TEST DRIVE MEME ( 001 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

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.

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[want_to_belong]

There was a lot of creaking going on in that wood that Prompto didn't like. Why was Noct always leading him into cramped dark spaces?

"My coat is pretty thick. It should do a good job of that." Though he wasn't wearing a coat and looked pretty normal. Must've been back at 'camp'.

He seemed to fall in line naturally behind Noct. Just like old times. All they needed now was the big guy. "I had a pile of wood back on the shore. Figure we need to get some light before it gets dark. I haven't seen any havens around, though. There's some ruins." He grimaced. Daemons must have gotten the people. Or maybe it was remnants of old wars. "If we can't find a haven, maybe we can use part of an old building or something?"

Suggestions. He didn't tend to give commands, more offering up ideas and seeing what people went with. Honestly, he was more focused than normal right now, and it was mainly because Iggy was depending on him.

He let out a small, almost amused huff of air, suddenly quickening his pace. "Come on, we should get back. Iggy's gonna be over the moon to see... well, he's going to be glad to know where you are."

[noctanotheroneout]

Noctis took everything Prompto suggested in stride. He gave a nod. "Right, we'll get the best stuff from each piles then. I found rope too, so that should be useful."

The way that Prompto talked, havens, daemons. . ."You think we're still home? I mean, don't you get this weird feeling that this place is....different? Like a dream?"

[want_to_belong]

That suggestion... No, Prompto had not considered that they could be somewhere else. Where the heck would they be? He laughed kind of nervously, "Like where?", but it was clear the suggestion unnerved him. "Dude, if this was one of my dreams Cindy would be here."

At first it was easier to imagine they were still close to home. Or at least 'Niflheim', where they were supposed to be. But there was something else about Noct's suggestion that seriously baffled him. That caused him to ask in a doubtful, yet hopeful, tone, "You don't think there's daemons here?"

It'd be nice not to have to deal with them. Ever since he'd led Ignis away from the beach he'd been dreading the night. They were alone. Ignis was hurt. He only had a few bullets in his gun, which had been dropped in the water anyway and might take a while to get working again. How was he going to protect Iggy? By the Six he would do anything he possibly could to keep him safe, but he had no idea how he would manage alone. Any of the others would be a better pick than him for the job.

There was light coming down from cracks in the wood, and sometimes outright holes. He hastened his pace over to a small pile of stuff, working on gathering it all up to help carry it.

[noctanotheroneout]

Noctis chuckled in response. "Well, what if we were in my dream," he pushed a bit playfully. "Different story then."

There was a pauses as he gathered some of the things he found on to a large clothe. Including a small cast iron pot that had been laying around. "As far as daemons go, I don't want to be caught alone at night to find out on my own."

He wrapped up everything into a make shift sack, using some fishing wire to tie it together. "I'm sure Ignis doesn't want to either."

[want_to_belong]

"Really? Dreaming about me? Shouldn't you set your sights a little higher?"

He was finally able to drop back into normal teasing. It was nice, being able to act like everything was normal, even when he knew he had stuff to admit about himself to both of them. Ignis' reassurances earlier and finding Noctis here had done a lot to help. Even if Gladio was still missing, he at least had confidence that the shield could take care of himself just fine. Wherever he was, he'd be okay. They just had to find him again.

Hefting up his lot, he started carrying it back up. Something to cook in? At least some fabric, though they could always come back for those sails if they needed more. Rope. Seemed like they should be okay for a bit.

"It's a good thing we're not going to be alone then," there was some tension in his voice. It was only a short time ago that arguments had been brewing, and he only just got to see them against for the first time since being pushed off the train. Underlying that statement was the continuing fear that they wouldn't be together. Ignis, at least, had reassured him, but he hadn't gotten to have a conversation with Noct about what had happened yet.

[noctanotheroneout]

Noctis stopped in his tracks. The sack slumping a little. "You think if I dream bigger it would work?" The weight in his voice apparent.

The pause ended and his posture lifted. "Who am I kidding right?" He placed his hand on his friend's shoulder again. "We're both a little too real to actually be dreams." It was a dream, so he couldn't just...bring back the dead.

[want_to_belong]

"Well yeah. All the girls were always asking about you in high school."

His tone was light but it took a lot of willpower to stay that way. There were so many things he was skimming over in order to joke around like normal.

Like Luna.

Like, were those high school girls still...?

He avoided delving too deeply into any of it, as if he was flitting across the top of a pond, afraid that if he dipped in too deep he'd sink.

"Juuuust let me make sure." He reached over to pinch Noct's cheek.

[noctanotheroneout]

"Quit it." Noctis batted Prompto's hand away. "It felt like a pinch, weirdo." He started his pace again. "Still, you have to admit, this place is a bit dream like."

There really wasn't any other way he could explain them being here together. "Once we regroup and rest we'll have time to figure it out. We don't want to keep Ignis waiting too long do we?"

[want_to_belong]

His hand was easily smacked away. So cruel, Noct.

"Yeah, there is a lot weird about it. I'm not even sure how I got here. Everything just went... dark. And then I was on a raft. Until it tipped."

There was still even a squishing sound with his shoes. He hadn't completely dried from falling into the ocean. A supply run was necessary, and he couldn't walk around on this wood barefoot, but it'd be nice to let his socks and shoes dry out later.

He jogged back up to the deck and headed to the side to take a look around. "Maybe one of us can climb up with the rope and the other person can tie things to the rope to lift up?"

He had ideas, sometimes.

[noctanotheroneout]

"Or you know, I can warp up there, throw you down the rope." Noctis hadn't tested the full extent of his abilities here yet, but he did have some of the bare basics. He smirked at his friend. It was a good idea, but why do things the hard way?

[want_to_belong]

"You can still warp?" He groaned, muttering, "So unfair." He completely overreacted, like old times.

Considering that, he started getting things wrapped up neatly so that they could get it ready to send it on up. Looked like they had decided who was going up and who was staying down.

[noctanotheroneout]

Noctis shrugged. "Weird." With Noctis present, then none of his friends should have trouble summoning their arsenal. Just more questions to figure out the answers to. "Well, shall we?"

[want_to_belong]

"Yeah, well, I have a snowmobile," he bragged purposely immaturely. Maybe he didn't have access to super magic powers but he still had that. "Ready whenever you are."

[noctanotheroneout]

"Cool." Now sure how that was gonna fair on a sandy beach. But cool.

On that note the Engine Blade appeared in his hands and he hurled it to farthest he could up the cliffs. He warped there, noticing for a moment that he needed to catch his breath. Weird.

Then he did it one more time to make it to the top. Luckily there was a palm tree hanging out that he could tie his rope. He fastened it securely, then hurled the end over the cliff's edge. "Look out below!"

[want_to_belong]

Prompto hopped back as the rope came down, smacking against the side of the cliff near the ship. He stretched to reach it and tied up the first set of items, all wrapped up neatly in fabric. This part wouldn't be too hard. They just had to be careful not to spill.

He gave a small tug on the rope when it was ready. "Good to go!"

He didn't notice anything off about Noct's warping. Seemed like he made it to the top just fine.

[noctanotheroneout]

Noctis breathed. Alright then. With his strength, and digging his heels into the sand, Noctis was able to hoist the items up. A bit of a challenge on his own, but he managed. Rinse and repeat, until it was time to get Prompto up.

"Tie it around your waist or something. Use the cliff wall to take of the tension of rope." Like fishing. "You're not Gladio sized, but you're still heavier than these sacks."

[want_to_belong]

Here came the fun part. How come he never got to warp like Noct?

Tying the rope around himself, he took a deep breath and started the precarious climb up. He was fortunate that he'd been a runner because he was actually in pretty decent shape. Still, it was a steep cliff and he was already tired and sore from the day.

He walked up the cliff wall cautiously, tight grip on the rope as he slowly inched his way up it. It looked like a long way to go. He kept moving steadily until some loose dirt slid out from underneath his shoes. The soles of his shoes lost their grip against the wall and his feet flew off it with a yelp, only holding on with his hands.

He swung for a moment as he gathered his bearings. For a second he glanced down, seeing that he was about halfway.

"This isn't doing much for my acrophobia," he whined, carefully getting his feet back up to climb the rest of the way.

[noctanotheroneout]

"Quit complaining. You've been through worst." Whether he remembers it or not. Still for a moment Noctis felt his grip loosen a big. His muscles ached and burned. At least he had the tree to lend him a branch.

"Just think, once you're up, it's off to Ignis and I get to fish and forage. So food." Yes, empty pit in his stomach, you were noticed.

[want_to_belong]

"Easy for you to say. I'd like to see you do this."

But, regardless of complaints, he pulled through, sore muscles and all, finally climbed over the edge and crawling to safety. For a moment he just laid there and gave his body a break.

But Iggy.

He pushed himself up and forced himself back to his feet. Untying the rope, he started to wrap it up, and gathered up his share of the other things.

"Don't want Iggy to complain about us being late."

He couldn't wait to get back. Get a fire going. Get some food, have some shelter, and be able to peel off some of these damp clothes.

[noctanotheroneout]

"About us?" Noctis jested as he caught his breath and gathered what he can carry. "He doesn't know I'm even here. He's going to be ecstatic to see me. Might ground you though."

[want_to_belong]

"Aww, come on. Can't I get some of that princely protection?"

As much as he complained, he kept going, carrying his fair share. He really did want to get back soon. Ignis was too roughed up to just ditch him, and who knows what could be on the island that they didn't know about. He'd at least push on until he got there.