Truth Meme

[folkie]

Truth Meme

Somehow, there is kirin on you.

Most likely, it is the fur of the kirin that was caught in the environment of wherever you’ve been; there is a stray hair on you because one was on the seat you sat on upon the train or because it blew onto the brim of your hat in the wind.

Or it may be because you met the kirin—a playful ungulate moose-sized spirit who prefers not to speak—and engaged with him and gave him a pat, or a scratch behind an ear. Maybe the kirin nosed or licked your hand because you made him laugh (it’s an adorable ‘keh keh keh’ sound).

Unfortunately for both you and the kirin (who had not meant to trouble your day like this, truly), this exposure to his dander has only one reaction, and it happens to 100% of Star Children: you are compelled to tell the entire truth. About what is less specific; you are compelled simply to announce things about yourself—your life, experiences, thoughts, opinions, feelings. No matter if it’s something silly and inconsequential, deep or secretive, life-altering or commonplace. Some may choose to do this by employing Foxi and their relic; others by finding people to exchange truth with to face to face.

When you have met the kirin’s subconscious desire for four hours, you will be free from the truth telling and the recipient of 24 hours of good luck. The good luck will be sometime in the next year rather than in the next day, and you may have no idea where it came from, but you’ll know a lucky day when you have it!

• This meme is game canon unless marked otherwise at the start of threads! Threads can be used for spoons and application samples.
• Assume all characters involved on this meme are affected.
• Characters will compulsively state truths about themselves/their feelings on the network or in-person. Top-levels may include either/both options.
• Please include prompts in your top level.
• All questions will be answered with complete and total honesty. No special abilities, half-truths, or omissions can avoid sharing all of the truth.
• Meme is open until the next truth meme!
• After one month, you may use the kirin mechanic generally in game. It can be one-sided! All truth-telling characters must consent.

Comments

[moseyin]

[The snide little 'burn down your little town' doesn't match the guilty and apologetic kid of less than an hour ago, so Cloud elects to ignore the barb. He's pissed off that Cloud isn't compelled to tell the truth and isn't leaving, so he's being a bitch. Makes sense. Cloud would do it too.]

What about the Planet? Will it tolerate some other god or whatever showing up to try and clean it up? [Look, Cloud will be the first to admit that humans have really fucked things up for the world, almost irreparably so, but on the flipside the Planet is a pissed off motherfucker sometimes. It didn't like Jenova and maybe it won't like this other alien intervention.] If you really think this'll work...you'll need Aerith to hear about it first.

[miniroth]

[But still the truth. Dead and purged, he'd be no threat. Many would get to live.]

The Planet had it's chance to cleanse the infection. It couldn't, and chose to isolate and freeze it instead. Ice melts. So long as She does nothing else, I don't anticipate a protest, save that I may be rejected by the Lifestream and may never meet my human mother even in death.

[The sullenness is creeping back in by degrees, and he's not bothering to hide how upset he is about any of this conversation now that he's aware he's the only victim of the truth. There are things he didn't say to anyone willingly, any and all thoughts and worries about his mothers being one of them. One a monster, the other dead, and all the dreams of love and acceptance so much ash. He knew he could physically oust Cloud if he wanted to, and he very much did, but had to weigh if it'd be worth it.

But Aerith.. the tension the name alone causes is immediate. He had no idea who she was, beyond a future victim that Cloud ... And to him, more importantly, Zack cared about a great deal.]

Absolutely not. I said I would not trouble her further, and I will not. It isn't her timeline besides.

[moseyin]

Not her timeline, but you being dead is going to save my little town? [Isolating himself, again. This kid really did want Cloud to just tell him that Jenova is like, weak to fire or whatever, and then bolt.] She's Cetra. Maybe her mom's still alive in your time, in which case you should be asking her first, but if you don't then you need to ask Aerith since she's the only one who'll actually know what the Planet will and won't allow.

[miniroth]

[He really did. Ideally in a way that wouldn't also cost his own life, but it seems as if that, like so much else, was a delusional hope.]

How old would she be in nineteen ninety two? She's about your age now, isn't she? That'd imply ... perhaps six or seven in mine?

[Cetra. Another word for the Ancients.

That did explain how her prayers supposedly helped stop the 'ultimate summon'.]

[moseyin]

I meant ask her here. [Aerith can't quite reach the Planet from here, it's true, but she's already been one with it and the Lifestream both. If there's any way to know whether or not the Planet would suffer another alien life form messing with it, then it would be her, Cloud's sure of it.] Write her another letter, if you want.

[This is...yes, directly opposite of the 'stay the hell away from her' threats Cloud gave the kid ages ago, but times change. And Aerith's a much stronger person than he is; the threats to stay away from Aerith had been more for Cloud's own nerves than hers.]

[miniroth]

No. I said I wouldn't disturb her again and I'm not going to, if she chooses to speak to me then it's entirely up to her.

[The lack of response to his letter told him everything he needed to know about Aerith's desire to be involved with him in any way shape or form, and he was fine with that. It was hard to have an opinion otherwise on someone he'd never met and likely never would, and the first letter was foolish enough. He had no intentions of writing a second.

Besides which, he was going to do what he felt was right for his timeline, no matter what anyone at all said or thought.]

I'm not asking your permission about what I'm going to do, I was seeking potential alternatives. And.. there aren't any that I can actually put to use. That's my problem to contend with.

[moseyin]

Got it all figured out already? [Cloud shoves himself off the windowsill. Yeah, he's had enough of "I'll do it alone or I'll die trying" over here; whether that's because Sephiroth is an annoyingly close reflection to how Cloud pretended to be when waking up in Midgar, or because, as the kid said, that's his timeline to destroy, it doesn't really matter. If some other Planet dies because the kid doesn't want to have a conversation first, what's that matter to him? His Nibelheim is still burned, his mom is still dead, and his Planet is still saved.

Great answer, if you're only out for yourself.

Room's hot, the conversation sucks, and the kid already had his mind made up before Cloud even set foot in his house. This was a waste of everyone's time.

He goes for the door.] Great. You'll make General in no time.

[miniroth]

Why'd you come here?

[He doesn't move from his chosen spot; the door's there and nothing prevents Cloud from leaving. He doesn't even look at the ex-merc, gaze on the fireplace still crackling away.]

What were you hoping to accomplish? I can't use the method you did. I can't make allies in the hope I don't just cut them down within minutes of meeting Mother.

[This really had been pointless. He couldn't pull off the impossible.]

If I thought there was anyone I could trust as backup I wouldn't have torn a piece out of myself just so something was there to help keep watch. Do you think this is fun, everything I wanted out of life?

[Selfishness is dangerous for a Legend. If 'what about what I want' became more important than 'what is best for everyone else'..]

[moseyin]

I don't know a god damn thing. [Cloud wrenches the door open. Everything I wanted out of life? Of course not. Not a single sorry motherfucker on their Planet gets to have a good life. Not a single god damn one.]

-and stop calling that fucking thing Mother. It's not your mom. It's a disease Hojo shoved inside of you, that's it. [Bye he's grabbing his sword and he's out before he starts yet another fight]

[miniroth]

[It didn't matter what he called her, he would still see to her end. He had to, if he wanted people to live, wanted the planet to recover. It wasn't as if Jenova could just be launched back into space to prey on some other planet.]

She is as much as anyone else ever was.

[It's a small home, suited for a small person with few belongings, but there is a couple places to retreat to. Cloud was leaving anyway, so pushing himself away from the counter to head for the only side room available, out of sight and out of easy conversation reach, isn't going to interrupt much that already hasn't been.]