It may very well be the worst thing that's ever happened to you! | OPEN MINGLE

[vitaelamorte]

Who: EVERYONE!
Where: EVERYWHERE!
When: Friday October 27th - Tuesday October 31st
Rating: PG-13, warn if you're gonna go higher!
Summary: A catch all for the Horrible Memory Truth Event!
The Story:

For the duration of this event, everyone's entire room will be replaced with a memory playing on loop. They will likely recognize the moment as soon as they see it – it is a moment they remember as the worst moment of their entire lives. It could be a memory from home or something that happened in Wonderland. Lengths of the memories will vary, but they will find that these are not memories they can merely watch – they can step into these memories and attempt to make changes to them, and the memories will be long enough that they have time to make changes (though no more than 24 hours). However, anyone who tries will find that it is futile. No matter what you do or how hard you try, the outcome is always exactly the same somehow. No changes you make will prevent that horrible outcome. It just happens over and over and over again no matter what you do.

On top of that, perhaps complicating any attempts to make changes, everyone will be forced to be honest for the duration of the event. No lies or half-truths are allowed, and filters will be gone for the entire five days. If something bothers someone then they will blurt it out, regardless of whether or not it hurts someone's feelings, and no one will be able to simply keep quiet when they have something to say. They must be truthful and honest with every word they say.

This is a catch-all log for all of your Worst Memory needs! Please mark your threads clearly in the subject line with your character's name and Room Number + Floor for character rooms, or just location if you're making a top level for a public place in the mansion (like the tea rooms or the kitchen) so people can see if there's already a thread available. And here's the plot post if you need it!

Have fun!

Comments

[powerofmabel]

That's because you overthink. You're doing it to yourself, bonehead. [She grabs a pillow and buries her face in it, but the words still come out, though muffled.] Not everything has to be planned out. Sometimes you just have to trust I know what I'm doing.

[shslliar]

[... He pulls out a game called Hungry Hungry Hippos and shows it to her. Close enough?]

[heroica]

It's all right. It's hardly your fault.

[ She offers a fleeting smile at the physical gesture. ]

I... think I would prefer to not, if you really don't mind. I'm still... trying to move past it within my own mind, right now.

[directed]

Oh, I am very aware. [Hasn't he already confessed his own failing in a way? He would never forgive himself for Calvert, he would carry those regrets always—and even if he knows in his head that what he'd done was necessary and right, the heart will always wonder.]

What I'm telling you now are the lessons I was taught, when I was trained to be a Time Master. [Some for good, some decidedly not. Yet Rip cannot deny that in the end, that schooling has made him so much of the man he is.] Experience is the only thing that can show you whether it's possible to take them to heart or not—if you choose to try.

[directed]

Not intentionally.

[And therein lay the difference. If exhaustion manages to overtake thought, that is one thing. But in this moment, Rip's not sure that his body can outpace his mind, that the silence of sleep will quell the thoughts that ricochet, the reminders of what lay beyond the door and Rip's responsibility in allowing it to happen. The wounds remain too freshly reopened, though through the admission of his smile, they have at least been treated with a salve.

He can see what she attempts in her offer. Equally, Rip is grateful for it. He does not easily nor often remember that he doesn't do well when left to his own devices in such matters.

So for this, at least, he puts up no resistance.]

I don't mind, no. [And if, if sleep is possible, it seems he is quietly willing to at least try. His head lowers, and if Peggy looks she will see that Rip has closed his eyes. The mix of silence and presence might be enough, if not for true slumber, then at least for Rip to strike as close to rest as he might manage under the circumstances.]

[mandrakes]

You wouldn't be alone in that affliction. [He's troubled enough by his own and thinks very little of Ishimaru admitting that he's having that kind of problem. The worst moments of anyone's life are bound to leave a lasting impression.]

I believe that I have already tormented myself enough with the particular memory that Wonderland chose to show to me. It hardly came as a surprise.

[voidfished]

"Oh." At first, it seems like she's going to leave it there, but she's unfortunately much too naturally verbose to let anything lie with a single word when she doesn't have control over it. "So people really do die and come back here. Are you alright? I imagine it wasn't very recent now, but the first time that happened to me I was shaken up for quite a while."

First time. Great, okay, we're here. Lucretia sighs again, shoulders slumping. "At least it probably doesn't take very long, or so I've heard. The most disorienting part for me was losing those months."

[voidfished]

[So long as no one is being harmed. Hah.]

Sometimes, the point of secrets is exactly that. Not everyone can handle the truth of the matter, and not everyone should. There are also people who would wield that power for great evil. As idealistic as it may be, one cannot trust everyone with that ability.

[Ugh, she wants to stop talking about this. Time for a subject change.]

Regardless, this will all be over in a few days, yes? Much shorter than my typical escapades. I'm sure it will be fine.

[naughty_nurse]

[Mikan doesn't reply - mostly because she's not sure she believes it. She just mumbles her chant over and over again until they make it to the door - where Past!Mikan's mad screams can be heard inside.

She lets go of Sayaka's hand.]

... If you really want to know... then go inside.

[normandysbest]

[Truthfully, Shepard doesn't want to go. Even in watching him die, even in having to relive that moment- when it loops, at the start, she gets to feel the touch of his hand. The weak squeeze where their fingers connect, the last bit of life in him she can still remember. It's a sorry state she's in that even this is hope. That she'd relive this horrible place just to see him alive for a second one more time.

She takes one more look back towards Thane, and turns, making her way out. The small scrapes and dirt on her disappears when she emerges, and the memory version of her splits off, walking backwards, takes Thane's hand.

Shepard leans against the wall, back heavy, head titled up and eyes closed.]

Sorry. It's... you probably have questions.

[noble_son]

He smiles slightly and nods, sliding into the seat. Only when she points it out does he notice the small, furry head poking out of his jacket and he lifts the creature out, prompting a meow.

"Ah... this is Delilah."

Nathaniel tries to keep the cat on his lap, though she makes a concentrated effort to get up onto the table.

"Named after my sister."

[mandrakes]

Certainly not.

[Honesty from him, too - it was no word of a lie when he said it was pleasant to see her, and he would have stated such regardless of whether or not he was being compelled to.]

In my opinion, taking time alone to think can be vastly overrated.

[beatupgrass]

Oh, thanks. That's exactly what I didn't need to hear right now.

[It takes a second for the important addition to that sentence that turns sarcasm into a true statement registers and then he swears.] It's ruining sarcasm for me now too! What the hell?

[voidfished]

Magnus, I never did anything that wasn't absolutely necessary.

[She doesn't know how to explain this without Fisher. Without-- well, it's not even Fisher, really, but the child. Without the ichor, even if she found a way to make him understand, he'd just forget again. This is hopeless. An exercise in pain for them both.

And yet, she continues.]

I know this is confusing, and-- I never meant to hurt anyone. But it's necessary to save the world. All of it.

[ssmisery]

[The mysterious force that is conversational momentum does seem to be moving towards winding down, doesn't it? As if the conversation itself in charge here, with these two just captive to it. Lapis can feel the potential of freedom strongly enough to start physically sidling away even as she continues.]

And I still don't understand how you can make that sound so friendly. But since you're being forced to be honest, now I'm going to know it really isn't fake, and I probably won't be able to convince myself it's all just stupidity. I... really don't get you, but... fine.

[naughty_nurse]

My lock was broken a while ago... but the hall closest can probably provide a new key.

[The tears have completely stopped now, and she seems to have calmed down significantly. Maybe it's because it was't instant forgiveness or constant reassurance, it was just... mutual suffering and mutual understanding.]

... Thank you, for talking to me. I know you won't think it's much, but... you could have just as easily ignored me. Talking, really talking, takes effort. So... yes... thank you.

[voidfished]

"Well, it does make me feel better to know you're not alone." She crosses her arms across her chest, staying at the frame. "Though I can imagine spending this event with someone you know quite well would still be uncomfortable. Still, please do take care of yourself. Finding a good book could be a nice, solitary distraction."

[actualwizard]

“I know it’s bullshit!” He snaps back, because Peter isn’t telling him anything he doesn’t know already and he’s been on edge since this whole thing started. He lets himself fall back into his chair and leans his elbows on the desk, head in his hands. “It’s all terrible and reliving it...reliving it when I’m aware of what’s going on no less. It’s like it’s two years ago and all the progress I made, all the steps with Teddy mean absolutely nothing, because I’m back there again getting strangled by the one person who was never supposed to hurt me.”

He glances up at Peter. “What am I supposed to do?”

[ssmisery]

[okay if she knew she was making him cry that might be enough to make her feel bad. Still, Lapis never has really cared for Ishimaru's whole weird hyper-polite deference; that's how things got to this point in the first place. It's even worse in person, and it's definitely starting to feel awkward.]

Why would you care that much? It's not like I've been especially nice to you, or we talked about anything interesting. I seriously doubt we have much in common.

[trabryu]

[ With his eyes locked with Jon's blue ones, he can't avoid seeing the emotion reflected in it. He should've known by now that eyes will tell him so many things, sometimes even things that he didn't want to know. But he doesn't want to run away from the truth anymore at this point. ] I... I didn't. [ He says, gritting his teeth. Here goes, part two. ] I got scouted to some elite school called the Hope's Peak Academy sometime after my big bro's death. It's... where I got my title from. [ The whole 'Super High School Biker Gang Leader' thing. ] Apparently they only took in people with special talents or some crap like that, and they promised you bright future after you get outta there, but... [ Puffing out air, he pauses for a moment before going on. This all sounds too made-up to be true, but it was his reality. ] Dunno what happened, somehow we were locked down in the school and had to kill each other if we wanna get out. There was even this bear robot that kept claiming that it was the principal of the school, and it kept giving us 'motives' to kill. I know this sounds darned crazy ー 's all like one fucking sick joke, but it was real. People died, for real. [ The brakes for his mouth are really not working now, goddammit. He didn't want to say it so straightforwardly, especially not to Jon, but his tongue doesn't stop. ] ...And I... let it fuck me over. It somehow knew about my big bro's death and threatened to expose it to my gang if I didn't kill within 24 hours. I was so fuckin' scared. The gang's all I got left, and I didn't want to break the promise I made with my brother to keep them together. ...But I didn't want to kill either. Thinkin' bout it now, I shouldn't have, but I kept all those to myself. I... drove myself to a corner. It gradually felt like I was gonna go bonkers. [ There's no point regretting it now, but it was something he could learn from, for this 'second life' he's gotten. ] And then... one of my classmates, Fujisaki, happened to say somethin' that set me off. It wasn't even anythin' offensive, Fujisaki wasn't at fault at all. 's just bad, bad timing. [ It was overlapping series of unfortunate events. And the fact that Mondo was a walking disaster. ] Everything just... went to black then. [ If he closes his eyes now, he knows he can see the scene unfolding again in the back of his mind. ] When I got a hold of myself again, Fujisaki was already dead and I was there, holding the weapon. [ His grips on Jon's shoulders weaken and he eventually lets them drop to his sides. ] I knew then, that I was the one who did it.

[determinedest]

[He’s still older, still probably wiser in a sense. In multiple senses, even if they’re not exactly conventional in their own experience. How can someone walk away with any manner of certainty, no matter how long they’ve learned? That sort of confidence in choice is as foreign a concept as growing up feels to be most days - the only times they’ve ever had earnest confidence in their choices were selective and in the periods of time when they were at their lowest, most usually.]

Does it ever get easier?

[They ask him because they know he can’t lie. They ask because he can’t be the typical sort of adult in god moment, who can bundle it all away in some sweeping, patently false platitude and hope that will suffice.]

[Does it ever get easier]]

[mucked]

...Then you and I think very differently, I'm afraid.

[ because thinking under any circumstances besides alone seems daunting. doubly so under these particular effects. still, she doesn't rush to leave. mostly because she didn't come up here to think. ]

[ssmisery]

I know, right? I probably came off as sympathetic, but frankly I felt like I was going to catch some kind of, like, honesty taint if I talked to him. It was really thorough, he didn't even get any loopholes.

[Lapis leans heavily against the wall of the little vestibule. This development is detestable and she's frustrated, but she doesn't have it in her right now to throw a fit about it. If nothing more, watching herself get abandoned on Earth a couple times just kinda tired her out.]

Anyway, you barely have anything to hide. But then I'm not exactly hiding much either, I just hate talking about myself and I can already imagine spending the day laying out all my personal issues to everyone I pass in the garden. We can't even barricade ourselves in our room this time, this sucks. Ugh, it's already weird just hearing myself talk this much.

[trabryu]

Then what're you waitin' for? Let's get one so you don't gotta worry about people seein' stuff!

[ Her words after stop him from walking further, though, eyes widening at the unexpected gratitude. ]

...Well, thanks for saying all thos--bfhmpff!! [ Don't mind him, he's just smacking himself in the face in desperate attempt to hide his bashfulness. Goddammit, this stupid tongue control... Still, he can't deny that it feels good to establish this kind of dynamic. Just like Tsumiki, he probably has always looked for this: a mutual understanding, instead of reassurance or forgiveness. ]

[determinedest]

The first time. Her too, then? They wish they could apologize, truly they do, but it’s not an event for saying things one doesn’t mean - or simply can’t mean, for one reason or another.

The child’s shoulders tilt up in a fluid shrug.

“I’m okay. I’ve died lots of times. I’m used to it.” And then, because they don’t wnr to be rude and more particularly because they don’t wnt her addressing that part of their response, they add, “I’d say that I’m sorry you died too, but I don’t really know you, so I don’t think I can.”

It doesn’t necessarily bother them when people find out, but such an admission usually generates a level of sympathy they don’t deserve, a level of pity they can’t tolerate.