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MARCH EVENT LOG
At midnight on March 1st, a rolling lightning storm hits Yogen. Thunder crackles, and strikes of Anvil Crawler lighting can be seen lighting up the sky; anyone paying attention to the courtyard may see the explosive strike of lightning hitting the wisteria tree. Petals scatter throughout the air and are carried off in every direction by the wind...
As the month goes on the school will start to look even more barren. As the month goes on, several students start to disappear, with rumors spreading here and there about students disappearing after entering the forest. Those rumors twist and warp, and within just a few days there are rumors of a witch in the forest. But it's not a witch, nor a ghost, or anything else, but a dream, and those who enter will find themselves reminded of such by a soothing voice, the voice of a person they're familiar with, speaking gently in their ears:
"You are dreaming... They have always led and will always lead you here... Remind yourself, this is a dream..."
The world shifts subtly. There are gravestones marking the pathway now, and before long the forest is replaced by a completely new scene. A voice reminds you once more that this is a dream, and that you have always been here. You have always been led to this place. But where is this place? It's the world of a player character. It's nothing more than a snapshot in time. It might be one that they wish to escape, or perhaps a warm memory of a time that they wish to return to, but it is always an important memory to the character.
Whichever it is, the only way is to move forward. As characters move through the memory, characters will soon notice a snake and holly tattoo that spreads over their body will be. It starts small, a clump on one's back, but will spread across all parts of a character's body. It will reach the neck and face last, killing them upon reaching the eyes. As the curse spreads, they will notice changes in the dream including hallucinations, hearing lullabies, and shades that pursue them. They will also notice increased exhaustion and lethargy.
Upon reaching the end of the memory, they will find a glowing ball of light representative of a lost student's soul. Finding the soul will lead to both characters awakening at the edge of the forest, and the character who had been dreaming will be covered with the tattoo for a brief moment before it disappears.
Those who entered the dream may hear that same voice from before that tugs at their mind as the dream fades away:
"Remind yourself, this is a dream, and soon you will awaken. But you are here, as you always have been, and as you always will be... Soon, you will wonder where you were, and each moment after, will bring you here..."
The world shifts subtly. There are gravestones marking the pathway now, and before long the forest is replaced by a completely new scene. A voice reminds you once more that this is a dream, and that you have always been here. You have always been led to this place. But where is this place? It's the world of a player character. It's nothing more than a snapshot in time. It might be one that they wish to escape, or perhaps a warm memory of a time that they wish to return to, but it is always an important memory to the character.
Whichever it is, the only way is to move forward. As characters move through the memory, characters will soon notice a snake and holly tattoo that spreads over their body will be. It starts small, a clump on one's back, but will spread across all parts of a character's body. It will reach the neck and face last, killing them upon reaching the eyes. As the curse spreads, they will notice changes in the dream including hallucinations, hearing lullabies, and shades that pursue them. They will also notice increased exhaustion and lethargy.
Upon reaching the end of the memory, they will find a glowing ball of light representative of a lost student's soul. Finding the soul will lead to both characters awakening at the edge of the forest, and the character who had been dreaming will be covered with the tattoo for a brief moment before it disappears.
Those who entered the dream may hear that same voice from before that tugs at their mind as the dream fades away:
✽ Dreams may be whoelsale memories, or they may be more akin to dreamscapes based on a person's memories or mental state.
✽ The holly pattern represents the pain of love and aches of the heart, while the snake represents the yearning for the dead that consume a person.
✽ The tattoos will be blue or red.
✽ Characters may be drawn into the forest more than once, or require multiple memories to be gone through before reappearing. In those cases, the character who had gone through the initial memory will simply wake up in the forest alone.
✽ Characters who hear the voice upon leaving the dream will be more susceptible to entering and being lost in the forest.
✽ Anyone who is not rescued by the end of the month will be found at the edge of the forest. The tattoo will cover their body and stop just short of their eyes. It will disappear within an hour, but they will be exhausted for the rest of the day.
✽ The holly pattern represents the pain of love and aches of the heart, while the snake represents the yearning for the dead that consume a person.
✽ The tattoos will be blue or red.
✽ Characters may be drawn into the forest more than once, or require multiple memories to be gone through before reappearing. In those cases, the character who had gone through the initial memory will simply wake up in the forest alone.
✽ Characters who hear the voice upon leaving the dream will be more susceptible to entering and being lost in the forest.
✽ Anyone who is not rescued by the end of the month will be found at the edge of the forest. The tattoo will cover their body and stop just short of their eyes. It will disappear within an hour, but they will be exhausted for the rest of the day.
no subject
the word that she finds most alluring is faith. it's something in the lifeblood at this point. so carefully, nene pulls the tin off the wall and looks at it curiously before subaru speaks. )
Oh... okay.
( been a while since he's heard her voice, probably. but she'll bring it over to him. )
Are these all things you know?
no subject
I guess. I dunno, really. [...] I love your voice, Nene.
[i missed it, echoes softly in the tender tone. i'm sorry i couldn't do more, pairs with his apologetic gaze.]
Anyway, what's it say for you? It's all blurry to me, like I'm looking at it under running water.
no subject
( talk with him, and just be.
but they're here for a reason, right? so nene slides into a seat beside him, leaning over to show him. )
It says "faith".
no subject
[faith... he plays with the cannister, staring at the blurry letters. legible in a sense, but they don't register to his eyes.
he'll lean his head against her, shameless as ever for contact. subaru likes being special. likes being one of few she can talk around. but faith is... an interesting thing to think about, in a lot ways.]
What's faith to you, Nene?
no subject
Mm... Back home. I always had faith that Hanako-kun would save me from anything. I could go into any situation even if I hated it, because I knew he'd be there to protect me. And here... it's trusting people to come back. That- that I'll see them again at dinner time. That I can get up in the morning and keep going. Even if sometimes I have to stay in bed for a while instead. ( but that's not exactly it, still. ) ... I think it's... the belief that the sun will rise again in the morning. Regardless of what the night brought.
( she moves to squeeze his hand in hers, gentle and warm. )
What about you?
no subject
... You know~, I didn't have a lot of it back home. [what is home? his memories, or...?] I like yours, though, so it'll be that.
[he didn't have a lot then, but he guesses he's grown to have it now... faith that one day he'll meet people again, that he'll be able to smile and mean it, that he can repair the bridges he's worn down...]
I don't wanna watch this one, [he says softly.] Sorta afraid of what it is, Nene. 'Cause my faith's been through the wringer the past month, y'know?
no subject
( a simple admission, but one she hasn't let out before. when did this start? ... her birthday. that's when. the arguing had been normal at this point but then...
nene gently curls the fingers of one hand into his hair, placing the other on the film reel. should she put it back? )
... The thing about faith is... it can be scary. Sometimes you put it in the wrong things- you have faith in someone and they let you down. You were promised sunshine and got rain. Things like that. But... you still have to take the leap, you know? Or redirect it somewhere else. Like jumping right into the water, or finding the ladder instead.
We don't have to watch it. But if you change your mind, I'll be here with you. Okay?
no subject
he may not be the subaru she knew, the one she fostered such a closeness with, but he covets it anyway. it makes him feel sick and disgusting and he wants to peel off his skin, but he doesn't. he closes his eyes and leans into the touch, shaking his head.]
... Thanks. I don't wanna watch it, I just...
[she gave an admission. he can, too, soft and yet so loud in this small room.]
I'm lonely.
--not how subarus mitsubakin now
( there's a lot nene isn't quite aware of- she feels like she's been skirting by just barely aware of the world around her for months now, knows there's so much she's missed. the world turns on, with or without you. and so many are gone. stephanie is gone again... hinata's been barely around, like he's fading away.
and she's still here. but does it matter? )
I can put it back. I won't make you do anything you don't want to.
... Subaru-kun? You can always come by my room, if you want. I'm, um. I'm thinking about moving in with Noah, but he likes you too.
STOP I WAS TOLD HES MY BOY
...
he doesn't have a nose for it anymore, really. just a dull "hunch". he can feel it off nene, too, and exhales softly.]
Yeah, I know. Thanks. For all that. It's just... been a little hard, [to put it lightly, to put it briefly, to brush against the truth.] This is good enough, though. You...
[...]
I have faith in you, and... you have faith in me, right? So that's good enough. I promise, I won't give you a reason to lose it.
[... maybe, hopefully.]
gun to ur head read hanakokun-- no im joking. (OR AM I)
( something she certainly feels herself, honestly. )
The 'little hard' things all just stack up, one by one. Like rocks. And then one day you wake up and you're buried under a pile of them, and what used to be just a small weight in your pocket is keeping you on the ground. Or something like that... right?
( it'd beak anyone. it broke her in november. now it's finally coming for others, too, it looks like. )
I have faith in you. To be here in the morning at breakfast, and to find a way to keep on living. Not just surviving.