TEST DRIVE 004

[phantasmods]

Hello and welcome to the fourth 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 takes place in Keystone Reef, a water-influenced Fissure to the northeast of the station. It is home to numerous fish and coral species, as well as a very interesting magical effect...

OPTION ONE: FINNY FUN

Under the water is where you woke up, and under the water is where you might be stuck for a while. The magic is lodged in you and has changed your form -- maybe a little, maybe a lot. Perhaps you only have gills, but you may also have a full set of changes, fins and no feet to speak of. Don't panic, you'll surely be fine if you just keep swimming...

Aside from the strange changes, it's a pretty cool place to be. If you've ever dreamed about scuba diving on a coral reef, the place that you've found yourself is perfect for that (minus the needing to scuba part). Curious fish swim up and then dart away into rock crevices, coral growths, and even down to bury themselves in the layer of sand at the bottom. The water is also fairly shallow, allowing you to surface if you so desire.

Even the sharks are friendly and just want to have as much a look at you as you want to look at them. Don't harass the glowing eels tucked into cracks between the rocks, though, they bite and don't particularly let go.

OPTION TWO: WORLD'S SMALLEST JUNGLE

This must certainly be an oceanside jungle - in spite of the humidity, the smell of salt on the air is strong. Brilliant greens and the occasional bright flowers, accompanied by island birdsong... It could be a nice place to spend an afternoon. There's not even that many bugs that want to drink your blood (though bugs in general are, well, quite plentiful).

Eventually, though, however far you go, you'll reach the beach and be met with the expanse of the ocean - blue, uncaring, and real big. While one side of the little island thankfully has land visible in the distance, the outer side just overlooks a near-endless expanse of blue. If you're a very good swimmer, you could probably make your way to land past the rocks of the reef itself... Otherwise, though, you might be just a bit stuck on your jungle island paradise.

At least until someone brings a boat.

OPTION THREE: SHIPWRECK

Both above and below the waterline are the remains of ships crashed upon the rocks, just waiting to be explored. Even though it has clearly been an incredibly long time, the chunks of wood and metal are still in fairly good condition, and the chance of finding something nice tucked in with them among the rocks is surely tempting to anyone with an adventurous spirit.

The wrecks beneath the waves also grow coral and seaweed, and provide havens for larger fish, dragon eels, and sharks. Those along the rocks above the waterline, on the other hand, provide a home for seabirds of all varieties. Most notable is the hulking shell of a shipping craft in the distance, looking very much modern if ruined by some centuries of exposure...

For right now, though, you'd best contend with the flotsam a bit closer to you, and the wildlife that might not take too kindly to your exploring. Below the waterline, the dragon eels found in a few places don't take kindly to being disturbed; above, you might run afoul of some overprotective seabirds protecting their nests. Maybe even an invisible seagull (normal sized) - how ridiculous would that be?

Comments

[karappo]

I appreciate your concern. There is really not much to be done, but...if I can at least find out if my brothers are here, that will be a weight off my mind.

[He's not expecting many of them to be.]

What is your name, if you do not mind me asking?

[coagmentatio]

[ The "willingness to accept a changed form" bit has something tense and unpleasant ghosting over his expression. It might be noticeable to those with honed observation skills, but he won't be drawing any additional attention to it.

In fact, he's quickly forcing his expression into something calmer and moving on: ]

That's an interesting theory... [ interestingly accurate-sounding, so far ] I've encountered several people, so far... But, I didn't get to talk to them long enough to properly form an opinion.

[ That's... technically a lie; while there's nothing unsteady or off about his tone, he's looking down at his phone as he says that last sentence. He's so good at this. ]

[coagmentatio]

So you're one hundred sixty centimeters, then?

[ He's making a face............ ]

I still haven't taken the time to figure out how to convert feet and inches to centimeters. [ a quiet, discreet sigh ] I've only ever known the former.

... And yeah. I wasn't able to imagine it until I was standing in the same room with him. It was like... [ lifting a hand to demonstrate how much taller he was ] Guess his king liked the shield to be incredibly large.

[coagmentatio]

I hope they are.

[ This is such unfamiliar territory for him...... ]

I don't mind. Call me Aiden. [ a nod ] What about you?

[hairpincurves]

There's too much math involved. [She's also making a face.] I've gotten to a point I can kinda vaguely approximate one from the other, but it's still a pain.

... I know people can get taller than that but jeez... ... King?

Re: 1

[labelledamesauvage]

C'est la vie. It could be worse, or it could just be maddening. I think I shall take it as it comes and see what happens. If nothing else, it'll be another story no one believes.

[She gives that last bit with a bright, mischievous smile.]

[serrata]

That's how it was for us, too. And then suddenly, the next thing we knew, we were just here and we haven't been able to get home. People were saying... oh, I don't know. Time doesn't pass in the worlds we came from or something stupid like that.

Then again, they've been telling us all sorts of stupid things and I have no idea what to believe.

Chisato Shirasagi | BanG Dream!

[ironsmiles]

2 | the beach, starring leonato dishirasagio

[ It wasn't as if Chisato had never seen the ocean before. She had, a few times, from the windows of trains when she'd been travelling, or on the odd occasion when she'd been younger and had the odd day off to just enjoy doing nothing and being a kid. But it had never felt this dwarfing when she'd just been playing on the beach, with friends and family nearby.

This was so large it was almost suffocating. A stark reminder that she had no idea where she was, or if there was even anyone else here. She was supposed to have been going home from the agency-- how had she even found her way here, wherever here was.

After a moment of silent, internal panic, Chisato raises her hands to her mouth and breathes deeply, and slowly. Calm and controlled. This was no time to be panicking. ]

I need... fuel. Leaves, twigs. Something to light a fire with, something that will make a lot of smoke.

[ If she can't find anyone, she'll make someone find her instead. ]

3 | if in doubt, politely loot

[ Exploring the waterline had been semi-fruitful, in a way. Plenty of rocks and little shells - things that could create a spark if she struck them, so at least there was no fear of freezing to death if she was suck here overnight. But fuel had been tougher to find and stock up on. Chisato had been unwilling to climb trees and try to tear down leaves in case she fell, and the ground itself had been lacking in the amount of what she needed.

So when she spotted the remains of a ship stuck up against some nearby rocks, she'd gravitated towards it. Ships meant wood, even if she was going to have to dry it out somehow. She'd be able to do something with it. Everything was somewhat submerged, but now wasn't the time to be worrying about getting her feet wet.

Unfortunately, wading into the water only ends up causing some... disturbances. There's a low sound, something like a hiss, and the flicker of something moving in the shadows. It's enough to get Chisato to freeze her movements, and then, when it becomes abundantly clear there's something there in the water, she starts moving slowly back. Until there's a snapping motion, where her leg was a moment before. Then she's dashing back to dry land with a shriek, scrambling behind the rotting wall of the ship and pressing her back to it. ]

Wha--?? What on earth?

Re: 1

[have_hat_will_travel]

Heh. It's always the ones that no one believes that are the most interesting to listen to, though.

At least, from my experience.

[byhalves]

[Another world...? Magical effects?

He frowns, looking down at his own tail. Magic doesn't seem like much of an explanation, but if it could do this to him than...surely it must be as real as his quirk is?]

I see. Thank you for explaining. [Look at him, being nice.

He shoots the man a look, squinting.]

...What were you doing before?

[founderinglight]

Hm?

[He was just exploring - oh, right. Eventually he'll get used to people not taking warping and magic for granted.]

Oh - it's called warping. It's a part of my family's magic.

Minato Arisato | Persona NOT FIVE 3

[biddentodance]

[1 - down to the sea we go]
[You know what. We're not even going to question any of this. Minato is too tired for this, and his fever is too high. At least this fever dream is pretty cool. The fish are colorful and worth watching. He gave up on swimming pretty quick, so he's just letting the ebb and flow of the water carry him around.

It might be rather hard to tell he's a person at the moment, or even a fish, because rather than scales he seems to have transformed into a transparent blob - tinted blue, with vague shapes glowing orange and red and blue. A clione, for those familiar with the so-called sea angels. He isn't likely to do very much like this, though, and could drift into all kinds of trouble.]

[3 - down to the world below]
[This whole scenario is actually not terrible for a fever - the water takes some of the heat and the partially-invertebrate form helps, and so with some time to get used to it (and figure out how exactly to swim), Minato is taking to a little exploration. The shipwrecks make for something of a romantic adventure, and these are much closer than the big one...this is far, far easier in his sluggish, flopping state.

He's chasing his own golden gleams, yes, but that won't take all of his admittedly reduced focus. Well-trained senses are alert for unknown dangers, and if he sees someone else threatened by a sea creature, his goal shifts. He'll swim that way with all the force he can muster and, for lack of better ideas, try to ram the threat away. He just...needs to get there fast enough...

Alternatively? He may not even notice the shark stalking after him.]

3

[foolishjustice]

[Goro's flitting around the shipwrecks in search of sunken treasure, or just tasty fish, when he spots the panther shark stalking what...appears to be a giant sea slug with a humanoid torso. From past experiences, he's fairly sure that these sharks just see things their own size as potential playmates or toys...but he has his doubts a slug mer would enjoy being a shark's chew toy.

With much more speed than a sea slug could manage, the lionfish merman darts past Minato to lightly tap the shark on the snout. He gets a confused tilt in response, before the shark just drifts forward...and bites his arm. Oddly, though, he doesn't seem distressed by this...nor does he seem to be bleeding. In fact, he seems perfectly content to playfully tug his arm back and forth as if it's a rope and he's playing tug-o-war with an energetic dog...]

That's better, play with someone a little more durable.

[biddentodance]

[A flash of color draws Minato's attention. There was someone else here? More merfolk. Neat. And that...sure is a shark behind him...

Sharks bite. That shark is no exception. But it doesn't seem to be a problem for the other mer. If anything, this brings to mind Junpei and Koromaru roughhousing....interesting. Distracted from his treasure hunt, Minato just kind of floats over to get a better view.]

A dog...?

[foolishjustice]

They do have somewhat similar personalities.

[He loops his free arm around the shark in what would be a headlock if sharks had necks, shoulder fin lifting to make room.]

It's a little hard to recognize people right now, but I don't think I've seen you before. Have you met anyone else here yet?

Re: 1

[labelledamesauvage]

True. Some people don't believe the entire story of the man who tried to kill me for humiliating him with a song, who was so intent on it he sold his soul for the skill to do so.

And then he didn't even do the deal properly.

[She shakes her head a little sadly.]

[makejapangreat]

[qué???]

I am most certainly not agreeable to having been changed. Even more so without my knowing beforehand!

[biddentodance]

...Uh... [Hard to remember clearly through the haze in his head. Depends how much he was dozing and blending dream with reality, really. After a pause that was somewhat longer than strictly necessary...]

Maybe...? Where's here?

[foolishjustice]

I think this area is called Keystone. We're in the reef just offshore...which means you're not hallucinating the water or your new form, if you were worried about that.

[The shark wiggles against his side, and he turns so that it can't bump into his dorsal fins by accident. The shark responds by letting go of his hand, so it can get a better grip further up his arm.]

The unstable magic here is changing everyone who ends up submerged in the water into forms suited to it.

[biddentodance]

Cool. Keystone... Doesn't sound like Japan. [He's alright with this. He wouldn't be terribly surprised either way, really.

...Sharks don't have ears to scritch, this is a problem. This shark deserves ear scritches? How scritch. This is definitely a more pressing concern than anything else right now.]

Shark's cute.

[foolishjustice]

It's another world entirely, as difficult as it might be to believe. We're in something called a Fissure, which is distorted and unstable reality caused by out of control magic. People and objects slip through from other worlds.

[He pats the shark's head as it gives his arm a couple light tugs, then gives a tug of his own back.]

And the sharks are cute, though I wouldn't recommend doing this yourself unless you're immune to physical damage.

[darlingpoopsies]

A collision of worlds.....

Like when opposing currents become a whirlpool.

How interesting. So the pull is too strong to escape on our own power.

Even enormous human ships can by torn apart and sunk by something like that.

[It may be a strange concept, but seadwellers like them immediately grasp it, with the help of a native metaphor. They look at Shido more closely, eyes glittering with interest.]

What do you normally look like?

[biddentodance]

[Later, he'll put together the Fissure explanation with the knowledge of Shadows' ability to manipulate time and space. Right now it's easier to accept whatever comes. Other worlds? Sure.]

Nah. [Some of his Personas are resistant to one type of physical damage or another, but none of them block any of the three outright.]

...Nice to meet you, shark-san.... [He's losing focus. He rubs at his face briefly, like he's trying to wake up. His admittedly rather flushed face.]

[darkcure]

Um... I don't think I've seen her. I'm sorry. We only just got here.

Were you supposed to be somewhere else too...?

[foolishjustice]

Ah, right, my name is Goro Akechi.

[He wrestles his arm free to flip the shark over so he can rub its belly, leaving the shark wiggling like an excited dog.]

Are you alright, though? You look ill.