aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 013 )

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A: rocking the boat
[ hifumi is absolutely terrified.

she doesn't remember ever being on a boat like this, something straight out of a pirate movie, and she's not even remotely equipped to deal with this. hifumi decides to stay on her knees, as being on her feet right now seems like a bad idea. she scrambles around, trying to look for something to hang onto, rope probably... but to no avail.

drat. ]

I think we need to figure out a way to steady ourselves!

b: to be continued
A story...? Um... I'm not sure if I have anything that's very interesting...

[ at least, not quite like the others. she doesn't have any tales of adventure or danger; despite her life being considered eventful back at home, it doesn't seem to be quite as wild as some of the stories that other people have already told. but it seems to be keeping the monsters at bay--she stiffens when she hears more snarling. ]

W-Well, I suppose I could tell some Japanese folklore. Or perhaps something about my own experiences as a shogi player?

[ Mira can't deny that sounds interesting--both of them, really, but she's incredibly curious about folklore.... and if it helps keep the monsters away, then that's even more reason to listen. ]

I wouldn't mind hearing about Japanese folklore.

Very well.

[ she gives the other girl a small smile in appreciation. ]

Have you heard of the story of Momotaro?

[Pyrrha isn't doing much better, unfortunately.

A lie of primarily traveling by air, and then by space didn't prepare Pyrrha for actual seafaring. It's all she can manage to stay calm in the face of this overwhelming disaster.

No problem, she can handle this. Maybe.]

You're right! We need to- [Wait. Pyrrha stumbles to the side of the boat, looking out amidst the roaring waves and blackened clouds. She could almost...]

I think I see land! [She called back at the girl she'd never met before. Not that it mattered, they were in the same boat now.]

Land?

[ hifumi can't see it from where she is--on her knees and trying to stay as grounded as possible--but at the mention of land, hifumi lifts her head. she can't see past the waves, so she tries to get on her feet, and..

a huge rocking of the boat sends her stumbling backwards, and hifumi falls onto her back, hitting the other side of the boat. ]

Oof-!

Oh!

[Pyrrha's not quite sure when she's crouching down to check Hifumi. She simply blinked, and she was there, like second nature.

She puts one hand on the back of Hifumi's head, propping her up somewhat, in case another wave tries to throw her around some more.]

Are you alright?

[ hifumi groans, gritting her teeth and looking up at pyrrha. her clothes are soaked, and she has a throbbing headache, but... ]

Ah...that's what I get for doing something foolish...

[ she gives pyrrha a weak little smile. ] I-I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern--is there any way we can get to land a little quicker?

[Seeing a smile as small as that, but still a smile of appreciation, made Pyrrha's chest swell. Here they are, in a downright nightmarish situation, but she can still inspire some hope.]

Alright... it's no problem at all.

[She offers a smile in kind. She's soaked to the bone too, but she'll keep going as long as they can. Which means she'll be helping Hifumi up.]

I suppose we'll need to direct the sails in that direction, and... whatever else boats need to move.

[She's never actually sailed before. Starships don't count.]

[Ray tries to smile, but her eyes widen with not-quite-concealed terror when that low growl rumbles in the darkness again.]

Try not to make it a scary story.

[She thinks of the folktales she knows and how they, despite her skepticism, recently became so entwined in her life and very survival back home. She bites her lip--let's not go that route.]

...What is it like being a shogi player?

Don't worry. It isn't a scary one at all.

[ she also shows some apprehension at the growling, but takes a deep breath and carries on. ]

When I play shogi, I look at my pieces as if I were ruling my own kingdom: I'm the queen, and these are my soldiers. One must be able to be able to sacrifice and not look back, while maintaining a cool head and doing what is best for her kingdom.

[ she trails off a little. ] Sorry, I... I know that must sound a little strange. I suppose my personaly experiences are a little different than those of other shogi players...

[Sacrifice and not look back... Ray feels something inside herself freeze at those words. There's something familiar, not about the verbatim construction but about the feeling. It must be something from her civics and government lessons, she tells herself.]

No, not at all... In school, they tell us that that's how a leader should be.

[She used to believe it. Now she's no longer so sure, having seen a different way of thinking. Even as her smile flickers back, she sighs.]

I don't think I'd want to be a pawn, though.

[ at that, her expression turns a little more solemn. ]

Neither would I. And yet...if we were to ever become pawns, I believe that we should still do our best with whatever circumstances we're given.

How so? By simply accepting it?

[She doesn't like that answer, even if she's lived her life that way at times. That's how her mother lives, and Ray never wanted that for herself.

Which isn't to say that she's one to fight--she'd rather just fly away.]

[ he's got a lot of stories, some from his time as a phantom thief and some even from when he still lived further out of city in the quiet town he grew up in. but akira has always been someone who enjoyed listening to others instead -- getting to know people through their stories, making a connection and forging bonds through their experiences. there's a certain light that enters someone's eyes when they talk about things they're particularly passionate about, things they believe in, and akira never grows tired of witnessing it. ]

Tell me about your favorite match, [ he says amiably despite their surroundings, sitting next to her as he breaks open a bag of marshmallows. ] It doesn't have to be one you won... maybe one you've never forgotten.

[ hifumi's never asked him about it, but she knows that akira's a phantom thief. she almost wants to encourage him to tell one of his stories instead, but he seems genuinely interested in hearing what she has to say. he always has. and hifumi appreciates his company even more for that.

she smiles warmly at him, though the growling in the background makes her stiffen a little. still, she wants to do her best to tell him about a match that made her smile. ]

Remember the exhibition match I'd played? It's actually the last thing I remember doing before I woke up here. [ she smiles fondly. ] It was...the first professional match I've ever played. I remember using some of the strategies I practiced with you, and while I fought hard, I realized that I needed to concede.

[ to anyone else, this would probably sound strange. so she elaborates a little, for anyone else who's listening. ] It was truly the first time I got to play an honest match with someone of this caliber, and make a real assessment of my own skill level. I'm glad that I was able to do so.

Edited (sorry for all the edits dlsfj) 2018-07-24 12:38 (UTC)

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 013 )

hifumi togo | persona 5

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b (i'M HERE.... i'm here)

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