aftr_stories | [MU] - SEPTEMBER STORYTELLING

[MU] - SEPTEMBER STORYTELLING

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.

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Reply to this comment, having filled out the corresponding form, if you wish to participate in the Storytelling for non-compulsory AC. Non-compulsory AC allows for IC rewards such as Item Requests, but is not mandatory - though it will ICly benefit your character to try and participate, even if they're not the storytelling type.

Remember that those who have already undergone one Storytelling cycle must tell a story of their time in LifeAftr in order for it to count. Newcomes may tell whatever stories they like!

For the sake of keeping things fair, a maximum of three stories can be told per Storytelling, per character.

Edited 2017-09-20 04:10 (UTC)

If you wish to thread out the relaying of the story so that other characters may react to it, you may do so here!

Player name: Tay
Character name: Weiss Schnee
Character journal:

whiteas
Offering: TWO STORIES.

One, the most passive aggressive story on the planet about not being provided with tampons on zero-technology island.

Two, she'll tell everyone about how they need to come up with a method for separating bathing areas because she's run into multiple boys at multiple times and she's not naming names (Noctis and Prompto) and no one's seen her parts but there should be some way people can be "free" without being in her vision, and how Prompto came up with some great ideas.

Basically she's just going to be complaining a lot.

Never say they aren't listening, Weiss.

The morning after partaking in the Storytelling, Weiss will awaken to find herself buried beneath a rather large pile of tampons- some still in their respective 12 packs, some not.

No other method of transporting or containing them has been provided.

[ Weiss starts out with a very serious look. This story is a horror story, and rather specifically just a rather creatively concocted complaint. ]

I should warn you, if any one of you boys makes any rude comments about the first one I can guarantee that basically every girl and woman on this island is never going to even consider dating you because you're an immature ignoramus.

My first tale starts starring me, though I'm very certain most women under the age of 50 throughout the multiple universes is going to find it very easy to empathize with. You see, this story is about the Storyteller. While thoughtful and kind, the Storyteller is a rabbit and not a human or similar species and appears to have gathered most of their knowledge of the universe through storybooks. Most storybooks are written to entertain, so many mundane day-to-day details are lost, which means the Storyteller likely missed a very key monthly problem that most women experience after coming of age.

[ Oh yes, she's making all of you suffer through this. ] You see, once a month, the strangest thing happens to any being with an organ called a uterus. For those who may not know, a uterus is an organ that once a month decides to cause ridiculous amounts of pain and hormonal changes to anyone who possesses one and makes just about every woman question their creation story from their world because why would anyone develop something like that as a survival mechanism.

Now this story is about a girl, about 18 going on 19 in a few short months who happens to have one of these uteruses. And that girl was tossed on an island with very few supplies and no functional plumbing or feminine hygiene products. The girl was much more concerned with survival than anything else, and the Storyteller was willing to help. She helped her get a few key items that owuld help her succeed and keep her self-esteem in tact, and the Storyteller offered medicine to those who needed it as well. It was a very kind gesture, but then the Storyteller decided that the optimal thing to do with all that power they got from receiving stories was to pull up a couple of islands with basically nothing worthwhile on them instead of addressing one of the most prominent problems for a significant portion of the affected kidnapees who were just focused on where their next meal was coming from and weren't thinking about the impending uterus-inflicted assault that occurs for three to five days.

The girl didn't think to ask for it because there were far more important things like tools to gather food and water or keep other tools in usable shape, and the Storyteller likely hadn't even heard of this phenomenon because the Storyteller is a rabbit who only reads stories in books and doesn't have to deal with reality. The Storyteller doesn't have to gather a bunch of palm leaves and cover up an area and sit around and try not to cry for a few days while telling her friend to leave her alone and get his stupid used sock away from you because he's just trying to help because there really isn't another option besides being completely disabled for a few days. The storyteller also doesn't have pants so the Storyteller certainly didn't have to sit in the dirt without them because they only have one dress and staining it red for the whole island to see seemed much less appealing than just telling people to go away. [ Her voice definitely got higher pitched at the end of that story because that was way too real for a second. ]

So while the Storyteller has been very cooperative and helpful, it seems their stories were missing a significant slant of realism that the girl thought would be incredibly important to add to their collection and never forget.

[ Let it never be said that Weiss is not going to speak up when things get real. Too real. But she has another much shorter story that's a little less important but she still wants to tack it on because apparently storytime is more like Whine and Cheese time with neither wine nor cheese. ]

As for the second story, I have seen some things this month and I think we need to bring the bathing situation to the storytelling fire committee since this is one of the few times we're all in the same spot on the island. I've seen one thing in particular that I'm not going to talk about for the dignity of the individual in question, and the fact that I have to wear my dress while bathing because I've had my space invaded by boys more than once is unacceptable. But Prompto had a great idea, and I think we should all commit to doing something about it. We need to find a way to separate out a bathing areas for men and women and a separate laundry area so you don't have to risk seeing a guy's you-know-what whenever you want to clean your jacket. Because even if it's very kind that boys want to save you from a frog when you're under the water, they really should have pants on when they attempt to do it.

Any women who need tampons Weiss is willing to share.

Bless the Storyteller.

[~~What did he do to deserve this?~~

If Weiss had been plotting to viciously murder Prompto, she had succeeded. How was he going to tell the story about the really cool pic he took right after she mentioned seeing 'someone's you-know-what'?

That and girl stuff. Oh no, he did not judge, but if there was one boy who had likely never had to listen to a detailed rant about such things and was inwardly screaming, it was him. And, like any normal man, he was terrified and might have potentially hid slightly behind Ignis at some point.]

Player name: Zero
Character name: The Drifter
Character journal:

hyperlit
Offering: The Drifter tells a story of how they and Newt ambushed some pterax to try and hatch the eggs. It's a rather comedic tale, though their deadpan delivery might not get that across. ~~and the ending might or might not be especially great depending on how the thread goes WE'LL SEE~~

Player name: Zero
Character name: Tim Wright
Character journal:

postictal
Offering: Tim tells a story of being ambushed by a Lungblossom. His delivery is wry enough to assure all parties that he survived more or less intact, though he's sure to make that clear in the ending. He mostly credits Muffet for his survival, unsurprisingly, and cites her bravery in luring the creature away from the rest of the campsite. Chara is notably not mentioned at all.

Edited 2017-10-06 04:12 (UTC)

[One shoe removed, Jaune holds his used sock in his hands, staring at it despondently. He can't empathize with Weiss, but he can sympathize, and growing up with eight women means it's nothing he hasn't heard before except at least in Anima tampons were a thing. So he remains quiet, only speaking up once.]

Your birthday's that soon?

[But then she starts her second story, which definitely grabs his attention. He can barely contain his rage, shooting up with one bare foot and clutching his sock in his fist.]

Who's invaded your space?!

[He's almost 100% certain it wasn't him this time.] And why does the chocobo know about this?

[A dragon. How incredibly distasteful. Perhaps it was just another twist of fate's ever-crueler hand that led Ardyn to be one of the number to find that temple. Or maybe it was just simple irony. Whichever it was, he didn't like it at all.]

[But fine. Fine, if the damnable god in control of this wanted a story? He'd get one.]

[Ardyn paced idly along the edge of the firelight as he spoke in a voice that was quiet and yet projected, charming as it was strangely bitter--an audible contradiction, working through each and every word with practiced care.]

In an age long past--forgotten, no doubt--there was a world upon which a god broke apart from his five companions and wrought a terrible plague. An incurable disease, a parasite which twisted man and beast alike into horrific monsters; 'daemons', which could only thrive in the darkness of night. [He made a sweeping gesture with one arm at the darkness surrounding them, yellow eyes sparking with something almost maliciously amused.] Legend has it that a mortal of this afflicted civilization with a loyal knight at his side rose to strike back against the darkness and combat the betrayer god which created it. He fought alongside the rest of the pantheon to drive back the daemons and eventually slay the heathen god who had so betrayed humanity.

When the war was done, the world was a fractured one struggling to recover. For the hero's efforts, one of the gods granted him rule over one such country as its king. The kingdom was given a holy Crystal and a prophecy that one day, the scourge which still lingered upon their planet like a shadow would be dispelled once and for all. But the man who had fought in this war of the divine saw no reason that prophecy need go unfulfilled in his lifetime. Why should the people suffer as the king and the gods simply bided their time?

Their hero became their savior, using his unique healing magic to cure what had once been incurable. He traveled the kingdom, taking their afflictions onto himself. Accepting the plague itself into his own body, playing host to the malice and daemons it wrought all for the sake of the people he loved more than his very life itself. He saved the people of his kingdom, and oh, but they were overjoyed! They sang of their beloved savior and the prophecy he would surely fulfill; auroram videre potest, mane tempus expergiscendi. [That came with Ardyn briefly clasping his hands together in an overdramatic and mocking rendition of prayer, a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. A laugh cut in despite Ardyn's best efforts, low and amused following the short recitation in an ancient tongue--ancient Lucian.] It followed him as a canticle of the despair of an endless night and the dawn that would be their hope and salvation. The healer was no doubt thrilled to be saving the world once again, and the people were ever grateful and welcomed him with celebration upon the mere sight of him no matter he went.

But one of the same royal blood, one who the Crystal's light had not yet chosen, became bitterly jealous. He painted the kingdom's hero as a monster and usurper of the divine magic of the Crystal. Eventually, even those he had saved turned on him one and all, demanding his execution for the crimes of blasphemy, heresy, and all manner of just terribly unpleasant things. Naturally, as with most bloody revolutions, they got their wish. But it was no longer so simple; for the god which had once been the healer's ally now refused his ascension to the astral plane. His body more plague than mortal, the gods he had risked his life for now turned their back on him one and all; he was cursed not to die, but to live a life eternal as the fact that the sun would set and night would fall.

One who had fought a god and daemons, who carried the malice of a devilish parasite so that his subjects would no longer suffer, was cast out of his own line. His proper name was eradicated from history, and he was ever after only called 'the Accursed', a monster that wandered the planet he had saved alone with only pure hate and resentment for the star he had once wished to dearly to protect. Hating the planet, its people, the gods which turned from him, and above all else the jealous king who stole everything out from beneath him.

[A light shrug of his shoulders.]

But even that in turn faded into only the faintest legends itself. Whispers of a daemon who took human form, rumors of some one single source of the darkness which still plagued the world, things such as that. I'm sure that no one truly believes such a tale, or that any such person ever existed to begin with. But it is a story that has existed for some millennia now; whether it survives as more than the recollections of a particularly studious Chancellor with an abundance of spare time, that I can truly not say.

Player name: Ardyn Izunia
Character name:
Character journal:

scourgingstars
Offering: Ardyn is telling a moderately elaborated thanks to the tiny shreds of canon i actually have) and not at all subtle version of his own backstory; as shown, he has a flair for dramatic tones and gestures while speaking. While it's a story he's entirely willing to share, he's doing so mostly out of a passive-aggressive cheap shot at his castmates as well as a lesser one to the Storyteller himself in the sense of 'well fine, if you want a story that badly...'

Basically, he's being an enormous drama queen.

Edited 2017-09-20 05:41 (UTC)

Player name: Junebug
Character name: Osomatsu Matsuno
Character journal:

relieable
Offering: Here is the story of how Osomatsu learned how to cook rice, thanks to a man with a beam katana! He filled it with as much humor as he could, making fun of himself the entire time, probably.

Player name: Karma
Character name: Jaune Arc
Character journal:

aurabble
Offering: Doing two!

Jaune's first story will be about a Hunstman who just wanted a nice bath and found one at a magical pool when a brave but reckless warrior decided to mess with things he didn't understand, resulting in many antics and being stranded together on the islet. Eventually the Huntsman and the Brave Knight were separated when the Huntsman made friends with the Silent and Mysterious Traveler. The Mysterious traveler was very intelligent and Jaune thinks they may be the best equipped to handle Enso.

Jaune's second story will be about a chocobo who wanted to be a photographer. The chocobo was always doing nice things for other people, until one day he needed to get his feathers wet. When he was asked by the strong fighter if there was any girl in particular he liked the most, the chocobo got flustered and started randomly naming names, revealing that he liked as many girls as he had feathers and definitely wouldn't treat any of them right.

He likes gossip ok

[ Look if you want to get something done, you have to bring it to the group. If not everyone agrees that there should be separate bathing areas, then there's no agreed upon rules. She kept his name out of it and was very careful not to say what actually happened, don't worry about it!!!!

Weiss thinks she did good about keeping it obscure, so she just gives Prompto a little wave. Why is he hiding? ]

I think so? I've been keeping track as best as I can, it's in January when that swings around.

[ She's not worried about anyone throwing her a party. There's no cake here anyway. ]

No one who meant harm, Jaune. Calm down. He and I were discussing logistics because I complained to him about running into boys. [ SHE'S LYING FOR CHOCOBOY. She'll protect him from Jaune's ridiculous protectiveness. ]

The first story involves three different heroes. The first hero was a brave knight. The brave knight was a good person, the kind who always saw the best in people and was super eager to help. But because the brave knight was so hopeful, sometimes he would become reckless and cause chaos in his wake. Usually this was forgiven because everyone knew the knight meant well and you could count on him when you needed to. One day, when the entity known as the...book talker decided hey, let's raise a bunch more smaller, empty pieces of land instead of doing the right thing, the knight came across his friend the huntsman. The huntsman had followed a path, catching up late to the others, coming across the magical pool of water with so many flowers that only someone completely irrational like the book talker or the reckless knight wouldn't want to bathe in it. The reckless knight tried to stop the huntsman, but the huntsman knew what he wanted and wasn't listening, so then the knight did something very reckless to the point of why would you do that and threw the magical flowers into the magical pool.

Everyone knows when you combine magic with magic you get an equal and opposite reaction or something, and before they could do anything, the knight and huntsman were transported to one of the magical islands. It turns out even though the islands were smaller, they were no less dangerous than Enso, and with less space that meant less space to hide from the shark-monsters and other creatures. They thought if they stayed away from the water that they would be safe.

But they were wrong.

[There's a more excited edge in his voice. What started as an embellished truth has quickly become a made up story with a few grains of truth in it.] Because out of the tide came a hulking, fifty meter, giant, Tiger Bot Roboshark! Practically dwarfing the island with its size, the two fighters were caught off guard but they had to rely on eachother as the team they were. Unfortunately, their one weakness was that they hadn't come up with a team name or attack yet, weakening the strong bonds that held them together. They didn't stand a chance. The shark thing roared and unearthly scream and brought its hands down on the island, breaking it in pieces and sending the two fighters flying to their separate fates.

And that's why there are five other islands instead of six.

Luckily, both fighters survived, even if they didn't end up in the same place. The huntsman found himself on another island, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the shark caught up, so he hurried to find survivors and protect them. That was when he ran into someone else. A silent traveler, smaller than the Huntsman but with that sort of mysteriousness to them that made you sure you didn't want to mess with them. The traveler listened to the huntsman's warnings, and they both chose to team up. So they became team JD! [Jaune pronounces it "jade", his whole face lighting up at being able to name something.] And they had all sorts of adventures! They traveled around the island, saved some loud angry old man who was always shouting at other people and then blaming them for his problems, fought the smaller sharks and even saved some other person! Eventually they reached their destination:

Robotigershark. This time with X-ray vision. Team JD knew they would have to trust eachother and work together in order to defeat the threat that was a danger to everyone at Enso. So they used all their best strategies to take the giant fighting robot shark down with one fin at a time. Eventually their enemy became desperate though, pulling the ultimate attack on both of them before sinking back into the sea. Both friends were hurt, but they fought bravely, and they'll get stronger so they can face the shark again when it resurfaces. Until then...

Stay out of the deep end.

My second story is about a young...chocobo. For those of you who don't know what a chocobo is, it's a yellow bird that's tall and tastes delicious with mango hot sauce. [He's smiling at that last part, but there's too much teeth, and he's eying a certain scraggly blonde when he says it. His tone goes casual again.]

The chocobo loved to take photographs and often helped all his friends on the island they shared. But the chocobo loved something else even more than taking pictures...

[He leans forward for the dramatic tension.]

Taking pictures of girls.

Everyone liked the chocobo, taken in by his bright feathers and kind nature, and the fact that the best cook on the island was the chocobo's...uh, his mom. Only one person could see through him. A brave fighter, who had been lied to many times in the past. The fighter knew people could be kind, but everyone had their faults, and he was proven right one day when by happenstacoincidence the fighter and the chocobo ended up sharing the same bathing spot. You see, because the island was run by a cryptic shapeshifter who promised things they couldn't or wouldn't deliver, they thought it was funny to play pranks by providing everyone with new magical tubs that started boiling and hurting the fighter because Dust forbid you use a pool for anything other than traveling across islands or solving stupid riddles!

[Deep breaths.]

Anyway, they were both bathing and having normal guys only talk, when the fighter grew curious and asked the chocobo which girl he liked the most. The chocobo got so off guard he squawked and many of his feathers flew! The fighter saw through him as clear as the river water. The chocobo admitted he liked all the girls on the island equally. No one stood out to him the most. The fighter was disappointed, because while the fighter certainly had an interest in girls and understood what it was to be like them, the chocobo basically made it sound like he liked them for being girls and not who they were. So the fighter took him down, knowing the chocobo liked as many girls as he had feathers, and then the fighter was declared a hero of the island and the chocobo had to sleep next to the stone of shame for the rest of eternity the end.

You mean Jauneuary? My birthday's then too.

Do we just assume months last the same length here?

What would he know about running into boys?! [Oh my god his sock is so sweaty in his hand. Why couldn't Weiss come to him?]

Player name: Lucy
Character name: Terra Bradford
Character journal:

esper_magic
Offering: Two Stories

The First, Terra is very hesitant in telling, and omits certain details - she also apologizes in the beginning because she has amnesia, so she doesn't remember a lot - she will offer her first conscious moments (in canon), of waking up and being told she had amnesia (She omits the reason why, and the part about the Slave Crown - she's only told one person that, and that's Ignis. )

She will tell about having to escape from the man's cottage when soldiers come to reclaim her, and that she had to fight some random monsters in the mines in her escape - but thinks she was unsuccessful because the cavern floor gave out beneath her when she was being cornered, and the last thing she remembered was falling to the level below before waking up -here-.
-
Her second story is of her first experience in meeting someone on the islets - that person being Mickey Mouse, and she's much less hesitant and more relaxed when sharing that story.

Player name: Lexy
Character name: Ren
Character journal:

catpiper
Offering: Ren is going to talk about the time she put flowers in someone's hair. It's a story that clearly holds meaning to her and she's willing to tell it, even if she doesn't offer much in the way of flourish. She tells it like a nice, calm bedtime story.

[Yeah, that was exactly what this disney character needed to hear. Eventually that first story just got so embarrassing he's covering his face with his hat.]

... M-Maybe we could have a sign for the baths?

[He says while still covering his face.]

[...Y'know, Mickey's a pretty gullible and naive fellow. But even he has his limits. So he's not exactly accusing Jaune with the following question... more like, just checking.]

... Did you make some of that up?

[This was... surprisingly not as bad as Prompto thought it was be. He watched every movement of the chancellor's, hoping that at no point would he get a little too cozy with them. He was sitting with his legs crossed, leaning forward, eyes following like a cat.

When Ardyn finished it seemed to be a relief. He didn't say anything about any of them, just talked about more stories from their world. It could have gone a lot worse than that. He visibly relaxed, sitting back again. Looked like they were safe for now.]

[Astrals, Jaune. Prompto was going to comment on not remembering any of that happening when Jaune started talking about chocobos. Now, Jaune and Weiss didn't know what a chocobo was before, and Prompto was the only one here with a camera as far as he knew, sitting right there on his lap...

Was Jaune accusing him of taking lewd pictures in front of everyone?! He turned completely red. He was making Prompto sound like some sort of skirt chaser. Maybe he was, a tiny bit, but he wasn't trying to do anything perverted to anyone! And just 'cause he thought they were pretty didn't mean he didn't like them as people...

He wanted to defend himself, but he also wanted to not announce who Jaune was talking about in front of everyone. He was just going to plant his face over here, into Ignis' back.

See if he ever opened up to you again, Jaune!]

...Is there something bothering you? [The bitter note had dropped from Ardyn's voice, replaced by the usual cheery condescension.] You seem unexpectedly fascinated, dear Prompto.

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Page 1 of 18

[MU] - SEPTEMBER STORYTELLING

OOC || FORM

IC || STORYTELLING

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i'm sorry to the island

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I'm not

[literally every ffxv spoiler]

[ffxv spoilers]

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Re: OOC || FORM

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