November Intro: Red Sun Rises Like an Early Warning

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: NOVEMBER

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: November 3rd and beyond
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The New Arrivals: Hold My Hand
When you wake, it will be to the lapping of waves, frothed with foam...pulling at your hair, your skin, your clothing. The sand is soft and wet beneath you, but it's several inches submerged. And the longer you stay here, the more obvious it will be that the water level of the ocean ringing this strip of island has begun to to rise, and not merely because the tide has started to come in.

And what's more? You can tell that something else about this entire situation is horribly, horribly wrong.

Perhaps you've lost some special power. Perhaps some piece of your memory is freshly and disconcertingly blank. Perhaps you've just discovered that one of your senses is missing, or that you've been rendered unable to speak, or you've been struck by a debilitating fatigue. Not only are you stranded in some unfamiliar place, stuck on a rapidly flooding beach, but you aren't even doing it in full possession of all your faculties.
For those who agreed to put themselves at a disadvantage for a stranger, these are your consequences. If you're unclear as to the handicap your character has been assigned, if any, please check your initial acceptance notice!

All new arrivals will additionally awake with knapsacks, their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can also be found in your acceptance notices!

For All: It's a Long Way Down
The water isn't a problem for the newest arrivals, either. It seems that the waters all over Ensō have started to rise, slowly at first, and then with a steadily increasing rate. At first, you might be forgiven for assuming the tide must simply be unusually high, or maybe that the island's begun to sink. But the longer it endures, the more obvious it becomes that neither is the case.

The water has begun to rise. Something is wrong with the island itself, or the being living on it, and now there is nothing preventing the water's inexorable approach as it steadily washes over and over the mainland. In fact, if you listen closely, you might even be able to hear a peculiar sound tearing over the cold rush of the coastal wind; something akin to a desolate wailing.

Either get to high ground - and quickly - or find out what's causing this. But either way, we suggest you hurry...because there are a great deal of newly arrived, very disoriented folk on the beach that could really, really use your help.

---

As a final note to those who participated in the Test Drive Meme, bear in mind that 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.

---

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

[the_word_is]

[A gasp, the sort of short, shaken breath that people take when trying suddenly to stop a waterfall of tears.

Maka looks up, scrubbing at her face with the stained and dirty sleeves of her hoodie. It's one thing for her to be so frustrated and relieved and confused that her own crying catches her completely off guard, it's something entirely different for a stranger to see that.

The kid in front of her is almost a stranger, someone she remembers dreaming about. Kidwun isn't the sort of person she should be showing any weakness in front of, so she tries for a smile as she waves "hello".

Reality is always a little harsher than dreams, and the reality of Maka's physical condition is no exception. She's thin, terribly so, and covered in a layer of dirt that speaks to a long-term lack of any kind of soap and running water. He face is scarred with lines stretching from her mouth outwards, like something tore her jaw open and clawed furrows across her face.

But she smiles, and tries to look confident and reassuring.]

[achievementhunter]

[She looks terrible. Waterlogged and like she's attempting (poorly) to collect herself- pull back her emotions before they overwhelm her again. They appreciate the attempt, at least; it gives them some time to take in the differences.

There are differences. Plenty of them. Wherever she's come from, it certainly wasn't kind. You can do that, can't you, Chara? You can attempt to be kind.]

I'm afraid it isn't really the weather for the beach. [They sign- sticking to finger spelling, rapid, but easier for her to parse.] I can offer a dry place to stay; we have some left over fish and fruit. When the weather is better, you may also borrow some soap, if you're so inclined.

[the_word_is]

[She doesn't usually sign that much, she doesn't think she's ever had to read that much before.

Food and a place to stay and--- it catches Maka completely off guard, and she stares wide-eyed at the other child. She's used to this from adults, they're always trying to help, even when it becomes risky for them. But kids... kids aren't that foolishly selfless around people they've just met. They're not that kind.]

Are you sure?

[Maybe this kid is like Rin, maybe there's a group of them already and now they're reaching out. Kids in groups can be helpful, they'll support their friends and add more people to their group.]

[achievementhunter]

[There isn't a group- but there are two children with a silent agreement to ensure the safety of those close to their age, quietly rounding them close enough to keep an eye on. For Frisk, it's practically instinctive to care.

For Chara...there's something distinctly unpleasant about looking at children far more capable of being children than they are, and knowing that this world had the ability to destroy that.

Maka is an exception.]

I am confident that you would help us in turn, if needed.

[A little more give and take than purely giving- something that is likely more to her speed.]

[the_word_is]

[Maka nods, because of course she would. She doesn't even need to promise it, it's just part of her nature. She can, and will help if needed.]

I can fight and hunt and I know how to preserve meat.

[achievementhunter]

Then you can always return the favor by providing some food for my sibling, in future.

[See? Easy as that. Turning away from the beach, Chara begins the long walk back to the Storyteller's temple, glancing back the once to ensure she's following.

And to confirm that she can walk unassisted.]

[the_word_is]

[Oh, she can walk. Maka Albarn can walk for days unassisted, and she has. But today, as she follows after Kidwun, she is suddenly accosted by furry tentacles reaching up out of her bag. Sorry, give her a moment to remove her octocat from her face, which is easier said than done and requires a lot of annoyed sputtering and flailing.]

1/2

[achievementhunter]

[Hey Maka look I'mma let you finish but what the fuck.]

[achievementhunter]

[Neither of them is really on safe ground, but that doesn't stop Chara from wading back towards her, gesturing to her... octopus feline in clear question.

Explain??????]

[the_word_is]

[Maka takes a few more moments to get Pumpkin off her face, out of her backpack, and into a more comfortable position for the both of them (he winds up inside the hood of her hoodie, wrapping tentacles around everything except her face).]

The Techs made a bunch of... cats? [sort of cats, her expression says] and some of us were able to keep them. This is Pumpkin.

[achievementhunter]

[They eye off those tentacles with a small amount of uncertainty. It's true that they're used to creatures of all shapes and sizes, but this is...still rather new. How does one accept a cat with tentacles in a matter of moments?

They don't.]

Very cute. [For a cat with tentacles.]

[the_word_is]

He doesn’t bite. [Usually. He is a cat, after all.]

[achievementhunter]

[It's not him that worries them most. Still, they take that as an indication of potential insult, should they not respond- so slowly, Chara holds up a hand for the cat to sniff at. Probably just smells salty, honestly.]

[the_word_is]

[Pumpkin isn't very interested in Maka's new friend, honestly. But Maka seems satisfied. Or at least, she nods as if that settles the question of cats and strangers.]

[achievementhunter]

[Well, that's rude. They wait for a moment longer before deciding that this is a waste of time, continuing on without a word. The further away from the beach they are, the less threatening the water is- even if the rain still comes down in droves.]

There's a temple ahead with a style of teleportation device behind it- going through there will lead us to where we need to be.

[the_word_is]

Where we need to be?