TEST DRIVE MEME ( 006 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #6

Hello, and welcome to LifeAftr! 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 December 17th! Due to the holiday season, Applications will be opening on December 26th, with an app period shifted to end on January 2nd instead of the usual timeframe!

Two important notes:

1. LifeAftr's test drives take place on the island of Mu, which 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, largely in the form of test drive reward items.

United We Stand
This particular month, Mu has seen fit to recreate the strange, dichotomous island of Monsun. Most of the information regarding this peculiar land can be found in the informational post linked, but as a quick rundown: Monsun's western side is a hot wasteland of a desert prone of disasters and mishaps, but will affect your character's emotional and psychological state in a positive sense, while its eastern side is a verdant forest filled with endless resources...as well as a tendency to bring out the absolute worst of your character.

The western region blazes with a vengeance, the imaginary sun roasting overhead. The psychological effects of this area of island will shine far more kindly upon you than the sun does; your character's best qualities have been brought to light, and the longer they remain here, the more profound those qualities will become.

This is probably a good thing, too. Because those cactus plants on the horizon seem to be moving closer...and closer...

In fact, they aren't really plants at all. Those who squint may find themselves thinking of another, cuter version of sentient cacti found on other worlds, but the mutual relation to a certain desert plant is where the similarities come to an end. Walking cacti are silent predators who prefer to slowly approach their prey, avoiding being noticed by their targets until it is too late.

Luckily, these creatures do not rely on projectiles to attack. Rather, their needle thin spikes can extend up to one foot out of their bodies in a fast, powerful motion - more than enough to puncture flesh and muscle. If you've ever wanted to try death by acupuncture, these are your kind of monster... but if not, a sharp weapon or fire will certainly help whittle down their numbers.

Regardless, all of your best qualities will come to light quickly in a fight, whether it be courage, diplomacy, compassion, earnest hope, or whatever other positive traits you might bear. Such is Monsun's boon to you.

Divided We Fall
The east, on the other hand, is the polar opposite to that desert wasteland. The sun shines evenly through the thick spread of deciduous canopies, which shade you from the worst of that unforgiving heat. The verdant greenery is perfectly temperate and even tranquil.

A pity that you'll soon find your worst qualities manifesting at a rather rapid rate. The proper Monsun generally gives you a twenty-four hour window before your most despicable traits start to flourish, but Mu, it seems, has sped up the clock significantly.

Scattered across the rich landscape, a herd of deer can be found prancing eagerly about, seemingly oblivious to their potentiality as a food source. In fact, they hardly seem to react to the approach of foreign entities at all. They're quite placid, and content to sit idly back until attacked - at which point they'll do little more than flee at a brisk pace. What an ideal set of circumstances, truly. But should anyone else impose upon your peace, you'd better hope they don't mind encountering you at your absolute worst.

Don't Fear the Succ
You wake on a boat. It's a very nice boat, make no mistake, weatherbeaten and worn as it may seem, but it's still a boat, and you're still surrounded with lapping waves, as far as the eye can see. Or as far as the eye can sea.

Still, no reason not to make the best of this, right? Just sit back, relax, and let the wind take you wherever it may. You hardly need to eat or sleep in the regular sense in dreams, and this might be a good deal more picturesque than many of the dreams you're probably used to. All told, this is really quite a nice diversion -

Hold on. Did something just bump up against the hull?

Yes, in fact. Something did. Something with long, long, reaching tentacles that will soon snake over the deck to try and grasp your vessel in a death grip much like that of a boa constrictor: designed to crush and destroy.

It seems you've run afoul of that legendary creature of the depths; the one that every sailor most fears.

A kraken. Hope you're not averse to a little hentai.

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[attheclocktower]

Yeah, someone did.

[If he hasn't gotten the Storyteller's explanation, then this is definitely Mu.]

You'll... you'll hear it from them directly later, probably, but... the Storyteller's been watching us. They don't know who brought us here though, or why. We're still trying to find that out.

[bloodyashes]

There's not even enough Seventh Fonons on the islands to pull off a decent one.

[Pause.]

Actually, you are probably the biggest source of Seventh Fonons around here.

[hyperresonance]

No, I mean... I performed a Second Order Hyperresonance. I freed Lorelei-- I caught you in my arms as everything was falling around me and all I saw was white light and--

I was here.

Maybe you really did get revived, Asch.

[bloodyashes]

...I've been here almost a month, Luke.

[A stupid long Auldrant month that's double the length of everyone else's months and he still doesn't! Know that! But whatever.]

And there are other people, from other worlds.

I don't think even a second-order hyperresonance is capable of creating Ardyn.

[hyperresonance]

[in a small voice] It was pretty big.

[ wait, there's more to be asked about if they're alive and kicking and they're out here and Auldrant's not even this planet. ]

Who's Ardyn? Did you make more enemies while I was dead for a month?

[ he sounds concerned?? ]

[bloodyashes]

No, he's -

[A pause. How the fuck to even explain - ]

Imagine if the Qliphoth was a person. The whole thing.

Then give it Jade's sense of humor.

[Nailed it.]

[hyperresonance]

... Do I want to know?

Is he really uh-- you know-- that powerful?

[bloodyashes]

...As much as anyone around here can be, yes.

[Weirdly enough, Asch doesn't even really think of Ardyn that way. On the list of things Asch is concerned about with regard to Ardyn, 'can probably kick all our asses' is fairly low.]

Something about the islands makes using any kind of special abilities incredibly draining.

[Another thing about them that deeply annoys him.]

[hyperresonance]

... good thing I wasn't really thinking of using them from now on.

[ No sword, no slash. From now on he'd just flee from enemies or something. He flashes back to the bed facing the giant window in Baticul. ]

I wish I wasn't so tired... it feels like my entire mind and body is weighing down on me. Do you think that cactus was edible?

[bloodyashes]

...If you need a sword, I have an extra. Better to be armed around monsters, just in case.

[Which Luke should know by now.

And... Another sigh.]

You're hopeless without someone to keep an eye on you. For the record, yes, but not raw.

[Instead he's going to pull his backpack around and here look he has cabbage rolls, eat your vegetables and don't complain, Luke.]

[hyperresonance]

[ Why is Asch taking care of him like this? Though he definitely feels closer to him right now, especially given everything that had happened back home, he's really acting like a big brother now.

He'll take a cabbage roll and monch. ]

I'm not hopeless, just somewhere new. There's a difference. [ Finally, he's standing up for himself a little, even if all he wants to do is sleep. ] The sword might help, though.

[bloodyashes]

[It's not big brotherly to not want you to pass out somewhere in the desert and get stabbed by a cactus???]

It's back with the rest of my things at camp. Which we probably can't get to from here.

[THESE ISLANDS ARE WEIRD AND ANNOYING and he's going to have a cabbage roll himself, also. monch.]

[hyperresonance]

... no one from home is here, right? You would have mentioned it if there were.

[ He's getting sharper! Kinda. These are delicious... wtf Asch you're a good cook? Being a loner does that to someone?? ]

[bloodyashes]

[Being a food snob with the options of 'military cafeteria' or 'I'll do it myself' does that to someone.

Between him, Muffet, and Ignis, they can work miracles with the few supplies they have. Slightly bland miracles, but still.]

No, it's the two of us. There's a few people who are from the same worlds as each other - [Akechi and Akira, Ardyn Ignis and Prompto, Kyouko and Yuka] - but you're the first from Auldrant aside from me.

[greatcleavage]

"To the best of my knowledge, it only augments, it doesn't create. So at least you have some level of that anyway." Which was good, and Roy approved. How much of that impulse existed outside of this region, only time would tell.

Sorry for the lateness

[sacrament_of_blood]

[By this point, the forest'd had plenty of time to work its malevolent magic on Merciless. As such, she's practically forgotten her normal politeness and kindness. Now there is only the blood, the blade, the desire to shred blood for the glory of her Goddess. After all, she exists to slay and slay, it is second nature to her, just as it is to her Goddess, She Who Walks In Blood.

She is not angry. Rather, she rejoices, as she seeks out those to shred the blood of. So when she runs into the other and sees the switchblade pointed at her, she actually looks very cheerful.]

Gladly shall I meet your offered challenge! Let the blood flow and fountain, for the Bloody Goddess be praised!

[And she points her own knife at the other.]

[serrata]

...

[ There's always a possibility, isn't there. Waking up in the middle of nowhere, with no idea how she got here... it certainly seems familiar, sickeningly so. No matter how innocent this all feels, she can't really trust it, not wholeheartedly but... somehow, this doesn't feel like IG7. They have a particular way of doing things and a particular fondness for narrative ironies that's somehow absent here.

It's not out of the question, of course, and the idea makes her a little queasy. But her voice is firm when she says; ]

I don't think it is, no. It doesn't really smell like them, does it? Even with the PIPs. Usually I'd say something about 'the devil you know' but I can't even pretend the simulation would be an improvement.

[ She gives him a stiff smile. ]

Have you been out here long?

[serrata]

I see.

[ no weirder than THE BACHELOR: IN SPACE, really. ]

So this desert is just one island, then?

Hell yeah

[proficienciesouttheass]

[ The large bear of a man stands up, water pouring out of his cuirass like a majestic waterfall.]

I'm a tank.

[...well, he is.]

Huuh, hey, where are we?

[mamaterasu]

[The whistle makes her ears prick, and Ammy jerks to attention and hurries over happily, wagging her tail and presenting her own cheerful smile, panting softly as she seats herself by the young boy's feet, looking him over before he tries to cover up those nasty wounds from her. Immediately, Ammy's smile vanishes and she sets him with a sad, look, putting one paw on his knee.

She could...probably yank a few of those thorns out, with her teeth (Ammy is surprising gentle, and careful, with those strong jaws), but it won't be without pain. Her nose snuffles close to the thorns sticking out from his cheek - yikes, that looks painful, and her tongue even slips out from her jaws to attempt to swipe at it. I mean, a slippery coating of her slobber may make the process of removing those spines easier, and her slobber will help with the healing process, a little bit.

I-If Otus can stand the fact that her breath probably smelly like hot, moldy socks.]

Ingway | Odin Sphere

[darkova]

United we Stand

[The desert is nothing new to him- Valentine had always been warmer then it's neighbors, but after the disaster it had been barren and unrelenting. It was why the clothing he wore was so light and bare chested.

The monsters weren't anything too surprising either, though he doesn't recognize this specific species. Which is why you might find him cutting one up with a long jeweled dagger and carefully wrapping up the pieces to take with him]

It's a bit rude to stare.

Don't fear the Succ

[Ingway was a sorcerer, not a front line fighter- he didn't even own a psypher. So huge monsters like this weren't his forte, exactly.

Which makes it odd that he keeps snarling low in his throat, eyes narrowed like all he wants to do is jump on one of the limbs and tear into it with his teeth like a beast. His dagger is out, swinging at anything that gets too close, and he is supporting the other fighters with healing- but he just in general looks distressed]

Is there any chance of hurrying this up a bit?

united we stand!

[covertizer]

[ No, no. Don't mind him. He's absolutely staring at the methodical method Ingway is slicing apart the monsters and selecting pieces - is there some importance to the pieces he's taking and the pieces he's leaving?

...

and the dagger.

He's definitely staring at the dagger. That is a beautiful dagger. ]

I will be sure to give myself a good telling off for bad behaviour later.

[ But he's not stopping the observation. ]

[darkova]

[there indeed is a method to it, but not one that would make much sense to an outsider. Not just meat or organs (though he does take that, more for possible food later) but also needles, teeth, claws small bones if it has any to speak of. All tucked away in a hip bag that shouldn't hold so much]

Well, they do say self policing is important.

[he makes no pause in his actions, but is clearly watching Akira as closely as he's being watched]

[covertizer]

[ it might not make sense, but it's interesting. what's he going to do with it all...? aside from the obvious uses of meat for food. ]

It's not like there's anyone here who could police me anyway. [ no police force. wouldn't trust one if there was one, etc, etc. ]

What are you planning to do with all that? Tooth-jewellery business?

[scissorhood]

[Green eyes... oh god, that's cute? And that meant the silver hair was natural. Good.]

Hey... you collapsed. You should be fine now, though.