TEST DRIVE MEME ( 014 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #14

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 August 17th, and Applications on August 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.

One Magic Night
The waves are aglow. That might not be the first thing you notice when you wake, but it will probably draw your attention at some point: the way the sea foam glistens with an effervescent light as it rinses the beach in a crystalline, deep blue shimmer. Further out, lurid explosions of color ripple soundlessly beneath the waves - an underwater fireworks show. The atmosphere is peaceful, a blissed-out calm to suit the lazy lap of the surf-spray against the sand. Maybe turning around will shed a little more light on the situation. What this is, in fact, is the echo of a celebration that was held on Ensō back in June. Torches and campfires crackle with a merry, companionable blaze, and there is food and drink in abundance - including some of the alcoholic persuasion, for those of you who are over the age of twenty-one.

There is, naturally, all sorts to do in a celebration like this. Friendly sparring matches have sprung up along the shoreline; beach cushions and blankets decorate the party site; coconut shells laden with bioluminscent body paint can be dipped into at will, if you fancy shining like a glowstick throughout the artificial night.

Just because you've got no idea how you got here doesn't mean you can't enjoy a good party while it lasts, right?

Growing Pains
The island you've ended up on today is very, very beautiful, particularly if you're a botanist: it's covered in flowers of all sorts. They grow in rich clumps, seemingly at odds with any sense of convention. Here, you can find common dandelions flowering alongside tropical strelitzias, snowdrops spangled beside water lilies. No matter the impossibility of it, despite the discrepancies of seasons and temperatures in which these specimens should be blooming, you'll find that nearly every species can be found represented, flowering in tandem. It's gorgeous. Breathtaking, even.

There's only one problem.

That problem being that the flowers are growing out of you as well. As might be obvious, this is not exactly a pleasant sensation. There is, in fact, a full list of rather painful symptoms that has been very well-documented of late. All you have to worry about in particular, however, is what has caused these flowers to take root in you in the first place:

Lies.

Is there something you need to get off your chest? Some confession that's aching to be made? Some guilt or regret that you've repressed, that's been dragging you down for years?

Then you'd better get to it. Those flowers aren't leaving unless you spill. And if you'd rather not, well...they're more than happy to fertilize the earth with what's left of you.

Hoo Ha Ha
Stop us if you've heard this one: you and some stranger wake up on a boat. There are no landmasses in sight, and nothing as far as the eye can see but lapping waves and a peaceful, periwinkle, cloudless sky. It's good weather for sailing. Perfect, in fact. There's even a tight breeze that might helpfully guide you along.

The punchline, of course, is the fact that you're surrounded by sharks. Sorry, did we say sharks? We meant tigersharks, of the most literal sort possible. Part fish and part feline, these dual-headed beasts are summarily more naturally carnivorous and more aggressive than your bog standard tigers or sharks. They're wickedly fast in the water, and just as lethal on land.

And they're currently trying to climb aboard; armed with four sharp-clawed legs, they're more than capable of doing exactly that unless you can fend them off.

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Comments

[mollymocked]

[Molly pats her on the cheek. Nope. This is happening. This is now. No more talking... At least until they realize there's more secrets to be told.]

Beau? Shut up. You're spoiling the moment.

[lesbeau]

Real good at it.

[But fine, she'll just rest her head on his shoulder and lay there. There's bits of flowers falling from her, and she feels lighter. Maybe she's finally done enough for this stupid, made up disease.]

Your horns make it hard to get anywhere near your face.

[She says, tilting her head to knock against one slightly.]

[mollymocked]

[at least tiefling horns are kinda velvet-y. thanks for that headcanon, Taliesin Jaffe. Molly leans in a bit, which brings some of his dangling jewelry into her eyeline- likely on purpose. ]

I don't know whether that means they're in the way of you trying to punch me or kiss me, and at this point, I'm afraid to ask.

[Now who's ruining the moment, Molly. Maybe this is equilibrium, really. Not a ruined moment, but a mutual understanding that they're not gonna die and they can go back to bullshitting each other when the last petal falls like some kind of snipe-y fairy tale. He can relax... somewhat.] Honesty still feels like shit. I prefer it to horrible death, but if there's a lesson here, I don't think I've learned it.

[lesbeau]

[Oh I see, special edition flocked variant Mollymauk. Exclusive.]

No, I'm trying to put my head down you dumbass. And if those things get near my mouth I'm gonna eat 'em.

[She's tired, just let her be tired for once!! God!!!!]

Yeah, like, if this was a permanent thing maybe I'd have some worse problems. But for now it's like, okay, I did some horrible humiliating thing to live. Wouldn't be the first time.

[She's just kind of let her forehead rest on his shoulder now, so he can feel her shrug at that.]

[mollymocked]

[Available now at your local Hot Topic.]

Well, I wouldn't want you to have to move your foot out of your mouth to try. [He flicks a few of the errant baubles out of the way and adjusts so she can rest against his shoulder with no resistance and no further commentary about it. His arm stays loosely around her back.]

Also, this is me, and I'm gonna forget literally everything you said in a few hours.

[lesbeau]

[Special signed edition only at NYCC.

She shifts with a sigh, just letting her head rest there. Fuck it. She's tired and he's a dumbass but this is her dumbass, so fine. We'll just go with that.]

It's fine, if you remember I'll hit you until you don't.

[Friendship. Truly.]

You can put yourself to use back there if you see any more flowers, too. They better all be gone after that shit, now I really don't know what else I would say.

[mollymocked]

Yeah, me either. I'm lying because there's nothing to tell the truth about. This is extremely pointed and unfair and I'd like to be excluded from this kind of shite in the future.

[He does brush off a few buds that seem to be sloughing off her shoulders, because sometimes he listens. It seems to be the nicest thing to do right now on top of promising her he's not going to remember her dysfunction.]

[lesbeau]

[It's a kindness she won't draw attention to because if she does it'll be way more trouble than it's worth. She doesn't enjoy his company or anything, shut up.]

Damn right. This was the world's weirdest torture dream or something and all of it was stupid. Fucking flowers. If I see any more when I wake up I'm gonna get Caleb to set 'em on fire.