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.

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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

i think the others can come in now!

[crosslaced]

[ y e s

salvation!!!!

He's going to sneak in a discreet, silent fistpump when Ignis isn't looking. Ignis is never looking.]

It… so happens that cooking isn't one of my skills. I've found game, though whether it's edible remains to be seen.

[Hey, maybe he won't starve in a week now. With that, Laurent leads his horse at an easy pace towards the ruins.]

[want_to_belong]

[After meeting with a pretty girl, Prompto had some indication that there had been movement in this direction, and so he jogged this way. He had to remind himself that there was a chance it wouldn't be Iggy or Noct, but that didn't stop hope from creeping up on him. All he wanted right now was for both of them to be safe.

As he approached a familiar figure was instantly recognizable. Even from a distance he could tell it was Iggy's silhouette. His movements. His heart raced and despite having been running around for hours he somehow sped up.

He had no idea what was going on, but somehow he'd ended up on some sort of duplicorn. What was he doing up there?! That wasn't a chocobo! Those things were always killers in the Totomostro battle arena. Those and coeurls.]

Iggy!

[He sprinted down the beach as fast as he could towards them.]

Iggy, be careful of that duplicorn!

[noctanotheroneout]

[Guess who was in earshot and heart a frantic Prompto. Yeah, this Prince. He looked around frantically where he stood, trying to figure out the direction of where his friends voice was coming from. He took a guess and started down the beach, coming around a bend, and seeing what he …saw.]

Ignis?

[Noctis stopped and paused in the sand. He was riding the equestrian as if it wads tamed, and with another person none the less. A tamed dulicorn? That was pretty rad.]

[shatteredlenses]

It may take some experimentation, but if it doesn't straight out kill us on first bite, I am certain I can make something far better than just 'edible' out of it.

[Just a little pride there. Ignis doesn't have much of that left, but that won't stop him from gloating about what he does have. He's about to ask for more details on what Laurent managed to catch when a pair of familiar voices call out. His head turns first toward Prompto's voice and then towards Noctis'.

Thank the Six they are okay!]

Duplicorn?

[For a moment, Ignis almost thinks he's heard Prompto wrong. The creature he's riding acts nothing like the fierce creature she's being compared to. But no, he supposes it looking something like a duplicorn makes sense. The gait matches anyway.]

I highly doubt Four-Legs-Eats-Grass will appreciate the comparison. Don't worry. She's no danger to me.

[A small smile crosses his face then.]

I should have known moving to prepare supper would summon you both to my side.

[crosslaced]

What-

[His recognition that this must be Ignis’ friend is abruptly interrupted by the shouted warning. Laurent immediately assumes danger, whipping his head around to find this ‘duplicorn’; he doesn't see it, whatever the hell it is. But there is presumably, probably, something nearby, and he's not taking any chances.

The horse pricks its ears and falters, confused by the sudden panic in the area. Laurent hauls himself onto her back and pulls firmly on the reins.]

Hang on-!

[Immediately the horse picks up her pace in flight. She'll only slow to a stop once she’s past Prompto, with her rider’s assumption that the other blonde is going to deal with the problem.]

What the hell is a duplicorn? Where is it?

[want_to_belong]

Whoa, Iggy...!

[Suddenly the duplicorn was going faster and Prompto worried that Ignis could get bucked off. He ducked down into a defensive stance and backed off as it rode near, hand on his gun now. He couldn't shoot it - not with Ignis on top of it. It could fall over on him or something. He kept the barrel pointed down but he was ready if he needed to use it. If it would even go off.]

Dude, you're riding it! What are you guys doing on that thing? It could throw you off!

[He didn't even have time to appreciate Noct's presence. His gaze shot over to the other boy .]

Noct, do something!

[He was the one who could warp and stuff after all and this crazy beast was running around with Ignis and some guy on it.]

[noctanotheroneout]

You need to calm down, Prompto.

[Even from where Noctis was standing he could tell that Ignis wasn't in any danger. The other person seemed to have complete control of the beast. It actually looked kinds fun. Almost like a Chocobo.]

Breath, if you take a closer look, you'll see that Ignis is doing ok. The thing is tamed. [He jogged over to his friend and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.]

[shatteredlenses]

Wait a minute! Laurent, Prompto, ther-

[And that is as far as Ignis gets before Laurent is jumping onto the-definitely-not-a-Duplicorn, and the advisor is left with little choice but to put an arm around the blonde's waist before he falls due to the sudden movement. Dizziness returns and he can't help but be grateful when they stop moving again, his head failing against the back of the man in front of him.]

By the Six, do not do that again unless you fancy being throw up upon!

[One warning is all Laurent will get. It may not be proper to throw up on someone he hardly knows, but Ignis stomach is far less inclined to worry about propriety than he is right now.]

Did you not see me smiling and joking just a moment ago? Do you really think I would be doing that if I were in danger? I'm fine!

[Consider yourselves thoroughly scolded. All except Noctis. He actually got it right.]

[crosslaced]

[Oh.

Dude what the heck, how are horses not good and wonderful herbivores where they come from? More importantly, Laurent now spots Prompto’s gun and his gut coils at the sight. Oh, he has had bad experiences with guns, and if the man so much as brings it up against his horse-]

First of all, she's mine, and-

[-behind him Ignis makes his anger known. Tch… either way, he's three seconds from summoning a spear in case Prompto needs to be shown what a real threat is. Noctis and Ignis’ peacekeeping couldn't be better timed. Laurent huffs, patting Maribelle in an effort to relax them both.]

So you want to be pushed off next time.

[laurent no]

You should get off anyway. It looks like your friends want you back.

[want_to_belong]

[Ah man, Ignis scoldings. Those were the worst. Prompto looked a mite bit like a chided child, but he backed off.]

Sorry, Iggy.

[No doubt Noct has seen that face before. They did get into trouble together once or twice before. Prompto had a much different experience than him, though. While Noctis was the rebellious prince who would get in trouble with a whole palace full of people, Prompto's parents weren't even there to notice he was gone.

It was no wonder he ended up getting 'babysat' by the serious trained Crownsguard a lot. But it was kind of nice. At least they noticed when he did something wrong.

He kept some distance with Noct but he was ready to run up if needed to help Ignis get down, eyes flitting to and from the duplicorn to Noctis, like he was saying, "Can you believe this?".]

Seriously?? How do you keep it from kicking people in the face? ...What happened to its horns?

[Both bewildered and fascinated, some tension still remained in his shoulders. What if he went up to get Iggy and it booted him in the head?]