January Intro: It Grips Me

[lifeaftr_mods]

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!

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[alchemisted]

The storyteller isn't it?

[Alfor nods.] But as dreams go, there was that other island as well...

[Strange and dreamlike as it was. It turns out to have been real, given that those he met there and met here remember it as he does.]

[counterblows]

You ended up on Mu.

[There's a note of quiet recognition in his tone - so that would be why he has something of a more solidified picture, then. In some ways, he's already gotten an introduction to his new surroundings.]

But - yeah. That's them. Everyone gets the dream with the Storyteller. Sometimes they end up on that other island, Mu, but not always.

[alchemisted]

Yes, that's the one.

[A nod. And honestly it was a crash course before he wound up here, in particular in meeting his daughter and finding out horrific things about his own future.

But now that is interesting.]

So we all are welcomed with a dream. But not all of us experience the dream island. ...Allura mentioned that not all who appear on Mu arrive on these shores either.

[A sigh.] More questions then, without clear answers.

[counterblows]

Get used to that here.

[He makes no attempt to mask his disgust.]

Some people show up, and some don't. Some people disappear, only to reappear with new memories, or no memories at all. There's no consistency to it - at least, none that I've figured out.

[alchemisted]

Charming.

[And Alfor will join him in his displeasure about that whole setup.

But still, if Allura is here, Alfor would by far rather be here than leave her here -- even if she clearly has her team with her, and is clearly used to him not being around in her time. He doesn't need to bring that up, however, because he's still wrapping his mind around it.]

How long have you been in this place? Are there others from your world here?

[counterblows]

There were.

[He shifts his weight slightly, and glances away.]

[There were. He doesn't go into the specifics, because why should he? There were, and there aren't anymore. That's the bottom line. That's the only line he can take away from this.]

[It's fine. It's not the first time he's lost people.]

[It's not even the first time he's lost these particular people.]

Since June. Little over half a year.

[alchemisted]

[Those two words are enough. They speak volumes in their way, and Alfor won't push it further. It doesn't seem right to.

June doesn't make sense to him, but half a year he can work with.]

That's quite a long time in a strange place.

[But he's still in one piece, so maybe that's a good sign?]

[counterblows]

I'm not even close to having been here the longest.

[His tone is steady. He doesn't lose himself in grief, anymore. He's never much been able to afford to. He lost himself in someone else's grief, raw and chemical, until he fragmented and forgot who he was.]

[That was enough. That was enough for a lifetime.]

[alchemisted]

[Which begs the question,] How long is the longest? Do you know?

[Because Alfor has basically gotten the impression that there is no real escape intentionally from this place. Not that he would in any event plan on leaving while Allura is still here, but he still doesn't like it all being so outside his control.]

I am sorry. I'm flinging question after question at you. I imagine it's tiring.

[counterblows]

Well over a year, at this point. As far as I know.

[That's the idea that Wash has picked up, which isn't helped by the low-tech nature of the place. Without so much as the parts to build a communications array or a radio tower, or any means of broadcasting, there's no way of even telling if there's anyone remotely advanced enough to intercept it.]

[Wash rolls one armored shoulder in a shrug.]

You're new, and I'm not. Makes sense you'd ask questions.

[alchemisted]

[Alfor nods at the information. That's a long time, and yet... recent enough that certainly whatever started people being brought here may still be discoverable. Perhaps. Or maybe that's overly optimistic.]

That's charitable of you. Thank you.

[He does appreciate it. He's getting his bearings here. While it's not starting to make sense yet, he thinks he can at least start adjusting.]

[counterblows]

Can't say I'm the best at this.

[He's best at exposition when he holds at least some of the cards. Or has more cards than just, for example, a three of spades that was bent and crumpled and shoved in his pocket upon arrival. The metaphor's getting away from him.]

But, still, if you need something answered...aside from what that is. [He indicates the fustercluck's silhouette with a weary jerk of his chin.] 'Cause I can't help you there.

[alchemisted]

It's a monstrosity that should not be allowed to rampage freely. That's explanation enough.

[And probably some hint that Alfor has plans to not leave the situation alone. At least he's smart enough to consider and plan. This time.]

The rest I'll hopefully stumble through.

[counterblows]

Most of us do.

[He takes a minute to root around for something, and emerges with a rock in hand. There's a small screen on it, oddly enough.]

You should have one of these. Works kind of like a...walkie talkie, if you know what that is.

[alchemisted]

Oh yes. I've seen that...

[He fishes his out of his pack, holding it up and turning it over.] I'm not familiar with the term, no.

[Very Earthy, that term.] What does it do?

[counterblows]

A radio, basically. [He refuses to call it a rockie-talkie, despite that being probably the most informative word for it.] You can talk to everyone at once, or one specific person. The screen serves as caller I.D.

[If he...knows what that is.]

[alchemisted]

This is a communicator?

[Fascinating. He turns it over in his hand. Interesting. But all right.] How handy.

[But it's a rock. Now he wants to figure out how it works. So he'll poke at that later.] Thank you.

[counterblows]

Just say whoever you want to speak to, and it should link you up to them. Real time, though, so you can't leave a message.

[He reslots his own back wherever he was keeping it.]

You can call me up if you have any more questions. Can't promise I know all the answers, but you never know.

[alchemisted]

Wonderful.

[Easy to use. He'll certainly keep it in mind. He looks back up to the other man with a smile.]

That's generous. I'll try not to abuse the generosity. Until then... I think it may be good to get back to exploring. I'd like to have the lay of the land more than I do.

[And he'll give the fustercluck a wide, wide berth.]

[counterblows]

Fair enough. [He eyes the fustercluck one last time, but...the guy seems capable enough. He'll probably be fine. He'll probably be fine? Yeah. Fine.]

Watch your back. There's more than one of those things around here.

[alchemisted]

[He'll probably be fine. Most definitely probably.]

Thank you again.

[A quick little nod of his head and he heads off. Away from the Fustercluck. For now.]