November Undercurrent: And We Give Thanks

[lifeaftr_mods]

NOVEMBER UNDERCURRENT

Who: Everyone!
What: Have you told someone you loved them yet?
When: November 3rd to November 20th
Where: Everywhere!
Warnings: Nothing of note; please mark if anything comes up!

Take Me Back to the Reasons Why
The Water wishes to demonstrate their power to you, as well as just what they mean, when they suggest that they require your cooperation. They are going to bring back the harvest island of Nuidan, a generally fondly remembered island that explorers have encountered in the past. What's more, they're going to require your help to do it.

Starting November 3rd, characters will discover a simple strip of dark leather among their belongings, meant to be worn around the neck or wrist. They can disregard it, of course, but if they attempt to discard or destroy it, it will always find its way back to them, no matter how improbable this might seem. How strange...

Perhaps even stranger is the sudden appearance of a smooth slab of stone, half-submerged in the waters just off of Ensō's coast. It's an altar, and around its edges are a series of deep notches, as though something is meant to be inserted into them. In its center is a pool of water, though it curiously doesn't seem to reflect anything.

The purpose of this will only really become obvious once the month goes on. Characters will find themselves to compelled to be honest with the people around them as to why they care, why they appreciate them as people, or what they like most about them. This compulsion can vary wildly and at the player's discretion, from a gentle mental pressure to an unstoppable force, and anything in between!

The bottom line is that every time one admits to some feeling of gratitude, no matter how small or big, their little plait of leather will receive a crystal from the interaction. All crystals will be roughly the same shape, but they may vary in color, pattern, and texture. Some might be simple sticks of quartz, while others might be comprised of myriad, ever-changing swirls of color. Again, the only limit here is your imagination. Now the presence of that strange, altar-shaped stone in the water might make a bit more sense. Those notches in its sides are the perfect size and shape to fit a crystal smoothly into any one of them. The more grateful interactions one has with others, the more crystals they will gather, and the more they can fit into the altar. As more crystals are fed to the altar, it will start to glow. The pool of water at the altar's top will start to reflect the likeness island of Nuidan in increasing clarity, as though one is peering at its likeness in a snowglobe. What's more is that the number of crystals in the altar will very obviously affect Nuidan's state: very few crystals will make the island look as though it is mostly wilderness only a handful of structures in dire need of repair, while a great deal of crystals will cause the island to look as though it is thriving, in full bloom, and in more need of harvest than maintenance.

But, ultimately, the state in which Nuidan returns to you is up to you...and how far you're willing to go to express a little gratitude. Don't worry if you don't know anyone, either - this marks a great opportunity to start doing nice things for people, even if you don't know them! You've got most of the month to get to know each other, after all.

Don't think you can get away with heaping compliments on your closest friends and companions, however; variety is the name of the game here. While you can collect all sorts of crystals for personal use from repeat interactions, you can only feed one crystal to the altar per person. That is to say, Character A can be as grateful to Character B as they like, but only one crystal from each character can be delivered to the altar. If they want to procure more for the altar's purposes, Character A will have to have a positive interaction with Character C, and so on.

Take Me Back to That Big Sky

Of course, there's a lot going on in the background as well. You're free to use this log as a catch-all for the duration of November's Undercurrent Event, as well as the other minor events listed on our Monthly Rundown post. You are very, very free to let your dreams about creepers and baby lorbies become reality, and you are always free to create your own individual logs and posts as needed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them over on our Monthly Rundown post!

November Timeline

[ ♆ ] November 3rd: "And We Give Thanks" begins and lasts until November 20th
[ ♆ ] November 4th: "Aw, Man" begins and lasts until November 12th
[ ♆ ] November 11th: "The Lorblings" begins and lasts until November 25th
[ ♆ ] November 20th: Nuidan returns to the archipelago
[ ♆ ] November 21st: "Return to Your Roots" begins and lasts until November 30th

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

the drifter | ota | i'll match your format!

[hyperlit]

i. gratitude ; so settle down, relax yourself completely

[This feeling in their chest...light, buoyant, feathery - it's not new, but it's atypical for them. They cannot think that there is any particular impetus for it. And yet, it seems, for once, to be benign. The Drifter's sense of self-awareness is greater than it used to be. They can tell that a difference exists, for one. But they cannot say where the difference came from, and don't see any reason to examine it if it proves, for the moment, harmless.]

[They're not a very wordy sort of person, by nature. But that does not mean that they cannot still express gratitude. Someone taught them to weave together flowers into crowns, once. Perhaps they ought to thank her?]

[But first, they have an awful lot of other flower crowns to make. If you don't find them wandering around Ensō to pick flowers, or outside the abode that they have begun to care for in the Knight's absence, you'll find them sat down under a tree or on the coast somewhere, studiously twining their accrued flowers together into one of many simple floral circlets that they seem to be accumulating at a fast rate.]

[They intend to give as many of them away as possible, of course. But you're more likely to find them in the process of putting together their gifts.]

ii. aw MAN ; you bide your time and wait just like you do

[There's a strange, greenish shape drifting nearer to the Storyteller's temple. Its face appears frozen in a perpetual grimace, and it brings with it the faint but unmistakable scent of sulfur.]

[About one hundred meters back, the Drifter carefully raises their rifle and waits for the creature to wander into their proverbial crosshairs. They have limited ammunition. They need to make every shot count.]

[So immense is their concentration that they do not take note of the near-silent sound of another creeper drawing steadily near. The Drifter makes such a vibrant, obvious target...]

iii. wildcard ; i've heard it once, i've heard it all before

[i am of course wide open to do anything else that wasn't mentioned above, such as nirnroot and lorbling shenanigans. let me know if you want me to write you up a closed starter, or plot anything in particular! you can tap me over at arrpee or zero#8942 on discord! i will match prose or brackets!

i

[forwearemany]

(Friend!

Legion's headflaps lift and they let out a long stream of chatter, immediately turning from the direction they were heading and heading for the Drifter instead.)

Drifter.

(Their head tilts to the side. What is the Drifter making?)

[hyperlit]

hello

[Their attention is torn between their current work and the greeting, so Legion does not get their full attention to start with. Hopefully, the gift of flowers will not be in poor taste, considering that flowers managed to kill a sizable part of the island's population once.]

want one
?

[forwearemany]

(It seems unecessary, and their head is not designed for crowns.)

Thank you.

(However, they are aware that the offering of material items, assistance, or favors is highly significant for the Drifter

After a moment, they sit next to them.)

We also have something we wish to give.

[hyperlit]

[The act of learning how to make a flower crown was fundamentally unnecessary - and yet, it was something that Ren had wanted to do, and so they had acquiesced. That was her tacit request, and it would not have done to upset her by refusing it. So without really meaning to, they have learned how to create something.]

[It's strange how it took them until now to truly realize it.]

[The Drifter's head bobs back up, their work pauses, and their head goes to one side.]

?

[forwearemany]

(Does the Drifter like food? Will they accept a gift of it?

Legion is about to find out.

They pull a random object from their backpack. It honestly looks like old junk, but then they stab it with their blade of plenty to reveal ... cake? Chocolate cake?

They offer the strange treat to the Drifter.)

[hyperlit]

[The Drifter regards the offering with their typical expression - which is to say, vaguely blank and difficult to perhaps immediately discern.]

food
?

[It doesn't look like food. But the smell is undeniable - rich and sugary. Sweet, they're certain.]

[forwearemany]

Yes.

(They headtilt, waiting to see if the Drifter will take it.)

[hyperlit]

[They do. They look at it carefully, studying the shape of what appears to be little more than a piece of unusable something-or-other.]

made it?

i!

[mockiri]

[Flowers! What a convenient thing to guide a certain bird girl to where they're seated, following her nose until she comes across a familiar figure. With an excited chirp she toddles over and plops down in the grass next to them, leaning in to watch what they're making. It's pretty...]

How did you do that?

[With a young man's voice, softly accented.]

[hyperlit]

[At least it's not a shock anymore, when they hear a voice they do not recognize - because they recognize the one from which it emits. The Drifter's sole indication of their mild surprise is a single blink of their dark eyes, before they hold up a half-completed circlet of flowers.]

can weave flowers together

wish to learn
?

[mockiri]

[100% absolutely she does! She nods her head eagerly, reaching down to pick up a couple of the flowers.]

That sounds adorable!

[hyperlit]

relatively simple

[They're better at showing than they are explaining, so mostly they just take the process slowly, showing her how to twine the stems gently together to form a chain.]

be careful
fragile
can break easily

[mockiri]

Be careful.

[She's definitely been told that before, and she can do it! She leans in to watch their hands, scooting forward a bit to study each movement with interest.]

[hyperlit]

[It doesn't take very long. In a few moments, the Drifter holds up their completed circlet.]

tie the ends together

[Then, on an impulse that they don't really think twice of, a spontaneity that is a bit uncharacteristic for them, the Drifter reaches forward quick as a blink in an attempt to drop the crown atop Kiri's head.]

[mockiri]

[She's in the middle of struggling to tie hers together - it's hard with her feather fingers, so it might take her a while - when the crown drops to her head, and she squawks in surprise, sharply sitting upright and lifting a hand to gently touch it, eyes wide. It's soft, and it tickles a little.

She looks over at them and beams.]

Ooh, I’m a captain.

[hyperlit]

yes

[They're not entirely sure what that means, but...it seems like it suits the situation. And if she wants to say it, then she's right. The corners of their eyes pinch slightly in amusement, slitting them into dark half-moons.]

flower captain

i

[lesbeau]

[Beau doesn't know exactly what to make of feeling feelings that aren't hers. It's not like she hasn't been trying to do better with being truthful and everything, but it's been a slow process and Beau is nothing if not petty. It only matters if it's her choice- the fact that this feels forced is putting her on a slightly surly edge. But she still wants to be vaguely around people, so she figures she'll wander close, get her fix, and then go do whatever she wants.

But y'know, Drifter's good company, and certainly not the worst to sit out a situation like this in. So she wanders over to where she's found them sitting with a very vague wave.]

You doing flower crowns? Kinda surprised we haven't seen that yet, but uuuh, I also showed up right after that flower plague so.

[wonderful.]

[hyperlit]

[The flower plague. Yes. The Drifter lowers their head very slightly at the mention of it, in solemn acknowledgment of that tumultuous event.]

a shame
such a beautiful thing would be made so dark

[lesbeau]

[She takes a seat near to them, not quite next to but with their knees close to touching as her legs cross.]

Yeah, kinda glad that one's just a story to me. 'Ss much as anything is 'just' a story anywhere.

[Beau's eyes fall to the crown though, and-- it's one part some kind of weird pull towards her own promises of honesty, and one part something this place is doing, but she speaks.]

It's nice you're taking it back. Y'know, saying you're gonna enjoy it no matter what someone says. That's hardcore.

[hyperlit]

[They remember it too well. Lavender, and the smell of it, the way the purple blooms had been thick with their blood, the ichor that dyed those petals pink and spilled out every time they doubled over to cough.]

[They had saved themself, once, from a sickness that was ravaging them. A pity they could not do the same more than once.]

[They're focusing on all the wrong things. The Drifter looks up to her, tilts their head slightly to one side.]

would like to make one?

[lesbeau]

[She got lucky in that hers could be a forgotten dream, but it helps to be prepared. The smell doesn't plague her, the pain faded into the background of other hurts she's had through all sorts of things, not enough to win over the feeling of things like holding a lightning rod or delving into lava.

But right now, Beau just sits down across from them, legs folded.]

Don't really know how. Never done something like this before. Is it just a, uh... like a basket?

[hyperlit]

like a rope

[It is a rather simple maneuver. The most difficult part is not breaking the delicate stems and leaves and petals - weaving flowers together makes for much more delicate material than it would rope or any other standard weave.]

or a chain

[lesbeau]

[Beau knows what the idea there is in theory, at least. Or rather, she knows what a twisting of rope looks like, but not necessarily having the practice to know the motions.]

Uhhh, sure, yeah. You just sorta... braid? Is it a braid?

[Okay maybe she should actually watch the Drifter's hands, the delicate way they move. It's graceful in the way she's seen monk movements explained, even if her experience is much more focused on the pain.]

... You're really good at it.

[hyperlit]

a braid

[Yes, they realize after a moment of consideration, it is a sort of braid. Their eyes crinkle slightly at the corners at her compliment, pinching into crescents.]

have had practice
much practice