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

lucretia ; ota

[voidfished]

[Plotting comment is here! Feel free to hit me up through DMs or at cancerously for additional plotting!]

room 75, floor 10 ; there is very little left of me and its never coming back (cw: violence, injury)

[voidfished]

[The memory, as entered, is absolute chaos.

The sky is black, filled with some moving, tar-like force, pillars of it slamming down into the ground and sending out soldiers, shaped like people, animals, robotic forms. Within them, spirals and stripes of blue, green, and red swirl, making them ever-moving as they advance on the crowd.

On the ground is a group of rebels, barely armored and hardly armed, but they're screaming, cutting a path through the darkness. And among them is Lucretia. She looks almost 30 years younger, and much, much worse for wear; an eyepatch covers the left side of her face, the blood coming through it still looking fresh. Burn scars move across her left arm in spiderwebbed patterns that extend up to her shoulder, and a wound is already open across the right side of her stomach from a blade. She has her left hand pressed against it to stem the bleeding, her right hand clutching a large axe, and she's running as fast as she can through the chaos. Everywhere around her, people are dying, being ripped apart or impaled by these living shadows, and she looks utterly, completely desperate.

Finally, her goal becomes clear- a banged-up, hastily repaired ship tucked against a rock outcropping by a cliff, one part spaceship and one part seafaring boat. It's most distinctive feature are two interlocking rings that spin opposite directions, like a gyroscope, a contained light within it currently unmoving. As Lucretia approaches, it begins to light, and she slams a bloodied hand against a panel on the side that opens a door.

She pushes her way inside, running towards the front into a cockpit designed a little too small for her, slamming on the buttons and panels on the front as the ship begins to take off. It's a harrowing, horrible struggle as the ship moves, and at every moment she looks like she'll be struck down as she dodges tendrils of this consuming darkness. Finally, however, it rockets out of sight, hits what looks like the edge of the sky, and everything goes white.

And the battle starts again.]

the library ; and i'd love to tell you stories, but i can't remember how they went

[voidfished]

[This is Lucretia's first event, and it shows. She's tucked herself in a far corner of the library, books piled on a side table, one in her lap, and a journal tucked tight into the crook of her arm even as she reads. She looks stressed, like she's not really concentrating and simultaneously couldn't be more intent on the words on the page. It's the face of a woman who is trying, desperately so, to distract herself with some sort of comfort, and utterly failing.

She doesn't have her staff with her this time, as it's trapped in her room, but she still seems she could be formidable if it was necessary. For now, though... she's just trying to forget about what's happening until it's over.]

[mydude]

[The library's silence is broken by a series of loud thumps-- books falling, somewhere. A moment passes, then there's a soft groan. It doesn't stay soft for long, though. The groaning turns to whining then to outright shrieking. More thumps punctuate the screams, and if you listen closely there's the rustling sound of nylon under it all.

Spooky.]

[voidfished]

[She doesn't remember having fallen asleep, but Lucretia's roused almost immediately as soon as the first sound hits. She doesn't sleep soundly these days as it is, and having been thrust into a manifestation of cycle 65 so recently, she's certainly not doing so now. Lucretia has forgotten about the forced truth entirely as she moves, climbing out of the chair she was in to find him. She knows who that is. She knows-- Taako. Even if it's not like he knows her anymore. But Lucretia can't leave him, can't just not save someone she's been trying to save for ten years.

She follows the pitch as it becomes screams, finally finding where he is, and she kneels quickly, pressing him into her arms.]

Taako-- Taako, wake up. It's okay, it's-- just a dream.

[mydude]

[Consciousness washes over him little by little, and soon his limbs still, go loose and tired from all the frenzied movement. His eyes open.]

My fort...

[And then the rest of his senses kick in more fully. Someone's holding him, and the realization fills his throat with panic. He can't remember where his staff is, so he just shoves at the body, scrambles away with his hands patting all around. Where did he leave it?

By the time his hand lands on his umbrella, his brain finally translates the figure in front of him into a person, a person he knows and should probably not blow up.]

Oh.

[Taako realizes he's out of breath and takes a moment, pants and sits up straight, tucking the umbra staff behind him-- still where he can grab it but obviously not a direct threat. It's gonna take a bit for the adrenaline to eke out of his system and he feels better knowing it's there.]

...Sssorry. Night terrors.

[voidfished]

[She doesn't fight him as he scrambles from her arms, though it does hurt that he can't recognize her, even if it's her own fault he doesn't see her as a comfort. She tries to smile, be sympathetic, be caring, without giving too much away.]

It's quite alright. I heard you and I... didn't want to leave you to do it alone.

[Always been the compassionate one. Always wanted to take the way that seemed kindest, even if it wasn't the best.]

I could get you some tea, if that would help.

[mydude]

Tea. Yeah. That's. That'd be good, but, first, can you stay here for a little bit? I don't want to, um, be alone.

[Fuck, so honest. It actually makes his stomach hurt. Or maybe that's just an after effect of the dreams. Taako rubs his face.]

If that's...okay, I mean.

[naughty_nurse]

[She's not the only one desperately looking for distractions. Mikan is doing the same thing, suddenly bursting into the room, tears rolling down her face. She doesn't even seem to notice anyone else is here, frantically grabbing whatever books are closest - not even bothering to look at the titles or content.]

Uuu...

[voidfished]

[She stirs when Mikan comes crashing in, not quite a massive movement but certainly a flinch. Is that woman... crying? Oh, goodness. Despite her usual quiet nature, the event compels her to speak.]

Miss, are you alright? You look to be in distress.

[naughty_nurse]

[She yelps, turning around and dropping several books in the process. Time for unwilling truth!]

No, I'm not all right at all, I can't imagine anyone being all right now!

[voidfished]

... That's fair.

[Still, she climbs out of her chair to help, picking up some of the scattered books.]

This place is more serious than I thought. When events were detailed to me initially, I had expected them to be... something I could handle better.

[naughty_nurse]

[Mikan scoots backwards, not taking any fallen books back.]

... S-Some events can be very nice. But some can be absolutely awful.

[didntknowbest]

[Toriel does not mean to approach her. She's just moving down the shelves, looking intently at the book titles. Stopping to pull one out occasionally, and adding it to a small stack in her other arm if it looks interesting. So caught up in it, that when she looks over and realizes there's someone else there, she's so close that, well, she can't really just turn around and pretend she didn't see her. So, Toriel puts on a polite smile, and just... hopes that this won't end up going bad somehow.]

Oh, hello there, Miss. I did not notice you there! I was trying to avoid running into anyone, actually, but I suppose I was a bit caught up.

Are you... holding up well? I believe this is your first event, is it not?

[voidfished]

[It's not surprising that more people than her would end up in the library, trying to distract themselves; the stacks and forced societal expectations of quiet makes it simple for someone to go unseen. But Toriel acknowledges, and Lucretia greets her with a little wave.]

I... find myself out here for similar reasons, seeing as my room is otherwise occupied. Aside from having to relive quite a bit of trauma, I suppose it could be worse.

[That's not. Well. That was close. She puts her hand on her face, dragging it down the skin a little.]

Though this part is awful, too.

[didntknowbest]

Understandable. I have been avoiding my room as well, due to not wishing to relive my own death.

[Toriel puts her face on her hands as well, not even realizing she's mirroring Lucretia. It's just a very common reaction in this sort of situation, she thinks.]

Yes, I certainly agree. That... is not something which I usually bring up. It is unpleasant to recount, paints someone I know in a poor light to strangers, and just... I suppose I am somewhat of a private person. There are a great deal of things I would like to keep to myself.

[Toriel has several of those things, swimming around in her mind, all on the verge of being forced out of her mouth, and is only saved because none of them seem to stand out more than the other. She can't exactly say all of them at the same time, after all.]

[voidfished]

[Well, here we go, this is happening. Unfortunately, Lucretia can't stop herself either, so they're just gonna keep going.]

I am in roughly the same position. My memories often bring up more questions than answers, and they're not often answers I can explain. Aside from the fact that I would rather address this sort of thing on my own terms, as oppose to having it dragged out against my will.

[She sounds pretty bitter, which, surprise! Is because she is very bitter.]

I don't think it's too much to ask to be able to keep a few secrets for the greater good.

[nodogsonthemoon]

[Magnus originally was going to try to avoid Lucretia during this event. He really was. But the temptation of what was behind her door, of the possible answers he could get from what was hidden behind there was too great to resist. He spent a few hours just pacing the hallway in front of her door, until he got he nerve to open it to reveal...]

[Static. Just static.]

[The door slams shut with a loud crash without Magnus even realizing that he's thrown it back shut. More secrets, more lies, that's all that the Director had.]

[He doesn't know if its his own anger finally getting the better of him or something about this event that is making them all speak the truth, but a part of him whispers in his head to go find her and confront her. If she won't willingly tell the truth, this stupid event will do it for her.]

[Magnus tries to think of where she might be, clearly she's not part of the static and he hasn't seen her while wandering the mansion lately. He recalls Taako mentioning something about seeing her in the library a few days back and it's at least a start.]

[So he makes his way toward the library, a room he certainly doesn't find himself in very often. He stomps his way through the rows of books and tables, not following any polite library etiquette until he stumbles across her table.]

Lucretia. Why is your room all static?

[voidfished]

[Ironically, Lucretia is spending this event doing her best to remain unseen. Forgotten.

As soon as she figured out about the truth, about needing to tell it, she was doing her best to avoid them both. Lucretia knows that eventually, she's going to have to go home and face the consequences of what she's done. They could hate her forever, and she wouldn't even blame them. She used them when she failed. She took them from everything in desperation, and in her worst moments, she thinks she would still do it again if it meant saving this plane. If it meant saving them all from themselves.

But that doesn't make it better when Magnus shows up, and she feels her throat choke, because she can't stop the words that are coming.]

Because it's c̨͢ỳ̷͝c̴̶̛͘͡l͏̶̸͜e͜͞ ̧͢͟͡6̨̛͘͘͠5҉̢̨͝͝.̶̛͡

[She knows he can't hear it. She knows it won't matter. She knows this is only going to get worse.]

Magnus, please, we don't-- we can talk about this.

[nodogsonthemoon]

[Yup, it's gonna get worse from here.]

How are we supposed to talk about this when I can't understand you? If I was inoculated, why do I still hear the damn static?

[He slams his fist on the table, he doesn't cause any structural damage to the table (only a strength roll of 9 on that), but it is enough to cause a loud slam and knock any books she had in piles across the table.]

What else are you hiding from us?

[voidfished]

[Lucretia already looks desperate, clutching her journal to her chest in some form of comfort. Magnus... wouldn't hurt her. He'd never. He gets angry, sure, but--

She always can't help but jump to the worst conclusion. It's how she survives. So she straightens up, lets herself go serious. Push down your fear. Get through it.]

Magnus, I would tell you if I could, but I can't here. I always intended on telling you three when everything was done. You're my f͟͝à̛͝͞m̷̨͡į̨͜͜ļ҉̶́͡y͘͘.̧̕͟͜

[She doesn't even know if that's kept out, but considering their relationships were axed, it might be. She'd usually talk around it, but thanks to Wonderland, she can't. She can only barrel ahead.

Hah. How appropriate, for Magnus.]

[restinglichface]

[Finally, Lup understands what all of the people who warned her about Wonderland's events finally meant.

Everything about this day was just awful, but Lup's natural curiosity is just the worst part of it all. She had to peek inside, to see what memory Lucretia was forced to relieve, and now she's here seeking the woman out, following a aching need to be near her.]

Thought I'd find you here. When looking for nerds, always check the library first. [Lup doesn't ask before dragging a chair next to Lucretia and plopping down backwards in it, straddling the chair so her arms and head could rest along the top of the backrest. For a brief moment, the elf is silent, just watching her friend, eyes drifting along the obvious stress in Lucretia's face, the way it makes her seem even more older than she already has become. Her fingers idly tap out a small beat against the wood of the chair, before she finally can't stand the quiet and blurts out:]

It was worse than I ever imagined. And I've imagined it a lot. [It's hard to tell what's forced honesty and what's just Lup. She's a candid woman for the most part, but what she'd walked into and viewed was such a intimate, personal memory of Lucretia's.]

[voidfished]

[Lucretia doesn't move to stop her as she brings herself closer, leaning back in her chair so Lup could touch her if she wanted. She doesn't... really know where they stand, here. Of course she hurried to Lup's room when everything happened, viewed the consequences Lup had to live with because of her destruction, and of course she's been here having a grand time with the power of avoidance ever since. She doesn't even know if Lup would want to see her. She doesn't know how to keep those boundaries.

But Lup speaks, and she responds, because suddenly she knows exactly where they are.]

I don't... know how I ever would have explained it as I experienced it. That was just the final battle. When I figured out what's going on, I thought...

[She pauses, only to collect what she's about to say, feeling Wonderland pushing it out of her where she'd like to fade instead.]

Earlier in that cycle, I tried to negotiate with them. I made it all the way to the capital and I-- I saw your bodies. All of you, statues.

I thought I would see that again. I suppose it's complicated to quantify suffering, though this place seems to manage.

[restinglichface]

[The invitation is laid out there there, so touch her Lup does, calloused fingertips slipping forward to rest against the back of Lucretia's hand, brushing lightly over her wrist. Even if things between them are still a little shaky, Lup does it because the elf is more than a little starved for closeness as of late and Lucretia remains someone she trusts. She'd burned through most of her anger already, the slap and resulting sobbing fit the full of extent emotions the elven woman was willing to allow herself in this place.

The truth was hard to accept but Lup just had to swallow the fact that Lucretia couldn't just snap her fingers and fix the mess she'd made. And well, if Lup couldn't have her brother back as immediately as she'd hoped, she wasn't fucking going to lose her best friend too. Not a chance.

Suck up the tears. Ignore the dull ache in her heart. Keep looking for a solution. She couldn't give up hope completely.]

Yeah, just one fucking day of the three hundred and sixty-five you had to endure. [Lup's handful of weeks on the road had been lonely enough, but at least she'd always known she could turn around and go back to her family at any point. Lucretia was just completely, utterly alone there on that plane, hunted by strangers and forced to learn to survive on her own.

There's so much Lup could say in response to that. She wants to talk about her friend's strength, how proud she was of her survival, how even after a year spent in hell it amazed her that Lucretia hadn't lost the goodness of her warm heart. But something else slips out, because of course it does.]

We did it for you, y'know. [It was probably something assumed, but never actually spoken aloud.] Bar and I wanted to keep that from ever happening again. For the mission to land completely on one person's shoulders like that. It was too much.

I mean, it wasn't all just for you, obvs, but you were always most on our minds while we planned. We loved you. And I... I just couldn't stand the thought of you ever having to go through that shit again. I would've done anything to prevent it.

[voidfished]

[She closes her eyes as Lup's hand meets hers, turning her wrist over to touch her fingertips to Lup's. She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve Lup's forgiveness, and affection, and touch. Lucretia's going to say something about it until Lup speaks again, and her eyes open, looking towards the other woman in disbelief.

We loved you.

It makes her want to cry.]

Lup, I... I know that cycle was the catalyst to it. To everyone being so cautious.

[She wants to say she could handle it. She wants to say she could have made things right. But she failed that at the Bureau too, didn't she? Had to bring the boys in without being able to tell them the truth, because she just couldn't make it work.]

You shouldn't have, if it was for me. You gave up your life. You don't regret that, at all? Were you ever afraid?