lifeaftr | February Event: Just One Mist-ake

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February Event: Just One Mist-ake

FEBRUARY EVENT: JUST ONE MIST-AKE

Who: Everyone who ends up on the floating islands
What: February's event
When: February 15th to February 20th
Where: The floating islands above Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Sky High

Those curious floating landmasses far above Ensō have only grown more prominent in the coming days. Whether you've chosen to explore the islands purposefully or have ended up there via a mana pool malfunction, you'll doubtless discover their unique properties soon enough. You might even take advantage of their impressionable nature to mold them to your own desires, shaping pieces of the places you once knew, or maybe a place you wish you could be.

Either way, the repercussions to using the floating islands as your modeling clay will be evident by the time midnight rolls around, each night, and the islands impose a regular reset cycle to wipe away whatever changes have taken place, including that peculiar, almost volcanic texture that seems to affect the lands sculpted by your mentality. Just make sure you're not caught outside the depressions in the shape of mana pools centered on each island, lest you bear some unpleasant consequences for a day.

If you haven't signed up for a Reset Penalty and wish to, you can still do so here!

Check Your Wishlist

But of course, it's not all doom and gloom. It's quite the opposite, in fact. If there's something you've been wanting, simple or complex, something that has been making its way into the texture of your thoughts with a frequency that's almost noteworthy, the islands will attempt to see to it that this wish of yours, this yearning, is satisfied in some way or another. Some of the effects will be temporary. Some won't.

Regardless, at some point during the event, if your character visits the islands, the possibility is there.

If you're interested in a Wish Request, let us know here! Remember that filling out this form is required if you want to take advantage of the islands' "giving" nature.

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] February 15th: The floating islands appear
[ ♆ ] February 16th: The mana pools begin malfunctioning, and characters begin ending up on the floating islands
[ ♆ ] February 20th: Monthly Storytelling occurs, along with a vote as to the next land adventurers will brave. Upon waking, the Storyteller returns everyone to Ensō, and shrouds the islands in cloud once more

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ichimatsu is right. The island is missing the fact that Seto's home was in the middle of nowhere. Which made sense, considering you apparently can't really see the stars in a city but it's also hiding the fact that the world was gone. Even if it was smack dab in the middle of Tokyo, they'd both still be alone.]

It was a little lonely and sometimes Grandpa didn't talk a lot. But we were together so it was okay.

[Key word here being 'was'. Seto wonders if the last note his Grandpa left him was still in this place or in his bag instead. But then he met Ren, PF, Crow, and Sai. Even Shin, in his own way, was someone Seto met. As violent as it was.

And on this island it seemed impossible to be alone.]

[Past tense. He was using it before, but Ichimatsu only picks up on it now. So it means the kid's grandpa is gone, or the house is gone. Or both. He has enough respect for decency not to pry.]

[In fact, he even has enough to try and gently shift the topic. His head angles up towards the swath of moonlight again.]

Was he an astronomer or something? A job like that'd probably keep him busy.

[The house is still alive and kicking. But the topic switch is nice.

Even if the answer is a less then stellar one.]

Oh um...I don't think so? He wrote a lot of complicated things. They're on the desk.

[Somewhere in the back. Seto wasn't allowed to move them around but that hadn't stopped him from looking. And there were a lot of complicated words and numbers that made the boy's head spin.

Ichimatsu may have more luck. But who knows?]

[Ichimatsu's eyes slide towards the desk. For a few heartbeats, he doesn't react. Then he trudges over, hands still in his pockets, and leans down to inspect its contents. After a bit of blank staring, he draws out one of his hands and shifts a paper to the side.]

[He's not actually that interested; he's mostly just going along with it. It's easy for him to see that it's mostly notes for stuff he has no context for, and probably isn't smart enough to understand even if he did. Old guy kept himself busy. Between the writings, the library, the massive dome...]

[He sets the paper back exactly the way he'd found it.]

He ever have any time for you?

[Even though Seto grew up with the man he had dubbed his Grandpa, he too had zero context for what the older man had been writing down. The only real interactions Seto had with that desk was when he was younger and looking for pencils so he could write on the walls. When he was older...

...well, there's one piece of paper missing from that table. Not because Seto wanted to hide it but because he wanted to read it again, later on in the day even if he had the original copy tucked away in his bag.]

We didn't talk sometimes, but yeah. He taught me how to draw maps.

[Among other things that would make it easier to survive.]

Maps?

[He looks up from the desk, his attention caught. This kid is a cartographer? Isn't that a pretty complicated job? He looks like he's barely into adolescence. Ichimatsu writes it off as a simple form of the craft, but he does turn and lean his hip against the desk, crossing his arms with interest.]

What'd he need maps for?

They're good so you don't get lost.

[He pulls out one of said maps from his bag and holds it up. For a kid it isn't that bad, although it's clear that Seto couldn't resist the urge to doodle whatever came to mind at points.]

And my Grandpa said it'd be good for me to know when he's....if he's not around anymore.

[Ichimatsu moves away from the desk to approach; if Seto lets him, he'll reach out and try to take the map. Otherwise he simply leans in and studies it.]

[Yeah, that makes more sense. It's still not bad quality, though. Ichimatsu is pretty sure he'd be able to navigate around well enough with a map like that. Then he notices something scribbled down on the side, and raises an eyebrow, instinctively glancing up the stairs towards this hypothetical room.]

Who's 'Scary Guy'? That's not your Grandpa, is it?

[Let him take the maps Seto does. He's pretty sure they're not in this place since it's based on the memories of the observatory when Seto left it.

And, yeah. That was a Thing. Seto makes a bit of a face. Not because Ichimatsu asks if the 'scary guy' was his Grandpa but because that moment sucked.]

No, it was this really weird mask thing. It wasn't nice.

[To say the least.]

But I checked and it's not there. So it's okay.

[For a few moments, Ichimatsu just stares like Seto's grown a second head. He hands he map back with a raised eyebrow and a squinted, disapproving look.]

You're telling me your Grandpa just let some freak with a mask hang around on the second floor? What the hell is up with that? I would've killed him.

Ah, um no it wasn't a person. It was a big mask, bigger then you. I don't think my Grandpa would have liked it if it was there when he was.

[Because yeah that thing was contently hell-bent on killing Seto, which was super rude.]

But I beat it so it's gone. It shouldn't be here...I hope.

[Fingers crossed, anyways.]

[the fuck??? what kind of shit]

[Well, whatever. Ichimatsu gives a small grunt, as though slightly offended on Seto's behalf that there was a big... asshole.... mask thing invading his space. Actually, he half-suspects it really was a person and the teenager is just too innocent to think otherwise. Can't weirdos like that find somewhere else to do whatever the hell they like to do? This is a kid, for shit's sake.]

Should I go check? If he's there, I'll kill him again.

[Never mind that this place probably isn't even real.]

[Welcome to the world of Fragile Dreams Ichimatsu. But that aside, Seto shakes his head.]

I think it's okay. And if it's here I can beat it up again.

[For the umpteenth time. But you gotta do what you gotta do when it comes to that mask thing, possessed trees and a very angry ghost-AI.]

[He snorts, but doesn't push the matter any harder. He might be a waifish-looking thing, but apparently this brat knows how to defend himself properly. Good for him, if he's got freaks hounding him like that. The nerve of some assholes.]

[Ichimatsu eyes him again, a bit more critically this time.]

You got a name, kid?

[Kind of. He's no master of anything but knows a little. And well, is good at using what's on hand as a weapon.

Still, that doesn't matter right now. He smiles.]

I'm Seto. What's your name?

Seto, huh. Alright. I'm Ichima --

[He stops.]

[He stops, and his eyes widen, pinning Seto with a look far more intense than either of the scrutinizing gazes he'd given before. Seto? Seto? The same name he's heard, shit, at least a thousand times from Ren's mouth? As she smiled, and the warmth in her eyes glowed, and Ichimatsu thought, maybe, the ghosts she whispered about could never feel as ethereal to him as this mysterious boy that haunted her every waking moment without him; the boy who was the reason she wanted to learn how to whistle on grass and find safe places and --]

[A boy he saw in a dream of hers, once. Playing baseball in an empty lot. Ichimatsu stares and feels like a total idiot, because it's him. It's the same damn kid.]

[He'd promised her he wouldn't get mad at Seto, once.]

[It slips from his mind like a cold, shooting star.]

[Without thinking, Ichimatsu lunges and makes a grab for Seto's collar, trying to lift him closer, as though he's not even sure the kid he's been speaking to for the past ten minutes is anything more than one of Ren's ghosts.]

A-are you for real...? Seto?!

[If Ichimatsu may recall, from a dream where there was a memory from a girl he knows quite well. Where she and one other boy seemed to be the only two people in the world. And that's the truth as far as Seto and Ren are concerned. There were voices over an old radio that suggested there were others but so far...

Basically, Seto has very, very limited experiences with people. Angry dogs, jellyfish and ghosts were one thing - the closest human-shaped things that ever attacked him were those...um, and Shin. So he doesn't see the grab coming and stumbles slightly when Ichimatsu pulls him forward.

The only real thing Seto can think to do is grab the other man's wrists. It's not a tight grip if he succeeded but there's not a whole lot you can do when you're startled like this.]

Y-yes I'm Seto! Did I...is everything okay?

You bastard...

[Ichimatsu hisses the expletive like a furious cat. His oath not to go off on Seto comes trickling back into his mind, but with the object of his ire firmly in his grasp, Ichimatsu isn't about to let himself come back to his senses so easily. As it is, he keeps himself from shaking the kid the way he would one of his idiotic brothers -- to him, that's more self-restraint than he's ever practiced for anybody.]

[Not that he's entirely convinced Seto deserves it.]

No one knows where the hell you've been all this time, and you're asking if everything is okay? Give me a break! Ren-chan's been waiting all this time, and it took you this long to show your face! I'm already sick of looking at it!

I-I was asking if--

[But the rest of what Ichimatsu says makes Seto cut himself off. It's not something the other man would know but it's clear by the look on Seto's face that Ichimatus has - not hit a nerve or anything - but said something that resounded with the kid.

It's something in how Seto's grip on his wrists relaxes, yet there's something sharp in his eyes.]

Ren is the last person I would leave all alone. I-I know how badly that feels. And if I knew she was here, I would have come as soon as I could.

[As it stands, he only had a dream and then came here. Ichimatsu may think Seto is a waif of a kid, but he has more of a backbone then he may think when it comes to his friends and especially when it comes to Ren.]

[Of all things, it's the look in Seto's eyes that cuts through to Ichimatsu; he sucks in a breath, thin and shaking with anger, and holds it in his lungs until he's able to tell it apart from his escalated heart rate. He holds his breath, and he holds the kid's gaze, staring at him sharp and stubborn.]

[That's kind of look that could take on an asshole with a mask, maybe. The kind of look that can see ghosts.]

[He feels his blood settle. He overreacted. Ichimatsu, always flying off the handle. Breaking his promise to Ren and giving into his violent impulses without a second thought, because he always knew he was gonna let her down eventually, right? She might hate him if she saw how he was treating the person she loved most right now.]

[That's fine. Ichimatsu isn't done yet.]

[Wordlessly, he gives Seto some slack; keeps his hands fisted in the younger man's collar, but gives him some breathing room, scales back his threatening posture. When he speaks again, his voice is completely calm.]

I don't care whether you meant to do it or not. If you know how she felt, then you know what it was like for her without you. You know the shit she went through.

What are you gonna do about it, Seto?

[Seto himself takes a moment to breathe as well. This isn't the same kind of adrenaline that came when he fought Shin. A fight with words is different then a fight with hands and weapons.

But even as that sharpness goes away and Seto's own grip on Ichimatsu's wrists relaxes before he drops his hands entirely, his voice is firm.

Because what Ichimatsu is asking clearly has an obvious answer as far as Seto's concerned.]

I'll be with her. I don't have any pretty magic or special powers, but I'll be with her until the day I die, both here and back home. So she won't be lonely.

[Seto speaks like his death is an inevitably and it is - a memory of two starving kids sharing a dream together where the world was not the ruins they took shelter in. It was inevitable that they were going to die.

Everyone Seto met had died.

And eventually he too would die. And it's clear that he's accepted this.]

I just want Ren to be happy. That's the most important thing to me.

... tch.

[And with that, he releases his grip and backs away.]

[Seto talks big. Until the day I die, as if a kid knows how serious of a thing he's saying. And Ichimatsu is only letting it go because... he thinks, maybe, Seto does. There's something he saw in those sharp eyes that makes him think so, anyway. And a part of him wonders, what kind of damn kid talks like that, so confident in the inevitability of death that he can use it to measure himself?]

[But then, the rest of him doesn't wonder that at all.]

[Ichimatsu sighs, and with it, expels the tight knot of anger that remained. His shoulders slump back down, hands tucking into his pockets, and he's no more threatening than the slouched and sleepy figure that had wandered in here fifteen minutes ago.]

Then that's fine.

As long as you get it, the rest of it is none of my business. Figure it out between the two of you.

[Ichimatsu glances away, silent for a few heartbeats. Slowly, a bit uncertainly, he draws one of his hands back out and holds it out in the air between them, palm outstretched.]

Anyway, I'm Ichimatsu. Nice to meet you... Seto.

February Event: Just One Mist-ake

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