[MU] - SEPTEMBER STORYTELLING

[lifeaftr_mods]

The familiar sensation of not sitting quite within the realms of reality is what greets you when consciousness first strikes. Opening your eyes, you may be one of the plenty who find the large, imposing door before you familiar - then again, perhaps not.

Sitting on the door itself is a large bearded dragon. Introductions probably aren't necessary at this point.

"One would think a god would be more aware of new additions to their home - perhaps thousand year naps are counterproductive in that regard." They flex their claws against the stone, beaded eyes concentrated on your form. "A good sign, wouldn't you say? The answers we all seek may rest below this very island."

That said, the door itself remains closed.

"It will take me a little longer to give you all access; in the meantime, I will refill the mana pool located in these ruins. Come and go from this place as you please. And do mind the heat, won't you?"

With that much said, the dream warps, slowly settling into the warm light of a large campfire.



It is time, once more, for you to tell a story. The setting will be familiar for oldcomers, and newcomers will recognize it from the introduction they received in their dreams. This too is a dream, and the ink-black dark is illuminated only by the bonfire surrounded by log seats. And seated around the fire are your fellow islanders, many of whom doubtless know the drill by now.

One by one, you will each have the opportunity to share your stories, as stories possess a certain undeniable power. Newcomers can tell whatever tale they wish, but for those who have been in LifeAftr for at least one Storytelling, only stories of their time in LifeAftr will count down the road. The story need not be long, or conventional, or even verbal; as long as the Storyteller knows it has been told, it will qualify.

If you prefer to keep your mouth shut, that's always an option, though you're more liable to benefit if you do. Perhaps you'd rather not relive any of your history, varied and variegated as it must be. Or maybe you're something of a compulsive un-truther, prone to embellishments and long, fanciful tangents. As long as the core of the story is true to its spirit, you are free to spin your tale however you like.

So choose well.

Comments

[justribbing]

[ This has the elements of a fanciful tale in common with so many others -- demons (or daemons), gods and chosen ones, curses and blessings, betrayals aplenty. Sans wouldn't think much of it, except something he'd chalked up to mere deja vu in a conversation with a blind man starts to line up a bad memory with the recognition of another face in the crowd.

He never knew him, just that his name was Prompto, that he liked bad jokes, and that they had met because Sans had raked him over the coals for being untimely with a warning about the mysterious disease that was -- whoopsie -- literally killing him and many others in that old castle.

Sans might have wondered if, worlds away, that Prompto had managed to survive the war and make his way home.

Might have, if he wasn't realizing with that association that the plague Ardyn speaks of might have been the same that nearly killed him. ]

Guess it's true what they say.

[ Sans drops his mandible into the cradle of a hand, masking his unease. ]

No good deed goes unpunished.

So hey, random question. Did they call this plague the Starscourge?

[scourgingstars]

...

[Ardyn's smile briefly flickered into a sharp frown as surprise and confusion took the stage from the other emotion he usually felt. Of all the things he expected to hear, being called out by someone he barely knew was a genuine curveball.]

[But the smile returned in full force, as charming and empty as ever.]

As a matter of fact, they did.

[souris_keteer]

[first weiss now this WHY ARE WE DISCUSSING BODILY FUNCTIONS.]

... If that was your story, it really stinks.

[...okay but forgives it as it's a reason to go back into the land of puns.]

[justribbing]

[ In the wake of Ardyn's emotive tic - the sharp and abrupt downturn of the corners of a mouth even Sans has to admit is generally pretty goddamned clever - the monster's perpetually skeletal grin seems to widen.

Gotcha.

Like sharing the secret behind a magic trick, once the mask's exposed for what it is, Sans can't see that smile for much that's of any value to Ardyn. He just sees the garbled result of what happens when a man, possibly even one who once had a lot of love for the world, inherits--

Well.

A lot of LOVE. ]

Huh. [ His eyelights flick back up to Ardyn's face. ] Small multiverse.

[scourgingstars]

[It was funny how easily he told the whole story; dramatic tones edging towards mockery, and all of it with the notes of something as dangerous as a riptide in visibly calm water waiting to claim the lives of the unwary.]

[It was amusing how love for humanity turned to LOVE for humanity, and how a savior had become a blight on the world he would have once died for.]

[It was hysterical, in much the way your average tragedy could be.]

...It certainly is, if the name is one you're familiar with. I can think of a few others here who would know the term, and yet I confess myself surprised.

[justribbing]

[ Undignified snort-laughing is the only appropriate response. ]

No sh--uh.

[ For some reason, he actually feels like saying that would be like saying it in front of his brother. ]

No kidding. Anyway, it's a big deal. Generations of livin' underground with all that human garbage piling up is about as much human waste as I can handle.

[souris_keteer]

Sheesh, I can imagine... Actually, I'd rather not.

[justribbing]

Lighten up, pal. We got out.

[ Eventually. ]

But stinker or not, people here could get real sick, and us without stuff like medicine or a doctor? Recipe for disaster.

Just tryin' to get a handle on this before it's a problem.

[whiteas]

You're a politician? You look more like a traveling salesman whose cart fell into a thicket.

[ She grew up the daughter of a businessman. And then decided she was done with politics and being 100% polite and well conformed all the time. Unfortunately this means her Rude has a very crappy filter. ]

[scourgingstars]

[Ardyn didn't look too offended by that remark; if anything, it just got a slight laugh out of him.]

I should think titles to mean less than nothing at all here, but yes. Chancellor of the Niflheim Empire, Ardyn Izunia--at your most humble service.

[whiteas]

[ She's sorry Prompto. She's trying to discredit Jaune, not get you into a gay relationship. She knows you're both pretty intensely into girls. ]

The "Ice Queen" couldn't care less if you two actually get together, just that you stop acting like it's a crime that Prompto likes girls. He hasn't tried to hit on me or asked me out on a date or been forceful or shown impropriety in any way, so I don't particularly care who he's interested in. Which is more than I can say for you. Stop trying to give him a bad reputation because I rejected you ten thousand times and the one guy you helped get me a date with was a playboy.

[ Apparently Weiss has decided to drop the facade. Sorry Prompto. But Jaune is going after her friend, which is not ok even if he is also a friend- neither of which friendships she will verbalize, shh. ]

[whiteas]

Who was doing that?

[ EW. EW. EW. GO BURY IT IN A HOLE UNDERGROUND WHERE NO ONE CAN FIND IT.

She needs to know which disgusting individual decided this was acceptable. Because apparently that is weirder than a talking skeleton. (She's already seen the mouse, the spider, and the shark-man. She's getting used to it.) ]

[whiteas]

Weiss quirks an eyebrow. She's a little skeptical of this story, but to be fair, she doesn't really know this individual. The only person she saw who really fought one of the tiger sharks was Finley and...

"Finley fought one with his mouth and he came out covered in blood, how did you manage to fight one? You don't exactly look like a fierce warrior."

Neither did Weiss, but she knows she is.

[whiteas]

Well, at least we can agree on that part: you're absolutely the worst. But we're not going to fight you here. Not while there are too many innocent bystanders around to get hurt by extension of your ridiculous ego.

[ Her words were met with a pointed glare at Jaune. He clearly wanted this to break out into a fight, which would end up with Guzma on the ground, sure, but it would likely also end up with those kids he's fighting so hard to defend from dealing with facing their reality here getting hurt. Weiss isn't going to be the instigator for that.

She's grateful to hear Prompto and Muffet speaking up though. It's.. different, to have support when someone treats you poorly, than to be on your own and cornered. She felt much stronger now than she ever had in Atlas. She certainly didn't feel any regret for anything Guzma wanted her to. Turns out that kind of treatment doesn't actually ever work to do anything other than breed resentment. ]

[whiteas]

I'll save the nicest rock I find for you. [ What a wonderful present. ]

I'm not sure. Muffet said the Storyteller seemed to understand time a little differently, but honestly.. at least in theory, we made up the concept of time anyway so I don't see why we can't use our own standards for it.

[ She nods, quirking an eyebrow. What are you implying Jaune?? ] He usually is.

[whiteas]

They do and they don't. You're still who you are because of what you've gone through, so just because it doesn't mean something directly here doesn't mean it doesn't inform who you are now. Though I suppose I don't look like much either anymore.

[ Washing your dress in the river with no detergent doesn't exactly maintain the quality. Though she's still got her hair brushed and tied back, her teeth brushed, and is well-shaved all around at least, so she does look a fair sight better than most. ]

Weiss Schnee, former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company headquartered in Atlas and current independent huntress.

[souris_keteer]

Maybe we can use one of our wishes for medicine! That's a good idea, Sans!

[want_to_belong]

Yeah! Pretty neat, huh?

[He moved closer, sitting next to him to show him the screen of his camera better.]

You see this? You can zoom in and out, and you can see what it'll take a picture of whatever it shows on the screen. You can even add filters and stuff.

[Just to illustrate his point he pointed it at Mickey and clicked, but he had learned his lesson from last time. He scrolled quickly to where the newest photo would be and sighed, deleting it and trying again. Third time's the charm, and he finally got one to come out, holding it for Mickey to see.]

...It's been acting up, though. That's going to make it hard to take candid shots.

[aurabble]

Stop talking.

[Dust, this asshole never stops. Does he expect anyone to disagree with him? Does he think Jaune is bluffing? He's not. He's tired of standing on the sidelines while his friends get hurt. He's no longer at the point where he's listening to reason. Guzma has protected no one but his fragile self esteem and he put others at risk to do so.

He activates a mechanism that makes his sword more iintimidating. If he wants to die so bad, who is he to get in his way?]

Okay. [And he goes to clearly aim a strike right in his sternum. Hopefully someone will stop him, but he is just reacting. It's just a stupid dream, after all.]

[justribbing]

I think it's a better idea to avoid the problem in the first place, but ok.

[justribbing]

Hopefully, nobody.

[ He's pretty serious about that -- Sans can bandage cuts, but he can't do a damn thing if the non-monsters in his household start getting sick, except, uh, wish them well.

He never had the knack for healing magic. That's more for monsters more willing to uh, be vulnerable and emotionally available to other people. ]

Look, I just wanna keep this from becoming the kinda problem we gotta deal with. You get me?

[souris_keteer]

[Mickey leans in as best he can, trying to understand how it all works. He jumps a bit at being 'clicked', but then makes clearly impressed 'Ooooh' sounds.]

What's a 'candid shot'?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[And, thankfully, someone does. Or rather, something: before Jaune can charge forward to connect with that strike, several lines of glimmering purple light spring forth from nowhere, wrapping tightly around his wrists and hands. If he struggles, it will quickly become clear that while he can move to the right and left as he choose, he's not going any further forward- or backwards, for that matter- until those lines are gone.]

[Anyone who's seen Muffet's purple magic in action before will recognize it easily, but even if they haven't the source isn't exactly difficult to guess. She turns her head to look over her shoulder and calmly meets his eyes, her tone just as even and level as it was when speaking to Guzma.]

Jaune? Your friend was hurt. Shouldn't you be comforting her now, instead of swinging a sword around?

After all, live steel is dangerous. You could hit someone.

[Her tone is dry but utterly lacking in amusement. She looks at him calmly and steadily, waiting for him to get the obvious point: she knows you went to combat school, Jaune, and she's pretty damn sure you've learned enough to know the risks of swinging a broadsword around when you're in the middle of a large group of innocent bystanders.]

[You and Guzma want to brawl? Fine. But there's no fucking way she's just going to stand back and let you two duke it out in the middle of a crowd that includes small children and Mickey Mouse.]

[If nothing else, she's pretty sure you're a decent enough person that you'd hate yourself for hitting someone who wasn't involved- and somewhere deep down, probably so is Guzma. She'd rather spare you both the guilt.]

ota;

[chummer]

Listen up, motherfuckers, [ comes a booming, commanding, annoying voice.

IT'S FINLEY'S TIME TO SHINE. He's standing taller than usual, hoisted up by a rock. His balance has improved a lot since he first washed up on this island, he'll have you all know. He'll also have you all know that- ]

This is the story of how I saved a man's life. I know, I know. [ Webbed hands splayed out before touching one back to his chest. ] Incredible, right? Well, that's just the kind of guy I am.

Not so long ago, I set out on an expedition! I'm trying to map the outer edges of the island, you're welcome, and see just how big this fucking place is. Anyway. I took with me a traveling companion who just wasn't cut out for the harsh environment. [ Says the shark-boy, who was flopped over in the sand kicking his feet and whining because he'd never been sunburnt before. Right. ] Landers are super fragile, I know this, so- Being the kind soul that I am, I valiantly carried him back to safety when he suffered from heat exhaustion. And even though he was thankless, I knew in my heart I'd done the right thing.

[ That didn't happen. Or maybe it did, but not without some... minor alterations to make Finley way more of a Good Guy than he deserves. ]

Also, I found an epic place for cliff diving if anyone wants to come with.

[ THE END. ]

[want_to_belong]

[Prompto would definitely fight if he had to, but right here and now he'd rather avoid it. Kids were there and the last thing they needed was a big knockout brawl. It seemed like Guzma was stopped, and while he wasn't going to do anything about Jaune himself, he did turn to face Weiss.]

Are you okay? ...You can sit with us, if you want to.

[It didn't matter that she didn't look hurt. It didn't even matter that she had super powers and he had none. If she'd feel better sitting with them then she could.]