July Intro: Dancing in the Dark

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: JULY

Who: New arrivals, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: July 4th - July 10th
Where: Primarily Io, as well as Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Last month, the island of Io saw a massive overhaul, as Eleu reunited with their lost half, Zum, to take their rightful place as the island's Avatar of Fun. Eleu'zum is aware that Io will not be remaining in the archipelago for much longer, and thus have opted to go all out in the celebration of their rejuvenation.

New arrivals may awake at any of the locations listed below.

Waterslides: Don't Let Me Get Down
For this week only, the waterslides threading throughout the bathhouses of Io have been equipped with some special new features, namely the light-up water jets laid out across the outdoor areas, as well as diving boards placed at extreme heights for thrill seekers. Sure, you could just sit around and relax in the heated water, but where's the fun in that? The supplies at the bathhouses have also been outfitted with wide varieties of inflatable tubes and pool toys, pool noodles, beach balls, dive toys, and squirt guns of every shape, size, and color. And yes, we really do mean every possible type you can imagine.

So have a blast, get soaked, shoot off of high-speed waterslides, or try and avoid the chaos to get a little relaxation time - the choice is yours. But enjoy the bathhouses and pools while you have access to them, before Io disappears.

Go-Karts: Don't Lie Me Down
That new go-kart track by the vineyard is in dire need of some test drivers. With corkscrew turns and twisting roads, those tracks look very much like they might be a tad hazardous, especially if your kart goes off-track...but don't fear! No matter how badly you spin out, you'll find that your kart will never leave the road, thus keeping spectators safe from any and all roadside dangers. However, just because they're safe from you doesn't mean that you're safe from them. You've got plenty of items to use against your fellow racers, but you've got nothing to protect yourself against the turrets mounted at the sides of the tracks, placed for the enjoyment of spectators who feel like getting a little more participatory. The roadside turrets are capable of spitting all sorts of additional threats upon racers: banana peels, balls of fire, jets of water, and so on.

However, bear in mind that this feature is a two-way street; climb onto one of those turrets to target racers, and they'll find that they'll have no difficulty targeting you in retaliation.

Whether you're here to watch, here to race, here to make things difficult, or simply here to place bets and keep score, you've still got plenty of drinks to wash away the shame of defeat, or celebrate your first place victory.

Hedge Maze & Butterfly House: Back into the Easy Days
Newly mounted atop the tea gardens is a brand new butterfly house, hosting a spectacular abundance of gloriously colorful specimens. With jewel-bright wings and unusually bold dispositions, one will find that these butterflies are very, very easy to behold up close. They don't seem to mind visitors at all, and will happily flutter down to light on the hands, head, and shoulders of whoever draws near, assuming they don't swat them away. The butterfly house comes equipped with small dishes of sugar water to feed them, if you desire, though you could just as easily simply spend time here to relax and look out across the island. From up here, you have quite the spectacular view. The tea gardens have also gained a rather grandiose hedge maze threaded around the tea trees. The paler pathways are for leisurely, scenic strolls, or playful games of who can reach the finish line first. The darker pathways, on the other hand, are for the more competitive, as well as the more daredevilish; those who take those pathways will quickly find themselves racing to reach the exit before some rather large bees catch up to them.

Despite their potentially fearsome appearance, these creatures are quite harmless, but there's still nothing quite like turning around and seeing that buzzing loudly after you. If they catch you, the bees will promptly burst into a large cloud of multicolored glitter that will coat you from head to toe. And if anyone has any experience with glitter, that can be quite a pain to get rid of. You'll probably be shaking it out of your hair and brushing it from your joints for weeks.

Rollercoaster & Carnival: Overlooking Trouble Gone Bad
The rollercoaster is the newest addition to the Honeycomb, and it's as much a thrill to behold as it is to ride. There are no lines, no tickets, and no entry fees; simply climb aboard! Once the cart is full, or if no further passengers enter, it will take off at breakneck speeds, twisting and loop-de-looping in a breathtaking series of physics-defying turns and arcs.

That's not all, however. The campsites on Io have also opted to make some slight alterations to celebrate the Avatar's return to form. Those large, colorful tents have gone from mere sites of sleeping and relaxation to a full-blown carnival. There are booths where you can play simple ring-toss games and the like, as well as stands for the acquisition of cotton candy, popcorn, and just about any snack you'd find typical of a carnival...as well as a few flavors that might seem a tad bit unconventional. But, hey - as long as it's here, why not sample what's free to eat? Even if you might run into seaweed ice cream, squid-ink sundaes, crab-cake kettle-corn, and many more besides, peppered among your more ordinary flavors. A small collection of rides have also been provided, of course; what carnival would be fit without them? A carousel with cariborn- or beowolf-styled mounts might be a bit strange to behold at first, but it rides just as well as any other. A small ferris wheel allows you to oversee the sights of Io at the peak of its curve, while whirling teacups can make for a delightful if potentially nausea-inducing escapade.

The island of Io will be disappearing from the archipelago as of July 10th, so you'd better enjoy these additions while you can! For once, there will be no strings attached!

---

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

[vagabone]

mr. bones' wild ride

[Out of the mana pool pops one ridiculous gangly skeleton, putting his skull back where it belongs and immediately spotting the rollercoaster. It's hard to miss, it towers over everything else.]

Hah, awesome! I've always wanted to ride one of those! [He's gesturing at it excitedly, as if it weren't obvious what he means. It should keep him busy for an hour or so, although it may not be the smartest idea for someone without nearly as much padding as other people.]

pizza pizza

[Some time later, he can be found at the bathhouse again, lying on the pizza shaped floatie. So good, so tasty, a wonderful modern recipe. He appears to be asleep with a water gun on his chest--a new one, not one of his older terrible arsenal.

But.

Is he? Isn't it awfully suspicious?]

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Well, Zidane has not seen one of these rollercoaster things on Gaia. But it does look amazing. And he is just about as excited and eager as Héctor to try it out. However, Héctor is a skeleton. Whose bones fall off. Like there is a possibility some of his bones could fall over and get crushed under the rollercoaster or smash on the ground. He might have to intervene a little.]

Hey, I’ll go on with you if you want. I really wanna try this thing too! But uh……it seems really, really fast. How ‘bout we take a few measures before we go on?

[vagabone]

Relax! [He pats the monkeykid kid on the back--not hard, but his fingers are bone. And he's good, this is all good.] You're tall enough to ride, don't worry!

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Ok bony fingers patting you on the back are a weird feeling but Zidane gets the feeling he's being treated like a little kid but he won't comment on either of those for now and that's not what's important.]

Uh....thanks but that's not what I'm worried about. [Fine. How does he put this tactfully? He'll be blunt if Héctor still doesn't get it but first...] Okay, how 'bout we get some cushions or something before you get on? Or a lot of rope? [Would that hold the guy together? He's not sure.]

[vagabone]

Oh.

[Good point. He thinks it over for a few seconds and... waves his hand, shrugging.] Eh. We could raid the whole island and not come up with enough cushions. It'll be fine!

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Oh boy the guy really thought this one through, didn't he? Zidane just squints really hard.]

Yeah, sure it will. Your skull and arms might fly off and smash to pieces on the ground or get crushed by the rollercoaster as it comes around but that's okay! No biggie.

C'mon man. I'm not saying you shouldn't go on but let's at least find something to make sure that doesn't happen.

[vagabone]

It's a quick little ride! About, what, ten minutes? I can hold myself together that long, watch me.

[Yes, watch him. He's doing this. It's happening.]

/ slides back in late

[atailoftwoworlds]

You're really going on no matter what I say, aren't you?

[Hoooboy. He has a bad feeling about this.] Dammit. Fine, I'm coming with you. [Because someone has to be around to catch skeleton dude if his bones do start falling apart.]

[vagabone]

Haha! That's the spirit! Rollercoasters are great, you'll love it!

[Eh, probably. Zidane seems like the type. He's still heading for the first row of cars, a man on a mission.]

Mr. Bones needs aN INTERVENTION

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet is about to agree before she pauses, frowning.]

Exactly how many times have you been on that ride today, so far?

[vagabone]

None? [Strange question. There's no limit on rides, it's free!!] I just got here. Nobody told me the bees made a rollercoaster.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Mm-hmm. [Stay with her, here, Hector. She's got a point she's working up to.] And... how fast do you think it goes, exactly?

[vagabone]

What? [What.] You're more modern than me, haven't you seen these before?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Okay, subtlety has clearly failed here. She sighs, and looks at him eyes to eye-sockets.]

My point is that these tend to move extremely quickly and have... somewhat dubious safety features, and you just rather literally lost your head in a bathhouse. What I'm asking is whether or not I should be concerned about having to search for a missing limb or three if you go on the ride.

[vagabone]

[He looks up at it for a moment or two, watching it go along, so tempting...]

Eh, it's not that long of a ride. I think I can hold myself together better than normal for like, ten minutes. It just really takes a lot out of you, you know?

[Well, no, she's a spider monster and not a pathetic shambling nearly forgotten skeleton, but!]

[prettypurpleparlor]

Well, all right- I'm certain you know your own limits. [She doesn't sound extremely convinced about what she's saying, but she's trying to be nice. He... probably knows what he's doing? Sort of?]

Though, if I could perhaps make one request...?

[vagabone]

[He's trying to have some fun while stuck in this hellhole that is not home, that's what he's doing!!!]

Okay, what is it?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Listen. He's valid but she's more fussy than usual right now, okay? She left for a month and you guys fought a fucking clown box, she's feeling a little protective at the moment.]

[Muffet smiles wryly and holds up her phone, tapping the front with a finger for emphasis.]

If you do happen to incur any injuries, call me instead of trying to ignore them? I assure you, I've the energy to spare today.

[vagabone]

[The clown box was not his fault!! Next time. Next time he'll know to yell about not stealing from gods. It'll probably be a waste of breath, but.

His grin turns sheepish and he nods, hand on his hat.]

Right. Call. Did I ever say how awesome it is that you can heal? I still feel so much better. [He... may not have been grateful enough, that night. Just too damn tired.] Want to stick around and take a ride once I prove it's safe?

[prettypurpleparlor]

I'm quite pleased to hear it.

[As far as she's concerned, it was barely even worth gratitude. Why wouldn't she have healed him, knowing that she could?]

That sounds like an excellent plan to me. [She smiles, looking a little more relaxed, and gestures cheerily at the opening for the ride.] By all means, after you.

[vagabone]

[There's a question she never wants an honest answer to.]

Haha! Wish me luck! [Aaand there he goes. An entire rollercoaster all to himself!! Who would've ever thought?

He'll be alright. He'll hold onto his bones as tight as he can--a sensation like clamping down on something, though he can't say what exactly--and stumble off a few minutes later, satisfied!]