lifeaftr_mods: (Default)
The Mods of LifeAftr ([personal profile] lifeaftr_mods) wrote in [community profile] aftr_stories2018-10-19 08:54 pm

[MU] - FEELING LIKE A GHOST (PART II)

"No, no...no!"

The Storyteller's voice cuts through the inkdrop-dark, frantic and scrambling. A distant blot of campfire gutters in the far distance - far from where you are. The disorientation of the week preceding this one has translated into Mu, and everything is hopelessly out of place. The Storyteller sounds muffled, clearly addressing someone or something else, their voice cushioned by the uniform, void-like night.

"Stop it. Stop it! I wasn't gone for very long at all. You can't behave for two weeks? You have to make it all...all...wrong? I can't keep this up - not with what I've had to do since returning - !"

Gradually, however, the shadowy campsite solidifies into being. Or...a semblance of it does, in any case. Four glistening pyres rear out from the shadows, each glowing a different color. The strange material that domes them almost resembles worked steel, forming different patterns against their multicolored backdrops.
[ ♆ ] The first glows a deep crimson, kicking scarlet embers into the dream-night air. Its pit sphere portrays a crowd of people in silhouette, heads bowed in genuflection - paying homage to some looping, many-coiled shape in the sky above.

[ ♆ ] The second glows a deep orange. Its pit sphere is worked into the shape of a looming mountain, with what might be some sort of village or ruin sprawled at its base.

[ ♆ ] The third's flames are a rich green. Its designs are most abstract; the starburst patterns that swirl across the metallic composition of its fire pit sphere could be explosions, maybe...or something else entirely.

[ ♆ ] The fourth pyre is one bearing host to golden flames, amber sparks sprayed out from behind the shape of a set of scales nestled among a flurry of birdlike shapes.
Beside each pyre is heaped a pile of sticks, colored to correspond to their respective flames. The Storyteller sounds agitated when they manage to speak again:

"Will you let them at least make the choice I left to gave them?" When there is no response, they sigh. "If you can hear me...I can't make it clearer than that, at the moment. Pick one. Pick one, quickly, and try to get out before it decides to make things worse! Just add a stick to whichever one looks best to you!"

Unfortunately, whether you abstain from voting or make your choice, that's not all there is to this night...



Tonight's Storytelling, further warped by Mu's capricious nature, will likely feel familiar to those of you who were with us in December of the year prior. Only this time, you don't get much choice in what kind of story you're telling...or, indeed, any choice in the matter at all. As you wake by the Storytelling campfire, Mu shifts to form three separate events from your character's present - which is to say, within one full year of their current canonpoint - 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.



While the initial setting will be familiar for oldcomers, and newcomers will recognize it from the introduction they received in their dreams, things will be far more similar to the memory share that occurred in December. All memories must be from within one year of your character's canonpoint. For questions, please refer to our OOC event post!

Even those who prefer not to voice their stories aloud are not safe this time around. The memory does not need to be willingly recalled in essence in order for Mu will shift to accommodate it in full.

Just like the last time this happened, all memories will be worth two offerings each, as if in compensation. So at least there's that!
solperierat: <user name="wolfintheattic"> (Default)

[personal profile] solperierat 2018-10-31 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
Player Name: Casey
Character Name: Edward Elric
Character Journal: [personal profile] solperierat
Number of Memories: One
Offering(s): boop
selfinserting: (pic#12103421)

of course it was going to be this one

[personal profile] selfinserting 2018-10-31 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Tonight is - it's strange, to say the very least. Every thing he recalls that doesn't belong to him, every moment spent occupying thoughts and feelings he isn't accustomed to... Well. He can't say he doesn't have experience with that, but not in this way. This is much different.

And this, perhaps, is the most troubling of the bunch; he remembers this moment occurring not long before he came here. To him, it's a warm memory, a moment where he dropped further into what he's always wanted. It takes a few moments to slot in that this isn't from his perspective, and that notion makes his stomach drop like an anchor.

That sinking feeling isn't going to dissipate any time soon, but this - he can't just let this go unaddressed. There's no plan to what exactly he'll say, but what comes out first is quick and panicked.]


Connor. I, I don't...
want_to_belong: (Deep breath)

[personal profile] want_to_belong 2018-10-31 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
If only we knew how you got from there to here. There's gotta be something. There's hardly any people here, in comparison to the bajillion people who exist at home anyway, and here we have people who have been taken to other worlds before and people who know each other.

I just don't know where to look. Maybe we just have to start combing over every inch of the island.
savedbyasong: (unsure)

[personal profile] savedbyasong 2018-10-31 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
[I'm fine is always a lie. Shion would have hoped they had learned that lesson. But apparently not. The flowers had proven that most here would rather die than face the truth, after all.

His gaze returns to the vision.]


Was she the one in charge?
youngmother: (hewwo?)

Rei Ayanami | OTA

[personal profile] youngmother 2018-10-31 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
youngmother: (aaaaall byyyy myyyyyseeeeeelf)

AUDIO ONLY

[personal profile] youngmother 2018-10-31 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
"What is it, Asuka? Calling right before the test?"

A woman in her late twenties walks out of a bunker in a military base, talking on a cell phone while crews around her organize supplies and direct vehicles. She's dressed somewhat differently from those around her, in a bright red jacket and short skirt, but the attitude she gives off indicates she definitely belongs here. The voice on the other side of the call crackles through, loud enough to be heard by whatever has captured this moment.

"I just wanted to talk to you for some reason, Misato."

The woman--Misato--smiles and looks off to the side. "I see. I haven't thanked you properly for doing this yet, so...thank you."

From Asuka's side comes a hissing sound, as if something has released a burst of air, but there's no sense of alarm due to it. "You don't have to thank me. It's simply the duty of the elite to protect the innocent masses. I mean, having a meal with everyone was never really my thing."

Misato smiles and shakes her head, listening in silence as Asuka goes on in a calm and matter-of-fact tone. "Pretending to have fun with the others will only wear me out. I don't want to see others be happy. I should just pilot EVA. I've aways liked being alone. I never needed close friends. THere's never been anyone who sees me for who I realy am. As long as I get top scores in this test, I can deal with eating alone at NERV."

The next part brings Misato pause, her gaze growing slightly distant with thought. "Though, recently I've been thinking that it's nice to be around others. It's not like me to say that, though..."

"That's not true." Misato looks up towards what seems like a construction pit, surrounded by massive cranes framing an enormous humanoid machine, currently inactive. "You're a kind girl, Asuka."

There's a pause before Asuka replies. "You're the first person I've said this to, Misato. Somehow, I feel better now. It feels good to talk to others." Her tone has shifted, and one can hear the smile in her voice. "I never knew..."

"This world is full of interesting things you have yet to know about. Look forward to them."

"Yeah, I will. Thanks, Misato."
tuskenlancer: (I'm not talking about you guys)

[personal profile] tuskenlancer 2018-10-31 06:03 am (UTC)(link)
I was dead before I was here.

[ As if he doesn't know. As if he could have forgotten. ]

So what, someone brought me back and I - did what, Wash? Went out and found a new fucking boyfriend? Got engaged?
savedbyasong: (not sure)

[personal profile] savedbyasong 2018-10-31 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
I don't know... I know we got there... A machine and a child who had very powerful psychic ability, able to draw souls from their worlds. We were travelling back home in the same manner when we ended up here.

[Likely they had been caught up in whatever force drew souls here.] We will find the answers though I'm not sure they are on Enso...
savedbyasong: (worry)

[personal profile] savedbyasong 2018-10-31 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
We are always hardest on ourselves. [It was easier to forgive others their mistakes and moments of weakness than it was to forgive themselves for the same thing.]
counterblows: (϶ as i'm the worst of all)

[personal profile] counterblows 2018-10-31 06:08 am (UTC)(link)
You died, okay? You died again, and it was the Counselor's fault.

[None of this is going to sound any more believable to her in the slightest. Why is he even bothering - bothering to explain it to her? Wake the fuck up - is this helping anyone?]
tuskenlancer: (I'm not making excuses for myself)

[personal profile] tuskenlancer 2018-10-31 06:09 am (UTC)(link)
Prison?

[ "They'll what, Connie?"

"I don't know, make a deal with us. Keep us out of prison."


Slowly at first, then more firmly, she shakes her head. ]


No. I never went -

They never caught me.

[ Because she was dead. ]
savedbyasong: (more smiles)

[personal profile] savedbyasong 2018-10-31 06:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Shion just smiled, though it did sound harsh he had seen friendship like that before. Friends who showed care by jibes rather than kindness. Shion didn't quite understand it, but there was still much he didn't understand.] It sounds like you care about him a lot.
tuskenlancer: (What're you looking at?)

[personal profile] tuskenlancer 2018-10-31 06:13 am (UTC)(link)
The Counselor -

[ It certainly isn't helping her to understand anything. She cuts herself off, going silent for a moment, before speaking again, quietly, urgently. ]

Wash, if this is some kind of a joke -
youngmother: (new phone who dis)

CHILDREN'S SESSION IN PROGRESS

[personal profile] youngmother 2018-10-31 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
The landscape around is barren, all white dust and massive pockmarks of meteor strikes. The sky above is black, and the horizon curves too sharply to be anywhere upon a planet. Yet in this place is a massive construction site, a large reflective roof covering one of the giant pits in which it has been erected. A small craft, angular in shape, drifts past the outside with a small viewport able to be seen. As it drifts lower, through the gap a massive figure can be seen that is slowly being fitted with some form of armor--its obvious that the size of the pieces in question are the reason for the locale. Above other ships drift by, one set transporting some great long device wrapped tightly in protective tarps.

However, there is something strange. Upon one of the huge being's hands sits a young man, clad only in a pair of pants and sitting upon the tip of one massive finger. The shock of white hair, red eyes, and irritatingly smug expression prove it to be none other than Kaworu, though his hair seems to have been cropped slightly closer. He turns to look at the drifting craft, and two men can just barely be seen staring at him in blank confusion.

"Pleased to meet you, father-in-law."
Edited 2018-10-31 06:27 (UTC)
youngmother: (Default)

[personal profile] youngmother 2018-10-31 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
Player Name: Casey
Character Name: Rei Ayanami
Character Journal: [personal profile] youngmother
Number of Memories: Two
Offering(s): boop
savedbyasong: (gentle smiles)

[personal profile] savedbyasong 2018-10-31 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
It is worth it. [Without a doubt, no matter what happened. No matter if things got painful or difficult. He was glad they had met, glad beyond words.

The hand that was not stroking his hair reached down to take Connor's hand.]
I wouldn't change it. [Not even the dying or the pain. If that was what it took for Ceej to be here, to not be flinching from Shion's touch. Then it was worth it. Struggle was part of real life after all so as difficult as things were, still were, because Shion knows they need to talk. He needs to follow Gladio's advice and just... say all the words inside his heart.]

Thank you.
savedbyasong: (comfort)

[personal profile] savedbyasong 2018-10-31 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
You won't. It... It's not easy to change who you are. Who you will become. But... [He gives a tiny laugh, barely a breath of air.]

If I can change... You are so much stronger than me Ignis. You will be able to change things.
savedbyasong: (dispair)

[personal profile] savedbyasong 2018-10-31 06:40 am (UTC)(link)
The hand does a lot to calm him, there's nothing to destroy here. Nothing to hurt. No one here is responsible for the pain that these visions are bringing. Not even the Story Teller.

He takes a breath, turning to press his face into Ignis' side, focusing on his words, trembling with anger. Even if a good thing came out of it, and Shion knows how much Soma meant to Ignis, how much Ignis learned from him, the intention was still to hurt.

But he had to... Move forwards. Breathe. Breathe again. Hands came up to clutch at Ignis' shirt. "I know... Sorry... It's just..."

He knows he doesn't need to explain, even if Ignis hadn't seen him rage on Ai'Tuoh, the vision of him killing, cold and deadly, had been shown to everyone.
tuskenlancer: (I just need more time)

[personal profile] tuskenlancer 2018-10-31 06:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't elaborate, and CT takes the hint and doesn't ask. She just nods, leaning back with a heavy sigh. ]

Well. This definitely wasn't a memory, and it doesn't look like a vision from the future, either.

So I say we just forget all of it.

[ She's certainly going to try. This is just...too weird. ]
yourattention: (that doesn't mean)

i still hate your new username just fyi

[personal profile] yourattention 2018-10-31 06:51 am (UTC)(link)
Why the fuck were you in my house?

[It's probably slightly more agressive than Connor should be, maybe, but he's freaking out and that's the thing he most desperately needs an answer to right now. Why was Evan at his house? Why did it seem like Evan had stolen his fucking life after he died? Why was Zoe looking at Evan like that?]
counterblows: (϶ the bulls are sedated)

[personal profile] counterblows 2018-10-31 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not. I swear it's not, but I don't...know how to explain it to you in a way that makes sense.

[He has no idea how much of it makes sense from an external perspective. It made no sense to him, but does anything he hears about this place?]
tuskenlancer: (I'm not talking about you guys)

[personal profile] tuskenlancer 2018-10-31 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Then try!

Please, Wash. I...I followed this guy off a cliff, I fucking killed myself trying to get back to - to wherever it was...

Why would I do that? Who was he? What happened?
suspecteverything: (relaxed neutral)

[personal profile] suspecteverything 2018-11-01 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
I owe him a lot. I wouldn't have the life I do right now without him. Trajen is what is known as my father by the Tavali. In order to be admitted to Tavali training you have to have a sponsor, so to speak. Trajen has never done that for anyone. I still haven't quite figured out why he decided to break his streak for a bastard like me.
suspecteverything: (neutral)

[personal profile] suspecteverything 2018-11-01 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Where ever whoever start this wants them to be. Some facility somewhere would be my guess. It's the only way we could be alive for long periods of time."

It wasn't exactly like they were separated from their bodies physically. A coma would still mean they were living.
deathfindsaway: (« [Blush] i-i love you)

[personal profile] deathfindsaway 2018-11-01 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
[HE'S GOING TO BLUSH HIS ENTIRE HEAD OFF, OKAY.

On one hand, he can't NOT watch this, because this hasn't happened to him yet. This is somewhere in his future yet undetermined, something wonderful to look forward to in the bleakness he imagined his future to be. On the other hand, oh gods help him this is a bit intimate to be showing to everyone, especially not knowing many of the people on the islands well.

He'll just put his face in his hands to try and hide the color there and talk into his palms.]


I d-- I did not ask it to do that.

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