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

[mockiri]

[She wonders if that means he hasn't lost people he feels the need to grieve, or if the ritual holds no meaning for him. She lacks the means to ask, though, and in the end does it really matter? He's here all the same.

It's probably time to move things along, though, so she rises and lifts the first lantern, carrying it closer to the water. She'll move them all over before she starts lighting them, on the way offering him a look that signifies that he's not unwelcome if he feels like joining her.]

[salutosinedelectat]

[ He was there before the rituals. He was there before mortality. He's seen hundreds, thousands of ways to mourn. Not all of them, not all the rituals, but the feeling is often the same. Some things don't really change.

He watches but gives her her space. When Kiri gives him that look, he smiles politely, and steps over to join her, taking a moment to look at the horizon, then the lanterns, then down at her. ]

Would you like me to say a few words? [ A gentle offer. ]

[mockiri]

[She offers up a thoughtful tilt of her head, intrigued but uncertain. What would he like to say? She uses his voice.]

What should it be...

[salutosinedelectat]

[ Aziraphale thinks for a moment, falling into silence as he tries to think of the proper words to use. As he doesn't actually know her parents or the nature of their passing, he can't really be too specific.

He clears his throat.]

While we may find ourselves seperated from those we care, they will forever stay immortalized in our memory, and in our hearts. No bond is as strong as love, and it shall shall carry us the waves in the ocean, and wind beneath our wings. May we see each other again beyond the veil, and share the joy of each other's presence once more.

[mockiri]

[Kiri listens quietly, hands clasped together in her lap, her gaze fixed on the collection of lanterns. Her mother and father, and all her lost sisters- maybe they're gone, maybe somewhere out there they still live. Either way they're lost to her, and... it's true, what he says. She'll remember them. She'll be strong, for their sake, so when they meet again she can tell them that she lived.

She does nothing but sit quietly for a long moment after he stops speaking, until at last she reaches out and carefully pushes each one into the water. Once she's finished, she stands up to watch as they float away from her.]

I miss you! I miss you!

[She sniffles, hands lifting to scrub at her eyes.]

I miss you!

[salutosinedelectat]

[ Aziraphale watches solely and silently, arms folded behind his back, as the lanterns are carried by the lazy waves, and as Kiri says her goodbyes.

He looks down at her. After a moment of consideration, he reaches a hand out and gently pats her head. ]

[mockiri]

[Well, he asked for it. A few moments after the hand touches her head, she looks up, scuffing a hand across her eye, and then leans in, pressing her face to his pant leg. Angel has become tissue.]

[salutosinedelectat]

[ Well, that might as well happen. Between the mud from the floods, the slime and drool and dirt from the wobbledog, the rains, the scuffing, and everything else, it's not like Kiri can really damage his clothes.

He's unsure for a few seconds, but then takes simply to patting her head some more. The angel might not know her story, but it's always so sad to see little ones that have lost so much.]

There there. [ Said in a soothing tone.] It's alright.