【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

[spacialeyes]

You still don’t trust me, huh?

[And he still wants to kick this narrator in the shins for giving away Inaba’s privacy this way.

Yuuto sorts his own thoughts in private. He knows that Inaba overthinks. She’s an expert at making herself stressed. If he can relieve that with a distraction, then that’s more important than knowing what’s going on. But it doesn’t sit well with him that she’s afraid.]

You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But I know. Whatever you say or whatever you’re thinking, the Inaba in front of me is my friend. I know that.

[And he turns to keep walking, if that’s what she wants.]

[dereban]

[ Hey, if you want to fight me one on one I sure ain't stopping it. ]

"That's not--"

Of course, I'd be hesitant.

Would he believe me? And if he did... what would he think about it?

About this?

I'm not real. That's why I'm like this.

[spacialeyes]

[1v1 him--

Yuuto bites his lip. It doesn't feel fair to be seeing her thoughts when Inaba's words suggest that she wants to hide them. He has to think hard about whether or not to acknowledge what he had just 'heard.'

He already knew that she was 'fictional.' They'd watched her anime, talked briefly about her having fans, and then decided it was too heavy for that moment. And he certainly has his own thoughts on the situation and his own similar experiences, what with his weird state of being. But none of that matters if Inaba doesn't want to talk about it.

So when he addresses her again, Yuuto uses his old tactics of softly hinting at an opening;]

You're my friend. Whatever you say, that's a fact. My feelings for you won't change. Okay? Whatever makes 'you' is important to me.

I won't leave you until you tell me to go away. Promise.

[dereban]

"Even if what makes [me], me is--another person?"

There.

She's said part of it.

[spacialeyes]

Hmmmm… Well…

Probably not..? Maybe I’m just weird, but if they’ve been here this whole time…

[He tilts his head.] It bothers you though, huh?

[dereban]

"What the hell is probably not supposed to mean? But yeah. They've been here this whole time. They're watching too, but they're not a presence that can be felt."

[spacialeyes]

Hmm, well… If they’ve been here this whole time and never introduced themselves, then that’s a little bit rude? But I could probably forgive them..?

[He shakes his head. He can worry about that later.

All in all, Yuuto is far too chill about this. He recognizes this too and subtly addresses it:]

It’s a lot to take in, mm. My brain isn’t really sure where to start.

[dereban]

"I don't think they can introduce themselves. That's why they have to use [me] as a medium to talk to any of you guys."

[spacialeyes]

I see… That sounds a bit lonely, huh..?

[He bows his head slightly, as if greeting the text now.]

How do you feel about them, Inaba?

[dereban]

"I don't know if they're lonely, to be honest."

I remember that Courier had spoken about there being a group of Narrators, after all.

On some online Discord server.

As for how I feel about them...

"I don't know. I don't know anything about them. Except for that one line that I've never forgotten, how they told me that my narrator likes me. They're probably just some weird old geezer NEET in their mid to late thirties that has some sort of gross obsession with me."

[spacialeyes]

I see, well… I don’t know if I’ll ever want to visit them myself. But having someone care about you is… nice, I guess?

[…]

Do you know what would happen if they let you go?

[dereban]

"Would you be able to? They're... in a higher dimension that can't be reached."

...

"I don't know.

I'd die, probably."

[spacialeyes]

... I see. [he won't talk about that.

he doesn't really want to talk about his ex to his other ex either.]

Then we won't try anything to change it now... But it's hard, isn't it? I can't imagine what it's like, but I don't think I'd like it very much.

[dereban]

"It's fine if I put it in the back of my mind.

They're... I don't know. I don't think they're a bad person."

Maybe that's just what they want me to say, though.

"However, I do recognize that they've put me through a lot of suffering. But I'm not going to say that everything they've done was all bad."

[spacialeyes]

There's really no other way to deal with it, huh? In which case... If ever gets hard, you can... or, well. If you wanted. I'd be here, you know? To listen, or distract you. I can't solve your hardships, but I can be here for you..?

[... is he really going to do this?

Yuuto laughs weakly;] You remind me of my ex.

My other ex. My first one. They were more like your narration friend, though. So while I can't say I understand fully, I um... I really can listen.

[dereban]

"There's really not much to say, Yuuto. I don't know anything. I can't see them or even talk to them. I don't know their name or what they're like. They're basically invisible.

But they're on a plane of existence, different from us.

Maybe they see my suffering differently. They were referred to as a 'narrator' before, so I always thought that maybe that's all they saw me as. Just some fictional girl - nothing more, nothing less. Maybe they were using me to vent or get some stress relief... a sadist, honestly."

And even this narration here -

It isn't the real them.

I knew that all along. This is just how I perceived how they wrote.

[spacialeyes]

[And so, he closes that can of ex worms. It does sound familiar, but he knows that story will only hurt Inaba in the end. Yuuto stops himself from saying more. Besides, the way that she described the current narrator makes some things line up: His power hasn’t been working and now he understands why.]

I see. So that’s how it is. [They’re dreaming, aren’t they?

Yuuto is a bit disappointed that this world isn’t real, but he keeps that to himself too.]

If you could be free of them, would you want to?

[dereban]

"If that were remotely possible, I would have tried already. I've already accepted that I can't. They're my life support."

They're my strings.

[spacialeyes]

But if you could, then would you?

[dereban]

"Probably."

[spacialeyes]

Okay.

Then I'll find a way to cut your strings. I promise.

[dereban]

Huh?

[ That's... actually audible. ]

Wait, how are you going to...?

[spacialeyes]

[He's not 100% sure yet. Yuuto probably has more avenues that he can try than she has yet, but that isn't the point here:]

Just trust me. Whenever you lose faith, just trust that I'll find a way to help you. And when you graduate from high school, I'll be there waiting for you.

[And because this is how promises become official, he holds out his pinky finger.

She's flat, sure. Maybe it'll be hard to link fingers. But he's still offering.]

[dereban]

[ I swear if he comes out of the dream and uses his ability to read the meta text I stg ]

...sap... don't say something like that.

[ She's crying??? But also going to link pinkies. ]

[spacialeyes]

[don't worry about it.]

I've told you before: I'll say what I want. I'll do what I want too.

And right now, what I want is to help you.

[So he links fingers, even when she's paper-thin like this.]

It's a promise now. So you have to look for me at your graduation ceremony, okay? I'll be looking for you too. And we'll cut the strings together.