lifeaftr | November Undercurrent: And We Give Thanks

November Undercurrent: And We Give Thanks

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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(Yasha thought that this might have been the case. There are caveats that come with living here, and they will impact upon him more than they will her. She watches his tail lash back and forth, in a way that means he is irritated. Eventually, she leans closer toward him and takes his hands into hers, drawing them into her lap. Looking at his rings.)

I know.

(Best friends always do. She thinks she's known for a bit, actually. She should have tried to get him to speak about it sooner.)

Why?

[ He groans, and wants desperately to childishly flounce off and just ignore this, but she had her hands holding his and she's so gentle. So good. Molly loves her so much.

That's why he doesn't want to talk about this. ]

A lot of things. [ He starts, voice a little shaky. ] I'm dead, Yash. I think about that every day, and I'm not supposed to be able to think about that. That's what death means, you don't get to feel after. You're not supposed to be scared after you've already passed.

[ He shrinks down, shoulders hunched. ]

I want you guys to go home so you can continue what you're doing. I hope for that every day, but...

[ Gods, it's so selfish. ]

I don't want to be alone, either. If I go back, I'll just... there will be nothing. I'll never see you again.

(Yasha rubs her thumbs against his knuckles while he speaks, listening with her head lowered. It isn't that she can't meet his gaze, more that she's trying to keep her own emotions in careful check now that he's talking about his death, the ever present elephant in the room.)

Yeah, (she says. Her voice is low. She's been happy to have him here with her, but hadn't paused recently to think that this whole experience might be unfair for him. That she can walk out of it, while he knows that he can't, and she can't take him with her. She's asked, and been answered, and it isn't going to happen.)

Whatever we're doing can wait, (she says eventually, gesturing with one hand. Still looking at his rings.) I– want to be here, with you. More than I want to be there.

[ He curls inward even more on himself, tail wrapping around one of his legs. There's nothing left of larger-than-life Molly, loud and proud and so much. He feels like that person that crawled out of a grave, broken and with only one word to speak. ]

No. [ He says, softly but desperate. ] Please. Please, Yasha. You have to go back.

[ She had to. They couldn't stay in this place and slowly wear down from the strange things that happened to them. ]

I'm dead. I had my fun, two amazing years that I should never been able to have in the first place. You have... so much more. The Nein needs you and you need them. I can't watch you cling to this shithole just because of me.

I know.

(She looks at him then, but only to watch him curl inward and wrap himself up, bowing his head. No, that isn't what she wanted- Yasha releases his hands and rests them on his shoulders, then scoots forwards and drapes her arms over him, so he can lay his head in her lap.) I know. I'm sorry, I– I'm not going to cling.

(It isn't a lie. She wants to be with him. She does think that what they're doing can wait for the two of them to have a little more time because honestly, it's what life owes them both, especially him. But Yasha knows this won't be forever, and that it all has to end at some point, and she's more or less come to terms with it. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.)

It was only two years. (More time than she had with Zuala. Perhaps this is greed.) It– isn't fair. You deserve more too.

[ Molly sinks into her lap easily, as he's done it a million times before. He knows just how to turn his head so his horns doesn't poke her and yet keeps him comfortable. It's one of his favorite positions aside from the ol' hug-and-drape, and right now it's giving him enough power to breathe normally and not have a weird breakdown.

She says she's not going to cling and he's going to hold her to that - but he also knows how hard it would be... because he would feel the same way. Fuck, he feels the same way right now. He doesn't want to be here alone.

It's hard to have no regrets of how he died, but after all this time here to reflect on it, it still hurts.

I always lived my life like death was going to catch up on me sooner or later. Trying to experience as much as possible before whatever shit that woke me up ran out or Lucien came back.

She knows this. He knows she knows this. ]

It's not fair. [ That is a truth. ] I didn't have many plans for the future, though.

[ Also true. ]

...but I'm so fucking scared of turning into nothing.

You won't.

(Yasha's adamant about this as Molly curls up against her, tucking his head just so that he doesn't gore her. Always appreciated. She leans against him, enveloping him between her bent legs and her chest like she's trying to shelter him from all that he's scared of. She didn't know that he felt this way. He hasn't been this honest with her in a while.)

Even when I leave, I am taking you with me. Not... not physically, (not unless that's possible, of course. She hasn't exhausted every channel yet. Or, at least, that is what Yasha continues to tell herself,) but... with me, all the same.

Always. You won't ever be nothing.

[ What better way to hide from his fears than being curled up completely in a soft barbarian? Yasha was warm all around him, and his pointed ears could pick up the pulse in her veins. that was quite soothing to all his frayed nerves and the ice that was crawling up his spine every day.

What she says makes him smile a little in her arms. That thought was good and strange in one. A memory to carry along through whatever weird planes they were stuck behind to get back home. It's all he could have, really.

He takes one of her hands and gently presses a kiss to her palm. ]

Sounds like a plan.

[ It's something. It doesn't stop his nightmares of being left alone here without them, but it helps. ]

Think the Stormlord will let you visit the Moonweaver's gardens?

Okay.

(It's good, that he's able to take comfort in this statement. It's all Yasha can offer him even while she is so aware that it isn't enough, and that he deserves more. She's going to try and find other ways of helping him, of keeping those fears at bay, and gives his hand a squeeze in return like a promise.)

Maybe... he hasn't been talking to me lately. (Not that he ever did, but Yasha feels like their call-and-response is still a strange form of communication... and he's been very quiet on that front.) I haven't had any dreams. Even that one about the island didn't have any thunder in it.

Next time he calls for me, I'll ask.

Good. We'll have tea and watch people hook up in secret trysts.

[ ...the Moonweaver is weird, okay? ]

Tell me if he calls you. Maybe I can join this time.

[ He holds her hand tightly in his, breath a little shaky. There's small drops falling on her pants, but he's not going to admit he's weeping. Mollymauk doesn't really cry much unless it's for drama or shitstirring, but now it's just there and he buries his face in her thigh.

Just... give him a moment. ]

(Yasha can tell, but she isn't going to draw attention to it. She's going to let him ride it out, and rub the heel of her palm against his back soothingly, keep him close until it's out of his system. He's always been there to do so for her, after all.)

You'll be the first to know.

(Always. Even when she goes back to Exandria and falls out of proper contact with him, she won't stop thinking about him, or addressing him offhandedly in her head. Because–)

I love you. (And she wants to be sure that he knows that.)

[ The tears keep falling for quite some time, probably soaking her thigh as his shoulders shake. It's a quiet kind of crying, with only a few deep breaths now and then. The kind that has spilled over after being held in for too long and now just flows freely.

When he finally stops, Molly sighs deeply and sits up a bit, pushing his hair out of his face and most likely looking like a mess. There's no shame there, though, and instead he just leans in and kisses her forehead, letting his lips linger for a moment. ]

I love you too.

[ So much. She's his heart. ]

(Oh, he's a mess. Clearly he needed the cry. Yasha waits until he leans back, and then she wipes his face carefully with her big thumbs, lets her palm rest against his cheek for a moment. His skin is hot. His eyes are... redder? Honestly, they look the same.)

Here.

(She reaches for the forgotten bottle of wine, and gives it to him. Might be useful. He's told her a lot and that kind of thing is draining; or at least, Yasha understands it to be so.)

It's going to be okay, Molly.

[ Molly blinks as she wipes his eyes so sweetly, red gaze slightly unfocused before he pulls himself together the best he can. ]

That was... a lot at once. I'm not sure why that just fell out of my mouth.

[ No lies to soothe, no dancing around the subject. No attempts to turn to around on her. Just raw honesty. He doesn't really want to lie to Yasha or anything like that, but it was just so unexpected.

The bottle is accepted, because in the Mighty Drei we solve all our issues with alcoholism. He tops it back and just chugs the remaining fruit wine. ]

It's going to be something, at least.

[ 'Okay' might be too much to ask. ]

Maybe it needed to be said.

(Whether he wanted to get into all of it or not. She can tell he's feeling vulnerable about everything that just happened, so she gives his hair a final, affectionate ruffle and then gives him space to drink his wine and come to terms with it all.)

Yeah.

But no matter what happens, I'll be with you.

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November Undercurrent: And We Give Thanks

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