aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 018 )

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*test drive meme

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 018 )

Test Drive Meme #18

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 December 17th! Due to the holiday season, Applications will be opening on December 26th, with an app period shifted to end on January 2nd instead of the usual timeframe!

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.

Upsy Wars: Revenge of the Lift
Over the past sixteen months, adventurers have adjusted to the sight of a wide variety of odd and fantastical creatures, some friendlier than others. Of the more ferocious, it's wise to consider giving them a wide berth - from the indomitable fustercluck to living black holes to the deadly contagious quartzalcoatls. However, only one predator has gained the dubious title of "that weird flying mouth thing."

Invasive to LifeAftr, Upsy the elevator is not satisfied with haunting the memories of those who encountered it during its arrival in July. Now it's here to haunt your dreams, too! While capable of speech and some style of sentience on its home world, it seems LifeAftr has yet to agree with a machine that is equal parts flesh and metal. Driven to silence by whatever forces this world has exposed it to, Upsy is driven by one, basic instinct, and one alone.

To give you a lift, whether you want it or not.

Upsy’s attacks are abrupt and immediate. Swooping down from the sky, it will collect as many living things in its mouth as can fit, before closing its doors and soaring away. Want to leave? Don't worry; Upsy has no intentions of keeping you, or digesting you. Release from that fleshy mouth prison is as immediate as the initial attack. We hope you enjoy flying, because Upsy can spit even the heaviest of creatures a good hundred feet away from itself, at any altitude. Do look out below.

The Emoji Movie
Communication on the islands currently consists of Stones of Far Speech, a relatively adaptable system that is open to requests and suggestions for improvement. One such request has been met with a small bout of confusion, however; as adaptable as the Storyteller attempts to be, you kids with your mobile phones and your texting and emojis get a little beyond them, sometimes.

Beyond Mu as well, it seems.

When you asked for emojis, this is what you wanted, right? Exclusive to Mu, Emojees come in a variety of shapes and sizes; from knee-high yellow orbs with rows of sharp teeth that simply cannot stop laughing, to horse-sized poop emojees that - well. One can guess. Numbering in the hundreds and intending to convey their meaning by any means possible, it's a good idea to avoid prolonged contact with these happy little abominations.

The taller, more objective emojees will simply try to absorb those attached to them in an effort to become even larger, but the smaller infect their prey with the emotions they portray, influencing them into the perfect emotional state for consumption.

In hindsight, this is probably not what the children actually wanted...

Close enough.

Let It Go Snow
LifeAftr may be primarily tropical, but that doesn't mean some of its creatures don't appreciate a good white Christmas - and a white rest of the year, at that.

Gelfs are one such species. While they may be visually reminiscent of Santa's Little Helpers, these small creatures aren't about to start handing out presents. Having snuck onto Mu's metaphysical shores at the beginning of the month, these little critters have immediately set about doing what they do best - spreading ice and snow across the island, in increasingly hazardous quantities.

As the influence of the gelfs settles across Mu, it's quite possible that the abrupt cold snap will lead to severe consequences for any adventurous guests, unless you enjoy the prospect of an avalanche waiting to happen Now may be the best time to hunt these gelfs down, before such disaster can occur.

For those uninterested in massacring a local creature population (again), you may as well enjoy this winter wonderland while it lasts. Ice skating, snowball fights - and for those in the know, the time-honored competition to create the best dabbing ice sculpture. If you're lucky, you might even find a container of piping hot wassail - spiced apple cider - laying around.

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's a good idea. Take stock of what we have.

[ If they have anything. But as nice as food and a real bed sound, Lucretia isn't in any hurry to go anywhere either. It's too nice right here, in front of the fire, the chair at her back and Yasha at her side. She feels warm and cozy. Safe. ]

Just...as soon as it warms up a little.

Agreed.

(Usually she would mind being this close to somebody she doesn't know, but Lucretia is very warm, and Yasha has not yet finished being cold. So it's okay, for now. She tucks the fur in a little more underneath her chin, and settles.

It's a good couple minutes before she speaks again.)

I suppose you don't have a place to stay. I-- my friends and I have a house, here. On another island. You're welcome to be with us until you make other arrangements, if you like.

[ Lucretia's let her eyes slip closed, luxuriating in the warmth and quiet companionship, but Yasha's unprompted offer is enough to make her open them again, looking over at her in surprise. ]

Oh.

[ Honestly, she hadn't thought nearly that far ahead, at least in that much detail. Her focus has been on surviving, getting through the blizzard, getting through the night. The big picture goal after that is just finding a way out of this place, back home where she belongs. Where she needs to be.

But of course it won't be that easy. Who knows how long she'll be here? Weeks? Months? Longer, maybe. She'll need to find someplace to stay.

She smiles, genuinely touched. ]

Thank you, Yasha. That's...incredibly generous of you.

(Yasha flusters a little, made awkward by the sincerity of her smile. It's nice to see her happy, especially after how worried and tired she had been before.)

... It's nothing.

(Anybody would offer to help. Yasha found her lost in the snow, dying of cold. She can't just leave her to her own devices after that, and she has a feeling the rest of the Nein will agree with her. Besides, it must be about her turn to bring a stray briefly into the party.)

No, it's not.

[ Yasha had already saved her life. She doesn't owe her anything else, and yet here she is, offering solutions to problems Lucretia hasn't even thought of yet.

She leaves it there, though. Yasha's obviously uncomfortable with any kind of praise, no matter how much Lucretia thinks she deserves it, and the last thing she wants to do is put her on the spot - or, God forbid, drive her away. So she falls silent, content to just sit there and enjoy the warmth and the company, until her stomach rumbles loudly, and she groans. ]

I guess that's our cue to find dinner.

(Yasha chuckles. She's starting to get cozy now, thanks especially to the extra layer tucked around her shoulders and arms, but it's a little sore to keep sitting on the floor so she'll take the excuse to get up. As she stands, she stretches her arms above her head and tips her head from side to side until her neck cracks, sighing. The cabin is so much warmer already.)

Okay. If there is nothing in here, I... could always go out, and try to find something.

(This is empty sentiment. Or rather, a useless one: it's snowing very, very hard now. It would be really difficult to find anything in the storm.)

Absolutely not.

[ Even Yasha sounds uncertain about that one, and even if she hadn't, there's no way Lucretia's about to let her walk out of her sight and back into the storm. She watches a little enviously as Yasha gets easily to her feet, then follows suit a little more awkwardly, pushing down against the chair for purchase. ]

Let's see what we have here before we start volunteering ourselves as tribute, shall we?

(Yeah, okay, fair. She nods. Yasha is more than happy to concede that point because she's pretty reluctant to leave their new found warmth and shelter for anything. She's gone hungry before, and she'll do it again if she has to. They can always go looking for food in the morning, when it's much lighter out.

She's going to stride over and start looking in cupboards in that case, nosing through everything that will open. There are... canned goods in some of them, but Yasha has never seen canned anything before. Vague, medieval-esque D&D era times, you understand. She pulls a can of baked beans out of the back of a cupboard and turns it slowly over in her hand, staring at it. Then she shows it to Lucretia.)

I... think there's food in here.

[ Lucretia starts at the other end of the small kitchen, though the cabinets she opens contain nothing but plates, bowls and glassware. Potentially useful, though not without the main event.

But they're in luck. She takes the can from Yasha, examining it, and smiles. ]

Oh yeah, it's food. I mean, I know an elf who would disagree, but...

[ She trails off. No, she's not going to think about Taako right now or how he might react to being offered canned baked beans for dinner. Instead she looks back up at Yasha, setting the can aside on the counter. ]

What else have we got?

Um... (A few more cans of much the same. Beans. Lentils. Fruit? Yasha turns that one over in her hand curiously, investigating... slices of peach, in clear juice. Interesting. It's a shame Mollymauk is not with him, he'd love something like this.)

Not much, but enough.

(How do they get the food? Yasha puts the can onto the ground and pulls the Magician's Judge from her back. Maybe she can just stab it open.)

[ Lucretia picks up the cans to study them as Yasha sets them on the counter, turning away from them just in time to see the can of beans on the floor and Yasha raising a sword longer than Lucretia is tall over her head. ]

Wait - stop!

[ Please, this can only end in tears and a baked bean-covered greatsword. Lucretia kneels down, murmuring quietly as she reaches out to cast Knock on the can. A moment later, it pops open, and she picks it up, getting to her feet and holding it out to Yasha with a small smile. ]

Dinner is served.

(Yasha pauses with the Judge held comically high, then blinks, and lowers the blade to the ground as Lucretia kneels. She's careful to keep the sword away from her as she works her magic, knocking sharply on the top of the can with her knuckles.

To Yasha's surprise, it opens. Easy as that. She glances away as Lucretia stands again, embarrassed by her rashness with the sword, and accepts the can without quite looking at her. If it wasn't going to be so obvious, she would take it into the corner and hunch there for a moment to gather herself; as it is, she has to relinquish the Judge, let it lean against the counter while she plucks a bit of peach out of the can with her index finger and thumb to pop into her mouth.

... Yum.)

Thank you.

[ Yasha seems almost shy as Lucretia offers the food, her eyes shifting away as she approaches. Lucretia raises an eyebrow, curious, but she doesn't push. Already it's become very clear that the other woman isn't the type to talk about her feelings. ]

You're welcome.

[ She turns away, giving Yasha a bit of space as she opens one of the cans for herself. She's burning spell slots here, but, well. They have to eat.

Not like she can do much else without her staff, anyway.

Lucretia broods on that for a moment, poking a little aimlessly through the drawers until she finds a few battered utensils. She offers a fork to Yasha, taking one for herself. ]

Here, this should make things easier.

(Yasha had been content with eating with her fingers, but if Lucretia is going to sensibly use utensils, she'll happily follow suit. She takes the fork with a nod of her head, and continues to chew her way contentedly through the food. It's quite sweet of course, especially the syrup that it comes in, but it tastes very good after being out in the cold. It's a miracle that it's edible at all, Yasha has no idea how old the can is.

She leaves half in the can to swap with Lucretia if she would like it... perhaps reluctantly.)

Here, you should try these.

Oh no, I couldn't.

[ Is she kidding? Yasha practically inhales half the peaches before pausing to breathe, and while it's very touching that she offers to share, it's also very clear how reluctant she is to do so.

It's kind of adorable, honestly. Lucretia hides a smile, shaking her head adamantly. ]

You finish it. And then maybe think about getting some protein in you, too. We have plenty more.

[ She hopes. God, she hopes they aren't stuck here long enough that they have to start worrying about rationing their food. ]

Okay.

(She doesn't need any more persuading, she's straight back into it the moment Lucretia starts to say 'no'. They're very good peaches, okay. While she's secretly longing for something heartier- meatier, and a tankard or two of ale, this will do for now.)

What are you eating?

(Lucretia's eating, right. Yasha pauses with a bit of peach lifted halfway to her mouth, her eyes narrowing a little.) You need protein, too.

Cold beans.

[ She doesn't even try to sound enthusiastic about them. The first few bites had been maybe the best thing she'd ever tasted, but they'd lost their appeal quickly, even for the first food she'd had all day.

She does smile a little at Yasha's checking up on her, and dutifully holds out the beans for inspection. Then she glances over the rest of their supplies, picking up a can of beef stew thoughtfully. ]

I wonder if we could heat this up over the fire.

[ It would certainly taste better. And the kitchen is a little chilly, if still much warmer than outdoors. She shivers involuntarily. ]

That sounds nice.

(The tone of her voice makes it very clear that that does not sound at all nice. The cold part is what makes it terrible. If Yasha had any magic about her besides her meager healing spell she could change that, perhaps. Caleb knows a lot about fires, and making things warm.

Lucretia does not have Caleb with her, though, she has Yasha. Which is lucky, for her. Caleb smells a lot worse than she does.)

Maybe there's a pot. (She's going to check the last of the cupboards for things. One of them does have a very battered frying pan, but that's all she can find... she holds it aloft for Lucretia to see.) This could do in a pinch.

(And they're certainly in a pinch.)

[ Lucretia ducks her head, biting back a smile at Yasha's flat tone. She's so funny, all the more so because Lucretia feels absolutely certain that she has no idea that it's the case.

It's endearing, honestly.

She looks back up in time to see Yasha holding up the frying pan, and considers it thoughtfully. ]

...I think that could work.

Come on, I'm ready for seconds. [ She turns, leading the way back to the other room and its fire. ]

Okay.

(The frying pan isn't so shallow that it couldn't comfortably hold a can of something. Yasha brings it back over to the fire, but there's going to be a problem with holding it over the flames... the handle isn't very long, her hands will be too close.

She frowns.)

I don't know... maybe we can just leave the can close to the fireplace and it will heat up that way?

I'm sure we can think of something.

[ Lucretia casts Knock on the can and carefully fills the pan, thinking. She sighs, shaking her head. ]

This would be so easy with my staff. [ Her forehead creases in worry as she lets herself think of the lost staff again, of how boned she is if she can't find it again. ] I can't believe I...

[ Never mind that now. All she can do is focus on the here and now. She hums in thought, and glances hopefully up at Yasha. ]

You don't have any leather on you, do you?

Your staff?

(Yasha is busy unwinding one of the leather wraps from around her forearm and wrist to notice Lucretia's distress, otherwise she might not have asked. For some reason, Beau's bō comes to mind... she can't think of why Lucretia would need something like that with her. Perhaps it's for walking.)

Here.

(There's a bit of leather, presumably for the pot handle.)

Yes.

[ She takes the leather with a nod of thanks, twisting it into a loop. Once that's done, she gestures, murmuring an incantation, and the pan of soup rises into the air, hovering over the fire.

A pause, while she makes sure she has it stabilized, before she resumes speaking. ]

I must have lost it out in the blizzard somewhere. I don't even remember when it went missing, or how.

(What a handy spell. Yasha hasn't seen the likes of it before, and she watches the pan lift into the air with curiousity.)

We can look for it after the storm.

(How long had they been walking while looking for shelter? A few hours? They'll have to go back the same way if they want to get to where they started... Yasha yawns just thinking about it, taking a seat in front of the fire once more to warm her hands back up.

She isn't very good at small talk... but while the food is warming up, she should at least try? Yasha rubs her knuckles slowly, trying to think of something to say and eventually settles on:) What... do you do, Lucretia?

[ Lucretia looks up in surprise, nearly losing her concentration on keeping the pan levitating in the process. ]

...Thank you, Yasha. That's...very kind of you to offer.

[ And she's just desperate enough to get her staff back that she doesn't decline immediately. Maybe tomorrow she'll be strong enough to say no, to refuse to let Yasha go back out and subject herself further to the cold to fix Lucretia's mistake.

She looks back at the fire, gazing into the flames as the stew heats up, and humming quietly at Yasha's question. ]

It's...difficult to explain. Most of what I do is, uh, classified.

But I run an organizaion that's...well, we're trying to make the world a safer place.

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