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lifeaftr2020-04-02 08:49 pm
lifeaftr_mods) wrote in lifeaftr2020-04-02 08:49 pm
Entry tags:
- blue exorcist: yukio okumura,
- coco: héctor rivera,
- final fantasy xv: ardyn izunia,
- final fantasy xv: ignis scientia,
- fragile dreams: ren,
- hyper light drifter: the drifter,
- marble hornets: tim wright,
- marvel: bucky barnes,
- mass effect: legion,
- mushi-shi: ginko,
- original: erika fisher,
- osomatsu-san: jyushimatsu matsuno,
- pokemon sun & moon: guzma,
- red vs. blue: agent washington,
- red vs. blue: leonard church (alpha),
- ✖ good omens: aziraphale
April Undercurrent: Breaking Barriers
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!
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.
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.
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:
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.
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
[ ♆ ] 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!
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 TimelineLOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ●
MAIN NAVIGATION
[ ♆ ] 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
( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )
Lusamine | Pokemon Sun/Moon | OTA
. wildcard .
ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
[The sound of stomping footsteps and swiftly moving brush perhaps a good twenty yards away is matched only by the quickly approaching voice. A familiar voice at that, though perhaps not a welcome one. Guzma breaks through the vegetation easily, rubbing his face with his hand and grumbling loudly as his Golisopod lumbers after him, content to just listen to its trainer's complaints without a sound. This isn't new, after all.]
Where are they all even coming from?! Yo, if I gotta tell one more person to stuff their head in the sand, I'm gonna do it for 'em. [He drops a bag down into the sand, starting to dig through it for...something. He hasn't noticed the company, having his back turned to them, though Golisopod's antennae twitch, and while he doesn't turn or make a movement...he's highly aware of this scent.
And recognizes it.]
W E L P
And lo, behold...she still doesn't care. Clefable stands, watching Golisopod, swaying about with a happy smile on it's face. Somehow, the lucky pokemon happened to be present and able to stay with Lusamine, when several of her other children did not. The recognition in the other pokemon's eyes is noted. Clefable, trusting, waves to the giant bug from a distance. Lusamine stands exactly where she is, a smile on her face as well.
Looks like fortune favors her, even yet. ]
Guzma. [ a small wind ruffles the skirt of her dress, but her hair somehow stays perfectly in place. Her hand settles on her hip again. The other pokeball, with the golden lining and blue and purple hues, stays in her free hand. Not that she needs it, of course. ]
lowkey screaming 10 hours unskippable
Because the moment his name is uttered, Guzma pauses, blinking before his eyes jerk over to where the woman stands, smiling. For a moment, there is quiet, eyes assessing her, before he grunts, shakes his head and snorts. He really can't escape this, can he? First in that dreamworld, Mu, and now it's bled into Enso. Are the people here showing up just figments? Dreams? Images that are starting to bleed into reality? It'd make sense...that sort of shit happened once before, didn't it?
His face twitches into a sour sort of smile, the same cruel twist that he always had. Had. She'd think nothing wrong of it. Nothing's changed. The snark, the crass attitude, the sneer of--]
Madam. [--as he raises his head up. He's so tired of this. So tired of being jerked around by her mirage. Her echo. He'll play along, just this once. Until it bores him. The same old song and dance...but now he'll go toe-to-toe with the hallucination. What has he got to lose, right? His mind? Please.]
HIGHKEY SCREM 20HRS ON REPEAT
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
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
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. ]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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
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
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
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. ]
no subject
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.]
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
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.]
no subject
There's a flash of bright, vivid pink. She almost thinks-
Well, it doesn't matter.
It ends up being a small creature-a weird, bizarre animal she's never seen before in books or otherwise. It's very odd and she wanders closer to the duo, just in time to hear the my lovely children are. She must be one of those human mothers she's heard so much about.]
What a darling creature you have there! It's cute.
LORDDD U BEAUTIFUL BEAN
Oh, thank you. [ she smiles mindlessly, an act practiced in front of the masses for years. These people never cared about Ultra Beasts like she did, and there was always a part of Lusamine that detested Alola for it. When she's able to get back into Ultra Space and create a gateway for her babies to enter the realm of Alola, the people would give her Ultra Beasts whatever they needed. Space. Energy. Entertainment...all of it.
Lusamine brings a hand to cover her mouth. ]
This is Clefable. She and I have been together for many years. May I ask who you are?
no subject
[But a small boy named her and she's not going to pretend the nickname doesn't delight her to no end.]
Clefable is a darling name as well. What sort of creature is it? I've never seen an animal quite like that and-
[There's the briefest pause, as she foolishly forgets her manners.]
Do you have a name as well?
no subject
With even more nebulousness about this current situation--how either of them ended up here, where here even was, and why both of them seemed to be ethereal--it'd be unwise to let a loose thread like her slip, especially when she might be the closest thing to home right now. It's hardly a pleasant thought.
He emerges from the tree line and stops just short of where the shade ends, as if he manifested out of the shadows themselves. As he typically does.]
Wouldn't want to keep them waiting.
[He stuffs his hands in his pockets, mustering all the dryness into his tone. Persian saunters out from the brush as well and sits by his side, turning her nose up at Clefable immediately.]
Who knows how they'd get along without you for five minutes.
no subject
Lusamine stands straight and turns around, meeting his dark stare with her sharp, eclectic one. He doesn't understand-- none of the Kahuna's have ever understood, or even tried to. She's sure that they'll fight against the Ultra Beasts when they're let into the realm of Alola. The thought makes her bite her lower lip. ]
Much longer than that, Kahuna. [ there may have been a time when Lusamine held the Kahuna's in respect, and even enjoyed the traditions of Alola...but that time is gone, and has been gone for longer than it could have ever been around. ] You obviously have never had children of your own...but I have. They need constant guidance and guidelines. The represent so much of their parents...they represent so much more than they realize.
[ her smile is fake, and there's no point in keeping it to herself. ] They need me. Without me, they're going to be lonesome...they won't ever feel the warmth of the sun, or the gentle breeze off the ocean.
My children deserve that, and so much more.
[ a monologue practiced a thousand times. More than that, in a mirror of a white room, where a large, cloudy white bed remains empty, as if no one had ever laid there. ]