TEST DRIVE 002

[phantasmods]

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.

Comments

[part_time_person]

[The green is gone in an instant of focus - he's gotten good at keeping the color consistent - but the look of confusion on his face lasts. There's a pause as he tries to figure out how to respond to the other guy's reaction.]

Less than you'd think. [He takes a breath, glancing around.] Did anyone else see?

[This is not off to a great start, but maybe he can mitigate the damage somewhat.]

[foolishjustice]

I'm not sure, these areas can make it difficult to tell what's really happening outside of a certain radius. You shouldn't need to be too worried about it, though. There are a number of people here with inhuman abilities.

[part_time_person]

What do you mean, it's difficult to tell? [Then that question gets overridden by a wince at the word 'inhuman'. Julian takes a step back without realizing, looking away. He wants to ask questions, wants to know if they're just humans with abilities or if there are people like him who aren't fully human here, but he can't figure out a way to do so without digging himself in deeper.]

I had to be worried about it back home. People wouldn't have taken it well if they knew.

[foolishjustice]

Space is distorted, so it's difficult to tell if what you're seeing is really there or if it's simply a mirage.

[Oops...looks like he used a bad word there.]

I'm sorry if my choice of wording offended you. I can also understand being used to a need for secrecy...very few people back home know of my own powers, as well. And...even fewer know the full extent. But we have quite a variety here, and the supernatural seems to be more common than the mundane.

[part_time_person]

Is sound distorted, too? That would explain the meowing seagulls.

[Some words are more loaded than others to Julian and, by extension, his adoptive parents. That said, he can appreciate the apology.] It's alright. I just would rather not have to talk about my, um, powers, with people. I'm more mundane than anything else, most of the time.

When you say supernatural, what exactly do you mean?

[foolishjustice]

I think the seagulls are just unusual fauna. There are also sharks that can swim through the sand.

What exactly I mean by the supernatural...varies. I'm a former human, and we also have a demon and I believe two yokai. There are a handful of otherwise ordinary humans with magical or psychic abilities, as well.

[part_time_person]

Then maybe we should get off the beach before we get eaten.

[He tries to find a question that wouldn't make him sound damaged or too hopeful and settles on,] And everyone's okay with each other? The ordinary people are alright with former humans and demons and yokai?

[foolishjustice]

I'm not too concerned. So long as you pay attention for the shifting of the sand, they aren't particularly dangerous to someone who knows how to fight.

And, I haven't seen any conflict over the diversity. The worst I've seen is that the young woman who I believe is an alien has had some confusion regarding differences between her own planet and Earth, or similar planets.

[part_time_person]

I don't know how to fight, actually.

[He hums, tilting his head as he puts his earring back in. Hearing people talk about non-humans in such a positive way, as people, is new to him outside of his own family, and it's hard to process.] I guess I'm confused, too. I never thought humans could live with other species peacefully. That isn't how things worked out where I'm from.

[foolishjustice]

Don't worry, I'm quite skilled in combat, and have offensive spells that are particularly effective against them.

[He brushes his hair back behind his mask with a concerned expression.]

It sounds as if you've had some unpleasant experiences, though. I can't say I have much of a point of reference outside of the people here, since humans are the only sapient species I'm aware of in my own world.

[part_time_person]

That's good. I guess I'll have to learn how to take on sand sharks while I'm here.

[Julian tilts his head forward, glancing down so his eyes are somewhat covered. He doesn't want to think about his unpleasant experiences. His therapist has told him that letting go of the past is crucial to moving on. But...]

Humans aren't the only sentient species on my world. They just wiped out most of the others. It's kind of complicated. I try to pass for human if I can. Actually, maybe - could you not tell anyone, about any of this? I don't want anyone to know until I'm sure it'll go over well.

[foolishjustice]

I don't see why I wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. I can't see how you having shapeshifting abilities would be harmful to anyone here, so long as you don't use them in ways that inconvenience others.

[part_time_person]

I don't normally use them at all. I won't make any trouble, I promise.

[foolishjustice]

It's fine. I wasn't expecting you to be intending on causing trouble on purpose, I was just thinking in terms of the potential for the extra limbs unsettling people with phobias regarding insect or spider imagery.

[part_time_person]

[Is it obvious yet that he assumes most people who know about his powers would think of him as a troublemaker? Julian likes to think he's come a long way from his rough early childhood years, and he has, but some damage has been permanent.]

I understand. Spiders are bad omens in a lot of cultures, even without the phobias. I won't scare anyone. I know how to keep my head down.

[foolishjustice]

Personally, I think they have an unfair reputation, but some people are simply unnerved by things with more than four legs. People seemed mostly alright with the beehive I brought back, however, so hopefully it won't be an issue.

[part_time_person]

I won't let it be an issue. I've been hiding for eleven years, a few more wouldn't hurt. [He shrugs, voice flat and resigned. At some point, he learned to accept defeat before it even happened and never truly unlearned it.]

...I hope nobody's allergic to bees. That's a bit of risk if they are.

[foolishjustice]

I asked regarding that before I opened the hive.

[He tilts his head, regarding Julian thoughtfully.]

You don't sound too content to be hiding your abilities.

[part_time_person]

Oh, good.

[Julian looked over at him for a moment, blue eyes vibrant in color but clearly troubled, or perhaps tired was a better word for it. He looked away and did his best to sound fine.]

It's just how things are. There's no point in being upset about things I can't change. It's safer, anyway.

[foolishjustice]

'Safer' and 'better' aren't always the same thing. I've spent a number of years hiding what kind of person I really am due to societal stigmas, and I'm much happier when I allow myself to act as I wish. Besides, I don't believe in simply accepting the way of things.

[He is a rebel at heart, after all. The mask on his face is proof of it.]

Hmm...I wonder. Would it make you feel more at ease if I were to show you a form of my own that most would consider monstrous?

[part_time_person]

They're usually the same thing for me. I think. I mean, that's what other people say, anyway. [And he doesn't want to let other people down. He's a mess, but he's a mess who cares deeply about his family and doesn't want to worry them by getting hurt. The constraints are all in his mind when other people are around, a fear of being discovered not just for what might happen to him, but how disappointed his family would be.

Julian is not a rebel. He's not sure what he is, and therein lies the problem.]

I guess? It can't be as bad as me, whatever it is.

[foolishjustice]

[He takes a step back, spreading a pair of pure white crow wings to a span of more than twice his own height, before his appearance warps and the young man is replaced by something that closely resembles a harpy...if harpies had nature defying tattoo limbs for wings and tails. His torso is humanoid, except covered entirely by white feathers, save the dark blue patch that continues down the middle of his chest from his crow-like head. From the waist down, his legs are shaped like those of a bird, ending in vicious looking talons. His shoulders are covered with the same white plumage as most of his torso, but quickly transform in to dark blue, two-dimensional tribal-esque markings in the general shape of bird wings, with his tattoo tail feathers fanned out behind him. Beyond the size and general build, the only thing left that ties him to the human-passing boy he was a second ago is those dark red eyes. Despite the beak, he doesn't seem to have any trouble speaking in his usual voice.]

This is my Noise form, called Corvus Cantus.

[part_time_person]

[Julian's eyes go wide, and for a moment, he can only stare. It's been years since he saw anyone else who wasn't human. The experience of being reminded, visually, that he isn't completely alone is more powerful than he was expecting. Hopefully staring is alright, because he can't stop himself from openly gaping.]

You're beautiful.

[And with that soon-to-be-embarrassing statement, he can't resist the temptation to reach out and brush his fingers over the nearest white feathers he can touch, lightly, taking in the way they glimmer in the light.] Sorry. Just - had to verify this was really happening.

[foolishjustice]

[He tilts his head so he can watch that hand moving, but doesn't pull away. He stretches his wings - which somehow function as a whole despite the lines not being connected - and then folds them at his sides.]

It's alright, as long as I can see what you're doing. Just be mindful of the wings, they're every bit as sharp as they look.

[part_time_person]

[He does give into the desire to touch the wings despite being warned, but he makes sure it's a part Goro can see. The look on his face is a mixture of fascination and something close to envy, which is confirmed when he admits,] I wish I was something like this. Something good, I mean, instead of a spider. And you can fly, too...

[All he can do, all he usually does, is turn into his tiny spider sized form and hide somewhere. He's nothing majestic like this.]

What are you?