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

[hyperlit]

[A nod. A nod. Another nod. All in short order. They recognize him well enough - he'd talked more than enough for the both of them, though he had not been unpleasant in the process of it. They were simply unused to that amount of chatter.]

trying.

[A pause, and then, with a somewhat dejected, disgruntled air - ]

cliffs get in the way.

[ohnehalfte]

[alskdfh Newt can't help but bark out a laugh at that] Yeah, dude, they tend to do that. How far have you gone so far? Anything of interest I should know about? [yep, definitely looking at them expectantly now lol]

[hyperlit]

[Anything of interest? Not yet. Sadly.]

nothing much.

[WELL, ACTUALLY...]

[They draw their Tidepool Sickle from their pack and hold it awkwardly in their hands, surveying it as though it's personally offended them.]

this.

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt's eyebrows shoot straight to his hairline at the look of that thing, before drawing down into a frown]

Woah. What...is that?

[hyperlit]

[The Drifter shakes their head, apparently more than a little perplexed at its materialization. They already have a weapon; this addition is both unnecessary and unsettling, because it won't stop - moving.]

it was there
feels alive
?

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt had leaned in a bit to get a closer look at the thing--but he then jerks back a bit as it moves, eyes going wide behind his glasses] Did it come with your goodie bag or something? Because I got some weird sort of wood thing that looks like a huge gun. But yeah, uh...[....leaning in cautiously again]....that thing is hella weird, dude.

[hyperlit]

[A nod. They did indeed.]

already armed.
unnecessary.

[And seeing as they have no experience wielding scythes or sickles, it's unlikely it will get much use - at least until they've learned a little more as to how it works.]

gun?

[ohnehalfte]

[at the question, Newt glances back up the beach towards the treeline, where most of his things are still drying in the sun.] Yeah, it's up there with my stuff. [pointing it out, yep] It kinda looks like a potato gun made out of wood? Ish? Except there's nowhere to add aerosol or light the end once you've got the potato in there, so if that's what it is, I have no idea how it works or where the heck I'm supposed to get the potatoes. [Newt's mouth twists a bit in confusion, scratching the back of his neck] Not that I'd fire them anyway, even if I had them, because like hell I'm wasting good food like that.

[hyperlit]

[They have no idea what a potato gun is, sir. Or potatoes. But they're not about to ask - that doesn't seem particularly relevant.]

[The Drifter reaches into the folds of their cloak before withdrawing the Zaliska and holding it out by way of comparison. It's a fairly large weapon, befitting its ability to fire the largest bullets they've seen of any gun.]

like this?

[ohnehalfte]

[It's a testament to how quickly Newt has unwittingly decided to trust the Drifter, as he doesn't flinch or even stiffen when they reach into their cloak and pull out a gun. Instead, he hums, curious and considering]

Yeah, kinda! But a lot bigger. Here, c'mon--[and he's turning to start making his way back up the beach to where his belongings are, clearly expecting them to follow]

[hyperlit]

[And follow they do. They trot along at a brisk pace, easily, stowing the Zaliska back within the folds of their clothing on their person. Without anything to shoot at, it does not do to brandish a weapon unduly. Not around allies.]

[Or...friends?]

[That would be presumptuous.]

[ohnehalfte]

[All of Newt's stuff is laid out neatly, with the electronics elevated out of the sand and placed on top of the backpacks. Newt is going straight for the coconut gun, though, lifting it up and cupping both palms underneath it, before turning to show the Drifter]

This thing. It...looks like a gun, right? But the projectiles are definitely really big. So potato gun was the first thing that I thought of.

[hyperlit]

[Hm. The Drifter studies it closely, swaying this way and that to get a look at it from all angles. It looks more bare-bones than anything they've wielded, heavier too. But that's undeniably a trigger mechanism.]

does it work

[ohnehalfte]

I...have no idea. [Newt chews on his bottom lip at that] I haven't tried it yet. What would I even use for ammunition? I'm serious about the complete lack of potatoes here.

[hyperlit]

[Hm. They can't exactly transfer their ammunition to Newt's gun - it's energy-based, like many of the projectiles in their world.]

driftwood?
shells?

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt brightens at that] Yeah, maybe! It'll depend on the shape and velocity for how well they fire--[...pause, back to a frown, but more in thought than anything]--if they fire. Because I'm not seeing any mechanism that would have a primer and a hammer, even if the trigger worked.

[hyperlit]

[They're not an engineer; the nuances of how the mechanism works escapes them. Whatever the technical hang-ups might be, it's clear that it's meant to function without them.]

try firing something.
see if it works.

[ohnehalfte]

...I mean, yeah, I could definitely do that. [Newt glances around, then, looking for something to shove in there--before reaching down to grab a piece of his driftwood from the pile he's made] I just gotta hope it doesn't blow up in my face, huh?

[hyperlit]

[AHH, GOOD POINT.]

[The Drifter makes a swift movement at that remark, one hand outstretched in a rapidly aborted jerk of motion that they translate into a line of text shooting out across their HUD.]

let me
in case of danger

[It may as well be them; they are dying already.]

[ohnehalfte]

[...Newt hesitates, even as the Drifter holds out their hand]

...I dunno, dude. I don't want you to get hurt, either. Especially since we don't have any medical station yet that I know of.

[He frowns] ...how good are you at taking a hit?

[hyperlit]

[That's an easy answer. The Drifter slips one of the green vials from the folds of their cloak. The medical cross emblazoned across its front is a clear indication of what it's for - not that they're of the mind that they'll need it.]

[They've fired guns before.]

[But in case he needs further proof, they add in a long block of text:]

┈┈┈┈┈┈▕▔╲
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈▏▕
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈▏▕▂▂▂
▂▂▂▂▂▂╱┈▕▂▂▂▏
▉▉▉▉▉┈┈┈▕▂▂▂▏
▉▉▉▉▉┈┈┈▕▂▂▂▏
▔▔▔▔▔▔╲▂▕▂▂▂▏

[ohnehalfte]

[well, the tube with a cross on it is a comfort, honestly...at least they've got a way to heal themselves (he's assuming, anyway.) It's the thumbs up that does it, though, and Newt laughs at the projection, relaxing.]

Alright. Just be careful, yeah? [and yep, handing over that coconut gun.]

[hyperlit]

[A careful, organized study of the contours and ridges of the thing - he's right in that it's far heavier and more cannon-like than anything else they've fired - and the Drifter positions the weapon carefully, lining up a shot so it aims at once of the trees jutting out from the jungled backdrop.]

[Ready, aim - ]

[With an almost comical fwoomp, it issues a blast that sends the chunk of driftwood spinning haphazardly across the expanse of sand, skidding to a halt several feet short of the intended target.]

[ohnehalfte]

Holy shit! [it's a yelp as the driftwood goes flying, and Newt jumps about half a foot in the air] Did you see that?! That was awesome! [HOLD ON HE'S REALLY EXCITED] I mean, not the best projectile, but with the right one, that could be pretty effective!

[hyperlit]

[Not the most ideal projectile, no. The Drifter examines the stunted arc with the sort of eye that might suggest a tut of disapproval.]

needs something rounder.
more aerodynamic.