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!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[wisdomspring]

[ The gesture is appreciated, because though Zelda doesn't know Ren or whether or not she's a threat, she does know that the... thing means her harm. As such, the princess makes a break for the jungle, near where Ren is standing and waving her over. She won't be able to outrun Upsy for very long at all, but she'll do everything she can to get there unharmed, including jerking off to the side, running in a sort of zig-zag pattern.

It doesn't quite throw the demonic elevator, but it may buy her a second or two. Maybe. ]

[catpiper]

[She successfully caught the girl's attention, but it doesn't feel like a victory. That thing is tracking her, heading in the same direction, and she's starting to regret this spur of the moment decision. This is bad? Yeah, horrible. Terrible.]

You have to hide!

[This girl understands how to run away-her movements attest to that. Hopefully she gets the finer parts of shoving yourself behind trees and bushes. She waits for as long as her shaky legs will let her, in an effort to keep this new person within eyesight, and tries to get her attention with her hands again when she ducks behind a large bush. Join her!! Or hide somewhere else!! Who knows if this will even work.]

[wisdomspring]

[ Zelda is quick to do as she's told, ducking behind the bushes with the stranger who is guiding her. Whatever this monster is, she stands no chance against it. The other girl who beckoned to her doesn't seem as much a warrior as she is a strategist, but that's more than enough for the moment. ]

What is that thing? [ She breathes, as quietly as she can. Can the beast even hear, or does it rely on sight? It didn't have any obvious ears, but she's hardly an expert on the anatomy of the... thing. ]

[catpiper]

[It's horrible and bad and she remains dead silent in the hopes it might be enough to detour the freaking machine. Why's Enso gotta be like this?? Why does there have to be gun monkeys and terrible machines? Why can't new arrivals come alongside a giant chocolate cake?

Anyway, Ren's main concern is this new person and her voice is low, almost a mumble.]

It's something scary. That's what it is.

[A+ response and info offering session. Move out team. Which might be happening soon, if the elevator gets wind of them in the bushes.]

We'll be-we'll be okay if we stay here.

[Ma...ybe.]

[wisdomspring]

[ Zelda doesn't think it's likely that they'll be okay anywhere near that thing, and she suspects her companion knows this, too. As such, she looks out at their surroundings (or at what she can see from her hiding place) and sighs very quietly. ]

We should go. Try and make it farther into the forest. [ The trees might impede that beast, at least, and that would be better than the open beach... ]

[catpiper]

Okay, we can go to the temple if we do that. It's safe there.

[Which isn't too far through the forest, though she's already tense at the idea of leaving this nice hiding spot. It's not going to be safe for long. She can see Upsy out of the corner of her eye, hindered by the dense forest, but still pursuing them.]

[wisdomspring]

[ Zelda just nods, steeling herself. Then, with a quick and silent prayer, she makes a dash for the trees, pushing through deeper into the forest and (hopefully) out of range... ]

Is...? [ She's breathing heavily when she begins to ask if Upsy is still at their backs, but Zelda catches sight of the temple and goes silent. ]

- Oh. [ It's clear she's in awe based solely on the way she's standing and staring up at the ancient place, eyes wide as saucers. ]

[catpiper]

[The temple has become such a commonplace meeting spot that its appearance no longer shocks her. The broken walls and stones that make up what little remains of this place is a backdrop to daily life here.

But she can remember how it felt to experience this sight for the first time-how terrifying it was to witness this towering ruin.]

It looks scary, but there's nothing dangerous in that place. We can hide for a long time.

[wisdomspring]

Scary? [ Quite the opposite: Zelda approaches like a sleepwalker, reaching out to delicately brush her fingertips against its outer walls. Her heart pounds with the possibility of what may be inside, and even if her new friend had not said there was no danger, she would have gone within. ]

It doesn't seem very scary at all. [ Zelda finally says, and, perhaps strangely, she smiles. ] Can you tell me more about it? Is it in honor of anything in particular?

[catpiper]

[Ren can't helped to be awed by this new girl, in that moment. The temple terrified her in the early days, to the point where she had waited for other people to check it out before heading into its depths. It's interesting and weird to watch someone take to it immediately and she's more than happy to offer the few answers she has to her questions.]

This is where the Storyteller lives. It's their home. They're a god that likes to listen to your voice and they help you find treasures.

[wisdomspring]

The Storyteller... [ She repeats it, and then seems to recall - ] I... may have seen them in a... dream, or vision. At least, I think that I did... It's difficult to remember.

[ Dreams are like that, after all. She sighs quietly, glancing to the temple as she tries to summon the memory of having seen the god in her sleep. ]

Do you know much else about them?

[catpiper]

They visit dreams sometimes. That's another 'home' for them. They'll talk to you that way again.

[Their local god is mysterious in many respects. They know so much and nothing, seeming coming to terms with island life in the same way they all are.]

I know they have a good heart. They're nice and they work hard to keep us safe. It makes them happy when you tell them stories and-

[Probably not the helpful information this girl was hoping to hear, but it's something. She pauses, as if trying to decipher through the nonsense and give her the best possible insight-too bad it's not about important things like storytelling functions or the bajillion year nap they recently had. One day, Zelda will meet a useful person.]

They can change into animals with dope horns. That's how you know it's them and not a 'pet.'

[wisdomspring]

"Dope horns?" [ She asks quizzically, but gets the gist. ] It's a relief to hear that they are kind, at least. I hope that I can offer some stories of my own to repay them.

[ If the Storyteller really is working to protect them, then it's the least she can do in return. ]

Is that why they brought us here? To hear our stories?

[catpiper]

They didn't bring us here.

[It was something they made clear in the early days of their arrival. Back when the islander's presence was almost unwanted and now, she hopes, it's a different story.

She lowers her voice, as if she's worried the Storyteller's going to hear the next words out of her mouth. The odds of them listening to two kids talking outside the temple with a hellish elevator on the loose is small, but she doesn't want to risk it. ]

But I think they're very lonely. You should tell them a lot of stories-it'll make their heart happy.

[wisdomspring]

Lonely?

[ Zelda considers this and her expression softens. She can certainly relate to that feeling and has always tried her hardest to bring happiness and comfort to those around her. ]

... I will make sure to tell it stories, then. You have my word.

[catpiper]

[If nothing else, this terrifying adventure has a happy ending. It makes her smile-one more person willing to help ease their lonely heart, if that's even the case. She can never be sure, but somehow-

Every time she looks at this broken down structure, every time she sees them in a dream-it feels that way.]

Okay, they'll like hearing your voice or-

[Oh snap. She has to show this girl the best part of the temple and with Upsy an out of sight, out of mind problem, she hurries inside.]

You can draw stories! I'll show you that place too!

[wisdomspring]

Draw - [ But she has no time to ask, and instead just follows the other girl inside the temple. She should be more cautious, perhaps: consider the potential dangers of barreling into an unknown temple. Still, Zelda is more awed and excited than nervous as she does enter, and it isn't long before she's lost in looking around at the structure within. ]

Oh... I would love to have more information about this.

[catpiper]

[She spins on her heel, being the tourguide no one asked for and yet, here she is heading further into the temple without an ounce of fear.]

There's always chalk and you can draw on the wall or the floor and you never run out of room.

[She ambles over to the side, patting the wall there as if this poor girl needed a visual on what a wall is before continuing on her path.]

I think people drew there a long time ago. You can see their stuff too.

[wisdomspring]

Never? [ She laughs a little, surprised and a little awed. ] It sounds incredible.

[ That last statement captures her attention, though, and her eyes widen a bit once again. ]

You can? ... Will you show me?

[catpiper]

[It's not often she has a companion that's this excited about the chamber. With another happy little spin on her foot, she hurries down to wherever the heck that chamber, looking back to make sure the girl's following.

Be prepared to spend the next few hours in here with this terrible goblin. It's cool, it's safe, and there's an endless supply of chalk. It's gonna be great.]