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

[Yeah, don't even get him started on that part, okay. He's a queer mess and obviously into feminine beauty type guys, considering Taako knocks him off his ass at every opportunity. But it's only going to get worse if he keeps denying shit, so Kravitz sighs, giving a little shrug.]

I mean, I, ah-- sure, why not, what could... no, we'll leave that there.

[He kicks off his shoes and socks, rolling up his pantlegs. The least amount of water damage here is preferrable. Then, he very carefully starts heading through the water as he answers.]

I live on Enso, actually, but I don't get out so much. It's not always safe to travel alone.

[Enso? He doesn’t know that the Walmart Elves live out there on the mainland like gremlins (albeit civilised ones, their tent’s pretty nice now), and instead assumes that maybe this man lives in the monkey compound? Who knows. Laurent steps closer to Kravitz, holding out some seaweed loosely wrapped in a broad leaf.]

Enso? That’s unusual. Most of us live on the islets, to my knowledge.

[He's like half of a Walmart Elf at this point, even if they won't leave him with the store yet. Not that he wants it. He just likes being respected enough to be trusted over a child, who gets more clout than him. Regardless, he takes the seaweed gently, standing a little rigid as to avoid water soaking his clothes.]

I don't really know where others live, to be honest-- my boyfriend's friend brought me to their camp when I arrived. Admittedly, I've explored a bit, but it seemed strange to just wander into what could be someone's home.

[Kravitz you've been here two months. How have you spoken to this few people in two months. KRAVITZ.]

[A boyfriend? Interesting, and on retrospect unsurprising. Laurent sprinkles some food into the water to lure the turtles near, since Kravitz continues to look mildly lost; at this rate the best thing to do might be to hurry him out of the water.]

Most of us live on the islets up north- it’s hardly civilisation, but I believe we’re very open to visitors. The population in general is.

You don’t have to camp out in the forests, if you don’t prefer it. [They do prefer it, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that the TAZ cast aren’t just camping because they can’t find the goddamn player housing, not from this guy alone. ]

[Laurent moves and Kravitz remembers suddenly they weren't just standing there in the water for no reason, hurrying to open the leaf to toss a piece into the water.]

I may look into it, but-- I think they prefer it. They're a bit of a... not jumpy, but private bunch. It's been kind of wild enough already, I can't imagine adding others to the mix.

[He's at least trying not to throw the plants directly at the turtles' heads. That's the best he's gonna do here.]

Ah. Well, if there’re any problems to be had, you now know where the rest of us are. Look, the turtles don’t mind you much.

[He can understand that. He can also understand that Kravitz’ best is not very good. No judgement, some people just fuck up their charisma rolls, he's in a decent mood so it's fine. Laurent watches the turtles circle them leisurely, and gently strokes a passing shell with his fingertips.]

What’s your name?

[Look he's taken the worst hit to his Charisma score now that he can't be a skeleton. Don't ask how that makes things more friendly. But it sure is a kind of influence.

Regardless, he nods at the first bit, tossing out another bit of food before he refocuses at the question.]

Oh, I-- right. I'm Kravitz. Charmed.

Laurent. I’d say the same. [He says, then sighs and throws his hands up- juuuust toeing the line between ‘chipper’ and ‘suspiciously dramatic’.] Ah, I’m out.

[He has indeed subtly dumped the rest of his feed into the water all at once, because he’s starting to consider that Kravitz might have had enough turtle for one evening.]

We can head back when you’re done.

[Listen, the more needlessly dramatic he gets, the easier this is likely going to be for him. He's quite fluent in the 'move, I'm gay' style of bullshit.]

Oh-- well, I don't mean to hold you up.

[Of course, all the food suddenly dumped mean the turtles are Here Now and he just tries not to smack any of them as they swarm.]

Thank you, this is-- nicer than I thought it would be. Not because of you doing anything wrong, it was just-- unexpected.

You caught me in an unusually good mood. Lucky you.

[Much better than “I’m gonna tentacle your dick”, huh. But some combination of the turtles and the evening has seemed to unlock Kravitz better starting CR than anyone’s had with Laurent in three months. The blonde pets some passing turtles as he slowly starts stepping back towards the shore, flashing Kravitz a cheeky sort of smile as he passes.

Spoilers: it’s a fake smile, your social link is still shitty. But Laurent’s having fun!]

This island definitely surprises one, if you're willing to get out a bit more.

[His smile's still kinda cute tho. This probably works out because Kravitz is at least 47% doormat to charming men. He's out of his element. So sue him.]

I... suppose I'll have to work on that. Looking for. Surprises.

[One of the turtles bumps his leg, looking for a final treat, and he actually feeds it from his hand. It's adorable. Someone call the presses.]

Perhaps we'll see each other again.

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

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