October Intro: I Think We Should Run

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: OCTOBER

Who: New arrivals, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: October 4th and onward
Where: Primarily Nuidan, though Ensō is also likely
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Nuidan: Checking that the Coast is Clear
This time around, newest arrivals to the archipelago of LifeAftr will open their eyes to the skies overlooking the relatively recent island of Nuidan. Namely, they'll be waking in the northern quadrant of said island, the region perpetually locked in the season of spring. This means rich fields of gold and green and buff-colored grass and skies swollen with unshed rainclouds. The scent of turned soil and petrichor mingles with the faint, earthy scent of manure.

It's not an unpleasant way to wake. There are doubtless worse places to rouse yourself. But the cloud of dust clotting up the horizon soon suggests that there might be a bit more to the circumstances of your arrival than some nice weather.

And, unfortunately, that's exactly the case. There's a herd of something charging directly for you, and nothing short of a natural disaster is going to sway them from their course. A thick-packed herd of scaly aptonoth have been spooked, startled, or otherwise galvanized into a panicked stampede across the northern reaches of Nuidan.

Quadrupedal, herbivorous, and scaly, aptonoths resemble dinosaurs in appearance more than they do so in their generally placid nature. They are far more akin to cows in temperament, even if their skin is a good deal more leathery. Even the broad spikes at the ends of their tail or the heavy horns atop their heads aren't terribly dangerous unless the entire herd feels threatened. While aptonoths are typically easily tamed, in this case they are far from amenable to conceding to anyone's interference.

It's probably best to try and get out of their way. Fast.

Ensō: 'Cause They're Already Ghosts
Things are quieter on LifeAftr's mainland. They might seem a little...eerily so, in fact. Today officially marks the day that the Storyteller makes their departure, and seeks out new islands for you intrepid explorers to uncover. The difference that their absence creates is small, at first, and most prominently felt on Ensō itself.

The temple is the most obvious thing. It simply looks...defeated and empty, as hollow and unoccupied as it currently is. That aura of proud mystery is absent, though the Chamber of Glyphs at least remains as it was. But anyone who comes looking for the Storyteller themself at this time will find no one waiting for them. No flower-touched animal, no old, dusty tome. You're currently on your own.

Or...maybe not? The Storyteller was courteous enough to issue a warning last month about the nature of the dream-island of Mu. The effects of that island will start to make themselves evident in small, simple ways: namely, in the way you're going to start seeing things.

Nothing serious, of course. Just...flickers of movement in the corners of your vision. Something about your surroundings just being so slightly off. The color of that rock - it's always been that way, hasn't it? Or was it only always that way five minutes ago? While these blips and hitches in reality are decidedly non-specific, they can be unsettling for those who can't adjust for a bit of strangeness.

The source of these odd quirks in the fabric of reality is easily explained by the presence of clockroaches, one of Mu's wily dream-creatures. You'd be hard-pressed to catch a glimpse of any of them directly; they specialize in the ethereal and the ephemeral, and seldom reveal themselves to anyone if they can help it. But you might, if you're very attentive or very lucky, see some indistinct, silver-misted blur disappearing behind the trunk of a tree in a blink-swift ghost of motion.

But they are, in essence, harmless. At least...for the moment.

As of October 4th, the Storyteller will be unavailable for both IC Contact threads and Item Requests. If you need anything vital backdated, just let us know!

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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

[catpiper]

[A nervous expression crosses her face as she realizes what they were doing. It's as she thought. It's the same reason everyone is on edge and not even this little bug can escape whatever weird shenaniganry is happening in everyone's peripheral vision lately.]

I thought I saw something too, but my eyes can't see it.

[Too bad she got distracted by that weird rock. And that weird tree. Nothing looks right and it feels like something's skittering around in the corner of her eye even now.]

It's scary.

[lightlessfuture]

[ The Knight is about to resume their pursuit, but then Ren mentions that it's scary, and they see the expression on her face...and they stop.

Instead of continuing to hunt around for creatures they can barely catch sight of, they walk over to Ren instead and offer their hand to her.

They can't chase the visions away, or make the world less confusing for her. But they can at least hold her hand. ]

[catpiper]

[It's incredible how powerful that small gesture is. Without hesitation, she takes their little hand in her own, wrapping her fingers around their tiny ones and grasps tight.

The fear she had about whatever apparition is around starts to vanish. If it turns out to be dangerous, she can easily bring them into her arms and carry them away from whatever is lurking around. Even if she can't protect them with a weapon, she pull them far away from any danger and that's her biggest worry of all-keeping them safe.]

We'll stay together. If we do that, nothing will hurt us.

[lightlessfuture]

[ After the chaos of the infection, where Ren had been actively trying to run away, to hide so that nobody could see her pain (where they had been unable to hide their own trembling as sickness rooted in them) it's

this is better. This is better. They hold onto her hand just as tightly, as best they can, and nod at her words.

They can keep her safe like this, too.

After a moment, they gently tug her along. Even if the world they know is strange today, they can go for a walk and have an adventure, and that will be more than enough excitement. ]

[catpiper]

[The flickers in reality that made her jumpy and paranoid a few hours ago aren't as frightening now. She doesn't need to wonder about the color of trees and the shapes of rocks and the spirits hiding in them.

The walk is a nice distraction and she wastes no time in happily pointing out the various shapes of the clouds-a place where no ghosts could possibly hide.

It's comforting to have a friend here.]

That one looks like you.

[lightlessfuture]

[ They've never had much reason to look up at the sky; at worst it's a herald of further troubles like wild weather or enemies, at best it's a vaguely interesting phenomenon.

They ponder the clouds as they look to where Ren is pointing. If they tilt their head a little, they can sort of see it, so they nod in agreement.

They scan the sky for a cloud to return the favour. They don't find a Ren-shaped cloud, but they do find one that looks like the creatures she loves to draw so much.

The Knight tugs at their friend's hand a bit and points towards it. Look, that one looks like...that animal you like, Ren. What's a cat? ]

[catpiper]

[Her gaze follows their tiny hand up to the sky and the recognition is immediate-the puffs are forming a long tail, almost pointed ears. She can see it clear as day.]

You found a cat! That's a special cloud so you get to name it.

[lightlessfuture]

[ Cat. Is that what those are?

They tilt their head at her in that familiar way that indicates confusion, attempting to convey a silent query for more information.

They've known Ren all this time and have never really asked what a cat is. ]

[catpiper]

[Their confusion makes her head tilt in turn, glancing back towards the cat cloud as if it's the thing confusing her friend.]

It's the animal that only speaks 'nya'-it's the cloud that looks like that thing. That's why it's special and you have to give it a good name.

[lightlessfuture]

[ Oh, geez. They've barely managed to name themselves. This is a lot of pressure, Ren.

They squeeze her hand and scuff the ground in obvious, deep thought. What is a good name for a cat? More importantly, what's a name that Ren would like?

...

They scratch the word into the ground and look at her questioningly.

name
star? ]

[catpiper]

[That's an incredible name for a sky cat and she only has one little tweak to make. She sticks her toe in ground and writes out bug under star.]

Star Bug!

[The cloud cat??? OK.]