thousand dreams, lotus boats upon the waters

[promittere]

NEW MOON ADAGIO

Between the constant requests from the North and the sense of tension that pervades the manor, Sage Tatara makes an executive decision: we're going North, baby.

Of all the things that have happened thus far, let this be the ultimate test of your magic. Even as we near summer, it's frigid. Protect yourselves and your allies from the cold. Protect yourselves while also fighting off monsters (or other territorial wizards, should you make the terrible mistake of wandering into another's territory), flying through the vast wilderness, or protecting the poor humans who need your help to survive. Time to blow off some of your steam. Just be sure to obey Tatara's one rule: don't kill each other.

One particular problem of note is in the Forest of Dreams. Without its guardian, many of these rogue monsters and dangerous predators, displaced from their normal habitats, have found their way into the forest. Many of them, however, are unable to survive against the fatal toxin, and there are plenty of animal corpses and mana stones that litter the forest. It might be best to clean these up before the forest guardian returns...

That said, the toxin is yet another thing you must protect yourself against in addition to the cold. While you can likely keep yourself from dying from the toxins, you may not be immune to its effects. This deadly toxin causes anyone who breathes it in to dream and hallucinate vividly, be it images of the past, imagined futures, thoughts of the present processed and warped...

Strangely enough, those nearby may end up sharing in your dreams... Did you want the darkest recesses of your thoughts, hopes, and fears unearthed for others to see?

Those who decide to venture far past the more populated (in relative terms) parts of the North may find themselves stumbling upon what looks to be an abandoned bandit hideout. It seems it's been abandoned for quite a while—nothing to loot here, sorry!—but there sure are a whole lot of monsters that have decided to make this hidden corner of the North their home.

While you're at it, you may find a nearby cave. Beautiful crystals dot the walls and the floors, and there are small pools of hot spring water free for relaxing. It seems to be relatively free of monsters, too. So maybe this wouldn't be a bad spot to relax, away from everything else?

However, there's one thing that makes this cave truly unique, and it isn't the vistas or the springs—it's the bats. These bats hear echoes of the past and replay them for visitors. Should you stay a while and listen, a bat may pay you a visit. And when it does, it may play for you the voices from the memories of visitors past, whose stories may hold a clue or two to your circumstances...

While the Forest of Dreams is a memory/dreamshare free for all, the aural memories replayed by the bats in the Cave of Time will come from one of the original wizards only. If you'd like an audio replay of a perhaps significant moment either in their personal life or a clue as to what happened to them (it will be randomized), then please reply to this comment!

JOB BOARD

Clean-up and repairs. While thanks to the hard work of your Eastern friends the worst was prevented, the City of Rain emerged from their short ordeal a little worse for wear.

Buildings need repair, blood needs to be cleaned off the streets, the injured need help. This is, perhaps, the only time you will be allowed to use magic openly in the city (you've been given permits and everything!), but you still are not allowed to talk outside of designated zones. Please, please don't get arrested...

As for the scrap that litters the streets? Unfortunately, you'll have to take it back to the scrapyard. But this time, there's a big, roaring bonfire out there. Just chuck all the scrap and debris in the fire. The city isn't taking any second chances—extreme situations call for extreme measures.

Reverence. Several Northern villages are currently outside the protection of a wizard, and have requested the sage's wizards' presence. They're terrified of the monsters and worried the barriers for their villages will fail sooner than later. They don't simply ask for help for free, however, and these smaller villages are steeped in their tradition—they'll pay you their respects, praying to you, offering you gifts, groveling at your feet, in hopes for a modicum of your time and protection. Do their offerings please you? Then assist them with what you deem appropriate for their worship to you: kill a few monsters for them, or a lot if you're pleased. Strengthen the barrier a lot, or not at all if you're displeased. It's up to you! You have the power here. What's it like to be a god for a day?

Ladies' night. The monthly lady officers' gathering is coming up in the City of Affluence—it's an exclusive meetup for the women involved in and related to Western military and bureaucratic affairs. Anyone is welcome, so long as they meet two requirements: they are outwardly presenting feminine, and they have an invitation to the gathering. Here's your chance to flex your transformation and glamour spells! Infiltrate the meetup with a disguise and a fake invitation, mingle, enjoy the drinks, the jazz, the entertainment, and find out what you can... What's the Western army up to? Be careful, though—don't get caught and kicked out!

The attendees seem to be excited about the new phantasmagoria technology and the upcoming display, and many whisper about the upcoming Venator meteor shower...

G'RAHA TASKS

Greetings, new friends! I am G'raha Tia, and while I hesitate to call myself a mentor or a replacement for the one you had, I am eternally grateful for the assistance I received and will do my best to help your cause in any way I can. To that end, I feel I may need to be caught up to speed on the events and get to know all of you.

We can have some tea and sandwiches and have a discussion! That's the best way to learn, sometimes.

TATARA ACTIVITIES

Even if we're not here for very long, I think we should leave our mark (not literally! Don't paint on the walls!). I got paint and big paper in the dining hall, but no brushes... Do you know what that means? Finger paint! Finger paint a portrait of yourself with your name and I'll hang it up in the library when they're all done!

Thanks to Cid and Khun, my camcorder works now. The thing is, what's the point of filming anything if we have no way to watch the film?! Could you guys work together to make some kind of projector? Or like...VHS player? We could have a movie night together!

OOC NOTES

🌙 Welcome to your fourth event! It's your dreamshare and memshare event! Ready to open up with your deepest and darkest secrets?
🌙 We're halfway through the game. How do you feel?
🌙 Back at the manor, Kurapika and Maya have set up a bulletin board! Leave comments, argue with your neighbors, have fun. Be nice. Don't set it on fire.
🌙 On the admin side of things, Lav has swapped out Wanderer for G'raha! Please say hello to your new mentor NPC.
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Remember to keep all wider plotting to the post, and remember to check back frequently, since not everyone checks plurk or discord all the time.
🌙 The next country to go on their mission is North. Do you think a PVP-enabled mission will go well?

» NAVIGATION

Comments

[dadsandals]

dream big

[ Yamato has made sure to place a seal on himself for prolonged warmth, because it is cold up here, and he's not a fan. He'd also place a protective one on himself, too, for extra safety, but unfortunately he's not quite at a point where he can double up on seals just yet. So, when he enters the forest, he makes sure to go with someone to ensure his safety. He'll return the favor if something happens, of course, but there was no way he was going to come here by himself, so.

He takes a look around. ]

Wow. There's a lot of...stuff everywhere, huh.

[ If you'd like memshare, please specify which of these you'd like:
- Childhood (angsty as hell, man)
- Joining IDOLiSH7
- A change of heart (deciding to try acting)
- Divorce (lol) ]

clean up

[ He's back here again, in the East, cleaning up the mess that Collodi made. He's pretty somber while he gets to work, chucking piece after piece of scrap metal into the fire. He's not happy. He's not enthused to be here. In fact, it looks like he's just mindlessly throwing things -- though given everything, maybe it's hard to blame him for it.

He's so out of it. He won't even acknowledge anyone who approaches him, because he won't even notice they're there. ]

finger painting

[ Tatara did him a solid, so he's ready to return the favor. This task is more bearable than the East one, at the very least, and he may have learned to be a little more fond of arts and crafts.

To those who saw him deny making a nametag a few weeks back, it may be surprising to see him entertaining the thought about finger painting. He's picking out some colors and has a canvas ready, right in front of him. And unlike in the East, this time, he'll greet anyone who also seems interested in participating...or in whatever he's doing, at least. ]

Hey. You wanna join in? This is probably the most relaxing thing we'll get to do all week, if I'm being honest.

wildcard

[ surprise me i am down for any of these prompts. ]

dream big --> Childhood;

[foresightis2020]

[ If there is someone who can guarantee someone's protection with relative ease, it'd certainly be Jing Yuan.

He doesn't mind accompanying Yamato, footsteps careful as he keeps an eye on their surroundings, but as usual there is a light smile on his face. ]

Yes, quite. Perhaps if we are clever enough with spells we can get all of the little items to dance straight into one bag and be on our way?

[ Light joking because there is a A lot. No way to manage it for all things... ]

[dadsandals]

Yeah, that'd be ideal.

[ He smiles back at Jing Yuan -- he's pleasant company. This shouldn't be too bad. ... And it isn't, up until there's the sound of a little boy laughing, running past Jing Yuan. The boy is small with bright eyes, but the color of his pupils, combined with his hair color, make for a familiar face.

Yamato's reaction, too, is telling. He's just staring at the boy with his eyes wide. ]

[foresightis2020]

[ Emphasis on shouldn't, am I right...

Anyway, that sure is a sound! Jing Yuan turns his attention towards the direction of where the boy is running. Who most definitely must resemble Yamato. ]

Ah.

This must be constructed by our environment. What isn't real, and yet, here we are.

[dadsandals]

...

[ Essentially, Jing Yuan will see something interesting play out in front of him. It's nothing particularly exciting, but it sure says something about the young boy, doesn't it? More than Jing Yuan probably needed to know. ]

How...did they manage this?

Dream Big - Childhood

[dyingtohealyou]

"Stuff" is... one way to put it.

[Lots of mana stones in particular, which he's certainly eyeing.]

Are your wards holding up enough to start cleaning up?

[dadsandals]

Yeah, I think it should be fine. I-

[ There's someone – a figure, a phantom – that runs past them, at the corner of Ahito's eye. Yamato catches a glimpse of him: A young boy with the same olive green hair as him, with a similar eye color. The boy looks...happy. Happy, as if he's enjoying himself.

Huh. The resemblance to Yamato is uncanny, though, and it's telling that Yamato can't stop staring at him. ]

[dyingtohealyou]

[Oh.

Ahito makes the connection immediately and while one part of him thinks, "so much for the wards," the other part of him can't help but watch the movements of the child too, curiosity getting the better of him.]

[dadsandals]

[ The child is joyful, laughing, calling out to his father -- and then, before they both know it, there's something that flickers, almost like the memory is glitching out.

And then, there's the sound of something about an actor named Chiba Shizuo on television with a woman, his wife -- and then it being abruptly cut off by something being smashed. Soon, an interesting scene will play out in front of them.

If Ahito looks, there's a television with a shattered screen, along with the boy, several years older, looking enraged.

"Liar...liar!"

He says it through his teeth, quiet so people cannot hear...until another woman enters the room.

"What happened in here?"

The boy looks at her --

"Did you know, mom? Did you know -- dad-!"

...

The scene ends. Yamato looks over at Ahito. ]

Sorry. ... You didn't have to see that.

finger painting!

[lighthaus]

[ this was not what khun was expecting when he ran into yamato, his smile thoroughly amused. (any thought of what he did to musashi has gone out the window, like the theoretical musashi did). ]

You're asking me this time? I'm almost flattered.

[dadsandals]

Yeah, I guess I am. Even if you messed with my robot.

[ He will not forget this crime against humanity, Khun.

Anyway, he holds out a bottle of blue paint towards the other guy. ]

Gotta get your hands dirty for this, though.

[lighthaus]

That's just roughhousing between friends.

[ probably!

he takes the blue paint. ]

Luckily that's not a thing I mind doing, but it's been a while since I've done it this way.

[ he pulls up a seat and settles in. tbh he's going to spend way too long after to get his hands clean... ]

Dream Big --- Joining IDOLiSH

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

As usual. Keep your guard up.

[Because Kiryu expects there to be magical beasts attacking. He doesn't suspect this is the memoryshare forest!]

[dadsandals]

Of course. I'll be careful.

[ Especially since Kiryu is here. He'll be vigilant!

That is, until there's suddenly a strange mix of noises: Sneakers squeaking, the sound of something hitting the ground repeatedly, a whistle being blown. It al sounds like some kind of modern day sports game. ]

... Do you hear that?

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

...that's...

[That's not what you'd expect to hear in a forest. Kiryu glances at Yamato, unsure about this, but decides investigating probably is a good idea]

There are very few settlements up here and I'm sure none are this deep in the forest. Come on.

[He says 'settlements' but it almost sounds like what you'd find in a stadium, or a gym, which would make even less sense to find in a forest. Kiryu takes the lead, though, walking in front of Yamato in direction of the sounds]

[dadsandals]

Yeah. That's not right.

[ Yamato follows Kiryu towards the sound, because he, too, is curious about its source. It won't take them long, though, to come across...something very interesting.

Yamato with a whistle between his lips, watching a group of other men playing what appears to be a game of basketball. The moment is interrupted, though, by a short blonde woman who walks into the room and introduces herself as a "manager".

The real Yamato's eyes go wide. ]

...This is...

[ Mmmm. ]

Kiryu-san, we should leave.

Dream big - A change of heart

[troublereduction]

Kinda makes you wonder how many creatures just waltzed in here and died.

[ A lot, apparently! ]

ah sorry i missed this!

[dadsandals]

Yeah, it's pretty ominous, isn't it?

[ At the corner of Day's eye, though, will be a flash of orange that'll suddenly appear. Should Day take a look, he'll see a short boy with orange hair, earbuds in, and he seems to be practicing some kind of dance. There's a figure sitting down near this one, one who looks strangely like Yamato.

The actual Yamato, on the other hand, doesn't quite see him, as his back is faced towards him as he assesses the environment. ]

[troublereduction]

[ Oh, Day sure sees that alright, and he's watching it with wide eyes because wait a damn minute. ]

...Yamato, I think there's something here.

Dream Big --> Gimme the idol

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya, believing in safety in numbers and also wanting to make sure his fellow wizards make it back mostly unscathed, agrees to go along with Yamato further into the forest. He casts his own barrier, but not being able to specialize, it may not hold up as much as he'd like.

He's sure he can manage for as long as Yamato is around, at least. While surveying the forest, he hums in affirmation.] It is a bit concerning. Is this a normal accumulation if not collected by the wizards, or is something worse occurring in this place?

[dadsandals]

I don't know if I want to stick around to find out, in all honesty.

[ Because this is bad news. Bad, bad news all around. For all of these carcasses to pile up like this... Something awful must be brewing here, huh.

As he says this, though, Syrlya will start to hear the sound of chatter in the near distance: A woman's voice, followed by several deeper ones...one of them being Yamato's. ]

... What?

[chronosynthesis]

Hmm? [He catches Yamato's surprise at first, and then realizes the echo of his voice. He turns to look for the source of it, hand resting on the hilt of his blade but not quite drawing it yet.]

Finger Painting!

[serenesinker]

Oh wow! Haven't painted with my fingers in a long time. Seems like it could be fun!

[Yodarha rolls his neck and looks up at Yamato's canvas with a curious expression.]

Got an idea of what you wanna paint?

[dadsandals]

[ Oh, hey, Yodarha! Yamato gives him a grin and hands him a bottle of yellow paint. Seems like he'd like it. ]

Not really, though Tatara wants us to paint portraits of ourselves. You think we can do that with finger painting?

[serenesinker]

[Yellow's a nice color! Yodarha's sure he can figure out some way to include it in his self portrait.]

I don't see why not. A finger can be as much of a tool as a brush if used properly!