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

Legion | ota

[forwearemany]

(The leather is mostly ignored when it shows up, aside from moving it from their chesthole and into their backpack.

As for their sudden desire to voice their appreciation, it's hard to tell whether they even register it as out of the ordinary. They've been wanting to test their new blade of plenty, and they've decided now is an exellent time to do so. They're hanging out at the Denny, or possibly another area where traffic is frequent, with a pile of junk. Occasionally, they pick up a piece and examine it curiously befor slicing or stabbing it to reveal ...cake?

Whether they know you particularly well or not, the moment they see you they're gonna offer you some.)

[shatteredlenses]

[Ignis would be a lot more surprised at the sudden cake offering if he didn't have his very own copy of that knife back at the cottage.]

I don't suppose you have any idea how that knife does what it does, do you?

[Because he's done a lot of baking over the years and this is not how it works, Legion!]

[forwearemany]

We do not.

(They chatter, and observe the blade.)

It is likely magical.

(And they know nothing about magic.)

[shatteredlenses]

That was only conclusion I could come to as well, unfortunately.

[He had hoped that Legion might have been able to sense something about it to point in a different direction, but that is not to be. One more mystery magical item for his collection. Speaking of collections, though...]

I wanted to thank you for taking the time to make the museum. It's such a wonderful idea. Written word can only go so far explaining something. Sometimes you really need to have the actual item on hand to understand completely.

[forwearemany]

It is unfortunate?

(They do not understand. Is the existence of magic an issue?)

Acknowledged. We appreciate your willingness to assist in this endeavor.

[shatteredlenses]

Ah, apologies.

[Ignis gives them an apologetic smile as soon as he realizes the confusion.]

Back home, I knew the source of the magic I used and so I felt it was something I could rely on. Here, I don't have that knowledge and so just saying 'it's magic' really doesn't make me feel anymore confident in it.

[Hopefully, that helps clear up the confusion a little.]

I'm glad to help. Should I end up collecting anything else, I'll be sure to pass it your way.

[forwearemany]

Acknowledged. Perhaps studying the magic of this location and its sources would be wise.

(The more they can learn about this place, the better. Perhaps someday they will be able to send those who wish to leave home, and keep those who wish to stay here.)

Affirmative. Thank you.

[wanderingdoctorfaust]

The good doctor is in his usual place when Legion steps into the clinic - humming contentedly to himself as he reads one of the library's numerous medical textbooks, more out of interest in the state of healthcare in other planes of existence than to brush up on his own knowledge. The moment he hears that very familiar sound of machine on wood, however-!

"Hm? Oh, Legion! Welcome back! How are you feeling today?"

The book is immediately deposited out of sight, and Faust literally leapfrogs himself over the top of the desk in his enthusiasm to greet his friend. Oh, and he's brought cake as well, how wonderful! The great doctor's keen demeanour is amplified tenfold by the offering, and it is immediately - though graciously - accepted into his large hands. In but the blink of an eye, a chunk of the delicious confectionery is already inserted into the bag, never to be seen again.

"Mmmmm!~ This is DELICIOUS! Thank you so much!"

Faust is positively beaming right now - he's barely started his shift, and he already gets to talk to his friend AND eat a delicious cake! It's a pity he doesn't have anything to offer in turn - can Legion even eat...? Oh, he does so hope they saved a cake for themselves if they do...

[forwearemany]

Their headflaps flutter briefly as they watch him take the cake.

"Faust-Doctor. You are pleased with this gift?"

Legion has no mouth, so it's probably safe to assume they don't eat.

[wanderingdoctorfaust]

"Mmm-hmm! Ifsh rhhly guud!"

It's very unbecoming of him to speak with his mouthful, spraying crumbs everywhere from underneath his bag, but gosh darn it the cake is just that delicious - and his stomach is just that empty, as well. Miss Muffet's wonderful herbal concoctions are a hundred different fantastic things, but 'filling' is not one of them.
So Faust is going to simply enthusiastically nod and continue eating pieces of his delectable gift. It doesn't actually occur to him that he's acting slightly out-of-character at the moment, even if said out-of-character-ness is merely reduced self-awareness and greatly amplified joy towards his friend. His friend! Legion is his friend. He still can't believe it. Maybe he should create a pair of friendship bracelets for them? Ooh, what could he use for materials...?

[forwearemany]

"Acknowledged. We are pleased."

They don't seem to mind the crumbs much at all. Legion isn't exactly a clean bot, even on the best of days. Better than they were, perhaps, but...

Anyway, right now they seem content to just watch him eat the cake.

[wanderingdoctorfaust]

Left to his own devices, the good doctor will happily finish off the cake, seemingly unaffected by Legion's unblinking flashlight head glaring into his very soul as he eagerly scoffs the delectable gift. That or he simply isn't bothered by it - and why should he be?
At least he has the decency to wipe his mouth(?) on the back of his hand after the fact, before speaking once more to his friend:

"Aaah, that hit the spot! Much appreciated, my friend! Here, have a seat - we have so much to discuss on this beautiful day!"

And just like that, Faust is already pulling up one of the waiting room chairs for Legion, completely unaware of whether the small wooden seat can even handle Legion's weight. Perhaps he intends to will it to remain standing in the face of immense synthetic bulk through his intense enthusiasm alone? Or, much more likely, he's simply not thinking straight at the moment, eccentricity amplified tenfold by the aura of emotional compulsion currently bathing the isles.

[forwearemany]

Their headflaps lift slightly as they watch him. This level of enthusiasm was unanticipated.

"Acknowledged." They stare at the chair several moments.

"Error: this platform is likely to exceed load capacity."

They do not sit. Instead, they turn their attention back to Faust.

"Query: is physical contact acceptable to Faust-Doctor?"

[deathfindsaway]

[He isn't really sure what's up with the leather strip. He let Ren tie it into his hair and has all but forgotten about it, especially in the context of strange feelings. But there's something new to be found around this place every day, and if he let a weird feeling stop him he'd never do anything at all. So here he is, dropping by the Denny and...

Well, this is happening.]

It... really does just make cake. Not that I can ensure how sanitary it is.

[He's held a lot of pocket cake from Ren though, so he'll take a bit just out of politeness.]

Not that I'm sure you're worried about something like that.

[forwearemany]

...Uncertain.

(They had thought that giving cake to organic residents would spread joy. Have they brought them sickness instead?)

We do not wish to cause harm.

[deathfindsaway]

Oh, uhm-- please, don't be worried. I'm sure it's fine. If it was indeed causing some kind of trouble, it would likely be much more obvious. I was just, uhm, thinking out loud.

[And because he's now dug himself into this hole, Kravitz just takes a big ol bite of whatever Cake Item Legion has deposited into his hand. Yup. It's cake all right! And look, he isn't dying on the spot, that's a plus.]

[forwearemany]

(It is, perhaps, not as reassuring as he'd likely hoped. Legion knows sickness is not instant, and it could be some time before any damage done starts to show.)

Acknowledged.

(The cake, at least, is very much a normal cake in spite of its origin. It's also delicious.)

[deathfindsaway]

[Well, he's just not going to worry about getting sick at this point. He can almost hear Ren chastising him for not eating Hand Cake now, so he is doing it.]

By the by, how are you faring? I can't imagine everything recently involving water has been very safe or pleasant for you.

[forwearemany]

Damage minimal. We are waterproof.

(Though water can damage them, it generally requires them to already be damaged, or the water to be magical and able to find its way past their waterproofing.)

[bitch4bitch]

Ah. Thanks. [She'll go ahead and take that, regarding it with... only mild uncertainty? If she thought the cake from these things wasn't safe to eat, she wouldn't have given one to Chip... but it's still weird.

She appreciates the gesture either way, though; that much is genuine.]

Can you even eat this stuff, yourself?

[forwearemany]

We cannot.

(They remember her, though their interactions have been limited.)

Greetings.

[bitch4bitch]

Picked one of these things up anyway, huh. [She guesses there are a few reasons they might; there's probably some degree of practicality to keeping a food-producing knife around, even if the food is cake, or maybe they're curious about how it works.]

'S good to see you. You doing alright after the nightmare lizard thing?

[Yes, she is continuing to call it a lizard.]

[forwearemany]

It is an efficient method of recycling unusable items.

(Instead of taking up storage space or polluting the environment, they can be converted into fuel for allies. A useful solution.)

All systems functional.

It is good to see you as well.

[bitch4bitch]

I guess "efficient" is a thing you could call it, yeah. Long as people don't make themselves sick using it. [Says the woman who gave one to a child, but listen, that was in no way a matter of efficiency.

She actually looks surprised, if only slightly, to hear Legion return the sentiment so readily.] Nice, nice. You in a good mood?

[Perhaps unsurprisingly, she hasn't quite picked up on what's going on just yet.]

[forwearemany]

It appears that all possible toxins are also transformed.

(They're not really considering organics making themselves sick because they ate too much.)

It appears that "a good mood" is currently the default state of island residents. It has been suggested that this is caused by the addition of unwanted accessories.

(Has she found a leather strip yet?)