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

[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.

[vagabone]

Bridges, not mountains. All manmade stuff. Buildings stacked on top of other buildings, with colorful lights on them at night... it's pretty fantastic. Pretty and fantastic.

[...God, he misses it too. Not the people, that's a given, but the city itself.]

[onegreeneye]

...It does sound pretty incredible. I think you're right that I wouldn't be suited to it, but... still incredible.

[Even if that's in a "heart attack" sense as much as a "beauty" sense. But, even if Ginko probably couldn't stand it, Hector clearly misses it.]

[vagabone]

Hey, not all of it's up in the air. It's layered in parts of the city, sort of, things get older as you go down. Paradise for those that like history. I live... stay, whatever, right at the bottom. Not far away from some really old pyramids.

[Not that Ginko asked. He has to talk about something, though. Can't just sit here.]

[onegreeneye]

[Fair enough. Ginko considers that for a couple moments.]

That is reassuring. Though you'd think living by something historical like that would be more popular.

[Which... he gathers it probably isn't, judging from what he knows about Hector's situation back in the land of the dead. Doesn't sound like he's been in a position to allow for getting hold of high-demand real estate.]

[vagabone]

Oh, the actual pyramids are, that's where the bridges appear. My area... not so much. Some houses. Old people.

[...Yeah, he doesn't have much nice to say about it.]

[onegreeneye]

Ah.

[Well...]

Houses and old people can be nice.

[...Yeah, good luck working out how much that was a joke and how serious he was. He'll wait.]

[vagabone]

[Who even knows. He wants... to sleep.]

Could just tell me to shut up, you know.

[onegreeneye]

Why would I do that?

[That wasn't a joke. He's not going to tell Hector to do something he doesn't want him to do.]

Ready to keep going?

[vagabone]

Eh, nevermind. [He's a pest, okay. There's not a single person alive or dead who doesn't get annoyed with him sometimes, honestly.

He pushes himself up on his feet and nods. Good enough. Doesn't feel like he'll fall over.] If you are.

[onegreeneye]

[Ginko hums doubtfully at Hector waving off the subject, but... well, he knows how Hector sees himself, how he expects to be seen. He guesses he shouldn't be surprised, even if he would hope Hector would know him better by now.

Not that he has room to talk. So he won't.]

I am. [He braces his hand against the tree to push away from it, and starts toward the clinic again.

As he'd guessed, it isn't too much further, and he pauses outside the door before heading in.] ...I'll let Yukio know we're here. [If he and Hector don't get along, it seems best to give him some warning, even if he hopes Yukio will understand why Ginko is bringing him here.]

[vagabone]

[He knows Ginko pretty damn well, but he has his blind spots. He probably always will... nothing like having your almost-brother turn on you to do that to a person, on top of everything else. It doesn't matter he didn't know the truth for nearly a century--taking credit for his songs, mutilating them, never once mentioning him was enough. (And the truth reshaped everything he'd been through. It still is.)

He takes a seat immediately once they're there, leaning up against the clinic wall.]

Alright. I'm not going anywhere.

[onegreeneye]

[Ginko nods and steps into the clinic, rapping on the doorway with his knuckles.]

Yukio? Sorry, but I need to ask a favor.

[reflash]

What's wrong? [He asks, picking up a first aid kit. Ginko doesn't smell like blood, but that just opens up other possibilities.]

[onegreeneye]

Nothing with me. [Well... nothing new, anyway. Yukio already knows about the arm situation.]

There's a hint of an apology in his voice.] I... actually wondered if you could take a look at Hector. He tells me you two don't really get along - but he was hurt around the same time I was, and I thought it might be good to see if your magic would help him out any. If you're not up to it, though, it's not an emergency.

[reflash]

[Héctor.

Yukio freezes. His body language shifts, tension snapping through him, spine going stiff, jaw tense, grip white-knuckled on the first aid kit before he puts it carefully down. It might be anger, or it might be bracing himself for a fight, or it might be him trying to convince himself not to run away. It's hard to tell.]

Of course. [He smiles at Ginko, and nods.]