phantasmods: (Default)
Phantasmal Rift Mods ([personal profile] phantasmods) wrote in [community profile] phantasmemes2018-05-24 10:10 pm
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TEST DRIVE 004

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?
blackestwitch: (let me talk at you)

[personal profile] blackestwitch 2018-05-26 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ SHE PAUSES FOR A BIT. ]

I'm glad you're here.

It's just been me and Zel, from home.
moonlightglory: (Ha ha ha I'm dead inside)

[personal profile] moonlightglory 2018-05-26 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I'm glad to see a familiar face, too. Between the two of us, you're the one who's smart enough to sort this kind of bullshit out.

[ Faith has a tendency to put on a brave face for Maddie, but just doing that makes her feel a bit more at ease about the situation too. ]
blackestwitch: (‡ (magical) girl talk)

[personal profile] blackestwitch 2018-05-26 05:35 pm (UTC)(link)
I guess that's kind of why I'm out here. I wanted to see how my powers might be able to manipulate the Fissure.

But then I got sidetracked by being a mermaid. [ Swish swish with the bone-plated tail. ] Is it a good-looking tail at least?
moonlightglory: (nah)

[personal profile] moonlightglory 2018-05-26 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ . . . ]

...That's a good point, your magic is related to space manipulation, so you might have some kind of insight into how this place works. Any luck so far?
blackestwitch: (‡ bitch please)

[personal profile] blackestwitch 2018-05-26 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ SHE NOTICES YOU DIDN'T ANSWER ABOUT THE TAIL. Which means it's ugly. She's finally fulfilled the lesbian dream of becoming a mermaid and she wound up as an ugly one, great. ]

I know that my Zones seem to work just fine even inside of a Fissure. But I haven't had a chance to really try out what I was looking into yet.
moonlightglory: (What are you talking about)

[personal profile] moonlightglory 2018-05-26 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ FAITH DIDN'T WANT TO LIE TO YOU, MADDIE... ]

Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get experimenting.
blackestwitch: (let me talk at you)

1/3

[personal profile] blackestwitch 2018-05-26 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Right now? I mean... yeah. All right.

Give me a minute. You know how it is.
blackestwitch: (‡ bitch please)

2/3

[personal profile] blackestwitch 2018-05-26 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maddie focuses for about thirty seconds. The waters around her grow exceptionally still, and this stillness slowly expands past Maddie and Faith. ]
blackestwitch: (‡ (magical) girl talk)

[personal profile] blackestwitch 2018-05-26 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ And then Maddie is done, and she's slowly taking in her surroundings again through touch and sound. A swish of the tail shows that it's still there. ]

All right. I.... I think I did something here.

I tried imposing regular rules of reality over top of the Fissure. And I... think it mostly worked. At least where I can affect.

The tails though. [ Swoosh, swish. ] Probably can't do since that effect is already thrown on top of something living.
moonlightglory: (Default)

[personal profile] moonlightglory 2018-05-27 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ That... felt weird. Does Maddie's magic always feel like that, but the feeling only transmits through water? Questions for later.]

Okay but if we're still mermaids, then what did you actually change just now?
blackestwitch: (let me talk at you)

[personal profile] blackestwitch 2018-05-27 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
All Fissures can pull people and things in, so that would be suppressed. And my guess is that if somebody were to drop in here untransformed, the Fissure wouldn't be able to give them a tail.

It's not... useful, really, here and now in this Fissure. And hard to test beyond a feeling that it worked.
moonlightglory: (Why is this necessary)

[personal profile] moonlightglory 2018-05-28 01:36 am (UTC)(link)
Better than nothing, I guess.

So, what do we do now?
blackestwitch: (‡ (magical) girl talk)

[personal profile] blackestwitch 2018-06-01 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
I could take you back to the research station, I guess. I was going to try and head further in but it's probably best to get settled in. This is... pretty different than your usual sort of thing.

[ Maddie suggesting the reasonable course of action. Boo. ]
moonlightglory: (What are you talking about)

[personal profile] moonlightglory 2018-06-01 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
[ BOOOOOOO ]

If there's some reason to keep going, we should keep going. Don't slow down on my account.
blackestwitch: (‡ (magical) girl talk)

[personal profile] blackestwitch 2018-06-01 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
I don't know if it's an important reason.

It's just that, in the last Fissure, different areas of the Fissure could have different effects. I wanted to see if that held true here, and what they might do.

It might prove better for experimenting with how my powers and this place interact, too.