[MU] - DECEMBER STORYTELLING / MEMORY SHARE

[lifeaftr_mods]

Something is wrong.

This may not very well be obvious, at first. The Storyteller is not present to put forth yet another diatribe, informative or apologetic, and the backdrop of guttering flame and sandy campfire is as present as ever...albeit briefly.



Those who tell their stories will start to notice something...odd taking place. Indeed, no matter how they intend to begin their tale, the land of Mu will immediately start to warp to accommodate it, or something utterly unlike it, until storytellers and listeners alike may find themselves in an exact recreation of a seemingly random memory, in the most stark and painstaking of detail. There is no altering the memory, nor is there any preventing it once it's begun to play - you will simply have to witness memories that are not your own this go around.

Furthermore, stories that take place in worlds other than LifeAftr will be, frankly, inevitable. Those memories, too, will be recreated, to be relived by the teller and lived by the listener.

---

It is time, once more, for you to tell a story...with a slight twist! This is, in fact, our first player plot, as provided by Dragon! The initial setting will be familiar for oldcomers, and newcomers will recognize it from the introduction they received in their dreams.

Yet for this Storytelling only, people can imagine whatever stories they wish, from both their homes and their time on LifeAftr, as long as they don't mind the fact that others will be reliving those stories in the form of an impromptu memory share.

Even those who prefer not to voice their stories aloud are not safe this time around. If the memory is recalled in essence, Mu will shift to accommodate it in full.

There is, however, a benefit to this: those who venture memories to be relived will receive both a befuddled apology from the Storyteller, who will assert that this was most definitely not meant to happen (they're the Storyteller, not the Rememberer!), as well as a tired promise that the relived memories will be worth two offerings each, as if in compensation.

Not that it counts for much, probably.

Comments

[ichininyaanshi]

[If that's what Ren likes it to mean then yes that is absolutely what it means and Ichimatsu will destroy anyone who tries to tell her otherwise.]

[His chest tightens a little bit when she makes her request. Thinking back... it does remind him of his brothers as kids. There were enough of them to play whenever they wanted, and even if it really only seemed to stick with Jyushimatsu until adulthood as a favored pastime, seeing such a love for the sport in someone so young -- brings him fond nostalgia. A good memory, from an age where most memories were anything but good.]

[Ichimatsu can be athletic, when he wants to be, but he's never been great at baseball. He's not sure she'll really get all that better by playing with him. Just like how Jyushimatsu always invites him along, despite being miles more talented than Ichimatsu will ever be. But he's always been happy to try with a younger sibling who, for some reason, in all their goodness, wanted to play it with him.]

Of course. I already promised, after all. For Asagi and Seto.

What does Ren-chan want to practice the most? Fielding? Batting? Catching... ?

[catpiper]

All of it.

[The answer is immediate. It doesn't take more than a second to realize that she wants to do everything he lists. It's especially hard to narrow down the activities knowing that he's going to be by her side. She wants to spend as much time with this cat as she can and if he's willing to show her, she'll play from dawn to dusk. Or at least until her feet start to hurt.

And even then, she could practice catching by laying on the ground and holding her hands up to the sky.]

Murasaki-chan and I will be a 'team'.

[ichininyaanshi]

Aa? All of it, huh?

[Smiling, Ichimatsu leans a cheek lazily into his palm. A two-person baseball team. He's pretty sure that's just what you'd call a regular game of "catch", but hey, there's nothing wrong with that when the company is good. Doesn't she have friends looking out for her, too? Ichimatsu isn't exactly itching to meet new people, but if Ren likes them and wanted to bring them along, he guesses he wouldn't mind that.]

That's a lot of work you know. And we'll need stuff for it. Baseball gloves, a bat... ah, maybe a wiffle ball would be better.

[So no one gets hurt.]

[catpiper]

We could find that place-a school? They have that stuff.

[And rob it, essentially, is what she's saying here. The island is pretty big and might have a school hidden somewhere or, if not, maybe one of the other islands will. The Storyteller could always magic some up if she gives them some wishes to use or maybe she can see if the elves have it hidden in their stash somewhere. Either way, she's going to find the mythical wiffle bat and baseball glove. She quietly whispers the bunny and nice elves to help commit these options to memory.

But grand theft education seems like the Best Plan.

And, worst case scenario, even if she has absolutely no idea how it happened, if can happen again or how much junk she has to lay by to get it to occur, she offers one more solution to this baseball dilemma-]

We can play in a dream together too. I'll think abut you when I go to sleep and that kind of thing might happen again.

[ichininyaanshi]

[The way she says it gives him pause.]

['that place -- a school?']

[Of course, part of him leaps to think: she's better off that way. Unless you're perfect, with good grades, and tons of friends, and adults who actually give a shit, school never does anything good for you. But he knows that's just him running away with himself. He has a feeling Ren would be the kind of kid who loved school, and was loved by the whole school. And more than that, the way she said it... it doesn't sound like she just never got to go, but that she's barely even heard of one.]

[He doesn't like how easily that slots in with the other things he's noticed about her. A girl who wore a hospital gown. Who felt haunted by ghosts. Who didn't get to go to school.]

[And, like every time before, Ichimatsu doesn't bring it up.]

...

... I guess that's all right. Just don't go dreaming that I'm better at it than I actually am. I don't want to disappoint Ren-chan in real life.

[catpiper]

[The thought of any cat, let alone him, disappointing her is impossible to wrap her mind around. It doesn't even compute-there's absolutely no way that would happen and more than that-

He doesn't get what she's saying and she can't blame him. It was a weird experience, even for her, and without Seto around to help, she doesn't want to mislead him by waving around an opportunity to play in a dream together-like they do in this place.]

As long as Murasaki-chan is smiling, that will make me happy. Even if your arms and feet get tired, that's okay. We can stop and take a nap.

[And she can try there too. Another attempt to drag his kitty butt straight into dreamland with her.]

You're good at everything. So you'll be very good at this too.

[ichininyaanshi]

[He glances away, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed by her confidence, her easy expectations. Even something as simple as -- him smiling. Ichimatsu knows very well that he doesn't smile all that often.]

[But... maybe he does more, around her. Maybe? He hasn't really paid attention to things like that, the mindless way everything seems to ease a little when she's around. If he's smiling then, he wouldn't notice. Not the way he notices when she's happy.]

[He glances back to her and does smile, purposely, leaning further into his hand.]

[He's not cheesy enough to say something painful like... like... he's the one who feels happy when she's smiling. That stuff is fine for a young girl to say, but a grown-ass man like him? Embarrassing. Even if there's the smallest, stealthiest flicker of truth to it.]

Aa, yeah. I'm great at napping.

[His tone implies he's messing with her.]

[catpiper]

[His tone can imply all it wants-to her, he just agreed with her 'good at everything' assessment on the most basic cat level, even if she specifically meant the sport. He must be so aware of how good he'll be at baseball, he doesn't even consider it. There's certainly no doubt in her mind-he's too talented. A cat that can shape rice into delicious treats, who saw music in grass she only thought to step on, who can learn to use his fingers to draw instead of paws-

She's so lucky. What a good cat.

Despite how silly they may sound, the words that fly out of her mouth are absolutely genuine. She's proud of everything he does and that includes being a great napper.]

That's right, that's right. Good boys make sure to take their naps and Murasaki-chan is great at that.

[And then, regardless of their baseball training future-]

ESP kitty and I will come take a nap with you-we'll sleep in the good spot you find.

[ichininyaanshi]

[He finds that he's not so instantly embarrassed at her encouragements this time. Ichimatsu isn't the kind of person who can take even casual praise very well, but when it comes to people who just naturally have all that faith inside them... that's a much easier pill to swallow. Because it makes sense. It's not him, it's them. It's how good they are, seeing good in everything.]

[She continues to be right about that, though. He is very good at naps.]

Mm. In that case...

[Ichimatsu scoots down from the log, dropping his rear into the sand, and leans back against it while crossing his arms behind his head. Then he gives a wide, luxurious yawn.]

This spot is pretty good. Warm... dark... right by the fire. Wanna try it?

[Apparently it doesn't matter to him that they're technically already in a dream. Dreamception.]

[catpiper]

[Dream naps work for her and she doesn't even need to hear Wanna try it? to follow suit. He's the nap expert and if this place is worthy of his praise, she's not going to ignore the sleepy call of the wild.

She slides down the same way he had, in case the method of arrival is important, and lays down on her back.

He's not wrong. It's warm. It's dark. The fire is warming her toes and-

Well, cats normally sleep on her. She remembers them curling up on her stomach or in the crook of her leg, especially when it was cold, but Murasaki is too big for that. That thought is why she decides to take matters into her own hands-scooting closer, turning onto her side so she's facing him and, if he doesn't move away, she's going to rest her head on his crossed arm and use it as a pillow.

Whether or not dreamception occurs, she knows this quiet moment with her cat is something she'll remember. It's one of the best dreams she's ever had.]