December Intro: Don't Come Home for Christmas

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: DECEMBER

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: December 3rd and onward
Where: Monsun
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The Overview: Uncharted Waters
Stay alert, new adventurers; instead of the white-sand beaches of Enso, you will instead be coming to on one of two sides of the relatively uncharted lands of Monsun. Most of the information regarding this peculiar land can be found in the informational post linked, but as a quick-and-dirty rundown: Monsun's western side is a hot wasteland of a desert prone of disasters and mishaps, but will affect your character's emotional and psychological state in a positive sense, while its eastern side is a verdant forest filled with endless resources...as well as a tendency to bring out the absolute worst of your character.

To start with, all new arrivals will be showing up in one of two squares that characters uncovered last month! We are leaving it up to player discretion as to which side of the island your character arrives on, but bear in mind the psychological repercussions!

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

Monsun, C4: These Are Your Good Years
You wake to the hot sun steaming overhead, rapidly drying your clothes and belongings, waterlogged from washing upon this desolate shore. The heatwaves shimmer at your vision, distorting your view of the horizon. But if you really squint, it looks like there might be something dark green fringing that pipecleaner skyline, like a lush woodland awaits you on the other side of this desert nightmare. A mirage, maybe?

Whatever it is, you don't get very long to contemplate it. Beneath your feet, the ground has begun to shake as a many-headed horror erupts from the earth. Great streams of pale sand slough from its dry, scaly hide as multiple horned heads unfurl in a hissing inflorescence. The creature's eyes are all pale as grubs; it is quite blind. But that does not mean it cannot smell you. Boasting both a thick hide and a chitinous coat of sandy-colored scales that blends them perfectly with their surroundings, Sand Hydras sleep several feet under the sand until they sense the vibrations of potential prey aboveground. While they are significantly smaller than their mythological counterparts - they can only span eight to twelve feet in length - Sand Hydras are cunning creatures nonetheless with a number of heads that can vary from one to as high as ten. Their weakness, on the other hand, is simple: water burns them like acid. It seems they may flourish only in any moisture-poor environment.

Assuming your character lasts that long, remember: as physically destructive as Monsun's west may be, your character's most admirable traits will be amplified to their fullest potential by the twenty-four hour mark.

Monsun, D3: Before You Bury Yourself Alive
Those waking on the eastern side of the island, on the other hand, will face a far more pleasing tableau. The temperature is perfect, the sun shines modestly through the canopy of deciduous greenery above your head, and the air is thick and sweet with the smell of fresh fruit.

That's right - within minutes of their arrival, your character will discover several plants laden with fresh wild blackberries. Should that temptation arrest their attention, should they be vulnerable to the foibles of greed or hoarding or paranoia, your character may very well wish to keep this treat to themself. Or...perhaps not. Perhaps they'd much rather search out a fight, or try to steal someone else's supplies, or embark on a poorly-advised mission to swim out into Monsun's surrounding waters.

For that is, after all, the catch: as physically soothing as Monsun's east may be, your character's most hateful traits will be amplified to their fullest potential by the twenty-four hour mark.

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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.

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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

[bloodyashes]

Technically, the forest is largely safe from physical dangers, but it does nasty things to your head.

[He would know, considering.]

I've got a camp by the river a bit north of here, and that's about as safe as it gets. Other people have been starting to show up, so there's usually someone there.

[By someone he means the ominously helpful hobo dad.]

[shineinside]

Oh, there's a camp! I was worried that it was going to be nothing but wilderness. If you'll have me, it would be great to have a place to go from here.

[bloodyashes]

It's not much more than wilderness, really, but it's a start. We'll take anyone who shows up.

[He'll turn to lead her in that direction.]

[shineinside]

[And she follows, quietly for a minute.]

...I should thank you, I'd probably be panicking by now if you hadn't shown up when you did. I'm...

[She actually stumbles momentarily over her name. Which one should she use? Is it really okay to just pretend that's her real name?

...As long as he's a stranger, it should probably be fine. No real chance for things to get confusing, right? Go for it.]

...Yuka. Yuka Ichijou.

[bloodyashes]

[Hey Yuka you can always check your knapsack to see if it has the right name on it!

...Even if it didn't, though, Asch wouldn't argue. Chosen names are probably the one part of the whole thing that he does get.]

Asch. Nice to meet you.

[That's about the only polite bone in his body.]

[shineinside]

[The name written on the pack honestly helped a bit to make her feel more at ease in this weird place. Whatever's going on, her heart was acknowledged, at least a little.

...She slows down a bit.]

You said you've seen other people wandering here, right? Do you remember a girl about my age, with long brown hair? Her name is Kyouko, I... have reasons to think she's here somewhere. [It feels like it was just a dream, but Yuka knows better than to discount the importance of dreams when it comes to mysterious parallel worlds.]

[bloodyashes]

[He shakes his head.]

I haven't, but if she is, it probably won't take too long for you two to run into each other. We're kind of stuck on this island for right now, and the camp's right in the middle of it, so a lot of people have at least come through.

[shineinside]

[She nods, and smiles.]

Sorry, and I appreciate your help, but I don't think I'll be able to be at ease if I head to safety without at least trying to find her first. If you can let me know where the camp is, I'll seek it out after that.

[bloodyashes]

[He shrugs. Fair enough.]

Just follow the central river north until you come to the bend. There's a good chance I won't be there, but there's a fire circle and a few other people. If you can't find her and want to find out if she's come through, try the questionably dressed guy about this tall -

[He indicates a mark well over his own head.]

- he's supposed to be keeping watch.

[shineinside]

[Someone that tall would definitely be hard to miss.]

All right. Thanks for the help, and I hope we meet up again safely.

[A bow, and she's off in search of someone else.]