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]

[ Rude? That sounded like a perfectly normal response from someone, to him... In fact, he's even giving a soft snort of amusement! ]

Imagine if every universe or world was lined up in a circle around a giant vacuum... [ he even. draws a big circle with his two pointer fingers ] ... but the damn thing's busted. So it only sends through tiny particles from each place the hose is pointed at.

[ He releases a soft sigh and gestures towards empty air with one hand, the other lowering to his side. ]

This place is apparently where everything gets sucked in at random.

[ Anyway, onto the other thing! ]

Any chance you're into cross-dressing, then? And maybe with some skills that would give you a promising future as a voice actor? [ I MEAN ] ... Sorry. Promise I'll actually explain... but, first: is your name Akira Kurusu?

[hairpincurves]

[What an explanation.]

... Lovely.

[But, onto the other part of this.]

Yeah, that's my name. [And there's caution kicking in--she's wary and this guy's pretty tall, compared to her.] Why do you ask.

[coagmentatio]

[ He enjoys keeping things colorful, and literal explanations are boring!!1 ... but also? He can sense something is definitely not okay, here. Hm. He pauses a moment... then just...

... flops right down onto the ground and leans back against his hands, pretending to just be doing it out of exhaustion (he even releases a relieved-sounding sigh). Does the lack of height difference help? Hopefully if he's just sitting there, she'll feel less intimidated...?

Aiden remembers what genuine helplessness feels like, after all...

He lets his expression soften into something more relaxed, head tilting to the side a bit as he goes on with his explanation: ]

The world I was in before this... There was another Akira Kurusu there who was a guy. After talking to Morgana earlier, they said there's an Akira here, and that "he's" their best friend...

[ There's more to explain, but he'll let that part sink in, first. ]

[hairpincurves]

[She's visibly relieved when Aiden sits, and then she briefly brightens at the mention of Morgana.]

...! Morgana's here?

[... But... apparently not the one she's familiar with, if Morgana said 'he' was... oh. That's disappointing.]

... I see... I have always wondered what I'd look like as a guy! Mom always did say my behavior half the time would be marginally more acceptable if I was a boy...

[coagmentatio]

[ He gives her a nod! ]

Morgana and Akechi, both.

[ There's a blink at the latter things out of her mouth... and then the faintest of smiles actually surfaces. It's whimsical and distant. It's about the "mom" part, but... he's not bringing that up. ]

... Not too different, in terms of face, actually.

[hairpincurves]

Probably not mine knowing my luck.

[She tugs on one of her braids and frowns. She blinks in surprise when she gets an answer though.]

... Huh, really?

[coagmentatio]

[ He... actually can't begin to sympathize. Not because he doesn't care (unlike how he likes to pretend), but because he doesn't truly know what it's even like to have people to miss. He'd consider his roommate from that school if not for his being certain that said roommate will move on without him, just fine... ]

Yeah. I actually wouldn't be able to tell the difference, if not for the hair and the... obvious.

[ ... awkward. ]

Uh... Anyway, is your code name still Joker?

[hairpincurves]

[It's mostly already becoming clear that if she runs into these people she's gonna be the weird one... ugh.]

... I'm pretty close to average height for a girl... How much of a beanpole is guy me?

[Yeah, she's going with the height being the clear obvious thing. Her figure is, honestly, nothing impressive as far as she figures--which she doesn't mind. Being bigger in the chest would be annoying, for sure.]

... Huh? You... know about that? [Well. Hell.] ... Yeah, that's still my code name.

[coagmentatio]

Five-foot-nine. [ a beat ] I'm actually considered abnormally tall for people of my world. A lot of guys where I'm from are about your height.

[ It's spoken like nothing more than a scientific fact. Though it's only for a couple of seconds that his expression is chill, because it eventually turns into a frown. ]

... One guy in that mall was six-foot-six, and his weight was listed as "A Lot." I can't imagine trying to get around discreetly at that size.

[hairpincurves]

[Her worst enemy: the imperial system. She almost considers asking him for the centimeters, but... hm. It takes her a bit but she manages to figure it out. Then frowns.]

Fifteen centimeters taller than I am... [She almost pouts at the thought.] And four taller than the average.

... Eh? That's almost hard to imagine... ... Both of those things actually. I guess it's one thing if stealth's not a worry, but... jeez.

[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.

[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?

[coagmentatio]

[ He tilts his head just a little. ]

Math isn't a problem for me, but this isn't something that existed on my world, at all.

[ And he nods to that last part. ]

On his profile, it listed "Shield of the King" as his occupation. Of course, it also listed stuff that implied he was obsessed with cup noodles and stealing someone named Prompto's girlfriends...

[ A Most Serious shield of the king, clearly.......... ]

[hairpincurves]

It depends on the math, because there's some stuff I'm fine doing in my head but converting metrics to the imperial system or vice versa... I'd feel more comfortable doing that on paper or with a calculator.

[Bleh.]

Sounds like a delight to be around.

[That gets punctuated with a snort.]

[coagmentatio]

[ That gets an understanding hum and nod. ]

That makes sense. [ glancing to the side ] To tell you the truth, even with all I've managed to learn, I still prefer doing all calculations on paper.

[ Ten years... doesn't feel a ton of time to learn all there is, even with a photographic memory. Given he had to teach himself everything... ]

Heh... I didn't actually get a chance to sit and talk with him, so I can't say. [ a wry smirk ] I only spent a week there and there were twenty-seven other people, and...

[ Briefly, a hand presses to the back of his neck. ]

I don't exactly have a ton of experience in getting to know people.

[hairpincurves]

Paper does make it way easier to go back if you make a mistake.

[There's a pause as she listens, tilting her head to one side a bit.]

Well, there's no time like the present to change that, right?

[coagmentatio]

[ He wonders if he should feel some surprise over those words. This really is Akira Kurusu. Just the hint of a smile threatens his choice of demeanor, so he discreetly turns his head. It's a wry thing, but it's still a smile. No time like the present...?

Before Fayflower, he would have been surprised by an idealistic kind of response... ]

You think so, huh...?

[ After looking back up to her, he shakes his head just slightly. He'll... humor her, for now... ]

Hypothetically, what would you recommend someone do, then? To get more experience in that kind of thing.

[hairpincurves]

... Eh?

[... She actually hadn't anticipated him taking that so seriously. She blinks a bit, then smiles sheepishly.]

Well... talk to people. Seek them out to spend time with them! Maybe find something the two of you both enjoy... Stuff like that? That's what I do, at least...

[coagmentatio]

[ That gets a faintly wry, albeit softened smirk... ]

Sounds deceptively easy...

[hairpincurves]

Trust me, it takes practice. Talking isn't really my strong suit... Actually, I'm pretty new to the whole 'having friends' thing in general.

[coagmentatio]

[ His expression softens a little. ]

For years, talking was always something I only did when I absolutely had to...

[ The look he gives her is one of hesitant consideration. Okay then... why the hell not. If anything, he can just play it off as though it's a joke, if she seems ready to judge him for this!!! ]

... My favorite books are romance novels.

[hairpincurves]

Romance novels, huh... That's unexpected!

[And a little endearing, but she's not saying that part out loud.]

I've always been the type who'd read anything I could get my hands on... I've got a little bit of a soft spot for romance novels, admittedly... I like nonfiction best, but as far as strictly fiction goes... Hmm, fantasy, I think.

[That's punctuated with a nod.]

[coagmentatio]

[ There is absolutely not the hint of a blush after her response (spoiler: there is)... but it fades as he gives a wry smirk. ]

I actually used to hate reading.

[ With a quiet sigh, he leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees. ]

But... one of the girls who joined the guild just after me - she really liked romance novels, even though the rest of the hunters made fun of her. She always ignored them, sometimes even laughing in their face and telling them to fuck off.

[ Something distant enters his expression. ]

She left the book behind, one day. I knew one of the other hunters would probably just steal it and burn it, if they saw it just lying there. So, I grabbed it and took it home. Out of boredom, I read it...

[ There's a lengthy pause... ]

Anyway, after she broke the rules and- was removed from the guild, I wound up stuck with it. I kept the book to remember her by, and then... I read the other volumes...

[ The ghost of a whimsical smile appears. ]

Her name was Kara. She was about your age.

[hairpincurves]

She sounds like she was pretty cool...

[Definitely like someone she could get along with...]

Was the series any good?

[coagmentatio]

A total badass, if you ask me.

[ There's a little sadness in his gaze, but he's keeping it averted. ]

Mm... I'll admit it wasn't my favorite beyond the value of the books.

[ His way of saying the books are invaluable to him, even if the story is super cheesy. ]

It was a hell of an idea, and the first volume set a great mood. The thing that was most unique was the protag didn't have a specified gender - they just went by "Xe" and the other characters never gave any clues.

When their love interest, Rem, came into the picture, things really kicked off. They had to fight to stay together, because the love interest had begun to change into a monster... But... something about them just being together was enough to halt the process. While Rem was never going to be human ever again, Xe still accepted and loved her. Even though she'd killed countless people and hated herself...

[ Mmmmm... he's kind of... avoiding looking at her as he says this part... ]

... Rem had a long road ahead of her, but Xe stayed by her every step of the way. That was the thing that kept me interested in the story. Even though I don't believe this kind of thing could ever happen in the real world, it was nice to be in one where it could, even just for a little while.

[ A heavy sigh slips out, after that... ]

The series really went to hell, though, when Xe's mom came back into the picture. She started trying to boss Rem around, telling her she wasn't "good enough" for her baby. It completely went against the mood of the story when she started saying shit like... Rem wasn't enough of a lady, and that she should start wearing dresses.