lifeaftr | July Intro: Upsy-Daisy!

INTRO LOG: JULY

Who: New arrivals, your lif᷆t̕i͗n᷅ģ f̧̞ͅr̡̦̃ḭ̅ͭe̩᷅̂n̟̣̤d̨̬̏, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr, and everyone makes a new friend!
When: July 5th and onward
Where: All over Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Like a Bat Out of Hell
At this stage, the appearance of new arrivals to Ensō's shores is hardly a surprise to anyone but the arrivals themselves. Whatever mysterious force is responsible seems to have taken a vaguely nostalgic route this month, depositing the new and unconscious across the shoreline of the beach closest to the tumbled stone bastion of the Storyteller's temple. At first, that seems to be all there is to it. The arrivals stir to the smell of salt and the summer sea air, and the cycle of questions, searching, and settling begins.

For about five minutes. Perhaps ten.

Almost like an afterthought, something else shows up, plummeting straight out of the sky and landing with a veritable explosion of water some hundred feet from the shore. A large, rectangular shape breaches the surface after a few moments, bobbing, cork-like, in the foam-crested waves before ever so slowly beginning to sink into those aquamarine depths. For those familiar with such objects, it makes for a rather odd sight. That most certainly was an elevator, or you can be...fairly sure it was?

Give it another minute, and you'll be certain. The elevator streaks out from the ocean like a creature possessed. Maybe, in those split seconds prior to its approach, you'll be able to note the elevator's distinct features: a disturbingly smiling face on its doors, and a set of teeth framing a very organic mouth.

Meet Upsy, your lifting friend.

In case it wasn't obvious by now, Upsy is far from a conventional elevator by any standards. What's more, Upsy has not taken to LifeAftr as well as some others. Armed with the ability to move in any direction, the rogue contraption takes no prisoners - by which we mean, they take as many prisoners as possible. Upsy proceeds to swoop across the shoreline, combing the beach in the most haphazard and patternless path possible, scooping up anyone slow enough to be caught in their maw. Once you're caught up in their jaws, it comes down to the winds of fortune, in regards to wherever Upsy proceeds to spit out their cargo. While the journey itself will be rough and...sticky, it is not inherently dangerous.

Hopefully, the same can be said for wherever you end up Ensō hosts a great deal of predators, environmental hazards, and worse. Though you could always end up belched into the ocean. Hope you can swim!

When the Metal is Hot and the Engine is Hungry
Upsy’s reign of terror isn't restricted to mere adventurers. Those with livestock or animal companions may be in for a small shock or, perhaps more likely, a very large one, when flying elevator sucks up those cuddly critters with a grin and spirits them off into the great unknown.

Though your phoenix, chocobo, or tigerlily may not be where you saw them last, you can at least be assured that they are still on Ensō. All you need to do is round them up. And if this isn't good enough news, well...at least you don't keep bludrocs.

Whether you're out searching for an animal or not, be careful traversing Ensō for the next three days. If Upsy is empty, they'll most certainly snap you up. And if they aren't? You may find anything from birds to horses spat out at you.

The velocity of these organic projectiles tends to vary. Dramatically. Upsy's reign of terror will end on the evening of July 9th. At that point, the elevator will fly off to greener pastures...and our RNG spreadsheet for potential encounters in future. Sweet dreams.

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

[It's a strange combination of deja vu and the Knight's persistent shaking that wakes her up. She feels the heat on her side keenly through the fabric of her dress and it takes a minute to register that it's hot but once it does-]

Oh! Ow!

[Lillie sits upright and tries to stand, struggling to keep both of her bags on her shoulders while holding Nebby. She manages, but loses her hat in the process. If she notices the hat floating gently to the ground, she doesn't show it. She's fixated on the creature in her arms.]

Nebby...thank you so much, but you shouldn't have done that...

[ The Knight is there to catch the hat for her and obligingly hold it up for her to take, though with how preoccupied she is about Nebby, this...

This might take a while, especially since they make no sound whatsoever and their hands are full with the hat so they can't really grab her attention by touching her.

They do hop up and down a bit, though. When in doubt, jump? ]

[Oops, there's another person (pokemon?) to thank here! Lillie turns to look at the Knight, brows knit in worry. She shifts the unconscious Cosmog to one arm and reaches down to free the Knight from oversized hat hell. As she tucks it back on her head, thankful for the shade it provides, she addresses the little bug:]

Oh, thank you so much...I'm sorry that Nebby...[She shakes her head. Nevermind all that.] Well, are you okay?

[ The Knight brushes themselves off and nods and lifts their arms up to indicate visually, as much as they're able, that they're perfectly fine.

Then they point to the unresponsive creature she's holding in her arms, and then her, tilting their head inquisitively. Drawing their sword to scratch words on the ground.

both = OK?
]

[Both okay? A good question. Lillie looks down at the creature in her arms and sighs. It's still breathing, almost as if in a deep sleep.]

I'm alright. Nebby...Nebby exhausted itself saving us. It's done this before...Hopefully it just needs to rest.

[ They nod. They don't know much about first aid, and even less about strange creatures like the one Lillie is holding in her arms, so...

They scratch more words.

hungry ? thirsty ?

This is a being without shells or mask to protect themselves, like many of the beings on this island. They've noticed that these types of people seem to need a much steadier intake of food and water than they themselves do. ]

[The words make Lillie acutely aware of how hot it is and how dry her throat feels.]

Thirsty, I suppose, but I wouldn't want to take any of your supplies from you. Oh! I might actually have some of my own. I never had a chance to check that pack I found with me when I woke up...

[As she speaks, she works. Placing Nebby gently in the open duffel bag at her side and carefully sliding the knapsack down her shoulder and arms. She can feel something sloshing inside, presumably a container with water in it. Ah, yep - a jug of water! And. A knife? And an entire blanket????

As she frees the water from the blanket wrapped around it, she looks back over to the Knight.]

Um...my name is Lillie, by the way.

[ They shake their head, reaching beneath their cloak. They don't carry much with them, but they've learned how to cut larger things to size in order to have supplies for others on hand. The little pouch they can fit beneath their cloak is for food and water.

can share

They take out a neatly wrapped package of leaves and hold it up for Lillie to take. She'll find two kebabs and a hardboiled egg inside, courtesy of the Knight avidly watching the Jormun cook and prepare meals.

When she introduces herself, though...

will remember

self = have no name

can call me anything

Just like a pokemon!! Maybe. ]

Oh, thank you...

[Placing the water on the ground, Lillie accepts the package hesitantly. She really doesn't want to take the Knight's supplies, but...well, they're offering and it would be rude to decline twice. Before opening it, she hoists her bags back onto her shoulders and takes brief stock of her surroundings. While her hat blocks the worst of the sun's rays, it's still really hot.]

[Some nearby buildings provide obvious shade, so with her hands full of food and water, she nods towards one and starts walking.]

Here, let's get out of the sun...It's very hot, you must be melting under that mask and cloak. Is it okay if I call you Bugsy?

[ They nod, making an odd little gesture across their mask when Lillie names them- tracing the curve of what looks like a smile.

They seem to like it.

The Knight runs to keep close to Lillie, just in case there's something more hazardous ahead, but so far it seems like there's nothing to be worried about. They stay close, though, just in case, and keep their sword out - and senses alert - for any signs of trouble. Enso is safe in that it's generally consistent in what hazards present themselves, but now there was an elevator roaming about, there was no telling what could happen. ]

[It's at least 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler in the shade, and that is a massive relief.]

[The buildings are weathered stone, but otherwise void of features. If not for the heat, they would probably be nice if furnished. There are gaps for windows near the front, where the sills are significant enough to sit on, so Lillie places her packs on the floor so she can focus on the food and water. She makes sure the duffel bag remains open so Nebby can keep cool.]

[It's a yummy-looking assortment of food and it brings a bright smile to Lillie's face despite her current concerns.]

Oh wow, did you make these yourself?

[ The Knight peeks into the duffel bag curiously to get a better idea of what kind of creature Nebby is.

....Nope, they still don't know. But it doesn't matter - clearly they've worked hard. They give the soft creature a small and reassuring pat before sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking up at Lillie.

At the question, they nod. They scratch words in the floor, carefully, with their sword.

learned how

from visitors

does friend need food also ? ]

Ah, I don't think it'll be awake for a little while. It took nearly a full day the last time it moved me this far...But thank you.

[It's no sweet malasada, but it's still pretty good. Not wanting to talk with her mouth full, Lillie takes a moment to chew, eyes on the floor as she thinks about what to say. How much to say. This little bug seems trustworthy and kind. It's probably safe to explain, maybe even beneficial for the protective creature to know.]

Nebby is very fragile, despite its powers. Usually the only consequence is that it's unconscious for a while, but there's really no way to tell how hard it can push itself before the consequences become more dangerous.

July Intro: Upsy-Daisy!

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