lifeaftr | 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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I wish this was a dream and you guys have Semblances that can change people's appearances? [Shaking her head.] Don't know her, and never woulda figured you for a nerd. The only Salem I know is a cat on a tv show about witches or the place in Oregon, and Cinder? Did that kids parents hate them to get a name like that?.... Then again there was a guy named McBurn...

There's Semblances for lots of things and that's not the point! She's a psychotic miserable shell of a person and she's going to die. [Said abruptly, but he leaves out the part about her relation to Pyrrha. That's not in his place to say if she really is alive.] How am I supposed to know for sure?! Either you're lying, and she's dead, or you're telling the truth and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it. So what am I supposed to do?!

[He brings his whole sword, shield and all, down on the water, getting out some of that anger but not really.]

Well... For one? Calm the fuck down. You're making me nervous as hell swinging your sword like that, and I can't control my powers very well like this. I ain't in the mood to kill one of my girls friends on accident.

[Go to power is electricity and with them both in the water...]

Wanna know what's fucked up for me? My best friend is here. But she doesn't recognize me, like, at all. Been here a month and this place seems to like to fuck with people.

[He hesitates, but puts his sword away. So she moved on.]

I saw my name on some kind of memorial and I've had to tell people I don't remember them. Life sucks, here more than usual. [Bitterness leaks in his voice.] But I'm glad she's found someone. Someone who hopefully won't hurt her and can give her the happy life she deserves. And I know she wouldn't kill anyone. Pyrrha would never do that on purpose.

[She knows how to defuse things with subject changes. It works about half the time.]

Seriously? Wow. Yeah we had memorials too. Not here. In that place... Even the living did. It's not fun to see your own face and name on one of those so I getcha. [Nods a lot, then stops.] Well, I only hurt her once because I killed someone very important to everyone for the sake of my best friend... Pyrrha forgave me. Then wanted to mercy kill me so she could be executed instead because she didn't want to go on without me...... That girls loyalty is terrifying. But it's something I love about her. Thankfully I didn't die, but I did disappear because of a warp cube and I wrecked a Spacebucks when I dropped it........... Warp cubes are the worst thing ever. Even worse than pineapples. Anyways. Yeah. She never succumbed to a single motive, and she did her best to comfort and protect everyone. Unless I made her go rest so she could have time to decompress.

I have no idea why you're comparing them to pineapples. Or what warp cubes are. [His voice breaks. Why is he getting so emotional over pineapples?]

Pyrrha's more forgiving of others than she is of herself. And she's loyal to the point where it's self-destructive. I guess that hasn't changed. Or maybe she acknowledges you as someone who can protect herself. [Shaking his head.] Sounds like you already did better than me. Please protect her from herself. If she somehow ends up here, or whatever.

Warp cubes are literally cubes that will warp you into another area. And time. I thought a few hours went past between the first and second warp. It warped me three days into the future.

[She sighs softly.] She has gotten better. Little by little. She had a lot of people who taught her that it wasn't weakness if she let herself get emotional and cry. Hell, if she shows up here, which part of me is still hoping she does because I miss her so damn much, you can see that yourself... and I would hope so. I was one of the deadliest people those bastards put on their damn show!

So that's why you disappeared.

[It's weird. As numb as he is, every word drives down into him like a heel to his chest. He hadn't had the chance to think, or reflect on what had happened, and after Beacon he had only been left with regret and emptiness. So why did it hurt now? It didn't matter. His feelings didn't matter. Pyrrha's alive.] I should... I should go. I need to dry off my sword.

Yep. It really sucked. 0/10 do not recommend.

[She shrugged at his answer, looking down and watching the turtles swim by.] I'm not stopping you. Well, except if you try and hurt these guys again. Go take time to decompress from his. Don't worry, I'll stay away. I know when I'm not wanted around. [It's not said with any malice, just resignation.]

Sorry for attacking you. [He doesn't argue. It's a lot to process. Hopefully, he'll be in a better frame of mind next time he sees her. But now isn't the time.]

You literally aren't the first person I've pissed off that's attacked me. [She waves him off.] Go on. Get some sword drying time in.

That doesn't make it okay! ...Right. Can't use it if it's rusted. [He wades out until he's back on shore, walking away, combat boots obnoxiously squelching in the sand.]

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

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