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!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

RAFT #1 - WEISS SCHNEE, JACK FOLEY, YREL

[lifeaftr_mods]

Weiss will find that her knapsack contains a pack of salted meat, a hammer, flint and tinder, and a shaving razor.

Jack will find that his knapsack contains a spaghetti and meat sauce MRE, a hatchet, a blanket, and a bar of soap.

Yrel will find that her knapsack contains a sack of flour, a multi-tool, a sewing kit, and a first aid kit.

[whiteas]

[ As the first to wake up, Weiss would probably be the cause of the others two's awakening. Mostly because the last she remembered, she had been stowed away in the cargo bay of an airship. Naturally, waking up in the water with an older gentleman and a goat demon of some kind (look, faunus had features but not that many features, it gave her a start) is going to result in a very quick but loud yelp and backing up. Quite luckily, being the smallest person on the raft means that it didn't much ruin the balance of the floating, rickety-looking pseudo-boat more than a quick bounce.

She knew they'd be flying over water at some point, but she definitely didn't remember the other two. A quick touch of the head and patting around and she was fairly certain she hadn't hit her head, so no concussion? Or maybe a concussion. She's really not sure. And where is her suitcase? The huge sapphire on her bolero and the matching ones on her earrings were still there so robbery wasn't likely, but that didn't make her more comfortable about a suitcase full of her extra clothing and dust being missing. And who are these people and whose knapsack--

Three knapsacks, three people. Is this some kind of weird kidnapping game? ]

This is not acceptable.

RAFT #2 - REN, THE KID, LAURENT

[lifeaftr_mods]

Ren will find that her knapsack contains a jar of baking soda, a multi-tool, a coil of rope, and a toothbrush.

The Kid will find that his knapsack contains a jar of baking soda, a wood saw, a set of small tin pots, and a bar of soap.

Laurent will find that his knapsack contains a sack of rice, a wood saw, a coil of rope, and a shaving razor.

[crosslaced]

[There is a soft wind against the side of his head. So this is what death is like; the otherworldly sensation of swaying, swaying, light behind his eyelids and the distant echo of some vast nothingness.

The afterlife smells surprisingly salty. Bright, too. Wait a minute-

....

Well alright. The realisation hits that he is, inexplicably, still not quite a corpse.

Ironically he's almost disappointed.

Here's a disgruntled-looking blonde pushing himself into a sitting position, squinting into the bright daytime. His Soul Gem is still here, brilliant under the sun, heavy on the gold bangle where it rests, and it’s the brightest he's ever seen it. (Huh, interesting.) The others on the raft are complete strangers- unusual, after so long trapped in one place with the same people- and he lets them be for the moment to get his bearings, poke at where he sees the attention-grabbing flash of his name.

#priorities?]

RAFT #3 - CLEMENTINE, GUZMA, KARAMATSU MATSUNO

[lifeaftr_mods]

Clementine will find that her knapsack contains a sack of rice, a hatchet, a coil of rope, and a bar of soap.

Guzma will find that his knapsack contains a package of dried fruit, a knife, a box of nails, and a toothbrush.

Karamatsu will find that his knapsack contains package of hardtack, a knife, a roll of fishing line, and a first aid kit.

[takeusback]

[ This is vaguely familiar where it shouldn't be. Clementine doesn't remember getting on a raft, she's pretty sure she shouldn't be anywhere near a raft or in the middle of the ocean, but a somewhat vivid dream is telling her this has happened before.

She's not about to stare out at the sea in confusion for too long though. Pretty soon she's noticed her knapsack, which she definitely didn't have before. She looks inside, briefly, and immediately recognises the stuff inside as things she needs to keep, as well as a weird bee shaped toy... thing... that she's just gonna put aside for now.

Pretty soon though, her attention is taken by the only other two people floating in the water with her. They don't seem to be moving, and that could be really, really bad. She thinks she might recognise one of the men from the dream she had, which is weird. Rather than going over to shake the men awake, or yelling at them, Clementine slowly lifts her gun to point at them both and waits. They will wake up, one way or the other, she's pretty sure of that. ]

Please don't be dead. Please. [ It isn't so much that she's really afraid to kill walkers anymore, but she doesn't want to be all alone here, wherever here is now. The familiarity of one of the men lying out on the raft doesn't help either. ]

RAFT #4 - ESPIO THE CHAMELEON, RUBY ROSE, NEWT GEISZLER

[lifeaftr_mods]

Espio will find that his knapsack contains a sack of flower, a hammer, a coil of rope, and a toothbrush.

Ruby Rose will find that her knapsack contains a bag of edible nuts, a knife, some flint and tinder, and a toothbrush.

Newt will find that his knapsack contains a sack of sugar, a hammer, a blanket, and a bar of soap.

[ohnehalfte]

[It's the spray of sea across his face that wakes Newt up first. To be more specific, it's the spray of seawater that he then stupidly inhales, causing him to have a suddenly loud coughing fit as he pushes up onto hands and knees. The feel of wood is rough beneath his hands; the weight of his backpack is still strapped to him, even as he sits up, opening his eyes fully to be greeted by, well...a blur. His glasses are soaked, and he yanks them off his face, blinking hard as he makes some sort of attempt to dry them on his shirt.

It kinda-storta-not-really works, just enough for him to get a better view of his surroundings. Those surroundings being, well...ocean. And a raft. And two other people (?). And an island. Newt blinks once, twice, before shouting--]

What the fuck?!

[--his voice is a screeching crack, and he's making to start to scramble to his feet--except then the raft rocks dangerously under him, and he drops back down to his haunches almost immediately as his arms pinwheel to help him keep balance. He's breathing goes high and sharp, just this edge of panicked]

What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck?

RAFT #5 - LUNA, SANS THE SKELETON, NYX ULRIC

[lifeaftr_mods]

Luna will find that her knapsack contains a chili and macaroni MRE, a wood saw, a box of nails and a toothbrush.

Sans will find that his knapsack contains a jug of water, a hatchet, some flint and tinder, and a bar of soap.

Nyx Ulric will find that his knapsack contains a sack of oats, a hammer, a tarp, and a first aid kit.

[holdmyhand]

[ it's... bright.

Luna's head lifts off of the soggy, wooden raft and the world starts to come into focus-- her stomach sways with the sound of the waves, and she sits up groggily, touching the hat on her head. What happened? Where's--

Where's Lillie? They all came back together-- Guzma and Lusamine, too. It should have been at the Altar, and yet she's on a rinky-dink raft and they're nowhere to be found. Hands slide onto her hips to feel for her bag, and groggy panic surges through her fingertips. It's...gone. It's gone, and replaced by an odd knapsack and two other people. Well, one other person-- and a...

...well, this is suddenly somewhat jarring.

She presses her hands into her pockets. Two. Two round balls (one in each pocket). But the raft is too small to see which ones they are, even if the balls feel familiar. She squeezes them both and sucks in a breath. Okay. O-okay. ]

...uh, excuse me-- [ she wobbly crawls toward the other human-- there is a skeleton on the boat and he looks quite removed from this world-- a-and, uh. Uh? Uh??? ] A-are you...okay? Please wake up!

RAFT #6 - FINLEY, ASRIEL DREEMURR, TIM WRIGHT

[lifeaftr_mods]

Finley will find that his knapsack contains a package of dried fruit, a hammer, a tarp, and a shaving razor.

Asriel will find that his knapsack contains canister of salt, a multi-tool, a blanket, and a first aid kit.

Tim will find that his knapsack contains a sack of sugar, a multi-tool, a blanket, and a toothbrush.

[postictal]

[Water.]

[It's always water.]

[It's water weighing at his clothes, pulling him downward, oxygen escaping in a burst of silvered bubbles from between parted lips. It's water filling his lungs, going down his throat, causing him to cough and splutter and retch. It's water waiting for him below, salt-crested waves lapping eagerly at the walls of the cliffs, waiting for the bars of the cage to dip below the surface. It's water spilling onto the white sand beneath his feet, that which must have been a dream - but, due to some unforeseen possibility, wasn't.]

[It's always water.]

[Tim wakes clumsily, one hand jerking up to grip at the ridge of the wooden raft as he steadies himself, sweeping the other two occupants with a wary look. He remembers the kid - remembers speaking to him, remembers their memories not quite syncing up, but whether that's truly a memory or little more than some oxygen-starved product of his own dying brain remains...unclear.]

[He died.]

[He'd gotten a knife carving through his soul, the soul he apparently possessed, and it had degenerated, and he'd known that would have to be the end of it. It would have to be.]

[One hand rests uneasily over his heart, fingertips bunching the fabric of his plaid button-down beneath his fist.]

I guess we're not dead after all.

RAFT #7 - THE DRIFTER, FRISK, IGNIS SCIENTIA

[lifeaftr_mods]

The Drifter will find that their knapsack contains a package of dried fruit, a knife, a bolt of cloth, and a jug of rubbing alcohol.

Frisk will find that their knapsack contains a jar of baking soda, a knife, a box of nails, and a shaving razor.

Ignis will find that his knapsack contains a beef brisket MRE, a hatchet, a sewing kit, and a shaving razor.

[hyperlit]

[The vast expanse of toxic pink had faded to clear water beneath their feet - a parting message, they were certain, on behalf of the jackal god, to put forth that their journey had not been in vain. The destruction of the Immortal Cell would see the world's renewal, and life would breathe into the sick-tangled heart at its center.]

[A pity they will not be there to see it.]

[The Drifter straightens slowly, dark eyes flicking across the expanse of water, the silhouette of the island shape rearing dark and heavy in the distance. Their companion sprite chirps softly at their shoulder with a faint pulse of pinkish light as they rouse, but is otherwise silent.]

[They'd presumed that last handful of memories had to have been some dying fragments of a parting world's farewell. Evidently they were mistaken.]

[Thus, the sight of two creatures of similar shape but abnormal skin tone is not nearly as startling as it has the potential to be. The Drifter straightens, adjusting the cut of their cloak, as their gaze flicks once more to peruse the horizon - not seeing fit to address either of their companions just yet, it would seem.]

RAFT #8 - SHIRO FUJIMOTO, THE BATTER, MARCILLE

[lifeaftr_mods]

Shiro will find that his knapsack contains a canister of salt, a hammer, a whistle and a first aid kit.

The Batter will find that his knapsack contains a package of dried fruit, a wood drill, a bolt of cloth, and a jug of rubbing alcohol.

Marcille will find that her knapsack contains a large coconut, a knife, a coil of rope, and a bar of soap.

[unpurify]

["Escaping from you purpose is impossible."

And then there was nothing but silence. For how long, the Batter did not know. It could have been minutes or mere seconds. Either way...he had finished his mission.

So why he was prompted to open his eyes yet again is beyond the man but open them he does, to a blue sky so bright it hurt to look at. So the Batter sits up. It's still blue and he's never seen the ocean before (just the meat fountains of Alma) so the purifier stares at that too until he has to lower his cap to block out the glare.

A normal person would panic or maybe make a crack about not being in Kansas anymore, the Batter does neither. He simply registers the three most obvious things: he was in a place he had never been too before, there was an island before them (if far away) and he wasn't alone here. There were two others.]

Wake up.

[Not the most comforting, but he was not a comforting guy even on a good day. Or any day. Either way, rise and shine everyone.]

RAFT #9 - CHARA, EDWARD ELRIC, LUP

[lifeaftr_mods]

Chara will find that their knapsack contains a pork rib MRE, a hammer, a box of nails, and a toothbrush.

Edward will find that his knapsack contains a package of dried fruit, a wood drill, a whistle, and a jug of rubbing alcohol.

Lup will find that her knapsack contains a sack of flour, a knife, some flint and tinder, and a jug of rubbing alcohol.

[achievementhunter]

[You tell a joke about a kid who doesn't exist.

It doesn't have much of a point. It shouldn't have a point, is the thing. That's the joke.

The moment they become vaguely aware of their consciousness, Chara sits upright. It's a mistake, with how their head pounds and their stomach churns. The light on the waves is blinding- far too bright. Not golden enough. Everything is wrong.

Everything is wrong.

One of the people prone on the wooden boards is familiar- whilst the other simply isn't. Chara pays neither of them much attention. They see the pack with their name on it; they see the three oars, they see the badly structured pole with a sheet attached to it. What they don't see, however, is what they want to.

Fumbling with the bulky blue jacket covering their form, they toss it over their knapsack, eyeing off the mast for no more than a few seconds before jumping at it. They're going to climb the thing through hellish Determination alone.

They need to know where Frisk is. Nothing else matters. Nothing.]

RAFT #10 - MICKEY MOUSE, METTATON, MUFFET

[lifeaftr_mods]

Mickey will find that his knapsack contains a package of hardtack, a hammer, a bolt of cloth, and a bar of soap.

Mettaton will find that his knapsack contains a jar of baking soda, a hammer, some flint and tinder, and a bar of soap.

Muffet will find that her knapsack contains a jug of water, a wood saw, a set of small tin pots, and a jug of rubbing alcohol.

[souris_keteer]

[YAWWWWN. Man, Mickey hasn't slept this well in ages. He's had some pretty strange dreams, though. Maybe they're like a prediction of things to come... or that he shouldn't have sugar before bedtime. Oh well. Time to get up, and get to duty. He begins rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, with one more yawn and stretch.]

Oh boy... Donald, what time is it, we gotta get to the castle before...

[And he trails off because
A) this is not where he fell asleep.
B) he has no idea where he is.
C) he can't remember how he got wherever he is.]

... Huh?

[And that's when he notices his crewmates. A s-l-o-w look to one side... is a gigantic shiny metal thing that kind of looks like a person. Then a just as s-l-o-w look to the other... a well dressed girl with WAY too many limbs and eyeballs.

Mickey looks left. Looks right. Back and forth several times. Conclusion?]

This is one of the weirdest dreams I've ever had.

RAFT #11 - MATSUNO ICHIMATSU, WADE WILSON, OSOMATSU MATSUNO

[lifeaftr_mods]

Ichimatsu will find that his knapsack contains a sack of sugar, a knife, a blanket, and a jug of rubbing alcohol.

Wade will find that his knapsack contains a package of hardtack, a knife, a roll of fishing line, and a jug of rubbing alcohol.

Osomatsu will find that his knapsack contains a sack of rice, a hatchet, a tarp, and a bar of soap.

[ishotyouuu]

If he didn't know better, he would've considered this afterlife quite peaceful.

Wade is awakened from a deep and mercifully dreamless sleep by the feeling of scattered droplets of water on his face, and is immediately punished for his presumption by a sudden bright light stabbing into his eyes. He closes them with a wince; allows himself to get acclimated to the sunlight while the sound of lapping water surrounds him. He tries again a few moments later, shielding his eyes with his hand, and rolls his head to the side to collect his bearings.

An ocean presses in around him as far as the eye can see, with some of the bluest water he's seen since his trip to Cancun all those years ago. He appears to be floating on a raft, and a very shoddily made one at that, considering the way he can actually hear the wood creak and groan in protest as it lightly maneuvers over each roll of the tide. All in all, it's a very idyllic sight from where he's lying, and he wouldn't have been remiss in thinking that this was life after death, a sort of reprieve from all of the hell he's been through over the past few years.

But fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Besides, Wade knows fully well what his ideal vision of heaven would be, and he doesn't seen any mountains of cash or beach babes anywhere. Wade closes his eyes with a groan, flopping over onto his back once again.

"Well, shit..." he mumbles. "Here we go again. The hell is Tom Hanks when you need him?"

RAFT #12 - NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM, SIEGLINDE SULLIVAN, TAAKO

[lifeaftr_mods]

Noctis will find that his knapsack contains a jug of condensed milk, a wood saw, a tarp, and a shaving razor.

Sieglinde will find that her knapsack contains a package of dried fruit, a hammer, a blanket, and a first aid kit.

Taako will find that his knapsack contains a sack of sugar, aa wood drill, a blanket, and a jug of rubbing alcohol.

[ohshitsweetflips]

Taako wakes up in a disgruntled heap, but he's making it work. The sun and water are dazzlingly bright, and he squints, before retrieving a really stupid hat, which has just become an unusually functional accessory. This is not at all where he should be. That's actually kind of a crucial point, rising to the top of his bewilderment. There is a lot of ocean, which he doesn't recognize, maybe unsurprisingly, and an island? Which is basically how oceans work, but it's upsettingly far away. This is some bullshit, that he does not have time for. There are about to be some problems. You want to know how bad it is, he doesn't even look in a knapsack with his name on it. He hauls out a profoundly shitty wand, held together with fantasy duct-tape and wishful thinking, and surveys his more immediate surroundings. This is a garbage raft for assholes, of which there are two additional on board, he notices, fixing them with a wild-eyed stare. "Hey. Who are you dipshits?" You know what, he doesn't care who they are, if they're comatose, or if birds are gonna start eating them, that was just a reflex, do-over. "Actually, nah. How much do you weigh?"

RAFT #13 - COMMANDER SHEPARD, J, PROMPTO

[lifeaftr_mods]

Shepard will find that her knapsack contains a sack of rice, a hatchet, a box of matches, and a toothbrush.

J will find that her knapsack contains a sack of oats, a knife, a sewing kit, and a toothbrush.

Prompto will find that his knapsack contains a sack of sugar, a knife, a set of small tin pots, and a shaving razor.

[want_to_belong]

A cool spritz of water hit Prompto on face and, wrinkling his nose, he groggily shook it away. He winced up at an endless blue sky. He was sure he'd just been on an island somewhere. But now this...

He rolled on his side to check his surroundings. Somehow he was out in the middle of the sea. Iggy wasn't there. Neither were Nyx or Noct. Maybe he shouldn't have expected them to be. Last he remembered he was on his own in the snow, trying to make his way back. That other island stuff must have been a dream - but it had felt so real, and he wanted to be with his friends again so bad.

That would have to wait, though, because it seemed he wasn't alone. They definitely weren't the guys. He didn't recognize either of them. And there was a sack with his name on it. In a daze, he opened it to check what was inside, completely perplexed. Not much that would be of use right now. There weren't any oars in that knapsack.

He took a deep breath. He wasn't alone. There were two women here and he needed to hold it together. As much as he wanted some answers, he doubted they were going to be very forthcoming. Maybe Ardyn was just messing with him. Maybe that whole last thing was just an illusion and this was another one. After all, how could he go from being in snowfields to being in the middle of the ocean? It didn't make any sense.

Gently, he placed a hand on J's shoulder and shook it, almost expecting that these two didn't really exist and maybe they wouldn't respond. Or they'd turn into MTs.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked anyway His gaze flipped between them, looking for signs of movement.

Part II: Choose Your Own Adventure!

[lifeaftr_mods]

Once you've finished meeting some new (and old) friends, feel free to come ashore and meet some more! General mingle logs for Part II should go here!

Shepard | OTA!

[tenthstreetbred]

[Shepard and her group made it to shore! More or less. Regardless of what incidents may have happened while out on the ocean, she's here and she's ready to start making camp for her and any potential people who want to ally with her. She hasn't been given much reason to suspect anyone as openly hostile yet, but she's got that odd Tide Sickle of hers strapped to her back and it's good as anything she could have for a weapon. Plus she has her biotics though she hasn't found much use for them yet.

You could stumble onto her campsite where she might give you a wary, but relatively warm greeting if she hasn't met you yet, or you could easily run into her as she inevitably begins to explore the building that she's set up temporary shelter in; rationing this food won't last them forever, and resources are always in high demand.

Or hell, maybe you ran into her as she's gotten into a spot of trouble with one of the local beasts around here? Or maybe you're in trouble yourself. Regardless, here is a Shepard for all of your potential Shepard-ing needs.]