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

II

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt WAS just on a stroll through the ruins, trying to suss them out, and honestly didn't actually mean to stumble across Ichimatsu. It's honestly completely on accident that he spots him slipping between those pillars, and, unfortunately, curiosity has always been one of Newt's faults. He takes a couple steps closer, moving around a pillar himself into more plain view, just as he watches this guy tear the top off that bag and just....eat it??? Is that sugar? Or salt?

So naturally, he reacts as any sane person would.]

...dude. What the fuck. [It's...stated??? And Newt's just staring at this guy quite openly with some sort of mix of confusion and disgust]

[ichininyaanshi]

[While his appearance is unexpected, the guy has the decency to step into view before saying anything, so Ichimatsu isn't terribly startled. It doesn't stop him from bristling and eying Newt with the same detached passiveness one might utilize to watch a pigeon stroll down the sidewalk. He half-gulps, half-snorts his palmful of sugar. Because he's more or less inhaling it by now.]

[Finally, Ichimatsu seems to identify the stranger as a potential threat. He clutches the top of the bag shut and twists it away, narrowing his eyes distrustfully.]

Get your own.

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt can't help it--he immediately looks a bit bemused] I'm not gonna take your bag of whatever. Unless it's like, cocaine, at which point I totally understand why you're shoving it in your face like that. But also, not only is that super not healthy, but you're gonna wanna ration whatever that is, because unless whatever brought us here is more benevolent than they're letting on, that's all you're gonna be getting for a while.

[ichininyaanshi]

[Great... of all the people to stumble across him, it's a chatterbox with sagely advice. Well, maybe that's not so bad. Usually people who talk that much are so used to the sound of their own voice that they don't care if the other person talks back or not. Ichimatsu does relax a little, because he thinks he could probably take this nerd if he attacked... probably.]

[Anyway, he wipes a sticky smear of crystals off of his face with his sleeve and scowls.]

It's just sugar. [A little sharply -- he's not an addict.] What else would I do with it?

[ohnehalfte]

Save it. [Newt's hands are going to his hips now, one eyebrow raised] Or, I dunno, something other than shove it straight in your mouth? Because usually that shit makes people sick.

[ichininyaanshi]

[He put his hands on his hips. Is this guy his mom? Or Choromatsu? Ichimatsu can't hold in a scoff, but to even his own surprise, he shoves the bag back into his knapsack petulantly. So maybe the guy right. Ichimatsu's stomach is already cramping, unhappy with the offering of pure sugar after running on empty for the last couple days; it would just be a pain if he went back to his brother and ended up puking on him.]

Keh... it's not like you should care. Who are you, anyway?

[ohnehalfte]

I'm Newt. And dude, I hate to break it to you, but you just got stranded in another world by what is probably some asshole omnipotent forces, so you'd better get used to knowing the people around you. [there's something that pings recognition, vaguely, about how this guy looks. It's hazy and hard to parse, though, but there's one thing that sticks--]

...did you have a guitar at some point?

[ichininyaanshi]

[Asshole omnipotent what? Great, this guy is off his rocker. Then again... that does sound like the exact sort of thing that would happen to Ichimatsu and his kin. All right, he'll slide that theory right below "his brother sold him to pirates".]

[He opens his mouth to start denouncing Newt's advice about getting friendly with others, but at the mention of the guitar, his teeth snap together with a click.]

[Holy shit, he hates having the same face as his brothers. Getting mistaken for that guy makes him want to throw up anyway.]

No. That's Shittymatsu. You met him, huh?

[ohnehalfte]

[Shittymatsu? Newt stares at this guy for a minute, before he laughs, high and sharp] Shittymatsu? Is that his real name? Because that's hilarious. [He's grinning, widely] Yeah, I met him. [...er. Newt frowns, then] ...sort of. It's kinda foggy.

[ichininyaanshi]

[Whoops... calling him Shittymatsu was so reflexive that Ichimatsu didn't even think about it. Actually, he's just gonna go ahead and let Newt keep thinking that's Karamatsu's real name. Because it is hilarious.]

Ah. [At the confirmation, Ichimatsu claps his hands together and bows his head, offering a sympathetic sound. To repress memories of Karamatsu... lucky asshole.] I'm sorry. It must have been painful.

[ohnehalfte]

What, meeting him? [Yep, Newt is definitely wrinkling his nose, trying to remember exactly the circumstances] ...I honestly don't remember much, except that he really pissed me off for some reason.

[ichininyaanshi]

That's him.

[Ichimatsu suddenly points at Newt, his expression grave.]

Listen. If you see this face anywhere on this island and think, 'That's trash,' you're right. But Shittymatsu is the most dangerous. If the rest of us brothers are like moldy potatoes, he's more like a moldy banana. Get it?

[ohnehalfte]

[...wait, what. There's a lot to unpack there. But firstly:] So. What you're saying is, there's more than two of you?

1/2

[ichininyaanshi]

[Oh, does he love this conversation. Ichimatsu's mouth turns up, a dark chuckle wheezing its way past his teeth.]

Surprised? To think a paradise like this could have so much garbage... but it's true. There's six of us. [He snaps his fingers sharply, counting off each one.] Osomatsu-niisan. Shittymatsu. And me, the unlucky, unburnable fourth: Ichimatsu.

[ichininyaanshi]

[Then he pauses, and the heavy aura around him seems to dissipate entirely.]

Ah, but I dunno where the rest are.

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt frowns a bit, but more in thought than anything. Unlucky, unburnable fourth??? ] Okay, well, first of all, this place isn't a paradise. It's absolute shit, so I'm not really worried about anyone fucking it up. That being said, the fact that you've placed both yourself and all your brothers in the shit box from the get-go is kinda...I dunno, not usually what you expect? Also, what do you mean by "unlucky, unburnable," because that's a helluva title, dude. Did you come up with that yourself, or did someone give that to you?

[the corner of his mouth twitches upwards into a smile]

And, uh...side note? If you wanted to come off as super creepy and goth saying that kinda stuff, doing it with sugar all over your face kinda ruins that effect.

[ichininyaanshi]

[for fuck's sake -- Ichimatsu swipes at his mouth again, growling like a motorboat into his sleeve. What's with this guy? Does Ichimatsu have to wave a knife in his face to give him the right picture, or what?]

Shut up! Like I need advice from a water lizard!

[newt what kind of name is that it's even worse than his.]

My point is that you should steer clear of us. We're only gonna make things worse for you in the end, dumbass.

[ohnehalfte]

[yep, eyes are narrowing at that] Well, first of all, newts aren't lizards, they're amphibians. Big difference. Second of all, dude, you don't have much of a leg to stand on calling me a dumbass when I literally found you wedged in here, stuffing sugar in your face. [:/]

What is it with you and your brothers? Are you guys cursed or something? Like...officially? Or are you just overblowing the creepy dark thing the same way your brother over blew the hipster douchebag thing?

[ichininyaanshi]

I was hungry.

[Sue him, water lizard. And whether it's intentionally overblown or not, Ichimatsu's face does seem to double down in ire at the mere implication of being as big of a faker as Karamatsu. Though, 'hipster douchebag' is a pretty good one... he'll remember that.]

[But for all the comparison to his brother seems to piss him off, the rest of Newt's inquiry seems to catch up a moment later, and Ichimatsu's expression twists again into sardonic glee.]

Heh... are we "cursed"? That's a good question. It's this face. Cursed to have a trashy personality behind it... or maybe you're the one who's been cursed to see it more than once. I wonder if you've pissed off that omnipotent asshole of yours.

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt's just....watched Ichi with a raised eyebrow through most of that--but at that last bit, he barks out a laugh]

Dude. I make it a priority to tell whatever douchebag decided that it was okay to take people from their own world and drop them in a cage for said omnipotent asshole's own amusement to fuck the hell off, so if I've pissed them off already, I'll count that as a win.

[His hands go back to his hips, though, and he huffs] So, what I got out of that is that you all just have terrible personalities. [he hums, scratching at the "c" brand on his right cheek] I thought it might be something serious, like an actual dangerous curse or something, but it's honestly kinda refreshing to know that you're just annoying and not anything life-threatening. That doesn't happen often.

[ichininyaanshi]

[Jeez, the guy could stand to be at least a little bit disgusted. Ichimatsu is trying his best here. Sighing, he pulls his cheek away from his sleeve and leans back against the pillar, resting his elbows straight over his knees. Newt pretty much already lost him with that first part... he gets having a grudge against higher powers, but that much railing against unbeatable forces? Kinda sad.]

[Besides, Ichimatsu isn't writing off having been sold to pirates yet.]

Like I said, we're just garbage. But more importantly, you should relax a little, you know? Getting pissed at things like gods and fate... it's not gonna change anything. You're better off trying to go along with it.

[ohnehalfte]

[There's...something about that statement that really ticks Newt off. Relax a little? Try and get along with the Gods?? Both of Newt's eyebrows go up above his glasses, before the corner of his mouth twitches up into something kind of like a smile but it's...not a nice one.]

So...you're saying I should just be cool with the guy that hacked off my lower jaw with a surgical saw and gave me this scar? [he points, casually, to the scar that bisects his face] Or the parasitic god that fed off people's fear and decided to bury half of the inhabitants of their city underground and force the other half to find them and dig them up? Or the ones that pulled a bunch of zombies through a portal and killed a bunch of people, including some kids? Or the corporation that decided to lock half of the population in a hospital with no food or water and allow their crazy lead scientist to do experiments on them, like sew two people together? I should just be cool with that?!

[that really not nice smile has continued to stretch Newt's face to the point where he definitely looks a little nuts at this point, eyes wide behind his glasses]

1/2

[ichininyaanshi]

[Ichimatsu sits. And listens. And listens.]

[And listens.]



[Because holy shit my guy, that's pretty fucked up.]

[ichininyaanshi]

[It's not exactly the reaction he was looking for, nor was it the sort of thing he'd expect to set the guy off, but Ichimatsu guesses he sure did find the chatterbox's berserk button. He doesn't actually want to examine too much of what Newt said closely -- because some of that really is fucked up -- but a twist of sympathy somehow disrupts that pervading weight that's set up permanent residence in his middle.]

[He sighs, again, and this time it's a little bit heavier.]

I didn't say that, you dumbass Wizard.

[You know... water-lizard.]

[...]

[Ichimatsu looks away.]

... fine. Get as pissed off as you want. It's not my business if you wanna take it out on the world. Just try not to screw up everyone else, too.

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt's mouth twists, but at first it's more in confusion, because he's not a wizard....?????? But then Ichimatsu looks away, and some of the fight goes out of Newt's shoulders, because that's as much of a concession as any. At that comment, though, he huffs, hands going to his hips]

The plan is to avoid that, so yeah.

[.....]

Also, dude, not a wizard. Rockstar biologist, yes; wizard, no.