Post-Event Blues

[lucetimods]

Who: Everybody, everybody!
What: The battle is won. Now what?
When: The eleventh, twelfth, and onward
Where: Luceti
Summary: With Zompano dead and the cultists routed, Luceti is restored. Kind of.
Rating: F for Feels

On the eleventh, things were slowly breaking down. Memories of their true lives were breaking through. The village, scarred by the battle with the cultists, began to rebuild itself. Community buildings that had vanished were returned to their rightful places. The battle dome was uncovered from the earth that had covered it. Hundreds and hundreds of fake homes slowly faded away. Paved roads gave way to trees and grass. It was an incredible sight for anyone who was willing to sit aroun and watch it happen.

Things wouldn't be easy for the villagers, though. The memories perpetuated by the last ten days would not be easily removed. The feelings and hatreds it had created would take time to conquer and remove. Perhaps, in a way, that was Zompano's nastiest trick of all. The village itself may heal from his invasion, but it would take far more than a few Shifts to fix the people left behind.

Towards the end of the day, their wings returned. Much like some of the buildings, they seemed to just reappear, as if they had never been gone. Their barcodes became visible again as a singular reminder that they were, ultimately, just the property of another entity who as a whole were not much better than Count Zompano.

By the twelfth, the village looked as though nothing had ever happened. Sure, the contents of buildings might have been messed up or destroyed during the battles, but things were otherwise as they were supposed to be. The night before, people would have had to find their old beds to go sleep in, as they no longer possessed the old ones granted to them in another life.

The village was peaceful.

Modly Note: That wraps up the event. As noted in the prose above, you have the option to play up the after effects of the event more than in other ones. While it won't have the same impact universally, the Shift was constructed in such a way that people may have difficulty shaking off the emotions they developed during the event. In effect, it was a cruel send off to Luceti so they would have to deal with the loathing and hatred that came with the less desirable parts of it. Of course, that means the feelings of familial bonds will also persist for awhile as well. It's up to you, as players, to decide how much or little to play with it!

Comments

[selfhelp]

A little's better than none.

[Encouraging progress! An important step!]

[alloys]

[ He manages a half-smile. ]

You're trying to turn me into an optimist, aren't you?

[selfhelp]

[Billy grins. A half-smile is better than none, after all.]

Don't underestimate me. There is no try.

[alloys]

[ He winces. ]

Oh god. You're going to go all Yoda on me?

[selfhelp]

A geek is only as good as his pop culture references. Seriously though... a bit of optimism goes a long way. And it seems like something you could use a bit of these days.

[alloys]

With everything else I'm trying to remember? Remembering to be optimistic might be a tall order. [ ... ] But I like a challenge.

[selfhelp]

Good to hear it. Plus you've got me to remind you when you need to hear it.

[He levels his gaze at Tony, his tone casual, but the look in his eyes rather meaningful.]

You're not alone in this.

[alloys]

I know.

[ And he means that. With everyone who's been coming to visit him, with everything they've said, even the people who he'd hurt in that other life, he knew better now. ]

God, listen to me. I've gone as soft as a marshmallow. [ But he doesn't make that sound like a bad thing, because it isn't, really. ]

[selfhelp]

[He does catch that tone, and it pleases him greatly. He's actually kind of proud of you, Tony.]

I think you'd have to gain a few pounds before we could give you that nickname officially.

[alloys]

If I'm already a figurative marshmallow, I'd rather not be a literal one, too, thanks.

[selfhelp]

Well, it's good, anyway. Being a marshmallow means people like you.

[alloys]

What makes you think my goal is for people to like me?

[selfhelp]

I think that everyone wants to be liked by someone, and anyone who says differently is lying. All that varies is the degree of that desire.