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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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begetblue: (💾 - 48)

[personal profile] begetblue 2020-10-11 11:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It was flippant enough for Turing to do a double take, that was for sure. They were very fortunate to realize there was something else behind those words instead of blurting something out in return. Hmm. It...didn't seem like they were being belittled. Probably. The expression on Leo's face was just ambiguous enough that they couldn't quite decide. The glissando was a lucky interruption, and it prompted a tiny smile from Turing instead of anything that was poorly thought out. Words were indeed hard. It was one thing to say words, but it was entirely another to say the correct ones at the correct times. ]

Then perhaps I should say something cheesy as well? Would that make it better?

[ Turing knew what the word "cheesy" meant. They had been expanding their knowledge of colloquialisms at a steady pace for a while now, and that effort wasn't for nothing! That smile turned into a grin as they decided on exactly what to say. ]

I will keep you company if those little pangs of something else become difficult to deal with!

[ ...Well, they said it was going to be cheesy. ]
bachagain: (pic#10478558)

[personal profile] bachagain 2020-10-12 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
Leo's something of a mess with all the fragments of things in his head, but he's taken to functioning through it all by focusing on one thing, one memory at a time. There are some that are easier than others -- both in finding the source and the content -- and this is one of them. It's... actually surprisingly mundane, domestic, and normal in the deluge of extraordinary things in his head. That's a good thing. It's motivation, too, to find the owner.

Which shouldn't be too difficult? Even his one braincell can determine that there's only so many people in the Void that could match a memory like this, considering the age this person must be... Unless Leo was dealing with some kind of Normal Memory From An Immortal or something? Which was entirely possible. That'd be interesting, actually--

Okay, mmm, maybe deal with the obvious suspects first. This reason is why Oak is approached by this orange-haired boy (wherever he is), with nothing but a simple wave.

"Heya! Are you a Professor...? I'm looking for a Professor!"

Random. So very random. But this ingenious plan of latching onto a random, identifying fact in these things and casting his net out wide has been doing wonders... Why stop?

Very sorry, Oak.
halloflamer: (soft pure pokéboy)

[personal profile] halloflamer 2020-10-12 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
[For a long moment, Blue is quiet, and just looks back at Cole with a mixture of fright and vulnerability- fright not of Cole himself, but something internal that's been discovered, exposed, and he isn't sure he wanted it to be anymore. But it was too late for that.]

[He doesn't think he wants to be helped. Revealing more would be more painful than continuing to swallow everything down like always... That was what he had decided since a long time ago. Nobody understood- even the select few that knew a lot about his situation growing up didn't fully understand; he pushed them away, too.]

[At the same time, he's starting to understand more, the memory that he's seen from Cole.... and it's that uncomfortable empathy welling up inside of him that's most frightening. Understanding that violent intent more clearly... It was self preservation, wasn't it?]

[Blue isn't really sure how he should feel. It had made him sickened when he first "remembered" it, but the more the memory clings to his own familiar insecurities, the worse it gets.]


I don't think you're any of those bad things, [Blue says slowly, his own understanding mixing with the connotations of those words from the memories. His eyes turn down, his face red with embarrassment and shame that he can't quite assign a reason to, like a child who doesn't want to meet an adult's eyes.] And I don't think your friend probably did, either....
halloflamer: (how're you gonna Dig your way outta this)

[personal profile] halloflamer 2020-10-12 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
Oh! Well that changes everything...

[Blue chirps, leaning over the counter to beam at Turing, and snatching a glass up from those lined along the counter.] Well then, little guy, do you have any flavor preferences? A sweet mixed drink, or something kinda bitter, maybe?

--Ah, wait a minute... Hmm... Um, how old are you anyway? Does age even matter for a robot? [He pauses, frowning in thought as he rubs a hand to his chin. Would Tifa be mad if he served an underage robot the same as a kid? Er....]

[While Blue is distracted with his moral dilemma, Eevee stretches from his napping place and hops down to greet Turing, presenting himself for pettings. Chop-chop!]
Eevuuii!
rotomphone: (pic#14048605)

[personal profile] rotomphone 2020-10-12 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah.

[ the answer is good to hear, and has his smile slightly upturning. he's similarly tried to recall his good memories about Hammerlocke when traversing its ruins - it's helped him to cope with the visual, and to inspire him to help it get back to its proper state. ]

You don't have to tell me twice. The stadium was like a second home for me. [ his gym trainers were the younger siblings he never had, and he strived to keep the stadium as a place that not only Hammerlocke could be proud of, but the Galar region as a whole. an establishment can mean a lot of things depending on the person asked, but for those intrinsically linked to them like Tifa and Raihan are, they're special, irreplaceable places.

he's a little curious as to what "AVALANCHE" is, but that's probably a conversation best left for another day. he sighs, thinking about what he wants to say. ]


It's rough seeing it the way it is... [ he sounds like he's going to continue, but stops to chuckle and shake his head at his own thought. ] Arceus, this is gonna sound ridiculously cliche... But the relationships you made there are what keeps the place alive, right?
rotomphone: (pic#13705170)

[personal profile] rotomphone 2020-10-12 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ it's an accent that his international fans find very attractive, thank you very much. but that's talk for later - he'll lead Zack in the proper direction with haste, but they can at least talk on the way. his eyes are mostly on the sky, but turn to his new companion when he speaks up. ]

Not really? We did have a bit of a brush with some of the plant robots that hang around the beach a little while ago, but it wasn't anything out of control. All of the wildlife more or less keeps to themselves unless they're bothered first.

[ and he'd like to keep it that way if possible! though he does want one of those dragon Magikarp for himself... ] Have you got experience with that sort of thing?
psychokinesia: (I-0154)

[personal profile] psychokinesia 2020-10-12 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
[It's a good thing Add doesn't know just how brief Turing's real world experiences have been thus far, or he'd be at risk of having another scientific meltdown... but there are more important matters at hand. He watches Turing scramble onto the table with mild interest, his mind wandering elsewhere.]

You were with someone else—human, I'm guessing. Never caught their name. You were both attempting to sneak into a building, in a city filled with advanced technology. [... he kind of wants to sigh at that part, but it doesn't seem like it was that important of a detail. Neither Turing nor their partner seemed surprised by anything going on around them... so that level of technology must be the norm where Turing comes from. He might be a bit jealous.]

Mm. Anyway, I believe it was a group called Parallax? Certain details are lacking, but your companion disguised themselves with a work uniform and you were able to hack through their security. Unfortunately, your mental processing speed is a bit too fast for me to keep up with on my own, so I'm not sure on the exact method you used to break through the security door... but the two of you made a decent team, I suppose.
rotomphone: (pic#13642763)

[personal profile] rotomphone 2020-10-12 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ the gap between them is still strange to consider, but Raihan at least takes solace in knowing he can bring generally peaceful tidings from the future. sure, there have been a handful of close calls every few years, but things have generally worked out alright!

he looks a bit pensive as he swallows his first cut of meat, but maintains a smile. ]


I think it will. Things are still being shaken up, but we've got some reliable people stepping up to set things right. [ with the new Champion as a breath of fresh air for the people and Leon taking on a new leadership role, he's got high hopes for the region's future.

his smile brightens at Lance's question, more than happy to shift the subject to something more lighthearted. ]


Of course I do! [ he's a little embarrassed of the fact, but not enough to deny or be ashamed of it. it was memories like those that inspired him to stay on the track to going pro! ] It's a valuable collector's item, you know. Mine is still in mint condition!
forethinking: (xWlvSbC)

[personal profile] forethinking 2020-10-12 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
(The moment Raihan says "beach", Ren checks a mental box. "White hoodie", another box. It is only when he says lobster that Ren's eyes goggle a little, simply because after all the headache this memory chaos has given him, Raihan had got the lobsters. Not something traumatizing, sad, or even what he had expected when he heard Raihan call it weird - not Monabus...

The initial confusion soon turned into a series of deep chuckles, a hand hiding the smile before he shakes his head.)


Tiny girl, orange hair, glasses? (Not that he felt the need to confirm it, but still.)

That would be mine, yes.
Edited 2020-10-12 04:41 (UTC)
bridge_princess: Doujin: Two in a Miniature Garden (096)

[personal profile] bridge_princess 2020-10-12 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
[A nod. time healed wounds. It kept one from being in pain or fear from the thing much longer than necessary. Parsee didn't press much, mostly because it wasn't something she wanted to know too deeply about, not right then.]

What? The Oni? She usually gives me something to focus on, and she's pretty close to immune to what I am as drunk as she usually is. I mean drunks get jealous but if you're drunk as a skunk you're jealous but you don't actually care, if that makes sense?

So she'd just... keep me busy until I was calmed down. She did it a lot.
bridge_princess: (129)

[personal profile] bridge_princess 2020-10-12 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
... maybe you're right.

[She wasn't sure how she felt about the act that she was certain Tifa was right. There were people who, if her powers suddenly went live, would probably put themselves in harm' way to help her calm down. A moment's thought and she finally sighed.]

If I start glowing green bring booze. Marisa says it helps.
forethinking: (vIQ3SML)

[personal profile] forethinking 2020-10-12 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
I fail to see a plan.

(There's nothing for them. Not a clue that leads anywhere, not a single breadcrumb to follow.

Even the God who granted him his powers presented himself with what he expected from Ren, even if it was a whole load of bullshit in the first place.)
rotomphone: (pic#14048603)

[personal profile] rotomphone 2020-10-12 05:53 am (UTC)(link)
[ it sure doesn't feel good, "real" or not... but Aerith's words are oddly reassuring. it's the first time he's more or less broken down in front of someone about this - his other attempts at talking about it had been cop-outs that hadn't revealed the extent of how much he was hurting, but she's now seen the closest he's come to a breaking point.

he knows everything she's saying already, but it's hard to believe until he has the confirmation from someone else. he sighs, but the smile that accompanies it is an indicator that she's helping. ]


Quit making so much sense. How's a guy supposed to be depressed when you're talking like that?

[ he meets her eyes with a brighter, more joking grin. he's not quite back to his carefree self, but he's definitely starting to shake off the shock and its resulting funk. it'll take a little more time than this, but he can at least put on a good face for the person trying to help out. ]

Geez... I'm usually the one giving the sunny outlooks and pep talks, so this is pretty weird!
memorate: (d (106))

[personal profile] memorate 2020-10-12 11:04 am (UTC)(link)
It's bad enough.

[ Nothing too bad... but the vision of them living in a glorified jail cell was enough to make his blood boil. All that suffering, and for what? Someone should have saved them a long time ago.

He looks at her with great intensity, like he wants to storm Shinra HQ all over again, but he notices her smile doesn't quite match his own countenance.

That's right, she's had a long time to come to terms with this history, of course she'd be good at acting like everything is fine. In that moment, Cloud himself manages to reign himself in, and his features appear a little softer this time. ]


... Her name was Claudia. My mom.
memorate: (d (100))

[personal profile] memorate 2020-10-12 11:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ Cloud is no gamer himself, although he's heard of such things existing in the upper parts of Midgar. He can loosely imagine the concept of a videogame, but the problem arises when he tries to picture the act of this particular "taunt".

That's teabagging?!? ]


You gotta be kidding me. That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! If I put my junk in someone's face, wouldn't I look dumb, too?
abeautifulgame: (pic#14029844)

[personal profile] abeautifulgame 2020-10-12 01:05 pm (UTC)(link)
That's who we're waiting on. [a beat, a wry smile] I'm sure he'll be fine, though. He always did have a knack for surviving impossible odds.

[which is damn annoying. especially when he was the impossible odds Aiden was dealing with, not half an hour ago, when he left home. Ann doesn't need to know that, though]
realway: (W8rmx4G)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-12 02:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[ training huh? it sounds like a good enough reason. ]

That's a pretty good line. ...Actually, really familiar too. Guessing this green alien you saw said it?
forethinking: (b4MlL11)

[personal profile] forethinking 2020-10-12 02:13 pm (UTC)(link)
(Look, he's learning AND a bit of a pain.)

This green "non-human" did.

(Ren nods, closing his eyes as he tries to pull the memory from his brain, what else about this man can he offer?)

He talks in inversions.
realway: (KjgTku0)

[personal profile] realway 2020-10-12 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ inversions. what does that- oh. she blinks, lost in thought for a brief time, as the memory starts easing back in. there's only one person in her life that ever spoke in a way that broke the traditional rules of basic. that didn't matter - he was a man of great wisdom. ]

Master Yoda. [ she says his name, voice fond and yet so lost. ] Yes, I remember him. He was the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order I came from.

[ words that would never be so easily spoken had she remembered who she was. ]
forethinking: (manga 5)

[personal profile] forethinking 2020-10-12 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
(Words that Ren doesn't understand the importance of. He blinks, head tilted - he has said it twice by now and yet, explained nothing of what it means.)

Ahsoka-san. What's a Jedi?
abeautifulgame: (pic#14029831)

[personal profile] abeautifulgame 2020-10-12 02:35 pm (UTC)(link)
"That might be easier in bed, you realize," he murmurs against her mouth, on the heel of another stolen kiss.

It's a yes without being a yes. He's absolutely on board with the idea of intimacy, not even stopping to think that it might technically be considered a pity fuck, at this point, for all that she saw him at his worst, weakest. He's less on board with offering himself to her for anything else, at the moment, knowing that she really is what she says she is, now. He doesn't want to be owned, if and when she gets her powers back in full, later.
rotomphone: (pic#13705170)

[personal profile] rotomphone 2020-10-12 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
One of them is, yeah! This is Goodra's ball - the big purple dragon you saw.

[ he takes the opportunity to pull out the rest - indeed, there are as many as the number if Pokémon that Aerith saw in his memory. Duraludon looks over curiously, possibly hoping that his teammates will somehow crack out of their temporary holds... ]

We Trainers use Poké Balls to keep our teams portable. I dunno how it works exactly, but they basically change a Pokémon's form into data and keep them in a comfortable stasis. They're safe and healthy where they are, but I want them to see this place for themselves...
rotomphone: (pic#14274500)

[personal profile] rotomphone 2020-10-12 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
It's the new abnormal, right? [ he grins, keeping their introspection lighthearted. ] I dunno how I'd be able to cope if I didn't have Duraludon around... I can tell he's starting to miss having the rest of my team around, though.

[ not being able to return Duraludon to his own ball is one thing, but the rest of his team not being able to be called out of theirs is another problem altogether - not because they're unsafe, but because of the isolation. the first thing he'll be doing when he sees them is rounding them all into the biggest group hug the void has ever seen!

but that's a depressing topic best saved for later. right now, he's more interested in the fact that Blue is bringing up the PWT - he'd seen the signage for it in that memory. ]


Yeah, I caught a few matches... We were invited, but those Unovan bastards wouldn't budge on holding it in the middle of our season. Be thankful - we would've wiped the floor with you!

[ he chuckles a bit to himself at the thought, but his mind continues to stray to the memory - of Blue's excitement at seeing Red for the first time in what felt like forever, but also of anxiety and uncertainty. it was familiar, especially when the battle was about to begin. ]

But I saw your meet-up with Red - not on the telly, obviously. The memory.
forwearemany: (light)

[personal profile] forwearemany 2020-10-12 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
(The ping is followed by a diagnostic request. Or in other words, they want to know whether Turing is like, actually okay.

They might also pick up that a lot of Legion's programs want to talk over network at the same time, and that Legion is restricting this to a single program to avoid DoSing Turing by accident.

In physical reality, they crouch down to be closer to Turing's level.)


We have received a memory of yours.
simulatio: (vn9UY7Q)

[personal profile] simulatio 2020-10-12 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[If there's one thing Akechi hates, it's weakness. Feeling weak, feeling like he has to rely on someone. But for a moment, when he thinks back, it's... a weirdly nice feeling, to know that someone was able to save him. Squall?

The voice and mannerisms in that memory certainly don't match his own, though, and as he sits in Ren's room with a notebook in front of him, slowly trying to sort out the things that belong to him and the things that don't, a more difficult task than one might initially assume -- he hears the knock and Rinoa's voice.

There's a part of him that wonders if he shouldn't just ignore it, the same part of him that whispers that he's a trespasser, that Ren will get tired of him being here and throw him out. It's what always happens, after all.

But then she says his name, and, well. He simply rises to his feet and unlocks the door before he can think better of it, meeting her eyes unflinchingly.]


Ren isn't here right now, Rinoa-san, but I'd be quite interested in hearing about it.

[More than anything else right now, Akechi looks weary beyond belief. For one thing, he's not wearing his smart school uniform, but rather Ren's casual white v-neck over his usual uniform pants. There's a lot that can be assumed from that alone, but the correct conclusion to draw would be that the hint of gauze and bandages just barely visible beneath the cut of his borrowed shirt, wrapped around his left shoulder, probably has something to do with it.

For another, there's no hint of warmth in his expression, just a cool wariness lurking behind tired eyes as he opens the door more widely.]


Please, come in.