aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 010 )

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*test drive meme

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 010 )

Test Drive Meme #10

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 April 17th, and Applications on April 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.

Friends on the Other Side
When you open your eyes, it is to a shadow-tinted cityscape. The buildings are clay-built and colorless, plunging seemingly infinitely onward into the sky before disappearing into a dense pool of foglike sky. The silence weighs heavily like a mantle across every inch of this place, and no matter how you squint at them, every structure seems strangely blurred, as though being viewed through distorted telescope lens, or in the reflection of a pool of water.

All told, it's probably obvious from the start that all is not well here.

From the moment you arrive in this strange nether-place, your eyelids have begun to grow heavy. Something about this city and its perpetual, misted darkness leaves you inexplicably drowsy, ready to curl up and fall asleep on the spot.

That wouldn't be a problem, perhaps, if you were alone. Mu does not boast a great deal of flora and fauna, but what it does have is a creature capable of inflicting much in the way of misfortune - clockroach. They occupy this city in swarms of wraith-like wisps, both intangible and curiously amorphous. But when they draw close, they instill a sense of terror like no other, usually igniting one's fight-or-flight response as a result. Sure, they might not be capable of actually hurting you, but why should that matter, when they have a skill for inducing a sense of utter dread in their targets?

Ever try to get some sleep with fresh adrenaline pumping in your veins?

Pretty Fly for a...Fire Guy
With indigo-blue skies, lush fields of green, and miles of rippling grass hills for as far as the eye can see, Mu has cast you into the perfect and picturesque evening. As the imaginary sun lips the very edge of the horizon and the last glow of orange fades to the purple of dusk, the fields come to life with a smattering of bright, wavering lights.

LifeAftr has its fair share of fireflies native to its many regions, but this particular kind is special. They're the size of quarters, very pretty to look at...and incredibly volatile besides. It's hard to interpret what these wondrous little glow-bugs might view as a threat or not, but at least it's remarkably easy to discern as much based on the sight of them alone: they're handily color-coded depending on their moods.

While they glow a contented amber by default, those that fireflies warm to will find themselves bathed in a green-blue glow as those bulbous, organic lanterns tint with a soft, cool turquoise. A few of them might even settle across your arms and in your hair, if they take that much of a shine to you.

Of course, those the fireflies don't warm to will be able to note as such when they light up a blazing crimson, mere seconds before the insects spit a stream of glowing orange, molten-colored acid. It stings and burns in equal measure, just as likely to scald you as it is to set the surrounding fields aflame.

Flower You Doing That?
Adventurers were both wary and relieved to discover that the next island on the horizon, known as Ziziphus, appeared to be a rather vegetation-rich paradise. They were considerably less relieved to learn that this island contained predators just like all the rest of them, despite the rich green backdrop of its meadows and the promise of lush woodland at its heart.

So it is that you, too, will learn that sometimes tufts of ferns are not tufts of ferns at all...but dangerous creatures called spindlanks.

What might initially appear to be a leafy hillock will very quickly prove to be something far more...mobile, if you get close enough. That clump of grass and red ferns will abruptly hoist itself up on six vine-like tendrils, crawling for its prey like a very large, mossy spider. While it's fully capable of swiping at its foes with its massive, leafy arms, the spindlank's favored method of dispatching its prey is simply to scuttle forth until it's positioned directly above you and drop down. If its weight does not crush you and choking on the clods of earth doesn't smother you, don't worry; the spindlank intends to eat you alive with a set of fleshy jaws set deep in its center.

For despite their leafy appearance, spindlanks are very much carnivorous. Their size can vary from anywhere between six and ten feet tall when their appendages unfurl entirely. They burn as easily as any plant matter would, but the size of them can make them quite difficult to topple alone.

And they are almost always hungry.

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Keep makin jokes like that and you'll be six feet under.

[And since he's letting Gladio push him around...

Beware Iggy there is a noogie incoming unless you squirm away. No product means he can do this without ruining your hair. ]

[Wait! Wait! No fair! Abort! Abort! How dare you, Gladio! He trusted you!

Ignis tries to pull himself free of Gladio's grasp, but the hands that push and lightly punch at the other man's chest have little force behind them. Besides, it's not like his hair can be in much worse shape that it already is in.

Once Gladio's got the noogie out of his system, Ignis tilts his head up, newly disheveled hair sticking out in all directions. Still, his expression is serious as he lifts a hand toward Gladio's face.]

May I?

[The feel of the Kingsglaive uniform under his fingers makes him realize, quite suddenly, that the mental image he has of his friend is ten years out of date. It's something he'd like to rectify.]

[It's all Gladio can do not to laugh at Ignis, his hair being the wreck that it is. It's nice to see him anything less than perfect.

The question, though, catches him off guard a bit. When's the last time Ignis asked to do this? The last time he even bothered to preface it with a question and not just running his fingers over his face to make sure there weren't any new scars.

He leans in, bumps his cheek against Ignis' outstretched fingers.]

Yeah, of course.

[For this Ignis, though, there would be plenty more scars, worry lines deep in his brow, his beard less trimmed and thicker, never mind the vast difference in his hair.]

Thank you.

[Ignis' touch is light as it moves over Gladio's face. He's still not used to this kind of thing and is fighting back the part of his mind that says it's not proper to do it. Thanks to the blasted visions of Noctis' future etched into his memory, he doesn't need this to know how his King looks now, but Gladio is a different story--a different Gladio--if Ignis is perfectly honest.

His lips press into a tighter line each time he finds one of those new scars or deep worry lines. Once he's finally finishes, his hand doesn't fall away completely. Instead, his fingers weave into the end of that long hair.]

Well, the good news is that apparently I'm still beating you at the facial scar game, but this...

[He gives the hair in his grasp a light pull.]

This is a mess. Of course, somehow I expect you still manage to make it look positively dashing.

[He anticipates the tug, sways with it and grins, not quite laughing but the amusement is clear in his voice.]

Well if I'd known it was a competition... [He reaches up to tug his hair out of the elastic, letting it fall thickly down around his face. Even moving with the tug it pulled his ponytail lopsided.]

'Course it looks good on me. Everything looks good on me. [A pause to bat Ignis' hand away so he can fix his ponytail.]

Just... didn't really have time to keep shaving it. Gave up a few years ago.

Oh? If everything looks so good on you, then would you care to explain why you eschewed wearing a shirt so often?

[Once his hand is batted away, Ignis lets it fall to rest in his lap. Despite the teasing in his words, his expression slowly grows more serious as he listens to Gladio fix his hair.]

This is going to sound strange, but I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sure Prompto and my future self were around, but this present me wishes...

[He pauses then, tucking his chin into his chest out of embarrassment as he fumbles with finding the right words to express what he's saying. Much to his displeasure, he fails.]

Oh, blast it, never mind. You must have knocked loose all my remaining brain cells with that noogie.

[There's a soft little "heh" and the sound is accompanied with the same kind of smirk he used to reserve for nights out in Lestallum, flirting his way through the crowds. It's such a familiar sound that he has no doubt Ignis knows the exact expression that goes with it.

That's why he rarely wears a shirt, thanks.

But then he speaks again and it's Gladio's turn to look away, somber and with no small amount of guilt.]

We don't... really see each other, actually. Once in awhile, in passing maybe...

[It hurts to admit it, especially to this Ignis who seems so earnest.]

What?

[Ignis' lifts his head then, the moment so quick it causes his sunglasses to slide down his nose revealing his right eye open wide in shock.]

You said we were all together going to the Citadel. Why wouldn't we have stayed together during such a dark time? I know we would have gone wherever we were needed most, but I would have thought...

[His voice trails off then, uncertain as to how he should finish that sentence. Uncertain and maybe a little afraid of knowing the answer to why they weren't together.]

[He didn't want to explain, to tell him what happened. He doesn't want to admit to his own part in their separation.]

There was just- [His voice is thick with too many emotions and he doesn't know what to do with any of them other than let out a harsh breath and try again.]

Always something missing. [It wasn't just that. Not exactly. There was so much more, so many layers of hurts and absences. So much loss and so many people to protect. But it all came down to the same thing. They were each a reminder to the others of what they'd lost.]

Noct.

[It's the obvious answer, but with how much Gladio is struggling, there has to be more to it than that. After all, they were the three who knew Noctis the best. It makes no sense that just his absence would have driven them apart. If anything, the memories should have kept them together. But what more could there be? What could have impac-

Suddenly, something dawns on him and he swallows hard, reaching out blindly to find Gladio's arm, his grip tighter than it should be.]

Tell me my blindness didn't cause this. Please. I know I never told anyone what happened that day, but it wasn't anything to do with either of you. I swear this on Noct's life!

"Hey! Heeey no..." It's startled at first, then soothing. Gladio's hand covers Ignis' on his arm, gentle and reassuring. Ignis sounds so distressed he just wants to draw him into a big, smothering hug the way he used to do to Iris when she'd had a bad dream.

"It wasn't your fault and it sure as hell didn't have anything to do with..." His other hand comes up, lightly brushing his fingers over Ignis' temple, not quite touching the scars. Then he realizes what he's doing and withdraws his hand, though he can't quite release the grip he has on Ignis' hand.

"Look a lot of it was just... I was mad, okay. Furious. We couldn't do anything, couldn't fix anything... and-" He frowns, squeezing Iggy's hand once more before drawing his hand away, shame keeping him from continuing the contact. It seemed wrong somehow to be reassuring Ignis for something when it was all Gladio's fault.

"I agreed with the Marshal. That we should plan for the worst. Prompto wouldn't hear it and you... well... disagreed."

"Yes, I'm quite certain I did," Ignis feels overwhelming relief to hear that his blindness wasn't the cause of their separation. After the tension Prompto told him about, it seemed a real possibility, however, the relief fades quickly as Gladio continues and when his friend finally pulls away completely, Ignis frowns, hand following until it manages to snag the Shield's again.

"Now, stop pulling away from me. It's quite obvious that you're blaming yourself more than necessary and I'm not going to stand for you punishing yourself more on top of it," his words start with a sharpness to them that is quickly replaced by a softer, more understanding tone. Oddly enough, there's almost something apologetic to it. "The me who told you that, he knows things he will never tell you, not until this is over and perhaps not even after that. I struggle with the idea of telling you now, but I've already told Noct and Prompto knows as well. It's unfair to leave you in the dark."

He gives Gladio's hand a squeeze before releasing it, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders as if he's about to relive one of the worst moments of his life. That would be because he is.

"In Altissia I was shown things, Gladio. Visions of the future that awaits Noctis once he returns to the Citadel. I don't know if Pryna acted on her own or if Luna used the last of her power to command it, but I've seen the price he will pay. I suspect you know what I speak of now so close to the end as you are, but I've known what was coming since that dreadful day when we lost so much. The literal truth is that the last thing I saw were those visions, because I still see them and will continue to see them for the rest of my life."

"That me who could not agree is the same one who will be doing whatever he can to abort the future he saw. Preparing for the worse? In his mind, it's the same as standing still and not trying to change the fate the Astrals laid out Noct so long ago. Accepting either Noctis never returning or things going along as the Prophecy proclaims both lead to the same place--Noct's death. That is something no version of me can accept."

A sad smile crosses his face then, "You always were the realist among us. You and the Marshal. You aren't wrong in wanting to plan for the worst. There are just some things people can't accept if they wish to keep what little hope they have left in their hearts alive."

The tension after Iggy lost his eyesight really had nothing to do with Iggy. It was all Noct and Gladio bumping heads and Gladio feeling absolutely powerless. No way to help Iggy, no way to help Noct, and no way to move forward either. It was the same thing that drove them all apart in the end.

Ignis grabs for his hand and Gladio sighs, reluctantly letting the other keep hold of him. He doesn't want to admit it but he's missed this, the closeness of his friends. He had Iris, of course, but it wasn't the same. He watches Ignis carefully as he speaks, chewing at his cheek more than once to stop himself from interrupting. He'd let him finish at least, he owed him that much.

"You knew?" His frown is clear in his voice and he lets out a slow breath so he doesn't sound as angry as he immediately feels. "Why the hell wouldn't you tell anyone? We could've-" No, his voice was rising and he struggles to keep it in check.

"With more information we could've maybe done something, Ig." He shakes his head, exasperated but it's all so far in the past now there's no use in getting pissed about it. "At least we'd have known how long we'd be waiting. Those first months were so hard. Like Prom thought we'd wake up any day to Noct standing in the doorway like it was no big. And then six months passed..."

"By the time he'd been gone a year I was either going to punch Prompto's teeth out or make him cry. So I left Lestallum, helped Cor and the Glaive start evacuating what was left of Liede. Too little, too late."

"I wish it had been as simple as just telling you what I knew. Truly, I do, but the visions showed me no useful information aside from, perhaps, the fact that he was gone long enough to grow a beard. Besides that, I was given no specific timeframe, no indication of where or when he would be back. What it showed me was the The Kings of Old running him through with their blades; what it showed me was Noct burned to ash by the power gathered over the generations; what it showed me..." Ignis' words come to a shuddering stop and he turns away, hands curling into fists at his sides as he desperately tries to push back the pain speaking of the visions brings him. "What it showed me was his father pinning him to the throne with his own sword like one might pin a butterfly to a board. What good would telling you this do? Who would it help? Tell me, would knowing this have done anything but crush what hope you had left in your heart?"

Ignis can't say that he's surprised that Prompto had so much to do with Gladio finally having to put distance between them. While Ignis and Gladio's personalities are opposite in ways that usually complement each other, Gladio and Prompto's personalities are opposite in a way that often causes them to clash. With no Noctis there to be a buffer and Ignis himself likely focused on relearning how to do everything in the dark, those clashes would have only gotten worse. This is why Ignis can't find it in his heart to scold Gladio for his actions. They make sense, especially in such a high stress environment.

"It's never too late." This, though, he can scold on, if only lightly. "Not so long as even one person can be helped. You should know this."

He wants to make a joke, maybe something about Noct's saddest scrappiest beard. (Still better than Prompto's goatee though, sweet Shiva.) But the more Ignis goes on the clearer it becomes how much this hurts him, pains him in ways Gladio can't understand. It hurts, seeing him like this and it hurts more knowing that the Ignis he knows, the one that's been keeping apart from him all these years, has been bearing this pain alone for so long.

There's nothing he can do for the Ignis he knows and maybe nothing he can really do for this Ignis but he can't sit by and ignore his pain. So Gladio pushes up onto his knees so he can shift himself, less beside and more behind Iggy, throwing one arm around him and crushing him against his chest in a hug, half dragging him onto his lap when he drops back down to the ground.

"You could've told us so you didn't have to suffer alone, idiot." And it's easier to focus on Ignis and how much he's hurting with all of this than have to acknowledge how many lives were lost because they didn't act sooner. Because they held out hope that Noctis would return before things got too bad. Before entire regions worth of people were lost to the darkness.

A soft noise of surprise leaves Ignis' mouth when the hug comes. It isn't what he was expecting at all. More anger, and heaven forbid, maybe even disappointment were closer. After all, though Ignis knows some of what happened during the darkness, he hasn't been there yet. Maybe something he saw would have helped. There's no way to know now. All he can do is add this to the list of things he wants to change if they somehow find a way to carry their memories back home with them when they leave this place.

Ignis' tense shoulders relax and he lets his forehead rest against Gladio's shoulder, fingers curling into the Shield's jacket. A soft chuckle affirms his friend's statement. Ignis is an idiot; he's been told as much by many people since arriving here, yet somehow it has more staying power when it comes from Gladio. Mira may know the pain of fighting a predetermined destiny and Prompto may know the pain of missing and wanting to protect Noctis, but only Gladio understands the duty that has been laid upon their shoulders since they were children. No matter how much they may have butted heads about the exact details of taking care of Noctis, they understand each other in a way no one else can.

"You have no idea how much I've missed having you around."

A complete fool who tries so damn hard to bear everyone's burdens and that is one of the many things they've disagreed on over the years. Ignis should not take so much responsibility for all of Noctis' actions. It wasn't fair on him or on Noct really. And now here he was trying to protect them all from a future only he knew about.

It was so stupid and so very Iggy for him to think it was the only option.

Ignis curled into him and Gladio left one arm slung loosely around his shoulders, not holding onto him exactly but the weight of his arm pushing him against Gladio's chest. "Yeah..." And it feels so stupid to say it when it's his own damn fault Ignis wants nothing more to do with him back home. But he says it anyway. "Missed you too, Ig."

It might be his fault everything fell apart but he can't just pretend like the distance between them hasn't hurt. "Guess we're both pretty fantastically stupid... 20/20 hindsight and all that."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with being in such good company," Ignis chuckles softly, knowing he should probably pull away before he overstays his welcome, but with Gladio's arm wrapped around him--even so loosely--he finds it hard to convince himself it's worth the effort to move. Hopefully, the Shield will forgive him for lingering a little longer. Much like his moment with Noctis earlier, Ignis finds himself not wanting this one to end. There is a little voice in the back of his mind that says, 'What if he doesn't show up on the island? What if this is it?' Ignis doesn't want this to be it. There is still so much for them to talk about, but especially with Gladio, he knows he can't put out too much all at once. They are both too tired to handle much more than they already have. Covering more will only lead to misunderstandings and anger.

A safer topic then.

"Aside from the sunlight, what is the one thing you are looking forward to the most when you get to the island?"

It has been more years than he cares to admit since he was able to just casually touch someone. Not frantically addressing wounds, not desperate hugs to assure himself that friends were still whole and alive, not adrenaline fueled romps scattered between months of loneliness. Just... touching because he could, because they were close, they were friends and he didn't need an excuse to be physical with someone.

Especially with Ignis. So many years since the other man had been comfortable like this and the last thing Gladio wanted was to let him pull away. Unless Ignis made a move to escape he was perfectly content with having the warmth of his friend pressed against him once more. It felt like finally coming home after too many years away, even more so than it had when they'd stepped into Insomnia once more.

The question surprises him and he huffs out a breath, not quite an answering question of his own but a sound of curiosity. He hums as he thinks, leaning forward a touch to rest his chin lightly on Ignis' head.

"Meeting Coco." He finally says, nodding and removing the weight of his head from Ignis'. "Wiz got run out... hell, nearly 8 years ago. I doubt there's anything, even the most stubborn of birds, that could've survived." Gladio pauses, bites his lip, offers Iggy a half shrug that he can feel. "Pretty sure there aren't any left back home, I mean."

He'll never be able to tell Prompto that.

Ignis draws in a startled breath when he hears that, fingers unconsciously curling tighter in the Shield's jacket. The answer is completely unexpected and when Gladio lifts his head away, Ignis finds himself looking up at his friend as if he might be able to read his expression even though he can't. Sorrow is etched into Ignis' own expression as he thinks about the probable fate of the birds who had kept them company through so much of their journey.

"So much lost. I can't even being to imagine the pain you've been through," he unwraps one hand from Gladio's jacket so he can brush his thumb over the Shield's cheek. "This island is no paradise, but I hope you can rest a little and heal so you may return to the battle stronger."

Gladio didn't ask for for a break, Ignis knows that for certainty. He never would ask for it. Perhaps that is why whatever is in charge of bringing them here chose to bring him when they did.

There have been times over the years where he thought that he might not be able to continue if something didn't give. A glimmer of light, some sign to remind him of what they were fighting for. He's needed a break for years but he would never dream of actually taking one, even if it was offered.

Asking? Out of the question.

Ignis touches his face and Gladio leans into the contact just a little, breathing out tension he wasn't even aware he was carrying. Even if he didn't know all of it just knowing that he could share some of that burden with Ignis eased his heart.

"No such thing as paradise." And the worst of it was, he truly believed that. "But maybe... Maybe it could be close."

"Noct certainly enjoyed being able to fish to his heart's content before, and I can't say I minded the supply of fresh fish," Ignis had intended to pull his hand away after just a moment, but when Gladio leans into the touch, he changes his mind and lets it remain. Touch is such a powerful grounding force, after all. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid we're short on romance novels. I do hope that won't be a deal breaker."

No Cup Noodles either, but they work with what they have.

"That's nothing new. Pretty sure I've read everything left in Lestallum at least twice." There were only so many shitty novels he could get his hands on and it was as close as he ever got to down time, reading a chapter or two while he was waiting on food, a few more when sleep eluded him which was all too often.

He smiles a little, though, only just realizing the implications of what Ignis has said. "Fish." And it's said with such awe that it would be hilarious if it weren't so sad. "Gods I haven't had fish in-" He has to stop, to think back and even then he's frowning with the effort of recalling. "What... 7? 8 years? Before Ollie was born at least." Because once they lost Cape Caem they lost a huge portion of their food supplies as well.

"I shall make you the finest fish feast when we get there," Ignis lets his fingers drift across Gladio's cheek once more before finally letting his hand fall away. "After all, it's been some time since we were all together. I think we have much reason to celebrate."

Plus he has all those herbs that Mira just gave him, though he has to save some to make her a feast of her own. Still, what perfect timing.

At the mention of the name Ollie, Ignis' expression becomes curious. Obviously, a child born after the darkness fell, but to who?

"And Ollie is?"

Gladio sucks in a breath, hopeful and eager and before Ignis draws his fingers away entirely he'll feel the way Gladio's cheeks round as he grins. "Celebrating sounds like a plan to me." Real fresh food, not something out of a can or a jar, not made mostly of plastic.

"Right." This Ignis has never met Ollie, doesn't even know he exists, and for a moment it is strange all over again, the vast time differences between them. "Oleander Amicitia." He's just enough of an ass to let it settle for a moment, let Ignis ponder, just so he can see the beginnings of whatever expression would follow the conclusion that Gladio has a kid before he chuckles softly and puts him out of his misery. "My nephew."

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 010 )

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That icon is unfair. keywords should be "smolder"

Keyword Update: Complete! It's a better one than I had anyway! LOL

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