lifeaftr | February Intro: Chasing Kairos

February Intro: Chasing Kairos

INTRO LOG: FEBRUARY

Who: New arrivals, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: February 4th and onward
Where: Monsun
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Monsun, for the uninitiated, is an island divided in two, separated by a ribbon of flowing river. To the east, a rich deciduous woodland and perfect temperature heralds a plethora of resources at your disposal, at one singular, significant cost: your very worst traits will manifest the longer you remain in the area, until, by the twenty-four hour mark, you're living your absolute worst self.

By contrast, the island's western region is a harsh wasteland, a swathe of desert with hardly any shelter from the unrelenting sun and arid heat. Most everything here wants, in some way, to kill you, from the landscape to the fauna. Ugly storms and predators run wild, but the benefit is probably exactly what you think it is: namely, that your best traits manifest more and more strongly the longer you remain on Monsun's western half.

You, you lucky band of newcomers, are going to be arriving on one of two sides of the island. Whichever one in which your character wakes is up to you - though they're certainly welcome to head either direction, once they get their bearings.

Monsun, B2: Desert Air Won't Drown You Out
A craggy stretch of desert borders Monsun's northwest coast. Parts of the sand here, the further north you head, seem to have gone suspiciously slushy or boggy...though that might be the beginnings of an oasis that looks like it might be present on the region further up. Or, possibly, something else entirely.

It'll probably be hard to tell when you've got a mess of your own to contend with. Namely, the presence of a predator that's going to be making life quite...difficult for you, the longer you remain.

Nova Scorpions have been unlocked in the bestiary!

Nova Scorpions are about one meter in length and have a large stinger to match, with a golden carapace that makes them near-chameleonic when it comes to blending in with the sands they so favor. They are nocturnal by nature and tend to burrow into the sand and form lairs with others of their kind. Occasionally, one might encounter a scorpion carrying its young on its back.

By far the most dangerous thing about them is their venom, potent enough to floor even the most powerful and even those of the nonhuman persuasion. They can be, potentially, milked for said venom if you're in need of a powerful toxin to lace your weapons, but it's recommended that you make sure the scorpion is very thoroughly dead or well on its way before doing any harvesting of its resources. You know. Just to be on the safe side.

The good news, of course, is that your better traits will be amplified the longer you stay on this side of the island. If you don't mind the danger, you're far more likely to earn yourself some help here than you are on the other side of the island.

Speaking of which.

Monsun, C1: So Scared of Overgrowing Youth
By utter contrast, the rich woodlands of Monsun's east give all the appearances of being the best sort of welcome one could ask for. With the island's coast lining the region of C1 to its north and a deep, beautiful green swathe of lush deciduous undergrowth swarming throughout the entirety of the area, one could almost call it idyllic.

One thing is certain: it is very, very beautiful. The presence of so many growing things make it a glorious contrast to the island's western half. And in C1 in particular, there's no shortage of resources. The odd berry bush, the abundance of trees that can be harvested for lumber, if necessary...and the presence of some very odd, but nonetheless potentially adorable little creatures known as mosslings.

What may initially appear to be a tuft of particularly springy moss will, on closer inspection, prove to be something a little bit more. Mosslings are practically indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape unless one is keen-eyed enough to pick out the twin yellow points of glowing eyes nestled among the leafy orbs of their bodies - or unless one happens to spook one by accident, prompting it to scurry hastily away. They are extremely peaceable, extremely docile creatures, though they can make traversing the landscape startling on occasion, for the faint of heart. Aside from potentially edible, leafy flesh, they don't have much use in the way of resources, but they are quite harmless!

You, on the other hand, probably aren't so harmless. At least, not the longer you stay here. If you don't start forging your way west, or weaving your way to the island's single mana pool - located on E3 - to get off of it entirely, your very worst self is going to be manifesting, along with all your worst and least desirable qualities. Prone to violence, cowardice, jealousy, or paranoia? Better hope no one else is around to aggravate those traits, because they're not immune to Monsun's psychological effects either.

The only danger here comes from within. But the worst things usually do.

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

No.

[Curt, annoyed, and pretty determined to just - mow this guy straight over to the fucking mana pool. He's single-minded when it comes down to it, and single-minded is translating to "being a fucking prick," currently.]

You're clearly not gonna go anywhere on your own, so I'll have to make you.

You're...! It may be easy for someone with much too brawn to understand where an artist is coming from but this land is an unending fountain of inspiration...!

[That's a little much but as far as Yusuke is concerned, this is supposed to be his artistic haven. Somewhere with unlimited innovation. He has no idea how ridiculous he's being.]

And there's a much nicer, better island that doesn't psychologically fuck you over, where you can do all the inspiring and admiring you want.

[Somewhere in the red fog of his frustration, there's a point - he's trying to help. Angrily, abrasively, and with no small degree of struggle to either end, but that's what he's trying, at least.]

[It really can't be helped and even if Yusuke doesn't know it, this is better for him. Later, he will be very grateful and while he will always be blunt and very passionate about finding inspiration he does not take people helping him very lightly. He's a rather grateful type of person.]

Somehow I don't think you understand just what this island truly is. If you have even a shred of artistic integrity, you would unhand me...!

[Please don't.]

Nope.

[Wash can at least say he's never taken a crack at art, though the words would've fallen on uncaring ears anyway. Eventually, he utters a sound that's more or less a sigh of relief, marred as it is by his profound and unrelenting irritation at the situation that he kind of willingly involved himself in.]

Mana pool's just ahead. Let's go, Picasso.

[Yusuke does try to struggle out of Wash's grip but well. He's a beanpole. He barely eats most days and really, he is most likely dehydrated a lot. Up against someone like Wash he really can't break free. Which is fine because he shouldn't.]

This is ridiculous! Do you treat all people like this?!

Sometimes I shoot them first.

[This is...actually true, in some contexts. Wash stops short of the pool entirely, trying to gauge how best to get this guy off the island without potentially releasing him and giving him the opportunity to get the hell out. He might be fast - he's certainly weedy enough to look like he could be pretty agile, and Wash isn't keen on taking those chances.]

[He settles for the next best (worst?) thing - which is drawing his sidearm and pointing it straight at Yusuke.]

Don't move.

[That is definitely enough to make Yusuke freeze. No matter what effects have a hold of him, having a gun to you is enough to make you stop.

He isn't dumb. He's always been one of the members of his group to not do something stupidly impulsive so he won't move but the look in his eyes is screaming about how absurd this is.]

All right. Good.

[He bends, swiftly, to swipe one of the flower blooms from beside the mana pool and hurls it into it, focusing on the islets, the islets.]

[In the seconds before the transportation takes hold, he reaches out again to try and snag Yusuke by the front of his shirt in the hopes that it will force the mana pool to take them both back.]

[The positive thing is Yusuke is transfixed with the flowers and then by the mana pool. So he at least isn't about to run off as he stares and luckily enough for Yusuke, he is taken back with Wash.

And when they are transported, Yusuke blinks and looks around.] I...hm. This place gets stranger.

[Wash blinks rapidly behind his visor, stepping back several paces as he abruptly releases Yusuke and lets his sidearm fall away.]

...sorry. Sorry. That place makes you - it takes a lot out of you. [Already, the volcanic tightness of his anger is ebbing away from where it pooled in his muscles and drew his jaw tight. He breathes out, slow, trying to ease the rest of it away.]

[It's slow going.]

[This is a little awkward.]

I cannot say I entirely understand everything that just happened but I do think I wasn't behaving like myself. [And with a frown, just a little nervous in adding this:] Or you were acting like yourself? I'd certainly hope this isn't you every day. [Unfortunately Yusuke is still blunt and to the point but he isn't as bad as he was before. It seems at least a little more polite.]

[Wash breathes out again, low and shuddery, in such a way that suggests a laugh, jittered and nervous and more than a little shaken that it is.]

Only when I'm having a really bad day. [He's not even really joking. On a bad day, he's worse.]

It brings out your worst. That side of the island.

Oh. That brings a lot of clarification onto the matter. [Yusuke knows he lacks social skills and everybody tells him that and how he only cares about art. Which he can't really deny the truth of.

Still. Yikes.]

My apologies. [He bows to Wash.] It would seem I brought undue stress onto you but I'm really very grateful for your help.

It's fine.

[Thank god he seems to actually have some sense, when Monsun isn't fucking with him. That's the worst possible place for new arrivals to end up, Wash would think, but hell if there seems to be any rhyme or reason to how any of this is meant to fucking work.]

Sorry I was rough. Probably didn't have to be.

[Definitely didn't have to be.]

Edited 2019-02-10 17:38 (UTC)

I will admit I do think that threatening me with a gun was a little overboard but it would be ridiculous of me to judge you based on our actions on that island. I was hardly myself. [He pauses and then shakes his head.] I cannot deny that wasn't apart of me if exaggerated but the point remains. I will not hold it against you. Really, I don't think I can thank you enough for helping me. I owe you much.

It's fine.

[The concept of someone owing him when he basically dragged them forcibly off the island with a gun to their head is an uncomfortable one, so he does what's best in those situations, and opts to sweep it under the rug instead.]

We're all stuck in this place together. We help each other out. That's all.

Still, I must implore that you ask anything of me that you might need. It would be my honor to assist you. [Yusuke is terrible at reading social cues and so he just keeps talking about how grateful he is.]

My name is Yusuke Kitagawa, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[This isn't making him any more comfortable with present circumstances. Most of what needs doing is stuff he can do on his own - right?]

[Possibly not.]

Washington. [Agent Washington, but the preface tends to raise more questions than it answers whenever he brings it up, so he's taken to dropping it.]

[In most cases, Yusuke would question about the name but if that's how this person wants him to know him as then Yusuke won't say anything. Especially after what they just went through.]

Washington. I am sorry for the terrible introduction. It would appear that there are many dangers this place holds, not only physically but also psychologically.

It's...not a problem. Really. I've met people under worse circumstances.

[He is actually not exaggerating there.]

There's more to that place, if you ever end up having to get back, but if you want my advice? Keep moving until you hit the river, and then move past that. The desert on the other side is better.

The desert? I will remember that though I hope that I never go back to such conditions. I'm worried that I may not willingly leave. You saw for yourself how... enamored I was.

[It wouldn't seem like such a bad trait to value beauty and enjoy it but even Yusuke knows he can get a little overzealous about it even when he isn't having that trait magnified.]

Desert's more dangerous, but you end up...nicer, I think you could say. And, well, the good news is that that's the only place like that. Nothing like that here.

[On the islets, or on the mainland itself.]

Nicer? Is that the kind of effect that side has on you?

I guess you could say that. I don't point guns at people so much over there, anyway.

[He does point guns at people even when he's not being his worst self, on occasion. It's not exactly atypical for him.]

Physically, a lot more dangerous. Neurologically, not so much.

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