[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

[unpurify]

[There was a difference between a battle for battle's sake and a battle to save someone or something.

Being something made to fight, the Batter watched the battle unfolding before him. Like before, Pokemon remind him strongly of the Add-Ons he used before. Alpha was with him again but it appears to have not followed him into this dream. But unlike Add-Ons that were capable of fighting under their powers alone, Luna seems to be putting her heart and soul into battling with them. Her...partners, he recalls.

Luna eventually emerges victorious and the woman consumed by things that simply seemed to be monsters screams and falls from them. One of the other people retrieves her and they all climb onto a creature to make their escape.

And then Luna falls into the abyss that wasn't there before. Falling wasn't a sensation unusual to the Batter - he deliberately jumped down a smokestack once to get to the bottom and feel into his own coma with equal measure. The only difference in this situation was the abyss was largely metaphorical.

She wakes on a raft with an older man and a monster. And so, this was how Luna arrived to LifeAftr.]

Why were you fighting?

[The context for the fight was largely unknown to him, after all.]

[holdmyhand]

[ she's holding her arm, feeling a mixture of things. Adrenaline. Passion. She can feel the power bubble within her while watching herself perform that last z-move, but with no outlet, it simmers down, and reminds her that her partners are not all here.

Batter startles her a little with his sudden question, and Luna stands up a little more. ]

My friend, Lillie, wanted to save her mom...that woman in the Nihilego! Or, really, she had things to say. And...friends help each other. [ saying the words seem to calm Luna's unease just a bit. ] Kitten, and Chewie and Chiffon all feel the same way I do. I think that's why we were able to win.

[unpurify]

[He probably should learn to announce he's around before speaking. Another thing to think of.]

Those creatures? [And Luna's next comment gives the Batter momentarily pause.] That is how you win your battles?

[He's not mocking her, even if the Batter still sounds as emotionless as ever. It's just that he's far too used to battles won by pure strength, of simply being stronger then the other. The Batter won and if he lost and was killed, the Puppeteer revived him so he could try again.

But all of the worlds people came from in this place worked differently. And so it's probably expected that it would work differently.]

[holdmyhand]

Well, my team is really strong on their own! They can battle and they're really, really tough! [ she grins!! Obviously, this is one of her favorite topics. ]

But when we're together, we're even stronger. We can do anything if we believe in each other. [ a pause. ] How do you win your battles?

[ to be entirely honest, she's happy to see this guy again. They'd met when the island was first discovered, and he wasn't...isn't? A bad guy. There's a certain innocence behind his questions...surely, he isn't making fun of her. ]

[unpurify]

[He isn't. Making fun of her or is a good person. But he's trying. Again.]

Physical strength. I have my Add-Ons as well.

[All the fights the Batter had been in were fights to the death, save for two. The Burnt on the tracks and...

...yeah, he's not going there.]

[holdmyhand]

Add-Ons? [ ph-physical strength? She looks at her arm and flexes the little noodley bicep...absolutely nothing. She gives him a sheepish look. ]

You must be really strong! Do you ever arm wrestle?

[unpurify]

[Yeah, you're pretty scrawny Luna.]

I am.

[Strong, that is. Physically. Mentally and emotionally? No. Very much not so. But that's something the Batter doesn't like talking about.]

No. What is that?

[holdmyhand]

You sit across from someone at a table and you, uh, you hold each-other's opposite hand! And then you try and push their hand down into the table while they try and push your hand into the table...it's a game to see who's stronger!

[ she nods. He's not, um...he's not humble. She laughs a little. ]

I think you'd be really good at it! Maybe Guzma'd arm wrestle you?

[unpurify]

[Not when it came to something the Batter knew he could do, no. He was created to win, after all, and win he did. For better or for worse.]

It sounds...interesting.

[It's probably supposed to be 'fun' for people to do but he's still working on feeling that particular emotion.]

The man in your memory?

[Is his best guess.]

[holdmyhand]

Uh huh! He looks a little different there, but...he's here. He lives in the same house as me. [ she leans on one food and then the other in swaying thought. ]

Guzma's...stronger, now, I think! Er, stronger than he was in that memory. He's done a lot of growing up! And he's made a bunch of friends here, I think. But I bet he could arm wrestle you and challenge you!

[ she puts her hands on her hips. ] It is interesting! And it's really fun, too-- wanna try it with me? I'm not really strong, but I can show you how it works!

[ FIRED UP. BRING IT ON. SHE'S GONNA TRY SO HARD!!! ]

[unpurify]

[Strength through personal growth. He's often heard that as a way for people to become stronger, but it seemed to be on a more emotional level rather then anything the Batter was currently capable of.

Strong but not strong. Continue but staying exactly where he was. Try, try again.

Why not?]

Sure.

[Show him your arm wrestling ways Luna.]

[holdmyhand]

[ he agrees and she couldn't be more delighted. But...there's no table here. Nowhere to sit. She beckons him closer. ]

Here, c'mere! Lay down on your stomach-- right here!

[ she points to a spot in front of her, and she lays down on the ground, pulling her arm out with her elbow on the ground. ] Okay...when you do this, you can only push with your one arm, and you can't let your elbow off the ground, or I win! And if you push my arm over here, you win!

[ she looks so ready. Twinkling eyes. Bring it on, tough friend. ] Here. Take my hand, and hold onto it...like this.

[ she locks their hands together. THE TIME HAS COME. ]

We can start on the count of three!

[unpurify]

[It's kind of silly but the Batter has no standards for those sorts of things and once allowed the Puppeteer to drag a statue onto a roller coaster for another picture. So he'll join her on the ground.

It's fairly comfortable at least, but he had also learned how to sleep anywhere so that was probably just on him and his awful sleeping habits. Hands locked together and...!]

Okay.

[Luna better be careful though. Once she says three the Batter is going all in and he's as strong as you'd expect from someone who's Level 45 been swinging around a baseball bat for pretty much all of his life.

Have fun.]

[holdmyhand]

[ she grips his hand tightly, which is...not as tightly as he would, probably. She counts down with her eyebrows furrowed. Game time. ]

One...

...two...

...three!

[ she pushes, but he is obviously, obviously much bigger than her. Easily, he crushes her hand into the ground, and she winces just a little, because wowie. Wowie he's a tough guy. Really strong. She beams happily. ]

Yeah, just like that! You're so strong!! Woah!

[ she pulls her arm back just a little, rubbing the muscle nearest her elbow shortly. ] Normally you do something called 'best two out of three', also! Do you wanna do it again?

[ she shakes her arm out and rests on both elbows, a smile on her face. ]

[unpurify]

[He probably overdid it and the Batter recognizes that but she doesn't look putout by her loss. But then again, this wasn't a battle of life and death. If it was like the baseball game he played with Ren, the Batter was going to have to try and hold back.

Key word here is try. But he'll give it ago.]

That's fine.

[Hand in hand again, the Batter try to give Luna a fighting chance. It's...hard. And probably very obvious what he's doing, but Luna might have a better shot at winning this time around.]

[holdmyhand]

[ again!! He wants to do it again? She nods vigorously, extending her hand out to him. Maybe he just wants some more practice? To see what it looks like? She holds his hand tightly with a smile on her face. ]

Okay, then! [ fingers wrap around two of his own as she tries to better equip herself. She frowns and becomes stiff. ]

One...two...three!

[ she pushes, and pushes against his hand-- keeping her body pressed against the ground but also straining against him. Luna bites her lip softly. ]

Y-you...hnngh...you can do it! [ she's...cheering for him, while trying to win...

Maybe he used up all his strength on the last round!! That's probably what happened. He's tired, and Luna has a lot of energy!! ]

[unpurify]

[Not quite, but it'd probably be no fun if he won twice in a row. The Batter remembers the balloon popping game in Zone 2 and how long it took to win. The Puppeteer seemed to enjoy the amount of tries so two out of three was probably normal for humans.

Although cheering the Batter on while still trying to win herself was strange. Humans were weird.

So trying to keep in mind to hold his strength back while still playing does eventually put a strain on the Batter and his hand hits the ground. Ta-da.]

You win.

[As usual the Batter doesn't sound any degree of emotional about it, so Luna's going to have to make up for it.]

1/2

[holdmyhand]

[ she pushes his hand into the ground. The look of absolute surprise is probably permanent, good job, Batter. She stares at her hand on top of his for a few more moments... ]

2/2

[holdmyhand]

[ and lets it go with a big, dopey grin on her face.

She is so strong.

After sitting up a bit, Luna nods happily. ] Yeah! But you did a good job, too! You won the first round so fast! Great job, Batter!

[ she throws her hand up for a high five!!!!!! ]

[unpurify]

[The Batter sits up as well and regards Luna.

It's...strange to see people happy. The Elsens were miserable and often consumed in paranoia and fear, something that drove Japhet insane. On the other hand, this island seemed full of people who smiled more often then react with fear.

He supposes that's for the better, here.]

Thank you.

[He's missing the whole high five bit, sadly.]

[holdmyhand]

[ she!!!!!! doesn't know what to do!!!!! So she keeps holding her hand up!!!!! ]

Have...? You ever high-fived before?

[unpurify]

[Luna plz.]

No.

[If he could feel the Batter has a feeling he'd be the odd man out in these kinds of situations.]

[holdmyhand]

Oh! Well...you just! Raise your hand like, like this... [ she reaches out to touch his hand and flatten his hand out for the base structure of a hand, holding five fingers out.

Can't believe you never done high fived before. She's got a super focused look on her face. We can fix that! ]

[unpurify]

[His hand is pretty calloused due to swinging around a baseball bat for most of his life and his fingers involuntarily twitch. The Batter has a personal space limit of five miles and wasn't too fond of touching or being touched, bar a select few.

But he needs to learn these things, so the Batter lets Luna shape his hand into the correct form for a 'high five'.]

What comes next?

[holdmyhand]

[ that's okay!! Calloused hands are hands that are ready to be held the most! Luna holds her hand out in the same position and grins happily. ]

Okay! Then you just say 'High Five!' and clap your hand against mine! Like this...high five!

[ she reaches out and claps her hand!! against his!!! It's a soft little sound-- despite schooling him (literally) in arm wrestling and winning one round, she isn't terribly strong. ] And you do it when you're with friends, and you accomplish something! It's like...a victory hand shake!

[ Luna's School of Learning, step right up, folks. ]