aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 029 )

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*test drive meme

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 029 )

Test Drive Meme #29

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.

Reserves and Applications are always open, and are processed every weekend.

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.

Hee Ho!
It's cold, wherever you are - in a world blanketed thickly with snow. Dense clusters of evergreens, their branches heavy with ice crystals, paired with skeletal deciduous trees, pepper the region. Overhead, scattered flakes of snow drift from the slate-gray sky. The forest is thickly wooded, but that's not terribly sufficient in the way of insulation from the cold. You should probably find somewhere warm, unless this is agreeable weather to you.

It's chilly enough for the proverbial Jack Frost to be nipping at your nose. Or maybe...not so proverbial. These woods are packed with all sorts of little creatures. Wait for long enough, and you might see one of them coming your way.

Jack Frosts are snow demons that only appear in the wintertime, and revel in creating mischief. With bodies made of ice and snow and an alarmingly high constitution, Jack Frosts are generally not hostile, but they do enjoy causing all sorts of mischief. They're known to spit ice and freeze unsuspecting travelers, and use their deceptively cute appearance to lure their prey in. And these woods...well, these woods happen to be full of them.

The good news is that this fate only awaits you if you provoke them. It's even possible to befriend them. One of the best and easiest ways to do this is with gifts and offerings, such as clothing items. A pair of boots or a vest or a hat that will fit these cute little creatures will buy you a friend for a while! You can tell when you've managed to make friends with one, too. They're sure to leave you a little token of their appreciation...and it is extremely cuddly.

If you piss them off, on the other hand, they tend to react...poorly. They'll gust ice and snow your way in copious amounts, and even try to freeze you solid in blocks of ice or impale you on falling icicles. By and large, it's recommended that you play nice. Or, at the very least, have a reliable method of dealing with them if you choose not to. They probably melt very easily, after all.

Unearthly Delights
In the waking world, the harvest island of Nuidan has seen fit to shower adventurers with celebrations in full swing, and the island of Mu has seen fit to reflect such a joyous celebration. However, dreams are tricky things, and nothing carries over quite as it should.

Like the harvest festival in reality, Mu has provided tables laden full of food and drink alike. Unlike its more realistic counterpart, however, the food is just a little strange - in color, in texture, taste, or smell - and the drinks, no matter how much you pour to fill your cup, are seemingly bottomless. Maybe those vegetables are a few shades off, or maybe this sweet pudding tastes a little on the savory side. It's not outright revolting, in most cases, but it's definitely noticeably odd. Andhey smell strange, too; a little too sweet, a little too heady.

For those who are brave enough to sample these dreamed-up delicacies, however, they'll find the world proves to be exceptionally malleable. Partaking of the food and drink that comes from Mu's tables will make your emotions, whatever they may be, leak out into the dreaming world.

If you're feeling mellow and happy, for example, the world around you will change to suit; filling up with your favorite colours, your favorite smells, and anything else that you find cheerful and relaxing. It will manifest as shifting lights, textures, and sounds around you. Suddenly, the food and drink you're eating tastes, looks and feels just like your favorite things, even if they're not quite as you remember them.

If you're not feeling so positive, however...well, we'll leave that up to your imagination as to how the dream could shift. While nothing at this table will ever outright harm you, that doesn't mean your mind can't get creative about the things it might conjure in the meantime. Maybe the food and drink will turn to dust and ashes in your mouth. Maybe it'll start to look a little off, like the meat's gone bad, or the milk's started to sour. Maybe you'll be struck with a sensation of bitter melancholy.

All in all, it's better to try and enjoy yourself...for everyone's sakes.

Let's Have a Blast
In less pleasant news, the waking world has also been stricken with an influx of devilish creatures known only as creepers, and...yes, they're exactly what you thinking. With features frozen in a gaping grimace, a greenish complexion, and a hated proclivity to sneak up silently behind people and explode with only a sinister hiss as warning, creepers are the bane of any builder. And it's certainly not fun to have one blow up in your face, either - you try climbing out of the crater these things always leave behind while dealing with third degree burns.

Whereas the waking world only has the one type to deal with, you adventurers in Mu won't be nearly so lucky. For starters, Mu has dropped you in a thick, steaming jungle, and the dense vegetation can make it awful hard to pick out what's around you. It'd be bad enough trying to pick out ordinary creepers in this mess, thanks to their mottled green texture, but you're not dealing with just ordinary creepers in this dream-world. No, you're dealing with different species of them.

In addition to your run-of-the-mill, "aw, man" style of creeper, you'll be able to encounter all sorts in what would ordinarily be a tropical paradise. Some of them are harmless, like the cookie creeper that does little besides shower you with soft, chewy confectionaries when it explodes, or the friendly creeper, which does little besides stick around and keep you company.

Most, however, aren't. Spider creepers tend to coat you with sticky webs and can even poison you if you get too close to them when they pop, and magma creepers carry with them the unfortunate possibility of starting a full-on forest fire if they explode in a place with thick enough vegetation. And, really, if it's on the list, if you can think of it, a variant of it probably exists. Mu doesn't discriminate; it's happy to let your imagination fill in the blanks of whatever variants of these explosive complications you can dream up!

The good news is that they can all be killed the same way. All creepers are vulnerable at a distance - they can be sniped or shot from a distance without exploding and spewing all of their mess everywhere. You can also deal with them up close, as long as you're fast on your feet and don't let them implode all over you. And, if you happen to have a cat nearby, you're in luck! They'll steer clear from you no matter what.

Just watch your back. These things are completely silent when they're creeping up on you. Oftentimes, you won't know that there's one right behind you until you hear it: the dreaded, telltale hsssssss...

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

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[Cats are well known for their ability to go from -30 to 100 instantly. This slightly feral man is no exception: when they reach for him, Ichimatsu jerks back and hisses.]

Back off, you --!

[He doesn't get to finish that rebuff, having jerked away a bit too quickly and too far; with a startled yelp, he goes toppling backwards down the smoking crater behind him, which he had definitely not noticed until just now, if the way he's tumbling and spitting his rage all the way down is any indication. The crater isn't big, thankfully; he comes to a stop at the bottom of the ditch, ass-up and mumbling expletives into the dirt.]

[Which, incidentally, gives a clear view of the answer to their question: he does indeed have a tail, ash-gray, attached right to the expected spot.]

[Undeterred, Vaya promptly falls back on their ass cackling - both at the innate hilarity of this entire exchange, and because of the fact that this dude literally has a tail so as far as Vaya's concerned, life could not get any better at this point.]

HAHAHAHAHAHA, oh my god! Holy shit! You've got a tail! [They sound positively elated at this development.]

This is amazing. This is the best day ever. Where's Vamos? They gotta see this. You're a little cat-man!

I'm not!! Shut up, you damn kid!

[He's yelling now, from the bottom of the crater, with his ass still in the air, so it's surely very intimidating. He struggles a little bit to right himself, but once he does, he's scrubbing a hand over his head and looking around with confusion.]

The hell is up with this hole, anyway?!

Pff! Like you're any older than me.

[He doesn't seem that much older, anyway. Vaya's own age is up in the air; they've got no idea when their birthday even is. They also seem apparently nonplussed by Ichimatsu's rebuttal. They stand and stretch, lanky arms above their head, and then peer down at the smoking crater that cat-dude here has found himself stuck in. Yikes, he really has been out of it, hasn't he? Vaya's dumb as hell, and even they've caught onto the fact that something's up.]

Uh, you haven't realized that those green things are everywhere? They roll right on up to you and go BOOM, you know?

Huh? [He stops looking around and glances at them over his shoulder, one of his ears twitching irritably.] Green things? You mean those gross, dick-shaped things? They explode, too? Disgusting.

[He... he might be on a different wavelength, here.]

Anyway, how was I supposed to know they did that? They kept running away from me every time I saw one.

Maybe 'cause you smell or something? [Mmmm, probably not. Vaya smells a bit too, they're pretty sure. The glamorous desert life does not allow for much in the way of personal hygiene.]

You got something against dicks?

[Maybe that's why. But then, Vaya's not exactly happy to be bombarded by these things that just kinda wanna blow up in their face.]

Ah... yeah, maybe.

[He's not even denying that he smells lmao. Mostly, he's just vexed at being covered in dirt and grass now; he brushes some leaves out of his hair and cuts Vaya another look.]

Listen. I live with my five brothers, so yeah, I'm sick of smelly, troublesome dicks, alright? [mOVING ON???] So what, the green things don't run away from you?

Uh, no! They explode in my face! And I'm not just saying that - get that all the time, by the way.

[They shift so that they're standing with their profile to him, and in Vaya's head, they cut an incredibly striking figure - turquoise hair, fantastic jacket, striped pants, heeled boots - check this fashion sense. It is the bomb.]

You gotta crew of five? Damn, how are you all still alive?

Who knows... crappy luck, I guess.

[that's. that's an answer to a question. Ichimatsu climbs to his feet, studying their appearance, since he's getting the impression that that's what they want him to do.]

Maybe they chase you around because you look like a glowstick. Animals like that stuff.

Everybody likes that stuff. [Vaya preens, like he's just paid them a compliment. In their opinion, he has. Bright colors, neon flashes - that's the stuff of icons in the Zones. That's the stuff of legends. That's how you stand out from the monochrome rabble back in Battery City.]

Pfff, you're a shiny box of matches, aren't'cha? Regular sunshine right here!

[With a twitch, Ichimatsu's ears seemingly fold back down into non-existence, his tail not long to follow. Now he has exactly zero (0) redeeming qualities. He also doesn't seem to be in a hurry to climb out of the ditch he's found himself in, now that he's at least upright again.]

Matches are actually useful, you know? Especially here. Come to think of it, glowsticks would be, too. Maybe being a party peep will actually work out for you... as long as you don't get blown up by dick-monsters.

[what in the actual f is he talking about]

[Vaya peers at him for a moment, not entirely following. But then, they don't always follow one hundred percent of everything. He sounds a little like Val, going off on vaguely important-sounding tangents. But Val's also significantly more motivated than this chump, who seems content to just kind of ramble and talk about vague things like being useful and whatever.]

[Vaya's never been useful even a day in their life, so it's kind of a wasted effort.]

Uh, that's how you gotta roll in the Zones, guy. You gotta a name or what, by the way?

[He snorts under his breath, using his finger to tug up the medicinal mask bunched around his jawline.]

... name? Ichimatsu. Don't worry too much about remembering it.

[believe it or not, that's markedly politer than his usual self-introduction.]

Dunno what the Zones are, but they sound like a pain.

Guess you could say thaaaa - [The automatic response peters out at once and Vaya regards him with wide eyes, white about the eyeballs. His dismissiveness about his own name doesn't even seem to stick.] - whaddaya mean you dunno what the Zones are? The Zones. Duh! You from the City or what?

[No way. This guy has got the attitude down, but the ears and the tail? No way in hell that'd be allowed in Bat City.]

Huh? Uh, well... yeah. [Sort of? He's from a city, not Proper-Noun-Implied the City.] Akatsuka Ward... in Japan.

No idea what you're talking about, though.

Oh, shit. You're from Japan? What's it like over there?

[Fuckin' figures he wouldn't know about Bat City, then! BL//ind's probably way fucking prevalent over in Japan, right? Not that they know. The only thing they really do know is that it's...like, really far away, impossibly far away, so there's not much point in thinking about things they can't immediately change, right?]

... noisy.

[No, wait. Let him count this off for you. Ichimatsu raises both hands and starts from his pinky.]

The people suck, it's way too bright at night, societal expectations are unrealistic, it's humid in summer, way too cold in winter, our birth rate's still shitty, anime standards are getting crappier...

[He stops.]

Oh, the food is good, though.

[Vaya kinda stares at him, like they're not entirely sure how to interpret that.]

...but you can wear color there, right?

[That's the takeaway. He's got color on him right now. He's wearing purple, not white or black or gray or any of the dull shades in between the BL//ind supplies for their consumerist, mindless rabble. Not that Vaya isn't consumerist and mindless, but it's in a rather different way. A way that a megacorporation explicitly disapproves of.]

Eh? Of course we can wear color.

[Ichimatsu looks borderline offended by the question. Color is pretty much his only defining visual characteristic that separates him from the hellbeasts he calls his brothers. He scrutinizes them again, this time a bit more sincerely.]

The hell's wrong with Japan where you come from?

Uh, it's only where BL//ind like, came from?

[Vaya's hands thrust out, palms up, in a shrug-like gesture of obviously, man.]

Or maybe they didn't come from it, but, like, they clearly set up base there. Everything of theirs is in Japanese and English, but it's not like it matters? Just, y'know. They own the world. No color, 'cause BLi says.

Duh.

[Duh his ass, what the hell are they talking about? Scowling, Ichimatsu finally starts to move, testing his footing against the loose dirt along the side of the crater.]

BL//ind? Sounds like some kind of idol group... [Obviously they aren't. But who else would have a name like that and take themselves so seriously?] Whatever. Basically, they're tyrants, right? Maybe someone should just go kill 'em.

Uh, sure. [Vaya looks at him with this sort of haughty dismissiveness.] Let's just up and kill a megacorporation bigger than life itself. Whaddaya think we're doing here?

[They're not standing around with their dicks out. Hah. Pun intended.]

[Megacorporation? Yikes, it sounds like some seriously textbook dystopian bullshit. Like something straight out of fiction. Aside from sounding like an idol group, BL//ind is probably totally evil.]

Dunno. It's none of my business what you guys are doing about it. All I'm saying is, for a bunch of assholes who hate color... bet their blood still comes out red, eh?

[He chuckles a little bit. It might come off as slightly unhinged. In other news, Ichimatsu finally finds a solid enough foothold in the dirt, and starts pulling himself up.]

[Vaya stares at him for half a second. And then starts to laugh.]

Ha! Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, man. Val would love you. You're like, the same bloodthirsty dipshits underneath the smirking and stuff!

[Not that they don't like Val. Like, they tolerate him. He's their leader and all, and they follow him and all, but they're not blind to his flaws. Like the fact that he is, in essence, a bloodthirsty dipshit.]

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TEST DRIVE MEME ( 029 )

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