November Intro: Red Sun Rises Like an Early Warning

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: NOVEMBER

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: November 3rd and beyond
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The New Arrivals: Hold My Hand
When you wake, it will be to the lapping of waves, frothed with foam...pulling at your hair, your skin, your clothing. The sand is soft and wet beneath you, but it's several inches submerged. And the longer you stay here, the more obvious it will be that the water level of the ocean ringing this strip of island has begun to to rise, and not merely because the tide has started to come in.

And what's more? You can tell that something else about this entire situation is horribly, horribly wrong.

Perhaps you've lost some special power. Perhaps some piece of your memory is freshly and disconcertingly blank. Perhaps you've just discovered that one of your senses is missing, or that you've been rendered unable to speak, or you've been struck by a debilitating fatigue. Not only are you stranded in some unfamiliar place, stuck on a rapidly flooding beach, but you aren't even doing it in full possession of all your faculties.
For those who agreed to put themselves at a disadvantage for a stranger, these are your consequences. If you're unclear as to the handicap your character has been assigned, if any, please check your initial acceptance notice!

All new arrivals will additionally awake with knapsacks, their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can also be found in your acceptance notices!

For All: It's a Long Way Down
The water isn't a problem for the newest arrivals, either. It seems that the waters all over Ensō have started to rise, slowly at first, and then with a steadily increasing rate. At first, you might be forgiven for assuming the tide must simply be unusually high, or maybe that the island's begun to sink. But the longer it endures, the more obvious it becomes that neither is the case.

The water has begun to rise. Something is wrong with the island itself, or the being living on it, and now there is nothing preventing the water's inexorable approach as it steadily washes over and over the mainland. In fact, if you listen closely, you might even be able to hear a peculiar sound tearing over the cold rush of the coastal wind; something akin to a desolate wailing.

Either get to high ground - and quickly - or find out what's causing this. But either way, we suggest you hurry...because there are a great deal of newly arrived, very disoriented folk on the beach that could really, really use your help.

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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

[catpiper]

[Are we gonna have to throw down, friend?? Cats are never mean. They're kind, wonderful creatures who are to be treasured and Ren is more than happy to correct this little misunderstanding. Dogs are the mean ones in the animal kingdom.]

Cats are nice. They're safe.

[To be fair, Ren takes her time before pushing him off the animal identity crisis cliff. She even takes a step forward to look at his tail again, really gauges how fluffy and big his ears are and-]

We can ask ESP kitty. He'll know this kind of thing.

[She seems to think it's a possibility?? But can't outright confirm it. Too bad they can't ask Murasaki, but she doesn't want to out him for the cat he really is underneath his human disguise.]

[onemanstrash]

[Were he not currently under the impression he might be a cat on top of losing his memory he would be all over setting things straight here. Dogs are great. Not that he's a dog. At all. He's a wolf. But there's no way cats are on top.

Have fun inspecting his tail though. Sure it looks soft, but it also looks like there's a lot of dirt, dust and other junk trapped in there. Thankfully his ear fluff is a bit cleaner.]

... Okay? [What's an ESP??] I guess it makes sense to ask a cat what they think. [Okay he has to know--] What does ESP mean anyway??

[It has to mean something! Something that means ESP kitty isn't just an actual cat and is more like a cat person or something. The plan isn't to ask an actual cat their thoughts on this is it. Is it??]

[catpiper]

[The plan is to ask an actual cat his thoughts on the matter because a) it's the best plan and b) that's what you do.]

I don't know.

[She didn't name him. So she has no idea. Not a single one. And she never thought to ask either because why question anything a cat says or does.]

He might like that word. It's a good name.

[Disregarding the fact they're letters. Let's just move on. She's dumb. Let her live.]

Did someone name you?

[onemanstrash]

[If the only answer they get back is a few meows and purring then... Well it'll be about what he expected really.]

It sounds like it stands for something though. Like... Extra Special Purrer? Or something else like Enjoys Seeking Special-treasures.

[Yes that counts. Special-treasures was said fast enough it counts as one word. He's dumb too. They can live in their dumb together.

But okay, moving on.] Of course someone named me, my mother did! [He isn't some pet who was named later or something!!] I'm Keaton. Did someone name you?

[catpiper]

[Keaton, you bring up a good point and she's going to think about that for the next few minutes. Enjoys Seeking Special-Treasures would be a great name for a cat and she has to wonder if it's true-maybe it did stand for that. Treasure hunting is a hobby she dabbles in and ESP kitty always seems to enjoy the little pieces of garbage she finds around the island.

You're onto something friend.]

Yes, they named me Ren.

[They being lab techs and not a mom, but whatever. Name's a name.]

I'll take you somewhere safe and-[Then a pause, because she's digging the long name.]-I'll get Enjoys Seeking Special-treasures. You can meet him.

[onemanstrash]

[You know Ren. He was kind of unsure about this whole thing. The cat, the what he is, the everything really.

But then you had to go and use his suggestion. His suggestion that is too many words and the last word doesn't even start with a P. That alone gets his tail going as it begins to wag behind him.]

Sounds good to me. You know, 'cause it would be wrong of me to just say no since you're offering and all. [Aaand he has no idea where 'safe' is on top of his sense of direction being dreadful, so it all works out!] If he really enjoys seeking out treasure we're gonna get along like best buddies. I just know we'll be rolling in treasure once the water goes down.

[Driftwood. Seaweed. Dead fish. Uprooted plants. Other trash. It's going to be a-may-zing.]

[catpiper]

Yes, you can find-

[And now that Keaton's said the magic word, Ren's all too eager to share this vital information with her tail wagging buddy. The encroaching water makes her nervous and she wanders a few feet away, far from the incoming tide, and sets her bag on the ground.

There's so much garbage in there, she has to shove her hand to the bottom of the bag to get the particularly good pieces.

But when she does, her face lights up and she holds out her hand towards him-there are a couple rocks, tiny seashells, a piece of seaglass and some dried leaves. Perfect.]

This kind of treasure. It's in the sand.

[onemanstrash]

[By his mother's tail what is that is that a whole bag of treasure he wants to stick his nose in that bag so badly this is too much power for one person to have what the ever loving hell--]

Ren. Ren. [... It almost looks like he's about to tear up just looking at what she has in her hand.] No one has ever shown me this kinda treasure before. It's perfect!

[His tail is going crazy as he marvels at the rocks and shells, reaching out to poke at the dried leaves a little... Eventually he looks up at her with a big smile.]

Let's get somewhere safe right now so we can look over all your treasures together! No worries, no water, just treasure. [Of course this is what gives him the motivation to get away from the water properly now.]

[catpiper]

[It's perfect.

That's a compliment that makes her beyond happy. Few others recognize the value in her awesome garbage treasures and if Ren had a tail, it would probably wag until she flew off the island.]

Okay! [And then-] I'll show you the best places to find them. I can do that for you.

[Honestly, if she could swim and didn't have a fear of drowning, she would probably drag him into the water right now to show him seashell locations. But eh-

She shoves the items back into her bag of garbage and points towards somewhere?? Whatever, she seems to know where to go.]

We can find special treasures for you to have on the islets.

[Right now, immediately. #priorities]

[onemanstrash]

You can?! You are the best. Hey, if I sniff out any places that might be hiding some good stuff? You'll be one of the first to know.

[One good turn deserves another after all. And this good turn deserves one heck of a return to make up for all this treasure talk.]

Let's get to those islets then. You point the way and I'll... [What can he do to help out here... OH. IDEA.] Here, want a ride?

[If Ren can avoid the wagging tail, she is more than welcome to climb up on Keaton's back as he crouches down for her.]

[catpiper]

[If he's not a cat, Ren will be highly disappointed. Not only does he appreciate treasure like one should, but he's even as kind as one.]

Okay. We'll find lots of good treasures together.

[Two pairs of eyes are all it takes. They'll be swimming in seashells and rocks in no time. Plus, she has a pirate he needs to meet. They'll take the island by storm.

And oddly enough, this isn't the first time someone has offered a piggyback ride. She can walk, but the rising water makes her nervous. If he can move quicker-if he's a kind-hearted cat trying to get her out of a bad situation, then it's okay.]

Will it hurt you if I do that?