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

[ohnehalfte]

[It's the spray of sea across his face that wakes Newt up first. To be more specific, it's the spray of seawater that he then stupidly inhales, causing him to have a suddenly loud coughing fit as he pushes up onto hands and knees. The feel of wood is rough beneath his hands; the weight of his backpack is still strapped to him, even as he sits up, opening his eyes fully to be greeted by, well...a blur. His glasses are soaked, and he yanks them off his face, blinking hard as he makes some sort of attempt to dry them on his shirt.

It kinda-storta-not-really works, just enough for him to get a better view of his surroundings. Those surroundings being, well...ocean. And a raft. And two other people (?). And an island. Newt blinks once, twice, before shouting--]

What the fuck?!

[--his voice is a screeching crack, and he's making to start to scramble to his feet--except then the raft rocks dangerously under him, and he drops back down to his haunches almost immediately as his arms pinwheel to help him keep balance. He's breathing goes high and sharp, just this edge of panicked]

What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck?

[just_want_normal_knees]

Unnngh, hey, stop cussing...

[And the next to wake up is Ruby. It's Newt's colorful introduction that gets her to wake up. She can't help but groan as she sits up, like she slept on something... oh, right, sleeping in her regular clothes and with her weapon strapped hurts.

Wait, she wasn't sleeping then. Where...?]

Um... I don't think I'm anywhere near Mistral?

[metachrosis]

[Who the fuck is this? Who the fuck is that? At least Espio doesn't start shrieking in panic when he sits up and finds himself somewhere unfamiliar with strangers, though he does scowl at the person who is.

...the hell?

Raft. Water. Definitely not an apocalyptic wasteland lying in ruins, but probably not real if Espio can judge by more recent happenings. Great.

He flops back and rolls onto his side.]

Well this is nice.

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt can hear other people speaking. He sits back slightly, his hands clenching on his knees as he sucks in one breath, two--he's gotta stay calm. This definitely isn't the giant cave with "benevolent" gods, or their small spiral house, or the lab with the sleeper couch. Okay. This isn't his first rodeo; he's done this before. At least there aren't monsters around this time??

He hopes, anyway.

Finally, Newt's glancing up, taking in his surroundings again...and the two people he's sharing this makeshift raft with. His attention flicks over them, but they're strangers. He doesn't recognize either of them, and therefore immediately dismisses it as unimportant. He licks his lips, eyeing the island a bit away.]

...we need to get to that island.

[yep. that's what he's leading with, even as he's already looking around for something with which to paddle and push their raft forward]

[just_want_normal_knees]

Island? Island where?

[It takes a moment for Ruby to take notice of the island in the distance. Okay, yeah, what's his name is right. They need to get there. And question is... how?

Ruby's going to quickly look around. to try and find something.]

[metachrosis]

[Don't mind the lizard pointedly not budging for a long moment, only rolling his eyes at the statement of the obvious. Well. Yes, yes they do probably need to get on the island... he counts a few seconds in his head before he finally sits up properly.

So. A raft. An ocean. Two unfamiliar humans.
And... a knapsack with his name on it. Huh.
He pulls it onto his lap and starts to rummage through. Hey, maybe there is something useful in here.]

Well, I guess that's an improvement over yelling "what the fuck" over and over. Hello to you two, too.

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt glances over, scowling, pressing back on his haunches so he can sit up a bit more]

So are you actually gonna help or are you just gonna sit there?

[that is 100% directed in Espio's direction, before yep getting back to trying to find something to paddle with]

If we take one of these logs out of the raft, we might be able to paddle with it.

[just_want_normal_knees]

[Ruby thinks over Newt's suggestion a bit]

That could work... if the rest of the raft doesn't fall apart. I think?

[metachrosis]

[Espio nods to Ruby. Thank you. Back to Newt, who has earned a scowl.]

I am helping. Apparently I'm the only one with any powers of observation, or the sense to think of checking out the mystery supply sack with my name on it. Better first step than immediately suggesting we destabilise the one thing keeping me from sinking to a watery death.

Check out your resources before making plans, genius.

[He pulls out a coil of rope, something that he's pretty sure is universally a useful object, and examines it.]

And since nobody can be bothered to introduce themselves, I'll start. Espio the Chameleon.

[ohnehalfte]

[Newt's mouth twists into a matching scowl] Unless there's an oar or a motor in there, which I doubt, it's definitely more important to get to shore. So if you've got any better ideas, you sure haven't shared. [drawled, and Newt's shifting to study how the raft is tied together]

If we cut the ropes properly and someone holds it taught and ties it quickly, it shouldn't destabilize the whole thing, and it's possible we could get some sort of something to use as oars, rather than, y'know, continuing to sit here in the middle of the ocean.