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

[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.]

[onegreeneye]

[It would be hard not to notice that. Yukio rarely seems relaxed, but this is... another level of discomfort. One of Ginko's ears flicks, and he opts not to comment just yet.

Yeah, he's definitely going to need to watch this conversation carefully.] Great. Thank you; we can try and make this quick.

[He leans back out the door, holding onto the frame to keep his balance.] C'mon in, Hector.

[vagabone]

[He drags himself up to his feet once more, using the wall for support and shambles on in. 'Hurt' might have been a bit of an understatement--there's more bones broken than not, about what you'd expect when a heavy crystal zombie stomps on a old, fragile skeleman. At least not that many are fractured clean through. Lots and lots of duct tape, still. Either dead guys don't feel pain, or he has a seriously disturbing pain tolerance.

But he takes one look at Yukio, the tension pouring off of the kid, and he spins right back around on one foot to leave. Yeah, no, not doing this. He screwed up, he got smashed, it's his own fault. Yukio deserves better. There are other people who can heal him, a little each day.]

You know what, why don't we do this some other time? It's late, I'm tired, nevermind.

[reflash]

[Yukio's eyes go wide, as he looks at Héctor and takes in the scope of his injuries. That's a lot of broken bones. He doesn't know if he can do anything, if his medical training or magic will help, but he needs to try.]

At least let me look. [He says, and takes a step towards the skeleton as Héctor turns to leave.] Please.

[He's still tense, but this is far more important than his discomfort.]

[onegreeneye]

[Oh come on, they did not go all this way for Hector to change his mind now. Ginko straightens up and sets his hand on Hector's shoulder, making sure not to hold on too tight and risk causing more damage.] --Hey. Come on.

[vagabone]

[He turns back around, slouching a bit more than usual, and drops the act. His grin wasn't fooling either of them anyway. Stupid, selfish Héctor--looks like he hasn't kept away from Yukio long enough.]

Look, it's fine. It's not permanent, we've got another healer. You don't have to do anything, kid.

[reflash]

I won't do anything without your consent. [That's the first thing you learn in a basic first aid class, don't do anything until you get permission.]

But please let me try. You're injured, and if I can do something to help I would like to.

[onegreeneye]

If you have more help, you may heal faster.

[Come on, Hector. Ginko is starting to expect he really is going to be out here for a while.]

[vagabone]

Okay, okay.

[Without his consent, hah. Words he ought to learn from. He stays where he is, feeling like a six foot awkward eyesore, shifting from foot to foot.]

Go ahead.

[reflash]

Do you heal on your own naturally? [He asks, stepping forward and gently taking one of Héctor's hands, carefully examining the fractures in the bones of his arm.

Yukio is tense, but he's always tense around Héctor, and his voice is level and calm and his tail isn't in attack position.]

[vagabone]

[Even his hands have some cracks in them, though not as bad as the longer bones. His hands can fly into pieces and escape being stepped on. His arms and legs can't for the most part. He doesn't pull away, patient.]

Oh, no. I'm past that point. It happens eventually to... older skeletons.

[reflash]

I can try to heal it, but I don't know how much my magic will help. [It boosts healing speed, it doesn't heal things that wouldn't heal.]

May I?

[vagabone]

Worth a shot. Mostly what I need are, uh, painkillers, but I can't eat or drink most things and this island doesn't have the right kind of flowers...

[Stupid of him to not have planned ahead a year ago and 'bought' some flowers. But they'd only be useful to him, honestly.

He shifts his weight to one leg and pops the other one off with absolutely no warning, offering it to Yukio. You know, as one does! It's fine, he's wobbly, but not falling over!]

[reflash]

[Oh wait he wasn't expecting that!!]

Um. [He says, and he doesn't take the leg.]

It will actually work more efficiently if you're all in one piece.

[onegreeneye]

[Oh this is off to a great start. Ginko winces, not least because he can remember a time when he would have done something similar.

...Did do similar things, like with his glass eye. Or with just popping a mushi into his ear to demonstrate how to drive it out. Just, normal things like that.]

[vagabone]

Better not try and heal everything all at once, there's too much to fix.

[Because if he's learned anything, it's that Yukio can and will punish himself. He continues to hold out the leg, not seeing the problem??]

[reflash]

I can assure you, I know how my magic works. [There it is, the tension boiling under the surface of a smile.]

If it works at all, it will work best if your leg is attached to your body.

[onegreeneye]

...Seriously, Hector, put your leg back on.

[Gently, in the hopes that Hector won't take it as scolding, but... just in case he was going to keep arguing.

At least Ginko is slowly getting an impression of what exactly might have gone wrong between these two.]

[vagabone]

[He wasn't. That tension coming back is enough to get him to pop his leg back on with a wince. God, he's tired, and it seems there are no choices in which Yukio doesn't end up miserable.]

It's fine, I promise, I'm used to things like this. You don't need to half kill yourself healing me because I had a stupid idea and it didn't work. I'd... rather you not overdo it for some old dead guy.

[reflash]

I designed my healing magic to be safe for me to use, but thank you for the concern.

[He still won't cast any magic until he gets permission.]

[vagabone]

[As if he believes that--but he's not being given a choice either, really. A sigh, more wincing as his ribs rattle.]

Alright. Go ahead.

[reflash]

[Yukio nods, and takes Héctor's hand again. His main eyes close, and blue light flickers around Héctor's body, like flames. Yukio's snake tongue flicks out, and he frowns.

After a moment, the light fades, and Yukio shakes his head.]

I'm sorry, it doesn't seem like my magic will be able to do anything. I can attempt to stabilize some of the more serious breaks with splints, unless you think what you have now is best.

[vagabone]

[A relief and a disappointment at the same time. He also shakes his head, releasing Yukio's hand.]

I can splint my own bones, if you've got supplies you don't think anyone else needs. Duct tape works fine, though, it's all I've had for years. [A beat.] Thank you for trying.