TEST DRIVE MEME ( 020 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #20

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.

Due to the shortness of the month, both Reserves AND Applications will open on February 17th!

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.

Hell's Fury Burns the Heart
Back in December, the island of Maati treated travelers to unique Trials, tailored to their own unique sins and vices. Of the seven possible trials for adventurers to undergo, the Trial of the Forgiving, the trial laser-focused to exploit those most predisposed to be wrathful and violent, was among the simplest. Unlike the other trials, there were very few puzzles and mazes. The Trial of the Forgiving was largely, in essence, a trial of temptation.

This Trial takes the shape of a stone-walled spiral, with trial-goers starting at the outermost point and working their way steadily to the exit at the center. The torches lining the hall as it stretches infinitely onward paints the walls with a warm amber tint, giving the entire place a much more welcoming ambiance than will eventually become evident.

Your task is simple: make it to the end in one piece. All you have to do is withstand the constant harassment from the very, very familiar faces that will stalk you throughout the entirety of this gauntlet. Each specter that appears will be one with which you hold a significant grievance - be it a personal antagonist, a long-standing nemesis, a foe you once faced, or even yourself, if your self-hatred runs that deep. All the while, they'll be doing their utmost to incite you to strike at them. Taunting you, acting out, threatening you or the ones you love; while they cannot physically harm you, they don't necessarily need to, in order to strike a nerve.

They want you to attack them. They want you to lash out. In part because all damage you attempt to deal to them will be rebounded back onto you - and whoever might be accompanying you - instead. A poorly-timed attack or well-placed insult might very well be enough to one-shot you, or your companions, into oblivion.

It's a good thing you have, potentially, innumerable chances. Every time you're struck down, you'll simply reappear at the very start of the Trial...and have to start making your way to the end all over again.

The Weakest Link
Once again, Mu has reformatted one of Maati's Trials for its own purposes. This one is based off of the Trial of the Trusting, which focused on building bonds and connections between its victi - er, between its trial-goers. For those prone to paranoia, distrust, or simply being emotionally closed off, this would be the challenge laid out to them: a sequence of puzzles and traps requiring teamwork and faith in one another, at least in the situational sense.

Fortunately - or, perhaps, unfortunately - things here are going to be a little simpler, though you'll still be waking in a tunnel lined with dark green stone, intermittently lit by the odd, irregularly spaced torch. This Trial will make its intentions quite clear from the beginning, for, you see, you're going to be waking up with a friend.

One that happens to be chained, that is. To you. A length of about two feet of chain links the cuffs that bind you, one wrist to another, with whatever other unlucky soul has woken up here beside you. No matter what you do to said chain, it remains stubbornly indestructible. Though you could always try breaking your wrists, or severing your hands instead, or...actually, you know what? Why don't you just try to get through the Trial with your new friend, instead? It's probably going to be at least marginally less painful!

The path that is open to the pair of you is fairly linear. Its difficulty largely stems from the back that you'll be traversing it as a permanently linked pair. Obstacles present will always be surmountable as a team - switches and levers that might involve two people to reach, doors that require dual switches or buttons to be held down, puzzles that require passing of information between the both of you to expedite progress, and so on. There's also the matter of the Rarriers - ogre-like creatures of large stature and a territorial nature. Those under the keen gaze of a Rarrier will find them impossible to attack; their front hide is as tough as steel, and attacks tend to simply glance off. Their backs and sides are of a much more vulnerable nature, however. If only you could reach...or get someone else to do it for you.

Assuming you're not both sick of each other by the time you reach the exit, you'll be rewarded with the breaking of the cuffs that connect you, symbolizing that a friendship forged is stronger than any iron! Though, by the end...maybe "friendship" isn't the word we'd use.

Well Met
This place is hot, dry, and arid - but at least it's brightly lit! The peach-colored swell of dunes seems to be limitless, in nearly every direction, with the stretch of sand fading seemingly infinitely into the dark, purple line of the horizon. The sun overhead is relentless and sweltering; if you're the sort of person who needs to self-regulate, temperature wise, you might be in for a bit of a problem the longer you're stuck out here. Could be a rough time.

Fortunately for you, there's water. Very nearby, in fact. It's the only deviation from the sea of sand: a dark, circular blot that looks very, very much like a water well. As the only landmark in the vicinity, it seems at the very least worth checking out, right? The closer you get, the less it seems like it might be a mirage, or some other elaborate ruse. It looks like a perfectly normal, unassuming well. Which is why, of course, it isn't one at all.

Well mimics are native to the island of Monsun, and they're...well, they're exactly what they sound like. They favor dry, desert-like environments, and hunt by luring travelers and animals alike to the temptingly fresh waters they hold. Mu has been helpful enough to recreate one in vivid detail, just for you.

These creatures are largely tube-shaped animals, buried deep in the sandy earth. They suction fresh water from deep within the earth and hold it in the lowermost parts of themselves. The simple construct that travelers see - the circular, stone shape with the rope and bucket for hauling water - is, in fact, their mouth, carefully adapted to camouflage itself into something that seems perfectly serviceable. Once travelers attempt to grab hold of the rope or bucket, or even the rim of the well itself, they'll discover that the surfaces have all been slicked with a sticky substance that may very well take off a layer of your skin if you attempt to tear away without taking great care.

Once the well mimic has entrapped its prey, the "well" sprouts teeth around its stone rim, lining its rocky gullet all the way to the bottom, as well as a fat red tongue. Rope-like tentacles whip out to seize whatever poor soul has found themselves ensnared. If you don't manage to get free in time, you'll learn just how it feels to be digested over a period of twenty-four hours while your body is broken down into a squishy, delicious mulch for the mimic's consumption.

The best way to kill these creatures is by tricking it into swallowing something lethal - fire, poison, sharp weapons, whatever you have on hand. Well mimics are quite blind and hunt purely by touch, and will seize whatever touches them without any knowledge of what it is. And once it has one victim in hand, it's quite incapable of grabbing hold of another.

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[technicallytechnically]

[While Jester has lived most of her life largely sheltered, she's still perceptive enough to notice when someone's nervous. It helps that Prompto is obviously holding her hand for way too long and stammering and almost forgetting his own name.

She smirks and her handshake is very energetic, and she is definitely not going to let go until he does. Because she thinks it's funny. Shake shake shake shake shake...]

You can make up for it if you answer alllll my questions. First: what kind of pastries do you have in Lucis? Is Lucis in the Empire? Do you like donuts? Do you want a donut? What's your favorite donut? Who do you think is really attractive? Have you heard of the Traveler?

[Yeah, that about sums up all her questions right now.

Nothing about, you know, waking up handcuffed to a stranger in a weird tunnel. That doesn't seem that important???]

[want_to_belong]

[Thank the astrals, because while his mind felt like it was covered in a foggy haze, he could at least manage some direct answers.]

Oh, we had all kinds. Cakes and tarts and pies and everything. But none of it compares to Iggy's c... Uh? No! We're not part of the Empire. We don't have donuts here...? I don't think anyone has figured out how to make them yet. [He didn't shake vigorously back, but didn't say anything about Jester waving his hand, and didn't let go.] A donut would be pretty cool right now... Who? Ah, well... [He might talk endlessly about it to the guys, but he wasn't about to tell a girl, so he skipped.] The Traveler? Never heard of him?

[technicallytechnically]

[He skipped a question there, didn't he? Well, Jester's qualifications were that he answer all her questions, but she can be lenient. Besides, the most important question was...

Alright, so one hand is vigorously shaking his still, and the other is handcuffed, so she finally breaks off the handshake and reaches into a bright pink leather backpack she had hooked around her shoulder. With no apparent digging at all, she produces a (slightly smushed, incredibly stale) plain-looking donut. Its secret flavor, however, lies in the cinnamon used in the dough.

She holds it out for him to take.]

I always have one. Just in case. Also, the Traveler is a super cool guy, [And now she's gesturing with the donut, good luck catching it.] he's like really good, and you should worship him, and if you just talk to him I'm sure he'll help you out.

[The Donut Is Now Available... if you dare.]

[want_to_belong]

[Thank goodness. He took his hand back without complaint, not really moving much at all. It was like he was frozen in place listening to her.

But he thought his head and held up his hands when she offered it to him.]

Oh, you should keep that for yourself. It might be a long time before you get another one. [He would dare deprive a girl of a donut in order to satiate himself.] I'm not really looking for anyone new to worship. We've kinda had plenty enough god troubles in our lives. I just want to hang out with my friends.

Umm... Can I ask you a question?

omg SO SORRY about the dp im at work and my internet exploded for a second

[technicallytechnically]

[He doesn't want the donut??? Well, his logic makes sense, and besides it's her favorite type from her hometown, and she's not going back to Nicodranas for a long, long time at this rate...

She shrugs and takes a bite from it, chewing through the next few words and putting the rest away. Very sanitary. (It actually is more sanitary than it looks—the bag is placing the donut in its own pocket dimension. No lint!)]

Mffkay. Mff you shay so. ["Okay. If you say so." She swallows, thankfully.] But if you change your mind about the donut or the Traveler, he's super open-minded, and he's really cool, and he doesn't cause any trouble like a lot of other gods. Well, not like the bad trouble. Only good trouble!

[SO FAR!!!!!]

I will answer any question. I'm very honest.

[want_to_belong]

Eheh, sure.

[He did his best to be polite about the god stuff. He'd already dealt with the gods on his world, and then the gods on this one, and he wasn't sure he needed any more.]

Do you know a guy named Molly? It's just... He's the only one I've ever seen who looks like you.

[Race-wise, but sometimes it was easy to forget to qualify those statements when people were used to coming from different worlds now.]

[technicallytechnically]

[It's very, very obvious that Jester does in fact know a guy named Molly. Because the instant she hears him say his name, her cheery expression is completely gone. She tells herself it could be a coincidence, but then Prompto hits the last nail in the coffin by saying he looks like her, so it really... could not be anyone else.

So Jester just stares at Prompto silently for a few moments, unable to hide how upset she is at the mere mention of that name, until she finally says, voice a little small in comparison to her boisterous energy just moments before.]

Am I dead?

[want_to_belong]

[Oh man, had he said something wrong? At the same time he felt like he needed to ask, because their species just looked so similar, he thought it couldn't be a coincidence.]

Sorry.

[He immediately apologized for the question, even if he still wanted an answer.]

I don't think so? There's a lot of time traveling shenanigans going on here. Like, one of my best friends is ten years older than I remember him being. And, some people who are supposed to be dead are here but, they're like, not dead. I know I'm not dead, and Iggy isn't dead, but he's here. But then my BFF showed up and he was the same age as us, and then he disappeared and another version of him showed up way older and after he died...

[Which wasn't a good thought for him, but he was trying to explain this weird conundrum.]

There's a lot of timeline screwiness going on. As far as I can tell it's not an afterlife, so like, he's alive here.

[He shrugged a little weakly.]

[technicallytechnically]

Oh.

[It's a lot to take in and try to process, and rather than let herself be excited at the idea of Molly being around (and alive? maybe?), she needs to take a moment to put all this information together in her head. Considering she didn't even realize she was somewhere all that different from where she last was, it's... definitely a surprise.]

So like... there's alive people and dead people all just wandering around together?

[ARE WE SURE IT ISN'T THE NINE HELLS. But with the added "timeline" aspect, that doesn't quite match up with what stories she's heard of the Hells.

"He's alive here," Prompto says. After another pause, her smile returns, brighter than ever.]

Oh shit, do you know where he is right now!? I gotta see him! It's been like... a billion months!!

[Or, like, three.]

Are you his friend? I bet you're his friend, you're super nice and he's super nice and I really, really, really wanna see him again! Has he told your fortune?? He's really good at that!

[She's taken Prompto by the shoulders now and is basically shaking him desperately. She needs to see her friend, okay!]

[want_to_belong]

['At least she seems happier,' he thought as she attempted to snap his neck. Hardly the roughest he'd ever been treated, though.]

R-Right now? Prolly the islands. [He tried to stop the shaking and steady himself in one spot so he could think straight.] This is a dream-type place that people show up at sometimes before they end up there. It's all kinda weird. But if you show up there, I'm sure you'll see him!

[He softened a bit at some of the words. A girl had called him nice? Big win.] Oh yeah, he mentioned some of that, and talked about circuses and stuff. I should have him read my fortune sometime for fun. I'd... say we're friends?

[We wasn't sure what Molly would say. They didn't hang out daily or anything. But he thought they were on good enough terms that it was fair to say. They definitely weren't enemies.]

[technicallytechnically]

[When he tries to stop the shaking, she finally relents. Mostly because she's trying to follow his explanation, which isn't always an issue for her, she's not dumb, but this is so far outside her realm of experience and so important that she's basically taking mental notes.]

Okay... Okay... So I still have to go to... the islands? From here?

[So she might not even get to see him still! Man. She hopes she can figure it out. She'd... really like to see him again.

But then Prompto describes Molly a little more, and Jester can't help the fond smile on her face. She's... very happy, right now. Even if she doesn't get to the islands, just knowing Molly has a place where he can meet new people is pretty good as a consolation prize.]

Yeah, yeah, that's how we met! He told my fortune. And then we saw a circus together, or I guess I mean he worked at the circus so it wasn't technically together, technically, but then we fought a bunch of zombies and a big fiend guy, and then we got arrested, but then it turned out fine, and then that's how we became friends!

[Great, cool story.]

[want_to_belong]

As far as I've experienced, you wake up there or you don't. I'm not sure if you can do anything about it. Not that anyone knows of yet.

That sounds like a pretty crazy day. Umm...

[He lifted his arm with the chain on it, glancing at the tunnel they were in.]

Guess we should probably get out of here first, though.