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

united we staaaaand

[covertizer]

[ akira hadn't expected to find himself in the desert again - he'd explored the outskirts of it since arriving, but after the whole shenanigans with the sand hydra erupting under his feet on his first day here.

but here he is, and he'd recognise that small frame and brightly coloured hair anywhere. so he... runs. it involves a little bit of elegant stumbling down a sandbank and doing his best not to tumble equally elegantly onto his face. ]

Futaba!

[ because he knows what to expect in this desert - and it's not friendly, fun times. he'd trust futaba to have his back any day of the week - she's incredible at that, but she doesn't fight. not in the way that he did, or the rest of the team did.

and he knows the importance of back up on the front lines.

he kicks up sand as he runs, skidding to a halt at her side and pausing to catch his breathe before straightening up.

...

and then he absolutely hooks an arm around her neck and noogies her. hi sis. you're in trouble. ]

What exactly were you planning to do, hm?

[catpiper]

[Her skittish and jumpy nature, on any other occasion, might have ruined this woman's poor water bottle by virtue of her running away from the toss. Thankfully, that's not the case this time, with this side of the island making her feel braver than normal, and Ren barely manages to catch it.

She's still wary about drinking it when this person might need it. For now, she's going to hold it in her hands. That little bit of relief is helpful enough.

But to answer her question, she nods. It sure is. She's such a newbie to the environment, she didn't even know the word for this place.]

Do you know about this kind of place? Have you been in a 'desert' before?

[socialhacktivist]

[ah-- here comes the cavalry. or. well. just akira. but really, does she need any more than that? she thinks not. her face lights up. good to see he still knows how to keep himself on his toes in the sand and not y'know-- on his face.

the moment it becomes clear she's about to be attacked, she tries to flee-- but it's no use. there's no escaping big bro's wrath.]

What, hey--!! Hey! I totally-- had this under control!

[it's hard to protest when your noggin' is undergoing torture.]

Besides. You're here to help, right?

[you'll have to do better than a few seconds worth of noogies to rip her dreams of a badass battle out of her grasp.]

[panaceaa]

It does.

What does it say about them, that their first instinct is not to doubt Drifter's words, but to suddenly wonder how real this is after all? Their own death, in the end, is an easy thing for Guardian to accept. Would that explain the way everything here feels off? Sideways?

Is Drifter dead too? Is everything?

They want to sit down. They don't. They simply stand there for several moments, turning it over, until eventually they can drag the words out. "Then it would appear I got better." The attempt at a joke falls far too flat. Oh well. There's not much visible under their helmet, but there's a frown audible in their voice when they speak next. "I...think I remember passing what few map markers I had left to you. I hope they were helpful."

[catpiper]

[Even with, what she perceives as, an immediate threat around them, it's hard for her not to see a tiny bit of Drifter in the way they run. In the way they reach out of help. In the way their cloak moves as they get closer.

That realization makes it easy for her to grab onto this stranger's arm without hesitation. Also, because she doesn't want to die or see what the creature looks like beyond the tentacle already on the boat. That small glimpse is enough, thanks ocean. That's enough for today.]

Okay. We'll stay there for a long time and it'll go away.

[Judging by the way her voice shakes, she's counting on that happening. Please lil kraken, find your way back home.]

[hyperlit]

Fall flat the joke does. The Drifter does not grimace, does not wince, but a single dark blink of their eyes is the sole indication of their relative uncertainty in how best to respond to that.

In the end, they elect not to.

it perished
the Immortal Cell is no more.

So...yes. They were helpful. The Drifter cannot know with unflagging certainty that they succeeded, that the world is no longer the receptacle for another being's poison, a perfect cell corrupted and corrupting - but the finality of the last image in their mind's eye can allow for the hope.

They do not deal in hope. They deal in acts, in visualizing a foreseeable course of action and taking it.

But the shimmering glow of water, clean and pure, had been...

It had been the closest, they think, that a god gets to a promise.

divided we fall bc im a fucking asshole

[raygunner]

[ Oh.

Oh.

Akechi's already irritated and paranoid from his... encounter with Ryuji. There's also a bit of bruising where he got punched, and he hasn't wiped off all the blood. He doesn't pay it any mind, though, even though it still kind of fucking hurts. What he's focused on is her. ]

Lost in the woods, Oracle? It's dangerous here.

[bitch4bitch]

Oh. Okay, well, that's unexpected, to say the least.

"Chip!" She speeds up to reach them, kicking up little sand dunes behind her boots. "The hell are you doing here?"

[bitch4bitch]

"Nah, just the one. Here." She makes sure the safety is on before passing the gun to him, grip-first. Not like this guy has any reason to screw her over.

"Those things get close, I've got other stuff." She slides a hand into an inside pocket on her jacket, tugging at something inside just enough for a glimpse of brassy metal to be visible.

[doodlebuginette]

[Okay but how was he so calm about this?]

I thought so. And for your information, I'm quite capable, even if I don't look like it! What about you? Have you ever fought ... one of these before? I'm assuming this is a new thing.

[By this point, she's watching the arms curiously, trying to figure out if there might be some kind of weakness they can exploit. There has to be something! Or maybe she was just too used to going up against akuma with Chat. Maybe this was nothing like that. Either way, they needed to do something!]

Do we have any ideas for dealing with this? Or any suggestions for getting you out of there, for that matter?

[If nothing else, she could take directions well, even if she was used to being the one giving out the directions. But she recognized that this situation was different than anything she was used to.]

I'm sorry I'm not more useful. I've just ... well, I've never even seen something like this before!

[goodcopsadcop]

"I owe you one." Said with the promise of someone who absolutely will be paying her back. At some point. When the danger has passed.

But the nagging familiarity doesn't change.

"What do you figure our chances are of finding cover out here?" While she's watching the creatures, he's doing just that -- scanning for anything they could duck behind. And shifting closer to her, to close their ranks. Just in case.

that's the michelle i know and love

[socialhacktivist]

[Since coming into the forest, she's shied away from every person that's come close-- not just this one. In fact she hadn't even known who it was. Not even something as simple as boy or girl; young or old... until she heard that voice.

If she was paranoid before, now she was terrified. And frustrated.

With the stick she has with her, she draws something on the ground.]

...what do you care?

[It's fine as long as she doesn't have to face him right? She can just hide here and avoid the worst of it.... right?]

Don't Fear (maybe fear)

[socialhacktivist]

[Doing her best, Futaba had accepted that she wasn't made to fight an enemy like this with her own two hands. Instead, she'd fallen back on her real area of expertise-- support. Helping people to safety inside and warning others of the monster's next moves before it actually struck.

She was caught off guard though, for a moment, by a flash of purple.]

Whoa--

[Now that was cool. Like something you expect from a tv show hero.

But they're not clear by a long shot. When Hibiki takes control the ship jerks to life, turning sharply away from the incoming tentacles. But it's not smooth-- Futaba's lucky to grab a hold of the railing before she goes flying too.]

O...kay. This is. Probably fine.

[A little help might go a long way though.]

Hey! [Futaba yells up at Hibiki.] Full speed ahead. I'll let you know what this thing's doing so just steer us the heck out of here!

[Trust. Teamwork. It's perfect.]

[greatcleavage]

[Because he's really, really used to this sort of thing. That's the long and the short of it.]

Everyone's new to adventuring at one point -- hit it with something! Throw something at it! If you can get it distracted for a couple of seconds...

[And there go his feet off the deck. Hmm, now he's becoming slightly less calm about all of this.]

[doodlebuginette]

If by adventuring you mean suddenly finding one's self on a strange boat in a strange place, fighting a weird tentacle-y beast thing, then yes. I'll admit that I'm new to the game.

[Wow, that just sounded like the plot line of a bad anime.]

So uh... does this sort of thing happen often? Should I be concerned?

[In the meantime, she's hunting around on the deck for something she can throw, because she's not going to ask to borrow his sword. Not finding anything else, Marinette lets out a frustrated sigh before taking off a shoe and throwing it as hard as she can at the arm holding Roy. She liked to think her aim was true, but the boat was rocking and the arm was flailing.]

If we get out of this, I better get that shoe back!

[greatcleavage]

I'll owe you one if not.

[The shoe bonks off the tentacle, which twitches slightly in purely reflexive muscle motion. Still, Roy needs no other opening -- he swings his sword, which crackles with green light as it nearly severs the arm. The end curled around him springs free, dumping Roy back to the deck heavily, while the body-side half lunges back under the water with a heavy splash.]

As usual, my dignity is the first to die. [Roy slaps a hand down, pushing himself back up to a ready stance without delay.] Good shot. Yes, you actually kind of get used to this...

[doodlebuginette]

I mean... you won't really owe me anything. It's not like you asked to be here anymore than I did. Right?

[It worked? Success!]

Good job! Score one for us!

[And then she seems to remember her manners, as well as the fact that he's basically just saved her derpy little life.] Are you okay? [Not waiting for an answer, she's rushing over to where he'd fallen, trying to check for signs of damage. Though, what kind of outward signs did a giant sucker arm leave, anyway?]

Guess I've still got it. Really? I'm not sure I want to get used to this kind of thing... Do you think it's going to come back?

[greatcleavage]

I'm fine, I'm fine. ['Fine' is a matter of degrees, as Roy has a distinct sucker-shaped bruise on his skull and other signs of contusions on what little of him was actually visible. Nonetheless, he seems to pay it no attention whatsoever -- and not so much to her, either, as his eyes fix on a point over her shoulder.]

Yes, I think it will, and also get behind me

[The sweep of his sword comes probably much closer to her head than she'd like as Roy parries the lash of a new tentacle.]

[budgetmage]

"Thank you for the approval," said in the most deadpan tone ever.

"Look, we don't have candles, do we? So my magic's going to be in very high demand."



"....Probably."

[covertizer]

[ Uh huh. He stops noogie-ing her and instead rests his arm on the top of her head. And then his chin on his harm. Never mind the cactus monsters ambling their way over without pause, this is clearly under control. ]

Really. What were you planning on doing, sassing them to death? Kicking them in the shins?

[ Futaba, you are a badass young lady who don't need no sword and he would rather get stabbed by cactus needles than ever let her near his browser history ever... but genuinely A Real Plan might be needed because there are Real Consequences here. ]

[priforprince]

...We had a run-in.

[ Hibiki looks rather blue in the face. But only for a few seconds, and then she's okay again. ] They were no match for me.

[priforprince]

[ See, Hibiki sees things less in terms of teamwork and more in terms of people taking care of unpleasant jobs so she can monopolize the dashing ones. Either way, she has no real objections to Futaba's idea.

But a certain style must be maintained. ]

Such was already my plan!

[ Behold, how magnificently she turns this wheel! Awe at another near miss!

Hang on tight as Hibiki doesn't take into account that a tentacle slamming into water instead of a ship is going to create a wave! ]

Yuuri Wakasa | School-Live! | Airlocked R2

[serrata]

united we stand

[ Things you should probably not be wearing in the desert: black thighhighs and a cardigan.
Things Yuuri Wakasa is wearing in the desert: take a guess!

In her defense, it was winter where she came from and she was very much dressed for it. Really, she's thankful that she wasn't wearing a sweater. At least it offers her a little protection from how harsh the sun is and it means her feet aren't going to be burned by the sand. So. Silver linings, and all.

The other silver lining is that, apparently, she's not alone. Her face lights up with relief when she spots someone else traipsing through the sands just like her and comes hurrying right on over. ]

Oh! Excuse me! It looks like we've both just been dumped here without any explanation. Are you alright?

Don't Fear the Succ

[ So! Sea monsters! That's what we're doing now, apparently. Just lovely.

Yuuri's obviously not happy about this. She's got the tense posture of a cat that's ready to lash out but she's backed as far away from the edge as she can without making her way too far to the other side of the boat, just in case. She's holding a... knife, that was evidently in that knapsack of hers and while she's handling it with some apparently level of proficiency, she doesn't look all too happy to have it in her hand.

(Really, something a little heavier with a little more range would be perfect...)

But beggars can't be choosers, especially at sea. ]

What do you have with you we can use against it?!

[ She barks it out like an order, sounding surprisingly fierce for what would likely usually be such a gentle voice. In fact, she kind of looks like she's normally be a gentle sort of girl but with that knife in her hand, the only appropriate response is fear. ]

wildcard

[ JUST COME AT ME AND DO WHAT YOU LIKE ]

[ just as a note, literally zero knowledge of her CRAU is required for any of these shenanigans! However, she does have a quick impressions post here that might be worth a skim as there's a few little details of her appearance that differ from her icons. ]

[budgetmage]

[ Okay, you've gotten her to. Roll over and sit up. She kind of gives Roy a Look though. ]

Cacti don't walk.

DESERT DESERT DESERT???

[bloodyashes]

[By now Asch is somewhat familiar with the fuzzy, dreamlike feeling. The combination of that and the desert's effects means that he isn't going to question where the girl came from or why she's dressed like that -

Though, honestly, given that he's wearing almost entirely black and dark grey, Yuuri probably has more questions about his attire than he does about hers. Hair nearly as long, too, and even with the desert's dust it's a vivid shade of red.]

I should probably be asking you that. Here.

['Here' is a small water canteen pressed into her hands. It feels about half full.]