TEST DRIVE MEME ( 017 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #17

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 November 17th, and Applications on November 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.

Is Anyone There?
What initially promises to be a relaxing island getaway is anything but. The tropical backdrop is all there - swaying palms, crystalline shores, white sand beaches, the whole hog. It's as idyllic as Ensō ever gets in the real world, the waters sparkling just that much more with a polish of dream-shine.

The real problem here is that you're not alone.

While they might be little more than a misted, formless shape at first, they'll rapidly take a more solid form as time goes on: a specter of a single person of great emotional significance. Whoever you might be seeing, they're here to rouse some aspect of your life that was not fully resolved. Someone you did not mourn, someone you did not grieve, someone you loved, someone you cut ties with unkindly, someone who represents a chapter in your life that you have thus far sought to repress. Tailing you relentlessly, refusing to be ignored or brushed aside or forgotten, this specter is hungry for your attention to the exclusion of all else. They will bring every painful association to light and rub those wounds raw, to a terrifyingly parasitic extent. They crave your attention, your love, your devotion, your fear. They are tethered to you, and cannot tolerate the thought that you might pay attention to anyone or anything else.

However they might have been in life, however fondly or not you may remember them, this shadow of them is merely that: a shadow. Desperate for your attention, and likely to grow jealous if you dare direct it anywhere else. They can't live without you. Why should you get to live without them?

In fact...why should you get to live at all? If you don't give them the attention they crave, they might start to demand it a shade more vigorously. They're only going to grow more solid as time wears on - and while no one but you can see them, they have the power to affect you very physically if they so choose.

Choose Your Own Adventure
What you have before you, dear traveler, is a very linear path forward. Deep, tropical woodland, jungle-like in texture and evening-dark, and a well-trodden path that stretches onward in a seemingly infinite, winding road. There is no way to go but backwards or forwards. Or, for the particularly brave...well, you could try moving off the beaten path, but we wouldn't recommend it. As it happens, the surrounding vegetation in this area is mostly comprised of a very irritating sort of foe.

As it happens, most traditional mimics take the form of wooden chests to befuddle and then snack upon any intrepid explorers foolish enough to open a container without checking for teeth first. Such is not always the case, however! Mimicries are what we will tentatively dub...distant cousins of your more conventional mimic. In the waking world, most of them prefer to assume the form of bushes, waiting for an unsuspecting traveler to tread upon the roots that will then snap around their ankles and reel them in, leaves parting to reveal a row of very nasty, very pointed jaws. Tonight, on Mu, their aptitude at blending into the vegetation to prey on the absent-minded explorer is out in full force.

While mimicries are very skilled at impersonating their surroundings, there are plenty of holes in their disguise for those keen of eye. An alert enough traveler may glimpse a pair of yellow, reptilian eyes blinking out from the vegetation before they fade just as fast. Mimicries are highly hostile, prone to attacking once they feel you've drawn close enough for them to take a good chomp, and don't tend to let go of their prey until either it is dead or they are. Armed with spiny teeth and a terrier-like refusal of relinquish their grip under any circumstances, mimicries can vary from genuine danger to outright irritant.

The good news is that, despite their number, mimicries are terribly vulnerable to fire. Happy hunting!

Caught in the Rainbow Current
On the more peaceful side of things, you're also liable to wake on a much quieter island destination - and this time, neither ghosts from your past nor RPG-styled foes will be there to spoil your stay!

Instead, you can take heart in the drifting, multicolored lights that shimmer off the seafoam and flotsam. A bale of kaleidoshells are passing through this region, and they're certainly taking their time in doing so. Resembling a cross between turtles and dugongs, kaleidoshells are so named for their distinctive radiance. Their scales and rainbow-colored shells can get as large as six feet across. The shifting colors on their backs are both bright and reflective. A vast enough number of kaleidoshells can allow for the illusion of an underwater aurora borealis, which is precisely what is occurring now. Kaleidoshells are placid and peaceable creatures by nature in addition to being unfailingly pretty to look at. As they are largely sea-dwelling, their presence in the archipelago is usually seasonal. However, despite the autumn season, Mu has elected to make an exception. Kaleidoshells are particularly slow and unwieldy on land, and thus not much of a threat, but you're probably better off not trying to poach their eggs. They do, however, make a very fine sight around the waters of Mu, especially in this artificial evening. Luminescent, their rainbow patterns glow underwater with the dim pulse of drifting mood lights.

So relax, take in the sights...or wade in to swim alongside them, if you like. They won't mind the company, and there's something singularly enchanting about getting to swim in the tide of a rainbow.

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

Comments

Tell that to the Voltron cast, holy shit—

[warpstriking]

No, just you.

[Perhaps in hindsight to him, but to Noctis it only earns a confused raising of an eyebrow. He's the only Ignis he's ever known, and while there is a slight hint of tiredness in his voice; it's not nearly as prolific as it will be in a decade's time.

He takes the offered hand in his own; his right hand, which still bears the Ring upon it. Perhaps it is as good as any way to tell him precisely when he is from, despite not quite knowing yet that can be a thing. Just wait, Noct; you have a lovely family reunion waiting for you.]

Yeah. [As well as he can be, considering the circumstances.] How long?

[Has he been here without him? Been in this place? There's a lot of things those two words could mean, and still. He kind of means them all?]

LOL! Can't help you there. They're quite possibly the only cast that goes harder than we do!

[shatteredlenses]

[There is so much they will have to fill Noctis in on. Things they have learned, unnerving possibilities they've had to consider, truths and motivations that none of them would know were it not for the tricks of this place knocking down walls created over thousands of years.

Things. So many things, all of which fly out of Ignis' mind the moment his fingers brush over the cool metal of the ring on Noctis' hand. Even with the material of his glove between him and it, Ignis has to fight back a shiver. He comforts himself with the reminder that here, the ring is with who it belongs, and the copy that his place so kindly gifted him was recently--and violently--destroyed by Gladio's hand, proving once and for all it was a fake.

Look, he wasn't going to put it on again to find out for sure. Ignis is well aware he should have tried to dispose of it long ago, but he hadn't been ready to let go of the possibilities it represented, especially when Noctis had disappeared from the island. He's not gone anymore, though, and that fact is what Ignis uses to center himself in the present again. He gives Noctis' hand a squeeze and then gently pulls his friend toward him.]

Lets walk, shall we?

[Interestingly, if Noctis watches Ignis closely enough, he'll notice that while his advisor's step are more careful than they might have been otherwise, he's walking very confidently for one without his sight and without a cane to guide him.]

To the best of my ability to track, the first group of us arrived here a about a year and three months ago. The place we stand now isn't our final destination. It's a sort of dream world by the name of Mu. Most new arrivals to Enso pass through here first. Prompto and I were in that first group along with a version of you who had just gone to sleep within the Crystal. He was with us for about seven months before being sent away.

[As he speaks, Ignis' voice dulls as it might if he were giving a rather boring report. It's easier to think of the information that way instead of getting caught up in the pain and worry each departure had caused.]

A few weeks later, a version of you arrived from a future time beyond even what Ardyn knew...

[And with him, the confirmation of so, so many possibilities.]

...but he was here only a short time. Now you are here about four months after his departure.

I know. Been friends with Sam in particular for ages. Also sorry Iggy 8(

[warpstriking]

[There will likely be plenty of time for that, too. If he wakes up with them instead of when and where he was before suddenly becoming aware just by the shoreline. He feels that brief hesitation and gently squeezes a quiet reassurance. It's alright. He will bear the burden he'd once been too paralyzed with grief to do so before. Even with knowing what it fully means; he won't run from it.

So, he better not have tried putting it on again (even though he only has a hunch and a certain Ring wraith could not say it because it likely hurt too much).

He follows the gentle physical pull just as he had the magical one of Regroup.] Yeah.

[He'd been prepared to act as a pseudo-prodding cane, but a few steps in and he realizes it isn't needed nearly as much as he last recalls and instead falls into an easy pace alongside him. As much flack as Gladio had given him while they searched for the royal tomb in Cartanica, he'd had his head pulled far enough out of his own thoughts enough to keep an eye on him, even as he led from ahead a little ways.

Noctis had trusted Prompto to be there for their friend when Ignis stumbled and he wasn't. Still, a faint smile crosses his lips at seeing how far Ignis has come in...fifteen months? Damn. that's gonna take some time for him to wrap his head around, along with everything else he says in the same tone he'd deliver facts in when summarizing his already summarized reports from all the council meetings he elected not to attend.

His feet pause and drag slightly at the name mentioned last, takes a slightly sharper breath in than the usual, then breathes out as he resumes the pace Ignis set. It shouldn't hit him this hard. Academically, he knows he's going to be away from them for who knows how long while the ring absorbs the Crystal's light. Yet to hear two "versions" of him have come and gone yet he remembers none of that? And that Ardyn is here?

Ignis can't possibly get the visual clue, but he's glaring down at the sand as they keep moving forward, about ten paces ahead of them. Still somewhere between anger and bitter acceptance. There's more information to take in for that, and so he focuses on that instead.]

Last I remember's the same as the first, but I don't remember any of that. [He admits after a few seconds of trying to get his voice to obey him. Also to try and not focus on how long he'd possibly been asleep.] How many of us are here? You, Prompto...?

[Dare he ask if Gladio's also there? Or any of their other friends and relatives? ...Ha. Relatives.]

You mentioned Ardyn, so. [w h y t h i s ?]

WELP, here we go! (I also apologize for Ignis Scientia, the canoncial info dumper.)

[shatteredlenses]

[The Ignis from Noctis' time would still be searching for those visual hints and then becoming angry at himself for expecting something where there would never be anything again. After so many months, this Ignis still finds himself doing the same on occasion, but it's only because his vision has actually been restored a time or two. He catches himself wishing to see certain things, but at least these wishes have precedent behind them as opposed to being the actions of a man still adjusting to such a drastic change.

When those wishes don't come true, though, this Ignis is not left so lost as the other would be. He's had time to begin sharping his other senses to almost supernatural levels. His hearing, especially, has become stronger which is why the change in Noctis' footsteps and that sharp inhale might as well be yelling to him. Not that Ignis is surprised at those reactions to the mention of Ardyn's name. That time frame places Noctis at the culmination of the worst of Ardyn's machinations and his physical age means his king hasn't yet been in the Crystal long enough to develop the maturity and--dare he say--understanding the elder Noctis who was here showed.

It is not Ardyn that Ignis starts with, though. That is a minefield he wants a little time to prepare before dashing into. Instead, he begins with happier topics.]

Gladio is here are well. He arrived in the same group as the elder version of you did.

[Ignis' voice lightens as he speaks. Gladio's arrival was obviously a joyous thing despite the misunderstandings that would follow.]

You will have to be patient with him. He is from ten years after you went to sleep in the Crystal, and he suffered a great deal during that time. We all did, from what he has told me. I believe he's begun to heal some, but ten years of wounds do not vanish so quickly.

[There is more Ignis could say, so much more, but those details are Gladio's to tell. Not his.]

At the moment, aside from the four of us and Ardyn, there are no others from our world here, though Lady Lunafreya was here for a short time a few months back and Glaive Ulric arrived with us in that initial group. He was with us for several months before being sent away.

[For a brief instant, sadness crosses Ignis' face as he thinks of the fates both of them were sent back to. He's the farthest back of their group, and yet Ignis knows far too much of the future that lies in store for them all. Sometimes, he thinks he will be crushed under the weight of that knowledge before he ever has a chance to change things.

He takes a deep breath to clear his mind of such things--they are of no use to anyone right now--and focuses on the one question he has yet to answer.]

Ardyn arrived around a month or so after the first group did and has been with us steadily since then. He and the first version of you who was here formed a truce since it would benefit none of us to be constantly fighting. We were not at home and the prophecy has no power here. I did my best to keep an eye on him regardless. Without Gladio here, I felt it necessary. Even with the truce, I was not comfortable allowing him to do what he pleased unchecked.

[Oh, how that initial need to keep tabs on Ardyn changed as time passed, but that is a story for another time.]

It will be hard to believe, but he's not the same person you remember no matter what he may claim. More than once this place has returned him to who he was before he was betrayed, and I believe that has begun to crack through the rage and hate that has smothered his heart for so long.

[And Astrals, there are so many holes in that explanation that the Archaean could step through unhindered, but it is a start.]

sweet baby jesus (also sorry for the delay; holiday "fun" times)

[warpstriking]

[It's the small details that escape him, but he does notice that Ignis noticed and he glances away slightly. He's... getting there. It will take some time, but the understanding is developing. Yet it is not quite to the point it supercedes his anger.

He takes the knowledge of Gladio's presence with far more grace than he does the fact he'll be gone for ten years. A shaky exhale is likely far more telling; it feels like he got punched in the gut and had no time to brace himself, but he keeps pace with his advisor.]

No, they don't. [He agrees, voice low and barely audible over the sound of the waves for anyone with normal hearing. Though Ignis isn't exactly normal at this rate. He'd found him via hearing alone not long ago for him, after all.... and he hadn't been shouting.

Ah. There's a second punch, and no matter how much he braced himself for it... the fact he'd missed Luna still hits him hard. Ulric was a good man, too. Even if they didn't speak much; he'd still dealt with his shit the few times he drove him around the city. He almost smiles at the terrible vision joke he doubts Ignis even realizes he made, and even if he did... it makes what is said slightly more bearable, at least. Though, something didn't seem quite right with what he said. He can't put a finger on it, but...

Noctis looks up from his thoughts and to Ignis' face, before placing a hand on his shoulder.] You're right, it is hard to believe that. [Because, yeah. That sure is an Archaean-sized hole he could poke at...] But I trust you.

[Will it stop them from arguing like two very angry cats hissing at one another from the branches of two different trees? Not. At. All. But he'll still trust Iggy's insight.]

*sobs* He's so BAD at this. You wouldn't think he would be, but HE IS. (No worries!)

[shatteredlenses]

[That first shaky breath should have caused Ignis to stop his explanation, but with Noctis still keeping pace with him, Ignis' finds himself continuing on, answers spilling out of his mouth far faster than he realizes. He's known some of this for so long now that he doesn't even think of it as new information, when to Noctis, it absolutely is, and only adds to the pile that threatens to overwhelm him.

It's only when Noctis draws them to a stop and speaks that Ignis' own mind comes to a halt long enough to realize what he's just done. His eyes widen for a moment and then he reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose.]

Astrals. Noct, I apologize. That was too much. Why can't I figure out the best way to do this? I told Gladio too little and now...

[His shoulders sag slightly as he feels frustration sweep over him. This shouldn't be so hard. It really shouldn't, not with his training, so why does he keep screwing it all up?]

Shh, it's okay, it's all information he needs to know.

[warpstriking]

[It probably should have, but oddly enough, it's almost easier to focus on the rest than it is the amount of time he'll be... He squeezes Ignis' shoulder, trying to reassure his friend as he wills his voice to cooperate. How he manages to make it almost completely steady, save the mild undertone of tiredness, he'll ask himself later.]

Nah. I knew I'd be gone for a while, just... not how long it'd be. [He hates it; he hates it so much, but for now, he focuses on his longtime friend more than what will befall himself.] I'm fine, Iggy. It just took me a moment to digest it.

[Well, as fine as he'll ever be, but at least he's calm? That's a miracle in and of itself.]

[shatteredlenses]

[Calm is actually a good place to be and it takes a few moments, but Ignis manages to push back his frustration and calm himself as well. The hand on his shoulder is very helpful in doing that and he raises his own to give it a gentle squeeze. There's a deep-seated tiredness to his voice when he speaks again.]

With all due respect, Noct, none of this is fine and I'm very tired of everyone insisting it is.

[It obvious from his words, he's speaking of more now than his long-winded answer before.]

You're from far enough along; you know that. You know why I wanted us to turn back after Altissia.

/lies here BLEEDING IN THE MOONLIGHT

[warpstriking]

[Noctis falls silent at the chastisement. He's heard the tone before countless times, and yet. There's nothing he can say to reassure his longtime friend this time. He'd only meant with the stream of info, Iggy.

He holds his breath a few seconds until it leaves him like a normal exhale. Perhaps a bit more of a huff. Hard for him to tell, himself. Yet he only briefly glances away before looking back at him. With his hand beneath Ignis' the way it is, Noct can't hide the way his hand slightly trembles. Whether it be pain, anger, fear, or some combination of them all...]

I do, and you know why I couldn't. [His voice doesn't portray any of them; only a tired sadness that's been far too common.] But I'm here. For however long this dream allows.

/joins you

[shatteredlenses]

Not nearly long enough.

[Even if this Noctis breaks the patterns of the other versions of himself, how long will he be here? A year? Two? Neither is anywhere near enough to make up for the lifetime that has been taken from him.

Ignis gently wraps his fingers around that shaking hand and pulls it from his shoulder so he can fold it between his own. They are long passed the time where a gentle word or gesture can make everything okay, but he can't help but reach out anyway.]

Will you deny me the right to look for another way? A better ending for both yourself and Eos?

[warpstriking]

[Well, he can't argue that. Noctis blinks as the other pulls his hand from his shoulder and cups it in both of his. He- remembers vaguely doing the same when they first met; when Iggy held out one hand to him.

He can't help the faint, sad smile crossing his lips; and hates the realization he's glad Ignis can't see it. The slight tremor ceases as he places his free hand over one of those holding his.]

No, I won't. [Because good luck ever trying to stop Ignis Scientia. The one-man army. He got nerfed and it's only made him stronger.] And you won't be searching alone.

[Like he hasn't likely recruited Gladio already.]

[shatteredlenses]

[Prompto and Gladio and...Ardyn even, as strange as that may seem, but the redhead has a very vested interest in flipping Bahamut the middle finger, so maybe not so strange after all.

The relief that crosses Ignis' face when he hears that answer is strangely strong. He'd half been expecting a repeat of when he and Prompto had talked to the first Noctis that came here about this. That Noctis had told them not to look for another way; he'd accepted what was to come and he would be fine. It had been one request that neither he nor Prompto could follow and it had torn at them both. Perhaps that Noctis had been within the Crystal longer than this one and that is what led to the different answer? There is really no way for them to know and so Ignis pushes the question away.]

Thank you, Noct. Thank you.

[warpstriking]

[...Okay, that last one is rather hard to believe and yet isn't. Because giving the gods a middle finger or two seems right up his numerous times removed uncle's alley. Both from what they know of the man from experience, and what the Draconian tried to paint him as.

Be grateful, Ignis. He was literally just dropped like a hot potato when he woke on this very shore. Regardless of the answer as to how long the other Noctis had been within the Crystal, the words were still settling in his mind when he awoke here. And that relief is something he can't ignore. Even if he tried. It's like watching an invisible meteor falling off his friend's back as his grasp over their clasped hands tightens slightly in a brief squeeze. Hoping that conveys enough that he saw that expression and smiled faintly.]

Sounds like you guys have had it rough for a while. [He has no idea; they've yet to talk about much about this place despite the time shenanigans apparently he's experienced. Or other versions of himself. Same thing, really.] Whatever happens, you have my blessing.

[They need to get off this topic or they're gonna go further and further into a circular conversation.]

If I wake up over there, what can I expect? [Aside from the house and apparently a room full of chocobos.]

Not sure if you wanna continue now that you are in, but here, have a tag anyway!

[shatteredlenses]

[Ignis nods, both in answer to the statement--rough barely begins to describe the last few months--but also in acknowledgment of the blessing. He will keep that blessing close to his heart; something to keep him moving forward when it seems like this whole thing is nothing more than a fool's errand.

The nod is followed by a squeeze on their hands and then Ignis is taking a deep breath to settle himself, shoulders drawing back in an unconscious habit. Ah, but isn't that a complicated question to answer?]

You should expect the unexpected.

[And, as vague as that answer is, it is also one of the most truthful Ignis can give.]

The local deity is called the Storyteller. They gain power from stories we gather to tell them approximately once a month. One might think that stories about surviving on a tropical island would grow boring after a while, but something always happens to 'mix it up' as people say. Often, it's something to do with the new islands that regularly appear, but there is really no telling what will happen from one island to the next.