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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[Have there been fireworks? He's not so sure, right now. He's been through a lot since coming to this set of islands, and he's not so sure he wants to relive most of what he's already experienced here.

...Well. Petunia can stay. He likes her, meeting her again would be all right.

Since seeing Steve in that shared dream island, he's been feeling off. It's not like it means anything, he's still not sure how much of it could even be considered real, since it didn't really happen, and all he has are the memories, and the vague notion that at least he was able to talk to the one person he's really been missing. It's shockingly easy for him to forget that until showing up on the island, he'd been living in hiding in Romania.

Maybe that's why the noises startle him more than they probably should, flashing him back to the war, to HYDRA, to the fearful near-misses he's had with international authorities that might just have heard of the Winter Soldier until now.

He's only at the shoreline to see how easy it would be to fish, he doesn't want to be out here and exposed. He can already feel his heart racing, the blood rushing in his ear, and then he hears that voice, that voice he could recognize in the dead of sleep. That voice he would know even if he were nearly deaf.]

Steve?

[ Still in the grip of fight-or-fight (because flight isn't something Steve is ever in the habit of choosing or doing), he whirls around at the sound of his name, oddly easy enough to pick out in between the bursts of fireworks going off, and almost drops his shield.

It's Bucky. It's Bucky, loitering near the water's edge, like some modern day Hamlet's ghost. Steve remembers to breath only when his lungs start screaming and who the hell knows how many minutes of staring like a jackass that was. He sure as hell doesn't. Not so new and disoriented.

And that's — ]

Buck.

[ It comes out more of croak than proper name. But that doesn't matter, because he's already moving forward, legs propelling him in the direction he wants to go before his brain has completely caught up. He almost comically skids to a stop just a few feet away from the other man, blue eyes wide and expression half set on 'deer in headlights'. ]

Bucky?

[He's rooted to the spot, he doesn't know what he's doing, why he's just standing and staring at the man he hasn't seen in... he hasn't seen in...

He hasn't really, willingly, knowingly, been around Steve since before the fall from the train all those years ago.]

Steve. It's... it's you.

[Bucky's well aware of how much of a mess he looks like, being unshaven, the same threadbare shirt he's been trying not to wear out completely, because he's too stubborn to see if it's even possible for him to find other clothing.]

I didn't...

[He's moving before he's aware of it, already moving towards Steve.]

You're really here.

[For now, the alarm of the fireworks have been completely forgotten.]

[ Looking like a mess is kind of irrelevant at this point, simply because Bucky is there and alive. Not being chased by HYDRA or agents of their own government. Or anyone else for that matter. ]

Bucky.

[ It's all he feels like he can say for a minute, throat closing around emotions that he can't quite handle in a public setting. The fireworks are still a concern, but less so now, only the louder ones provoke a flinch.

It's not like he hasn't experienced worse, running into a battle with explosions all around them, but the reminders aren't - pleasant. ]

Are you okay?

[ It may sound, to the uneducated ear, like a perfunctory greeting. How ya doing, friend. To the educated ear, it's much more than that. Is Bucky okay mentally, physically, does he need anything? Can Steve help right here, right now? Also, it might carry hints of 'where have you been?' without Steve having to ask that out loud as well. ]

[Bucky can't help it, not answering right away. He only stops when he's half a foot in front of Steve, much closer in his personal space than Bucky has allowed anyone.]

I...

[The urge to say "I'm fine" is right there on his face, but he stops himself, mouth closing, actually trying to think about what to say, even as the fireworks continue, just as alarming as they were to start with, but now he has something else to focus on.]

We should—

[He's aware of just how much of a mess he looks like. He's spent so much of his time just going day by day, even more holed up than he was in Bucharest.]

I have a home, on one of the smaller islands. A little more private than out here.

[ Don't you dare lie to him, James Barnes. Don't you dare. "i'm fine" my ass, and yes, he can read the intention as plain as day in Bucky's gaze. It's such a relief to know that he can still read some of his expressions. Or at least this one. ]

Lead the way, then.

[ If Bucky feels more comfortable talking in seclusion, or even just away from the fireworks, Steve is going to be the last person to complain. ]

There's a lot of weird shit around here.

[He says incredibly casually, all things considered, given the state of things around here. At least he has something to focus on that isn't the fact that he can feel himself panicking every time he hears a single firework.

What he does do is probably strange enough on its own, leading Steve to the strangest looking pond, small and glowing faintly green. He places his flesh hand on Steve's shoulder, just for a moment, long enough to say, "Enzo Islet One" to the air.

And just like that, they're very suddenly somewhere else, though still in front of one of the strange pools of water.]

Come on, it's not too far.

[What he leads Steve to is... well. A shack. It's a fairly well maintained shack, with little flowers dotted here and there in spots that look like sunlight might peak through the spaces otherwise. But it's still a shack.

And, of course, nearby outside is a sheep-looking animal covered in more of the flowers grazing happily just outside, not even paying attention to Bucky and his tag-along.]

It's not much. Kinda makes me miss where I've been holed up the last couple of years. But it's dry.

I can see that. [ But it's more of an off-hand comment, because he hasn't really seen much farther than where he woke up. There's a sense of surreal calm clinging to all of this, like there's a panic attack stuffed down deep inside him, separate and apart from the reaction to the fireworks, waiting patiently until he thinks he's got a handle on everything.

But that's the way his life has gone for the past few years. One damn shock after another. At least this one centers on Bucky. Bucky who is alive and (maybe) well and leading to a small, glowing pool of water.

Okay, that's a little creepy.

And the journey, if you can even call teleportation that, even creepier.

The shack is almost - alarmingly - normal. Kind of. He's seen worse. Okay, worse in a war zone, but that does technically count. ]

It's fine, Buck. [ And he means it sincerely. ] Is that Petunia?

[It's definitely creepy. Bucky is still struggling to get used to it himself, but he's adjusted, sort of. Hard to keep being disturbed by something when it's the only thing that keeps your arm from completely stopping working.

He actually smiles at Steve's question. Petunia, having heard her name, looks up at Steve with a baaa noise, approaching him curiously. He's new, but he knew her name, and therefore, that means he must have food! Sorry, Steve, hopefully you don't mind her getting all up in your face.]

Yeah, that's her. Careful, she looks cute 'n all, but that's just a way to get your guard down.

[ Steve side-eyes the florally constructed sheep and hesitantly holds out a hand for her to sniff, but stops halfway when Bucky offers his warning. ]

Why? Is she a carnivore?

[ Look, he is completely out of his depth with this place. ]

[The laugh that escapes Bucky is startled, and completely genuine because of it.]

No, no, she'll just never stop asking you for attention!

So like an alley cat, but bigger.

[ Steve can work with that. He can also stand there and let the flower-sheep sniff his fingers, before motioning with his shield toward the shack itself. ]

Is it okay if I look inside?

[Bucky smiles.]

Sure, Steve. Ain't much to look at, though.

[It really isn't. There's some blankets, a couple pillows, and that's about it, with what looks like various picked fruits neatly wrapped up. It's pretty obvious he's not spending all his time in the shack.]

[ Steve is simply curious and wants to make sure that Bucky has been taking care of himself. Regardless of how much time in spent in the confines, it seems fairly obvious that Buck is doing just that.

Living. Being somewhat orderly. It eases a little of Steve's inner worry. ]

It's still yours, pal. That's what matters.

[Bucky can't help the smile.]

It should be spacious enough for you, if you want to avoid looking for a space of your own.

Think of it as a camping trip that never ends.

I don't see any couch cushions.

[ Well. It's not a 'no', at least? Steve is still the same stubborn jackass he's always been, though. ]

You know, the last time we went camping, it was in the middle of a war.

Plenty of blankets, though.

[It's been a long time, but it's not like Bucky's not going to sass Steve right back.]

That weekend we spent in Central Park in '32 not count?

Considering it was before the European Front? No, it doesn't count.

[ It does count. A lot. Just not in the point that Steve is currently making. ]

Just point me to whichever corner is mine.

Ain't as cold as the European Front, thankfully.

[But just the same, Bucky points out to where Steve can sleep, which isn't that far off from Bucky's pile of blankets.]

Petunia might come in and cuddle in the middle of the night.

That's true. I distinctly appreciate the warmer weather here.

[ Although he's aware that circumstances might - and probably will - change on a dime. ]

Oh, she can cuddle you all she wants.

[ Steve eyes each section of floor portioned off for sleeping, then reaches down and grabs one blanket to set closer to the door. That way, if anything tries to break it, Steve will have first shot at keeping it away from Bucky. ]

[Bucky smiles brilliantly.]

Oh, I was talking about you, pal. She's used to me. It's you she's going to end up glued to for a while, I bet.

[At the very least, the shack is dry and warm. The thatch roof means it's not perfect, but it's going to likely be nicer than some of the tents they were forced to sleep in during the war.]

Don't worry, she's friendly.

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June Intro: Playing With Your Mind

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