December Undercurrent: Opposing Viewpoints

[lifeaftr_mods]

DECEMBER UNDERCURRENT

Who: Everyone!
What: Oh, inverted world...
When: December 3rd to December 20th
Where: Everywhere!
Warnings: Nothing of note; please mark if anything comes up!

I Wish You Could See the Wicked Truth

The island of Monsun is known for the split down its middle, and how it tends to bring out people's best and worst sides, depending on which side you're on. Some might remember it from previous appearances, but if you've never been, you can read up on the island's details on our Locations page and get yourself caught up to speed! Just like with the previous month, the Water is taking it upon themself to summon the island to the archipelago. And just like with the previous month, this will entail some effects upon the local populace: you.

Given that Monsun hosts the avatar of Balance, don't be surprised if things start to get a little inverted, a little out of balance, a little flipped, a little turned upside down. What do we mean by that, exactly? Well, it can mean all sorts of things. And you get to pick how many of these inversions if any, are going to be affecting you and yours for the duration of the month, at least until Monsun surfaces...and how much each one affects you. Starting on December 3rd, adventurers may find themselves influenced by any of the effects listed below. You are free to vary the intensity and level of each, as well as how many end up being relevant to you. They can start as a slow build and ramp up gradually through the month, or emerge at full force right out the gate. You can be affected by multiple at once, or one every few days, and so on. The only limit is what you're willing to do!

[ ♆ ] Friendflipped: Do you have someone that you love in your life? Perhaps a best friend, a significant other, a member of your family? They might even be on the island with you. That just makes what's about to happen even more unfortunate, if that's the case, because all of a sudden, you're going to learn that you can't stand the sight of them. That's right: your best friends become your most hated foes. You'll find yourself positively despising those you would ordinarily get along with, all with a vicious, unchecked enthusiasm. Perhaps even more unfortunately, that goes the other way, too: your worst enemies are now your best friends.

[ ♆ ] Casual Obsession: One of the critical aspects of having any sort of hobby or preference is balance. It's always good to not go overboard! Which is why you might find yourself losing all inhibition. Your likes, dislikes, hobbies, desires, and so on will become utterly stripped of any balance the might have had. Do you have a mild sweet tooth? Well, now it's a full on sugar obsession. Do you dislike golf as a sport? Now you hate it with a fiery passion - and all those jerks who play golf, they can go to hell too!

[ ♆ ] One or Nothing: Most people will agree that emotional balance is something we should all strive for. That's about to get a lot more difficult. You might find yourself experiencing only one emotion for an extended amount of time, with only varying degrees of intensity to indicate any actual shift. Alternatively, you find yourself experiencing no emotions at all: a complete, deadened shutoff of any emotional instincts you have.

[ ♆ ] Skill Swap: Hobbies are one thing. But what about your personal skill-sets? Well, those are about to get some serious remodeling. Are you a talented musician? Now you can't read music, much less play it. Are you good in a fight? Not anymore, you're not! Now you can barely throw a punch without bowling yourself over. You'll find that your abilities have become seriously scrambled, to the point where you've lost any natural or trained skill you might have in certain areas. This can extend to magical knowledge, technological know-how, or even basic proclivities like stealth or how light you might be on your feet. The flip side of this is that you might find yourself preternaturally skilled in other areas that you've never so much as touched before. Maybe now you're a pro at climbing, or intensely good with social charisma and persuasion. In general, these swaps will work with a one-to-one ratio; one skill will suffer and another will be boosted as if in compensation, but you're welcome to experiment! Maybe you just want to make your character a completely useless loser for a few weeks. You're certainly free to do just that!

[ ♆ ] Interface Screw: In case it wasn't opposite day enough, you've also got the chance to have your personal orientation of the world completely reversed. By which we mean: left is right, right is left, up is down, down is up, and so on. This might manifest in varying ways. Maybe the sky looks like the sea, and the ground is so far above your head...and you feel like you're walking on thin air, even if to everyone else, the world appears more or less normal. Maybe this isn't even a purely perceptual thing as opposed to a literal one, and to everyone else, you're actually walking upside down. How this manifests is ultimately up to you, but you can interpret it as you like.

These effects will all die down by the time December 20th rolls around. Again, you can choose the rate at which this occurs, and whether it's a slow and steady decrease or a complete shut-off all at once. Either way, by the 20th, you'll all have been restored to whatever passes for your mental and emotional equilibriums, and Monsun will resurface on the archipelago!

But I Settle For a Ghost

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 December's Undercurrent Event, as well as any of the other minor events listed on our Monthly Rundown post. You are very, very free to let your dreams about magical mistletoe and snowgoons 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 the Questions header on our Monthly Rundown post!

December Timeline

[ ♆ ] December 1st: "Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snowgoons" begins and lasts until December 31st
[ ♆ ] December 3rd: "Opposing Viewpoints" begins and lasts until December 20th
[ ♆ ] December 10th: "Mistledon't" begins and lasts until December 22nd
[ ♆ ] December 20th: Monsun returns to the archipelago
[ ♆ ] December 21st: "Breath of Cold Air" begins and lasts until December 31st

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[motherfucking_ghost]

Actually... [He puffs out his chest, looking proud.] Me and my team took him down. All twenty of him, or however many of him were running around.

I mean, Tex was also there, helping, but still. [And then she took one of his helmets and an evil AI and Junior and tried to fuck off to be queen of the universe and then blew up! But, that was after, okay.]

Okay, York, so I don't know how this'll go, but we can go meet the others. From our universe, anyway. But there's also a buncha other people to meet from other universes, cuz gods are dicks like that I guess. There's buildings, there's farming, there's dangerous critters that need either killing or running away from. And whackadoo shit seems to happen pretty regularly.

[infailtration]

God even his armor enhancement was annoying...

[ But as fun as trash talking his killer is, and as interesting as everything else this guy is saying is, York still has that first question. ]

Hold on, as exciting as a reunion maybe sounds: first who's you and your team?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Blue team best team, Blue Army for life. Even if it was all kinda sorta pretty much fake. Which is really fucked up, by the way? And I'm Church.

[infailtration]

[ Wait a minute-- wait two minutes!! ]

You're a sim trooper. About time, honestly.

[ Instead of sounding upset that a sim trooper team brought down a Freelancer or just generally being derisive about them like most people, that actually seems to delight York. A team of sim troopers brought down Wyoming, he must've been so bitter in his final moments. Never underestimate anyone, see? And Freelancer used those people as canon fodder -- they were still people, to York, he never really liked viewing them as expendable or worthless like the others.

But there's one other thing that tempers his glee. ]

Any relation to another Church I know? Not that you can pick your family, no judgment.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[The Director. The Director of Project Freelancer? His name was Dr. Leonard Church.

That had been a fun conversation with Wash. He debates snapping off something unnecessarily harsh in the hot moment his insides feel like live wire, or brushing it off entirely. Even momentarily debates just blurting out I'm the Alpha, except, he's not really, not anymore, not for a long time. How truthful does he want to be, here, when everyone else around him knows the truth?]

My name is Leonard Church. I don't have a PhD, and the only thing I lead is a bunch of stupid assholes in a box canyon.

[infailtration]

[ It's probably better that Church doesn't blurt out that he's the Alpha, at least not yet. What would York even say, 'hey I'm the guy who tried to save you and failed, sorry about the years of torture'? As it is he assumes there's a 'Jr' appended to that name, and Church just doesn't want to acknowledge the relation because the Director was horrible.

That's fine by him, honestly, and someone will probably correct the misconception eventually. York nods once, acceptance and a little bit of horror that as the Director would make aa relative a sim trooper. Low blow. No wonder there's no love lost, in that case. ]

That's enough for me, man. Church it is, lead on.

[motherfucking_ghost]

[He'd find that whole train of thought darkly hilarious if he knew. As it is, Church just knows this guy has just accepted what he said and is cool with it. Which is a relief. Oh, sure, Wash will probably open his big cryptic mouth and say something, but...this is nice.]

Cool. So yeah, we've got like these huts and cottages and shit around on these islets just offshore, though I think some people just fuck off and live on their own, which is totally valid. If I could build a house I'd probably do that, too. Me and the others, we live together in one. Room for four, so that'll make you five, but we'll figure it out. I can always move out. I'm the only non-Freelancer of us, anyway. Sometimes, also, people just kinda leave? Like. Disappear? And that's rough.

[infailtration]

I've slept worse places than somebody's floor.

[ Even before he was on the run! York's being uncharacteristically quiet as they walk, though, still with his helmet in one hand feeling the snow on his face and the cold bringing a hint of red to his cheeks. He's still trying to process things without Delta, and wondering who all is here. He could ask, of course, but Church hasn't been all that forthcoming and seems to think there won't be an instant murder attempt... and in his current state that's good enough for York. It's probably better he doesn't start thinking about reunions before they happen anyway. ]

So how long have you been here? You said it's weird with the magic and mystery, by our standards that must be wild.

[motherfucking_ghost]

...Jesus, that's a good question, uh. Not a whole year yet. Springtime, sometime? Others have been here way longer. You might wanna ask Wash about living here for a while.

[Oh. Right. Cat's out of that bag.]

You kinda get used to the idea that every month some bullshit is gonna happen to possibly significantly alter your personality for a while. I know. That sounds insane, too. But it's amazing what you can get used to.

[infailtration]

Wash is here?

[ From what York's intel had told him, that's... possibly not all that surprising, but he's still operating on the assumption that everyone here is like him: dead. Who knows, maybe Church was killed in a Freelancer exercise, surprising that he'd live with them in that case but. Surprising that he'd be one with that name. ]

Bullshit like what, that alters your personality?

[ He absolutely hates the sound of that. ]

[motherfucking_ghost]

Bullshit like gives you an alternate set of memories and makes you try to kill other people. Or bullshit that makes you act in ways you normally wouldn't. Makes you nicer? It's not always bad, just...messes with you.

And, uh, yeah, Wash is here. He's--okay, can I just ask, what was he like when you knew him? Was Freelancer always full of freaks?

[infailtration]

[ That sounds horrible? And really fucking weird, for sure. York doesn't really know what to make of it but to get more opinions, so is going to just let it go for now. He's walking and talking, however bizarre this place winds up being, so isn't going to punch a gift horse in the mouth just yet.

Church's question is very rude -- good thing York's so easy going. ]

Freaks? Hey, I thought we were getting along just fine, man. Uh... he was kind of a dork, honestly. Friendly, fun to tease, sometimes he'd jab back but I think he knew we never meant anything by it. Worst fighter we had, kinda green, but he was really resilient.

Why?

[motherfucking_ghost]

[Church stops dead, and York's been around people in armor long enough to get the sense of bewildered stare from the reflective helmet.]

Uh. We're sure we're talking about Wash? Agent Washington? David only we're not supposed to call him that ever? The one who got assigned Epsilon?

We're talking about the same Wash?

Because 'resilient' is about the only thing you said that sounds even remotely like him.

........How big a dork are we talking?

[infailtration]

Yeah, that's... who I'm talking about.

[ Of course, York knows that Epsilon went wrong. That they pulled it, held Wash, and when he'd looked into going back for his fellow agent... he'd been certified and was being kept in lockdown. Yes, something went very wrong, but that's not his story to tell if it did change Wash somehow. Not to Church, who he's only just met.

His brow furrows with worry. What had happened, exactly? ]

I've got a question first. What's he like now?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Broody. Super serious. Uh, about as good a soldier as Tex is good at beating the shit out of people with her bare hands. Not friendly, jabs back but like either literally or with something designed to torpedo your feelings.

[infailtration]

...you're right, that doesn't sound like the same person at all.

[ York's frowning, visibly worried. It must have been Epsilon. Right? Or. Maybe just the fall of Freelancer? Maybe he should have gone back for Wash after all. ]

I mean, he had the potential to be that good a fighter, but if it came at the expense of a personality change...

[motherfucking_ghost]

He's...he definitely makes an impression when all you're used to is blazing incompetence, anyway?

You'll, uh, you'll see.

Do uh...do you wanna know who else is here? Besides not Wyoming. I'll say that Maine was here, but he's not anymore.

[infailtration]

Yeah... I might as well know what I'm walking into, right? And if they're different from when I last knew them.

[motherfucking_ghost]

So it's me, Wash. Tex annnnnd [oof, he kinda doesn't even want to say it] Carolina.

[infailtration]

[ Well he's on great terms with Tex so that shouldn't be--

...

Carolina?

York's heart does a weird stop and shudder thing in his chest as he tries to process that. ]

...Carolina's here?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Yyyyyyep.

That--is that gonna be a problem? You were partners and shit, right, so that should--this should turn out great, right?

[infailtration]

[ It's not going to be a problem on his end -- for years, York's wished to be able to see Carolina again. To have another chance. But he doesn't know where she stands on things, doesn't know if she's still ready to fight him or.... he breathes out. ]

Partners? Did she tell you that? 'Cuz I... really don't know, but I'll hope for great and maybe then it'll happen that way. Positive thinking.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Tex told me that. After you bit it. Sorry, man.

[infailtration]

It's okay, it's done.

[ It's not okay, but it is done. York's just trying to cope but seriously, if Wyoming ever shows up here... ]

Did she also happen to tell you what happened to D? My AI, Delta. Did she save him?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Wait, Delta? Fuck yeah, I liked that little guy! Only guy I ever met who talked sense about anything. He told me a bit about the sort of fucked up shenanigans that went on in Freelancer. Like the brother and sister who were a social experiment? Pff, no wonder you guys imploded so hard.