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

[journalname]

That seemed to be the way in the last world I visited, too. Though I suppose there were reasons, there...

[In retrospect, he's surprised they weren't all human. But then, they probably didn't have such fine control over who came...well, that's nothing that needs to be rehashed here and now.]

I hope they are all friendly, at least? [He'll start off believing the best, but hoo boy does he know how that can go]

[souris_keteer]

[Wait wait wait, back up. Something important was said, can't be dismissed.]

Hold on, what do you mean "last world I visited"? You've been to other worlds before?

[journalname]

Twice, yes! The first time was...not intentional on my part. Rather like this, but with fewer gods and...explanations.

[Also the gods thing is weird but like, he's not gonna quibble about that.]

Shall I tell you about it as we walk? [His paws are getting cold, let's get moving.]

[souris_keteer]

[Oh boy. This is going to be a long one.]

Yeah... let's head to one of the camps, they've probably started a good fire by now.

[journalname]

[He's actually not all that interested in relaying the entire thing. There was a lot of murder. It's a little much, probably, for a first conversation?]

The first world was rather like this - a number of us were brought suddenly to another world. We have since made peace with the ones responsible, and now we have access to their technology. That is how we traveled to the second world.

If time were not frozen back home, it could be a way back from here. But as things stand... [It doesn't sound like anyone is going to be able to even think of coming to help them.]

[souris_keteer]

[Time frozen back home... That does sound a little bit like what the Storyteller had said...]

Then how were you brought here? We've been trying to figure that out, how we all come here and why we keep coming here.

[journalname]

Gosh, I don't know. If the Storyteller does not know yet, then I certainly could not guess. It is probably not quite the same thing...

[He trails off, and is quiet for a second or two.]

The previous method did not affect time in the worlds we left, to anyone's knowledge.

[souris_keteer]

... So we're still at square one.

[A little depressing.]

... All right. In that case, you should know people from your world might be here. Your home world.

[journalname]

Oh?

[The question is pure surprise, asked before his sudden worry can set in. He hadn't planned to return, to possibly see his people again, for a little longer yet. He is not prepared.

Maybe it was foolish to think he could be.]

[souris_keteer]

There's Muffet the a spider-woman... A goat child named Asriel, and little human boys who know you.

[He bites his lip, anticipating which will get his reaction.]

[journalname]

[Asgore goes very, very still. It's at Asriel's name, if you're curious; the two boys are probably - but they are not his.]



























I beg your pardon.

[souris_keteer]

[A-ha. There we go. Hand on the sword, but he doesn't draw it out.]

Muffet, Asriel, two human children. I meant what I said. They're here. They've been here a while.

[journalname]

Asriel is here?

[He raises a shaky paw to cover his mouth. There are tears in his eyes, and the hand on the sword honestly goes completely unnoticed.

It's not impossible. He knew that - he is still standing here, isn't he, months after his own death? But it has been so long, it felt impossible. He hadn't considered the notion once; it wasn't something he could have allowed himself to dream of.]

[souris_keteer]

[... So this man is the real deal. He is the father to those children.

But he was called a murderer, and that can't be ignored, no matter how many heartstrings those tears tug.]

He's safe, and he has friends. But I... can't bring you to him.

[journalname]

[Asgore has already started to cry before Mickey even says anything, to be honest. He turns away, taking a moment to compose himself as much as he can - he does not know Mickey, really, it is not his problem.

That statement, though, cuts off what would have been his next question.]

I'm sorry? [again, the first thing to his lips]

[souris_keteer]

... I can't take you to Asriel unless I know you're not going to hurt him.

One of those human children told me you've...

[A hard swallow.]

... You've... killed other children.

[journalname]

...I see.

[Asgore does not turn to face Mickey. It isn't a denial; he will not deny it.

This is different. He's always felt, in some obscure way, that he cheated his way to his other human friends accepting what he had done. They'd only found out after they were already close. It wasn't exactly his fault, given that he had lost those memories too, but still he suspects that they would not have been so accepting if they had known from the beginning. And they were accepting, far more than he deserved. Even the ones who he wasn't very close to at all...

Maybe this is fitting.]

I would never harm Asriel. But...I have often wondered what he would think of me, now. [His voice is low and choked, but he makes sure he's not actually crying when he speaks. He should accept his due.] It may be that he does not wish to see me at all.

[He just wants to see his son. But he must not put himself first.]

[souris_keteer]

[In a way, Mickey wished Asriel had denied it. Had said it wasn't him, eve if it was a blatant lie. In Mickey's world, or at least his world-view, evil and good is black and white. The evil don't have regrets, murderers don't shed tears. This is new. This is difficult. This is confusing.]

Just... tell me why. Tell me why you...

[journalname]

.....it is a long story.

[And honestly, telling it while standing out on a frigid ice field sort of sounds like more than he can deal with right now.]

Are you certain that you care to hear it?

[souris_keteer]

No. I really don't want to hear it. I wish I could forget I ever knew in the first place.

... But there are lots of children here, and they deserve to be safe. I can't risk you going after them if your reasons haven't changed.

[journalname]

["Going after them", as if he's some sort of rabid beast that murders children for sport. Well. He supposes he deserves that. Maybe he won't get into the whole history of it, after all.]

It was for the sake of my kingdom and its people. They are not here, and it is not likely I will return to them.

[Big words, for something he hasn't really decided yet. But Asgore does have a poor habit of speaking before he thinks.]

Though...do not think too badly of them, if any come here. They have done nothing wrong.

[souris_keteer]

[For his people? For... Asriel, the human children, Muffet? What in the world could Muffet gain from murder? He's going to need words with her soon.]

So there's nothing now that you'd gain from hurting one of them?

[Not that he could imagine ANYTHING being worth it, but... he knows he can't watch Asgore 24/7. His word, for now, may be all Mickey can rely on.]

[journalname]

[If he knew Muffet were here, he might have phrased that differently. But he still tried his best not to throw the rest of monsterkind under the bus!]

.....nothing.

[To speak of it in terms of gain is sickening, but...

...if there was gain, it was never personal.]

[souris_keteer]

... All right.

[He eases his grip on his sword, and resumes walking.]

I'll take you to one of the mana pools. They should still be working.

[journalname]

[....what, that's it? Just like that? Asgore straightens, turning to watch the mouse walk off, and quickly dashes the remaining tears from his eyes. Of all the things...he does not think he could have reacted any other way to finding out his children were alive, but he should at least have tried not to break down in front of a total stranger.

Especially since, well. Consequences.]

.....the, ah...the teleportation pools? [He says mostly for something to say, though he does remember the term coming up in that dream.]