lifeaftr | 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

[J's whole body is frozen as she watches into the darkness, holding her breath and pressing the cigarette as the corners of her lips draws back, turning into one thin line. She can hear her own heart beat loudly in her ears from the suspension alone.

Then, a quiet gasp escapes from between her lips -- nearly dropping the smoke on her lap-- when a figure emergence from the bushes coming to closer her. Her eyes widen and she grips on the stone steps underneath her. The stranger looks rather peculiar, granted not the weirdest one she's seen within the day, and J only hopes that her earlier thoughts about brutal natives aren't just coming true.]

[...not hostile.]

[That much is obvious from the reaction to their appearance - undeniably scared. That is understandable. They are not what anyone would call a desirable presence. Their occupation, the tone of their skin, their illness...none of these make them someone worth knowing in any profound sense.]

[But their companion chirps at their shoulder, projecting a screen from which a line of blocky text forms.]

not hostile

[As the strange looking man moves past the bushes J quickly scans the area with her eyes, checking out for any possible object to use as a weapon. Stone or something. Then again, if he were to attack her chances to defend herself are close to zero.

But before that thought can go any further the man makes the move first and all of the sudden a bright letters are hovering in the air in front of him.

How even.

J blinks her big eyes twice while mouth continuing to hang open in confusion.]

Uh. Okay? Sure, dear.

[Dark eyes peer out from the strip of cobalt skin visible beneath their helmet, black as the surrounding night, eyeing her curiously. She appears just like many of the rest they have met since their arrival here - paler of skin and of hair than they are accustomed, devoid of the fur and scale and feather that decorates most of the citizens of their own world.]

[But she, too, appears non-hostile.]

[...concerning, as she appears to be unaccompanied, as well. Not young enough to be a child, but she lacks any visible weapon. Not wise in a place such as this.]

alone?

U-umh. [She mumbles, carefully raising a brow and lowering her jaw slightly in curiosity.]

Yeah. [She confirms. At least she thinks so?]

Are you?

[A nod.]

[They're a drifter. Drifters are seldom if ever not alone, simply by nature. But it's possible that she simply does not recognize them for what they are. Some have not. Peculiar as it is.]

danger?

[That is to say - is there?]

No. [She says quickly and more firmly, sounding more certain. Her body language relaxes and she doesn't seem to be in alarm anymore.

J thinks she's getting hang of this weird conversation.]

[Ah. Good. Her body language is as much an informant as her words, and the Drifter straightens slightly, dropping the need to prepare for incipient attack.]

should get inside.

[...]

With you?

[It is a fair question, and one they have come to anticipate. A sickly, blue-skinned creature such as themself does not make for the best of company, and they have never been foolish enough to delude themself into thinking otherwise.]

[And so their response arrives without a modicum of hesitation.]

with someone.
to stay safe.

[It is obvious that she is not a combatant, after all.]

[J frowns a little when the new text is projected in the air. Well, he does seem to have a point there. Just because there so far hadn't proved out to be any predators it didn't mean there wouldn't be any lurking in the dark.]

And you?

[A shrug. They have made their way alone before, and will continue to do so now for as long as they must. Though why she would devote time to worrying about them at all is somewhat mystifying.]

chart island
we will need a map

[Making a map, even if a mental one, does sound like a smart move. Who knows how long they'll have to be here before rescue... if there's even one coming.

She looks the man again, up and down, and bites down on her lower lip as the ideas mull in her head. He's also right that she should move inside the ruins to get shelter and possible protection. Unless there was a danger in there.]

Are you going alone?

[...]

[It must be a courtesy, expressing that concern. She would have, after all, little to no reason to care in the first place. Would she?]

yes.
why

Well. [She starts as she stands up, swaying a bit on her feet as she gains the balance.]

It's like you said. I should go in with someone to stay safe. [....]

And you're the only one around. If I can trust you?

[That only compounds their perplexity; she must be aware that they're far from appealing company, and her wariness is well-founded. What about a blue-skinned stranger incapable of speech, dying from the illness clouding their lungs and ravaging their vocal cords, is in any way trustworthy?]

[It is a necessity. It must be.]

[The Drifter nods.]

will keep safe
for as long as you need.

For as long as I need? [She repeats. Lightness and sound of amusement sneaks into her voice. The corners of her lips curl up into a small smile.]

You're going to regret promising that. [Now she's just teasing him. Then she takes a step up on the stairs and nods towards the entrance.]

After you.

[...the nuances of what she's just said are rather lost on them. They're admittedly not quite sure why they would regret such a promise. They cannot do much but ensure that no one is hurt in a world set against them. It's the least they have in their power.]

[But they will not argue the point. The Drifter nods, and sets off at a brisk stride in the direction of the ruins.]

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

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