lifeaftr | January Intro: I Know the Winter's Getting Colder

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January Intro: I Know the Winter's Getting Colder

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.

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!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sounds like you've kinda got a system.

[Except not, uh, especially, seeing as he's still extremely worried that something awful is going to happen to this poor girl. Still, she's lasted this long, hasn't she? He's pretty sure he'd know if something ended up hurting her long-term.]

[He's certain the entire island would know.]

If you can't find a cat, or a place to hide...you know to find someone who can help, yeah? Someone like the elves, or Kidwun, or - even me, if you really need it.

Okay?

[Those words bring her relief because they're ones she's thought for some time, but having this guy say them aloud-like even he thinks it's okay for her to find shelter with other people instead of in the dark-

It's nice to hear.]

Yes, because you all let me hold your warm hands, I know it's okay to do that.

[She won't argue with this backup plan, despite the confidence she has in her hiding ability. Push come to shove, she'll run and run until she spots a familiar face.]

And you can find me too. If you get scared, I'll help you.

[If he were more personable, that might be the cue to reach over and...and ruffle her hair or something, because it's so clear that she means it, even if she shouldn't have to feel responsible for people, shouldn't have to feel like she needs to take them in and keep them safe and hide them for their benefit.]

[If he were more personable, he would grin at that, or laugh. If he were better at that kind of thing.]

I appreciate that. You're, uh...you're a good kid. Anyone ever tell you that?

[The doctors would say that to all the kids-that they were good children, when they would take their medicine without a fuss.

Here, it's been said towards her a few times and it's always strange to hear it used outside of that context. Weirder still to have it directed towards her and not a group of kids doing what they're supposed to. And like every time, she can't agree or accept it. Because she knows she's a cowardly sort of person with something in her that has the potential to hurt others. She's 'unsuitable', even if Murasaki saw something pretty in her heart once, that doesn't change.]

Good adults say that kind of thing to me.

[Adults like him.]

The ones with very nice hearts.

[Good adults.]

[Are those things even real? He wouldn't have always assumed so; not now, and not when his feet touched onto the mist-darkened flagstones of Sol Raveh, and certainly not by the time a knife to the soul heralded his exit.]

Good adults, huh? [The ones with very nice hearts, she says. Looks like he's got her fooled.]

[Anyone with the remotest notion as to who he is would know that he's not exactly got one of those.]

Well, I mean it. You care a lot about people. Not everyone here does.

[The people she's come across have all been extremely kind to her and seem to care about each other. She knows there must be some out there, filled with bitterness and resentment towards humanity like Shin, but she's yet to come across them. Only one person made her pause when she witnessed his terrifying memories, but-

He still smiled at her once.]

You do too. You let me hold your warm hand.

[And now she'll die for him. That was probably in a book somewhere. It's fine.]

I think that's how it's supposed to be.

Me? Nah. I’m just some guy.

[Nothing special. Not supposed to be anything special. Not supposed to stand out at all, or be memorable, and what’s r doing? Forming attachments. Of course. Of course he is.]

If that’s how it always was, maybe we’d all be a lot better off.

[A guy that holds hands, puts fire in his mouth and plays music, which puts him in top 5 list for 'cool guys she's met'.

But she even knows that's not how it always is. Memories from the people here, Shin's past memory and her experiences with doctors proved that often enough. Still-]

It can be like that here.

[So far, so good in any case. No one's tried to shove her in a tube and people generally get along.]

I know more caring people-if you get [HM] stressed again, I'll bring them to you. They'll hold your hand very tight.

[Just avoid putting the Fire Stick in your mouth friend.]

[Why must she be like this. Why must she be so unflinchingly compassionate. It's ruining his whole day because it means he just wants to pick her up and take her far, far away from here and all the horrible things that he knows are incoming.]

'S okay, kid. I'm living with Kidwun. They're...pretty tough, y'know?

[If he's implying that Chara is more or less in charge, that's pretty much exactly how it works with him.]

[Those are the most comforting words he could've said to her. No, with someone like that by his side, she definitely doesn't need to worry. She didn't forget how they promised to help her if those scary people ever arrived on the island and she can only imagine how they help this guy too. ]

Yes, they're very brave and they'll say kind words to you if you're scared.

[They like flowers?? They say 'greetings'?? They're tough and strong? That's the #ideal.]

They have a nice smile too-it makes your heart happy when you look at it.

[Oh my god.]

[This is confirmation of something he's suspected, but has never ventured to seek answers about; he's trespassed upon people's privacy more than enough in his lifetime to go asking questions about the particulars of other people's interpersonal relations.]

[But that clinches it.]

[Chara likes her.]

[Chara likes this kid, and who could blame them? They have a softness, a fondness, for lost things, for broken things, for lonely things, for things they feel should be protected.]

[There's no other reason she would be praising their kindness, and their smile - the sincere one, he's certain, the one that's a warm glow, and not a weapon, poised and polished.]

They do, don't they? They're a good kid too, huh?

Very good.

[There's no hesitation in her voice. She doesn't need to think for one moment about what a good person they are-how could she not? After what they've done for her.

And she thinks, maybe, this guy might be good for them too. If they ever think about their nice friend with the bookmark and get sad, he'll be there to hold their hand.]

If you're with them, you'll be okay. You should stay together.

[Not that they aren't already doing that, apparently, but reminders are good? SURE]

Yeah, we do. Kittu, and Kidwun, and then...I hang around.

[He's there to make sure people don't ask too many questions - to make sure that other adults don't get suspicious that these children are living all on their own, with no one looking out for them, even if truthfully they're the ones looking after him more often than not.]

And you're still sticking close to the elves, yeah?

That's a safe place for you to be. You can hide with them [pause] and 'stick' with them.

[Safe and good. As long as they're together at the end of the day, that's all that matters. They'll be safe, they can hold each other's hand and keep an eye on one another. Really, she's just happy to hear he isn't alone.]

And I'll 'stick' with Aunt Lup and Uncle Taako. That's how it can be for us now.

[No more labs!! No more hospitals!! No more post-apocalyptic worlds!! Just nice shacks and tents with kind beans all around.]

[Because he can, because he's terrible, he picks a twig from the ground and spins it between his fingers with something that almost, almost, if she squints, approximates a smile.]

And you can 'stick' around here all you like too.

[He told a joke. Timothy Wright Told A Joke. Tell your friends. Take a picture. Document this truly historic occasion.]

[This heathen doesn't understand jokes and puns and it's so wasted on her dumb face, but she looks happy! He found a great weapon and it will surely help him survive the coming days.

And since he said it, maybe she will stick around awhile longer.]

Okay, I want to stay with you. We can find some good sticks together.

Sure we can. All kinds of sticks.

[Did the joke land, or...?]

[Who knows. Does it matter? Not particularly. She seems happy enough, and therefore, he's happy enough with that. That's really all that matters here, and that's not a bad bottom line.]

[What can he say? He's got no standards.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

January Intro: I Know the Winter's Getting Colder

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