TEST DRIVE MEME ( 013 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #13

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 July 17th, and Applications on July 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.

Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat
When you wake, it's to the bucking of tumultuous ocean waves and the heavy sluice of rain. The boat you've found yourself on was probably seaworthy at some point, but it's been wind-battered and weatherbeaten to the point where it's begun, quite steadily, to sink into the choppy waves. Looks like you're all in the same, sinking vessel. To make matters worse, it seems that the storm itself has a nasty sense of humor. It seems almost intuitive in its attempts to toss you from your footing on the deck and into the frothing waters below. Gusts of powerful wind try to tear you from the mast if you climb it, and the boat rocks perilously to try and tip you into the churning waves. Oh, and did we mention the lightning? Because there's lightning, and it seems to have a personal interest in incinerating your pitifully wooden little boat on the spot.

That doesn't mean you're completely helpless. There is an island in sight, one that resembles the waking land of Ensō, albeit somewhat far off, its silhouette fuzzy and indistinct from the curtains of rain. But if you can make it...

Well, anywhere's got to be better than here, right?

Gibbon No Quarter
It's been a year since the first adventurers were initially drawn to Mu's shores, and then, later, to Ensō's. And so, in celebration, the dream-island has cribbed only the best bits of the previous year for prospective explorers to sample on their way in.

Take now, for instance. You'll find yourself in a cage of all things, with the pound of drums and excited hoots of hungry simians to greet you upon waking. This particular breed of monkeys was once unique to Ensō, before travelers were forced to more or less thoroughly exterminate them. Devilishly smart and naturally inventive, gun monkeys are so named for their trademark weaponry - coconut guns, naturally - and their generally cunning capacity to craft tools out of very rudimentary resources. And oh, right - they're also very carnivorous. They've set up a smoking bonfire in the center of the jungle clearing that makes up their temporary home, and if you don't figure out a way to come out of your cage (have you been doing just fine, perhaps?), then you're going to be next on the menu.

Think fast, or work with whoever's nearby, and you might have a chance. Or you could always call for help. That always works out, right?

To Be Continued
Stories, stories, stories. Anyone who's hung around the block for any length of time can tell you, dear newcomers, that those little things are of the utmost importance in this neck of the woods. There's no mistaking the purpose behind this inviting scene - log seats set up around a roaring campfire, and even a packet or two of marshmallows if you're feeling hungry.

It almost might be enough to distract you from the fact that there's no fuel for said fire. And what's more, the darkness surrounding the woodland backdrop is so impenetrable that you may as well be an isolated blot of warmth in an otherwise unforgiving void. And within that void, if you listen close, you might hear something - a snarling, an indistinct rumble of massive jaws parting, hungrily, in search of something alive. If that flame burns out...well, something out there isn't fond of fire, and that's the only thing keeping it from claiming everyone seated here for its own enjoyment. But the good news is that there's a very easy way to keep this fire blazing well through the danger. Can you tell where this is going?

It's stories, of course. Regale us with tales of your past exploits, or with fairytales or nursery rhymes you remember from your childhood. Relay your tales of triumph and of grief, of laughter and of agony, of anything you can possibly imagine. As long as a story of some sort is being told, the fire will burn merrily onward, and the blanket of all-consuming darkness will be kept at bay.

Just try not to embellish too much. If your story is too vague, if it is more lies than it is something genuine, the fire might start to gutter dangerously low as a consequence. And that beast, whatever it is - oh, it's hungry.

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

Comments

varian | tangled: the series

[alchemistakes]

i. water we doing

[This is definitely one of the ruder awakenings he's had. It leaves no room for grogginess and Varian snaps to high alert instantly. As he sits up and takes note of his surroundings, fear is quick to set in. Even more so as a big wave crashes onto the rickety vessel and sends his raccoon companion into a panic, climbing onto Varian for safety.

Or his face, rather.]

O-Okay... So this is bad! This is bad, right? [He pulls Rudiger away from his face and lets the raccoon cling to his shoulder instead.] I'm no expert on sailing, but this definitely warrants as "really, very bad", right?!

[Is his voice raised so he's audible over the storm or because he's freaking the hell out? Yes.]

ii. science by fire

[For a while, Varian had been very anxious sitting here. There's a lot of noises out there and he really doesn't feel like meeting whatever's out there. Not to mention the fact that the fire seemed to be dimming at odd times.

But in nervously watching the fire, he started to realize something was up. Especially taking into account the other people...]

Whoa, wait, wait. [Pulling his safety goggles over his eyes, he scoots closer to the fire, staring into the flames.] Is the fire... reacting to us?

[Worry? Gone. Only scientific curiosity now.]

ii!

[shogis]

It seems like it is.

[ hifumi's also been observing the fire as well. in the downtime where people weren't telling stories, it started to dim. ]

Um...do you notice anything strange about it?

[alchemistakes]

It's not natural. No ordinary fire behaves like this, that's for sure. I thought maybe it was a chemical reaction based on the properties of this place, but...

[It's dimming more again. Oh, that's not good.]

...It's only... when people are sharing stories?

[shogis]

I've noticed that, too. It's certainly a strange phenomenon, one that science can't seem to explain...

[ she looks over at the fire, and ah--it does seem to be dimming. hifumi frowns and ]

In the interest of keeping the fire going, would you like to share one?

[alchemistakes]

Oh, I'm sure it can explain it! Everything can be explained by science, it might just take a while and...

[And... right, she does have a point.]

...I guess that's time we don't really have right now. Uh. Do you think any story will do?

[shogis]

I'm not sure, but everything that's been told so far seems to have worked in our favor.

[ she offers him a small smile. ]

And I'm very interested in what you have to share with us.

[alchemistakes]

Oh, well, I'll... I'll try my best, then.

[He thinks for a moment.]

...Okay, I do have something. It's part of my kingdom's history, so basically anyone there knows about it. So... centuries ago, see, Corona was in the middle of a war with our then-rival kingdom, Saporia. Our king back then was called Herz Der Sonne. And during the war, he made this system of tunnels to move around... troops, supplies, you name it. Pretty important stuff, but the tunnel system was very complex. So next, he made a map of the whole system and everything in it, all of it recorded in his journal.

Now, when the war really got heated, the leader of Saporia, General Shampanier, launched an attack on Corona. A full on invasion. The entire capital, under attack! And eventually, General Shampanier fought her way through the capital, through the whole castle, to face the king.

It's said that their fight lasted for hours. Care to take a guess how it ended?

ii

[pidgeypidge]

The fire needs us to tell stories so it doesn't die.

[Or at least that was how she'd come to understand it. The whole thing seemed kind of odd, but in an odd way it almost made sense. Wasn't that what people were supposed to do around a campfire?]

And I don't know about you, but I'm not particularly looking forward to seeing what happens when the fire dies.

[alchemistakes]

The fire... Wait, but how? Why? What sort of properties in the fire make it react like that? [He leans closer still. Varian, buddy, that's a good way to get embers in your face.] Or is it in the wood?

[He sits back up quickly when he hears more odd sounds in the distance. Not that he's freaked out! He's super chill, obviously!]

Uh. Well, I guess... for scientific purposes, it would be good to see another reaction and uh...

I-It just needs a story, right? Any story will do?

[pidgeypidge]

I haven't figured it out yet, but look around. There's no other fuel, and we don't know how long it's been burning like this. [Of course, there could be something else entirely at work but she was going to stick with her theory for now.]

Obviously, it's not normal fire. And this isn't the world we're used to, for that matter. [She just gaped as he leaned closer, though, because that seemed like a bad idea.] Hey, uh... I wouldn't do that. It's not normal fire, but it does give off heat, so...

[Pidge was able to breathe a little easier when he leaned back again, though that relief was short-lived because of the unpleasant sounds in the distance.]

Yea. I'm pretty sure any sort of story will do. The more action-y, the better, even. [Or so she was going to assume.]

[alchemistakes]

It's fine! It's fine, I know what I'm doing, obviously, so-- [A stray ember jumps up from the fire and heads Varian's way. He yelps slightly as he leans away to avoid it... and then coughs.] Totally... under control.

[Clearing his throat again.]

Okay, well. Action-y. Do you have something that works? Because I don't know what action-packed stories I've got up my sleeve, unless I just start reciting a Flynn Rider book I read.

...Or I guess I could tell the story of the Corona Science Expo, that was, ah, pretty crazy.

[pidgeypidge]

Then by all means. Carry on. [As skeptical as she may have been about the extent of that control, Pidge was eager to hear his story.] Clearly.

[But she wasn't questioning him too much, because this seemed like a pretty stressful situation, and she'd probably be feeling anxious too if not for the fact that she'd already reminded herself that she needed to stay calm. Because that always worked out so well.]

I have plenty of action-y, but I'm more than willing to hear yours first. Then we can see how what happens with the fire, and I can tell mine if we need it.

Flynn Rider? Corona Science Expo? Tell them both!

[alchemistakes]

You don't know Flynn Rider? He's only the... the coolest, most dashing swashbuckler who ever lived! I own every single one of his books, I actually got a few of his wanted posters, he-- he's basically my hero.

And get this, I actually got to meet him.

[pidgeypidge]

I'm afraid I don't. But from that description, it seems like this is a grievous error that I need to rectify immediately!

[If nothing else, the story would help pass the time. And keep the flame from burning out.]

Whoa! So tell me about him?

i

[feudalladyshandmaid]

It will be, if we don't get this stupid raft under control!

[Brisk, to the point, Cassandra rose from her slumber just as quickly as Varian did, with only slightly less panic. Of course, it was part of the job description, try to stay calm under intense pressure was something she more or less trained for her entire life.

Did it always work? ....Not important to think over, at the moment.]

Grab a bucket- a pail, something! We need to start getting this water out of here or we're good and sunk. [Meanwhile, she's scrambling for rope. Whatever this rickety thing has to offer. It's strange. She doesn't remember very getting on this raft, especially not with... Varian?]

[alchemistakes]

[Make that another one for team "wait how did we get here again?", but the storm is doing a lot to distract from questions like that. Apparently even Varian has times where he can't just sit and question things.

Especially not when Cassandra is giving him orders, because if anyone seems like they definitely know what they're doing, it's her.]

Oh! Right, right, that's, uh... I'm on it. A-At your service! [Nope, wow, that was lame. Time to ignore that he said that and look around for a--] Bucket! Got it!

[He quickly starts to get as much of the water out of the boat and back into the sea, as fast as he can.]

This is gonna work, right?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Briefly, she considers just ignoring his question, but she's been around Raps for far too long for that.]

It'd better work. In a storm like this, we'll never survive trying to swim for it.

[That typical Cassandra charm, like a brick to the face. Thankfully, she comes rushing back to the mast with a mass of coiled rope, and hastily begins tying one end to it, and the other round her waist. She does the same with another rope and tosses the one end to Varian.]

Tie yourself down. You might get thrown off the boat.

[alchemistakes]

Oh, okay! That's good to know! [Thanks Cassie, he feels so much better now.] Reassuring...

[Varian jumps slightly and fumbles to catch the rope... and fails completely, but he picks it up quickly.]

Tie myself down. Yeah. [He hurries to do that and... starts tying around Rudiger's middle too, because he's even lighter and we're not losing a good, fluffy friend to the unforgiving depths.] We're in a boat in the middle of nowhere, middle of a storm, no clue how we got ourselves into this mess...

...I really, really don't, actually, that shouldn't be happening, I should-- [Oh, and THAT'S another wave hitting their sad excuse for a vessel.] ...Questions for later! Way, way later, somewhere much drier!

[Gotta turn his brain off, which is hard for Varian, but he's trying.]