lifeaftr | Returning Island: Umui

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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Who? The library fellow? Why would anyone mess with a snake??

She chirps nervously, scrunching down a little, returning to the same woman's voice she'd started with.]

Mimicking things.

[Maybe she should get out her book?]

[It wasn't a voice Crowley knew, and he studied her for a moment before responding further. It took a moment for it to click, but Crowley was often never as bright as he led on.]

Are you only able to mimic humans?

[Only humans... that's wrong any way you spin it. She only knows a handful of human phrases, the rest being tiefling, and goblin, and half-orc, and so on. And if he means only people-

She shakes her head, then offers up a series of perfect sound effects: a tinkling windchime, a gunshot, the purr of a cat. And then, in Chip's young voice,]

Mimic other stuff?

[Crowley isn't aware of any other sorts of life forms that speak outside of other supernatural entities like himself. But that's besides the point. The sound effects make him chuckle slightly, instantly lightening his mood.]

You could say I'm a mimic, too.

[This isn't his true form, just one he's taken to blend in. And he has others, which he for a moment considers showing her. Most of them are terrible, but some quite beautiful.

He bends to pick up her discarded pie and offers it to her again.]

You'll want to finish this today, otherwise the island will take it from you.

[Another mimic... is that why he can look like a person instead of a snake? A different kind of mimic, but still very cool. Much more useful than just voices.

She accepts the remnants of her pie back with a cautious chirp, picking off bits of dirt before stuffing it in her mouth- though first she offers up,]

I’m Kiri.

Crowley.

[He watches her as she eats, thinking about the angel's voice from her beak.]

What else has he taught you to say? Aziraphale, I mean.

[She thinks a moment, since he'd actually taught her quite a bit at her own request, then lists off in his familiar posh,]

Please. You're welcome. Excuse me. Pardon me. May I help you. I'm hungry.

[And all of that probably sounds a bit odd, so she fishes her journal out of her bag and holds up a page to him with her childish scrawl.]

say words for me?

[Excuse Crowley, he's rolling his eyes at all of those pleasantries that are so very Aziraphale. At least until she says "I'm hungry" in his voice which is somehow even more Aziraphale and Crowley loses it, cackling loudly.]

Oh? Oh yes... but you should definitely say them to Aziraphale. He'd be most impressed.

Edited (typo hell) 2020-02-08 02:28 (UTC)

[Say words to him...? Oh, she can definitely do that. She nods eagerly, sitting up and scooting a bit closer, taking on Ginko's voice.]

Sounds like a good plan.

Okay yes-- let me think for a minute. Ah! Definitely ask him about his sword- yes! Say something like:

Have you lost your flaming sword again?

He'll love that.

[She naturally has no context of this, but half of the joy she gets out of life is repeating phrases that people really should not have said around her, so she beams and nods eagerly, committing the phrase to memory.]

Get into trouble!

Trouble? Oh no, not you. Probably me, though.

[He shrugs, that's just par fo the course, really.]

He doesn't stay mad at me long. Usually.

[Usually? Hm, hm. So he's easily forgiven, is it? She gives a solemn and understanding nod.]

Wrapped around his weenie.

[Someone should probably teach her the finger variant of that phrase.]

Wot.

[omg.]

Wot.

[She lifts her arms up in the air immediately, eyes bright.]

Wot. ...Wot!

[You have given her a new favourite exclamation, and it's wonderful.]

[Welp. Crowley hates this.]

Oh shut up. [G R O A N.]

He did send you here, didn't he? Just to torment me. Where did the weenie-thing come from? Is that what he told you? AUGH.

[This is it. This is what a demon looks like fraying.]

[Goodness, no, she didn't get that from him. Does she... does she... oh! Yes, she does.]

Jester! Jester!

[She knows like four names, thank god Jester's is one of them. Though watching him unravel is pretty entertaining.]

[That very well may be someone's name, but Crowley's going to take it as another insult to his already fragile ego. Here he is trying to be a cool forest snake deity, and Kiri has crashed through it like a wrecking ball.]

Oh good, so I'm a joke now?

Bloody brilliant. I love this. This is really good for me.

[Poor thing can't even laugh. She can grin like an idiot, though, which she does- at least, as much as a beak-mouth will allow.

She can also make the verbal equivalent of a party horn, which is close enough.]

[Oh no. Not a party horn. Crowley looks positively dazed.]

Fine. I give up. You win.

[She wins? She didn't know they were battling. Ooh, she would love to tell the Mighty Nein about this! If... she could tell them.

Oh well, she can at least clap.]

He's a pushover.

[And troll a little.]

Must you add insult to injury?

[Crowley looks... tired. Shapeshifting and miracling all day has put him in no position to 'battle' a small bird.]

Wouldn't you rather go sit in a tree and make gunshot noises at passersby?

[...Ooh! That nets him an immediate positive response, as she perks right up and claps her hands together, claws clicking. She makes a few gunshot noises to demonstrate how very down she is for this. Shenanigans!]

[Crowley's eyes widen... he hadn't expected that to work. But it does sound like the sort of shenanigans completely up his alley. He'll pat himself on the back later.]

Good. Off we go, then. We'll need to find cover.

Returning Island: Umui

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