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The Mods of LifeAftr ([personal profile] lifeaftr_mods) wrote in [community profile] aftr_ooc2017-07-04 10:46 pm
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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.


LOGSOOCSTORIESMAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )
want_to_belong: (Side glance)

[personal profile] want_to_belong 2017-07-16 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Aw man, cutting your hand is the worst. Hold on.

[Hopping back up, he disappeared as he ran towards the middle of the deck. The sails were ripped, and he figured he could probably tear a piece off. He ran back a minute later, precariously balancing on the stern. Since it had crashed it wasn't completely level. Instead, the wood was at a slight angle and he tried not to slip on it as he walked up.

He grabbed onto the edge of the boat as soon as he got there and glanced around. He didn't want the fabric to float straight into the water. Bunching it up into a wad, he tossed it down towards her.]


Here. I know there's some fresh water around the island, you can probably wash it off okay. My friend, back further on the island, would probably know more about what to do.

[That was about the best he had for the moment. He was here to get supplies himself, because his friend was already injured.]

I've never heard of Savanah. Is that close to Tenebrae?
takeusback: (sᴘᴇᴀᴋ; ғᴏʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ)

[personal profile] takeusback 2017-07-18 09:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She watches him go and tear some fabric from the sails and balance on the stern, ready to go and help if he falls, but also sure to keep an eye out around her this time, for any walkers or more unwanted strangers about.

She catches the wad of fabric, grateful, and begins wrapping it around her hand.
] Thank you.

[ His question makes her frown a little. ] It's... in Georgia. I don't know where Tenebrae is. [ That wasn't in Georgia, she's pretty sure. And she was fairly good at geography in school. ] Are you from there?
want_to_belong: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] want_to_belong 2017-07-18 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
No problem.

[He threw her a small smile. At least he could do a little.]

Never heard of a... 'Georgia'. But I was pretty far from home, trying to get to Tenebrae. Iggy would probably know where that is.

[No doubt the man knew geography like no other. He was always a perfect student.]

You gonna be okay down there? I had a little stockpile, set to the side, if you want to take it.

[Wait, should he say that? She was going to try and start a fire, wasn't she?]

Umm... You know how to make a fire, right? [He'd be an awful parent one day.]
takeusback: (ғʀᴏᴡɴ; ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴋᴇ ᴜᴘ)

[personal profile] takeusback 2017-07-22 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Clementine frowns. Never heard of Georgia? Maybe this guy isn't from America. It sure seems like this place isn't America. Or maybe they're both actually just not good at geography.

At that question about starting a fire, she pulls a face for a moment, thinking.
] I do... sort of. Rubbing sticks together, right?

[ That's most of what she remembers. Yet again she wishes she had thought to ask Lee when she had the chance. ]
want_to_belong: (Attentive)

[personal profile] want_to_belong 2017-07-22 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, you rub'em real good until the fire starts. Least, that's what it looks like. If you can find flint, hitting metal on that works, too!

[It was about as vast as his survival skill knowledge went. He'd always pushed to get hotel rooms. It was someone else who wanted to sleep in the wild all the time.]

It might be kinda hard to do without a match or something. We're going to start a campfire, too, once I get back. You're always welcome to stop by if you want. [He shrugged with a short laugh that lacked any humor in it. He was too stressed out for that.] 'nough fire for everyone. I know Iggy wouldn't mind.

[If anything Ignis would probably insist it was their duty to protect an innocent citizen. And Prompto wouldn't argue against that here.]
takeusback: (sᴘᴇᴀᴋ; ʙᴇ ɴᴏᴛ sᴏ ғʀᴀɪʟ)

[personal profile] takeusback 2017-07-29 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
A flint? [ She's heard of that, but doesn't really know what it is, which is dumb. She should know this stuff already. ]

I like that idea. Can you show me yours first? [ Maybe after she's seen a campfire again, she'll remember how to get one started a bit better. ]
want_to_belong: (Arms folded)

[personal profile] want_to_belong 2017-07-30 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
It's like a rock. A certain kind of rock.

[He was terrible at explaining this. Wait, he knew something.]

Have you ever heard of a 'flintlock'? They used to use them in guns a lot. [He held up his gun as an example, though it wasn't that type of gun, so he pointed towards the hammer.] They'd have little piece of flint that would come down here and hit a steel pad, and the spark would ignite the powder. That's just on old guns, though.

[Hoping that made some sense, he leaned on the edge of the ship and let his gun hang limply in his hand. He doubted she would know the exact models that used that, but she might know something similar.]

Sure, I could show you. I've seen it done a million times, how hard can it be?

[Meaning he mostly watched. He really was not the professional campfire builder, but he tried to speak with confidence. Wouldn't want to look useless in front of the small girl.]

Do you think you'd be okay finding him on your own? It was kinda hard getting up here so I don't want to climb down 'til I'm done, but if you want to wait I can walk you to our spot myself.