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.

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

Comments

[uptightness]

[That sharp turn of her head, and even though she has her helmet on, it might just feel like she is bearing down on her.]

Who are you and now do you know the Reds and the Blues?

[Not even going to play dumb or clarify which Reds and Blues, because really? Of all the sim troopers, that lot is the one that's made a name for themselves.]

[ourcurrency]

[Dylan doesn't back down, but.... this isn't good.

Yes, they've never actually seen each others' faces, but her armor's distinctive enough, and they were literally just trying to save the world together. And now Carolina has no idea who she is.

Bad, but probably a conversation that should wait until they're out of danger. For now, the simple explanation should suffice. It's even true, if not the full story.]

Dylan Andrews. I wrote about you for Interstellar Daily after you took down Project Freelancer.

[uptightness]

Ah. Reporter.

[Which only clears things up partially.

Carolina could argue that of course where ever she might be the sim troopers might not be far off, but in this case, that's not true. Wash is around somewhere, although Carolina can't given an exact position at the moment, and CT, who she wouldn't know, unless through reading her name on old reports.

The name rings a bell, recalling having seen the article.]

Well Dylan Andrews of Interstellar Daily, I think we need to keep moving. The ones a few miles from here aren't quite so hostile.

[ourcurrency]

Agreed. And if you have any ideas of how to get this shit off my hands, I'd love to hear them.

[They need to have a real talk about everything. But being somewhere less hostile would be more conducive to frank discussions. She starts to move again.]

[uptightness]

I'd try not to touch anything first... Maybe water?

[Would it be that simple? Knowing this place, likely not, but hey, let's rule out the obvious and go from there. A nod of her head, taking off at a job towards a stream she'd passed over a while back.]

Otherwise, we're going to get a little creative.

[ourcurrency]

Worth trying.

[of course, that means finding water, but Carolina seems to know where she's going, or at least to be moving with enough confidence to fake it. Dylan's willing to trust her.]

[uptightness]

[Part of her focus on Dylan, part of her focus on the terrain, she moves back the way that she came for a good clip before slowing down. Again, she scouts the area, but aside from something that looks like a poorly drawn squirrel, there isn't too much happening.]

We're good for the moment.

[ourcurrency]

[Dylan exhales. She's been in danger plenty of times. It's rarely quite this... confusing.]

Good. I'd still like to get my hands free in case we run across more.

[uptightness]

Try the stream first. If not, I can try burning them off.

[A little nudge of her head a few feet away. It's small, but enough to try anyway.

Sorry. She's not going to suggest her only bar of soap. Doesn't have it on her anyway. As for other ideas... Considering how it sticks, she's not going to try her knife. Maybe sand or dirt to make it less sticky, then try getting it off?]

[ourcurrency]

....I'm going to hope the water works.

[It's not that she doesn't trust Agent Carolina. If anyone can effectively use fire, it's her. But she really doesn't want to find out if this gunk is flammable.

Luckily, the water works. Dylan watches as the stuff cleans right off, then flexes her wrists.]

That's much better.

[uptightness]

Could try rolling around in the dirt.

[Maybe messing with her. Maybe not... Hard to tell with Carolina.

Yet she keeps watch. Thankfully the more aggressive ones don't seem to give up the chase. Yet, Carolina, in the meantime, is trying to shoo off a nosy little rabbit thing. While some people might find it cute, it's chosen the wrong person. A flick of her hand, and another, before stomping in it's direction.

It gets the hint.]

That's good to know. No doubt others will run in to the same problem.

[As she turns back to the stranger in the armor. The name itself doesn't really mean too much to her, aside from the article.]

[ourcurrency]

Seems likely.

[She straightens and checks herself. She doesn't seem to have any other sticky stuff on her, and she's otherwise unharmed. Then she checks the perimeter. It's not that she thinks Carolina would miss something, it's that....

Well. Honestly it's that she's aware there are more explanations to give. And it's going to be awkward.

Still, she wouldn't be a reporter if she wasn't willing to face the truth.]

You have questions, I assume.

[uptightness]

Likely as many as you do.

[It's not that Carolina is known for her patience, but she can have it. Sometimes. It's not exactly the best place to have conversations, but it is better than where they had been, and really, all sorts of things happen here. So it's as good as any.]

I suppose I should start with asking what's the last thing you recall doing before coming here- if it's something I might know.