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As promised, the Storyteller has withdrawn to see your path to the island you chose.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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's for the best all of this happens in quick succession-the kiss on her hand, hearing the word princess, the nice, warm hug. She can't protest when it occurs because while she's busying figuring out a way to make him realize she's not garbage royalty, he's kissing the back of her hand and before she can wrap her tiny mind around that, he's giving her a hug that she wants to bury herself in out of habit.

He doesn't give her the chance to focus on that and she accepts the kindness as it comes. She's light on her feet, but dancing is New and she's never, in her whole life, had another person do this with her. Her movements are clumsy and since she's unwilling to let go of his hand, sometimes she gets tangled in their mess of limbs and it's all-

Fun. It's so fun. She's spinning. He's humming and smiling and she can't help the delighted noises that form in the back of her throat that culminate into small, quiet laughs as the minutes wear on. It's not hard to learn because he's there to guide her. Even when she messes up, her grip only tightens on him as she follows his lead again.

When she gets comfortable, it's time for her to add her own special touch. He thought that garbled mess of words was wild? Get ready for a preview of Ren's Greatest Hits.]

Under the pretty moon

Pretty Guzma likes to dance

His shiny necklace

Looks like a pretty star

[It might not be so bad if she could keep in tune with his hum. Which she isn't. Because the words are important and what is music anyway?? This is freestyle.

And even though she's shorter than him, she makes an attempt to get him to spin under hand by raising her arm up and hopes he takes the cue to twirl. Come on big bad boss. What now??]

[Ren, wtf.]

[It takes every ounce of practiced restraint for Guzma not to trip over his own feet park it in the sand, though he does certainly stop the dance to listen to her little song. The song about him that has his face burning all the way to the tips of his ears and the back of his neck. He's never heard himself be considered pretty, and he glances down where the chain of his necklace is tucked into his shirt, to avoid it from jangling too much and smacking him (or her) in the face with the Team Skull pendant.

How in the world does he react to this?

He balks, at first, sputtering and looking at Ren like she just uttered a curse unto his house or something, but he can't even bring himself to scold or even glare at her. Not even his temper can combat the hold Ren has on his heart, and he swallows the frog in his throat before ducking down and spinning in a slow circle under her hand. He'll start to dance again, after that, but it's a little more clumsy and a lot slower. There's also no more humming, either.

He's lost his voice.]

[Does he really and truly think that deters her in any fashion? There's no protest coming out of his mouth and he isn't curling back into himself like a cat. Nope. He's dancing with her, twirling under her hand, and while his song stops, hers doesn't. She repeats the verses here and there, coupled with a hum of her own, occasionally focusing on the moon. The stars. The sun. The pretty fireflies and Guzma's warm hand.

This is what happens. It's all his fault. This is what he gets for inviting this heathen child to dance with him. The slow, clumsy movements are fine with her. She copies him all the same. It might seem like he's messing up, but to her it's impossible. It's his own touch and style-he doesn't make dance mistakes. She might, but not him and that makes this is new part of the dance. It's not like she knows any better.

Helpfully? Unhelpfully? She decides to add-]

You can sing too. I can teach you how.

[This is a new sort of torture. Guzma feels his face burning, and he wants so badly to tell her to stop, but he simply can't. The words die in his throat before they have a chance to form and all that escape his tightly pursed lips is a raspy croak and a clearing of his throat. What else is there for him to do? He has no idea, and his mind is a buzz of thoughts and feelings. She's wrong, she's totally wrong. He's none of those things, none of them, and he most certainly isn't in any shape or form...beautiful.

He wants to be mad. Guzma knows it as his fallback emotion when he's at a loss for what to feel, but even that emotion fails him, and he's left feeling confused, awkward, and embarrassed, mostly. Does he like it? He has no idea...but he doesn't hate it, and that's baffling to him.

But she asks him to sing and..and Guzma finally stops. He finally has something more clear to focus on. A song? She wants him to sing a song? Well, that's far easier. He already knows exactly what to sing, though it takes him a while to find his voice again. Shaking his head to her suggestion of teaching him, Guzma exhales, wets his lips with his tongue, and closes his eyes. He seems, for once, very tense. He voice quivers, at first, but grows in volume and confidence the more he sings his song.

A song meant for her.]

Edited (WHOOPS WRONG LINK) 2018-03-19 02:47 (UTC)

[ man, it's awkward when you walk into a conversation that didn't start with you in it, but...here she is, little fireflies rested in her black hair. Walking around the island to both stretch her little legs and...search for her flatmate, who vanished a little while ago. Has he seem these glowing bugs? They're like tiny little Volbeats, and--!!

And...

...well, she found him!!! Ren, too-- and thank goodness, she managed to catch him trying very hard to spin under Ren's arm, humming softly as she's heard him do idly from time to time...she presses a hand firmly against her mouth and her eyebrows furrow decidedly.

Gods, he'd hate her if she ever brought it up. She deeply considers it the next time he threatens to give her a hard time.

He's singing now, and she finds herself releasing that tense expression to smile. It's nice-- nice to hear him let A (1) Wall down, even if it's temporary, and even if he'd deny it for the rest of his life. She strolls up to them quietly, kicking a little stone to make some noise so she doesn't scare either of them! ]

A-lo-la! [ it's a whisper, because she's enjoying Guzma's song. ] Dancing's really fun, huh? Singing too!

[ a dance party, Maybe they should just all have a dance party. The fireflies dance around them, as if inspired. Luna sure is!! ]

[There's no song she can compare to the one he sings. Her made up lullabies about small trinkets and treasures she loves doesn't compare. The songs that mean more to her-the ones that involve warm hands and spicy eggs and jungle vibes feel even less impressive. This is a real song and she's-

Not sure if she's heard one before. Can only recall the memorized melody she heard from the lab walls-maybe it was even a recording in a children's toy that repeated itself over and over until the batteries ran out. She finds herself listening to the lyrics-actual lyrics-to a song she's never heard before. Coming from somewhere in him she didn't expect to see with that request. She grips his hands tight, watches his face for any signs of distress and hears that rock, somewhere.

The rock? Something was kicked?

Her immediate reaction is to tense, fully relaxing the second that quiet, happy alola reaches her ears.

Oh?? Now it's a party.]

Pretty Guzma was dancing! We were doing that together-we were playing this fun game so-

[She lets go of one of his hands, so Luna can hecking JOIN IN.]

It's very fun. You should spin with us.

[Immediately, when the sound of someone nearby is heard, Guzma releases Ren and jerks away from her hands up, fingers spread, like he was caught in some kind of drug bust.

BITCH YOU CAN'T PROVE NOTHING!!!1 CALL HIS ATTORNEY!]

[And just as quickly as the color drained from his face upon being discovered, it reddens as Guzma sees just who it is that caught him in this embarrassingly gooey act. Alola indeed, you little brat!! If she goes and blabbers this to anyone, ooooh--!

Snorting like an angry bull, Guzma narrows his eyes and drags his index finger across his neck as his gaze zeros in on poor, little Luna. DEAD BODIES DON'T TALK, KID, REMEMBER THAT. Thankfully, he drops his hand and balks again when Ren calls him pretty, a mix between upset, horrified, and grossly embarrassed. He straightens like he's been electrocuted before jerking forward to grab her and cover her mouth because just...FFFFF--

]

WHAT?! No, I'm not gonna--! [FUCK WHERE'S THE EXIT, HE'S BEEN BETRAYED!!] Luna, I will pitch you into the ocean...!

Edited (EDITED FOR CLARITY. ) 2018-03-19 23:11 (UTC)

[ Ren calls him pretty and Luna can't keep the sly grin off her face. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. His hair is soft and fluffy...that's a form of pretty, too...right?

Needless to say, Guzma looks like he's been caught red handed, and the terror-induced gritting of his teeth and silent threats make her laugh and smile. Oh, Guzma. Sweet, pretty Guzma. ]

I didn't do anything!! [ she presses her fingertips together, pouting. Already with the promises of salt water stinging her eyes and burning her nose. ]

I'm a good dancer, too! Just like Ren! [ she spins!! On one foot to emphasize her grace and extreme skill.

Disregard the fact that she nearly falls, arms flailing a bit to regain her balance. >:C L-LUNA HAS A LOT OF AWESOME ABILITIES TO BRING TO THE TABLE OK OK ]

Dancing's more fun with more people, anyway! Right, Ren? [ OPERATION> DRIVE GUZMA INTO A CORNER IS GO ]

[Nani the fuck

Why is he covering her mouth??? She can't talk like this?? Does he not understand the intricacies of human speech in that now she is unable to invite precious Luna into their game because he won't mcheckin let her speak?

It's sort of a garble that comes out, clear enough that she's trying to speak, but she doesn't attempt to move this pretty man's hand. Instead she throws her own arms up in celebration of Luna's beautiful moves. That's dancing. She did a good job. That's worth a gold star or seven.

And because she CAN'T SAY ANYTHING??? At Luna's question towards her, Ren looks up Guzma and holds up three fingers? Because more people=more fun and she needs to make sure he knows there's uno, dos, tres players in this game now.]

[The bigger Luna's smile gets, the grumpier Guzma becomes. He huffs and puffs and snorts, feeling the red flush burn on his cheeks and the back of his neck. He releases Ren only to rub at the back of his neck, under his hoodie, and narrows his eyes at Luna's displays of spinning and dancing. Are you mocking him, you drunken Spinda? He will actually feed you to the tigersharks. For real.]

Do I look like an Oricorio to you?! This ain't no happy hour, girlies - I'm not gonna dance with both of you! I mean, it ain't so easy to do with three people. I, uh...I-I mean--! Not the kind I was doing before, anyway... [And he's not about to go freestyling or breakdancing. It's practically impossible on the sand either way.] Y'all was luck y'caught me in'a good 'nuff mood to even do that much once! Tch!

[GUZMA, YOU'RE A LYING LIAR THAT LIES.]

[ Luna exchanges a quick glance between Guzma and Ren and frowns!! ]

You don't have to be good at it! And all pokemon can dance-- not just Oricorio! Have you ever seen a Wailord dance?! [ she grins happily, putting her hands on her hips!!! ] Nina and Chiffon dance, too! Like this!!

[ she crouches down and steadies herself upright on the ground, and then sways her head from side to side, hair swinging out on both sides.

She really looks like more of a frog than a dog. But the point still stands!! Look at that amazing technique!! ]

[Luna's incredible. She's managing to showcase a variety of skills in that simple movement from pokemon and humans alike. How could Guzma not be taken in by this amazing display? Ren sure is. Now that she's free to speak and live her best life, she hurries behind the hair flipping Luna to spin in circles, like some kind of horrible background dancer.]

Does Goli dance like this?

[She believes in him. He can probably spin in circles and if not, Guzma's spider can. So Luna's got a point and wins this entire argument.]

We can spin in circles together. That's how you can dance with us.

Yo, are you saying I'm not good at it?! Kid, I could blow you and all six your dang pokemon the water with my moves! Ain't no one better'n me at improv, and I don't think your wrestlecat can do a backflip and land on its feet.

[He sneers, lifting himself up to his full height and turns up his nose at Luna. Who the heck do you think you're talking to, punk? Guzma got caught arriving in this darned place busting a move to save his skin, and Golisopod was just the same. And he was amazing, thank you very much.

Lifting a brow, Guzma shakes his head and snickers, shoulders shaking. Luna, you look ridiculous...please. Please stop.]

Oh man, if only mt phone still worked and I could snap y'all right now... Blackmail for days. [Omg, Ren. Baby, no, don't copy this scrub, she has no idea what she's doing. Lord. Please. Listen to Guzma on this one.] Angel, y'don't dance by just spinning 'round. That ain't dancing...s'just spinning with no rhythm.

[KEEP GOING, GIRLS, HE'S CRUMBLING.]

[ Luna, watching from the ground where she's been tilting, has something of a mischievous look flash through her grey eyes the moment Guzma starts to try protecting Ren. Luna stands up, brushing her legs off and stretching her arms to either side. ]

Y'don't always need music to dance! Sometimes, dancing is fun all on it's own! [ she turns to Ren and extends a hand to her in a very gentlemanly way, bowing, her other arm delicately stretched to her side. How very...formal. But Luna is beaming the whole time, setting Guzma's complaints on a shelf on high. ]

I think improv is his way of just spinning around to no music. Maybe he just needs some help getting into it? [ no plan, no music, no beat, no rhythm...but she looks ready to let loose! A grin is thrown in his direction, as well as her other hand, once she stands up straight again. ] Or maybe he's just worried that he'd have too much fun... [ she wiggles a finger at him, taunting him extravagantly. ] ...poor guy.

[ burn, baby, burn. ]

[It makes complete sense to her. Having so much fun can be overwhelming and for someone like Guzma, who works hard and rarely plays tag or hide and seek without some childish influence nearby, he may not be able to contain that feeling of absolute joy. It can be stressful if he doesn't understand why his heart beats fast during these fun games. Almost scary.]

You don't have to be scared. It's very easy to have fun-we can help you do that.

[She copies Luna's movements, bowing slightly, wiggling her fingers at him and then says-]

Luna and I will dance and show you.

[And then she holds out a hand for the lovely Luna to take, preparing the random string of words that begins the Dancing Game.]

Plates, Goli, Nina, baseball, magic, tent.

[OKAY THEY CAN PLAY NOW?? LET'S DANCE??]

[Guzma matches Luna's stare with one of his own, but it's obvious to see that he's losing his patience very quickly, and when she makes the final little quip at him, he exhales though his nose slowly and approaches her with all of his hulking mass, plucking the tiny trainer from where she stands, tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Wordlessly, he nods for Ren to follow after him. Sorry, no one's going to show him how to dance. Especially not two little dirty brats.

It's odd, everything about his body language has changed from loose and relaxed to tight and stiff, and it's plain to see he's not at all happy. In fact, Luna can probably feel it - he's got a fist curled so tight into her clothes that it's almost painful. He dumps her, literally just dumps her, onto the more even, grassy section of their land, near the back where the wood stove is, and he takes off his hoodie and sunglasses, setting the latter atop the bundle of clothes.]

Y'all wanna dance? Fine. But you better keep up with me, ladies. Pop, pop...it's showtime. [He grins wickedly and slides into a wild array of dance moves. And by the Tapu he is good at it. So--]

[Get on his level, scrubs.

]

[

]

[ she watches him dance, pressing her lips into a thin line to keep herself from smiling-- because smiling is the enemy when it comes to Guzma's ego!!! And she's trying so very hard!!

Until she can't take it, and starts weakly mimicking his moves. And she's absolutely not as good as him. He moves quickly, with precision, and she moves slower, halfing each move with a small arm roll, and then tentative hand gestures. Her feet are faster, but she's not a pro.

But the more she does it, the more fun it becomes. She's not a dancing queen, no, but she takes Ren's hand and dances happily to a mute beat that Guzma has created. There are treasures to protect-- things to hold close and tight. Warm moments to remember.
This is one of those moments. One of those soft pauses in the chaos to breathe for just a second-- not taking advantage of it would be an absolute waste. So here she is, shakin' what her mama gave her in any way that she can, trying to copy Guzma's moves. Having a great time. Not dancing great.

But who cares, really? ♥ ]

[

]

[This must be one of those mystical 'talents' that so many people on the island seem to have. She doesn't have the pop pop skill anywhere in her little bones and chooses to wiggle her fingers in the air, copying Luna instead of the wild man before them. It's so bad. Horrible. Twirling is her forte, not this, and she's grateful when her friend holds her hand to turn it into a dancing duet instead of the solo exercise going on before.

Threading her fingers through Luna's hand, if allowed, she starts jerking her knee around, wiggling her arms and fingers and any other appendage she's able to shake. It goes from copying Guzma into just dancing and erratically moving every which way.]

Pop pop, Luna!

[But it's fun. The way Luna's smiling, the expression on Guzma's face when he showed off his skills and now-

She can't help to laugh, a little bit. Fingers shaking in the air, twisting and moving every which way with a friend by her side. It's great.

It's so much fun.]

[Nice try, Luna, but your efforts not to smile only bolster his ego more than it would if you did it from the start. His grin is practically eating up his face as he watches the two girls bust a...whatever that is. It's awful. Terrible. But dang if it isn't cute. Guzma picks up his sunglasses and shakes out his hair, breathing a bit hard as he pushes them back onto his head. He doesn't join the girls right away, leaning back on the wood stove to just watch them dance together.

Badly. But who cares? They were both laughing, smiling, having fun. He chuckles quietly, grabbing his hoodie from the ground and dusting off any sand or dust that's gotten onto it. It shows a lot more on black, after all. He does, however, take a moment to look at the Team Skull logo on the back of it, crossed out with a big, red X.]

A'ight, homegirls, y'all got ten more minutes. S'getting dark and I wanna eat something 'fore we gotta turn in, yeah. [Actually, he should prep something for them to eat during that ten minutes... Maybe make some cocoa, too.]

[ she twirls alongside Ren, laughing at her obscure movements and then trying to seriously throw out her own horrible moves, head turning towards Ren with an almost impish grin on her face. It's bad. Just plain bad.

Out of the corner of her eye, Guzma is picking up his hoodie and staring at it-- that giant X that still makes her head tilt. But she won't question it now. Not when the air feels softer, the sky, a little darker. Fireflies circling them with a gentle curiosity.

It's a good night. The best night. ]

Okay! [ she grins at Ren. ] Pop pop! [ they could dance for the last ten minutes, anyway. The smile is probably permanent. Friends are amazing. ]

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/BUSTS THE DOOR DOWN HI

SHAKES MARACAS SUP

1/2 - /STICKS LEGGY OUT, *HELLO*~

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MWEE HEE HEE

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1/2 - /STICKS LEGGY OUT, HELLO~