lifeaftr | April Intro: The Flower Ripens in its Place

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April Intro: The Flower Ripens in its Place

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 )

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b8
[ Akechi doesn't stick around much at the first area, near the mana pool. No, he has a mission in mind. This island should be rich with resources, and he plans on finding as much as he possibly can. Who knows when this one will disappear, too?

Luckily, he strikes gold... or berries. Akechi gathers as much of them as he can into a little pouch made from tightly woven fibers. Maybe lend a hand? Or ask nicely if you can have a few? ]

b9
[ And soon, after Akechi has gathered enough berries, he travels south again. All seems to be going well until... Oh, he's suddenly yelling, because there's a spindlank trying to wreck his whole shop.

Rest in pieces, you little shit.

> Help? ]

[ Well, that yelling is pretty noticeable, especially with how otherwise serene this island can be. She'd come here, both out of continued interest about the new island, and also having heard, vaguely, that new people seemed to be arriving. It fit the timing at least.

So that also means she's not too far and can sprint over.

Those long long viney legs spindlanks have? Make excellent targets. It has too many for her to really knock it over easily, but by landing a solid Keyblade strike on one or two she can unbalance it a bit. Certainly it'll give it a few moments distraction. ]

[ Yeah, it helps. Akechi's too riled up now to make a remark about the strange weapon, but he gets to his feet. ]

I appreciate your help!

[ And it's not long before he's summoning Robin and lighting that damn spindlank on fire. ]

Not a problem!

[ They were all in this mess of a universe together weren't they?

That being said, when Robin Hood first appears, Aster stumbles very briefly, clearly startled. Was that- He hadn't called it out the way she remembered Yu or the others doing, and she certainly never remembers seeing him in the tower but. But it's so similar that she's fairly certain. That was a Persona, wasn't it?

A fight isn't the best time to be thinking about that though. So instead she turns her attention back to the spindlank. One fire attack? How about two? ]

[ It certainly is a Persona. The spindlank, at least, doesn't have a chance with double the fire. Akechi is glad for it, honestly; he isn't used to the exhaustion that's left behind when he uses an attack. ]

Thank you for your help. [ It's not grudging, at least; it's genuine. ] Are you feeling alright?

[ yeah, the drain is something she isn't fond of either. The spindlank down, she dismisses her Keyblade, taking that moment to catch her breath too. Because for her at least, the... excitement isn't quite over. ]

I'm fine. ...I've definitely faced worse.

[ Which... yeah. The monsters of the tower almost never had straightforward weaknesses, and that was if they didn't have near-impenetrable defenses.

But enough of that. She glances over at him, nervous and... a bit hopeful? ]

Can um... can I ask a question?

[ He's still curious about the weapon--he is a detective, after all, and it's unlike any weapon he's ever seen. Akechi has half a mind to ask her about it, but then she asks that. His demeanor shifts, into something more cautious. ]

You may.

[ There's a second of nervous fidgeting, and then. ]

That... what you summoned just now. That was a Persona, wasn't it?

[ .... Hm. Akechi surveys her, and replies, exceptionally cautiously, ]

It was, yes. Robin Hood.

[ She lights up ]

I knew it!

[ She should probably explain, shouldn't she. She ducks her head a bit, brushing some hair behind her ear. ]

Ah, right, s-sorry. I know that... probably seemed kind of strange out of nowhere. You know how some of us have come from other places, rather than straight from our worlds? I met some people from your world back in the one I came from. Well, sort of.

[ Nobody was really from the exact same world in the Tower, after all. ]

[ Ah, hm. There's a way to get him feeling even more guarded. Still, he keeps a polite smile, eyebrows raised just slightly. ]

Did you? Fellow Persona-users, I assume. Who all did you meet?

Yu Narukami

[ His name is automatic, even a bit rushed. Her cheeks color a bit and she continues on, undaunted. ]

Um... Yukiko Amagi, Minato Arisato, Ken Amada, Ryoji...

There were others too that I knew on sight but... not well enough to know their names. And friends of Yu's I never really got to meet.

[ She could probably try to list off their names if pressed - she spent enough time tending the graveyard in the Tower, after all.

Hell all of this wasn't even counting the time that the Tower had gotten a visit from a bunch of people from that one nexus where everyone got Personas. ]

[ They're names that don't ring a bell, not even remotely. Akechi allows himself to relax, just slightly. Kurusu may have treated him amicably enough, but the others... he can't know for sure. Who knows what they would say about him?

Who knows what they would tell perfect strangers? ]

I'm afraid I know none of them. Where were they from, exactly?

Yu and his friends are from Inaba.

[ She remembers that one for sure. ]

I'm... not as sure about the others. I didn't get to know many of them too well. More often... we were working together to try to figure out how to get home.

[ Ah. ]

Now, that's a name I recognize. I recall, some years ago, reading about the Inaba murders. I aspired to be as great a detective as the Detective Prince.

[ Yeah that definitely rings a bell. ]

I think... he mentioned something like that. I don't really remember that well, but... it sounds like the same thing, at least.

[ A part of her feels kind of bad for not being able to provide anything much more of use than that. Another is a bit elated that there did seem to be a connection. ]

I guess that means you're a detective?

There's a blaze of light as a fireball streaks toward the spindlank and ignites it. It's not clear where the fireball came from though. Eventually Jullien steps into view, sunglasses in place and not expression on his face. Does it look like he has any way to make fire? Nope. Does it look like he had just used it? Nope. Maybe he's not the one...? He's certainly not going to tell.

"Running might be advised."

He doesn't even try to temper the dry sarcasm that comes out in that sentence.

Edited 2018-04-11 02:05 (UTC)

"Really?" Akechi replies, equally as dryly. "I was going to use all of my energy to make sure every single one of those creatures burns, actually. Thank you for your advice."

It's short, clipped, and Akechi certainly doesn't sound pleased. He's had enough of people telling him what is best for him, especially if it's horribly obvious.

Have you found something?

[Damen comes up from the side and not directly behind out of a sure sense that, potentially, Akechi isn't someone he should surprise. Laurent is something like that too, and Damen would just rather not get stabbed or otherwise injured for his trouble.]

I have, actually. Berries.

[ He holds up one of the fruits for Damen to see. ]

If you would like to take a few, please, be my guest.

Do you think the whole bush could be transported? [He helped someone else do that, but he has n idea how that went, really.] I'm afraid I'm not particularly knowledgable about plants.

[He is taking a few, though. His horse likes fruit . . . and also fruit, so. It'll be good to have on hand for Chuck, if nothing else.]

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April Intro: The Flower Ripens in its Place

goro akechi | ota, will match format

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are you ready for a bunch of names you never heard before Akechi

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B9

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b8

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