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

[scholiast]

(Lucretia clicks her tongue, suddenly sympathetic.) I know exactly what you mean.

(The twins had been difficult, at first. Didn't help that it took a while for Lucretia to be able to tell them apart with confidence; didn't help that her first assumption of the both of them had been entirely wrong. When it had come to Taako, he hadn't really given her an inch until she had learned how to open up to him. He really had seen right through her, in some ways.)

I know that this isn't the answer you're looking for, but the best way to reassure him is just to be there. He's used to people leaving. He's used to being on his own with Lup, that's– uh, the default, in his mind, I think. (She looks at the fire, rubs her arm slowly as she speaks.) So I think the best way to let him know that is just to keep being physically there for him when you can. He might not always say that he needs it, but deep down, he does. He'll appreciate that.

[deathfindsaway]

[He listens with rapt attention, leaning forward like these are the only words thay matter. On one hand, it's reassuring to hear something he already does; he's very physical here, more than back in Faerün, a body that's his and real making everything more tangible. Whenever he's by Taako, it's just better, fingers in soft hair, arms around him with the new sensation of drifting off to sleep. He hopes Taako knows how happy he is when they get these moments. He hopes Taako is happy then, too.

He nods at her, swallowing the lump in his throat.]

Right. I'll stay by him. ... In your absence, of course.

[He gives her a small smile at that.]

[scholiast]

Okay.

(It doesn't fully reassure her, as she doesn't really know him, but at least somebody will be there. Taako won't be alone. Of course he won't be alone anyway, not with Lup there beside him, but even so. Lucretia worries, sometimes.)

Thank you. Can– would it be okay if I gave you a message, to give to him?

[deathfindsaway]

[It makes sense. Of course it makes sense. Kravitz nods, leaning forward.]

I... of course, if I can. What is it?

[He'd worry about writing it down, as she seems intent on the written word, but... well, dreamscape. It likely won't do either of them much good. He'll just have to remember.]

[scholiast]

(That does not occur to Lucretia, who is already scribbling furiously in her journal the moment that Kravitz says yes. Also she is writing in Elvish, of course, just to discourage any peeking.)

Dear Taako,
Apparently you're here without me, which I find deeply rude; I've at least had the pleasure of meeting your boyfriend in among very strange circumstances. So, basically normal circumstances, considering the state of my life so far. I wanted to let you know I'll probably see you soon, and that Kravitz is very nice. Let him be kind to you. He clearly thinks that you are the cat's pyjamas, or whatever.

Stay as safe as you can. Give Lup a hug from me.

(She rips the page out neatly, doesn't bother to sign it (he'll recognise the writing immediately, natch), and hands it over.)

Here.

[deathfindsaway]

[Oh my god Lucretia he's a half elf he probably knows that. He takes a quick peek but feels her prying eyes, and instead tucks it into his suit pocket. Maybe if he has a little time before this ends he'll be able to remember to say something.]

I'll give it to him. Uhm... thank you, for telling me what you have.

[scholiast]

(she doesn't know that... you can't just ask somebody if they're half elf, kravitz)

Of course. It was good to meet you, even if this is... only a dream.

(She smiles, somewhat hesitantly, unsure of how to follow that up.) I suppose I'll... see you around? See you eventually? I'm not sure of what the correct wording should be in this case.

[deathfindsaway]

[He's just as awkward, a little chuckle on his lips but not at her expense.]

How about, may we meet again in the future.

[He stands, and gives her a little bow, almost like he knows their time is almost over. It's formal, sure, but that's the kind of shit he leans on when there isn't anything else.]

Best of luck, then.