The Mods of LifeAftr (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lifeaftr_mods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
aftr_ooc2017-07-04 10:46 pm
lifeaftr_mods) wrote in aftr_ooc2017-07-04 10:46 pm
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE MEME ( 001 )
Test Drive Meme #1
Hello, and welcome to our very first test drive! We’re pleased that you’re expressing an interest in the game. Here, you can test the waters, gauge how your character may fare in the world of LifeAftr, and even gain some in-game incentives, if you so choose.
Remember that Reserves will open on July 17th and that Applications will open on July 24th, in preparation for the game’s official opening on August 3rd!
But first, two important notes!
Remember that Reserves will open on July 17th and that Applications will open on July 24th, in preparation for the game’s official opening on August 3rd!
1. The island of Mu exists apart from the real world and possesses a dream-like quality that characters are innately aware of from the moment they appear on its shores. No need to panic or fret. Dreams are odd things, after all - and anything can happen in them. Why would anyone question where their mind chooses to wander in its sleep?
2. Due to the nature of Mu, threads in our test drive can not only be accepted as thread samples in your application, but can be accepted as game canon as well. In fact, certain choices your character makes in Mu have the potential to bear in-game consequences.
Shipwrecked
The white sand of the beach ridges the island’s edge, even if the clear water soon becomes murky the further out you look across the horizon until the turquoise gleam of the tide disappears in a coil of surrounding fog. Indeed, your best prospects may very well be to strike out among the trees or the crags looming out over the foam-capped waves. There’s lumber to be found and made from the palm-like trees, potentially fruit or edible tubers of some kind if you forage about some. The further you travel, however, the more of your surroundings will reveal themselves in a steady unspooling of curiosities.
One corner of Mu’s current construct drops away into a sheer cliff, initially too dangerous to brave for all but the more daredevilish, but if one starts to scan the sharp rocks below, you might catch sight of what appears to be sodden planks of wood - a wreckage tossed up against the rocks. And a little further...a bobbing, shattered wreck of a lifeboat’s remains, potentially bearing supplies that might yet be salvageable.
Fashion what you can from the wood and stone around you or scavenge from the ruin of the land, if you like. But you can’t simply stand around and wait forever. It’s going to get dark sometime - and if a creature of unknown terror doesn’t catch you, the elements surely will.
Storytime
There’s a sense of camaraderie in this cove, you think. As the sun hangs low over the horizon, the world cast into orange hues, long shadows dispersed by roaring fires that dot across the beach.
That’s right, folks: it’s storytime.
There’s no one to preside over this meeting of the minds in Mu. Call it a vague recreation of things to come, if you like, some vaguely fatidic dreamlike state where you may find yourself drawn to the heat and company that awaits you by the fire. And from there, compelled to default to that old instinct that most of intelligent civilization has revered since they were advanced enough to paint geometric shapes on cave walls.
You tell a story.
Perhaps it’s a tragedy, a tale of woe and of personal loss. Perhaps it’s the sort of thing you’d break out after a few rounds of your alcoholic beverage of choice, clapping hands to your knees as you try to bite back your mirth long enough to spill the punchline. Perhaps it’s an adventure of some sort, some unbelievable rendition of your past exploits. The only common thread to be had, as those gathered around the fire share their tales, is the fundamental rule of a ritualistic sharing of stories such as this: its truth.
But how one chooses to define "truth" is, in its own way, another story entirely...
Dance, Sucker, Dance!
The beat of your heart in your chest is difficult to ignore. It judders with a pulsing, rhythmic quality. If you’re one of those that lacks a heart, the beat is still omnipresent and all-encompassing, until your entire body is unwittingly bobbing in time to a metronomic tune that seems ingrained into your very soul. It’s inescapable. You can’t seem to move unless it’s in time to the rhythm that’s now singing in every atom of your being.
But rest assured, you’re not alone in this musical curse. Everything, from the swaying trees to the waves against the beach, jumps in time to the music. And so do the monsters approaching you, that - wait a minute.
Monsters?
Oh, yes. Did we mention those?
It seems you’ve encountered the wrath of the Boogieman, who curses you to only dance to his infernal beat. If you wish to best him, you’ll have to either evade or destroy the blobs of greenish slime that serve as his minions, all in time to the hard beat of the tune in your head. Clear the radius of his curse or risk an open confrontation, if you dare. Don’t worry if you look foolish; chances are anyone else caught in the Boogieman’s thrall feels just the same.
Mu isn’t pulling any punches to start with. It is a flighty creation, after all, and seems to revel in displacing people into new and uncomfortable situations.
( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )
Edward Elric | Fullmetal Alchemist ( Ryslig CRAU )
[Dreams of islands aren't common for Edward, compared to many other things, but it's not so odd he thinks much of it. Rather than deal with the annoyance of hooves in sand, Edward opts to take to the skies, though low enough to be able to spot anything that might prove useful. It doesn't take long to spot the bobbing wreckage near the cliff, and Ed has never been one to let opportunity pass him by. Of course, he's hardly the most nimble in the air, so his attempts are...less than stellar.]
FUCK!
[If the exclamation isn't noticeable enough, the loud splash and flailing certainly will be. The bright spot of red fur in the wreckage is probably amusing enough on his own, but one might also find interest in the small pile Ed has already accumulated near the edge of the cliff. Maybe if you're quick enough, he won't even notice who's made off with it all?]
Wicked Beats
[Okay, Ed's seen a lot of weird shit in his life, but dancing snot is definitely a first. The fact that it's making him dance is annoying, but at least he can work the rythym into his attacks without too much trouble. He less attacks the things and more bludgeons them into pieces, causing slime to splatter out everywhere with each hoof slammed through.]
[(He is not going to claw those things, that stuff is going to take ages to wash out of his fur.)]
[But he's not going to ignore those less martially inclined or their plights--anyone having trouble will have what can only be described as a red-furred jersey devil barrels into the fight and sends their opponent across the beach with a solid kick.]
Hey, you alright?
Cliffs
Are you all right?
no subject
[A few moments more of only slightly coordinated swimming, and Edward manages to climb up onto one of the rocks sticking out of the water. He shoves his hair back out of his face and looks around before spotting the young-looking arachne standing on the beach.]
Hey, you seen any other monsters around? I've been trying to find people, but this place is deserted.
[
Ah, the beauty of assumptions and similar language choices.]I typo'd fun as gun in that first sentence and I was so tempted to just leave it.
[Well, he's definitely not wrong...]
None so far, although I heard some noise from further inland. Too faint to tell if it was anything more than the local wildlife, though, so it seemed safer to search in the more open areas before I tried somewhere more risky.
spider cider and gun
Hopefully it's nothing too big to deal with. Two of us together would be safer checking it out. [Edward's tone suggesting the idea is light enough, but he watches her sharply for her reaction. He's willing to work with people, but even among monsters feuds could easily arise out of seemingly nothing.]
Breakfast of champions.
Yes, it would probably be best to be cautious. I don't know if there's anything too dangerous around here, but I'd certainly rather not find out the hard way.
If you're not adverse to working with me...?
no subject
Not at all! Wouldn't have suggested it if I was. Name's Edward.
no subject
[Muffet gives him a brief, polite curtsy.]
My name is Muffet. It's nice to meet you, if under... trying circumstances.
no subject
[And she's an arachne.]
[...is the Fog God for fucking real holy bajeesus. He's kind of hoping that's a nickname she took after being changed, but is is also literally employed by a demon named Greed.]
Ah, heh, same. Don't worry about it--my life is nothing but trying circumstances, in all honestly. [Straightening up, Ed peers into the trees before nodding in the direction of a small path just visible in the dense foliage.] That game trail should lead us to something useful. Fresh water or maybe some edible plants.
no subject
Potentially useful for finding other people, too- they might have had the same idea we did.
Cliffs!
What is more interesting than both profanity and fur-ridden splashing is that nice little collection of goods Ed had oh so kindly left by it's lonesome at the edge of the cliff, easily accessible for a twelve year old.
Crouching down, Chara begins to sift through it; not out of any real desire to take, but for the chance of something interesting hidden within what seems to be mostly lumps of wood and rope. Aren't fantastical creatures supposed to go after things that shine?]
no subject
What--HEY! Whaddaya think you're doing?
[A leap and a few flaps of his wings get him back up to the top of the cliff, but all the bluster goes out of Ed when he sees that his would-be thief is so young. Are they a local, or--hell, that foggy bitch better not be trying to make soldiers out of kids this young.]
no subject
He's clearly not entirely human. And his voice (and height, at that) mark him closer to their age then that of adulthood- there's nothing to remotely frighten them. Chara is seemingly unflappable...past the way their hair blows back behind their ears with the gust from his wings.]
What one does when one has eyes, presumably. I am examining.
[A pointed smile as they grip the edges of their sweater.]
Unless you feel there is justifiable reason to examine my pockets?
[You know, the ones that, once Chara has lifted their sweater high enough, don't exist.]
no subject
I'm not really interested in frisking a kid. Would you even know how to use any of this if you did take it?
[The comment is half sarcastic, half genuine. Unless a village of some sort reveals itself, the kid is going to need to make some kind of shelter before nightfall.]
no subject
[Said even as they lean back, ever so slightly. Flick your water away from them, sir. Eyes casting back down upon his spoils, Chara shakes their head, seemingly not bothered.]
I imagine I'd learn, if the need called for it. And you? Or is this simply material to enable trade for other goods and services?
no subject
I've survived in the wilderness before with less. Rope is good to rig up a shelter, and the wood that isn't big enough to build with can be dried out for burning later. Not sure if the canvas will work well enough as a tarp yet, but it's worth taking along, at least. Saves me the time of finding vines and branches to build with.
[He glances up at them again, brows faintly furrowed.]
Is there anyone else here with you?
no subject
[They might have even asked him if he would mind them watching, if they expected to stay. Or rather, if they were at all certain they were not alone.]
I am uncertain, though I imagine my Partner is somewhere close by. [A casual shrug; an unconcerned smile.] They're attracted to garbage.
no subject
[He's not sure what the implication is with that term, if there is one, but if this kid has someone they're expecting to find...Edward stoops down to pull the bundle together and start tying it up into a package he can more easily carry.]
Could help you find them, if you want. Won't take too long to show you both how to put a lean-to together and set a snare for small game, either. [His tone remains easy and neutral, making sure to not treat the kid like some kind of burden. He sure as hell knows he would have balked at treatment like that, but they also definitely need to have some assistance if they're stuck on this island, too.]
no subject
He would have been the type of person they'd seek out, in Sol Raveh. Obviously resourceful- perhaps not as neutral towards their apparent age as some, but there were advantages to that, too.
It's a pity.]
I appreciate your offer, sir. Should we have need of a lesson, I'm sure we will come looking.
[Not quite a no, but a way out.
What he doesn't know won't hurt him.]
no subject
[He tends to stick out a bit, you know.]
no subject
[He isn't who they're looking for, and his pile has had nothing of particular note, either. They should move on, away from a narrative that is far too late in appearing for them to truly include themself within it.
But curiosity has always been a weak point.]
Forgive my prying, however- I wouldn't have taken you for someone used to surviving in terrain such as this.
no subject
no subject
Well, that narrows down his original time period, somewhat. Perhaps not quite enough, but somewhat.]
I see. I didn't realize it was the norm to dump twelve year olds on deserted islands- I shouldn't be surprised.
My thanks for your patience, sir.
no subject
Oh, there's nothing normal about my life, trust me.