April Undercurrent: Breaking Barriers

[lifeaftr_mods]

APRIL UNDERCURRENT

Who: Everyone!
What: Normal boundaries are made malleable, for a time
When: April 3rd to April 19th
Where: Everywhere!
Warnings: Please mark anything as it comes up!

Keep Me In Your Clouded Mind

As days pass, and the Water begins to exert their pull, your surroundings will begin to grow hazy, almost dreamlike. Though some might find this sensation to be unpleasant, the feeling will soon pass, and the world will seemingly right itself. Perhaps a fit of vertigo, and nothing more...?

But come the morning of April 3rd, the island's skies and seas will paint themselves anew in faded guises - every colour it's possible for a sky and sea to be, from sunrise to sunset - bleeding into each other like ink in water, until the horizon vanishes. And from that vanishing point, where sky and sea meet, you will begin to see...rafts. Rafts bearing familiar paper lanterns - some crumpled, some stained from their crash into the water, but recognizable all the same.

Remember those lanterns that you made last month? It turns out that they've actually served as beacons. And, as those rafts drift closer, you might find that the lights you set free, forged in your grief and longing, have managed to guide the subjects of that longing to you...at least for a time. Of course, it's not all people you know. Those on the rafts are just as likely to be strangers, people who have simply drifted in on the tides of dream. Or they may be both familiar and not - the people you knew, who have changed in your absence or theirs.

They might even be you, though not as the island has made you. Perhaps they're the person you once were, or the person you will be. Who knows what the tides may bring?

To distinguish such temporary visitors from those making a more permanent stay, those brought in by these strange waters often look faded or filled with an ethereal light. They may also have a strange translucency to them, though this will not affect their ability for physical contact, interaction, or their solidity.

This month, no special tasks are required of you other than to interact with these new visitors, whether they bring you joy, grief, or the mutual, fleeting bond of a first meeting. The more you accept them as part of your lives - temporary as they are - the more power you produce.

Their stay might be short, but their impact is no lesser, and recognition of that is necessary to pave the way for Elytlan's arrival.

---

♆ FOURTH WALL EVENT ♆

We'd like to welcome anyone and everyone to LifeAftr's Fourth Wall Event! We'd like to start things off with a few points of clarification, if necessary:

[ ♆ ] This is an IC event. All characters will remember the fourth wall event and any characters that pass through it.

[ ♆ ] You are free to enable and post with absolutely anyone! For this event only, all rules regarding doubles and duplicates are to be considered null and void. Doubles, CRAUs, player-made AUs, original characters, whoever you like who can be brought to interact with the islands is free to do so! Characters who might be re-visiting from their past experiences in LifeAftr can recall as much or as little of their time in game as you like.

[ ♆ ] Please be aware that visiting characters will likely notice that their powers have been slightly or greatly dampened. While they will probably still be capable of smaller or more ordinary things, any game-breaking or world-ending powers will have no effect on these shores. You are free to nerf them even more if you want, though! We certainly won't stop you.

[ ♆ ] Only members of LifeAftr will have posting access, but all characters and players outside of the game are welcome to comment anywhere in this log, unless a player wishes to opt out of the event entirely.

[ ♆ ] This does include posting to the network, over at lifenet! Newly arriving characters will have access to the Stones of Farspeech that enable long-distance communication, but they will not be able to make their own posts - only comment to the posts of others.

[ ♆ ] We ask that any visitors be mindful of our game rules. Most characters will likely be arriving on the island of Ensō or the islets just off of its coast - feel free to read up on those pages for more information, and don't be afraid to ask questions!

[ ♆ ] This event will only last up until April 19th. At that point, all characters who have been brought to the Fourth Wall event and are not currently in game will fade away. Due to the ethereal quality to them while on the islands, the temporary nature of their stay will likely be apparent. That being said, this log will remain open once the event itself is complete - backtagging is both welcome and encouraged.

[ ♆ ] As the game will be entering endgame shortly after this event, we will not be opening Applications after the event unless you are a returning player who would like to be present for endgame.

[ ♆ ] If anyone has any questions about this event, please ask them HERE!

Color in My Sheltered Mind

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 April'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!

April Timeline

[ ♆ ] April 1st: "Make Libations" begins and lasts until April 10th
[ ♆ ] April 3rd: "Breaking Barriers" begins and lasts until April 19th
[ ♆ ] April 12th: "Isn't It Dreamy?" begins and lasts until April 21st
[ ♆ ] April 20th: Elytlan arrives at the archipelago
[ ♆ ] April 22nd: "Got Your Goat" begins and lasts until March 31st

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

HIGHKEY SCREM 20HRS ON REPEAT

[perfectual]

[ she stays where she is-- not for a lack of not trusting him, but...she has the higher ground here. It reminds her how powerful she is. How important her decisions are, and have been. Clefable rushes into the sand. The ground beneath it's little feet adjusts, and she sinks into the malleable ground, a small, chirpy laugh escaping her pink body.

Lusamine looks at her beloved pokemon. Her sweet little lackey. Her perfect child, and thinks of the precious others that were left on Aether Paradise while she went to be with her sweet, sweet children. The ones that needed her--the ones that wanted her. And she wanted them. Just a world with her perfect babies.

The thought cements her mind. Guzma stands there, ready to listen to her, as he always, always had. ]

Dear Guzma. Have you been here for long? This isn't Alola, is it?

[ her eyes are sharp as a nail, and a piercing green. Nothing about this uncivilized island screamed 'Alola'-- both figuratively and literally. ] The sooner we get away from this place, the better. I have to be with my perfect children...they must be so lost without their mother.

[ the ball is lifted to her mouth and she presses a soft kiss onto the cold surface. A face of motherly joy. Softened around all of her hard edges. They're her children. They need her...and she'll be there for all of them. No matter what it takes. ]

Where are we?

a symphony of screams

[yallstupid]

[That's...new. Usually the hallucinations aren't with any actual Pokemon. Just her misshaped creature that she coddles s--...ah. Like that. Just like that. Guzma's nose wrinkles, a moment, because it's so...vulgar. So absolutely vulgar how she treats things. Lillie was absolutely right - she's sick, and Guzma is sick of her. So, so sick of seeing her in every little thing he does, day in and day out. It may be why he just stopped giving a fuck.

His body language is loose, relaxed, but playfully...aggressive. He may be playing along, but he's not going to just lay down and take it Oh no, not anymore. And never again. It may not be the real thing, but you know? What better than an echo chamber to air his grievances, and throw caution to the wind? He needs this as much as Lillie did.]

Oh, this? Not Alola, no. Someplace else, way off target. A big ol' whoopsie-doodle on y'all's part, heh heh. Yeah, a huge heckie deckie - kinda funny, actually. N'me? Pfft-- y'know...your boy is always your boy, not like it matters.

[It never did. It never will. Why waste his breathe when Guzma knows she could give a Ratata's tail about how he's doing? He shoves his hands in his pockets, kicking sand around with his foot as he saunters up. Maybe at her, maybe at Clefable, who knows? Who gives a fuck? Not Guzma!]

Hmmm? Oh, the perfect children. Right, yeah, uh huh...yeah. Them. [He scratches his chin lazily. Should he be petty? Right now? It's so, so tempting, but. No, not yet. Let's let this linger a bit. Why end the fun right away? He wants to see how this will go, when he isn't afraid of her. How will the story go when the script changes? He's just so curious.]

Re: a symphony of screams

[perfectual]

[ she takes a step into the sand. Even in her heels, she is the picture of perfection-- the picture of someone who has tried to take perfection to a level that it cannot go. The sand shifts beneath her, but it doesn't even get a passing glance. Each step is slow, calculated. Confident.

It isn't until she is standing closer to Guzma, walking toward the shore, that she begins to speak again. She won't look at him. His nonchalance creeps beneath her pale skin. What could be more important? She smiles to herself, hearing the logic of others, past. Wicke, bless her softhearted mind, would say something about Gladion. About Lillie.

But it's too late for them. Too late for them to be her perfect children-- they had their chance and then they wasted it-- threw it into the ocean, along with her love, her guidance. ]

Yes. [ the word is casual. Clefable stands close to her, holding her hand and looking back at Guzma. The pokemon could never get a read on this one, but...Mother seemed to like him. It doesn't change the soft gaze she has-- the one that relies so strongly on the Aether President. The waves come crashing in, and slide along the wet shore until they are inches from her shoes...and then it recedes back into the mass of water. ]

You don't believe me? [ her head turns just enough to where Guzma can see one eye-- emerald and sharp, and wide. Insulted. Her voice remains the perfect calm. Her hand doesn't seem to grip any harder around Clefable's hand. ]

[yallstupid]

[How hysterical would it be if she tripped right now? Just got one of her gaudy heels caught in a clam hole and just went ass over teakettle into the sand right this second? Guzma quietly snickers to himself as he imagines it, and stops to let her meet him half way. The same carelessness he's showing her is mirrored back to him, but he is peacefully immune. I mean, this is to be expected, and he's perfectly happy to let her keep being the hideous black stain that she is for a little while longer. It just proves that there will never be a good version of her. That ship has sailed.

Funny, though, how his words seem to have struck...a chord. One dark brow raises, and he rocks back and forth on his heels with a thoughtful little hum, looking up at the sky and not at her because...why should he? She's not addressing him, so why should he address her? It's just air their both speaking to. None of this matters, neither of them matters to the other, this is just...a broken record. A broken record with a slightly different tune.]

Me? You want to know how I feel? [He looks shocked, and actually might be, a little bit, fluttering his eyes as a hand splays across his chest with a flourish, the gold chain and pendant glinting in the hot sun as it's moved aside.] I don't believe...you ever asked me before.

Why the sudden interest...madame? [It is odd. Very odd. Usually these hallucinations play on his preconceived memories of her. They're like a faded picture - the image might discolor or fade, but they don't change the event. The person. This is different, somehow, and he looks from Clefable to Lusamine, then over to Golisopod, who has not moved or uttered a sound, eyes trained on the woman.

...Hm.]

[perfectual]

[ He is an imbecile. Truly-- but...less gullible than he had been. Lusamine turns to him with a smile on her face. ]

Not any more than usual. I just wanted to make sure that we were still on...the same side. [ it is a well masked threat. She turns to face him, and Clefable lets go of her hand, frowning-- something that is quite unlike any Clefable-- to be threatening. And granted, she's pink and chubby...her threatening levels are not great.

But they don't need to be. And they've never needed to be. ] I would hate to lose you as a partner in this. You've proven that you're capable, and a strong leader....and that is exactly what I need. You're worth so much more than you could ever even begin to understand...especially to me.

[ Clefable stands still beside her. ] I would hate to be vague on something as important as how you feel.

[ she says it, the same as had said the same words to anyone else. Calculated. Unemotional. But depending on who you are...the words mean different things. Lusamine has one goal; one task, and Guzma is effectively wasting her time with his existence. And looking back...he always had. He couldn't even keep children from infiltrating Aether.

Though he HAD captured Cosmog. Perhaps she was being too harsh on him. ]

1/2

[yallstupid]

[A smile, responded to with a biting one of his own. He listens, and each word makes that grin widen, twist, the sharpness reach his eyes as he stares her down a moment. How...how had he not need it before? How had he not realized what a disgusting little liar she was? Was he so desperate for validation, for praise and recognition of any kind, that'd go dumpster diving like this? The shiniest piece of trash is still just trash. Maybe he is an imbecile, but...he'll always be better than her.

Because he changed. She didn't.

It's a victory he can, and will lord over her until he draws his last breath. Guzma closes his eyes, leaning toward his partner, the only one that matters, and Golisopod rumbles softly as he reaches up and scratches him under the chin. Easy, bud, he understands. He's put two and two together...but thank you. It helped, actually, that Golisopod was here. Because never...not once...have his Pokemon seen, felt, or otherwise recognizes the hallucinations before. There were always, always unaffected. But this time...Golisopod communicated with him, wordless but understanding. It's how they've always been...sharing thoughts and feelings with just a glance or a nod.

This person...she's real. Not just a hallucination or a mirage. She's actually here, and my god, there are so many thing Guzma wants to say, wants to do. None of them are good, not a single one, and he's past the point of caring. Past the point of stopping himself. Lillie had her shot at catharsis, now it's his. But Guzma...Guzma needs more than just a few words shared, more than just opening up what's on his mind.

He needs to see her break.]

Mm...hearing a lotta I's in there, madame. I just...I'd hate...I need. [He breathes out, closing his eyes as he nods slowly, Golisopod closing its eyes as well, and exhaling calmly. In...and out, center yourself.] May I...have the pleasure?

2/2 cw: violence

[yallstupid]

[And, like a bullet, he rears back his fist and aims it right at Lusamine's jaw. Likewise, Golisopod flickers from view so fast he practically disappears, reappearing behind Clefable with a raised arm that is brought down as claws rake across the soft, pink Pokemon. A true First Impression from trainer and Pokemon alike.

Neither holds anything back, truly in sync with their thoughts and emotions. Golisopod knows his trainer's rage, his thoughts and feelings toward this woman. He remembers the time spent in Ultra Space, the creature this woman forced his partner to fight... Golisopod and the others had to rip Guzma from their grasp. Golisopod has not forgotten...what this foul human put his partner through. He understands, he can feel it. He was there. And he stands by his partner until the very end.

Always.]

That clear 'nuff for you, you two-faced witch?

cw: violence

[perfectual]

[ he comes at her like a bullet, and her eyes widen-- she had half been expecting this, but...it still comes as something of a shock. And by 'it' she is referring to the punch flying toward her face with speed. It's all she can do to get her arm up over her face to protect herself, and he still lands his blow, hard and sweet to her forearm. A sickening crack is heard-- the blow is so absolute to her arm that it leaves a mark beneath the skin. She takes a heavy step back and exhales through her teeth. The pokeball in her hand falls to the ground and opens with a flash. ]

How... how.. [ she whispers, looking at the ball with wide eyes. Shock settles into her system. How could he do this? How could he do this to her? He was never as emotionally attached as Lillie or Gladion, but...how could he have raised a hand to her? To the Mother of Ultra Beasts? She snarls.

Beside her, Nihilego emerges, large. Massive. Close to Lusamine. Feeding on those powerful, dark emotions. Spreading the tentacles out and covering an unusually large radius. A large specimen for sure. The sound it makes chimes off of the crisp crashing sounds of the waves behind them.

Clefable is hit from behind and is thrown a few feet ahead-- her mass keeps her from flying off the island at the impact. As the pokemon lands, it's hands reach out, shining, focusing...on Lusamine. A light, small and pure, descends from the sky, touching her, touching her arm, and healing it. Moonlight. In the current time of day, it isn't fully functional, but certainly enough to start healing the crack that Guzma pushed into her mother's arm. How...how dreadful. How terrible.

That said, the bruise is still showing it's more painful phases, and she doesn't even seem to notice. Her eyes are locked onto Guzma, teeth clenched. ] I am the Mother of Ultra Beasts, Guzma... [ she says, her injured hand touching the tentacle of Nihilego with admiration and pure motherly affection. ] ...I will be reunited with them. And I will be rid of your betrayal as well!

[ it doesn't matter exactly how much she trusted you. It just matters that she trusted you at all. Every single bit of this situation stings her. Reminds her of the children who threw her love away. Reminds her of a husband that cast her aside.

But...the shining light? It reminds her that the Ultra Beasts are somewhere out there, needing her love. Desperate for it.

And she is desperate to give it to them. ]

[yallstupid]

[It's not enough. The crack of her arm, the bruising of skin...it's not enough. It's satisfying, injuring that so-called perfect image, but it's still not enough. Guzma wants, he needs, to break that sneering face in two. Just once...just once, for everything she put not only him through, but his team, her children, Luna, that creampuff Nebby, all the people she hurt...and her own Pokemon. Her poor Pokemon who she's conditioned to desire her presence. It's sickening, to think that she could have gone so far off the deep end like that.

Snarling, he makes a grab for her - her face, her clothes, all that hair - and his intention is to grab, hold, and squeeze. Or pull. He intends to harm, giving in entirely to that savage part of him that he's kept secure, bottled away for no one else to see. That terrifying creature that only comes out when he really and truly loses control. This time though...this time, he's letting it. There's no fight. Guzma's given in to that terrible part of him, embraces it. Because this time, his fury has something behind it.

Justice.

She has to pay for what she's done. She has to pay, and he will make her pay.]

SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL YOURSELF ANYONE'S MOTHER, YOU TWISTED HAG!! NO ONE WANTS YOU, NO ONE NEEDS YOU! NOT ME, NOT LILLIE, NOT EVEN THOSE BEASTS! YOU'RE THE ONE CLINGING SO DESPERATELY TO THOSE PARASITES BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOTHING ELSE!!

And you know it!

[He hesitates, only a moment, when the Beast appears, and there's a brief flash of terror in his eyes when it appears, and his knees actually shake, he takes a step back...but Golisopod bellows, a beam of blue-white light shooting from his gaping mouth at the Nihilego - Ice Beam. One of the new moves he's learned here on the islands, via a one-use TM.

Stay away from my friend.]

[perfectual]

BUT HERE I AM!!

[ she screams back at him, a laugh between words giving away the lack of sanity that she seems to have come with. ] HERE I AM. A mother. A mother to two disgraceful, ungrateful children who didn't need their mother. Who thought that they would be better off without her love or affection!! Who thought that they would be able to do that to their mother, and be able to come back to her when she finds children who ACTUALLY need her. My sweet beasts!!

[ the words out of his mouth travel on the winds and find no one. She brings her hand up to cradle her wounded arm. Dreamily, with a small tremble in her breath, she gazes up at Nihilego. ] You would never leave me...you know how much I love you.

[ the pokemon doesn't respond to her words, but seems to attach to her more the further she slips down the rabbit hole. Clefable furiously wiggles her finger back and forth, rising from the ground. In front of Lusamine, Nihilego, and Clefable, a large, clear barrier appears. Protect. The beam dissolves into the shield, and Clefable sinks to her knees. Somewhat fatigued.

Lusamine registers her pokemon's exhaustion, but doesn't say anything. Nothing is more important than her lovely beasts. Not her birth-children. Not her home islands. Not her company...not her pokemon. Nothing. Everything is a tool to get to where she feels she needs to be. To where she should be right now...but she isn't. ]

[yallstupid]

[The "not for long" gets drowned out by a more guttural shout as she just. Keeps. Going. She keeps talking, keeps addressing herself as a mother, despite everything and everyone leaving her for dead. Lillie came to ultra Space because she wanted to tell her off. Lunda came...he's not sure what for, but he remembers speaking to Plumeria after it all. She said something about his stupid little brothers and sisters, giving their all at Pony Canyon, to try and get him back...because...because that's how close they were. Despite all Lusamine's lies, despite him pushing them away, despite his anger and violent tendencies, they still cared. Cared enough to try.

Who did that for her? And why? Because they're a so-called family? Please. It's because Lillie and Gladion are actual children and have no one else to care for them. Being an orphan isn't exactly the best case scenario for them, even if their mother is a brainless hag who doesn't give a ripe steaming shit about them. It's why he's so furious. Why Guzma swings, again, taking all he's learned from his training with Sheppard way back....and focused it all on this hit. If his words can't sink in past the infinite sea of her insanity, then maybe he can pummel it in the only way he knows how.

By beating it into her godforsaken face. Silence her awful mouth, her terrible words, her lies and deceit, with his fists.]

SHUT UP!! SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOT THEIR MOM ANYMORE! THEY'RE NOT YOUR KIDS ANYMORE!! [They're mine. My little sister...my little brother. I took them in and I'll keep them safe from people like you.] YOU GAVE THAT UP WHEN YOU DISCARDED THEM FOR BLIGHTS WHO DON'T GIVE A DAMN LEFT OR RIGHT ABOUT ANYONE!! Your love means nothing to them, to anyone! Because you have no idea what love even is anymore!

[A flash of light, and this time, another Pokemon joins the fray - Scizor, alerted by his trainer's shouting and yelling, escapes his Pokeball and rockets toward the Nihilego with a punch as fast and ferocious as Guzma's. Bullet Punch - always strikes first. The barrier or protect may have saved it from the Ice Beam, but not from a swift double-hit. Golisopod also seems...fine. He has trained in this world before, has lived and fought in it for years. While there is the hint of exhaustion in him, he is less prone to it than the newbie Clefable.

He can keep fighting, and he will. For his trainer, his friend, his family.]