【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

[popsometags]

I get to stay out of there because I paid my debts.

[ Okay, so that probably wasn't a real threat to him at any point, but some of the other world's debtors could be pretty feisty.

Although, Rinne's happy jaunt is paused when he spots this girl. Certainly not a shinigami... and she looked so out of place compared to everyone else in this world.

He turns his attention completely to her. ]

Are you on your way there?

[fallenwishingstar]

Oh... Yes, I suppose that would be the normal reaction to something like that.

[She tries to lower her arms and look less weak, but it's taking more effort than intended.]

Probably not. I've never known spirits to be reincarnated... If we could be, I'm sure that place would be very busy.

[popsometags]

[ There's a lot to unpack there. ]

It's busy for that very reason. The Wheel of Reincarnation is in place so spirits can go through reincarnation.

I take it that you're not from around here. You don't look like you'd be a damashigami, but you're not a spirit I recognize.

[fallenwishingstar]

No, I suppose I’m not. In the end, I’m only a visitor.

[She frowns softly.]

… ah, wait. You are-

Mm. You’re the boy who talks to spirits, aren’t you? You have a name, but I’ve never learned it.

[popsometags]

[ Hm. The gears in Rinne's brain are turning, and he realizes. There it is. ]

Rokudo Rinne. I've been trying to recently, yes.

[fallenwishingstar]

Yes, that sounds familiar enough. Then again, not many people try to communicate with us face to face, so it isn’t as if we’ve many names to memorize.

Your efforts were appreciated. It’s only a shame that none of them have names to give back to you. Otherwise, maybe they could pretend you were friends.

[popsometags]

Thank you.

Truth be told, it's disheartening. The spirits where I'm from are more like traditional ghosts. They usually have a form and recall their names and desires, then have a chance to be reincarnated.

Right now, intepreting what they'd like is the best I can do. Even then... many of them are positive that we can't grant the majority of their wishes.

[fallenwishingstar]

Do you really blame them? They cannot imagine what it means to ‘smell’ or ‘taste.’ They do not understand concepts of touch or warmth. Their worlds are quite empty.

… My world was empty. Even if I had a wish, it would be limited. It made more sense to take the wishes of others and see what I was missing.

[She shakes her head. This isn’t about her complaining, after all;] Your limiting factor, then, is the ability to communication with them directly?

[popsometags]

Even in terms of communication, it's mostly flashes of images that I have to interpret myself.

On top of that... I can't stay in the realm of spirits for too long there. My body's not used to it.

[fallenwishingstar]

Yes, it would be overwhelming. We cannot experience things like nausea or sensory overloads, so we don’t mind it. But I have heard that it is overwhelming.

But there is a solution.

[popsometags]

Incredibly. I could do more if only--

...what would that solution be?

[fallenwishingstar]

The Facility children can peer into that realm without issue. I've heard that their state of being is similar to that of the original Sacred Children; Beings trapped between both realms.

You may be able to learn more from that research.

[popsometags]

The original Sacred Children...

[ He wasn't as in the know as a lot of folks, but he is aware of the Facility children in town.

...Needs a follow up. ]

If they're willing to speak to me and share that research, then I'll do what I can. I don't think I can ever fully exist between those realms, but for the time being, I want to give those spirits a voice.

[fallenwishingstar]

Mm. Originally in this world, some humans were born between the realms. Their eyes were red and they would perform the same role as you do now. As time went on, that role was fulfilled by those who made willing contracts with spirits and kami.

That Facility has chased the power of spirits for decades. I believe that among you are some old Facility members. They may be able to help you. In their dreams, they were feeling... guilty.

[popsometags]

Hm. Unfortunately... I'm not aware of many in town who have made substantial contracts with spirits.

[ ...Well, there's one person, but she's got her own thing going on. ]

Guilty? Over what?

[fallenwishingstar]

Perhaps that needs to change then.

…

Their dreams were not pleasant, so I did not stay long. Their participation, I suppose? Their weakness.

[popsometags]

...Feeling partially responsible for us being here, and any strife we've come across. Allowing themselves to be used, I take it.

I have my reasons for not seeking out a contract, but if that's actually beneficial to them... I can start spreading the word.

[fallenwishingstar]

It would be beneficial, yes. If for no other reason than… caring. I guess.

It gets lonely… only being used, but never wanted.

[popsometags]

...I understand.

I recall hearing from some that there's not enough faith to go around. If one looks at the spirits as tools or means to request what they want, then naturally, that would generate less faith than one you're tied to.

The hope that one day, potentially getting enough faith to be the same as a kami, leading to despair. Something like that?

[fallenwishingstar]

… Yes. Exactly that.

We can’t live lives like you humans do. We cannot experience taste, touch, or be seen or felt… Even in this dream world, I’ve no idea how to begin imagining those things for myself. Our lives are empty, reliant on humans to give us purpose. To become a kami and have a piece of an existence and identity is the dream for many of us.

But kami rely on faith and mystery.

Two things that humans control. Many of us will wander in disappointment and despair for our entire existences.

[popsometags]

[ What a rotten existence... it was easier to deal with spirits who simply wanted some way to pass on.

How is a shinigami, a god of death, meant to help a spirit live? ]

...which is what this Wish Maker preys on. I imagine.

[fallenwishingstar]

Yes.

The entire Facility is built upon this concept. They were once the only ones in the world who would reach out to us. Back then, we existed only in the realm of spirits and were not able to exist in your world… We could only watch and wander. The Facility- They offered us hope… They told us that they would create a world where we could have Existence.

But that was a lie. A trap.

They never intended to help us.

[popsometags]

...just like Damashigami. Liars and crooks.

[ Don't get him started. ]

How many more of you do they have? Is there a way we can free them?

[fallenwishingstar]

… I don’t know. I’m not very good at counting, honestly.

But even if we are destroyed, we can be replaced. There are so many of us. We cannot be told apart. We never receive names or identities. We are Survivors or Failures in the eyes of that place and their experiments.

The Kami of Love tried to offer an alternative… but one person cannot love us all. Some spirits will inevitably slip between the cracks and trust the Facility. They will always have a stock of gullible fools, that no one will know went missing.

Like me.

[popsometags]

[ ...he mulls on something for a little bit. Finally nodding. ]

Were there any names you were fond of? That you may have heard before?