lifeaftr | April Intro: The Flower Ripens in its Place

Entry tags:

April Intro: The Flower Ripens in its Place

INTRO LOG: APRIL

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

A9: Sow the Seed
Unbeknownst to new arrivals, the archipelago of LifeAftr has recently seen the appearance of a new island, as chosen via voting - and they have been unceremoniously placed there instead of upon Ensō, where most newcomers would typically appear. It's probably for the best that the island of Ziziphus is so outwardly peaceful.

There are worse places to find yourself, all things considered. The mana pool glimmers with a greenish light, the stone ring containing that peculiar fluid set firmly into the earth. The surrounding land fits neatly into that general aesthetic: rippling fields stirred by the occasional crisp breeze alternate between amber-golden and rich, verdant green in coloration, and irregular patches of color signify the presence of a great deal of flowers of all sorts.

It's a peaceful scene.

We're sure you're all about to make it go horribly wrong.

B9: Reap the Harvest
For the unluckier, or the more adventurous, something far less tranquil awaits. Perhaps you woke up on this particular map square instead, or you saw fit to journey a little farther, just to see what might happen. In any case, you'll quickly discover that this may not have been the best idea, when an ordinary grassy mound abruptly detaches itself from the ground, hauls itself upright on bristling legs, and starts scuttling near.

SPINDLANKS have now been unlocked in the bestiary.
What might initially appear to be a leafy hillock will very quickly prove to be something far more...mobile, if you get close enough. That clump of grass and red ferns will abruptly hoist itself up on six vine-like tendrils, crawling for its prey like a very large, mossy spider. While it's fully capable of swiping at its foes with its massive, leafy arms, the spindlank's favored method of dispatching its prey is simply to scuttle forth until it's positioned directly above you and drop down. If its weight does not crush you and choking on the clods of earth doesn't smother you, don't worry; the spindlank intends to eat you alive with a set of fleshy jaws set deep in its center, buried somewhere in its underbelly.

For despite their appearance, spindlanks are very much carnivorous. Their size can vary from anywhere between six and ten feet tall when their appendages unfurl entirely. They are, in essence, very large plants, and thus can be easily dealt with, if you can burn them.

Just try not to get overwhelmed.

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

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

Honestly, he's a little bowled over by this whole experience, but he gathers his things quickly to follow, setting his scythe sticking out of the backpack. It's a pain he can't dispell it, but he'll just have to do. Nevertheless, Kravitz listens intently, hoping for something he can use to figure out wherever he's ended up.

"Well that's, uhm. Nice." He's also a great at socializing. "So you're a photographer? Is that your job? Or have you taken to documenting the residents here in the hope of an identification system?"

"It's mostly... Well, I guess it's sort of a job! Some of my shots were put in the newspaper!" The excited tone definitely gave way that it was a passion of his. "I've been trying to use it to document some information around here, too. A picture says a thousand words, right? It's easier to show someone what an area is like if you can... well, show them."

Bright and cheery, he seemed to be feeling rather conversational at the moment. Now that he was less worried about danger this island was a welcome relief from others.

He will admit, the sunniness of the other man's disposition is making this uncomfortable experience lighter. Kravitz doesn't look like it, with skull adornments and dark clothing, but it's nice to have something sweet tugging him up.

He can't help a little smile at his excitement, nodding in agreement. "Yes, it's-- certainly important to have that kind of visual. Admittedly, I don't know much about cameras, but I'm glad you have a, uhm, passion you're following. Perhaps you could make some sort of directory to help arrivals, as it were? Not that you need to do anything with it you don't want."

They had another thing in common. Despite the cheeriness, if Kravitz looked closely, Prompto was covered in skulls. From a piece of jewelry hanging from his hip with a skull and crossbones to a giant skull on the back of his vest, his outfit could make him look like the edgiest of teenagers, but the personality didn't seem to match that. Truth was, it was just part of the religion of royalty where he was from, and being close to the prince and all...

Perhaps that was just one reason he didn't think much of skull adornments. Iggy was covered in skulls, too, and he was a nice guy! All nice guys wear skulls.

"Oh man, I'd love to do that. I... just don't have a way to print out the pictures. Yet. Until then, I've only got them right here." He lifted the camera, gesturing at it. "You know anything about plants, by any chance?"

Edited 2018-04-26 02:22 (UTC)

Kravitz' eyes drift over him, noticing the fashion statements but having not commented on them. He knows plenty of humans had adopted such accouterments for fashion purposes, and while they're distinctive, they're certainly not his calling card. They do make quite the pair, though. Makes him almost look like he belongs here.

"I know some things about some plants, in general. But I'm not sure that's what you're looking for. I can recognize a few strains of poisonous ones, but past that I don't think I could pick out what might be definitively safe to eat, if that's what you're hoping."

Wait until he saw the adorable peeking skull on Ignis' belt. Evil skulls at their cutest. Either way, he was accustomed enough to them that it didn't even stick out in his mind to find them odd on anyone else, nor did it cause him to assume someone else might be 'dark' or 'dangerous'. Kravitz seemed friendly enough.

"I want to bring something good back for Iggy, buuut... I don't really know that much about plants, either. I'd recognize a carrot if I saw it, but other than that..." And it'd probably turn out to be hemlock if Prompto found it. "Don't really care exactly what it is. As long as it's something useful. Foods definitely a plus, though."

Skinny boy needed a meal. He suddenly paused.

"Oh, hey, you just got here, right? Did you get anything good?" One consistency - people always seemed to arrive with bags.

His mind is caught somewhere in trying to remember what safe plants look like, or if plants will even look the same in wherever he's caught, but the other man gives him a clearer objective. "Uhm, I'm not-- the things in the backpack, you mean?"

He shrugs it off his shoulder, stopping and kneeling down so he can let his scythe rest on the grass. "There's... a sack of something. Feels like rice. A jug of a clear something I haven't opened, a knife, I think this makes fire... and a helmet, of some sort." He pulls that out, the unbeknownst to him Hornbeam, holding it in his hand. "I'm not sure if any of this constitutes as 'good'."

Squatting down by him, he watched closely as Kravitz went through his items.

"Rice is good! Iggy could do a lot with that. Never hurts to have more knives, either. Maybe someone will know what's in the jug..." He swayed one way then the other as he quizzically looked over the odd helmet. "And that's... something. Looks like something from ancient times."

Still, not bad overall. He shot him a smile. "A lot of us have been sharing stuff back at camp. Foods a lot better when you combine ingredients, you know?" He didn't want to give off the impression that he was going to try and take or be forceful about getting Kravitz' stuff. "You'll like Iggy's food. He's a miracle worker."

Without actually touching any of it, he pushed himself back up, waiting for Kravitz to gather his things so they could keep going. "That's not a bad start. 'sides, you have the scythe thingy. When I showed up I only got a knife, I didn't have my gun."

Food, right. This place doesn't look very civilized-- it'll need to be foraged, found. Not to mention the fact that it hasn't hit him he'll need to eat regularly yet. That'll be a problem for later. But now, food is making him think of something else, a pang of worry at his gut. He packs it up again, moving to slide it on his back.

"Well, it is my scythe. I mean, not just an object, it's uhm, bonded to me. I'm not surprised it arrived." He slides that onto his back, too. He seems hesitant about asking, not sure if he even wants to know the answer, but it'll burn at him if not.

"You mentioned you knew most people on the island, or uhm, had met a lot... you wouldn't happen to recognize the name Taako, would you?" It's not good if he's here, wherever this is, but he's so in want of a familiar face. Not that Prompto isn't kind company.

"Well, 'know' might be a strong word. But I've at least seen most people, prolly."

He paused, humming thoughtfully. "Taako...? Don't recognize it. But that doesn't mean he's not here! I've taken a lot of pics that have people in them, maybe you'll see him?"

Just because he didn't know a name meant nothing. He wasn't sure of a lot of people's names, not being quite as sociable as he often appeared and sticking mostly to a few people he trusted deeply. He did go ahead and approach Kravitz so show him his camera, though. "You can look if you want."

"He's, uhm, an elf, if that helps." Kravitz has absolutely no idea how many elves are here or how common that is- but maybe it's quantifying. He doesn't doubt that Taako would make some sort of presence for himself, but if he's also just arrived, there wouldn't be much word of him. "I appreciate all of your assistance, though. Really, you've been quite helpful."

It takes him a minute to figure out how to actually scroll through the pictures, handling it carefully, but it doesn't take long before he hands it back over. "It's alright, if he's-- if he's here, I'm sure he'll make himself known."

Kravitz looks at the landscape again, trying to get his bearings. "I think I'd, uhm... like to look around a bit. If that's all right with you. How exactly do you use those, uhm, transportation pools? I think there was some vision I had earlier that explained, but it's not quite clear."

"It's so weird thinking that elves and spider people are real. Back home we were all human. Besides gods like the Astrals. Or daemons, which don't really have intelligence."

He hummed thoughtfully to himself. "I do think I saw an elf person? I don't know what your buddy looks like, though." That gave him another momentary pause. "Buuut, even though there's got to be a bajillion humans in all the different worlds, for some reason some of my friends ended up here. And the same with other people. So, maybe it is your friend!"

Though his explanation might've been lacking, he did have a grasp of the astronomical odds of 2 random people who know each other being randomly chosen out of the hundreds of trillions that had to be out there.

"Oh, it's easier to show you! Come on!" He quickly jogged towards the mana pool.

He can't help but feel a smile pull at his mouth at Prompto's words, trying to force his shoulders to drop. His optimism is infectious, and if anything would make him feel better right now, it's the idea of seeing Taako. "Thank you. I appreciate the optimism, in such a confusing time."

Kravitz looks like he's ready to receive an instruction with Prompto just bolts, and his eyes go wide as he turns, immediately knocked off guard, but following. "I'm sorry, you don't-- have to, I mean, thank you?"

You'd think he'd be more used to people bowling him over by now, but he's still not.

Not thinking too much of it, he paused when he realized he had kinda left Kravitz behind. He was just a bit bouncy on his feet, but not impatient.

"Heh, sorry, figured it was best just to go, right?" He gave Kravitz as much time as he needed to join him and continued heading towards the mana pool. "It's kind of weird, but all you have to do is toss one of those flowers in and imagine where you want to go, and you can travel to other mana pools. It might be a bit hard if you haven't seen any of the other places... But I could just show you a pic!"

His walking pace was brisk, on the edge of jogging. It didn't take too long until they reached the pool. After all, he hadn't gotten all that far from it when he discovered Kravitz. He casually walked over to stand by it, leaning most of his weight on one leg. "Wanna give it a try?"

He catches up fairly easily-- it's still odd, feeling exertion, being much more connected to this body than his previous construct. But it's not impossible for him to keep pace, thinking along at Prompto's instructions. Alright, so it follows what the odd dream had said to him, before he woke up. Weird that he remembered that so well. He'll have to file that away for later.

Regardless, once they reach the pool he nods, looking carefully at the flowers and water. "Would a name work, perhaps? The name of another... island, I suppose?" He's familiar with this kind of transportation, the idea of imagining a space and being there. But if his portals won't work, this one will have to do. "Is there some sort of main island?"

"Not sure if the little islands we're staying on had a name... But, the big one is called Enso. There's some ruins there that tend to be safe enough, but most of us stay on the islets."

He took a step back. "Go ahead, I'll follow you wherever to make sure you got there okay!"

Kravitz can't help feeling a little smile pull at his mouth at the assistance, raising a hand to his chest and giving Prompto a small bow.

"Thank you. I appreciate all the help you've given me thus far." He looks down at the pool again, thinking that he might as well just go for it if he's come this far. He bends down, picks up a flower, and concentrates.

"Well then... Enso it is." Kravitz drops the flower in, and steps. And ironically, it's not as disorienting as he expects it to be-- though honestly, he's rather used to stepping through odd portals to places he doesn't know, so this isn't horribly different. Still, it takes him a few stumbles to get his footing again on the new island, looking around as he tries to take in the look of the place.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

April Intro: The Flower Ripens in its Place

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject