【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

[fallenwishingstar]

Fight... So even in a vibrant world like this one, evil is a looming threat.

Even in your dreams?

[stavros]

...What dreams?

[Everything looks normal, still. But there's an audible crack.]

That's simply how things are. It's what I was born to do. It's what my ancestors were born to do.

[fallenwishingstar]

Is that so...

So you just accepted it? Not that I'm judging that. It's easier to accept things, sometimes. You won't hurt if you don't want to change them.

[stavros]

If I gave in, things would only get worse.

[Kokoro shudders. Even as her classmates head to class, she raises her voice.]

It isn't as if I'm living in fear like some Facility child! This is why I never talked about this before. Everyone in Starsand only met it with pity or told me to choose my own happiness over the world! That's not how this works!

[fallenwishingstar]

... The Facility Children. You know them?

[The girl nods slowly,] That, I understand. You sound like the kami when you say that. Still, it sounds empty to me. Like being trapped in that city and knowing nothing else.

A comfortable suffering can feel happy.

[stavros]

Of course I know them. They've been after me -- after many of us -- for some time. Or they were, before we...

[Another crack. She looks around, quickly turning her head.]

...defeated them... and everybody returned to where they belonged. Didn't we?

[fallenwishingstar]

... What do you want the case to be?

This dream is a map to your desires, after all. You tell me where it goes.

[stavros]

Tell me first what on earth you're going on about!

[And then she spots it. Rumour goo, beginning to seep out of a crack that definitely wasn't in the wall before.]

What...?

[fallenwishingstar]

... Ah. That's familiar.

[The girl sighs.]

Is it me..? Maybe my time is up. I am a Rumor, after all. But... not very powerful. I took what limited power I had and gambled on your dreams.

I guess it wasn't a waste.

[stavros]

A Rumour...?

[Another crack, visible this time, spreading in the wall. Kokoro goes for her bracelet, but stops.]

The New Year's dreams... Everyone was looking forward to them. But that's an Earth superstition. It was you.

[fallenwishingstar]

That's right. It was me.

I was offered a chance to change my fate, so I took it. Unlike you, I cannot accept suffering as my reason to exist. I would rather risk everything on a chance to escape such an existence.

So I became a Rumor.

[stavros]

You've got that wrong.

[Did Kokoro have her whip in her hand before? Suddenly, she's not in her school uniform, but in her weird brown and white battle outfit, cat-ear headpiece behind her headband.]

My reason to exist, the duty I live for? That isn't just to suffer. The thing I live for, despite the pity or scorn of those who do not understand... It's to keep the entire world from plunging into suffering with it!

[fallenwishingstar]

... Boring.

[The girl replies softly, giving her head a dismissive shake.]

Why would you care about a world that cannot stand up for itself? Mine is a world that uses spirits and only acknowledges us when we are useful. We were used to grow crops, to soothe bad weather, and to cure the sick and dying. But no one ever thought to save us. Only to use us.

I would sooner watch a world like that burn to ash.

[stavros]

All souls deserve to be saved! I care not if you find it boring, and I care not if you see my entire line as grist for a mill. We have our reasons for protecting the world. Us, our branches and allies, the Getsu clan -- and not just hunters! So many people who fight for those who cannot! Because everybody deserves to live and be protected from those who would do ill!

[fallenwishingstar]

… I don’t believe it.

[She replies flatly.]

Because no one has tried to save us. Not when it did not benefit them. So things like that? They don’t exist. I don’t believe it.

I don’t believe that you will stand a chance against the Wishmaker either.

[stavros]

Why?

[Kokoro stands there without backing down as the ooze seeps into the school through the cracks.]

I don't need to use someone else. We work as a team, or I work alone. Either way, I will prove you wrong. Why don't you think we can beat the Wishmaker?

[fallenwishingstar]

Because in a few weeks time, they take the naive hopes of my fellow spirits and use them to tear this city down.

Starting with the shrines.

And one determined person isn’t enough to guard all of them.

[stavros]

[She clenches her grip around the end of her whip. Steps forward.]

So you say. They say we fight alone and die alone. But that isn't true. Ariel kidnapped a lot of people, and the city holds many more native to this world. How many do you believe wish to protect the city and one another? It isn't just me. It never was.

[fallenwishingstar]

Then I do hope that you can prove me wrong. They intend to divide you up and defeat you that way.

[…]

Ah yes. Ariel.

You’ve met that one?

[stavros]

That aside. [because she kinda doesn't like ariel for messing with them and for isekai-ing them in the first place, but also there was clearly some kind of reason!] They always do that. They sow doubt in our hearts, split us up, read what we fear, and delay us by treating their previous victims as obstacles.

[fallenwishingstar]

And it’s working.

Besides. Even though there is a way out, I don’t think you could take it. You don’t look like a murderer.

They’re counting on that, actually.

[stavros]

What? That we'll be afraid, because they intend us to either bow to them or kill an innocent to be free?

[fallenwishingstar]

Something like that, yes.

If you keep playing nice, you’ll never win. Kindness, compassion, love, hope… They’re all obstacles. The ones who get things done are the selfish and greedy, who only care about their goals.

That’s how it’s always been. I don’t see it changing any time soon.

[stavros]

You sound far more like the Facility than one who would stand against them. That's what they do. Nearly every move they make is designed to terrify their victims into believing there is no hope of escape.

[fallenwishingstar]

… Then good luck.

[The girl’s form begins to fade. With a sigh, she brings her arms around herself.]

I’ll at least okay fair, I suppose… I offered to the others, so to you as well: If you’re really so determined, then I can trade information with you. A secret that hurts you will gain a secret that hurts the Wishmaker.

… or the Facility, I suppose. If you’re to be direct about it. I’ve seen the dreams of the latest Ariel and other Fallen Stars, but I’ve my doubts you care for those.