Returning Island: Umui

[lifeaftr_mods]

RETURNING ISLAND: UMUI

Who: Everyone!
What: Umui returns to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: January 20th, and onward
Where: It'd almost be beautiful, if you didn't know it could kill you
Warnings: Please mark if anything comes up!

I Found a Plot of Weeds Instead
Perhaps some of you remember the island of Umui...its mysteries, its dangers, its eerie quiet. Almost everything here was both overgrown and Overgrown - remnants of an old civilization were buried beneath layers of the flowers that eventually killed them. And travelers got to unpack and hunt down whatever clues they could find about just what happened to the people out here, until the answer became all too obvious.

When Umui resurfaces on January 20th, you might be startled to discover that everything has become even more overgrown than before. No, really - almost every landmark and building has been rendered more or less totally unrecognizable. It looks very much as though centuries of growth has now overcome this entire area, as though you've left it like this for a period of millennia and not merely a period of months. The buildings have been utterly buried beneath grasses and flowers, and if there were any of those automatons left lying about, they're probably buried pretty deep under the ground too. It's not recommended that you go digging too deep. You probably don't want to awaken any old strains of the Overgrowth, right? You already dealt with that earlier in the month! And that's the good news in all this. As long as you don't go digging too deeply into the island, you won't have any fear of encountering the Overgrowth again.

Well, unless you're after something or someone in particular. Some of you might remember robotic entity that several of you worked together to save. They're probably underneath all this stuff somewhere, right? Still deactivated, but...maybe there's something you can do to save them...?

If anyone has questions about what you might find if you poking around Umui's landscape, you're free to ask them here! It's worth noting, however, that except for the flora, this place is almost completely devoid of other life. Nothing sentient lives here...anymore.

Buried Deep Underneath the Tree
That doesn't mean Umui is bereft of any of quirks entirely, however. While you might recognize some of the flowers poking up from the humps of moss and greenery, a certain type of bloom is definitely new...and definitely not one of your standard types of flowers, either. If anyone thinks to ask one of the gods about these flowers, they will receive an assurance that they are not innately dangerous - but they are innately linked to the dream island of Mu. They glow with a strange, vaguely ethereal light, and if you get too close, they'll waft some thick spores of pollen in your direction.

These spores have all sorts of ways of latching their effects into you. Whether they get breezed into your mechanical parts, inhaled, ingested, if they land in your eyes, whatever the case - pretty soon, they're going to start working their magic. And once they do, you'll soon find yourself feeling inexplicably and incredibly tired. Inexorably, you'll find yourself settling down for a nap, regardless of whether you're not one for sleeping, or even if you're one who requires it. The moment you close your eyes, you'll find yourself entering a dream state on Mu, and one that is linked with all other dreaming entities. This means that it's highly possible that your dreams will be bleeding into other people's, or that you may end up wandering into another's dreams. It's very probable, in fact.

The dream-state you enter may vary in depth. You might end up completely beholden to Mu's wishes, or you might find yourself in a vaguely lucid, almost "sleepwalking" state, where in the following effects are "projections" visible to the waking world. Most likely, you'll all be bumping up against one another's heads within Mu's vast and comfortable shores. Whichever of these it is, once you're caught within Mu's grasp, you'll find that it's a trove of memories that await you - your memories. You may find yourself re-enacting them or simply watching from afar...but the same may be said for others who might stumble upon your mind. Perhaps they find themselves in place of another character, or watching invisibly from the sidelines. Either way, Mu tries to make each instance as close to the real thing as possible. When it has completed, it may either restart itself, or simply fade entirely.

Should you be affected by Umui's pollen, any one or more of the following will occur:

[ ♆ ] True Bliss: Mu recreates a memory or a time in which you were truly happy. This may be as simple or as grandiose as you may like, but it had to have really happened.

[ ♆ ] True Judgment: Mu recreates a memory or a time in which you felt exceptionally guilty. And no matter what you do, you'll find that it is impossible to change. Try as you might, you can only ever witness the same end result that has stricken you with so much guilt. And the same can be said for whoever might have gotten caught in this instance, and is watching it happen...

[ ♆ ] True Peace: Mu recreates a memory or a time in which you felt the most at peace, whether with some aspect of yourself or the circumstances around you. Perhaps this sense of peace bleeds into your own consciousness as you witness or act it, or perhaps it only serves to unsettle you...or maybe it affects those who go wandering into your dreams.

[ ♆ ] True Balance: Mu selects a memory or a time in your life...and warps it so that it is experienced in the opposite manner that it was initially. For example: that happy memory of you rescuing a bunch of kittens from a burning building? When you experience it this time, it will be in a relentlessly negative light - you absolute monster, traumatizing those kittens by carrying them through the fire like that! You should have been more careful! What if the fire was your fault all along? That horrible memory in which you slaughtered a bunch of innocent people? Well, it was all for the best, wasn't it? It was good that you did this. You have nothing to be sorry for. There's a bright side to everything - even this.

[ ♆ ] True Fate: Mu creates what it understands to be your final destiny, whether it be the place where our story ends, or the circumstances under which you perish. Perhaps this is something that is known to you, or to others. And perhaps it isn't.

You may pay witness to any one or more of these dream-states at a time. Perhaps you visit the island five times and receive the same "effect" each time, or perhaps you visit only once but find yourself looping through all five "effects" in the same space. The memories may vary, as well; for example, you might experience the "True Bliss" effect three times, and experience three separate happy memories each time. The choice of what your character experiences is up to you! While there are no inherent risks to this dream-state, it should be worth noting that your body will not be immune to entropy should you stay in it too long. Your body may suffer from hunger or thirst, or require recharging at a mana pool. For the most part, however, the only things you have to fear are the, uh, trauma that this might inflict. Or the trauma of other people seeing some of your most private memories.

Where My Friends Plot to Bury Me
Of course, there's a lot going on in the background as well. Characters are not required to go to Umui; you're free to explore any other minor events listed on our Monthly Rundown post. You are also always free to create your own individual logs and posts as needed!

Also remember that if you died this month, to fill out the corresponding form over on our Deaths page!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them over on our Monthly Rundown post!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

tim wright | ota | i'll match your formatting

[postictal]

i. true bliss ; goodbye to all the plans that we made

Who knows why he set foot back here? Maybe it was out of spite. Maybe it was out of the hopes that this time, the Overgrowth really will kill him.

In either case, that's not what happens. What happens instead is that Tim gets a whiff of some of that pollen and promptly passes out. It's not the worst-case scenario. He sorely needed the sleep anyway, is the thing. This is better.

It's better, too, because this would have to be the happiest that he can ever remember being. Anyone who wanders into his dream will find themselves confronted by a shadowy memory. There, in a clearing powdered with snow and with more than a few artfully crafted ice sculptures, there's laughter.

"And now it is your turn to make a statement, mister Wright," a child is saying airily. "It is time to conduct your first dab. I believe in you."

And that's exactly what he does. Timothy Wright dabs, much to the mingled despair and delight of the small crowd that notices. Someone whistles. Some clap. The child laughs - "By golly! Good show, old chum!"

And Tim grins a bit when he says, offhand: "Love you too, kid."

That's the thing, too.

He really means it.

The child's expression falters -

And the memory fades.

ii. true judgment ; atlas can rest his weary bones
cw: blood, spoilers for marble hornets

[A man lies coughing.]

[A man lies coughing on the ground, almost retching with hoarse, hacking wheezes. The house he's in is empty, all but deserted, but he's still obviously in a great deal of pain. He manages to pick himself up, panting - and not two feet away, there's a defaced mirror on the wall. The black letters splashed across it display a furious, taunting mantra: YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT. He moves toward it. His expression quickly drops, and he turns away - ]

[And lands on the ground again, as though space has just twisted and warped beneath him. He lands on his hands and knees on a crinkly floor of paper. Pages lie scattered across the ground, black with frenzied writing. Some have familiar accusations: YOUR FAULT. Most have a symbol scrawled over them - a circle with an X through it.]

[Again, Tim picks himself up - and stops dead.]

[There's a man slumped against the wall. His skin is ashen. His head is lolled lifelessly to one side. One hand lies limp and loose over his midsection, stained red - so much red that it's begun to leak down his shirt, down his jeans, and onto the pages beneath him, too.]

[Tim's breath catches.]

[He opens his mouth to scream something, maybe the man's name, and - ]

iii. true peace ; no burdens, no further debts to be paid

[This memory is quieter than either of the two. It's also nothing special. It's just Tim, sat down among an array of brightly colored bottles. Then he picks one up.]

"Can't decide on which color. Never done this before. Plus, I've really only got the one hand, so."

[He sits back and lets everyone, child or anthropomorphic mouse or enthusiastic teenager, have a go at painting his nails. Maybe you could too, if you interacted with this memory at much length.]

iii

[demonpuppy]

[Chip is incredibly careful while they apply the polish, pulling the brush down slowly in an attempt to keep it from running off Tim's nails. It's not too successful--the slower pace means that there's that many more chances for little wobbles to get color onto Tim's skin, and more than a few drips flood into his cuticles. But it's not too bad for a kid's first attempt.]

...guess I'm still not very good at this stuff.

[...well. 'First'.]

[postictal]

That's okay.

[They don't need to be very good at it. He still has the memory of Ren more or less dousing his fingertips in a bright teal, seemingly for the thrill of liberally coating him in the color.]

Still better than it'd look if I tried it myself.

[demonpuppy]

[Chip glances up, a small crease to their brows. They don't really believe that, but they also don't want to risk shattering this calm with an argument over something so dumb.]

...then...you can try on me? See who's worse.

[Seems a fair offer to them.]

[postictal]

[Tim huffs a little, which is the closest he gets to a laugh.]

Yeah? What color d'you want?

[demonpuppy]

[It gets a smile out of Chip in turn, and they look down at the selection with serious consideration.]

Um...purple?

[postictal]

Purple's good.

[He picks at a few of the bottles, humming as he considers the different shades available.]

Y'want purple with glitter?

[demonpuppy]

[Their eyes light up and they nod eagerly.]

Yeah! Glitter stuff is the best!

[postictal]

Sure thing. Purple with glitter, coming right up.

[He unstoppers the bottle with a subtle but nonetheless very present flourish.]

All right, which hand do you want me to get horribly wrong first?

[demonpuppy]

[Chip thrusts their left hand forward with a wide grin. Tim may not have much faith in his abilities, but Chip can easily take up the slack there.]

This one!

[postictal]

All right. Here goes nothing, I guess.

[He does his best, for what it's worth. He doesn't have the steadiest hand in the world, but he definitely tries his absolute hardest to stay in the lines, so to speak. He's not great at it. There are points where the polish blots and he gets it all over their skin instead of their nail, no matter how he concentrates. It boils down to simply not having a lot of practice.]

[demonpuppy]

[Chip waits patiently while he works, doing their best to keep from fidgeting too much. Once he's finished they hold up their hand, making a very big show of inspecting Tim's work--right up until they poke a bit too close to still drying polish and leave a dent in it.]

Ah--!

[postictal]

Hey, look at that.

[There's no animosity in his voice whatsoever - just a wry amusement.]

It's got character already.

[demonpuppy]

[Chip glances between Tim and his nail for a few moments, still looking a bit like a deer caught in headlights--]

[Before they grin and smush a fingerprint into one of their own.]

And yours, too!

[postictal]

[Hey, progress is progress. They're a kid. They're allowed to make mistakes here and again, regardless of whether they have or haven't in the past. They should be allowed. He's gonna make damn sure that they feel like they're allowed.]

Heck yeah. [Kind of dorky? Probably. Don't care. Tim smiles a little - a real smile, even if it's a tiny one.] You think I'm any good at painting nails? I'm pretty sure you're not doing it right unless you get polish all over your fingers too.