August Intro: You Think...You Wink...You Do A Double Blink...

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: AUGUST

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr.
When: August 3rd
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Part I: Get Wrekt
You rouse to a splash of sea salt drying on your skin. A haze of glass-white sand glitters in your vision, dappled by lush palms and thick, curling foliage that disappears into a jungle of deep jade. From behind, crackling wood and sawing rope groan from a mangled life raft ran ashore. A petering wash of tide over pebbled sand fills your ears as you struggle to gain your bearings in a vast portrait of tropical color…

No...no, no, that’s not precisely how this story starts.

Why don't we start over?

You rouse to a splash of sea salt, spraying across yourself and the wooden floor beneath you as it breaks across the edge of the platform. The light as it dances across the sea is blinding, dappling white spots across your vision as you slowly come back to consciousness and realize that - this is not where you last remember being.

The middle of the ocean is likely not a place most recall being at all. As you struggle to fully comprehend the new scenario in which you have found yourself, three things become quickly apparent. The raft you find yourself upon barely constitutes as something that should float, never mind a boat. In the distance, perhaps a few hours away at most, a large island beckons to you, a wide strip of beach surrounded by cliffs making it very clear where the most fortuitous of directions shall be.

Lastly, of course, you’re not alone. Hopefully your new companion(s) are just as keen to get ashore before nightfall as you, or voyaging together will not be the most positive experience. At your side you will find a knapsack, one to every member of your raft party, and upon inspecting its contents, you will discover any rewards you may have accrued - as well as a few other items to give you a fighting chance.

A note to those who participated in the Test Drive Meme: those threads, if all parties involved would like, can be game canon in the form of dream-like memories involving a place very much like this one, though the layout is considerably different.

Part II: Choose Your Own Adventure

By fortune (or misfortune, as it were), you eventually find your feet meeting sand, blessed shore to stagger upon as you shake off your newly found sea-legs. There are those that may find this place familiar, as though it appeared in a dream, though the expanse of shore certainly seems larger. The beach stretches off into the distance on both sides, curving around sharp ridges and cliffs, mist obscuring the view the farther along it goes.

So here you are. You’ve found land. Company. Supplies. The sun is now beginning to trek rather low upon the horizon…spending the night outside in such an unfamiliar land is unappealing at best and outright dangerous at the worst.

There is one silver lining in the midst of this mess. Directly ahead, the beach curves up a gentle slope until it meets forest, some manner of building visible through the trees. Further exploration of this area will reveal a dilapidated building of sorts; the architecture is indiscernible to even the most skilled eye. Despite looking as if it has seen better days, there are areas that offer some form of shelter...and who knows what else. Just because it appears uninhabited doesn’t mean you won’t wind up pleasantly, or unpleasantly, surprised.



So what shall you do from here, traveller? There is land to be explored, strangers to meet, friends to reunite with. Supplies to inspect and plenty of questions in need of being said aloud. Choose your path, make haste, and above all else: survive. And whatever you will, take heart.

Your story is about to begin anew.

---

Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the Locations Page, which has details regarding the starting areas and a handy map for those who feel better with a bird's eye view!

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

B

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet smiles warmly at her, struck by a sudden sense of familiarity. One of those vague memories from just before the raft, perhaps- they're a bit hard to pin down, but she could swear she knows this child.]

As luck would have it, I do seem to have been given some cooking equipment- wherever these supplies came from. I'd be happy to share a meal with you, if you like.

[takeusback]

[ Clementine didn't think she'd ever be glad to see a spider monster, but she sure is and gives Muffet a smile. She definitely remembers seeing Muffet before, in that weird dream-that's-not-really-a-dream. ] I'd like that.

Um, we need a fire first though... [ She can't help wondering if Muffet can use her magic to make fire too. She did using heal magic, after all. ]

[prettypurpleparlor]

Sadly, I have no talent for fire magic- but on the bright side, the supplies did also include a small saw, so we should be able to acquire wood fairly easily. Now it's just a matter of finding a way to light it.

[takeusback]

I a bit of wood already, look. [ She indicates a fair pile of wood behind her. ] I think you're supposed to light it by rubbing two sticks together or... something. Or use a flint? But we don't have one of those, I guess.

[prettypurpleparlor]

I'm not sure if the 'rubbing sticks together' kind actually works- I've only ever seen it on television...

[She trails off thoughtfully, and then brightens up.]

Although, a thought does occur to me. My supplies included some cooking pots, along with the saw, all of which are metal and might reflect sunlight. Do you think if we set up somewhere very bright and angled them to reflect the light onto the wood just right, it might burn?

sorry this is so late!

[takeusback]

Maybe not. I saw a friend of mine do something like that, but I don't really remember...

[ The sunlight idea though. She's not sure she entirely gets it, she doesn't really remember doing anything like that in school (it was only the second grade, after all). But she's sure she's heard about that sort of thing before. ] Like people do with a magnifying glass? That could work! It is really sunny here.

No worries. :D

[prettypurpleparlor]

It certainly seems worth a try- let's find a nice flat, open area out on the beach and see if it works, shall we?

[takeusback]

Okay - how about over there? [ She points to a clear patch of sand out of the shade, but still a good way from the sea. ]

[prettypurpleparlor]

That seems like a good spot to me.

[Muffet hefts up her pack and walks over to the area, carefully clearing away any twigs and leaves until they have a clear space to work with.]

[takeusback]

[ Clementine follows close behind, taking one of her sticks to catch the flame and watching closely. ]

Have you done anything like this before?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Oh, not in quite some time- since my people had lived underground for so long, all sorts of little experiments and games involving sunlight were very popular when we first came back up, but the fashion's long since passed.

[She puts her pack on the ground and sits down beside it with her legs folded daintily, and pulls out some cooking pans. Sure enough, the bottoms are just reflective enough to aim a little sunlight.]

Now, I really only tried this trick the one time, but if you could just put a branch down there...

[She frowns thoughtfully, holding each of the three pans in one hand and tilting them around until a little beam of sunlight was focused directly at the ground.]