lifeaftr | 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

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."

Now it's a battle Prom. He's going to ruffle you at some point when your arms are full of wood and you can't defend your hair.

"Whoa now. Don't go gettin your hopes up." But he understood the sentiment. Prompto was always one for creature comforts over sleeping in the tent for weeks on end and it's been months for them.

"None of it's gonna happen if we sit around here gossiping, though. C'mon." Patting Prom's shoulder and he's back on his feet in a moment. They've got work to do.

His hair was doomed. Thankfully, judging by how droopy it'd gotten in the long months, it'd already lost all its HP anyway. There was no more damage Gladio could do. It was already dead.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Despite replying defiantly, his steps hastened as he rushed ahead to go get some work done.

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

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wrap?

Sure