[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

[Prompto | OTA | Spoilers]

[want_to_belong]

[Trauma of various sorts within.]

Goodnight Puppy

[want_to_belong]

[The first memory drew out a simple scene of a small, modern apartment. The kind that used remotes for the lights and had a TV. The room it took place in was small - the bed took up almost half of the room on its own - but it was clean and had some nice furniture.

People watching might not instantly recognize the person in the memory. It was a young boy, perhaps around ten. Much heavier, much less hair styling, and obviously completely different clothing. The closest similarity might've been that he still wore a bracelet on his wrist. Not the one that Prompto had currently, but it was right there in the same spot.

The memory was a carrier of bittersweet memories. This was Insomnia, before they lost their home. Yet, at first, it seemed happy, because in the room with the young boy was a white puppy. He was obviously excited to have the puppy there and it didn't really require any explanation as to why - it was a puppy. And he was a little boy. Of course he loved the puppy. He held her, pet her, tried to get her water and food and take care of her as best a child could.

He said, "Goodnight" to 'Tiny', turned off the lights in the room and went to bed.

Suddenly, it was morning.

He woke up to see the little towel he'd set up for the puppy vacant. He searched frantically around the apartment, calling for her, checking every room, looking under furniture, and finally went running outside calling for her. But she never showed up.]

Soldier in a Snowfield

[want_to_belong]

[Snowy fields. Some people might recognize the coat Prompto was wearing as the one he originally came in but didn't wear much because it wasn't cold on the island, but here the coat made perfect sense. It was white all around, with trees and craggy rocks. The night sky hung overhead. For some reason Prompto was out in the middle of nowhere by himself.

Or not by himself. A white dog ran by him, heading out into the snowy fields. Prompto began silently running after her, following her through the brush. By the time they reached their destination it was early dawn.

Where she led him? Looked like some sort of encampment. Tables and chairs were knocked over. And, more importantly, bodies in armor were lying all around.

A body fidgeted. Prompto stood in front of it as it clung to life. As it reached a hand towards him there was obviously something wrong with this person, with discolored skin and glowing, possessed looking eyes. But Prompto saw something else there that bothered him.

Whatever it was, he hesitated with his gun. His hand shook as he pointed it at the soldier lying helplessly on the ground. Wafts of his own breath filled the air in front of him. He almost couldn't do it, looking away and lowering the gun before raising it again and holding it steady with a second hand.

And then, a gunshot.]

[shineinside]

[Yuka flinches in real life as the memory cuts off with the gunshot. Even without context, the energy of the scene was unpleasant and strange.]

What... What was that?

[want_to_belong]

Ah... Sorry. You shouldn't have had to see that.

[He took a deep breath. There was an entirely different reason why it had been difficult for him that had nothing to do with it - with 'him'? Was it still a real person? - being an enemy soldier. They'd killed tons of MTs before. No big deal.

He just needed to keep pretending it was nothing. He attempted to revert back to his previous attitude about MTs.]

Just one of robo-duds created by the Empire. They've pretty much been after us since we left the city.

[Although the face of that thing looked more like some form of extremely ill human than a robot, skinned turned a sickly ashen green.]

Just... don't worry about it.

[He didn't want anyone else to carry the burden he did. Do what you've got to do, and don't worry about whether they were human or not. They were just empty shells.]

[shineinside]

That's... you and Ignis?

[Earlier tonight, she would have guessed Ardyn, too, but... maybe not, after seeing that memory.]

Why were you being chased? You don't seem like a bad person at all.

[want_to_belong]

Ah... No. I was out there alone.

[So very alone. Pryna had to be a hallucination or something, right? She was dead already...

With the others around he had no intention of bringing up anything he saw. He didn't want them to feel bad.]

Just me out there in enemy territory. [It sounded like he meant it almost as a joke, but he couldn't hold his tone steady. It had not been a pleasant experience.]

None of the bodies... eh, none of those things were anyone I knew.

[Thank the gods Iggy hadn't been out there. That was right after he'd been blinded.]

[shineinside]

[Yuka watches Prompto's face carefully. She doesn't know what happened, but she can tell he's trying to hide his discomfort, and doesn't want to make it any worse.]

...Sometimes, there are advantages to being out here, right? No 'empire' to chase you on the islands. It feels like everyone's working together.

[want_to_belong]

Yeah, that's just a few of the benefits.

[A couple reasons why he wasn't in a rush to go back home, among another major factor.]

Get a shower set up and it'll be as good as being home.

[shineinside]

Heh, I'd give anything for a nice, warm bath these days. Maybe we'll find a hot spring on the next island or something.

[want_to_belong]

Oh man, I'm right with you on that. No one likes a sti...

[Wait, he can't say he stinks in front of a girl! This isn't Noct he's talking to.

At least his mind was being taken off his memories.]

I mean... Gotta keep some decent hygiene, right?

[shineinside]

[That was kind of the plan from the start - to get his mind off of that memory.]

I think we all smell pretty bad at this point, we've just gotten used to it over time.

[want_to_belong]

I don't think you smell bad at all!

[Not that he's been sniffing her... Hopefully. You can't call a woman smelly, though!]

I guess camping with the guys was good practice for this. We at least had a space heater, though.

[He let out a sigh, some of the tension flowing out of him.]

Ever since coming here I'm not even sure how our ancestors did it. I don't even know where to begin making tools and stuff without a screwdriver.

[shineinside]

[The haste with which Prompto makes that assurance gives Yuka pause. She isn't used to thinking about things like this, but... is he... hitting on her...?

...Nah, probably not. Just forget it and stick to the conversation that's happening now.]

...Yeah, it seems like this whole community is only working properly since we have free favors from the Storyteller. Imagining what it was like just surviving in the wilderness with no help is just too scary...

The worst question to ask a naked boy

[want_to_belong]

[Now for trauma of an entirely different caliber. Those who had been around a while would easily recognize the river of water on Enso in the next memory.

There he was, happily bathing because he was a good clean boy ladies, when suddenly there was a yelp. From a girl.

After some hesitation and floundering because he didn't know if she was in danger or not and seeing what looked like a naked Weiss across the way, he finally went to rescue her from a little frog.

Much to his relief, it's eventually discovered that Weiss wasn't naked at all, and since he was focused more on covering himself up than looking at himself, none of the goods actually get shown in the memory. That didn't mean there wouldn't be any trauma involved, though, because as they discuss ways to avoid any accidental discoveries in the future, she also asked:]

Do they all look like that?

[Perfect question to ask a young guy.]

I, uh... haven't really been trying to check a lot of other guys. But, I've seen Noct's butt a few times. Seems pretty normal...?

[Surely Noctis would be glad he was getting dragged into this.

I know what a butt looks like, I don't care about Noctis's. It's fine. I'll ask Jaune.

[The most awkward of conversations. At least he hadn't tried to peep on the girl bathing, though?]

[shatteredlenses]

[That might be the worst question to ask a naked boy, but who is the worst person to see this memory? Well, not Ignis probably, but he's likely a close second and with that number one person probably off napping somewhere, he is going to make darn sure that he gets some good old-fashioned ribbing in for both of them.

The grin on his face should probably terrify Prompto, honestly. Nothing good comes from this look.]

With as much as you pat and 'catch glimpses' of Noctis behind, one wonders what you aren't telling us when it comes to your true interests in Noct.

[want_to_belong]

Wha-... Iggy, whoa!

[As if the memory itself wasn't bad enough, here Iggy was making suggestions in front of everyone. He lowered his voice and whispered urgently to him.]

You're gonna give the girls the wrong idea!

[Have some mercy on him.

Also, someone please tell him about yaoi.]

[shatteredlenses]

Come now Prompto, you must realize I'm actually doing you a favor.

[Ignis tilts his head slightly so that the mischief twinkling in his good eye is very clear over the top of his sunglasses.]

You've been out among 'normal' teenagers more than I have. Surely, you know just how interesting girls find males who have a certain appreciation, shall we say, for other males.

[Oh, this is either going to end very badly or extremely spectacularly. Either way, get the popcorn, because it's going to be one hell of a show.]

[want_to_belong]

Whaaat? No way, you're pulling my leg.

[His denial was tinged more with curiosity than aversion. He had a hard time believing it, but Ignis wasn't the type to make things up. It also just didn't fit in his mind - why would a girl want a guy to do something with another guy. It was all part of his rather sheltered view of women. To him, guys were the horny ones.

He leaned towards Ignis, though, interested in what he had to say as he tried to keep the conversation between the two of them.]

[shatteredlenses]

[Ignis holds up his hands to show both are empty. Really, dude, do you have to? You know it's just a saying.]

I'm most certainly not. It's all about the interpretation of the thing. Just imagine two good looking guys sitting at the corner table of a club, music drifting back from he dance floor. One lifts a hand to brush back the other's hair and lets his fingers linger.

[Very briefly, Ignis stretches his fingers in Prompto's direction as if he is going to mimic the action he just described, but the lets his hand fall away just a short distance from the blonde's face.]

Already in some people there will be the thrill of having seen an intimate moment between two strangers, but on top of that there is the rarity. As you know, not all people approve of such pairings. As a result, there are many who do, but don't say anything to draw attention to that approval. Suddenly, the thrill of the forbidden is added in on top of the thrill of seeing an intimate act between others.

Understand?

[want_to_belong]

[Prompto listened quietly when Ignis lifted his hand, and rather than pull away he froze in place, breath caught in his throat. He was paralyzed when... Ignis' hand dropped before it reached him. Probably the closest to first base he's ever gotten.

An exhale of air escaped his parted lips. That was oddly close... Things suddenly got way more intense than he was expecting. He never would have predicted Ignis weaving together such a sensual story. However tame it was compared to things like their nude mags, there was something about it that was more stirring. A suggestive story about something that had never crossed his mind before.]

Uh...

[Thank the Astrals Ignis couldn't see right now, because Prompto was staring, wide-eyed, and no doubt his face had turned red.]

Uh, yeah. I get it. Makes sense. I mean, if that's the type of thing someone is into.

[He rubbed his nose nervously, somewhat hiding his face. Considering his lack of progress in the dating realm, ever, it didn't take much for his imagination to explode.]

[shatteredlenses]

[Ignis might not be able to see Prompto's blush or his wide eyes, but he can hear the catch in his breathing and the nervous gestures that follow. A small smile crosses his face as he lets his hands settle into his lap, content with those signs as proof that his point has gotten across and Prompto isn't just humoring him.

Mission accomplished and perhaps then some.]

Indeed. Some people wouldn't be affected at all by such a thing. Oh, I should mention it works in the reverse as well. Just as there are women who enjoy watching two men together, there are men who enjoy watching two women.

[He chuckles softly.]

But you are a healthy young man. I'm sure I don't really need to explain why that is to you.

[want_to_belong]

I know that.

[He snorted, tickled. He was barely out of teenagerhood - some would argue that he was still in it despite the numbers.]

One girl is good enough for me, though.

[Which... was kind of true. While his attention was easily diverted from one girl to the next, he generally focused on one at a time. It was when he was asked to choose that he really had a problem.]

Hey, Iggy... [His tone stayed somewhat casual, though it was a little awkward.] ...Are you into guys or girls? It doesn't really matter to me! But you've never really talked about it.

[shatteredlenses]

No, I suppose I haven't.

[Ignis' hands tighten slightly where they sit in his lap. At the same time, his head tilts downward, expression closing off just enough to give the impression he's drawing back into himself.

Well, he supposes that's exactly what he's doing when it comes down to it. It's not that he doesn't trust Prompto, but he's never talked to...well, anyone about this before.]

I'm afraid I don't have any secret stories to share with you. I don't talk about my preferences or romantic adventures much because I haven't had the time to pursue or explore either. Noct has always come first for me. Besides, Gladio has enough trysts for all of us sometimes.

[He falls silent then, almost as if he is going to leave Prompto's question with the vaguest ever version of 'I don't know' as the answer. After a few moments, though, he smiles slightly--almost as if a fond memory has just slipped across his mind.]

I suppose if my only real crush means anything, I prefer my partners to be male.

[Then again, didn't every living and breathing person who met Nyx Ulric have a crush on him at some point? Does that even count?]

[want_to_belong]

You had a crush?!

[Ignis might as well have just admitted he was an alien. Somehow the idea of Ignis crushing on someone was much stranger than the idea that Ignis liked dudes. Prompto couldn't imagine him fawning over someone, but his idea of how to handle a crush was much different than the other man's.]

Who was it?

[He leaned towards him, curiosity overtaking him. He had to know who the heck could actually catch Ignis' interest.]