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Tabula Rasa Mods ([personal profile] tabularasa_mods) wrote in [community profile] tabularasa_rp2020-09-15 10:58 pm

003 - Memories of a False History

Memories of a False History State of the World Locations Bestiary
OOC Comments
Please refer to the original Event Announcement for more information or to ask any questions you might have! For the disaster prompt, players are not restricted to the versions given, but they are intended to be the most common. Feel free to borrow ideas from the disaster suggestions thread as well!

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The Sound of All Things Bad
The sound comes without warning. What the sound is cannot quite be made out - it is at once artificial and natural, bestial and mechanical, rumbling and roaring and crunching, shattering and crashing and screaming. Everything about it feels like a threat, warning of danger. The cacophony of noise reaches throughout the entire Void, loud and inescapable, the mangling and clashing of different sounds leaving each individual with a different idea of what it could possibly have been. It sounds different to everyone, each person able to pick out a part of the sound that ties to their own fears.

What if...?

How long the sound lasts would depend on how the individual perceives time. It might last for seconds, or it might last for minutes, but once it stops it does not repeat. Where it came from or what it is does not become the slightest bit clearer, and people are left to only speculate.

Disaster
No one can quite be sure what has prompted them to remember that day. It might have been that noise of approaching doom, or perhaps it is seeing the crumbling ruins of Hammerlocke itself. Once a stray memory surfaces, it is easy enough to look into the details and recall in full the vivid memory of Hammerlocke’s destruction - the ‘truth’ of what caused the mountainside city to crumble into ruins, as so many have wondered since their first appearance. Though the memory is clear and detailed, vivid enough to have been witnessed in person, it is out of place and does not belong, and anyone who can recall the events knows it.

Attempting to discuss the matter will soon reveal that while others recall the event with similar clarity, the details vary from person to person. Over time, their own memory changes and adapts, occasionally changing to something new entirely, yet the original is never completely forgotten. Memory is a strange and fickle thing, so easy to influence and manipulate, that the truth is difficult to find.

While memories differ from person to person, there are three particular tales that recur:

From the Sky

Though the sky above did not change from its paper-like blank white, the land grew darker and darker as though cast in shadow. The source of the shadow was clear: above, slowly descending towards the wings of the castle, was... something. Something immense, yet shrouded in crackling storm clouds.

As it continued to grow closer and closer, something in the clouds began to swell. It grew larger and larger, an electric hum of energy in the air, until with a resounding crack it burst and a great shadowy beast fell to the ground, landing with such force that the resulting shockwave shook the earth and tore through the stone buildings, causing so much of the city to tumble in an instant. It moves, and it screeches, raising its head up as the great storm above continues to swell and crackle.

This would not be the only beast.

(Based upon: Meteor, the Lunar Cry, and the Darkest Day)
The Battlefield

It was never clear why the fighting eventually made its way to this defenseless city, but it came without warning. The chaos was heralded only by explosions as the city walls were blasted through by tanks that had somehow made their way along the treacherous and narrow mountain path that simply was not meant for such heavy machines. The thundering explosions and the collapse of buildings could surely be heard for miles, and people and animals alike were quick to flee.

Though they reached Hammerlocke first, the tanks seemed like nothing compared to the enemy. The enormous shadowy monstrosity that swooped in from the sky seemed to be made from far more advanced technology. Even just the one towering machine, as large as the castle falling to ruins beneath its feet as it lands, proves deadly as it fires upon the approaching tanks, blasting them all to pieces within an instant before turning fire on whichever buildings remain standing.

(Based upon: Tanks, and Reapers)
The Mysterious Storm

There had been no way to predict the change in the weather, never mind how destructive it would prove. One moment, everything had been still and quiet, and the next the city was assailed by howling, violent winds and freezing, glittering snow and ice. Though the city was built of stone and had stood the test of time for centuries, it could not stand against these combined forces. The only shelter was underground, for the furious storm was so powerful it could rip through earth, lift up and fling any object in its path with devastating force, shattering windows and toppling buildings.

Propelled by such force, the ice and hail proved destructive in its own right. As the storm froze everything in its path, the hailstones became like bullets and great chunks of ice became missiles. By the time the winds began to grow calm, there was little left standing.

Something about the storm seemed somehow unnatural, but where it came from was anyone’s guess. Some, however, may have spied a vague figure through the tempest, of unclear appearance but its presence somehow threatening.

(Based upon: Weather, El shortage, and Diamond Dust)

Misplaced Memories
Worries about whatever disaster must have befallen the ruined city of Hammerlocke aside, people quickly become aware that memories of the disaster are not the only invasive, foreign memories. How the other memories come to them seems, on the surface, to be very similar: a connected thought occurs, and upon realizing the memory is not theirs, people are compelled to think more about it until the memory is uncovered in full detail. Unlike the memory of the disaster, however, this one quite clearly belongs to someone else. Someone who is here.

On puzzling this out, some might find they have more than one stray memory sitting in their minds. More importantly, however, is the feeling that something from their own memory is missing, and whatever memory is missing feels like it is something important. It could just be their own phone number, or it could be their name, or the face of whoever is most important to them. It could be something small, it could be something big, but all people know is that it’s something important and it’s gone.

There is no clear, immediate answer as to what people can do about their lost memories. With regards to their new memories, however, the path might seem a tiny bit clearer, for surely it seems a bit unfair that they can see into someone’s past in such a manner without their knowing. Perhaps it’s best to talk to them about it?

Although the lost memory is not always the same as the ones borrowed, taking the memory back to its source and prompting them to discuss and think about it proves a great help - as they talk, the invasive memory leaves, a lost memory is restored, and those who succeed are able to tell others the solution.

While the invasive memory is gone, people can still recall having it, and can still recall the details, but they will no longer remember it from the other’s point of view. Perhaps it might change how they see each other from now on?

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indigloaming: (Faceless)

[personal profile] indigloaming 2020-09-30 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh yeah, him! Yeah, he was the leader of the Peacekeepers, on account of being the only one left." She does remember Captain Noble, though the mention of his name makes her realize that she can't really remember their first meeting. Maybe that's the memory he's got?

Now that's the million-pixel question; why Earth?

"I know I was there, but I don't remember much about it." Likely another memory she's missing. "Maybe the Ruin chose Earth because it thought the Protectorate was the greatest threat to it. But we don't really know how intelligent that thing is, so who really knows?"
forethinking: (Default)

[personal profile] forethinking 2020-09-30 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Your world seems interesting, (he notes with a hum. The closest he has been to space was a Palace, a manifestation of someone's distorted desires. This one? A cheap spaceship owned by a shitty man.)

You seemed to be going after someone. Training?
indigloaming: (Faceless)

[personal profile] indigloaming 2020-10-01 12:01 am (UTC)(link)
"My... 'world'? ...Hey, wait a minute! You didn't know about the destruction of Earth before?" Yes, after being here for a month, she still doesn't know about the whole 'different worlds' thing; it hasn't come up. She doesn't know about the whole 'elements of the world come from their worlds' thing either.

Going after someone... training... going after someone... training.... She can feel the memory there, just beyond reach, with details slowly trickling back to her.

"Oh, yeah! I was going to help him bring back the Peacekeepers by hunting some bounties." All while Captain Noble handled the managerial end of things. She doesn't know how he stands all that paper-pushing, work like that would bore her to tears and she doesn't even have tear ducts.

"He got other people to work for him too, but I was the first."
Edited (wtf how did this not get picked up by my copy-paste) 2020-10-01 00:09 (UTC)
bachagain: (pic#13366669)

[personal profile] bachagain 2020-10-01 12:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ leo won't! as a cheerful, eager person himself, it doesn't strike him as too odd -- if anything, he's mirroring it back, his smile bright as he speaks: ]

Mmm, really? Here to put Humpty Dumpty back together, are ya?

[ he says that, but he doesn't seem that surprised at all. some of the things he's gotten back have been minorly painful revisits, and there is a little rise of anxiety that betrays just how happily he's talking...

... but turing's energy makes him think that maybe it can't be too bad. and even if it was, those are still his pieces, and he misses them no matter what they are-- ]


Thanks Turi, I love you! ♪ [ so casually, so earnestly, ] Tell me, tell me, what d'ya have? I'll play you a song in return for that piece of my shell... Plus I've got a secret of my own to give you, wahahaha!

[ a lovely secret, of color and novelty. if turing is going to get a song, leo thinks that, maybe, he'd like to get a painting... ]
theforgottenboy: (help me rule the nights)

[personal profile] theforgottenboy 2020-10-01 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
[Cole doesn't mind sharing his past actions and mistakes, when asked. This shouldn't be much different, if a little more vivid than just using his words. And yet... as Leo goes on, he realizes that, perhaps, he may be scared of him now. Except he can't know for sure anymore. Leo's not making a show of it or shying away from him like some might, but it's true that Leo doesn't know him, and now what he does know is... well, he can see how it could be frightening. And he can't make Leo forget, either.]

[And now thoughts of Rhys are fresh on his mind again, from this as well as the memory he gained back from Ahsoka. The way Rhys looked at him when he learned what he really was.]

[This... doesn't feel great.]


Things were different then. I thought I was real. I only wanted to help Rhys, because he was my friend. I know better now, and so does Rhys. I don't have friends anymore.

If I draw my daggers now, it's to protect the weak and help the helpless.

[Sometimes it can still necessary to do a murder. But it has to be for the right reasons. Not just for himself.]

I'm sorry if that memory was frightening. Do you want me to leave?
forethinking: (kPGgYAq)

[personal profile] forethinking 2020-10-01 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
... No. (Ren frowns at the fact that she still hasn't heard. He has created a few tests to check whether people are from the same Earth and so far, only the ones he knew previous to the Void pass it.)

We all come from different places, even different Earths. I've never seen someone who looks like you, for instance.

(He doesn't mean to offend, but she is very different from a human.)

Bounty hunter?
realway: (e0jPKNg)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-01 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ that doesn't bode well. was that why hornet was in such bad states when she came upon her? ]

Do you have a scale of how bad it is. Like, 1 being "bad but livable" and 10 being... I don't know, "the worst thing in all the world"?
realway: (e0jPKNg)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-01 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ do they do it to provoke her? she can't imagine people would go out of their way to ruin someone's day, or at least someone they don't know at all. maybe that's just naive. ]

Her name was Yuugi. She was nice. I think she could tell you weren't having a good time, so she came to give you company. [ the woman smiles a little soft. ] You were grateful for it too.
realway: (1RwKkAQ)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-01 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ there he goes again. she doesn't think she can convince him he's wrong, or rather prove to him he's wrong. the woman barely knows herself right now and has to help herself first. though to know this instinct she has to aid him, to know it's hers, gives her relief. she has not lost everything. ]

I won't be the one to do it. That's all I can say.

[ she didn't kill the clones then, and not even knowing their fate would she kill them now. she doesn't need to know cole to know killing is wrong. ]
realway: (1RwKkAQ)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-01 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
I needed to be reminded. Others would tell me what they saw and the more we talked, the more we recollected together, the more the memory took shape.

That's when I grab it.

[ it's a strange way to put it, but it's what her mind has gravitated to. reaching out and waiting for a chance to find truth. perhaps this too is part of her instincts, the one thing she's felt hasn't been taken from her. ]
realway: (MizuDzi)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-01 12:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ she turns around when her calls are answered, body jerking a little too hard and frantic for what the situation called for. now that she can see ann, knows she's here, it helps her... no, it doesn't help her relax. it's more an anchor. ]

Hey...

[ the woman swallows, flustered, and quickly tries to straighten up her appearance. stand like a normal person, look at the blond, and breathe in to stop her heart racing. ]

I'm the one whose sorry. About yelling your name like that. [ she hopes no one heard and tries to intrude now. it feels too raw and personal to do that to the girl in front of her. ] Hi. I'm Ahsoka. I don't know if you know, but... it seems like our memories may have been mixed up.
realway: (1RwKkAQ)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-01 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ by now ahsoka (her name, returned and familiar again) has gotten back a good sense of herself. not everything, but what feels the most important. even so she can tell there is a jumbling of pieces not yet fitting together. she has to keep seeking out the ones in the memories.

a memory of a man, a great hero, trading in duty to his work to keep loyalty to his friends. she sits with it for a while, agreeing he did the right thing but questioning if he didn't put his friends in more peril. it's thankfully as she contemplates at the mortis lake that said man finds her.
]

Ah, hello there.

[ he may be getting right to the matter at hand, but she still remembers manners. not everything got wiped from her thankfully. ]

My name is Ahsoka. And you're... well, not Zack Fair right?

[ it's a snip with a smile, light-hearted in tone. ]
obscurus_phantasma: This not about a poltergeist, not about a phantom that glows at night (Tonight is for our ghosts)

[personal profile] obscurus_phantasma 2020-10-01 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ It had been her intention to shake hands, by way of introduction, but this works, has a nice feeling, and for it, Mel doesn't pull away at first. And the being before her is stunning, brilliant. She finds herself wanting to touch the blue and white parts of Ahsoka. ]

Sì. Reincarnated, hence the two names. My parents - [ pauses with eyes glazed over in thought ] - Arabella and Ri. The humans who adopted me. I was supposed to be their heir. [ The pale woman frowns, hurt swirling with an emotion she can't nail down. ]

You're a Jedi?

[ That word is as ethereally beautiful as the name 'Soka. ]


obscurus_phantasma: Hit 'em right between the eyes (1000 lies & a good disguise)

[personal profile] obscurus_phantasma 2020-10-01 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
She hums, lips gathering to one side and pursing for a moment. Melinoë speaks with pride when she says, "I wasn't the only one benefiting from the holiday. Between Hallowe'en and my birthday, I was just on this high." Mel grabs the front of her gown and scrunches the fabric, eyes closing in pleasure. She looks at Merlin again, releasing her dress. "There's no taboo in sleeping with certain members of the family where divine beings are concerned. And the twins, well. Fear, Panic, and Nightmares make quite the team."
obscurus_phantasma: This not about a poltergeist, not about a phantom that glows at night (Tonight is for our ghosts)

[personal profile] obscurus_phantasma 2020-10-01 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
Eyes widen as she says, "Il vampiro! The librarian, Nico or Nicolas. That was my first time, right?" Mel actually looks to Damien for confirmation, feeling uncertain in that fact. "That I Summoned a ghost for someone at Mythian?"

The memory is trickling back in pieces, but like it's coming through a sieve that's partially blocked.
realway: (1RwKkAQ)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-01 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
Yes... and no. I'm not entirely sure yet. I recall being trained to be one at least.

[ the word is familiar and she has heard it from others by now, but to be called it... for some reason it isn't right. she has not yet figured out why, but that's fine. the pieces are almost fit together over the puzzle. her fingers slip away from melinoe's palm, tips of her fingers still tingling. ]

They brought you to an academy. There was a man named Set, who told you of your... heritage? Or maybe birthright.

[ she isn't sure how it works with gods and goddesses. reincarnation seems messy from what the memory showed. ]
blue_eyed_obsession: (♖ If I were you I'd be concerned)

[personal profile] blue_eyed_obsession 2020-10-01 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
[One could say that her jealously fueled her, as he believed his anger did for him. The difference being he might actually become more unstoppable if he would listen to some of that advice the pharaoh had tried to impart on him. His desire to best others, led to an obsession of an unhealthy level]

Unfortunately, I do.

There will be no end to them. [Thinking back on it, he considered what she had initially told him and how it must have related to the vision she saw] Respect is a strong word- I will admit that he provides a stimulating challenge on an intellectual level, that's it.
gitgudprincess: (head bowed)

[personal profile] gitgudprincess 2020-10-01 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
[Hornet drums her fingers on her leg. That is... possibly the worst system of measurement to hand to someone who grew up in the midst of an apocalypse. If it isn't going to kill her directly, that automatically makes it "livable". That's clearly not the kind of answer Ahsoka is looking for, though, so...]

[...Well, what is there to gain by beating around the bush?]


"You were digging a mass grave. I lack the full context to understand, but... the grief is unavoidable."
obscurus_phantasma: She seems dressed in all the rings of past fatalities (So fragile yet so devious)

[personal profile] obscurus_phantasma 2020-10-01 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ If Mel is disappointed in the absence of contact, she's certain to hide it. With a soft huff, the Goddess squints one eye at her. ]

Our memories seem somewhat similar, sì? Yours was also at a place of learning...I think. It felt that way. The temple.

[ She shifts weight onto one foot, feeling a pleasant coiling beneath her stomach at the thought of Set. He was a bastard, but Mel owed him much. ]

In my world, the myths are true. We exist. And that place was a safe haven, where we could learn or live, if others rejected us. Set is a God himself. It seemed like he was reincarnated and knew from the beginning whom he truly was. For me, it took my first Summoning, which then triggered the nightmares, which then had Mamma e Papà sending me away.

[ Curious how it's coming back to her now. ]
realway: (WobvPgv)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-01 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
The temple...

[ she mutters it soft, an image coming to her. a grand place of worship, in the heart of a city of lights. not just a city though - a planet. a city that covered nearly an entire planet. the name escapes her, but the temple resonates. ]

So you were... abandoned by your parents. [ it seemed that way at least, even in the memory. ] I'm sorry. That must have been hard. I... yes, that's right. I never even knew mine. I was too young to remember. My people let me go because of my power. So that I could learn to harness it.

[ there is hesitancy in her voice as she describes it further, but it's coming back to her now. the memory is solidifying, images of the small child she once was. ]
Edited 2020-10-01 01:42 (UTC)
obscurus_phantasma: Lies make it better, lies are forever, lies to go home to, lies to wake up to, lies from the altar, lies make you falter (Tip-toeing villain)

Account expired, so bear with the icons.

[personal profile] obscurus_phantasma 2020-10-01 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ A hand raises, but before she comments further, offers sympathy, anything, Melinoë asks - ] Is it offensive or permissible to touch your... [ and she points, uncertain if they're appendages or hair, unsure what to call them. She means to tug one tenderly before expanding on herself, before offering up any additional details to give the memory back in full. ]

bachagain: (pic#13394107)

[personal profile] bachagain 2020-10-01 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ even having seen the more intimate sides of akechi's life, leo can't say he knows what akechi's first instincts are. there's the polite, too serious boy that's a little annoying? that frantic, wounded animal biting at the hand he desperately wants to grab (why does that seem familiar, somehow)... the guy who gave up his life to save who he wanted to kill? and then there's this.

to be honest, leo dislikes this. for a variety of different reasons. but this isn't really his place to dislike or like things, so... he'll deal. and take a seat on the floor, his back leaning against the wall, rather than the desk. leo's gonna leo. ]


Don't be that polite when you're asking for something painful. It makes me feel like a villain, you know. Though... that is my part here, huh? I don't have a choice but to play it well!

[ leo shifts, bringing his knees up and placing both his hands on them. tapping playfully on them, he begins his unintelligible rant without pausing for breath: ]

Should I start with the conclusion first, like this place is doing? Telling me to mourn people before I even know 'em? Or should I recite this like some impersonal script I've memorized...?

[ he said he wouldn't play, but he is stalling. does giving someone a memory of their death count as killing them yourself? it's a stupidly poetic thought that leo's mind doesn't really think is valid, but somehow it feels like that anyway.

he doesn't stop speaking. he does stop his fidgeting to look up at the subject of all this with a smile that betrays the topic of akechi's mortality. ]


Why don't you gimme some tips? Since I saw you play that role for a little bit, after all. [ looks like he's just doing it this way, instead. blunt, clumsy truths. sharp in their honesty, almost, though he doesn't really mean them to be. ] See, you were fighting Ren. Not like how when you guys were sparring, where it was kinda fun -- it was serious, serious war.
gardenerofavalon: (individuals don't really matter)

[personal profile] gardenerofavalon 2020-10-01 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
"So I saw."

He no longer remembers it as if he'd experienced it firsthand, but he does still recall what happened. And he does have a certain fondness for mischief.

"Though if that's what you do for fun, remind me never to make you angry!"

He says it like a joke but, well, if she knows anything much about the legends surrounding him, it's probably fair to guess that he's all too familiar with having pissed off a powerful woman before.
simulatio: (195)

[personal profile] simulatio 2020-10-01 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
[Leo sits on the floor, and Akechi honestly hates that he isn't surprised, at all. He sits on the bed himself, and inhales through his nose when Leo suggests he plays the villain; his eyes sharpen, briefly, calculating as if figuring out how to spin it. He's done so many things as the villain, even when he was pretending to be a hero, that it's impossible to count just which specific instance he's referring to.

And then he mentions fighting Ren, not as a sparring match, but as war. Not as rivals, like Blue saw, but as true enemies. His memories of his final fight are hazy, disjointed, pieces brought back from talking to Cole, but not nearly enough to truly call his. He can't remember the immediate aftermath, and Cole's perspective on things is... unique enough that it's hard to believe the end result.

It's that end result that keeps slipping out of his fingers. A muscle in his jaw tightens as he stares at the other boy, but unlike Leo, when confronted with an uncomfortable truth, he has to get it out in the open. My sole interest is in uncovering the truth, he might have said in the past, but these days it's more accurate to announce, I decide the truth.]


Allow me to cut to the chase. The conclusion, as you put it. [He rests his elbows on his knees and steeples his fingers in front of his face, gaze unwavering.]

You think I'm dead as well, don't you? That's the first thing Cole-san accused me of, after all.
indigloaming: (Faceless)

[personal profile] indigloaming 2020-10-01 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not surprised by that. Novakid aren't too common." That's what her race is called, by the way. Novakid.

"Yeah! We'd go out and apprehend criminals or put down dangerous wild animals. Then we report back and we get pixels and special tickets to get new equipment at the store."

Indigo, sweetheart, that's company scrip. You need to unionize.