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

fff

[kept_his_letters]

It's not comfortable. It's a little like being hugged by twigs. But she doesn't care. She needs to be close. She needs to hang on and not let go. She can no more tell what he's doing than he can, her own sobs filling the air and his voice filling her ears.

"Papá, I'm fourteen. I'm old," She insists, because of all things, it's that that decides to make it out of her mouth.

The rest of his words tear her up worse than the lantern she was led by. She believes him. She really does. It doesn't stop her questions.

"Where do you go? I missed you. I missed you so much."

[vagabone]

"You're going to be so much older someday. You'll be a hundred years old. The oldest lady in town. I know, I saw you..." Just once, this island showed him a happy memory. Miguel, finally singing his song to her, because he couldn't. And the sobs haven't stopped--he's choking the words out. Hug, squeeze, cry and laugh forever.

But how is he supposed to explain his death when he can hardly believe the truth himself, even two years later? There simply isn't a way to tell her without breaking her heart. "I died. I was... something bad happened."

[kept_his_letters]

"You're confusing me, Papá," She says through her own hitching breaths. It's not the fun kind of confusion like with the Tíos. She really doesn't know what's going on.

But he's right about one thing. There was no way not to hurt her. And right now, it feels like something's reached between her ribs and tried twisting the heart right out.

"Why?" She asks, not sure that it's him she really expects an answer from. "You were supposed to come home, no one said anything, why...?"

[vagabone]

"It... no, no, not now. Later." God forgive him, he doesn't want to have to explain within the first five minutes of being with Coco. Let it be a happy reunion as long as it can be. He buries his face in her hair, soaking up the warmth of a living person--he's only faintly warmer than their surroundings. Hardly noticeable.

"Never thought I'd..." His voice keeps cracking, betraying him when he needs it most. "See you again. I missed you so much. I never stopped thinking of you."

[kept_his_letters]

Later. Later. Okay. She can handle later. Mostly because right now all she can focus on is hugging him tighter and higher, drenching his shirt with tears.

"I missed you more." He can't tell her that it's not true. He's stayed on her mind, always in the periphery of her joys, always the obvious source with any lack or pain. "I sang the song. I tried to. Whenever Mamá couldn't hear."

But it wasn't enough.

[vagabone]

He really can't tell her it's not true. He believes it. She said she missed him more, and she must be right. She had to live with no answers, no closure, no even mentioning her own papá's name.

He kisses the top of her head with bony lips and whispers brokenly into her hair. "I know. I know. You missed me for such a long time..." A hundred years--nevermind that she's only fourteen, the Coco in front of him. "And you sang the song, so I didn't disappear. You kept my memory alive for a century. You did so good." He wishes he could say more... but there's so much about her life after his ended that he knows nothing about.

[kept_his_letters]

It's a kindness. It's sweet to hear him say she did well. So why then does it hurt? Maybe because it doesn't bring him back.

"I wouldn't forget you. Not you," She insists. "I wanted you to come home."

This is hard. This is the hardest thing she's ever dealt with, harder than when Mamá started throwing everything away, harder than him walking out the door.

"I love you. I love you, I'm sorry."

[vagabone]

"I love you more." he says, choking out a laugh. There, that makes things even. He hasn't moved, his face is still buried in her hair. He may be trembling a little. It's real. It's finally come true... they're together, if only for a few moments. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. It wasn't your fault. You did everything you could."

[kept_his_letters]

She laughs too, despite herself, despite everything. It doesn't ease the pain of this but it does help to clear her head, just a little. She looks down at herself, glowing and see-through. She musters the nerve to ask;

"Papá? Am I dead too?"

[vagabone]

"No! No, no." He clutches at her a little tighter, understanding why she'd have to ask. But it's not true. It can't be, she would have been this age over eighty years ago, from his point of view.

"You'd be a skeleton if you were. Besides, you're going to live to be a hundred years old, I told you. I'm sure you will because it already happened. Well, it isn't your birthday yet, but it won't be long. And you're alive to see it. You've got great grandkids and a great-great grandson." There's probably some rule against telling someone their future, and he doesn't give a damn if there is!

[kept_his_letters]

"That's... a lot to think about, Papá." Grandkids? Great grandkids? So she gets married? To who? Does she like him? Does she still see Mamá?

That thought helps bring her back at least.

"That's good! I mean, I don't want Mamá to be alone. The Tíos too. I just..." Hoped he'd be there again too, someday.

[vagabone]

Some irrational part of him is afraid to move, afraid to let go. They could be standing here for an eon, honestly. He doesn't want to move... he never wants to let go again.

"No one's alone. You live in the same house, I think. Or a house in the same place. It must be bigger now, so many people live there." He sounds like he's smiling, unseen. "Ay, I'd tell you all their names, but that's more than you need to know."

[kept_his_letters]

So she doesn't leave. She doesn't have to leave and that's nice. The house gets bigger and the family gets bigger and surely things are better then.

"So... you visit? Or, watch?" That's the more important thing, the thing she really, truly wants to know. But also... "... you'd know about the ban then. Do you know if that ever goes away?"

Because missing him and music is, no matter how she tries, the same thing.

[vagabone]

"It... it takes a long time." Two questions, one answer. A lifetime. Over four lifetimes, really. He presses another bony-lipped kiss to the top of her head and... just tries to savor the moment. Make it last forever.

"I can't tell you any more, you have to live it yourself." Without him. Hoping, waiting, the rest of her life... his voice is shaky again. "I'm sorry, Coco. I'm so sorry. For missing it. I hope you can forgive me. One day."

[kept_his_letters]

"... You're silly, Papá," She says then. She leans further into him, his bony ribs. "I'm not mad."

Mamá was mad. Always, always angry about this. Maybe that's why she couldn't be, or at least, not in the right way. It always felt like she had to defend him, and parts of all of them.

"I just miss you."

[vagabone]

"Then... then I hope you never are." He tugs at her a little, hoping they can sit in the sand and continue to cling like barnacles. "You won't have to miss me forever. We'll be together one day. Promise." He can promise. He's sure, and what a wonderful feeling that is.

And then a breathy laugh. "What am I saying? We're together right now, however long it lasts."

[kept_his_letters]

He tugs. She follows. She'd follow wherever he wanted to go at the moment. She can't bring herself to let him go.

The promise aches. She knows that means it won't be for a long time. She doesn't know if she can bear it-- but he points out the reality before her now and her heart lifts.

"Do you know? Do you know how long this will last?"

[vagabone]

"No. No, I don't. It's never happened before. People showing up who aren't completely here, I mean." The glowing, the transparency... Who knows? She's solid enough to be hugged and that's what's important.

"It's a strange magical island called Enso. Anything's possible. You never know what might happen next." She's had a much nicer start than he did--no flying demonic elevators swallowing people up, that's good!

[kept_his_letters]

Any second, any minute, she could wake up and it will just be a dream. It kind of feels like one now, and it saddens her to think that's the most likely scenario. But that's something to worry about later.

"Mmm what kind of things? Like...flying shoes? Or dancing dogs?" Now she's being silly.

[vagabone]

He laughs. She could tell the worst joke in any world and he'd have to laugh, because it's her. Because he's happy. He loves every inch of her with all his heart and to be allowed to hug her is everything he wanted... and there are so many things to tell her.

"Rainbow chickens! Sheep whose wool are flowers! Friendly tigers who are plants! I had one move into my house one day, I couldn't get rid of him. Good thing for me he only wants to cuddle. He's a vegetarian, he wouldn't eat anyone."

[kept_his_letters]

She wasn't actually expecting the answer to that to be yes. She looks surprised then delighted.

"Really? May we see, Papá?" Actually... "Is your house here?"

She would've thought heaven to be different.

[vagabone]

"It's not far away." He makes no move to get up, telling himself he will any second now... "My, ah, island house. Not the family house. This isn't the land of the dead, most people I know are still alive. Same as you."

She's going to ask how they ended up here and why, sooner or later, and he won't have any answers for her. No one knows, least of all him. He's not looking forward to it. "Are you up for a walk, mija?" Mija. Mija and papá. The two very best words.

[kept_his_letters]

"Oh." An island home. So, not heaven. And she's still alive. She appreciates that reassurance, even if it puts a distance between them.

The only reason she doesn't spring to her feet right then is that he's there and she doesn't want to let go of him either. Still, she declares, "Yes! You can show me!"

And they can go together. She seeks out his hand, hesitating only a moment before taking it.

"Are you allowed to tell me about the land of the dead too?"

[vagabone]

Allowed. As if there are rules, as if he has any idea if he might be screwing up her future. He shifts around, clasping her hand in one much bigger, bonier one and trying to hug with the other arm. They must look ridiculous, and they're still not walking to his little cottage. He doesn't care.

"Suppose it can't hurt! As long as I don't talk about, ah, future family members, mija." Where to begin... wherever she wants him to, of course. "What do you most want to know?"

[kept_his_letters]

This weird angle of being held, it's probably going to lead to a crabwalk. Which, in turn, will probably lead to tripping. But she's not focused on that right now. There are so many things she wants to know. Too many! But what she wants to know most...

She chews a moment on her lip before speaking.

"Is it okay? Are you happy?"