[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

[catpiper]

The problem is that she gets it-fully and wholly comprehends what Lup is saying to her. One day she made us very sad combined with the way her voice breaks under the weight of those heavy words makes her own fingers twist into the fabric of her pants, clutching them as tight as she can, because despite the sadness and pain of I made Taako real sad-

It makes her disgusted with herself that these words give her hope. Thinks that why there's something wrong with her that made her unsuitable to connect hearts, after so many years of being told that's her purpose. They probably did another test, saw the part of her that felt hope in someone's sad memories because of whatever innate, selfish piece of her wants to call someone aunt. Saw her weakness and inability to push people away, even when she's going to hurt them.

But she thinks about how Lup made Taako very sad and yet, they stand behind the store's counter together. She thinks about that kindly, older woman in the memory and the affection that coated Lup's words as she spoke about her. She thinks about the day Taako went missing and remembers the way Lup held her. Thinks about how pretty that cape looked wrapped around her. They made each other sad, but it didn't change the way their hearts felt.

She thinks about how lucky she is to live in a place where someone kisses her hair and holds her this close-how lucky she's going to be to have someone who might have nice warm memories of her, even after she makes them sad. There's no vocal response to her question, but Ren does relinquish the tight hold on her pants and wraps them around Lup instead, curling her fingers into the back of her shirt. Almost as if she's worried her new aunt is going to vanish into the fold of another memory-like this offer wasn't real to begin with.

"Do all aunts and uncles have hearts that feel like the sun?" It's bright. It's warm. It feels like her lungs and eyes are burning from the sheer power of her words. There's a brief second where she looks up, turns her head away so Lup can't see the way her eyes are watering and answers her own question. "I think that's a special thing-maybe it's something only Aunt Lup and Uncle Taako have."

[hellawrath]

Aw beans. Aw... aw heck. Ren clings to her like she never wants to let go again and Lup responds immediately, wrapping her other arm around her to hold her tight. And then she says all that about, about hearts like suns and Aunt Lup and Uncle Taako and it's probably a real good thing she can't see the way her ears are just kind of fluttering like crazy, finally dropping at uncertain but unmistakably affectionate angles.

Why's it such a thing to hear her say it? To be the... the center of this girl's happiness, like a sun? Why does it suddenly feel like something she could legitimately fuck up, when this doesn't actually change anything? It's already been like this for a while, it's, it's the slow growing of an affection and closeness through innocuous little moments, just kind of sneaking up on you. A sudden realization that somehow shouldn't be a surprise at all. It's not like this is the first time that's happened to the twins. Yeah, they can handle being an aunt and uncle, they can just... do their best for a lonely little outcast and probably not fuck it up. She deserves their best, that's for damn sure.

Even if the overwhelming emotion in Ren's voice and hug is currently a lot to take in. "That's uhh-- You know, I think maybe only a special girl can see it." A girl that made her speechless with her kindness and the delighted laughter she effortlessly earned from Taako, that makes them forget about their exhaustion and worries with her games and curiosity. A girl that knows Taako's kind heart and gave her hugs in his stead. "You're real special, Ren. You're our treasure." And she gives her treasure an affirming little squeeze.

She wants to make sure Ren knows this, really gets it, but it hadn't seemed that way at all when she'd been scared to use these words and Lup shifts a little to glance at her, gentle but concerned. "Why do you think you won't make us happy one day?" Someone like her, what the hell's that supposed to mean in her frankly pretty bewildering mind?

[catpiper]

Again-

There's another sweet word that shouldn't be for her, said in terms she can understand-that leaves no room for question. She doesn't have to ask what it means to be someone's treasure. Her bag is stuffed full with trinkets and drawings. There's a bracelet on her arm and a beautiful shell around her neck and she gets what it means to have treasure. And she can't believe someone could look at her and have those same feelings billow up. Did Seto see her like that too? Maybe that's why he thought she was someone worth saving.

It's the first time she's ever heard the word special and she knows it can be taken away easily. Fast. The second she starts passing out and they see how unsuitable for all of this she is, but-

It's for Seto, too. When he arrives-when he finds her, she wants him to see their smiles.

And she knows, no matter how temporary it ends up being, she wants to wake up in the morning and feel warm by seeing their smiles. That she wants to play with Taako's hair while he's napping in his hammock and collect pretty flowers for Lup while they're exploring. She wants to sleep in that warm tent, clutching the green bracelet she never takes off her arm, because every moment with them is a memory she shoves deep into her heart. And she's content with that thought, but naturally Lup's going to give her an opportunity to be honest-to say I'm going to die and I think you can help me and You can't help me and knowing it's wrong to utter any of it to people who shine this bright.

They're just like Seto.

The vice grip she has on Lup's shirt loosens at that question and she really-she already knows what to do. It's the same as before. It has to be like that because no matter how selfish it is, she wants to be by their side for as long as she can. Her eyes aren't burning anymore-it's safe to look at her and so, she tilts her head up to meet her gaze, with a smile on her face.

"It doesn't change anything because-we're going to be together, so it's okay. I think that if Aunt Lup and Uncle Taako are my special treasures too, then it doesn't matter anymore."

[hellawrath]

Ren's smile can light up a gloomy jungle tent any day, but this one is one of her like Top 5 to be honest, and Lup can't help but return it immediately. Seems like whatever uncertainty and emotions she was wrangling with, she came out on top. And maybe her flustered rambling had even helped a little. Turns out she's not in any danger of fucking this up at the drop of a hat at all. Sweet.

So she's pretty ready to take Ren's confident explanation at face value, as the realization that she'll always be safe and loved that Lup was hoping to express. Though it does kinda unavoidably remind her of a question that she's been stubbornly ignoring for a while now, a little guilty twist of her heart. What's going to happen to Ren once they do find a way home? Can they execute some kinda next-level urchin theft and just take her along or is the rabbit gonna put up a fuss about everyone going back to their own 'stories'? What are they doing to this girl, showing her all this if it's gonna get taken away again?

Looking into Ren's bright hopeful eyes, hearing her new title spoken with such ease now, Lup doesn't give a flying fuck what the rabbit is going to do, actually. You can continue your story just fine in another plane, nobody knows that better than her family. She's going to see this girl discover a whole world full of people and treasures, she's gonna see her grow up and no god will get in the way of that.

So it's with her own confidence and laughter in her voice that she can reply, "Yeah, that sounds right. It's like that. Too bad you can't put us in your bag, huh? Like, our ears would stick out at least." Maybe they should get her a bigger bag some time. Actually, "Hey, do you know when your birthday is?"

[catpiper]

Let's pretend the drawn out silence after too bad you can't put us in your bag is due to the birthday follow up that shot out of Lup's mouth. Not because she's sitting there, thinking about their huge ears sticking out of giant bags that would have to be big enough to contain their tall elf selves. They would stick out, maybe, but she could hang more treasures from them. Didn't people used to wear earrings? She could attach bags to their ears and-

That seems like an emergency situation anyway, where they would need to be stuffed into bags, and she tries to pull her thoughts back to the question at hand. She remembers doctors changing the number on the clipboard at the end of her bed until they passed away, but the when, how or why is beyond her. Was it even her age? Maybe they only charted her height and weight. Birthdays aren't for people like her and it it stands to reason the scientists thought the same-her age wouldn't matter once she was stuffed in a tube.

"I don't think I'm supposed to have one. I don't know how to change the number." It's not sad or disappointing. In fact, she really seems confused by how the whole thing works outside of 'get older'-oh well. It's how things went in the land of lab oz and she makes it sound as casual as a weather forecast. The important take away is that Lup and Taako have one and apparently a dope roast is required for it. "How do I know when it's Aunt Lup and Uncle Taako's birthday? Do you dream about it? Does someone have to tell you?"

Hopefully another aunt isn't required for this process, because she's not sure where to find another one. Maybe Guzma can tell them when their birthday is, if they need help remembering. He seems aunt-like.

[hellawrath]

Psh, not supposed to have one? Says who? Lup is tempted to suggest having two birthdays just to stick it to The Man, but that might be a bit much for someone who doesn't even know how to keep track of the one. Maybe they can give her a second birthday for her regular birthday? Maybe run that by Taako later.

Lup snorts fondly at Ren's various guesses, which would be pretty neat ways of knowing when birthdays are. Just make somebody else responsible for it, sounds great. A job for the rabbit, maybe. "Good uh, good question actually? Usually you've got calendars for that sort of thing, like, you know, math? I guess when you're little, somebody tells you when your birthday is, and later you just count the days yourself." But that's not really a thing here, is it. Lup considers this further, twirling a strand of Ren's hair in her fingers thoughtfully. When was the last time they even celebrated a birthday? It kinda fell through the cracks on the Starblaster, since they didn't physically age and every world had their own ways of keeping time anyway. They'd counted their interplanar jumps, their deaths, the worlds lost and spared, the lives taken by their relics... but not their own birthdays. Weird.

"We kinda... forgot to keep track during hide n seek, and there's no calendars on Stank Island, so I guess we can just go hog wild with it now?" She shrugs that off, not as interested in her own birthday as the matter of Ren's. "You're gonna need a birthday too though. Everybody gets one. D'you wanna pick it yourself or do you want us to pick?" Messing with Ren's hair as turned into making a lil braid, working out some of those highkey Emotions from earlier.

[catpiper]

It's weird how comforting that gesture is. Lup might be working out all her emotions in the form of twisting her hair, but Ren finds it relaxing to be the recipient. If they weren't already in a dream, she'd shut her eyes and probably drift off, but she's all too aware of the place she's in and the lingering question Lup keeps returning to, no matter how she tries to pass it off. This feels like responsibility. She hates it and wants to shy away from the issue entirely. This moment-a pick your birthday moment-is no exception. Calendars were for scientists and math is for scrubs. It's too hard. She'd rather talk about theirs, instead of picking a day that she may not live long enough to see.

"We should have yours when it's warm." Which is like, every day on an island? And she seems to realize that halfway through her confident birthday statement. "Since you're warm. It should be like that. We could have a special one for Lup when the sun is really high in the sky." These aren't actual days-these are just general times, but she's trying. Let her live. "Taako's can be when the pretty moon is big."

But even with that settled in her mind, she can still feel the finger twisting her hair-sees it from the corner of her eye, and knows Lup is too kind to let her brush off her initial question. And she doesn't really know how to answer. Will probably never have that same confidence to give herself a chance at life and create a future on her own. A birthday. How can she think about something like that, for someone like her? So she adds on, nervous, and moving to cover Lup's hand with her own. "The cats would know how to pick my birthday. I'll ask them. When I wake up, I'll do that kind of thing."