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!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[raygunner]

[ He's a smooth operator, Akira, don't drag him.

Even Akechi knows he can't fool Kurusu--not after the last time they'd met. Not after he'd shown his hand and his whole goddamn past. Seeing him here, then... it's just a final nail in the coffin. Or, less morbidly, a slap in the face. Several slaps in the face. ]

Oh, rest assured, whatever is out there won't have much of a chance against-- [ us? you? me? ] --either of us.

[ Sure enough, there's a bit of green crystal dust on his clothes. He's been here a little while, after all. ]

[covertizer]

[ Is he? He should've let them know.

Shooting a guy in the head tends to leave an impression on both the participants. Funny that. ]

The plan was to get out unnoticed, rather than go looking for fights.

[ That, and... well. He has no weapon, but he's not going to tell Akechi that. For all the things he'd been forced to confront when they fought him, this was still the guy who would've held a gun to his head and shot him in cold blood had they not sussed him out ahead of time. ]

At least, until I know what it is I'm up against.

[raygunner]

Oh, I'm aware. But they were too persistent to shake off. Slow, though, and very fragile.

[ Akechi flicks a bit of the dust off his shoulder, and the cut there smarts a little. It's shallow, but hurts like crazy. Akechi rolls his shoulder, hopefully subtly enough Kurusu can't see. ]

They're creatures made of crystal. They certainly aren't Shadows, at least.

[covertizer]

Slow, but you couldn't outrun them?

[ He's subconsciously leaning forward to get a look at the dust on his shoulder, and please. The roll gets Akechi a slow look from shoulder to face and back again.

Hmm. ]

Well, if you came from that direction, I'm going in [ he points in the complete opposite direction ] that one.

[raygunner]

[ ... ]

I was cornered by a few of them.

[ Ughhhh. Ughhhhhhhhhhh. ]

Not a terrible idea. I assume you won't want me to join you...?

[covertizer]

[ good job ace detective. ]

... [ he could voice his opinion that from the steps he'd been hearing the monsters take, he's of the opinion they're pretty slow and would be fairly easy to outrun. But he doesn't. He hasn't actually run into any of them personally, and if he has his way, he won't at all. ]

... Honestly? I'd probably be happier keeping an eye on you.

[ The implication is there. But as much as he likes avoiding potential backstabbing, he doesn't like the idea of leaving Akechi fumbling around here alone in the dark, more. Not really. He's not needlessly cruel, after all. ]