the black dust bunny gives a 'Squeekkk' before slowly peeling off the wall and landing in a heap on the floor. He's left a little sooty imprint on the wall, and seems totally immobilized.

Not dead though, as it still has one comically tiny hand gripping the crystal it was carrying.

"You little bugger," the deep and almost american-sounding voice derrides, and then O'rhok is there to survey the damage.

The teenager's blue hair has nothing on the stranger's dark blue locks, their length currently pulled back with a tie behind his head, and his cat ears alert and visible therein. He's tall, tall enough for the usual sports-related jokes, but even in a plain white shirt and belted black trousers it's clear he spends more time in a weight room than on a sports pitch. Heavy set, it's all muscle as he folds his arms and gives a sigh at what he sees.

"Tell me I don't owe you a new power crystal, kid." Cat ears, claws, and even a tail currently lashing a bit with its dark lion-like tuft at the end. Behind the sunglasses, his pale blue eyes have cat-like horizontal pupils too. "Little guy's been enamored with all the weird tech since we got here. Nice smack though, he deserved it!" And an amicable clap on Tetsuya's shoulder comes with the compliment.

He hits harder than he ought to, and he's definitely louder than he needs to be.

"Name's O'rhok. You new here too?"

[concealedpresence]

Tetsuya breathes out a sigh of relief when the strange rabbit shows signs of life, his expression relaxing just a little. "I'm sorry." He says, apologizing to the little creature he just swatted against the wall. It had been a reflexive reaction, but it still didn't excuse it. The sound of the voice near him draws his attention away, turning his head to look up at the man. What he finds there is a little surprising, deep blue hair much longer and darker than his own, as well as cat ears perched upon the top of his head. He watches in silence for a moment before deciding that, yes, they are real.

Things like this are becoming a little more common the longer that Tetsuya is there. It's not even alarming anymore.

In fact, the man is quite striking, as far as looks go. Far taller than Tetsuya himself with a build that tells of his athletic tendencies. Perhaps not sports, but he at least works hard. He catches sight of the tail lashing behind him, as well as the other feline features that seem to suit the man perfectly. Tetsuya raises up to a stand, peering up at the man, then back to the little creature that is still reeling from the jolt. "Ah, no. There was no damage done, but...I'm sorry for hitting your pet. I couldn't help it." He says with a small, apologetic smile.

The clap to his shoulder makes his body jolt in response, Tetsuya's own build much smaller and leaner than the others. If this man doesn't play a sport? He definitely should. Tetsuya pulls himself out of his thoughts and inclines his head politely to the other man, his voice coming out quiet, but warm, like light filtering through a curtain on a bright day. "My name is Tetsuya Kuroko. It's nice to meet you, O'rhok." He looks back up to him and gives a nod, his hair swaying briefly in front of his eyes. "Yes, I just arrived, as well. It seems like they are bringing in lots of people from many different places."

What the purpose of it all is remains to be seen.

[talkingtrashtank]

"If he came at your garbling about food then I don't hold it against you," O'rhok answers with a wink, just to show there's really no hard feelings. "As for you..."

He nudges the spriggan briefly with the toe of his boot, then crouches and snatches the fiend up with his claws. The creature's only response is to merp and then sigh dejectedly, clearly upon death's door and wasting away! Oh! The shame of it! The cruelty! Goodbye, new world! Back to the nothingness of-

"Look what I found~" From a small plastic bag at his wrist, O'rhok produces an empty soda bottle, and suddenly the spriggan's beady eyes snap open and his arms begin flailing. Nummy nummy! Numnums!! for Tumtum!!! "And in you go."

The spriggan goes in the bag with the bottle, and Tetsuya will hear the unmistakeable sound of breaking glass as the bizzare little creature puts his grinding teeth to work on the recyclable. The bag is then tightly knotted by O'rhok, who stands up with his wriggling and crunching parcel with a sunny smile.

"Tetsuya," he tries it, getting the pronunciation just right before wiggling his ears. "Funny how some things across worlds stay the same, there's a whole land back on my star that you'd probably recognize."

"Were you headed anywhere specific when he bothered you? I'm still getting my bearings, but I had to find him something to eat. He's gonna need something more substantial soon though, glass's like candy to him."

[concealedpresence]

"He lunged at me and I instinctively passed him...to the wall." Tetsuya says, a hint of sheepishness coloring his words. "I play basketball back home." He adds, as if that might explain a little more why it was such an instantaneous reaction. Is there even basketball back where O'rhok is from? Distraction comes in the form of his wink, watching the man as he scoops up the creature in an easy motion. The creature immediately perks back up as soon as it is presented the empty bottle, causing Tetsuya's brows to raise in surprise.

Is it a living trash can? It seems all too pleased to be given the bit of plastic to gnaw on, contentedly slipping into the bag with the bottle, putting up little resistance as O'rhok ties up the bag. It's bizarre. Then again, what else should Tetsuya expect from an alien planet? For the moment, he pushes the strange creature to the back of his mind and listens as the man tries his name. He picks it up fairly quickly, causing the corners of his lips to tug up into a small smile.

"Your world has similar names?" Tetsuya asks, curiously. "I'm from a place called Japan. It's...really nothing like this. And I've never seen anyone that's ever looked like you." He's seen plenty of tall, muscular, athletic people, sure. But those types with decidedly feline features? Never. It might be strange to him, but he can't help but feel like it suits O'rhok.

The next comment prompts him to shake his head, paler blue locks shifting along with the movement. "No, not really. I was just looking around after finding where I will be staying. What about you?" He pauses for a moment, glancing back to the wriggling creature in the bag. "What exact does he eat?" He asks, curiously.

[talkingtrashtank]

The phrase "basketball" makes O'rhok immediately think of dozens, if not hundreds, of small balls being released or pelted at players carrying baskets trying to catch them all. He's not sure if this is accurate or not, but there's a curiosity in Tetsuya that distracts him from the absurd question of sport.

"Oh, Giggity? Well he's a spriggan, and they're known mostly to eat rocks and minerals. Glass is a treat for him, shells too when I come across them. I picked him up when he was only about yey big," He makes a circle with his thumb and index finger, about the size of a large cotton ball. Once the spriggan is finished crunching, grinding, and swallowing his delicious bottle, he'll probably fall asleep in the sac for a few hours.

Tetsuya tells him about Japan, and O'rhok feels a content rumble kick at his ribs.

"We call it Doma," he says, his tail giving an idle swish behind him- short, coarse blue fur with a wide black tuft at the end like a lion's. "Green rice grows around ever hill, and heat's so thick you could carve it with a sword. The persimmons and papercraft show how sweet and detailed the people are, but they're strong too. Too strong for words."

This kid isn't Doman, but he's also a kid. To O'rhok's eyes he can't be beyond his teenage years yet, and it ticks a box the older man wasn't conciously checking for: Tetsuya is young. Why is he here? Why would the moons pick a young man whose barely earned the right to be one?

"How old are you, kid?" He's fit and has a runner's look to him, lean and in good health, but unarmed. "You any good in a fight yet?" O'rhok is unarmed too of course, except for his claws and know-how, but that's only the surface of things. Lunatica is safe, at least up here on this level.

[concealedpresence]

Tetsuya listens to the explanation of the creature, humming softly to himself. It's a magical creature that sustains itself on earth. Not only that, but to start out that small and grow to something that size is fairly impressive. He gives a nod then, accepting what the man says as fact. After all, it's no stranger than anything else Tetsuya has encountered thus far. "We don't have anything like him back home." He pauses for a moment, then adds an additional fact. "I have a dog, though. His name is Nigou. Number Two." Though, there's hardly anything as remarkable about him as eating rocks.

His gaze shifts briefly to the swishing of O'rhok's tail, noting the similarity to a lion from his own world. He briefly ponders on the texture, then shifts his attention to what he's speaking of. And what he's describing? It sounds an awful lot like Japan. "You're right. It does sound an awful lot like Japan." He says with a little nod. "We've had a lot of strong warriors in the past."

The next question leaves curious as to the reason, if not vaguely displeased at being called a kid. "I'm 17 years old." Tetsuya says, but blinks a few times in surprise at the next question. "Fight?" He's not exactly sure what's brought this up or why he would need to, but he shakes his head. "I don't fight at all. I only play basketball."

[talkingtrashtank]

When Tetsuya gives his age, O'rhok's tail stops swishing. The words 'Not yet eighteen summers,' rise up in his ears and behind his sunglasses his pupils go so thin they almost vanish. The pleasant sound, that almost purr, stops cold in his chest.

He's too young.

"I don't fight at all. I only play basketball." He's too young and he's not even able to defend himself. If he's a Warrior of Light like O'rhok, or something similar, then what would-?

The thoughts keep coming and it's only when he feels his teeth biting down on the inside of his lip that O'rhok remembers he doesn't know this kid and he, at his age, isn't looking for a nursemaid. Getting wound up and ready to punch the powers-that-be in the face is all well and good when he can actually, y'know, hunt down and actually punch them, not when he's stuck in a city ward with nowhere to go.

"I have no idea what basketball is," he blurts out suddenly, because it's quick and an easy subject change as he points one clawed hand at the other moonblessed. "But I bet I can kick your ass at it! There's gotta be someplace around here where you can set up an arena or a wall or whatever you need for it."

Maybe basketball is played with swords and the kid's world is just weird like Prismatica and doesn't consider it "fighting". Only one way to find out!