TEST DRIVE MEME ( 015 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #15

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 September 17th, and Applications on September 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.

Drawn to You
The forest is dark, silent but for the snap-buzz of cricket song. Nearby, the soft babble of running water threads its way between the rough-barked trunks, though the origin of said water is difficult, at first, to pinpoint.

Granted, you probably aren't paying much attention to the forest, or the water, or the darkness. You're probably more concerned about the creatures flitting to and fro in sparse groups, most of them quite small. They tend to vary in appearance - some look to be totally benign, while others considerably less so - but all belong to the same species.

Scribblets are wily beasts, dream-haunters by nature, and they seem to revel in the idle torment they inflict upon those who cross their paths. You, dear travelers, are no exception. And while they are quite easily crushed into dust once caught, they are exceedingly slippery, agile creatures that are most difficult to pin down. If you're not careful enough, the scribblets will fasten a peculiar tether to you. It looks very much like it is made of the same materials they, resembling a sketchy line of crayon, drawn into the third dimension. Their intent, tonight, is to tie you to something that will make your life difficult - binding you to a tree trunk or to a branch far above the ground, tying your hands together...or even tying you to someone else. These bonds will only grow progressively denser and heavier the more you struggle against them.

Fortunately, the solution here is very simple. Like any drawing, it can be washed away if you find water. You'd simply better hope that you're able to collaborate with whoever you must in order to access said water, whether it's working alongside whoever you might be tied to, or convincing someone to lend you a hand.

You'd better hope the scribblets don't go after them either, by the way.

Quarantine Breached
Whatever this place once was, nature has long since claimed it for its own. A darkened, secluded laboratory now nearly swallowed by thick snarls of overgrowth is probably not your ideal vacation spot, particularly since there's a dearth of any decent lighting sources here. Drenched in shadow as this place was, it might have been helpful if you had thought to bring a light.

Fortunately, that problem is soon to be solved! Twin smoldering points of light abruptly ignite several yards away from you, paired with the pitched mechanical hum of engaging circuits. Another pair of lights immediately spritzes to life just beside it, and another pair, and another...and another...and...

Well, there seems to be a lot of them, doesn't there? "Attention," chimes a pitched, automated voice, doubtless issuing from one of the many automatons that have begun to stir awake, one by one. "Potential host sighted. Quarantine breached."

You must understand, traveler: the island of Umui was nothing like this. The guardian units there were conscious nurse-bots, charged with caring for the sick and dying populace of a hospice island. Most did so with as much care as they were capable. But in the initial days of Umui's exploration, a great deal of explorers' anxieties revolved around these fallen automatons, and what possible purpose they may have served.

We invite you to imagine a scenario in which this went horribly wrong.

Consider these automatons to be shadowy, overzealous mirrors of their long-dead, real-world equivalents. They have learned to become hyper-devoted to their task of keeping their patients safe; so devoted, it seems, that nothing will stop them from fulfilling those obligations. They intend to catch and sedate you so that you can be...returned...to a place of safety.

Unfortunately, this place of safety probably entails an inescapable four-walled room or a hospital bed, and it's doubtful, to say in the least, that enough of their programming remains for them to remember to care for and feed you once you've been returned to whatever passes for a quarantine zone. In a decrepit, dilapidated building like this, it's probably not pleasant.

Our advice is to simply not get caught. If this means doing some inevitable destruction to all this complex hardware in the process, well...at least there's no chance you'll be billed for damages.

The New Farm Simulator Looks Great!
It is possible that you vaguely recall being asked to take watch this evening. By whom? Oh, please, that doesn't matter! With the pleasant hum of crickets in the air, and a backdrop of paddocks and grain fields around you, there are plenty of worse ways to spend your evening than this. All you have to do is keep an eye on passive livestock. The farmer's life is a simple one, where your biggest problem is trying not to fall asleep before your shift is over.

In theory, anyway. While the scenery of the quiet countryside may be ideal, the state of the farm's buildings and and fences is far from it. For the curious creatures such as popo, there really isn't much to keep them in one place for long, wide stretches of fenceline ruined by fallen sections. Meaning that these massive, shaggy creatures can simply step over the crushed regions and start plowing their way contentedly in the direction of the fields of grain - fields that were certainly not intended to end up in some silly beast's stomach.

For others, sweet grains aren't as appealing as that sweet, sweet taste of freedom. A word of advice: once the popo are over those hills, you won't be seeing them again. And they might not be terribly fast on their own, but in a herd, they can get to be as dangerous as a stampede.

Hope you weren't expecting an easy night, because in LifeAftr, there's no CJB cheats menu to save you.

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

Comments

the hollow knight | hollow knight | everything is spoilers

[sealedvessel]

i. quarantine breached

[In this old building, there are only two sounds, at first. The first is of slow footsteps, each one echoing. The second is a low scrrrrrrraaaaape of metal. It is, perhaps, not the most comforting set of sounds to hear in a place such as this.

But the origin of the sound becomes clear in time, as you spot the tall, lumbering figure. Their movements through the building are sluggish. Possible not helped by the long sword they are dragging behind them, although the weight barely seems to register. The figure only halts at the appearance of the automatons. They're cautious at these new creatures, grip tightening on their blade. That is, until they hear the machines speak... and they pause.

Host. Quarantine. Patient.

Sick.

Sick?

Sick sick sick infection sick plague sealed light only light dawn shall break don't let it suffocate

KILL

There's a clatter. Their blade falling. The Hollow Knight drops to their knees, clutching their head. The automatons see this as nothing but an opportunity to advance.

They might need help.]

ii. drawn to you

[The feeling of being bound is nothing new.

The scribblets had been new. Interesting. Hostile? But there was nothing commanding them to attack anymore and they hadn't wanted to. Then, the lines had been drawn. And now the Hollow Knight is bound to a tree, a line around their waist fastening them. But the tether is not so heavy and they don't feel the need to struggle.

Maybe the desire. But not the need.

...It's a bit of a pathetic looking scene, all things considered. But the Hollow Knight seems more interested in examining these new surroundings than working on getting free.

It's not as if they can ask for help, anyway. And compared to the way they had been bound before... this is downright relaxing.]

i

[lightlessfuture]

[ The scraping of metal, the sound of slow footsteps. It's familiar. It's haunted their restless dreams time and time again, as they remember.

But not like this. Not the same. It's not-

They round a corner in time to see their sibling drop to their knees, defenseless, and that wrenches something inside them.

(But this is not a memory. There is no predetermined outcome. Even if it's a dream, they can-)

They move without thought. Someone to be protected, something to fight; simple facts, falling into place one after the other.

The sound of metal against metal echoes through the empty building as the Knight cuts apart reaching, clawing fingers, hacking fiercely away at the surrounding robots.

I won't let you have them. (Don't go.) ]

[sealedvessel]

[They don't realize what's happening, at first. They don't even realize anything is happening at all, their own thoughts screaming at them too loudly. There's no Radiance, no infection, not anymore. Not here.

But it still lingers.

At some point, they do notice the sounds. Clanging. Metal. Fighting?

The Hollow Knight slowly raises their head. The sight of the bug fighting the machines is enough of a shock to cut through their thoughts. No, not just any bug. They know this sight.

Vessel.

...Sibling?

They can't help but stare, wondering how they are here. Why they are here. And what... they're doing.

Why are they fighting?]

i

[fireindreams]

[The darkness was the last thing in the world that would bother Grimm and the machines were easy to dodge for one capable of his speed. Grimm knew the reality of these machines, had met ARUM-25 and knew their willingness to help despite their confusion over their missing memories. These automatons may still have the same desire to help but he cannot say their 'help' will be the same as ARUM-25's. And he did not particularly appreciate being sedated with no warning.

Shutting them down was the only option even if that meant the machines' destruction.

The crack-bang of Grimm teleporting in nearby interrupts the machines' chanting of their commands but he stops dead for a brief minute once he sees who they are advancing on.

The impossible happens here, this Grimm knows. But this is quite the curious impossibility.

But there could be time for his curiosity later. The automatic voices are drowned out by the screech of the Troupe Master's firebats as they stream forward to latch themselves to one of the automatons and begin to melt the metal down to a functionless puddle.

It gets the attention of the rest of the automatons but Grimm is gone again, only to re-appear behind another to smash it with a vicious uppercut.

He does not mind running interference for the Hollow Knight but they will eventually need to get moving.]

[sealedvessel]

[Taking action is a concept they've grown unfamiliar with. Their whole purpose had been to not take action. To contain, to stay, to resist. Everything they had been taught starting with don't.

Without the light forcing them to move, their instinct is to do nothing at all. to let the machines do whatever it is they intend and not fight it. They were not what he had been meant to resist.

But all those thoughts are interrupted at the sudden appearance of a different type of light. Not the pure radiant light of dawn. This is warmth and crackling and burning.

The melting of metal, not prepared to handle the fiery attacks.

It's curiosity and caution in equal measure that compels them to rise up. It's slow and difficult, but they stand once more. Collecting their nail from the floor before they forget. The weight helps ground them. Even as they do this, they try to keep their gaze focused on Grimm, even with his quick movements.

This is... confusing. And they're not sure what should come next.]

ii

[godandvoid]

[Perhaps there is irony in turning a corner to see the Hollow Knight bound to a tree. The Pale King does not think of it.

Observing from a distance, the Wyrm watches the Hollow Knight look around at their surroundings and he in turn wonders what it means they managed to fall asleep. This is a dream. There was no other way for them to meet each other again. A small child grown when they could not, clad in pure white. The grinding of chains, the snapping of seals put in their proper place.

A child with an arm eaten away by the infection.
(He is not thinking of such things.)

Eventually the Pale King approaches. He never made much noise when he walked but within the darkness his body glows softly and he knows it's impossible to miss.

He stares up at his Hollow Knight, observing their binding. He does not speak but it does not have to do with the Hollow Knight. It has been so long since he spoke to someone in person.

The Pale King has forgotten how to.]

[sealedvessel]

[It's a new and novel experience. Seeing something new. A new environment. Even bound, still, it's all so different.

Even if they had been able to voice it, they never would have complained about being confined to the same room. It was their purpose to be there. But there's something almost... freeing... about seeing this new place.

Then, of course, they see something familiar.

They recognize the white immediately. How could they not? This figure had been that what was most important to them. The Hollow Knight's head turns immediately to face him.

The surroundings, the situation, all of it is forgotten. Unimportant. They only care about the bug in front of them.

Father.]

ii

[demonpuppy]

[The Hollow Knight will probably hear Chip's approach long before they see them; the rustling and scraping of a young one running through brambles and branches with childish recklessness, accompanied by shouts of frustration.]

Stoppit! Stupid dumb--you're not real, you dumb stupid scribbles!

[They finally burst into sight kicking a small scribble into half-formed dust, eyes blacked out in a pitch-dark void that might look familiar for the second of so it lingers. With the black magic of their frustrated curses spinning away, Chip wheezes and stops to catch their breath before actually noticing the huge bug standing by the tree.]

U-uh--!

[Give them a moment, you are very big and they are but a smol bean.]

[sealedvessel]

[They can definitely recognize what... they're pretty sure is a child. At the very least, whatever this creature is, they seem young. Definitely small, but that isn't always so meaningful.

Lucky for Chip, the Hollow Knight can't approach even if they wanted to, trapped as they still are. And... it doesn't look much like they want to.

They're just staring, intently, but not in a threatening manner. More than that, they look more... curious?

Who and what are you, small thing?]

i.

[mamaterasu]

[Coming back to this place is jarring. After all that happened on Umui in the past, watching people fall and die to the terrible disease as flowers - something Amaterasu once knew to be comforting, and a form of divine protection and safety - torn through the bodies of those she called friends and close ones. The strange, iron soldiers meant to care for them, and...to end them, it looks like.

The footsteps aren't exactly new, but that scraping is, and Amaterasu ducks away, crouches low behind the numerous piles of rubble, until she can see what it is creeping through the gloom. The sight is familiar and unfamiliar at once - a figure much like those she knew on the island, but a scent she does not recognize. It's enough, however, when they drop to their knees, weapon echoing loudly as it scatters across the room, multiples of the iron soldiers closing in.

She leaps before she thinks, standing as a barrier between the Hollow Knight and the automatons, teeth bared and claws scraping against the floor. Her head is lowhackles raised - her position is that of defense of the being behind her.

She is, to them, brilliant - a bright white shining from a point. But the light is not blinding, radiant though it may be. Is it warm, gentle, comforting...and she stands before them not as a foe, but as an ally.

Odd, that.]

[sealedvessel]

[It is odd. Everything about this is odd.

They don't even recognize what sort of creature this might be. The light... The light scares them, at first. Makes them wary. But then, they realize, it's not like the Radiance. Her light had been painful and all-consuming. This feels so different. Rather than the light of Radiance, they're instead reminded of the pure white of home.

They raise their head, carefully. With a certain amount of uncertainty.

And for once, they wish they had a voice with which they could ask "why?"

Why protect them?

Instead, all they can do is stare. It feels...

Inadequate.]

ii

[ofsterlingstuff]

[Hero's still sneaking around, looking for people or a house or pretty much anything except for these drawing guys, really. A big bug is actually really exciting to find, and she doesn't even hesitate before crashing out of the bushes to go say hi.

She does hesitate when she realizes they're tied to the tree.]

Hey, are you okay?

[sealedvessel]

[...The question catches them by surprise. Because it's not the sort of thing they're asked. Of course, they're not asked a lot of things.

But this, especially, is a question they're not especially prepared to answer. The Hollow Knight looks around a little uncertainly, eventually at the tether binding them to the tree, and then at Hero.

They're honestly not sure how they should answer, but it might instead come across as "what does it look like".]

ii

[hyperlit]

[They recognize them because of the shape of them - the curved horns, the dark attire, the pit-black eyes. But even the Knight's larger form had not looked the way they do. The shape of the horns are wrong, and the seam running down the center...]

[The Drifter stops in front of them. Stares, curiously, with their head to one side.]

[A moment passes, and then their sprite chimes a brief query:]

stuck?

[sealedvessel]

[Someone new. They don't look like any bug they know. They don't even look like any bug at all.

The Hollow Knight is immediately curious, following the Drifter with their gaze as they approach. And then there's the sprite. They're almost immediately too curious to answer, but they do stop to look down at their predicament.

From the way they look at the binding, it looks like they had to be reminded of it. As if being stuck like this is nothing at all to worry about. It's only one brief nod for this reason.

Because yes, they are stuck.

They don't seem to care that much.]

i - runs blindly into spoilers

[fortunefavored]

[and just as the automatons start to advance, there's a loud screeching yell from somewhere down the hall, accompanied by the clanging of automatons]

Hey--fuck off, get the hell off of m--hey! That's my leather jacket, you prick!

[and, pushing his way through the crowd of automatons, flailing and ducking under their hands and protesting all the way, is a screechy little man in hipster glasses. His voice, high and cracking, more than makes up for his stature, though for once that seems to work in his favor as he continues to duck through the crowd. He gracelessly shoves at them as he continues to shout]

There's nothing wrong with me--I'm not freakin SICK! [and just as he utters that, he's shoving his way out of the hands of an automaton and stumbling into the space created around the Hollow Knight. He manages to right himself before he does a face plant, stopping right before them. Newt turns, as if to make a break for it, but jerks to a sudden stop with a squawk as he realizes someone else is there]

Holy shit, dude, I nearly, like--did a header over you! You gotta watch where you hang out!

[sure, Newt, this is a great time to be bringing this subject up.]

[sealedvessel]

[It's loud. Something is being very loud.

It's actually a welcome distraction, shaking them from memories - and only memories, not the real thing, thankfully for everyone - and causing them to look up. Right as this... thing... appears before them.

He sure is chattering a lot, whatever he is. Saying things the Hollow Knight really doesn't understand. Their face is not what one might call expressive, but somehow, one particular emotions manages to show, clear as day.

What.

Buddy does it look like they're here by choice.]

i

[forwearemany]

(They almost mistake the creature for another, similar but usually smaller, who claimed them as family.

The differences register and catch them momentarily by surprise. That other was a relict. Now there is another. How?

Ally.

They are damaged.

Ally.

How?

They are in danger.)

(Swiftly and screaming chatter, they intercept, turning the blade once used against them against fellow machines. They are not made for close quarters combat, but they place themselves between this familiar stranger and their assailants, flaps bristling. Their own gaping chestwound is an obvious liability, but it does not stop them from getting close, as close as is needed to drive their blade deep into whatever vitals these automatons have. They do not wish to kill their fellow robots, but it is of higher priority that their friend need no longer be alone.)

[sealedvessel]

[There's someone there.

Something?

They're not sure. What's in front of them now looks to be a machine. Like the others, but not like the others. But this one is... blocking the others from reaching them? They look up a little more, confused.

Why?]

i; cw: r...robot gore?

[scourgingstars]

['Quarantine'. Not a word Ardyn overmuch liked even on a good day; it brought to mind a prison of stone, of wards glowing azure blue in the blackest night, of long-forgotten ancient towns facing ruin and praising the one who would save them--]

[...This was, upon reflection, not what Ardyn would term a good day.]

[In a flash of light and crystal shards the familiar greatsword came to hand, cutting through the nearest automatons in a streak of a crimson blade and unholy shrieking grind of metal on metal. Poor construction, he idly thought. Casing that split under only this much pressure, exposed joints that twisted out of place beneath a second strike, a handful of the automatons falling into sparking heaps of broken metal and twisted wire.]

[Q-quaranti-ti-ti-tine-, one stuttered out before its head was crushed underfoot, Ardyn leaning over with a dark chuckle and twisted smirk.]

'Been there, done that', as they say.

[sealedvessel]

[The sound is impossible to ignore. It cuts through their own thoughts. The bright light and orange in their mind mutes enough that they can see the world in front of them again. And what they see...

They look at the fallen automatons with both surprise and curiosity. They watch as the machine's last word dies with a sudden burst of static and then silence. And they look up at the stranger, who made it happen.

They don't understand why. They don't understand a lot of what's happening, to be honest. So, they can't help but just stare. And they tilt their head, just a little.

Been there, done that?

...Maybe that part they could understand.]

[flower_of_innocence]

[The forest is alive with cricketsong and the sound of strange creatures moving between the branches. Lillie has managed to avoid the scribblets for the most part, except for when they cornered her and Nebby and they were warped to another place on the island. She's thoroughly lost now, especially since she was never quite sure where she was to begin with.]

[This is the first time she's dreamed so vividly in a long while.]

[Guzma had warned her that around this time of the month something like this might happen, and to be on the lookout for people she knows, but...well, she's not sure if she knows this strange bug tied to the tree. It looks like Bugsy - her nickname for the Knight - but they're so much taller and...worn out? Defeated? Not full of defiant liveliness like Bugsy always is.]

[Eventually she manages to gather up enough courage to emerge from the trees and approach the figure. Even though she's nervous, she feels compelled to help them, especially if they're a friend or relative of Bugsy's, if not an alternate form of Bugsy themself.]

Um...Bugsy?

[sealedvessel]

[The sound of someone approaching catches their attention. They look up curiously at the... creature? No bug, that's for sure. The word she says confuses them, and they tilt their head.

Bugsy?

...They certainly are a bug, but that's not anything they've ever been called.

This is an odd little person.]

II.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Oh-

[Muffet looks startled at the crack in their mask, when she catches sight of them, almost mistaking them for their younger sibling in larger form, but she picks up on the little differences between the two a heartbeat later.]

[Still, even if this isn't her little one, they do seem very similar- and she certainly isn't going to just leave them in some difficult situation when she can help. She approaches cautiously, eyeing the scribbled bindings with wary curiosity.]

Hello, are you all right? These odd little things seem to delight in catching people off-guard...

[sealedvessel]

[Oh. Well, here's someone who actually looks normal enough. They don't recognize this spider lady and there's a certain caution, still, about being approached by a stranger, but this is at least less weird than all the various humans.

At her question, they glance down at the tether. When they look up, they don't nod or shake their head. They just sort of tilt their head a little bit.

It is what it is.]