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

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

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 )

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...Oh. Huh.

Well, this was, at least, not the first regular-ass domestic cat Erika had seen here. But it was definitely older than the kittens, and, uh. A lot more fucked-up? Jeez, what happened to this cat.

Erika frowned and squatted down a couple feet away from Yellowfang, setting her own pack down next to her while she examined this whole situation.

...Like the. Backpack part of this situation.

"...Shit. Where'd you get that?"

Would Yellowfang ever get where she was going? Tune in next week to find out!

When Erika approached and proceded to pop a squat like so many Twolegs had before, Yellowfang noticed something and instantly set her ears backwards. There was a smell lingering on Erika, a smell something like a fox but worse. But why?

"It is mine," Yellowfang meowed firmly.

Oh shit this cat had a backpack and it talked. Fuckin’ rad.

“Wait-- so you’re like the rest of us, then?” That didn’t make a lot of sense, did it. “Like – popped up here with a backpack and no idea what the hell was going on, I mean. Didn’t know that happened to cats, too. ...Then again, I didn’t know there were cats that could talk, either.”

Unless they were, you know, some kind of fae bullshit. But this doesn’t seem like fae bullshit. Just... a talking cat.

"Yes..." Yellowfang suddenly found herself feeling weary. This stranger's smell was really getting to her, bringing back terrible memories, making her want to flee. "I feel a cruel trick is being played on us by this Storyteller."

"I dunno, man, they seem pretty sincere so far. Maybe like kind of a loser, but sincere." She figures there are worse things for someone to be than a sincere loser. She can barely stand the thought, of course, but it's alright for some people. "We're still working on figurin' out who actually dropped us here."

Erika, meanwhile, was... actually a little surprised this cat hadn't bolted yet. Or, you know. Tried harder to. Speaking of which. "You need help with that backpack?"

The urge to commiserate was strong...but the urge to be blunt was stronger.

"You look and sound like a Twolegs but you stink like a fox. Before you go about helping old cats maybe look after yourself first."

GO TAKE A BATH, ERIKA!!!

...Um. Okay, wow, rude?? Sure, cats don’t seem to like werewolf smell in general, but hearing it stated outright like that is pretty fuckin’ obnoxious all the same, and Erika bristles (figuratively, at least it’s not a full moon) a little despite herself.

“—I look after myself just fuckin’ fine, thanks! What about you, you been livin’ in a dumpster?”

"I have a hard time believing that."

And also she doesn't know what a dumpster is. Yellowfang actually took a couple deliberate sniffs in Erika's direction with her smushed nose.

"What is it, then? Do you eat foxes? Wallow with them?"

"Wh-- no, I don't eat foxes! Look, it's fuckin'--" She stops and takes a frustrated breath.

"One, we're stuck in the goddamn wilderness, I can only do so much. Two, I'm a werewolf stuck in the goddamn wilderness, and I can't do much about that either. ...Do cats know what werewolves are?"

Yellowfang set her jaw and squinted against Erika's yelling but she did not quail. Instead she squared her narrow shoulders.

"I have never heard of such a thing."

Was it a Clan title like warrior or elder? This was the first time she'd been able to understand Twoleg words. Most of them were stupid. Like HOUSE and DUDE.

"...Okay. Right. Of course you haven't."

God. Now she's got to set aside her petty anger and explain something. Gross.

"Okay, so, short version? It means there's some magic shit in my genes that makes me turn into a big dog thing every month. Same reason my teeth are like this--" She taps a finger against one of her inhumanly large canine teeth. "--And the same reason I apparently smell like foxes. Got it?"

"A curse..." Yellowfang temporarily lost her stink face and her ears swept out to the sides. She never imagined curses reaching Twolegs--she carried her own. Gift. Curse. Same thing. It was some unnatural force that put a big ole wrinkle in her life plans.

"That would explain it." She took a single pawstep back. Would this Halfdog attack her like her drooling cousins?

"Yyyep. One of those." An infectious one, at that, but she's pretty sure the cat doesn't need to know that. It's not like Erika's planning to bite her.

Speaking of which, he gives a quiet snort, and, after making sure there was nothing particularly gross where she's been crouching, sits down on the ground. "Don't worry about backin' off like that, dude. I'm not gonna hurt some random cat, I'm not that much of an asshole."

Of all the things in this situation to zero in on, Yellowfang decided she would put her new knowelage of Twoleg words to use.

"I am not a dude cat."

She did not know what an asshole was, but so far Erika hadn't shown any true aggression toward her. Hadn't even growled.

"Perhaps. I have much to think about."

Oh holy shit she did not expect that answer, and... it's a surprise, honestly. Enough of one to get a short burst of surprised laughter.

"I-- okay, first off, good to know - you a girl, then? Or neither? Second, that's not super what I meant, it's just-- something I call everyone. I didn't know cats even knew that word."

She nods, slowly, propping her elbows on her legs. "Seems like it. Offer's still open for help with getting that tiny backpack unstuck, though."

It's such a small backpack. Adorable.

"It was taught to me by the Twolegs that fetched me from the water. I suppose I cannot go about calling Twolegs toms and queens, can I?"

She also didn't see how you could be neither a boy or a girl cat but she'd ask about that later. Way to be problematic, Yellowfang!

"I feel I can navigate it just the same." She twists and manages to wiggle out of the backpack's straps.

"I mean, you can definitely call me a queen if you want to, I will not complain about that." Erika, don't make things more confusing for the poor cat.

Rather than repeating her question, Erika supposes she should set it aside for the time being. Instead, she raises her eyebrows at Yellowfang escape. "Guess that's a solution. Think you'll be able to get it free?"

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

jungle time!!

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