aftr_stories | [MU] - NOVEMBER STORYTELLING

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[MU] - NOVEMBER STORYTELLING

It's beginning to become an awful habit, turning the beginning of these nights into an information session.

Still. It is rather effective.

Borzoi may not usually come in pitch black; but then, most canines do not have the pitch black of their eyes. The Storyteller sits patiently by the fire as you, dear adventurer, do what the dream asks of you. Settle opposite, and listen.

"I can only imagine that you are as ready to leave this island as ever. Whilst we have yet to find a permanent solution, I believe there is potential for a new chapter to begin on stranger shores." In a rather rare display of indulgence, the Storyteller opts to sprawl out on their side, long tail thumping against the ground. "This is, of course, voluntary. In a few days I will be capable of transporting those who wish it to these new shores- however, coming back will be decidedly more difficult.

"These lands do not belong to me. It will be your first interaction with the avatars of the islands; gods whose domain is inherently the land they have chosen to call home. As any guest is expected to do, you will be subjected to their rules- please do attempt to be polite."

They're not going to tack Ardyn, Jaune, Lup, and Newt onto the end of that sentence-- but they're definitely saying that wholly for their sake.

"I feel that it is worth mentioning that these lands have their own laws- you may find that they have an influence beyond what you have experienced thus far. I can assure, at the least, that these influences are not inherently dangerous. But take it into consideration, should you wish to join those intent on being the forward party."

A final wag of their tail, and the Borzoi pushes back into a sitting position.

"I will be here for the remainder of this dream, to address any questions you may have. Please use this time wisely."

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!

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

True to their word, the Storyteller will remain, seated at a fireplace separated from all others. Unless someone else chooses to intrude, your conversation will be private.

Needless to say, they are free to be approached at will.

Player Name: Owl
Character Name: Sachiko Shinozaki
Character Journal:

foreverafter
Number of Offerings: Three.
Offering(s): The story of the ovosoids, the story of the amputation, and the story of her death.
Public/Private: Sachiko no longer cares. She'll tell it to everyone.

Player Name: Michelle
Character Name: Goro Akechi
Character Journal:

raygunner
Number of Offerings: Just one.
Offering(s): Akechi's basically gonna tell a heavily edited version of his past! This can't go wrong.
Public/Private: It'll be public.

...

[ she looks at the storyteller as if she desires a need to be acknowledged. No leg, a makeshift crutch, and anger, somewhere in there. ]

Player Name: AB
Character Name: The Batter
Character Journal:

unpurify
Number of Offerings: 1
Offering(s): Flustercluck fuck truck. In other words, this road trip that ended with bug death, amateur surgery, the sighting of two Flusterclucks and the Batter having to kill Sachiko because bad things happened. 10/10. Also he still sucks at telling stories, news at ten. Sorry ST.
Public/Private: Private.

Edited 2017-11-19 05:31 (UTC)

[Ardyn wasn't restlessly pacing this time, but he also wasn't sitting near the fire; the middle ground this month seemed to be found in lurking near the line between light and shadow, standing with his hands on his hips and a quietly thoughtful look on his face.]

...Deep within the earth there once lived a monster who abhorred the light of day. It spurned contact with humans, for it saw no worth in their fleeting lives. Likewise, mortals refused to tread in the darkness it called home. Alone and in shadow was how the monster thrived, and it did so for many centuries.

But one night, it came across a small flame which had gotten lost in the depths of the monster's home beneath the earth--flickering alone, on the verge of being extinguished by the darkness and solitude.

[A brief pause followed that; ordinarily it might have been for dramatic effect, but the slightly narrowed yellow eyes made it clearer that he was thinking carefully upon his words and phrasing. After just a moment he continued in the same calmly level voice with no trace of arrogance or condescension.]

The monster knew this flame well, for it was but a smaller part to fuel a brilliant light which caused the monster pain to even look upon. This greater light had been bestowed to mortals by the gods, given the fate to shine bright for the benefit of others and quickly burn itself out. The flame did not like this, you see--even as he helped that light to glow, he questioned the gods' decree and swore to find a way that light could be allowed to persist rather than die out.

And though the monster hated the light and the mortals it shone upon, ever more did it despise the gods who granted that light to them while it withered in the dark. It found the plight of the flickering flame an amusement, and thought its struggle against the gods to be an unwinnable one with a conclusion already decided.

However. The monster found that should the flame be allowed to go out, that amusement would cease. There had never been another who thought to question the edict of the divine, much less vow to defy it. So- [Ardyn snapped his fingers, the campfire briefly flaring up with the tiny amount of Fire magic he'd directed at it with the gesture.] -it used its own life to fuel that lost little flame, that he might thrive long enough to make the gods answer for the cruelty inflicted upon both light and darkness...even if the monster might not live to see it.

There is a moral to this little parable. If one gets the foolish idea in their head to act in service to something else, then they had best be sure they receive something in return. For even if the monster worked in its own interest, what did it gain? It would not see results of its efforts, and not even have the desired result be guaranteed? It acted stupidly, forgetting this most basic fact of the world: Selfless acts have a price just as any other, and oftentimes the price vastly outweighs what is to be earned.

Player Name: Nao
Character Name: Ardyn Izunia
Character Journal:

scourgingstars
Number of Offerings: One
Offering(s): Overdramatic as ever, Ardyn's telling a metaphor-laden story that's not-too-subtly about meeting Ignis in the crystal caves.
Public/Private: Public

[ ... well, okay. He can do this. And there's no one around to correct him. Suck it, Phantom Thieves. ]

Before I go any further, I'll warn you this isn't a very pleasant story.

[ He speaks quietly, evenly, hands folded in his lap. ]

Where I come from, politicians are terribly influential. They use their power for good, certainly, but some take advantage of it. They use it for their own gain, rather than others' good and wellbeing. One such politician was named Masayoshi Shido. Tempted by the power he could attain, and overcome with greed, he clawed his way to the top through... less savory means.

He even used his son to take down his opponents. He used me, even though I far from wished to do his dirty work. Still... I felt I had no choice. I was effectively an orphan, as my mother... Well. Shido threw my mother to the side once she had outlived her usefulness. She took her own life, leaving behind me with little to my name.

[ He pauses. His smile is tight. In the back of his mind, there's a voice whispering liar, liar, liar. ]

As for myself, I worked hard to get where I was. I studied as much and as hard as I possibly could. I eventually worked my way up the ladder to become a notable detective. I had hoped to bring Shido--my own father--to justice, to make him see the error of his ways, to confess his crimes with his own mouth. Perhaps I could have, if things had gone a little differently. Unfortunately... life is never too fair, is it? While chasing the path of a notorious group wreaking havoc in Tokyo, I...

[ He hesitates. Akechi drops his gaze to his hands, folded in his lap. ]

I fought on their side. Perhaps it was foolish, siding with criminals, but... well, I can't say I regret it. [ Half lie. Half truth. ] But in the end, I stretched myself far too thin. And I met my end. Unfortunately, I have only the word of that group that Shido will be brought to justice, so I'm not certain how that story ends.

[ He lifts his gaze and smiles. ]

I did warn you that it wasn't a pleasant story.

It seems this monster could benefit from a little more self-reflection. Perhaps... a different perspective could be useful.

[ shut up akechi ]

Is that what you think?

[you wanna FIGHT]

My, I'm afraid I simply don't know what you mean.

[ noodle boy wants to throw down ]

Is that an invitation to give you my two cents?

[Hey Storyteller, it's your favorite guy.]

How many islands are there?

[Trying to get some more information then usual, considering how last time in the caves ended.]

These little gatherings do so often end in open and occasionally unwanted discussion, so by all means.

Well, if you insist...

I don't particularly think selfless acts are always a terrible thing. They do have their own benefits. You may find yourself with a valued ally afterward, for example.

[She listens carefully, tilting her head thoughtfully.]

But... Doesn't it matter more what the monster thinks of it? If the monster is happy with the perceived or hopeful outcome of its acts, than it is not on us to pass judgement for it.

[She pauses a moment, thinking of that last part and her own sacrifices.] ...Although, I suppose that is not...terribly inaccurate either...

Player Name: Gorse
Character Name: Tataru
Character Journal:

alittleditty
Number of Offerings: One, might edit if I can find another suitable one in time
Offering(s): Tataru will be telling a story about trying to look after and worry about certain people exploring in the caves who didn't understand this whole concept of "this place is for you to rest" (Hajime and Prompto were the most obvious offenders)
Public/Private: Public. She will kinkshame you all in front of everyone if she has to

[There's a lot to take away from this and she's sympathetic to him. There's no reason for her to not believe everything he's saying, after all, so she does so easily. But...]

If I may ask, what do you mean by 'take down his opponents'? [There's no judgement, because that's not her place, but she's curious. I mean, she has a pretty good idea what it could be referring to, but...]

[Ovosoids]

Well, well... we certainly ran into trouble our first day of exploring. Those insects... I could recognize their egg-laying state right away. I thought of the maggots back home, wriggling and squirming, and I thought what it'd mean for them to hatch. I didn't recognize what I was doing before I did it-- I raised my hand, put it in place, and bashed it against the tree. Over and over, with more and more of them.

But that wasn't enough to get rid of them, was it? No, dear Maka got stung, so I performed an open surgery, right there. I had the Batter grab her arms and and I cut-snipped her flesh, and dug-dug my way into the layer between the epidermis and the rest of the body. It hadn't burrowed deep yet, so I snipsnipsnipsnipsnipped the thing apart. It's one thing to have a big wound on this island, another entirely to leave it alone. Instead, I made a small incision and squeezed out the chopped bits perfectly. I only had to go back in for the head with the scissors to pull it out. Like an operation!

[ She seems rather cheery about this and hops about, because she did a good job, stinking stump leg and all. ]

Maka hates magic. Did you know? Even if it's healing magic. Well, I have no magic and she rejected Terra's, so Batter forced her magic on her. Hooray, Batter! You did something good.

[ Then-- ]

Then it was those things, the fusterclucks? Well, of course I wanted to fight them, I was new and didn't know better. They just looked like mounds of rolling limbs. My friends were really good at dodging them and warned me while we were playing ring-around-the-monstrosity with them. Maybe it's just because I'm small. Maybe it's because I have dumb, dumb luck. Maybe I... deserved it? Nah. There's no such thing as deserving an action where there's no judge. But my toes got stuck to one. And it wrapped up around my ankles before I moved my toes. And I felt the Batter pulling at me.

But he couldn't
budge
an
inch.

I know the kind of lock that puts someone in place, and I know I could've moved with enough power, but he wasn't STRONG enough, as an anchor. Do you know how many people keep their limbs in my state? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO TAKE A PAIR OF SCISSORS AND CUT THROUGH YOUR OWN LEG? UNTIL THE BONE CRACKS? ᑌᑎTIᒪ IT ᔕᑭᒪITᔕ ᗩᑎᗪ YOᑌ'ᖇE ᑕᗩᖇᖇIEᗪ ᗩᗯᗩY? FƐƐÐɪЛƓ ŤнΛŤ ÐɪらƓЦらŤɪЛƓ ŤнɪЛƓ ƜɪŤн ϤØЦ尺 ØƜЛ ϦØÐϤ? ł ₲Ø₮ ₳₦₲ⱤłɆⱤ ₳₦Đ ₳₦₲ⱤłɆⱤ ₳₦Đ ₳₦₲ⱤłɆⱤ ₳₦Đ ł ₣ɆⱠ₮ ł₮ ₴₱łⱠⱠ ØɄ₮ Ø₣ ₥Ɇ!

He carried me to the Lighthouse and we waited there until they went away. Or I suppose they waited there and I got my brains caved in!

[ Death for the Dead ]

I didn't want to be touched. I refused. I felt like Maka must have in that moment. Magic would have killed me. I refused, I refused, I refused to be healed. I was barely bleeding, I swear, but they wanted to hold me down and fill my own wound with that poison. The moment one touched my stump of a leg I ᒪOᔕT ᗰY ᗰIᑎᗪ.

I ᑕᒪIᗰᗷEᗪ TᕼE ᗯᗩᒪᒪ Oᖴ TᕼE ᒪIGᕼTᕼOᑌᔕE ᗷᑌT IT ᗯᗩᔕᑎ'T EᑎOᑌGᕼ.
I TOOK OᑌT ᗰY ᔕᑕIᔕᔕOᖇᔕ ᗩᑎᗪ TᖇIEᗪ TO ᖴEᑎᗪ ᖴOᖇ ᗰYᔕEᒪᖴ ᗩᑎᗪ IT ᗪIᗪᑎ'T ᗯOᖇK.
TᕼE IᖇOᑎY Oᖴ ᗷEIᑎG ᗪᖇᗩGGEᗪ ᗷY YOᑌᖇ ᖇEᗰᗩIᑎIᑎG ᗩᑎKᒪE...
ᗯᗩᔕ IT ᖴᑌᑎᑎY TO YOᑌ? ᗷᗩTTEᖇ? ᗷᗩTTEᖇ? ᕼEY, ᗷᗩTTEᖇ ᗷᗩTTEᖇ?

One, two! One, two! And through and through,
The vorpal bat went snicker-snack! He broke my head, and left me dead,
and He went galumphing back!

[ her story devolves into an angered scream at this point and it isn't gentle. Then simple, simple calm.

She wants her dues. ]

Edited 2017-11-19 06:17 (UTC)

Ah, how very true that is. An altruistic personality is one that draws others to it by nature. But is there not a reason for that? Humans are often selfish creatures at their core; if they can gain something for no cost, then of course they will. They'll ally themselves with someone willing to give everything, and when that selfless person is of no more use then they'll simply be disposed of.

Player Name: Nai
Character Name: Asch the Bloody
Character Journal:

bloodyashes
Number of Offerings: TWO, both Newbie Personal History stories, though one is sort of??? tied to his arrival.
Offering(s): The first is a brief one in regards to correcting "I accidentally told everyone my name was Luke for the first week I was here" while they're all together, aka the briefest possible telling of the circumstances that led to him not using Luke anymore.

The second is directly in response to Akechi's life story ^ up there, and has more of a focus on his Van Issues and the whole, "my mentor tried to end the world and I died trying to stop him" thing.
Public/Private: Both public, though the second isn't as widely broadcast.

[ Ah, she's fallen into his trap. ]

A fair enough question, Kurosawa-san. [ He offers her a tiny smile, which promptly shifts into something more regretful. ] I'm not proud of it in the very least, but... I took their lives.

Perhaps there are those who do things merely for the benefit of being around other people. Loneliness is a terrible affliction, after all.

And true friends wouldn't dispose of their fellows. At least, in my experience. Their usefulness resides in their friendship, so to speak.

[If Akechi is watching the listeners, he'll definitely see Asch, and if he's watching closely, he'll see the flinch.

He used me, and doesn't that just hit home.

He doesn't know how to respond - is pretty sure a response isn't wanted, given that blatantly false smile. But he stays waiting through the rest of it, silently, but with an emotion of some sort building in his clenched fists.

"My own father." "I'm not certain how that story ends." "I can't say I regret it."

Those are the things that are going to stick with him.

When Akechi is done, he'll find Asch's eyes are on him.]

It might not be pleasant, but it's more real than that smile you're wearing.

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[MU] - NOVEMBER STORYTELLING

OOC | FORM

IC || STORYTELLING

THE STORYTELLER

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on the 20th, after her ressurection

Re: OOC | FORM

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cw suicide and also a lotta december spoilers

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SACHIKO SHINOZAKI >> cw below for ovosoids and bug removal from a body, amputation, and death

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