livestudioaudience | The Age Up/Down Meme

The Age Up/Down Meme

Look, most of our characters have lots of backstory to take advantage of, or headcanons for their future. This is the place to use it!

Prompts

1) People are suddenly shifting ages on the good ship Teremity! It's probably space waves and will fix itself in a day or two, so enjoy reliving your mispent youth.

2) You were always this age! Nothing bad is happening and you all already know each other and it's all cute af. A fluff option.

3) You are this age... and going through your round (or a remixed version) of your Airlocked season. Not for the REALLY young age downs!

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...Lucis is reasonably at peace, but such things do of course happen.

[Ardyn sighed, brushing his hair out of his eyes only to have it fall right back into place.]

But mere experience makes it no less easy.

Hm.

[Tenmyouji's fingers tighten around his glass.]

I've heard talk like that before. And when the talk led to action, it didn't turn out so well.

Meaning what, specifically? You ask me to confide in you and respond with something such as that--I rather feel as though I'm being mocked at the moment.

[He gives a soft bitter little laugh]

The first execution Father had me view with him, I burst into tears. I thought for sure he would be angry... But instead he ushered me under his cloak to hide.

[he smiles weakly, as if it was a fond memory along with an awful one.]

But after he said that... that a king has to be able to face death and feel nothing. That if he even flinched his people will question his judgement. That... He must feel not pain or pleasure in it. I...

I still can't do that even after six years.

[He considers his glass a long moment, then looks up at Ardyn, eyes hard and measuring. Finally, without breaking eye contact, he says:]

A 'plague' of sorts wiped out most of my planet's population. And the ones who tried to stop it... turned into monsters themselves, justifying their crimes in the name of 'saving' people.

[ ... So, Yuuri doesn't really look all that different at twenty six. She holds herself differently, her eyes are darker and sharper but for the most part she really does look like the same old Yuuri.

Similarly, the Champion Survivalist as she's now known doesn't really seem all that different on the surface. She's as quick to smile and big sister everyone as ever but the keyword there is 'surface'. Somehow, she'll always effortlessly navigate past personal questions and despite how kind she is, she doesn't actually seem particularly close to anyone.

Then trials start happening. And the gloves come off.

There's no tears or sympathy. Just shocking ruthlessness and ice cold practicality. She's a good asset during investigations and she's not too bad during trials but it's all still a little bit terrifying.

And then without missing a beat, she'll be back to smiles and big sistering at the afterparty. Jesus Christ, Yuuri. ]

[Champion Hermit. It's got to be a joke, Kurumi thought until she realized Yuuri was among the group she's in. Then she knows why the Overseers chose it. The idiots.

Kurumi vanished... well, she can't remember how long ago. Must have been at least a year but she's sure there's been more time in between that. It's hard when you can't tell night and day apart much, let alone seasons or years. She had left for their own good. This time Yuki didn't find her to bring her back. After that, well, Kurumi didn't remember much.

She's a little leaner than before but her easy-going manner didn't seem to change until she sees Yuuri.]

Shit...

[She doesn't run, though. In fact, she doesn't even seem to see Yuuri all that well, instead responding more to her voice than anything else.] Didn't think we'd meet again.

[Church does not respond to Church because his name is not Church. His name is Alpha. He is two years old. He is not where he's supposed to be, which might be a good thing, because when all this starts, he's in a panic, asking desperately for the Director or the Counselor.

When he does finally get calmed down, when he settles into the idea of having a body of his own and that this isn't a test, or a mission, or even if it is it's not one of the usual ones, there are still bits of Church in there. He's still snarky and sarcastic, still got flares of anger, but he's smarter, wiser. Outwardly he seems kinder and less prone to acting like a total jackass. But it also takes him longer to get used to living in a human shell. Physical needs are bullshit.

If we're murdergaming specifically, the Champion of Project Freelancer is very reactive during deaths and executions, but less so during trials where he's actually, for once, pretty good at putting things together. When he does react, it's more with grief than anger. And he wants to help. He might be smarter than thou, but he's here to assist. It's what he was made for.]

... [...It infuriated him on Xander's behalf, and there was something of a hard tone in Ardyn's voice that was no more for the prince than the sharp frown hidden behind a cup of tea was.]

I hope you will take no offense should I speak candidly. [He thought, for not the first time, of his brother in Xander's place. Always too serious, always struggling to be a prince before he was a son of Lucis like any other.That was too much to ask of any child, royal or otherwise.]

But I believe that to be wrong. Every life of a subject lost--criminal, innocent, man, woman, child--is one that something should be felt for. If a king can not be seen to sympathize with his people, how can they ever trust in him to hold their best interests close to heart?

[Ardyn stared right back without hesitation; the casual child was entirely gone, replaced by someone that looked far older than merely eighteen.]

I am sorry to hear that. Truly--I am. But the only way to avert such a fate for my world is through my own actions. If I do nothing, then I doom an entire planet and its people including myself to death.

[Jane has a pretty clear memory of her time in the space station, but while she finds the present situation strange, that doesn't stop her from giving this sweet boy what he needs and is seeking out - and that is kindness and love. She listens attentively to his stories, asks him questions about Nohr (nice things, like, what's his favorite part of the country? what food does he like? cute stuff like that). She leads him gently by the hand and praises him for the good he does, like making his bed or washing behind his ears...all that sweet grandmotherly stuff.

She is totally baking some nice cookies today. Do you want to help, Xander?]

[HOO HOO HOO MOTHERFUCKERS

Jane is in the kitchen, of course, seemingly paying no mind to the ruckus of a bucket of water falling on a cantankerous old man as she smoothes a bit of flour over the surface of some rolled-out cookie dough. She's got a glass to cut out circular shapes, so it's not as fun and whimsical as she'd wanted, but nice, pretty cookies are better than none.

She tsks at Tenmyouji's words.] My, my! That's a bit much considering our situation, don't you think? You ought to choose your words more carefully, Mister Tenmyouji.

...Alright, first of all, you cannot expect me to ignore that you don't know how to fix this.

[Getting right to the point in her old age seems to be the serious Jane default. She puts her hands on her hips and looks the Doctor up and down, recognition sparking from an old conversation.] Not that I can fault you for it. Gracious, you weren't kidding about the Time Lords, were you?

[That's a joke, she knew he wasn't kidding to begin with.]

And the action you have to take is what, exactly? If it's not killing all of us for the free ride home.

That is none of your concern. It has no bearing on any of you, as I've no intention of killing anyone.

They're my words, I'll choose 'em as I damned well please.

[He can't imagine how a woman as totally ancient as Jane could have gotten a full bucket of water up there, though, so for the moment she's spared the ire of a slightly younger old man as he grumbles, kicks the bucket aside, and goes to find a kitchen towel or something to mop up the puddle on the floor.]

You been here the whole time, Crocker? You see who set that up?

...Fair enough. Guess I'd have no reason to care if it doesn't affect us.

[Except this ornery old man very clearly does care, for once.]

It does affect you, though. Right? Something like the fate of the world hanging over you, that's something they can use to move you against us eventually, if this 'different future' bullshit doesn't do it for you.

I've been here for a while, but as to who might've set that, I didn't notice. [She tilts her head and taps at a hearing aid in one of her ears.] Darned things must be on the fritz...it must be too much to ask for fresh batteries, hm?

[The thing about getting old is that you actually become a sufficiently decent liar? Or at least know not to give away your tells right off the bat. She's still cutting out those cookies like there's not a thing in the world wrong with not hearing someone sneak around nearby.]

It's my entire world at stake, of course it affects me. But I'm telling you I am not so weak of will or cowardly enough to betray anyone here. My kingdom will not find salvation through betrayal.

[The Champion Action Hero is twelve years old.

At this age, he's rowdy and rude and fiercely against being 'babied,' even though he's by far the youngest of the captive Champions. Like any kid might be, he's unreasonably proud of a title like Champion Action Hero and thinks it makes him invincible. Happily, this hasn't gotten him into trouble yet.

Unhappily, trouble is never far in a life-and-death game.

The other Champions manage to keep Junpei away from the body of the first victim while they make their investigation, but none of them are prepared for what happens once they find the culprit. Junpei gets the same unimpeded view of the execution as everyone else--stares as Prince Xander's ripped to shreds by robot dragons.

His knees wobble, then give out entirely when he tries to step back, dropping him numbly onto his butt, and his mouth is open but he can't make a sound.]

Hm. If you say so.

[He's so convinced. Now, though, he gets up, since it doesn't seem that pressing the matter will get him anywhere.]</small You ever change your mind about talking about it with someone, you know where to find me. I'd be curious to hear how you'd do it, given the similarities in our situation. Later, then.

[There's a kid around who's taken it upon himself to help Alpha get used to his fleshy new digs. After all, who knows the struggle of developing motor functions quite so well as a child? Of course, at twelve years old, Junpei's long mastered basic hand-eye coordination, but he's got tons of kinetic energy to spend and all of it can be put towards teaching a computer thing about jumping in pools.]

You're not gonna short-circuit, right? You're all the way human now?

[He's insisted Alpha put water wings on anyway, but those won't save him from drowning if he shorts out as soon as he jumps in the pool.]

...Don't regard me as though I am some child, Tenmyouji. I hardly need guidance or counsel as though I were your grandson myself.

[ It's been seven years -- nearly eight -- since Yuuri last saw Kurumi Ebisuzawa, but Yuuri knows the one they lost the moment she claps eyes on her.

She hasn't been checking the profiles. As far as she's concerned, these other people will only matter once she knows without a shadow of a doubt that she can't get back home without them. She doesn't want any of them hurt or killed, god forbid. But they simply don't matter as much as what's waiting for her back home. Not yet.

So she's woefully unprepared for the sound of Kurumi's voice. She'd been inspecting her PIP, cautiously feeling the seams just gently enough to avoid getting a shock and hadn't looked up to see Kurumi's approach. But when she hears that voice her head all but snaps up and all she can do is stare.

She'd been angry at Kurumi over the years. Hurt, too. But mostly angry. Right now, all of that's gone, thrown into the wind and taken over by shock and disbelief. Kurumi looks so thin. So young. Had all of them looked quite so young, back then? She supposes it must be the case but it seems impossible to believe.

She makes a wordless shape with her mouth, too afraid to even breathe the name out loud. None of them have said Kurumi's name out loud in years. Not that she can remember. ]

...you... you're still...?

[ You're alive. ]

Hmmm...

[Suspecting nary a thing, Tenmyouji creaks down to one knee and starts wiping up water, still grumbling quietly to himself.]

Gonna get yourself killed like that if you don't keep an eye out. Or are your eyes going, too? Maybe we should get you a carer, old lady.

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The Age Up/Down Meme

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