aftr_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME ( 001 )

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*test drive meme

TEST DRIVE MEME ( 001 )

Test Drive Meme #1

Hello, and welcome to our very first test drive! 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.

Remember that Reserves will open on July 17th and that Applications will open on July 24th, in preparation for the game’s official opening on August 3rd!

But first, two important notes!

1. The island of Mu 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.

Shipwrecked
The white sand of the beach ridges the island’s edge, even if the clear water soon becomes murky the further out you look across the horizon until the turquoise gleam of the tide disappears in a coil of surrounding fog. Indeed, your best prospects may very well be to strike out among the trees or the crags looming out over the foam-capped waves. There’s lumber to be found and made from the palm-like trees, potentially fruit or edible tubers of some kind if you forage about some. The further you travel, however, the more of your surroundings will reveal themselves in a steady unspooling of curiosities.

One corner of Mu’s current construct drops away into a sheer cliff, initially too dangerous to brave for all but the more daredevilish, but if one starts to scan the sharp rocks below, you might catch sight of what appears to be sodden planks of wood - a wreckage tossed up against the rocks. And a little further...a bobbing, shattered wreck of a lifeboat’s remains, potentially bearing supplies that might yet be salvageable.

Fashion what you can from the wood and stone around you or scavenge from the ruin of the land, if you like. But you can’t simply stand around and wait forever. It’s going to get dark sometime - and if a creature of unknown terror doesn’t catch you, the elements surely will.

Storytime

There’s a sense of camaraderie in this cove, you think. As the sun hangs low over the horizon, the world cast into orange hues, long shadows dispersed by roaring fires that dot across the beach.

That’s right, folks: it’s storytime.

There’s no one to preside over this meeting of the minds in Mu. Call it a vague recreation of things to come, if you like, some vaguely fatidic dreamlike state where you may find yourself drawn to the heat and company that awaits you by the fire. And from there, compelled to default to that old instinct that most of intelligent civilization has revered since they were advanced enough to paint geometric shapes on cave walls.

You tell a story.

Perhaps it’s a tragedy, a tale of woe and of personal loss. Perhaps it’s the sort of thing you’d break out after a few rounds of your alcoholic beverage of choice, clapping hands to your knees as you try to bite back your mirth long enough to spill the punchline. Perhaps it’s an adventure of some sort, some unbelievable rendition of your past exploits. The only common thread to be had, as those gathered around the fire share their tales, is the fundamental rule of a ritualistic sharing of stories such as this: its truth.

But how one chooses to define "truth" is, in its own way, another story entirely...

Dance, Sucker, Dance!
The beat of your heart in your chest is difficult to ignore. It judders with a pulsing, rhythmic quality. If you’re one of those that lacks a heart, the beat is still omnipresent and all-encompassing, until your entire body is unwittingly bobbing in time to a metronomic tune that seems ingrained into your very soul. It’s inescapable. You can’t seem to move unless it’s in time to the rhythm that’s now singing in every atom of your being.

But rest assured, you’re not alone in this musical curse. Everything, from the swaying trees to the waves against the beach, jumps in time to the music. And so do the monsters approaching you, that - wait a minute.

Monsters?

Oh, yes. Did we mention those?

It seems you’ve encountered the wrath of the Boogieman, who curses you to only dance to his infernal beat. If you wish to best him, you’ll have to either evade or destroy the blobs of greenish slime that serve as his minions, all in time to the hard beat of the tune in your head. Clear the radius of his curse or risk an open confrontation, if you dare. Don’t worry if you look foolish; chances are anyone else caught in the Boogieman’s thrall feels just the same.

Mu isn’t pulling any punches to start with. It is a flighty creation, after all, and seems to revel in displacing people into new and uncomfortable situations.

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

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[Like many arachnids, Muffet is fairly strong for her size. She's not going to be arm-wrestling Superman or anything, but she doesn't seem to have any trouble supporting Newt as they walk. When they stop, she looks up to admire the blueness of the sky, smiling wistfully.]

The view is certainly quite lovely, although I can't say I'm happy to be whisked off so unexpectedly.

[Newt can't help but snort a bit at that] I'd tell you that you get used to it after a while, but, uh...yeah, that's not a thing.

That is... simultaneously worrying and reassuring. How often does this kind of thing happen to you?

This is the third. [He starts to shrug out of his jacket, wiggling to drag his arms out of the sleeves before laying it out on the beach to dry. The white button-up he was wearing is also soaked, making his tattoos look rather like ruined watercolor underneath it, rather than the clearly defined lines. But he's squinting up at Muffet now, with definitely something like interest]

Hey, can I ask you something? How are your spine and shoulder blades put together?

My condolences.

[Muffet considers the question thoughtfully.]

You know, I'm not entirely sure? I work as a baker, not a biologist. I did go to college, but it's been a while since I had to pass any science courses.

I think I remember something about our hearts being differently-shaped than your average mammal- and located rather lower down- so there's more room for things to go through the ribcage area. If that helps at all.

[Newt blinks at that explanation, leaning to the side as if that would help get a look at her back.]

I mean, I guess that would make sense if you have an exoskeleton rather than an endoskeleton.

[....wait. Eyes narrowing]

Do you? Because I was going on the assumption that you're spider-humanoid, but that raises a lot of questions about your spine. Because if you have an endoskeleton, that would put some questions as to what kind of shoulder blades you have.

[The way Muffet's shoulders move as she shrugs does vaguely suggest that she has shoulder blades, but it's pretty hard to tell under the little red capelet she's wearing.]

I think the key here is spider monster, not necessarily spider humanoid- we are made mostly of magic, after all. So, think 'energy being that made a body out of a small amount of matter', not 'solidly sensible biology'.

[mostly made of magic"--and yeah that rings very familiar] Wait...so you're mostly magic? Are all monsters in your world like that?

Why, yes- as I understand it, that's the main difference between our two species. Humans are matter with a soul, monsters are magic with a soul.

...Assuming you're human, that is. I apologize if I'm mistaken.

[He certainly looks human, but after the rest of the day she's had Muffet isn't sure it's a good idea to make assumptions.]

[holy shit that's so fascinating. And also familiar. Really familiar] Yeah, dude, hit that one on the nose. [...] So...let me guess. Since you're mostly magic, your food is different from ours, too?

As a matter of fact, it is- monster food converts directly to energy when eaten, due to being infused with magical energy either while the food is grown or during the cooking process.

Some monsters can eat as humans do, if they so choose, but others don't have the option, generally due to lacking anything much in the way of a physical digestive system.

[She looks at him thoughtfully.]

It sounds quite like you've encountered monsters before, but the way you say 'in your world' makes me suspect that you're not from home.

[the corner of Newt's mouth quirks upwards at that--this monster's sharp. But there's something that softens around the corners of his eyes at his next question] D'you know a skeleton named Sans?

[Sans. Of course it would be Sans.]

[Muffet resists the urge to facepalm as beneath her dignity.]

Dear angels, he really does know everyone... Skeleton monster? Short, round, fond of puns and hotdogs?

[that quirk of Newt's mouth widens into a full smile at that] Yeah. That's him.

If you aren't from home, then... did you meet him on a previous 'involuntary adventure'?

I admit to being a little surprised- we're more acquaintances than friends, but the idea that he'd be missing for long enough to become familiar with people from other worlds and I wouldn't notice anything amiss is rather troubling.

Yeah, pretty much. He was in the last place I was before here.

[he huffs out a bit at that second part, though] Honestly, time is weird as hell with these kinda places. Not to mention the Sans I met might not be the Sans from your universe, specifically.

[In addition to biology, Muffet is also suddenly wishing she'd paid more attention in physics.]

Weird how, precisely? And how does one tell which universe someone is from, if it's similar enough to have the same people?

Honestly, it's mostly theory at this point based off of the Multiverse Theory because I can't prove much, but I've met people--friends--who don't remember me at all. Versions of the people I know that I've met outside of my own world who have no recollection of me or any of the experiences that I remember us having in the two previous worlds I was dragged to.

[his mouth starts to thin, and his attention slides away from Muffet herself, looking out towards the ocean.] And...there's no real way to know which version someone's from, except by talking to them. It's kind of like Russian roulette except it only feels like someone died rather than actually getting a bullet to the brain.

[Muffet briefly considers all the potential avenues by which one might attempt to comfort a clearly tired and hurting stranger, and decides on the option she feels least likely to be trite or insulting: blunt (if sympathetic) honesty.]

That sounds horrifically depressing. I'm sorry.

[Well, at least it's genuine. She moves on briskly, trying to offer him something else to focus on without making it uncomfortable by saying so outright:]

So, what else did Sans tell you about the Underground? It's a rather complex place, I'm not sure exactly how much he would have covered- particularly if he was in the mood to be lazy.

[that...Newt blinks, gaze pulled back to Muffet at that...and he huffs a bit, a slight twitch upward to the corner of his mouth] Yeah, it really sucks.

[but hey, change in topic, and Newt latches onto it pretty much immediately]

Honestly? Not too much. I learned more about monsters themselves and about Sans specifically...I knew about monsters being made mainly of magic, which is why your food is different from ours. And the souls and bullets thing. But that's kinda it? I mean I picked his brain a bit and we definitely had some talks about physics but that's the extent of it.

Well then, what do you want to know more about?

[Muffet's experience with nerds is limited, but she's met Dr. Alphys a few times and that's enough to know that dangling an interesting bit of knowledge in front of them is an excellent way to get their attention. Besides...]

I know about my home, and you know about these kinds of places. I suggest a trade- a question answered for a question answered. That way, we both benefit.

[dang, Muffet, way to hit the nail on the head. Newt full on perks up at that, definitely looking keenly interested]

Dude. That sounds fantastic. [the corner of his mouth quirks further towards a grin] Though I gotta warn you, I don't know much about this place specifically yet, but I can tell you what I've dealt with so far in terms of being forcefully dragged from one world to another.

I think we're about even on that front- I haven't got much of a scientific background, so there's going to be places where my knowledge is rather limited.

And even if it's just general knowledge, I'm happier having something to start with than trying to deal with this whole situation blind.

[She smiles, and sits down carefully on a large chunk of driftwood next to him. This conversation might run a little long.]

Since I offered, I believe it's only polite that I let you ask the first question.

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TEST DRIVE MEME ( 001 )

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I went to a wikipedia page on spiders and made vague headcanon guesses

LMAO THAT'S WHAT I DO HALF THE TIME SO I FEEL THIS

I DID NOT MAJOR IN ARACHNIDS

THAT'S OK I DIDN'T MAJOR IN XENOBIOLOGY SO WE'LL JUST MAKE SHIT UP

Yup.

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