⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 4

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 22nd - 31st, 2017
Where: In Portland, for the last time.
What: The seasons change as the Winter Court seizes a surprise victory, claiming both the Tree of Life's pendant and the blood catalyst needed to take control of the Severing Ritual. Meanwhile, interdimensional problems are about to get more weird. Check out the conflict results for the attack on the Circle as well as the Beast's attack on the Summer Court here.
Warnings: Individually marked!

DAYS OF WINTER↴ As the end of October nears, so does the grasp of winter. On the night of the 22nd, it will freeze overnight, and the temperature will drop for the following days. As the night grow long, world-wide magic slowly reaches it apex, set to reach it on the night of Halloween. With so many factors at play, knowing what to do with that moment of power may be a challenge. ► FULL CIRCLE: The Angels succeed in their planned attack on the Circle, managing to get to the living quarters of the Council members with the help of Ashleigh Mischief. The plan goes without much resistance from the mages or from the demons attempting to claim the ritual object for their own. Of course, when the fae make a surprise attack on the Angels after they flee the scene, it has the surprise result of the Winter Court ended up with the pendant in their talons. Threads for this attack can be done in this log. If you need mod direction at all, let us know, but otherwise feel free to NPC demons, angels, or random Circle members as you require. ► THE QUEEN'S GARDEN: Realizing that the Rose Queen is distracted with attempting to claim the pendant, the Beast will summon her co-conspirators to raid the Queen's gardens. The ultimate plan seems to be to get the Beast far enough into the gardens to kill the Queen, while also rescuing as many changelings as possible along the way. As it turns out, this doesn't go well. While they do manage to penetrate the gardens with Childermass's help, the Rose Queen, Ignatius, and Nightshade happen to all be there. Seriously outnumbered, even by the Beast's terms, it will take everything the group has to just make it out alive, sustaining heavy injuries as they go. In the end they will manage to rescue Greg universe and four additional changelings that were imprisoned there, but any damage done to the Summer Court itself will be negligible. Threads for this can also be played out here! ► REFLECTIONS: As the ritual draws closer, the line between this reality and the one you came from will also be becoming less clear. Regaining memories is not required, but it will naturally become easier to occur, especially if you're already started receiving them. It's a good time to start making connections, while you still have the chance. ► THE SEVERING: One way or another, the Severing is going to make an impact on both this world and the lives of those trapped inside of it. The Angels are going to be making an attempt to interrupt the Winter Court's ritual, as will the Summer Court and Anath's forces. Whoever comes up on top will be the ones to decide what to be done with it. Yet, with news that the Severing continuing could cause irreversible damage to the planet's spirit, it could feel like there are no perfect options. There will be an event header put up for this by the mods closer to the end of July. (NOTE: canon powers will returning while the ritual is in progress, so keep that in mind for planning - both sets of powers will be active.)

Comments

[dontpokethat]

Ginko's brow furrows, and he looks down at Miu. "Yeah...? I take it you didn't have one when you were... alive."

Boy that little factor makes this weird to talk about. But the fact that Tamaki is talking about some things that Ginko remembers, too... that makes it pretty clear that this isn't just a matter of his memories of his life being faint or something like that.

"What do you think it might... be? Or mean, or whatever you want to call it."

[puddingemote]

He shakes his head. It's kind of funny to think about, him, owning a pet. He doubts any of his foster homes would have ever allowed it. Even if they did, who knows if he could have taken care of it properly, or what would have happened to it after his death. He wonders about the bird he remembers, and if it's alright.

"I don't know. I don't get it."

Tamaki huffs at the mystery of it all. He knows these memories are his, but he also knows they didn't happen to him in this life. At first he thought they might be past lives, but he remembers looking the same, being called Tamaki. Surely it's too much of a coincidence that he would be born with the same name and face twice?

"There's... one more thing." He hesitates, not sure about how much he wants to open up about this detail to a complete stranger. Something about this man puts him at ease, but something else tells him maybe he doesn't want to talk about this. Still, it's evidence, right? "I... remembered my mom. My birth mom. I remembered she died. But the Earth Spirit said there's no one like that inside them."

[dontpokethat]

"Really...?" Memories that couldn't have happened, people that, by all evidence, didn't exist... this just got more confusing all the time.

He pushes his fingers through his hair, briefly exposing the white medical patch over his left eye. "So... since we both remember some of this, and recognize each other, it seems safe to assume that at least some of it really happened. But we don't know when it could have, and some of it..." He trails off, frowning. "Some of it doesn't seem possible. ...Maybe someone is... I don't know, making this happen somehow?"

He can't imagine why.

[puddingemote]

Tamaki wonders about the medical patch. Maybe he was injured? Eye injuries are pretty gross...

But he focuses on what the man is saying. It's all very mysterious and confusing, and Tamaki doesn't know enough about magic to know what is correct.

"Do you mean, like a spell?" He wonders if there are spells like that, powerful enough to alter memories, even of those who are dead, like himself. "Are they casting the spell now? Or is the spell wearing off...?"

Which life is the real one?

[dontpokethat]

"I don't know," he admits. It's a pretty troubling thought, to say the least. Initially, he'd been sure that the new memories were fakes, either something he imagined or just... he doesn't know. Something.

The more he remembers, though, the more he does find himself wondering if he might have had it backward. But either way, the question remains of why someone would change his memories like this to begin with.

"If it's only being cast now, it seems like they must have it pretty well-organized, seeing as how we both remember some of the same things."

[puddingemote]

Tamaki nods. "And how did they pick us? I don't get it."

He didn't know any of the people he's come in contact with before, except Sans, and now they're all remembering these things right as he meets them. It's bizarre; like they were all drawn together. Like this is leading up to something.

But he can't know. It's frustrating.

"Do you know anyone else who remembers this stuff?"

[dontpokethat]

"Maybe there's... some pattern we're missing. I don't know." He frowns down at Miu, fiddling with the leash in his hand.

Tamaki's question is first answered with just a nod. "...My sister. And my doctor says that she's been hearing about people having problems like this lately."

[puddingemote]

Tamaki nods at this information. His sister having the same experience would have made sense if all the other people Tamaki knew of weren't so disconnected; under the circumstances, it just makes it even more confusing.

"Lambert and Sans started remembering, too," he says, with no explanation on who these people are offered. "And... the guy whose room I was haunting. He said something kinda like that. Like he was seeing another life."