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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[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.]

[For what it's worth, Boober does (kind of) smile for the first time in this place when he hears that. But it's a very, very sad smile. He shakes his head and gets up onto Riz's lap, giving him a hug from there with his head resting on Riz's shoulder.

That's so much unsurprising, isn't it? Even when Riz considered death in the past, it wasn't his own he worried about. And while to a point, Boober finds it so admirable and lovely that Riz cares about saving others so much, taken this far? It's rather heartbreaking.]

I meant for you, hon. [His voice is tired, but not impatiently so. He just sounds every bit as sad as his smile looked.] Had you ever thought about your own death before.

[Boober's weigth across his lap is a nice one. It's not something he's use to; generally he is small enough that everybody is far too big to get into his lap. But like this, Boober fits perfectly, and the light pressure of him across his thighs, and the warmth of his chest is a reminder that he is not alone.]

Oh. No. No, I never think about that. It's not-- [he already winces, knowing his next words are going to upset Boober, and yet unable not to say them.] important.

[Despite seeing the answer coming, Boober flinches and hugs Riz tighter when he hears it. He takes a shaky breath in, trying not to start crying again. So far, he manages, but it's hard with Riz saying something like that.]

It is important, though. You are important, Riz. It wouldn't be bad for you to care about yourself dying, I wish you did...!

I-it scares me, that you don't, but it's even more sad to me.

It's not like I'm some suicidal blockhead!

[He doesn't court death! Or, at least, Riz doesn't think he does. He's not the one jumping on the greatest enemies known to mankind (tables).]

I just-- I want to help people! So it's okay not to think about that sort of stuff.

[He cannot quite vocalise it, but he wants nothing more than to be like his mom and dad, who had both worked tirelessly to make the lives of other people better. Unfortunately, while they had modelled that rather commendable attitude to Riz, at the same time, neither had really modelled much self-care either, not when Pok died far too young and Sklonda worked far too long hours herself.]

I know, I know you're not! And, look, I understand wanting to help! It's not-- [Boober leans back, with a strangled sound of frustration, to look at Riz.] Sorry, I'm not mad. And I would never ask you to stop doing that, okay? Sometimes I almost want to, but... No. That's as much part of who you are as anything else.

And I think that it as one of the most amazing parts of you, no matter how much it scares me. Because it does. But it isn't what makes me sad!

I don't want you to stop, I just wish you cared about yourself more. At least enough to talk about something like this that's been bothering you. I want to know when you're upset, that's the part when I can help.

[It's funny how people always sound so very mad when they say they aren't mad.

Riz's ears droop, his expression somewhat resigned. Because while he gets it, a little at least, why Boober feels like this, he isn't sure if Boober gets how... tentative friendships are for him. He has the Bad Kids now, and Boober himself, but for years he had no one. And it had been made very clear to him that that was because of Riz being who he was. The friendships he had found now were a stroke of luck, one he wasn't sure he'd be able to replicate if he is honest, and he doesn't want to outstay his welcome.]

I know people already put up with a lot hanging out with me. It's fine. I don't want to-- [be left behind] become even more of a pain in the ass.

What do you mean?

[The confusion in Boober's tone is very strong, because he sincerely doesn't understand-- Not the feeling of being put up with by one's friends. He still struggles to believe that many of his own friends - especially the other fraggles, but not exclusively - don't find him to be too much of a bore or a downer to be around. And he knows Riz is weird. He knows that he didn't have a best friend, or very many friends at all, before meeting the other Bad Kids.

But to Boober, that isn't the same as Riz being a pain to put up with. Sure, he has habits and tendencies that drive Boober up the wall! But compared to how lovable and wonderful he is otherwise, it is very minor. So he isn't really grasping what's got Riz looking so small and sad, almost hopeless.]

Riz, it's not like that. It's never been like that. You're my favorite person, and that won't change if you start worrying more about yourself. Nothing could change that.

Edited 2024-03-12 02:21 (UTC)

You don't know that! I'm your favourite person now, but that's without me telling you stuff! What if I start telling you stuff and it is too much?

I don't-- I don't want you to stop being my friend. Or-- Or boyfriend.

[Riz really doesn't mean for any of this to come across as doubting Boober. It's not that Boober specifically has given him cause to doubt him. Rather, he knows his history. He knows that what few positive interactions he had with other kids in middle school generally depended on him being useful. He could stick around a group as long as there was a group project or if someone needed his notes. It had always given him hope that if he was just useful enough, if he didn't make people so tired of him, then maybe this time a friendship could work.

It never really had. Not until the Bad Kids.]

I do too know it. People are so much for me to handle a lot, but no one's ever been too much to keep caring about. You're not about to be the first.

[His tone is certain, though there's a smallness to it as well. A bit of shame on Boober's end, for not being braver. Not being better at accepting these big things in stride, or even understanding them. So much of it still feels new, in one way or another. With a sigh, Boober sits down sideways on Riz's lap, with his knees pulled in close.]

But to be honest, I understand. I worry, too, that eventually me being different is going to be too much for other people. Most the fraggles, but... You, too. Everybody.

[No matter how often it was made so clear that no one was jumping up to be rid of him, it was too hard to trust that was always going to be the case.]

Especially because we never know what's coming, do you? I don't think there's very much we can count on at all...

But I meant it. What I said, about knowing you'll always be my favorite person. Because of all the bad things that I imagine happening even when I'm trying not to think about what could go wrong, I've never imagined that I'd stop caring about you. It's impossible to imagine, in fact.

[He gives a small shrug that's really more of a shoulder twitch.]

Maybe that's silly, but it feels very real.

[Riz reaches up, settling his hands on Boober's hips. Or, where one would imagine his hips would be under the soft fur of his body. His claws curl very slightly into that very fur, clinging to him.

It's heartening to hear Boober say that he cannot imagine not caring about him. It's the sort of thing he'd imagine his mom or dad saying. That's different, of course. They are family, and family is always supposed to stick together. It is why, the rare times he had talked to anyone, it had always been to his parents. To Riz, there was no danger there is being too much or too troublesome to care about; Sklonda and Pok had amply displayed that their love was truly unconditional.

But maybe friends could be the same. Maybe there were people who'd stick around even if he'd become troublesome.]

I can't imagine you becoming too weird for me either. I like your weirdness.

[Boober breathes in shakily as he nods, and his voice is equally shaky when he speaks up.]

That's really good to hear. I don't want you to stop being my friend or boyfriend, either.

[The very sincere moment has his tail glowing, a hazy and faint but still warm orange light in this otherwise impossibly dark space.]

And Riz...? I do want you to tell me things. I know there's so much I'm still getting used to, and a lot that's hard for me to understand, or at least... Hard for me to think about. But if I can be there for you, then it's worth it. Okay?

Event: The Reveal Glass

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cw: panic attack, (light) dissociation

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