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 )

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Eventually, almost two hours later, the skeleton man himself has made it, stumbling over a rock and finally spotting Ginko. He's exhausted, of course, but that's old news. Today's hike is no worse than those expeditions he used to tag along on, even back before his fractures were healed. Same story, different day, he'll never not be tired.

He eases himself down next to Ginko, whatever state he's in, and... doesn't say a word. Just two old fellows, sitting around...

He really doesn't seem to be injured, at least. Just sitting in a crevice in the cliff face with his tail wrapped loosely around himself, his limbs pulled in close. If Hector looks close enough, he might be able to see the slight tremor in Ginko's arms and chest when he breathes - but he's not hurt. He doesn't respond when Hector sits down next to him, either, not beyond a slight flick of one ear.

Eventually he speaks up, though only very quietly. "Don't know how you do this."

He's resting his chin on his crossed arms, sitting and staring vaguely at nothing in particular. It's such a relief to know the guy's in one piece, honestly. If anyone can feed himself in the middle of nowhere, it's Ginko, and it won't be the end of the world if both of them end up sleeping on the ground. They could stay out here indefinitely. So... well, he'll think of something eventually.

The barest shadow of a smile. "I'm a lot older than you, for one thing."

"'S what I don't get." It seems an awful lot to Ginko like the older he gets, the less he can bring himself to do. He knows, of course, that there are still plenty of people who would consider him kind of a stubborn ass, and maybe there's some truth there - but, sometimes, it feels to him like he caves so easily, there's barely a point to trying at all.

The question is whether he's actually ended up easy to put off, or if he just expects himself to be more stubborn. He's not really sure which would be worse, given how badly the times when he doesn't back off can go.

"You said you've chased people for longer than you should, and I get that much. I just don't see how you don't give up."

"I... can't." he says, without a moment's thought. Speaking from the heart, with every fiber of his being. "I tell myself I should, it's hopeless. I never deserved my girls in the first place..." And he knows it, oh, he does. He never deserved to be happy with them... Imelda would certainly agree, he thinks, and perhaps spend time with him anyway, after that wonderful wild night. It brings an aching smile to his face.

"But it's the only thing I have left. Seems like I went the opposite way, I tried harder instead of quitting. The crazier my plans got, the more trouble I caused people, the more determined I was. As if I had to make all the stupid things I'd done worth it, so that I could live with myself. Or maybe it could have been..." Hell. Talking about this is not going to help Ginko. Is it? "You know. My time was running out. I didn't want to disappear without having seen her one last time."

He supposes that explains it, at least in part. Hector has personal reason to keep pushing at people, unlike Ginko; whatever excuses he may have given people in the past, he barely knows himself at times. Despite claims made now and then to satisfy those who couldn't accept not getting an answer, it never seems to make much impact on how he feels about himself. And he certainly hasn't been paid to help people out in quite some time (or, sometimes, even when it was his job).

Then again, as far as potential reasons not being applicable anymore...

"What about here?"

Getting into everyone's business won't get Hector back to his own world. Following Ginko into the mountains won't get him any closer to his daughter. Hector has a reason, but it's not one that means much here, so far as Ginko can tell.

"You mean... why do I keep showing up to pester you?" So that's what Ginko meant, not his decades of frantic attempts to cross that damn bridge. It hadn't really occurred to him a few hours of hiking would be considered exceptional in any way...

"It's not that deep. I like you, that's all. You're not a disappointment, I can't even imagine why you think that. We hang out, we play cards, talk nonsense, and I know you'd help me out if I ever needed it, you always have. Even when I was a stranger. Remember the flower curse?"

Ginko's brow creases, just slightly. It's as brief and understated as a lot of his expressions, but, if he catches it, Hector might be able to recognize it as a flash of confusion.

They play cards, which Hector could do with anyone. They talk nonsense, which he could do with anyone, and they would probably be more fun about it than Ginko is, worn-down as he is.

Ginko would help him. Of course he would. But he can't see what that has to do with Hector choosing to spend free time around him, going to this much effort to talk to him - it's just something he does, and it's only worth so much. Especially when, so often, there's so little he can do.

"...Of course I'd help you. I don't see what that's got to do with it."

Or why Hector likes him to begin with. But that's the kind of thing that's going to need to be looked at a step at a time.

"You don't know how many people ran out of patience with me twenty years ago." he says with a huff of laughter. "Hardly anyone would bother. I'm not what you think of me either, can't remember if I said that yet."

The words are spilling out even easier than normal, which isn't saying much. He stretches out his legs, not nearly as tense as his buddy. It's simply good to sit down. "Helping people is what you dedicated your life too, more or less, right? People and the mushi. Helping them coexist."

Somehow, Ginko goes stiffer than he already had been, claws digging back into the fabric of his pants for the sake of holding onto something - and he makes a quiet, rumbling sound that might, if one were to mishear it just right, be possible to mistake for a laugh.

"That happened sometimes, sure. I wanted it to be what I was doing." He tried. He might even be able to say he did his best, if it weren't for that endlessly nagging feeling that he could have done more, done better. "I... became a mushi-shi to survive. I wanted to keep myself alive, and it was the best chance I had. I didn't dedicate myself to anything."

What came later is another issue entirely. But he knows for a fact that there was nothing noble to his first embracing the only line of work he was suited for, and letting Hector believe otherwise seems... wrong. As much as he may be inclined to let people assume whatever they will about him, as much as he's sometimes given up entirely on convincing them otherwise, that, he can't let stand. There's a world of difference between this theoretical person, someone who would have entered a career as dangerous as Ginko's, for selfless reasons, and one whose circumstances simply rendered it his best chance.

Edited 2019-12-13 21:59 (UTC)

"So maybe not dedicated, past tense. Why did you keep on doing... whatever it is you do?"

Which sounds quite a lot like what he said, helping people deal with the mushi without outright killing them off. (Which would probably be his first instinct, if he had to live with those creepy things around.)

"And why would you dig me out of a rockslide, since you think you're such a lousy person?"

"Can't be present tense." There are no mushi here, after all. Weren't any in Ryslig. He started off selfish, forced himself to change... and now, he can mostly hang around and feel useless, clinging to whatever scraps of opportunity he can pull together and shape into a sense of... of something.

Substantiality.

Not satisfaction, or belonging - he can't remember ever approaching those. Maybe he did at some point, and he just can't appreciate it now. Maybe he really is just too ungrateful to ever have appreciated what he had in Ryslig, and what he has now.

Another quiet, shaky exhalation. "Because I try not to be. And I didn't want to leave you in there, once I knew, anyway."

"Trying's what counts, right?"

He fiddles with the brim of his hat, knowing full well he sounds like a hypocrite. Of course, he isn't, not one bit. No one gets it, that he's ten times the failure everyone else is.

"You're close to my favorite person around, next to Ren." Everyone knows he's weak to adorable little kids who like to play games and hunt for treasure!! "You and Muffet. Maybe I should have said that sooner, amigo. You don't have to be fun or entertaining for me to like you."

Of course Hector is right about that, about the importance of being willing to try. Of course he'd see it that way anyone else, and usually with himself, but right now--

Ginko's stomach drops. He's stock-still again, except for that endless back-and-forth twitching of the end of his tail; the longer Hector talks, the more he tenses up, as if straining against an invisible weight. What he's saying barely matters at this point, after those first few words - and maybe that would be a more pleasant surprise, any other time. Now, it feels like it's crushing him, esteem that carries with it an expectation that he knows he can't possibly live up to bearing down on him.

It's harder than it should be to get himself to speak. "You shouldn't. I-- shouldn't be, I can't do that."

"I'm saying you don't have to do anything." he says again, quietly.

"We can just sit here, how about that? We don't have to talk." Not even about nonsense, that... would still be pressure in it's own way. He'll have to shut his fat mouth for once. And so he proceeds to do just that. Sit, watching leaves rustle in the breeze, and be quiet.

Yes, I do. He barely bites that back, keeps it from slipping out. Arguing directly like that won't get him anywhere, it'll just leave them going in circles. And he doesn't know if he has the wherewithal right now to break down just why that's wrong.

He didn't end up as one of Hector's 'favorite people' by not doing anything. That perception is the product of action and reaction, decisions and conversations. And it could take only one action, one decision, to break that down quicker than it was built up.

And, historically, he's been very good at making bad decisions.

Keeping quiet works for him. It's safe. If he doesn't say anything, doesn't do anything, he can't screw up.

Next safest thing to staying away entirely.

They're too alike in some ways, aren't they? Both afraid of screwing up and being abandoned. Both absolutely sure it's inevitable. Both up on a mountain, not talking to each other.

He lies back in the leaves and dirt, eventually, staring up at the stars instead. He may have been on Enso a while, but they're still nice to look at. Nicer than they are back where he belongs--too much light pollution these days, even in the land of the dead. (Colorful lights though! Just as nice in their own way.) Pretty soon he's dozed off like the filthy hobo he is...

Ginko doesn't notice, at first, that Hector has fallen asleep. It's a relief to have the pressure of conversation alleviated, even if he's still far too aware of Hector's presence, in an uncomfortably sharp way he isn't quite used to.

Bit by bit, though, he notices how still Hector has gotten, and... well, it doesn't sit well with him to leave someone as physically fragile as Hector to sleep on the ground out here, especially under the circumstances. "...Hector."

Edited 2020-04-17 06:38 (UTC)

Not nearly loud enough to wake him. He sleeps like the dead! Especially with that heart talisman on, underneath his shirt. It's worth wearing that thing twenty-four seven to be nightmare free.

So he keeps snoozing away, eyesockets looking empty like a proper skeleton's sockets should be. Just a dead man, nothing to see here.

Great. Of course. Ginko leans over, somewhat reluctantly, to shake Hector's shoulder. He can still feel his heart in his throat every time he moves. "Shouldn't be sleeping here."

A bit of grumbling as he comes awake, blinking in a bleary way. It takes him a second to remember where he is and why.

"Ay, sorry, didn't mean to nod off... something wrong?" Why not sleep here? No danger, surely.

"No... no more than there already was." He is not going to claim that everything is fine right now, because... Hector knows it isn't. But: "If you're tired, you should... should go back to your cottage."

"No, I'd rather not. Long walk back down. Don't worry about it, I've slept less comfy places." Stone streets, bare wood--leaves and dirt are softer. Not by much, but. He has no standards to meet, no reason to expect anything better.

Ginko turns to Hector and gives him just... the longest, flattest look.

"Are you telling me you're planning to stay here all night?"

Isn't it obvious?? Why would he hike back down if he's already tired??

"...yes? We don't have to talk, of course, not when I'm sleeping."

November Undercurrent: And We Give Thanks

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cw suicidal ideation

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