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aftr_ooc2018-06-13 08:58 pm
lifeaftr_mods) wrote in aftr_ooc2018-06-13 08:58 pm
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TEST DRIVE MEME ( 012 )
Test Drive Meme #12
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 June 17th, and Applications on June 24th!
Two important notes:
Remember that Reserves will open on June 17th, and Applications on June 24th!
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.
There Goes the Neighborhood
Today, you're not merely waking up on an island. Oh, no. You're waking up in the world's most perfect suburb, complete with perfectly-trimmed lawns, white picket fences, and a uniformity that borders on the absurd. Not a fleck of paint is out of place, and not a blade of grass is out of line.
Mu has attempted to imitate the sort of fabricated happiness that adventurers dealt with in the month of May, but without the full power to shape fantasies to the whims of each individuals, has opted instead to attempt for a blanket, painfully generic alternative.
You obviously don't belong here. The framework of the narrative is so structured that it's not hard to realize things are amiss. The more you think about it, the more it seems like this entire fantasy is deeply, deeply amiss.
But then again, maybe not. Maybe you buy into it, completely and utterly. Maybe you're so eager to escape whatever life you lived prior to this one that you're all too eager to live in this Stepford-esque facsimile. The degree to which your character adheres to this structured world, and how much they remember from their true life, is up to you.
Do it for the Vine
This next scenario is far from pleasant, though it is much more real. The thick, tropical woodland might be difficult to traverse at first, but don't worry - it's about to get much harder.
The good news is that while the vines might be both eerily cunning and vast in number, they still are just plants, and plants can be easily pruned or burned. The subterranean rumbles of the ground as it cracks and ruptures underfoot might be less easy to contend with.
To that, our only suggest is simply to run. Good luck!
Taken for Granite
This particular brand of landscape is striped with cliffs and crags, a lifeless mountain range crooked along the horizon with rock the color of fired clay. And not far off from where you've stirred awake is...a rather eccentric rock formation.
By "eccentric", of course, we mean "moving". And by "moving" we mean "it is extricating itself from the ground like some unholy tectonic zombie and it's coming right at you RUN".
Formed entirely from an amalgamation of earth, rocks, ore, and valuable gems, the earth golem is surprisingly territorial for a glorified lump of mud. Approximately fifteen feet tall and half as wide, this lumbering creature has only one concern: the eradication of anything that steps into its territory. It is sensitive to vibrations in the ground, and is thus very difficult to hide from for those moving on foot. However, it is nearly blind and very stupid, preferring to wallop anything within reach using its massive, boulder-sized fists rather than employ any sort of strategy.
Papyrus | Undertale
[ Papyrus is PRETTY SURE he knows what human villages look like now! And he is PRETTY SURE that humans aren't copies of each other with no real features, doing the same tasks over and over!
....But it's Papyrus, so he's going around talking to the eerily generic carbon copy families anyway. ]
Wowie! You sure are dedicated to mowing that grass! It sure is green! And short! And orderly!!
[ ....He's going to keep attempting small talk until he encounters someone else, isn't he. ]
B.
[ Well this sure isn't anywhere he's been before, but he knows where he stands with something that clearly wants to fight. The great Papyrus, run from a CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW A NEW FRIEND THROUGH COMBAT? Absolutely not, oh boy!! ]
Do you like...gardening? [ He dodges a clumsy wallop from the golem, but since he's basically stomping around it's not hard for it to swivel around to face him again. ] Or...flowers?? [ Papyrus why are you talking to it. ]
You're making it really hard to be friends with you...You haven't said a single word!!
But I think I know why that is!!
.....You must be shy!! Anyone would, meeting someone so great!! But don't worry!! I'm a great person AND a great friend!!
[ Someone stop him jfc ]
C. WILDCARD
[ do whatever you like im up for anything ]
b.
A skeleton-- a skeleton. With really cool outfit-- what the heck? Amazing...and he's just--
The golem swings at him, and the dodge is so effortless that Luna can't help but watch and be transfixed by this conversation. But he's just chatting, and seems like he's having a nice. Shy? Probably not, but...even with the impending danger (sorry, Guzma!) she calls out to him. ]
Ask him if he likes nice blankets!!
[ rock-paper-scissor joke. She grins happily from afar. Not wise to get <>i>too too close, but...gosh. How can you not be this close to such a a cool skeleton? ]
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He hmms loudly and thoughtfully, registering the words but not the joke. ]
I hadn't considered that...!! Well? Do you like nice blankets?
[ The golem goes in for another punch, which he easily avoids. ] No?? Wowie, you're not much of a talker! It's almost like you don't want to be friends at all?!
[ He crosses his arms, and then - oh wait wasn't there someone else here. He breaks his attention from the golem to look around until he spots Luna. ]
Human!! Do you know him? Is he always like this?? [ Names later, there's something more pressing right now. ]
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I've never seen him, before...maybe he's new? [ the golem is swinging, but Papyrus' laid-back and intriguing nature occupy Luna's attention. ] You must be new here too, then! Are you really a skeleton?!
[ maybe he also enjoys jokes!!! like the one the washed up on shore with her many, many months ago. ]
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...Human! I realise that perhaps...skeletons may be scary to you!! I have become aware that humans also have skeletons, but inside?? And seeing skeletons walking around...is not something humans are used to!!
But!! There is nothing to worry about!! Because!!
I am an extremely great and extremely friendly skeleton!!
[ He nods sagely, scarf fluttering dramatically in the wind. The golem winds up for another swing in the background.......... ]
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Well, mister Extremely-Great-And-Friendly-Skeleton... I'm Luna! And, uh, I'm not sure what their name is... [ looking toward the Golem thoughtfully.. ] ...but maybe we can help name them?! Yeah!
[ NAME THE PROBABLY-FATIGUED GOLEM!!! A NEW GAME FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES!!! ]
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Wowie!! That's a great name!! Just as great as my name! Which is Papyrus!! [ "extremely great and friendly skeleton" is a good descriptor but not a good name, and what would you even shorten it to?? It'd just be a mouthful every time! No, it's good to have sensible, short names.
The golem's punch looks awfully close to hitting Papyrus, but with a quick turn he holds out a gloved hand. The blue glow of magic surges up the golem's arm, and it jerks violently to the side as the entire appendage drops to the ground.
You're blue now!! At least temporarily. ]
Hmmmm....But what kind of name would be good for our new friend?? Rocky?? Mossy?? Boulder...y?? [ He muses loudly as he holds the golem there (it's already struggling to get up again). Papyrus is bad at names. ]
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b.eautiful I love it
There is a significant lack of friendliness pellets here, which should be the first indication of genuine aggression. Those fists also happen to be the size of Papyrus' entire body which--
How has he survived this long without any minor amount of caution? How.]
Excuse me, sir! [A jovial call as Chara trots forward, seemingly unconcerned by the tilt of the golem's head in the direction of these new vibrations.] I'm afraid our friend here is in need of some critical personal space; they've had a very rocky day, you see.
[So how about considering not standing right next to it?]
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But, hm. For some reason, this human is a bit familiar, just for a second. It gives him pause, since he's not sure why.
It's probably just a passing resemblance to Frisk, he thinks - he almost thought it was them, for a second, until they spoke. Sometimes humans just look similar like that. ]
Really?? [ Looks back to the golem. It's true, they seem awfully unwilling to be friendly. ] Well!! Maybe...I will come back and try again later!!
[ Papyrus, no. Still, he steps back (and the way he moves has changed; he's a little lighter on his feet. More like a human fighter, really; in the Underground, he'd stood firm, unmoving. But here, he's moving all the time), to reassess the situation. Yeah, ok, he can see that maybe this golem isn't in the mood.
....Wait.
You can pretty much see the realization on his face as the joke suddenly sinks in. ]
Ugh! Human!! That was a terrible joke!!
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They hope he realizes he owes them, wherever he is.]
And unintentional, I assure you. [Lol.] However, may we speak of this elsewhere? Before our friend lashes out- a regrettable action to him in hindsight--
[Or not. The golem rumbles, raising its fist. Seemingly bored of all the chatter, it swiftly brings its fist down, right where Papyrus is standing.]
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Surprisingly, he's not there to be flattened, though in his usual manner he's just thrown himself out of the way. Beauty, grace, that's definitely Papyrus all right, and he hasn't learned to dive roll and likely never will.
What matters is that it works, as ungainly as it is. He gets to his feet, meticulously dusting himself off and picking a bit of grass off his scarf before crossing his arms. ]
Clearly!! You aren't in the mood for friendship! But!! That is okay!! [ Dramatic point. ] I, the great Papyrus, won't rest until we're friends! But! I will respect you need time to think about it!!
[ Aaaand he's finally walking away, stopping next to Chara. Phew, crisis averted. ]
Well!! That went great for a first fight! I think we really connected!
[ Papyrus, no, ]
B.
...As needed, though she thinks there may not be a need at all. Yawning, the wolf licks her nose and sniffs, laying her head down on her paws and watching only idly, though her attention is still on the battle before her. He's got this, and what a relief, she's due for her fourth nap today...terribly overdue, actually!! This is a small blessing. Perhaps another ten...mm, five minutes of watching and she can allow a brief doze. Yes, that sounds reasonable.]
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But seeing such a large, white, fluffy dog gives him pause (he can almost hear Sans in the back of his head saying "more like paws huh paps" and immediately quells the thought), and so he approaches with caution. He's...more okay with dogs than he used to be, after a year spent on the Surface, but all of them still have a tendency to go after his bones!!
He stops short, crouching as he takes a closer look at Amaterasu. It's strange - he almost thinks he can see something like patterns, but they're hard to discern. Trying to figure out whether they're really there or not takes up all his attention.
So...he's just...staring at you, sorry Ammy. ]
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What's he looking at? Is there something on her face? Ammy licks her nose again for good measure, blinking several times, then looking herself over curiously. No, there's nothing out of place she can see... Her tail thumps against the ground, almost in an appeasing gesture because, um...personal space, broseph.
Can she hep you with anything? >_> You had that stone giant handled, so...]
a.
It's impossible not to hear Papyrus practically shouting at said neighbors, though. Not that Sans is about to complain. In fact, he's about to go goad on these shenanigans. ]
Guess you could say it's a good mow-ning, eh Paps?
[ Badum tsh. ]
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[ Pause. Wait you were just sleeping on that chair the entire time?? BROTHER. ] Or for napping, either!! Just look at this place!!
[ He sort of just. Gestures? Expansively. Papyrus is very straightforward in some regards, but he's certainly not incapable of noticing when things are....off. ] I'm sure humans aren't supposed to act this way! And even if they are extremely orderly, [ Papyrus the orderliness is probably part of why most people find it creepy ] it is clear something is extremely wrong!
[ What is shouting going to do about it? Well, nothing much. But Papyrus often tends to talk while he's trying to figure things out. He's never been one to keep his thoughts on the inside. ]
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Heh. Yeah, I guess they are acting pretty...off. [ He's really not sure how else to quantify the way they're all behaving, because he's pretty sure his bro wouldn't see it as 'Creepy' or 'Uncanny'. At least not to the same extent anyone else would. Him shouting compliments is proof enough of that.
Sans isn't even sure they're real humans? He doesn't know what else they would be, or why they would be here, but...yeah... ]
Maybe you should toss a puzzle or two their way? Might get them to snap out of, uh. Their obsessive lawn maintenance.
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he knows exactly why, and yet, he still asks,Papyrus accepts everyone's strange quirks of behaviour!! Even if they do nothing but mow their lawns in circles all day!! But it's still...strange? Not creepy, no, but strange. A monster shouting at them should have some response. Even acknowledging him for a bit, then going back to what they were doing, is a response! Getting no response is....throwing him off a bit, to be honest. And Papyrus doesn't like feeling thrown off. ]
Well!! The thing is!! I have tried that!! [ Presumably while Sans was taking a nap. Actually yeah that's probably when he did it. ] I have tried puzzles about gardening! And lawn care! Which seems very relevant to these humans' interests! And yet, they fail to respond in the slightest to my extremely clever and topical and hand-crafted brain-teasing experiences!!
[ HE HUFFS AND CROSSES HIS ARMS. ] But it seems like all they wish to do is walk around and mow lawns all day!
I am beginning to think that they don't even know what a puzzle is!!
[ Yep, that's the thing you should take away from this, Papyrus. That they don't know what puzzles are. ]
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But reputation or not, he does want to try and make this less...of a troubling situation for his brother, so he puts in a little mental effort for the first time in a while.
Option one: Weekend at Bernies the situation. All he'd have to do is hide behind some people and move their arms around. Throw his voice a little to mime strangers. He's pretty sure Paps would fall for it. The downside is...well, it would be a lot of work for an indefinite amount of time. It really wouldn't be sustainable. He's exhausted just thinking about it.
Option two...eh. That's really all he's got for the moment. If they haven't responded to anything Papyrus has done, well, he doubts they can just be snapped out of their weird loops. ]
Maybe they don't. At least you can say you tried, right?
B
Sitting up, Sans rubbed at his eye socket just in time to glimpse a large muddy foot come down mere inches from--]
'Sup, bro. [Sans wasn't sitting anymore, suddenly at Papyrus's side. It was a talent of his, looking half asleep even as he rushed into action. Action, in this case, meaning gently pulling Papryus a foot (hah) to the left before the creature's next stomp dusted him.] You make a new friend?
[Considering the setting, his casual tone seemed comically out of place. Still, there was no hiding the few beads of sweat starting at his brow bone.]
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[ And mercifully sparing Sans from further stress, he cheerfully heads off in a random direction that's not towards the aggressive stomping lump of rock. Does he know where he's going? Absolutely not. But he is definitely going away, and that's the important thing. ]
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It took a pretty cool person to recognize cool, and Papyrus practically oozed the stuff. Unfortunately, Papyrus only had him right now, and he couldn't help feeling the balloon of stress in his chest deflate with relief when his brother abandoned this latest show of that very cool bravery.
Sans wasn't all that cool, after all.]
I bet they'll chill out eventually.Y'know, once they're all stomped out. [He offers, appearing up near the shelter of rocks Papyrus was heading towards.] You can try again later. Maybe make them a mud pie or something.
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And though Sans does his fair share of looking out for him, it's important that Papyrus does the best he can for his brother, too. If that involves putting aside something he was doing to make sure Sans doesn't stress out, even if it is an important thing like Making Friends and Socialising and Being Cool? He'll do it.
Sans is happier if he's away from the giant stompy rock, and in a strange place like this, it's all the more important to make sure his brother has less to worry about. ]
That...is an excellent idea!! Gifts are always a very good way of making friends!! No wonder they were so mad!! I will just have to make them an extra great and special gift to make up for my rudeness!! [ It's totally that and not the fact that the golem is SUPER HOSTILE and probably is not capable of friendship, yep.
But, now that he's not actively engaging in something extremely dangerous, there are more questions. ] Sans! Do you happen to know where we are?? [ He's not so clear on the details of how he got here, but boy this is a more...coherent dream than he's used to having. ]
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Oh yeah, I'm full of it. [Good ideas, that is. Of course, Papyrus's question about being here jogs his attention back towards his brother.] Uh...
Not gonna lie, bro, it's got me stumped. Did you make dinner last night?
[It would explain the weird shared hallucination, even if Sans found it strange he couldn't remember...]
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Not that he will, of course, that would mean leaving Sans behind. But he's thinking it. ]
Uh. I don't think so?? [ He might have asked "wait, are you saying my excellent spaghetti causes realistic dreams?" or something like that if he was paying more attention. He steps up a bit onto a rock and glances around. Cliffs, crags, more cliffs... ] I've heard of dreaming about places you've never been! But this seems a bit too absurd, even if you're here too!!
[ Of course Sans would be in his dreams, because that's his brother. Why would he not dream about him? But all this seems a bit...realistic...? He usually has weirder dreams than this. ]
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