aftr_ooc | Monthly Rundown: January

MONTHLY RUNDOWN: JANUARY

December saw the return of Monsun, an island that seems like it's here to stay for quite a while. It magnifies both your fondest dreams and your worst nightmares and brings with it manifold environmental risks...along with some hints about what exactly happened to the strange and fragmented world of LifeAftr to make it what it is now.

Major Events
Throughout the month of January, you can expect the following to occur:

EVENT NAME: GROWING PAINS
WHERE: ALL ISLANDS
WHEN: JANUARY 3RD - JANUARY 20TH

Some of you might not be keen for Water to coax back a new island. At least, not this particular one. For the month of January, Water is going to be bringing back Umui.

Those of you newer to our shores might not remember Umui, which was notable due to its hosting of an old illness known as the Overgrowth - a floral-based plague that killed those who could not express emotional honesty. The last time the Overgrowth was inflicted upon LifeAftr, it resulted in the largest death toll in game history.

What does that mean for the island's return? You'll have to wait and see for yourselves when the log goes up on January 3rd.

EVENT NAME: UMUI'S RETURN
WHERE: UMUI
WHEN: JANUARY 20TH - ONWARD

Come January 20th, Umui will return to the archipelago. What that means for the rest of you will be more evident upon the island's proper reappearance, but in the meantime, those who aren't acquainted with what that island entailed can familiarize themselves with Umui here!

There will be an island return log on this date in which you can read up on the details of how your actions have affected its return. You can anticipate the island remaining in the archipelago after the month of January, and for perhaps longer...so you don't need to worry about rushing to check it out right away, if you're too preoccupied!

EVENT NAME: SOMETHING ON THE HORIZON
WHERE: ???
WHEN: JANUARY 20TH - ONWARD

On January 20th, the same day as Umui's return, a dark shape will become visible on the horizon. It looks vaguely like an island, or some kind of massive landmass, but whatever it is, it's impossible to discern very much about it.

Mostly, all you can tell at this stage is that it's getting closer, very slowly and very steadily. What is it? Who can say...

Minor Events
There's a lot going on in the background of the archipelago, as well - on the islands, and even on the islets, the coming month will see certain goings-on cropping up, here and there. These events will not be getting their own logs, unless you wish to include them in the event log that will be posted at the beginning of the month; you may interact with any number of them at your leisure, or not at all!

EVENT NAME: THIS SUCKS
WHERE: ENSŌ, NASTRANDIR, NUIDAN
WHEN: JANUARY 1ST - JANUARY 10TH

What would happen if a Slyper became even greedier and stole not simple, material items, but something far more valuable...something one literally cannot live without? That's when you get a Tube Fox, a creature generally found in forests, plains, and grasslands. These particular foxes deal in the theft of extremely precious, immaterial things: such as memories, happiness, willpower, strength and magic, and even the very lifeforce of its prey. They are adept sorcerers and when they start to cackle and dance, be on guard, because it's not your bag they're aiming to swipe.

The real threat is that they can also shapeshift, appearing as the simpler, more manageable slyper, or even an ordinary woodland fox. Don't be fooled; their aim is to con you into letting down your guard.

The Tube Fox's furs can be made into clothing, but be warned that many come marred by scars and scratches, so it may not even be worth the trouble. Their masks may be worn as well, but do you want to risk the curse of putting it on? Best not to. The prize may be the large jewel they wear about their necks, said to be infused with a magical property...or just a fancy stone. Who knows, really?

This plague of Tube Foxes will manifest at the first on the month and last until January 10th, at which point, they will trouble you no longer.

EVENT NAME: NO WATER IS SAFE
WHERE: ENSŌ, ISLETS, NASTRANDIR, NUIDAN
WHEN: JANUARY 11TH - JANUARY 19TH

The Water's power is vast, yes, but it is not by any means devoid of flaws. In the efforts to coax so many islands back to the archipelago all at once, the Water has also loosed a dangerous foe upon the shores of LifeAftr: the dreaded beast known as the Ghost Shark. This is no obscure specimen of chimaera, but rather a very literal ghost of a seemingly ordinary great white shark. It is also, unfortunately, deeply hostile to just about everyone and everything.

The Ghost Shark can attack and kill anyone as long as there is even the smallest amount of water nearby. It will emerge from swimming pools, bathtubs, buckets, barrels, metal pipes, or even drinking cups. It has a taste for some sort of abstract vengeance that seems to be largely focused on anyone that lives on land. This beast is devoid of many resources, and is also incapable of sustaining physical damage. Only those with the ability to harm ethereal shapes can hope to hurt or scar this creature, but if you're lacking in those capabilities, all hope is not lost! All you really need to do to avoid it is find someplace very dry to avoid it. Fortunately, we hear that Monsun's western half is quite dry this time of year.

EVENT NAME: IMPAWSIBLE GEOMETRIES
WHERE: ENSŌ, NUIDAN
WHEN: JANUARY 21ST - JANUARY 31ST

As if to make amends for the last two physical threats you've had to contend with this month, the last stretch of January will see the introduction of some quaint little animals known as wobbledogs. At first glance, wobbledogs appear to be odd, toy-like dog-like creatures that wobble. In reality, they are odd, toy-like dog-like creatures that wobble. Wobbledogs come in every color of the rainbow, lay eggs, pupate-and-mutate their way from puppyhood to adulthood, and have the capacity to wildly exceed a leg-count of four. They are prone to strange and wild mutations, including the aforementioned multitudes of legs, tripartite eyes, and extremes of head and body sizes. Some claim to have seen wobbledogs as large as six feet high at the shoulder; the average height is a much more manageable two feet.

In terms of behavior, a wobbledog is the quintessential dog: loving, curious, playful, easily distracted, and willing to sleep in the oddest places and positions. They are technically herbivores, living on a diet of fruit and vegetation, but they are known to have a powerful sweet tooth and will happily snack on anything sugary. They can flourish most anywhere, though they prefer mild climates with stable weather patterns and flat ground with plenty of room for wobblepacks to nest and play.

Though known to bite if angry, or for play, wobbledogs are functionally harmless and indeed quite friendly. The biggest danger they pose is to food or items that look delicious and/or like a fun toy to play with - wobbledogs have been known to accidentally break their own eggs while attempting to use them to alleviate boredom, so really, nothing is safe. And, yes, they do lay eggs and produce....ah, fertilizer. Said fertilizer is exceptionally useful for cultivating most crops, and wobbledog eggs are not much different from an ostrich egg. Wobbledogs are also friendly and intelligent enough to be tamed, and as pets aren't that much different from a house dog. Except for the egg-laying. And the pupating. That can get a little gooey.

January Timeline

[ ♆ ] January 1st: "This Sucks" begins and lasts until January 10th
[ ♆ ] January 3rd: "Growing Pains" begins and lasts until January 20th
[ ♆ ] January 11th: "No Water is Safe" begins and lasts until January 19th
[ ♆ ] January 20th: Umui returns to the archipelago
[ ♆ ] January 21st: "Impawsible Geometries" begins and lasts until January 31st

You can also check the Calendar of Events and add it on google for a clearer visual of when things are occuring!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The key to curing the Overgrowth, as always, relies on emotional honesty. If it has to do with admitting something that your character has denied to themselves, admitting it to others would likely have the desired effect, regardless of whether or not the other character already knows it, because the key would then be admitting it to yourself

It doesn't matter who they're confessing to; it can be the same person as last time, or it can be someone new, as long as they're not merely repeating the same confessions they did the last time - you've already unburdened yourself of those secrets and lies, after all!

Monthly Rundown: January

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