January Aftermath: What Would It Take

[lifeaftr_mods]

JANUARY AFTERMATH: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE

Who: Everyone!
What: The sun is reborn; time to recover
When: January 28th and beyond
Where: Everywhere! Ensō, Monsun, Chol, and the Islets
Warnings: Please mark any additional warnings as needed!

Quiet Like The Snow


Come the sunrise on the 28th, the sun will launch itself into the air with a victorious shriek, its wings trailing plumes of fire behind it. The phoenix takes flight, reborn from the ashes. Though not all the shadowy beings have gone from the world, the reappearance of the sun is enough to make them slink off into the shadows- a fight for another day...or another evening.

Now, it's time for the hardest part. Now, it’s time to clean up.

Chol

The grounds of Chol have reshaped seemingly overnight- as the morning light filters down across the land, characters will find most of the land has been blackened and charred, with many fires still raging inland. The Jormun will assist anyone who hasn’t yet to the western coast of the island; where not nearly as much of the phoenix’s impact has been felt, and a safe corridor of passage to the mana pool resides.

The shores of Chol are littered with corpses, both shadowy and scaled, along with an even smattering of crumpled paper and splotched inkstains. Despite the triumph of the fight, it did not come without its costs. The Jormun gather their dead and prepare to mourn them quietly. Those who perished in the fight will not see the sunrise from this unique perspective, watching the murk of the night tint to soft, milky yellow and pink, and then to a glorious new day.

Munin will greet the survivors with a mixture of solemnity and relief, thanking them profusely for their help. There is not much more that her people can offer you, at this point - they must grieve their dead, and she must return to the sea to prove that she has cemented her worth as a leader in the eyes of the other Jormun - but that does not mean that your stories will part forever.

Ensō and Monsun

Ensō too, has seen its far share of battle. The full scale of just how much the Storyteller had kept at bay around the temple is revealed through the copious piles of shadowed corpses, several wane Jormun already at work on removing them. They assure anyone who seeks to assist that below the ocean, there is effective manners of disposal; such as large, active volcanoes to demolish the flesh before any untoward magics can give them new life.

Heat will slowly begin to return to the island, with slow coming to a halt and ice beginning to thaw. Whilst rugging up is still a requirement, characters will be capable of making their way back to the mostly unscathed islets to rebuild their own lives, or wherever else they may call home.

A notable change to Ensō, however, is as easy to find as looking up. Literally. Several floating land masses can now be seen high above the island itself- too far for anything distinguishable to be made out and too far for those capable of flight to reach. Those who watch these masses may be interested in how, over the course of a day, these strange masses seem to change shape entirely- almost as if they were simply a very unique cloud coverage that seemed ready to become a permanent fixture overhead.
Much like Ensō, Monsun sees little wear, past the additions of many felled creatures. Again, a party of Jormun are slowly navigating their way about the island-- though if they get to the corpses before Monsun’s native meat eaters do is anyone’s guess. In the stillness of the coming days, the usual monster attacks will seemingly dwindle to nothing-- even a god of Balance seems to understand the need for recuperation.

Additionally....
Though the Storyteller is once again nowhere to be found, exhausted adventurers will find three MREs in their packs, for anyone who could use a day off finding and preparing food. Currently, it's the best they can offer- though the Jormun promise that they will have their own spread to share after finishing collecting their dead.

---

Event Specifics

[ ♆ ] The 30th will see the return of any who may have died throughout the duration of the event. All revived characters will awaken at the Storyteller’s temple; remember, if your character has died, let us know here!

[ ♆ ] Item trades with the Jormun can be found on the OOC plotting post here! The number of Jormun available will dwindle through the following weeks, leaving entirely on the 10th of February. Even if you were only recently accepted, you are free to participate!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

Enso, outside the temple

[deranged_practicality]

[1]

Isabella hadn't had the chance to see most of the monsters besides glimpses outside the temple, thanks to knowing that she was not useful in a fight. Now, she had a chance to check things out and was making sketches of some of the anatomy of the corpses as they assessed how to get everything down to the sea for the Jormun to dispose of. She might occasionally use a stick to reposition something -- she isn't touching anything, but is pretty close.

"My word. They don't exactly look like they'd be comfortable in the sea, do they?"

[2]

Eventually, someone will remind Isabella that they better clear the bodies before the snow melts and things start rotting. So she's quite willing to help carry things down to the sea, especially after confirming which bodies lacked contact poison or anything of that like. Given how useless she felt during the last week, she is going to be working until either sunset or she can't lift anything.

Gobbet | OTA

[ratsinadaze]

i. Chol; they won't even recognize your corpse

[Gobbet has been picking over the dead bodies for half a day now. Her job, as per the Jormuns' request, was to gather and separate the corpses - shadows in one pile, Jormun next to them, islanders next to those. She walks with her spear, shoulders tensed with the fear that more of the beasts may be lurking. Even after the sun's return, they lingered. Though her wounds have since stopped bleeding, they haven't stopped aching. Some cuts were deep, some bruises to the bone.]

[To keep herself busy, she whistles idly as she drags corpses around. She's notably more ginger and respectful with the Jormun corpses than the shadows. Give her a hand?]

ii. Enso; splinters and stained glass

[There are few places left to relax on the island. Everyone is busy with something - corpse hauling, cleaning up the aftermath in other ways, returning to daily chores, fighting leftover beasties...So Gobbet takes to the Storyteller's temple, which is much less busy than it was just a day before, for her first midday nap in a week. She's been busy as hell and did her fair share of fighting. Maybe more than her fair share of fighting. She deserves this nap.]

[So she finds a nice hard to reach ledge, out of the way of nosy passerby, warmed by the new sun. She stares up at the new floating islands in the sky absently, watching them as though they were just passing clouds. For all she knows, they could be. Nothing is forever on these islands. Maybe not even her.]

[Whether or not that's lucky, Gobbet doesn't know.]

[Lost in thought about the past week's events, she doesn't even notice that someone has found her little hideaway.]

iii. Islets; so what's a nice place like this, doin' 'round people like us?

[Her home is eerily still when she returns to it the day after the sun's rising.]

[Maybe it's years of experience with close calls. Maybe it's that curse Tim supposedly put on her by virtue of existing in her presence. Maybe it's the last remnants of the cold. Whatever it is, a deep chill is in her bones and she doesn't want to open that door. She knows that if she does, something will be waiting for her.]

[Sometimes it sucks to be right.]

[Perhaps you've come along just in time to see her dragging the thoroughly stabbed corpse of the Wendel in her ceiling out into the morning sun? She's got a nasty gash on each arm, if you're the type to worry about the wounded.]

iv. Anywhere; i love the sound of shells hittin' the ground, man

[Wildcard! Hit me up here, on discord, or at Azazelbunny to plot something out, or just throw me a random prompt~!]

ii

[lightlessfuture]

[ Some time passes before Gobbet is joined by a new, but familiar, face. The Knight, whiteboard and marker comically strapped to their back, climbs up to her hideaway with little effort. It seems as if they've decided to take a break from hauling bodies.

They put the board and marker down on the ground, and then flop down themselves. Soaking up the sunlight, staring up at the sky.

At the very least, the person who's found her can be guaranteed not to break the peaceful silence here. ]

monsun, desert camp

[scourgingstars]

[a; dawn of the first day; 1/28, morning]

[Ardyn didn't take the return of the sunlight as well as most; when the phoenix cut its shrieking path of light into the air, the already exhausted yet sleepless immortal recoiled with some choice words growled under his breath, hands pressed to his face.]

[...He'd gotten perhaps a little too accustomed to the dark, and quickly retreated to the relative shade of the tent's canopy by vanishing in a streak of magenta light.]

[b; oath to order; 1/28 onwards]

[For the rest of the first day, Ardyn wasn't exactly of much use with the cleanup efforts. He stayed close to the mana pool and as much in the shade as he could, sitting with an adolescent black chocobo curled up on his lap. If someone did approach, he'd offer them a greeting and a tired smile, or even ask how they were doing.]

[Over the next few days, he settled back into the usual rhythm; staying beneath shelter during the day and coming out near sunset with Hresvelgr beside him, offering help to anyone that looked like they had their hands full or seemed as tired as he felt.]

[c; healing termina; wildcard]

[hit me with what you got]

1/30ish

[bloodyashes]

[And sometime in the afternoon, now that the sun has warmed the desert at least back above freezing -

Hey, Ardyn, here's your coat back in your lap in a loud whump of fabric.

Also, here is Asch, taking a seat opposite Hraesvelgr not quite against your side. He's still bundled up pretty thoroughly in modern clothes that fit him in the literal sense but not the metaphorical one. In that regard, Ardyn's coat was seemingly more comfortable.]

Doing okay?

1/30ish as well \o/

[shatteredlenses]

[It's frustrating. Despite all the improvement Ignis has had since he was injured, he still has times where he just pauses like the connections between his body and his brain once more aren't working. If it's not that, he drifts. He'll be doing one thing only to suddenly realize he just...stopped. It's almost as if his senses shut off and he's back in that dark space full of nothingness. He won't admit it aloud, but those times frighten him more than the pauses do. What if his senses just decide not to turn back on?

Despite how tired fighting the fear and frustration makes him, he pushes on forcing himself to slowly take back the tasks he had been doing before darkness fell. Supplies still need to be organized. Food still needs to be cooked.

Still, eventually his energy does flag as it is right now and he has no choice but to rest. Grabbing a treat for a certain chocobo he strongly suspects will be resting with her 'father' at the mana pool, he makes his way over there. Once settled, he offers Hresvelgr the treat.]

So, if I promise to keep what your answer is a secret, will you tell me how your papa's doing?

[Ignis directs the words toward the chocobo, but they are loud enough that he obviously intends for Ardyn to hear and answer them.]

Tataru | OTA

[alittleditty]

Chol; Are you Alright?

[As soon as it's safe, well... she packs up as many extra scarves and gloves and sweaters as she's been able to make and taken off for the main battleground. She has to make sure that everyone is all right, doesn't she? And Chol was safe enough, without those horrors around. When she gets there, though...]

Goodness...

[Between the charred center of the island and the carcasses everywhere, it's.... a bit alarming. But she steels herself and keeps going.]

Is everyone alright?

[Alternately, you might find her standing high up as possible on a bit of outcrop, hand shading her eyes as she peers among the groups, looking for familiar faces.]

Islets; Home Sweet Home

[Eventually though, she can be found back at the small house she's made for herself. The sewing machine is unscathed, thank goodness - it was a bit too heavy to carry to the Temple. She can be found with her karakul, cleaning out the inside of her house and sorting out her supplies there. Elsewise she can be found out in her garden, sorting out which seedlings are fine and which will likely need to be replanted.

In either case, she'll keep an eye out for company, or any who might need her.]

Islets

[shineinside]

[Yuka spent the entire day following the return of the sun at home, mostly asleep. About halfway through the day after, she finally staggered blearily into the light, to check up on her friends. Yes, that includes you, Tataru.]

Looks like you came out of everything all right...

Xion | OTA

[attheclocktower]

All over (save Monsun forest side) | OTA

[Is she ready to go out yet? Who knew. But she's doing it anyway, because there's people she has to make sure are all right, and it's a good deal safer anyways. And look, Xion does do. But even in safety, she certainly doesn't act like someone who feels safe. Loud noises make her jump - badly. Sudden touches make her flinch away. And sometimes she'll make move to flee crowds without any explanation at all - though people are free to follow.

And there are also times - many of them - where everything becomes too much again. At those times all she can do is find a shady spot to curl up, or lie back on a patch of grass with her eyes closed. Even so, during these times, she's always feeling something, running blades of grass between her fingers, tracing the lines of some tree bark.

What on earth is she doing?]

Wildcard

[Got another idea? Hit me up at gorsecloud]

[souris_keteer]

[Mickey spots her curled up in one such shady spot, and he blinks, confused. This seems like a huge change from the strong, brave girl he fought alongside.]

... Xion? Are you okay?

[journalname]

[Asgore is still keeping to himself, for the most part. Once upon a time, he'd have taken much easier to that. But it's sort of lonely, after living in such close quarters back in Beacon. He's on friendly terms with a few people here, and he's quick to approach one such when he sees her out and about.]

Howdy, Xion! How are you doing?

Hinata Hajime | OTA

[thisisourfuture]

Chol -> all islands: I keep a close watch on this heart of mine.

[It's over. He'd seen the firebird rise and felt the heat against his skin. It made everything take on a surreal quality as if this whole place has been one big dream.]

Well...at least that's done.

[At least he won't freeze his butt off or something. That had been a real possibility from time to time. Hinata closes his eyes and considers dozing in a free spot. No.] Better get to it.

[He starts making the rounds. There are spare medical supplies. And he won't be satisfied until anyone sorely in need of attention is taken care of. He isn't pushy about it. He just asks how people are and offers if they have any bleeding that needs to be handled. If not, he sees what else he can do and heads on his way.]

All islands - I walk the line.

[Bodies are nothing new. He's seen so many in a week. In too long of a time. Hinata sorts through the dead right alongside the Jormun. Sometimes he pauses. It's hard not to. He's treated some of those who went back out and didn't make it.

It gives him a new understanding of the role of a doctor than he ever wanted to admit. He carries bodies as if they weigh very little to him. He'll pay for that later. It's hard for him to care about that.

He pauses when he sees someone struggling with a corpse. Nightmareish or no. He'll pick up the other side, shoulder it despite all the blood on his shirt. What's a bit more?] Come on, it's this way.

[If it's a Jormun he sighs, eyes shutting for a moment.] Their outpost for collecting their dead is over to the west side of the shore.

Wildcard - I keep my eyes wide open all the time.
[Got an idea? Pm this journal, hit my discord, or prod me on plurk.]

[attheclocktower]

[She's a bit surprised to be aske if she's all right, given how much she figured there were probably plenty of others with worse off injuries. But she doesn't brush off Hinata right away. Instead, she bites her lip, thoughtfully. It's worth noting that she keeps her gaze downward, shaded from the brighter sunlight.]

You were helping people out on Chol too, right? Ones who got hurt. [She pauses, then continues.] Did you see anybody who ran into one of those... giant black buglike monsters? That... tried to eat you.

[Ugh, even saying it aloud she knows it sounds bad, and there's practically an undercurrent of sorry, sorry, sorry in her voice.]

Komaeda Nagito | OTA

[despairing_hope]

[A]

[Komaeda Can be found first thing in the morning at the edge of a cliff, as close to where the Phoenix rose as he dared. It was a long time in the dark, the death of a year and the birth of a new one. It left a lot to think about.]

I suppose this is the true first sunrise of the year.

[b]

[Komaeda had spent most of the battle with Hinata helping out with medical aid, or more, staying out of the way and doing what he could. But now? Now he wandered to survey the damage. He coukd be found in various areas.]

Wow! This really was an end of the world event! But, I knew that Hope would win out over despair. It always does after all.

B

[attheclocktower]

[Xion's been doing her own surveying of the damage, especially on Chol and the other islets. Hearing his words makes her smile, if a little sadly and tiredly.]

Glad you've got such an optimistic view about it.

Keith | OTA

[thermalwind]

All islands - The world tried to burn all the mercy out of me

[He should sleep. He should do a lot of things but Keith is trudging through the carnage and hauling bodies to the shore. This is the part of battles he isn't used to. He can smell the blood and death all around him.

It will probably give him a new reason to fight harder to keep people safe. No one should be reduced to this. He hauls nightmares first, sorting through them but he pauses when he comes across splatters of ink and crumpled paper.]

...what the? [He can vaguely recall Storyteller had caused this but. He draws his Ripper, the sickle Munin gifted him and pulls the paper closer to himself.]

Hey. Hey! Come over here! [He calls out to anyone nearby and gestures to the ink when they approach.] Has this happened before?

Enso - Dancing all alone in the morning light.

[He doesn't remember sitting down on the temple steps. The plan had been to climb the stairs and check on everyone inside. He hadn't gotten far. Keith sits, his sword in his hand and knife in the other, head tipped back and mostly covered by his hood. Until someone approaches.

He jerks up, and almost hits himself in the face with the back of his hand. His hands lower. Friend. Not thing. Keith blinks, his mind slowly winding back up to full comprehension.]

Oh. Guess I crashed. What do you need?

Wildcard - You came in like a wave when I was feeling alright

[Got an idea or two? Hit this journal's inbox, hit me on discord, or prod my skyheron.]

Enso

[attheclocktower]

[Well, at least he's not the only one who's startled. Him jumping makes her jump too, though between that and the voice, she has pretty firm confirmation that it's him (which she'd guessed), and he's okay (which she'd been worrying about). Not hurt or anything, just sleeping.

Relief floods her and she really... just wants to hug him, or something? She has to fight back the urge a bit, and instead fists her hands in her coat, as she kneels in front of him.]

I had a question, sort of, but... if you need to sleep you should actually go sleep.

[You know like... in a bed or something.]

All islands

[proficienciesouttheass]

[ This is weird. This is, like, depressing. But, still, Munin and her people asked for help, and this is part of it. Besides, they can't just leave the bodies lying around.]

Hm?

[ He looks over towards Keith, setting down one of the monster bodies a little too rough - dropping it, really - and walking over. ]

What is it?

Chip Abaroa | OTA

[demonpuppy]

Enso

[They had sensed in in some part, the uncolored force that surrounded the temple throughout that endless night. But in the new dawn Chip is still staggered by how many corpses lay in unreal sprawls across the beach. The Jormun are reluctant to accept the help of a child, but Chip won't be disuaded--they run back and forth with supplies to transport the more noxious of the bodies, skirting around the bodies and staring at them intently for any spark of magic, any sign of life.]

[Facing the prospect of death is becoming much more of a habit than they think it ever should.]

Islets

[Eventually Chip makes their way back to the islets, carrying their pure white kitten in a papoose and petting her while she sleeps in a curled up ball. They'd made sure as best they could to keep her fed, even skimping on their own meals so that there would be enough meat left over...and between that and the exhaustion of stress they had been unable to let go of until the sun rose once more, Chip is utterly worn out. They don't even make it inside the hut they share with Asriel and Erika, instead sitting with their back against an outside wall and passing out right there, with the flowers the Storyteller gave them wilted but still alive just beside.]

Islets

[souris_keteer]

[Sheesh, how many people has Mickey found sleeping outside/passed out during his stay here? No matter, he has the same response every single time - cover them up before they catch a cold!

It takes a little longer this time to find good fronds and such to use, due to many plants dying of frost, but he's gunna make the effort to find them and lay them over Chip. Hopefully without waking him.]

tim wright | some closed, some ota | i'll match your formatting

[postictal]

chol; closed to BRIAN; beg the ceiling for forgiveness, 'cause i don't want to remember what i did last night

[He wakes in a daze.]

[It's not like a low-tiding thrum, a slow, resolute pulse back into reality. It's not a dull ache seeded into his bones, gradually swelling until it drowns out all else. It's immediate, and it's painful: it's a white-hot shriek at the lower half of his abdomen, at his head, at the clustering of bruises and scrapes down his arms and his back, down one side of himself - arm, he thinks muzzily, hurt. Maybe broken.]

[It's like waking up to discover that your leg's broken, and having no memory whatsoever of that happening. Only this time it's not his leg.]

[This time, it's everything else.]

[There's rock beneath him, the smoothness of a roughly-carved mask splayed out beneath his fingertips. A hack-cough heaves at his lungs, and a fresh stab of agony forces him to shut his eyes against the dizzying swirl of what feels like everything he is leaking out through the hole in his gut.]

[He manages to work one hand over the wound. Clasp over it, tight. Press down.]

[Bite back the need to scream.]

[Goddamnit.]

[What did he do?]

ensō; closed to CHIP and ERIKA; there's nothing wrong with you, it's something wrong with me

[He catches sight of them eventually, and has to raise his voice, despite the way it creaks from disuse, because he can't exactly race to catch up with them; the sling holding his arm and the bloodied wreck of bandage wound around his abdomen has ensured that his movement will be rather impeded for days to come.]

[Despite the rasp of the word, the ragged nature of his appearance - maybe something about him will seem reassuring.]

[Because they're alive.]

[Thank god, they're alive.]

Chip. Chip.

ensō; OPEN TO ALL; but willingly i'm going to tell whoever asks that i feel all right

He looks like a wreck.

Categorically, physically, and in all possible ways there are for one to look a wreck? He looks like an absolute wreck. Arm bound up in a makeshift sling, one half of his face a cluster of bruising, with one eye a swollen ripe-plum, practically sealed shut. Bandages around his middle, and more around his head, over the welt of red that flowered up over his temple, the product of the inevitable blunt force trauma.

(The mask came away cracked. He'll have to carve himself a new one.)

Mostly, he's outside the Storyteller's temple, sipping at his jug of cider and occasionally wincing as the muscles in his middle have to contract to make it go down. He's tried eating, to little avail; he has to move too gingerly for that to be a comfortable activity just now.

If anyone asks, he's...fine. He's fine. Really. What about you? Are you okay?

He has food, if you need it. Rubbing alcohol, for injuries. The ability to light a fire, for warmth.

If you need it.

wildcard; cross my heart, cross my fingers (cross my heart, cross my fingers)

[If you want a closed starter, hit me up either here or at arrpee! I will match your formatting if needed!]

i almost tagged this with frisk lmfao

[demonpuppy]

[They almost don't catch his voice--weary from stress and near collapse as they are, their energy is probably in a worse state than Tim's is. But they turn, their small kitten squirming and held close in their arms, and their eyes widen to see Tim staggering forward, looking like he just got on the bad end of a pack of hell-hounds.]

Tim!!

[Hurrying to put Snowball into the papoose slung across their front, Chip half-stumbles as they run over and grab onto him, almost scared that he'll fall over and not get back up.]

What--how bad is it, you're gonna be okay, aren't you? [Why couldn't they be able to channel a white spell with any decency, if they bothered to learn anything they might be able to help right now!]

[alittleditty]

Tim?

[Oh for goodness sake. He really really looks terrible and it's hard to not honestly be afraid, looking at him.]

I come to give you back your shirt, and you're in worse shape than it was when you gave it to me!

sorry i'm late ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[ratsinadaze]

[Gobbet has tied up her remaining tasks on Chol and dealt with her home on the islets. Now, it's time to find Tim.]

[She's on her way to let him know he's had his week.]

[Of course, this means he's had a week to think about how he's going to avoid her. That's why she tries to temple last. It seems like the least likely place to go if you don't want to be found. It's a central hub, people would be checking in on each other there. Finding him here, where there's no real place to hide from her questions, is a surprise.]

[As is his condition. Although perhaps it shouldn't be, she realizes, her breath catching in her throat. Laughter pushes up into her throat - the humorless, son of a bitch kind. That masked man on Chol...it really was Tim? The wound matches up. It could be a coincidence, the bandages over his side where she'd sunk the tip of her spear into what she thought at the time must have been an enemy. But between that and the memory of how...human....the screams had been?]

[If it helps she does feel genuinely guilty.]

Holy shit. Are you - I mean obviously you're not, but. I know I. Um.

[Gobbet rubs her arm, looks into the dirt. Anywhere but his swollen face.]

Why'd you come at me? I thought you had your body stolen by one of those things or something, I could have killed you.

Islets/Enso, OTA, I'll match format

[shineinside]

[ By the time the phoenix's brilliant display ends and the sun rises, Yuka is already fast asleep. After being delivered back to their home on the Islets by Kyouko, she spends the rest of that day in bed, not emerging until about noon the day after. Finally, she staggers blearily into the brilliant sunlight, shielding her eyes from the glare. It was pitch black for an entire week, that much sunlight isn't easy to adjust to all at once.

Yuka worked herself so hard during the long night that the whole week blurred together, especially the last couple 'days' of it. So, once she's up and ready to interact with society again, her first priority is to to check back in on all the people she cares about to make sure they're okay. If you get along with Yuka, she's looking for you. If you're friends with someone Yuka gets along with, she might flag you down to find them. If you're dead, well, she's going to take that news pretty badly, honestly.

Besides that, Yuka's taking this week as time off. Someone else can do all the hard work for a while. ]