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

[chummer]

Uh, says you, [ he sasses back, in only the way a seventeen year old Shark-Man can. ]

I can lift shift, man. [ And he does. While he can't curl his fingers around the driftwood entirely, it's enough that he can make due before needing to shift them more into his arms. He's careful of any debris scraping his fins though. That'd suck, definitely. ] I'm adapted to land, even if I'm still better in the water.

Just take the fucking help.

[ohnehalfte]

Well, if you're gonna carry it for me, then sure. [Right, Newt's gonna push to his feet, then] You can drop it next to the stuff drying over there. [he indicates the stuff not too far away, before moving to scoop up the remainder]

[chummer]

Okay, one. I'm not doing shit for you, [ he corrects, eyes narrowed. ] I'm just not gonna' stand around watching you incompetent landers.

Two, I will. But only if you can teach me how to start a fire. [ A beat. ] And not make fun of me for it.

[ Look, he lived underwater. Fire is a new concept. He's making an attempt at least. ]

[ohnehalfte]

[Yep, he's just gonna arch an eyebrow at you, dude.] Hey, dude, maybe you shouldn't be calling someone incompetent when you're kind of incompetent yourself. [yep, hands going to hips] Otherwise, yeah, I can teach you how to start a fire.

[chummer]

[ While Finley sneers at the 'incompetent' comment, he doesn't lash out immediately. ] Look, [ he starts, terse but trying to be not as snappy as before. ] Don't think I'm doing too bad for someone who learned how to walk like two days ago.

[ So Newt can shove it. ]

And cool. We have volcanic vents and shit, but not... fire.

[ohnehalfte]

Okay, but it'll have to be later after we find some shelter. [he's turning and walking towards his stuff now, clearly expecting this guy to follow lol] No use wasting good firewood when it's still hot out.

[chummer]

[ .... This is bullshit. He doesn't actually say that, of course, but he definitely conveys it in his language as he trots after Newt. ]

Yeah, sure, whatever. What makes good shelter on land?

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt rolls his eyes at the tone, but blatantly ignores it because yeah, not worth his time.] At this point, whatever we can put together. If we can gather some large leaves, we can lay those down on the ground to help with the chill, and then from there, construct something to keep the wind out. That's the first order of business anyway. If there's any sort of structure or something on this island, that'd be even better, but then you have to worry about something else being at home that might want you for a snack.

[chummer]

[ Excuse you, Newt. Finley is always worth everyone's time. ]

Uh, man. Do you keep forgetting that I'm a shark? Nothing is going to try and eat me. If anything, it'd be the other way around.

[ohnehalfte]

Yeah, okay, dude, keep tellin' yourself that. [Newt huffs] From experience, there's bigger and badder stuff out there than you, even if you are part shark. [....] ...are you seriously part shark? [that's definitely a gleam of interest in his eye]

[chummer]

I'm mostly shark, [ he corrects. ]

Well. I was until that sea witch fucked me up.

[ Being bipedal is for losers. ]

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt's arching an eyebrow at that] Yeah? And what happened there? [because he is actually curious about that lol]

[chummer]

I wanted to save my sea, [ he answers, honestly. ]

And to that, we had to go on land. So I asked the sea witch to give me the ability to do so.

[ohnehalfte]

Wait...what was happening to your sea?

[chummer]

It's being poisoned, [ he says, more grim than he has been since arrived.

It's not an easy thing to talk of him. Part of him wanted to tell Newt it wasn't any of his fucking business, honestly, but- He was told he couldn't act that way, if he was looking to get help. ]

We don't know why or how, but- Something is fucking it up.

[ohnehalfte]

[That...that definitely causes Newt to frown, folding his arms across his chest] Shit--that sucks. How is it being poisoned? What's been happening?

[chummer]

Fuck if I know, [ which might as well his motto by now. ]

We couldn't figure it out, so that's why my cousin and I magicked ourselves to be able to walk on land. We couldn't get any answers underwater so moving to land seemed the next best move.

[ohnehalfte]

I mean--shit, that makes sense. I meant, like, what are the ways it's being poisoned? What's been happening under water that's out of the ordinary?