January Intro: I Know the Winter's Getting Colder

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: JANUARY

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: January 5th and onward
Where: Chol and surrounding waters
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The Overview: New Lands
New arrivals will not be waking in the typical hub of activity; instead, they will find themselves coming to on the small island of Chol. While the island's fringes are little more than an unforgiving spread of craggy, canyon-like rock and coastal cliffs, the island dips down to form a fertile divot of edenic woodland in its center. The people living there will even be helpful and polite to you, should you inquire after them.

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!

Icebreaker: This is the Winter of Our Youth
Unless you're someone with a fondness for the cold, you'll undoubtedly be waking with more than a slight chill in your bones. The appearance of the island of Chol has signaled a coming event of great import in LifeAftr, and unfortunately, the signs of that event's approach have already been set in motion. The temperature has begun to drop as the sun's rays begin to die, faster and faster, leading to an impressive cold snap in the ocean waters - particularly those surrounding Chol.

It is for that reason that you won't be waking on Chol, per se. Instead, you'll be waking on a thick crust of ice that's mantled itself over the ocean waters, freezing solid enough to bear your weight...for the most part. The ice won't hold forever; it isn't meant to. If you happen to be particularly vivacious in your waking, or especially active in general, thick cracks will start to spiderweb out from underneath those impacts with low, warning chunks and wrenches of fracturing ice. Better hurry to land soon, unless you care to take a little dip into those freezing cold ocean waters.

Mainland: When We Pick Over the Past
Should you make it to the land of Chol, braving the iced-over waters surrounding its craggy shores, you'll encounter something at least as startling - the people who have elected to set up a rudimentary encampment upon its lands. While a bit on the scalier side, the Jormun are nonetheless allied to you land-dwellers, and will welcome you to the island. Most will be preoccupied with preparations for an approaching siege, but many will comment idly that the cold is a sign of the coming battle. Some may point you to their leader, known to most as Munin, but others will venture hospitality based on the actions of those land-dwellers that came before you, who were successful in allying themselves to this sea-dwelling people.

Those who might have braved the cold a little too fiercely will quickly be offered some rather rough blankets - perhaps more on par with burlap sacks in terms of texture - as well as a hot brew that the Jormun call brrkshavak. Heated to a boil just prior to being served, the drink will be more than adequate in warming your weary bones, though it bodes mentioning that it is both scalding hot and made with a fleshy kind of undersea herb that is akin to crushed chili pepper in taste.

It'll warm you up, all right.

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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

Erika Fisher | Original | OTA

[bitch4bitch]

A - On the Ice

This… cannot be good.

Erika sits up a little more quickly than might be entirely advisable, looking over her surroundings with a look of horrified bewilderment, one hand already going to the holster under her jacket.

She can’t have been caught, she would have noticed anyone coming up on her first. If they were human, at least, which-- shit. Goddammit is this a fae thing? She’s pretty sure she hasn’t done anything to piss them off, but then that probably means jack-all to those confusing assholes.

On the other hand, she’s not sure how much of the Other Place would be this… frigid. But there’s probably some, right?

Considering her situation, however, isn’t getting her anywhere. So it’s not long before she’s trudging over the ice, her suddenly-insufficient jacket zipped up tight and the mysterious knapsack (which she’s pretty sure is some kind of a trap, but if she’s screwed already she might as well go all the way with it) hanging from one shoulder.

When she catches sight of someone else, she speeds up. “Hey! You know what’s going on here?”

B - Chol

“I don’t want any of your shit! Back off.”

Evidently, not everyone appreciates the Jormuns’ hospitality as much as they maybe should. Erika, for one, looks downright suspicious, her teeth bared and her shoulders tense as she takes a pointed step back from one of the fish-people.

“Listen, I took the damn pack, and I’m sure that was some kind of a trap, but you’re seriously kidding yourself if you think I’m drinking anything you guys give me.”

C - Wildcard

(( OOC: Want to do something outside of these prompts? Go for it! Feel free to message me here or at omixgirl10 if you want to plot. ))

b

[ratsinadaze]

Gobbet, for all her initial confusion about why fish people were on land, has taken quite a liking to the Jormun. So when she sees this outburst from one of the many newcomers to Chol, she bristles with impatience and irritation. What right does someone have to show up unannounced and then spit in the face of hospitality? Rude as fuck.

"Hey, lady." She butts in, storming forwards to stand by the Jormun's side. "You just show up today?"

She must look quite out of place next to the scaly sea dweller. Tusks, dreadlocks, and two beady sets of eyes peering out from the folds of her clothing at either hip. Curious.

[bitch4bitch]

Yeah, that is... definitely unexpected. Erika scowls and looks her over, tilting her head slightly. Not one of those mers, but still definitely not entirely human.

"Yeah, I did," she replies, her tone sharp. "And, if you people don't mind, I'd like to be able to leave someday."

Whether this is something brought on by fae or vampires, she's pretty sure that won't be an option if she goes taking food they try to give her.

[ratsinadaze]

"Welcome to the freakin' club, buddy." Gobbet folds her arms over her chest. They'd all like to go home, someday. "Nobody knows how to get back to where we came from. These people are here to help keep you alive until somebody does. Treat them with a little respect, yeah?"

[bitch4bitch]

"Yeah? And where'd you hear that, from them?" Erika gestures in the general direction of just... all the fish people, really. "Have you people just not even considered the possibility of ulterior motives here?"

A

[quietknight]

"N-no."

Was that teeth chattering from the cold or stuttering? Hard to say if you don't have access to Sonje's thoughts. She was already standing on the shore, exploring this strange island she'd woken up on. "The main thing I know is I don't have my winter coat with me and by the stars I wish I did."

[bitch4bitch]

Well, that answer is at least enough for Erika to be pretty confident this lady probably really isn't responsible for... whatever is going on here.

"Super can't blame you. I don't know what the hell is going on here, but it's freezing." She finally steps onto the shore, stomping on the ground a couple times with one boot to confirm it's solidity. "Thought the Other Place would've been warmer."

She really wishes right now that that were more of a joke than it actually is.

[quietknight]

Sonje gave Erika a once over while she was distracted by stomping on the beach because wow this one was attractive. In the "I can probably murder you before you blink" sort of way.

"Maybe we can figure out where we are together" She didn't say. She failed to follow that up with a comment about ways to stay warm.

"What...What's the 'Other Place'?"

[bitch4bitch]

Erika looks up from testing the ground and tilts her head, raising her eyebrows, as if Sonje had just asked what... what Sweden was, or something. On one hand, she's definitely cute. On the other, how can she not have heard that term?

"...The Other Place?" Yeah repeating it is not going to help if she doesn't already know. Erika gestures, somewhat pointlessly, with her hands. "The Wilds, the realm of fae. Guess there's not much point avoiding saying it if those self-centered bastards already have us here."

B

[souris_keteer]

"Hey now, it's all right. We're all friends here."

She's going to need to look down to find out where that wayyy too cheery voice comes from.

"It'd be kind of silly for them to put anything in our drink at this point anyhow, it'd serve no purpose. They need our help just as much as we need theirs."

[bitch4bitch]

...Okay, the more she sees here, the less she knows what's going on. This whole thing seems for all the world like the fae are responsible, but for some reason there are merpeople here, or at least something that looks a lot like them, and now there's...

This. Guy? Mouse? She has no idea.

Erika makes a face. "Yeah, I bet they need our help. Why else would they be tryin' to trap us here?"

[souris_keteer]

"But they're not the ones who trapped us here." Mickey says, staying calm and chipper. "That's one of the big mysteries we've been trying to solve. We've been here for months, and these fellas only just popped up recently."

[bitch4bitch]

That... sort of gets her to back off, a little bit. But she doesn't look convinced.

"What makes you so sure they're not? Or that they're not workin' with them?" She gestures at the poor Jormun, who may well be retreating by now. "Mers 'popping up' out of nowhere is kinda suspicious, don't you think?"

A. featuring brackets because i'm the worst

[walkietalkie]

❰ clementine's only just reached the shore herself when she's startled by an unfamiliar voice calling 'hey!' and in an instant, her oversized (and probably familiar) knapsack's dropped to the ground and her pistol's pulled out of the pocket of her jacket. she levels it on the stranger hurrying her way, entirely aware that she's out of ammo but ready to scare them off with the threat of a gunshot wound regardless -

- but then the rest of the stranger's words process. 'you know what's going on here?' and the gun lowers, not entirely yet but enough to show she doesn't plan to shoot. ❱ No, ❰ she says, which may not be entirely true but she doesn't trust strangers as a general rule, so she's not planning to have an info-sharing pow-wow. or even put her gun away. in fact: ❱ Don't come any closer, okay? I don't miss.

[bitch4bitch]

[Oh jeez THAT'S a surprise. Not as upsetting of one as it probably should be, all things considered.

Erika stops in her tracks and raises her hands, but, even as she shows she's not armed, her expression is more gently startled, almost amused, than anything.

This kid's got good reflexes, that's for sure.]

You don't, huh? Well, if you're not the asshole doing all this, I don't think I've got much reason to fight you anyway.

[walkietalkie]

❰ on the one hand, caution is how you keep from getting killed, and she has no proof that this woman won't pull a weapon on her the second clem puts hers away. on the other hand, clem's a pretty decent judge of character, and this woman doesn't seem like she means any kind of harm...

so with a residual wary look, clem lowers her gun the rest of the way, though she doesn't put it away just yet. ❱

I just got here, too. ❰ so no answers here. sorry. ❱

[bitch4bitch]

[She's right that Erika doesn't mean any harm - at least, not at this moment, and not to what looks like a regular non-fae kid.

With the gun lowered, she seems to completely relax, her posture shifting even though her hands are still raised. She huffs and looks away, over the ice.]

Same boat, then... so to speak. God, this is like some kind of nightmare.

B

[proficienciesouttheass]

Magnus, for one, is merrily going through his second bowl of mushy slimy soup, which is making his face feel comfortably on fire.

He thought he'd have to fight these guys, but they were quick to make themselves hospitable. They even gave him a blanket! He should get moving, but he's happy to not freeze to death for now.

The sound of a kerfuffle catches his attention, and he moves closer to the sound, still helping himself to his free meal as he watches it all go down.

"Hey,chill!" He suddenly calls out. "These guys are nice! And this soup's really fucking good."

[bitch4bitch]

Erika's attention whips over to him, her mouth twisting in something between a scowl and an outright snarl.

"Yeah, uh, they're nice because then people let their guards down, and eat their fucking soup and get trapped or drained or whatever they're planning here! Fucking hell, you'd think nobody here had ever heard of fae or mers before, you people are hopeless!"

[proficienciesouttheass]

Magnus blinks, partially wondering if she has a point, but mostly thinking that this lady's pretty fucking mad right now.

The fish dudes haven't really done much to raise Magnus' suspicions, and he just thinks his Rustic Hospitality won them over somehow, but the point is that everyone should chill and figure out what's happening before threats and fists and weapons start flying.

"I mean, of course I have." Totally. He's not dumb. He totes knows what those are.

(Mers...is that--oh, merpeople, right.)

" But these guys don't mean any harm. Here, look, I've had like three bowls of this and I'm fine."

[bitch4bitch]

Maybe it's kind of unfair of her, but at this point Erika can't think of how to respond but just stare at this guy helplessly and wonder how the fuck he thinks this works.

"...Yeah, uh. You're fine now, doesn't mean you won't, y'know, get your blood drained later. Or just not be able to leave. Seriously, that's the number one way fae get people, how do people here not know that?"

[demonpuppy]

"No, wait! Erika, they're okay, they're okay!"

Chip comes running over from the direction of the small encampment, their jacket zipped up tight and a cup of that hot spicy drink held tight in their hands.

"It's not fae stuff, they're fine!"

[bitch4bitch]

"--Chip?"

Oh goddammit they're here too. In the midst of her nerves and frustration, it's kind of a miracle that Erika even registers what they're saying.

"What makes you think any of this isn't fae stuff? And don't they look a hell of a lot like vampires to you, besides?"

Goddammit how's she gonna tell Grant his kid got stolen by faepires.

[demonpuppy]

"...vampires?"

Chip frowns at Erika, looks back at the Jormun, then back to her.

"They look like mermaids. Besides, they aren't--" Chip falters for a moment, then edges forward to whisper at a softer volume, "They're not the right colors to be, anyway."

[bitch4bitch]

"I mean, yeah. It's-- man, we can worry about esoteric biology later, point is, it's kind of fi-- it's suspicious."

She fucking REFUSES to call this 'fishy'.

At that, though, she frowns, and glances over at the Jormun again. "...Yeah? What are you picking up?"