▶ TDM .007

[prismods]

SHOOTING SHARK

QUICK LINKS ⬤ navigation ⬤ faq ⬤ world ⬤ moonblessings

"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

[talkscrap]

[Aoba wants to be angry, really, but as obnoxious as Noiz is, what happened happened, and now it's over, with no real damage done: there's just no point in wasting energy on anger. He lets out a breath, more long-suffering than pissed off.]

Well, watch where you're flinging it next time.

[... That's not what he wanted to say. No - it is what he wanted to say, but it's also not: suddenly he feels extremely rude, even if his complaint should objectively be reasonable. It's just always hard to act normal around Noiz, somehow. Aoba owes him, sure, but Noiz just unsettles him. The guy's unpredictable. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but neither is it by definition good.]

So you are here too, huh?

[zunge]

I'll think about it.

[No, even after Aoba's little lecture the other night about causing trouble he's not going to readily acquiesce. "Thinking" about it doesn't guarantee he'll follow through. His nostrils flare as he sighs.]

Yeah. I am. Now, you wanna shoot the breeze, save it for once we're off this damn ship.

[He points at the people behind them whom the two of them are presently blocking from getting out. A lot of the passengers have already disembarked, but some still remain. Noiz glances toward the front and reaches out to grab him by the shoulder, intent on dragging him off himself. He doesn't have a whole lot he wants to discuss... but there are some things that need discussion, and he doesn't want the annoyance of a casual audience.]

[talkscrap]

["Thinking about it" means exactly nothing in this context, and Aoba knows it. He's about to call Noiz out on it, too, until Noiz points somewhere behind him, distracting him.]

Eh?

[Looking over his shoulder, Aoba is shocked to realize that he is, indeed, blocking the way out for a lot of people. He's about to apologize when Noiz grabs his shoulder and pulls him away - something that Aoba chooses not to resist. Between the jellyfish and the fires, it's definitely not a good idea to stick around on the ship.

For a while, he follows without complaint, but if Noiz doesn't let him go once they get somewhere more private, Aoba will pull himself free. If it takes him a little long to even consider that option, blame it on shock or something.]

Okay, that's far enough. If we get separated from the group, we'll never get rescued, right?

[zunge]

[The 'somewhere more private' happens to be a nook further up toward the entrance of the ship, where they are out of the path other passengers are taking to head for the exit. Given they have landed on a lake covered in glacier-like crystals, they aren't exactly gonna go anywhere anytime soon.

Noiz lets go and wrinkles his nose at the comment about being 'rescued.' These people here running the place are just fanatic about 'Moonblessed.']

Unless the ship's at risk of capsizing and they don't intend to move it somewhere, that's a baseless worry.

[It's clear to him, he who doesn't particularly care about being rescued by a group with their own prerogatives, that they're likely to want to ensure all their precious people-cargo are accounted for. It's enough to make him roll his eyes.]

[talkscrap]

We won't know if it's baseless until something goes wrong, right?

[Maybe Noiz has a point and maybe it's not as simple as all that, but Aoba doesn't feel all that inclined to agree regardless. He was happy to see a familiar face in spite of having mixed feelings about Noiz sometimes, but now he's starting to wonder if it's actually a good thing or not, being here together.

Well, they both are here, and whether it's good or not, it's not bad. Probably.]

... Are you okay?

[They've sort of been through a lot already, and now that he's thinking about it... Noiz doesn't look so hot. (Attractive! But not so hot.)]

[zunge]

[He snorts, narrowing his eyes.]

Shouldn't you worry about yourself first, Mr. Reckless?

[Ah yes, the idiot who goes trying to protect other people first at the risk of getting himself killed in the stupidest way possible.]

[talkscrap]

I'm not the one who looks green in the face, though! And who's being reckless, anyway?

[You're the one who threw some kind of pervy jellyfish on him! He was doing fine until then!!

He sighs. This is not the conversation he wanted to have, even if he's not at all surprised that things turned out this way. But that doesn't mean he should let it continue. One of them has to be the mature adult, here.]

Seriously, are you all right?

[zunge]

I'm not green.

[Says the guy wearing a lot of green.

Hey, Aoba did specify "in the face."

Noiz sulks, avoiding answering the question that Aoba definitely seems to expect an answer to. The other one's rhetorical. That one, that's the one he'd rather respond to, difficult brat that he is.]

The reckless one here... that's easy.

[He lurches forward and grabs for the front of Aoba's shirt near the waist, fully intending to tug it hard to the side, hard enough to knock him off-balance if he succeeds. Which side of him did the laser get, again? He never got a good look. When it'd happened he was too busy racing to find a hiding place away from the Allmate that opened fire (lasers) on them.

His intention, of course, is to jerk hard enough to make that burn hurt.]

[talkscrap]

Hey!

[Losing his balance, Aoba stumbles, but manages to regain his footing. His body is - was, before medical - a bit beaten up, for sure... but there's nothing like the burn that Noiz remembers, and there's no obvious expression of pain at all as Aoba recovers his balance.

Anger, though? Have some of that.]

What was that for?!

[zunge]

[Noiz stares first at Aoba's face, then drifts his gaze back down to the older man's abdomen, suspicious as all hell. he starts tugging at the front of Aoba's shirt in an attempt to pull it up and reveal belly to search it out, but Aoba's free to interfere and prevent him from doing so.]

...Why doesn't it hurt?

[talkscrap]

Do you want it to hurt?!

[Seriously, what the hell kind of question is that?!

Actually: what the hell kind of actions are those?! Aoba tries to push Noiz' hands away, but it's more on principle than because he's worried about being exposed - if only because he doesn't get what Noiz is going for - which makes his moves a little uncoordinated. Noiz is more than welcome to expose his stomach.

There's really nothing to see.]

[zunge]

[Noiz does indeed expose his stomach then, doing his best to visually seek out the laser burn that Aoba ought to have—but apparently doesn't have. Stunned, he lets go and stares at that expanse of skin. He doesn't get it. How is this possible? Is he looking at the wrong spot? But he saw the way Aoba had held his side right after the laser discharged. He'd heard the sizzling and crackling. Then they'd run off in search of someplace to hide. Noiz doesn't remember much else from the point of first finding that hiding spot. It's all a big blank, and then he woke up on this moon a couple days ago.

Noiz steps back, staring at Aoba's face with a questioning look that doesn't seem like it belongs on the face of someone normally so composed and neutral in his expressions. He looks lost and upset.]

...But you were hit being an idiot.

[Hit with what and why, he doesn't specify.]

[talkscrap]

Hey!

[A protest that comes too late, uttered only when Noiz exposes him - and even then, it's more for the sake of it than because Aoba expects Noiz to have some kind of designs on him. Had they not met up until later, that might have been different; it's probably for the best that it didn't turn out that way.

Then there they are, and while Aoba can tell something is wrong, he's not a mind-reader. There's enough he can read from Noiz' face that it keeps him from being genuinely angry, but not enough to prevent a fair degree of annoyance. Noiz always just does: he never bothers explaining. If he'd just said what he meant to do, Aoba is sure he would have been happy to comply.]

... What are you talking about?

[Yeah, that's... really unspecific. Aoba can't even imagine what Noiz is referring to.]

[zunge]

[Composing himself, Noiz takes a full step back. If only his senses weren't so whacked up, he'd be feeling a chill run through him and a crawl race up his spine from the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

It's unnerving. Not much unsettles Noiz, but to have the guy who shoved him out of the way of a laser only to take the hit himself (and without asking if he wanted that) have no clue what he's talking about can apparently achieve that. His expression scrunches into a sulk.]

...The laser. From the security Allmate in the tower.

[Aoba definitely did that. Noiz knows he did. It was enough to upset and confuse him. Why would he do something so dangerous as to take a laser for him? And why doesn't he remember it? Why doesn't he have a burn from it?]

[talkscrap]

[A laser? From the security Allmate in the tower?!

Aoba can't help but wonder if Noiz is lying, but he doesn't seem to be, and why would he come up with something like this, anyway? It's absurd; it makes no sense to Aoba whatsoever. But, if Noiz isn't lying, what on earth is going on?

He's still annoyed, but he tries to stay calm, very deliberately. Something is definitely wrong, and even if he doesn't know what it is, that's all the more reason to be careful. Whatever's up with Noiz, upsetting him further won't do either of them any good.

Still, Aoba's not going to lie, either.]

I don't know what you mean.

[zunge]

[Hands balling into fists, Noiz tenses and grits his teeth in a further sullen expression that's like halfway between a glare and a sulk. He's dealt with Aoba playing dumb before. Aoba had denied ever being a Rhyme player, then remembered later. But if Aoba has no laser burn and doesn't remember the security Allmate, that's a different story.]

The one that fired on us, moron.

[talkscrap]

Nothing ever fired at us.

[... Well, maybe that's not technically true, but Aoba is pretty sure he would have remembered if there were security Allmates in their previous adventures, let alone ones with lasers. Between that and being called a moron, even knowing who's saying it, he's getting a more and more annoyed. What was Noiz up to anyway, with all the pulling on his clothes and stuff!?]

In what tower?

[That part, he should maybe be able to guess, but since he never went there, it's just not an option that occurs to him.]

[zunge]

What tower is there but Oval Tower?

[He shouldn't had to specify.]

[talkscrap]

I never went to Oval Tower.

[He'd planned to, sure, but he hadn't yet gotten around to it. A lot of thoughts are racing through his head, but the more of a chaos it is, the more he sticks to the one thing he knows for sure: a simple answer for a simple question, straight and very serious.

... Well, maybe he does have one question in return.]

For that matter: what were you doing there?

[It's a very unfortunately phrased question, but it makes sense from his point of view: Noiz never went into Platinum Jail with him, after all.

Then again, it's Noiz. The guy could probably get in anywhere, actually.]

[zunge]

[He sneers at the question, trying to focus on it rather than Aoba's complete lack of recall of everything that happened inside there. His denial. He reaches out to grab the front of Aoba's shirt. Regardless of whether Aoba allows it or makes a fuss to tug it free, his eyes narrow, and his tone drops into one of sharp ice.]

Save your attempts to play dumb for more plausible scenarios like your Rhyme history. None of the others made it into Platinum Jail.

Who'd you think you'd be in there with? Your Allmate? Yourself?

[Noiz can't hold back some offense at the implication that Aoba doesn't know why he was there. He knows damn well (or should!) that he's not going anywhere till he gets his rematch, which means dealing with the big bad ahead of them together.]

[talkscrap]

[For the moment, Aoba allows Noiz to grab his shirt. He's not overly fond of it, and he gives Noiz a hard look, but... whatever's wrong here - and something sure seems to be messed up in a bad way! - Noiz is clearly angry, even if Aoba doesn't get why. If Noiz is misunderstanding something, that can happen; Aoba would rather allow him to let off some steam than to turn this into an actual fight.

If he can avoid that. There are still limits to what he'll put up with.]

Of course I was there! [How could he go without bringing himself?!] So was Ren.

[Both of those should go without saying! It doesn't get uncomfortable until, out of fairness, he has to mention the other person present.]

... And Mink.

[He doesn't think... that he made the wrong choice, going there with Mink. But that doesn't mean it was a smooth ride, and -...

There are some things he'd really rather not think about.]

[zunge]

...Dreads.

[He mutters that, preferring to give the older man a nickname instead of using his name. Noiz doesn't particularly like him, and he sure as hell wouldn't trust him but he'd take a day with the guy over Koujaku any day. Mink is a no-nonsense, business-first person. Just an annoying one who called him Maniac. He shoots Aoba a sullen stare, his fingers curling into Aoba's shirt before abruptly shoving him back. He sulks petulantly.]

If he did get inside on his own, he never showed himself.

It was just you and me after everyone split up.

[talkscrap]

[Aoba stumbles back, but soon finds his balance again. He's still half-glaring at Noiz, but he's more confused than angry. Really, what is going on, here?! It's uncomfortable enough that it makes Aoba's tongue tingle as if it's trying to warn him not to say anything - but he does, because he can't not. Whatever's going on here, they're not going to work it out unless he keeps being honest, so that's what he does.]

... You weren't there.

[He knows it's the "wrong" answer; he knows it's not what Noiz wants to hear. But it's the truth - and how could Noiz think otherwise, anyway?]

I went to Platinum Jail with Mink.

[zunge]

...That's not possible.

[Jaw set, Noiz silently battles the weird sinking feeling in his gut.

This is the world's biggest joke. That whole time they were in there, he was really starting to get aggravated and upset by Aoba's recurring meddling that kept not making any sense to him. Bandaging his wounded hand for nothing. Saving his life from Akushima's megaphone. Taking that laser hit for him. Why why why why why. And now Aoba's claiming none of it happened.

If it never happened, then isn't this better? It's what he wanted, for Aoba not to meddle so much. If so, why does it upset him so much? That it's all erased.

Noiz averts his gaze. If it's all erased... then Aoba probably also never agreed to a rematch.]

You went there with me using a suspicious but genuine invitation to Platinum Jail that we both got on our Coils right after we escaped the detective. It appeared at the end of a demo movie featuring an altered scene from a retro game called Silent Oath.

[talkscrap]

That wasn't you.

[Even knowing it's the truth, there's something painful about saying it. It feels like rejection, and an unnecessary one at that. His opinion on Noiz may not be entirely positive, but the guy had still helped him, and -...

Why would Noiz think it was him who joined Aoba? Noiz is many things, not all of them good, but Aoba doesn't take him for a liar. Besides... is it just Aoba, or does Noiz actually seem a little shaken?]

It was Mink who was with me... We both got that game on our Coils.