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

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Hmmm....this guy's eyes are glowing red and his teeth.....weird. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's dangerous. There are plenty of different types of humans or non-humans on this island. And not being human himself (and having a long tail which indicates that), Zidane's in no position to judge.

But he looks a little puzzled at Jules' statement] You think so? I mean I guess if you're new here that might make sense but you really think the people who have been here long enough are that naive?

[suspecteverything]

Not naive enough to be unaware that there is constant craziness going on in this place. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the few who realizes exactly what we are here though.

[Having been a pawn in other people's games before, he is rather confident that that's all they are here. Pawns to be used for another's entertainment. It's one of the reasons he hates the Storyteller as he does.]

[atailoftwoworlds]

You are? [He frowns at that.] That's a pretty bold statement to make. Unless you know something that the rest of us don't?

[It's not the first time Zidane's considered the fact they are pawns and has talked about it with the others. He's not jumping to conclusions either way though.]

[suspecteverything]

[Zidane's thoughts briefly flicker through Jules' mind. It's at least good to know he's not the only one considering how bad their situation could actually be.]

I know what it's like from a lifetime of experience. You live with something long enough you can recognize it in other places even when others can't.

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Zidane's an optimist and he likes to believe in most people but since the Storyteller and the other gods are shrouded in mystery, he couldn't deny the possibility after Tim brought it up. Hopefully it's not the case but he has to consider all available theories unless they're proven wrong.]

A lifetime of experience? Uh.....right. [The way this man words it suggests that his life has been really miserable and depressing and it's warped his views. But Zidane decides to keep that to himself.] Either way, I'm not sure we have enough information to have a good idea why we're here yet. I mean, unless there are people on the island who have found something they don't care to share with everyone.

[suspecteverything]

[Pretty much true in terms of what his life has been like. The reality is though, it's given him a clearer picture of life. The only thing that his experience has warped is his views of himself. He was blindsided by viewing the world only as the rosy experience it was supposed to be that he won't let that happen ever again.]

That's the biggest piece of support in my mind. When someone brings you somewhere for a purpose, you're told what that purpose is so that you can fulfill it. We haven't been told anything. More importantly, we haven't been told anything and yet we are constantly placed into harm's way by ridiculous disasters or battles. A few could be coincidence. This many? No chance in Tophet. Something else gets thrown at us when the beings that brought us here get bored.

[atailoftwoworlds]

Hmmmm. Maybe you're right. I dunno. And even if you are, we don't even know who's responsible, but.... [He shrugs.] whatever is going on in this place, I'm gonna keep searching for a way for all of us to leave this world. That's what I think is most important. And I'll beat the shit out of any god or whatever else stands in my way. [A confident smile. Mr. Optimism here. And he has to be to survive in this place.]

[suspecteverything]

You're pretty confidence for being so young, chizzi.

[Then again, that's probably why he is so confident. The young don't exactly have a very good view of reality and their abilities compared to other people and the universe in general. Vas is the same way. It kind of scares Jules.]

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Another shrug.] We might not have found a way out yet but that doesn't mean there isn't one. I mean, even if it takes a while. [Maybe several more months....maybe years....actually, he doesn't want to think too deeply about that.] It'll be out there somewhere. [It's not that Zidane is blind to reality. He's been here eight months and so far, there's been no significant progress on finding out how to go home. And while that does make him glum at times, he tries not to think about it too much. Besides, they came here somehow, right? So that must mean there's a way back.

That's what he holds onto, anyway. If he didn't he'd be sitting alone somewhere being miserable, depressed and massively negative.]

[suspecteverything]

I was more referring to your so-stated amazing fighting abilities.

[While Jules doesn't know much of anything about what Zidane is capable of, he's seen what this place can dish out. Personally he's faced off with a lot of bad stuff before coming here, and his means of fighting back are pretty varied. Even his skills and years of experience haven't been enough sometimes.]

[atailoftwoworlds]

[I'M AN ARTIFICIAL ALIEN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO MURDER EVERYONE ON ANOTHER PLANET IN COLD BLOOD. ALSO I SAVED THE UNIVERSE FROM ANNIHILATION DOES THAT COUNT? So has Zidane. The time he's spent here is enough to have a good understanding of what happens here and some of the things that go on have terrified him. Not only that but he knows his own strength and powers have been weakened. And yet....] I didn't say I'd do it by myself, did I? Besides, I know that one god was killed before I came here so I wouldn't put that sort of thing outside the realm of possibility.

[suspecteverything]

[Well... Jules would say that's nothing just to be a contrary ass, but whatever! He bursts out laughing at first, but it's quickly reined back in at Zidane's second comment.]

You sure about that?

[It's the first he's heard of a god being killed, but he's also well aware that doesn't say much. Jules avoids the gods and many of the other captives here.]

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Oh wow. Old guy thinks he's smarter and wiser than the young guy. Welp. Zidane can't change the way he thinks. However, he will say...]

Everyone has a weakness somewhere. But whatever. All I care about is finding a way out of this place and helping others who want the same thing. And until then, we all help each other survive against all the crazy crap that gets thrown our way.

[suspecteverything]

[It wouldn't have been because of Zidane's age as much as it would have been because that's Jules' go to response for pretty much everything and everyone. The reason he didn't say it, however, is completely because Zidane is a kid.

Jules' breath leaves him in a rush at Zidane's words, but he manages not to wince.]

Just be careful, chizzi, and watch your back. Some lessons relating to what your plans are you won't believe until you experience them, and those lessons leave scars.

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Careful? Of thinking there's a weakness somewhere? Because there's one thing he has to note.]

Power isn't always brute strength or magic, ya know. Anyway, nobody's gonna fight the gods until we know enough about how to get out of here. If it turns out we have to fight 'em, that is.

[suspecteverything]

[Careful trusting people to work with him. The all for one philosophy has a tendency to backfire on the most trusting. His eyes darken and he looks down, some past memory haunting him enough to be visible.]

Power doesn't have anything to do with it.

[In his experience, those with power are usually among the first to feel the sting of betrayal.]

[atailoftwoworlds]

Huh? What do you me-? [Wait so why does he have to be careful? He didn't really say anything else that might have sounded reckless. All he said was that he was going to protect the others and the important thing was to work together....

Zidane then takes into account the way Jules' demeanor changes and he looks down. And then the young thief remembers the words "Watch your back".]

....Oh.

[This guy. Did something happen to him to make him think that? Well, either way, Zidane's not going to ask. He's got no good reason to poke into Jules' business, especially as the guy is a stranger. So he'll say something else instead.]

Well, sure. Not everyone on this island is gonna be trustworthy. But I'd rather have friends here and get stabbed in the back by a couple than have none at all and struggle in this place alone. [And if he did get fucked over by someone he thought as a friend? Sure, it would suck. A lot. But having nobody as a friend in this place when he's so far away from home would be worse for him.]

[suspecteverything]

[Spoken by someone who has never experienced it. You get stabbed hard enough, and by the right person, it makes being alone feel like the most amazing thing in the world. That's a feeling you can't explain to someone who hasn't experienced it though.]

Keep reminding yourself of that.

[Jules isn't going to turn this kid into a paranoid fanatic. That's about the last thing he wants, but he still needed to at least try to protect him.]

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Zidane has not experienced a betrayal from any of his close friends, no. However, even if he did, he can't let that distance him from the close friends who are trustworthy. After, there was one point he tried to fight alone. And if that continued, he probably wouldn't have survived.]

Guess I will. [He shrugs. There's not much else he can say in response. He doesn't know what's happened to this guy to make him say something like this. He just hopes this guy isn't so distrusting of people it'll end badly.]