aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 007 )

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TEST DRIVE MEME ( 007 )

Test Drive Meme #7

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 January 15th, and Applications on January 24th!

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.

Ice of You to Drop By
The winter has well and truly settled in, both on LifeAftr and here in Mu; when you wake, you may discover that it isn't on dry land at all, but on a thick crust of ice. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any land in sight, in any direction - just ice, stretching on and on for as far as the eye can see.

Assuming the chill doesn't get to you first, you'll find that there are much more pressing matters than frostbite. One of those things will start cutting to the chase rather quickly in the form of a wickedly pointed fin, glinting beneath the weak winter sun, shearing through the mantle of ice like a hot knife through butter.

Ice sharks sound like something out of a sci-fi B-movie and probably are something out of a sci-fi B-movie, but rest assured: they are still quite dangerous. Fragments of undersea ice animated to suit a particularly sadistic shape and size, ice sharks almost look like delicately worked sculptures of glass or diamond, right up until the point where one of them gets their jaws around you. Their preternatural strength and tenacity allows them to "swim" through ice as easily as water. In fact, that happens to be one of their hunting tactics, as they tend to circle a target and break at the ice around them until they're surrounded by icy water, with no means of escape.

Much like real sharks, they can smell blood, and will set upon it eagerly. Unlike real sharks, they are also innately hostile. Anyone who looks like they might be an easy target will be quickly zeroed in upon by several ravenous, but nonetheless quite pretty, of these glittering creatures.

With Our Wassailing Bowl
The rest of Mu might be more forgiving in terms of setting, but that does not mean you're safe. Waking on dry land is generally considered preferable to waking on nothing more than a layer of ice, even if said dry land is nothing more than a jagged spurt of dark, coastal cliff. It's obvious from the start that nothing truly lives here. The island itself is simply some fragment of rock, eroded away from its mainland until it is all that remains.

The island itself isn't special, no. What is special is what is at its center.

A massive clay pot of piping-hot wassail steams temptingly at the island's heart, nestled between the crags of rock. Just looking at it, you can know that drinking that heated, blissful drink of cider and cinnamon will surely chase away the unforgiving winter chill, and warm you from your bones to your toes.

Really, the only problem here is that everyone else wants it too.

The second you lay eyes on that treasure, you'll be seized with an instinctive, inescapable need to have it. No one else can be allowed to partake; it is yours by right. You saw it first, after all, didn't you? You'll have to race with your peers to seize it before anyone else does, and you might even have to start fighting dirty to claim your prize. Sure, you could fight that initial instinct, but where's the fun in that?

Dig a Little Deeper
It's not as though actual, real dry land is out of the question for Mu this go around. It's just that there aren't very many desirable options, evidently, when it comes to the manner of islands that resemble those in the proper archipelago. This island in question might be a bit cold, brisk as the winter air is, but it is otherwise quite ordinary. In fact, one would not be remiss in thinking it bears more than a passing resemblance to the island of Chol.

Unfortunately, it's also chosen to emulate a rather unpleasant, if rare, aspect of Chol's landscape: quicksand. No getting out of this one, we're afraid - Mu has dropped you right smack in the middle of a patch of it.

The myth that one can "drown" in quicksand is largely without much scientific bearing. Indeed, the most prominent danger is that one will start to sink and quickly become mired in the stuff, but eventually they'll cease to properly sink at all. No; the real peril lies in the fact that, once stuck, it is nearly impossible to get out of it. Most victims of quicksand risk death by dehydration or starvation, though we wouldn't fault you for fearing death by, er, sand. Who doesn't hate sand? It's coarse, it's rough, it's irritating, and it gets everywhere.

There doesn't seem to be much in the way of ropes or branches one might grab onto for purchase, once stuck. You'll have to ask passersby for a helping hand, and hope they're feeling charitable...or just drag them in with you, if you're that sort of person.

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[Not even a flinch, aside from noticing it. That's intriguing, and it has Guren smirking as he rests the blade in his opposite hand. There's black smoke coming from it, it looks like, and after he's done showing that off, he sheathes it, and it fades away completely.]

It's called cursed gear. [So this guy really is clueless, but he has potential? Interesting. Guren is not helpful at all with this answer, of course.] Let me ask you this: how can you make your weapon appear and disappear at will?

No idea; just does.

[ So there's that non-answer for a non-answer (not that he would've had a better one, anyway; it works, and that's all he needs to know). He starts to walk again, stuffing his hands in his pockets. ]

So when you say "demon army," do you actually mean an army of demons? This's starting to fuck me up.

Not really.

[But kind of? He doesn't have to be clear on that, anyway. He's busy with his own train of thought. Stepping after Gojyo again, he stretches out a hand to grab his shoulder, this time, demanding his attention even if they keep walking.]

That's why I need you to tell me where you got that thing. If it's cursed gear, I need to know. [Gojyo better give him straight answers; he doesn't feel like fighting right now and that's the only other way he can think to see if that really is some kind of weird, lost manifestation type.

It's freezing and there's no shelter in sight. Just a bunch of ice one way and cliffs of jagged rocks the other. This doesn't feel real, but it doesn't feel quite like an illusion, either. He's not sure what it is, but he's not going to risk dying in it. Still, he can deal with that after he pesters this guy some more.]

What do you mean, not really?

[ He turns and stops, but he brushes Guren's hand off him. Too aggressive, bro. ]

I told you, I got it from a jar. The thing was cursed, it was in a temple, I broke it, and that's it. That's the whole story. I don't know what you're lookin' for. It doesn't have any of that creepy black smoky shit, if that's what you wanna know.

[ There, he even told (some of) the truth! ]

Geez... You're making this way too difficult on me.

[He lets his hand get brushed off, allowing it to hang in the air for a few brief seconds before it drops back down to the hilt of his sword.] Just for the record, I asked plenty of times for you to tell me the truth.

[So don't hold this against him, or something. He doesn't want to actually hurt Gojyo in any way that can't be fixed, but he doesn't want to be obviously holding back, either. So, as he unsheathes his sword, he swings it at him quickly. No need to call on Mahiru-no-yo right now, unless it turns out that he needs it. All he has to do is keep pushing Gojyo until one of two things happens.

Either he reaches his limit and the monk's spade doesn't do anything useful beyond appearing, or he does call out a demon and returns an attack that way. Either answer opens a whole different jar of questions, but it's one step at a time, and he's here alone, as far as he can tell.]

[ He's not fast enough, he knows immediately. If it hadn't been for the warning of Guren's hand falling back to his sword, he might not have even seen him swing it. Alarm prickles up his spine too late; he's only just starting to step back and raise his spade when the edge of the sword reaches him. ]

Is that all you can do?

[He seems the emotional type, so Guren figures he might as well work him up and see where that gets him. If he has to stab him a couple of times or even get hurt himself if power does come out, then that's a fine sacrifice. No one's going to die. It's just for knowledge.

He slices clean across Gojyo's arm if that spade doesn't parry him in time, and he doesn't wait to keep following up. Pushing forward, he comes at Gojyo with a flurry of attacks, all while wearing that annoyingly calm expression of his.]

If you don't go all out now, I'll kill you. [He's a big liar.]

The fuck's wrong with you—

[ Shit. There's no way this guy's human, but it's irrelevant now, anyway; there's also no way he can block all of this, and there's nowhere he can go that'll give him a distance advantage. He manages to block one, by luck or by accident, as he stumbles back, trying to corral his racing thoughts: the only thing he has left is surprise, and the guy's so fast he'll have one shot. He swings the crescent end of the staff out, toward Guren, and the blade hurtles out on a chain. It'll come back at him from behind, and he'll have a few seconds to get some space between them—

His back foot catches in the mud. More quicksand. ]

Edited 2018-01-22 07:24 (UTC)

[A chain?

Well, that surprise does work for Gojyo, at least. Guren is half wondering if that's just the start of things or if Gojyo can keep going— but no, he looks too desperate. This must be all he has. A physical weapon. Maybe it's cursed and he has no idea—

Shit, he has to block. He brings his sword up to slice that blade out of the way, but the maneuver does work to have him stumbling a step or two. If there hadn't been quicksand there, Gojyo might have been able to get a little further away.

Unfortunately, there is quicksand, and as Guren glances back to him, he sees that he has an opening. Well. There's one last test to see if he can defend himself or not. He lifts his foot in an attempt to bring it right to Gojyo's chest and push him back into the sand.

He'll get him out if he really is weak, it's fine...]

[ The spade vanishes again. He might not be able to deflect, but there is, in this specific situation, one thing he can try: maybe it'll end in mild humiliation and nothing else, or maybe, in a best-case scenario, they'll both be covered in quicksand again (which'll be just a little less stupid and embarrassing, but he'll take it). He grasps hastily at Guren's leg with both hands as he falls back. ]

[That's a quick move in response, he'll give him that. But he resorts to that instead of summoning a demon or anything, huh?]

Tch—

[Clicking his tongue, he takes the fall. There could have been a way to force Gojyo off of him and knock him back even further, but the mess from the quicksand would be too bad then. There'd be risk of suffocation, he might break some ribs, he'd still probably end up in it himself, with how this sand was...

So, he falls forward, dropping his sword so that he doesn't clumsily stab Gojyo. Instead, he's grabbing onto him, on top of the guy halfway with his other half in the sand.

Great. Nice. Thanks a lot. He doesn't move for a second or two, just considering the situation and how close he is to Gojyo. Hi.]

So that's really it then, huh? I'm kind of disappointed.

[That's what he decides to say, shifting to put his weight onto the knee not between Gojyo's legs right now, working slowly to get off of him. Buuut, it's going to be a process to make sure they don't both sink.]

[ He hasn't gotten his ass kicked this badly since — well, it's been a while. The fact that it has been a while should probably help, as should the fact that this feels more like a really detailed dream than anything else, but neither of them's functioning as the bandaid his self-esteem needs. He got destroyed by some dude with, so far, zero redeeming personality traits. ]

You're kind of a fuckin' psycho! [ He shoves at Guren's chest, hard, making not much effort to get up himself. ] Get off me. You're not sexy enough for this. [ In case anyone was wondering, ]

I'm not the one with quicksand in my hair.

[Enjoy that. The shove is rough, but he grabs at Gojyo to keep himself steady, not wanting to risk getting stuck again.] Cool it. I'm working on it. If you shove me again I'll leave you here to sink.

[He's back to that dull, bored voice from before, but at least he is actually moving. Weight on one knee, and then carefully bending the other to place his foot between Gojyo's legs— it's all very awkward, and his hands are all over Gojyo's chest to push himself up.

Once he does, though, he ducks down to scoop his sword up and out of the quicksand first. Somehow, when he flicks it to the side, none of the quicksand stays, and he sheathes it easily. Next, he reaches down both hands to Gojyo.]

Cursed gear is dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. [It's dangerous even if you think you do?] Come on, stop sulking. Get up.

I've had it for like ten years, dickhead, I know how to use it!

[ Okay, not ten years, but exact numbers aren't the point. He stares at Guren's hands for a moment, absolutely sulking, before finally taking them.

When he's out of the sand he looks himself over, scowling at a slice through his jacket, and tugs down the collar of his shirt to check a cut on his chest: there are a few more, and he's a little bloody, but they're superficial.

He straightens his shirt, pointlessly, and digs out his cigarettes. This dream sucks. ]

You test everybody you meet with a fuckin' sword for no reason?

Is that what you call knowing how to use it? Maybe you should try a real weapon.

[After pulling him up, he shoves his hands into his own pockets, looking back over to the jagged rocks rather than the ice.] Try not to cry about it. I didn't hit you that hard.

[He is the biggest dick, and he is not answering if he greets everyone like this. He's a good guy.] Going towards that ice is just going to make it colder. We should head over there. [He nods to the rocks, just assuming Gojyo is going to cooperate. He could die out in the quicksand or ice, if he'd rather?? (No, he wouldn't let him.)]

I'm not goin' anywhere with you, crazy.

[ He's just...walking toward those exact rocks, at the same time, by himself, coincidentally. He smokes bitterly while he stomps ahead of Guren, hugging himself with his other arm. ]

"Hey, guy, I'm gonna attack you for no reason! You should take off your jacket so I don't fuck it up like a dick."

[ He shoots Guren a pointed glare over his shoulder. That wasn't hard, was it? ]

[Guren lingers behind, not wanting to put too much effort into walking so that it looks like he's up there with Gojyo. There's plenty he could point out. That they're walking in the same direction, that he gave plenty of warning by being purposefully slow and talking too much, that it's weird he's more focused on his jacket than the cuts.

Instead, he sighs like he's bothered.]

You're so noisy. [He eyes the rocky cliffs in the distance, trying to see if he can spot any sort of shelter, or signs that there's something more beyond it. It's useless, but it's still better than the ice.] Shouldn't a guy who always has something in his mouth be a little quiet?

I'm good at talkin' around it.

[ This time the look he casts over his shoulder is a smug leer. He is in No Way Annoyed, and is in full control of his bruised feelings and this situation, thanks. (It'd be a bad illusion either way; he lets it fall to quickly as he turns back to face the way he's walking, rubbing his forehead.) ]

Where's your limiter, anyway?

[Limiter. He focuses in on that because it sounds more like what he wants to hear about, even though he has no idea what Gojyo means. Something that limits something... something that limits his demon, maybe? What would that even entail.

He doesn't change his expression, simply glancing up at the sky as he walks.]

I don't know what you're talking about. [He figures saying it like this will actually get him more answers than straight up asking about it, with how dodgy Gojyo has been.]

How stupid do I look?—Go fuck yourself, first of all. [ He'll just nip that one in the bud, thanks. ]

It's not like you're gonna be saying anything I don't know; you're obviously a demon. It's under the collar, right?

[ Where it is really isn't important, but he wouldn't be able to handle walking in awkward, sulky silence, and he's as vaguely curious about this as anything else. ]

Ahaha. You think I'm a demon?

[He can't help but laugh, considering the truth. He's closer to it than ever, right now, and the longer his friends are away, the more he's going to worry about it. But he has no time to focus on that now. He just barely got thrown into this... weird illusion-dream, so he still has time to see how it goes.

Right now, he's more focused in on what Gojyo is saying. So, if his weapon didn't show anything, but he's thinking Guren's a demon after seeing that power, what could that mean? He keeps remembering how Gojyo checked his ears.]

You really are stupid. [There it is, the rude despite Gojyo trying to stop it.]

Oh shit, sorry, I forgot your name — what was it again? Something something from the something demon company of the something demon army? And don't even try to tell me you're human, 'cause there's no human who can do that.

[ He might not be a genius and he might not be able to take this guy, but he's pretty solid on that point. He doesn't even bother checking Guren's expression, this time; he's right. ]

[SIGH... This guy is annoying him. But, there's no point for him to hide any power. Guren introduced himself thoroughly and Gojyo didn't do a thing, so what would be the point? There are plenty of options, probably, but they're all so unlikely he doesn't want to bother with them. Besides that, he seems like a good guy.]

Try listening with those ears you checked on earlier. [He lifts his chin, pulling his hands out of his pocket so one can touch his sword as they walk.] The demon you're thinking about is sealed in this sword. We're connected through a contract, so I can use its power, but that's it.

[Kiiiind of really still a lie, but he doesn't need to know all those tiny details.] For a while there, it sounded like you had the same thing. But, from the sounds of it, you're the one who's actually a demon of some kind.

[Is that right?? He keeps making educated guesses and this place really makes no sense.]

[ It's worse in a few ways than an obvious lie; it makes him instantly uneasy, almost nauseous, guts twisting in cold knots — there'd been a town like that. Not like that, but enough like it. He still remembered details, sometimes, out of nowhere.

He looks back at Guren again, a little paler, schooling his expression. ]

How'd you get something like that?

[He can't help but picture Mahiru with a question like that. He drops his eyes back to Gojyo anyway, his expression cold and distant as he considers.]

None of your business. [He tilts his head a little.] Your eyes are red. [But no pointed ears, no horns... does he have fangs? He can't tell, he needs to look more. So, is he full? Half, somehow? From a vampire, or from a human? It doesn't seem conventional. It might not follow the same rules.

He doesn't know how that could be.]

What's wrong, you scared? Don't worry. You're too weak to be of any help to anyone. [HE'S SO RUDE he actually hopes Gojyo's anger will make him stop looking at him like he's going to pull out a weapon and somehow seal him in it, please.]

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 007 )

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