lifeaftr | October Event: Feeling Like a Ghost (Part I)

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October Event: Feeling Like a Ghost (Part I)

OCTOBER EVENT: FEELING LIKE A GHOST

Who: Anyone and everyone
What: Your past returns to haunt you
When: October 10th and onward
Where: All over!
Warnings: Character death, as well as potential for discussion of trauma and suicide ideation - please mark as you go!

Try and Hear Me, Then I'm Done

You can find most of the information you need in the OOC info post! In the meantime, feel free to use this log as a catch-all for the duration of the event. While this log will focus on the past portion, you're free to use it for the future portion. As always, you can also make your own logs if that's your preference! Come the 21st, however, we'll likely get an additional log up for those who want to play around with their future echoes as well. Remember also that the present portion will be played out in Mu, during this month's Storytelling.

Remember to let us know if your character dies during this event. Bear in mind, however: death penalties will NOT be reduced for this event.

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] October 10th: The ghosts of the past appear.
[ ♆ ] October 20th: The warped Storytelling occurs, the Storyteller returns, and those who have died are revived.
[ ♆ ] October 21st: Future echoes replace the ghosts of the past.
[ ♆ ] October 25th: With equilibrium restored, all visions vanish, and life returns to how it was.

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Kravitz catches Muffet's eye as she walks past, and she stops with a frown. Even without the ability to see the source of his troubles directly, it's clear that he isn't doing well.]

[Her mind abruptly making itself up, she strides briskly over to him, greeting him with a polite nod and:]

You look a bit strained, dearie. When was the last time you ate?

[When in doubt? Feed them. No matter what nonsense the rest of life may be doing, a decent home-cooked meal is a bastion of comfort and sensibility. If Kravitz doesn't protest very strongly, there's a high chance of her dragging him off to the Denny to ensure he gets properly fed.]

[Oh no, he is not.

His heart feels like it's thudding in his chest, the force of this week compounded with what's just happened making him feel sick. He-- He yelled at her. He lashed out at her, at this fake plaguing him, and while he has to believe this is fake and will end because she would never act as she does, the fear is still real. He could never turn his back on her and that's all but what he's done. Even if it is fake, she'll see it when they reunite again. Will she be angry with him? Will she let him get away with it? He'll have to repay her, surely, but with what--

He snaps from his thoughts at Muffet's words, blinking as he focuses in on her. He looks blank for a moment, still like he's not quite there, more unkempt than he's prefer in his dress and his hair.]

I... Food? I, uhm. This morning, I believe.

[A lie. He's been out of camp for at least a day. He certainly doesn't have the mental power to protest anything from someone not trying to kill him though, so Muffet's not going to find resistance there.]

[Right, that does it.]

[Muffet takes him gently but firmly by the arm and begins steering him in the direction of the Denny. Time to feed this poor lost bird man, he is clearly Not Well.]

Well, clearly you could use a heartier meal. I was just about to go make something, so it would be lovely if you accompanied me.

[This is delivered with lovely politeness, but is also very clearly Not A Request.]

[For being a bird aligned dude, he sure looks like a deer in the headlights here, huh? She just kind of starts Going and he's a little too baffled to fucking do anything about it.]

I-- uh-- you don't need to worry about-- I'm--

[Hey Krav, those aren't sentences. He just sighs, obviously too caught up in his own head to process outside stimuli right now.]

Are you sure you're not too busy with something, or-- I don't wish to be in your way.

Oh, it's no trouble at all, dearie.

[Yeah, this is just happening now. Muffet has gotten an impressive amount done over the course of her life by just briskly walking in and acting like there's no possible reason for anyone to try and stop her, and she's not going to to stop now.]

Really, it's always quite a help to have someone else around to taste-test while I'm cooking. I know how to cater to my own palate, but we have such a diverse group here that it's much better to get multiple opinions.

[Oh this sure is happening right now. He's not a pushover per se, but Kravitz has always been known to just sort of get tossed around when someone seems to have some sort of authority. So she just starts going and he is basically powerless to stop her.]

Are you-- cooking for everyone?

[He doesn't know what's going on right now.]

I mean, I'm not sure if I have tons of good opinions on all of this, I didn't eat very much before I came here.

I generally do, given that we've been feeding anyone who stops by. Which was rather the point of the Denny, I admit, so we certainly can't complain.

[Oh no. First Ardyn, now you? What is it with all these poor deprived people not having the chance to eat?]

Well, that's all the more reason to make up for lost time, really.

[Maybe the island just attracts thousands of year old men who aren't technically alive. Sometimes things happen.]

Uhm. Well. Anything I can do to help, I guess.

[Sure!!!]

Are you the one who primarily runs that place? I confess, I haven't been by much.

[Muffet graciously opens the door of the Denny and holds it for Kravitz as they finally reach the building, answering idly:]

Oh, it's more of a group effort, really. Tim and I both help run things, he was the one who originally suggested the idea. I'm usually focusing on the food itself, so he tends to handle more of the business side of things.

[She does miss that about her shop, having the time to handle everything more or less personally. The other locations, she had people she'd hired to run those, but her original cafe was still very much her personal domain.]

[But there simply aren't enough hours in the day to do everything personally when she also needs to grow and harvest all these ingredients, even for the most hard-working monster. Not to mention handling Enso's other issues...]

[As if to illustrate the point, Mettaton's illusory singing hits a high note that could pierce glass. One of Muffet's hands clenches as she forces herself not to react. Fortunately, it isn't one of the ones on Kravitz's arm.]

[He doesn't really have a good grasp on who all of those people are right now, even if he knows he probably should. Right now he just needs to focus on not dying, maybe. He's just got a lot going on.

So Kravitz nods, walks through, waits for her to lead him. At least it's unlikely the Raven Queen will follow him after all this. He wouldn't want to put her in potential danger.]

Oh. I'm not sure how much business is actually, uhm... I mean, nothing costs anything, does it? Other than what we want to contribute? I guess the economy here isn't very simple to track, seeing as there's no value in money when resources are limited. And you... likely already know this, so I have no idea why I'm saying it to you.

[Sorry for the momentary mansplain, Muffet, he's scattered.]

[Muffet leads him gently to a seat at the counter, accepting his (admittedly unnecessary) explanation with good grace.]

It's largely been running on a modified variation of the barter system, thus far. A bit messy, but it's worked well enough for our purposes.

[Rest assured, she's been keeping very close track of who pays what and how. She watches local transactions with a scrutiny that could put a stockbroker to shame.]

As it is, running a business largely consists of making other people aware that your services are available and bringing in those with other talents or resources that are useful to your enterprise.

[Once he seems to have settled into a seat and doesn't look too likely to fall over if she lets go, she slips behind the counter and begins the practiced motions of assembling a meal.]

[It's alright, he's physically fine, just-- unaware of things. A lot of things. His brain is 99% taken up by screaming right now and it's making concentrating on anything difficult, but at least he has this conversation to latch onto.]

Well, you've done a good job with that. I certainly knew you were here. I just, uhm, don't find myself in need of a meal much. My boyfriend and his sister tend to handle that, most of the time. They're quite good.

[And yknow, talking about Taako is at least a nice thing.]

I don't think he'll take it personally that I'm here though. Or at least if he does, he's being dramatic for the sake of it.

[Muffet smiles, listening to him as she cooks.]

Mm, there's nothing like having a proper family meal.

[The last part gets a quiet little laugh from her.]

Oh, I'm quite familiar with the dramatic type. [Pointedly not naming names, or even looking at Mettaton.] They'll always find something to make a fuss over.

[Not that she can't be a little bit dramatic, herself. But still.]

[He doesn't know who's chasing her around- hasn't really been asking, or trying not to when it comes to it- but he'd enjoy it if he knew the dig.]

Yes, that's... how he is.

[Somehow, he sounds a mostly loving when he says that statement, propping up his head on his knuckles with his elbow on the countertop.]

It's lively. Not... something I have a lot of experience in, to be honest. The bustle is an interesting change of pace. Did you spend much time around so many people, before coming here?

[The subject of the comment in question is posing, dramatically and imperceptibly, on the countertop beside Kravitz's seat, loudly proclaiming his wounded feelings at Muffet's totally unprovoked personal attacks.]

[She continues ignoring him.]

Mm, yes and no- I came from a large family, and I spent a fair amount of time out and about, so I'm far from a recluse.

[Wrong type of spider. Haha, arachnid humor.]

But the place where I grew up was far less populated than the average human city, so moving into one was... a shock, at first. There must have been more people in one block's worth of apartment buildings than there were in our entire kingdom.

I'm a bit more used to it, these days, but it does still feel a little odd sometimes.

[She begins seasoning the dish, very discreetly elbowing Mettaton's hallucinatory leg out of the way to get to the spice rack.]

[Gosh Muffet, you have more strength than he does, for sure. But he nods as he listens, keeping his head propped up with his hand.]

Mm, I can understand that. It can be staggering, to comprehend the world and it's vastness. It does oft feel we have seen enough and then discover it is never quite finished.

[It continues to surprise him. Or more frankly, places like this do.]

I... thought I had an idea of the world before I ended up here. Now I find myself more unsure.

[To be fair, it probably helps that her specter isn't someone she actually wants to see. Unfinished personal business aside, she'd be perfectly happy to never see Mettaton's face again.]

[...which is admittedly easier said than done, given his perpetual urge to put it on literally everything. His relentless self-marketing would be impressive if it didn't frustrate her so much.]

Wasn't there a human philosopher, who said that true wisdom was admitting that one knew nothing? Admittedly, that seems like taking it a bit far, but there might be something to the basic idea.

[She shrugs slightly, looking sympathetic.]

Seeing how much more complicated everything is can be a bit daunting- but I think perhaps I find it a bit reassuring, too. It means I've yet more awaiting me, more to do and learn.

Difficult as it is, I do enjoy the challenge. ...Though admittedly, perhaps not these particular challenges, as such.

[It does make it easier to deny someone's wishes when you want nothing to do with them. Kravitz is stuck with the unfortunate opposite reality; the ghost that was conjured for him was the being he trusted most, the most prominent figure of authority he's ever had. How do you deny a goddess? Can you truly?]

I can say with confidence that I knew my world, at least. I just... all of this is outside of my wheelhouse, to an extent. And while I am not all-knowing, I don't want to know nothing. Preparation is key, and these situations we are being thrust towards often leave no time to make such accommodations. We are wracked with the whims of the universe, and for what? I... truly, I can't say.

[He's drumming his free hand on the bartop, scratching idly at the wood.]

Suffering can be just, but I find myself wondering what purpose this could be serving at all.

[People can and do deny their gods- but it isn't easy. It's sometimes even harder to deny people you love. No matter how strong you are, some things are a lot to handle on your own.]

[But maybe, if you're lucky, you don't have to.]

My first thought would be to wonder if there is a purpose to it at all, but... it feels like too large and complex a thing to be mere chance, all of us being brought here. I don't know if any given struggle than we must overcome has a purpose behind it, but I do think we were all brought here with some plan in mind.

[With a smile, she gently sets down a plate of food in front of Kravitz- a meat and vegetable medley, warm and fresh and skillfully made.]

Whatever the mind that planned this, though, I intend to make plans of my own. I admit I've got a bit of catching up to do, as they've got a rather large head start, but I don't intend to stop.

When the time comes, we'll have to see whether the purpose behind all this is sufficient to satisfy me. Rest assured I will be having words with them if it is not.

Edited 2018-12-14 18:40 (UTC)

[If he's lucky, he won't. But that's a lot of luck he's not used to having.

He looks a little dumbly at the food placed in front of him for a few seconds, like he's concentrating on her words too hard to think about how to actually eat this, and then realizes he's being incredibly rude by not doing so. He's not even thinking that it's weird he's just staring at some zucchini, he's just worried about offending Muffet at this point.]

Well, that's-- quite a strong stance. To force forward like that with such certainty.

[He does manage some into his mouth, though, so look! He's doing his best.]

I think I'm used to more structure than this. My life was chaotic before I came here, for certain, but there was a time where I could step back from it all to a place I had control. I don't like the idea that no one is running the show. Even if I was against someone, if there was an order to all this, I think I'd feel much better about planning. How do you make a plan when the structure isn't there to support it? What sort of... goals, can you even expect to serve for yourself?

[Congratulations on eating something with actual flavor and vitamins and such in however long you've been neglecting yourself, Kravitz.]

I try not to do things by half-measures.

[By which she means she's a very stubborn person and too much of a perfectionist to back down.]

[She listens to Kravitz as he speaks in between bites, nodding sympathetically.]

In my case, I think I was more often the one creating the structure for myself- and others- in the first place. But even then, there was far more of a defined system to work with, to shape and mold into something I could direct for my purposes.

Ultimately... I think all good order must be something people make, something they chose. Even the oldest systems, the ones we think of as fundamental, had to begin with something. If there isn't a structure to work with, then perhaps we'll be able to build one, bit by bit.

[It's been like a solid week, okay, he has a chef boyfriend but he's been Busy and also Kravitz has been living face first in the ground like a hobo. It's been sad. It's been very sad. This is very, very good by comparison, and the more he doesn't have to talk the more of it makes it into his mouth.]

You are-- I mean, there is an order to the universe, or at least their should be. But I suppose there is someone that needs to... make that first one. Or at least organize what you would consider to be the laws of the world into something that can be identified and used. It's complex, for certain, but...

[He pauses to gather his thoughts a moment.]

I'm glad we have people to push forward to such things. Even if there is a worry of failure.

[Dammit, Kravitz, this is why people worry about you.]

[Muffet smiles warmly, putting a cup of mint tea down beside his plate for when he's finished with the meal, and pouring another one for herself.]

For what it may be worth, dearie? I'm glad that you're here. Inasmuch as any of us would prefer not to be here, of course.

This place is... something of a perpetual mess, yes. But I can tell that you care very strongly about helping everyone, despite that. I think that's worth a lot.

[Look. L o o k. Let him live.

He gives her a little bow as she leaves his drink, trying not to eat everything all at once and also wanting to do exactly that thing. But her words are what really surprise him, nearly swallowing a chunk of veggie before only subtly needing to cough.]

I-- I appreciate the compliment, but I'm surprised you would say something like that. You hardly know me. We've barely spoken. How are you so sure I have the people's best interest at heart?

[THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT SHE IS TRYING TO DO RIGHT NOW, KRAVITZ.]

[Muffet looks briefly concerned that he might choke, but he seems to clear his airway well enough to talk, so she assumes he's probably all right.]

Exactly.

[She gives him an arch look, and elaborates:]

We've had barely a handful of conversations, and if I recall correctly? All of them have in some way been about how you're concerned about the state of this island and the fate of the other people on it.

Forgive me if my rather small sample size has lead me astray, but I think that says quite a bit about your priorities.

[Sorry, Kravitz, but your Cool Professional Reaper persona has made very little impression on her. She's basically got you down as 'anxious nerd, wants everybody to be okay and stop doing dumb shit'.]

[Which is admittedly very relatable.]

October Event: Feeling Like a Ghost (Part I)

II. 20th

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We can probably wrap this unless you want to do more with it.

wrapping sounds fine!