victory_road | Event: The Reveal Glass

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Event: The Reveal Glass

Across the Pokémon world, characters may have spotted a falling star last night. Or at least, one would think that's what it was: a naturally occurring phenomenon, rather than a legendary artifact. Specifically, the Reveal Glass fell to earth during a fight among a group of legendaries started by the return of a long-lost family member. But it's probably best to leave them to handle all that themselves, while your characters deal with other consequences.

The Reveal Glass shattered upon impact, and the shards scattered throughout Kanto, Johto, and the Sevii Islands… And made their way into the hearts of your characters. But bleeding isn't the concern here. Instead, the impact will hit when a character first looks into any reflective service. An eerie feeling hits them as they're transported to the Mirror Dimension.

While this realm can be many different things for different characters, one thing is always true: It is a place of honesty, where true selves are revealed. Those struck by a shard will find themselves facing truths they are no longer able to hide, and now must accept. Fortunately enough, even those who haven't been struck will be able to enter the Mirror Dimension during this event via a reflective surface to offer help. By the end of the 29th, things will return to normal. Characters will be back in the usual Pokémon world and their hearts will be rid of the shards, but time is strange in the Mirror Dimension, and the experience may feel like it goes on far longer than a day. Or, maybe that's just the emotional exhaustion.

The Reveal Glass plot is here. You can swing by the event info post for additional details and FAQ, and play out your characters’ enforced therapy on this post. As with most VR events, this plot is entirely optional and your characters don't need to take part at all.

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[Even before he opens his eyes, Riz knows he's back in the forest. The loamy scent of the earth and rotting leaves fills his nose, and he doesn't need to open his eyes to know what forest he is in either. Because it's always that forest, the one in which the shadows are too dark too be normal, too alive to be comforting even to a rogue who often finds shelter in the darkness.

His throat aches, a collar of dark bruises nearly enveloping everything between his chin and the collar of his shirt. It shouldn't ache but it does. It shouldn't be bruised anymore, but it is. It is always the same in these dreams. And that is what this is, right? A dream? Because he knows the Forest isn't here, and that he isn't dead, and anyway, these days, the only time when he is a goblin proper is in his dreams.

So. A dream. Or better, a nightmare.

Finally opening his eyes, Riz gazes up at a huge crumbling staircase that also isn't supposed to be there; partially because it isn't supposed to be in this world at all, but also partially because the geography doesn't make sense -- the deep depths of the forest at his back hadn't given way to the staircase. There had been an island and a bridge, but nevertheless, his dreams always persisted in melding the two together.

Ugh. He needs to wake up.]

[Boober doesn't know this place. The forests spreading out ahead are new to him, as are the broken old stairs, where he's instinctively wedged himself into a large crack in the material. Wherever he is, he feels sure that it's not right, a sense of uneasiness beyond knowing this is the wrong place for him to be.

There's a sorrow to this forest, something so unlike the usual level of melancholy where Boober lives. There's despair in the darkness here, so strong that Boober notices the feeling before he even notices he's a fraggle, much less has a chance to wonder why. And even once the realization about his body does hit him, there is very little time for confusion as his eyes adjust to the dark, far deeper than what they were so used to, and sees someone just below him. Not just someone, but perhaps the only person who could get him to rush out from his little hiding spot in this moment.]

Riz?!

[Normally, it would've been a cry of relief on seeing Riz was here too, but no. Something isn't right with Riz here, too. Boober trips over himself trying to get down just the one or two steps he's up off the ground - the stumbling a result of both his small size and his hurrying - but he lands safely enough and doesn't let it slow him down much, anyway. He gapes up at Riz, now able to see what's wrong.]

What happened? I don't have... [He moves his hands as he looks around, sighing at the conclusion he draws.] ...anything to help on me, but I can- I can find what I need. I'll take care of you.

[A sudden flash of movement has Riz dropping his hand to his gun holster but before he can even check if his gun is really there --sometimes it is there in these dreams, sometimes it is not-- he recognises the shape running and stumbling towards him and the voice calling out.

This... this is wrong. Boober is not supposed to be here. Sure, he dreams of Boober sometimes; silly dreams mostly, that don't even make a lick of sense. But he's never dreamt of Boober here, in this dream, in this place. It makes sense that he hasn't. This dream -- this nightmare -- is a memory mostly and Boober hadn't been there when he had died.]

Boober?

[His voice sticks in his throat a little, coming a little too slow as he tries to figure out what the hell is going on.]

No, that's-- Why are you here? You are not supposed to be here.

[Under normal circumstances, this is where Boober would get sassy and tell Riz that well, gee, it's good to see him too. Something like that. But these aren't normal circumstances, so while Boober does push back against Riz's questioning, it's not in a teasing way. He's just firmly insistent as he walks around Riz, getting what better look he can from the ground before starting to climb up his back.]

No, don't worry about that yet. Figuring out what's going on can wait, trust me.

[He stops when his hands can - and do - hold on to Riz's shoulders, and leans around to get a closer look at the bruising.]

Just tell me what happened, okay? I'll get you fixed up, and then the rest.

[Normally, Riz is the one climbing up onto people's shoulders, so this is an interesting bit of role reversal. And while he might ordinarily enjoy the odd sense of height and strength it gives him to have Boober clamber all over him --he is so small and light-- right now that just puts Boober very close to the one thing he never wanted him to find out about.

Riz doesn't normally keep secrets from Boober, but what point was there in telling Boober he had died. He had been revived immediately afterwards and Boober would just worry and fret. And while that was Boober's default state, there was a difference in him fretting over little things and him fretting over something like this.

Riz's hand shoots to his neck, trying to cover up the dark, mottled bruises.]

It's-- it's nothing, okay? It's fine.

Riz!

[Boober's voice is sharp with alarm and frustration. He doesn't understand so much about this situation, including why Riz is being extra stubborn when they both know, right? They both know Boober saw his injury. And that is what he actually does understand here: Riz is hurt, and he wants to help him. Why would he do anything else?

Boober does his best to collect himself before climbing up so he can crouch on Riz's shoulder, and tries to use that position to lean enough to get a good look at his face.]

What's going on? I can help... I want to help. I just need to know what happened.

You can't help.

[It's said with a hint of fang and a growl, Riz's tail lashing behind him. Almost immediately, his ears flatten though, because damnit he hadn't really wanted to snap at Boober like that. He had felt driven into a corner with Boober fussing and asking for things he really shouldn't learn about.]

Sorry.

[It's a soft mutter, Riz's tail held low and limp in contrition. His shoulders had crept up towards his ears, head ducked slightly.]

[Boober nearly slips right down off Riz's shoulder, but not from any actual force. He just hadn't been expecting that, and it hurts. Maybe it shouldn't, because he's not new to temperamental resistance against his looking after others - everyone can get a bit bratty when they're not feeling their best, but specifically, he's treated his friend Red with so many sports injuries she was determined to pretend didn't exist that he hardly notices the anger in those situations anymore.

But when was the last time Riz snarled at him like that? Had he ever?

Still, the surprise and the sting isn't enough to stop him with this, especially not when Riz apologizes with so much genuine shame. Boober does pull back a little, gets out of Riz's face, but that's it.]

You're not going to get me to give up on this. On you.

[Riz has dealt with Boober's stubborn nature once before. Back when he had broken his leg, Boober had been as stubborn about making sure he rested so he could heal well. The constant fussing had been a little tiresome back then as well, but at least then Riz had actually been injured. And as much as he had hated being stuck on that couch for weeks, unable to do anything, he had taken enough first aid classes to know that Boober was factually correct.

This time though, things are different. Riz isn't really hurt. However it might look, this is just a dream, and the injury has already long healed, and his death had been erased before it could be permanent.]

You can't help [Riz's voice is soft still, and a little tired.] because this isn't real. This is just... one of my nightmares and I'm going to wake up in a few minutes, and they will be gone again.

But I don't feel like you're imagining me.

[It makes as much sense as any explanation could for why they're here, looking as they're supposed to. Boober can't quite fully accept it, though. It just seems so real. And while maybe that's not what he needs to focus on right now, Boober has to voice that.

But... A nightmare, huh? Boober hums thoughtfully as he looks around again, with that context. The way Riz put it - "one of my nightmares" - makes it sound like it's come up before.]

Oh.

[Boober never really paid close attention when Mokey would talk about dreams, but he's gathered that they are supposedly big things. And it's just that-- Well, he's rarely seen Riz this subdued (aside from awkwardly navigating relationship things) but one instance that does stand out was when he'd finally woken up earlier in the winter. Boober had gone from worried to overjoyed with relief to worried all over again so fast as Riz explained how he and his friends had finished his quest back home in the forest of a nightmare king. And... Maybe that's not it. But Boober can't help fearing that it is.]

Edited 2024-03-02 04:20 (UTC)

[Admittedly, when Riz does dream of Boober, he usually dreams of him as a human. He knows Boober isn't one, of course, but it is still the form he is most used to. But it has to be a dream. What else could it even be?

With a sigh, Riz sinks down onto the steps of the crumbling staircase, his hand going up to steady Boober as he does so. He doesn't shoo Boober off his shoulder though. If he wants to get off and sit on the steps with him that's fine, but it's not like Riz is hugely hindered by his slightly weight on his shoulder. If anything, the soft brush of fur against the side of his face and ear is pretty nice.]

I never wanted you to see this place...

[Someone like Boober shouldn't be in the Nightmare King's forest. Arguably, nobody should be here, but Boober especially Riz wanted to keep away from places like this.]

[Boober nods at that, looking out at the forest. He feels like he can understand why Riz wouldn't want that. He's not brave, he doesn't deal with stuff like this regularly the way Riz does-- And even Riz had been clearly impacted by this particular place.]

I wish you never had, either.

[He doesn't look towards Riz as he says it, because it feels kind of treacherous to say. But it's not that he wishes Riz hadn't gone back home to finish his job! It... It isn't not like that, either, but that part is more complicated. Mostly, he just wishes no job had ever taken Riz to such a dismal place. He does, after a brief moment, lean against Riz's head. The lean is as feather-light as he can manage, remembering how unprepared Riz had been for a hug when he'd woken up.]

[Riz's ear twitches when Boober's fur brushes against the shell; ticklish were it not for the pretty depressing atmosphere.]

Someone had to.

[Which, yes, he recognised distantly that you could argue that it wasn't fair it had to be them; that Aguefort had started this whole mess by keeping such an important magical object on a random shelf in his office. But much of life wasn't fair. Riz knew that all to well. And it had never gotten any fairer by complaining about it. It only got better when people worked hard to make it better.]

Mmm.

[There's not much else to say, at least not about that part. It scares Boober, the kind of big and heroic work Riz does, but it also amazes him. And at the end of the day, he loves how dedicated Riz is to that work; to helping people. And more importantly, Riz loves that. Boober has no plans to stop trying to get him to rest more, take care of himself more-- Riz needs to do all that, he won't be told otherwise. But he doesn't want Riz to stop doing what he loves. He understands the importance far too well to do that.]

You had me so worried, the way you woke up... Well, it still worries me, to tell you the truth. Not constantly, or anything, but [He shrugs slightly.] you know me.

But my point is, seeing this place-- I understand. Sort of, I mean, I wasn't here with you. It's hard for me to even imagine that, so I don't really understand. It always bothers me when people say that like they do.

[He's starting to ramble, isn't he? With a sigh, Boober falls quiet, leaning a little heavier against Riz.]

I hadn't meant to scare you. It was just... a lot. I mean, I didn't even know I had been gone. Just one moment we were right in the aftermath of the battle, still trying to figure out what Kristen had done, and then suddenly I was back in our room and--

[He shrugs, his shoulders rising and falling under Boober's weight.]

I really didn't know what to think. And I was so tired. I'm tired a lot and I don't think I've ever been that tired. Maybe dying just makes you tired like that. I don't know. I never asked either Gorgug or Kristen about their experiences.

[ Riz isn't sure what has him rambling in response, and about those topics too. Maybe it's just that this is all a dream. Nobody can control what they do in dreams. And if this Boober is just a part of his dream, it is not like it matter what he tells him or not.]

[At first, he's just listening; a sympathetic ear. He doesn't blame Riz for scaring him. Most everything does, in some way and at some point. But Riz talking about it... That might help, and it's so rare that he does that in these cases.

Then Riz mentions dying, and Boober feels like he's been hit full-force by an attack from an Exploud, only instead of tangible waves of deafening sound, this is a powerful chill as his heart sinks right into his stomach. He's panicking, but only in a distant way does he recognize the sensations of an anxiety attack. His body is panicking, but it's like he's somewhere else.]

You died?

[Despite all he's feeling, his voice is small and quiet. Part of it is the shock, but there's also this desperate hope that he heard Riz wrong. That somehow he's misunderstanding, even though deep down he knows that's not it.]

[Shouldn't have said that, should not have said that.

Riz goes stiff, the tip of his tail twitching nervously. Of course the Boober in his dreams would react the same way the real Boober would. Which is why he had never intended to tell him this. He knew Boober would fret and stress and be sad, all things Riz didn't want him to be. Especially about a subject he couldn't change anyway.

But he has already slipped up, and he can't exactly lie his way out of this one. What would he even say? Someone like Fig might have an answer to that, but he's not that good with his words.]

Y-- yes. But it's not a big deal. I guess I was technically dead, but like, Fig revived me almost immediately after so, functionally, it's no different than getting knocked out.

[The moment is feeling more and more distant, but not like the nightmare Riz had claimed it to be. It all still seems perfectly real, Boober just doesn't feel fully part of it. He hears Riz's explanation, but it doesn't help. It couldn't no matter what, after learning this, but especially not with how Riz had been when he'd first awakened. It's not just a frightening thing to Boober, it was a frightening thing for Riz, too. If he's still having nightmares, it must still be frightening him.

He's crying, and his breathing is growing fast and ragged. That second one is very normal for a panic attack, the latter notably less so, and yet it still doesn't feel like he's having it. This is definitely his body and it's definitely panicking... But he almost doesn't feel it firsthand. It's weird. This is new for him.

But while the panic itself feels distant, the anger at himself for having it - and all the things that come with it - doesn't feel far off at all. Because he knows it makes sense for him to be distressed by this, but it makes even more for Riz to be. He's already not letting that happen, and that's not going to change if he has to help Boober not freak out about it.

He tries to steady himself, to bring it all back in check. When it doesn't really do much, he just keeps trying as he speaks up anyway.]

Iii- I'm sorry, this isn't helping you at all.

[And Riz may be right about Boober not being able to fix death. But someone was there who could and did. Fig - if he ever gets to meet Fig he's going to give her the biggest hug - was able to make Riz's body came back from that. Boober's so grateful, and hard as it is right now, nothing's going to stop him from helping Riz with the rest.]

Oh shit, hey, hey.

[Riz tries, fruitlessly, to make his voice comforting, even as he plucks Boober off his shoulder to set him down on the step besides him. He's certain he's never seen Boober like this before. He's seen him fret and worry, be angry and sad, but he's never seen him cry. And even Riz, amateur as he is at this dating thing, knows that making your boyfriend cry is one of the Cardinal Sins of Dating.

Riz's hands flit helpless, unhelpfully, first trying to use the end of Boober's trusty scarf to wipe away his tears, and then switching to the slightly more absorbent cuffs of his shirt.]

Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm fine. See, I'm just fine. Ha ha, you know us adventurers, we eat death for breakfast.

No, this isn't--

[With a couple of shaky gasps, Boober manages to get his tears and his breathing under at least enough control so that talking isn't as hard.]

Not me. Don't worry about me. [And for all the fear and sorrow in his voice - in every part of him - there's something very earnest in there too, as he says that. And even as he keeps going at a more frantic rate, that remains.] It was-- You died! You, not me. And you were scared, and I-- I knew it, I could tell when you woke up. Something wasn't right, but I got caught up in being happy you were back and worrying about being apart, and-- My stuff! But it wasn't about me then, either! It was fixed, sure, but that doesn't make it less scary-- Most of all not for you. I wasn't even there, but you went through it.

[He gets to his feet, bringing his hands to Riz's face with a ginger touch.]

I don't know if you would've said something about it, no matter what I did, [Because he can't deny that.] but I still should've been there for you first then. I'm sorry I wasn't.

I want to be now.

[Riz is truly surprised by the apology. He hadn't been expecting that, primarily because he hadn't thought there was anything worth apologising for. His brows furrow uncertainly.]

You don't have to say sorry. I'm not mad at you.

[While it is true he hadn't told Boober because he knew it would make him unhappy and fret, it's not like he had gone out of his way to tell other people either. There were a few people who he was sure would keep it a secret if asked.]

It's-- I didn't just not tell you. I didn't tell anyone. It just didn't seem like something worth talking about. It would just be troublesome for everybody.

Edited 2024-03-03 23:30 (UTC)

[Boober winces at that last part. It makes it hard not to break down crying again, because he can't really say it's surprising Riz would see it that way-- That he'd be troubling others if he brought this up. Putting everyone else so far ahead of himself, that isn't new for him at all. Just like the concern Boober feels when that tendency comes at the cost of Riz's own well-being isn't new at all.]

Of course, anyone would be troubled. You- You died.

[His voice breaks on the word, and after a little shudder he bumps his snout up under Riz's chin. A gentle little nudge.]

It's more than troubling, it terrifying. [Because as much as Boober views death as the last on a list of inevitable bad things life throws at everyone, it's very different to think of that as a concept than to think of it as applying to someone he loves so much.] But if I don't know, I can't help. I can't do anything.

It really shouldn't be such a big deal.

[There is a waver in Riz's voice though that says that maybe he is trying to convince himself moreso than he is trying to convince Boober.

Riz definitely doesn't want to die, nor does he actively court it -- or at least, not more actively than being an adventurer. But he also feels that if he were to die for the right reason, if his death could help the most amount of people then... that's sort of the ultimate goal, isn't it?

Obviously, preferably not happening any time soon! But if he was scared of death, would he have gotten into a school with an 'in Memorium' section in every yearbook?]

I died and I immediately got brought back. It's not like I really knew I was dead. It shouldn't be something that bothers me-- that bothers anyone more than me going down. Which I know you are going to say would bother you too, but like. That's just reality as an adventurer, right? You fight, you get hurt, and sometimes you get kicked off tall staircases. That's just... that's what you sign up for.

[With a quiet sigh, Boober nods and lets his hands fall, arms dropping to his sides. In a sense, he can almost relate. Oh sure, he's far from the adventurer Riz is. But the way he sees it, it's what everyone signs up for, in a way. Riz's path of choice makes it more likely sooner, but in a way... Boober could see it as helpful. To be able to think: I made a choice there.]

I don't think of being dead as being nearly as bad as dying. But even... Even then, I'm pretty sure I think about death more than, you know, most people. It feels very real to me, but--

Had you ever, before?

Thought about death?

[Riz shrugs a little, the tip of his tail giving a listless little flick.]

Sure. I mean, I thought about dad dying, a lot. And about Penny dying. Cause usually the longer someone is gone for, the more likely it is they aren't ever coming back. And when they attacked our house, I thought about mom dying. Not a lot. I mean, mom is pretty badass. I was pretty sure she was going to be able to deal with whatever was coming for her, but it still crossed my mind.

[Riz looks down at his hands.]

I thought about Fabian dying when we were on Leviathan. First when we found him just hanging from the ropes, but mostly when Kalina took him over during the night. Cause I was there. I was supposed to be guarding him. If he had died then, it would've been my fault.

[Now that he is talking, he finds it just pours out of him in this strange not-quite-dream-not-quite-nightmare. And he doesn't even realise that he isn't really answering Boober's question. Or perhaps, the absences in his answer will be all the answer Boober needs. Cause while Riz has clearly cared and worried a lot about other people dying, he has never really thought too much about himself dying; not out of a sense of teenage invulnerability, but more because in the long list of things he values, his own body and self is always put last.]

Closed to Boober | TW for death by strangulation of a minor

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cw: panic attack, (light) dissociation

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