lifeaftr | 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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Someone approaches, and Zelda is quick to take the torch from the fire into her hands, holding it up as if it might be a weapon with which she could protect herself. ]

I - No. [ It isn't really true, but it isn't a lie, either. Mustn't you be going somewhere and failing to find it to be lost? ] I...

[ ... Okay, maybe she is lost. Zelda studies the stranger warily, taking in his appearance and generally-calm demeanor. ]

... I may be. [ She admits quietly. ] I've been hiding from that horrible beast from the beach, you see.

[He is thankfully, in this moment, unarmed, but he still raises his hands to prove he means no harm.]

Please tell me it's not that damned elevator.

[It probably is. Gods, fuck Lucas.]

I can assure you, that thing isn't-- common, around here. It'll likely be gone in a few days. The rest of this island is at least slightly more hospitable, if you know where you're going.

How can an elevator move the way that it does? [ Magic, obviously. Another man had said that it was possessed, though it's a far cry from any kind of elevator (or lift) she's ever seen, or even heard of it stories.

Admittedly, anything even remotely similar in Hyrule is woefully primitive compared with Upsy... ]

It is? [ That's a great relief, and it shows in her face. ] ... I'm afraid that I don't really know where I'm going, though. I have no idea where I am, or how I came too be here.

[ He seems fairly knowledgeable, though, and she privately hopes he's going to fill her in... ]

Well, it shouldn't be doing that, but I've heard technology misbehaves here. Not that I would call that something so simple as misbehaving.

[He's very unhappy about all that, and is also struggling to be the welcome wagon. He's bad at talking.]

No, that's also completelt understandable. I was also confused when I arrived, it's-- not a typical case. And a bit hard to explain.

[Oh, where does he even start.]

Do you remember having a strange dream, before you woke up here? Of a rabbit type creature talking about stories?

It seemed to have actively-evil intent. [ Trying to eat her seems evil, and it certainly looked evil. ]

I understand. [ She doesn't mean to put all this pressure onto you, stranger. ] Thank you, for whatever you can tell me...

[ ... Oh! Her face seems to light up a bit with the memory of the dream, and her breath catches. ]

I... [ There's another moment where Zelda reaches into the depths of her mind for traces of it - of listening to that strange rabbit - but she does nod, looking back at him with a dawning of understanding. ] Yes, I think that I do. Is it all true, what he told me? How can that be...?

Well I wouldn't call it good by any means.

[But that's not really the issue here right now, so, moving on to the actual important things.]

It is all, unfortunately, true. This is a domain of stories and dreams, and you are here until you are released. Which seems to be rather arbitrary. The god you spoke to was the Storyteller... and this is their temple.

[He gestures to the ruin behind her.]

I confess, I've only been here a short time, and we have precious few answers even from the ones that have been here longer. But I will answer what I can.

The Storyteller... [ Not exactly a name, but a title. A strange being who released its 'captives' at will, keeping others to spin its tales. Why? Of course, she wouldn't ask: Zelda knows all-too-well the fickle nature of gods.

Or so she thinks. ]

This is their temple? ... I've been exploring it since my arrival. [ Pouring over every detail, actually. ] Can you tell me any more about it?

[He sighs, as if he really wishes he had more to tell her than he did.]

Not especially. While they're the local god here, they're not responsible for our arrival or any changes you may find upon yourself. They woke up confused the same as us. But they do have influence, and if you trade them stories, they'll do favors for you. Or so I've gathered. They are accessible for talking, if you ask around here most of the time. Simply address them and they should appear... though they might be resting, now.

[ A god brought to this place just the same as the rest of them with no power to return them. No. He hadn't said that: he'd said that the Storyteller isn't responsible. Could it send them home, if asked...? Surely, others have tried.

It's something worth exploring, though... ]

I will make sure to try. Thank you. [ Not now, though. She shifts in her seat, fatigue starting to settle in after a long, long day. ] Is it... safe for us to rest here?

[He nods.]

There are dangers in the jungle, but seeing as I would advise against traveling at night, I doubt they would mind offering some shelter. For tomorrow, though, I recommend heading north; most live at a large compound or the islets over there. Others like myself have more private settlements. But if you are here alone, I would imagine that would be less harrowing to begin.

[This is so nice to have a regular conversation that doesn't involve him getting negged. It's wonderful.]

I, uhm, would invite you back but I find some of my other housemates aren't keen on unexpected visitors.

I see. Thank you. [ A large compound... That will be safe enough for now. She sighs a little, feeling just a touch more relaxed with his advice. ] And you needn't do that, though I do thank you for thinking of me. I will be just fine here for the night.

[ She hasn't exactly spent much time alone in the wild, but she can be a little proud, a little stubborn, every so often. ]

[He nods at her, still likely much too formal but looking pleasant.]

It is a bit less insane without the elevator around, I assure you. Though the path ahead will... likely be dangerous, with the way this place works. All I know is eventually, we'll travel to a different island, and something will await us there. If we are supremely lucky, it will be answers.

But few answers have been revealed to us thus far. [ sigh ] Until then, we can do our best to discover them... and to stay safe in the meantime.

[ However they can. Upsy was a rude awakening in the danger levels of this world. ]

[He nods.]

Well! Best of luck, then. I'm sure the Storyteller will let you stay for as long as you'd like, but I imagine you'll eventually want some privacy.

[But in the meantime, at least she has this place.]

It will... hopefully be less harrowing when you've settled in a bit.

July Intro: Upsy-Daisy!

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