April Intro: The Flower Ripens in its Place

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: APRIL

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: April 3rd and onward
Where: Ziziphus
Warnings: Mark as needed!

A9: Sow the Seed
Unbeknownst to new arrivals, the archipelago of LifeAftr has recently seen the appearance of a new island, as chosen via voting - and they have been unceremoniously placed there instead of upon Ensō, where most newcomers would typically appear. It's probably for the best that the island of Ziziphus is so outwardly peaceful. There are worse places to find yourself, all things considered. The mana pool glimmers with a greenish light, the stone ring containing that peculiar fluid set firmly into the earth. The surrounding land fits neatly into that general aesthetic: rippling fields stirred by the occasional crisp breeze alternate between amber-golden and rich, verdant green in coloration, and irregular patches of color signify the presence of a great deal of flowers of all sorts.

It's a peaceful scene.

We're sure you're all about to make it go horribly wrong.

B9: Reap the Harvest
For the unluckier, or the more adventurous, something far less tranquil awaits. Perhaps you woke up on this particular map square instead, or you saw fit to journey a little farther, just to see what might happen. In any case, you'll quickly discover that this may not have been the best idea, when an ordinary grassy mound abruptly detaches itself from the ground, hauls itself upright on bristling legs, and starts scuttling near.

SPINDLANKS have now been unlocked in the bestiary.
What might initially appear to be a leafy hillock will very quickly prove to be something far more...mobile, if you get close enough. That clump of grass and red ferns will abruptly hoist itself up on six vine-like tendrils, crawling for its prey like a very large, mossy spider. While it's fully capable of swiping at its foes with its massive, leafy arms, the spindlank's favored method of dispatching its prey is simply to scuttle forth until it's positioned directly above you and drop down. If its weight does not crush you and choking on the clods of earth doesn't smother you, don't worry; the spindlank intends to eat you alive with a set of fleshy jaws set deep in its center, buried somewhere in its underbelly.

For despite their appearance, spindlanks are very much carnivorous. Their size can vary from anywhere between six and ten feet tall when their appendages unfurl entirely. They are, in essence, very large plants, and thus can be easily dealt with, if you can burn them.

Just try not to get overwhelmed.

---

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 )

Comments

Shiro | Voltron | OTA | will match

[propugnator]

[ A9: GOOD MORNING. ]

( it feels like a dream.

not like the dreams shiro usually has—full of pain and terror—but peaceful in a way that he's wholly unused to. the sky above is a beautiful bright blue, full of fluffy clouds, and the air feels so clean. how long had it been since he had been anywhere like this? he doesn't remember. underneath him, there is nothing but green wild grass and patches of colourful flowers. it almost feels like he's back on earth, finally home after ages of space travel, but shiro isn't foolish enough to believe such a thing.

voltron wasn't done with him yet.

there was no way he was back on earth, so—

where was he?

of course, the first thing that he does is swipe his helmet out of the grass and attempt to contact the other paladins, but it's useless. all he can hear is a faint static and the inside is still a little damp. the question is: from what? he doesn't recall being anywhere wet. actually, he doesn't remember much of anything after clashing with zarkon. not that it should matter. water had never compromised the function of his armour before.

that's where shiro can be found, crouched down underneath the shade of a tree as he attempts to prepare emergency triage on his helmet before he sets off to survey the area. )

[ B9: IT'S ALWAYS HOSTILE. ]

( in a strange way, there's a bit of comfort in seeing a massive creature rise out of the ground. shiro had visited more worlds than he could remember the names of and it wasn't that unusual for them to possess all sorts of dangerous (or gigantic) wildlife. that was the thing about space travel—it's dangerous. the type of danger, however, was just sometimes pretty straightforward. creatures? now, that's straightforward. shiro could handle creatures. creatures could be slain.

this one is no exception. the fight between them is short enough, resulting in the creature getting sliced apart by his arm-turned-energy blade. it makes an impressive noise as it crumbles to the ground, displacing dirt around it. just as shiro as about inspect the corpse, searching for any kind of clues he can get a hold of, another one appears from behind him.

while it doesn't take him from surprise, shiro still isn't able to fully dodge the sweeping vine that smashes into him. it's all he can do to minimise the damage.

hopefully, it doesn't send him flying right it someone unlucky enough to be nearby. )

A9

[lightlessfuture]

( While Shiro is intently checking his equipment, the Knight wanders over, curious about this tall stranger. Not because Shiro is particularly special to their senses, but because he's wearing armor that looks enough like a bug shell of some kind to interest them.

Even his helmet looks vaguely shell-like, though why he's checking inside it, they're not entirely sure. These shell-less people sure are mysterious! Maybe he's looking for cracks or damage. They can help with that.

They walk right up without any hesitation, since Shiro doesn't seem hostile and they're reasonably certain they can handle any change of situation. If Shiro isn't paying attention to his surroundings, the first indication he'll get of his new company is the Knight reaching up from their clearly impressive height of like two feet to give the helmet a curious touch. ]

[propugnator]

( knight's approach doesn't go unnoticed, but shiro doesn't exactly do anything to stop it either. nothing about them seems hostile, if anything they seem more wary of him than he is of them, and that's enough for shiro to allow them to get close enough to reach out towards his helmet. )

Hey.

( he says gently as he turns the inside towards knight, offering them a look inside. )

It isn't working right.

[lightlessfuture]

( They peer inside, searching for any cracks or obvious signs of damage. No, that doesn't seem to be the case.

Though language is a dicey proposition given the vast gulf of their respective experiences between them, they look up at Shiro after their inspection and shrug. That, at least, is a universal symbol.

They pat at it again, questioningly, and then tap their own face. They seem to be attempting to ask about the helmet's purpose. A mask, to define the purpose of its wearer? A shell, to protect him? Or something else entirely? ]

[propugnator]

( there's a soft laugh when knight looks up at him and shrugs. yea, he wouldn't expect for them to really get it either or at least not from a glance.

he points to a small area on the inside that is just a little raised up then taps a finger against it.)

This part is broken. Supposed to let talk to people from far away.

( from knight's mannerisms, shiro really feels like they understand him, but he still tries not to say anything too complicated. the curious part, however, is when knight reaches up towards their own face. shiro isn't immediately sure what's being asked of him, but he thinks he can hazard a guess.

he points then at his own face. )

Protection.

( afterwards, he makes a gesture towards knight's face. then sweeps upwards in a curved motion to mimic how one would remove a helmet. )

Yours too?

( is it a helmet, that is. )

[lightlessfuture]

( This person is talking to them differently from the others; they recognise it. Simple words, simple language, for someone who's used to communicating with people who may not understand them.

It's considerate. That's nice of them.

They nod at the word 'protection' (they nod along to Shiro's words in general, to show that they are listening, that they understand). But when he makes a gesture, asking about whether their own face is the same, they shake their head.

Comically, they push at the bottom, gently tug at their own horns. Then they tap on it, producing a hollow sort of sound.

No, it's not quite a helmet. It can't be removed by them, only broken. But neither is it quite a face, not in the way other people have faces.

They ponder communication for a moment. Though it would be fine to scratch words in the dirt, as they've always done, they won't be able to speak in the language they've learned bits and pieces of if they don't practice it more.

They hold their hands up high, stretching tiny fingers so that Shiro can see the gestures they make. Then slowly, with painstaking precision, they begin to sign. )

HELLO - NICE - TO - MEET - YOU

( That done, they look expectantly for a response. Does this person understand what they're saying? They seem to know so much already, after all. )

B9

[thermalwind]

[Several things happen at once. Keith emerges out of the thick grass and is hit with something moving fast that sends him stumbling to the left to recover his balance. His mask disengages leaving his face exposed.

Thankfully it just makes his short urgent two note whistle louder. A bird of flame drops down from above and curves around the Spindlank to distract it. Red and orange flames lick at the plant's leaves turning them charred and black. The creature jerks back.

Composed, he glances in the direction of what hit him. His heart freezes. There's no way he could ever forget the familiar patterning of the Voltron armor. But what stops him cold for a precious second is the black coloring and the familiar edges of a face he hasn't seen in months. He whistles for Ember to make another pass and turns his knife into a sword. He turns and plunges into the fight. It feels like finding ground under his feet again.

Shiro is here. He has no idea from that short glance if he's hurt or not. He carves his blade right to left, cleaving through a leg of the beast and moving fast away as Ember hits the other side.]

Hey! Shiro! You okay back there?

[propugnator]

( this was unexpected.

more than unexpected, actually.

it feels like all of the wind had been knocked out of his lungs when he hears the sound of keith's voice cutting through the air. hope and relief swell up within him as he pulls himself back up to his feet, just a little unsteady. if keith is here then there's a chance that the others were here as well. had this been the result of that last fight with zarkon? getting thrown here?

he doesn't know and now isn't the time to ponder. )

Keith! I'm fine!

( then he's rushing forward all over again, throwing himself back into the fray to help finish off the spindlank by severing its back legs. although, it might be more accurate to say that he dealt the final blow for the bird of flame to finally be able to set the whole thing alight.

that's also something he has questions about. along with the armour keith's wearing, but the most important question comes first. )

Are you alright? Were you hit hard?

[thermalwind]

[The Spindlank sags to the ground as Keith drops his sword point towards the ground and signals to the phoenix to keep watch up above. One breath in and he meets Shiro's eyes letting his words wash over him. He can't quite believe Shiro is here and yet. It's like finding the light again after walking in the dark for who knows how long.]

I'm fine. You didn't hit me that hard. [His armor absorbed most of the impact. He'll feel it a bit later but right now he's still full of adrenaline and antsy at being out in the open. Keith scans around them with a wary eye. What else could be lurking?]

Better not to linger. If there's two there's going to be more. Tends to be how it is here.

[He orients himself and signals to up above with one flick of his wrist. 'Follow'. He yanks his hood back and finally, smiles just a little. His guard has been constantly up when he stood among the Blades and even here. He's never let it down. Letting himself look as tired and relieved as he feels? That's difficult.]

It's good to see you, Shiro. Camp's west of us, I can answer your questions on the way.

[propugnator]

( "tends to be how it is here."

just how long has keith been here? a myriad of questions buzz around in his head, each one more nagging than the last. there's a lot to take in here and every conclusion that shiro finds himself drawing is less than satisfactory. concern etches its way onto his expression, manifesting itself through the tightness of his jaw and the wire in his lips. )

It's good to see you too.

( then there's a pause as he flicks his eyes over keith once more. )

How long have you been stuck here? Where's the Red Lion? Your armour?

( those are not the first questions he wants to ask as he falls into step beside keith, but they're what he knows should be asked first. )

[thermalwind]

[He openly stares at Shiro as his eyes go wide. Confusion starts to visibly build on his face. What...why ask him that? He takes a breath and leads the way, his sword returning to a knife for now. It's easier to focus on walking than to try and unpack why that got asked. The more he dwells on it the more he doesn't like what might be the answer.] ...Shiro. What's the last thing you remember before you got here?

[He needs to answer the rest. But it's like the ground got kicked out from under him.]

I've been here for several months. You're the first person from our universe I've seen here.

B9

[mamaterasu]

[Guess what, someone was nearby, though it's perhaps not the type of someone Shiro may have been expecting. Ammy's reflexes are a bit better than the average human, so she hears the scuffle, and a projectile coming straight for her, and leaps away before the poor man can make contact, growling and lowering herself on all fours. She's met a multitude of hostile plants in this world and her own, both of whom fling projectiles, so she's experienced at avoiding them. To be fair, Shiro is lucky he wasn't swatted back the way he came...because that was Amaterasu's kneejerk reflex back in Nippon regarding cursed trees and plants.

However, this missile is far more human-shaped than any nut or fruit she's seen, and that gives Ammy pause. Lowering her defensive stance, she tilts her head and cautiously approaches Shiro's crumpled body, to check on him. That is, until the real threat does blundering through the brush and lashes out at the both of them again. WELP.

Sorry, dude, but Ammy is going to be grabbing onto your leg with her teeth and jerking you back another three feet or so, just before the thick and leafy appendage slams down on where Shiro's head was a moment ago. Looks like Ammy's made up her mind already that this guy's in need of a little assistance, whether he wants it or not. Hope he can get to his feet quickly - Ammy's tough, but guarding a sitting duck isn't easy.]

[propugnator]

( sorry amaterasu. shiro definitely owes you one for this.

while it is entirely unpleasant to be yanked around by the leg, it is definitely an improvement from getting his skull smashed in by an overgrown vine. the ground itself shakes underneath the impact, resonating through him, and it launches him to his feet immediately. he can't take the risk of being caught off guard again. especially now that there's someone else in the mix.

despite the fact that this someone else is clearly a dog, shiro still catches himself breathing out a "thanks" before he's racing forward to grapple with the creature once more. he severs one of its legs just as he had done to its brethren, forcing it off balance. it topples over with a loud noise, but it doesn't stop it from using its remaining "legs" to swipe out towards both shiro and ammy. )

[mamaterasu]

[Tenacious little thing, isn't it? Ammy should have known there'd be dangers on this island like there were on all the others. The lush, fertile landscape and peaceful air was too good to be true, it seems...not like she's much surprised, honestly. That's just how it is on this bitch of an earth.

As the vines lash out aggressively, towards herself and Shiro, Ammy leaps before the young man and raises her reflector, which grows and expands to form a protective shield in front of them. Of course, Shiro may see nothing at all - maybe a ripple in the air as the two, leafy appendages pound against the wolf's defenses. A barrier, of a force-field, may be his first thought on what the Spindlank is hammering away at, but an invisible one.

Growling, Ammy digs her claws into the soil to steady herself, dark eyes glancing first at Shiro then at the toppled creature. Can you reach it? her eyes seems to ask, the determined blaze burning in the inky depths. She can, and will, support him...but she has to lower the shield to run interference and draw the monster's attacks. Regardless, she does maintain her stance even as the sound of vines clashes against her shield and she snorts.

Hrmph, it'll take more than that to down this dog, good sir.]

A9

[demonpuppy]

[Chip is not especially skilled at navigating the wilderness, even after so many months. They've mostly relied on wandering around, and letting the beacons of magic they can sense guide them back to 'home', but it doesn't much help in figuring out which massive field of yet more grass they've already been through.]

[But a splash of black and white in the mass of green makes them pause, and they stare at Shiro from the other side of the open field. They don't really want to approach him--who knows how he would react when he's so busy--but there's just something about him that seems...really weirdly familiar. And it kind of pisses them off.]

[The bright red haak-like bird perched on their backpack, on the other hand, has no such compunctions, and takes off to go investigate Shiro while blithely ignoring Chip's startled shouts.]

Hey! Sunny, no, where are you going?!

[propugnator]

( one of the key rules to being in unfamiliar places is to always be aware of your surroundings. one must always be vigilant or otherwise take the risk of being caught unaware. this place, as well, is no exception. it's chip that shiro notices first, standing around awkwardly as they stare him down. were they trying to gauge whether or not he was supposed to be a threat?

that'd be wise. from what shiro can see from the corner of his eye, they look like they're just a kid. either way, shiro pretends not to notice them in hopes of avoiding startling them. or at least that was the plan until a bird swoops towards him and makes itself comfortable on top of the backpack he had woken up with. )

I hope he doesn't think I have food.

( a gentle smile at the light joke. )

Fresh out at the moment.

I THOUGHT I'D REPLIED TO THIS FUCK

[demonpuppy]

[Chip comes to a halt a few feet away from Shiro, their face screwed up into what is probably supposed to be an intimidating glare but mostly comes off as 'constipated and mad about it'. Sunny, for his part, chirps and pecks a few times at the helmet, attempting to figure out what's so interesting about it.]

He doesn't need do, idiot. He's a phoenix!

[Nevermind that Chip had been panicking for a week over the fact that Sunny refused any morsel of food and water when they first tamed him. Clearly if you can't figure that much out you're the biggest dolt in existence, right?]

b9

[crosslaced]

[Laurent is a man of standards, and when the most qualified person on this archipelago is Ignis- who has little he doesn't have, himself (skill, intellect, a face to attract the undisguised lust of dozens)- if his partner never showed up staying single and disinterested forever would've been easy. Except this is happening.

He’d paused to see if this stranger needs help, but he's staying because Shiro is beating up a beast with his bare goddamn hands. These are his standards maybe. They're pretty high.

Oh yikes there's another plant monster.

The second Spindlank does not quite have the ability to come after Shiro. Something's harpooned it and pulling it back- guess who’s added rope to the end of their spear for things like this!]

Careful!

[propugnator]

( it hurts.

there's a distinct ache in his chest from where the thick limb of the spindlank crashes into him. it's not severe enough to hinder his ability to fight, but it does make him grateful to have avoided a more direct hit. whatever this thing is, it hits hard. he tucks himself inward to roll away from another strike before throwing himself back onto his feet.

a spear sings its way through the air then, piercing through the thick vine-like appendage of the spindlank and nailing it down to the ground. shiro glances back to where laurent is, a "thank you" on the tip of his tongue, but there's no time to voice it before another vine is swinging their way but this time towards laurent in particular. there's almost no time to react. he yanks the spear out from the plant creature's limb, slicing through it in a fluid curve on the way out, before using it slice cleanly through the appendage aimed towards laurent. )

Sorry!

( for stealing the weapon, that is. )

Are you alright?

[crosslaced]

[He pulls back his wrist to call something more magical this time, but suddenly the man is there, tearing the Spindlank apart. The glittering ice spear is his hand wobbles and pins itself to a random spot on the downed monster. For a moment Laurent sees the image of Damen, cutting down men for daring to raise a hand against him.

The blonde has his eyebrows raised; he looks quite surprised. Laurent has the sinking feeling that this handsome stranger will open his mouth and he'll have to sue the Storyteller for copyright infringement.]

Yes. I'm fine.

[propugnator]

( with the monster felled, all of shiro's attention shifts onto laurent. he twirls the spear in his grip, a smooth movement, as he approaches. )

Thank you for the help.

( then he's extending the spear back to him, sharp end pointed inward and away from the both of them. )

I couldn't have done it without you.

A9

[seafriends]

[ After his first sweep through this new island, Kanata's winding his way back across the green fields to the mana pool, hoping to familiarize it as a point of reference. He doesn't want to risk losing his place and getting lost out here, which is.. exactly what's happening, actually. It's somewhat relieving to see someone else just a little ways off, crouched under a tree.

Steadily, he makes his way over, but it's the helmet and overall attire of this stranger that makes his feet slow once he's just outside of where the tree's shadow falls. It looks almost identical to the sort of costume he wore during Supernova, and that makes Kanata let his head tilt to the side in curiosity.

Preceding any type of greeting, he has one question: ]

Are you a "hero"..?

[ A very, VERY important question. ]

[propugnator]

( the instinctual answer is no. it's right on the tip of his tongue, but instead shiro smiles and keeps it locked up tight. he gives kanata a curious glance over before he speaks. )

Something like that. Have you heard of Voltron?

[seafriends]

Ehe, you look "very much" like one, is all~?

[ That's more vague of an answer than he was expecting, but it confirms his suspicions well enough. Definitely he's never heard of it, but Kanata's seen enough sentai to know where this is going. ]

Hmm~.. it is something like a team that fights "bad guys", maybe..?

[propugnator]

( how embarrassing. this guy already has him completely pinned. )

I suppose it would be better to say that we try to be heroes? Someone the people can look towards for strength?

( he's just hesitant to proudly proclaim themselves as heroes. it feels a bit too arrogant. )

That's right. The Defenders of the Universe.