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

[ishotyouuu]

It might not have purely been for her, but Tibia knows a taunt when she sees one. She glares daggers at the puppetmaster controlling the slimes-- not exactly as powerful as a Leer attack, but it's as fearsome as a baby Cubone can make it-- before twirling expertly on one foot, lashing her tail out to deal a hefty blow to a slime that has taken the opportunity to creep up on her.

She turns toward Guzma, cocking her head quizzically at the man's instructions to his Pokemon. She might not know what Guzma's talking about, but Wade does, and his worry over Tibia's well-being is momentarily drowned out by a growing excitement. If she could pull this off...

Wade cups his hands around his mouth and shouts to his baby Cubone. "Fastball Special, Tibs!"

It's like a light going on in her head. Tibia's confused expression snaps into something hard and determined. She turns to Goli and offers him a nod, raising her arms in very much the same way a child would to indicate they wanted to be picked up. Ready when you are, bug friend.

[yallstupid]

You know what's great about status moves like Leer, Growl, and Tail Whip? They effect all opponents on the battlefield. The slime Tibia took out takes that blow and the others seem to lose a bit of their nerve as well - a good defense drop, one stage is still something, and it may work in their favor... Guzma does wish she had Focus Energy, that'd make his plan so much better, a critical hit Bone Club, even from a tiny thing like her, can do some work, but alas...he'll bring it up later.

For now, it's time to play ball, and Golisopod scoops up the darling Cubone into one of his shovel-like arms, cupping her carefully like a pitcher would a well-loved baseball. His meaty claws are like any glove, and when Guzma gives the instruction to toss, he hurls the little pokemon right at...not a slime, but the conductor of this crazy orchestra.

"Bone Club, now!" The timing has to be perfect. If she misses, or doesn't clobber that asshole right between the eyes, then they have to try again, an strategy like this will be near impossible. Thankfully, Guzma's got years of tournament practice under his belt, and Tibia is a good, gutsy pokemon. He has the utmost faith in her.

[ishotyouuu]

There can be no margin for error here. If Goli's aim is just the slightest bit off, if Tibia falters for just a split second-- the plan won't work, and the little Cubone stands a chance of being grievously hurt or worse. Despite all appearances, Wade's heart is in his throat even as his hand strays to the holster at his belt, ready to pop the conductor in the eyes if anything goes awry. It's cheating, but when it comes to his little girl, he's willing to sell his soul if it'd ensure her safety.

Fortunately, he doesn't have to do a thing. Guzma's faith in the plucky little Pokemon is entirely well-founded.

Tibia bunches up her legs within Goli's gigantic claw, and when he's given the order to toss, she increases the momentum by pushing just at the right moment, sailing gracefully through the air as if she'd been born with wings. The puppetmaster, entranced in the chaos of his own making, has enough time to glance over at the tiny brown blur of death rocketing toward him, and although his expression is obscured by the mask, everyone present has the pleasure of seeing his body go slack with shock.

Her eyes shining with exhilaration, Tibia raises her bone club above her head with both arms as she closes the distance to her quarry, letting out a loud battle cry as she brings her weapon down:

"Cu-BONE!"

The club strikes the conductor between the eyes with brutal, punishing force, amplified by the velocity of Tibia's flight. A violent shiver runs through his body, and if this had been a cartoon, Wade's sure he would be able to see the creature's eyes crossed out with comical Xs. The Boogieman remains standing for only a few seconds more before sinking to the ground like a sack of wet cement, his power over the slimes fading along with his consciousness. Freed from their thrall, the slimes lose cohesion as well, melting slowly into the sands before disappearing altogether.

Wade doesn't realize he's shouting with excitement until he finds himself gripping Guzma's shoulders, his eyes riveted to the sight of his tiny warrior as she picks herself up from where she's fallen awkwardly onto the beach.

"YES! Holy shit did you see that? Motherfucker got iced! Ahahahaha!"

[yallstupid]

The scene unfolds in a matter of seconds, and Guzma's holding his breath the whole time. He, too, was reaching for his second pokeball, to up the odds by bringing in Ariados if all else fails - a third member of the party may even the odds a bit - but it's not even necessary. Everything falls into place, and he's so damn proud of the little thing. It was all her, all them, and his heart soars when that satisfying crack echoes over the open air, the force of her hit sending tiny shards of bone and bits of the dude's mask flying. What a hit, what a great hit.

The slimes are gone, they've won, and Guzma would be astonished if the tiny thing didn't gain a boatload of experience from all that, but who the hell cares right now? He's held back from racing to the two pokemon to congratulate them - how could he not after such a great finish to a tough fight like that? They deserve all the praise he could lavish on them. Maybe even a rare rainbow pokebean each for being so darn awesome.

But Guzma doesn't move other than to swing an arm around Wade's shoulders and cackle loudly, the wide grin on his face triumphant and massive.

"My man, your Cubone was lit! Never seen a li'l thing put the beat down on anyone like that! Yo, you gotta let me train with her again, for real!" He punches Wade affectionately in the arm, then releases him to go on over to the two pokemon, clapping Golisopod - who was helping Tibia up from her spill, and picking off the sand from her fur - on his hard shell and hugging his this neck. "Brooo!! Nice toss, Goli, you were sick as, hahaha! C'mere, both of you, I got a treat to celebrate."

TREAT?? +__+ Golisopod suddenly perks up, his antennae twitching as his tongue slithers out from his mouth and he swallows hard. At soon as his trainer begins reaching into his hoodie pocket, and he can hear the familiar crinkle of the bag of pokebeans, Golisopod rumbles loudly, spindly arms reaching and gripping at Guzma's clothes to get to the bag of snacks.

"Hey, no--c'mon!! LADIES FIRST, HOMEBOY!"

[ishotyouuu]

It's been a while since he's been engaged in a bro-hug like this. It reminds him of the first time he met Jesse back in Haven; how they'd fought through the tunnel full of monsters for the first time-- Jesse's first, not Wade's-- and emerged victorious and triumphant into the northern section of town. He remembered how jubilant Jesse had been then; how the desolation of Haven hadn't yet bogged him down.

There's a sharp pain in his chest, and for a few seconds he finds himself honestly struggling with a sudden crazy desire to hug Guzma for real; to feel even a pale facsimile of what he'd had with Jesse. Then the younger man has parted from him with a punch on the arm, and Wade watches him close the distance between them and the two Pokemon with a strangely wistful feeling.

Tibia, meanwhile, glances at Guzma and then at Goli, noting the almost comical way the larger Pokemon reacts to the word "treat". As the man pushes the overexcited insect away, Tibia takes a step forward, eyes filled with curiosity and a tentative sort of eagerness. She's fully aware of what "treat" means, of course, and if it's something that gets this sort of reaction out of the normally stoic Golisopod, then it's definitely something she wants to investigate.

[yallstupid]

Guzma doesn't seem to notice, sadly, that his partner in crime there wasn't feeling as jovial as he was. A victory is means to celebrate, and after so many loses in the past, back on Alola, Guzma will take any sort of win he can get. And this? This was aces - not only did they beat down their opponent, but he did it with a low level Cubone to boot, one that didn't belong to him, and a type of pokemon he's not at all familiar with. That's got to say something about his skill.

Guzma braces Golisopod's face away from him with a a large hand, and the pokemon whines and complains with a loud, throaty growl, but Tibia gets her treat first, as promised. It's a pokebean, and indeed rainbow colored. The shape is exactly like that of perhaps a jelly bean, and the tasty and chew will be similar, but they're much larger than just the size of someone's finger nail. Or no, these beans can easily fit in Guzma's palm - perhaps two inches in length - and he hands it to Tibia first, then finally gives one to Golisopod.

"Tch, you needa control yourself, homeboy, I told you tons'a times already, yeah? Ladies first - you do the same thing with Masqurain and Ariados, y'big glutton. Next time I'm letting Masquerain Air Slash you...didn't like it last time did you?"

No... ._. Golisopod grumbles, but seems pleased to get his bean, holding it in his noodly legs and chewing greedily. Nyam, nyam, nyam. ♥

[ishotyouuu]

It's clear that Guzma has a special relationship with this oversized insect. It sort of reminds him of those zookeepers or caretakers in those animal preserves, who were able to tease and roughhouse with otherwise dangerous big cats without fear of being injured. It's kind of adorable, is what it is, and Wade finds himself looking on almost affectionately. It's like the relationship he has with Tibia, really, and he wonders whether Guzma had had his Pokemon since its hatching as well.

Tibia, for her part, holds the bean she's been given tightly in her claws, watching as Golisopod digs in with unbridled enthusiasm. Hesitantly she brings the brightly colored bean to her mouth, chewing slowly and thoughtfully, her eyes widening with delight as the taste spreads over her tongue. She hums while she chews, little chirpy trills of sound she'd make whenever she was eating something particularly good, and when the bean was completely devoured she gives Guzma her best eye-smile, tapping her claws together in the sign for more.

Wade, watching this, can't help but chuckle affectionately at his little girl. "Hey Mikey, she likes it."

[yallstupid]

Wade would be pretty close in assuming that, actually. While not a hatchling, Guzma had the big guy here since they were both pretty small - meaning when he was just a child, and when Golisopod was still in his pre-evolved state; the cowardly little Wimpod he raised and trained with utmost care and affection into the large, powerful, and equally loyal Golisopod he is now. They're been together for close to two decades now.

They're practically brothers.

Hence why when Guzma looks back - excuse, what did you call him? - he's been roughhousing with his pokemon a bit, sunglasses slightly askew and hair ruffled more than usual.

"Name's Guzma, homie, and m'fraid I can only give out one Rainbow bean a piece... Ain't got 'nuff of those to go 'round. Less ya girl there don't mind a plain bean?" Rainbow beans are rare, but plain colored beans come in droves. It won't be as delightfully tasty as a rainbow bean, but still a nice snack.

[ishotyouuu]

Wade doesn't seem particularly bothered that Guzma doesn't get his reference-- people rarely do. Either that, or they don't want to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it.

"Nice to make yer acquaintance, Guzma. Name's Wade. An' you're obviously already well acquainted with Tibia over there. Say hi, Tibs."

It's a formality by this point, but Tibia gives Guzma her best eye-smile, claws already working to sign out a greeting.

Hello G-U-Z-M-A. I like you.

Wade grins down at her."Think you might've made a friend there, dude."

[yallstupid]

Wade, huh? That's definitely not the name Guzma would have come up with when looking at this walking stop sign. He returns Golisopod back to its pokeball to rest up, then squats down to be more level to the itty-bitty Cubone. Ah, here we go again, he narrows his eyes, screwing up his face as she signs at him again. He...doesn't know anything of what she said, but apparently it was good? I guess??

He grins, chuckling softly and tilting his head to one side. "That right? Well, gotta say I ain't never met a Cubone with more moxie than this one right 'ere...so I guess the feeling's mutual, yeah?" He scritches under Tibia's chin, then stands up again. "Y'ever need someone to teach you the ropes, homie, come look me up. The girl's tough, but ain't been properly trained for battles...but dang does she have a knack for 'em. Ain't never seen a lot-level like that totally beat down on someone. It was sick as, bro."

He is being entirely sincere here. That was DOPE AF.

[ishotyouuu]

Tibia offers a little trill of pleasure, briefly clasping his fingers in her claws before he pulls away from her, and moves to stand beside her human father. Wade smiles warmly down at the exchange before raising his eyes to the younger man's, his expression lightening when he realizes what exactly Guzma is offering.

"Think I might take you up on that, duderino. I mean, if she can pull stunts like that after only a day of takin' orders from you, then she'd definitely do well with a teacher. Plus... y'know." He ducks his head slightly, looking a little embarrassed.

"You could probably teach me a thing or two about training. I-If that's okay with you, I mean."