August Aftermath: Make Me Okay

[lifeaftr_mods]

AUGUST AFTERMATH: MAKE ME OKAY

Who: Everyone!
What: After the harrowing events of mid-month, it's time to process what you've been through
When: August 24th and onward
Where: Ensō and/or Nastrandir
Warnings: Discussions of violence, injury, forcibly altered mindsets via magical influence, and character deaths. Other than that, tag as you go!

Nastrandir: Can I Fight When I Don't Know How
The morning of August 24th, the day after a Storytelling that was notably later than usual, you will wake to the restoration of your average selves, barring any extenuating circumstances due to recent deaths. The dead will rise again on Ensō, at the Storyteller's Temple, while everyone else will simply wake where they last laid themselves to rest. There's nothing left to do but, perhaps, try to come to terms with all that's just happened.

You've probably witnessed some terrible things, over the past few days. There's a very good chance that you were the one doing the terrible things. Whether you were responsible for the slaughter of a fellow adventurer, watched the fray from the distance, or suffered the spontaneous combustion that seized everyone who hadn't managed to shake away their false memories in time, it's at least all over now. Or...mostly. Any stray sirens that haven't been smashed by the event's end are still shrilling away, though their dangerous effects seem to have been rendered inert without the aid of the broken merotome spilling its memories into everyone else's heads. Likewise, a handful of automatons still wander the island of Nastrandir. Those that have not succumbed to mud and rust and irreparable damage are still capable of firing upon hostiles. Anyone who may have fought by their side before will discover that they're now far less friendly, and will treat former members of the Red Team just the same as they would with any other intruder: with deadly fire.

So you can pick yourselves up off the ground and clean up what remains, or you can say to yourselves: Fuck That, and instead head back to Ensō. Or you could elect to keep exploring Nastrandir, if you're truly a glutton for punishment.

Ensō: Am I Bleeding From the Neck Down
On Ensō and its accompanying islets, it's begun to rain.

It's not a genuine downpour, but more of a gentle, melancholy drizzle. The rain is cool and likely refreshing, particularly if one is just coming away from the humidity of Nastrandir.

Potentially as a form of apology, anyone who goes digging through their belongings will discover that one of the following has ended up in their packs:

[ ♆ ] If you were a member of the Red Team, you will discover that you now own a rather awkwardly-shaped object, about three feet in length. A set of written instructions will inform you that this is known as a redsword, and that, upon placed upon any wet area or body of water, will drain and dry it out over the course of five minutes. This item is single-use, and only works for a ten-foot radius.

[ ♆ ] If you were a member of the Blue Team, you will discover that you now own some very fetching footwear. A set of written instructions will inform you that these are called skip-skops, and can be used to walk on water or wet land without sinking or getting wet. Standard limitations when crossing between islands or attempting to go beyond LifeAftr's limits will still apply. This item is single-use, and will dissolve after one hour total.

[ ♆ ] If you were Neutral, you will discover that you now own, er, this. A set of written instructions will inform you that this object is called a furball, and that it works as a sort of miniature, diminished version of the sirens you spent all that time destroying on Nastrandir. Once planted, it will rapidly grow into a tall, screaming tree full of lorby-like creatures that automatically causes all natural animals in the vicinity to become aggressive for one hour, maximum. This item is single-use.

It's not much, but it might make some of the hell that you suffered through over the past few days worth it! Almost, anyway. In the meantime...relax, lick your wounds, and try and forgive yourselves for what's happened. Please remember to let us know if your character perished in this event! Remember also that death penalties will be reduced following this event; characters will only need to contend with them for a week, and participation in Non-Compulsory AC will not be necessary in removing them.

---

If you're interested, the following links may prove handy:

[ ♆ ] OOC Event Info and Plotting Post
[ ♆ ] Nastrandir's Intro
[ ♆ ] Nastrandir's Locations Page
[ ♆ ] Search Requests Page
[ ♆ ] Deaths Page

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[eudaimonikos]

I'm not as bad off as a real human. They need to eat every day, right?

[He knows, he's just asking hypothetically.]

But yeah. A lot of the stuff it does now is just gross.

[motherfucking_ghost]

I mean, they can go for a while without food. It's the water that's the killer. Water your human every day.

Ssssso what were you before?

[eudaimonikos]

I'm a demon. Getting stuck in some dumb flesh vessel doesn't make me not one.

[He's been in loads of bodies! He's still the same guy!]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Right, and getting stuck in a robot doesn't make me not a human ghost.

[He's met a couple demons already. At least this one looks human enough that he's not gonna freak out. But like, how many people here aren't demons? Is he in a minority here?]

[eudaimonikos]

Makes you a ghost in the machine!

[That is absolutely not the way Tex described this entire situation, but what's Michael gonna do? Argue about it?]

You can't go all ghost-y either, can you?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Oh my god. [He's so tired, like, in an existential sense, but he laughs anyway.] That's exactly what I am! Ghost in the machine, I'm gonna have to remember that one. Haaa, yeah, I can't do any of the shit I did back home. I'm more like an actual robot-robot with free will and everything than a ghost possessing people and walking through walls and disappearing and flying.

Okay, I couldn't fly, but still.

[eudaimonikos]

But you could possess people?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Walk right into their bodies and take over, yeah.

[eudaimonikos]

Oh, man, that sounds neat!

[Probably also unethical or something, but: cool!]

I don't know if I could've done that or not. Never spent a lot of time around living humans.

[motherfucking_ghost]

So all this shit must be wild and crazy, yeah? All these...well, there are humans but a lot of other things that aren't humans but aren't demons.

[eudaimonikos]

There's other things in my world, too. Angels, Janets...but yeah, some of it's a little weird. Some of you have a lot going on metaphysicially.

[motherfucking_ghost]

...Janets? Just--what, ladies named Janet?

[eudaimonikos]

They're not ladies.

[That's what Janet would say.]

Janets are a sort of artificial reality matrix we use in the afterlife. They do look like human women, I guess, to human senses.

[motherfucking_ghost]

I--hold on. Wait. You have AI in the afterlife?

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah? I mean, she isn't a robot - they aren't. But they're artificial.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Like...AI that you made? Collective you? Why not just make Terminators and kill the whole world? Skynet that shit.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael blinks.]

Why would we do that?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Whhhhy wouldn't you? More souls to reap, my man. Being.

[eudaimonikos]

That's very short-term thinking. If all the humans die, there won't be any more later on. Not that I would do it regardless, but - no matter how you look at it, the apocalypse isn't great for business.

[motherfucking_ghost]

So then like, what's the point? Of...the afterlife, I guess.

[eudaimonikos]

...I don't really know.

[He stares off into space for a moment. He's thought about that, lately.]

You all show up on our plane when you die. Figure they thought we should do something with you. The rest...it's set up like someone thought it was about justice, once, but maybe it was always really to entertain ourselves. If the Judge cared once, she doesn't now.

[motherfucking_ghost]

It doesn't really follow, though. Cuz if you were made a demon--man, I'm not the guy to be asking metaphysical questions especially in all this shit.

[But he makes himself more comfortable and continues on.]

Mind that I have no idea what kinda world you come from or what your circumstances are or what kind of afterlife you've got, and my religious upbringing leans more toward...eh. [Given it's the Director's upbringing and not his! Whee!]

Assuming you weren't a guy who died and become a demon. Assuming you were made as a demon, that's just, that's your existence, that's what you are. Assuming you weren't uhhh, an angel that fell, I guess? If you guys have angels. Then, it has to have been for some kinda reason. You don't just make someone and have their whole thing be 'find a way to entertain yourselves'--huh. Or I mean...I guess you could. I guess no one's stopping...anyone from doing that. I mean, I guess that's just what existence is...

[eudaimonikos]

Who says anybody made us?

[Michael shrugs. He thinks the idea's stupid, but it doesn't...exactly upset him, he supposes.]

Us and the angels - we're not "fallen angels", we're totally different things. Once we weren't, and then we all just were. The Judge is older than any of us, but she'd have said something about it if she made us. If there was really some kind of magical creator, they just abandoned us right away. So who cares what they wanted?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Obviously you were made? If you weren't and then you were, then you were made. Cuz evolution, that's a thing otherwise.

Nobody comes from nothing.

[An AI comes from someone.]

[eudaimonikos]

The universe did. Time did - it started up about the same time we did.

[Spontaneous generation doesn't have to have some intelligent design behind it. Things just happen.]

Evolution doesn't make sense for things that don't breed, anyway.