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The Mods of LifeAftr ([personal profile] lifeaftr_mods) wrote in [community profile] lifeaftr2019-01-04 08:41 pm

January Intro: It Grips Me

INTRO LOG: JANUARY
Who: New arrivals, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: January 5th and onward
Where: All over Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Shores of Ensō: The Sun's a Harsh Reminder Why
As dawn arrives - and with it, new adventurers to Ensō's shores. It appears the Storyteller is not about to allow a repeat of last month. The ever watchful pages that have guarded the shorelines the month prior now begin to move closer inland, circling the landscape in closing, careful arcs. To the particularly astute, their purpose may quickly become clear. Anything foreign to Ensō's natural ecosystem will be met initially with wary hovering, ruffled pages flocking to nearby trees and wheeling overhead. Now and again, a particularly brave little page will swoop down to tap against the top of an unsuspecting entity.

Foreign entities, in this instance, just so happen to include...well, all of you. These partially sentient notes can be found flitting across the entirety of Ensō and the neighboring housing islets, intent on surveying every little nook and cranny of the tropical landscape. While they may little more than a vague irritant, their attitude towards a person they’re surveying can absolutely get worse, depending on the response they receive.
Though responses may vary (and creativity, encouraged), the pages are looking for indications of anything that is not only out of the ordinary, but also that which is acting suspicious. Unfortunately, they're not quite experienced in determining what does and does not count as a genuine threat, and thus they might very well interpret even the smallest signs of surprise, anxiety, and (justified) irritation as signs of hostility.

Unfortunately, their response to this is likely to be just as unpleasant as it is abrupt. Those of you who protest a little too vigorously may find yourselves abruptly doused with a viscous black ink - a marker to return and inspect you again in future. Where more aggressive behavior is…noted, you may very well find yourself swept up in a tornado of angry paperwork, only to be abruptly (and not at all comfortably) deposited at the Storyteller's temple. A very weary Storyteller will do their best to apologize as they slowly smooth out the kinks in this new security system.

But surely you agree, dear adventurer, that this sort of security system is indeed necessary.

Ensō, Inland: Who Knows Where Our Limits Lie
Unsuspecting adventurers aren't the only creatures the pages seem intent on harassing, it seems. Across Ensō, the activity of the native fauna will become much more apparent as creatures are driven from their usual haunts by invading paper. From the smallest of snaplings to herds of cariborn, it will take some time for the wildlife to settle down as many disturbed creatures will find themselves displaced miles away from their natural homes, seemingly at random. Unfortunately, this also includes the creatures most would prefer not to have on the move.
For the unappraised, Ensō happens to play host to a particularly horrifying brand of wildlife known only as the fustercluck: a large swath of appropriated limbs with katamari-like qualities, if katamaris were more well known for digesting the majority of their victims and using what little remained (usually the hands and feet) to propel themselves towards their next meal.

Despite Ensō being home to two such creatures, very little has been discovered about them, aside from how unfortunately indestructible they seem to be. Magic, guns, bombs - name your poison, and a fustercluck will most certainly be impervious to it, including poison itself. Should you be unlucky enough to wander into the path of a fustercluck, your best option is to run - or lend the fustercluck a hand.

And another hand. And your entire body, since you offered so nicely.

The fusterclucks have a more directed path than most creatures - they can be found moving up and down the rows of G and H until January 10th, when they appear to settle down...unless they're diverted elsewhere first.



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!


LOGSOOCSTORIESMAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )
timaeus_testified: (And what is that?)

[personal profile] timaeus_testified 2019-01-08 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's having a stare off with a troll. Again. He waits. It's not like that's hard he has always waited for things. Scratch that it's kind of hard. He keeps thinking back to Dave and Terezi being wholly without his wreckage on their side.

Clown troll delivers a smile and offers Hand. He stands up and tucks his board up against his side, he'd stuffed his other shit into the pack. Finally, after a moment he takes the hand.]


...okay.

[So far, he hasn't run into brutal murder by clown. This one seems friendly??]
timaeus_testified: (Prepare to die.)

*lot of. thanks autocorrect

[personal profile] timaeus_testified 2019-01-08 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
An incident. [He opens the pack and inspects the contents. MRE, wood drill, fishing line, first aid kit, and a stone. He pockets the stone and stuffs his own supply of soda from his person into the pack.]

Mind telling me what this 'incident' was to make a bunch of pages nervous enough to serve as bouncers?

[There's something else in the sand. He checks his sword on his back and kneels down to dig.] Something over here.
prettypurpleparlor: I have within my pantry (Table ready)

[personal profile] prettypurpleparlor 2019-01-08 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
What I'm wondering is whether or not it can tell that. Is it just attracted to the motion? Or does it have some other way of hunting...

[She sighs.]

Largely a moot point, I suppose, but figuring out how exactly this creature senses its' prey might be useful.
postictal: (gdi jay)

[personal profile] postictal 2019-01-08 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
We could find out, not that I'm wild about the idea.

[He sounds decidedly unhappy about giving that a try without a backup plan, though at the very least he'd be able to fucking...bait the thing away. So that's a plus. Vaguely.]
prettypurpleparlor: A subtle web (I'm sure you're very welcome)

[personal profile] prettypurpleparlor 2019-01-08 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[Deadpan:]

Let's not and say we did, dearie.

[No using yourself as bait, Tim.]

I'd rather not take unnecessary risks to find out what we might be able to learn just by keeping an eye on the thing for a bit, anyway. Angels know we're going to have to keep close watch on it for a while, assuming it doesn't decide to just tumble off a cliff and make us all a little less worried.
postictal: (this shit'll kill you | smoking)

[personal profile] postictal 2019-01-08 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Somehow, I think that if that were gonna happen, it would've already.

[They're not that far from the coast. An island this fall, by necessity, is essentially surrounded by coast. If he hadn't gotten used to the texture of living by the sea back in Sol, the disparity between this place and the landlocked Alabama would be utterly dissonant.]

So for now, keeping an eye on it is the plan.
timaeus_testified: (I'm sick of myself)

[personal profile] timaeus_testified 2019-01-08 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
...are they gods too? [Denizens of their domains? Dirk settles in place and folds his legs under him. He feels a bit better. But he's still too tired to think going beyond this temple is a good idea.]

And uh, how long have you been here? Just a ballpark estimate if you're not entirely sure. [He should figure out this social business. That being how to talk to a stranger and sound like a person.

He is going to fail to this. He frowns.]
Does everyone's tech get busted on arrival or was it just me?
timaeus_testified: Art by <lj site="tumblr.com" user="jin-nyeh"> (Jesus can't leave those two alone.)

[personal profile] timaeus_testified 2019-01-08 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[He rolls onto his stomach and stares. The paper cranes are having a mad on party at some guy. He eases himself up and makes sure his sword is properly sheathed before he speaks up.]

Hey. Yo.

[The paper friends just keep inking on. Dirk coughs into his closed fist and finally has about enough of this. He pitches his deadpan voice to carry, lacing it with enough disapproval to make a teacher sit up. It works on seagulls.] Okay, this is done. Step the fuck off his back and let the man breathe.

[He marches into their midst and starts shoving them out of the way.] What the fuck are you doing that for anyway? He's clearly just here to scope out the beach. Go on. Shoo.

[He flutters his hands sending more of them scattering away. His arm sweeps out to send more of them higher into the air.] Come on.

Go flutter above if you want. Stop this shit!
timaeus_testified: (Man on a mission)

[personal profile] timaeus_testified 2019-01-08 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[The hit catches him off guard. He'd stumbled after he collided with a person (he hadn't been able to stop in time). He has a second to realize the stance and then brace himself.

Pain is more grounding than he ever wants to admit. It defined his life in little shades. He winces then turns and points at the flesh ball floating among the paper cranes.]


Look up, then come on. We don't want to stick around that thing and I don't think you want to find out what it does.

[He adjusts his board under his arm and motions. The strike smarts. It does but he'll shrug off the pain for now. Life saving first.] Let's get while it's not on the ground.
timaeus_testified: (Battle ready)

[personal profile] timaeus_testified 2019-01-08 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
[Dirk is about to step up his speed when he looks up and catches a glimpse. His expression goes flat and he blurs, vanishing as he puts his speed above normal human. It feels like he's broken through some barrier and his muscles protest. The fuck?

He appears to his left, now standing still and partly among the trees.]
Hell no. We're not doing a horror movie trope.

I'm cutting cross country, welcome to come or not. But really not in the fuckin mood to be fucked with.

[He raises his eyebrow. Coming, not coming? He wipes sweat from his face and frowns at it. This isn't even a leisurely stroll for him.]
prettypurpleparlor: I'm sure you must be weary (Who sleep upon your bed)

[personal profile] prettypurpleparlor 2019-01-08 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I live in hope.

[The verbal equivalent of a shrug.]

Ideally, that's all we'll need to do... But if it starts moving too close to the building, then we're going to need another plan in a hurry. Which, unfortunately, brings us full-circle to having no idea what to do with it.
wanderingdoctorfaust: Faust widening his eyehole in surprise. (faust_shock)

[personal profile] wanderingdoctorfaust 2019-01-08 07:56 pm (UTC)(link)
And once again, the good doctor's mind is racing. Temples? Houses? POOLS?! What kind of civilisation has he stumbled upon that they have swimming pools on an island paradise? A civilisation who seems to be comprised of adorable sign language-speaking insectoids, no less? Really now, just what on Earth is this place? And why hadn't he stumbled upon it sooner?!

[How about you surprise me, Knight? Take me wherever you'd like to-]

He quickly cuts himself off with a 'one minute' request, before power-scuttling back for his scalpel. When he returns, it's safely tucked into the crook of his arm, pointy end downwards. He's still unsure how young Knight will respond to his brandishing of a giant, bladed implement.

[-just in case! This means a lot to me, and I wouldn't like anybody to steal it whilst I'm absent.]

Well then, looks like he's about to integrate himself with quite the populace indeed. Will the others accept him quicker if he just pretends he's a giant stick insect? Will he have to paint some antenna on his bag? Or perhaps he could just save those thoughts for later, when he has more information about this supposed civilisation. Thus, he chooses to instead gesture energetically towards the open space besides Knight.

[Lead the way!]
postictal: (u like eating so much??? eat shit)

[personal profile] postictal 2019-01-08 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
So far baiting it away is still the only option that's liable to have any chance of working.

[It's their only option, period.]

We could light some torches, see if the thing doesn't like fire, but I'm not optimistic.
wanderingdoctorfaust: A mugshot of Faust, showing his 'head' and his suit. (faust_mug)

[personal profile] wanderingdoctorfaust 2019-01-08 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Well then, that's a relief! He's not picking up on any deceit or mischief, so perhaps they're not as far from home as his cursory assumptions suggested. The beginnings of worry die before they have a chance to truly grow and be nurtured by his fears, and Faust is once more the very chaotic embodiment of peace.

"You would be correct, young Chara! I woke up less than an hour ago and I have absolutely no idea where I am or how I got here!"

The upbeat cheer continues to flow forth like a spring stream, thrumming with warmth and teeming with life. He really can't help himself, the dreamscape just never fails to impress.

"Do you know an authority figure or leader I could talk to so I could get my bearings, please?"

Not so he can leave, mind. He wants to map this place out properly so he can return to it at a later date whenever the mood takes him. You start by taking a left instead of a right immediately after passing the Nordic Pantheon, right? No, left. Left. Right?
prettypurpleparlor: Thinking only (And I've a many curious things)

[personal profile] prettypurpleparlor 2019-01-08 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
...Hm.

[Muffet sounds as though an idea just occurred to her.]

I wonder if it's attracted to noise at all? That could be a way to lure it in one direction or another without needing to get too close.
postictal: (that boy needs therapy)

[personal profile] postictal 2019-01-08 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[He doesn't know enough about the fustercluck to know whether or not it's a good idea. At worst, they attract yet more unwanted attention. If that happens, they can just use that to bait the fustercluck instead.]

We might as well try it. It's gotta have a few ears in there somewhere, right?
journalname: (🔱 watching)

[personal profile] journalname 2019-01-08 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
I died in the trials. That is all.

[By now, his shame at that has faded to the point where it isn't so visible. It's not even about the dying; it's about the things he did years ago, that earned him such a fate.]

I expect it will clear up within a few more weeks.
solperierat: (Wary)

[personal profile] solperierat 2019-01-08 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
'Bout seven or eight foot wide and deep. And that's just moving the earth out of the way, making the walls of it smooth or hard would need it to be at least a foot smaller in both directions.

[He's silent for a moment, chewing on a thought.]

I'll be honest, I don't know how bad it's gonna hit me doing something this big. I might not be able to move for a few minutes afterward.
ideismo: (05. My purpose is set; my will defined)

[personal profile] ideismo 2019-01-08 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[That gets a distinct pause out of him, though whether it's due to a shared experience or that entire thing just striking him wrong somehow is difficult to say; he'll shake it off after a short while, he always does, but just briefly it's possibly a good thing that his facial expression is going to go unseen.]

...I understand. We were given...multiple chances, let's say; I'll admit that I needed them.

[It hasn't even fully registered for him that he died, but there's no true shame in the admission, either; an appropriate enough amount of regret, he's not a fucking sociopath, but he's clearly not flagellating himself over it, either.]

Until then, I can be considered generally present if you need anything done; my name is Alexei Dinoia, and I won't claim myself to be an expert in...all things required of us here, but I'm passable enough.
postictal: (gimme a dang minute)

[personal profile] postictal 2019-01-08 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you sure that's a smart idea? We don't even know if that'll be enough to hold the thing.

[A big hole, a passed-out goatman that Tim will have no hope of carrying free from the fustercluck's path of destruction, and no guarantee that it'll be worth the sacrifice? He's heard better plans. He has also heard worse plans and facilitated plenty himself, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have some goddamned standards.]
solperierat: (Pout)

[personal profile] solperierat 2019-01-09 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
No, the smart thing would be to spend a few days making something we know would be big enough and making sure I have juice enough leftover to seal the thing inside.

[Ed growls under his breath, frustrated, and peers down at the Fustercluck's path.]

Which I'm not exactly opposed to doing, but it's here now.
postictal: (u like eating so much??? eat shit)

[personal profile] postictal 2019-01-09 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
If you pass out, I'm not gonna be able to carry you away from the thing, so you'd better have a good idea of what your limits are.

[Not easily, anyway. Not if the plan is for them both to avoid joining the mess of rotating limbs carrying the damn thing around.]
alchemisted: (4)

[personal profile] alchemisted 2019-01-09 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
[Alfor is sufficiently distracted by what Allura is saying that stabbing has been set aside for the time being. He sticks close to his daughter.

His smile softens, dims faintly as she continues. Lotor. She's used the name before, and there's no mistaking it even by the way that she speaks.]


I'm proud of you. The challenges of Oriande are not easily passed.

[At all. But he does add, smile twisting ever so slightly.] Of course, you are my daughter, so I would never have had a shred of doubt you'd manage it.

[So. Now he's thinking he probably ought to figure out the extent of what their alchemy can do here. So he can use it in conjunction with stabbing.]
alchemisted: (Default)

[personal profile] alchemisted 2019-01-09 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
Yes. Well. Having met a few of those... pests... I can see how that might have happened.

[...he's mostly cleaned the ink off y now at least.

But. That said.]
There's no way to stop it, then? Or at least contain it?

[His curiosity will eventually get him killed by something, but hopefully it won't be one of these things.]
alchemisted: (7)

[personal profile] alchemisted 2019-01-09 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
[There! Those names are familiar, and more of the dreamlike memories settle themselves in his mind. He nods.]

Yes. The future Paladins of Voltron. ...or well, future from my perspective. I met them in that place as well. Are you friends with them as well?

[Pals with the Paladins?]

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