lifeaftr | July Intro: Dancing in the Dark

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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, sí! Do you know what they are? I've always wanted a ride on one.

[Nothing wrong with talking about tall terrible things, right??]

I've seen the one here, and I can't imagine-- [He cuts himself off, and his tail thumps against the ground. Okay, in fairness, he can imagine why some people might want to go on that thing. However.]

I don't think it's for me. Seems like... an even worse car that doesn't take you anywhere. [Bad!!!]

It's almost like flying, without the flying! And you're not, uh, riding on something that might feel like dumping you off...

[On her tail, no less. Worst ride ever. Nothing at all like this best ride ever!]

...Not for you, though. [Just a little amused, the cheeky skelly.]

Frankly, I wouldn't trust that thing not to dump people off, and I'm not taking the risk that high up.

[He gives a decisive shake of his head.] Absolutely not for me. [For a moment, a flicker of a smirk crosses his face.] The bit about flying just confirmed that.

It's an inanimate object, it can't hold a grudge. I don't know anyone who's ever been hurt by a rollercoaster... and I know a ton of dead guys.

[Lord only knows what his point is, he's already been on the ride and nobody's stopping him going again for the bazillionth time.]

Just because it can't hold a grudge doesn't mean I trust it. [He doesn't trust rickety bridges either!!

Ginko snorts quietly, and his tail thumps against the ground.] Fair enough, but I'm not going near it. Probably isn't built for trolls, anyway.

Alright, alright. Is there anything else that looks fun you want to do?

[He can hold off on the coaster rides for an hour or so. It's tiring, expending extra energy to actually hold his bones in place for a change. (But oh so worth it!)]

Honestly, I'm starting to think I might be best off sticking to the gardens.

[The gardens are nice! It's quiet, and there are plants and butterflies there. And it's quiet. Ginko knows what he's about, try as he might to branch out and take a look at what other options he has once in a while.]

Why? What's in the gardens?

[He supposes they could sit around and chat, if nothing else, like the old men they apparently are.]

Tea. Some interesting plants. There are butterflies, now, too; incredibly friendly ones. And it's nice and peaceful there.

[Yeah honestly he's just old and tired.]

[Butterflies...]

Are they monarchs? Or... huh, I don't think those live in Japan. Orange and black with white spots?

Those are... [Suddenly he feels a bit silly. Who even cares, death doesn't mean much on Enso.] They're pretty special.

Orange, black and white? Mm... [He tilts his head back, thinking back over what butterflies he's seen in the gardens.] I wouldn't be surprised if there are some in there; there are so many types, it's hard to say for sure if I've seen any one specific pattern.

If you come over there, you could check it out yourself.

[The sheepishness takes a moment to fade, then he's thumping Ginko on the back lightly.]

Come on then, let's go back.

[Alright, good. He doesn't want Hector feeling like he's doing something wrong by just asking a question.]

Yeah. Just this way. [He starts toward the gardens, keeping his pace slow - and boy is he ever glad to be getting out of here.]

[He's faster than one might expect, for someone who always appears to be forcing himself onwards, never walking in a normal manner, but. Yeah. Okay. He'll admit he's slightly more worn out today. Slow is fine.]

Can't stand to even watch the coasters, huh?

I can. I'd just rather not. [There's a difference!!] Kind of like how I can watch you pop your limbs off for fun.

[Though, if he's honest, that's already getting easier to deal with - much more so than fast-moving vehicles, especially ones suspended what looks like a dozen meters in the air.]

And you've still only seen the tame stuff, I never rearranged myself in front of you yet.

[Oh yes, that's a thing, and it's even made some little skeleton kids giggle and clap in the past. It's fun.]

I don't like that "yet".

[Well, so long as Hector lets him get used to this before he steps it up, it might be alright.]

[Butterflies... he watches one, idly. No monarchs. Face it, that's one specials out of thousands in the world, what would be the odds?]

I could. You know how they say you should just dive in if the water's cold?

[Once they've reached the gardens, Ginko finds a spot and sits down carefully, swishing his tail out of the way to he won't land on it. That is definitely a mistake he made a couple times after growing this thing.]

Hmm. Once I fell into a river in winter and couldn't breathe for a while.

[In other words, no thanks.]

[He sits down much less carefully, sending ribs smacking against one another. It's a wonder he hasn't crumbled to dust, and not in the forgotten sense.]

I can definitely promise I've never scared anyone to death. Or back to life!

[Boy that sound still worries him. As much as Hector goes clattering around on a regular basis, it really is a wonder that he's still mostly intact.]

Well, there's a first time for everything.

[Okay, no, he obviously doesn't expect to actually be scared to death by Hector's weird bullshit, he has objectively seen much worse. However: It's weird and he would rather not.]

July Intro: Dancing in the Dark

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