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

[onegreeneye]

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.

[vagabone]

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...

[onegreeneye]

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."

[vagabone]

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.

[onegreeneye]

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."

[vagabone]

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.

[onegreeneye]

"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."

[vagabone]

"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.

[onegreeneye]

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

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

[vagabone]

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."

[onegreeneye]

Ah, shit. The second he starts trying to explain something again, he can feel his stomach twisting in knots. He hates this, why can't he just completely disconnect himself from what's going on like usual.

"Being around someone still feels... different from being on my own."

[vagabone]

He props himself up on one elbow, creakily. (He'd be creaky sleeping anywhere else, honestly. No big deal.) And he's not so quick to respond. It's not something he wants to say, on the off chance he'd be putting a brand new horrible idea into Ginko's mind.

"I don't think you should be alone right now, though."

[onegreeneye]

Ginko rumbles quietly, close to a dry kind of amusement. It's a little unsteady. He knows what Hector may be thinking, and he can't blame him... but.

"If I did anything, it'd just give everyone more trouble. And it'd get me in trouble." Too small a community, too close of quarters to hide anything.

[vagabone]

He wasn't subtle enough. Shame on him, and what else is new. Sitting up properly, taking out his knife and making it glow so they have a little bit more light. Hey, he can't see in the dark any better than a living person can, it's nice to have a 'flashlight'.

"You sure...? Some things can kind of sneak up on a person."

cw suicidal ideation

[onegreeneye]

For an instant, Ginko wonders if there's any reasonably diplomatic way to tell Hector that none of the times he's been ready to end his own life "snuck up on him", and he doesn't expect that to change now. But he doubts that would be particularly comforting, and it definitely wouldn't convince Hector that it's safe to leave him alone.

"I'll be alright."

[vagabone]

The question is, is he saying that to be left alone or is it the truth? And what could he do to stop it, really? No chance in hell he'd actually be strong enough to stop Ginko. That's the problem with being surrounded by people who aren't skeletons.

"If... you think it'll be better for you." It feels wrong. "I don't mind staying, promise."

[onegreeneye]

If Ginko were inclined to try anything, Hector's presence would probably be at least something of a deterrent. He just wishes there were some way to assure Hector that he really is safe.

"I think... I need time to calm down." He hopes that will be some help, at least. After a moment's pause, he adds, "Thank you, for... for checking on me."

[vagabone]

A quiet sigh. It goes against his instincts, it's... too much like abandoning Ginko to sit in the dark completely alone, and he's done enough leaving people for ten lifetimes. Not an easy thing to ask.

"...Okay, then. You can call me if you change your mind." He won't be far, at least. No way would he walk all the way back down when he can simply sleep until daylight. Ground's comfy, it's fine.