aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 017 )

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[~~Le gasp! The Shield of the King? Blaspheming the Draconian? Should they bring Clarus back just to tell on him?~~ Nah, necromancy isn't that great a skill. Let's not and say we didn't even joke about it.

Noctis blinks, stunned. Did those four words really just leave Gladio's mouth...? Because it even stunned the shade from speaking. Damn.]

Like what?

[...It's hard not to do, but Noctis almost clings to that bit of knowledge like it's the last stone in a turbulent sea. What else can they do?]

Like not accepting the bullshit the Astrals spew as absolute truth for one thing.

[There... isn't really a lot beyond that as far as plans or anything went but even looking at the situation with a healthy dose of doubt and suspicion was a start, it gave them a perspective they didn't have back home.]

Trying to drag Ardyn's head out of his ass to get a little more info but he's so caught up in his own head it's- [A sigh, a frown. Not because they have to deal with Ardyn but because Ardyn is so impossibly negative about it.

Probably should've started this with "btw Ardyn's not as much of a bastard as you think" but if Noct's already talked to Iggy then clearly he already knows that.

Right?]

[Okay, Gladio has a point. They didn't really have the luxury back home, nor any other perspective that remembered it. Still, listening to what Ardyn of all people has to say does not exactly fill him with warm feelings of unicorns and rainbows, either.

He sighs, frowning as well. Not much of an option, is it?]

'Bout as hard as getting me to eat anything remotely green?

[He has a Hunch, okay. And yeah, he's gotten that hint. So far. Along with the fact the guy ~~with a giant-ass scythe~~ is terrified of plants.]

[That at least gets a laugh out of Gladio and he slaps a hand on Noct's shoulder. Please don't fall over.]

You're gonna have to get over that, dude.

[It's not really an option to just eat junk food all the time here. If he refuses to eat veg of any kind there's no vitamins or replacement options, just a million ways to get sick. and no way of fixing the deficiencies.]

But yeah it's been rough. He's trying, we all are.

[Well, he probably would have- if he didn't catch himself and give a wry smile. At least he's self-aware, and it's good to see him laughing again. Especially after what Iggy told him.]

Fiiine, I'll try. Still drawing a line at carrots, though.

[...Yes. Yes he did just shudder at himself mentioning them. He remembers the taste of the one time his dad talked him into it. Never again.

He straightens after, his eye twitching slightly being the only sign that the shade's still there and whatever it said poked at a sore spot. Instead, he focuses on Gladio.]

Iggy told me about who's been here. What's the situation over on the other islands? [A hint of concern is there, behind the request. "Trying"- trying to what? Aside from what they have to do.]

[Noctis, carrots are a staple in stews and they make a lot of stews. You're going to either eat them or pick around them.]

Things are actually pretty damn good now, Harv was a great help.

[He pauses, frowns. Right, this is Noctis he's talking to. ]

Okay things are a little uh.... rustic for your tastes I guess but things are looking up. And I've already got a bed set up in one of the rooms so you can just take that. The girls are getting too big to keep inside anyway.

But really the day to day isn't bad at all. Some of the other islands are... rough but we're still learning from them. All experiences have value and that shit.

[This time when he pauses he looks about as disgusted as Noct is with vegetation, even though he's laughing under his breath.]

Ugh I sound like my dad.

[Aw, come on! Why this? ~~He'll eat around them. Totally won't notice him feeding the carrots to the birds. Nope.~~]

Harv? [Gladio, he has no idea who you're talking about. He tries to keep a straight face at the "rustic" bit and fails. Ugh, great. Still, if he thinks of it as extended camping for the most part, he should have an easier time of it. Besides:] Still better than the Keep or the Crystal. Won't look a gift chocobo in the beak.

[Will he complain about it? You bet your ass he will, but he'll try to keep it to a minimum.

The wry smile turns a little more sincere; or at least a bit more amused. There are worse people to sound like, man.]

Here I was gonna say the same. Little less gruff and you might just pull it off.

[Ignis will care more than Gladio, he's the one you have to hide from bro.]

I don't want to sound like my old man, okay. Love 'im. Miss him. But I have no intention to become the fun police.

[Which isn't entirely fair to Clarus and somewhere Gladio knows that but it's still kinda true. Still there's more immediate concerns than turning into their dads.]

Harv's one of the other avatars... okay so each island has an avatar, some call 'em gods but they're not really that like all powerful? Main Island and the little string of isles attached to it that we've been living on is Enso and Tory runs shit. Storyteller is too long and impersonal so I call 'em Tory. Usually a little white critter.

Some of the Avatars on the other islands are shit, some are cool. No different than people, really. But the others come and go, Tory's busting their ass to try and pull more resources for us.

[Keep it super silent; gotcha.]

Still would be a good one to pull out to shock one of us, though. [Look, they've been talking about some heavy-ass shit and the shade is still there. The least he can do is offer some dry humor.] But I get it.

[He loves his dad too, but doing impersonations of his old man just... naaah.

So instead, he listens. Tries to put the names to memory and just... Oh no. "Tory" is cute. Will he admit it? Also nah. He has a point. That, and 'Tory" already sounds leagues better than any they've dealt with.]

Usually? [From the sound of things, Tory switches appearance sometimes. Huh.] What can we do to help them?

Tory's been expending so much of their energy keeping shit under control for us that they... well they don't have enough oomph to take any decently sized forms. Think the biggest thing I've seen 'em as was a terrier dog, maybe 30 pounds. Usually white or cream or really light grey sometimes.

[Tory changes forms pretty regularly.]

Best I've been able to do to help 'em out is just... offer stories and be there for them. A lot of people are all up in arms about well all the bad shit's Tory's fault. But at the same time Tory's doing everything they can to help us. Getting pissy when it blows up in their face isn't going to help anything. Whatever else happens I know their heart's in the right place.

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 017 )

that's fair lol

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