phantasmods: (Default)
Phantasmal Rift Mods ([personal profile] phantasmods) wrote in [community profile] phantasmalrift2018-02-12 06:00 am

IC INTRO - FEB

The first thing the new arrivals will see, as the sun sets, is a set of distant lights turning on - the roof of the Station, perched on the cliffs above the beach.

The next thing, probably, will be the exploratory drone, a flying chrome thing about the size of a horse, descending near them, wherever they are.

"I can't believe it spat out people this time," says a voice through the speakers - androgynous, somehow sounding young and old enough to be incredibly tired.

Another voice, almost identical but almost unmistakably that of a different speaker from the cheerful tone, says, "Worry about it later! Hey, do you want a ride?"

And with that, the door of the drone's cargo bay opens.

--> WELCOME, NEW ARRIVALS.


Drones drop characters off on the well-lit lower section of the roof, where a pair of tall, gangly humanoids meet them. The two are clearly artificial, formed of silver metal and white silicone, and perfectly identical... Except for their standing posture, which is very different.

The one on the right, a step further back, looks indisputably excited, and peers at the new arrivals curiously. The one on the left has a bag slung over their shoulder, clearly thrown together at the last moment and not completely closed. They take a step forward and say, in a calm tone, "Hello. My name is Strange. Do you have any injured?"

A few minutes after the characters start to arrive, a third android bursts out of the door into the station, exclaiming (in the same voice as the rest), "Here! Wear these!" before shoving a purple scarf at Strange and a red scarf at the curious one. The new android is already wearing an orange scarf.

Once all characters have been brought up, the remaining three androids arrive on the roof, wearing green, dark blue, and white scarves. The one in white hangs back a little from the others, while the one in blue carries themselves with authority.

"Welcome to Keystone Station," says the one in blue, in a voice that must have the volume enhanced to carry across the entire roof. "You may call me Up. My siblings and I have been maintaining the station in the absence of our creators, and researching the phenomenon that brought you here, which we call Fissures. ...I am sorry to say that we have no way to return you to your worlds at this time, so please accept our hospitality."

They bow, low at the waist, and that seems to be a signal to the rest of the group to break up and join the confused, milling group of new arrivals.

--> INDIVIDUAL NPC TOP-LEVELS

Strange - Charm - Top - Bottom - Up - Down

--> THE REST OF THE STATION

Once explanations have been made as much as they can be, the newly arrived characters are set loose to explore the station itself. The labs are currently closed off, as is the door down to the generator level, but characters are welcome to explore anywhere else they please.

The androids, too, depart the roof, each setting off with a distinct task in mind. Charm and Bottom can be found on the lowest accessible level, the two of them working magic on stored seeds long into the night in order to tempt the infant plants into growing. Up and Strange vanish into the labs, (which open to characters the next day, the biology lab having been converted to a medical bay, along with the generator level).

Top and Down, meanwhile, make their home in the central gathering room of the residential floor for the night. Down is distributing network devices from a case at their side, while Top is noting down character housing arrangements and who is taking which of the station's rooms.

There's also a table set up near them, which is covered in a variety of snack foods that characters can grab and munch on before they head off for the night. Most of the packages have sand or dried salt clinging to them, indicating well enough their origins, and the expiry dates are of course all over the place even on the snacks characters might recognize... But it's certainly something to eat, isn't it?

--> THE NEXT MORNING

When characters come into the common room the next day, there's a set of large boxes on either side of the couch-filled lower area. One side is full of clothes of approximately modern Earth origin, loosely sorted by fit. A note tacked to the boxes says Limit yourself to one outfit, please!

The boxes on the other side of the room are empty. A clip-board set on a white folding table in the middle has a piece of paper and a black pen strung to it;

Trading Post

Found something you don't want? Leave it here in case someone else does.

If you're looking for something specific, scribble it down on this pad with your name!

Finally, those who adventure into either kitchen will find a box of plain donuts left out on the counters.

TRADING POST
scarsolderthanyou: (kids)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-02-23 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"You remember those sand-swimming fish things from the place we got pulled out of to get here?" Stone asks. "Bigger than that. I had one for dinner before the androids found us. Damn good thing, too, since there's not a lot of meat around here. It's going to have to hold me for a while."
photoshooter: (PATHETIC 📷 Or did I just Beta you?)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-02-23 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"Whoa." That's impressive. He's impressed. "Wait, hold on, how often do you have to eat? And you can only eat meat?"

Because there is a room downstairs full of young, helpless chickens, and Prompto is their mother now.

"Didn't you just have a donut?"
scarsolderthanyou: (amused)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-02-24 01:54 am (UTC)(link)
"I can eat whatever I want," Stone says. "Bread and vegetables and sugary things are all fine. But I need meat in my diet or I'll get sick. Or at least very cranky. I'd rather not subject a bunch of humans to me being cranky."
photoshooter: (EUGH 📷 THAT'S your plan?)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-02-26 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"Why? What're you like when you're cranky? ...Besides cranky."

Should he be worried? It kind of sounds like he should be worried.
scarsolderthanyou: (patience)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-02-27 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"I just growl more, and I'm more likely to swat idiots on the back of the head than tolerate them," Stone shrugs. "I'm not going to eat anyone, if that's what you're worried about. Raksura don't do that."
photoshooter: (RUB 📷 Uh I dunno...)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-03-01 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ahaha, aw, come on, dude. Thought never even crossed my mind."

Except for the multiple times in the span of five seconds it did.

"I could probably go shoot some more of those sharks for you, though! ...Iiiiif I had more bullets for my gun. Man, I'm not used to having to worry about that..."
scarsolderthanyou: (amused)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-03-01 10:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"Once they let us back through again, if they're going to, I can catch them myself. They seemed to think they could eat me instead." He looks smug. "They were wrong. And not the tastiest thing I've ever had, but it wasn't bad."
photoshooter: (EENY MEENY 📷 Think think think)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-03-02 10:58 am (UTC)(link)
"What about eggs? Eggs have protein in them, too. If the meat thing is a protein thing, anyway." Prompto thinks about it a moment, then holds up a finger like a lightbulb's turned on. "Or fish! Some fish are kind of meaty."
scarsolderthanyou: (thinking)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-03-03 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
"Those sand things were fish. They're okay, I guess. Eggs are fine, if you can get enough of them, or some that are big enough. A cow or something would still be best." He looks wistful at the idea. "Last place I got kidnapped to, they had a fresh cow for me every few days."
photoshooter: (UP 📷 You think aliens have furries?)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-03-03 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Hmm. A cow, huh?"

Prompto nods and puts a hand to his chin, glances aside, leans his weight on one leg. He is the picture of thought.

"...What's a cow?"
scarsolderthanyou: (smile)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-03-03 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
Stone grins. He won't judge; he didn't know what a cow was until his first kidnapping, either. "It's a big, four-footed herd animal that eats grass. Humans drink its milk and kill it for meat and leather. We don't have them on my world, either, we have other kinds of grass-eaters."
photoshooter: (HUH 📷 Wait what?)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-03-03 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh! Like a garula, okay."

Wait. A beat, and then Prompto's eyes widen.

"You can eat a whole garula?!"
scarsolderthanyou: (skeptical)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-03-05 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"My other form is very big," Stone reiterates, a bit impatiently, since he feels like he's been telling people this over and over. Maybe he just needs to go lounge in the big cargo area in said other form so everyone can take a gander.
photoshooter: (ALERT 📷 Do I hear chocobos?)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-03-06 10:34 am (UTC)(link)
"How big is 'very big'?"

Prompto holds his hands a certain width apart, then as wide as they can go, stretching his arms out long.

"Like, Dualhorn big? Iron Giant big? As big as a Zu?"
scarsolderthanyou: (thinking)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-03-09 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't know what any of those things are," Stone points out, shaking his head, then tries to give him some more useful idea of his size. "My wings are about sixty paces from wingtip to wingtip. I could fit in the big storage room we met in, if I was on all fours, and maybe very cramped and coiled in one of the bigger empty meeting rooms. If I cleared out the furniture first."
photoshooter: (SKETCHY 📷 Come again?)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-03-12 06:09 pm (UTC)(link)
"Whhhoooaaaaaa. Sixty paces--that's." He frowns, then, and crosses his arms, picturing it. "That's actually not the biggest thing we've ever fought, but it's still pretty big!"
scarsolderthanyou: (skeptical)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-03-12 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
"I've run into things much bigger, too," Stone shrugs. "Oceanlings, swamplings, the major kethel of the Fell. It's more of an annoyance than anything else, most of the time, but if there's a fight, it's still useful being that big. None of the other Raksura are my size-- we grow our whole lives, not just until we reach adulthood."
photoshooter: (OH? 📷 Kim's marrying who?)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-03-12 08:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"Wow. Doesn't that get, I dunno. Inconvenient?"

Prompto is 5'8". He literally cannot even imagine.

"What happens if you get too big for the tree?"
scarsolderthanyou: (smile)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-03-13 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Stone shakes his head with half a grin, thinking about the size of the colony tree. "That would be hard to do. But I'll die before I get too much bigger, anyway. See this?" He holds up his hand, pinching at the gray skin there. "This means I'm finally actually aging. Raksura lose their coloring when they get old. In a couple of decades, probably, I'll go fully white, and then it'll be my time."
photoshooter: (SAD PUPPY 📷 Old Yeller dies...?)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-03-16 09:52 am (UTC)(link)
Prompto's face falls. "Oh... Kind of like human aging. I mean, our hair turns grey, or white. ...Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, dude."

A couple decades seems like a long time to Prompto--who is, himself, only a couple decades old--but dying is still a sad thing to talk about.
scarsolderthanyou: (patience)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-03-16 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Stone shrugs. "I've been alive several times longer than most of my people. I've seen my queen and children and grandchildren grow old and die, before me. Everyone has their time, and mine is finally catching up with me." It might even be a relief, though he's not going to say that part out loud.
photoshooter: (FADE 📷 I'm bleeeeding out)

[personal profile] photoshooter 2018-03-18 08:00 am (UTC)(link)
"I guess it's sad when you put it that way. Being alive that long, I mean."

Briefly, he drops his gaze and rubs his arm, chewing his lip a little. Longevity--immortality, almost, from his perspective--isn't something he's ever really had cause to consider from this angle.

"I don't think I've met anyone who just... accepts it like that. Like, I know guys who aren't afraid to die, but not, like, because it's their time or anything. They'd do it for a cause, or for someone who's important to them..." A thought occurs to him, though, and he laughs weakly. "But I guess most of the people I know are a lot younger than you, if you've had grandkids and stuff. That probably makes a difference."
scarsolderthanyou: (smile)

[personal profile] scarsolderthanyou 2018-03-20 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
"I have great-great grandkids," Stone corrects with a little smile. "I'm probably older than most people you know, yeah. I'm older than everyone in my court. I'm not quite ready yet, but when the time comes, I probably will be. So long as there's nothing too dangerous or stupid going on at home, anyway."