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

a.

[counterblows]

[So, this is just another day ending in "y." It is utter chaos and people are screaming and running into each other and there's a flying elevator that's essentially bent on swallowing people whole, and a fresh cluster of new arrivals has just been dumped onto the beach on top of it.]

[The problem here is that, out of everyone - everyone who's choosing to fight the thing, who's trying to run away from the thing, who's cursing out the thing, who's plain just hoping they don't get snapped up by the thing - there is one person on the entire damn island that seems utterly fixated on chasing the thing instead.]

[Wash moves to intercept - hundreds of pounds of UNSC-grade power armor, and a BR55HB SR held very plainly visible in his grip, though he doesn't raise it to point at the poor guy just yet. He's just making it obvious to all parties that he has a heavy barrel service rifle, and it's loaded.]

That's far enough.

[crystallying]

[ Lucas skids to a halt in front of the Wall of Dude, and just barely avoids smacking into the Wash's chest. The annoyance shows plain on his face, at first. He's in the middle of something, and the last thing he needs is a roadblock in the form of... a giant, heavily armored person with an enormous, high-tech gun. An enormous gun that could very easily be pointed at him if he says something wrong. Lucas's eyes travel down the length of the rifle barrel, back up to Wash's helmet, and then he takes a step back and puts both hands up in the universal gesture for 'look at how unarmed I am!'

(Technically he has a hatchet in his backpack, but that wouldn't do more than scratch the armor.) ]

H-hey! Look, I don't want any trouble! But I'm in the middle of something, so if you could... just...!

[ His eyes keep following Upsy's reign of terror behind Wash. Whoop, there goes another person! ]

[counterblows]

Everyone else is running away from the carnivorous flying elevator.

[The words are remarkably level and calm, given the chaos that's exploded across these shores in record time. But as far as Wash's tone is concerned, he may as well be running a standard background check on a particularly shady individual.]

[That's not too far from what's actually occurring.]

You're running toward it. Why?

[crystallying]

[ Lucas opens his mouth, closes it again. He almost says something to the effect of 'how is anyone supposed to stop it if they don't chase it down first', and while that's sort of true, it sounds too puffed up and artificially brave for him to stomach. He's a liar, but even he has his limits. ]

... I want to stop it. I might be able to, if I can get to it first. Now, do you mind?

[ There. He didn't actually admit to having any association with Upsy, that should do it, right? ]

[counterblows]

You know what it is?

[Yes, actually, he very much does mind. He would very much like to know what this is and how to stop it from eating anyone else and vomiting them up all over the damn island.]

All right. [He cocks his weapon with the menacing sound of a round being forced into its chamber. He's officially run out of patience.] Spill.

[crystallying]

[ THAT MADE THINGS A HUNDRED TIMES WORSE, OH GOD, THERE'S A GIANT GUN, LUCAS IS HAVING A VERY BAD DAY! He reels away, looking like a small, furry creature that's just realized it's about to be run down by an 18-wheeler. ]

Oh god, ok, ok, look, I can't tell you anything if I'm dead! It's called Upsy, and I swear to god, I have no idea how it got here! It isn't dangerous, usually, just... weird and kind of gross!

[counterblows]

[Hey, it gets him answers quicker. So right now, he doesn’t care a whole lot what Lucas has to say or think about the gun, as long as it nets him results.]

If it isn’t dangerous, why is it eating people alive? Because we don’t consider that a recreational pasttime where I’m from.

[crystallying]

[ Lucas scoffs, because despite his survival instincts, he's a stickler for accuracy, especially when it comes to his family's inventions. ]

They aren't being eaten, it doesn't have a digestive tract! That's just how Upsy opens it's doors!

[ It's horrible, horrible, disturbingly organic doors! ]

[counterblows]

[All right, so that means people aren't getting devoured. That is, at least, an improvement from what he initially thought. That doesn't mean he's any happier about current events, however.]

What's it doing to them? Where is it taking them?

[crystallying]

As far as I can tell, it's just... transporting them?

[ He shrugs, looking a bit lost and very, very tired. He doesn't know why the hellevator is here - he barely knows where here is -, or why it's started a reign of terror, but he does know that as the person who's... loosely responsible for Upsy, he'll have to answer for whatever the hell happens. ]

I don't know where, though, usually Upsy at least asks where you want to go! The ocean must have fried its circuits or something, it's clearly malfunctioning!

[counterblows]

[The longer he holds the guy at gunpoint, the less time they have to stop this thing - and the further away it's going to get. That's enough for Wash to reluctantly - very reluctantly - lets the muzzle of his weapon swing downward entirely, a clear deescalation.]

All right. Last question, then.

Do you know how to stop it?

[crystallying]

... I mean, maybe?

[ Oh thank god, the gun has been lowered, Lucas can finally breathe again! ]

I've never had to shut it down from outside the lab before; usually I'd just shut down the power core directly, but I can try once I'm inside...!

[ Spoilers: this will not work. Upsy cannot be contained, let alone controlled! ]

[counterblows]

[That sounds like the furthest thing from a yes, sir, which is kind of what the ideal version of this scenario would involve. Nonetheless, Wash sighs and closes his eyes behind his visor, briefly.]

[Go through the motions. Fold resolve like molten steel and buckle it around, until it's armor, more potent than any MJOLNIR suit.]

It's not a plan, but it's the closest we've got. [That's right. That's a we in there.] If I can keep its attention, you think you can do what you need to do?

[crystallying]

[ Lucas absolutely does not miss that 'we', and he inwardly kicks himself. The sooner he can get away from this trigger-happy lunatic, the better!

(Wash has actually been pretty restrained, considering the circumstances, but Lucas's nerves are shot, and he isn't feeling very charitable at the moment). ]

Look, whatever, just... don't shoot it out of the air, ok? My Grandpa made it, that elevator's technically an antique.

[counterblows]

[Maybe he should be flattered that the guy thinks Wash can take out an entire flying elevator with nothing but an assault rifle. But seeing as Wash has singlehandedly destroyed an entire pelican with nothing but the same, that's not actually too absurd a notion.]

What do you expect me to do with it? [If they're not shooting, then what are they going to do?]

[crystallying]

I said don't shoot it out of the air, aim to miss! God! It just has to get down here so I can go inside!

[ He probably shouldn't be this snippy with the guy carrying an assault rifle, but again, his nerves are shot, and Lucas's self-preservation instincts are often at odds with his irritation at the world at large! ]

[counterblows]

You're suggesting I use my limited ammunition to intentionally miss?

[And his ammunition is limited - this isn't Chorus; he didn't arrive with boxes of spare mags. Needless to say, it's not a plan he's personally wild about.]

[crystallying]

I didn't know it was limited! You look like a jacked-up tank, how am I supposed to know what your ammo stocks are like?!

[ LUCAS, DO NOT SASS THE GIANT MAN WITH THE GUN. ]

Look, you don't even have to shoot at it, all I have to do is get close enough to intercept it!

[counterblows]

[Lucas is fortunate - very fortunate - that Wash is no longer the kind of person who would conceivably shoot someone in the head to prove a point, consequences be damned. That doesn't mean he's pleased with the current events.]

If you don't fix this, you're going to be in a lot of trouble. [It's delivered frankly. Flat, matter-of-fact, and wholly deliberate.]

Just keep that in mind.

[crystallying]

[ There's a good ten second long silence before Lucas just swallows heavily, and nods.

He is so screwed. ]

... I did mention that I didn't bring it here, right? And that I'm not even the one who created it?

[counterblows]

Oh, but remember? You've shut it down before. You know how it works. Your grandpa made it.

[Despite the icy drip of sarcasm, Wash doesn't actually intend to do much of anything short of keeping the kid in line. Still, it's not like he knows that - a fact of which Wash intends to take full advantage.]

People are going to figure out that this is your mess. And I don't think they're going to be very happy about it.

[crystallying]

[ Oh god oh god oh god he's going to die on a stupid island, this is the worst!

Lucas actually gives a high-pitched, nervous chuckle that sounds more frantic than anything else. ]

N-no shit! Story of my life! Look, let's, let's get going before you actually get mad enough to aim that gun at me again, huh?

[counterblows]

I'm not going to shoot you.

[He simply sounds exasperated.]

Not unless you do something worth shooting you over. Now are we gonna move, or do I have to remind you that this is your mess that needs cleaning up?

[crystallying]

Then why were you aiming your gun at me in the first place?! God! I'm going, I'm going!

[ He turns around and starts stalking across the beach towards Upsy, although judging by the way he speeds up, getting the hell away from Wash is a pretty high priority too! ]

[counterblows]

[Wash doesn't deign to grace that with an answer. So the man hates guns, and right now, that works in Wash's favor. He starts to follow with a sort of grim resignation. This is not the worst thing he's ever done. That doesn't mean he wants to do it.]

[Unfortunately (fortunately?) he's started to retain a sense of responsibility that extends beyond his immediate circle. Meaning if there are pieces that need picking up, he's going to have to be there to facilitate that, at the very least.]

[He'd rather be bringing up the rear anyway.]