July Intro: Upsy-Daisy!

[lifeaftr_mods]

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 )

Comments

the drifter | ota | i'll match your format!

[hyperlit]

[The Drifter certainly wasn't anticipating getting a) snatched up in the toothy jaws of some kind of floating box, and b) getting spat out at incredible velocities into a tangle of trees. You're fairly likely to just find them entangled in branches, struggling to extricate themself with considerable difficulty and a great deal of silent irritation, like a very colorful and overlarge moth.]

[Unfortunately for them, things aren't about to get easier once they manage to get their feet on solid ground.]

[Upsy has deposited them in the H2 square, which hosts a very particular creature the Drifter has not yet encountered directly: lungblossoms. While they've battled their share of unkind plants in the past, these foes require considerable adjustment - due in no small part to their tendency to generate hallucinations for those they've targeted.]

[When the greenish fog starts to cloud their vision, they dismiss it with a shake of their head, aiming to charge forward and prune the monsters where they sit.]

[Either they're oblivious to the way the lungblossom gasses have begun to light up the dark places of their brain, or they've chosen to dismiss it entirely. But it won't remain ignored forever. Particularly not when they begin to see familiar shadows of a Cell long-dead.]

[lightlessfuture]

[ The Knight usually avoids the more deeply wooded areas unless they're specifically searching for something - they've had their fill of low visibility, high density foliage, after gardens and especially after Ziziphus.

But after seeing Upsy flying here and there, spitting people out, they figure it's their duty to go into the more forested areas and at least try to help. But their small sword can only do so much, so by the time they reach the Drifter, lungblossom gases are already beginning to haze the area.

They don't have any experience with this sort of effect; things that hurt them come with visible, immediate pain. So they greet the Drifter normally, if in slight confusion because they don't really know what this is, at least at first.

(The changes are slow, and subtle. They haven't yet noticed what their mind is being forced to dredge up.) ]

[hyperlit]

[It hasn’t occurred to the Drifter, the extent of what’s begun to bleed into the corners of their mind. A neon glistening of pink hisses at the edges of their vision, drools at their periphery. They shake it aside, again, again, focusing instead on the Knight’s familiar horned little shape.]

[The foggy pea-soup green makes visibility difficult, and so they instead opt to speak with hands:]

Danger up ahead.
Plants.

[lightlessfuture]

[ The Knight nods, signing back to indicate they've understood the message. They draw their sword, looking for the source of the strange fog.

The haze brings back - memories, visions. Of a deep, dark place, full of chittering and writhing and movement, the constant feeling of being watched, rumbling beneath their feet. Orange eyes glowing in the dark--

(Were their surroundings always this dark? Is that a hint of sickly orange they can see? They're -- suddenly not sure.)

They flinch, visibly, as they brush past a plant, head turning quickly to look in that direction before continuing on (nothing there). It's more reaction than the Knight usually shows to anything, and therefore unusual. ]

[hyperlit]

[It’s certainly enough to make them hesitate. They haven’t approached the lungblossoms directly yet, and the Knight is moving as one might in combat: sharp and unbalanced. But even then, they fight more directly than this. They do not scramble, uncertain, the way they are now.]

See something?

[If there is something else at their backs, they should deal with that first. Shouldn’t they?]

[Their head has begun to ache.]

[lightlessfuture]

[ They shake their head, but it's slow and uncertain. In general, they seem...scattered. They try to form the words with their hands, to give a better response, but their movements are confused and imprecise, saying nothing at all.

Light dancing through the trees, the noises of creatures in the jungle. Distant calls from far away. Each of these things is -- a burning radiance that hurts like a brand, predators in the deep, the murmuring voice of someone they would rather strike from their mind.

Their progress slows, and eventually it meanders. The Knight jumps at the flicker of light through the canopy and cries from creatures far away, whirling in clear disorientation at what appears to be absolutely nothing. ]

[hyperlit]

[The Drifter tries to pinpoint the source of whatever disturbance seems to be putting their friend on edge, but there's nothing in the vicinity they can readily perceive. Nothing but trees and the occasional waving of a frond of those curious, rooted beasts in the foliage. But...they've not gotten close enough to engage. Have they?]

[A black spike of Judgment shatters their calm and their uncertainty with the shrilling, discordant tone of an emergent Cell. Inky tendrils wind up the Drifter's boots, garroting about their waist, bringing them sharply to their knees.]

[This. This, then. This must be what they're seeing.]

[Their blade is too large and unwieldy; in severing the Knight free from Judgment's ropy grasp, they may very well damage their friend in the process.]

[And so the Drifter draws a knife from their pack and starts to advance.]

[To cut them free.]

[catpiper]

[It's a new adventure every single day with this scary elevator careening across the island and she hates it. This is the opposite of a fun game. This terrible variation of hide and seek is one she doesn't enjoy in the slightest-it all ends with a fleshy ride across the island.

Then-from above? A noise? More noises? Can this thing fly? Does it climb trees? It wouldn't shock her in the slightest and she drops to the ground, flipping the poncho hood over her head so it doesn't see her shiny hair and-

Glances up to see someone way better than a talking elevator. Caught in the branches is the friendly neighborhood Driftybean and she can't help to feel a surge of relief.]

Do you need help?

[hyperlit]

[They're having some difficulties, it's true. They were spat out here and ended up wedged between a few branches, struggling to disentangle their cloak from the sprawl of twigs with a minimum of ripping cloth. Their pack has ended up the next tree over.]

[Their chagrin may very well be palpable, their eyes narrowed to disgruntled slits.]

[Thankfully, their companion can still project just fine.]

can reach pack?

[catpiper]

[MA....ybe. She regards them for a couple seconds, then turns her eyes towards the aforementioned pack. That sure is. Up there.

She's scared of many things, but heights, thankfully, aren't on that long list. Ya gurl can climb a tree and try to reach that pack for them. Up she goes, jumping to reach the first branch and slowly pulling herself up, snapping a little twig into her hands along the way.

Well, she's gonna poke this dingus thing free with said stick, using its incredible power to her advantage. Poke, poke motherpacker.]

Are you hurt? Are you okay?

[hyperlit]

stuck

[That is the closest they have ever gotten to admitting yes, actually, I'm in quite a pickle and would very much be grateful for the assistance. They've yet to actually ask for help, but at the moment, they're mostly bent on simply untangling their cloak from the branches so it does not tear when they eventually get down.]

[They no longer have only the one, but it is an important piece of equipment. It would not do to spend a story simply to have it repaired.]

[catpiper]

I'll poke you with this stick and you'll come down too.

[They're more important than a treasure pack, but she understands the Need to know whether your items are safe and sound. If they don't manage to get out by the time she maneuvers across the branches and stabs this pack free, she's going to head for them next. Get ready to be poked free.

After some careful, cautious prodding, the bag wiggles loose and while she tries to catch with the stick's end, it sorta just plops to the ground. Oh well, problem one down.]

[hyperlit]

[The Drifter would prefer to avoid being poked with sticks, if at all possible, but they don't see fit to comment on this at the moment. For now, their belongings appear to be quite safe, and that is the important part. After several moments of impatient struggling, they elect to forgo niceties entirely.]

[Their hard light blade spritzes to life, and a cyan whirlwind begins to shed twigs and branches at a startling rate. With a loud splintering crack, the Drifter drops from the tangle of branches like a ripe fruit, and fwumps to the ground with a snowing of leaves and dirt.]

[They do not land gracefully, but they land, and that is the important thing.]

[flower_of_innocence]

[It's while she's making her way back towards the beach from hot mountain hell that she finds the Drifter in their predicament. Lillie is holding the still and silent Cosmog in her arms as she picks her way through the forest, but when she spots the blue person (?) in the trees, she hastily slides Nebby into her bag to shield it from potential harm.

She debates trying to slip past, just in case, but...well, how could she just leave them there? Luna would never have passed up the opportunity to help a stranger. She owes it to Luna to be brave, at least once, for someone, somewhere.]

Um...Are you alright? Do you need help...?

[hyperlit]

[This is not a happy day for the Drifter.]

[They have been discovered by a kind stranger if a far less optimal state of affairs, it is true, but that was at least a sort of situation that a fellow drifter could recognize - stricken by illness and keeled over on the ground.]

[This? This is just mortifying.]

[The Drifter twists, trying to reposition without much success. Their sprite, at least, remains unimpeded. It swoops lower toward the ground to issue a line of slightly transparent text - ]

lost pack

[flower_of_innocence]

[Lost pack. Probably a knapsack, like the one with her name on it. But with, you know, this person's name on it, obviously. Lillie doesn't have to look far, it's snagged on a branch just out of her reach, one tree over. One could fairly easily climb up the lower branches to reach it, but that person isn't Lillie. Can't be Lillie. It's...not a talent she possesses.

But it has to be Lillie at the moment, doesn't it?

Luna would do it.]

Oh, okay. Hold on, I'll try to reach it for you.

[Placing both of her bags and her oversized hat gently at the base of the tree, Lillie starts to scale the lower branches. She tests each branch about four times before putting her weight on it and has to free her hair from the leaves and twigs multiple times, but after a good several minutes she's able to reach out and weasel the pack free.

Unfortunately, she looks down, and instead of swelling with pride in her accomplishment (she climbed a tree!!!) she immediately feels like a fool for putting herself in such a dangerous situation and seizes up.

The look on her face makes it apparent: They are both stuck in a tree, for the time being.]

[hyperlit]

[This was not a well-executed maneuver, particularly as the human now seems to be in a position much like the Drifter themself is. They get a few moments to register this, the way she locks in place and doesn't seem to know how to get down, before the Drifter decides to cut to the chase entirely.]

[Their hard light blade hums to life, and they begin to hack at the branches surrounding them with ruthless efficiency.]

[With enough work, they'll free themself, and then they can move on to free her as well, surely.]

[flower_of_innocence]

[The humming of the blade and the subsequent chaos of the Drifter's hacking and slashing make Lillie jump. She watches for a moment in awe. There's a sort of wild brutality behind the efficiency that she's so unused to. It does, however, jump start her a bit into starting to descend the few branches she's climbed with the Drifter's pack clutched tightly against her chest with one arm while the other steadies herself against the trunk.

Once both feet hit the ground, she stands beneath the other tree with clear uncertainty. Should she hand them their pack? Try to tear at the branches? Just try to help them untangle their cloak?

Please be patient with her, she's not used to taking initiative...]

[hyperlit]

[Perhaps fortunately, Lillie is spared the anxiety of having to choose when an almighty splintering sounds off overhead and the Drifter topples from where they've been roughly lodged between the branches - and take several of said branches with them. They do not land gracefully, smacking into several boughs on the way down and more or less faceplanting into the dirt once they land, but they pick themself up with remarkable alacrity.]

[They've endured worse. They'll walk it off.]

[Still, they give their head a bracing shake, as if to clear it, before squinting at their assistance. They don't recognize her, they decide.]

name?

[yallstupid]

[Well, at least the Drifter won't be alone for very long. Not five minutes after they arrive, Guzma comes ambling from the brush, shaking globs of saliva from his limbs and cursing under his breath. He's absolutely fuming, ready to chase that damn elevator down and crush it like a tin can, but his eyes widen as he takes in the sight before him. At first, he just sees his blue friend there, there his eyes dart and catch the lungblossoms - a plant he is very knowledgeable about, given he encountered them first with the mountain exploration team. Hahah...what a fun plant. Loads of fun viewing his good friends as the man who beat him black and blue when he was barely a teenager.

His cursing becomes ever louder, and he yanks out a pokeball from inside his hoodie, which nearly slips from his grasp from the slickness of Upsy's goddamn spit, but it clicks open regardless, and out pops Ariados.]

Ariados, take out that plant - don't get too close to it, darlin', ranged attacks if you can. [The spider nods her head and scurries around the opposite side of her trainer, trying to find a good vantage point - a tree, a wall, anything she can climb to get a better range for her attacks. Meanwhile, Guzma removes his hoodie, shakes it off, and uses the not-so-damp part to cover his nose and mouth.] Yo, Blue...hey. It's your boy, Guzma. C'mon, y'all need'a back up away from that there plant. Can y'hear me?

[hyperlit]

[They can hear him, certainly, but...vaguely, through a mist of shadow and glistening pink, hot as struck iron. Their blink is too slow, too unfocused, and their motions too sluggish. They have to squint to see him, to really see him, draw him into focus. His silhouette sharpens slowly - ]

[Which is when they see it behind him, black and unfurling. It hunkers like a drifter in profile, blown into something larger and bristling with ragged-cloth edges.]

[The symbol glistens in the center of that seething mass.]

[Judgment.]

[They draw their blade, a blaze of cerulean, scrambling backwards. Does he not see it? Behind - behind him?]

[yallstupid]

[The blaze and crackle of blue has his stopping in his tracks, a tinge of actual fear creasing his brow. Guzma's voice sounds a little more choked now that his friend has drawn their weapon on him, and he tries to hold up a hand to pacify them. His eyes dart to Ariados, who has found her vantage point in a tree nearby, but seeing the blade, her focus is on the attacker, not the plant, and she gives a sharp hiss.]

Ariados, don't! [Guzma nearly howls, and the spider shrinks, looking guilty, confused, and very worried.] C'mon, homie, there's nothing else here...just you n'me. That stupid plant's messing with you, bro, it's all sorts of messed up. Just...just put that thing away and we'll walk outta here together, yeah?

[hyperlit]

[What you see can hurt you. This is what they learned, in those first few terrifying days when their symptoms progressed from tolerable to anything but.]

[What they learned was this: the things you see, the shadows in your vision, the snakelike grasp of a perfect Cell's reaching tendrils, they are not real. But they hurt and pierce as though they were, and wake you up with your breath fogging your throat, retching pink and reeling.]

[They still remember the first time Judgment impaled them on the spikes of its creation, the sensation of their oily blackness sliding down through their lungs and pinching the angry trench of their spine.]

[Their gaze locks onto a point just above Guzma's head, and to the left: a glaring eye leaking pink fumes, looming and ready to tear his head from his spine. They remember how it felt, you see. They remember every moment of tearing fabric and ripping skin and rupturing muscle, until the pendulumic weight of the rattail of their spinal column was ripped free.]

[They charge, their blade a cyan whirlwind, to rush for the thing behind him.]

[yallstupid]

[He barely has a chance to react, they're too close. Even if he moved now, a part of him would still get cut or grazed, and that whirring, blue blade doesn't seem like it'd only leave a scratch. Guzma sucks in his breath, not sure what to do other than brace for it - wait for that blade with cleave a deep gash in his body and for the blackness of death to take him.

That doesn't happen, however, because despite her trainer's orders, Ariados disobeys. A line of her thick, sturdy, sticky thread is shot from her mouth to try and encase the Drifter's arm - the one holding the blade. If it sticks, she'll yank back the restraint to keep that sword out of range of her trainer, struggling on all her legs to keep steady. Her hiss is almost feral, venom dripping from her fangs. She won't use her poison thread, not yet, but if he threatens Guzma again, she very well may use her more lethal attacks.]

[hyperlit]

[They should have anticipated it, the cling of something snapping tight around their arms. Judgment's grasp is inescapable, and they immediately spin to try and cleave the offending trap away. They will not allow it to take him - not him, who has been unceasingly kind, who has been consistently accommodating despite their every flaw, their every error, the mistakes they have made and continue to make and are making right now - ]

[They will cut themself free, if they must, to save him from it.]