aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 027 )

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*test drive meme

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 027 )

Test Drive Meme #27

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 September 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.

Eye of the Storm
Unlike the calmer waters of other dreams, this particular one is in a frenzy of activity. The sea thrashes and roars and crawls hungrily up the shores of the unassuming island upon which you've found yourself; it assumes the shapes of tridents, swords and, most notably, the snapping heads of serpents.

The sea isn't acting rough for no reason, it turns out. Right now, it's seething in conflict with torrents of fire that seem to have, however improbably, assumed the shape of a three-headed dragon. Whether the serpent is simply coated in fire or it is fire isn't clear. You don't really need to know the specifics. All you need to know is that, at present, there are two dragons furiously crashing against one another in a dichotomy of fire and water. They issue rushing plumes of steam whenever they connect, scourging deep furrows into the earth.

Adventurers will find themselves thrust into a veritable maelstrom of conflict upon waking. Unlike the case in the waking world, everything is simply too indistinct to grasp or engage with in all but the most oblique manner. All you can do is hold on and try not to get lost - or separated - in these new, wild conditions, and seek shelter as these two behemoths ruthlessly duke it out.

The clash of the elements isn't the only thing you have to worry about, either. Little tails of fire and water will occasionally unspool from the giant wyrms and decide they want a taste of something with a little more body. Though their shapes are indistinct due to their elemental makeup, it will still be evident that these are smaller dragons with a taste for destruction. You can dispel them easily enough, and largely through application of common sense - flame-dragons can be reduced to steam by water or blasts of cold air, and water-dragons can be vaporized by heat and fire - but there happens to be a lot of them, and not very many of you.

There is shelter, however, as a respite from all this. Ruined buildings dot the landscape, impervious to both the water and fire and surrounded by a sense of eerie calm. Though they're long abandoned, as long as you hide in such ruins, nothing can touch you there. Not even the smaller, scuttling dragons can breach those walls, held back by whatever unique arcane constraint lives in the smooth, cool stone.

All you have to do is reach one.

Echoes of the Past
Don't be alarmed if you find yourself waking on the floor of a ruined house in a ruined city on a deserted island. Don't be alarmed, either, if it looks like the edges and corners of most of these buildings, built of simple stone and clay and mortar, look as though they have sustained an awful lot of fire damage in the past. That doesn't have to mean anything, you see.

The houses and buildings here are of an unknown purpose, but the signs of civilization are writ large in stone and on the landscape. And yet, no matter how much you might search, there doesn't seem to be anyone else around.. Abandoned and broken, exposed to the elements without proper care, it's clear that the inhabitants of these places are long, long gone.

Wandering between the buildings will certainly help avoid the heat of the day, and as the day winds on, some thought might be put into gathering the necessities to make it through the night - water from barely recognizable wells, or vegetables scavenged from overgrown gardens that have long since abandoned any semblance of order or restriction.

Still, even devoid of their original owners, the contents of those broken structures might well be interesting in their displays of lives left behind. The blocky, square buildings show a sense of efficiency over articulation, with ornate mosaics carved into the walls as a sense of decor. You might even find piles of strange, smooth stones with speckled patterns decorating their exterior, hard as rock and curiously similar in size. Their function can only be guessed at, but they're quite heavy.

...at least, until they shudder and start to crack beneath the pressure of something moving around...inside of them?

Give it five minutes to an hour, and those stones will prove to not really be stones at all, but eggs. To be specific...?

They contain these little guys. Tiny, baby dragons, newly hatched and eager to imprint upon the first venturing hand to give them the time of day. They can vary in size from barely nine inches in length to just over two feet, and their coloration can be just as diverse. However, it will become clear within mere minutes of meeting your new, scaly charge that they're just the same as any other baby animal: they're needy, demanding, curious, and hungry.

It's advised you go looking around for something to feed them. These dragons are omnivorous creatures, and will eat anything from berries to meat, but either way, they're going to be looking to you to care for them.

A warm congratulations to an unsuspecting parent may very well be in order.

The Sound of Sirens
The idyllic setting of a tropical island might seem perfect for a vacation getaway...or it would be, if this place weren't populated. You aren't here for very long before you hear it - a loud, shrieking siren, shrilling out over the trees. And then another. And another. And another...

Followed by the sound of gunshots.

It turns out you're not in a happy little island getaway at all, but in the middle of a turf war. Stay in one place too long, and you'll realize that you can start to make out blurred, shadowy silhouettes crouched in the underbrush and huddled behind boulders, issuing indistinct shouts as they charge one another with spears and harpoons, or shoot explosive bursts of scattered buckshot with rudimentary firearms.

At first, these shapes merely pass through you. You are but a spectral spectator, lingering on proceedings far removed from you. But as the conflict escalates, you'll find that you're not as immune to this as you might have first thought. The shapes start to sharpen, and before you know it, you'll start to feel those weapons piercing you for real - and they will hurt just the same, too.

But getting caught in the crossfire isn't the worst thing that could happen to you - oh, no. See, if you're not careful, you might find yourself wanting to join them. It might start as a small ember in the pit of your gut - this feeling of displaced upset, that one side of this shadowy war has truly and personally wronged you. Or it might be out of self-preservation, because someone shot you or stabbed you and it hurt, and before you know it, one of the dark, featureless shapes is handing you a weapon for you to pay them back in kind.

There are ways to break out of this, of course. A good shock is all it takes to jolt you back to your senses, though it won't render you immune to the effects of this battle. You'll still have to figure out how to get out of this mess without getting shot or blasted or bled out onto the floor.

Or maybe you can embrace the chaos instead, and decide to wreak a little havoc on the other side. Who are they? Doesn't matter! They're not one of you, so you can make them suffer to the fullest extent, right? Besides, who knows how they might take it if you try to disengage entirely?

One thing is for certain - you won't be getting away from this conflict and out of the battlefield without a fight.

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

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i; eye of the storm

[ If this really is a dream, it feels realer than any crazy one Jyushimatsu ever had before.

The stormy wind blows in his face, clothes, hair. The sea takes odd shapes as it angrily splashes, waves upon waves looking like they want to take over each other with every stroke. It reminds him of all the times Totoko throws a tantrum and takes all her frustrations out on him and his brothers.

On the other hand, there's also a dragon made of fire. Actually, there's another one made of water. What the fuck is going on???

Jyushimatsu is already confused, but the fighting scene before him soon becomes one of the coolest things he ever bore witness outside of fictional TV movies. ]

Whoooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

[ And because he thinks all of this is awesome, he doesn't remember what common sense is anymore. He'll hold onto something so he won't get blown away, due to the sad fact he's all but a small noodle who might potentially fly away with the wind. But that's the only smart action his brain comes up with, and it's not even the smartest one. Actually it really is not, considering the mini dragons which are sooner than later tracking him down and are more than ready to pounce at him.

Someone grab this sparkly-eyed, jaw-hanging idiot and take him to a shelter? Please? ]

ii; echoes of the past

[ And now here he is, wandering through a post-apocalyptic city with no way to know where he's supposed to go and whether or not there's any life left. Surely he met people in this weird dream, but he lost sight of them after passing out, even though he doesn't remember how he lost consciousness. Maybe he was too hungry.

The good news is, Jyushimatsu knows how to survive in a desert island. He was in one before, with his brothers and other unfortunate friends, battling the sorrows of no longer relishing their NEETdom, and with their asses sore from the lack of toilet paper. He even had fun there, before things turned out too crazy and everyone died. But here he's all alone, and incidentally, he doesn't like being alone. At the very least, he needs another soul to share the suffering with. It's unfair that none of his brothers are here...

Life is full of surprises, however, even in a dream like this one. Especially in a dream like this one, that suddenly springs a baby dragon onto him the moment he let curiosity drive his hand towards one of those eggs. The small thing is now whining in his arms, and Jyushimatsu is so lost and afraid for his life because who's to say his new "child" would be above eating his own dad if it gets too hungry?

He searches and searches through the buildings, until he finally finds someone else here, and his eyes are gushing with desperate tears. ]

Hi! Do you have anything my little Homerun King can eat? I don't wanna die!

[ A very weird phrasing, without context. And yes, that's the name he gave the baby dragon. ]

iii; wildcard

[ Hit me up over at gaiamemories or PM if you wanna plot other things! ]

Edited 2019-10-03 01:22 (UTC)

[Well, this 'person' Jyushimatsu ound is a lot less person and lot more...horse. Pony, actually, though she also sports a very pastel coloration as well as a pair of feathery wings on her back. All that, and her own scaly pal clinging to her back and seemingly chewing on bits of her mane.

She clearly hadn't seen or even bothered to notice the young man, given how she jerks with a bit of newfound fright the moment he approaches so quick. Backing up to put at least a few feet between them - because she half expected this weird...dragon-land to be filled mostly with, you know...DRAGONS. Not this weird, fleshly, squash-aced sort. Didn't Twilight say something about these types of creatures back when she went through that mirror in Celestia's castle or something? It all seems so long ago...]

Oh! [She spots the baby dragon and it's like all her anxieties melt away. Floating over with gentle wingbeats, she smiles down at the little reptile calmly and affectionately.] Oh dear...that makes two now that must have gotten lost. Poor babies...they must be so scared. Don't worry you cutie wooties, I'll make sure to get you back home safe and sound.

Ah--oh. Y-Yes, right.... Hm, I'm not as familiar with caring for a baby dragon as Twilight would be, but I do know Spike's favorite food are gems. [She taps a hoof to her chin in thought, hovering a few inches of the ground.] The bigger, the better is what he'd always say. I'd actually been, um...t-trying to find some? But I'm afraid I don't have the magic to locate them like my friends do... And I'm afriad I haven't any idea where we are to even begin trying to look...

[In act she still has no idea what this creature before her even IS.]

[ In his panic, Jyushimatsu completely forgot about the massive elephant in the room... or horse... the horse in the room, which is a cute horse but also a talking horse. It doesn't dawn on him until she's done speaking. The fact he noticed the other baby dragon before even the fact it's riding the back of a talking horse says a lot about Jyushimatsu than one would like.

His big jaw hangs for a solid half a minute. King Homerun starts nibbling on his yellow hoodie, but it goes ignored. ]

Uh... you...

[ How can he address this without sounding offensive? Then again, this is a dream, isn't it? Who cares if he's chatting with a pony? He talks with bugs all the time! A chunk of the things she said don't make the least sense to him, let alone the glaring detail that he has no idea who these Twilight and Spike buddies are, but he's gotta be polite. An upstanding citizen who's totally not a NEET contributing nothing to society!

... He still doesn't want to die so soon, though. ]

I don't know where we are either! Or what these babies eat at all... maybe bears? Sharks? Trees? We could try to look for all these things if we work together?

[ Question mark at the end, because he's not sure whether or not this pony is that reliable to begin with. ]

[His brother also talks to cats, so is this really par from the course? Ask yourself truly, Jyushimatsu.

To be fair though, the awkwardness is shared, because Fluttershy is definitely keeping a good few feet away from this bizarre creature - maybe a hairless, hornless minotaur? - and her posture is extremely submissive, given her low stance, folded ears, and her tail is tucked between her legs, almost like a dog's would be.]

Oh, goodness... I don't these little cuties would be capable of eating any of those things themselves. And I've never heard of a dragon being carnivorous... They mainly eat gems as far as I've learned from my studies of the Dragon Lands. Why, they've barely grown in their teeth, and their widdle jaws aren't strong enough to even crunch on most harder jewels at this age, I think. They are just babies after all. Isn't that right? [Fluttershy coos, tickling her tiny dragon's chin with the tip o her hoof, to which is happily keens, tip of its tail wagging and head lifting for more access. Oh yes, that's the spot...]

M-Maybe we should just try and ind something or them to drink in the meantime? It wouldn't hurt to know about something like that for ourselves, too. [C-Considering they're, um....both....l-lost...]

[ Dragons eating gems of all things...? That's not what anime taught him.

He's now more convinced this (seemingly shy) pony is from a whole different galaxy than his own, in which dragons exist and eat things the dragons he knows in fiction would never be able to digest. That's the only explanation that makes sense in his head, and he'll stick it with because thinking too hard hurts his head and makes bad things happen around him.

But at least he's also all "Aww" on the inside because the pony knows how to pacify and give affection to her baby. He should follow the example, but then Homerun King gets the timing wrong and captures his sleeve in his teeth before Jyushimatsu could start petting him. Oh well. ]

I'm pretty sure we won't find anything resembling gems in the ruins of a devastated city, unless we find a bank, or jewelry, or something?

[ He shrugs helplessly, though his smile is still fixed on her. Knowing what this place is would help lots, along with getting a map. ]

But you're right! Staying hydrated would be the first thing we actually need, haha! I'm a bit dehydrated from running!

[ That... was a mistake, as he belatedly realized. But it's fine! He's Jyushimatsu, so he'll be fine!

Speaking of which. ]

Since I guess we can stick together for a bit, I'm Jyushimatsu! Who are you?

[She most certainly is, though Fluttershy herself still hasn't really caught on to this fact herself. Not...entirely, anyway. There's definitely some hijinks going on here, and she assumes this is the Mirror-World where creatures walk on two legs and have flat faces and tiny noses like Twilight said, but...shouldn't she have changed, too? How peculiar. She won't question it though, this, uh...creature? H-He seems nice, anyway.]

I think you're right, unfortunately... [She says around some quiet laughter, tapping Jyushimatsu's dragon on the back to distract it long enough to release his clothes. It takes a gentle touch, and Fluttershy's always been good with animals of all kinds.] Oh, I'm so sorry! Y-Yes, my name is Fluttershy. It's a pleasure to meet you, um...Jy-Jyoo...shee...matsu?

[She fumbles with the pronunciation, going slowly and carefully, looking at him or a bit of guidance. Yikes, and she thought her name was long, but his is twice as much so, and pretty complicated. There's way too many vowels and consonants mixed in there together and woof. But, she says nothing, just tries to sound it out little by little. anything else would be terribly rude, and that'd never been Fluttershy's MO.]

[ Homerun King has no clue what's going on, except that he's hungry and the hoodie of his human dad tastes like nothing, but the pony tapping him on the back has the effect of making him actually stop, looking up with confused big eyes. Jyushimatsu casually shakes the excess drool off his sleeve, laughing. ]

Hi Fu-rutteru-shai! I never heard of a name like that by the way! [ Is it english? He listens to her pronunciation of his name and he understands the struggle a little bit since she's surely not japanese. ]

Call me something shorter if you're having a hard time! I'm not offended!

[ Rude things don't really affect him - the testosterone and lack of pride in his family rubbed off on him. ]

[Now that they're so close, Fluttershy's own little dragon gives Homerun King some curious sniffs, making growling noises and opening wide its mouth to show off the row of small, needle-like teeth. A clear show of "don't mess with me, mate, I can take you" but nothing outwardly aggressive or hostile. Just the usual among dragons.

Oh, that's...that's quite a pronunciation itself, and Fluttershy can't help but chuckle softly behind one of her hooves, smiling. What an interesting creature she's found in this strange, new world. And that's not counting the dragon.]

Oh no, thank you. Remembering names is important, and what sort of mare would I be if I didn't at least try first? I'm sure I'll get it right eventually...but you'll have to excuse my mispronunciation until then, I'm afraid. Oh, but that's quite the accent you have, if I must say so. You must come from a very fascinating place. I'd love to hear about it while we travel, if you don't mind.

[Maybe somewhere in Klugetown? I mean, it almost sounds reminiscent to the clan of Kirins once they could, you know...actually talk again, so perhaps around there? She can only wager a guess, as well as try and figure out just what sort o creature he is entirely. It's totally new to her, and not one she has any inkling o knowledge towards, and Fluttershy is the creature expert.]

[ How dare that little shit growl at him, the superior dragon also known as Homerun King? He growls right back, but being a small baby makes him sound so harmless Jyushimatsu just pats his head and offers his sleeve again, to which he refuses in a huff. The sweet-sounding creature who looks so different from his dad wouldn't be happy if he resumed that behavior. ]

Eh? Well, okay, whatever floats your boat! I don't mind you misspelling it!

[ Some people are a bit weird about names, but it's fine. More importantly, she seems to be in a good mood and that's nice, especially now that they're going to stick together for a while. Not like he doesn't like being around debbie downers, but they're a bit draining after a while and they also tend not to listen to him at all. Unless it's Ichimatsu, whom he likes so much. ]

I'll tell you some things about Japan and you tell me stuff about your place too! Let's go!

[ And so he starts off in a direction he picked at random, his grumpy dragon child grumbling in irritated hunger. ]

Jyushimatsu Matsuno | Osomatsu-san

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