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

a

[vagabone]

[On the second day, he's made it to the Denny. Not under his own power, unfortunately. He's coming back one bone at a time and he's made it to the second rib and about a third of his spine. It's enough for him to be able to prop himself up on his humeri, but he has no lower arms and certainly no hands.

Not that he can eat normal, disgustingly solid food anyway. It sucks, because he can smell it just fine.]

Ooh. Wish I could, but I'd only make a mess on the table.

[eudaimonikos]

It wouldn't just magically dissolve in your mouth or something? I thought you said your type of dead person ate.

[That's the only reason he even bothered asking. Well, that and:]

What happened to the rest of you?

[vagabone]

Back where I belong, sí, it's no problem. It's not real food, it's offerings. The essence of the offerings. Like an echo or a memory. Solid food doesn't have anywhere to go.

[Ha ha, about... that... It shouldn't be awkward, it's not his fault. And yet. Yep, it's awkward.

I died in the big battle and... you know how people come back wrong at first? [Need he say more.] It's getting better, yesterday I was just a skull.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael eyes Hector's bones, skims the several bone-related comments that come to mind, and decides to say none of them. Lots of torture stuff mostly.]

I could try to make an offering. Not like I usually use this power outside the afterlife anyway, right? [He grins.] Can you describe them?

[vagabone]

On our side it looks like normal food. I haven't been to the living world since dying and I'm not counting this, because it's not normal... but I know we're supposed to be intangible over there. We can't move anything solid. But I hear if you do it just right, you can pick stuff up and make a kind of, I don't know, ghost copy of it and the real thing's left behind. And then you can bring your half of it back to the land of the dead.

[...Did any of that make sense.]

[eudaimonikos]

...like a soul, but for a thing.

[Sure, he guesses? Humans exist on Earth, and then the parts of them that can go on to the afterlife. It's just like that.]

Okay, let's see - [He lifts his hand to snap his fingers, then hesitates.] - wait, what kind of food would you want?

[vagabone]

That's one way to put it. Doesn't have to be food, it can be anything. Whole plants too, but they'll quit growing.

[Wow, this is... an actual normal conversation with the demon guy.]

...Can you really make anything?

[eudaimonikos]

Not like there's any resources in the afterlife. Everything that's there, we made out of nothing.

[They didn't exactly have land, or minerals to turn into iron. Or whatever humans do?]

It doesn't work as well now that I'm here. The things I make vanish after a day - but that doesn't matter if it's already gone, so food is a pretty good choice.

[vagabone]

So does everything I eat. Poof, gone. No stomach.

[He pauses... this is silly, it seems too much to ask, and he doesn't have hands. What's he going to do, mash his face into a plate like a dog? Assuming it works and doesn't end up staining his shirt.]

Chapulines...? I miss those. It's been a long time.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael figures the how of Hector eating without hands is something they can think about in a minute.]

Sure, sure, chapulines. What is a chapuline?

[vagabone]

[He blinks, taken aback. So the guy doesn't know everything about food, okay then.]

...Eh, nevermind. Surprise me. Or, hey, how about some pizza? I tried that a few months ago, it was good.

[eudaimonikos]

[eh, he didn't need to eat before, there's probably plenty of human dishes he doesn't know about]

You sure? You could just describe the other thing. It tends to fill in the gaps a little, long as I have an idea of what I'm doing.

[vagabone]

[He's not being a pain in the ass for a demon-guy, he's being educational.]

Fried grasshoppers. With seasoning. Garlic, salt, onion, whatever, you get the idea. They were one of my favorites when I was alive.

[eudaimonikos]

Oh! That's very straightforward!

[Michael has some understanding that a lot of human cultures might find that gross, but personally he doesn't see how it's any more gross than the concept of eating in general. More importantly, it's a simple enough concept. Michael snaps his fingers and makes a bowl of fried grasshoppers, with exactly the seasonings Hector just named.]

Ah! [He grins, though it fades a little as he looks at Hector.] How do you want to do this?

[vagabone]

Nice. Wait, how--oh.

[He bonks himself in the forehead with the end of his humerus, exactly like an idiot trying to facepalm without a palm.]

...I hadn't thought this far ahead.

[eudaimonikos]

Hm.

[Michael considers, and picks one up.]

Wanna catch it in your mouth?

[vagabone]

Hah. Stupid and effective, let's do it.

[He lets his mouth hang open, grinning like the fool he is.]

[eudaimonikos]

Okay, let's start easy -

[Just an underhanded shrimp toss from very close! Michael actually has pretty darn good aim.]

[vagabone]

[Success. Into his mouth the delicious goodness goes. He chews, swallows, waits a moment...

It worked. He could taste it, it didn't fall through his ribs and onto the table. And it tasted fantastic.]

Hah! It worked! Oh, I missed those!

[eudaimonikos]

Ha ha!

[Michael claps once in victory.]

Okay, okay, let's do it again. [He's backing up a little more this time!]

[vagabone]

Bring it on!

[Pfft, this is so stupid. Good stupid. He likes good stupid, it's his M.O.. He props himself up on his half-finished arms and waits.]

[eudaimonikos]

[Hahaha, this is fun! Nastrandir sucked so bad, let's do some fun dumb shit!]

Okay, here it comes...

[Overhand grasshopper!]

[vagabone]

[Chomp. Gone. Hooray!]

I really did miss those, they're so good. Hey, do you eat? Can you?

[Carpe diem. Keep on being friendly with the demon, what horrible things can he do that don't seem to happen anyway?]

[eudaimonikos]

I can! I actually have to, now - used to be just for fun sometimes.

[ugh, physical needs]

[vagabone]

Did you want some? You made them, I don't mind.

[If that needed saying!]