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.

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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

Héctor | OTA!

[vagabone]

[Héctor runs pretty fast for a dead guy with a bum leg, and he tried his best... but his best wasn't good enough. Yep, he's caught.

Miraculously, he doesn't wind up with any new fractures when Upsy spits him out in B8, quite some distance from where he started. That... that just happened, yes, it did. And the Evil Gobbling Elevator is gone by the time he pulls himself back together, like it never was. Time to pick a direction and wobble that way before the damned thing comes back.

It's not too long until he finds a cove and a nice, inviting cave. Seems like a decent place to hide from whatever the hell swallowed him up. Hopefully someone who can explain what's going on will wander by and run into this bewildered skeleton trying to scrape the slobber off his bones.

Or catch up to him later, after he's dried off some and starts walking eastwards towards C8. He doesn't have any need for food or water, but he does stop frequently to rest. Poor guy's not up for any long hikes yet.]

B8

[prettypurpleparlor]

[While not normally a reassuring sight, compared to what Hector's just been through, a spider lady is probably pretty soothing by comparison. Especially since this one is likely familiar to him. Muffet gives him a sympathetic look, taking note of his disheveled state and putting two and two together relatively swiftly.]

That unpleasant creature scooped you up too, I take it? My condolences on the difficult arrival.

[Muffet appears to be untouched by any wild elevator attacks, but she's carrying a pair of fuzzy bundles tucked into the crook of one of her arms. On closer examination, they appear to be a pair of fluffy, brightly-colored chickens, one pastel pink, the other pale blue, both looking a bit unsettled by their recent elevator adventure.]

[The bludrocs in the old monkey compound aren't technically any one person's, but she had been one of the ones taking care of them and had felt a responsibility to retrieve them once they'd been snatched up. Besides, their eggs were useful.]

[vagabone]

[That she is. He barely blinks at her as he rises to his feet, wearily shouldering the backpack. Héctor's already hit his threshold of weirdness, for obvious reasons, and he's just vaguely grateful to see her. And the colorful chickens. Chickens probably mean civilization, or something.]

You're really... real. Seño Muffin, right?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Muffet.

[She makes the correction without any real annoyance- it's reasonably close, all things considered, and he's clearly been having a long day.]

And you were... Hector, yes? That odd place is hard to pin down, it's rather like a dream, but we do often seem to meet real people there. This island is substantially more solid, if frequently just as bizarre.

[vagabone]

Sí, Héctor. [A beat, as he wipes goop onto the seat of his pants and then decides not to go for a handshake anyway. He's gross and she is not.] I guess we're still trapped? With that mouthy thing flying around?

[He didn't get the best look at it, but it was indeed mouthy. And wet.]

Otherwise you'd... go home.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Regrettably, yes. ...although I admit the flying elevator creature is new.

[She digs around in one of her pockets and pulls out a small piece of cloth, a leftover from one of her weaving projects, offering it to Hector.]

Here, would you like to wipe a bit of... that, off of yourself?

[vagabone]

Perfect!

[Damn right he would. Dirt and sand is one thing, a fresh coat of spit another. He digs out his very own bar of soap from the backpack, waggling it at her--soap, rag, pool of water over there, it doesn't really need spelled out. Good time for a real bath. He can't remember the last time he bothered having one.]

So... do you think you could tell me why we're here?

[Or why him, why her, why a giant flying mouth, why anything. Just why.]

C8

[catpiper]

[At some point during his island travels, a girl appears, digging into the ground with her fingers in an attempt to get-something? Who knows. It's impossible to tell and she only looks up when she hears the telltale noises of someone behind her. It's 50/50 whether it's a person or a hooligan appliance, so she runs behind the nearest tree and-

Oh, it's another skeleton. That's fine too. Vastly preferable to the metal fiend nyooming around.]

Did you see that scary thing? Do you want to hide here?

[Please don't let it be behind this guy.]

[vagabone]

[No way. Sr. Mouthyvator can't possibly hide behind a scrawny skeleton. He stops some distance away from her, hat in hands, and does his best to look warm and friendly. Not scary at all, see? She seems young, she probably needs the reassurance.]

It's gone! I saw it fly off thataway!

[And is he ever grateful. Stay gone, you nasty thing.]

[catpiper]

[His words alleviate 90% of her problems and it shows on by the way she looks instantly relieved, moving back out into the open space by her Nice Hole™. Good, it's gone for a hot second and they can all take a breath.]

Did it hurt you? Are you okay?

[The only injuries seem to be from it tossing people around like projectiles and they've been minor, as far as she can tell.]

[vagabone]

Just fine! Not a scratch on me.

[Says the guy holding together his fractured arm and leg with duct tape. Technically not a lie though! It wasn't the elevator.]

Are you okay?

[catpiper]

I'm okay. I'm not hurt.

[It might not be a lie, but Ren's eyeing the taped together appendages with a Look that says she doesn't quite believe him. But he says he's fine and-

Well, she'll keep an eye on this skeleton. Watch his steps and see if he looks pained if his arm twists.]

I can hide you. You'll be safe if I do that and that scary thing won't see you.

[vagabone]

[Honestly, he's so used to the constant limp that it doesn't register anymore, unless someone points it out. Which would be rude. Aches and pains are just... normal.]

Okay, let's go hide. Lead the way!

B8

[mamaterasu]

[It'll be a few minutes before Hector can hear something approaching his hiding spot in the small caves by the shore. Thankfully,Ammy's huffing and sneezing signal that it's not the demon elevator, but she looks about as miserable as Hector does when she spots him. The wolf is dripping wet, fur clinging to her slender frame as she decided to wash off in the salty streams nearby to get the ick off of her. Water and salt is more preferable than spit, even to a wolf that utterly detests taking baths.

At the least she's already shaken herself off, so white her fur is still wet, she won't be spraying any sorry sack of bones with water this time around. No, she seems to be having the same thoughts as Hector - hide from sight and rest long enough here to dry off and escape Upsy's rampage. By the gods, it feels like nothing even she does with her many powers can stop the stupid thing. The skeleton startles her a moment - never a pleasant sight to see a skeleton in a cave, or anywhere, really... - but once she recognizes him, her tail begins to wag.]

[vagabone]

[There's no reason to put on a smile when he's all alone in a cave, no one to be cheerful for. It's always been about going home, for ninety-six years, and now home has been yanked out of his grasp once again. Home. Family. Friends. All far, far away. And he doesn't seem able to come up with any clever plans to get back.

Can't blame a man for feeling a little sorry for himself.

He starts at the sounds of her sneezing her way in, and then relaxes again. Another thing from his suburban nightmare come to life. But a nice thing, just like the friendly spiderwoman.]

Alebrijito. [Bony fingers snap--come say hi!]

[mamaterasu]

[Ammy looks a bit miserable too, but certainly not for the many reasons Hector is feeling. She's more upset about being wet, and getting swallowed and spat out, but seeing a friendly face is helping. Her tail wags a little faster than before as she trots over to Hector and sits neatly in front of him, panting slightly. She's tired, and it's obvious - running and fighting takes a lot out of the wolf - but nothing some real sleep won't fix. Sleep, food, and avoiding that awful metal death trap like the gosh darn plague.

Alebrijito - she still doesn't know what that means, or what it could be, but it's a nickname nonetheless! She'll come when called, unless he gives her another nickname later down the line. Gods, but she's glad she refuses to speak unless really necessary...there is no way she could properly pronounce that.]

Yarrp!

[vagabone]

[Yes, please, sleep. Sleep would be good. Oh, to be somewhere soft and cozy where he can recover from the near-second-death experience. He'd need a good long rest even if he hadn't been whisked away to some mysterious island and used as a chewtoy.

Nothing soft or cozy about their surroundings, and he's sure the Mouthyvator could make it in if it really wanted to... this cave is no place for a nap.]

Yarrp to you too!

[Whatever. She still deserves a scratch on the head and she's going to get it.]

[mamaterasu]

[Well, Ammy is plenty soft and very warm. Not quite the size of a bed, but she'd make one hell of a pillow for this old soul to rest his bones against. But, a damp, sandy, dirty cave doesn't make for good accommodations regardless - no, they need to find an actual place for Hector to sleep. Ammy has no real home to go to, she sleeps wherever she wants to on the islands (such is her wild, wandering nature), and inside the homes of anyone who'll let her in for the night. Close friends.

In fact, it's probably a good idea to get Hector to the Islets, to see if there's space available for him to stay and rest. People come and go all the time...so maybe there's a house open? She doesn't really know. Lavishing in the scratch for a moment or two, Ammy licks Hector's hand affectionately before padding away from him towards the mouth of the cave and barking again.

It doesn't take a genius to see she wants him to follow.]

[vagabone]

Ughhh.

[Yeah, that's a groan. How rude of him. But she has a point, they can't sit in this cave all day. And he did ask her to show him the way home. So, yes, following the Very Good Dog is the right idea. Up he goes, slinging the backpack over his shoulder again. It's a little heavy to be dragging around, tired as he is. Probably because he's a skeleton and because some idiot put a rock in there.]

You really want to go back out there where that thing can see us?

b8

[dedamastai]

[Damen got dropped off earlier at B7 and he's been trying to figure out where in the hell he is when he spots a skeleton. Walking. Which, like. In the stories, skeletons walking around are never any good because they're raised from the dead for evil or whatever? So don't mind that he has his hand on his sword as he approaches.]

Hello?

[vagabone]

[Oh he minds alright. He may not bleed when cut, but his bones can snap if whacked hard enough by some paranoid fellow with a sword. And that wouldn't feel good at all.

Please don't break the friendly skeleton.]

Hola!

[dedamastai]

[How does he knows this skeleton isn't a monster! Anyway, fun fact: holà is Veretian French for "whoa."]

I didn't mean to frighten you. Are you - [It's probably rude to ask if someone's dead, huh?] new to the island?

[vagabone]

[Rude would be asking how they died. Protip: don't do that.]

Yes, very very new. And I promise I'm not here to hurt anyone!

[dedamastai]

I hardly think you'd be able to, unless you have some kind of magic. [He means that in a nice way. Honest.] But that means you don't have any idea where we are either then.

[Enso is kinda large and there's just a lot of places it's not practical to go, so he doesn't particularly hang out in this section of the island. Still, if the sun is going that way then the temple is probably this way and that's as good a place to go as any.]

You might as well come to the temple with me. You'll be seeing it a lot.

[vagabone]

[Damen's not wrong. The skeleton guy may be tall, but he's not really big boned. Some people just aren't fighters... or exceptionally magical.]

Right. Do you live here? Is there a way off the island? [A beat.] A temple? For what?

[Priorities! He's not here to sightsee, come on.]