aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 021 )

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*test drive meme

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 021 )

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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

1. Come To Ink Of It

[This is the weirdest dream Asriel's ever found himself in. It's definitely not one of his usual nightmares - in fact, he's pretty sure this is a game he plays with Frisk (and, rarely, Chara).

But Asriel joins in with reckless abandon, firing at everyone he sees, covering anything and everything he sees with paint. Maybe it's all the time he's spent playing this game, but he seems very good at it.

This is awesome!

[The question is: are you on his team or his enemy?]

2. The True Shelf

I'm just a sweet, cute, precious baby! I could never harm anyone or do anything bad! Hug me! Protect me!

[Oddly, the real Asriel seems very distressed by this extremely cheerful, happy-go-lucky doppelganger following his every move, greeting everyone he sees, and generally being obnoxiously cute. The real Asriel covers his ears, pulling them over his face, and blindly walks forward, hoping that the fake Asriel will just shut up before he strangles him.

If he's not careful, he might just run right into you.]

3. Bug's Eye View

[Asriel walks, hands in pockets, through the giant fields of flowers.

He hates everything about this dream. It's so obviously phony he could scream. This isn't what the Surface looks like - he's seen it. He knows that.

He takes out his frustration by kicking a flower in the stem, but all it does is hurt his foot. That just makes him angrier.]

I hate this. I hate this!

Hey, watch it.

[Michael grumbles, already irritated to begin with. His own double, who was previously draped on his shoulder, immediately swoops down upon the second Asriel, who apparently needs hugs and protection.]

Oh! A poor, innocent creature in need! I must cradle it and protect it forever, because I'm just a big softie!

I'm going to throw you into the sun.

[Asriel lets go of his ears when he runs into the human, and almost apologizes, but when the human says "Watch it," Asriel snaps automatically:] You watch it. [And he doesn't even feel bad about it. Sure, it's his fault, but he's in a bad mood, this human is strange and rude, and he doesn't know why he needs to be sorry.]

[The other Asriel, on the other hand is delighted for his "savior"... at first. Then they abruptly start crying, pointing at the real Asriel.] He's being a big meanie! I'm just a precious angel and I haven't done anything to anyone!

[Now, Michael knows that being rude to a child is widely considered to be pretty shitty. And this seems like a child version of whatever the hell it is. But his patience is kinda shot and he is, at heart, sort of a petty baby about a lot of things himself, so what he says is:]

You're the one walking around with his ears over his face.

[The other Michael immediately hugs the crying Asriel and tuts over his shoulder at the real one.]

Well, we can't have THAT, now can we? It's time for an ~ethics lesson~!

Excuse me a minute - [Michael holds up a finger to real Asriel and points at the other two with his free hand.] - first off, that's not even my thing, and second, I would be so much better at it than you.

[Asriel glares at the strange human. He really doesn't appreciate this rudeness when he's obviously done nothing to deserve it.] That's not an excuse for walking into... [And now the strange human is raising a finger at him.] Hey!

[Asriel's doppelganger, though, is ever-cheerful, giving the other doppelganger a big hug back and completely ignoring the other human.] Oh, I'm a good boy so I love lessons! Teach me!

[Michael Two smiles and - this being a dream - somehow manages to manifest a chalkboard out of nowhere.] Well, you see, there's good people like us -

[Oh, no. Michael's not doing this. He'll take that from Chidi, or from Eleanor, or hell, any of the others. But this half-baked impostor is just going to screw it all up, make it sound simple and trite and saccharine just like all the Good Place folks. Just like Michael, back when he was pretending to be one of them.

He doesn't have to relive that. He watches with narrowed eyes for a moment, and then addresses himself quietly to the other goat thing.]

New plan, I'm ditching these guys. You can come if you want.

[Although he is not waiting for a response before he starts sneaking off.]

[The doppelganger Asriel, who might already be considering Michael 2 his best friend, sits on the ground and listens attentively.

Asriel takes one look at the both of them and, happy to get an excuse to get rid of his own doppelganger, starts following Michael. He sticks his hands in his pockets, looking very cool and very casual and very above-it-all.]

Sure. Not like I have anything better to do.

Yeah. What is this, a dream?

[If so, dreaming is lame. But hey, cool, now he's got a buddy. Who he doesn't really like.

Except, Michael muses to himself as he picks his way through the jungle landscape and down towards a white sandy beach, that was at least a little bit his own fault. Chidi wouldn't have snapped like that. Eleanor would have, but the Eleanor he knows now would've probably apologized afterwards.

Michael doesn't always look to them for answers anymore. He knows what the right thing is, or at least he knows how to try working it out. For a moment, he kicks the sand thoughtfully with the toe of his dress shoe. This is the first beach he's been on that he didn't design himself. There's probably life forms. Crabs or something. That would be cool to see.]

Alright, I'm sorry I walked into you.

Edited 2019-03-25 04:23 (UTC)

[At the question, Asriel just shrugs and continues following behind the human, not saying much of anything.

When he gets to the beach, he feels... nostalgic. He remembers going to the beach with Chara and Frisk and the whole family - he misses them dearly. He hasn't seen them this whole dream, and he isn't sure why. He misses them.

When the strange human apologizes, he's definitely surprised - but he continues frowning. He says, tonelessly:]

Thanks.

[But he knows that's not a very good response. He has his own morality chains - Chara and Frisk. Chara's not necessarily a very good one of those - Chara would probably just say "you didn't do anything wrong but it makes people feel better so you might as well do it." Frisk, though, would say that apologizing when you've hurt somebody is the right thing to do and makes both parties feel better.

He smiles a small, awkward smile at the taller human.]

I'm sorry too. I should have been watching where I was going.

No problem.

[Michael shrugs and returns the smile a little. He, at any rate, isn't that bothered by the encounter now that he's no longer caught up in having an argument about it. Someone walking into him isn't that big of a deal.]

So, I don't know if this is rude...usually I can tell what someone's species is right away, but I've never seen anybody like you before. [He peers down at the kid for a moment. Boy, that soul looks weird. Is that healthy?] And are you feeling alright?

[Asriel raises an eyebrow.] Really? We were all over the news. I'm a monster. The big white monsters with the horns next to the Ambassador are... well, they're actually my Mom and Dad. They're Boss Monsters, like me.

[At the question, he immediately gets defensive, frowning at the human.] I'm fine. [But Michael might notice that his soul, on top of being a monster soul, is distinctly... artificial in nature. It radiates a sort of falseness, a hollowness, a kind of darkness (or, rather, lack of brightness) that's not present in a normal soul. It's super abnormal.]

Must be a different dimension. I don't follow human news very closely anymore, but we'd be aware if there were a whole other sapient species on Earth.

[Michael frowns. Crossing over dimensions isn't a thing that should be happening. Also, maybe that soul makeup is usual for whatever goes on in that other world, but it looks pretty fucked up, my dude.]

Janet? [He says to the air, and pauses for a moment. Nothing.] Ohhhh, boy.

[Yeah, Asriel has no idea what this human's talking about. "Different dimension"? Who is "we"? And he's talking about "human news" as if he's not a human himself.] Right. OK.

[And now they're saying "Janet" to what's apparently nobody.] ...Who are you talking to?

Asriel Dreemurr | Undertale

2

HOLY SHIT

well gosh I'd have specified if I knew you knew him

I LOVE THE GOOD PLACE don't tempt me to play a chidi

oh GOD I would DIE

don't tempt me i will do it

forking do it

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