003 - Memories of a False History

[tabularasa_mods]

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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code bases by tricklet

Comments

[menaretrash]

[ Sorry, Seto, but she can't help it. She's used to rejection, but for some reason, this one stings just a little bit. Not that she'll make that known, of course. Verbally, at least.

Hey, she... might get behind Monsters being better in time, okay. ] I hope so. That'd be really cool! I'll bet it's really neat to see up close and personal. [ That there's technology like that is just kind of mind boggling, honestly. She stares at him for a second, before waving a hand. ] Don't say that! Have a little faith...

[ Yeah... there definitely would be. At least they do... investigate these things on their own before making a decision. They'd probably find out just who was up voting and find them instead tbh... ] Yeah... it's an easy way to make money for more weapons, anyways. [ She looks down at her nails for a moment -- her manicure is still looking pretty fresh, but it won't for long. Which is a massive disappointment. Eh. ] Yeah? That sounds familiar... are they friends, at least?

But it's not pity... it's just the truth. [ She keeps her eyes on him, tilting her head slightly, before she nods. ] Yeah, of course. I promise... your secret is safe with me.

[ And if she's not good at anything else? Secrets and keeping them is something she specializes in, thanks. So, she folds her hands in her lap neatly and watches him, listening patiently to his story. He might not want sympathy, but she can't help it -- it almost makes her want to cry again, honestly. ]

I did see the whole thing, yeah... a replacement...? [ She blinks, brows furrowing. What does THAT mean? ] It may have served you well, yeah, but... it shouldn't have been like that. It was wrong. [ He may be way ahead of the game, yeah, but that was a HUGE price to pay. ] No, I don't blame you. I wouldn't, either. I'm just glad that he's out of your life. Do you... ever regret that, though? Challenging him to that chess game, I mean. [ She leans back in her seat, looking down at her hands. ] You are the whole package, though. You're smart, talented, handsome... even if you hadn't done that, I think you'd have been extremely successful regardless.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Perhaps because they had reached a point where there could be some real understanding between them if he wasn't being resistant

It's a start, he'll take it] My imaging technology is flawless, I'm sure you would be impressed. [Can you pat yourself on the back any harder?] I've already used these same sort of peripherals to project an entirely different environment so I'm sure you can understand the implications of just how much farther it can be taken. [Ok, maybe he can] I need information, not something intangible like faith.

[It would be a race to see who got to take them out first, the duelists or the Phantom thieves. If it was the thieves the sharp decline in opposition would be jarring] ... If combat takes place in the cognitive world, where are you buying weapons? [Baffled by that concept. Did someone dream up a weapons shop too? Though it hadn't been on the forefront of his mind, not having access to salons of any kind could lead to a sloppier looking set of refugees. Eventually people are going to need/want haircuts, etc.] They profess as much... [who cares]

... [Kaiba wanted to add something to drive the point home but refrained. The claim was made that it wasn't pity, but that didn't change how it felt]

[Had she been moved to tears again, he would have no idea how to deal with it. Before he could fool himself into thinking something else entirely had triggered it... and it would have been half right, but now the focus was clearly on his past]

Gozaburo needed an heir. [From what she said, he didn't think she knew about Noah, but why not? Give her another reason to despise the man, it was his skeleton not Seto's.] He... had one in his biological son, Noah. [He was diverting away from himself.. again] I didn't know about him at the time for one simple reason. He'd nearly died in a car accident- in fact his body wasn't salvageable. His consciousness was uploaded to a computer system. After a while Gozaburo completely abandoned that son and focused on me. [Suck it Noah]

... [It might have been wrong, but he didn't openly agree with her conclusion.] I don't have time for regrets, I really don't see the point in fixating on it. It's the future that matters to me. [There was so much that he wasn't saying. Of course he had some regrets but admitting them would be like proclaiming he was weak. That's the last word he wanted to associate with. There was a quiet moment shared between them that occurred naturally in any conversation...

.. what she came up with next surprised him, and he wished he had been sitting so he wouldn't have shown it quite so visibly. A small jolt, followed by looking aside after a slight darkening of his pale skin near his cheeks. It didn't happen often but it was a rare flash of embarrassment. Smart and talented he could have handled...After a little cough] Yes, well... but would I have had the discipline and the dedication? [Get it together... Taking a deep breath, he continued] The hours were long, and the assignments were never-ending... and yes. the ... punishments took multiple forms. I paid him back in full for the program, and that should fulfill the conditions of... whatever this is. [So he hoped]

[menaretrash]

Wait... you designed it? [ That's... actually really impressive. Wait... it's a little fuzzy, but that memory of his had shown him developing something for a video game at a very young age. And then getting berated among other things for it, too. ] Wow... you really are a genius, aren't you? [ Well... a genius about some things, at least. Mostly, she thinks he's stubborn, but, credit is due and thus, he will get it. ] Mmm... well, then I guess I'll just keep the faith for you, then.

[ Okay, to be fair, that'd be both hilarious and impressive. His world would have less and less weird threats in it between the duelists and the phantom thieves, at least... ] Oh. Well, the same shop... sells us weapons, too. Except... so, if your enemy in the cognitive world believes your weapon is real, it becomes real. We are literally buying toy weapons in the real world, dragging them with us to the Metaverse, and then using them as real weapons there. Which is great, because it means that ammo is unlimited. Which is great, because we've gotten ambushed on more than one occasion. [ Yeah, salons would be fabulous. Except even if they had even one salon... not a single soul here probably knows how to cut hair. Which... is a shame. ] Eh... well, at least they have each other, right?

[ As Ann continues listening, her face visibly falls because wow, this guy just keeps getting worse and worse. Abandoning his flesh and blood son who clearly needed him is shit, abusing Seto was shit... this guy really stooped to the lowest of the low, and for what? ] That's all so horrible... what... happened to Noah? How did you find out about him?

[ Because, something tells her that ended REAL BADLY. Just a little. His words, though... she can get behind those, mostly. She wishes she could be more like him in that aspect, to be able to push forward without regrets for the past, but she's not that strong. ] I understand that... yeah, you're absolutely right. The future is what matters.

[ His reaction, though small, is sort of adorable, but she knows better than to giggle or tease him about it. Not just because of this serious conversation, but because she doesn't want to piss him off again. They've hit some sort of plateau of understanding here, and she'd like to keep it. ] You were a driven person even back then... I think you'd have it, yeah. I think you'd have been really successful, no matter what. You seem very focused on what you want, so... it may not have been the same, but I think you'd have done very well for yourself regardless. Even still... [ She has to stop herself from saying I'm sorry that happened to you again, because she doesn't want him to get upset... again. ] ...I'm glad that you made it, and I'm glad that you at least got something out of the whole ordeal. I'm also glad that he's not in your life anymore. Er... yeah, it should, I think.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

Of course I did. I wouldn't trust this project to anyone else. [Clearly taking pride in his own accomplishment. Gozaburo had wanted to weaponize Seto's creations, in terms of ideology they were on opposite scales.] Now you're catching on, Takamaki. [Not even going to deny it. It was unfortunate that his mechanical and technological skills came at such a high cost] You sound just like that nerd herd that constantly follows him around as his own private cheering section.

[It would be! The threats would decrease to the point that it might feel eerie to the protagonists] I see. [This Metaverse stuff sounded more advanced in some respects to anything he'd personally made or encountered. Eh- it was debatable when you considered Noah's virtual world where a person could input their consciousness into someone else's body in the real world. There was no direct transferal of weapons to virtual system however.] Couldn't someone with a strong will and sense of their surroundings just assume all the weapons to be fake and make themselves impervious? [True. There was a skill involved in the process that often went unappreciated until it was lost] Yugi would be better off if he shed the dead weight.

[By some miracle Mokuba had gotten off easy. That was what was important.] As far as I know his program was completely erased- hard to say since there would have been ample time to make a multitude of copies in all those years. [The next part is a little trickier to answer] I met him later inside the virtual world... it wasn't unlike this place. Locations could bend and shift in as needed, and memories could be extracted from the minds of those connected to the system. [This is why he is still fairly convinced this is a machine they're attached to.] It wasn't what you'd consider a happy family reunion. He wanted to destroy me.

I know I am.

[It was a wise and strategic decision on her part] There's really no point in examining the possibilities now. It's not as if it can be changed. [Time travel was not currently something that existed outside of theory] ... I think that covers everything now. [Having regained himself, he tried to resume the stoic mask of indifference that was his fallback] I guess it's my turn to say something encouraging but that's going to be a long wait. So two monsters have temporarily be neutralized, there always will be others. Stay strong. [ THERE. He provided all that his conscious felt he had to. Ann had survived her ordeal so she should be capable of getting through others but this world and it's inhabitants were ugly, and self interested. Ie.. he's still a pessimist]

[menaretrash]

Wow, that's amazing! [ She really is as impressed as she sounds, too. At least there's that. ] ...Nerd herd is cute, so I'll take that as a compliment instead of the insult I think you meant it as.

[ Almost... a perfect world! Except that would get boring, and also, there's no such thing as a perfect anything. Perfection is just an illusion. ] You've got a good point, but we haven't run into that complication just yet. And we've faced off against quite a few strong willed people. [ Shido, for one. ] Nothing would surprise me, though... maybe we just haven't met our match yet. [ ...They have, sort of. She just doesn't know that yet. ] Eh, I could say the same for Shiho. But she stuck with me, too... so... [ ...And look at where that got her. She glances off to the side with a small wince, before shrugging. ]

That sounds awful... wait, why would he try to destroy you? [ That has her looking back at him, brows drawn together in concern. ] ...Was he jealous or something? [ Because that's the only thing she can think of. She shifts a little bit again, as another question suddenly hits her: ] If he was trapped inside a program, how did he even know about your existence? Was he able to keep tabs on you through your own systems, then?

No, it can't. You're right. [ Again. ] Yeah... it feels like it. [ She stares at him, tiredly, as he gives her his little 'encouraging' pep talk. Okay, he's not the best at this, but it seems real enough, so, she just sort of offers him a tiny smile that isn't nearly as genuine, but it's good enough. Fake it 'til you make it, right? ] Temporarily or not, at least they're not here, right? [ Looking down, her shoulders finally drop; she's tired, and mostly, she just wants to go curl up and hide for a little while now. ] Yeah, you stay strong, too.

[ She pushes herself up to her feet finally, feeling drained, and she keeps her gaze firmly on the floor. ] ...Take care of yourself, Kaiba-san.

General wrap up /o/

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[The adulation doesn't sound disingenuous to his ears, so he's pleased by it. I mean- not that he needs her approval but it's still nice to be acknowledged for one's accomplishments.] It's really not. [Cute that is] There are times I think you just enjoy being contradictory. [Not that there's much he can say on that subject... since .. well... he engages in a fair amount of that himself]

[It would, and perfection is. Although later Kaiba hopes to create his own sort of perfection down the line through virtual technologies.] Heh- lucky for you. [Luck might have little to do with it. Since these encounters happened in the cognitive reality, a person's subconscious might be more susceptible to the ruse.] Better not think too hard on it or you'll give someone else the idea. [If it's anything like the void, and it's shaping up to be similar] ... [The part that verged on the cusp of self-pity and guilt was the most uncomfortable to listen to.] That had less to do with either of you and more to do with the situation that was foisted upon you by a negligent school board.

What else? Jealousy. I'd become everything he thought he was intended to be. [The favored son, given the keys to Kaiba corp. She'd nailed it in one guess] Apparently. [A sobering thought, really. Despite having his mainframe located out in the middle of no where in the middle of the ocean, Noah had been able to keep tabs on Seto's activities to some degree, though how much of that came from Gozaburo's knowledge and how much of it came through more technological channels it was hard to say. If a connection to his systems did exist, there could still be copies running around..] .. Although there are some alternate methods. Gozaburo's consciousness was there within Noah's virtual world by this point, so he could have filled the brat in on some details. That and this system had the ability to peer into others memories that were hooked up to it via the virtual pods. Noah could have used that to update himself instantaneously.

[Relieved that story time is over, he's ready to part ways and get in some self reflection for himself. It was the best pep talk you every received. You can admit it Ann... and then get struck by lightning months before it's inclusion] ... [For now, they weren't here..] Mm. [Said with a little nod]

I will. [You as well, Takamaki]