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

[prettypurpleparlor]

Not at all, my magic is quite sturdy.

[Muffet suits words to actions, tugging on the line and pulling the bag out of the water as it shortens.]

Why don't I meet you on the shore, since neither of us has to stand in the water now?

[catpiper]

Okay.

[A true island heroine.

That's fine by her. Once she notes the bag isn't sinking into the ocean depths and that the 'magic' is holding up, she busts out of the water towards dry land. Bye, ocean!! Goodbye forever!! She's gonna go chill with this spider, her new pal instead.

And when she gets close enough, Ren has a very important question to ask her-]

Webs are magic?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet lets her threads pull the bag into her hands, then dismisses them, letting the magic dissipate into scattered fragments that vanish quickly. She smiles as she turns to meet Ren, holding the bag out for her to take.]

Some of them, yes- I can also spin ordinary silk, of course. But adding a little magic to things can make them easier.

[catpiper]

[Her eyes follow the little pieces as they vanish into thin air and she takes the bag after. Her eyes scan the outer part of it to see if any purple is stuck on it. Maybe it's like glitter? She's a bit disappointed to see nothing of the magic web remains.]

It's pretty.

[Magic comes in all shapes and sizes on this island, she's starting to realize. Not that she has anything to compare it to. Her world didn't have any form of magic, just spooky ghosts.]

Is purple your favorite color?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Why thank you, dearie.

[Sorry, Ren, it's not meant to be permanent. Maybe you'll find some glitter next time you go exploring- weirder things have happened.]

As it happens, yes, but that isn't why the threads I use are purple. In my home, magic comes in different colors depending on what it's used for. Purple is for binding magic.

[catpiper]

[That's all well and good and interesting, but she has a very important question for this wonderful spider.]

What color is coin magic?

[Because Laurent taught her something amazing and the glimmer of the coin under the sunlight is the only color she's seen. Maybe it's the color ~*~*~*~sparkle~*~*~*~]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet tilts her head thoughtfully, blinking at Ren's question.]

You could certainly use a few different colors of magic on a coin, if you wanted- but I don't think I've heard of coin magic as a term in and of itself. What did it do, precisely?

[Let's be honest: if magic money was a thing in her world, Muffet would be allllll over that already.]

[catpiper]

[MUFFET ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?

Because from the newly rescued bag, Ren eagerly digs out a rock. Not a coin, exactly, but it's small and for the purposes of this trick, it works just as well.]

It does this-

[Coin trick mastery is clearly a work in progress. She's practicing-has practiced-but it's obvious how the 'magic trick' works by how slow she's going. And the fact she messes up and eventually just shoves it into her sleeve when she can't get her fingers to move quick enough.]

It's like that.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Oh no, that's adorable. Muffet politely muffles a laugh with one hand, and gives a little bit of politely restrained applause with another pair.]

A very clever trick, dearie- although I don't think our magic has anything like that in particular.

[catpiper]

It doesn't?

[How is coin magic not a thing in her world? Gosh. Though she looks pleased by Muffet's response. She can't recall the last time someone clapped around her.]

Laurent showed me this.

[And then-]

He might know the right color for it.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Well then, I'll be sure to ask him when I next see him, shall I? Although...

[Muffet smiles as a thought strikes her- she did have some in her pocket, she knew, even after giving one to Guzma. It went against old habits, but there wasn't much use for them here anyway, and she still had plenty left back at home...]

It occurs to me that it might be easier for you, if you had a proper coin to practice with.

[catpiper]

[Laurent had tried to give her one too, but it's a special treasure. She didn't want to take something that shiny, that important, from him. At least in her mind, it must've been important to him. The value of the coin is lost on her outside of the way it sparkles and how pretty it looks under the sunlight.]

Coins are special treasures. I haven't found any.

[Like, where the heck is the shiny coin depot here? Enso's gotta have a spot.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet tilts her head thoughtfully, curious about Ren's view of things.]

What makes a treasure special, to you?

[catpiper]

[Well dang.

No one's ever asked her that before and she doesn't have an answer ready to give. Seto accepted her treasures as just that. The people here did the same. She assumed they all knew what made a treasure special just by how they so easily accepted hers own.]

It's something-

[A pause and then-]

That makes you happy. When you look at it, you smile. That makes it special.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet nods in understanding, smiling gently.]

I see. That seems a wise way of putting it to me, yes. So... by your logic, can a memory be a treasure? You think back upon the moment, see it in your mind, and it makes you happy to recall.

[catpiper]

[Those words change everything. Before this moment, treasures were only tangible items she could grab with her hands and shove into her bag. Always shiny, cute, pretty items to look at when she was feeling down. It never occurred to her how similar happy memories are to them until this lady brings it up. Incredible. She looks absolutely delighted.]

Yes, something like that-you can call that a 'special treasure' too.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[The looks of happiness on Ren's face is wonderful to see, and has Muffet smiling cheerfully in return. A thought occurs to her, and she adds:]

I think that's part of why people like taking photographs so much, or drawing pictures of things. They're a way to preserve the memory so that other people can see it, too. It's part of why it's so impressive to have a talent at drawing, like you do.

[catpiper]

It's a talent?

[The doodles had been a way to comfort herself for years now. She wasn't under the impression she was talented in any sense of the word and she can truly only name one thing she's good at. It warms her heart to hear those words.

It occurs to Ren that while this other girl may like her doodles, she could probably manage a great drawing of her own. ]

You could make-[She pauses to count her arms]-six memories. That's a special thing you can do.

[prettypurpleparlor]

I'd certainly say so.

[She laughs cheerfully at Ren's compliment, charmed by the girl's earnest response.]

Why thank you, dearie. I don't really draw much, but I suppose could try weaving a picture of something I wanted to remember- I'd just need to make sure I put the web somewhere it wouldn't get torn or blown down by the wind.

[catpiper]

[O snap spider friend, you're in luck! Ren's got 99 different hiding places and only like 50% of them are covered in water right now.]

I can show you good places to hide them.

[And she looks inland with a destination already in mind. A sweet pair of rocks that can hide a cat and a web!!]

One's this way.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet tilts her head thoughtfully, genuinely curious. She's been meaning to find places to store little supply caches around the island anyway, for people to use in emergencies...]

I appreciate the thought. It won't be too much trouble, with the way things are flooding at the moment?

[catpiper]

No.

[Because she knows segments of this island like the back of her hand in case of future monkey attacks. She's not going to explore, but there are places and areas near the temple ruins she can point out.]

The islets have good places too.

[Which wasn't flooding, last she heard, so maybe it's best to head that way.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Oh thank goodness, she was wondering if Ren was just planning to stay out here with the water rising.]

Then I'd love to see them, if you don't mind.

[catpiper]

Okay!

[Follow her Muffet! She'll show her some dope rocks and all kinds of good, dark hide-y holes.]

Probably wrapped, unless you want to do more here?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet dutifully follows Ren through the islets, taking careful mental notes on all the useful-looking spots and complimenting her guide on her thorough exploration of the landscape.]