lifeaftr | Returning Island: Umui

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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

I don't think I can.

[Ginko showing up out of the blue is not enough to tear his eyes away from the sight of his past self collapse, face hitting the street, making the same sickening smack for the dozenth time...]

You can try, though. It's not your memory. Maybe you don't have to watch. [He sounds like he's a million miles away. Drifting off into space. Losing his grip entirely on the present, not the past. If only he could go back, make one tiny change and live...]

Have you tried? [His voice is as even as ever now that he's gotten a hold on it, but, in reality, it's almost a plea more than a question. There's no doubt this is worse for Hector than for him.

He steps around to block Hector's view, trying to get him to look at him.] I'm not going to leave you alone with this, alright?

I tried. I'm stuck.

[We. Yep. He does look at Ginko, listlessly. None of his usual animated self showing. He's... tired, inside and out. What he wouldn't give to be resting in Rivera home--why couldn't he relive that day a few more times instead of his own death?] Doesn't seem fair to make us both watch.

Less fair for you to be here than me. I'm choosing to stay.

[Yeah, it's really that simple. He isn't leaving Hector alone with his own death, without even knowing how long he'll be trapped here for.]

Alright.

[He's not watching the two men argue, but the voices... are inescapable. Nowhere to run, no way to block them out. And he exhales, angry, voice cracking--he can't hold it in, he's going to explode.]

If I'd just stuck it through for six more months! Given him what he wanted! I could have gone home!

[It isn't really a surprise when Hector cracks. It was probably bound to happen, and may be better than if he kept holding it all in - but that doesn't make it easier to hear. He lifts a hand on reflex, almost going to set it on Hector's shoulder before he fumbles it back into his pocket.

He doesn't know if he should touch him, and doesn't want to risk it - but his tone may be insistent enough to make up for it.] You couldn't have been expected to know what he would do. You were trying to do what was right - what he did wasn't your fault.

[He starts to pace, knowing there's no way to get away from the 'free show'. No escape, no outlet other than furious words.]

No, that's where you're wrong. I should have known. I grew up with him! We were always together, so how could I not have seen some sign it was coming? He put it word for word into a movie, you know. Probably gloating about it the whole time. He cast himself as the hero, the guy who was smart enough to figure out it was poison--not like poor, dumb Héctor.

[Quieter, but oh so bitter...] I wasn't even smart enough to work out the truth on my own. Had to have a kid come along a hundred years later and put the pieces together for me. I've always been stupid.

Either he'd been honest with you before and you had no reason to look for signs he was planning something, or he'd been manipulating you for a long time. Either way, it wouldn't be reasonable to expect you to see through it.

[He may not have seen anything exactly like this before, but it's not totally unfamiliar; as far as he can tell, it seems less common for people betrayed by loved ones to see it coming than not. Most people aren't wired to expect their family to try to kill them.]

Not putting that together doesn't make you stupid. Trusting someone, not knowing he turned on you, doesn't make you stupid.

[He should have been the exception, though. He wasn't, and his family suffered for it. He suffered for it. A hundred years of misery, and the idea that he didn't deserve it... that he wasn't to blame, even as everyone did blame him... it's enormous and terrifying. Maybe he was wronged, a little bit. Maybe he has the right to be angry at someone not himself. Changing the way one thinks about the entire world, though... that's not easy.]

It's not the only time I've made the wrong choice. You know this. And all those times I tried to cross the bridge... none of my plans worked. Come on, Ginko, when have you seen me have a good idea?

[At first thought, that strikes Ginko as a pretty major oversimplification. Ideas aren't what make people smart, or worthwhile. Planning and plotting and being suspicious of other people aren't all there is.]

I've seen plenty of smart people make awful choices out of desperation; I don't know that that's much of a gauge for anything. [So count out all the bridge attempts, alright?] And, in the end - does it really matter? I doubt I would have seen that coming, in your position, and it doesn't seem fair to expect you to have anticipated it.

Does it matter how much I like myself? [He flings that right back, and behind him he's retching and falling again, every detail the same. How many times has it repeated so far?]

When have I ever gotten anything right? I'm not good for anything besides failure and annoying people to the point they want to strangle me!

[Ginko winces, but he doesn't have any response to that first part; it would be hypocritical for him to try to argue.

But... the rest, he can at least say something to. Some if it he probably should have said a long time ago.]

...You're better with kids than almost anyone I know. You make people happy - that's a skill in itself, especially in a situation like this one. And you're one of my best friends - you've managed to pull me out of my own head before. Clearly, you're doing something right.

[He wilts slowly, anger at himself fading away, replaced by something very much like exhaustion. And the memory of his death does not stop playing.]

...But not my own family. If they're happy, it's despite me. Not because of me. [He's being ungrateful. Ginko's trying to help. It's nice.] Glad you think so, though.

No. It's despite that asshole. [He gestures toward Ernesto, and there's more anger ground into his voice than he'd normally even get close to.] You made one mistake, Hector. It was him that turned it into what it's become.

[Odd for Ginko--he definitely picks up on it. Neither of them are having a good time, watching the same thing happen over and over, but Ginko especially shouldn't have to.]

I... know. I never should have left home. I might still have wound up here either way, but... at least I'd have had more time with them.

That doesn't mean you should have to keep suffering for it.

[He can't speak for anyone else affected by Hector's death - but, at the very least, he can hope it would be an improvement for Hector to understand that he isn't at fault for making one bad decision and then being murdered.]

[He's quiet for a moment, staring blankly at the ground, a listless look to him. What a waste of Ginko's time--he'd be suffering either way, so long as he's separated from his family.]

But I always am. [No, that's a terribly unfair thing to say. To dump on his friend's head without any damn warning.] Not--not always. There are good days... Ay, you know what I mean.

Edited (adds a bit) 2020-04-20 01:08 (UTC)

...Then the more good days you can get, the better.

[Now it's Ginko's turn to go quiet - because he does know what Hector means, better than he'd like to admit.

Then again, he doesn't really need to admit it. Hector knows more now about what goes on in Ginko's head than Ginko ever wanted him to, and there isn't any way to take that back. So... he might as well hope that knowing that could help Hector, somehow.]

I know I can't ask you just to decide to stop blaming yourself. But, if you can try and tell yourself, every so often, that it wasn't all your fault - please do that.

[Letting go of his self-loathing is as impossible as finding a way back to the real world, he wants to say. He can't. It feels like fact, not opinion. It might be written into the fabric of universe somewhere: Héctor Rivera, good-for-nothing husband and papá, got what he deserved.

But all Ginko's asking is one small thing. He'd have to start somewhere...] I... can try, I suppose. To remember other people might not have seen it coming. Didn't, actually. I've met people who were, well... died like I did. I just didn't know the truth back then.

[The smallest bit of tension spills from Ginko's shoulders. It's not much, not with Hector's death still repeating over and over not far away, but the possibility that Hector might try to be slightly kinder to himself is a pretty significant relief.]

That's a good start. I know this kind of thing is going to take a while, but... I'm glad you're willing to try.

Edited 2020-04-21 06:10 (UTC)

[Dios, he's tired. And he doesn't know what it means to be kind to himself. It's been too long. Too, too long. He'll... have to think about it a while, it's too pathetic to admit out loud.

For now:] ...you're a good friend, Ginko.

Edited 2020-04-23 00:04 (UTC)

[...Ginko should probably say something to that. Probably.

But nothing he could say feels right. So he just stands there, not responding except for a hesitant nod of appreciation.]

[That's alright, he doesn't seem to mind. He's used to it with Ginko, it doesn't mean anything's wrong.

The scene finally changes... They're in the land of the dead now, at night, and the whole city is lit up by colored lights. Bridges and roads are built in midair, buildings stacked on top of each other. If it weren't the spirit world, it'd never work, but things are not quite real here. It's fine, nothing's going to topple.

And Past Héctor's driving a small van. Slowly. Carefully. He's new at this. Present Héctor looks like he wants to shrivel up and disappear.]

Ay, why couldn't it be a nice memory...

[Oh, well. This is new, in any case - though the stacked buildings, precariously hanging bridges and streets, make him take a step back.

Not that there's anywhere to go. It's all a memory, after all, all around them.

But, again: A new one. Hector isn't dying anymore, he's dead (an improvement, against all reason), and he's... driving a van.

Ginko makes a face like he's smelled something mildly gross.] What is this one, exactly?

[There are other skeletons walking the streets, ones not wearing rags. Not duct-taping their bones together, not so faded and grey. They're mostly clean, healthy and bright white, with facial markings much brighter than Héctor's are. It's quite a contrast, isn't it?

The van keeps lurching along. His past self hasn't got the hang of braking gently yet.]

Ahh... you know how I keep telling you I haven't always been the nicest guy? [He looks like he wants to die of shame and whatever's coming hasn't happened yet.]

it's the mood

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might be wrapping?

surprise

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