lifeaftr | October Intro: I Think We Should Run

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!

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

...How charming.

[Said after a lengthy pause. Chara slowly forces themself to relax, following the sudden spike of adrenaline that comes with abruptly having a- whatever, gun?- pointed at them by a gargoyle in half a doll's face. This would have been an absolutely fantastic time to pull off the knife kick Ignis has been teaching them-- if they weren't too keyed up to realistically expect anything but failure.

It would have been really cool, though.

Pity.

The next best thing is throwing their hands up with exaggerated motions, palms open to prove that, lookie there, they sure are tiny and unarmed. If they're about to be shot, then they're about to be shot. It's whatever, really.]

This is certainly one way to make a good impression on others; shooting an unarmed child. Please, be my guest. See what happens.

[What happens, in this case, probably equating to an exceptionally furious elf turning Nott into a walking fireball. It would be delightful.]

[Nott would never shoot a child. That's why, after she freezes in place in shock at what she's done, she hurriedly removes her finger from the trigger and lowers the hand crossbow, horror in her eyes even if half her face is hidden by the mask.

She doesn't begrudge their reaction in the slightest. She was in the wrong, and she's a goblin to boot. Anyone would expect it of her, even if it's not what she wants to do.]

I'm... sorry. I didn't realize you were a child, I... I panicked.

A likely story. [A huff, but there's no bite to their tone. Walking closer, Chara drops their hands- eyeing off her crossbow with mild interest.] Whilst I cannot condemn you for being...panicked, with the current climate, perhaps it would be best to ask questions first, shoot later.

Regardless of what you think you're seeing.

[Behind the mask, she flushes slightly darker green and she thumbs the cap of the flask in her cloak nervously. Carefully, so as to avoid flashing her teeth at the child, she removes her mask and takes a healthy drink in one swift motion. When she's done, she wipes her mouth in a motion to cover it and then pushes her mask back on.]

Is anyone looking out for you? Why are you out here all alone?

[Has she considered how suspicious her behavior is because damn, girl. Damn. It's so obvious that she's hiding her identity from them that it's practically painful- though the why of it eludes them entirely. There's nothing about her that strikes them as familiar... and clearly, she doesn't know who they are.

A mystery. One perhaps best left for a time when she isn't gearing to shoot at every shadow.]

I could ask the same of you, ma'am. I can only assume one of us is more lost than the other. [Clasping their hands together behind their back is purposeful- consciously attempting to make themself appear as non-threatening as possible- whilst also checking the knife, securely tucked against the curve of their spine.] I am capable of looking out for myself.

[Are you? Not said, but most certainly implied.]

October Intro: I Think We Should Run

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