lifeaftr | June Intro: Playing With Your Mind

June Intro: Playing With Your Mind

INTRO LOG: JUNE

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

New travelers to our shores are in luck, in many ways - they are arriving on the decadent, raucous island of Io, where the local Avatar of Celebration resides. Here, you can bask in enjoyment of basics such as food and drink, as well as more extravagant affairs, such as sweeping bathhouses, sprawling campsites, rich tea gardens, and verdant vineyards.

Spinning Me Around and Around
If you are just arriving on Io, opening your eyes on the shores of LifeAftr for the very first time, it will be to...a potentially very rude awakening. More specifically, it will be to the sound of loud cracks and booms overhead.

You've arrived at Io's campsite, which has come fully stocked with all sorts of cooked meats, roasted vegetables, colorful tents, drinks of every sort, and, most importantly, fireworks. It seems Io is thrilled to welcome you to LifeAftr in the form of multi-colored starbursts, exploding out across the sky in flares of showering sparks. Particularly once the sun sets, the view will be spectacular.

If you go poking around in the containers and sheds where the fireworks are kept, you'll also find all manner of strange and exciting and potentially unfamiliar variants. You can find all kinds of handheld sparklers, in addition to steel wool fireworks, handheld firecrackers, confetti poppers, and little boxes of pop pop snappers for your general use and perusal.

The message here is clear: Io wants you to celebrate your arrival! So relax! Have fun! Make some noise! Watch some colors and explosions of light, and enjoy yourself!

And try not to set anything on fire.

Just Like a Carnival
It isn't all fun and games, however. Unfortunately, it's about to get a lot less fun around here...or a lot more, depending on who you ask.

After a month or so on Io, the local avatar, Eleu, has begun to notice that a great deal of little things are starting to go missing. Bottles of wine, tents, tea leaves...people seem to be lifting whatever they please from the island and bringing it with them back to Ensō. That won't do at all. For the next few days, if any of the bees buzzing lazily about the island catch you stealing, they will approach you and ask you to stop. They will not, however, take any definitive action to stop you - they can only warn you that what you are doing may disrupt things beyond Eleu's control.

Unfortunately, by now, it's already too late. Out of the corner of your eye, regardless of your place in things - whether you were complicit in island theft, whether you are newly arrived and therefore innocent, whether you only watched on the sidelines, or whether you were totally unaware - you'll start to see it. It will peek out from behind trees and the corners of buildings.

Smiling.

This...entity probably has a name. For the purposes of the games you've been playing with this island, however, you really only need to call it what it is: the Clown Box. Accompanied almost always by the tinkle of chimes and a soft, sinister chuckling, it is unclear how the Box manages to travel about, much less disappear if you try to approach.

For the first week or so of June, be prepared to find the Clown Box lingering all over Io, particularly near the mana pool. If it looks like you're going to try and lift something off the island, something that does not belong to you - the Clown Box may retaliate. This retaliation largely occurs in the form of a hand that appears to be gloved in silky, glittering material and colorfully polka-dotted cloth, slinking out to beckon at you, eerily. It seems unwilling or unable to actually hurt you directly, but it will grow incredibly persistent if you don't acknowledge it, and stop popping up all over Io with increasing frequency.

The Clown Box can be appeased by giving it a gift. What it's really after are perceived thieves: return something you have stolen, and the Box will vanish as quickly as it appeared. However, the Box is also not terribly discerning in what it is given, as long as it is something that did, at some point, belong to you. And, if you give it enough offerings, you might end up with a gift of your own. Those who give the Clown Box multiple offerings may receive any of the following:

[ ♆ ] Rubber Duck: These novelty toys don't seem to do anything in particular, other than be cute and colorful and utter happy little honks when squeezed. But there's a slight chance you might end up with a toy that seems...oddly relevant to your personal life. It might even be designed after you. Best not to question it. Just back away from the Clown Box, slowly, and be sure to thank it for the gift...

[ ♆ ] Snotgun: What appears to be an ordinary shotgun is anything but, as one will find out by firing it, it only shoots blobs of bright green acid capable of melting just about anything. So be careful not to aim it at any of your friends.

[ ♆ ] Silk Handkerchief: There's nothing particularly special about these tri-colored squares of cloth...except that no matter what you do to them, they will not stain, tear, or fade. They can be used to clean just about anything, or even serve as a delightful party trick.

[ ♆ ] A Very Shiny Nose: A bright red foam nose, easily attached to most human-shaped faces. All this thing does is inspire a general proclivity for causing mischief and trickery, though mostly of the light-hearted kind. However, the longer the nose is left in place, the more some pranks may skew toward the downright dangerous...

You are free to RNG any of the above rewards your character gets, or pick from the list above as you like! Bear in mind that the Clown Box is a stingy creature - it will not give more than one reward to any one person, though nothing is stopping you from trading others for any gifts they may have received.

The Clown Box will cease being quite so persistent in tailing characters by June 7th, but it won't go away completely. You can still catch glimpses of it from time to time, waiting, watching, giggling quietly to itself. Even if you try to attack it, enchant it, set it on fire, you'll find that these attacks are essentially useless; it will vanish before any of them connect, and when it returns, it will certainly be to menace you further.

It isn't doing anything other than scaring you, though.

Yet.

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 )

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This is Io. It's an island that drifted close enough to Enso to travel to. [The deep voice answering her comes from a man standing at the edge of the core of the party. Keith is a tall man with enough muscle to suggest he fights for a living. The impression could be backed by the knife against the small of his back and the blade in a sheath on his hip.

He turns his head to look in her direction.] As for where we are in space, no clue. Best I can figure we're outside of our own realities and time. No idea how to get back yet. [He nods once,]

I'm Keith, been here a while. If you want to ask questions, I'll tell you what I know.

[There is that quick assessing glance given his way, curious more at his words at the moment than to who he was. Io? Carolina liked to try to keep on top of things, whether events or people, but she hadn't heard anything at all about that, which makes it even more confusing than ever.]

Carolina. Which way is Enso from here?

[As she knows that island better than this one. Arguably she could figure it out eventually with some effort and calculations, but Carolina would rather not waste that time. She's been here, what, four months so far herself, although this is the first time that something like this has happened to her. From arriving buried alive, to having weeds grow out of her body...]

Cut west of here straight past, [He turns to face the west and frowns. What else could he call the structure.] ...what looks like a giant honeycomb and then bathhouses. If you've reached the water before the bathhouses themselves... you're not far and you'll see the temple.

The temple you're looking for is really hard to miss. It's the gaudiest thing around and covered with grape vines and rubies of all things. [Keith shakes his head. But he pauses and gives her his own studying look. She hadn't asked questions just asked directly about Enso. It's enough of an oddity he adds,]

I think the local god is a bee but they're really laid back.

[She's pretty good with getting her way around Enso, or so she thinks. Not like two and two are put together to realize that she has been gone from this place for some time. To her, it's just any other strange day at waking up in this strange place.]

Giant honeycomb.

[And rubies and grape vines. She's reminded of the clothing pile, and how gaudy some of those pieces had been.]

Good thing I'm not allergic.

[Although Carolina can't say she has any desire to go around swatting at bees. For starters, why? The fact that she's also in her armour would protect her.]

Good thing. [He echoes as he glances back at the party then in the direction of the temple. Something passes across his face. He decides something then adds.] I can take you on the most direct route back.

I need to return too. ... [Keith pauses because how well they are taking it has bothered him. His brows come down. Might as well ask.] ...have we just not met before? You know Ensō and you have armor like Wash. how long have you been here?

I don't think so.

[But in all honesty, there are times when Carolina doesn't pay the best attention to faces, especially those who she doesn't interact with. Or those that she doesn't view as a threat. They may be generally noted, but otherwise dismissed.]

About four months.

[At least by her thought, not knowing that there's been a large time gap between what she thinks and what is reality, or what passes for reality here.]

[ He crosses his arms over his chest. Four months. He keeps an eye out but the land they traverse is big. They could kiss each other easily. He nods.]

But you weren’t here when Io appeared. [That sounds like a familiar set of circumstances. Keith studies her for a moment.]

What was last going on before Io? [It’s the only way to uncover if it’s what he thinks it is.]

No.

[Because it has clearly just appeared...

She pauses a moment though, as CT's garden isn't going to make any sense to him. It had been the last thing that Carolina had been talking about before she'd found herself here. Further back though...]

Chamber of Glyphs? Drawings came to life?

[His eyes widen briefly. The dream isle of Mu's hand reaching out into the physical world had such far-reaching effects and consequences that that time is branded in his mind.]

...that was months ago. A lot has happened since then. So, you were brought back here and without anything new remembered about your universe? [There's a question in his eyes as he looks at her, studying her carefully.]

You're not the first if that's the case. We just don't know what causes it.

Months?

[Sorry, but there is skepticism in her voice at that. Then again, there would always be when it comes to people that she doesn't know or trust. Words are taken with a grain of salt.

But, in the off chance... She doesn't see why anyone would lie about that, unless it is to be an ass, but if he is attempting to be one, he's more serious than she would assume.]

No. Nothing. I was at the cottage on islet four, and then I wasn't.

[His expression turns thoughtful.] It sounds the same. But there’s none of the new memories.

[Maybe there’s a catalyst? He rolls that over in his mind and can’t find the pattern. He shakes his head.] Wish I had answers but I don’t.

Story teller might but, don’t hold your breath on that. Everything seems subject to what we know and find out. Even what I’m telling you. It might be true and it might be your case isn’t tied to it at all.

[He can see the gaudy temple ahead of them. Good.] Only thing certain is something broke this world. How. Why? And even how that dream Island we go to sometimes was formed...no answers of yet.

Story teller is good at listening to stories, but not so good at telling them.

[That much Carolina had figured out early on here. Still, if it helped, she would tell the whatever stories would help this place. The helmet does tip slightly.]

Broke this world? Meaning what?

The islands and the gods of them weren't like this before. Each one I've talked to doesn't have memories of before. But we met one of them who had been isolated and alone after whatever cataclysm happened.

[The shadow of grief crosses his face as he shuts his eyes against it, hands clenching at his sides. He would not invoke Rapsho's name. Not again. He'd keep that in his heart. One breath in and he keeps going.]

They went from being a god of bliss to feeding on bliss they created and anyone who came by. To escape their own memories of the event. I don't know if what we found on Umui ties together with that.

Odd.

[Because what can one say to that? Carolina has had no dealings with gods back home, or God, which she can't say that she's exactly the religious sort anyway. No, mercs and soldiers and aliens? Those she knows. Those she has dealt with. Putting things back together? In all honesty, she's better at breaking things apart.

But she did know a thing or two about running away. Had been there, had done that, had regrouped.]

I guess there's no easy way to fix that, or even start to make it better.

Right. All we can do is figure out what caused all this. [His expression turns flat and hard, like the blade at his side.]

And take it out. Anyway, if an island called Umui ever shows up...be careful of it. Zizyphus broke when Bliss was killed.

But Umui is still out there carrying its sickness. ...only cure for the sickness is emotional honesty. [He pauses, they're nearly at the gaudy temple. He pinches the bridge of his nose.] I know it sounds weird.

You can ask around and here more about it. Most of my team nearly died to it. [Boy that says too much.]

Ah, not as weird as you might think.

[Because emotionally honesty is something that Carolina is familiar with, at least here. She can't say that she tends to be emotional about most things, unless it is an aggressive honesty. That comes easy. Being more tender is another matter completely. It's harder, more raw, more revealing.]

I've experience with some of the events that happen here.

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June Intro: Playing With Your Mind

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Sorry for the wait. Bunch of stuff happened. Also that kiss word up there is a typo. Sorry about tha

no worries! (and my brain filled in the right word without realizing XD)

(auto correct struck again and I did too )

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