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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[Lifting her head up at the voice, Ammy blinks sleepily and stretches out with a huge yawn. She looks to her side, still seeing the enormous turtle digging a deep enough hole in the sand with its back flippers. She's sprayed in the face once more with sand, a sour expression falling over her face as she bares her teeth at her sea-faring friend - really...again? - then nods Ren over and points to the turtle's backside with one paw.

Careful not to get blasted with sand there, child, mama turtle seems very invested on building her nest to the precise specifications. Her babies need to be safe and comfortable, after all. Nothing else seems to matter to the large creature other than that, shell pulsing a soft color...like a pastel yellow. Happiness, maybe? Contentment? Who knows.

there are no eggs in the nest just yet, it's still not deep enough, but with how the turtle's bottom is positioned over it...it's obvious what she's doing. I mean, to most people who recognize a nesting creature, anyway. Please don't make Ammy explain this.]

[Thankfully, Ren won't need to learn the birds and the bees from a dog because animals are the same in every world. She might've been born from a test tube, and may not understand the intricacies of where babies come from?? when they're not created in labs, but it probably has something to do with the heart. She's pretty sure. That makes sense to her.

Oh well, that's not important. She's seen birds with their eggs and turtles are just ocean birds in the grand scheme of things. And if she were a smarter child, she might take Ammy's sand covered face as a warning to stay back, but she doesn't. That's how life is now-sandy. Look, she wanted to see if they looked like the spicy eggs Taako uses? They might be delicious? But this seems like something she shouldn't eat. They're gonna be colorful turtle babies one day and she can't be the one to shove them in a pan. Nope. Not Ren.

Also, she's slowly realizing the Process of Egg Bearing is weird? So she turns her gaze away and crawls over to the puppy's side to ask a very important question, all the while shaking grains of sand out of her hair. The turtle got her once!! It won't happen again!! ]

That's going to be her family, right? That kind of thing.

[And it slowly dawns on her that lobsters also come from the ocean. Maybe-]

I'll bring Lobstar to this place so it can say 'hello, I'm your'-[A pause] Uncle Lobstar? [P A U S E ] Aunt Lobstar? [Hm] Lobstar pumpkin. That's what it is.

[Child...she tried to warn you. Oh well, better you getting blasted with sand than her. Ammy shakes her head with a little sigh, watching the kaleidoshell dig out its nest in peace - seeming to be moving almost automatically, as if in some sort of instinctual trance. It's very focused on the task at hand, and doesn't even seem to really note the two creatures so close to it. All it cares aout is making its nest, depositing its eggs, and returning to the sea. That is its purpose, to continue its species and its legacy.

Ammy turns her head to Ren when she asks about family, nodding her head slowly. She knows little about ocean creatures, being a land-dwelling one herself, but in essence...yes. These little eggs will be the kaleidoshell's family if one looks at the bigger picture. They're not pack animals like wolves, even she knows this, but they're still connected in a way. She looks back at the huge turtle as it blinks sand and salt from its eyes, breathing in and out slowly as it works tirelessly for the good of its unborn babies - build it deep enough, make sure it's properly position to be cool and warm enough, lay as many as you can, so enough can make it to the mother sea... Ammy smiles, the flicks her ear to Ren and...what.

Lob...star?]

Hrrrn?

[Lobstar, origin of all that is salty, pumpkin to us all. A seafood that has earned its keep by gently screaming in the night. Considering Shiro easily answered her question about family, she can only assume the weird noise is directed towards the lobstar. Which isn't that weird-Ren didn't know what that creature was either, just that it had been rescued from that terrible water town and deserved a chance at life in a bowl that wasn't going to suck it down to a hellish, silent world.

She leans down to avoid getting pelted in the face with sand, using Ammy as some kind of doggy shield, and pinches her fingers to her thumb to mimic pincers.

Snip, snip.]

Lobstar-that's its name. That thing. It lives in the water too, so they're family.

[Ammy continues to tilt her head to and fro, but the mimicry or pincers and the vague description seem to put the pieces into place. Her ears perks up and her head lifts up somewhat as she realizes the girl probably means a crab or crayfish. And while both creatures have shells like this one here, it's not...quite...the same. She doubts they're in the same family at all, but Ammy won't delve into that topic of scientific conversation that is far beyond her own scope of knowledge. Ahem.

Her head tilts again then she just shakes her head in a way that says "fuck it" and agrees. No harm, no foul in letting the girl think her crayfish companion will be a family member to the turtle's unborn clutch. She looks down slightly at the mother still digging out the hole for her nest, then nudges Ren slightly so they can get up to go. It's been long enough, and they should give the lovely creature some privacy to lay her eggs.]

[It's already #confirmed and no amount of logic or reasoning will shake her from that mindset. Lobstar the lobster is somehow related to turtles and that's how life is now. The ocean is really a giant tent, if you think about it. Fish and tigersharks are all related. Who needs science?? She's got this.

But that's fine-she gets what that nudge means and stands up, shaking residual sand out of her clothes and hair. Then reaching down to-

Her hand lingers over Ammy's back, hovering just above her spine, because it had been instinctual to want to brush the sand off her. She goes through the same routine with her cat when they comb the beach for treasure-where she helps shake the sand out of his fur and from his paws before he accidentally licks it up.

This isn't a cat. Shiro's not the same and she can't seem to shake that innate fear that makes her want to pull back, even if she knows better. The dog saved her, brought her medicine back, tends to a garden and hangs out with animal families on the beach. This is a good dog. It's okay to-

She slowly lowers a hand to the dog's fur, eyes on her face the entire time, in case this upsets her. It won't take a second to pull back, but if this little doggo doesn't show any signs of distress, she's going to start brushing whatever specks of dirt and sand remain off her.]

[Lord they need a school and actual teacher so bad. Not like Ammy knows any of this, but somewhere, out there on this island, is a person screaming softly into the void because WHY IS NO ONE TEACHING THIS CHILD???

THe immediate response to sand (or any bothersome material) in her fur is to shake it off - it's an instinctual reflex - and Ammy looks back as Ren's hand hovers over her back for a moment. Strangely, though there's nothing seemingly there - nothing that Ren can see outright - there's a gentle warmth radiating from the wolf's back and lapping gently at the young girl's palm. It's not hot, just warm, relaxing almost - like basking in a beam of sunlight with her beloved cat, or warming herself by a campfire's glow. Or, maybe, the gentle warmth of someone else's palm in her own.

Ammy can see, of course, how the rainbow colored flames of Solar Flare dance effortlessly over the girl's fingers, painting her skin with vibrant colors that match the shell of the turtle they left behind. Her tiny hand is right above where the crimson disc levitates off her back, her palm planted on the unseen symbol of the Sun - the insignia of Amaterasu's heavenly flame. For a moment, Ammy feels a warm in her as well, and wags her tail slowly, reaching over to lick Ren's hand affectionately.]

[They need a school for baseball, not actual learning. Get it together, Ammy. This is island life. It's summer vacation 24/7.

It's the passive way she moves her head closer that keeps Ren in place, winding her fingers through her fur because it's so warm and she didn't expect that from a dog. It's not scalding and doesn't hurt-it feels like a hug from her family and-

She licks her? Just like that? Even she can understand the difference between an animal trying to get a taste and one showing their affection. It's a simple gesture, but one she never thought would come from a dog. This warm, incredible animal that unknowingly saved her life by bringing back her bag of treasures.

The sand is mostly off from her shaking, so she moves both her hands up to gently scratch this puppy behind the ears and-]

You're a good girl. Very good.

[(x) doubt

Ammy's eyes squint shut as those little hands find their place against the crook of her ears, deft and agile fingers scratching at the worst possible itch she had, right at the curve of her skull, where her ears meet her head. Children always were the best at petting and scritching, she's come to learn - they just have something special about them that always makes her fur seem that much warmer, and her heart that much fuller. Insightful, inquisitive...and very smart.

Ammy leans her head into Ren's palm, panting gently as her tail sways back and forth. A good girl? Haha, she didn't go much to deserve such praise, but it's there nonetheless. A deep, pulsing warmth fills her chest, and Amaterasu closes her eyes to let it wash over her like the waves lapping at the sand. Praise is empowering to a god, and the flames of Solar Flare swirl on her back, burning with a deeper intensity for just a moment, and Ammy looks at Ren and bows her head.]

[It's scary to place her trust in something new. This isn't her first experience with the dog and it won't be the last, but it's the only time she's had this sensation of safety and comfort around an animal that wasn't a cat. The first time she didn't wish this puppy was another feline and accepting her for what she is.

A very good girl.

And this good girl is very smart. Can use her heart to make sounds through the wind and create art out of thin air, like it's nothing. It's why Ren thinks she might understand the silent thank you hidden in her own heart when she wraps her arms around the dog's neck and buries her face in her fur. Thank you for being a good girl. For saving her life by bringing back a seemingly meaningless bag of treasure unprompted.

She stays in that spot for one, two, three seconds, before letting go of Shiro completely and rising to her feet.

Time to go, doggo. They'll find somewhere else to play while this turtle lives her best life.]

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

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