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

Entry tags:

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

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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Sorry Clem, he hasn't made the strategic move to check his pack yet. Too busy attempting to avoid potential disaster- he'll take the gun over that guy's fist.]

...Hopefully.

[It really is a blessed thing that he has his sunglasses; it's so much easier to stare intently across the tiny square of raft when you're not squinting. But...meh. He sounds genuinely disappointed, the next time he speaks.]

Ah. His chest is moving.

[Pity.]

He's the creep who hit on my brother. I guess he'll wake up eventually...unless you shoot him first.

I'm not shooting anyone. Not if he's alive. [ Unless he makes a move to kill either of them or something, anyway. She really hopes not; he didn't seem like that kind of person when she met him before. ]

I think I know him too. But he seemed okay... he helped me. [ He did freak out about her gun a lot too, and said he had some pet giant bugs called poking-mon or something. That was weird. But he didn't seem so bad. Then again, he didn't hit anyone when she met him. ]

Did he really hit your brother? [ She frowns. You'll have to forgive Clementine, her knowledge of romantic stuff like flirting of any kind is exactly zero. ]

[Aw.

It might be a bit odd, a kid with a gun, but she's- kind of like that girl from his dream? Not dream. Kind of cute, bit weird. At least she isn't looking for cats she stuffed in balls.

...He hopes that kid isn't here, too.]

Almost launched him into space. You two know each other from home, or...did you have that weird dream too?

Why would he do that? [ There must be a reason he'd punch someone, right? But then again if she's learnt anything lately it's that sometimes people can just really horrible when pushed to it. Still, he hadn't seemed like that when she met him. ]

He was in your dream too? He was in mine - I got cut and he helped me- [ She looks down at her hand with a frown. ] But... it wasn't just a dream. [ She frowns, trying and failing to really put it into words. Instead, she points toward the familiar looking shore in the distance. ] I think we were on that island.

[Guzma grumbles, his face screwing up as he begins to rouse slowly - brows furrowing and lips turning downward in a very sour expression. He scratches his stomach, muttering with an immense yawn.]

Y'all better--mmaaawwhh....pipe down 'fore I beat th' lotta ya... [Sniffing loudly, his eyes flutter open and he squeezes them shut a second later, flicking his sunglasses over his aching lids. Yikes, Guzma doesn't remember falling asleep outside, but it's not exactly the weirdest thing to happen to him, and he does nap a lot. Cracking his neck and stretching put like an immense, and very lazy cat, he blinks at Clem first.]

What the--Kid? What're you...? I wasn't dre-- [And he pauses, surveying her, uh...companion there. Slowly, very slowly, Guzma removes his sunglasses to stare dead-eyed at Karamatsu.

The air in the raft just got a lot heavier.]

Because he's- [Awake and terrifying.

Slowly, Karamatsu reaches up, adjusting his own glasses. Meeting Guzma eye for eye, he slowly raises his hand...

And points it directly at the guy.]

The man who's going to help me get you to that island!

[SAFE YOU CAN'T DO SHIT IN FRONT OF A KID.]

[ Clementine's eyes move from one man to the other and back again. She really hopes they don't start fighting. Not that she isn't used to grown ups spending all their time together arguing, or worse, but she also knows it can make things really bad, really quickly, especially now in the middle of the ocean. ]

Are you okay? [ she asks the man who's just woken up, trying not to seem as unsure about everything as she feels. ] Um. He's right. We need to get to that island.

[WANNA BET, ASSHOLE?? He's threatened a kid only a few years Clem's senior on multiple accounts, he's capable of damage (though highly unlikely to do it unless provoked past his tolerance level). Narrowing his eyes at Karamatsu, Guzma turns to Clementine and his demeanor changes immediately - he actually sort of likes the kid; she's smart and spunky, and kinda cute. Reminds him a little too much of the brat he knows, but details.]

M'fine, sweetheart, how 'bout you? Lemme see that hand of yours a sec, yeah? Still hurting? [He holds out his palm upwards for her to offer her hand for him to check - maybe there's something in these packs that'd at least clean out that nasty cut she had before. Or, uh...he thinks she cut herself. I mean, it's all so hazy.]

Mm? Oh, uh, right, y-yeah... [How the hell did he end up in this boat? Lord, whatever, he's done thinking about it. Eyes snapping back to Kara, he bites--] Start rowing.

[HE'S PUTTING ALL HIS EGGS INTO THE ONE BASKET- THE ONLY BASKET HE HAS.

And it...works? Karamatsu stares, admittedly somewhat dumbfounded. His half-assed plan actually worked- all thanks to the fact that this guy is, apparently, a total softie for kids.

Is she actually hurt? She never mentioned it. Ah, she's well on her way to making him look even worse!]

Wh- me?

[Do these noodle arms look ready to row?!]

There's no oars. Keh... we'll be stuck out here forever.

[ Clementine holds out her hand for him to see, relieved that the two of them seem a little less likely to start really arguing or fighting each other for now. Her hand, she's also noticed, is perfectly fine, no graze or scar to be seen. ]

No, it... it's okay now. [ Miraculously okay, really. As though she were never hurt in the first place. It couldn't have really been a dream she got hurt in, not when others remember it... She tries not to think about that too much, instead looking over at the other man with a small frown. ]

Should we use our hands and feet? [ She can't really think of any better ideas if there aren't any oars. ]

Edited 2017-08-05 16:45 (UTC)

['Kids he likes' is a better statement. Guzma is not above threatening harm on younger people, and even raising a hand when he's really seeing red. Learned habits over his youth, unfortunately, but he's not as much a brute as he acts like. Judging by how he takes Clem's hand to inspect, puzzled by the fact the wound is completely gone without a trace, and pats it and lets go gently...yeah, he's a bulldog, but a softie sometimes. Just don't say it to his face.]

Y'all can't be serious... [Who the hell puts them in a raft without oars?! There has to be something... He searches around, mumbling to himself and scowling when he finds that, no, there's nothing to help them.]

That won't do nothing against the current. What we need is a sail. [He clicks his tongue, then his eyes widen, and he reaches into his hoodie and produces something Clem might find familiar, a round, metallic ball painted yellow and black.] Or a tug! Y'all got any rope in those bags?

[He's actually busy looking through his now.]

[How the hell is a tiny ball going to help them?

He'd offer some critical pessimism if it wasn't for the fact that... Guzma might deck him. Right now Karamatsu isn't under the spotlight- and he's perfectly fine with that, scrambling to comply after he notices one of the packs has his name on it. The heck kind of place is this; were their captives so kind as to brand their things like pack horses?]

Fishing line. [And...a knife. He's not about to call that discovery out, but it's noted. It is, with a glance Guzma's way, definitely noted.] If we fold it over a few times, it might be strong enough.

It's okay, I have rope. This should be strong enough. [ She pulls a coil of rope from her knapsack, glad that they are all working together now.

It's only then she sees the ball Guzma's holding and vaguely remembers seeing it in a conversation they had in that dream place. Giant bugs or something, right? How's a bug gonna help them?< ] Is that where you keep your poking-mon?

[THe fishing line would have actually worked - if it's good line that stuff is pretty strong, and can reel in some whoppers. Golisopod wouldn't be struggling, but he is big and he is strong, tugging a lot of weight too... It's the kid to the rescue, producing an actual rope though, and Guzma takes it gladly, looping it over his arm.]

Y'darn tootin it is. [He won't even correct her this time, they have more pressing matters here. Guzma expands the ball and clicks the circle on the front, snapping open the ball with a beam of red light.] Golisopod, give us a tug to shore, yeah? Here, take this and head for the island.

[The red light fades as it forms into an immense, monstrous looking insect of some kid, bobbing lazily in the water. He rumbles as he listens to his trainer's order, looking first at the rope then at the island off in the distance. Grabbing one end of the rope, Guzma gives it some slack before curling the opposite end around his wrist. Once the rope is taught as Golisopod swims with his big arms, the raft begins to move.]

Y'all don't move none, the weight should be perfect right now...

[Right, so this is good. This is fine. He's being beat out by a five year old- and the guy who'll likely kill him the moment they hit the shoreline is distracted, for the moment. Him and his creepy, giant bug.

Literally all he has to do is stay still and keep his mouth shut.

Haha.]

Ahh... this is even more boring than the last time I was kidnapped to the high seas...

[He certainly sounds like he's gearing up for another shitty story.]

[ EXCUSE YOU KARAMATSU, CLEMENTINE HAS JUST LAST WEEK TURNED NINE YEARS OLD.

A nine year old who's currently staring at the... bug poke thing that's just popped out of that little ball. When he said he had something like a big bug, he meant big... She'd seen other weird things in that dream from before, but that still felt mostly like a dream. This isn't a dream, and there's monster on a raft with them at the edge of an island in the sea.

She's very unsure, staying where she is but holding her gun a little closer to her, yet Karamatsu does catch her attention, and she can't help but ask, ] You've been kidnapped before?

[Pointedly, to Karamatsu--]

Bored? Well, you can pull the raft then. I'll even help you into the water, homie. Mark of friendship and camaraderie, yeah? Just you come on over here and I'll escort you in all nice like, heh heh...

[And yet, when Guzma sees Clem holding her gun a little tighter at the sight of his pokemon, he tenses, feeling a cold stone drop into the pit of his stomach. This is part of what Guzma was afraid of by showing off his big, bad, bug pokemon. They're not the cute, soft, pretty creatures a lot of other trainers take along. They're bugs. Pests. Undesirable. Weak. Sort of like he was when he was just a little caterpillar.

A bit of the color drains from Guzma's face - do not shoot his pokemon, girl - and there's a not-so-subtle break in his voice.]

Wh-whoa there, Golisopod's just gonna tug us to shore, yo. He looks rough, but he's real nice past all that, yeah? Believe me, I known the creampuff since he was a li'l thing. [An itty bitty baby Wimpod. ♥] Don't do nothing to 'him, okay? Slow and steady, a'ight?

[It's uttered to the bug, but he means it more for Clem to just...settle down a bit with that trigger finger.

And no, Guz,a doesn't care Karamatsu was kidnapped before. \:|/]

Edited (ADDED FOR EFFECT. ) 2017-08-10 22:53 (UTC)

[Holy shit that gun is going to pop off or that guy is going to pop off- Karamatsu isn't interested in witnessing the outcome of either. Guzma might not want him running his mouth, but he's looking to Clementine earnestly- trying to draw her mind off things, get her to lower that gun.]

Yeah- it's a funny story, ha ha...

[Very carefully, he shifts a little closer to her. Blocks off the view of the giant bug. See? It's just you and him and the big yakuza over there; that's a little less threatening, right?]

A friend of mine has a very good oden stand; so good, my brothers and I would visit it even if we didn't have the money to pay. Chibita is a man of character; he allowed us to build up our tab, so big that one day, we owed a little more than we should.

So he decided to take drastic measures.

[ Guzma and Karamatsu don't need to worry too much. Clem is admittedly wary and surprised, which when attached to somebody with a gun isn't often a good thing - but she won't actually put her finger near the trigger right now. Even if that giant bug does look big enough to eat all three of them.

She definitely notices Guzma's panic, and his reassurances are enough. She nods slightly, still looking over at the weird bug. ] Don't worry. I won't shoot him, [ she tells him, but is still a little wary, and it's probably a good thing Karamatsu is there to distract her. Even if she wasn't going to shoot anything or anyone.

She frowns a little, before asking Karamatsu, ] It wasn't him this time, was it?

[Is...is that absolute tool actually shielding Golisopod from the girl's line of sight? That's--...damn. Damn, that's not only extremely gutsy (Guzma did not think the loser had it in him to put himself in front of a loaded gun), but it's more than he ever expected from anyone, let alone someone he'd no sooner bury in the sand or drown at a second's notice.

Guzma glances at Karamatsu, a little stunned, but deeply appreciative. Perhaps that's why he's not butting in or gagging loudly at the story the young man is telling, opting to stay quiet and direct Golisopod quietly as the boat is tugged along towards shore. It's not fast, by any means, but thy're certainly going faster than they would have paddling and--

WOW?]

Yo, unless I got a cut of whatever those pinheads owed, I wouldn't go near 'em with a ten foot pole. Dunno what'd I'd catch sticking around 'em too long.

[This tool is well aware that, in the event of that gun going off, he's got the highest chance of dying. It's just the natural order of life- the misfortune of being one of many unnecessary NEETs that plague this world.

Or...one of three, at least. He's got no urge to actually become a human shield for an over-sized bug.

Or his pokemon, for that matter.]

I don't think Chibita has the resources to pull something like this off... unless you both owe him money, too.

[In which case, anything is possible.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

2/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject