phantasmods: (Default)
Phantasmal Rift Mods ([personal profile] phantasmods) wrote in [community profile] phantasmemes2018-03-01 07:08 am
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TEST DRIVE 002

Hello, and welcome to the second test drive for Phantasmal Rift!

Test drive threads are assumed to be game canon for accepted characters unless otherwise noted, so don't feel like you'll have to introduce yourself a second time to everyone you meet! As an added bonus, participation in the test drive comes with the chance to earn up to two items of loot for your trouble! Characters who are accepted can earn one item for having a top level, and one for tagging out to someone else's top level! Your SWEET LOOT will be included with your acceptance notice.

Additionally, characters currently in game can earn themselves a piece of bonus loot for the dungeon by tagging people's top-levels on the test drive! Existing characters get their bonus loot along with the rest of their loot at the conclusion of the dungeon.

This test drive is based in the Fissure nearest to the Station, same as last time! But this time you're coming at the shoreline from a bit of a different angle...

If you really want, though, you can reuse prompts from the first test drive! In particular, there's still landsharks around the new area of beach. Otherwise, here's three new prompts!

OPTION ONE: OCEAN BREEZE

The cavern you find yourself in smells of the sea... And looks like it, too. Large crystal formations, usually in blue or a light yellow-green, glow along the walls and ceiling of the cavern, providing more than enough light to see by. The whole place is damp and a little chilly, and occasional pools of water rise and fall with gentle waves - some outside tide flowing in through underground passages.

More chilling, though, is the wind that flows through the caves, never ever quite going still but varying wildly in intensity. In fact, characters will discover that they have some control over the intensity of the wind - or perhaps some lack of control, depending on their exact response to waking up in an unexpected place. Strong emotions of any sort make the wind stronger in turn; while calm leaves the wind gentle, panic will send it whipping around corners and drive already-distressed characters to take whatever shelter they can, lest they get blown into some cavern wall.

Other than the wind and the crystals, the caverns seem mostly normal for a place that's clearly underwater at least part of the time. The lower reaches of the caverns are full of barnacles, mussels, and other shellfish that await the rising of the tide for their survival, as well as the occasional crab (some of them surprisingly large, up to about the same of a man's head), and bits of seaweed catch on rocky corners.

OPTION TWO: SAY NYA

What's that sound? Is it... a cat?

... No, it's not. It's a meowing seagull, for some reason.

Except for their strange vocalizations (all feline in nature), the seagulls found outside around the cliffs and beaches are all reasonably normal. (Specifically, anyone familiar with the Gulf Coast on Earth will find that they look much like Laughing Gulls in their black-headed plumage.) They're normal-sized and not at all afraid of people...

In fact, they're so unafraid of people, that they'll come right up close to you and nick your stuff! And not just food, mind. Anything they can carry that isn't attached is fair game to be taken and winged up the cliffs to their roosts. Magpies have nothing on these guys.

Good luck chasing them down for whatever it is they've taken, or climbing up the cliffs to get it back. It belongs to the seacats now.

OPTION THREE: ALL THAT GLITTERS

This gravel beach is absolutely splendid in the sunlight, looking like someone shattered a thousand stained glass windows and left the wreckage to sparkle. Protected from the worst of the waves by some rocky outcrops in the distance, the water here is gentle and doesn't disturb the beach much.

Luckily, the glitter does not, in fact, come from glass. Close examination will reveal that the gravel of the beach contains an impressive number of fragments of some kind of hard scale - about a third, if one's going by volume. They vary in size from a large thumb-nail down to nothing, and most transparent in every color imaginable. They're quite hard, and more likely to break into fragments than they are to be ground down by the sand.

But what is it that these scales come from? The answer can be found only at night, when the sun's light disappears. Then, large reptilian-looking creatures - somewhere between snakes and fish - make their way out of the crannies hidden in the rocks around and across from the small beach. In many different colors, they glow beneath the waves, some internal light filtered through their skin and scales to make each appear a different color.

The serpents aren't violent, at least for now, but given that the largest of them is at least twenty feet long... Perhaps it's best not to hassle them.
foolishjustice: (So I see...)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2018-03-08 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah...that's certainly different. It may...have been less about what she wanted for you, and more what she wanted to keep from him. If she holds such spite against his kind, I'm afraid I can easily imagine someone using custody of a child as ammunition.

Have you considered attempting to make contact yourself, now that she has no more control over your life?

[personal profile] part_time_person 2018-03-08 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
That is both sick and exactly the kind of thing my birth mother would have done. I guess I just don't understand why she had an affair with him at all if that's how she feels about nonhumans.

I have. My adopted parents don't want me to. I know it would be expensive to attempt, since I would have to go back to Serbia from the United States, and I might not be able to find him, but in spite of the long odds, I still want to try.

...does that sound stupid? [There's something vulnerable in his expression, if not to the degree that would be present in a human talking about something of the same caliber.] I miss him.
foolishjustice: (Crow-Simple deduction.)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2018-03-08 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
She might not have known at the time.

[He shakes his head.]

I don't think it sounds strange at all. He's someone who cared for you enough to risk his life to get you back from someone who resented you. It seems only natural that you would want to at least make an attempt to find him.

[personal profile] part_time_person 2018-03-09 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
I guess not. But she was still married, so even if she didn't know my father wasn't human, she still chose to have an affair and then keep me away from him.

[Which is still morally wrong on some level. Julian doesn't think there's anything wrong with having multiple partners if they know about each other. He doesn't think he'll ever be in that situation, but if it makes others happy, then fine. Having a husband and also having a man on the side is not the same as that.]

...thanks. I don't really know what counts as natural or normal when all the circumstances are so unusual. It's not as if I can talk about this to many people, either.
foolishjustice: (So I see...)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2018-03-09 12:21 am (UTC)(link)
There are some people who care only for their own selfish desires. It sounds to me as if you would have been best off adopted by someone else regardless of her opinion toward non-humans.

Honestly, the only aspect of this that sounds unusual is the fact that it involves multiple species. Conflict between parents happens all the time, and it's not at all unheard of for the less deserving parent to end up in control of a child's life.
matchmakes: (012)

(Male) Robin | Fire Emblem Awakening AU

[personal profile] matchmakes 2018-03-09 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
2

[After a bit of an... adventure through some odd caverns--ones that he absolutely has to tell Miriel about at the next opportunity--he's found himself on a beach. With... meowing seagulls. Okay. That sure is a thing.

(Another thing to tell Miriel about later, he supposes.)

They're daring little suckers, too, as Robin's finding out. He wasn't able to chase down the bird to retrieve his belongings before the gull took them up to the cliff, but... Well, cliffs aren't that intimidating. So anyone passing by may find a coat discarded on the ground, with its owner very determinedly scaling the cliffs up to the gull's roosts.

Or, maybe, they'll be passing by and hear someone from above--]


Hey, did those birds grab anything from you too? I can look while I'm up here!

3

[During the day, Robin's been wandering about the beach, occasionally picking up scale fragments that catch his eye.

By the time night falls though, he's seated himself on a rock, watching both the ocean and the serpents. It's a sight he wishes he could share with his friends back home, but...

... He's so lost in thought, it'd be incredibly easy to sneak up on him right about now. Startle the poor sap?]

[personal profile] part_time_person 2018-03-09 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe you're right. I don't know, I've always wondered: if I was born looking more like her, so people wouldn't have been able to see me and know she had an affair, would she has disliked me so much? Or if I had acted more human, would things have been different? [There's a lot of self-blame, there. Unprocessed pain from years of not knowing how to discuss this still lingers after all this time.]

I wonder if she regrets any of the things she did.
byanyother_name: (Well...)

[personal profile] byanyother_name 2018-03-09 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
[Kurama's situation is almost the inverse; his friends (and his enemies) know, his family doesn't. But that's his choice; to give his mother the human son she should have had.

Her happiness is the most important thing.]

I'm a kitsune. Ah... unless you've studied Japanese culture that won't make much sense to you... A demon fox, albeit one inhabiting a human body for the last seventeen years.

[No offense taken, and Kurama doesn't seem to have any qualms discussing his nature. It's not something he brings up on a whim, but he doesn't shy away from it when he has no reason to hide.]
thoroff: (Default)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
So I'm not the only one the blasted things have gotten one over? That does make me feel a little bit less foolish, at least.

[She says this with a wry smile, but after a moment the expression turns more sincere — accompanied by a sparkle of curiosity in her deep brown eyes.]

Still, my thanks. I must say, that was quite an impressive trick...
foolishjustice: (This is my justice-!)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2018-03-09 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
I can't say without knowing how they treat parents of illegitimate children in Serbia, or how evidence of the affair affected her life in general. But even if her dislike of you was because you proved her infidelity, it's still a reflection on her character that she chose to punish her child for the consequences of her own actions.

[personal profile] part_time_person 2018-03-09 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
[He wants his parents to be happy, too. He has worked hard at integrating himself into human daily life so they won't worry so much about him. In a way, it's how he can show them he loves them back.]

I'm half glasmpauki. Unless you've studied Balkan and specifically Serbian folklore, that probably makes about as much sense to you as kitsune does to me. They're - I'm, I guess - shapeshifters who shift between spiders and almost-human forms. [Should he have stuck with 'they're'? Does he count? He shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably, turning the topic back to Kurama. Clearly, this is not a conversation he's used to having.]

I've seen some artwork of kitsune, but all I really know is that they have a lot of tails and can curse people. I think. I never studied up on it. I didn't know kitsune inhabited human bodies.
matchmakes: (009)

[personal profile] matchmakes 2018-03-09 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
I'd say we should take a look around for anyone else, but we should probably figure out where this is, first...

[He'd wonder aloud if the two of them passed through an Outrealm Gate without realizing it, but there's no sign of a certain merchant or her sisters...]

[personal profile] part_time_person 2018-03-09 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
They kicked her out of her church. We couldn't go to the market together without people gossiping so I had to stay home a lot. She couldn't go to the bar with her friends anymore because men assumed she would sleep with them. And if her husband ever wanted to divorce her, her having an illegitimate son means he wouldn't have had to go to a judge and have a hearing, he could just file the paperwork behind her back. Which he threatened to do, once or twice.

Sometimes, I can't help feeling like I ruined her life.
thoroff: (010)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
[And also, it bears repeating, no sign of bandits or Risen. If this is an Outrealm, it's certainly the most peaceful one they've ever visited, more so than even the beach or the hot springs...]

We definitely should do that. As for how we go about doing that...
thoroff: (006)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Mount and master both pause at the new presence, turning their heads almost in unison to examine it. The strengthening wind, while not half as intolerable as before, is still enough to elicit a displeased neigh from Catria, the pegasus; Wren, for her part, lets out a small giggle, finding Prompto's unmasked exuberance endearing.]

I take it you've never seen a pegasus before?
matchmakes: (002)

[personal profile] matchmakes 2018-03-09 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Maybe they can keep this one in mind for after everything's over.

...

Provided that bringing the army here wouldn't cause something to happen.]


We could split up to look around some more.
bulletnews: (I've already written the headline)

1

[personal profile] bulletnews 2018-03-09 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
[Wow. That is one determined climber.]

Oh, not from me, no. I'm way too careful with my equipment to get any of it stolen like that.

[So Robin, how are you with flying girls, because Aya is definitely taking candid photos of the struggle here.]

It sounds like you weren't so prepared, though. What are you after?
byanyother_name: (Mostly harmless)

3 bc sneaking up on people is his jam

[personal profile] byanyother_name 2018-03-09 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
They're lovely, aren't they? I'm not really one for pets, but I do find myself wondering how tameable they are.

[Kurama is very capable of sneaking up on people who are paying full attention, to be honest. His footsteps are quiet by habit and long training. So the voice comes out of nowhere from behind him.

The redhead is smiling lightly, the expression subtly amused but overall friendly.]
matchmakes: (004)

[personal profile] matchmakes 2018-03-09 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, this is certainly new. He can address the whole flying girl part later, though, he's mostly focused on getting up this cliff.]

In all fairness, I wasn't expecting them to be quite so daring. One grabbed a pouch with some medicine I'd been carrying!
Edited 2018-03-09 03:27 (UTC)
byanyother_name: (Wut. Just wut.)

[personal profile] byanyother_name 2018-03-09 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
Sadly, I haven't. I'm not even certain I can pronounce it. Familiar ability, though. I used to be able to change between a fox and an almost-human form, as well. ...actually, I suppose I technically have regained that ability, though it's not quite the same fox shape I once had.

[He can shift shapes, so Kurama's guess would be that he counts well enough for most purposes? Kurama isn't going to press or point out the awkwardness, though. He's willing to let Julian keep the conversation in whatever areas are most comfortable for him.]

I can't actually curse people. Curses and illusions are fairly common abilities in my kind, it's true, but my own powers have always aligned to plants. As for the body, it's not typical behavior in the least, but a desperation tactic on my part to escape death.

It turned out better than I really had any right for it to.
thoroff: (007)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, that's not a bad idea...

[With only a moment's delay, Wren practically vaults onto Catria's back, grabs the reins, and takes flight. Despite everything, she grins cheekily down at her twin.]

Well, try not to get into any trouble without me!

[And before he can get a retort in, she's off.]
Edited 2018-03-09 03:59 (UTC)
matchmakes: (003)

excellent

[personal profile] matchmakes 2018-03-09 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
[Good job, Kurama, you just made Robin visibly jump. He's frowning when he turns around, but his expression softens somewhat after a moment or so. He was kind of asking for that one, he figures.]

I've never seen anything like them before... Though that seems to be a theme for the day, I've noticed. [It's punctuated with a soft snort. He looks back to the serpents again, tilting his head.]

They look like they can get pretty big, though, I'm not certain how practical one would be to keep.
bulletnews: (interview prep)

[personal profile] bulletnews 2018-03-09 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, so they're enemies of good health, too... or they're just not intelligent enough to realize how important health is, which is much more likely.

[The flying part at least is partially explained by "she's got wings", which are black and feathery crow-ish wings.]

[personal profile] part_time_person 2018-03-09 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
I hear that a lot about Serbian in general. It's sort of a vowels-optional language. [Julian wasn't his birth name, his adopted parents had changed it in part for his safety and in part because Zvezdan was not an easy name for most people to work with.]

I didn't know plants were a power kistune could have. I don't really know what's typical and what isn't for most nonhumans outside of what I've read about ones from my own home country.

So you became partly human when you tried to escape death? How does that work, exactly? [If there's anything roughly equivalent in Balkan folklore, he hasn't read about it, and that's really the upper limit of his knowledge about these things.]
matchmakes: (009)

[personal profile] matchmakes 2018-03-09 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
Probably the latter... Though they seem to like taking anything not nailed down!

[It shouldn't take him too much longer for him to reach the roost at this rate...]

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