February Intro: Chasing Kairos

[lifeaftr_mods]

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.

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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!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[jagarico]

And the black hole...? [He laughs, the sound shaky.] This world only gets better, doesn't it?

[counterblows]

Yeah, there's a black hole somewhere on the mainland. It's...well, you know it when you see it. Don't get too close, and you'll be fine.

[Unless people start actively running around looking for ways to off themselves which, unfortunately, has happened.]

[jagarico]

You speak like you are very well-versed in this world. I take it you have been here for a long while? [Which sounds really hard and terrible and Yusuke is kind of hoping he isn't in the same boat because really, rolling limbs? Black holes? Not his idea of a great new home.]

[counterblows]

Not as long as some people have, but I've been here for a bit, you could say. Months.

[He does not sound terribly enthused about this. This is the lowest tech setting imaginable, and it's an absolute nightmare for a space-faring future-soldier.]

[jagarico]

Months...

That is definitely long enough. You have my sympathy.

[counterblows]

It could be worse.

[He doesn't elaborate in what way it could be worse. He only says that it could be, and decides to leave it at that. That's good enough.]

...anyway. People here can more or less move in wherever they want, as long as the place isn't occupied already. You can tell if it is.

[jagarico]

[Yusuke isn't going to pry. There's definitely ways he could consider it to be worse as well.]

Ah, that is useful to know. I did worry about my living situation.

[counterblows]

You had a dream before ending up here, right?

[Most people do. Sometimes they have one and sometimes, apparently, they have several.]

The one with the, uh...talking rabbit?

[jagarico]

Oh, yes! I did! The Storyteller, right?

[counterblows]

Yeah. That was a real dream, basically, and everything that you were told there is true here.

[It sounds stupid to say it aloud, but it's the bottom line.]

[jagarico]

It may sound strange of me to say this but I assumed as such. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and I've learned that firsthand.

[Your rebellious will becomes a persona and fighting in a cognitive world kind of makes anything seem possible.]

[counterblows]

Good. Not everyone believes that right out the gate. [It's one of those things that's hard to quantify to someone removed from the context of how this place works. If any of his squadmates, past or present, were to hear him now - ]

[Well, they'd probably wonder if he snapped again.]

That's the closest thing to an introduction everyone gets.

[jagarico]

I'm still grateful for any introduction and besides, with people as helpful as you it shouldn't be a problem.

[And it really hadn't seemed like the Storyteller could tell him much more than he already did.]

I can't say I don't find this frustrating because I do.

[counterblows]

[Helpful. That might be the first time anyone has called Wash "helpful" without a shred of sarcasm. He almost laughs at that, but that might be pushing it. It'd raise a few questions that he'd rather not answer, too, so might as well steer clear of that awkward little speedbump, is all.]

Most people do. Our only options seem to be to roll with the punches.

[jagarico]

Luckily I am quite experienced with "rolling with the punches". It isn't something I prefer to do but I understand very well that sometimes it what one must do. Especially when I know so very little about this.

And with such dangerous creatures about.

[counterblows]

You learn quick.

[It's "learn quick or almost die" or "learn quick or actually die" or "learn quick or learn how much it just really sucks to die and come back" around here, as it happens.]

Most people are fine with helping out, if you ask. The ones that aren't usually aren't worth bothering with.

[jagarico]

Thank you. I just hope they're all as helpful as you. [Which sounds a little funny considering that Wash had a gun to him just earlier. But sometimes it's best to just forgive and forget.]

[counterblows]

["Helpful" is not...really a word Wash would associate with himself, if we're being honest. He blinks behind his visor, taken aback, but quickly pushes past it.]

You might run into people from home here. It's...that happens, from time to time.

[jagarico]

I don't think I would wish any of my friends or classmates to be here. As much as I am already missing their companionship, I would prefer them to not be brought here against their will. [They're all kind of busy with very important stuff anyway.]

Have people from where you hail from appeared in this world?

[counterblows]

Some.

[Some, he says. He doesn't say which ones, or for how long. He doesn't dig into how they vanished, one by one, leaving behind belongings and little evidence that they were ever really here. He doesn't mention that there's a part of him, still, that worries that they weren't ever really here, because no part of their presences were externally verifiable.]

People disappear sometimes, too.

[jagarico]

...Disappear? Do we know exactly why or how...? [That seems like one of the most concerning things he's heard about this place yet.]

[counterblows]

No. We don't. Presumably they go home, but sometimes they just go missing, or die and just...never come back.

[He's settled for not thinking too hard about it.]

[Hope doesn't have a place in a soul like his, anyhow.]

[jagarico]

[After all of the creatures that Wash has told him about, Yusuke thinks it's entirely positive that they could have died and that was it. They were gone forever.

This is a lot to think about.]

I-I see.

[counterblows]

Yeah.

[Maybe it's worrying, how fucking desensitized Wash seems to be to this entire thing. It's not the first time he's watched people disappear, or die, or worse, so as far as he's concerned - this is standard.]

So be careful out there.

[jagarico]

Thank you. I would offer the same wish to you but I will assume you are more than able to defend yourself if the need arises.

[It seems like this is a pretty likely assumption to make.]