TEST DRIVE MEME ( 023 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #23

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 April 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.

It's Hard Work
Today, Mu has sought to recreate the fantastic island of Io - the island where the local Avatar of Celebration resides. Io is resplendent with comforts and excitements designed for relaxation and delight, from wineries to play structures. One of the most popular draws are the bathhouses, which are massive, tiered structures of the utmost luxury. Multiple stories, hot and cold water, scented perfumes and shampoos...these bathhouses are designed for the utmost enjoyment and tranquility.

For paying customers, that is. Oh - did you think you were going to be relaxing? Not tonight. Tonight, you're on the bathhouse staff, and your job is to make those paying customers happy. Those customers, many of which appear to be nothing more than shadowy, faceless blobs of a vaguely humanoid shape, can make your life very miserable if they're unsatisfied with their care. So...get to it! We need more towels on the second floor. The water heater is broken - who here knows how to fix it? This one needs a very exact perfumed blend to go in their water, so you'd better learn it quick. Make sure those floors are clean before anyone goes walking across them. Keep this house running, and you might just be allowed to relax with a warm bath at the end of the day as a reward.

But if you don't do a fine enough job, you might very well regret it. The bathhouse patrons, strange as they may be, have one very particular talent, and that talent is luck. If they're satisfied with their care, you might find a handful of gold coins in the gutters when you're clocking out - and they may very well still be in your knapsack if you end up waking up on the shores of LifeAftr.

If they're not, however, you'd better be especially cautious for the next few hours. Slippery patches of ground will seem to appear with far more regularity, or a precarious stack of towels may tip over right as you're walking by, or the water heater will break as you're washing your hands and scald you from the elbows up in boiling hot water.

Do a good job, and you'll be rewarded. If not...well, at least it's only for the night, right?

A Drink With Jam and Bread
Also unique to the island of Io are the tea gardens, which are exactly what they sound like. With softly glowing lanterns and thick, fragrant groves of tea leaves growing wild, the tea house is nestled at the very center of the garden. Within, all manner of kettles and mugs and strainers can be found, as well as dried tea leaves, honeys, milks, and spices. You can mix and match your own blends, pick from some of the pre-existing teabags, or even wander about the garden to pluck a few tea leaves straight from the trees.

Some of these drinks are relatively harmless. Others...not so much. And they all tend to affect people differently, too.

[ ♆ ] Black tea will fill you with energy, far more than the high caffeine content might allow. You feel like you can run ten miles - no, twenty! This may also, however, reduce your conceptualization of your own limits. You might be able to feel like you can lift one thousand pounds...but unless you've got super-strength to compensate, you might end up hurting yourself trying to do exactly that.

[ ♆ ] Chai tea will give you the ability to breathe fire, though only in short bursts about five feet ahead of you. If you try mixing different things into your chai - such as honey or milk - you might find that you can breathe different colors of fire as well. Just...take care not to set anything on fire. Those lanterns are lit by all sorts of tiny, firefly-esque bugs, and if they feel antagonized, they'll try and burn you right back.

[ ♆ ] Chamomile tea will relax you completely and utterly. In fact, it'll make you incredibly sleepy. You might start feeling tired gradually, or you might conk out right on the spot. Almost any surface suddenly feels very comfortable and easy enough to sleep on, from the ground beneath your feet to your buddy over there. Chamomile: better than the world's greatest sedative, evidently.

[ ♆ ] Earl grey tea will allow you the ability to shift in phase: make yourself and any part of your body corporeal or incorporeal on a whim. Just be sure that you don't have your arms or legs sticking into any solid surfaces by the time the effects wear off - or that'll make for some very painful removal.

[ ♆ ] Green tea will drastically increase or decrease your tolerance for pain. Either you'll feel absolutely fine no matter what kind of punishment is heaped on you...or anything from sneezing to stepping on someone's foot can feel abruptly excruciating. It's worth noting that this does nothing for one's resistance to that kind of damage. Green tea only alters the sensation behind the pain, meaning that whatever damage you might undergo is liable to be damaging, no matter how much you might be able to shrug off.

[ ♆ ] White tea will dramatically increase your sensitivity to physical stimulus. This can be either enchanting or positively overwhelming. Imagine being able to lie down in the grass and feel each blade beneath you in excruciating detail. Imagine being able to feel every air molecule flicking across your skin. Whether this improves your day or absolutely ruins it is down to how much you enjoy that sort of thing.

So take care which of these blends you sample. Some of these effects might even stack, which can really ruin your day.

We Don't Need Another Hero
Fun doesn't always go hand in hand with relaxation. Perhaps you're the sort who'd prefer to have your adrenaline pumping, grinning around a missing tooth as you lay a beatdown on your opponent. Maybe you need some excitement and some action to really feel like you're living. Sure, you might get a few bruises - but check out the other guy.

As Mu is more eager to please on this front than its real world counterpart, those keen on letting loose all their pent up energy will find a rather good area for it. Inexplicably located within the complicated twists and turns of the Honeycomb is the perfect location to hurl yourself into an all-out brawl; an almost stadium-like fighting arena. Shadowy silhouettes are piled into the seats in excited speculation - you can hear them hissing and sputtering in disappointment or delight, or erupting into cheers, whenever blood is spilled.

Or....not spilled, as it were. Those who enter the fighting arena must pass through a curtain of clear, streaming liquid before they may take up a weapon. This will only temporarily strike you with the oddest sensation on your skin: a coating reminiscent of wax which provides the user with nigh invulnerability to even the most overpowered of attacks. Further experimentation will prove that the walls, floor, and ceilings also sport this exceptional defense. Blood, bruises, and structural damage might be off the table - but that good old fashioned brawl? It's on, like a cartoonish ape from a prominent video game series. What your audience wants is a spectacle, not a bloodbath, so you'd best give them the show they deserve.

Alongside the freedom to punch, kick, stab, and slash at one another without fear of permanent damage comes a complimentary arsenal for those who feel like getting creative. Honeycomb Sledgehammers, Cactus Clubs, and the ever popular arm holding onto another arm that's holding onto a knife are just a few of the weaponry that innocently rest at the edges of the battlefield, with a full selection limited by nothing more than your imagination.

Unfortunately, imagination is all it is - upon waking, those currently living in LifeAftr will find those weapons remain a fanciful dream...but the memories remain, nonetheless. And the aches might very well, too.

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

Zangetsu | Bleach (Lost Carnival CRAU)

[moonfang]

[[OOC: Zangetsu is also from Lost Carnival. Having been separated from Ichigo for quite some time, he’s developed his own unique personality and some new powers to boot — mostly shapeshifting his body into various new arrangements. ]]

A. DANGER BEES
[The strange white-skinned teenager can be found hanging around the stadium, watching the bouts, a pair of feathered hare’s ears canted forward in rapt attention] Heh… who needs a bathhouse dream, huh? This shit… this is more like it! You’re going to try it, right?

[Or now — shit. You’ve found yourself in the arena across from the pale, rabbit-eared teen. He doesn’t have one of the strange weapons, but he does have a fuck off enormous sword, shaped a bit like a knife with a hole through the middle. And he looks positively bloodthirsty]

Come on, what do you say? We should have some fun, right? Right?!

B. WILDCARD
[a MYSTERY]

[itsaname]

[ This stranger seems to be almost buzzing with energy, but maybe that's just because Shadow feels so drained. Slowly — too slowly — Shadow starts wandering toward a chair that he can sit (or slump) down in. ]

It's … just chamomile. I brewed it myself.

[ He frowns, both at how far away the chair seems and at the thought of being drugged.

It can't be drugs, can it? Not unless it's in the water, or in the leaves themselves. ]

[postictal]

Something in the leaves, maybe...

[Tim, already paranoid by default, now has some convenient fuel to those fires, lending his motions a freneticism that wouldn't be out of place stemming from someone having a mild case of severe anxiety.]

It's gotta be...they did something to me too. They had to've.

[They. His mind's latched onto a nebulous they - he starts shuffling through the tins available, trying to find the tea leaves that may be the culprit. It's proving difficult when his eyes won't entirely even focus - ]

[playthedamncard]

[Thank god, cuz if it was pronounced fjord he was going to have to have a moment of incredulity there.]

Kaiba.

[He'd been getting better about people using his given name, but random strangers on the internet dreamscape VR? Nah. He has to step aside to allow one of the translucent blobby people by, and he eyes the being with no small amount of suspicion.]

I'm going to be incredibly upset if this is one of those places where the only viable way out is death.

B 8>

[onegreeneye]

Oh no.

Ginko recognizes that voice immediately, and his fingers curl tightly against his cup of green tea. He doesn't allow himself more than a brief glance at Rin, which... yeah, no, that is absolutely not the one he knew. Of course not.

"No, uh... go ahead." He almost hopes that this version doesn't know him at all.

C - wildcard is just... more tea

[reflash]

[The tea gardens have been a lot easier for Yukio to deal with than other parts of this island. He's not much for celebration, and even less so when he doesn't have his brother or Shiemi or Shura or the exwires to drag him into things.

But the tea garden is quiet, and Yukio pours himself a mug of chai tea, adds milk and sugar and is about to take a sip when he catches a familiar scent. That's his brother.

Yukio doesn't run to find Rin, but he does stand up from where he was sitting and deliberately go looking for his twin.]

There you are. [Yukio says, once he finds Rin. He's really hoping he doesn't look as relieved as he feels to see that familiar fae-altered face.]

b for MORE TEA

[egin]

( maybe, just maybe, she should be more spooked at this odd looking kid (teen, maybe? kids these days, man) talking in her direction but honestly? yuri sort of feels at home. she always was the odd one and it probably sticks out more in such an odd place surrounded by odder characters. )

A dream? You have some pretty crazy dreams if that's the case.

[itsaname]

[ Meanwhile, Shadow's having trouble keeping his eyes open. He manages to make it to the chair and carefully lowers himself onto it. Then he slumps against its back and squints at the stranger frantically digging through tins.

"They." Shadow's mind latches onto it, too. And while he'd usually formulate a more coherent question— ]

"They"?

[ — is all he can get out. To his ears, the word sounds almost slurred. ]

BUSTS IN HERE LATE tea party

[barberian]

Probably not.

(Because Yasha was looking at the teas and thinking something along those exact lines, it takes a moment for her to realise that was a strange thing for a random person standing next to her to say.)

I think that was exclusive to...

Fjord?

(She pauses, and simply stares at him for a moment, clearly surprised. Then, she lowers her hand at her side as if to hide the fact that she has what looks like a small tree clutched in her fist, roots dangling, dripping dirt onto the ground by her shoes. What, nobody said you couldn't just... take one of the tea trees, right out of the ground.)

[postictal]

Whoever did this. To me, to you -

[This isn't right. None of this is right. He's losing him - this guy whose tea must've been spiked, and Tim scrambles, moving closer, maybe to grab his shoulders and shake him, but his shin collides painfully with one of the chairs instead and he curses.]

Hey. Hey. You still with me?

[itsaname]

[ That smack to the shin sounded painful. Shadow would like to ask if the other man is okay; instead, he just grimaces in sympathy. Then he nods in answer to the question — yes, he's here — and tries to ignore how heavy his head feels. Tries to ignore the way his vision seems to swim before his eyes.

Shit, he's tired. Unnaturally tired, like something is pressing down on him and trying to force him to sleep. He fights to keep his eyes open.

"Did we drink the same tea?" he wants to ask. But that's far too many words. What comes out is: ]

Same drink?

[ With effort, he gestures at the tins of tea leaves. ]

[devilstongue]

[ It's nice and private like this, which what a reunion deserves. It was a bit of a more life-and-death chaos going on when he met Beau, Yasha and Nott - and more paint and dicks when he met Jester.

This was a lot calmer. Fjord's reaction was calmer, too - even if the way he breathed was a sign that he wasn't as composed as he seemed. Molly can't blame him. If the hair growth is any hint, it's been a long, long time since he last saw Fjord.

Maybe longer than they've known each other. What a strange ghost he must be. ]

No, it looks good. Fluffy.

[ It's not a lie. It was kind of new to see, but not a bad look in general. The fact that Caleb keeps using Yasha as a barber is kind of adorable, though, but he knows it isn't for everyone. ]

It's been a while, hasn't it? I've heard a bit about your adventures. [ He chuckles slightly, leaning back against the pool wall. ] Captain Tusktooth, huh?

[ It aches, knowing he's missed so much. Molly hit the ground running away from the fact that he was dead when he arrived on the islands, and just kept going. Meeting like this told him clearly how much time has passed, though.

That's something you're not supposed to know when you're dead. ]

[postictal]

No. No, it was -

[Hang on. What did he drink? Pick up his mug, stare fiercely at its contents.]

...black. Black tea. Maybe it's all different. Maybe we're reacting differently. Or... [Magic? He doesn't know anything about it, other than it exists. Doesn't know the rules for it. He's not poisoned, just vibrating off this dimension, and this guy here is too tired, so - ]

[Tim pushes his own cup to him. He's too tired, and Tim is radiating energy.]

Here. Try this.

hard work (or as i call it, 'three tools wind up in a boilerroom')

[ohshitsweetflips]

You know, this bougie ass bathhouse is really turning out to be much less of Taako's scene than initially expected. Which is a shame, because it seems like it would probably be a pretty dope operation if there weren't a bunch of--shudder--customers and work-related expectations in his way. Taako's over it and the kitchen wasn't hiring, so here he is, where the boiler lives.

Or doesn't. He considers the screwdriver as well as the ostensible repairman, both of equally unknown provenance, before passing it over with an invisible Mage Hand. Shit's probably got grease and handjuice and whatnot, no thank you. Also this seems like the kinda place where cursed implements might get magically glued to lazy wizard-hands.

"So are you like, a ninja-plumber or a really confused cat-burglar or what?"

[guidedblade]

Frankly, Diego probably does need a bit of handholding to come to terms with this, or at least he would if he hadn't abruptly remembered that this is a dream (even if it's a particularly weird one) and that's probably why Ben is here. Thankfully, that thought makes just enough sense that he can use it as an excuse to get over the fact that Ben is sitting right there talking to him like it's nothing. His dead brother Ben.

"Wait, what, Klaus is your honing beacon? Because of the seeing dead people thing?"

Okay, those are words, coming out of his mouth. Okay. This is fine.

"And uh, that really does not surprise me."

[guidedblade]

Diego manages to mostly contain the startled little jump when Five starts talking over his shoulder, and then rolls his eyes, straightening and turning to look at his brother. Glaring a little, he leans around Five and snatches up the screwdriver himself, shaking his head. Of course the little prick can't be bothered to help.

"Yes, I actually know what I'm doing. Did you miss the part where I live in a boiler room?"

Shifting in a little closer, he starts working with one of the pressure gauges, "What would you call my area of expertise then?"

He can guess, of course, but it's conversation.

holy shit someone finally handed him the screwdriver - of course it wasn't a hargreeves...

[guidedblade]

"Hey, thanks."

It's actually kind of a shock when the screwdriver is tucked into his hand. See, Diego's not used to actually getting any kind of assistance when he asks for it, because he tends to hang out with a bunch of knuckleheads most of the time. Considering this is a dream, he doesn't really comment on the invisible hand thing, he's just gonna glaze that one right over and not question it right now.

For a few moments, he continues to work on the boiler, until the person behind him asks if he's a ninja-plumber or a confused cat-burglar, and he snorts. Puts down the screwdriver and turns, one brow raised as he looks at the femme elf-boy standing behind him. Dark eyes flick up and down the length of him, and he sighs, rubs at his face.

"Neither. I'm a vigilante. Who happens to know how to fix a boiler in a pinch."

[ohshitsweetflips]

Magic was a test and Mission Impossible here just...passed? Maybe? He'll mark that down as a pass. If he's not here to steal the crown jewels from the boiler and he's not gonna be rused into treating Taako like whatever arcane royalty frequents this bathhouse, what's even the point.

Taako accepts being once-overed affably enough, smiling like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth on this or any social occasion and grifting was never on the table. He's actually trying to remember what exactly 'vigilante' means when people who seriously call themselves that say it, and mostly sort of failing. Blade? Was Blade a vigilante? Probably.

"Ahh, so unemployed, then," Taako concludes, before steepling his hands, rolling to save Diego from himself. "You know, I don't think this is gonna be a paying gig. Right? I mean, did you sign anything? Maybe you oughta-- Maybe stop bringing the boiler to justice and do some negotiating on your own terms."

[guidedblade]

After the number of years he's spent around Klaus, a certain level of interesting fashion choices, muddled gender norms, and extremely strange incidents is completely par for the course. Considering this is, as far as he can tell, a dream, it's also not too weird.

"Not exactly, no." he says, brows furrowed, defenses coming up just a smidge. Since Luther made fun of his janitorial job, it's been a bit of a sore spot, but he's also not going to go too into detail on what his job actually is, because he's pretty sure this guy will make fun of it too.

You can kinda sense that about this guy. He's gonna make fun of you and everything you hold dear.

The comment about not getting paid makes Diego snort, and he rolls his eyes again, "Whatever. Fixing a boiler's easy. I never asked to get paid."

[ohshitsweetflips]

Diego's instincts are correct; Taako absolutely will make fun of him and everything he cares about, but that's part of his...charm? It's unavoidable, anyway. It's not really antagonism, even. Taako's treatment is refreshingly egalitarian in that way.

He notes Diego's inexpert evasion but doesn't comment, though the assertion re: boiler fixing gets a doubtfully backturned ear. He's not sure it is easy, actually, but why quibble. Taako has many hidden depths but boiler lore isn't in there. Mostly what's in there is currently unsolicited advice.

"Yeah, and there's your first mistake. Besides, that's just where it starts. You show one sign of competence and suddenly you're carrying your whole party! For free!" Swept away by his own (unearned) grievance Taako gestures expansively, from the boiler to any number of nebulous potential responsibilities that might lurk in Diego's future, before changing tacks completely.

"Speaking of which, name-branded life coaching isn't cheap just because I'm giving it away in a dream. Remember that, when you wake up."

[flashover]

The kid offers one of the winning smiles that Ginko is probably more than familiar with -- though this time, on a short reptilian muzzle and not a feline one. He takes a seat, tapping his claws against the ceramic cup.

"Thanks! Oh... You look familiar...." Rin leans in, squinting at the man's face. Then, something seems to occur to him, and a crest of feathers hidden in his white/blue ombre hair spread up. "Oh!! I almost didn't recognize you, Ginko! That sure is a different look."

Oh no.

[flashover]

[Rin hasn't chosen a tea, yet. Instead, he's walking around the garden, peering at the tea leaves] .... Can you even make tea with fresh leaves? Don't they need to be dried, first? Oh well, it's a dream, right? [he plucks one and puts it in his mouth. Then, an all too familiar voice catches his attention and he turns. That's Rin alright... with his familar sulfur-y ash smell and his new icy rose undertones]

Yukio!! You're in this dream too! Heeey!

[flashover]

[Definitely a teen! ... Probably? His stature and voice seem to indicate that, but between his strange face and his relatively fit body, it's hard to tell. But one thing Yuri will probably recognize is his hair -- ombre white and light blue. The velvety fur on his long and lion-like tail matches.

Unfortunately, Rin doesn't recognize her, yet.]

Heheheh! Well, I HAVE had some real winners in the past... I know one time I dreamt I baked a cake in the shape of a robot, and then it actually WAS a robot! And then I rode in the robot, but instead of doing anything cool, I just went to the store to get some rice. Anyway. I'm Rin! Okumura Rin. Who are you, dream lady?

[itsaname]

[ Shadow looks at the man dubiously. Or he tries to, at least. His eyes are barely open, and his expression is so scrunched with the effort that it's probably hard to tell what he's feeling. Aside from tired, that is.

He's tired. He's so tired. If he could just sleep a little, maybe he'd feel better. Maybe that'd be okay.

But there's a cup being pushed at him. When he takes it, Shadow's grip feels weak. There's a good chance he'll drop the cup if the other man releases it entirely. But he tries to bring it to his lips so that he can take a sip. ]

[egin]

Hah! Seriously? You really got yourself an imagination up there in that head of yours, huh?

( she laughs, pointedly ignoring said hair because it is familiar. it's probably best that rin's features have changed as they have else they'd be having a bigger issue on their hands. still, she stares with a small glance. rin... huh, and that shade of blue.

maybe this was a dream. )

Yuri Egin. Nice to meet you, dream boy.