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

B

[atailoftwoworlds]

[And as Legion is having problems trying to stand, there is a hand on their arm. Zidane has seen what is going on and has run to their side.] Whooooaaaaah - easy there! You okay?

[forwearemany]

Spatial orientation compromised.

(They intend to move one direction, but move another. Or part of their body will move one way and the other part will not. Their flailings are too awkward and disjointed to compare them to a turtle stuck on its back.

After a moment, they stop, and stare up at him.)

Diagnostics show all systems within acceptable parameters. Programs communicating as normal.

(Their voice shifts. Confusion?

What is wrong with them? Why can't the move properly?)

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Ok robotic jargon aside....] Er....I don't understand that but I think you're saying you can't walk right. Is that it?

[forwearemany]

Movement is affected.

(Not just walking, but yes.)

We do not know why.

[atailoftwoworlds]

[They don't know? Did they check their system? Wait, they said functions are normal or something like that among the robot speak.] You really can't detect anything? You don't think going to a mana pool might help? [Possibly not but just so they can rule out other possibilities.] I can help you get there if you want.

[forwearemany]

Uncertain.

(Consensus: it is unlikely exposure to a mana pool will be of benefit. However, they are willing to try.)

Assistance appreciated.

[atailoftwoworlds]

Always worth a shot. Here. [And he gently tries to take a hold of Legion's arm so he can walk them to the mana pool.]

[forwearemany]

Affirmative.

(Their time with organics has taught them the value of not "giving up", even when a task seems futile.

It is a quality they seek to emulate.

They let him lead them to the mana pool.)

[atailoftwoworlds]

[And Zidane will gently take them there. Hopefully they won't have too much difficulty walking along with him.

Either way, once both thief and robot finally reach the mana pool....]

Right. You wanna recharge your energy? See if that works at all?

[forwearemany]

Affirmative.

(And they'll just let themselves flop unceremoniously onto the ground next to the mana pool.

...Charging will probably take some time. It usually does, at least.)

[atailoftwoworlds]

[Zidane does not use the mana pool much but he has to when he uses his weird powers in Trance. And depending on how much he's used, it can take a while and be very tedious. It's possible that it is the same for Legion. Zidane feels he should entertain them somehow.

He sets himself down on the ground nearby.] Hey, while we're at it, we should probably kill some time. Maybe I can tell you a story or something? For fun, I mean, not the ones we have to tell the Storyteller.

[forwearemany]

(They consider this, lying there. They do not have their videogame console, and even if they did, using it would be difficult in their condition.

They cannot perform physical tasks. There are no networks to connect to.)

...We would like that.

[atailoftwoworlds]

Alrighty! [And he grins enthusiastically.] So, whaddaya wanna hear from the great Zidane? A heroic tale? A romantic story? A story about the great Zidane and his daring adventures with the Tantalus crew?

...I lost the notif for this.

[forwearemany]

(They consider. Of all the options presented, the most appealing is...)

We wish to hear of your adventures with your allies.

(It seems likely he will embellish, but they would still prefer something closer to the truth. Perhaps they will learn something of his perspective, and his ability to understand what they do not.)