【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]

"...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.

[loveedition]

[ While she waited to see her response, continuing on with what she was hearing was getting exhausting.

Until finally, she's heard enough. ]

Will you shut up and give her room to breathe for a second?! How is she supposed to think for herself if you keep telling her how she feels?!

Let my friend have her happiness for once!

[dereban]

[ There's a long, lengthy pause.

But then, the silence is broken by consistent typing: ]

No.

I am her Narrator. Everything that I write is how she feels.

I understand who the person in front of you is, more than anyone else. Who Inaba Himeko is.

If I stop... is that not the same as killing her for good?

I like Inaba Himeko a lot. More than anyone can ever comprehend. It's strange. It's incomprehensible. But it's true.

But she cannot be happy here.

[loveedition]

How do you know that?! Do you think pushing her into a corner like this is fun?! How the hell can you say you like her right after calling her a monster and a coward?! How is she supposed to move past that if you keep reinforcing that in her head?!

[dereban]

I told you already.

[ Now the words are no longer simple narration coming out of blocks of typed out text. Sure, the taps of the keyboard continue to play in the background.

But the words come out of Inaba's mouth, spoken aloud. ]

It's what she really believes. Both the fact that she's a monster... that she's a coward. And that she cannot be happy, as long as she's here.

[loveedition]

[ Oh. That's... no good.

It's a reinforcement of how the dynamic here is. This narrator's in complete control. Oh, she hates it. As long as she's here, she can't be happy? ]

What is it then? What is she missing? If you know so much about her, you can at least tell me that.

[dereban]

... The CRC. My friends.

[loveedition]

...Oh.

[ Yeah. Really... that makes sense. It's not that easy, is it? ]

In that case... the best thing we can do for you really is to get you back home, isn't it?

[dereban]

That's what I've always wanted. But... I already know that going home isn't going to be easy. That's just how it is.

[loveedition]

Yeah. It won't be, all things considered. It might be impossible.

But, between something being impossible or being a miracle... something'll happen. I'll make sure of it.

[dereban]

There are no impossibilities in this world to begin with.

[loveedition]

...mm. Just have to have a little faith--

[ ...wait a second... ]

If... you've changed the world and everything, why haven't you gotten to go back home yet?

[ Something's suddenly not adding up here. ]

[dereban]

The answer should already be obvious. This isn't reality, either.

[loveedition]

...Huh? Wait, what?

[dereban]

Did you honestly believe that the narration would show itself so easily?