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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

[inuko]

[ See, at least the Ghost General would be something fascinating, and if he knew Wen Ning were coherently there in a fashion, he'd be much more calm. But the problem was him running along and Shino's panic slamming in hard and fast, and then, being thrown? That doesn't leave him time to piece together how rational Wen Ning is being, so instead, he hits another seat when he's lightly tossed away, hits his head, ends up curled up on his side protecting his head, and tries to make himself smaller. Eyes closed, breathing ragged and hiccuping, as he tries so damn hard to work himself through a panic that's only increasing because he can't get enough air, and he can't get the air he needs because he's panicking, and there's no one familiar here, no one at all, and he's amping himself up and literally shaking.

At no point does he call out to his demonic half, which is good, since Shino's also not bleeding or otherwise bring Murasame into action believing Shino's honestly in danger. Then again, he's on a burning spaceship. He's in constant danger.

But it's not danger from another creature or person, which is the important point here. ]

[goodboyplaydead]

[ It seems he's only worsened the situation, given how Shino has gone into a protective state. But what else is he to do when his mere presence seems to be the cause of the young man's distress? He can't simply leave him on the plane to be harassed by any other fires that spring up. He can try to carry him out, but there's sure to be even greater resistance to that. He wishes someone else was paying attention to them, someone who might be more capable of handling Shino's panic.

All he can do is hang back in indecision, uttering a faint and slow: ]

It's not safe here. You must leave.

[inuko]

[ The undead, notably in his overactive mind, can't speak, and it's with irony that the slower, fainter nature of it is more soothing than the quick pace of his heart hammering almost too loudly in his ears. ]

Can't move, [ He gets past grit teeth, still curled up in his ball of a person. ] They'll eat me.

[ Shino, you literally have a demon in your body who eats people who attack you. You can't die! You're fine, you equally undead in your own way person! More than that, he just stated that to the person he apparently thought was going to eat him.

Unfortunately for Shino, shock therapy and immersion are far better teachers than anything else... once he's not lost to the fear. ]

[goodboyplaydead]

[ They? Is the young man referring to him? Or is there something else unseen that he's afraid of? Wen Ning looks closely around them to be sure. When he finds nothing, he returns his gaze to Shino and tries in an even more languid tone, shaking his head: ]

I will not... I want you to be unharmed.

[ Will that be enough to get through to the young man? He pauses for a moment before offering his hand as carefully as a flower bud opening to display its petals. ]

[inuko]

[ Shino's not even sure right now, not operating on anything like deeper reasoning or logic. However, irrational emotions respond to equally irrational stimuli at times, and the words are something he can hear and hold onto. Through a sobbing like breath, he says: ]

Promise?

[ Which is... such a childish thing to say, in so many ways, but it's the one entreaty he can make when what he desperately needs to hear is yes. He's only managed to look toward Wen Ning through his own hands, not so much ignoring that outstretched hand as simply looking past it, unseeing, to focus on his face. ]

[goodboyplaydead]

[ The child-like quality of the question causes Wen Ning to lose some of his own anxiety, wanting nothing more than to help this young man be less afraid of him. If he can do that, maybe he can convince others here as well. If he wants to find his own path, he will have to learn how to integrate with others.

He nods very slowly once more and draws his hand back. ]

Yes. I promise.

[inuko]

[ The yes passes through Shino's system like a shudder, and he closes his eyes, the pulls his hands away from his face. When his eyes open again, he's less terror-stricken; there's more of a mind behind him now, and he uncurls himself somewhat. This time he's the one extending a hand out to Wen Ning, an inversion of how things had gone the first time he'd run into anyone undead here, where he'd had to moonlace with them to keep them from suffering harm.

It'd been a less than great experience, holding someone's hand while crying, but he'd gotten through it, dammit, and Koltira's whole presence is a lot more frightening than this guy's... so far. Now that he's not moving too fast and so surprising, and he's talking, and all of that is a step away from the kind of undead that haunt his nightmares. ]

Thank you. Um... I'm Shino.

[ You know, there's still a ship with sporadic fires and jellyfish threats crashlanding, but this is also the perfect time to offer a partial introduction with his lashes still wet with tears and his nose dangerously close to running away. ]

[goodboyplaydead]

[ There's an immense feeling of relief when he sees the hand extended toward him. Now, they can leave before the fires get worse. Not to mention that his words seems to have momentarily won the young man's trust. He shouldn't have cause to work himself up further.

He carefully reaches out to accept that hand, his own lacking any natural warmth. He can only hope Shino won't jerk away. He has only ever come into contact with his family and Young Master Wei since he was brought back. ]

I am... called Wen Ning. Courtesy name... Qionglin.

[inuko]

[ His hand isn't quite as burningly cold as Koltira, but the similarity is oddly familiar, and the familiarity gets Shino moving where it would have otherwise left him cringing away again. Not because of the cold, since he was fond of Yukihime and cold was simply her reality, but the lack of warmth indicative of, well, a lack of certain living qualities.

But he has that hold on what makes him functional enough right now, and he clings both to the hand, holding tightly as he stands, suddenly just as unwilling to let Wen Ning go. His brow furrows, mouth opening and closing, before he blurts out the question: ]

What's a courtesy name?

[ Over the strange thing said that simply makes no sense to Shino whatsoever. Yes, they're in a crashing ship with spot fires and energy sucking jellyfish, but he's momentarily not phased by this because it simply takes too much to convince himself to be okay. His heart's still pounding, but he's not breathing hard or fast anymore, so it's a step forward, right? ]

[goodboyplaydead]

Wen Ning tenses slightly when the hold on his hand tightens. He knows it's very unlikely Shino can actually hold him in place, but the grip is still startling after everything that's come before it. That said, it should make it easier to pull Shino along if that becomes necessary.

The question though makes him tilt his head. How can someone not know about that? Is this world absent of that practice as well? Even stranger to be suddenly asked that with everything else going on around them.

Ah, you do not know? It is bestowed when one becomes an adult.

[inuko]

... So when you turned twenty?

[ It's nothing that happens in his culture, at least not that he's been told, considering the name they're born with is what they live with until they die. Other traditions, like pretending to be a different gender to cheat fate, doesn't seem quite the same in practice.

Twenty, however, is the important age, even if one is usually an adult before then. It's still the age of majority, and that holds weight, so to him, that much makes sense. (Cultural conflicts are wild.)

Still, now he's standing, he's holding Wen Ning's hand and not blinking twice at the small amount of chroma generated by the moonlacing it causes, and his eyes flick toward the burning flicker down the way and he's more there than he had been moments ago. Sure, his eyes are red, and tears dried tracks of salt down his cheeks, and his nose is somewhat stuffy, but he's up. ]

We don't have anything like that. Your name is your name, unless you do something to try and change it, but, uh. What do you want to be called?

[ He doesn't usually bother asking. (With the undead, he... perhaps... is asking for reasons related to the fact he freaked out so badly and this isn't even the first person, or the first time. ]

[goodboyplaydead]

[ Wen Ning nods. ]

Mm, that is right.

[ Now, that Shino is properly holding his hand, Wen Ning starts to tug them back a bit, still wanting to get the young man away from the fire in case of further sparks. Maybe the moonlacing has helped to make him more amiable to going with him.

But he has to pause at the question. What does he want to be called? Since when has anyone asked him such a thing? He's only just begun to acknowledge that he actually has wants? This particular preference is even more tricky. Wen Ning has been the only thing he's heard for so many years, either in disgust or in affection by Young Master Wei and Sizhui. His courtesy name... it almost feels like it belongs in another life. But then... isn't that what he was supposed to be pursuing now? His own path? Maybe it's still possible to claim some part of who he should be.

He steadies his voice again. ]

Wen Qionglin... would be all right.

[inuko]

Qionglin.

[ He's polite enough to ask what he wants to be called... and immediately rude enough to be calling him by a familiar name when he was just, you know, sobbing over his existence a minute earlier. This is an unfortunate reality with Shino, who seems allergic to family names for... various reasons of his own.

He moves where he's being tugged back toward, at least no longer fighting moving where he's directed. Even if he's still not fully back in his own head enough to handle what's going on right now. ]

Um. Where are you leading me? We're kind of... trapped. And falling out of the sky. While things burn.

[ And the undead are not prone to eating people, which makes it slightly better. ]

[goodboyplaydead]

[ Wen Ning actually seems to respond positively to the name, evidenced by the increased flow of chroma between them from their contact, even warmer than before. He's not one to correct anyone for calling him anything they wish to call him. And his good feeling is emboldened by the fact that Shino is still allowing himself to be shepherded back toward a less fiery area of the vessel. ]

We need to prepare. We need more room.

[ If this vessel is going to suddenly return to the ground, as the voices echoing around them keep repeating, they will need a safer area to brace themselves. ]

[inuko]

For what?

[ How does one prepare for encountering the ground at any speed? It's not a comfortable thought, but as his brain is slowly coming back around to more rational thought processes (even this question wasn't one, he knows what for, but the words came anyway, unbidden) he knows that he will, technically, be fine. Even if that's not all that reassuring in the first place, because this is a ship full of people who won't be. Unconsciously, his grip tightens just a touch on Qionglin's hand.

He looks up, focussing on the voice coming from overhead, repeating the same warnings as it has been. There's a change to what they say, and now the brace for impact is followed by, disembarking of the vessel will begin as soon as we've stopped on the water. please keep yourself in place to avoid injury as we bring the vessel to land. if you have a neighbour who cannot hold on for themselves, ensure you're secure before you attempt to assist them. i repeat— ]

I think we're coming in for a landing?

[goodboyplaydead]

[ Wen Ning looks around at the words echoing from above. They're out of time. He'll have to be ready to shield the young man, if necessary. He doesn't know much about how this vessel operates, but he knows anything coming down fast from a great height is going to be dangerous. When the grip tightens on his hand, he shifts tactics to pull Shino closer. He can only hope the action won't set off the young man again. But protection is paramount to all else right now. He does utter a faint "forgive me" as he does so, reminding Shino that he is still sound of mind in his movements. At the same time, his other hand shoots out for something to hold onto so he can limit as much movement as possible. ]

[inuko]

[ The words do something to keep Shino from automatically pulling away, though being pulled closer puts a hamper on his similar ideas of finding anywhere to hang on. There's still a seat back close enough that his free hand finds purchase on it, and he braces himself with it and with Qionglin for whatever impact they're about to feel. It's frustrating, being unable to do something concrete for the people here, but Murasame has no talents in softening blows, just breaking through things and summoning rainstorms, neither which help.

In the end, the impact is far less jarring than he expected. The vessel slows with a physical drag, pulling people and anything not bolted down forward. They slow down and down, that pressure building, until they come to a stop with a jolt reverberating through the whole ship, water sent cascading upward on either side, visible through the windows. Lights flicker on and off, screams lift and fall, and the speakers crackle with the jellyfish caused disconnects, but they're no moving beyond a gentle sort of sway the ship almost renders unfelt.

Shino had braced himself against Qionglin's coolness, knees bent and body leaning away from the pull of the ship's final descent. In the wake of it, he all but collapses against Qionglin, largely because his knees chose that moment to go weak; he catches himself with a stumble and tightening of his hand around Qionglin's, mentally cursing at his legs and Murasame until he's standing steady again. ]

Everyone has to get out, still, the exits are supposed to have emergency overrides—

[goodboyplaydead]

[ Wen Ning steadies Shino easily enough, as he listens to the mysterious voice continue to issue its orders. This time something about emergency boats. They could escape from this firetrap. He doesn't know what an emergency override is, but he is eager to find an exit from this vessel.

He gives Shino's hand a light squeeze to gain his attention. ]

Can you walk, Young Master Shino?