Junna Hoshimi ⭐ 星見 純那 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thestarknows) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
yumemigaoka2025-02-18 05:17 pm
thestarknows) wrote in yumemigaoka2025-02-18 05:17 pm
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EVENT #10: AND MERELY PLAYERS
- By now, entering a Disturbance is familiar. That isn't a good thing -- the way that it takes that extra effort, like pushing your hand through molasses; like a wavering mirage that almost pushes back against your gaze. It's a sign of someone in distress.
But after entering the Slumbering City, the Dreamers have made their way into this newest Disturbance. And then, they've pushed onward... and everyone finds themselves on a long path through darkness, lit only by stage lights.
Welcome to Junna Hoshimi's Disturbance event! To recap from previous events and the monthly post, Disturbances are surreal and dangerous dreamscapes that draw directly on the struggles, fears and emotions of a single character, similar to the TV world dungeons in Persona 4 or the Heartscapes in Blue Reflection Second Light. They're unique among Outlying Locations in that they vanish once resolved and incubate extremely powerful enemies at their core who must be defeated to save the person at its heart – in this instance, Junna Hoshimi.
Using the descriptions in the log below, you may freely top level and have characters explore and investigate as you please! The descriptions given in this log are to give direction and progression to the events but please feel free to play around within the bounds of what's established as much as you like. Characters wishing to investigate and uncover additional hints and lore nuggets at the heart of the dungeon should indicate they are investigating in the comment header of their top level. Pinging Tex on Discord may also help in case his emails and notifications act up.
To clear the event and prevent a negative outcome on the plot that will effect both the Dream Sphere and Yumemigaoka, characters must clear both the Mid-Tier and Boss Combat Encounters by the OOC deadline of March 3rd.
SUNSET BOULEVARD
- Upon entering the dream, all Dreamers will first find themselves walking down a long path through darkness, lit only by stoplights. In the way of a dream, though, at its end, it turns into the front of Promised Morning Academy at sunset.
The building is lit up by sunset, with weather that suggests it is spring. It seems almost pleasant... but there is a buzz of tension in the air. It should be the time that people have left for the day, but there are lights on inside the school. There are murmurs, stressed and worried, but wordless. Sunset -- the time people should have left and gone home, but are still working -- never seems to end.
In that light, it isn't such a pleasant image. Still, this is a place where Dreamers can return to, to rest, coordinate, and take a breather before exploring further.
The way forward is the double doors, leading into the school. They are larger than they should be, more imposing that the ones in real life, and heavier to push open.
!SCHOOL DAZE
Upon entering, the Dreamers find themselves in a warped, endless version of Promised Morning's first floor. The hallway stretches out east-to-west, but there is a subtle curve to it. And if someone walks the full length of the hallway, it loops back around, leaving them trapped.
The Dreamers aren't alone here. There are shadowy figures, like silhouettes, wearing the uniforms of Promised Morning. Each are carrying large stacks of paper.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: If someone touches them, they seem to fuzz and not quite feel real. But each of them will put stacks of paper that are quite real into an unwitting Dreamer's hands. So many papers, in fact, that a Dreamer could be literally weighed down by them.
After escaping the shadowy students, Dreamers can pass countless class rooms and clubrooms. Each of them has a locked door. It might feel hopeless, until a freight elevator is found at the end. There is a large, blinking red light and one button. The only way to progress is to go down.
The Dreamers aren't alone here. There are shadowy figures, like silhouettes, wearing the uniforms of Promised Morning. Each are carrying large stacks of paper.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: If someone touches them, they seem to fuzz and not quite feel real. But each of them will put stacks of paper that are quite real into an unwitting Dreamer's hands. So many papers, in fact, that a Dreamer could be literally weighed down by them.
After escaping the shadowy students, Dreamers can pass countless class rooms and clubrooms. Each of them has a locked door. It might feel hopeless, until a freight elevator is found at the end. There is a large, blinking red light and one button. The only way to progress is to go down.
!THE ONLY WAY DOWN
The freight elevator is not a comfortable ride down. The floor is made of steel, patterned to give some grip. There are no buttons to control it. Once the down button is pressed, all a Dreamer can do is ride it down to the bottom. And the railing on each side is woefully inadequate from a safety perspective: it's only a three foot high steel bar.
Which means, from the darkness, something can jump onto it.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Torments begin to leap from the shadows, onto the 12 by 12 foot elevator platform. The Torments, initially, are only a Shadowy outline... but they respond to the Dreamers on the platform. A Dreamer with an idol theme finds them looking like crazed fans; a Dreamer with a sword finds ones carrying axes; a Dreamer with a ninja motif finds their foes include ones carrying katanas. The Torments are easily dispatched, but they keep coming in waves -- until the elevator reaches the bottom.
When it does, there is a ding. The door opens... revealing a hallway.
Which means, from the darkness, something can jump onto it.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Torments begin to leap from the shadows, onto the 12 by 12 foot elevator platform. The Torments, initially, are only a Shadowy outline... but they respond to the Dreamers on the platform. A Dreamer with an idol theme finds them looking like crazed fans; a Dreamer with a sword finds ones carrying axes; a Dreamer with a ninja motif finds their foes include ones carrying katanas. The Torments are easily dispatched, but they keep coming in waves -- until the elevator reaches the bottom.
When it does, there is a ding. The door opens... revealing a hallway.
!BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURETTE
The elevator lets out in a darkly lit hallway. Just a short distance away is a large set of double doors, underneath a sign that declares it to be the "MAIN STAGE." And yet, try as someone might, that door will not open. It seems that the only way to get onto the main stage is through hard work.
The hallway connects to many others. There are more hallways in this backstage area than any real theater could ever have. And there are doorways here, too, and each has a poster next to it, depicting a play or a movie. There isn't another door that clearly leads to the main stage... which means Dreamers will need to search the rooms.
The poster outside of each room gives an idea of its contents. Inside, there are people hard at work. Like before, in the school level, they are shadowy silhouettes of students. The shadowy students are engaged in some work based on the movie or play poster outside.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #1: In this room, four silhouettes are hurriedly building props and backgrounds for a play. Wooden cut-outs of trees and houses that need to be built; organizing a closet full of costumes; painting details onto paper backdrops of a sky and a town. The work isn't done, and the silhouettes are in a panic about this. Dreamers who enter the room have tools pushed into their hands to help -- until the work is finished. If the Dreamers try to leave, they begin to screech and scream, and eventually attack with shadowed claws. The work will never stop, though. The props need to be put out of their sight or the silhouettes defeated.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #2: Only one silhouette is inside here. A high school student, by the look of her. She cannot speak, but she mimics going through a play by herself. When Dreamers enter, she thrusts a script to them. Then, she tries to get them to act out Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The silhouette wants to play the part of Caesar. If they act it out, the silhouette will want to do it again. She can either be defeated in a fight, or made to play another role, which will stop the performance.
Once the Dreamers have time to thoroughly search the room with the silhouette that wishes to portray Caesar. There is a poster of Yonezawa's Last Paycheck, a movie that came out in April, on the wall. The other materials in here strictly apply to Julius Caesar, with posters of past performances and props related to it.
Pulling down the poster of Yonezawa's Last Paycheck reveals a door. Opening it leads to a hallway, dark, but with the bright lights of a main stage up ahead.
The hallway connects to many others. There are more hallways in this backstage area than any real theater could ever have. And there are doorways here, too, and each has a poster next to it, depicting a play or a movie. There isn't another door that clearly leads to the main stage... which means Dreamers will need to search the rooms.
The poster outside of each room gives an idea of its contents. Inside, there are people hard at work. Like before, in the school level, they are shadowy silhouettes of students. The shadowy students are engaged in some work based on the movie or play poster outside.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #1: In this room, four silhouettes are hurriedly building props and backgrounds for a play. Wooden cut-outs of trees and houses that need to be built; organizing a closet full of costumes; painting details onto paper backdrops of a sky and a town. The work isn't done, and the silhouettes are in a panic about this. Dreamers who enter the room have tools pushed into their hands to help -- until the work is finished. If the Dreamers try to leave, they begin to screech and scream, and eventually attack with shadowed claws. The work will never stop, though. The props need to be put out of their sight or the silhouettes defeated.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT #2: Only one silhouette is inside here. A high school student, by the look of her. She cannot speak, but she mimics going through a play by herself. When Dreamers enter, she thrusts a script to them. Then, she tries to get them to act out Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The silhouette wants to play the part of Caesar. If they act it out, the silhouette will want to do it again. She can either be defeated in a fight, or made to play another role, which will stop the performance.
Once the Dreamers have time to thoroughly search the room with the silhouette that wishes to portray Caesar. There is a poster of Yonezawa's Last Paycheck, a movie that came out in April, on the wall. The other materials in here strictly apply to Julius Caesar, with posters of past performances and props related to it.
Pulling down the poster of Yonezawa's Last Paycheck reveals a door. Opening it leads to a hallway, dark, but with the bright lights of a main stage up ahead.
!TO SHINE ON THE MAIN STAGE
The doorway leads onward, until the Dreamers emerge onto the main stage. It is a massive, circular stage, but there is a raised circular platform at the center. Rich red curtains have fallen entirely across the elevated platform and hide whatever is behind. One set of steep stairs leads up to it.
But, it couldn't be as simple as approaching the stairs.
First, a bright stage light shines down, and falls into the audience. The chairs there are empty. There is only one living thing there, though it is not a person. It is a massive giraffe, with brilliant green eyes, a pink ribbon, and and a disaffected expression.
The giraffe bellows in a baritone, masculine voice: "To be a Dreamer is to be a performer! To struggle endlessly! To be a light that shines upon the people! I... UNDERSTAND!"
All around the stage, props and stage equipment rises up. Wooden walls, stairwells, and platforms create a maze. Each Dreamer is locked within them, separated from their fellows by a maze of different theater settings: from cut-outs of castle walls, Western towns, modern cities, cut-outs of trees, and backdrops of stars and nebulae.
Up high, though, a four point golden star lowers. The stage light vanishes from the giraffe. The golden star shines brilliantly -- and then at its center, a giant eye blinks, and opens to look down. This is a powerful Nightmare, though it is far out of reach.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Navigating the maze -- whether while fighting the Star Nightmare or not -- is a complex matter. First, a powerful orchestral soundtrack fires up (accompanying vocals optional). Stairs and platforms rise up, to provide backdrops ranging from historical dramas to science fiction. These include pyrotechnics and water effects -- which can dazzle, though they can't hurt. Stage lights shine down and blind, sometimes at inopportune moments. Getting to the center of the stage requires navigating through these rising and lowering themed platforms.
But, additionally, the Star Nightmare causes illusions. Sometimes, Dreamers who encounter each other will see one another as powerful Torment, illusions altering their perceptions of each other and their attacks. They can fight each in the midst of the maze, but if they realize that they're fighting a friend, it will stop.
If you need a visual, this fight from Revue Starlight gives an idea of the shenanigans at work:
Dreamers caught here are also able to battle against the Star Nightmare as a Mid-Boss Encounter.
At the end of the maze are stairs, which lead up to the central platform. The stairs are long and steep, and the curtains have yet to rise. But now, the only way to go is up.
But, it couldn't be as simple as approaching the stairs.
First, a bright stage light shines down, and falls into the audience. The chairs there are empty. There is only one living thing there, though it is not a person. It is a massive giraffe, with brilliant green eyes, a pink ribbon, and and a disaffected expression.
The giraffe bellows in a baritone, masculine voice: "To be a Dreamer is to be a performer! To struggle endlessly! To be a light that shines upon the people! I... UNDERSTAND!"
All around the stage, props and stage equipment rises up. Wooden walls, stairwells, and platforms create a maze. Each Dreamer is locked within them, separated from their fellows by a maze of different theater settings: from cut-outs of castle walls, Western towns, modern cities, cut-outs of trees, and backdrops of stars and nebulae.
Up high, though, a four point golden star lowers. The stage light vanishes from the giraffe. The golden star shines brilliantly -- and then at its center, a giant eye blinks, and opens to look down. This is a powerful Nightmare, though it is far out of reach.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Navigating the maze -- whether while fighting the Star Nightmare or not -- is a complex matter. First, a powerful orchestral soundtrack fires up (accompanying vocals optional). Stairs and platforms rise up, to provide backdrops ranging from historical dramas to science fiction. These include pyrotechnics and water effects -- which can dazzle, though they can't hurt. Stage lights shine down and blind, sometimes at inopportune moments. Getting to the center of the stage requires navigating through these rising and lowering themed platforms.
But, additionally, the Star Nightmare causes illusions. Sometimes, Dreamers who encounter each other will see one another as powerful Torment, illusions altering their perceptions of each other and their attacks. They can fight each in the midst of the maze, but if they realize that they're fighting a friend, it will stop.
If you need a visual, this fight from Revue Starlight gives an idea of the shenanigans at work:
Dreamers caught here are also able to battle against the Star Nightmare as a Mid-Boss Encounter.
At the end of the maze are stairs, which lead up to the central platform. The stairs are long and steep, and the curtains have yet to rise. But now, the only way to go is up.
!POSITION ZERO
Those who find their way through the maze and make their way up to the stairs come to where the red curtains are. Once the first Dreamers reach them, the left up. The circular platform has Junna standing at the center, raising a hand up to shield her eyes.
Because every stage light here is shining directly onto her, which blinds her from seeing them. From up here, those stage lights can almost be reached.
They keep shining on Junna, as an elevator platform begins to lower her downward -- as an elevator. The stage lights all turn away, and shine down onto the Dreamers. They threaten to blind them.
Not everyone can go down after Junna. But it might be best to say some final remarks -- especially as Torments are beginning to move up the stairs. Those who descend will need to be protected.
And those who jump down after Junna hear a deep baritone voice bellow up, from below: "I UNDERSTAND."
Because every stage light here is shining directly onto her, which blinds her from seeing them. From up here, those stage lights can almost be reached.
They keep shining on Junna, as an elevator platform begins to lower her downward -- as an elevator. The stage lights all turn away, and shine down onto the Dreamers. They threaten to blind them.
Not everyone can go down after Junna. But it might be best to say some final remarks -- especially as Torments are beginning to move up the stairs. Those who descend will need to be protected.
And those who jump down after Junna hear a deep baritone voice bellow up, from below: "I UNDERSTAND."
no subject
[She's only impressed a moment when Zeke outright blows the false Ai-Doll away, but that still leaves her own double and Hanako's; she trusts Zeke to have her back if something happens, so she takes another shot at her shadow, this time more seriously with three bolts in a tight spiral that it's hard pressed to avoid. One connects in its shoulder and another at center mass, staggering it. That's enough room for Rhodonite to push forward and shield the space between Zeke and them.]
no subject
[Ever wonder why Zeke goes around yelling BRINGER OF CHAOS! in the course of normal waking world duties? There's one reason!]
[And of course Zeke has her back, which is a good thing as another Torment emerges from there. This one has a sinuous sort of agility to do it, ducking quickly before Chaosbringer's strike can even get halfway to it.]
no subject
[This is also not a serious request, but. She'd say something about letting her cook if either her mind didn't remind her of the burn last Christmas, or if she already knew Zeke would remind her that's supposed to be one of her strong points. Which is, in turn, a good(?) sign if she already knows what her arguments against are going to be. Still, banter with Zeke is... helping her keep stable for the moment, so she doesn't complain too much about it.
Rhodonite fires off another series of shots to keep her double off balance, this time piercing an apparent attempt at a shield in the first shot, putting one in her face - ow, she felt that one over here - causing the shadow to bend and clutch at it, and thus take a final bolt straight to the right side of her stomach. The shadow screeches, topples, and explodes into a puff of smoke.]
Y'know, I'm starting to think I need armor. Like. Just some nice leather padding for my torso.
[This doesn't quite distract her from the not-hakujoudai coming in for a pass while the not-Hanako isn't engaged, but she lets out a soft sound of surprise all the same when she barely blocks.]
no subject
Armor's overrated. Just be invincible, I say!
no subject
[One more burst of dull-red fire, all striking center mass as Chaosbringer sets 'em up and Rhodonite knocks 'em down.]
I probably do need to try and find something more interesting to do with my shields, though. Maybe I can make that into armor...? Eh. Later. I have something more important to do right now.
no subject
[Chaosbringer's never had to worry about 'practice' quite so much -- everything he can do is familiar, almost instinctual, to him. Or to put it another way, he considers his powers to be a natural extension of himself, inherent the same way just moving your arm or thinking a thought are. Experience is very valuable, don't get him wrong, but that's not the same thing.]
[This battles is sufficiently under control that he can ponder a question.]
Hey, Rhodonite. Do you want to be a Dreamer?
no subject
What kind of question is that? Of course I want to be a Dreamer! I like the work! Knowing I'm helping people feels good. I just don't like... well, the Disturbances. Or feeling like I'm not really helping sometimes. Or getting shot in the same place what feels like every two months...
[She trails off; the litany of complaints, including a couple she doesn't voice for being petty and the fact that the Disturbances count like eight times, balanced against a single positive point that isn't particularly positive, gets her attention. She frowns, considering for a moment. Then her frown turns into something significantly more melancholy. Her words come more slowly, like she's trying to talk through her thoughts; her fingers are still moving, but they're slowing with her, and the shield flickers in and out.]
I thought I wanted to be a Dreamer. I was so excited when I first Awoke, even if I didn't really trust anyone but Senpai and maybe Hanako-kun at first. I struggled, but I told myself I would get better, and it'd feel better. I had power, and I had to use it... [Rhodonite doesn't continue, forcing herself to keep playing. The Torments don't... exactly register, but she instinctively understands she needs to keep the shield up.]
no subject
But beyond that? Being a Dreamer is part of who you are, yeah. But that doesn't obligate you. I have working hands and a mouth and I'm not obligated to play the jolly trombone. Or if you want to get cruder, neither of us have to have a biological kid, even if we're equipped for it.
But there's all this bloody pressure. To learn, to get better, to take on stronger foes. To contribute to the DU. To not let down your fellow Dreamers, whatever you consider that to be. Somewhere along the line, it becomes a job, when it's supposed to be a joy. Really something us older Dreamers are not doing right by you guys on.
[Abruptly, Chaosbringer releases the Torment he's pummeling, shoves it away one-handed, then draws the Purple Lightning Dreamsmasher and slams it, point-first, into the ground. A bolt of lightning cracks down from the sky, channeling into the platform to send electricity into the gathered and gathering Torments.]
I don't want you to look at me and think, "That guy's a great Dreamer, he's powerful and capable and cool. I need to work hard to be as good as him." I want you to look at me and think... "That guy is having the bloody time of his life. And I want to live that way too."
no subject
Absently, as he talks about obligation, she automatically replies,] Can't do that with Junna anyway, it's fine. [Then she realizes what she said, flushes scarlet, and shakes her head hard.
But Zeke continues, and she recognizes the point he's getting at. It really does make sense. And she wants to believe him. Wants to agree, even as she wants to argue it's not really his fault. She opens her mouth to say so, then has to jump with an indignant squawk as he calls lightning to strike the metal elevator platform she's currently standing on. She floats in the air for a second, gravity taking a bit to assert itself again, before she lands, hair frizzing with the static.]
You are having the time of your life. I can tell. But you are powerful, and capable, and cool, and patient, and really tolerant of girls that have no idea what they're doing with their lives. And I do want to be like that. Both... both things are true, Chaosbringer. [Her smile is small, fragile, but it's there. She's silent a moment, before she takes her bass back into her hands.] I need... to think on things a little more. I can't just stop now. I couldn't face Junna if I did. But, well. Maybe I need to figure out why I wanted to do this in the first place.
no subject
[That can change at pretty much a moment's notice, the way things go down in the Dream Sphere. Or even one's personal life.]
But you've got time to think about that. And if you want any guidance or resources to help you, you know where to come.
[Once again, he has to emphasize: providing said resources to Dreamers is literally his job.]
no subject
Thanks. I'm, um, definitely going to have to take you up on that. I need all the help I can get. [She slowly sucks in a breath, letting it out as her eyes sharpen, some of her earlier despair and fatigue falling away.] But right now, I'm a Dreamer because I have someone to save that means everything to me. I can figure out the rest later.
no subject
[Chaosbringer doesn't exactly pat her on the head so much as bonk her gently with a forearm there.]
And you're right. We're here to help someone who needs help. As far as I'm concerned, that's all the reason we need at this moment. Because it's important to us, and we can't not do it and still be us.
no subject
Yeah. Even if it weren't Junna, I'd be here. But because it's Junna... [Quiet determination radiates from Rhodonite.] I'm getting her back. Whatever it takes.
no subject
[No doubt or hesitation there, not on hers or his or anyone's part. Maybe there's an angle to that, because no Dreamer has ever been left to their Disturbance. Every one has had people pile in to help.]
It doesn't end there, but that's the first step.
no subject
[After all, she couldn't even admit she needed someone to talk to until Zeke... nudged her in the right direction, before. And she's having highlighted to her right now that it's not a quick fix, either.]
But... I can plan all that after we find her, yeah? [She takes a breath before she nods sharply, looking refreshed.] We've got work to do. And I'll be counting on you.
no subject
[Chaosbringer getting less subtle about something ought to be the biggest warning light in existence.]
Count on everyone, 'cuz we're all here to do our part. If there's one thing we Dreamers don't do, it's let someone down who needs us.
no subject
Damn right we don't. It hasn't happened yet and we're not starting now.
[...is that the bottom of the shaft coming into view? She tenses, not willing to jump for it in case she's wrong - in case something's waiting - but.]
no subject
[Unlike certain Dreamers, Chaosbringer has absolutely no qualms about vaulting off the lift, trailing electricity after his descent. Time of his life, like he said.]
no subject
An action hero stuck in a shoujo series, living his best life... hey, wait for me! Hup-
[-and she leaps after him.]