lifeaftr | December Intro: Pressure Building

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December Intro: Pressure Building

INTRO LOG: DECEMBER

Who: New arrivals, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: December 4th and onward
Where: All over Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

It begins on a mild autumn day, one where the breeze is gentle and the sky a deep, cloudless blue. Ensō is quiet as the adventurers that call it (if only temporarily) home begin to awaken and go about their daily business- for those who have been here long enough, this may consist of searching for those new arrivals, undoubtedly lost and likely confused. It is a normal day on Ensō. Then the water starts to rise.

Northern Beachfront: Let Me Get Off the Ground
For newcomers waking on the shoreline and those who have come to greet them, the rapid swelling of the ocean's surface will be immediately noticeable. Just a few, short miles from the shore, the water continues bulging upwards to terrifying heights, obscuring the sun and throwing warped shadows over the majority of Ensō's northern landscape. It towers there, wobbling, inexplicably retaining its shape even as it ripples, flowing, and sends great streams of saltwater streaming over the ocean's surface.

Though the sun is barely capable of piercing the immense mass, those with a keen eye will see...something moving within, coiled far above sea level. Some dark mass, too distorted by the water and the lack of light to solidify into any easily recognizable shape, nonetheless makes its presence felt regardless. All nearby will find themselves stricken with a growing sense of being watched by a gaze that pierces flesh and bone…one that is none too appreciative of what it sees.

Retaliation to this apparent threat is both vicious and immediate. Bursting from the trees and whipping through the air within a tornado of motion, thousands, then tens of thousands of ink-stained pages whip out from Ensō's jungle and across open water like a flock of ferocious birds, striking at the liquid mountain with unceasing fervor.

Now may not be the best time to gawk, adventurers. With this attack, the raised water will begin to collapse - and the giant waves resulting from the sudden upset will bear no mercy for anyone swept off their feet in the churning swells.

Storyteller's Temple and the Rest of Ensō: I See Your Corruption
Those seeking shelter and answers will find them limited in supply, if not entirely absent. For, you see, the mana pools on Ensō have ceased functioning, leaving characters stranded wherever they may be at the time the assault begins.

No safety can be found within the temple walls this day, with more and more black pages erupting from every door and window. Attempts to approach and even push through won't be harmful, or at least not intentionally - rather, the pages will force back anyone who attempts to come between them and their current objective. Those who may not get the message the first time may just find themselves flying quite a ways away.

The above will quickly become the least of anyone’s worries.

Those who remember the rebirth of the sun back in January will not doubt recall the creatures of the night faced during those darkest hours. As the waters around Ensō continue to churn in response to the offshore assault, large waves act as ferries for those precise beasts, clambering onto the shore in droves. Though the sun is obscured in many spaces, these shadowy creatures will always make for the treelines during daylight hours, seemingly sluggish at best under natural lighting.

Unfortunately, the Storyteller will be occupied for quite some time - and once night falls, those deadly beings will be on the hunt.

For the duration of the assault, the islets will remain relatively safe during daylight hours, so long as your character is capable of accessing a boat to travel there. Once night falls, however, they will be as dangerous as the mainland.

Both the shadowy creatures and the risen water will retreat on the morning of December 10th, leaving Ensō silent once more. The hovering pages, however, will continue circling the coastline for some time like great papery seabirds.

The doors to the Storyteller’s temple shall remain closed.

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

Yeah, it's pretty weird. But were you able to find the others when you got here? I know they're all somewhere around here.

[ hopefully safe. hopefully resting. ann won't allow herself to get sleep until someone else can take watch.

ann also notices that allura corrects herself there, but won't make mention of it. she figures that if they do become better friends, maybe they'll talk about that later. she nods in reply. ]

So he's part of Team Voltron, too. Geez, there's so many of you! ...Buuut I guess I can't really talk, either.

[ ...whoops. ]

I found Keith. Or rather, we were on the same stretch of the beach when everything descended into chaos.

[Allura laughs quietly, hand still resting on her bayard. Just in case it is needed.]

Yes. He took over support for us when Blue called for me. [Waaaaiiit...] Oh? You are part of a team as well?

Okay. The others should be around here somewhere, too. I can help you find them in the morning?

[ unless she's desperate to go now. it just seems like a bad idea, considering...yeah.

this is also the moment in which ann realizes she fucked up. she pauses, eyes widening when she catches her mistake. ]

I--uhhh-- [ ann takamaki. please. ] n-no! I mean, y-yeah, I am, I mean, we're all a team here, aren't we?

Well, yes, but... [She looks at her new friend with a sharp raise of both eyebrows.] You spoke the word as though you were part of another as well.

And I would appreciate that, yes. Though I highly doubt either of us are in a good enough state to search for them now.

[She's put on a brave face about it, but... her side still aches from where she was slammed in her seat at what she guesses is impact; not to mention her arms and neck. Her magic had helped, but it left her exhausted to use.]

[ the perception check is too strong. ]

Iiiii mean, like I said, we're all a team here, aren't we? Ssssooooo that's what I was referring to!

[ no it fuckin wasn't

anyway. ]

But you're right. We really aren't. Let's just chill for now unless something comes up?

[It is way too strong. ~~if only it remained that way for a certain purple manchild.~~]

Indeed. [A warm, friendly smile!] And you do not have to tell me if you do not wish to. Regardless, your secret is safe with me.

[It's a good thing Keith is friends with her, otherwise she'd be highly Suspicious of Ann right now. As it is... she's learned to trust Keith's judgment. Somewhat. She's stubborn.]

[ the adult purple man ]

...I'm sorry, Allura. I just...

[ the visions were there during storytelling. people saw her unlock her persona, people know that there's more to ann takamaki than what meets the eye. she could very well tell allura about the phantom thieves now.

she's a friend of keith's. family, probably, at this point, considering everything they've been through. ]

The reason I don't really talk about the group I'm really referring to is because not everyone approves of what we do. Some pretty powerful people back at home are trying to take us down. But I promise you we're just doing what's right for everyone in Tokyo. [ she laughs dryly. ] We'd probably be real good allies with Voltron, though. Just being honest.

[ the adult purple man will live on... ]

[Allura is quiet, knowing just how hard it is for someone to speak of this sort of thing. She herself tended to keep things from others because it could protect them, even if it may harm them in the long run.]

So you are vigilantes? Rebels? [It isn't that hard to perceive. She's worked with countless rebel factions over the course of the year they spent before the battle with Lotor. Technically, they are a group of rebels as well. Of the lawful good variety.] I understand wanting to do what is right for those around you. So long as it does not sacrifice others in the process, you need not worry about what I will think.

[And she means it, wholeheartedly.]

Yeah. We are. [ she's hesitant when she says it at first, because it's really the first time she's opening up about the phantom thieves since telling keith. but...she did say that she wasn't going to hold back any longer. of course, she doesn't feel like telling everyone here, but her friends deserve to know. ]

The last thing we want is to sacrifice anyone. Even the bad guys. But that doesn't mean we aren't willing to put our own lives on the line, either.

[Allura reaches out to place a hand on Ann's shoulder. She'd been quiet as she struggled with hesitation, even though the Altean had given her an out from the start. She appreciates it more than the other likely realizes.]

Then as I said, you do not have to worry what I think. [She smiles warmly.] I'll admit, not wanting to sacrifice an enemy is a strange thought. Yet Alteans such as I and Coran believe in diplomacy first, though we are not afraid to lift our weapons in defense of ourselves or others.

[But that's war. Even though her mind briefly lingers upon the fate of one she had wanted to save, and an alternate reality...]

[ the physical contact is a little surprising, but it's not unwanted. she smiles at allura and nods firmly. ]

We don't want them dead because they won't be able to confess to their crimes that way. Plus, we don't wanna be responsible for someone's death, you know? The government's already out to get us. We don't want to give them another reason to try and give us a bad name.

[ ...let's not talk about how she almost killed kamoshida, though. she held back because she thought letting him live with his crimes was a better punishment than death itself. ]

Thanks, Allura.

[Allura smiles faintly.]

It sounds as though your team has had quite the time of it. You'll have to excuse me, however. War is different from what you seem to be implying.

[At least you didn't throw your significant other like an empty drink can, Ann. Just saying. (And on the list of extra ways to break up with someone...)]

Think nothing of it. [She withdraws her hand, raising an eyebrow.] Are you alright? If you need a break, I can keep an ear out for movement.

Oh- right. You guys are literally trying to save the entire universe, aren't you?

[ which makes the phantom thieves' mission very, very small in comparison. ]

And I'll be okay. As long as I have energy left in me, I have to keep going. I'm one of the only people here who can generate fire, I think? And if any of the fires go out, I need to light them again. [ she gives her a small smile out of gratitude, though. ]

I'll sleep when the sun comes out.

We are, but no conflict is any less important than another to those who are fighting it. Nor to those it can save.

[Small =/= unimportant.]

I know exactly how you feel, though I will say to you what a dear friend once told me: Sometimes what is best for everyone is to take a step back and rest. You will not be able to do so if your own energy runs dry.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

December Intro: Pressure Building

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