vella | Week 4

Week 4

WEEK 4 LOG ♬
Weather: Monday AM & PM - Clear Skies; Tuesday - Thursday AM Cloudy, PM Rainy; Friday - Clear Skies

The Meteor Shower

On Monday, there are, in your mailboxes, passports for those who happened to not pick them up when the airport opened. Hold onto these--they’re important, after all! Open them up, and you’ll find not only a title, your name, and your hometown, but you’ll also find…

A blank page? That’s right. There’s a page in the back of the admittedly small passport with only one thing on it: a space that looks like it has room for a star stamp. Huh. That’s strange, isn’t it? There are no hints as to what it could be about, but maybe the announcement will shed some light.

There’s also, like last week, a familiar face around the island… it’s Audie! Come around to her house to say hi--she’s very excited to be here, and very fashionably dressed as she strolls around the island.

And like clockwork, at nine AM, Tom Nook makes his announcement once more:

“Good morning, Isla Sonrisa! A few things this morning. Please give a warm welcome to our new neighbor, Audie!”

Audie smiles and waves at you all with both paws--she’s pretty flattered at the warm response. Tom Nook continues--

“We have for you the ability to build bridges now! Yes, yes, these will prove very useful indeed. Of course, you will most likely have to work together to figure out the best places to put these bridges, as we have only a limited number… But I am sure working together will be little trouble for you all! The only thing to note is that each bridge will come with a construction fee of 15,000 bells each. Consider working together to get some bridges up and running...?”

He pauses, and the next part comes with some measure of almost… not quite dismay, but there’s a certain cloud over the tanuki: “It also seems Iori and Mira have also left the island… Again, we’re looking into it, and should any discoveries come to light, I will tell you immediately.”

He nods to himself, and continues on--

“Next, I’d like to tell you all we have a very special event tonight… a meteor shower! Yes, yes, starting at 7 PM, we will have clear skies and many stars to wish upon. Who knows--maybe your wishes will all come true!” He says that with a bright smile, almost like he really believes it… Or maybe that’s just his quiet optimism? Anyway, he continues--

“Finally, I’d like to thank you all for your hard work in making items for our new friends! Yes, yes, you all have been working so hard to create furniture and items for our housing plots, but this week, I invite you all to put your best DIY skills to the test! There are no specific style requirements in mind, but please make sure our potential new friend has:

1 Table
2 Dressers
1 Clock
2 Chairs

Of course, if you’d like to make more, I am sure our friend will not be opposed…” He pauses, and seems to remember something! “Ah, yes, we are very close to opening our museum… I am sure Blathers would appreciate any bugs, fish, or fossils regardless! Hmm… Yes, that is all I have for you! Thank you once more for your hard work, and have a wonderful day!”

Possible Objectives

1. Help Tom Nook prepare a housing plot for the last villager house.
2. Donate more specimens to Blathers.
3. Attend the meteor shower, if you so desire. There may be some secrets waiting for you...
4. Make a money pool for some bridges.

Turn-Ins
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday

(OOC: Welcome to Week 4! Please direct all questions to the FAQ.

Here's this week's Weekly Plotting Post for you all to use!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to let us know! Have fun!)

Taken / FAQ / Locations / Rewards / Full Nav

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... You should let such a world burn.

[ That's what Joonghyuk would do—or at least, that's what people think Joonghyuk would do. Maybe if he was mad enough, maybe if he didn't learn to love and connect with people again, he would let worlds burn if he can't die. ]

[ Laurent lets out a thoughtful hum before sitting upright on the bench. He rests his elbow on the armrest and leans his head on his hand. ]

I thought about it--I don't particularly have any attachment to the world. The number of people I care about back there can be counted on a single hand... one of them can't be saved anyway.

[ Meet mister "0% success rate in saving people". ]

[ Joonghyuk stays quiet as he thinks some more. Laurent may say that he only cares about a certain amount of people, but he can't imagine they should abandon them all. Everyone makes up that world, a home. His memories are there.

So in his silence, he's starts formulating some kind of plan. They can pick up the sword to sever connections as their first attempt, though that means they need to bring a piece of the < Star Stream >'s story if they want it or any of their abilities to work in another world. It'd need to be imbued into something portable... Then the replacement to take place has to be sustainable.

A wolf ear flickers as he thinks so more. It's grandiose, but he thinks it's possible. ]

We can destroy the system.

[ From 0 to 100. ]

That's a rather bold claim.

[ How does one go against the functions of the world, when you use those functions in the first place in an attempt to achieve it? Laurent thinks Joonghyuk already realizes that, so the fact that he claims that he can destroy the system sounds really wild to Laurent. ]

What do you suggest--that we sever the connections as to what makes us Concepts? We're not particularly linked to the core entity in the first place. Our existence just gets converted after being chosen.

[ He mentions that, since he did bring up "Cut" earlier. ]

... Nothing in any world exists because "it does." It draws from something, even if something is converted. Aside from destroying the system, which would need more information on the mechanics of your world, we can always try using a sword that severs bonds or try a reincarnation plot unless it's tied to your very soul. Reconstruction of it shouldn't be hard as long as there are people who remember pieces of your story. These are within the means of my world, but we can bring a piece of our system over somehow. If needs be, there's the choice of moving entirely to a different world.

[ Is this the most Joonghyuk has talked ever? Yes. Probably. Anyway, these are just theories, so he doesn't at all guarantee they will work. ]

Then there's confronting the source of your story, the very origin of why things are what they are. Rewriting the narrative is difficult, but also possible.

[ ... ]

I won't know what works until I try.

[ Laurent takes all that in. It's... fascinating to hear, but he should clarify some things. He has a slightly unsure look on his face. ]

Concepts don't leave anything behind when they die. There's no soul or anything, so I don't think reincarnation is possible. Also... what do you mean by stories and plots? It's almost as if you're talking about novels.

[ :) ]

[ Hm, he keeps that in mind for things to test when he gets there. For now, he only grows quiet, tail swaying one direction and the next, before he turns to him completely. ]

... You’re a literature teacher, aren't you?

[ Dokja tends to talk about things, so that’s how Joonghyuk knows. ]

Have you never considered the world as you know it is just a story?

[ Laurent isn't sure how that has anything to do with being a literature teacher, but he thinks about it. ]

Sometimes, I imagined it like a movie that someone is watching somewhere, apart from the Concepts I talked about. But not in a serious way.

[ Hm. Dokja also mentioned something interesting... ]

Are you, by any chance... from a piece of media, Joonghyuk?

[ His eyes stay on Laurent as his tail stills. This isn't something he has ever said before... It's the answer to the question he has held for so many years. Instead of explaining that stories may not be stories, he merely answers Laurent's question. ]

I was the protagonist in the webnovel titled Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World.

[ Laurent blinks several times in silence, staring at Joonghyuk all the while. ]

So that's what he meant... he mentioned that you were a protagonist.

[ He didn't think of it literally, but after Joonghyuk mentioned stories in that sense, he couldn't help but wonder. ]

So, were you suggesting that someone revise the story of my world?

Yes.

[ He's so glad you're not stupid, Laurent. It's one of your few likable traits. ]

It's possible.

But with the existence of a story that can be revised, doesn't that also imply that everything has already been laid out beforehand?

[ Hm.

He doesn't like that. ]

... That isn't always true.

[ Some books are set in stone, but some stories are uploaded chapter by chapter. Some stories aren't thought out since the beginning. However, most importantly. ]

Even if your story is set, you can go beyond where the letters end.

And I take it that the fact that your existence being right here, in this moment, is proof of that?

[ A character recognizing his own story and transcending the pages... Laurent is pretty amazed by it, even if his face doesn't exactly show it. ]

Don't let this discovery change what you think. I'm no longer a character.

[ He walks the path no other Joonghyuk has and that's really all thanks to one man. ]

I'm Yoo Joonghyuk.

[ Laurent wants to say that Joonghyuk still speaks like a protagonist, but he puts it off. ]

Right. Yeah... youre Yoo Joonghyuk.

[ He gives him a tired smile. ]

Was there anything else you wanted to ask?

[ Stop. He can't help the way he's written. A wolf ear flickers. ]

No. As I said earlier, we can't know what works until I'm there.

[ ... ]

You can share some of your happy memories.

[ He spilled so much of himself, so that when he's asked to spill some more, he feels like he's at a loss.

But Joonghyuk will get one, since he's been a good boy. ]

Let's see... my uncle taught me how to play hwatu when I was young. It was fun playing with him, and it picked up my interests in card games.

[ He looks up at the sky. There's a shooting star. ]

He's my sole family.

[ He turns back to the stars, too. ]

Do you feel anything when you recall that memory?

[ Sorry, Laurent. This will be his last question. Promise. ]

Thankful... grateful.

[ Those words almost come out immediately. ]

You mentioned if there was anything I valued back then.

[ This is it. ]

The memory makes you happy.

[ That's the question, Laurent. You idiot. You fool. ]

What of it?

[ Don't be vague back at him?? That's his thing!! ]

[ Joonghyuk looks to Laurent, peeking over his shoulder... And just stares for a while. ]

Never forget that feeling.

I don't think I ever have.

[ It just makes suffering 100x worse, but it's fine. ]

It's hard to forget the moment when I felt like I was pulled out of a pit full of misery, and being told that it's okay to live.

[ Joonghyuk's expression twists for a moment, but he settles back and turns to the sky again. ]

It's easy to forget as the years pass by. In time, you can even forget yourself.

Week 4

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)