Phantasmal Rift Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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phantasmemes2018-01-19 12:29 pm
phantasmods) wrote in phantasmemes2018-01-19 12:29 pm
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE 001
Hello, and welcome to the first 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.
(In the future, characters who are in-game can also earn themselves an extra item of loot for tagging in to top levels on the test drive, to be distributed with the rest of their loot upon dungeon completion.)
This first test drive is based in the Fissure nearest to the Station, and comes with three potential options, all with a distinctly watery bent -
OPTION 1: MAROONED
Hey, uh... What's that maroon film distorting your vision? And how did you get on this beach, anyway?
So long as the sun is shining, there doesn't seem to be a problem out here on the beach, aside from the strange maroon tint to everything. But when clouds pass over, the tint grows darker, and darker, and the water grows redder, and redder...
That... can't be blood, can it?
Characters who remain beneath the patchy cloud cover will find themselves filled with increasing anxiety that the ocean is made of blood, until either the cloud passes or they check the water for themselves. The bad news is, that while it isn't actually an ocean of blood, contact with the red water will drain characters of energy very rapidly, causing sudden fits of exhaustion as though they were suffering from anemia. By itself, this isn't particularly dangerous...
...Except that the return of the sun doesn't mean the return of that lost energy, and if you've waded out too far, the shifting sand and pull of the waves underfoot can easily pull you down and under.
OPTION 2: LANDSHARK
You really hope that isn't a shark fin moving through the sand. That's just not possible, right?
(Yes, yes it is.)
Landsharks are amphibious, predatory creatures just as at home in the sand as below the waves, and always hungry. They track their prey via disturbances in the sand or water, but fortunately, you can track them the same way - they're large enough to be easily visible in the relatively clear waters near the beach, and their bulk causes a patch of shifting sand above them as they roam for more terrestrial prey.
As a result, they're most dangerous near the waterline, where the shifting sand is hard to see due to the motion of the waves (though they can, of course, pop up further up the beach). Fortunately, they're not large enough to swallow a person whole. Unfortunately, they're still between nine and twelve feet long depending on the individual and easily large enough to take a good chunk out of you.
Like any other shark, they're vulnerable to being sliced open with something sharp, kicked in the gills, or punched in the snout to establish dominance. On the magical end, they have a particular weakness to electricity.
On the bright side, if you're hungry enough, the landsharks are very edible once cooked (or, you know, if you like sushi). For some reason, the meat tastes faintly of chocolate...?
Drops: Meat, shark teeth, candygrams.
OPTION 3: JUST IN TIDE
A bit further down from the beach, the water comes up to the base of the rocky cliffs, leaving numerous nooks and crannies to climb over and explore. In fact, they're practically begging for it.
What might you find? Well, there's the usual beach refuse, for a start - sand, seaweed, shells and fragments of shells, and big barnacles and mussels tucked into the cracks. However, other debris finds its way into the cracks, ocean-going refuse from a thousand worlds... There's also a number of pointy blue-green crystals that tingle to the touch and remain wet no matter how characters attempt to dry them.
And finally, there's a bunch of bottle crabs - overlarge hermit crabs that look more at home in half-broken beer bottles or soda cans at their size than they do in shells (though they'll live in anything that seems protective enough - the largest seem prone to making their homes in rusty helmets). The crabs are not aggressive unless you harass them first, but they can give a nasty pinch if provoked.
...Did you lose track of time out there among the rocks, or did time lose track of you?
Either way, you're now stuck out as the tide comes in. If you can swim, good for you! You probably won't have too much of a problem, at least once you're far enough from the rocks that you aren't at risk of getting thrown against them and having some important swimming limb broken...
On second thought, maybe it's better to stay here and wait it out, whether you can swim or not. Hope you're ready for a couple hours stuck on a rock with some weird-looking, too-big hermit crabs and...
Who is this other person, anyway?
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.
(In the future, characters who are in-game can also earn themselves an extra item of loot for tagging in to top levels on the test drive, to be distributed with the rest of their loot upon dungeon completion.)
This first test drive is based in the Fissure nearest to the Station, and comes with three potential options, all with a distinctly watery bent -
OPTION 1: MAROONED
Hey, uh... What's that maroon film distorting your vision? And how did you get on this beach, anyway?
So long as the sun is shining, there doesn't seem to be a problem out here on the beach, aside from the strange maroon tint to everything. But when clouds pass over, the tint grows darker, and darker, and the water grows redder, and redder...
That... can't be blood, can it?
Characters who remain beneath the patchy cloud cover will find themselves filled with increasing anxiety that the ocean is made of blood, until either the cloud passes or they check the water for themselves. The bad news is, that while it isn't actually an ocean of blood, contact with the red water will drain characters of energy very rapidly, causing sudden fits of exhaustion as though they were suffering from anemia. By itself, this isn't particularly dangerous...
...Except that the return of the sun doesn't mean the return of that lost energy, and if you've waded out too far, the shifting sand and pull of the waves underfoot can easily pull you down and under.
OPTION 2: LANDSHARK
You really hope that isn't a shark fin moving through the sand. That's just not possible, right?
(Yes, yes it is.)
Landsharks are amphibious, predatory creatures just as at home in the sand as below the waves, and always hungry. They track their prey via disturbances in the sand or water, but fortunately, you can track them the same way - they're large enough to be easily visible in the relatively clear waters near the beach, and their bulk causes a patch of shifting sand above them as they roam for more terrestrial prey.
As a result, they're most dangerous near the waterline, where the shifting sand is hard to see due to the motion of the waves (though they can, of course, pop up further up the beach). Fortunately, they're not large enough to swallow a person whole. Unfortunately, they're still between nine and twelve feet long depending on the individual and easily large enough to take a good chunk out of you.
Like any other shark, they're vulnerable to being sliced open with something sharp, kicked in the gills, or punched in the snout to establish dominance. On the magical end, they have a particular weakness to electricity.
On the bright side, if you're hungry enough, the landsharks are very edible once cooked (or, you know, if you like sushi). For some reason, the meat tastes faintly of chocolate...?
Drops: Meat, shark teeth, candygrams.
OPTION 3: JUST IN TIDE
A bit further down from the beach, the water comes up to the base of the rocky cliffs, leaving numerous nooks and crannies to climb over and explore. In fact, they're practically begging for it.
What might you find? Well, there's the usual beach refuse, for a start - sand, seaweed, shells and fragments of shells, and big barnacles and mussels tucked into the cracks. However, other debris finds its way into the cracks, ocean-going refuse from a thousand worlds... There's also a number of pointy blue-green crystals that tingle to the touch and remain wet no matter how characters attempt to dry them.
And finally, there's a bunch of bottle crabs - overlarge hermit crabs that look more at home in half-broken beer bottles or soda cans at their size than they do in shells (though they'll live in anything that seems protective enough - the largest seem prone to making their homes in rusty helmets). The crabs are not aggressive unless you harass them first, but they can give a nasty pinch if provoked.
...Did you lose track of time out there among the rocks, or did time lose track of you?
Either way, you're now stuck out as the tide comes in. If you can swim, good for you! You probably won't have too much of a problem, at least once you're far enough from the rocks that you aren't at risk of getting thrown against them and having some important swimming limb broken...
On second thought, maybe it's better to stay here and wait it out, whether you can swim or not. Hope you're ready for a couple hours stuck on a rock with some weird-looking, too-big hermit crabs and...
Who is this other person, anyway?
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"Then should we head off? I've been staying on the beach since I figured I was more likely to find other people here, but I really should look for somewhere a little less shark infested before it gets dark."
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Pidonus sighed. That theory was now out. Which left... Well, she didn't know for sure what it left yet. But it was less convenient, whatever it was.
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Not to mention the horrible headache the compressed reality was giving him. It was really a shame his drinks didn't help with pain that didn't come from an injury.
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If her enemy was here, that would be bad for her. If he wasn't, then it would be much worse for her.
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Though the last time had been far more obviously controlled. It had been made clear from the beginning that they'd been brought there on purpose.
"I haven't seen anyone who matches that description, though. And I've spent quite a while on this beach already."
1/?
Her 'teacher' wasn't here.
"T-that can't be. He has to be here. He's the most merchandisable hero so he's the obvious pick for crossover situations! I'm one of the minions of the villainess, that makes no sense for me to be here!"
2/?
Well, there went any hope of keeping her nature a secret. From anyone in the area.
3/4
The initial freakout seemed to progress into an 'existential crisis' very quickly...
4/4
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She also didn't seem much like the succubi he'd encountered in the Metaverse, but that he could just attribute to different worlds. She was probably a genuine demon, rather than a Shadow...something to keep an eye on, he supposed. As long as she didn't go seducing decent people out of their life force, or whatever it was succubi did in her world, he didn't see it as any immediate concern.
The fact that she'd apparently fainted, however, was a concern. None of his Personas had Me Patra, which let out the easy way to fix this...but standing around and waiting for her to wake up wasn't an option. He supposed just leaving her was possible, but she hadn't done anything so far to make him want to just leave her as shark food...well, that just left one way to deal with this.
Hopefully she would wake up when he dumped a glass full of cold water over her head.
no subject
"... By the Darkness, this isn't what it should be... I've gotta... Something... What something?! This is too foreign a situation for me!"
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"One thing at a time, please. Our first priority should be somewhere we aren't likely to get eaten if we try to take a nap. After that, we can work on finding a solution to our problem...either a way to return to our own worlds, or a longer term shelter while we figure out why we're here."
He paused, weighing the situation carefully, before deciding to add one more thing.
"And, if it helps your confusion...I'm a mass murderer and terrorist, albeit one who's making an attempt at changing. I doubt being a hero is among the factors involved in determining who ends up here."
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A hint of a smirk touched his face as he tapped his chin in thought.
"Not everyone needs to be a hero to be a decent neighbor. Personally, I even find a bit of harmless mischief endearing...I suppose its the trickster in me."
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"Don't kill anyone or attack people who don't deserve to be hurt, and don't force sexual situations on others, and I honestly don't care what you do as long as it doesn't keep me or anyone I care about here longer than necessary. I can't speak for many others, of course, but I can promise that I won't take any actions against you as long as you don't make yourself a threat."
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Pidonus sighed. "... And I'll limit the sexual situations. Just don't make me go all conservative with my outfit. I hate doing that."
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He clears his throat, a little awkwardly.
"Just to be respectful of consent. Ah, and an immediate warning: I'm already thoroughly involved, so don't expect seduction tactics to work for influencing me. I've never cared for such shallow relations, anyway."
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"You might be surprised what circumstances can...allow for. But I'm not inclined to take offense, I'm actually rather tired of people swooning over my appearance."
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He ran a hand through his hair with a deep breath.
"I admit I...haven't had the best impression of people who indulge in that sort of behavior, but I'm trying not to let what I've seen back home color my perceptions of others. My boyfriend helped me realize that some of my attitudes toward things are less than reasonable, due to the situations I'm used to."
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She blinked. "... I guess I can get that attitude. I think it's a lame one, but..." Pidonus shrugged.
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A pause.
"Well, I have had a significant number of women try to proposition me, but I think that's more to do with celebrity crushes than anything else. Fans are quite terrifying in their single-mindedness."
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She chuckled at the celebrity bit, though. "Ah, the vagaries of the young, hmm?"
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