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

tbc

[catpiper]

[Telling stories around the fire is a commonplace activity in reality and in this bizarre world everyone seems to visit during the month. A part of her understands that the fire appreciates a certain kind of tale. This one doesn't cut it. She sort of waves her hand around, trying to fan the flames herself.]

It's okay, it's okay. You should tell a different story.

[liveasmyself]

I'm sorry... I thought it would be a good one.

[She closes her eyes and tries to think, but all that comes to mind is Wei's pale face the last time she saw him. She folds her arms more tightly around herself.]

What kind of story do you want to hear?

[Perhaps a person will be easier to please than a fire; she at least might be able to find out how to do this whole thing the right way.]

[catpiper]

I liked it. It was very good.

[The fire though. It's a finicky little punk apparently that decided that it wasn't good enough. This reality might be more dream than anything, but she's not into the danger that'll come from it poofing out of existence.]

Do you know one about cats?

[liveasmyself]

[Ray nods her appreciation for the compliment, though she assumes it's more token than genuine. Even lying the ending away into something more palatable didn't make it all that great a story, soured as it is by her knowledge of how things really went.]

Cats?

[She stops to think a moment; whatever she'd expected, that wasn't it. But this girl's been kind so far, so Ray wants to do her best.

Plus she's not eager to see what happens when that fire dies either.]

I don't know too much about cats. I've never had a pet. ...But my mom did tell me a story about why dogs chase cats. It starts with a poor family and a lucky ring, if you want to hear it.

[catpiper]

[Look into her eyes, Ray. This is a tale she desperately wants to hear. Every part of her is craning closer, having never heard this mysterious origin story before and boy is she ready to find out why. Her best guess is that a cat found a treasure, then it played tag with a dog and they all lived happily ever after. Maybe the fluffy white god dog will make an appearance too? She's excited and scoots across the sand to get closer.]

You should tell that one.

[liveasmyself]

[The words would be encouragement enough, and Ray smiles to see the other girl's reaction. She clears her throat, spreads her hands to set the scene, and obliges:]

There once was a poor family whose only possession of value was a lucky ring. They didn't know it was lucky, though, and sold it to keep food on the table just a little while longer. But once they did, their luck only got worse.

This family had a cat and a dog, who together hatched a plan to retrieve the ring. The dog carried the cat over the river to the house of the merchant who bought it, and the cat threatened a mouse into chewing a hole into the box that held the ring and took it.

The dog took the cat across the river again, but there they separated; the cat could walk quickly over the house roofs, and the dog was left on the ground. The cat was praised when she returned with the ring, and the dog received no credit at all. So now, whenever he sees the cat, the dog tries to catch her.

[Her smile turns a little apologetic.] It may not be the best story for a cat lover... I always felt bad for the dog.

[catpiper]

[Her eyes say wow, but her heart says this story is bullshit. There's a misunderstanding in this tale because a cat would never cheat its way into someone's good graces. They're always doing their kitty best.

The fire doesn't seem to share her troubles-it flares back to life at the tale, drowning out the sound of the weird dream monster growling in the midst.]

That's a good story, but we should change-

[A pause, as she wonders the best part to switch up. Probably the end. That wasn't a happily ever after for all parties-time to fix that.]

The cat took the ring across the roof and met the dog by the door. They walked in together and said wroof and nya and the family gave them a big dinner.

[liveasmyself]

[Ray notices the fire reviving in the back of her mind, and her shoulders relax. Enough so that she can focus on workshopping this story, a welcome distraction from... well, everything.]

That would be a much happier end, but it wouldn't really explain why dogs chase cats, would it?

[catpiper]

No, but they shouldn't chase cats. We should talk to the dogs and tell them not to be mean.

[When she wakes up, she's gonna amble off and ask Ammy about this. Maybe she can send a message out to her fellow doggykind.]

Do you know other cat stories?

[liveasmyself]

[Ray doesn't think she can talk to dogs and would be surprised if this other girl could, but it's not the weirdest thing she'd heard today, so she lets it slide.]

I know another one about a tiger. ...It starts off sad, but it has a happy ending, most people say.

[Just a warning for the local cat stan.]

It begins with a tiger killing a woman's son, but the tiger isn't all bad.

[catpiper]

[It's a tragedy this poor girl has been suckered into kitty happy hour, but it's all to avoid dream monsters and isn't that worth it? Probably. Either way, she's disappointed the cat killed someone, but willing to give it a chance because of this girl's warning. That's fine. Cats are good-there's definitely a reason.]

Was the tiger scared of her son? Is that why?

[liveasmyself]

Um... I don't think my mom said why when she told the story to me. But maybe that's true--people and tigers probably wouldn't have gotten along.

[The cat in the other story wasn't so nice, but Ray can sympathize a bit with the tiger in this story, living on the outskirts and trying to just do their own thing.]

Whatever the reason, the woman became very upset and demanded that the tiger be brought to court for killing her son. She was old and had depended on her son to take care of her--she had no one else. So a man caught the tiger and brought it before the judge, who offered to allow it to live if it would take the place of the woman's son.