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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[It's not a hug. It doesn't need to be. But he's found that it is a little hard to believe still, that he's even allowed to touch Ignis. Which just means that he keeps reminding himself every other moment by keeping a hand on him.

He takes the hand Iggy holds out, kisses his knuckles, nuzzles into his palm and then lets him take his hand back, just standing close enough to return his hand to the small of Ignis' back, fighting down the urge to untuck his stupid shirt so his fingers can rest on bare skin.]

You do realize there's still uh- a lot of this story I don't know, yeah?

Which is kinda fucked up. That I know more about our resident rabbit than the gods back home. Just... How much were they hiding? [Now that he knows what Ignis was doing all those years he has to wonder how little he really understood of what they were up against.]

Allow me to answer that, if you would. The short explanation is 'everything'. The longer version is...well, bear with me a moment.

[Ardyn sighed, running his free hand briefly through Ignis' hair before gesturing vaguely as he spoke.]

As the Astral War neared its ending, a pair of brothers emerged at the forefront of those who fought for humanity's survival, and earned the favor of the gods once Ifrit had at last been defeated. To the world of mortals was a Crystal granted, this you already know. But there was more to it; as the Infernian's plague ran rampant across the star, so did the divine grant the elder brother the power to save the people he would someday rule.

...So he traveled far and wide, revered as a saint and sage by those who he liberated from the otherwise incurable scourge. But magic...comes at a price. It always has.

[He squeezed Ignis' hand slightly, trying to will away the tension that had started to present itself in his shoulders.]

For the elder brother's magic was no true cure; naught but transferral. The plague took root in his body rather than that of his subjects, half-dormant with fewer of the debilitating symptoms one finds in late-stage Starscourge victims.

But it was enough. For when the man destined for the throne at last returned to what would become grand Insomnia, the Crystal's light itself rejected him. The very gods he had fought for declared him 'Accursed', 'Usurper', and his brother was shown the Crystal's favor to become Founder King, Somnus Lucis Caelum.

[Ardyn took a slow breath he didn't need, grateful that the desert kept the shrieking murderous fury in his mind to a distant haze of white noise.]

...I was denied ascension, for whatever remains of my soul was deemed too corrupted to allow the Crystal's light to touch. In other words, I was made unable to die even throughout execution. Condemned to Angelgard with only the company of the daemons in my head, I swore vengeance--in turn becoming no more than a moving piece in the grand prophecy. In the light of the gods, sword-sworn at his side, against the dark the King's battle is fought. I can not die until Noctis fulfills the prophecy and banishes the scourge as I once thought myself chosen to.

[His hand shook faintly in Ignis' grip, words beginning to lose some of their train of thought but forced to sound calm.]

I have heard the voice of the divine, and it speaks naught but manipulation and deception. Bahamut lied to me, to Somnus and every single one of his descendants right up until Noctis himself. He let the darkness take a willing vessel so that the Chosen King could be made sacrifice to eradicate it. For if darkness should die, so shall he who sought to bring the light. And there is not a doubt in my mind that not a single person or Astral told him as much until he slept within the Crystal to surely commune with the Draconian himself.

Gods can't be trusted. The Astrals swore only to protect the star, caring nothing for those who live upon it.

[When Gladio asks his question, Ignis begins preparing the answers he should have found the time to give the Shield long before now. He's actually startled when Ardyn takes the initiative to answer instead. After all, Ignis knows well how much the story pains Ardyn, but at the same time, it is his story to tell should he choose to do so. Choice or not, it doesn't take long for signs to appear that make it clear--at least to Ignis--that Ardyn's emotions are starting to get the best of him. He squeezes back on the hand that holds his, the hand that Gladio freed moving to rest against Ardyn's back so he can rub soothing circles into the tense muscles there. His head remains tucked against Ardyn's chest so his hair is free for stroking if it will help calm the redhead. All in all, he is doing for Ardyn what Gladio was doing for him not long ago.]

Before you say anything about that not being what is in the books, I ask you to remember a phrase we are both, no doubt, familiar with: 'History is written by the victors.' The Lucis Caelums were never meant to be victors. From the first to the last, they were only meant to be tools. A line strong enough to carry the magic until it was able to undo the mistake that Ifrit made. The people lost along the way mean nothing. If they did, the magic would not have eaten our Kings' lives and scarred the Glaives who used it to protect them. It was never meant for us. For any of us. But does that matter to the Astrals? To Bahamut? No. They merely wish to remove the stain from their prefect reputations.

[Ignis shakes his head, expression saddening as his voice softens.]

All this time we were taught the sacrifice was an honor, when really, it was a curse.

[It's a lot, there's so much there to process and unpack. So many implications about their lives and the roles they served, were bred to serve in his case. All for the whims of the gods, because they didn't want to admit they'd messed up. Millennia of torment to sweep a mistake under the rug.

It's too much to process all at once so he files the knowledge away as best he can and focuses on what he can parse. That this hurts, even just talking about it is painful not just for Ardyn, so deeply betrayed, but for Ignis as well. But really what can they do? What can any of them do to fix any of it?

Perhaps not fix but...

Gladio steps forward, one step, maybe two, brings himself level with Ignis. The hand at the small of his back comes up to rest between his shoulder blades and, without a word, his other arm slides around Ardyn. It's a bit of a stretch but he pulls them both in close, squeezes, turns his head to rest his cheek against Ardyn's hair for a moment.

He's pretty sure Ardyn's going to punch his teeth out if nothing else but like hell he's letting go.]

No gods then, not even the Storyteller. We'll find another way.

[Ardyn didn't flinch so much as he froze solid at the touch, not needing to breathe and not daring to move. What exactly was he playing at here? Ignis was the one Gladio cared about, Ardyn was just...an obstacle. A threat as he always had been. They didn't care for each other in the slightest and had no reason to pretend otherwise.]

Why...does it matter to you? I'm not your king. All I am is enemy to you and the rest of the world. Why would you...want to help me?

[Ignis has to admit, of all the reactions he thought Gladio might have to hearing the truth, he and Ardyn being enveloped in the Shield's strong arms had not been among them. Shame washes over him in that moment. If he can have so much faith in Ardyn, why had he not had as much faith in the man who's been his friend for so long? He swears to himself to do better, reminds himself that, perhaps, there are some things--some people--he doesn't have to protect Ardyn from.

Carefully, he pulls his hand free of Ardyn's and then raises it so he can press a finger against the redhead's lips.]

Don't. Is it really so hard for you to accept that another might care for you when I do? Especially when said person cares for me as well?

You don't deserve this shit.

[It's not as eloquent as Ignis and he shrugs a little as he says it but he's not letting you idiots go, not until someone makes him. If anything he just squeezes Ardyn a little harder.]

Protecting people's kinda... the only thing I've got. And you make him happy. [A nod towards Ignis, a pause, leaning in to kiss his temple, just above his glasses for a moment.]

All I want is for him to be happy. Which means keeping you around and... less miserable, if not happy too.

...

[He didn't understand it. Couldn't understand it, not even in the desert. There was no point in saving him, in reaching into the darkness and pulling as hard as possible. It wouldn't matter, because what was done was done and the ending would remain the same. He didn't deserve salvation before the end, so why...]

I don't think I want to be like this anymore.

[His voice was uncharacteristically quiet--and even less characteristically, honest.]

[Ignis' expression grows troubled when he hears that soft, tired, honest statement. That inability to understand is something that stays constant no matter which mindset is dominant in Ardyn, and Ignis can't begin to imagine how frustrating it must be that neither the Healer-King nor the Chancellor can find the answers or peace he seeks.

Gently, Ignis settles his hand on the back of Ardyn's head, coaxing him forward to rest it against his shoulder. Here in the middle of the sands, there is really no place for one to hide away from the world, but if he can help give the redhead at least a little shelter from all that is plaguing him, he will.]

I know. We'll find a way to help you rest somehow. I promise.

[It wasn't that he didn't deserve it before just... well the only one that knew what the hell was going on then was Ignis. And Ignis hadn't felt sharing this information to be relevant. Maybe it would've changed something.

Maybe it just meant they would have had to accept the fact that there was more to the thing they were killing than just a monster.

Still hearing those words, quiet and raw and so unlike the man he's interacted with before hurts. Makes his heart ache in ways he didn't think it could for Ardyn. But it doesn't matter that it is him or what he's done in the past, what matters is that he's in so much pain and there's nothing he can do to help it.]

Y-yeah. We'll figure something out.

[He looks to Iggy, something painfully hopeful in his face and the way the hand on his hip squeezes.]

We gotta.

...I want to trust you. I want to believe so badly that either of you will hold to that.

[He'd relaxed somewhat from the intial freezing under Gladio's touch, letting Ignis pull him closer; he was leaning over a bit for their height difference, but that was fine. Not like he'd get all that uncomfortable.]

But I don't...know if I can.

You will do your best, just as we have talked about in the past, and we will do our part by not letting you push us away.

[It will be easier to do that now that he has Gladio here to help balance and ground him when Ardyn lashes out too much. Where before he risked losing himself in his attempt to pull Ardyn to safe ground, he now has a anchor to prevent that from happening.

His fingers rub gentle, soothing circles at the back of Ardyn's head. If Gladio notices the gesture, he may remember Ignis doing it for him as well.]

Just keep seeking the flame. The rest will work itself out.

[Gladio eases back a little, lets them have their closeness. One hand stays on Ignis' back, the other settling on Ardyn's shoulder but not quite forcing him into a hug anymore.

But if their part is making sure Ardyn can't push them away?]

You're probably going to hate me before long. [Directed at Ardyn with a smirk.] He's a push over when he's second guessing himself. I will literally drag your ass out of that shit hole you're staying in.

[Test him, Ardyn. Just try it.]

You'll surely hate me more than you already do before even that.

[He didn't look up from Ignis' shoulder, but Ardyn also didn't freeze under Gladio's hand that time either.]

Just don't let me hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore.

[Ignis snorts softly at Gladio's comment. Thanks for sharing all his weaknesses there, friend.]

I do hope you're including yourself in everyone because I certainly am. We're all in this together now. If you need something, all you have to do is reach out.

[He leans over to press a kiss to Ardyn's temple.]

I know. That's the hard part. Just do what you can and we will...

[Ignis pauses a moment to chuckle knowing just how bad the joke he's about to make is.]

...keep our eyes open.

[Gladio's about to agree with him. Asking for help, reaching out... it's hard. It's so hard sometimes. He knows all too well how difficult it can be.

But then Iggy goes and ruins it with that awful fucking pun and Gladio laughs despite himself, reaching up lay his hand against Iggy's cheek and push him gently away, playful and exasperated, softly shoving the other man into Ardyn.]

That was bad even for you. Ridiculous. [There's fondness in his tone, though. Even if Ignis is utterly hopeless and terrible and should be ashamed of himself.]

I mean, you're right but that was awful, Igs.

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

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