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.

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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.

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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!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[catpiper]

[The worst part about this is she has to let go of some of her previous petals to capture these new ones. That's the real tragedy, but she tries to throw her arms every which way to mindlessly grab what she can and-

Then she turns to them, her fists clenched to keep the colorful flowers in place, and says-]

Now it's your turn. I'll throw them at you and you can catch them. You'll get 10 points if you do.

[forwearemany]

(That just gets a confused headtilt.)

You wish to play games with us?

[catpiper]

[It seems like they were trying to play a game anyway, so their question surprises her until she remembers the entire point of this exercise was to hide them. They may want to cover up in the bushes instead of trying to catch the flowers she planned to throw their way.]

Yes, but you can hide first if you're still scared. We can play when you come out.

[forwearemany]

(They headtilt.)

We are not "scared".

[catpiper]

[They're confused about games, so it's not like they wanted to play hide and seek, and they're not scared, so-

And the we throws her off. She turns her head to look behind her then sidesteps to look behind them. Only to find what she already knew-there's no one else here. ]

Why did you want to hide?

[forwearemany]

We wished to avoid others while assessing damage to this platform.

(They don't look injured, but they are, even if that injury is just mild water damage to a nonessential component.)

[catpiper]

[Okay.

She can gather that means they might be injured, the world 'platform' aside. Her eyes fall to their weird, mechanical body and she makes a small circle around them to see-who knows. Something off. Though she doesn't spot anything she would know as being out of the ordinary. Their whole self is kinda new and foreign.

Maybe the glue cured whatever ailments they had. That seems like a sticky side effect.]

Are you 'damaged'? Does your heart hurt?

[forwearemany]

(It's internal anyway. Though they do have a lot of external dents, scrathes, and, in one case, a giant gaping hole.)

Yes.

(A pause.)

This unit does not posess a heart.

(At the right angle, she can probably even see that there's no heart in their chest. Again, giant gaping hole. Lots of pretty glowy bits in there though.)

[catpiper]

[LOOK,,,she's no robot expert. Just a flower power gluing nightmare, but now that she has confirmation they're injured she-

Still doesn't know what to do. The mechanical creatures around the lab worked on their own, without much intervention, and she's never seen one repaired with her own two eyes. That's out of the question for her to attempt. This is. Hm. Troubling.]

Your heart is there. If you can talk and play, you have one.

[In her mind, that was the simplest issue to deal with.]

But I don't know how to fix you. Do you need-[A pause. And she considers what she has.]-rocks?

[forwearemany]

(They chatter, confused, then pause.

She is using metaphor. It is similar to the statement that they have a soul.)

...Affirmative. Thank-you.

(Her next statement is a little more straightforward.)

No. Damage is not critical.

[catpiper]

[Now that she's looking, it does seem kinda critical, as gaping holes tend to be. They don't need rocks-that's too bad. It's about all she has to offer outside of-]

I'll stay with you until you feel better.

[forwearemany]

(They look at her for a long moment.Their experience with children previously had been extremely limited: organics are extremely protective of their young.)

Our "body" cannot heal itself, though we appreciate the gesture.

(They are beginning to understand why.)

[catpiper]

I can take you to the temple. You can hide there.

[Because they can meet an incredible bunny that way or go to the islets, if they choose, where those who are mechanically inclined could help them a bit more.

That's the second time she's heard we and again, she quietly sidesteps to look behind them, making another full circle around their body. Hm.]

We?

[forwearemany]

(They chatter.)

There are 1,183 programs within this platform.

(They're like, a small city of people. Or romething like that.)

[catpiper]

[????

She knows what program means-heard that enough times around the lab to understand the basics of it all, even if she can't connect the dots in relation to the robot in front of her. ]

1,183 aunts and uncles? Is that your whole family?

[forwearemany]

You misunderstand. Our "family" is gone. We are a collective of 1,183 Geth programs.

(Admittedly, their collective nature is often difficult for adult organics to fully grasp.)

[catpiper]

[She regards them quietly, trying to make sense of it, and falling short. Well, she gives up. In any case, she won't be able to help one of them-let alone 1,183.]

I'll bring you somewhere safe. Someone will help-[Pause]-all of you.

[forwearemany]

...Affirmative. Thank you.

(They'll let her lead them for now, though it is unlikely to help.)