lifeaftr | July Intro: Upsy-Daisy!

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 )

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[You'll have to tame this lion a little better before you get her to take part in any ritualistic dance, Troupe Master.

The Bomb is certainly easy to roll, given its shape, though the hiss of that fuse is getting low, as is the fuse itself. Ammy's half afraid the kick will detonate it, but the bomb holds steadfast, and she grabs a mouthful of Grimm's cloak with her teeth, dragging him onto her back and dashing away...just as the fiery bat collides with the bomb and it immediately bursts in a rage of vibrant fiery colors. Smoke billows out of Upsy's mouth as it jerks from the force of the bomb on its soft, fleshy interior, seeming to have halted from the dizzying pain of having its insides charred.

Ammy uses the opportunity to dash headlong into the trees with her, erm...rather bizarre rider. Hopefully he's gotten a good hold of her fur, at a full sprint, Ammy's speed rivals that of the wind itself, a trail of flowers following in her wake before they wither and fade into orbs of soft, pale light. She stops after a few minutes, feet dragging as her tongue hangs from her jaws and she wheezes heavily. Woof, she always forgets how much running at top speeds can take it out of her. She needs a rest...and perhaps some water, lowering herself onto the cold ground and letting herself catch her breath, chest rising and falling rapidly.]

[Not even if he asked politely, Mother Goddess?

The grabbing of his cloak is unexpected but Ammy is too fast for Grimm to give into any urge to teleport away. He was not one to be burned by light...but he has been burned by light in the past, if in the metaphorical sense. But the only real option available as of now is to hold on for dear life. Even if he let go and attempted to teleport to her side, Grimm suspects that he would not be able to catch up to Ammy.

He recognizes her exhaustion once they stop and and quickly dismounts. Certainly that battle used up quite a bit of energy and he too was tired, something he had not felt in a long time. There was a perfect consistency with the Troupe Master's abilities and that had not changed in eons. It was only coming to this curious island that those abilities presented a shift.

Rather then spend his time pondering this, however, Grimm kneels down by Ammy.]

I wish to extend my thanks for helping fight off that beast. Is there anything I can do to ease your exhaustion, my friend?

[When he's off, Ammy folds her legs and lays heavily on her side, her breathing coming out heavily. It's just fatigue - this always happens when she uses her full speed to this magnitude. Luckily it was only the one time, and not more than that...otherwise she may not be able to move, let alone stand, until the next morning. A few minutes rest should suffice, just to catch her breath and let the warmth of the sun revitalize her.

When Grimm comes near, she watches him very carefully - his gestures, his face, the emotion in those red eyes...and the words hidden within the spaces between words. For a moment longer after he speaks, she say and does nothing, just watches, before she shuts her eyes and picks herself up just long enough to lay her head on his bent knee. Oh, how foolish she's been...to think--no, to keep thinking that an aura of darkness means evil and wickedness. She senses nothing from this creature other than concern and deep gratitude for her help. Her tongue escape her mouth absently, licking the fabric of his cloak.

One day she won't pass he judgment based solely on a gut feeling. Each time she's been incorrect, and it's time to put old biases behind her.

Friend. Yes, that's right...she's made a friend today.]

[The end of the Grimm Troupe's show is their final act, the birth of the Grimmchild and the extinguish of the Nightmare King's flames. Death and rebirth. A role Grimm had settled into since a long, long time ago. It was a Ritual that required others, required those willing to gather the flames of the Grimmkin.

But the key word was "willing". It was their final act with audience participation, so to speak. A dance between Grimm and the one who called them to their dead and dying kingdoms. It was a spectacle of flames before they were snuffed out. But it was a show and it always should be beautiful and fun.

And the one sharing the dance with Grimm was to do it of their own free will.

Grimm is genuinely surprised by the gesture - beings of light were normally not so friendly - but the corners of his mouth quirk upwards and he gently lays a hand on the top of Ammy's head. Grimm is warm and (perhaps unsurprisingly) his cloak tastes like soot. That may not be a pleasant taste.]

What a strange being you are. [Grimm means no insult by that. And perhaps his choice of words, not 'dog' nor 'wolf', may hint at something.] But it is welcome. If you wish to rest like this, I am fine with waiting.

[Provided Upsy does not make a re-appearance, of course.]

[That's the thing - Ammy wouldn't very much agree to being a part of the death of someone, even if it means rebirth in the end. A ritualistic sacrifice is not the sort of divine magic she'd ever be a part of. If the circumstance were dire...perhaps, but Amaterasu doesn't meddle in the affairs of Life and Death or Fate and Chance - her power is to create, not necessarily to destroy. Besides, why would she want to do harm to such an agreeable person she's just coming to like?

She, too, is quite warm - radiating the gentle heat of a ray of sunshine. Ammy's peaceful expression, however, shifts into one of disgust as the taste of ash and soot fills her mouth, and the face she makes is quite hysterical. She smacks her tongue across the roof of her mouth several times to rid herself of the awful taste, looking at Grimm like he just offended her greatly. Look at what you've done. You've ruined the moment. How hecking dare.

So much of what he's said goes over her head, her nose scrunched up in disgust as her lips roll back over her teeth and she utters a low, unhappy groan deep in her chest, rolling off him and laying impudently on her side by his leg instead. Is she sulking? Oh she is absolutely sulking. This is betrayal.]

[...and the peacefulness of this scene goes out the window by Ammy's expression alone. Grimm was far too used to the way he smelled (and evidently tasted) to mention it out to others that may be concerned. The only one who truly commented on it was Divine, as she did with any interesting smell that came her way. And...taste. It certainly was an awkward first meeting.

He tries to not laugh. He really does, although he cannot stop himself from smiling a little more. And Grimm certainly recognizes when someone is sulking. This is what happens when you lick things belonging to the bug who uses fire, Ammy.]

I do use fire in my shows and battles quite often. The smell has indeed transferred to my cloak and the taste, it seems.

[Perhaps a late warning but one that may have been obvious. Grimm sits down properly beside Ammy but does not touch her again. When it came to sulking, it was best for that person to work through it themselves. He cannot make Ammy un-lick his cloak, after all.

So he'll wait.]

[LIsten, Amaterasu is a goddess of the sun, but that doesn't mean she smells and tastes like an ash tray. She...probably tastes way worse, actually - given that she's probably not had a proper bath in weeks, and avoids soap and water like the scourge. So.

Yeah, Grimm's actually fine.

She glances sideways at him and shifts only enough to curl herself up into a ball, tucking her tail around herself to try and sleep off the fatigue. It won't be long, another couple minutes or so, but she easily fall into a deep sleep, her eyelids sagging before they close. Curious...a few minutes after she's completely fallen asleep, plants begin to grow and die in a perpetual cycle around her - tiny flowers bloom then wither away into dusty flecks of light, only to be born again, and grass springs up from the dirt under her. Stranger still is the red disc on her back seems to gleam just slightly, the grooves in the reflector that make the spiraling flame markings of her Holy Symbol shimmering as the sun's rays cast over it.

This wolf appears to be solar powered.]

[Grimm has stated it out loud but it bares repeating: she is a strange being. Within his world dreams and nightmares were not enemies based on elements or the like. Void was the one who carried that burden of being despised by pure light. But dreams and nightmare, light and dark, were mere counterpoints. Fire grew shadows but gave light.

But when it came to the clash of personalities of those involved, that's when there was an unfortunate breakdown. And there is only so far one can live with that sort of hostility, in as much as Grimm was "alive".

(When the show ended and the curtains closed, Grimm became as terrible as the Radiance and wreathed in burning, scarlet fire until that candle was snuffed and the Troupe Master rises again.)

Still it is wonderful whenever Grimm encounters a softer light rather then a harsh blade...metaphorically, as this one certainly had their own sharp weapon. The flowers bloom and die as his hand passes over them idly before gently setting back in Ammy's white fur. He was not someone who indulged in idle behavior but every good actor deserved a break, and now was the right time for it.

He could wait for her to rest. It was no different then waiting in the realm of nightmares. Time mattered little when you lived for as long as Grimm has, after all.]

[And for this reason, perhaps, Ammy has come to see Grimm not as a threat or an enemy, but as a friend - like he said. She follows deeply the practice that all things live, and should remain, in perfect harmony - a balance between the planes. One cannot exist without the other, and both light and dark are ever intertwined. To have such a being share those morals and beliefs is...unexpected, but pleasantly so. It's about time such gods began to take their roles not as an abuse of power, and a seat above the rest, but as a duty they must follow, for the sake of all things.

After all, what is a god if there is none to believe in them? They simply fade from existence, from memory...

The two entities rest easily for a while, and it's just as Grimm is beginning to doze off that he can feel something wet and cold press against his cheek, and a loud snuffling sound breathe on his face. Ammy nudges him gently, once again, to get up. It looks like the danger has passed, and they're free to wander to a more safer area. Poor Grimm probably needs answers as well, and she's unsure where the Storyteller would be at this point in time to give those questions their respectable answers, but...the temple should be their best bet. If anything, it's a safe place away from that godawful metal monster.

So wake up, friend, we're going to be walking again.]

[Perhaps it's an irony for the God of nightmares, but Grimm is not a particularly deep sleeper unless it was...called for. So it does not take much prodding on Ammy's part to rouse him. Despite the (hopefully) far-off threat of an eldritch elevator, the Troupe Master can't help but yawn and roll his shoulders before standing again. Quite nice to rest after a battle.

But now it is time to continue. Grimm looks down at Ammy with a smile.]

Well now that we are free of that rather rude distraction, shall we move on? Perhaps somewhere where the elevator will not bother us.

[Stepping back to let Grimm wake, she actually stretches a bit herself, catching their yawn - as they are very contagious - and shaking off her fur as her tongue swipes over her nose. Someplace safe...hm. The only place she can think of that'd be entirely safe would be the Storyteller's temple - the power of her sibling god would certainly deter the awful menace from coming near, and expel it if it made the attempt.

As she lifts her head to whiff the air, then dips it low and paces about to catch a scent of their trail, her tail begins to wag behind her and she yips for her friend to follow. It's not all that far, if Grimm doesn't mind walking a bit... Though she'd gladly offer him a seat on her back as well.]

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July Intro: Upsy-Daisy!

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that icon XD I'm sorry Ammy

it's one of my favorites. 8Db also i love Grimm omg ♥

I love Ammy too :) she's really cute

SHE TRIES. i'm still happy and amazed they got on so well so fast

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