April Intro: Better Get to Digging

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: APRIL

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

Waking up to the gentle proddings of what appears to be very curious, sentient trees isn't the worst wake up call LifeAftr has to offer. For our newest arrivals, however, it may be a tad…odd.

Situated in the valley between two mountains, Elower is a scenic village filled with the friendly Roaka, tree-like beings that are rather peaceable and happy to assist those who have just arrived. I'’s a peaceful location for one to start their adventures - though, unfortunately, it doesn't stay peaceful for long.

Cahypdo: You'll Bury Me Low
Those who have explored the new island of Cahypdo in the last month will undoubtedly recall the series of quakes that shook the island throughout March. With the arrival of LifeAftr's newest adventurers comes Cahypdo's largest tremor to date, striking without warning and more than enough force to throw even the steadiest and sturdiest of your number to the ground. With a low rumble, the mountains heaped on either side of the island will start to shed an abundance of slag and debris, pouring down their slopes. Anyone who's scaling those peaks risks being flung bodily off them when the outpouring of shale comes roaring down those mountains, and anyone at the mountain bases risks being crushed beneath.

As one might expect, unsuspecting newcomers aren't all that have been shaken up. Though protected by netting and retaining walls, the cliffs around and above the village of Elower can only take so much pressure before giving way - a threshold that has been crossed entirely. With a sound like thunder, rocks fall.

Everyone dies? Only if you don't act quickly. Roaka housing is sturdy in build, enough to protect a decidedly less sturdy body from all but the heaviest of boulders. Hiding inside any of their village constructs built into the sides of the mountains will certainly save you from taking a new weight onto your shoulders. They will not, however, save you from being buried alive.

For those who become trapped inside any of those abodes, your options appear limited. Work to free yourself, or wait for help to arrive. Though, speaking of help, those outside may think to offer the Roaka a helping hand in getting their trapped people - and yours, at that - a few breaths of fresh air.

Before you suffocate.

Cahypdo: Stay Acting Brave
Such seismic activity will also stir up the local wildlife, of course. Those unfortunate enough to come across them will recognize the restless shark-dragon hybrids, hydrac, now prowling across the shorelines, while the wickedly fanged wabbits will also be far more frequent, traveling in larger numbers in the jungle and at the bases of the mountains. Taking care to avoid them would be wise - though another creature may make that venture much more difficult.

Lorbies have been unlocked in the bestiary! A strange mix between owl and serpent, the recent quake has clearly startled these usually reclusive creatures into the open. Alone, a lorby is a rather skittish animal, prone to hiding from most perceived threats. Useless for food due to the toxicity of their flesh, lorbies do have the potential to be tamed...but this comes with its own risks.

A lorby may be prone to flight rather than fight when encountered solo, but in groups, these feathery critters are far more hostile. A defensive lorby emits a piercing cry alone, but a group is an almost ear-piercing experience, capable of rendering the unfortunate unstable on their feet at best, and unconscious at worst. For the days that follow the severe earthquake that so rocked everyone's foundations, any hope for silence is lost in the infrequent bursts of almighty screeching by colonies of lorbies who have so rudely had their homes overturned and disturbed.

While the lorby is omnivorous, it may not think to take a bite at anything so much larger than them. That doesn't mean that conflict with these fluffy creatures won't attract something much more willing to take advantage of the fact that you may or may not have been reduced to a prone sack of meat. If something else does arrive, you best hope that it's a friendly face.

If you're interested in keeping a lorby for your own, bear LifeAftr's companion limit in mind - two per character, and no more. The lorby is omnivorous and can survive off of most odds and ends: insects, fruits, berries, critters it can dig up in the sand, and more. However, the process of trying to tame a lorby is not always successful. We recommend use of a d10, with the following guidelines:

Rolling a 10: Critical success! This lorby will love and adore you, and may even feel comfortable enough to drape itself along your neck like a beautiful, furry scarf, churring softly all the way.
Rolling 7-9: This lorby will prove high-strung and timid, even if safely befriended, and will take several weeks to warm up to you. But once it does, it's yours!
Rolling 2-6: Failure. The lorby enters a state of distress and starts screaming. Hope you brought earplugs, or you'll be snoozing for several long hours for your efforts.
Rolling a 1: Critical failure. Not only does the lorby start screaming, but its panic attracts a colony of its friends, and they all start screaming too.

Bear in mind that these are only guidelines; you are free to predetermine successes or failures as you'd like, presuming your character can sustain the companion! Our discord channel has a room for dice-rolls, if you prefer.

---

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

tim wright | ota

[postictal]

i. cahypdo ; feels like i just did this

[It honestly really does feel like Tim just did this, likely because he did just do this. He spent the past few weeks patching up the place, helping the Roaka with repairs, and then another earthquake rolls around and renders most of the work he did moot.]

[Maybe they should think of settling some place a little more stable, he catches himself thinking grumpily. It's not as if Cahypdo seems to be terribly stable by nature, and these people probably aren't sailors. There's a reason they chose to settle here, probably - he just doesn't know what it is yet.]

[In the meantime, he spends most of his time trying to help with sifting the rubble away to get at anyone who might be trapped in the buildings, or just generally trying to move the debris somewhere it won't keep the houses crushed to kindling.]

[You might catch him muttering under his breath as he goes:]

Goddamnit. Again. Again. Would it kill them to invest in some earthquake-proofing?

ii. ensō ; denny do we got the EGGS

[Sooner or later, almost everyone hears about Denny.]

[After the initial rush of new arrivals, Tim settles down to keep the place running smoothly. There's not much in the way of food aside from what you'd consider typical for a reworked, repaired, former mess hall: cooked meat, eggs, coconut cookies, milk of a bluish but ultimately edible quality...and liquor.]

[Blackberry whiskey, to be exact.]

[Tim can and will bartend to ensure that you don't drink yourself into an absolute stupor. He doesn't drink himself - can't - so that's not a risk for him, see.]

[He doesn't have a bouncer, but he is pals with a very persuasive spider lady who makes most of the food. So don't, like, make too much trouble.]

iii. wildcard

[hmu over at arrpee or zero#8942 on discord if you wanna do any plottin or plannin. i will match prose or brackets so do what ur gay little heart desires.]

I.

[prettypurpleparlor]

At this point, I'm beginning to consider helping them install some.

[Muffet, like Tim, is working steadily to help anyone hurt or closed in by the rocks.]

[Also, like Tim, she's slightly exasperated about having to do this again so soon. She can't really blame the Roaka, they're working with the hand they were dealt, she's just less than thrilled about the timing. At least she doesn't seem to be having too much trouble moving rocks- if anything, her greater-than-human strength is of far more use here in this type of situation than it would be in an actual fight.]

[After all, rocks don't usually have any cruel intent.]

[postictal]

There's gotta be a reason they're doing this.

[He has to stop to wipe aside a trickle of sweat as it runs, stinging, into his eye.]

A reason they rebuild. Why up against the mountains? The fishing villages are hit way less than this. Why not settle there instead? [He hasn't asked them, but...he's not sure he'd get an actual answer, if he did. He's also slightly unsettled around the presence of people who appear to be living trees for...reasons that aren't entirely clear to him.]

[Reasons he doesn't remember.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

Perhaps I should ask... [Muffet isn't bothered by treeple (tree people), but she'll admit that she doesn't always understand other cultures' priorities. Humans are already fairly confusing, and they at least theoretically came from the same planet she did.]

I suppose they might have their own dangers, there- this world certainly doesn't seem to lack for them.

[She works steadily as she speaks, shifting rocks with careful patience.]

[postictal]

This island, even. You hear about the rabbits?

[Because apparently this island has them! Massive fluffballs that sprout way too many teeth when you get too close! And poisonous flowers, because landslides were not the only natural danger they should have to deal with!]

[It's not as bad as, say, Umui, but it feels arguably worse that he put all the work into helping the Roaka repair, only for it to go thoroughly to waste.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

I've heard them mentioned in passing, though most people seemed to be more concerned with those... ah, rather long furry creatures? I'm not certain we ever were told a name for them.

[Muffet is undisturbed by the lorbies due to having encountered them primarily in the context of the Knight riding one, which was adorable. But other people seemed a little more uncomfortable about them. She can't imagine why.]

[postictal]

I have no idea what they're called, and I don't plan on bothering any of them. [At least they're not innately hostile, which is more than he can say for the fucking rabbits.]

They don't look like they're attacking anyone on sight, so they can do whatever they want.

denny do you got the coffee???

[reflash]

[It's been twenty four hours, and Yukio feels like garbage. His head is pounding, he feels about ten seconds from throwing up, and he's so tired that even digging a fang into the soft tissue inside his mouth isn't helping him stay alert.

Really, he should have quit caffeine months ago, or at least tried to taper down his intake since it feels like half his time in the carnival was spent with a caffeine headache. But he's sixteen and trying to get by on four hours of sleep a night as a baseline, and runs on coffee and energy drinks.

"Denny" had been described as the place to go for maybe finding food, if you're lucky, and maybe if Yukio is extremely fortunate he'll find coffee or tea or something. (Yukio has never been lucky, or fortunate).]

Hello? [This place is exactly what Yukio expected, and not at all what he'd hoped. He flicks his tongue out, tasting the air (and maybe half-expecting to smell his brother) and looks around as he walks into the dimly lit space. Yukio's skin glows with faint bioluminescence all over, but it's stronger in his eyes (natural human eyes, a metal sci-fi eye stuck in his forehead, and blue scales scattered across his skin). He's holding his tail close so he doesn't bump the blades end into anything, and just generally seems cautious and alert (not shy or hesitant, just not sure if this is the right place).]

I'm sorry, [he says, when he sees Tim.] I heard this was a... place to find supplies?

I...GENUINELY DON'T REMEMBER....

[postictal]

[New guy, he'd assume. This is right around the time that new people start arriving, and Tim doesn't recognize him, so - new guy. With a snake-tongue, and a tail, and glowing skin, and scales. He takes in all the oddities with a short, desultory up-and-down appraisal, and nods once.]

[The nice thing about coming up on two years with dealing with this shit: nothing really surprises you anymore.]

For a certain value of "supplies," sure. We're not the Elf-Mart, but we have a few things on hand. And we don't make you pay, either.

[He doesn't explain what the "Elf-Mart" is. That's self-explanatory. Right?]

rip

[reflash]

["Elf-mart" sounds both completely absurd and exactly like what Yukio should expect from a world full of long furbies and Denny. And after a long, long day, Yukio is not going to go mess with Elf-mart.]

That's generous of you. Are there a lot of businesses here? [Yukio needs some info. And caffeine.]

[postictal]

Not really. No economy, so most of it is just what you're willing to trade. Stories, equipment, whatever.

[Denny is the one place that doesn't really take even that much, unless you make a problem of yourself and require that someone be compensated for you breaking shit.]

[reflash]

And you don't even require that. [He says, just checking. Yukio's not one to trust something being given away for free, and now the idea sort of grates somehow. It's the fae-touched part of him, he realizes, slightly more queasy than he'd been.]

[postictal]

Nope.

[He gets something better, just by running the place.]

[He gets a steady stream of information. He gets conversations, snippets of exchanges that he can safely and anonymously overhear. The paranoiac in him (which is most of him) had the idea to set this place up precisely for that reason, and it's worked out pretty well.]

Don't see any point. I'm not a hoarder.

Denny

[goat_mom]

Of course, since Toriel's been asking around about Tim, she hears of Denny quickly enough. Once all the fuss at Cahypdo is settled and everyone's safe, it's the first place she goes to.

She can't remember many details from her dream, but she remembers one thing - that a man called Tim is taking care of her children. She has to speak with him - she has to thank him, first of all, but she has to make sure he's a good guardian. It wouldn't do if someone less than capable was raising her children, after all.

So, when she enters, she approaches the bar and takes a seat, smiling at the bartender.

"Could you assist me? I am looking for a man known as Tim. You would not be him, would you?"

[postictal]

He's had practice schooling the recognition out of his expression. The temptation to say nope, you're looking for someone else and try and skate on by off of a lie is there, make no mistake, but there's no way it'd be sustainable in the long term.

So, expression carefully neutral, Tim braces both hands on either side of the bar and looks her square in the eyes.

(Banishes the memory that just the sight of her conjures, the whole fucking procession of them, a chain of thoughts and reminders and instincts that don't belong to him so he doesn't let them stick where they shouldn't.)

"That's me," he says, casual and conversational. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you're from the Underground."

[goat_mom]

She's momentarily surprised by her having found Tim so easily, but it passes quickly enough. She's not at all surprised that he realizes she's from the Underground - Asgore is here, after all, and both Frisk and Chara have likely spoken of it.

"I am," she says, smiling gently. "My name is Toriel. I... was once Asgore's wife, and I am Frisk and Chara's guardian. One might even say I am like their mother. I mean you no trouble, but we have much to discuss, my dear."

[postictal]

He nods once, weary, and shuts his eyes. Mental preparation isn't going to save him from what he's certain is going to be a nightmare of a conversation, and briefly, some part of him gropes for the desire to grab someone else, anyone else, and let them explain instead.

Selfish bastard. After Asriel, he owes them both this much. Handling this shit on his own, instead of forcing yet another burden on the shoulders of children who have carried too much already.

God, he wants a smoke.

"I remember," he says quietly. "They've...mentioned you."

[goat_mom]

She nods, also speaking quietly. "I figured as much." And, jokingly, she adds, "They have said good things, I would hope."

She can almost feel the awkwardness, the discomfort, in the air. She tries her best to be gentle, to be soothing, resting her massive paws near Tim's.

"As I said, I wish you no trouble," she continues. "You are not my enemy. My first and foremost wish is merely... to thank you. You have taken care of my children in this strange, foreign land. You have watched over them. You have kept them safe. I owe you an immense gratitude for this."

[postictal]

Immediately, his shoulders start to hunch, curling up until they're almost to his ears. Hyper-aware of her proximity, of her size, of the fact that she could incinerate him with a thought, of the nearness of her paws to his hands.

Breathe.

"They look after me, more than anything else," he says, forcing his tone to even out. "We keep an eye out for each other."

ii.

[yallstupid]

[Oh, Guzma's heard about the Denny, but he's never really had the time or the desire to visit. He's simply been too busy with his own activities and his own meals. But, everyone gets tired of cooking for themselves now and again, and being waited upon is nice. Heck, relaxing in a booth with a drink is equally nice. He's also been thinking to maybe get a few pointers from whoever cooks the meals here (listen, he doesn't poke his nose into other people's lives to know what they do and where they work) so he can do some prep at home. He knows the basics, but learning some more...gourmet things would be preferred.

Fish and cooked meats gets boring after a while, without some flair added to it.

So, the large man meanders his way towards a booth, not really waiting to be seated, and falls into it with a sigh. He should've come here with Lillie...maybe he can get her a doggy bag? What does she like? What do they even serve here? Well, whatever. Until someone shows up, he's going to be looking through his Pokedex a bit, trying to memorize the various TMs his two companions can make use of, and what would be best suited not only for battle, but for utility. Ice Beam has been a boon,ever since Luna left and her Ninetales went with her. The ice box was basically useless after that, and anything gained had to be used immediately.

Man, if only Lillie had the confidence to become a Trainer, or had a Pokemon for herself, it'd be a lot easier on them both, he thinks. He could teach her a lot, but there'll come a time...maybe. Nothing to do but to wait until then.]

[postictal]

[Hey, Guzma. He hasn't seen you in a minute, and you look like you're not in the best way. Granted, you could say that about just about everyone here.]

[Tim's careful to keep at his own corner, calling out without looking up, without suggesting that he might be unduly concerned:]

You sick of coconut yet?

[One of the upsides to monster food is its restorative properties. Makes you feel a hell of a lot better once you've had some, even if you're not hurt; smooths away the exhaustion that might be burning you out at both ends.]

[yallstupid]

[The burnout is indeed real. He's built for work - has the muscle and tenacity for it - but Guzma is still as human as most of the populace here. He comes from a modern world, and the luxuries of that world are sorely missed here and now. It's easy to think of how simple it is to produce and procure food and other necessities when you don't have to cultivate or kill it yourself. It's exhaustion, absolutely, but there's also a bit of homesickness there, funny enough.]

Boy, I been sick'a coconut the first three months in... Now it's fish what I'm tired of shoving down my gullet most nights. Only so many ways t'make it fancy 'nuff to stomach, yeah. [He means he doesn't have the herbs, spices, and culinary knowledge to experiment. That, and a lack of ingredients.]

That being said...what're y'all serving here, anyway?

[postictal]

Nothing really all that special. Muffet's inventive, but we pretty much just make whatever with what's available. Scrambled eggs, if you don't mind them being...you know, green.

[Bluish cariborn milk and yellow eggs makes them look kind of like something molded over, but they taste more or less the same.]

Grilled meat, too. And blackberry whiskey, if that's...what you're after.

[yallstupid]

...Pretty sure I read that in a book once.

[Green eggs and ham? Certainly, though it doesn't strike him as bizarre in any fashion. Let's be totally honest here - Pokemon are a thing in his world, replacing most game and prey animals. People are indeed consuming them, there's no doubt about it. But Guzma's not here to talk ethics, he's here to eat.

...Though he does raise a brow in interest at the blackberry whiskey.]

I'll take a small shot'a that, to try. Oh, uh...what're y'all taking for payment, anyhow? [Since he, erm, doesn't exactly have much in the way of money. Not that it'd matter here. He can work it off, sure, or trade his own goods, but it seems...silly? Not profitable? Probably both.]

[postictal]

[Green Eggs and Ham. The sentiment is, sadly, a foreign one to Tim, who wasn't blessed with an overabundance of children's literature. Most of his childhood memories entailed...things far less benevolent. Things that don't bear thinking about.]

Nothing, really. I figure we're all here together, so we should help each other out.

[He pours out some whiskey into a wooden cup and slides it Guzma's way.]

You break it, you buy it, but that's pretty much it.