TEST DRIVE MEME ( 005 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #5

Hello, and welcome to LifeAftr! 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 November 17th and that Applications will open on November 24th!

Two important notes:

1. LifeAFtr's test drives take place on the island of Mu, which 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, largely in the form of test drive reward items.

All That Glitters
The caves deep beneath the island's surface are not dimly lit; in fact, they practically sparkle with a strange, unearthly greenish light. Blame it on the crystalline growths that protrude plentifully from every nook and cranny, stalactites and stalagmites alike.

Their glow might be soothing to some, and viscerally terrifying to others, but one thing remains absolutely certain: based on the creaking, groaning noises of shifting rock and the high-pitched tinkle of breaking shards of crystal...

You aren't alone down here. The deeper in you venture, the more the thicker clusters of the things begin to move. And eventually, it will become plain to you that it isn't the crystal at all that's moving, but rather the thing inside of it - something vaguely humanoid shaped, bipedal, with arms and legs and the dull, pale glimmers in the region of what might almost pass for a face.

Formed entirely from crystal.

Upon spotting a living creature, each of them will begin to lurch closer and closer, arms outstretched. Every one is slow and cumbersome and even fragile enough to be smashed, if you dare venture close enough. But once they've trapped you, there is no escaping whatever fate they have in store for you.

And rest assured, it is not a pleasant one.

[The above prompt is a version of our Crystal Clear event from October! Feel free to give the event write-up a read for more information.]

It's High Tide
When you initially wake on the beaches of this strange island with its bleeding, dreamlike edges, you might notice that something seems deeply amiss...something like the fact that you're lying in a whole mess of seawater. Assuming you're not thoroughly soaked already, you'd better figure out a way to get to high ground, because the water level is rising very rapidly. Pretty soon, there might not be anywhere safe to go besides the trees, and even those might not be safe the longer this goes on.

Fortunately for you, if you can find them quickly enough, the island of Mu has helpfully provided some assistance for those who don't feel like doggy-paddling for the duration of the dream. Better hurry and hang onto them before you drown! Unless you'd rather doggy-paddle the whole way out, that is. In which case, we're sure the water feels great.

A Crappy Endeavor
In your travels on this strange new land, you might start to notice something following you. Something...oddly shaped, like a lot of dirt and clay that's consolidated into one great awkward moving lump of a creature. What lies beneath is far more like the common beetle...just much, much larger. And unfortunately for everyone involved, they have a very specific appetite:

Your poop.

Mu has produced a very close approximation of the creatures known as f'rshaymes, animals that go beyond merely being useful for disposing of all that nasty waste. Doiing so comes with significant benefits, as the combined process of mud and excrement as it goes through a F'rshayme's digestive system leaves behind pure clay for the...brave.

Often found in small herds of six to eight individuals, f'rshaymes are extremely docile and would be very easy to turn into a herd of your very own. How nice!

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[unpurify]

And if it spreads?

[Someone's clearly not an optimist.]

[esper_magic]

[ Oh! She forgot to show him what the seals looked like. She draws her sword from its sheathe, aiming the point at the ground. ]

Um, and the sigils... looked like this .. most of them were behind crystals when we destroyed them. [ She carefully drew her sword through the sand to make the sigil from memory. ]

I've lost count of how many we came across though. I think we destroyed them all... I Hope. At least, enough to allow the Storyteller to retrieve everyone. [ She blinked. ]

The.. the last bit? Do you mean the part about the mana pools..?

All That Glitters

[shineinside]

[ This wasn't the most welcoming place to find herself, and those crystal things... well, they seemed a little familiar, but something about them reeked of disaster, even beyond their monstrous appearance. The Imaginaerium, this was not, but a dungeon is still a dungeon.

Even having given them the slip for the moment, she didn't start to feel safer until she saw another person. If this was a nightmare, at least it wasn't one she had to face alone. ]

Excuse me!

[ Here she comes - judging by the outfit, definitely some kind of magical girl. Or just thoroughly overdressed for a spelunking expedition, if you're not familiar with the tropes. ]

Are you hurt? It's not safe here!

A

[shineinside]

[ By now, Yuka's starting to get used to this place - weird as it is, fighting monsters in underground labyrinths isn't exactly unfamiliar territory.

She reacts quickly at Keith's warning, crouching down in the alcove next to him. ]

More of those monsters?

Yuka Ichijou | OC

[shineinside]

All that Glitters

[ Monsters. Even by Imaginaerium standards, there's something unpleasant about these ones. They don't seem to be here to fight, so much as to mindlessly, relentlessly hunt anything they can find. It's not like anything Reflector Shine's fought before. They aren't so fast, but sometimes they come in big enough swarms to cut off escape routes through sheer numbers. Escaping isn't always easy...

...but right when it looks like you're about to get overwhelmed, you suddenly feel a rush of energy flooding your body. You're stronger, faster than normal - hopefully enough to escape or fight back .]

These things are too dangerous! Just focus on getting out of there for now!

[ The source of the energy is a nearby elaborately-dressed girl, her body glowing as she channels her power to enhance the physical attributes of anyone in need of a boost. Unfortunately, she can't move while using enhancement magic, and if she stays put, soon she'll be the one in danger of being overwhelmed... ]


High Tide

[ Well. It looks dumb, but now isn't really the time to be picky, is it?

By the time the tide is flooding most of the countryside, Yuka is persistently paddling around the area on a goofy-looking floatation device, looking for anyone who isn't so lucky to have found something to float on. Or anyone else at all, really.

In case anyone's drowning, she's brought with her a second floaty-swan. Need a hand? Or a life raft with a stupid face on it? ]


Wildcard

[ Make something up! Or plot something with me at ProfessorProf! ]

[[Character basics - magical girl who punches people's personal problems into oblivion in the dream dimension. Tiny, comes equipped with healing magic and stat buff magic and is pretty tough in a fist fight. She'll be transformed in all threads unless you catch her right as she arrives - un-transformed, she's close to a foot taller and looks distinctly masculine.]]

[creditless]

... well, I suppose you wouldn't know how oceans work.

[creditless]

Besides! If the storyteller is so invested in our survival, they won't do a party wipe.

[unpurify]

[They're the one that chucked everyone down there. Although they probably didn't know what would happen.]

We'll see.

[If not...well, he's still here.]

[covertizer]

[ Oh. Is he going to be punished in the name of the moon?

He holds his finger up to his lips -- listen. You can hear those things moving around nearby. He's been doing alright using the shadows thrown up from the uneven crystal walls and the unnatural lighting in this place, but with another person now suddenly in the mix... ]

They'll hear you.

... Don't tell me there are more where you came from?

[ oh good ]

[creditless]

You sound so determined for a cause to keep doing what you do that you almost want the infection to grow.

[shineinside]

[ She nods, and lowers her voice. Can those things even hear without ears? They're finding people somehow, though, so probably best not to risk it. ]

They're all over the place. I've been trying to find a way out, but so far, nothing.

[unpurify]

There is no point in my existence otherwise.

[You know, besides his Puppeteer having a laugh.]

[creditless]

[ He lays back against his backpack. On the ground. ]

Correction, there wasn't before. You were hard programmed to do what you had to no matter if the puppeteer found disgust in your actions or saw them to the end.

You're free now. You're basically an infant.

And one of the first things they teach a child is that you don't hope for cruelty for others for your own gain.

[creditless]

[ Oh my god, she's adorable. Humans outside of the game could be so sweet and non-disturbing as if they were built that way! He's thoroughly entertained, and will pull out the whole showmanship act. ]

Well, this, my lady-- [ He gestures to the one he laid out before her. ] Is a cure all to end all. Sickness, that is! Pain, injury, internal bleeding, external bleeding, all you need is to drink it and your pain will go away as your body patches itself up. It's truly amazing! Though the bottle is a single dosage, it's worth it for that time when you're in a nick of trouble and need to be at full health to get away!

And today--

[ false drumroll ]

It's free!

[unpurify]

It is not for my own gain.

[It never was. The Batter didn't embark on this mission because he thought himself better then others. He did it because there was no choice. It was the last option left.

If you love something dearly, it's better to let them go rather then watch them suffer. It always was and always will be.]

And it is not a cruelty.

[thermalwind]

Interesting isn't the way I'd put it.

[The topic of names gets dropped. Whatever is bothering the guy he isn't about to ask. Keith leads the way, checking behind him as he adjusts his pack.]

Only thing I've seen so far is this place looks like its being flooded. If you see a really weird looking white float, grab it. Can't hurt to lug it along.

[creditless]

Two lessons from me, for free: both of those are lies.

You were the only one who wanted it, aside from your puppeteer, who downloaded and booted up the game because they wanted to see your story, not just guide you on genocide.

Death is the worst cruelty. And you should know, my dear Batter, because you tasted it before you came here.

... am I right?

[ungrieved]

[He’s a not-dead, not-alive anomaly of a guy at the moment; “interesting” is definitely what he meant. He surveys the other guy briefly with eyebrows lifted, attempting to scrutinize and discern the age of Keith here. He’d guess something similar to Gabe’s own. Or, you know, Gabe’s apparent age of seventeen or so. Give or take the sixteen of those years he spent dead.]

Can you swim? [He snaps it out abruptly, like it’s a challenge.]

[unpurify]

My death is inconsequential.

[If you wanted to pick a death that had an impact on him Zacharie, you should pick more wisely. The Batter always knew he was going to die. When it came to that moment he would, either by the Judge's paw or by his own hands when he flicked the switch OFF, it didn't matter.

One way or another, the Batter would be the last person to die.]

[creditless]

What you find inconsequential is abnormal. It was built into you, defectively.

Not by your god. By your creator. They are not the same.

You, my dear Batter, are broken yourself. You do not have the substance of a man either sane or not, though you are fully equipped to utilize them. Your strings are cut. You are out of the script your creator made.

You are free.

And you can fix yourself to be... ah, what was the word? Pure.

[thermalwind]

No. The...clucks. [He pauses, his words a bit stilted. Wait she'd drawn on the ground. He draws his own knife and copies the symbol in the sand. He'll remember it.]

[covertizer]

Great.

[ But It Was Not Great.

He motions with a hand, trying to get her to back up against the wall as well. At least there can be no sneak attacks if their backs are covered, in theory.]

Did you come from deeper in the cavern or closer to the surface?

[covertizer]

[ Well this wasn't what he expected when he rounded that corner. He's been trying to stealth his way through most of the cavern, and aside from the odd hair-raising 'run for your life' moment he's made it this far.

But this is how he meets his end. Axe murder.

He steps back, hands automatically raising in a "I surrender" position. ]

I come in peace.

[shineinside]

[ Good plan, stranger. She joins him against the wall, keeping an eye out for monsters. ]

I think this is the highest point I've found, but it's hard to be sure without knowing the layout. What about you?

[unpurify]

[Hugo.

Talk about something he didn't want to talk about.]

I am fine.

[He's fine. There's nothing more to find within the Batter, no secrets beyond those he didn't want to dig up. There's nothing wrong with his heart.

He's fine.]