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.

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER RIGHT (Moon || Pokemon Sun and Moon (VG))

[holdmyhand]

[ shipwrecked. ]

[ it's been a little while since Moon washed ashore the island. She's been here and there, moving rocks, opening and closing her hand to feel the sensations, and even laying in the sand. Nothing strikes her as unusual, though all of this is incredible unfamiliar. But also familiar. Occasionally, her hands touch her hips and grasp for...pokeballs. But they're not there.

Not even for a second is she alarmed. They're still here-- she's just dreaming. No worries.

She's moved onto the clifftops, maintaining a safe distance from the edge and staring at her feet to keep them from slipping or stepping on unstable rock. The wake of the waves beneath her calls Moon to move only slightly closer, once she has a stable grasp of a nearby jutted piece of rock. The view is...long, and the sight makes her uncomfortable, but....there are planks of wood down there. Planks of wood, and the remains of a lifeboat left alone by an abusive tide.

Luna lays on the ground and looks down at them. What would she even do with something like that? If her pokemon were here, she'd have no problem getting the materials and even getting herself all situated, but...it's only her. And she certainly isn't going to get anything started by just laying her, considering her 'what-ifs' and her 'well, buts'.

She throws a leg over the side of the cliff, pressing the tip her shoe into the rocky face.

No time like the present, right? ]

...hup...yeah, that feels good. Okay! Now I just gotta...

[ she weakly throws her other foot onto the cliff until she's just visible from her top half up. ]

...o-okay. Okay! This isn't so bad! Luna, you got this!

[ ....that being said, she doesn't seem to be moving quickly any time soon... ]

[yallstupid]

[Luna gets about as far down the cliff face as touching her second foot to the stone, maybe looking back over her shoulder to gauge the distance again, before she is very suddenly and very swiftly yanked from her spot on the rocks and all but tossed up onto sturdy ground again. She may catch a glimpse of her 'savior', or a splash of red across a skull-shaped logo, but before she has any real time to react, Guzma's dragging little Moon far from the cliffside.]

Kid, I thought you were smart - what the heck you think you were doing just now?! Man, y'all really are stupid!

[He growls, setting her roughly in front of him to get a good look at her, thumbs hooked into his belt loops and head bowed to be more level with her. She looks okay, but my god, he stumbled upon her just in time. Guzma had planned on using Ariados to scale the cliffside with Golisopod. The bigger bug could haul any supplies in his thick arms, and Ariados could wrap it up in silk and carrying it back up no problem...but he never intended on finding the brat here. He's starting to think this isn't a dream (though in some instances, he wishes it was), and that frightens him all the more. The kid is a tough cracker, but she's still a kid.]

When--how the heck did you get here?! Dd y'all bring along that blondie this time, too? And the legendary pokemon? Man, I really don't know how you do it, kiddo, but I'm starting to think you got some kinda problem following me everywhere.

[holdmyhand]

[ she loses her grip on the rock and shuts her eyes as the world moves around her-- strong hands lift up her eleven year old frame and it isn't until she hears his voice that her eyes open and she tries to get a glimpse of her, uh...savior.

Savior? ]

...uh. Guzma? [ she seems confused as well-- opening and closing her hands and frowning at his words!! She puts her foot down with an almost indiscernible wobble-dee-wobble!! Stupid? ]

There's stuff down there! And it's not going to get itself! [ she points toward the cliff defiantly, though..she doesn't start walking back. Why'd he come and save her? That's weird. You're weird, Guzma. ] And I wasn't following you! I, um...I think. And my pokemon aren't here. And...I haven't seen Lillie either.

[ when she says it outloud, it seems to be more impactful, She presses her hand against her hip-- no pokeballs. That's, uh. That's nervewracking. I mean, they're obviously safe, and outside of the dream, and...a-and. Yes. That is obviously what's happening. ]

What are you doing here?

[yallstupid]

[He watches, and listens, taking in her words before he cuts her off in between. There's something therein that has piqued his interest and startles (not scares, he's scared of only one thing now) him a bit. She...doesn't have her pokemon? His eyes snap to her hip and back, like he doesn't really believe her. That's--]

...None of them? [He pokemon, he means.] You...y-you ain't got none of them?

[That's terrible. At least he got to keep two, but then again, where Guzma puts his pokeballs is a little more secure. They're tucked inside a zipped up pocket on the inside of his hoodie at all times. Luna keeps her on her hip, out in the open, If she washed up here, then yeah...there's a high chance they were washed away somewhere.

He feels sick at the thought, and it makes Guzma even more aware he's still missing three of his.]

And you thought... [He closes his eyes, turning his head away to breathe out, slowly.] You thought throwing yourself off a dang cliff for heck knows what is more important than looking for 'em? ...Man, and here I thought you were a good trainer.

[holdmyhand]

[ her eyes open a little more as that familiar twinge of anger curls through her fingertips and around her chest. ]

But I-- I wasn't throwing myself off the cliff! [ she points to the cliff in question!! angrily!! ] They might be down there-- there's wood down there for sure, but I won't know anything if I just sit up here and don't do anything!

[ the nerve of some people, man. here I though you were a good trainer. She's not throwing her life away, but...they could be down there. even if just one was down there-- they would certainly risk it all to keep Luna safe. It feels wrong to just stand here-- saying that out loud makes her legs itch for movement. ]

[yallstupid]

[GUzma growls softly, his jaw tight and his teeth clench and grind together. Stupid kid...stupid, stupid kid--!]

And if you fell?! If you fell and hurt yourself, you think your pokemon wanna see that when you release 'em?! You think the first thing they wanna see is y'all bloodied up and bruised, you brainless pipsqueak?! [It's half the reason why he hasn't torn up every tree and rock to try and find his own missing pokemon. Why Guzma hasn't dove headfirst back into the water to scour the goddamn seafloor for his missing pokemon. They're here...they have to be here somewhere.] ...I'll have Ariados go down n'look, she can climb that wall better'n both of us.

And if they're not there, we can look somewhere else.

[holdmyhand]

That wouldn't-- we??

[ forgive her if she's slightly incredulous. The anger softens on her face. He has his pokemon. They're here-- so where are hers? Where's Incineroar-- where's Ninetails? Cutiefly? Wailord? ...Solgaleo?

She's concerned. And one look at her face reveals that concern in all it's colors. But before she can dwell, she nods a little bit-- he's the best chance she's got at finding her team here on this island. ]

Okay...okay. [ her hand hangs loosely on her other arm and she sheepishly stares at the ground. This is not among her best ideas-- in fact, part of her things that climbing down the side of the cliff may have been a better plan, but he's right. If something happened to her, and her pokemon saw it, then surely they would feel responsible. But she needs to be responsible, first. ]

[yallstupid]

[Guzma grunts, sifting through his hoodie angrily for Ariados' ball.]

Yeah, we. After a stunt like that, y'all expect me to let you go roaming on your own? Nah, brat, you're stuck with me now, so get used to it.

[He snarls, too blinded by his growing frustration and his own panic that he can't really find his empathy. Besides that, Luna is...well, she's still quite a thorn in his side. It's only been what, a few minutes after he battled her on the beach? After he gave her his dawn stone - she better still have it - and made a promise to test his strength the next time they fight. He's still bitter, still resentful, to an extent, but he understands. He does understand how much it burns to lose your more treasured and valuable friends, your partners, your family.

Ariados is released from her ball, and she blinks at Luna then rears up her abdomen, preparing for a battle like always, but Guzma's large hand settles between the two singers on her rump.]

No battling today, darlin', I--...we need your help. Can y'all climb down that cliff and see if there's any pokeballs down there in that wreck? I need you to bring 'em back up here, too. Can you do that? [Ariados nods her head, clicking her fangs together. Heck yeah's got this!! C8< Guzma crouches down into a squatting position easily, and tickles under her chin.] That's my girl, go on now.

[And off Ariados goes, scurrying down the cliff without a care in the world.] Give her a few minutes - knowing that gal, she's gonna turn over every dang plank.

[holdmyhand]

[ their exchange does good things for Luna's worried complexion. Ariados hurries down the cliff to fulfill his request, and Guzma's reassurances are surprisingly calming. She follows Ariados as much as she can without feeling the stinging glare of the former Skull boss on her shoulder blades, and waits hopefully with her hands clasped around each other tightly.

We.

It's funny, how through everything it's mostly been other people relying on Luna for help-- which she's never minded, of course, but...when the tables have turned, and Luna needs help, it's one of the people she least expects. That's ironic, isn't it? She looks back at Guzma with as big of a smile as she can muster. ]

Thanks, for this. [ she lets go of her hands to try and relax but...the chance that even one of her partners could be found down there is... ]

Have you been here for a while? Where is everyone? And...I haven't seen any pokemon around here at all. Are they all hiding?

Re: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER RIGHT (Moon || Pokemon Sun and Moon (VG))

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Hopefully moving slowly means she won't get too startled when she hears someone call up from the beach:]

Do you need some help up there? I can throw you a line.

[Seems like Muffet got a little concerned, seeing her climb down. How do humans even manage with so few hands?]

[holdmyhand]

A line--

[ she turns her head to look down at where the voice is coming from and-- and is that a giant purple ariados? Wearing clothes? Speaking an understandable language?

She grips the rocks a little harder and tries to look more. ]

Um!! Do you have an extra? [ her eyes drift downwards-- dang that is a sharp drop-- and she turns to stare up at the sky instead. Why did she look down? This is a terrible idea. What a terrible idea. ]

[prettypurpleparlor]

Here, dearie, try this!

[A long line of gleaming purple thread is cast up, and attaches itself to the cliff beside her.]

[Use it to climb down? Y/N]

[holdmyhand]

[ WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!?!

Luna stares at the line-- it sticks to the wall effortlessly, and a soft tug proves that it's not going to just fall off. But...the purple ariados seems nice. And well dressed, from what she can see. And... maybe it would be faster from down there to get to the wreckage? This seems like a bad idea, but...not a horrible one.

She pulls her cap off and holds it between her teeth (if it flew away after having worn it through her whole alolan adventure, that would be quite devastating to lose it now. Her hand touches the threads, and they're smooth to the touch, but..sticky? Is this a web? Is this a real web? Luna lets go quickly and stares at the line. Excuse? Pardon? ]

Is it okay? I won't be too heavy? [ Luna glances at Muffet curiously!! ]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet shakes her head, and calls up:]

Spider's silk is quite strong, it should hold your weight well enough.

[holdmyhand]

Okay! Then... [ she grips the solid line again, and then works her way down-- arm strength is not one of her best qualities, and each wobble of the line makes her heart race faster than it had while she was still attached to the cliff itself.

Eventually, however, she works her way down and into the ground, which gosh darnit she could just smooch indefinitely. That was an experience. Wowie. Good stuff. Great experience. Nice and done and never again, hopefully. ]

Thank you.. [ she stands up straight and adjusts her hat back on her head-- back where it belongs. ] Thank you so much! I app--appreciate it..!!

[ Muffet is definitely not a, erm, a human. But she doesn't look like any pokemon that Luna has ever seen before. She feels rude staring, but...swift glances help her identify the woman (?) that saved her from potentially falling off the cliff. ]

I'm, I'm sorry. I've never met anyone like you before.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet claps cheerfully at the girl's success.]

Ah, it was no trouble. Humans often seem to find me a little strange at first, but that's only fair- they're rather strange to me. Somehow, we all seem to manage.

-Oh, I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Muffet. May I ask yours?

[holdmyhand]

Ah! Okay! I'm sorry! [ she can't help but apologize-- that must have been pretty rude of her. With a comfortable draw, she extends her arm out to Muffet. ]

Muffet...it's nice to meet you! Thank you for helping me! My name is Luna!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT EVEN REMOTELY LATE

[50shadesofburaza]

[He remembers Jyushimatsu telling them about that girl he met. Up on the cliff that one time- and yeah. He hadn't exactly spelled out what he'd been feeling at the time, but Karamatsu wasn't a stranger to things such as emotions, what it was like to hide them away. Even without explaining how he'd felt, the fact that he stayed on the shore, swinging his bat over and over and over...that said enough.

She's not exactly the beautiful maiden of Jyushimatsu's story though. It's just a kid, and that sure is a cliff- but she's not looking to take a leap of faith, or anything. She's just trying to climb down. That's fine. Maybe she's an expert climber, who knows precisely what it is she's doing. Yes. Karamatsu needn't interfere at all.

Yeah.


Nah. Nah, he actually has to do something here. There's being a NEET and then there's whatever you are when you see a kid about to meet a bad end without doing a thing to stop them, and with a crunch of gravel inches away from her hands, he's not going to be that guy. Damn it.]

Oi. That doesn't look very safe.

BUT I WANTED TO BE HERE ON OPENING DAY AND I MISSED IT

[holdmyhand]

[ she jumps a bit at his voice and hugs herself closer to the edge of the cliff-- or as close as she can. Feet are stabilized and she's completely safe and good and safe. And scared. But mostly okay. ]

Al...ola? [ his, uh, attire? She tilts her head curiously from the ground. ] Are you a member of Team Skull? Oh! And I'm okay, thanks! Just gotta get down there. There's a lifeboat, I think!

[ eyes glance downwards! And then shoot back up! That!! Is a long drop!! Oh my goodness!! ]

OPENING DAY SCHMOPENING DAY YOU'RE HERE! NOW!!!

[50shadesofburaza]

[CAN HIS VERY PRESENCE PLEASE NOT MURDER A SMALL CHILD THAT'D BE GREAT THANKS????]

A-ah! How about we find another way down, huh? [He lurches forwards, hands hovering as his voice takes on an anxious, high pitched sweetness that is absolutely fake. Kid if he kills you how is he going to make anyone think he's cool here-] We can always try swimming over from the beach, doesn't that sound safer?



[He has no idea what she's even talking about past that. Does he look like some kind of gangster?????]

/LAYS DOWN HERE!!! OK OK!!!

[holdmyhand]

[ she doesn't flinch when he comes closer-- he doesn't seem like a bad guy, and...er, well-- maybe swimming might be a better idea. Even though her swimming abilities aren't...great?

The way he's hovering makes her a little uneasy, though. She reaches out and touches his hand, and then grasps it. ] O-okay, then... okay!

[ she lifts a tiny leg over the side of the cliff and crawls back up onto safety!! Yay! ]

SHE'S SUCH A GOOD GIRL..,JUST LIKE YOU ;A;///

[50shadesofburaza]

[Ahh... Akatsuka-sama, you're smiling upon him this day.

She's so tiny it's really nothing to hold himself steady as she climbs back up, slowly (and quietly) exhaling once the danger has passed. Okay. Good. Excellent. Now he just has to keep to his word and hike all the way back down to the beach, go swimming, and collect whatever shitty scraps are left from that waterlogged wreckage.

He's changed his mind she can climb.]

Good, that's good...

[Whatever. He can roll with this; letting her go and getting back to his feet, adjusting his glasses.]

The real adventure is discovering the right road to take. Heh. And our adventure...is that way.

[Literally the opposite direction of this cliff.]

HJKSHKWFKJWF YOU STOP THIS SLANDER ;////; /LAYS DOWN FOREVER

[holdmyhand]

[ he points so confidently-- so assuringly, in a way, and Luna can't help but brighten up considerably. A good guy. Probably. She stands beside him, a sidekick, ready for adventure!!

Whatever that may be!! ]

Wow! You know for sure?! [ SO IMPRESSED!!! ] Have you been here for long? I just washed up a couple hours ago...

NEVER >T FIGHT ME!!!!

[50shadesofburaza]

[Oh no she's cute.

He's never really dealt with kids before. Turns out they're- they aren't terrible, at least. Karamatsu clears his throat, squaring his shoulders proudly. He must be the man in this situation. This little girl believes in him!]

Heh, of course. Can you not feel it, pulling us in? Lady Luck is smiling down on us.

[And just so she knows he's! Absolutely positive!! He'll even lead the way.]

Ah...me too.

You came here alone?

>:C /P-PUTS UP FISTS!!!!!

[holdmyhand]

Yes! But only on accident... [ a worried glance is cast toward the sharp cliff of torture and quick death. ] I had some friends with me, and I didn't have them with me. There are six of them!

[ she's so eager to tell him about it that she follows behind him closely!! ] I thought that one of them may have been down there, so I was going to go and look at it. But...you're right! At least we found each other, right? [ she pumps her fists next to her body. ] And if I found you, then I'm sure that I'll find them quickly, too!

And, um, I'm Luna! [ she looks at his face-- those sunglasses are cool af. ]