June Intro: Let's Sea How Far We've Come

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: JUNE

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr as the island of Ziziphus begins to crumble
When: June 4th and onward
Where: Ziziphus and Ensō...and Monsun
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Ziziphus: At The Start Of The End Of The World
Since Bliss's destruction, the extensive root network they've threaded throughout every inch of the island of Ziziphus has begun to crumble. June 4th marks the beginning of the inevitable collapse of the island as it starts to sink into the sea...coincidentally coinciding with the arrival of LifeAftr's newest adventurers. Between the dead trees surrounding Bliss's empty husk, great cracks in the earth start to widen, the dead god's absent root system leaving vast gaps underground which simply cannot support the life above. It almost sounds like thunder rupturing from the ground itself, wild tremors preceding each vicious boom until gaping chasms lay between venturing parties and the safety of the mana pool - only water waits below, for those unlucky enough to lose their footing.

And if the immense pull of mile wide chunks of landmass sinking beneath the waves isn't enough to suck you down, the heavy rain of debris from Ziziphus's rapidly destabilizing edges will certainly help. Want to avoid a watery grave? What you need to do is simple:

Escape.

Sorry, newbies. If you showed up on Ziziphus, you're in for a very athletic entrance to LifeAftr.

Monsun: Just Like Every Other Morning Before
Adventurers aren't the only creatures on Ziziphus attempting to outrun its collapse. Creatures great and small, from the largest spindlank to the smallest tigerlily will be heading south in an attempt to escape the worst of the quakes. Unlike offshore adventurers, however, these poor creatures don't have a mana pool waiting for them to escape through. Their extinction, it seems, is imminent.

Unless you have something to say about it.

Already exhausted from their attempts to get through to and then actively dispose of their fellow god, the Storyteller will break their traditional manner of communication to announce a potential solution to this problem with a single broadcast to the Stones of Far Speech in a strained, weary tone:

"The mana pools on Monsun are now open. If you are willing, save what you can."

True to their word, characters will discover that the island of Monsun will be accessible once more for a short period of time. From prey to predator, obstruction to catastrophe - multiple species of flora and fauna can still be preserved, should you choose to do so.

Be wary of the psychological effects of both sides of the island. Those who are new to our setting and wish to explore, the island of Monsun has a peculiar side effect to its stark divide: the eastern half is rich in resources, but brings out the very worst of you, while the western half is a tumultuous wasteland that accentuates your best qualities. More information on said island can be found on its entry on the Locations page, or its introductory info post.

Due to these efforts, the Storyteller will not be available for contact from the 4th to the 18th of June. Item Requests will also be unavailable at this time. They will, however, make a rather strained announcement to ensure all are aware that access to both Ziziphus and Monsun will cease on June 10th.

Ensō: I Wonder What It Means If It's Gone
The native fauna of Ziziphus aren't the only ones on the move, it seems. Those who wander the shores of Ensō will be delighted to witness the appearance of creatures akin to both turtles and dugongs drifting through the waters, gravitating around the island's eastern coast, rapidly gaining in numbers over the following days.

Kaleidoshells have been unlocked in the bestiary!

With spring close to ending in the archipelago, these peaceful creatures are looking to make good use of their natural nesting areas; hope you're open to sharing the beach for a little while. While a few braver individuals will make their way to the shores between C4 and D1 to begin digging nests, the vast majority won't be coming to shore quite yet.

They do, however, make a very fine sight around the waters of Ensō, especially in the evening. Luminescent, their rainbow patterns glow underwater, drifting mood lights for the increasingly warmer evening breeze.

---

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

3/3

[counterblows]

[...come again?]

[Wash blinks, several times, in rapid succession, which is utterly wasted, considering that he has a helmet on, and tries to process the fact that the cat just fucking spoke back to him.]

Uh - you. Okay.

[He's hallucinating? Dreaming? He's got to be. This is...maybe not the weirdest thing he's ever seen, but it's up there, it is up there, and he's not entirely sure how he feels about it other than really fucking lost.]

You understand me. That's...okay.

[taxusbacatta]

And you had better understand me! I've got no time for your Twoleg nonsense! I don't care if you do speak cat or look like a monster. I'm a medicine cat, understand? I have an important job to do.

_{[She turns to the side. LOOK HOW BIG SHE IS. SHE'S SO BIG!!!!]}

[counterblows]

[This is the sort of narrative that Caboose would invent on the spot and leave everyone staring at him flatly for about ten seconds before moving on with their lives without any acknowledgment of his fantasies whatsoever, except it appears to be real and is now actually happening to him.]

I'm not speaking cat. I'm speaking - never mind. Look, you - you have a tiny backpack.[His voice shrinks in mild, introspective shock.] I'm talking to a cat with a tiny backpack.

[taxusbacatta]

_{[Yellowfang's fur slowly starts to flatten back down and she narrows her orange eyes as the strange shining Twolegs realizes a few things.]}

Any other obvious things you'd like to state?

[counterblows]

You don't find it weird that we can understand each other?

[Cross-species communication isn't exactly new - the Sangheili embassy has been up and running for years now, but that was with aliens whose intelligence and sapience was more or less proven at that point. And not...a literal fucking cat, jesus christ.]

[taxusbacatta]

Of course I do!

_{[Yellowfang sniffs in his direction. So strange...she can smell Twoleg, but something is masking it.]}

Nothing we can do about it, is there?

[counterblows]

[That stops him for a moment. Then he sighs.]

Fair enough, I guess. [The helmet probably isn't helping. He should probably...remove that, at some point. But first:] I - look, do you need help? You seem like you're stuck.

[taxusbacatta]

_{[Yellowfang lets out a suspicious mmmmmmm-ing sound as she thinks that over. No, no, she wouldn't let pride get in the way of common sense. She was a sensible cat.]}

This blasted bundle is caught on a branch.

[counterblows]

All right.

[He hesitates a moment, then reaches up, thumbing the release on his helmet. There's a soft hiss, and he pulls it off, exposing an otherwise human face beneath. A twoleg face, if you will: an Earther kid from a gene-flip generation, electric blonde hair with darkened roots and skin the color of age-darkened copper, sprayed with mottled nebulae of freckles both paler and otherwise.]

Just a normal guy under all this, I swear.

[taxusbacatta]

<sub>[This was wrapping up to be a downright whimsical situation, one Yellowfang could almost tolorate until the spaceman reveals HIS SECOND FACE.]

[Yellowfang puffs up again but makes no move to hiss or run away. She's just. Been surprised a lot today and it's a big fat reminder that her heart isn't strong as it was when she was a young queen.]</sub>

I'd like to argue that. After you untangle me. And don't try any of your Twoleg tricks either! No kit out of its first fur doesn't know about The Cutter!

[counterblows]

The...

[Oh, lord. He has knives on him, sure, but most of those are hidden from plain sight. Cats would be suspicious of humans for - ]

[Okay, no, he thinks he understands. He holds up both hands, palms out, as the cat's tail goes bottlebrush in apparent shock.]

No tricks. No...uh, Twoleg tricks here.

[He leans forward on one knee, carefully, keeping his eyes carefully on the task at hand as he unhooks the tangle of branches from where they've caught the fabric.]

[taxusbacatta]

_{[Yellowfang's eyes don't leave the spaceman's hands for a ding dang second and once her backpack is free of the bush she sinks to the ground and takes a few awkward waddling steps away from him.]}

I appreciate it. If only all Twolegs were as cooporative as the ones in this strange place.

[counterblows]

[Immediately, he draws back as well. Feral cats never like it when you encroach on their space, and presumably this one is no different.]

Well, you're not the first cat I've met. Definitely the first one that can talk, though, so that's...new. I guess.

[taxusbacatta]

_{[She's tired of the language argument so she sits down and begins to furiously wash herself. She's not any dirtier than she was before but IT NEEDS TO BE DONE.]}

I met one other talking Twolegs. The place is lousy with them. It is strange.

[counterblows]

That's what you call us, huh?

[He glances down. Yep. Two legs. Makes sense.]

You have a dream when you showed up here, too? Something about a...talking rabbit, calls themself the Storyteller?

[taxusbacatta]

_{[Yellowfang looks up with the very tip of her tongue poking out of her scarred lips.]}

Yes, the same. How do you know?

[counterblows]

Seems like everyone got a dream just like it.

[Everyone he's talked to thus far, anyway. Including. A fucking cat.]

So I guess "talking animals" isn't the weirdest thing I'm gonna see here. And "talking Twolegs" isn't either.

[taxusbacatta]

_{[Yellowfang actually stops grousing and takes a moment to look thoughtful, her eyes following some dust motes floating in a nearby sunbeam.]}

I've heard of sharing visions before. This must be important.

_{[Her eyes shift to him again.]}

Important enough to include Twolegs. I suppose we'll see what comes of it.

[counterblows]

Where I'm from, most people call those "hallucinations."

[Fucked in the head. Certified Article Twelve. Still seeing things, ghosts, shivers of code, shreds of Alpha's digital soul that still snag in his memories, sometimes.]

But I guess I should get used to things not being the way I'm used to.

[taxusbacatta]

_{[Yellowfang wrinkles her nose up (which is a feat in itself I mean just look at it) and huffs.]}

Hallucinations are what happens when foolish kits try to eat toads. Visions are from StarClan, our ancestors, to guide us.

[counterblows]

[Cat LSD? Yeah, he doesn't think any amount of catnip would allow for that sort of thing. The secret life of cats. Who knew?]

I guess cats have got a lot more going than we ever gave them credit for, huh?

[taxusbacatta]

_{[She turns her head so that she can look up at him with a single, runny eye.]}

Surprised? You shouldn't be. Twolegs don't pay attention to anything. They throw their garbage everywhere and flatten good cats with their Monsters. Do your kind a favor and spread the good sense I've taught you.

[counterblows]

[Wash raises both hands in a gesture of weary resignation.]

Hey, you don't need to tell me. When we're not picking fights with each other, we're crossing entire galaxies to discover new races to wage wars against.

[taxusbacatta]

_{[This is...new. Yellowfang's ears push forward along with her whiskers and she settles herself into a nice Sit.]}

Twolegs go to war? I shouldn't be, but I am surprised. Today is full of surprises. I suppose, since you have never been able to ask a cat many things, I should ask you some things. Do you have a Clan?

[counterblows]

[He reaches up to scratch at his jaw, at that one. The way she says it - Clan, it it's something that merits that level of emphasis - suggests it's more than just a figure of speech.]

Allegiances, sure. Most people group together when they can. You last longer when you work as a unit.

[He used to follow orders unthinkingly, without the need or desire to question whoever might be issuing them. Looking back, maybe that's the reason Freelancer wanted him. What kind of soldier gets quals like his, and still manages to obey orders without backtalk, save for one, significant exception?]

So I guess, in a manner of speaking, I do.