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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And yet, your whole diatribe was about how they could be… “of more use”, was your words?

[Semantics.]

You do have a tendency to miss openings like this. It’s not my business if you do.

[Ignis raises an eyebrow at Laurent, but decides to let his 'addition' go unremarked upon.]

From what I've heard, Prompto gave you a thorough yelling at already. Congratulations. Few people have genuinely been able to make him angry. It takes real skill.

For my part, while I believe your reaction was a bit much, I also know well how hands on Gladio can be. He has a big heart and doesn't always stop to think that not everyone is comfortable with a man his size suddenly touching them no matter how friendly the contact.

Making people detest me is my best skill, just above squandering my gifts and lying.

[Once again, the smugness in his voice is a complicated affair. Perhaps the perceptive man can detect a hint of irony within. But his next sentence is hard and uncompromising. Can't you put aside whatever family quarrel you have and let your uncle help you, Damen had said in Arles, and honestly they are cut from the same cloth. He’s truly a good man. You are misguided, give him a chance. Laurent’s heard it all.]

I don't care how you think Gladiolus is amazing and beyond fault. If he touches me again the consequences will be the same.

Edited 2018-06-13 13:28 (UTC)

You do so enjoy your 'I'm a terrible person' act, don't you?

[Ignis shakes his head and signs. Honestly, he's used to dealing with Ardyn. The act doesn't work with him anymore.]

For your information, Gladio is a lot more intelligent than most give him credit for. I have talked to him about it and I highly doubt he will make the same mistake again. Now, I know you are an intelligent man as well, so I will only say this once. I will not be so forgiving a second time. Trust issues and trauma are one thing, but if Ardyn can refrain from stabbing him, you too should have the ability.

Mmhm.

[It isn't clear at what point Laurent goes from neutral to unfriendly again. Once Ignis is done, there's a short silence- then the voice Laurent uses is his Politics voice, toneless and impersonal. At some point something went wrong, and now all of his guards are back up.]

Oh, I know that. What else do you want to make clear to me?

[What went wrong? Most likely the same thing that makes all good politicians fall back behind their walls: Ignis hit too close to the truth. Why risk further exposure when there are walls that can be hidden behind?

For a moment, Ignis wonders if he should push farther and see if he can find out more about whatever it is that caused Laurent to shut down so hard, but in the end he decides he would rather not push the blonde any farther than necessary. There is a friendship Ignis would like to preserve here whether Laurent sees it that way or not.]

Yes, there is another thing. There is no reason for you not to enjoy the food I prepare. I honestly don't care if it's you or Damen who collects it, but we are here to help each other. Nothing about that has changed. I leave it up to you if you still wish to share your kills.

Thank you for feeding Damianos. But I believe I can manage on my own.

Edited (i changed my icon keywords and now everything is reset) 2018-06-15 15:28 (UTC)

[Ignis sighs, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Perhaps, he was mad to think he could actually get somewhere with Laurent. Maybe talking to Damen will work better?]

If you wish. I can hardly sit on you and force you to eat what I make, however, if you change your mind, the offer remains open.

[Ignis’ frustration gives him a measure of satisfaction. The other man might have won in every other conceivable way but he will hit this wall over and over again; Laurent’s co-option is the one thing he cannot snatch even with all his supporters and moral superiority. It’s a bitter satisfaction, but Laurent has sustained himself on this for years under his uncle and he’s developed a fondness for the taste. Soundlessly, the blonde smiles.

Anyway, the sound of his waterlogged shoes tramping up the shoreline is very loud. He’s left the turtles.]

You’ve made that abundantly clear. And what other terms are you looking to lay out, or are we done.

[Talking to Damen would definitely work better. Laurent is profoundly stubborn- Ardyn may be desperate enough to eat out of Ignis' hand but he has no such desire.]

Edited 2018-06-17 10:56 (UTC)

[Stubbornness is both a good and a bad thing. It keeps one hiding behind walls, while it keeps another trying to get passed those walls. However stubborn he is, though, Ignis knows when an engagement is lost and isn't going to keep banging his head against the wall on this one.

His hand falls back into his lap and he shakes his head.]

No, that is all.

[At least, for now.]

Then as riveting as this conversation has been, I’m not fond of being seen with you this fine evening. Someone could jump to the wrong conclusion.

[Gonna need a more intense offensive to get past him, sorry.

His sodden footsteps stamp onto dry land as he speaks, passing Ignis with a wide berth. Speak now or forever hold your peace.]

I have no interest in you and yours, so don't worry about needing to move house.

[Honestly, he was going to let things go. Let Laurent walk away without another word and then make plans to speak with Damen because obviously he's the more sensible of the two, but there is something in those statements that makes Ignis' plans fly out the window. It's the assumptions inherent in them. The same assumptions that got Gladio stabbed in the gut for just trying to be nice.]

You can get bloody well off it. Not everything is about someone trying to get into your pants in case you hadn't noticed.

[His voice is cuttingly low, but in the silence around them, it sounds loud.]

This isn't your home world. Here we have much more important things to worry about. Like survival.

[He’d prefer they do this when he’s not dripping seawater, but really, this is how it’s always been. By now he’s ready to fight, and the response is immediate and deceptively conversational.]

Mm, you’re right. A great many things are about people trying to kill me. Frankly, leaving home hasn’t stopped that, but I suppose that’s my own problem.

Why don’t you go spend your precious time on those ‘important’ things, then? I sincerely don’t want to get in the way of that. If I look away for a moment my uncle poisons my horse and beheads my friends, so- just by my experience, I really don’t know what kind of hourglass you’re running on.

Congratulations. That makes you no different than the bloody rest of us, and you don't see me driving a dagger into the first warm body that touches me.

[Ignis' hands curl into fists. Oh, he may have no intention of stabbing anyone, but boy is he considering letting his fist learn the path to Laurent's nose right about now.]

Your uncle isn't here, but you know who is? Your beloved horse and also your beloved. How about enjoying the time you have with them instead of lingering in the past and wasting the opportunities you've been given?

You have no idea when you will be sent away from all this. Stop wasting what you've been given!

[Just fucking punch him. He’s out of practice weathering hits anyway.]

Are you talking about me, or yourself? Because I’m having a great time here.

[it’s straight up the Politics voice now.]

You’re the one who seems to be insistently holding onto things.

[You know what? Nah, Ignis is starting to think Laurent isn't worthy of his fists. In fact, the return to that 'oh-so-practiced politician voice' causes him to flatten both hands against the rock he's sitting on so he can lean forward slightly in Laurent's direction.]

Hiding behind walls, pushing away those who get too close. It's such a wonderful life, if it can be called that. Are you glad you've let your uncle turn you into this?

[Nice try, but the attempt to change the topic is totally ignored. This is about Laurent and Laurent only now.]

What a wonderful legacy. And when shall I expect you to turn to beheadings and poisons yourself?

Even while swearing yourself five ways you’re still here trying to scold me out of my sins. I’m not the one wasting my lifespan on pet projects, but sure. How noble.

[The tension in the air is through the roof right now. Laurent’s expression darkens like ink in clear water, but you know what, it’s fine.

Ignis really is like Damen.

But too bad, Ignis has nothing on Damen. The words hurt- he has heard them before, and it has hurt before, and he knows that he will live out his life as defective as he is- but Ignis does not get to say these things. Ignis does not get to see if it hurts him. Ignis gets a voice like molten chocolate and and a response like adamantine, unaffected and unyielding.

He has always told himself that he couldn’t sustain a partnership with someone like that.]

I know you’ve done so little wrong in your life that you can’t distinguish lies and murder, but try to be consistent when you accuse me. I’m not going to tell you when my next murder is, but I’ll say it after if you want to come berate me more.

Edited 2018-06-20 14:30 (UTC)

Oh, bravo! Bravo! Keep at it. One might actually believe you mean it soon.

[Ignis is this close to clapping his hands to punctuate his mocking words, but he's not Ardyn, even if the redhead's sharp tongue might be starting to influence his own just a little. After all, his previous statements were meant to hurt Laurent--to make him lash out and perhaps reveal something on accident. It's a tactic Ignis would never have used back home.]

Not that I will. It's hard to see this false tough guy image you wish everyone to believe so badly when I've seen you panicking over Maribelle's injuries and obsessing over Damen's well-being. Continue trying to fool others are much as you wish, but I know the truth. You are no villain, Laurent. You love too much for that.

That’s pathetic.

[In another circumstance- if this were Diarmuid- there might‘ve been some success. Unfortunately, Ignis has been arguing with him literally up till this moment.]

So when Ardyn goes home to die you’ll label his corpse a man and not a pig, and feel like you did something? Don’t bother for mine. Your words are worth less than dirt. Without the censure from all your friends-

[-he cuts himself off.

Remember what you’re here for. The thing carved into the soul pinned like a butterfly on your wrist. (Damen.) This is pretty risky for Damen’s wellbeing, and you sure as hell didn’t sell your soul for you.

Laurent stands up and makes to leave. ]

Edited 2018-06-22 16:06 (UTC)

[Despite the urge to argue against Laurent--especially on the point about Ardyn. If he has anything to say about it, after all, Ardyn won't have to die--Ignis makes himself be quiet after the blonde cuts himself off, waiting to see if he will finish. When it becomes obvious he's not going to, and instead is just going to leave, Ignis sighs.]

It is sad to think you know everything about the world when really you know nothing.

[And that is all.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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

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cw: references to familial abuse

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i spent two hours on the dialogue for this tag

If LA was a murdergame, I'd know EXACTLY where this thread was going....

[funky murder mystery music] cw: talk of death

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