March Undercurrent: Lost Connections

[lifeaftr_mods]

MARCH UNDERCURRENT

Who: Everyone!
What: We remember those lost, and connect with one another
When: March 3rd to March 19th
Where: Everywhere!
Warnings: Please mark anything as it comes up!

From Stardust to God

Those months since the Water's introduction to you all have been...tumultuous, haven't they? These two gods have more or less been trying to consistently undermine each other, and you all have been caught in the middle of it - whether or not you wanted to be! Kind of a miserable state of being to be stuck in, right?

All that is going to change.

For the duration of this particular month, both the Storyteller and the Water will be operating under a tentative ceasefire as they commit their efforts to one singular, joint goal:

They wish to remember those who have been lost. Those who have left the archipelago, those who have died, those who have come and gone, those who you lost in your homes...and these gods will be, also, commemorating those who they have lost. This commemoration will be facilitated with the use of memorials and offerings to those long past.

The Storyteller will provide you with materials to craft paper lanterns that can be illuminated and sent sailing into the ocean waters. They can be decorated with colorful paper, cut designs, and so forth. The Water will guide the currents to allow the lanterns to drift to...wherever it is they need to go. You can send as many lanterns as you like, and as many nights as you like. The skies will always be clear, and the water will always guide them to the horizon, where they eventually fade from view...

Both the Storyteller and the Water will be available for discussion for the duration of this event.

The Highs We Trade for the Lows

This month isn't only about remembering what's been past. To conjure Ai'tuoh back to the archipelago, it will also entail that all of you do some reflecting on what has been lost in your lives, and sharing in that pain together. This may be a somber month for some of you, or it may be an introspective one.

At any point during this event, your character may wake to discover that one or more thin threads of colorful light appears to be emanating from their chest and trailing through the empty air. These threads cannot be removed or influenced in any fashion; attempting to grab at them will simply cause one's hands to phase uselessly through them, as though they are ethereal constructs of some sort.

The purpose of these strands of light might not immediately be apparent, but if you spend enough time observing your fellow islanders, it might get a bit clearer. Each tether connects you to someone else - someone who has a pain similar to your own. Should you follow your tether to whoever it has linked you to, you may find yourself compelled to comfort or relate to the other party. This compulsion can honestly vary, from a gentle nudge to a sudden impulse and anything in between. There may or may not be a subtle pressure on your thoughts that may help you discern what you might have in common with this other person, whoever they might be. This facet of this event is completely opt-in, naturally, and we encourage you to interpret this however you like. What counts as shared pain? It can be as literal or as figurative as you like. Whether characters underwent the same events in this game or another, or whether there are certain parallels you wish to explore within certain canons or across multiple ones...or if you just want your character to have a nice sit down and talk about their problems for once, the choice is yours. Your character can be connected to as many others as you like - there is no limit to how many characters you can share any related trauma with!

Should you choose to reflect on that which you have endured, and the shared pain of others, what follows is fairly intuitive. The tether binding you together will fade, though hopefully a stronger bond will be forged, and ideally you'll all feel better afterward...but that's not necessarily a given, now, is it?

This is No Place Like Home

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 February's Undercurrent Event, as well as any of the other minor events listed on our Monthly Rundown post. And, of course, 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!

March Timeline

[ ♆ ] March 1st: "The Return of Your Special Lifting Friend" begins and lasts until March 10th
[ ♆ ] March 3rd: "Lost Connections" begins and lasts until March 19th
[ ♆ ] March 12th: "Spring Forth" begins and lasts until March 21st
[ ♆ ] March 20th: Ai'tuoh returns to the archipelago
[ ♆ ] March 22nd: "The Happy Hang Glider Vacation Society" begins and lasts until March 31st

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[onegreeneye]

Now as in tonight, or now as in now? [Not that there's much difference in the answers.] I'm alright with waiting here a bit longer, but we should go to the clinic soon.

[The sooner they know if Yukio can help Hector, the better.]

[vagabone]

[He's looking at the drifting lanterns... and shaking his head.]

Let's go. I'm done here for today. Either the clinic or I go lay on a cat.

[Good ol' Pepe the cat-bed! Can't go wrong with that.]

[onegreeneye]

And the sooner we do the first, the sooner you can do the second.

[He's not gonna lie, lying on a cat sounds pretty appealing right now, assuming Tanpo is willing to accept that it is not play time for a few minutes. But this has to come first.

He braces his hand in the sand and pushes himself to his feet, wincing as he adjusts his balance.] Not... used to that yet, give me a second.

[vagabone]

[He reaches out and catches himself, still having to remind himself everyone he knows is heavier than a skeleton. Too heavy for him to haul up and help along. So frustrating, why must living people be this way.]

No rush. I'm not too much faster myself.

[onegreeneye]

[Ginko hums quietly in acknowledgement as he straightens up, glancing over at Hector. There's just a moment's pause before he speaks again.]

...We both must look pretty pathetic, huh.

[vagabone]

[He smiles in a hollow way, pain shooting through his whole body with every step. Yeah.]

I've always looked pathetic, let's face it. For a skeleton. Any dead guy would be able to tell I'm on my last legs.

[onegreeneye]

Now living people can, too. Normally you don't look much worse to us than any other walking skeleton.

[He might feel bad about that joke later, but right now he's just, so goddamn tired all the time, and his arm hurts, and that's not great for his already-iffy brain-to-mouth filter.]

[vagabone]

[Makes two of them. What he'd give for some better sleep...]

If it makes you feel any better, I still think most of you living folks look horrible.

[onegreeneye]

Much better, thanks. [Just, with all the dryness in his voice he can muster.] More surprised if there are some that don't, after all that time only seeing skeletons.

[Boy, moving from the beach terrain to the forest is something.] Clinic isn't too far, but let me know if you need to rest.

[vagabone]

[Whatever, he thinks it's funny. He's just too worn down to actually laugh about it. Disgusting squishy fleshy friends!

He misses nice, even pavement every day. No having to fight your way through underbrush and step in wet leaves... with no shoes on.]

Couple of you are alright. But skeletons will always be ten times as good looking, admit it. [Muy guapo!!]

[onegreeneye]

[At least it's not far. Ginko will take this over not having the choice but to walk through forest all night any day.]

What's that based on? Who has the least flesh? [He figures that would be key after a hundred years of skeletons-only, right?

And then he sort of snorts, which he immediately regrets. Ow.] --Sorry, but, sometimes I still feel like I shouldn't be looking at you. Not quite used to bones being outside the body unless something is badly wrong.

[vagabone]

Still? You see me practically every day and you're not used to it yet?

[Maybe not even practically, there are a lot fewer people to pester than there were last year... it's a pretty small community.]

[onegreeneye]

I've looked like this every day for... four years or something and I'm still barely used to it. [He just, gestures vaguely at his whole Situation.] Some things take more time to adapt to.

[vagabone]

It's different when it's your own body, though, take it from me. And I thought skeletons were cool to begin with.

[He's grinning, casual, but also slowing a bit. Useless damn bones. So...] How about we stop for a minute?

[onegreeneye]

Well, that's good for you. [It might sound sort of sarcastic but he means it.

Ginko doesn't even hesitate before nodding; frankly, he could use a break too. His arm's starting to ache, so he slows to a stop and leans against a tree.] Once we get going again, it shouldn't be much longer.

[vagabone]

[He eases himself down right on the spot, very much seeming like his physical age--just a year or so away from being one hundred and twenty, and boy he's feeling it.]

You know, I really hate the wilderness. [...Which he's probably said before. Bah, nature. Pretty to look at... horrible to hike through barefoot and aching.]

[onegreeneye]

[Oh, he definitely has, and a smirk tugs at Ginko's mouth when he brings it up.] Mm-hm, that's a shame.

[He is not even trying not to sound like a smarmy bastard.]

[vagabone]

[Traitor.]

It'd be an easier walk in the city, that's all I'm saying.

[onegreeneye]

[Hey, he's never hidden what an outdoorsy nerd he is. He can't imagine why Hector would be surprised by now.]

Eeh, I guess so. But hard dirt gets tough to deal with after a while, too.

[vagabone]

We've got buses and trolleys, though. That'd be nice right about now, admit it.

[Public transportation!! Hooray for the modern world!!]

[onegreeneye]

Mm... I guess it could be, depending.

[Convenience is all fine and well, but Ginko has some... mixed feelings about what he gathers is considered "modern" transportation by most people around here.]

[vagabone]

[There's no downside that he can think of for a bunch of dead people. For one, pollution doesn't matter. And there are almost no plants that can grow in the land of the dead anyway.]

Depending on what?

[onegreeneye]

[It takes Ginko a moment to answer that, as he's suddenly very concerned with making sure the bandages over his arm are still secure, and definitely not because he's anticipating getting made fun of in a few seconds.]

How fast they move.

[vagabone]

Hah.

[Yes and no??? He's the amused one now, twiddling his thumbs innocently.] Depends on who's driving! You'd hate it, now that I think about it. It's hard to get away from heights in our city.

[onegreeneye]

Hmm. I'll pass. But, what kind of heights are you talking about? There's a difference between a mountain and a suspended bridge.