【EVENT】 New Year's Wishful Dreaming

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Wishful Dreaming Event

On the Eve of the New Year, the city of Starsand is surprisingly quiet. For a place so eager to throw parties, you might think that the streets would be full of life. But instead, Starsand’s streets are quiet and it’s citizens shutting down shops early. In this city, the last night of the year is contemplative and quiet. Citizens might make their last shrine visits, but it’s uncommon to see them out past 11.

They say that it’s important to fall asleep before the New Year, because you want to treasure your first dream of the New Year. Supposedly it’s lucky and prophetic. If you write it down and remember it, that dream can even guide you to your greatest desire. And rumors are always good ideas in Starsand.

Sleep comes easy on this night. Characters will find themselves getting drowsy by 4am at the latest. When they do fall asleep, they fall into a deep and elaborate dream.

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OOC NOTES

The first dream of the New Year will show characters their wishes come true. They will get to enjoy the life they long for. But strangely, they may find other Fallen Stars wandering into their dreams. These encounters may shake them out of their dreamlike state and make them aware that the dream is just that: A dream. If the dreamer denies their dream or has doubts, then the dreamscape will fall apart into a nightmare before both dreamer and visitor wake up.

It is possible to have multiple dreams: Characters must wake between dreams, even if just briefly, then fall back asleep in order to change their dream. There can be multiple visitors before the dream ends for good.

On the morning of January 1st, all characters who had a dream will find a prismatic crystal clenched in the palm of their hands. The crystal will reflect the contents of their dream, so long as they hold the same wish. If they change wishes or lose faith, then the crystal will turn black and melt into Rumor goo.

NPC characters may reply to dreams with clues. Please indicate which characters you want to receive clues by putting a “*” in their toplevel title. You may request clues for up to 3 characters. Thank you for your help!

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Comments

[dereban]

"It's the truth.

The world I was previously in, [Inaba Himeko] was a fictional character from a series of light novels that eventually got adapted into an anime, manga, and even a PSP visual novel game."

[loveedition]

[ It's... genuinely stunning. Inaba was fictional...? It was a lot to unpack. So much that she hadn't realized that this was the first time she actually heard her given name.

...not important. ]

So when you told me that you knew what your future is, it's because it's already been written out for you?

[dereban]

[ She nods. ]

"It's only the future back home, though."

Things that she experienced in other worlds...

...those were a completely different thing entirely.

[loveedition]

[ ...of course it was.

If it's not in the context of the story, then it's not something that can be predicted...

...she... wants to know more. Her eyes trail to the ground, glancing away awkwardly. She can't bring herself to ask, but instead... ]

If... that's how you're meant to be where you're from, that doesn't mean you should be like that here.

How do we fix this?

[ ...this wasn't like an injury or anything like that either. She couldn't "heal" her. ]

It's selfish of me, but... if the world changes, I'd like my friends to stay mostly the same. The world doesn't revolve around what I want of course... but, I don't want to think of you as fictional.

[dereban]

"It's not something that can be fixed. It's just the way I am."

[loveedition]

...so the Inaba that I met, is she just a shell?

[dereban]

"The [physical body] of Inaba Himeko is."

The only thing that was real...

...was the soul. And even then, I couldn't accept it. I wanted to return to being human so badly. But I couldn't.

[loveedition]

[ She doesn't want to challenge that too deeply. After all, who is she to talk? Inaba knows too, there are moments where Ryoko doesn't think she's human.

...so then... ]

...what defines something as "human"?

[dereban]

"I'm speaking specifically of the species--homo sapiens."

[loveedition]

Obviously.

...but, is that all that makes a human?

[ She points to her heart brooch, right in the middle of her chest. ]

I might be a shell too... but, I was wrong before. After spending time here, I'm positive that I'm still human. I think you are too, Inaba-san.

[dereban]

"How can I be?

My soul shows that I'm not. Sure, I may have 'some' humanity there, but it's... I'm not entirely human anymore."

[loveedition]

It's not just your soul. It's how you feel. It's all of your emotions, your memories, your experiences--

[ She pauses. ]

Although... not being human isn't a bad thing in the first place. A couple friends of mine were 'monsters', and they were kinder than some humans I've met.

[dereban]

"But I can't be like that. I don't want to be a monster anymore. I'm tired of being something like that. I just want to be human."

So stop it.

I can't take it.

If I lose any more of myself, then who the hell is [Inaba Himeko] anymore?

These are just the last strands of me that I can hang on to...

...No. Maybe I didn't have control of anything in the first place.

[ And as if her own narration being a trigger, the sound of chains can be heard coming from above but not the sight of them. No, what becomes more visible now are strings.

Strings that hang off of Inaba's body reaching up into the sky above--

A sky that feels more like a void now, with a hand gripping onto a control rod. There's a distinct noise that comes with the next narration.

Tap, tap, tap,

clack, clack clack-

The sound of a keyboard. ]

[She's] just a puppet, after all.

[loveedition]

[ A feeling that Ryoko Asakura had completely forgotten: when something goes from bad to much, much worse.

The sound of chains throws her off immediately, and she takes a step back, eyes immediately pointed to the sky. Nothing resembling chains, but--

Strings. Turning Inaba into a marionette. An outside force taking away all autonomy from her, calling her a puppet? Ryoko's first instinct is to yell. ]

You're wrong!

[ Directly at the sky. Deep into the darkness that sprouted in this dream-- no, it's not a dream. It wasn't the same as before, she didn't know if it could be considered as such, but the creeping feeling running through her spine made her feel like she was staring down a Nightmare.

As such, there was one thing she could do. Which, if possible, is to draw her knife. ]

Inaba-san's not just a shell, not just a puppet!

[ Screw that. She addresses the girl in front of her again. ]

You have no reason to be nice to me! I've caused so many problems for you, I've wedged myself into your life for completely selfish reasons-- but you still welcomed me back! Even when I was mad, when you wanted nothing to do with anyone, you were still willing to do what you can to help!

If you don't think you're in control of your own life, then I'll get rid of those strings and give you control myself!

[ An obvious threat, from an internal promise. No matter the cost, she'll protect her friends' happiness. ]

[dereban]

"...stop it.

You can't get rid of them."

[She] could not exist without those strings, after all.

Not in this world of dreams.

Not in the world of Starsand.

Not in the world of the Foundation.

[She] had been hiding these troubles this whole time, but pretended that they didn't exist. If anybody found out, they would not understand. They wouldn't believe [her], either.

Someone else, controlling [her] from the outside? Making her suffer so many times? And yet being told that this 'someone else' actually cared about [her]?

It didn't make any sense.

[loveedition]

[ It doesn't. Ryoko's not foolish enough to spring into action right away anymore-- so many attempts to get anything done were completely spoiled due to others' impulsiveness, and she couldn't just attack without knowing what was happening.

Her eyes scan over the text multiple times. This [ Inaba Himeko ], here before her because of someone else? Some kind of outside force?

Someone who cared about her? What a joke--

No. She needs to calm down. It was right that she couldn't understand this. ]

What about this is supposed to make sense? I can't understand you if you don't tell me, you know. If you're still being controlled, then... can't you at least have a little say? If that someone else cares, then, they have to know that hurting you over and over again is just going to leave you broken.

--I don't want that. I want you to be able to feel happiness and feel loved, and I'll do whatever I can to help. I don't care how many times I have to force a miracle to happen, I won't stop until you're comfortable again...!

[dereban]

"I... don't want that, either."

Whose words were those?

Were they [hers]?

Or were they just the ones spoken for [her]? A representation of how [Inaba Himeko] would feel? Should feel?

[She] didn't know.

How could [she]?

"I want to be happy, but... how can I be...?"

[loveedition]

...I don't--

[ She couldn't figure it out with the narration caught in between. If Inaba was meant to be fictional and even now was having her words, thoughts, actions manipulated, how could Ryoko even--

...a thought comes to mind. ]

You said you want to be human, right? If that can't be the truth, then... we'll make it the truth.

I told you that I wouldn't regret getting to know you, so I'm going to keep trying. Even if you aren't sure of where it's coming from, I want to know [you].

You don't have to open up, or tell me everything... but if you want to feel human, then the least I can do is teach you how to play pretend.

[ Just like Ryoko does. ]

[dereban]

There's a long pause of silence, contemplative. But then the sound of typing starts up again, but...

This time, Inaba's voice can actually be heard.

I did say that. But I know I have to return back to my world. It's... real, on a certain layer, but I have to make sure to recreate the events of my 'story'.

But I also know that on another layer, there's someone out there that's controlling me. I hadn't thought about that in a while. Not until now.

[She] pushed herself not to think about it too much. There were other things to deal with, after all.

... you can't tell anyone else about this.

[loveedition]

I won't. This is just between us.

[ After all, this isn't something Inaba really wants anyone else dragged into, it seems. What bothered her in the end... ]

Whoever you are, whoever you'll be, I'll be on your side. Even if you have your own story to go back to, we'll make this side-story good for you.

[ Ryoko steps forward, holding out her hand. ]

Shake on it?

[dereban]

...

How can she trust that for sure?

[She] is uncertain.

It's... difficult.

[loveedition]

[ Ryoko's frozen for a moment. That question... it's not like either of them still know each other that well. Ryoko even noted that she doesn't have to tell her anything... so how could she know that this will turn out well for her? ]

...That's right. It is difficult. Sometimes, opening yourself up to anyone can feel impossible.

But, magic, magical girls, monsters, and everything else I've seen should be impossible, and here we are. Here I am. The fact that I'm alive is a miracle, and I'm going to share that miracle with you until you can go back, and any time you come here to visit in the future.

[dereban]

A miracle, huh.

If she's going to be honest... [she] didn't believe in miracles.

Even all the unexplainable things things [she] couldn't really consider as such--to [her], they were just one of many endless possibilities.

After all, she had already experienced death twice. But that was just natural in a sense. When you were forced into death games, the odds would be that you'd live or you'd die. Simple as that.

[She] doesn't say anything.

Or rather, [she's] not sure what to say.

[loveedition]

[ Ryoko's learning a lot today, and figuring that Inaba was one of the over analytical types to begin with, it made sense why internally, she'd be skeptical.

So, she tries to give her a reassuring smile, withdrawing her hand. ]

You don't have to say anything right away. If you still need time, that's alright. If... you can't believe in miracles, I won't force you to do that either.

Just... believe in me. I'm here, and I'm real. If you hurt, I make a pretty good healer, you know. Whatever oden can't fix, the space I provide can. If that doesn't work... well, I'm open to suggestions.

[ She's trying to say she'll listen, but she screwed up her own metaphor. ]

[dereban]

Believing in people...

It's funny.

[She] wants to.

So badly... but at the end of the day [she] hasn't entirely reached that point where she can trust people so easily. Isn't that why [she] rejects magic and the supernatural in the first place? How hypocritical of her--using her own abilities as a monster, as an SCP to render it useless.

And even then, it doesn't work all the time.

At the end of the day...

No matter what false mask [she] puts on.

[She's] just a coward.

[She] can't do or say anything at all.