lifeaftr | March Intro: The Night Begins to Shine

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March Intro: The Night Begins to Shine

INTRO LOG: MARCH

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: March 4th to March 9th
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The Birds: Talk 'Til Dawn
As promised, the Storyteller has withdrawn to see your path to the island you chose. It is for this reason that their presence may be somewhat less evident than usual, even at the site of their temple. It may take some time to reach them whenever you should require something or another, and it seems that they might not be paying attention to what is occurring on the island at all.

This is not necessarily a good thing.

After the firebird's flight in January, the sun has assumed its regular position in the skies of LifeAftr, warming and lighting the archipelago with a reassuring regularity following the horror of the continuous night. And with the Storyteller's intervention, a fresh wave of cloud has come to blanket the floating islands that travelers last month had the brief opportunity to explore. However, come March, little dollops of gray-white may occasionally come streaking from the sky like ashen comets; the firebird's sheer distance from LifeAftr has delayed their arrival somewhat, but it has come nonetheless.

LifeAftr's sun has begun to molt.

The phoenix's fiery red plumage is more of a dulled-out gray by the time it drifts down to the sands and treetops of Ensō, but that's not the only peculiar quality about it. No; the real strangeness is the fact that the molted feathers aren't really feathers at all.

They're chicks. Tiny and slate-gray to start with, cheeping feebly in heaps of ash, they'll nonetheless start to sprout yellow-orange pinfeathers within a day. Other than being rather passive, miniature versions of the great firebird that swarmed into the sky in January, the chicks are rather simple creatures - they require no food or water aside from the sunlight cast from their cousin in the sky, and they mature into lean, fiery birds the size of ospreys within a matter of weeks.

What is notable is their rather unpredictable capacity to burst into flame. Oftentimes they'll simply regenerate from the ashes and begin the cycle anew, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's pleasant for whoever might be nearby - or if someone happens to be holding them.

In fact, it seems that the risk of this occurring seems significantly higher when someone initiates physical contact. At least now you'll stay toasty!

The Bugs: You Would Not Believe Your Flies
Come the night, the island has one more surprise for you, dear adventurers. Your new avian addition to Ensō's ecosystem sleeps during the night, much like the sun in the sky above, and thus is not much use for lighting up the dark. However, something else is. Something that perhaps many of you might recognize.

These fireflies are much more luminous compared to the typical variant, and a good deal more sluggish too, as it's quite easy to catch them and store them in jars. Unfortunately, they don't last long in contained environments; they flourish in open spaces, and as long as they are not caught and contained into extinction, will continue to light up Ensō's nights for weeks to come. They hover in lazy droves, stirring into the sky in the occasional luminescent spill.

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 )

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[At this, Mickey has to laugh a little.]

I know what you mean! Seems like every time I talk to someone new, I gotta explain that yes, I'm a mouse, yes I can talk, and yes, my world's full of people like me. Sometimes I feel like I should just wear a big sign on my back saying "Yes, I'm real"! Ha ha ha ha!

Huh...yeah.

[Guzma looks Mickey up and down and hums thoughtfully, biting his lip before he makes a snide remark. Mickey's definitely got the opportunity of being able to speak, that's for sure, and let's be honest here...mice do tend to be a step above massive, hulking insects and arachnids, and Guzma knows that full well. Mickey probably hasn't had a gun or a knife pulled on him from day one, unlike his two pokemon.]

Gotta be honest, never seen nothing like you before, neither. I mean, closest thing is this here. [He takes the pokedex and enters in a name in the search bar: Raticate. Then he prods a little button below the image of the usual pokemon, which changes it's form to the, uh...much different Alolan Variant.] ...No offense.

[... he's trying really, really, really hard not to take offensive at that.]

... W-well, I've never seen anything like a human before, so, we're... even?

[He mindlessly squeezes his belly. Does he look that fat to people?]

[Yeah, Mickey, you're basically an open book, and Guzma scratches the back of his neck with a sigh. Ah, having to explain things again...here we go. He holds up a hand in a placating manner, then begins to give his explanation.]

Don't judge a 'mon by its looks, yeah. That there's a hard nut to crack, even though it looks like an overstuffed malasada. They're seen as gourmets too, since them dough boys are so dang picky when it comes to the quality and freshness of food - lots of real good eats use 'em to judge the dishes they make, and weed out what ingredients they gotta toss. Not only that, but one of 'em's even a totem pokemon on the first island, where rookie trainers begin their Island Challenge. And that thing's 'bout as big as me.

They're tough. [Lots of his grunts use them and their pre-evolved form, Rattata. He looks at Mickey again, up and down, as if quietly assessing him before nodding and crossing his arms.] ...If you raise 'em right.

[Why yes, he did just compliment you, Mickey. I-In a somewhat roundabout way, but!! Congratulations?]

[... Okay at first Mickey is jealous of the chubby rat-thing because apparently it gets to choose what kind of fancy treats to eat, whereas Mickey, being a poor orphan, was grateful for any scrap he could get. Also, apparently it's TALLER THAN MICKEY GODDAMMIT.

... But, thankfully, that last bit does get a small smile out of him. You're a good guy, Guzma. Guyzma. Goodzma.]

Heh heh heh. I guess no matter where we are or what we are, you should never judge us by our appearances, huh?

[Only one is taller, probably, and that'd be the Totem Pokemon of Ilima's trial on Melemele Island, but the totems are always larger than the average pokemon species. Usually, the big rats are only two and a half feet standing on their hind legs.

And keep that thought to yourself, Mickey, because Guzma would huff and puff and deny it until the cows come home. Still, he does have his own code he lives by, and it's pretty strict.]

Mm...sounds obvious, don't it? Not a lotta people see it that way, though. [He shrugs. Hes been called so many negative terms it barely phases him anymore.] I mean, take these things here--

[He easily catches one of the stray fireflies that got inside, holding it very carefully in his cupped hands. It's amazing, just how gentle he can be when he actually tries - when Guzma cares to be careful - or caring.] When people think of a bug, they don't think'a things like this. S'true for anyone, anywhere. But show 'em a whole swarm of these, show 'em how they light up the pitch black, and they'll be singing a whole diff'rent tune.

[Mickey looks at the little bug, amazed in more ways than one. Guzma is a tough guy, no doubt about it - but he can also be extremely gentle and careful. He's doing his best not to squish the insect, all for the sake of cheering Mickey up.]

... Yeah. Right as always, Guzma.

[A small chuckle.]

You won't hear me complaining about them, not now, not ever. These little guys... they're bringing so much happiness to everyone. Who would've thought something so small could make such big smiles?

[Guzma likes bugs, that's not a secret - he's way more careful with them, especially the smaller, more fragile ones - than he is with people and those he knows can take a bit of his roughhousing. As he opens up his hands, he give them a little shake to let the firefly go and start buzzing around lazily in the air. Honestly, he's a little sad he doesn't have any sugar to mix into some water for them to drink.

He grins just slightly at what Mickey says, his lips curling up at the corners. It's absolutely his own personal bias, but people treating insects with the care and admiration they deserve is definitely a point in Mickey's favor. Bugs are fascinating, after all, and he's certainly very curious to examine a few of these ones himself.]

JUst goes to show big things come in small packages, yeah? [He begins to head back outside, but only for a quick second, to grab some firewood and some tinder, dropping the logs into the indoor fire pit he and Luna have and pulling near a few pans, bowls, water, and a baggy of...something.] You staying a while, Mick?

[He's not going to cook, it's gotten too late to prep anything, but some Tapu Cocoa should hold him over. It's got enough sugar in the mix to satisfy until tomorrow morning. PLus, it'll help him sleep better.]

[Mickey is surprised at the invitation, but he is more than happy to take it. Sleeping alone, despite having done it for months, has been lonely. He was used to hearing Goofy and Donald's snores that it took some time to adjust without them.]

Well, if you're askin', then I'm sayin' yes! Maybe you can show me more of the amazing Pokemon from your world.

[Guzma goes about filling the pan with water, sets it aside, and begins to start the fire up. Only until the coals are burning hot does set the pan near the heat. It'll take a while for the water to simmer, so he grabs his pokedex and fiddles with it a bit more.]

Yeah, no sweat. What you wanna check out? There's 'bout eight hundred species of pokemon back home - in diff'rent regions - so...we got some time t'kill. Actually-- [He chuckles softly, then immediately pulls up one particular image. He seems pretty excited to show it off, and even doesn't get too irritated when the device acts up a bit more. Finally,when he hands over the 'dex back to Mickey, there's a very colorful insect on screen.]

Check this out.

[Mickey watches Guzma work, ready to offer his help if needed - though, knowing Guzma, it'd likely be rejected. He's a man's man, gotta do his own thing. But... eight-hundred species. Hoo boy. Mickey's not even sure if he himself can count to eight-hundred!

But he makes sure to UP THE ENTHUSIASM BY 100000% PERCENT anyway because BUGS!!!]

Wow! Look at that! This one is really amazing! Check out those wings - it's like a sunset! This has to be a really strong one, right?

[It absolutely would be rejected. Sorry, Mickey, but very few are able to touch Guzma's Tapu Cocoa. Be happy he's even deemed you worthy of having a mug full. One the pot is simmering - steam forming on the top and only a few little bubbles rising from the heated water, Guzma adds in a few spoonfuls of the mix and begins to slowly stir.

And as he does, that enthusiasm is shared. An enormous grin eats up his face as he leans forward to point at the description.]

Isn't it?! S'called Volcarona, and it's supposed some sort of ancient super pokemon. It's totally ripped and crazy rare, too. Y'all don't see all but one of 'em at a time in the wild...and their pre-evolutions are just as hard t'find. There been rumors of a nesting found in Alola, but...man, I dunno if I believe that rumor.

I always wanted one, though. There's legends and stories 'bout it being a replacement for the sun during, like...some kinda ice age thing in Unova, since it scatters burning scales when it flaps its wings. Said t'have saved a whole bunch'a people and pokemon from freezing.

[Mickey takes a few sniffs of the air - mmm, it smells good! His tummy is already rumbling! Boy, this is such a great night. Seeing the fireflies, having a delicious treat, and learning more about his good pal Guzma.

He's so happy.]

I bet if anyone could find one, it'd be you, Guzma! Cause you care about so much! I bet no one else could appreciate it like you! If one saw you, it'd see how well you take care of your bugs, and be like, "Gosh, I wanna be with them!"

[NEVER GUNNA STOP HEAPING THE PRAISE]

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March Intro: The Night Begins to Shine

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