lifeaftr | June Intro: Let's Sea How Far We've Come

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June Intro: Let's Sea How Far We've Come

INTRO LOG: JUNE

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr as the island of Ziziphus begins to crumble
When: June 4th and onward
Where: Ziziphus and Ensō...and Monsun
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Ziziphus: At The Start Of The End Of The World
Since Bliss's destruction, the extensive root network they've threaded throughout every inch of the island of Ziziphus has begun to crumble. June 4th marks the beginning of the inevitable collapse of the island as it starts to sink into the sea...coincidentally coinciding with the arrival of LifeAftr's newest adventurers. Between the dead trees surrounding Bliss's empty husk, great cracks in the earth start to widen, the dead god's absent root system leaving vast gaps underground which simply cannot support the life above.

It almost sounds like thunder rupturing from the ground itself, wild tremors preceding each vicious boom until gaping chasms lay between venturing parties and the safety of the mana pool - only water waits below, for those unlucky enough to lose their footing.

And if the immense pull of mile wide chunks of landmass sinking beneath the waves isn't enough to suck you down, the heavy rain of debris from Ziziphus's rapidly destabilizing edges will certainly help. Want to avoid a watery grave? What you need to do is simple:

Escape.

Sorry, newbies. If you showed up on Ziziphus, you're in for a very athletic entrance to LifeAftr.

Monsun: Just Like Every Other Morning Before
Adventurers aren't the only creatures on Ziziphus attempting to outrun its collapse. Creatures great and small, from the largest spindlank to the smallest tigerlily will be heading south in an attempt to escape the worst of the quakes. Unlike offshore adventurers, however, these poor creatures don't have a mana pool waiting for them to escape through. Their extinction, it seems, is imminent.

Unless you have something to say about it.

Already exhausted from their attempts to get through to and then actively dispose of their fellow god, the Storyteller will break their traditional manner of communication to announce a potential solution to this problem with a single broadcast to the Stones of Far Speech in a strained, weary tone:

"The mana pools on Monsun are now open. If you are willing, save what you can."

True to their word, characters will discover that the island of Monsun will be accessible once more for a short period of time. From prey to predator, obstruction to catastrophe - multiple species of flora and fauna can still be preserved, should you choose to do so.

Be wary of the psychological effects of both sides of the island. Those who are new to our setting and wish to explore, the island of Monsun has a peculiar side effect to its stark divide: the eastern half is rich in resources, but brings out the very worst of you, while the western half is a tumultuous wasteland that accentuates your best qualities. More information on said island can be found on its entry on the Locations page, or its introductory info post.

Due to these efforts, the Storyteller will not be available for contact from the 4th to the 18th of June. Item Requests will also be unavailable at this time. They will, however, make a rather strained announcement to ensure all are aware that access to both Ziziphus and Monsun will cease on June 10th.

Ensō: I Wonder What It Means If It's Gone
The native fauna of Ziziphus aren't the only ones on the move, it seems. Those who wander the shores of Ensō will be delighted to witness the appearance of creatures akin to both turtles and dugongs drifting through the waters, gravitating around the island's eastern coast, rapidly gaining in numbers over the following days.

Kaleidoshells have been unlocked in the bestiary!

With spring close to ending in the archipelago, these peaceful creatures are looking to make good use of their natural nesting areas; hope you're open to sharing the beach for a little while. While a few braver individuals will make their way to the shores between C4 and D1 to begin digging nests, the vast majority won't be coming to shore quite yet.

They do, however, make a very fine sight around the waters of Ensō, especially in the evening. Luminescent, their rainbow patterns glow underwater, drifting mood lights for the increasingly warmer evening breeze.

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 )

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Prompto was almost a constant on Monsun. He readily helped move things during the day, but he couldn't seem to wait to get back to Monsun as soon as he could. That meant a lot of time around Gladio, and most of the time there wasn't anything unusual about it.

But he wasn't totally blind. He was surprised when he first saw his two friends kissing. With no commentary on it, he busied himself with other things as if he hadn't even noticed. It was only later while heading out for a supply run that he mentioned anything.

"So, uuuuummmmm... You and Iggy are kissing now...?" He was mostly a little confused. When did that happen?

Prompto you're getting one of these basket packs to help with the hauling of resources, bro.

Gladio's steps falter for a moment and he almost stops. Then he picks up the pace, falls back in line with Prompto and runs his hand through his hair. "I- heh.... yeah... We are."

And it really sounds like he's still not entirely sure this is real.

"When did, uh, 'that', start?"

He wasn't really trying to grill. This was just quite the revelation, and he felt like he was being left out of something. After traveling together for months on end, constantly sleeping together and basically almost never being apart, suddenly his friends were kissing.

Okay no if they're gonna do this they're going to sit down and have a damn conversation. Gladio snags Prom's arm and nods towards a fallen log. He drops heavily onto it and tugs Prompto down next to him.

"It's... kind of a new thing." Gladio's not quite looking at Prompto, worried and looking about as uncertain as Prompto usually does. "Are you... I dunno is it too weird?"

He continued for a few steps when Gladio took his arm, but when he gestured to sit down Prompto went along with it, plopping down the log.

"It's kinda weird. I mean, how would you feel if you came home and me 'n Noct were making out?" He let out a small, amused snort at the absurdity of it. "But, like," he sighed, "it's okay, I just feel like I missed something. And... Well, that's not really my business."

"Throw you two a fucking party. 'Bout damn time." It's teasing, sure, but he... actually means it. They're all so close it wouldn't surprise him any. Honestly he kinda thought there was something there when they were in high school.

"It is your business, Prom. We're friends. We all are. I don't want this to push you away I just-" He blows out a heavy breath and leans back on the log. "I dunno I guess it seems outta left field for you, what with the whole thing Iggy has going on with Ardyn."

"Whoa," was all he could say to Gladio thinking he and Noct should make out, quirking a brow. Not offended. Just, whoa.

"You're not pushing m..."

He paused, because he had to take in what was said next. "What do you mean 'the thing he has going on with Ardyn'?"

He knew Iggy was trying to help Ardyn or something. Reach out to him. But he didn't consider that some sort of relationship.

He stares for a moment at Prompto, waiting for Prompto to break, to crack a joke, to... something?

And he doesn't, he just looks confused and Gladio;s eyes go wide for a moment. Oh fuck. This was not supposed to come from him. This was supposed to come from Igs. No wonder Ignis was so shocked that Gladio had found out.

"Iggy and Ardyn they- Uh..." Nope, time for Gladio to be as blunt as humanly possible, as is his forte. "Well fuck, okay. Ignis is over the moon for Ardyn, the Ardyn from Monsun and the dreams and all. The good guy under all the Scourge and prophecy shit."

"I dunno how all this is going to work out and I'm not trying to tell Iggy that he should change how he feels I just-" He shrugs. It's complicated, it's a mess. He knows that much.

"Why the hell did you think I was so mad that night I didn't come home? Gods Iggy shot me down without even a fraction of a chance back home and then I get here and come to find out he's pining over Ardyn? I was furious... but mostly it just hurt."

Prompto was just going to stare blankly at Gladio for a bit. It was strange enough finding out about his friends. Fine, yeah, but weird. But Chancellor Hobo? Even if Prompto knew what he acted like on Monsun - after all, they both had a taste for the island - he couldn't imagine Ignis and Ardyn together.

"Are you joking?" he finally asked bluntly, knitting his eyebrows. "I know he acted different on the other island but, like... he's still Ardyn."

The guy who stabbed Luna. The guy who had tormented him so in Niflheim. The guy behind the destruction of their home.

"Iggy can do way better."

"Yeah, he's still Ardyn but..." He shrugs a little. It's not his place to try to explain Ignis' feelings. He's not even sure he understands them, not fully. He might know they're there but he doesn't really get it. So there's only so much he can explain about that side of things.

"But he makes Iggy happy, when he can, so... I'll do what I can to help him. What other choice do we have? It's not like we can kill him here so we may as well try to fix things another way, right?" Which sounds colder than he means it to but it's not... exactly untrue.

"Point is... We... put a lot of shit on hold for Noct. Missed out on a lot of things. And, somehow, Ig's willing to give me a chance to make up for some of that lost time." He sounds utterly awed by it, like he's still not entirely sure he believes it's real.

"I want him to be happy, too, but... man."

It was the weirdest fucking thing he figured he ever heard. Back home he would have probably snapped at Gladio for telling such a bad joke. It wanted to sink about as well as a balloon would sink into water, and no matter how he tried to imagine that relationship working out all he could think of were all the times they'd dealt with Ardyn back home. Everything. They knew now, what kind of person he really was.

After some silence, he finally looked back to Gladio, completely perplexed, "Ardyn?"

This really was going to take some time. Hell, it'd be easier to believe if it turned out there was just another dude who happened to be named Ardyn on the islands.

He huffs out a breath of near laughter, shaking his head.

"I know. Trust me I know." But... for as weird as it is he means it. He's going to do everything in his power to make this work. However impossibly complicated this was.

"If it helps at all, they're kind of tooth achingly sweet together." Seriously Prompto, this would make you gag.

"Ardyn??"

Seriously, Gladio, tooth achingly sweet and Ardyn didn't belong in a sentence together.

He was definitely learning a lot of stuff right now. It almost felt like he was reading one of those weird pornos.

"So..." He rubbed his lips together and tried to put this together as casually as possible. "Iggy likes dudes." 'K, he's got that. "And you like dudes." A little more surprising than Iggy, honestly. "And you and Iggy like each other." So, like, did they need to get more time in the back of the car together...? "But Iggy likes Ardyn."

Ardyn was going to need to be italicized from here on out.

Each statement gets a nod, a quiet hum of confirmation. Poor Prompto seems to be struggling even more than he had.

Yup. Yup. Yup. and... yup.

"That's the gist of it." He's making sure this part gets processed before there's any kind of commentary on what this means or what changes. Though really... it's not a lot.

He deflated slightly as he sighed, like he was letting out the air holding him up, looking straight ahead quietly. He wasn't one to throw a tantrum or judge harshly. Had this just been about Gladio and Iggy, it wouldn't have been that hard to accept. Ardyn threw a wrench in things.

With the way things had gone at home, he had to half-wonder if Ardyn was still causing problems on purpose.

"...Does Noct know about this?"

He can't blame Prom for being uncertain, scared even, about what Ardyn's involvement might be. But at the same time... having spoken to him now, on Monsun and in the dreams, he can't believe that. Not if such a deep seated part of him wants Ignis by his side.

"Noct knows about Iggy and Ardyn. And he figured out... I was in love with Igs even though I didn't say a godsdamned thing." An edge of frustration. "The whole thing with me and Iggy is new... I dunno if he knows yet or not. I'm not exactly running off to gush like a school kid but I'm not hiding anything either."

Which was how they'd ended up here in the first place.

"No, you're not." Though it was meant to be a joke, things were a bit too serious for it to come out quite right. He wasn't mad if Gladio and Ignis wanted to kiss or whatever. He was just worried.

"You know I support you guys in whatever makes you happy. And keeps you safe."

He wasn't just going to shelve his apprehensions about Ardyn just because Iggy had somehow fallen for him. He'd still be wary, and protect Iggy if he needed to.

"Keeps him safe, yeah. I won't let Ardyn hurt him but... it's too late to try to keep him from breaking Iggy's heart if he wants to. Can't protect him from everything." And that is something Gladio is still coming to terms with.

And obviously there's no way Gladio will end up hurt in this, they're totally talking about protecting Iggy. Gladio is the Shield. He doesn't need protecting.

"This is going to take some serious getting used to. No moving Ardyn into the house, right?"

Because that might be a bit much. He still had caravan nightmares.

"Not enough room. But... he might come around more." It's soft, raised at the end, a question as much as a statement.

Will that be alright, Prompto?

"...Yeah, okay."

He was still worried, and though he'd spent a lot of time in close proximity to Ardyn on Monsun, those were different circumstances. He was a little more concerned about dealing with the guy who decided to lead him to a family reunion. But he wasn't about to be the one to rock the boat. He'd just have to be careful.

Gladio slings an arm around Prompto's shoulders, tugs him in for a hug. Meant to be both reassuring and grateful.

"Thanks, Prom." A soft, wry smile. "'s good having you here, y'know. I know I've told Iggy as much but... I've missed you guys."

How had he gotten by without them for so long?

Getting dragged in for the hug, he balanced on one foot before lightly jabbing Gladio's arm. Though it was still weird, to say the least, he did his best to be nonchalant.

"It's good to have everyone back together. Just give a guy a warning if you two need the house to yourself or something."

Because really, Gladio, he wasn't super judgmental or anything. Just a lot had changed.

Gladio laughs, ruffles Prompto's hair.

"Look I plan on putting up walls as soon as things settle down." Once Ziziphus goes under he'll be looking for applications for all of these materials.

He waved Gladio's hand off, protective of his long ruined 'do.

"Sounds good to me. I don't mind sleeping in the same room as everyone. Kinda used to it. But having my own room again would be nice. Would almost be as good as the Leville at this point."

wrap?

piercetheheart - 2018-07-14 13:49 (UTC) - Expand

Sure

want_to_belong - 2018-07-21 04:38 (UTC) - Expand

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June Intro: Let's Sea How Far We've Come

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wrap?

Sure