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

[yakyuuman]

Hi hi! I'm Jyushimatsu!

[ He stops and curls himself behind the snow wall. Fortunately he's small enough he's covered up by the entire thing. The smile he gives the stranger is delightful despite their situation. ]

You?

[forwearemany]

We are Legion, relict.

(They begin working on making some snowballs as they speak.)

[yakyuuman]

[ We? Jyushimatsu can't help noting how he's only talking to one person, but maybe he overlooked someone else hanging out with them. Maybe they got lost in the snow war? He doesn't understand, but decides that helping them make snowballs is better than sitting there and wondering. ]

Well, nice to meet you! Are those goons not gonna leave us alone yet?

[forwearemany]

(They stick their head out. A volley of snowballs comes flying at them.

They duck back down, and look at Jyushimatsu.)

It is unlikely.

[yakyuuman]

[ Jyushimatsu yelps and ducks down quickly, covering his head ]

Well okay, that means we've gotta think up a nice counter attack! [ He pauses dramatically. ] ... Any ideas?

[forwearemany]

...Uncertain. We have not previously participated in a "snowball fight".

(Not ever. They don't have any idea how this works beyond rolling snowballs and throwing them. Perhaps Jyushimatsu should teach them?)

[yakyuuman]

Eeeeehhh? How unfun was your life until now?

[ So sad! Looks like he's got to take the lead, and gathers up some snow. ]

Then... hmmm... let's do what our heart desires till they get bored and leave!

[ Such an effective and revolutionary strategy! ]

[forwearemany]

We have dwelled on space stations, starships. Access to snow was limited.

(They chatter.)

Acknowledged.

(They consider getting out their videogame console, but it's likely that if they don't at least try to defend their snow wall, the snowgoons are gonna try and take it down or otherwise get around it.

They start rolling some snowballs.)

[yakyuuman]

[ Space doesn't have snow... which makes sense and he knows that and he still likes space, besides the couple times he died in it, but... it makes him a bit motivated to make Legion have fun right now! ... Despite the feral goons wanting to bury them both in snow and perhaps kill them. Who knows what they have in mind.

His snowballs are piled up to form an even bigger snowball which he craftily makes into a perfect ball shape. It's almost like he wants to make a snowman instead. ]

Ok! All ready to bomb again!

[forwearemany]

(They stare curiously at his creation, before turning to their own small pile of snowballs and grabbing one.)

Affirmative.

[yakyuuman]

[ And there he goes! His strategy is to just... swing snowballs one after another until he runs out of them, while he madly laughs like he's the actual villain here. That's it, really.

But at least he's knocking a few goons back, forcing them into hiding. How's Legion faring? ]

[forwearemany]

(Legion is slower, more precise, with their stockpile of snowballs. It's not an onslaught, and they make far fewer throws than their ally, but nearly every one hits.

When Jyushimatsu looks at them, they're in the process of aiming their next shot.)

[yakyuuman]

[ He does look at them! Their strategy doesn't seem as fun but it's also effective? Jyushimatsu won't complain.

Before too long of a time passes, the goons finally scatter. There's a few stubborn ones left but they're quick to discourage them from pursuing them again.

Jyushimatsu sinks his butt into the snow, sweating all over. The chill doesn't even bother him right now. His arms hurt so much but he's got a big satisfied smile on his face. ]

We did it! We defeated the army of weird snowman monsters!

[forwearemany]

(They turn to look at him, headlfaps lifting.)

Affirmative.

[yakyuuman]

Hahaha! Mission complete! Or something!

[ He laughs, and then there's silence, and it's a bit awkward as only snow surrounds them now. ]

... Now what?

[forwearemany]

We will return to our original task: Gathering edible flora.

(And they get up and head in the direction of the nearest hardy winter plants.)