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.
bulletnews: (i don't get it)

[personal profile] bulletnews 2018-03-09 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
Anything? Then what about the coat you took off to start climbing this cliff face?
matchmakes: (012)

[personal profile] matchmakes 2018-03-09 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
Well... that may have been something of an exaggeration. The coat's a bit heavy for just one to grab--hopefully they'll consider it too much trouble to bother with. And so far, they haven't demonstrated any form of teamwork to lift heavier objects, so it may be safe yet.
founderinglight: ([hold])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-03-09 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
Not at all. They keep attempting to make off with heirlooms, at that.

[He tosses the rapier in his hand again and - lets it vanish in another array of those blue sparks.]

It's nothing particularly unusual for me, honestly, but it does look impressive when one's not familiar with it.
thoroff: (009)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 06:45 am (UTC)(link)
[She watches him do that, also taking note of the weapon itself. A rapier, eh...]

Perhaps not for you, but I haven't seen anything like it before.
dubiouslychthonic: (Smile)

[personal profile] dubiouslychthonic 2018-03-09 07:12 am (UTC)(link)
It's not the most prestigious corner of the medical field, but it's a living. [She shrugs, with a lopsided smile.] And there's something to be said for working with shipmates who see me every day, rather than anonymous patients who hope never to have a reason to speak to me again.
founderinglight: ([late with spacebucks])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-03-09 07:14 am (UTC)(link)
[And a rather fancy one, too.

He just shrugs.]


My family has quite a bit of magical talent. Your mount is just as foreign to me.
byanyother_name: (Well...)

[personal profile] byanyother_name 2018-03-09 07:17 am (UTC)(link)
[He will call that effort well spent, because the jump is entertaining. Kurama may be a bit of a troll behind that pretty smile.]

It's something of the theme for this place as a whole, to be honest. Landsharks, androids, and glowing serpents, oh my...

[Kurama settles on another rock nearby, reaching down to pick up a few of the shed scales that litter the beach.]

They'd certainly be outdoor pets, granted. Though the real trouble is that we can't really be sure what any of these odd creatures are supposed to eat.

[personal profile] part_time_person 2018-03-09 07:35 am (UTC)(link)
I'm a botany major, and that's not the most prestigious corner of anything. [He's not bothered by that, though. It's a good fit for him, just like being a doctor seems to be a good fit for her.] It sounds like a good job.
thoroff: (002)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 07:36 am (UTC)(link)
[So it runs in the family? That would add up... Wren's got no reason to pry into the personal affairs of a man whose name she doesn't even know, but she quietly files the information in the back of her mind.

Instead, she addresses his second statement, quirking a brow.]


Really?
byanyother_name: (Mostly harmless)

[personal profile] byanyother_name 2018-03-09 07:40 am (UTC)(link)
Vowels are not even slightly optional in Japanese, unfortunately. English is tricky enough at times.

[Zvezdan does not seem so bad?]

In all fairness, it's quite possible that they aren't where you came from. Most of the people here come from a variety of different worlds that operate by different rules. My powers are rare but very possible where I come from, but that doesn't necessarily mean kitsune can have them where you originated.

[The joys of the multiverse, Julian, let Kurama introduce you to them. They are many and varied and sometimes frustrating as hell.]

Essentially, I merged my soul with a human fetus before it developed one of its own. Morally gray at best, but I was a rather selfish person in those days. This body has become less human over the years, but my heart has become moreso.
founderinglight: ([ppppp])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-03-09 07:44 am (UTC)(link)
Quite so. The closest we have is spiracorns, but they're quite a bit larger, horned instead of winged, and highly undomesticateable due to their violent natures and tendency to rampage.
matchmakes: (013)

[personal profile] matchmakes 2018-03-09 07:51 am (UTC)(link)
... Androids?

[But more importantly...]

It makes me wish my friends were here to see this. [If the timing had been better, it'd be perfect, even.

He nods at the comment about not knowing what the serpents eat, humming thoughtfully.]


Ideally, that's nothing some observation won't fix, provided one's able to see them doing so... Personally, I think I'll stick with what I know, in terms of taking care of animals.

[Which... means horses, pegasi, and wyverns, but. You know.]

[personal profile] part_time_person 2018-03-09 07:53 am (UTC)(link)
English was hard for me to learn when I was younger. There aren't any silent letters in Serbian so that was a big adjustment.

[Zvezdan Krsmanović was his full birth name. It was enough to trip most people up, especially when said altogether. He had been happy to get a name easier for people to say - life was hard enough and he was unusual enough as it was without standing out even more.]

So it's possible that if there are glasmpauki where you're from, they have different abilities, too. That's kind of strange to think about.

[He looks remarkably unphased by the idea of taking over a body like that, but, well, if it was that or dying, it was probably a lighter shade of grey to take the option that resulted in someone staying alive. And while Julian had steered clear of religious discussions about the topic of babies and souls, if Kurama was right and it didn't have one yet, then it wasn't murder or anything quite like that.]

Do your parents know? That you're not human, I mean.
thoroff: (011)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 08:02 am (UTC)(link)
Interesting...

[A monstrous, rampaging horse? ...A certain ally's steed comes to mind. Still, what an odd creature. There are horned pegasi, and they can be temperamental, but an experienced rider can tame them just as well as any other.

Something about that description bothers her, and once it hits her, her other brow promptly rises to match the first as she gives Izunia a look of naked bewilderment.]


Hold on. Pegasi are one thing, but do you mean to tell me you've never seen a common horse?
founderinglight: ([late with spacebucks])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-03-09 08:04 am (UTC)(link)
[Completely deadpan:]

What's a horse.
thoroff: (012)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 08:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Okay, she's flabbergasted.]

...Seriously?
founderinglight: ([late with spacebucks])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-03-09 08:11 am (UTC)(link)
Yes?

[Flat stare continues.]

We're most likely from entirely different universes, it's not all that surprising in that context.
thoroff: (013)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 08:20 am (UTC)(link)
[Wren's baffled expression gives way to one of contemplation, and her next words are said quietly, more to herself than anything.]

So this is an outrealm...

[Not that she hadn't suspected, but outright confirmation is good to have. Yet his wording suggests that he's not native either; so people are being brought to this world from multiple realms, all against their will? That is worrisome, to say the least. Frightening might be a better word.

She is familiar with the concept of other universes, though, so at least Izunia won't have to deal with that kind of confusion.]


Well, I'm curious now. If your own realm doesn't have horses, what sort of animal do you use as mounts? As beasts of burden?
founderinglight: ([hold])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-03-09 08:49 am (UTC)(link)
[Outrealm... Good term for it. He's going to stick that in his vocabulary right alongside captchalogue, thanks.]

Chocobos - large terrestrial birds. Give me a moment here...

[He pulls something out in a flash of light - a sketchbook, this time. He flips through it before settling on a young man curled up beside a saddled black bird nearly twice his size, both asleep leaning on each other.

...A keen eye might spot that the young man somewhat resembles Izunia himself.]


They're largely flightless, but excellent runners.
thoroff: (003)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 09:31 am (UTC)(link)
[Wren examines the picture intently, taking in every detail. Her eye is indeed keen, but again she feels no need to pry.]

I see! [She giggles a little.] It's quite cute.

[Certainly cuter than a horse, she must admit, as much as she loves her pegasus with all her heart... Well, she supposes it's only fair that she return the favor.]

A horse is... well, my mount is a pegasus, a winged horse. Pegasi are rather picky about their riders — they'll usually only allow women to even approach them, much less tame them — but common horses don't have such strict standards, and like your chocobos, they run well.
founderinglight: (Default)

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-03-09 09:38 am (UTC)(link)
Philomela here - [He taps the picture with a finger.] - was a black chocobo, and they could be similarly picky, though not on the basis of gender. The common variety is a bright yellow.
thoroff: (006)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 09:44 am (UTC)(link)
Oh! Black pegasi are also a rare breed; most are white. [What are the odds, huh?] Horses come in all sorts of colors, but they tend towards brown hues.
founderinglight: ([late with spacebucks])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-03-09 10:00 am (UTC)(link)
It's possible to modifying a chocobo's plumage based on diet, or with dyes, but I don't know of any other naturally occurring colors.

[He folds the sketchbook closed and dismisses it.]

Then again, I'm hardly an expert on the subject.
thoroff: (0011)

[personal profile] thoroff 2018-03-09 10:16 am (UTC)(link)
That's fine, horses aren't exactly my field of study either.

[She watches him magic the book away to... wherever it goes.]

...Ah, all this and it just occurs to me that we haven't even been properly introduced...
founderinglight: ([my place plz])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-03-09 10:18 am (UTC)(link)
...I find that happening more and more often lately when I get caught up in a discussion. Izunia Lucis Caelum, at your service.

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