TEST DRIVE MEME ( 009 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #9

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 March 17th, and Applications on March 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.

City Slicker
The walls of this place are uniform, gray-tinted, built from sandstone and clay. The architecture is deliberate and monochrome to an unkind extent; homogeneity, here, is the order of the day. All told, while a bit colorless, the place is not unpleasant, particularly with that periwinkle blue midday sky blanketed with soft tufts of cloud overhead.

Except for the shouts of armed guards pursuing you. You've broken the law, you see. Maybe your hair is too colorful, or your apparel contained pockets. Maybe you carried a weapon without a permit. Whichever one of those ridiculous, lengthy list of laws you've broken, it's put you in the guards' bad sights. Their technology hasn't progressed beyond that of spears and shields, but at least like this, you're being allowed something of a fighting chance.

We say "fighting," but really, your best bet is probably to try and avoid them. Mu has recreated the ironclad system present on the island of Ai'tuoh, though it's eased some of the unfair advantages stacked against you: the militia are no longer cunningly concealed among the populace, and they do not fight with needles slid into arms before you can understand what, precisely, has just gone wrong. This way, at least you have a chance to run before they seize and sedate you.

Which we recommend, by the way. The running.

Sky Islands, or Skylands
While waking on islands is all very well and good - practically par for the course in LifeAftr, in fact - one might need a moment to adjust to the strangeness of this one. This one, it turns out, is floating. Suspended in midair, this island is one of several dozens peppered throughout the sky. They drift to and fro, close to one another and then away again, but that's far from the most curious thing about them. No; their most peculiar quality is the fact that these islands shift, warping in shape as though caught in a state of perpetual flux. They ripple seamlessly from one visual to the next,: cycling through the varieties of an ice-swept tundra, a lush rainforest, a half-crumbled ruin, and infinite others in the span of mere hours.

And, if you concentrate just enough, you might find that these islands are pliable to even your will. You may be able to mold them like clay through focus of will alone, causing them to gradually shape into something familiar, even desirable: a home you miss, a place you wish you could see. But no matter how you try, you can only fabricate that which is non-sentient - plants, buildings, rocks, trees.

Just take care not to take things too far. You might find that the landscape does not take too kindly to being overly micromanaged. Too much projection of your conscious or subconscious desires will cause the entire thing to start to darken, crumble, and wither away...taking you with it.

And it's a very, very long fall back to earth.

[This prompt is a miniature version of our February event! Feel free to experiment with whatever details you uncover on the info post if you like!]

Kick Back, Relax
It's not all survivalist shenanigans and horrifying, mind-bending events. There are, in fact, plenty of moments of relaxation, of relief, and even fun to be had. Mu is not a wholly unkind being; it can allow you a much-needed respite in the form of something it suspects everyone might enjoy: a good old-fashioned party. A volleyball net has been strung between two palm trees. A length of driftwood table has been laden with any kind of food you could imagine might be found on an island: drinks served in coconut shells, carmelized shrimp, smoked oysters, skewers of fish. The aquamarine tide laps up at the soft white sand, and those who test the temperature of the shallows will discover that they are pleasantly warm.

And at the center of it all, a cheerful bonfire that kicks up hot flares of sparks into the warm, rich blue of the sky. What a peaceful sight! What a jovial celebration!

Better enjoy it while it's here.

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

Comments

subaru akehoshi ★ ensemble stars!

[sheens]

A. one jump ahead

[ that whole overly colored hair law...yeah, subaru wasn't really expecting to run from the police today, but what can you do? there's a streak of bright orange hair bobbing and winding through a crowd of gray, and despite the fact that subaru should be running for his (dream) life, he's... laughing? ]

Haha~! Too slow, too slow! ★ [ one of the benefits of being an idol (and a basketball player) is that he's always been extremely light on his feet. it's almost effortless, watching him spin on his heel to neatly dodge around a little group of shoppers, sliding into the space between them to lose a couple of guards, cutting the group chasing him down to three.

(he can't get caught. his mom would be so upset--dream or not, that feeling resonates, and subaru runs.)

abruptly, though, he spots an alleyway, the perfect place to hide. subaru zips to the right and reaches out for the first piece person he can find, which means he ends up grabbing someone by the arm and pulling them into the alleyway with him, plastering himself to the wall with the person in front of him, hand still on their arm.

he puts a hand up to his mouth in a "shhh" gesture, bright blue eyes twinkling as he puts a hand over his mouth, conspiratory. ] Don't worry, I won't hurt you, you're safe with me, but you gotta keep me safe too, okay~? Shh, shhh!

skylands. shiny, shiny skylands.

[ the beautiful, rippling landscapes have led subaru not to a beautiful tundra or waterfalls, but rather, what appears to be a room full of sparkling, shining gold coins, packed floor to ceiling. there are so many, and subaru's laying spread eagled in the middle of it, holding a particularly shiny coin up to his face. ]

O~ooh, it's sparkly, it's so~o sparkly! ★ [ this is heaven? he's pretty sure this is heaven.

however, his little "creation" might be crumbling a little at the edges. after all, there are a lot of coins here, and subaru's greed for shiny things is pretty much unending, so he keeps making more and more pop up. maybe if you're nice, you'll stop him... or maybe you'll keep watching this weirdo practically roll around in a pile of shiny, shiny coins. ]

Shiny

[strayknight]

[Ritsu knows who this is right away. It's one of Maakun's unitmates. The boys need for shiny was well known in the school, as well as how Trickstar was on a mission to overthrow a lot of the bad things at Yumenosaki. For now though Ritsu watches as Subaru is close to burying himself in the shiny coins before Ritsu takes no of the crumbling.]

It might be good to no do that too long.

[sheens]

[ oh... sari's clingy friend. ...sakuma-senpai's little brother! there we go. that's him.

subaru stares at him for a minute, and you can almost see all of those thoughts go dancing across his face before he decides to flop back down, holding his shiny golden coin up to see. ] Huh, why not? This place is like paradise...! ☆

[strayknight]

[That is a way to remember him, but not incorrect.

Maakun will be upset if this boy dies here and he really doesn't want to deal with Maakun being upset.]

It's not normal....

[sheens]

Yumenosaki's not so normal, either!

[ ... he's got a point, tho, right. ] Who cares what's normal or not!

[strayknight]

...

[He does have a point but the more he sees the gold crumbling the more this becomes a needed move.]

Maakun would move you.

Then fine be dissolved into goop...Maakun can yell at me for it later.

SHINIES

[sorewatopsecret]

[Ohhh god no not this place again. Though her outward appearance didn't indicate so, Takane has had enough of the floating islands during the first and last time she was on them. How does she get off now? Sit in the safe zone and beg for mercy?

However, she spots someone in the distance, which gives her pause. Orange hair, blue eyes, 200% ENERGETIC, and scooping up a bunch of coins with delight? For Takane, who is dense and spacey enough to mistake billboards for actual people, that can only be one person...

Wordlessly, she walks a swift beeline towards the person. Subaru will now suddenly be pulled into a hug by a strange, silver-haired girl about his height.]

[sheens]

[ subaru's so wrapped up in his shiny coin collecting that he doesn't even hear anyone coming up behind him. in fact, when he sits up straight enough for her to hug him, he makes a surprised -- ] Aaa?! [ noise!!

but. it's a girl? oh, it's a cute girl...! subaru is not usually the first person to run and hug if he doesn't at least know someone, so his hands hover for a second, but he then ends up wrapping them around her shoulders. ] Hey, hey, what's the matter? Are you okay...? It's okay, I've got you!

[sorewatopsecret]

[Once she feels the hug being returned, it was then that Takane finally realized several things. Yayoi isn't this tall. Nor was she this... muscly? There aren't any fluffy twintails swatting Takane in the face, either. And that voice definitely does not sound like Yayoi. Takane moves her hands to grab this boy firmly by the shoulders and push back, so that she can get a better look at him.]

.....

[After a long awkward period of staring at him, the facts have been confirmed in her head. Though there were some similarities, this boy was most definitely not Yayoi Takatsuki. Though it's very subtle, her face carries a mix of disappointment and embarrassment as she lets go of him to take a few steps back and give a small bow of apology.]

Please allow me to extend my most sincerest of apologies, good sir. It would seem that I had mistook you for someone, and thus caused inconvenience. [So formal.]

[sheens]

[ yeah, that pause is definitely awkward, though that's not on subaru's part. he blinks down at her when she looks up at him, a little surprised, head tilted, blue eyes big and round.

apologies, huh...? he grins anyway, pointing at his face. big smile! ] Relax, relax, you're so formal! I'm not upset, see, look? I usually don't like it when people just hug me, but you're really cute, so it's definitely okay! ☆

Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help you find them!! [ with so much energy, even. ]

[sorewatopsecret]

[At his reassurance, Takane can't help but have a perplexed expression, not in reaction to his energy, but more of his words. Though most would definitely see her as excessively formal, she never thought so of herself. This immediately goes away, as the boy offers to help her find Yayoi. Well, she highly had doubts that girl was here, but on the bright side, it's distracted him from spawning coins. And the less coins being spawned, the less land will crumble beneath their feet.

So, she'll humor him.]

She has fluffy, orange hair, like you. And blue eyes that sparkle with the vigor of life, much like yourself. She also finds joy in acquiring coins from underneath those "vendor machines" and is known to be "200% energetic" by many...

[It is then a Thought hits her like a ton of bricks, as she looks towards the sky and muses aloud:]

Could it be? Perhaps you and Yayoi are twins separated at birth...? Ami and Mami starred in a "one-shoot drama" with that being part of the plot...

all the idols want shinies...

[finethanks]

[There's something like excitement in Eichi's chest at seeing this particular familiar face. Subaru Akehoshi. What sort of atmosphere could he bring, if he were to appear after this dream? Or is it just that— a distant dream and nothing more?

Either way, Eichi wants to enjoy this time. In a rare show of good health, here, he'll go on watching Subaru for some time. Maybe too long... the pile is essentially disintegrating.]

Ah, by the way, too much creation like that will cause it all to crumble and disappear, so be careful. [He's warning too late?!]

the best choice ★★ (ALSO ONE HUNDRED YEARS LATER IM SORRY)

[sheens]

[ subaru doesn't even notice eichi approach him, so caught up in his newly shiny world--the more he thinks about it, the more coins start dropping from the sky and falling near him. he's practically making a snow angel by the time eichi speaks, and his little kingdom is crumbling more and more by the second. ]

Huh? [ ... he sits up, abruptly; a gold coin plunks off of his head. ] Huh? Hey, come back! [ agile, quick, he makes a grab for the gold coin and catches it; another piece falls off. ] Eichi-senpai! You're saying something so depressing... this is paradise, right, right? Look!!

[ he holds the coin out as if it will solve all the problems in the world. ] If it falls apart, I'll just keep building! ☆ Gotta break through ~

now we are evenly late!!

[finethanks]

[This child is too much. Eichi covers his mouth like he's contemplating those words seriously.]

So you intend to keep imagining new things, even as the world you've already created dissolves below you? Before you know it, you'll have nothing to stand on and fall to your knees. No matter how many coins you summon, you can't stop that reality.

Even your ambition isn't enough to change something factual like that. [He's pretty sure... He wouldn't mind watching to see, though.] As it is now, though... even the ground near my feet here appears to be turning to fire and ash. Is this safe?