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

[coagmentatio]

[ Ah...? ]

So... psychic powers that lead to magic?

[meowna]

It's like magic, but not quite. It only works in the Metaverse--the strength of your heart is able to physically manifest there. And because your mind makes it real in a place like that, it takes a form you would personally recognize as power or strength--so it can look like a magic spell, or just like making you strong enough to actually be able to hurt Shadows with weapons--or sometimes even your bare hands! Get it?

[A beat, before he adds, a little sheepishly:]

.....Well, I guess it does work here, too. But that's because of how unstable reality is in this world.

[coagmentatio]

[ Ahhhh... ]

Heh... taking the power of imagination to a possibly terrifying... and literal level.

[ Oh shit, is that an actual smile? He doesn't seem to notice it, either. Still, it fades before he continues. ]

Ah... here, too? [ DOES HE SEEM. A TINY BIT SHY......? m-maybe ] ... Any chance you'd show me?

[meowna]

[Morgana's grin only widens at the sight of the smile; just how long one took to surface at all makes it feel special, like a prize he's earned. How can he say no to a shy request like that? He almost instinctively wants to encourage it and help draw Aiden out more.

He can't exactly strike a pose while in the water like this, but Morgana does raise a paw dramatically. Good enough, right? Do tiny pink toe beans make him look less badass?]

Zorro, show your might!

[Zorro appears looming over him in a blaze of light, drawing a Z in the air with dramatic flourishes of his rapier. He sweeps the blade in a graceful arc, and suddenly, the wind roars around them, blowing Aiden's hair and clothes around, stirring the sand at his feet..... and whipping the surface of the water into a brief but majestic whirlwind of towering waves and flying foam.

It's not a focused attack or anything of the sort, but Aiden will probably get sprayed by all the water splashing around. Still, it's one hell of a show, isn't it?]

[coagmentatio]

[ That sure is one hell of a show! Aiden's eyes actually widen a bit, and he finds himself openly staring the entire time. He does lift a hand to shield his face, on instinct. He remains still, beyond that, even staring for a moment after the show is over. ]

Holy shit...

[ He is. Staring at Morgana in wonder, for now? ]

[meowna]

[The winds die down soon enough, and Zorro vanishes in a soft glow of light; Morgana grins triumphantly. Aiden's clearly stunned speechless by how macho, cool, and badass he is! Hah!]

That's my Persona. They're the manifestation of the rebellious spirit in your heart--a reflection of the other self that sleeps within. When you awaken to who you truly are, and have the indomitable spirit you need to fight back against the world, that's how you develop and channel your psychic powers in the Metaverse.

[coagmentatio]

[ Oh... That's a Persona?

There's a small frown as he goes quiet for a moment, but then he decides to follow his gut. ]

... Do you know anyone named Akira Kurusu?

[meowna]

I..... well, yeah. He's my best friend. Why?

[How does he know Akira? And more importantly how does he know Akira and still think coffee is some weird, novel thing?]

[coagmentatio]

[ ... For some reason the mention of "best friend" has something in his stomach twisting unpleasantly; what even is a best friend? Is that essentially declaring that this friend is far more valuable than any others you declare a friend? ]

Ah... [ expression remaining steady ] He was in the school with me before I arrived here. He had "Personas" and "Phantom Thief" on his profile.

[meowna]

[Someday, Aiden, you'll learn what exactly it means. You'll find Riley and it'll just click. Meanwhile, Morgana just looks somewhat confused. Why would students have profiles?]

If you went to Shujin Academy, then you wouldn't think coffee or flying birds are weird..... What school did you two go to?

He's out here somewhere, too, but I'm not sure where he got off to. Even just this part of the ocean is so big it's a little hard to keep track of everyone.

[coagmentatio]

[ He shakes his head. ]

Fayflower.

[ Oh... he's here, too? ]

How long as he been here?

[meowna]

He showed up before I did, so probably two or three months now? Maybe longer? I've never heard of Fayflower, though.

[coagmentatio]

Fayflower was a school where a bunch of people from various worlds were dragged into it... kind of like how this place did.

The biggest difference here is that we still have our powers while not being trapped on a campus.

[meowna]

Weird..... He did say he'd been gone somewhere for a while before coming here. He never explained any of the details, though. Maybe that was Fayflower?

[coagmentatio]

I doubt it... unless I got lost in a time rift on the way here. To me, it feels like I just got out of Fayflower... and Akira was there, last I remember.

[ Hmmmmmm... ]

[meowna]

It might be a different Akira? Apparently people can come from slightly different versions of the same world, somehow--like if you were born as a girl instead of a boy! You could even theoretically meet one of those other versions of yourself in a place like this. Pretty weird thought, huh?

[coagmentatio]

... Here's to hoping I never meet another me, then.

[ That's... it; that's all he has to say.

His gaze drops and shifts to the side, his body suddenly tense. Clearly there are some unpleasant thoughts going through his head. ]

[meowna]

You wouldn't get along with yourself, huh?

[Morgana looks..... a little concerned, actually. Clearly, something deeper about that idea is troubling him. But what?]

[coagmentatio]

[ One corner of his lips twitches upward in a sort of... wry smirk of sorts. ]

As far as I know, I wouldn't.

[ Mmm... he's very, very hesitant, but letting out this bit isn't even a matter of opening up; it's just a matter of fact. ]

I don't want to know what could have gone differently.

[ He doesn't want even a chance at finding out the kind of person he was before he lost his memories, and so he hates the part of him that does want to know.

He doesn't want to know why nobody wanted him. He doesn't want to know what he did to deserve losing those memories ten years ago. He doesn't want to know what happened to his parents, because he knows it can only be bad - he hates that part of himself, because what if they deserve to have it known? What if they didn't just throw him away, after all...?

Or what if he... chased them away, considering how terrible he is? ]

Some things are better left unknown.

[meowna]

.....Maybe.....

[Morgana looks decidedly uncertain at that. He can sympathize, after all. Can't he? The desire to know who you are, weighed against the fear that it might not be the kind of person you were expecting or hoping to find..... The idea that you might be disgusted by your previous self, or they might be disgusted by the person you've become. The thought, even, that in recovering who you used to be..... you might even lose who you are now in the process, if your old memories and thought processes overwhelm your current personality.

Having amnesia is a scary thing, no matter which way you look at it.]

.....B-but the differences aren't always that big, either. This version of you was at Fayflower before you came here. You could meet another you where the only difference at all is that they never went there, and ended up coming straight here instead, you know?

[coagmentatio]

[ He's awkwardly glancing back at Morgana... ]

... Still...

[ Aiden sighs and shifts his stance. He... really hates himself, Morgana. He hates himself more than he hates those wolf people, and those guys are the ones he'll kill on sight... so... ]

One of me is more than enough for any world.

[meowna]

I guess so..... Don't worry too much about it, though. I've met different versions of my friends, but I don't think anybody's ever met themselves.

[Awkward reassurance go? Can he cuddle you until the self-loathing fucks off? Just wait until you meet Akana and eat your words, Morgana. Oops??]

[coagmentatio]

[ His expression softens a little, and he shakes his head. ]

I'd say there's a first time for everything, but...

[ ... he'll give the hoping thing a try?

WWFD? - What would Flat do? ]

[meowna]

Anyway..... enough about that. I've told you about my world, where are you from?

[Morgana, you told him about the Metaverse, not Japan. I mean, granted, that technically is your world, but still.....]

cw: eating... humans, suicide, alcohol, drugs........ god just be careful reading????

[coagmentatio]

[ ... He's tempted to point out that he wasn't told much at all about the actual world, but about the Metaverse, which didn't have the specific title of "real" attached, like the other place mentioned did. ]

Daeseon? ...There's not much to say about it.

[ God, he hates this already, but... ]

It's completely different from this place, or even the last world I was on. Daeseon doesn't get sunlight pouring down on it, because the sun is dying and the clouds are always blocking its rays. When I first got to the world that school was on, I spent as much time inside as possible. I was only able to go out when the sun wasn't shining directly down on me.

[ He waves a hand dismissively. That was just to give an example of how unused to sunlight he was. ]

People are able to use magic freely on Daeseon, but using it means that you start to change into something that's no longer considered human. We have a ton of monsters roaming the place, and if a regular human doesn't keep themself armed, they're at an even bigger risk of getting yanked into an alleyway and eaten.

[ He folds his arms over his chest, doing a damn decent job of sounding nonchalant about all this. In truth? This was his normal life, and his tolerance for the dark stuff is damn high as a result. ]

But... a lot of humans wind up dying from alcohol poisoning or drugs, because living in fear gets to them. And even people who begin the change from human to monster usually wind up ending their life.

[ Something uncomfortable does flicker through his eyes, however, at: ]

Well... for them, in particular, if it's not that... or living a life on the run, it's being killed by the hunters. There's no in-between on anything there.