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

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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 )

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Edward's ears lay flat back against his head when the kid snaps at him, and he vaguely considers grabbing them anyway and damn the consequences before deciding against it. He's not really in the mood to get bitten or--whatever the hell else they've got hidden up their sleeve. "You're gonna turn this whole thing over if you keep that up. Just get down."

His gaze flicks back over to his second companion with a frustrated furrow to his brows. "Other than that some new bullshit force in the universe has apparently decided to yank me into another world again? Fuck and all."

Will they ever be in a world where the adults are even vaguely competent? Chara grits their teeth before slowly sliding down to the ground- eyeing Lup off more than the other. Him, they've at least spoken to. He's not liable to be that much of a threat... so by comparison?

The bigger idiot is the woman.

"I'm inclined to agree with the gentleman. Undoubtedly we have been pulled here by some unknown force- probably to fight a war that isn't our problem. My congratulations on your conscription." Har har. Please forgive them for sounding impatient- Chara just kind of is. Long sleeves do a good job of hiding shaking fingers. "May we please direct our attention to more important matters? There are other rafts."

Hey, Lup is an incredibly competent adult, so no reason for anyone to give her the stink eye here. These little shits aren't the only ones with experience getting yanked into other worlds, thanks, though usually it doesn't happen in the middle of a fucking boss battle. They weren't running away in the Starblaster this time, this isn't where she's supposed to be, and where the hell is Taako?

She takes a deep breath, vaguely masked as a long-suffering sigh. Other rafts, right. "No shit? And where do you think they're going, little homie? Hang on tight, I'm gonna get us to shore in a hot minute." With that she raises her hand towards the dinky sail, long red sleeve of her robe sliding down her outstretched arm, and-- fuck. No more wicked lich powers. Having her flesh body back is great and all, but now she's just a regular old demi-godlike wizard without a freaking wand. No Gust of Wind for this boat. Her poised hand retracts for a truly expressive facepalm. Just, really feelings this one, there's a muffled scream and everything. Then she pushes her long hair back with a flourish, like nothing happened. "I promise I'm usually much, much cooler than this, but-- one of you guys got a spare wand?"

...really? Really.

"A wand. You need a fuckin' bit of wood to use magic." Rolling his eyes, he grabs one of the oars and shoves it at Lup, tail lashing back and forth in agitation. "Here, that oughtta be enough for you."

Adults are never competent so bite them, Lup. Her little show gets nothing more than a soft scoff as Chara elects to ignore both their companions, for the time being. The other two bags gain a dubious glance- EDWARD. LUP. They suppose that means...

Crouching down, they lift up his- their blue jacket. And there it is, almost an accusation, in it's own way. CHARA. Taking a seat, they pull that towards themself, taking care of the most important business, first.

They make a show of continuing to cover their bag with their jacket, even as they slip a knife from their sleeve and begin to tear the stitched name to pieces.

"What kind of magic user requires an inanimate object to conjure?"

This is bullshit. She didn't come here to get dragged by a furry and a literal child. She didn't come here at all, she did her time in her shitty curtained prison being able to do almost fuck all about anything happening to her family and that ends here. Lup grabs the oar with one hand, casually flicking the other at the loudmouth goat, and a Fire Bolt shoots from her finger. The respectably sized fiery projectile scorches a line through his dumb mane and goes sailing off into the distance, missing the probably pretty flammable sail by like an inch.

"Aw shoot, guess this oar is way more magical than I thought!" she jeers, voice dripping with mock contrition. Either that or cantrips don't require a wand, one of the two. "Tell you what, Beastie Boy, you've got these truly overkill wings, why don't you get out and push?" It's not really a question, at this point. Meanwhile the smart-ass kid is not very stealthily rooting through some bags, a commendable undertaking. She'd be doing the same if her priorities weren't elsewhere at the moment.

"Jesus--!" He flinches out of the way of the bolt of fire, more startled than actually fearful of it. After a quick slapping of his head to put out the embers he glares at her and snarls before turning to face the sail.

Oh, he'll fucking show her how to push.

His wings until now had been folded rather tightly to his back, curled up just as a bat would when resting. Very abruptly they snap open, exactly as huge as you would expect something that has to life about two hundred pounds of muscle to be--and as they do, one wing '''accidentally''' whacks right into Lup with the strength of a very solid shove.

Oops.

Edward then braces himself and starts flapping at the sail itself to try and generate enough wind to get the thing going. He certainly does billow out the sail very impressively, but they don't seem to be going anywhere very fast. ...or really, at all.

They make quick work of that name; it doesn't have to look pretty. Later, they can pick all the threading out- like it had never been there at all.

For now? A bolt of fire whizzes overhead, a curse of a kind quick to follow. The one Chara assumes is Lup taunts the one they assume is Edward; something the monster doesn't take all too kindly to. Regardless of his intentions, of course Chara gets caught in the bluster, hair whipping against their cheeks as they drop their bag and stand, fingers clenched around their knife's hilt so tightly, their knuckles are white.

"If you are both quite finished, perhaps you would consider the fact that we could simply fly away from the raft."

Adults. Honestly.

Edited 2017-08-06 00:22 (UTC)

Boy howdy if this goatboy has a death wish he could have just said so. Lup barely catches herself on some rope instead of going overboard and immediately whips around to glare daggers at him through her billowing hair, ears flat and sharp like blades. But any insult or threat dies on her lips when she sees the unbelievable dumbassery he's trying to accomplish with the sail now. "For fuck's sake, didn't they teach you any physics in whatever petting zoo you escaped from?" she shouts and dramatically drags a hand down her face. There's a lot of shit on her conscience but she never did anything to deserve this, that's for sure.

And there's another stellar contribution from the kid, though when her attention snaps over to them, their iron grip on a knife can't fail to give her pause. She knows that look, that ferocious determination burning bright enough to scorch everything in a five-mile-radius, knows exactly how it feels. She's surprised to realize it's almost kinda humbling, being on the receiving end of it, and her expression softens slightly. Maybe she's not the only one with somewhere really fucking important to be.

"Listen, as much as I'd love to ride our furry friend to shore like some kind of wacky pegasus centaur, I don't really trust him not to drop us in the ocean like a hot potato, do you?" She's trying to be reasonable, here. Also he did just almost shove her out of the boat. "I know it really sucks, but this shitty pile of planks under our feet is all we've got right now."

"You wanted some wind, I'm makin' fuckin' wind!" He does realize, of course, how pointless this is (or at least he did once he started; he's a chemist, not a physicist), so Edward only flaps a few times more before he stops. He glares back at Lup, all but daring her to try frying him again, and his tail continues to lash back and forth over the edge of the boat. He feels cramped here, and if it weren't for the fact he'd be leaving Chara with this firebrand he might well just take their advice.

But he doesn't. Better or worse, time will tell on that.

"I'd have to take it in trips, anyway. I can't carry both of you and the bags all at once, too bulky." He grumbles as he looks over the boat and bags--maybe if there's enough rope to make a decent lead, he could tow the whole mess.

...or maybe he'e overthinking it. Edward leans down to snatch up another oar, and moves toward the back of the boat. "Oh fuck it, I'll just row. Can throw a damn car, this won't be hard."

Their responses aren't as promising as they could be- but they're ACTing, now, instead of acting like a pair of spoiled brats. It's not the instantaneous solution Chara's after, but it's...something. Something that gives Chara plenty of time to consider whether they should attempt to join in the rowing, well aware that they'd likely be more of a hindrance than a help, if they could even manage to row for more than ten minutes without exhausting themself.

Can't go faster. Can't swim. As happy as they'd usually be to sink like a stone, it's not going to get them to where they need to be, is it? There's a short struggle to keep their composure- and then they're sinking their knife into the mast with a solid thunk.

It uh. It goes in pretty deep.

"...Might I suggest focusing on that, then."

Are they really about to row, like nonmagical dumbasses? If she had a wand she'd get them to shore in a second, probably inventing some kind of propulsion engine along the way. Instead she's as powerless as she was like an hour ago, stuck in the umbrella while her family outside was about to get their asses kicked. Like hell is she just gonna accept--

And there goes the knife. Lup stares at it for a moment, startled out of fiery grousing that was about to get a lot less internal. Then she nods sagely. "Mood, for sure." Kid's not wrong, any movement at all beats sitting here like braindead ducks. She gets a better grip on the oar and takes up position on the opposite side of the winged asshole, glancing out over the horizon. Taako's out there, maybe she'll be able to see whatever flashy ridiculous stunt he's no doubt pulling to get to shore. "I guess we can try rowing for a while, but if that's not fast enough I'm still gonna make goatboy get out and push. That wasn't a suggestion, darling," she adds with a too wide shark's grin at Ed.

The hard thud of knife in wood earns a sudden and sharp turn of Ed's head, and his expression blanks for a moment seeing just how deep it's gone into the wood.

"Workin' on it, buddy. Just...try and sit tight, okay?" Ed settles to sit and start paddling, putting in a strong stroke, but not by too much--they need a straight path, and he knows without having to ask that the magician won't be able to match him.

He glances over and his lip curls back in a warning snarl. "You wanna find out if I can huck you all the way onto the shore?"

Mood.

Exceptionally mood. A slow exhale through their nose- they can't be sure of anything, right now. Can't be sure Frisk is here; can't be sure they won't be stuck with these people for a rather long time.

Think. Breathe. Don't make a spectacle.

"Both of you, if you please... I am afraid I am not in the mood for playful banter." If sticking a knife partway through a solid mast hadn't made that one clear enough. "I would greatly appreciate your assistance in getting to shore as quickly as possible. There is someone I must find."

Oh man the goat snarls, that's adorable. Lup grins back, ready for a lightning quick retort, just try it dude, she's been punted by worse things and had a grand old time. But once again the kid's intense seriousness kinda takes the wind out of her sails and she glances over to them. "You and me both, pumpkin." Despite the nickname, there's nothing patronizing in her tone. She knows exactly how it feels, to be cramped and helpless, to not even be sure... Wow, no, she's not doing any of that, going down that road is not an option, how about she just rows instead.

She plows the oar into the water with great zeal, matching the boy's rhythm. And fuck you for thinking she couldn't keep up, she might pass out before they reach shore but you bet she'd keep up until then. "Who're you looking for, your parents?"

Lup, this boy can throw an entire steel frame car, he knows what he's about.

Still, the kid's interjection is enough to cool Edward's flaring temper again, and he huffs softly with ears laid back. He knows himself, and it's probably best he just stay quiet for now--besides, the better he synchronizes with his erstwhile partner the faster they'll all get to shore.

It's Chara.

Is what they want to say. They're looking for Frisk. Their Partner. But that's the truth- and the truth sticks in their throat a little too long.

Perhaps Edward and Lup don't matter, in the long run, but they met Tim before, didn't they? If he's here, so could others from the castle. And others from their world.

So...pumpkin it is, then.

"A child, my age and height." Is the response they come up with.

"They can't swim."

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

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