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.

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

Comments

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[vah_rutah]

[ After a moment of contemplation on the shore, Mipha begins her agile swim back toward the wreckage, her fin protruding from the hectic curves of an angry ocean. Hanging to the side of the ship, she glances about, water sprayed to her slippery skin unnoticed. Aware eyes scan, and listen, and--

The moment that Zelda's voice-- the princess' voice-- animates above the noise of the storm, Mipha is off, diving a little deeper to avoid surface-level debris on her way toward that familiar voice. Each ship is checked from the water, until that awashed voice makes Mipha's destination clear.

She hurls herself from the waters with as much elegance as one would expect from a Zoran princess, taking in the sight of Zelda with some confusion, her hand going toward a broken handrail along the outside of the boat. ]

Princess! [ was it the Goddess herself that pulled Mipha back to this ship? Her hand extends toward Zelda. An unnatural storm such as this...it's no place for anyone. Certainly not the Princess of Hyrule. ] Come! Quickly!

[wisdomspring]

[ Mipha's voice - and then, form - is a sight for panicked eyes. Relief spreads across Zelda's features immediately and she doesn't hesitate in obeying, moving as quickly as she can toward the Zora. ]

Thank the Goddess you're here! [ She exclaims, grasping the other's hand and squeezing gratefully. ] This storm is so violent, and I-...

[ Well, she hadn't known what to do. With no safe way to shore and no safe way to remain on board, the only thing that Zelda had known with certainty was the intensity of her plight.

As always, Mipha is a light in the darkness. The princess offers her friend a little smile despite their situation. ]

Please: lead the way.

[vah_rutah]

[ Zelda has an air of rattled calm about her-- and Mipha cannot help but return that small smile with one of her own. Despite the need to be off of this boat and out of the storm, seeing her, and holding her physical hand is...incredible. Being ghostly for so long robbed Mipha of her sense of touch, and smell, and taste...to be here and feeling the world-- even as it worked against her...

...is it's own form of magic.

She leads the princess to the edge of the boat and down a long stretch of wood that stands out as more of a ramp than it had as a mast, where Mipha jumps into the water and bids Zelda to follow. ]

I'll be able to carry you back to shore. Shall we?

[ her hands lift above the water-- Zelda need only take the plunge and hold onto Mipha's shoulders to be carried to shore. All aboard the Mipha Express! Choo choo! ]

[wisdomspring]

[ It would be reckless to leap without looking, and so she doesn't, hesitating for just a moment to summon courage before jumping in after Mipha. Zelda lands in the water with a splash, gasping for breath and then scrambling to make contact. She's finally able to grab the other's shoulders and feels, again, the sweet relief that comes with knowing she isn't alone.

Meanwhile, the ocean plots against them. They've left the boat, but the waves have a dark intention, the swell of water threatening to drag her, at least, into its depths. Zelda isn't dressed for swimming, of course, and her clothes make it feel as if weights are tied to her ankles as she fights with all she has to stay above water.

Vaguely, she's aware that this is a dream. Just the torment of her anxious mind, some kind of internal conflict while she rests. Still, though, it... feels terrifyingly real... ]

[vah_rutah]

[ swimming with company has always been a pleasant experience for Mipha. Her grace beneath the waves, up waterfalls and across rivers earned her the respect of both her people and travelers alike...but swimming while carrying someone is somewhat tricky. Especially in these waters...especially when that 'someone' is the princess.

She swims from the boat, a hand reaching up and pressing into Zelda's hand in her shoulder. Why shouldn't the princess be scared? Storms are violent and unpredictable-- even if what falls from the sky is mere water, and what brushes against them is just wind. Swimming with her means dedication toward all sides, and wooden planks, idle in the water, are dodged with some ease. Occasionally, she swims backwards when her path is clear, to make sure that there are no other stragglers. Focused eyes dart between the ocean and Zelda herself, and she urges the other woman's arms around her neck, so she can hang on tighter.

They slow as the waters calm, and Mipha holds Zelda's hand as the shore comes up from beneath them. ]

We've made it. Are you alright, Princess?

[ she'd hold Zelda's hand as long as the princess needed, a calm smile hiding her concern toward that random, isolated storm. What matters...is that she is safe. Yellow eyes scan the Princess for signs of any injury, her healing magic prickling her fingertips. ]

[wisdomspring]

[ Mipha has always been blessed with the kind of nature that soothes everyone around her: the connection between this and her healing abilities is obvious. Not for the first time, the princess is greatly comforted by the other's presence.

She extends her arms when urged, careful not to impede Mipha's progress in any way as she hangs on. Naturally, the skillful Zora gets them to shore before too long, and Zelda says a silent prayer to the Goddess when her feet again land on solid ground. ]

I'm all right now, thanks to you. [ She has no real injuries aside from minor scratches and bumps, and offers another earnest smile for the other princess. ] If you hadn't been here to aid me, then I...

[ Well. It wouldn't have ended well. Zelda swallows, moving sodden hair from her face, taking a moment to re-compose herself. ]

Are you unharmed? [ She asks in return, brows coming together in concern. ]