[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

[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.]

[shatteredlenses]

[A soft, awkward laugh slips from his lips. The awkwardness is better than bitterness, Ignis figures, as he is once more reminded of how inhuman most think him to be. It's not Prompto's fault, he knows. It just is.]

That I did. I'm only human after all, and he was quite charming when he wanted to be.

[Not that Ignis had ever told Nyx about his silly childish crush, despite sometimes suspecting the man had found him out. In the end, the crush had matured into the strong steady friendship the two had shared even after their duties had sent them in opposite directions.

Duties...

Ignis' fingers twist into the cloth of his slacks in a rare display of distress. When he speaks, his voice is very soft and tight as if he is fighting back tears.]

It...doesn't matter. He's not with us anymore. He died doing his duty when Insomnia fell.

[want_to_belong]

[He started with a crooked smile. How odd it was to hear Ignis say something about another man, someone he like liked, being charming.

But that smile collapsed when he said he died in duty. As many boyish crushes as Prompto had experienced over the course of his life, he'd never had something quite like that happen to him. Especially since it sounded like Ignis actually got to know the person he like, as opposed to staring from a distance.]

Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't know.

[He placed a hand gently on Ignis' arm. Of all people he definitely deserved a happier ending than that. He should have realized it was a possibility, with them losing their home. They'd lost a lot of people.

He didn't have the connection to Nyx that the other guys did, only starting his Crownsguard training as a crash course before they left. He wasn't part of the palace or the Kingsglaive, just an ordinary citizen. His knowledge of the inner workings of the people and the palace was highly limited - hell, he was surprised he even got to be in the throne room before they left. He couldn't readily connect the dots to who it was because he only had vague knowledge of it all. But regardless, if Ignis liked him he must have been a good guy.]

Well...

[He searched. His job was try to keep spirits up, or at least it felt like it. He had to think of something positive.]

If... If we could see Luna again, and Nyx could come back, maybe you'll see him again.

[He offered it as some measure of solace.]

[shatteredlenses]

[Internally, Ignis curses at himself. He hadn't meant to upset Prompto; he'd just wanted to be honest. He should have known that being honest with his emotions was a stupid thing to do. What had it ever gained him?

The words 'It's okay. I'll be fine,' are halfway out of his mouth when Prompto is...well, Prompto. He hits his target without even trying, only meaning well, but sending a bolt of pain through Ignis nonetheless. Hearing Nyx's name in the context of this discussion so soon after he was sent away...

It's just too much. Especially when he had never had the time to properly mourn his friend to begin with.

Ignis' fingers dig into his legs hard enough to bruise though he doesn't feel it as he tucks his chin nearly to his chest in a vain effort to hide the tears gathering in his eyes.]

H-he was here for a short time. He's earned his rest.

[It's unimaginably selfish of Ignis to wish for more.]

[want_to_belong]

Huh...?

[He was here? When?

It took Prompto a moment to think it over in his mind. Of course, it helped that there were very limited people who seemed to be from the same place as them to go through.

Nyx...? He... He fit all the requirements, didn't he? Prompto would have never guessed, he never saw Ignis interact with him like a lovesick puppy. His eyes flicked back and forth as his mind raced, before his fingers tightened around Ignis' arm as he looked up at him and there was a hint of realization in his voice.]

Oh...

[Now what? He thought Nyx might like hanging out on the islands more than being dead. He seemed to do all right, anyway. But, he didn't want to argue with Ignis or anything. He bit his lip thoughtfully for a moment before forming his reply.]

I mean... I didn't know him as well, but it seemed like he wouldn't mind coming back and hanging out with you.

[But they couldn't count on him coming back. They didn't know exactly what happened with him. He was just gone, and it was almost unspoken. Sitting around talking about it wouldn't get them answers. It left him struggling a little bit to try and cheer Iggy up, because he didn't want to spout off blatant lies or anything like that.]

A-And... There's still a lot of people here who care about you, too. Me and Noct, and other people we've met. You seem pretty popular among the people from other worlds.

[It was shallow in comparison to what Ignis was feeling. Surely anyone would give up being well-liked to have someone they cared about back. But it was something. He didn't have to be alone.]