nashira_ooc | Test Drive Meme

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Test Drive Meme

Info: Setting ⭐︎ Key Locations ⭐︎ Full Navigation ⭐︎ Monster Info
Prompts: Awakening ⭐︎ By Daylight ⭐︎ By Starlight

WELCOME TO CHALRA CITY!
You live in a bustling modern metropolis situated on the coast of the Everwave Sea. Lively and ever-changing, it’s been riding the wave of the recent techno-economic boom, and business has never been better! The city has thawed into spring, bringing with it the balmy breezes and blooms of April, although the mornings are still chilly and damp. Students and their teachers around the city are settling into the new school year a little under a month before its start, and with the weather turning warmer, the city seems even livelier in anticipation of one of the hottest music tours of the year.

awakening
You lead a more or less ordinary life in the bustling Chalra City — this is the world you live in, and it’s the only world you know. And then one day you feel something stir in you — perhaps it comes to you in a dream, or you receive a vivid waking vision upon walking into someone else — and in the back of your mind, you hear a voice that sounds very much like your own, uttering a wish with its dying breath.

You awaken to your destiny as a Nova Knight, a reincarnation of an alien from a dead planet who once fought against the Abyss. With your new transformation charm in hand, it's time to go supernova and, with the help of your comrades, save the world.

by daylight
Now you lead two lives: your everyday life as one of the many citizens of Chalra City, and your life as a reincarnated magical crime fighter. Will you manage to balance the demands of your double lives, or will you buckle under the pressure? Will you trust your fellow Nova Knights, or will you keep your identity a secret? And when your back is against the wall, who will you call for help?

PLAYING PLOT-MANDATED HOOKY
Real life means real obligations, and you're at one right now — whether it's work, school, or a family gathering, you're expected to be there, and you can't just leave without raising a few eyebrows (or questions).

Unfortunately, the ship's computer Nautis has been blowing up your phone with texts, urging you to ditch your responsibilities so you can take care of an urgent threat: innocent cityfolk are mysteriously disappearing under a famously haunted overpass, and it’s most certainly the work of the enemy. The person next to you is also a fellow Nova Knight, and they're getting the same messages. The question is, do you know each other as Nova Knights, or only as colleagues or classmates? And either way, how are you both going to manage to sneak out and take care of business — without being seen transforming in broad daylight?

SUSPICIOUS SCALPER
The entertainment industry in Chalra City is booming, as evidenced by the fact that most of their performance venues are booked year round. And one of the hottest new artists on the Atlace scene has arrived at the Chalra City stop of their nationwide tour! Indie sensation the beautiful unit., comprised of Jana The (vocals and acoustic guitar), Eliza Beautiful (upright bass), and Blair Unit (shakers), has made its mark on Chalra City's pop culture scene before they've even arrived. The tour has attracted enough attention from smaller nearby cities that every light rail car is packed, making an already busy commute even more hectic for the locals, and many a local shop is cashing in on the craze by selling unlicensed the beautiful unit. merch. There's even a new ticket reseller downtown selling tickets to the sold-out show at astonishingly low prices. It seems too good to be true, but some fans' loyalty outweighs their common sense, and on the day of the show, the line goes out the door and halfway around the block. It probably wouldn't hurt to investigate… Wait, with all the tickets they're reselling, does the math even add up?

by starlight
A CAPTIVATING AUDIENCE
When night falls, the curtain rises on the beautiful unit.'s highly anticipated show in the Four Clover Stadium. After a seventeen minute silent intro, the crowd breaks into a roar when Jana The plucks the first note on her acoustic guitar. But as the show goes on, some fans seem to be a little too amped up. Any the beautiful unit. fan who bought tickets from the suspicious new reseller will begin to turn into a blacklit monster, the light sticks clutched in their hands now transformed into fearsome weapons. Before long, dozens of fans have transformed into monsters, and more are following with every beat. The band keeps on playing as the monsters advance towards the stage — it looks like they're trying to kidnap the beautiful unit.!

You can fight off the monsters' advance with your powers, but they outnumber you and they're closing in fast. These monsters are still people, though, and those people are the beautiful unit. fans through and through, so maybe if you can get the band to play a track off their unreleased new album, they'll turn back to normal.

THE DEATH JITTERBUG
The the beautiful unit. craze is inescapable. From banners to badges, you can't turn a corner in Chalra City without seeing their logo (the beautiful unit. in an Arial variant designed as part of an artistic collaboration with the band). You don't even need to go to a show to hear their music — the shopping center at the train station is blasting all their best singles, such as "It's Time To Talk (About You (And Me))" and "Let's! (Family Restaurant)", a jingle originally written for a diner in their hometown that stayed on the Top 40 charts for a record-breaking nine weeks. Their music is popular for a reason, though, and plenty of shoppers are dancing along to the beat. The only problem is…they don't seem to be able to stop!

If you investigate, you'll discover that the small crystals attached to the shopping center's speakers are draining the energy of anyone under the hipster dance curse. If you destroy the crystals, the shoppers should go back to normal, but you never know which one of them is an appropriately themed monster in disguise. If you're not careful, you might find yourself in for a serious dance off.

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MONSTER INFO
Here's some convenient info about various monsters for use in TDM threads. For the purposes of the TDM, there aren't hard and fast rules about how they work, so have fun and go wild!

tbu. GROUPIES: Those desperate fans who bought suspiciously scalped tickets will turn into monstrous versions of themselves upon reaching a certain hype level: some of them grow in size; others grow claws, fangs, or hand-crocheted beanies; any fan merch on their person becomes a grotesque weapon. Somehow, they always look like they're under a blacklight, and if you listen closely, their seemingly meaningless grunts comprise an infinite chorus of I was into them before they got big. They're still fans at heart and will probably turn back to normal if you can get their favorite band to play an unreleased single!

THE SOFT SHOE STINGER: Anywhere people seem to be compelled to dance, there's a human-disguised monster in the crowd, poised to attack if any Nova Knights show up. Once unveiled, it's clear from those brightly-colored antennae and compound eyes that this guy is allied with the enemy, and his dance moves truly out of this world. You can defeat this monster by winning in a dance-off, but if enough of you just pummel him with your powers he'll leave. Either way, it's a win.

GROOVE GHOSTS: Any time people are possessed by the spirit of dance, whether at a concert or under the influence of a monster's spell, these guys might show up to jeer at your pitiful moves and heckle you about being off-beat. They can be dispelled by Silver-level powers, but if enough of them gather, it might take a bit more coordination to beat them all.

Note: While the TDM has some specific prompts, you are not limited to these options for threading! Please feel free to use any elements of the setting you see in the info pages.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I: A dream-like state
((not sure if awakening can work like this, but if you're willing to walk this path--))
She is a diligent student, past the pale. Skilled on the field of sports and off it, A powerful presence in maths and science classes, Natalia Koutolika is, by some measures, the model student.

But how do you approach the blank-faced queen, whose rattling of facts cuts through weak interpretation and whose curt tone is like ice?

The fact is, Natalia is alone, and has been for the six weeks since she has arrived by barge from places she and her family refuse to speak of. Even school has proven little refuge.

She's in the halls now, moving with perfect elegance. She kneels down. Picks up... a cell phone. Someone's cell phone. She looks at the lock screen, looks up, and realizes she is alone in the hall save for one other person. "You! Wait."

ii: Suspicious Scalper
Natalia has not, in fact, been interested in the latest 'hot new thing'. To her, most streets are crowded. To her, there have already been dozens of things she hasn't particularly liked and are inexplicably popular.

But... When she hears the prices, she pauses. "That's... Very cheap." And the line for the reseller themselves is packed...

She checks on her cell phone. There's no way that's going to turn up a profit...

And so she gets into line. This bullshit is worth investigating on general principles, though right now, she believes it to be a simple case of forgery.

"Quite the deal," she says, in an attempt to strike up a conversation with someone arguably more normal.

Orion stopped, turning when someone called out to him. One of the newest students, he believed. Not someone he was used to seeing around quite yet. The librarian walked back, carrying a stack of textbooks that both looked very heavy and which he carried with the ease of someone used to carrying around stacks of very heavy textbooks.

Seeing the phone in her hands, he quickly identified it. An older model that looked like it had been carefully handled over the years.

"Ah. That is mine, thank you," he said as he looked down at the stack of books to determine the best way to take the phone from her. He didn't want to put them on the floor, but...

Getting to him had felt like pushing through an ocean, and-- maybe that was right. To someone outside this moment of awakening, she was still in a crowded hall. "Y-yes, of course. You're welcome."

There was a sound like a distant church bell, tolling the time. A connection, however brief. From somewhere, a memory-- "I shall freeze, so long as they are safe."

Reality re-imposed itself. Even someone as unflappable as Natalia Koutolika would need a minute after such an obviously unreal experience, and, composing herself, she said, "-- You're the librarian, yes? Do you need help with those books?"

"Yes, that's me. Are you a new student?"

Orion felt that moment of connection as well, and while it could have been coincidence that Nautis picked that moment to send him an indecipherable message of emoji's while Natalia still had him phone, Orion knew better. He'd have to decode that when he got back to his desk.

He was about to decline her offer out of instinct. However, he did need to get his phone, and it would be appreciated. Orion paused for a moment, doing some mental weighing in his head and trying to guesstimate how strong Natalia was. Better to err on the side of caution.

"If you could take the top two, that would be helpful," he replied as he leaned forward so it was easier for her to grab them.

She notes the vibration of Orion's phone, glances at the screen, and completely fails to understand the notification whatsoever. As for her own phone, she feels its weight shift in her blazer's liner pocket and begin to vibrate.

As to the books, Natalia nods and carries them easily under one arm. "Yes. Natalia Koutolika. I arrived near the start of the term."

And spent much of her time in the textbooks, and the library, and the sports field, and talking largely to no one.

She doesn't much care where the books are going right now, so long as it's somewhere quiet.

"Thank you, Ms. Koutolika."

Orion shifted the remaining books so they were supported on one arm while he quickly took back his phone and returned it to his pocket. He would have to get back to Nautis later.

"If you wouldn't mind following me to Ms. Darby's classroom, these were requested for tomorrow's lesson."

He continued along his original path, silent for a bit. Small talk was not his strength.

"...how are you liking things so far?"

"... It is..." she hunts for the words. "Strange. There are many things here that I never thought I would see, and it has been many years since I was last around children my age."

She knows, dimly, that such a phrase is its own indicative, but can't quite be bothered to adjust. Her accent is just slightly Russian, or the equivalent on this world. "If you are worried for my satisfaction in the facilities, do not be. As a place to continue my education, it is adequate."

And she can get martial arts training elsewhere.

Orion shifted a bit at her words, but that could just as easily be attributed to the books. Based what little she had shared about herself, it did not sound like she had a typical childhood, though it was difficult to get a read on whether or not she considered that a bad thing.

"That is good to hear, hopefully it becomes a place where you feel comfortable."

Adequate...was fine, but Orion did not support the idea that anyone should have to settle on an academic setting that didn't work for them, if they had options.

"While it is a fine school, there are other institutions in the city if you find it is not a good fit for you."

"I will be blunt, then. I do not miss my tutors and instructors. I am willing to accept a small tradeoff in quality to never see one again." Her eyes turn to one of the text books, and now that her hands are free, she opens it, rifling through the contents and nodding.

"That said, I... Am very new to town, and so, inevitably, everyone has already found who they wish to associate with."

"Having a good mentor is just as important as the opportunities a specific school offers, if not more. I would not be where I am without my own. The teachers here are dedicated to their work and care about their students."

As they reached their destination Orion grabbed the key hanging on the lanyard around his neck to open the door. Once inside the empty classroom, he sets the stack of books down on the desk nearest Ms. Darby's.

"You can put those here," he directed, stepping so she would have more room.

"It is more difficult, but there are still events and organizations to meet others. If you're interested in joining any clubs, the bulletin board in the library is a good place to check. Many of them allow members to join throughout the year."

She sets them down, and, in the relatively empty classroom, sits, heavily, on a desk, rubbing at her temple-- the mask she'd been keeping briefly failing her. In the silence, the vibration of her phone is unmistakable.

Even now, it's a little overwhelming to hear Orion.

"Forgive me. I need a moment. Something... Something happened." Some kind of contact poison? No, no, Orion isn't wearing gloves.

Something about her senses is... Different.

(no subject)

archivalquality - 2025-04-09 04:20 (UTC) - Expand

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theriflespiral - 2025-04-09 04:45 (UTC) - Expand

"Hmm..." Alisaie glances to the side at the person who's joined her in line. She's an older teen with bleached white hair and bright blue eyes wearing a red jacket. "Yes, rather. Too good to be true, especially with where they're planning to hold the concert. Seems it might be a fire hazard."

"And if they're reselling... It's at cost. No money for the shop front or the people at the desk" She leans over to show her phone screen. "My first thought is that they are forging tickets. Would be easy enough, if you had your own printer."

"If they're scalpers, I suppose they're counting on volume, then. They're certainly not making much money. Or maybe it's a scam to discredit the beautiful unit.?" She taps a finger to her chin as she looks at the numbers. "Get everyone these fake tickets, then ruin the concert when half the queue finds themselves left out in the cold? Have you seen any of the tickets?" Her eyes travel toward the front of the very long line. "I've not had the chance to judge their authenticity."

"Nor I," Natalia admitted. "It is one reason I approached the line."

She was not going to admit she's not actually a fan of the beautiful unit., considering she's surrounded by them and may be attempting to dissuade them from wasting their money. Her lack of merch and slight irritation at the speakers probably make her stick out a little. "How to judge the authenticity, though...?"

The finger at her chin rises into the air. "Finding an authentic ticket and a fake one and comparing them." She realizes neither of them seem to be very focused on getting tickets, more figuring out what's going on. Curious.

Alisaie pulls out her own phone, a pink number with a ruby and gold charm dangling from it, and pulls up one of her social media accounts. "I'm sure I can find someone who's landed a real ticket and posted- Aha!" She grins as she shows her new friend a photo of another woman posing with a ticket. "There we are! She always posts high res. It should be easy enough to zoom in... Right. Now we just need one of the fake ones. Or someone who's just bought one." Her eyes begin scanning toward the front, trying to spot someone she might be able to bully into showing her the scalper's ticket.

"So. What approach to take, then?" She hums. At this point, it's become more an interesting puzzle to solve than an interest in what the fuss is about.

She's not about to look a gift horse in the mouth just yet. "Riling up the crowd is not recommended."

"No... I have an idea. Come along." Without waiting for the other woman to respond or providing further explanation, Alisaie darts from the line and starts walking briskly at an angle toward a girl who's just left the line and is hurrying away with her ticket. She's heading toward one of the side streets that lead off to one of the less busy areas of the city.

It wouldn't do to rile up the crowd, but getting someone on their own... maybe it's playing dirty, but better this than standing in that long line for an hour or more.

She mutters a curse in a foreign language, but follows after, regardless; Natalia can't help sticking her nose into heroic things. She'd hesitate to say that it's in her nature-- rather, she might blame her curiosity and a sense of ethical dilemma.

But regardless, it's not the first time the quiet young prodigy has set out to save someone or investigate a crime. How long has she been at the fringes of Knights' work?

Well. Wait until she becomes a knight to know.

Regardless, she slows to match Alisaie's pace as they follow the customer into the alley. There's no lighting inside-- a rarity-- though posters for the concert still litter the walls. There's a place for trash receiving, blessedly already emptied, and Natalia sighs and warms up her arms while getting the lay of the land.

Now this Alisaie knows how to handle. She's not in the habit of attacking innocent people, but questioning them is well within her purview. She catches sight of her new friend catching up, and lifts her brows with a small smile at her. Alisaie hadn't been entirely certain she'd follow, but the back-up is nice, if not necessary, in her mind.

"Pardon me!" she calls out to the ticket holder when they're halfway down the alley.

The girl pauses, then looks around. She's covered in the beautiful unit. merchandise, from her earrings and necklace to the novelty backpack and band shirt she's wearing. "Um... what do you want?" she asks. "I only have one ticket!"

Alisaie holds up a hand and her tone turns more kindly as they approach. "So you do. My friend and I were hoping to find out if waiting in that queue was worth it. Someone else mentioned the tickets they were selling here might be counterfeits."

"Mine is real!" the girls insists, clutching the ticket in her hand hard enough her finger tips seem to be going white.

Alisaie glances over at the other woman from the line. She's happy to let her take over talking, if she seems keen on it.

"A ticket, sold at cost, not from the venue, when most of the show is sold out?" Natalia says, in her most skeptical voice. "I simply do not wish for anyone to be turned away at the door, having wasted their money. What a disappointment this would be, yes?"

She motions with her hand. "Come. You can see I have no monkey in this circus, may I look?"

Mutsumi is quiet, almost a ghost of a presence at the school. She excels at guitar and ballet, but she's always recognized as the child of celebrities first — always the comedian Wakaba and the actress Minami Mori's daughter. Never Mutsumi Wakaba the musician, the student, the girl. Since the start of this school year, she's mostly kept to herself, spending some of her time after school watering the cucumbers growing in the school garden.

At first, she doesn't realize Natalia is calling out to her; there is a delay before Mutsumi stops and half-turns back towards her. Her gaze falls on the phone and the lock screen, a photo of Mutsumi and four other girls all holding instruments — the one she hadn't been able to bring herself to delete after the band broke up.

"Ah..." Her voice is soft, almost inaudible. She didn't even realize she'd dropped it. How hadn't she noticed? With a small nod, Mutsumi bends over and reaches out for the phone. "Thank you..."

Natalia has swam through rough waters before, but it feels a bit like moving through sludge or the worst snows back home. She manages to place the phone directly in Mutsumi's hand.

She's heard of neither the comedian nor the musician, and so, presented with a soft-spoken young girl and--

And a world that seems to fall away, a strange state, a whisper from something she knows is her past, but cannot possibly be her past--

She's left with a distinct impression that she must have fallen ill, but more importantly, that she must try to keep up appearances. This impression is probably not improved by the pale skin, stony expression, and a voice that, while strong, seems devoid of emotion. "You are quite welcome."

She risks asking-- "Friends of yours?"

Small talk. Yes. That should work until she re-orients herself and is able to get to class.

The phone is oddly warm in Mutsumi’s palm, and the brief moment that their hands touch stretches into an eternity. The empty hallway, drenched in warm yellow sunlight through the wedged windows, now suddenly feels like a vast, dark ocean, a suffocating darkness only made breathable by the light of the stars. Visions of life on a planet she’s never before imagined flash before her, memories of hands holding hands and never letting go, and she hears two voices overlapping, both hers and not all at the same time —

All I wanted was to save her!

Mutsumi comes to again in the hallway with a sharp breath and a reeling sense of vertigo. Natalia’s doing a much better job at keeping herself composed; Mutsumi almost doesn’t hear the question. She’s never been any use at small talk, but the way she averts her gaze, her expression dimming, says clearly enough that It’s Complicated.

But there’s something about Natalia that strikes Mutsumi as almost familiar. In her own way, Natalia reminds her of one of the girls in the photo — pale hair tied with ribbons, standing squarely next to Mutsumi. A proud girl, not nearly as cold on the inside as she insists on. A girl who meant everything to Mutsumi, but is just out of reach now. Still disoriented, her name falls quietly from Mutsumi’s mouth unbidden.

“Saki…”

She nods. She has friends like that as well. But-- "Saki?"

The hallway is slowly clearing, and she hums. They're both in no condition. So who notices one girl leading another who's clearly having trouble to a bathroom?

Inside Natalia's blazer, her phone, inside her liner pocket, is buzzing wildly. She ignores it, still trying to catch her breath. Even with that, she's digging into her satchel for painkillers and basic sanitary options. "In case anyone asks."

She's not sure what just happened to the two of them, but she's almost certain this other woman has just experienced the same moment as her.

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Test Drive Meme

Natalia Koutolika | Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine

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i!!

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i am so sorry about the late tag but i am loving all of these threads!!

Re: i am so sorry about the late tag but i am loving all of these threads!!