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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[This is... that damned archipelago.]

[He's back here again? That's........ pretty shitty. Actually, what's shittier is that Ichimatsu hadn't even realized he'd left until about... just now. Even though he's gone through a whole second season back home. Yikes. That's a whole lot of people he has to beg forgiveness from here, though out of all of those people he used to know on these islands, he really only gives a crap about two or three of them.]

[....... well, he'll get around to it. Eventually.]

[Right now, though Ichimatsu most certainly recognizes the general atmosphere of this world - mainly, how old and broken and crappy it all is - he's not in a big hurry to go and scurry back to his old friends. He's, uh. Kind of embarrassed, actually. So Ichimatsu does what Ichimatsu does best, and finds a dark corner somewhere to hide himself in, completely at home with curling up into an inconspicuous, purple little ball. The old, dilapidated buildings make it fairly easy for him to find a hidey-hole, and the fact that this whole place is deader than dirt is a nice bonus.]

[He wonders if Pachinko is still around...]

[... oh, but someone found him. Seriously? As soon as he hears the loud crying, Ichimatsu sighs, shifting slightly away so that he doesn't have to look at them. He doesn't even really register the voice, caught up in his own situation. Dang it, he's gotta figure out how to get back to his tree house, he doesn't have time for some rando! Who the heck's talking to a guy like him right now... ?]

[Wait.]

[Did he hear something about dying???]

I volunteer.

[ Volunteer? What? Jyushimatsu said nothing about anyone volunteering! Whoever's offering themselves to get eaten by his Homerun King?

But the voice, low and deep and full of hopelessness, is one he can distinguish from the rest by heart alone. After all, only one man is capable to sound like he might convince everyone that Death is a decent alternative to Life. Jyushimatsu is so used to that sensation he can just as effectively bounce off of it with his sunny predisposition. Light being the closest to Darkness. Himself and his immediate older brother.

He approaches the figure until he can definitely tell from the purple hoodie that his supposition was absolutely correct. ]

Ichimatsu-niisan!

[ They last talked just a couple minutes before he fell into this dream. To think he would even find him here! How fun! ]

Hi, nii-san! Sorry, but I can't let Homerun King eat you!

Hah? [Caught off-guard now that he's actually listening, Ichimatsu snaps his head around to reply.] The hell is a --

[-- and that's his face right there, staring back at him. But it's not really his, is it? No, it's just something he's fully used to, having dealt with it for his entire life before these stupid islands. The fourth and fifth brothers are probably the easiest ones to pick out of the bunch, but Ichimatsu's never needed the wide, beaming smile and booming voice to recognize this one. They might all be six parts of one whole, but - two of them have always been halves of something else entirely.]

[Ichimatsu blinks slowly, and then.... a few more times, quickly.]

[UhH???]

Jyu... shimatsu?

That's me! Jyushimatsu! I'm Jyushimatsu!

[ He repeats unnecessarily, now having no issue navigating into the darkness so he can crouch down in front of his brother and smile even wider. Too bad his luminous face can't actually lighten the place. At the very least he found someone in this wasteland, and that someone is a familiar face really he wanted to see. Lucky! ]

This one is Homerun King! [ He tears the baby dragon off his hoodie and holds it up to show it off. ] I got an egg and it cracked and now I'm its mom I guess!

[Seriously?? Jyushimatsu??? Ichimatsu was stuck in this hellhole for over a year by himself, and now all of a sudden he's tossed back in with his little brother in tow? The gods (or god) of this place must either really hate Jyushimatsu, or really pity Ichimatsu - he has no idea which.]

[Actually... considering he was first dumped in with the shitty two eldest, maybe it's not so surprising. And if he's being honest, this is miles better. At least Jyushimatsu doesn't seem too perturbed by the whole abandoned-city thing. He even made a new friend.]

[Speaking of --]

Oh... so I'm an uncle.

[This baby........ is doomed.]

No, what I should be asking is... where did you even get that, Jyushimatsu?

[ Jyushimatsu's not even sure if there is a god here anymore. Sure, those two dragons he saw eating each other with water and fire looked like gods, but he wouldn't understand why they wanted him here at all. They didn't seem to agree on anything, either way. He decided not to think about it too much eventually.

After Ichimatsu asks him about Homerun King, he gives the critter a few pats with his floppy sleeve and laughs. ]

No idea! I saw a pile of pretty rocks inside a building and then Homerun King came out of one of those rocks! That's the whole story, uncle Ichimatsu-niisan!

[ He makes himself comfortable next to his brother. ]

Poor thing is hungry and I'm not sure what baby dragons eat and then I came to the conclusion he might eat me if I don't provide food immediately! [ He says that all in a single breath, wheezes, then resumes. ] And then I found you here, so here we are!

Ah... so he imprinted on you.

[A sage nod. Kittens do that sometimes, and that's about the singular point of reference Ichimatsu uses for anything, so it makes perfect sense to him. He scootches over a bit to give them all more room in this little corner, eyebrows furrowing thoughtfully. What does a lizard eat, anyway... ?]

Hnn. Well, even if he did want to eat us, we're probably too big for him. [Disappointing.] Plus, if he came out of an egg, he's probably past needing milk...

[Kittens, baby dragons, they all seem to have the same effect on Ichimatsu - he's uncharacteristically focused right now. Absently, he starts rummaging around in his pockets.]

[ Imprinting doesn't sound bad of a word. Means it'd be less likely the baby will eat his own mama out of bottomless hunger. Still, finding food is a predicament that he can't put off unless actual foods appears in front of them or something.

Letting Homerun King chew on one sleeve with his nub teeth, he covers his own mouth with his other, pupils enlarging as he's in his standard thinking pose. ]

We need meat! Not human meat, of course, but I didn't see other animals around here! Even just a rat might be good for him? I know snakes eat whole rats, and he's a kind of lizard, right?

[ He pours his flow of musings on Ichimatsu, ignoring that his brother is searching his pockets. ]

[Only semi-distracted by his search, Ichimatsu is happy to theorize with his brother for a bit. Something that Jyushimatsu says seems to give him an idea, though, and he tilts his head slightly, trying to get a better look at Homerun King's mouth as he chews on Jyushimatsu's sleeve.]

Hm... maybe. Hey, Jyushimatsu. Does he have teeth already? Let me see 'em.

[Meaning: you stick your fingers in the small creature's mouth, because Uncle Ichimatsu is gonna pass on that one.]

Oh? Okay!

[ That's an innocent request after all! What's wrong with opening the maw of a dragon just using his fingers, even if it's a baby boy? Jyushimatsu can do that just fine!

With uncharacteristic gentleness, he pulls the sleeve off Homerun King's teeth and then keeps his his in pleace while carefully trying to pry the maw open enough for Ichimatsu to at least see the teeth. They're not very developed, but they're still there. ]

[Atta boy. Ichimatsu knows his brother can be gentle when he wants to be, and it seems like he's taking this parenting thing seriously, so he's not too worried about it. Besides, even a baby dragon is probably tougher than it looks. Maybe it suits Jyushimatsu just as much as cats suit Ichimatsu.]

[He isn't shy about leaning in for his better look, either, squinting down at Homerun King's maw scrupulously. He's easily within snapping distance to lose a nose if the little creature thinks it looks appetizing, but either Ichimatsu doesn't care, or he trusts his brother's hold well enough.]

[Ichimatsu makes a thoughtful noise. After a few seconds, he backs away.]

Dunno. His teeth aren't that sharp yet. Even a rat might give him trouble the way he is now. Anyway... [ah, there - in the track pants. Ichimatsu pulls out a small packet of sardines and forks them over.] ... these should be fine, right?

[ Jyushimatsu was patient for the few seconds it took Ichimatsu to examine the maw, but naturally Homerun King wasn't, and kept uselessly thrashing in the NEET's hold while growling in displeasure. When it's over, the baby dragon's head snaps backwards and he glares up at Jyushimatsu, to which he chuckles and apologizes, giving him more headpats. That pacifies the critter a bit. ]

Really? Even rats are that sturdy? [ Jyushimatsu isn't too happy with the discovery. ] Rats! What kind of chew food can we find around here? Fruits, mayb—... oooh!

[ He cuts himself off completely as a packet of sardines appear in Ichimatsu's hold. His pleasant surprise is also cut off by Homerun King immediately going for the treasure, maw snapping as he snatches the entire thing away and starts chewing at it whole, so hungry he'd even eat the package itself. ]

Whoa! Careful there!

[Once Homerun King pounces, Ichimatsu jumps back a little, surrendering the bag and snatching his hand away in surprise. Nubby teeth or no, those were definitely predator reflexes - he could've lost a finger or two there. The rats on this archipelago are big enough to fight back against even Pachinko sometimes, but maybe he was too quick to dismiss an actual dragon, even if it's still a baby.]

[More importantly... Ichimatsu stares as Homerun King tears into the package, plastic and everything. Well, if he was that ravenous after all, then it's probably a good thing that he didn't seem interested in eating them. It's safe to assume they're off the menu - at least until he gets bigger, probably.]

[Plastic, though??]

Ah... scary. He really is Jyushimatsu's son, huh.

[ Plastic's more of a nutrient than people think, apparently.

Homerun King happily chews and tears both sardines and packet with some struggle, before gulping it down at once and contently burping afterwards. Jyushimatsu is honestly in awe at the secret capabilities of his new son. He could let some tears gush out of his eyes from how moved and proud he is as a dad, but then uncle Ichimatsu makes that remark and he pouts at him instead. ]

You say that like it's a bad thing, nii-san!

Eh? No, no, it's fine. [Ichimatsu reaches out a hand to pat his brother on the head, placatingly, if he's allowed. His voice is as warm as it ever gets - the tone he usually reserves for cats and his younger brother, exclusively.] You're fine as Jyushimatsu, so Homerun King is fine as Jyushimatsu's son.

[Logic 100. Wait, what were we talking about again?]

... that aside, he eats fish. That's good. [They all know how to fish, after all, and Ichimatsu, Osomatsu, and Karamatsu got pretty good at it the last time they were here.] We should see if he'll eat fruit too.

[ Like always when Jyushimatsu is either mildly irritated or so high strung he'd kill people over baseball, he's instantly placated by Ichimatsu patting his head. It creates a nice chain of older brother > little brother > dragon child with the way Jyushimatsu has yet to stop headpatting his son. His smile returns full force and he nods. ]

Thanks, nii-san! I'm happy to hear that!

[ Now that his irritation is gone, Jyushimatsu hops into the topic of food. ]

Means we can try to find water, and if we find water then we'll find fish! Fruits would even be easier to find!

[At the prospect of leaving his dark corner, Ichimatsu gives a reflexive sigh, but then makes sure to pat his brother's head a couple more times just to show he's not actually that bothered. Because it's a solid idea. He doesn't have any more sardines and it's a good idea to find food and water - for themselves, just as much as for Homerun King. The buildings around here can make for decent temporary shelter, too. Even though they look kinda burnt.]

[It's almost irritating how quickly he's adapting back into that shitty survival mindset.]

Think I saw some gardens when I was walking around earlier. Dunno if there'd be anything useful there, though. They were all old and full of weeds.

[ So, in the span of few minutes, Jyushimatsu regained a considerable amount of hope for his future in this half burnt city. He found his older brother, Homerun King ate something, and now they'll probably find actual food! Super duper awesome! Now he just hopes they won't be hit by too much good luck, or else the misfortune they'll meet next will be terrible.

He bounces back on his feet, and while still holding his baby he also extends his other arm towards Ichimatsu, ready to help him up. ]

I don't see why we should stay here twiddling our thumbs then! Let's go on an adventure!

Adventure~...

[This is his Excited Voice, which you know is legit because he's not hissing and clawing instead. The last time there'd been an adventure with so few of them, it'd been him, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu rolling around in Dayon's guts until they found the idiot eldests, but at least Ichimatsu has an easier time getting along with the younger two anyway. This is a cakewalk in comparison.]

[Ichimatsu reaches up and accepts that hand, pulling himself to his feet with a soft grunt, and stretches the stiffness out of his muscles. Then he slides his hands into his pockets and simply begins trudging off in a seemingly random direction. It is quite possible that he actually doesn't remember where those gardens were even slightly.]

[ Having known Ichimatsu since they were pretty much inside their mom's womb, Jyushimatsu easily catches his older brother's quirks, and knows for a fact his relief for finding each other safe and sound is more or less reciprocated. Hoisting a significantly more placid Homerun King more protectively in his arms, he marches along for the adventure they're about to have. It's sure going to be even more fun knowing he's not alone now!

But he's also got some questions to ask! ]

Nii-san, do you think we'll even find someone else? I met a punk-looking individual and a talking pony before, but I lost sight of them!

[A who and a what? Despite himself, the mention of the punk in particular puts Ichimatsu on an instant edge - that descfribes a handful of people that Ichimatsu knew here, but there's only one of them that brings his blood to a simmer every time he imagines that stupid, ugly mug. Such an asshole, and he hated Ichimatsu, too. If he gave Jyushimatsu even the barest hint of his disgusting attitude...]

[They're all in a good mood, though. Ichimatsu tries not to show how tense the idea of Guzma had suddenly made him, knowing how well both his brother and small animals pick up on that sort of stuff; he doesn't want to ruin the easygoing atmosphere. Luckily, Jyushimatsu's presence alone makes it easy for him to relax a little bit.]

Maybe... there's all kinds of weirdos around here. Even if the rest of this island is deserted, you'll probably run into 'em again on the big one.

[He pauses.]

Ah, sorry. I should've mentioned this, but... I've been here before.

[ Another good thing about being Jyushimatsu is that he can just as quickly adapt himself to the worst scenery, like the post-apocalyptic wasteland he and Ichimatsu are strolling across right now. There's enough green to avoid the grimdark atmosphere, anyway. He happily skips along as he occassionally kicks every little rock that stands in his path, a constant bounce in his steps. This is just some kind of weird dream. They'll be back home soon, right?

His hopeful thought cracks a little when Ichimatsu makes that reveal, and it's sudden, and it leaves Jyushimatsu dumbfounded as he blinks at his older brother. ]

Eh?! What do you mean you've been here before???

[Ichimatsu sighs, and manages to make it sound really put-upon, but can't help himself from glancing away with a look of guilt and scratching his jaw sheepishly. He'd just wanted to be truthful about that fact before he started seeming suspicious. Obviously his brother isn't gonna just gloss over it the way he'd hoped, but that question is super loaded...]

[Well, he'll just try to skirt around it for now. When it comes to Jyushimatsu, he knows his little brother will pry everything out of him eventually, but it's not all that relevant at the moment.]

It was a while back, I guess... those idiot oldest two were with me for a bit. Then it was just me. Anyway, don't worry about that. It just means that I know what sort of stuff we should expect.

... baby dragons are new, though.

Osomatsu-niisan and Karamatsu-niisan?

[ Well, they are the eldest ones of course, and they're also idiots, so... that confirms it for him already. He had no idea the three of them were here before? He'd seen them at home pretty much everyday. It wouldn't add up if he didn't think of this world as one big dream that feels real! Would it be dangerous to think about it a bit deeply? Because he's going to think and think some more about it, pupils enlarging instantly.

"Don't worry about that," Ichimatsu tells him, and yes, he shouldn't, but everything seems so wonky to him. Is this some case of time paradox or something? It's kind of a big deal, isn't it? ]

It doesn't make sense whatsoever, but okay...! I can totally live with nonsensical stuff! But... are baby dragons just a new addition someone put in like, a dev adding random things in their game?

It was hell with those two, you know.

[Which is confirmation for Jyushimatsu's first question, though he knows it's not really needed. He couldn't be talking about anyone else, after all. It wasn't actually THAT bad.... but it also super was. He still avoids looking at his brother for a few heartbeats, but the silence that follows gets the best of Ichimatsu, and he eventually glances over to see Jyushimatsu's pupils blown wide in thought.]

[Ngh... maybe that was cruel of him to suddenly drop all that information into Jyushimatsu's head at once. Ichimatsu considers insisting that he let it go a bit more emphatically, but luckily, Jyushimatsu seems to decide that on his own.]

[Thankful that his brother let him off the hook, Ichimatsu shakes his head.]

No... this place is just like that. I think. [he grumbles.] Considering there's gods around here, though, who knows? If this is all a game, I'm seriously gonna kill whoever's in charge...

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yakyuuman - 2019-10-19 15:44 (UTC) - Expand

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TEST DRIVE MEME ( 027 )

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