COLLAPSE THE WAVE MEME

[rampantfantasy]

Collapse the Waveform Meme

A meme for characters CRAU'd to heck and back.



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How many times now have you used that journal? How many places have you played that character?

How many friends, lovers, families have they found?

Well, here's some headache-inducing news: Ultimately, they're all the same person.

And now, the wave form has collapsed, and they actually are the same person. All of those memories, plus any new abilities and scars, smashing down into a single soul, a single incarnation.

On the bright side, at least whatever universe this is, you're not alone in it. On the less bright side, good luck navigating your relationships now.

Any CRAU character can respond to this meme, though of course, it's more interesting for characters who have been to at least two games. Meet your old friends, your new friends... Your friends' friends? Whatever. Consider noting down not only what games your characters have been to, but if you're open to three-people threads, for extra juggling-of-memories fun!

Comments

[bloodyashes]

No, overstimulated. Just need to adjust.

[He knows exactly where Ignis is, even without being able to see. When he pulls his hands away from his face, they slide into the other man's upraised ones in a way that Ignis, of all people, will know that someone who isn't looking shouldn't be able to do.

And indeed, at least for the moment, Asch isn't looking. His eyes are still closed, but the scars around them will be obviously less organic than the one that ought be over Ignis' left, but still nearly as severe. No eye-socket-bound cradle of flames, this, but something that was done deliberately, though they are old enough - perhaps a year? - to be as healed as they are going to get.

And for a moment, it seems like that's all, until Asch opens them and reveals the eyes underneath - miraculously whole, sighted, a bright green now tossed with flakes of gold that almost seem to sparkle. To a keen eye, even more obviously unnatural than Ardyn's yellow is that gold.]

Look, we match.

[A glance over Ignis' face, taking in the details that fonon sense alone can't give him - the restored eye, the shade of green.]

Though not as much as before, I guess.

[A little squeeze of Ignis' fingers. It's okay. He's okay.]

[shatteredlenses]

I understand. Take your time.

[He'd been overwhelmed at first too. The rush of memories had been too much in and of itself, but adding his restored sight on top of it--even if it was just a partial restoration--had taken things from 'too much' to 'extremely painful' in an instant.

Quietly, Ignis waits for Asch to adjust, not wanting to say anymore until the redhead settles himself to avoid making things worse. However, everything he's preparing to say--preparing to explain--vanishes from his mind as soon as he sees the scars. He knows better than others what they mean. Even if his own scars are less now thanks to Ardyn's gift, he still knows the signs of injury that would taken vision from someone and it pains him beyond measure to see them on Asch's face.

Unconsciously, his hands tighten around Asch's as he speaks in a soft, but angry tone.]

Who did this to you?

[bloodyashes]

Don't.

[The response to the question is quick, heading off anything Ignis might be thinking.]

It's not worth it.

[He squeezes Ignis' fingers back, trying to ground himself, unwilling to remember the experience.]

It's over now and wherever we are, it's not there, so don't... Just don't.

[He closes his eyes and lets himself just feel that, that relative blankness where things of that world would be in the environment around them.]

I'd rather talk about yours looking better than mine looking worse.

[shatteredlenses]

[...

How can he deny such a request? As much as Ignis wants to make the person who hurt Asch pay, what will it change? The injuries remain. Remembered pain remains. The way is forward, not back.

Ignis shakes his head, anger draining away, replaced--surprisingly enough--by laughter.]

What one takes, the other returns. It was Ardyn who pushed me to put on the ring in Altissia, and it was an Ardyn from another world who sacrificed the vision in his left eye to heal my own.

[He gives Asch's hands another squeeze before releasing them and running a hand through his hair.]

Even with all I've learned--all I've seen--thanks to this...whatever this is...the strangest thing is thinking of Ardyn as 'beloved,' but that self of mine loves that self of his dearly. They don't have an easy road ahead of them, but the sun shines upon them and Noctis sits upon the throne. They have come so far and they will continue on.

[Another chuckle slips from his mouth.]

We were right to not give up on him. No matter what he said, and oh, how I imagine he would hate to know that.

[bloodyashes]

Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised. You seem to have a thing for people older than they look.

[He's not directly saying that the version of you he knows also looks pretty into Ardyn, Ignis, but. He's got eyes, he's not dumb, he's...

Technically also dating your other way too old boyfriend, okay. That's a thought. Asch blinks for a minute and then presses a hand to the side of his neck, almost like he's feeling for a bite mark. There's a little color to his cheeks that he ignores.]

It takes a hell of a lot more than what he's done to make me give up on someone. And the fact that we know there's something else under there...

[He sighs, briefly, then.]

I don't have anything to call that person, because I can't imagine him being 'Ardyn Lucis Caelum' any more than I am 'Luke.' But I do think he's in there.

[He drops his hand away from his neck, and the solemn aura around him loosens up a bit.]

And here I was ready to start showing you the tricks I used to get around blind. I guess I don't need to worry about that now, huh?

[shatteredlenses]

[For a moment, Ignis doesn't respond to that. He's not sure how to, in all honesty. Asch obviously is remembering something from their time on the islands, but whatever it is it's too tangled up in the rest of the memories that have been dumped into his head for Ignis to pick out immed--

Wait a minute.

Ignis focuses completely on Asch's hand as it rests against his throat and suddenly he's blindsided by a memory of drinking too much. Campfires. Warmth. Relaxed inhibitions and just a bit more than kissing...]

Soma.

[The name comes out like a whispered prayer.]

You know him from somewhere other than the islands?

[Ignis is so startled by this realization that he lets the conversation on Ardyn drop temporarily. There is no doubt in his mind that the man his beloved will return to conversation fairly quickly. It's just how he is.]

Actually, I would still love to know. I don't know how long this combination of all my selves will last. I may very well end up blind again. Besides, limited vision is still an issue. I'm certain your tips will help out in both cases.

[bloodyashes]

Yeah, same place as this.

[He raises his hand to gesture briefly at his eyes, then lets it fall. Truth be told, there are plenty of details of that place that he doesn't want to remember - the islands are better, at least, and it wasn't as bad as -

Oh, huh, that makes things simpler, if he should meet Xion - Aster - his family again.]

Well, hopefully it doesn't end too soon. It took me some time to figure out, and I've used a lower-order degree of fonon-sense all my life, but we can certainly give it a shot.

Hell, for all I know you'll pull a Sync on me and learn it in two days.

[shatteredlenses]

Were they cruel to him there?

[Ignis is afraid to ask. It's not as if he knows that Soma or can do anything about what may have been done to him there, but there is still part of him that wants to protect him. His version or not, that Soma is still a version of someone he cares about.]

Sync?

[Well, that's an interesting name.]

I highly doubt I will learn it that quickly. Genius or not, I don't have the benefit of familiarity with working with fonons.

[Here's hoping he didn't just jinx himself to be the worst study ever!]