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

i

[forwearemany]

(They have encountered issues with spatial orientation, shifts in skill.

They have not yet learned of the transformation of alliance into hostility.

Thus, when they see Wash, they have no reason not to greet him.)

Washington-Agent.

(Their headflaps lift, and they head towards him.)

[counterblows]

[Immediately, the gun comes up, the stock bracing smooth and controlled against Wash's shoulder. He doesn't get a chance to guess why he might suddenly be regarding someone he considers a friend with unmitigated hostility, but there's no fighting it.]

Stay back.

[forwearemany]

(They halt immediately, headflaps flaring and fluttering.)

Washington-Agent?

(He is their ally. Why is he threatening them? Have they done something wrong?)

[counterblows]

I said to stay back.

[They're not moving. But they're acting - startled. Like any of this is catching them off guard. As if.]

Don't come any fucking closer, or I will fucking shoot you. Are we clear?

[forwearemany]

(They take a step backwards. Their head tilts to the side.)

We do not understand.

[counterblows]

I didn't ask you to understand.

[Adrenaline's roaring in his ears, pounding in synchronization to the beat of blood, to his heart slamming up against his ribs. It doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any tactical sense, any contextual sense, it makes no sense at all but he can't think through the sudden and very tangible wave of absolute loathing now eating at the back of his throat like acid.]

Do you have any idea what you reminded me of, the first time I saw you in action? Do you have any idea?

[forwearemany]

We do not.

(They chatter.

What have they done wrong?)

You have had poor experiences involving synthetics.

(It's a poor guess, they think. The synthetics he encountered were victims, as he is.

Their knowledge is limited. Perhaps there is more than they are able to understand.)

[counterblows]

Not synthetics. Aliens.

[He can still remember them. Flared jaws, bigger than they should be, heavily armored, capable of extreme lethal force - capable of crushing a human's spine with their claws.]

The kind that we were deployed to kill.

[forwearemany]

Physical resemblance to enemies is not intended.

(They headtilt.)

Humans resemble Quarians, those who created and destroyed us. They also resemble Asari and, to a lesser degree, Salarians, Drell, and Batarians.

Should we judge them for this resemblance?

[counterblows]

You want to get into philosophy with me now? [Wash snarls.]

What part of me pointing a gun at you suggests that I'm interested in anything you have to say?

[forwearemany]

You are our ally.

(He's never indicated a problem with their appearance before. Is this another form of harmful influence, similar to those that have afflicted them and their other allies?)

[counterblows]

Yeah? I ever tell you my track record with allies?

[Either they stab him in the back - or he does. And maybe he's just sick of being stabbed in the back. Maybe he's about ready to do the bailing first.]

[forwearemany]

You have been betrayed, like us.

(Perhaps reminding him of this similarity will "snap him out of it".)

[counterblows]

You're damn right I've been betrayed.

And like hell I'm letting it happen again.

Ever again.

[forwearemany]

(They headtilt.)

Do you wish to end our alliance?

[counterblows]

What gave the hint?

[He snarls it, more or less.]

The gun pointed at you?

[forwearemany]

(His behavior is unusual. He is likely being influenced. However, it seems unlikely he will accept this explanation: it may increase hostilities.)

Acknowledged. We will leave. Should you change this decision, you are aware of our location of residence.

(And they're gonna turn and leave. Unless, of course, Wash has other plans.

Should he want to attack, to betray them so that they don't betray him, now would be the perfect time.)

[counterblows]

[Of course, he doesn't issue a warning. Why would he? Legion turns their back, and Wash opens fire - a calm burst-shot of shots aimed at their back. He doesn't particularly care if he hits something vital as opposed to not very vital, as long as he hits something.]

[He's always been a rather excellent shot.]

[forwearemany]

(They should have put up their shields, they realize when the impact of gunshots sends them staggering, nearly drops them.

Blood splatters the ground. Reeling, they turn, shields shimmering into existence.)

[counterblows]

Yeah, you should've expected that from the start!

[He keeps shooting, his aim level, his hands steady, his heart calm. There's nothing about this that unsettles him, though his mouth feels too dry and his head feels too light. It's fine. It's the adrenaline, and he can breathe through it.]

[forwearemany]

(Their shields hold, and they dive for cover.

Even if they had ammo, they would hesitate to shoot someone who has, up until this incident, been an ally. They start looking for a way to retreat that will not result in further damage.

Perhaps they can slip away without Washington-Agent noticing.

Perhaps later, after this damage is repaired, they will add additional armor to their back.)

[counterblows]

[He shucks the spent mag from his rifle and slaps in another, prowling forward.]

Think you can hide?

[They're not stealthy. He's pretty confident of this fact. He's taken out bigger and infinitely more dangerous things than Legion and he can take them out just as easily. He will. Given the opportunity, he can he will.]

[forwearemany]

(They may say Geth don't infiltrate, but they are a Geth Infiltrator.

They can move more quietly when needed, fold themselves into spaces smaller than one might expect.

That said, the injury Wash gave them does no favors. They can't move as quickly or as well as they might normally, and blood makes an obvious trail as they attempt to creep their way to the trees.)

[counterblows]

You can't run, you know.

[He starts moving forward. He shouldn't be speaking - he's broadcasting his position, telegraphing his actions, but he's not really thinking clearly at any rate.]

Come on, [Wash sneers. He's trying to pin down any movement, the barrel of his rifle sweeping to and fro.] Scared?

[forwearemany]

(They don't respond.

They continue to try to sneak away, but he's getting closer.

Odds of success are decreasing.

Consensus achieved: they make a run for it, throwing up their shields again.)