TEST DRIVE MEME ( 021 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #21

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.

In conjunction with our monthly Test Drive Meme, Reserves are now open! Applications will open on March 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.

Come to Ink Of It
Mu is a strange land, and one that seems to take a conscious interest in the activities conducted upon the waking world. This month, its fixation takes an almost childish delight in emulating the ink-spattered wars and hazing that have occured on Ensō's shores - which is to say, Mu would absolutely enjoy a charming little game of Splatoon.

When you wake, it's in a labyrinth of soft, stonelike material that manages to be the rough consistency of foam. If you take the time to inspect it, you'll discover that it's as good at cushioning blows as it is serving as adequate cover...and it appears to have been shaped into plenty of buildings and barricades, threaded throughout the cavernous room in which you've found yourself. In fact, the whole place looks very much like a battlefield of some kind. In case you didn't get the picture, the paint gun in your hands should give you an inkling. Colors may be up to personal preference, but the rules are simple - solo, in a team, or as a double agent, your goal is to paint the town red, or blue, or purple, until victory is tasted in the form of aesthetic domination.

Do keep in mind, however, that battle cries may be a double-edged sword in this scenario. Unless you wanted green teeth.

I AM THE SHADOW, THE TRUE

-looks at smudged writing on hand-

...SHELF

What's more trouble than the true manifestation of all your darkest fears, desires, and secrets? The manifestation of all of the above that's just - not very well-made. In order for a shadow, a true self, to appear, one really should know themself somewhat consciously. Of course, this also applies true to the world in which they're standing; an effort Mu is willing to make, but not quite hitting the mark.

And by "not quite hitting the mark," we mean egregiously. "Shadows" are an off-brand simulation of what one might expect during a typical shadow event, though their attempts at acting like the character they should be are closer to emulating the opposite. Whether based upon a looser definition of canon, a fanon-style iteration of what your character might have been in worse hands, or simply going in a direction that veers into the territory of edgy Harry Potter OCs, your "Shadow" is here, and ready to be a nuisance.

Unlike ordinary Shadows, a "Shadow" cannot be accepted and dissipate as one would hope. Respite from these garish versions of who you really are will come only upon waking. So until then, enjoy attempting to explain just what, precisely, is dogging your every step, and probably refusing to shut up all the while. Though granted, if they share any of your powers - grossly magnified or otherwise - you might be grappling with them in far more ways than one.

A Bug's Eye View
The lush, verdant shores and the peaceful population of newly-arrived island of Cahypdo have been noticeably present on the minds of the islanders lately. Mu has shifted to reflect those thoughts, but as with many things Mu reflects, things have become a little...skewed. For, you see, the native inhabitants of Cahypdo are the Roaka, and as tree-people, they tower over much of the current inhabitants. They range from six to twelve feet in height, generally, but it seems that their heights have left a....very marked impression. The Roaka certainly tower over you now, even more than before - but so does everything else. Wherever you find yourself in the verdant, fertile valley that houses much of Cahypdo's plantlife - whether it's rich jungles or well-tended farmland - you'll be met with the same undeniable height difference.

Trees are dizzying heights to be scaled the same way a mountain might. Blades of grass and colourful flowers you might once have trodden on without a second thought are like a forest unto themselves. And the fields of crops you might have known from the waking world, like sweetcorn, peas, and tomatoes? Even a single ear of corn or a solitary tomato is now a much, much larger obstacle.

Just pray you don't run into any of the native creatures here, as even ordinary beasts can become potential dangers when they're all the size of giants relative to you, and can stamp you to jelly without so much as a second glance. Snaplings might regard you as a tasty little snack, tigerlilies might think you make for a fun little toy, and worst of all, the native Cahypdo entities known as hydrac, warped hybrids of sharks and dragons, might very well decide that you'd be a fine addition to their hoards.

There's a lot to look out for, when you're this small and the world is this big.

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[goat_mom]

[Shadow Toriel makes out with Shadow Asgore right back, tangling her paws in his mane of poorly-dyed black hair as she shoves her tongue down his throat.

Toriel glares at them, but decides that at least they've shut up. For now. She turns to Asgore, her expression still perfectly composed.]

So I was correct in my assumption - this is a mere dream. But this "waking world" you speak of... I find it safe to assume it is not the Underground. And yet, you seem to have no small amount of experience with it. Why is that?

[journalname]

These islands have the power to bring people at random from other worlds. We do not know why it happens. It has been happening for years, and no one has discovered a way to return. I have been here over a year myself.

Sometimes, people find themselves in these dreams before they are brought here in reality. But not always.

[Still, he says it like an apology. Toriel doubtless has many better things to do than be brought to these islands. Although...he holds his arms in front of himself in an obvious gesture of unease.]

Time does not matter either. People may come from the same world, yet different years.

[He turns it over in his head. There's no phrasing he can come up with that will make this sound any less outlandish. Asgore lifts his head to look Toriel in the eye.]

Chara is here. Perhaps not in this dream, but here.

[goat_mom]

[Toriel listens carefully and quietly to Asgore's explanation. It's a lot for her to take in - alternate worlds that people are taken from. A "reality" that is nothing like the reality she knows. People coming from different times. It all sounds like a joke, and yet, she knows Asgore is not the type to lie. He is nothing if not honest.

At the words "Chara is here," though, she takes a sharp breath, the shock visible on her face... and her opinion completely changes.]

C-Chara? [Her expression becomes serious again.] That is impossible. Nothing can... [Her composure starts to leave her. She looks immensely sad.] Nothing can bring them back.

[She doesn't really think Asgore is lying, but the idea that Chara is alive is almost too much for her to handle. She's struggling to stay calm as she goes straight to denial.] Does this amuse you, Asgore? It is not enough for you to kill the children I have cared for, now you claim Chara is alive as well? Now you fill my head with these ridiculous ideas of other worlds and... and time travel? I did not take you for a liar as well.

[journalname]

You truly believe I would lie about them?

[It's a rhetorical question; he knows he's done nothing to make her think otherwise. That is why he was hesitant to tell her. But it would be too cruel to keep that to himself - she is their mother.

(He doesn't think to mention Frisk. He doesn't know if Toriel knows them.)

Asgore looks away again. He doesn't need her to believe him. Even if it's the truth, he cannot speak in his own defense. At least now, should she encounter them here or later, she will be...well, as prepared as one could be. When he first saw Chara again, it was a complete surprise, and he knows he was too shocked to react the way he would have liked. Toriel will do better.]

Well. I hope that you are able to see them again.

[goat_mom]

I do not know. There was a time I did not take you for a murderer either.

[She knows it's a cold thing to say. But she's confused, and sad, and angry - all her feelings about Asgore, this discussion that she ran away from for over a millennium, keep bursting out of her.

She takes a deep breath, trying to stay rational.]

I do not want them here, in this strange place. You must know that. I want them home. I want them safe. I want... [Her breath hitches.] I want Asriel, their brother, to be with them.

But I have long given all that up as nothing more than a foolish dream. Even if you are speaking honestly, our family, our old life, is over. You know that as well, do you not?

[Desperately, and quietly, she says:] If Chara is... if Chara is truly alive, please tell me they are doing well. Please tell me that they are happy. That they are safe here.

[journalname]

I do.

[A few years ago, he could not have answered that question with such certainty, if at all. He'd kept their home exactly the same, the children's room just as it was, and all of Toriel's things waiting for her return. He'd still held hope of regaining some measure of what he'd lost, and like a fool he had dangled that in front of Frisk.

But it was with them that he realized how foolish that hope was. It was for them that he gave it up.

And then to forget, and remember, and see his own life with new eyes while he was in Beacon - he knows he did no good, keeping his home like a memorial to all he'd lost. None of them would ever return to him. He didn't deserve it.

Even with that knowledge, he can't quite imagine clearing it all away. But he won't face that choice now. He will never see that home again.]

They are well. They are living with two human friends, a man called Tim and a child called Frisk. [He makes a sort of watery sound that's trying to be fond. He's not even sure what exactly he's on the edge of tears about, specifically.] Last year, Tim drew them both a birthday picture on the community rock, so that everyone would leave them gifts.

[He hadn't wondered too much at Frisk and Chara both being included; maybe their birthdays were just near each other.]

[goat_mom]

[She nods. She, of course, has no idea of all the things Asgore is thinking, but she has seen the state of New Home, practically a black and white photograph of her own home - to hear that Asgore has given up that foolish dream as well is reassuring.] Good.

[At Frisk's name, she looks surprised.] Frisk... you mean, the human child who dresses like Chara? They are here as well? [The last thing she remembers is hearing Frisk's name after they were attacked by that flower creature. Somehow, she knows without a doubt that the name of that human she took care of is Frisk, even if the rest of her memories of that moment are... less clear.]

[journalname]

[Asgore blinks, looking a little surprised as well.]

Yes, that is them. Forgive me, I did not know you knew them.

[He'd had a few suspicions, but he's never confirmed as much with Frisk themself. As a general rule, he doesn't like to initiate conversation with them; they deserve distance from the monster who tried to kill them if that's what they want.]

[goat_mom]

Yes, I knew them, although I did not know their name until very recently. I attempted to raise them as my own child, for a short time. [She frowns.] To protect them from you.

You do not remember? Before that flower attacked us all, you were going to kill them. I saved them from your attack, and that is when we had a... talk. About you, Asgore. About your cowardice. About your meekness.

Or is this more of... what did you call it... "people coming from the same time, yet different years"? Are you from before that flower appeared, and you only know Frisk by coincidence?

[journalname]

[Asgore's never been any good at lying, or hiding his feelings. Even strangers can usually read him, so Toriel should have no trouble telling that he has absolutely no idea what she's talking about.

A flower? She intervened? That isn't simply a matter of another time - he did fight Frisk, and he died without ever seeing Toriel again. Of course he knows that there are multiple versions of worlds out there. Muffet's from a place where he survived to see the Barrier broken. But to hear so directly about how things might have gone for himself is...odd.

If he'd delayed the fight a little longer, would Toriel have just shown up out of nowhere to stop it? Was she nearby when he...? Or are their worlds just not alike at all in that respect?

No matter what the case, he can't tell her what really happened. He can't.]

I...suppose that must be the case.

[goat_mom]

[She raises a brow. Yes, she can tell Asgore has no idea what she's talking about, but also that he's hiding something from her. It's as plain as day - he's definitely not a good liar.]

Something seems to be on your mind, Asgore. Are you not telling me the whole truth?

[journalname]

[Asgore sighs and rubs at his face with one big hand. Yep, he remembers that.]

It is not important.

[It's not. What good can possibly come of telling her about something that happened in another world a long time ago?]

Only a personal matter.

want to start wrapping up?

[goat_mom]

[Toriel sighs as well. She suspects Asgore is hiding more than a "personal matter" from her - it's not a very believable lie, considering what they were just talking about. And it must be very serious if Asgore is not spilling the beans.

But... there is no point to getting into a fight over it. She will let it go for now.]

Very well. I will not push, if that is the case.

[She looks at Asgore. Her expression is still serious, but a note of gratitude seeps into her voice.]

...You have my thanks for telling me about Chara. And for watching over them, as well as Frisk.

sounds good!

[journalname]

[Asgore's relief is palpable. He doesn't like dwelling on this topic - even if his own thoughts sometimes do.

And any shred of gratitude at all is more than he ever expected to hear from her again.]

...of course.

[goat_mom]

[Toriel nods. That is all she needs to say, for now.]

Then I will take my leave.

[And she turns on her heel and starts walking away, without another word. Her Shadow, though, stops making out with Shadow Asgore and starts following behind her...

But not before draping herself over the real Asgore, and whispering into his ear:] Hey, baby. Hope to see you around the block.

[Toriel stops walking. She tries to ignore the Shadow.]

You know, I wasn't lying earlier...

[Toriel glares at the Shadow. The Shadow rolls her eyes and follows her.]

[journalname]

[Asgore locks up in mute panic, leaning away from the Shadow but not able to bring himself to fully push her away. Does he not want to lay hands on her? Or does he not quite want her to go?

An ugly thought. He pushes it away, shuddering with unease as she and Toriel go. His Shadow comes to stand alongside him, folding his arms.]

You have got to get yourself some of that.

Please be quiet.