victory_road | 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She didn't approach. She stayed where she was, not imposing, and even crouched to get a little more on eye level, a gentle smile on her face.]

My name's Pieck.

[She pronounced it as 'peek'.]

I found my way into this passage, and wasn't sure which way was in or out. I didn't know someone lived here.

[She especially could never have guessed that a little girl lived here. Even someone like Gabi, tomboy that she was, had a few frills around that declared her a girl, she was sure. This place looked... miserable. Lonesome. Nothing soft or happy at all. True that it wasn't much better in one of the internment zones, but surely there was something she could do. And given how the girl had been curled up, she was sure that was the place to start.]

Are you okay?

[ She watches Pieck carefully; she doesn't seem scared exactly, just curious, despite her young age. ]

...Luisa.

[ She hesitates a moment, still looking at Pieck before finally glancing around the gray stone walls. ]

...yeah. I mean, I'm supposed to be.

[Supposed to be? Oh. She... remembers that all too well. Her smile had some sadness to it when she nodded to Luisa, shifting herself down so she was seated there on the ground.]

You know, it's okay not to be okay. When I was your age, I wasn't really... [Honesty, she encouraged herself. Honesty would help here.] Wasn't really okay with where I was, either. There were a lot of expectations put on me. I didn't really even realise what those expectations were a lot of the time, but I knew they were there. And when I hear you say you're supposed to be okay - it makes me think that maybe you're in the same place, or really similar.

[ Luisa looks up at Pieck, a bit surprised. While she knows that there are people who might understand what it's like, hearing someone talk about it so easily was...different. But it was nice...hearing that others struggled with similar problems. ]

Y...Yeah. Back home, our family had special Gifts that no one else in town had. So people relied on us. We...had to help everyone, all the time.

[Gifts. Helping. That sounded so...

She'd heard some of the stories. The ones that spoke of Ymir building bridges and roads, heaving boulders out of the fields for tilling, felling trees to help build homes -- all of the restorationist tales. If only using the Cart had been like that.

Pieck gave her a nod.]

When you have an ability nobody else does, they expect you to use it for them all the time. They have a way of being thoughtless. Treating people with abilities as tools. I...

I'd hoped nobody else had felt like that. I'm so sorry if I'm understanding that you do.

[ Luisa can't help gripping at her arms a little. In a way, she knows it's just as the other girl described - being a made to work all the time. But it was still hard to admit it out loud. ]

We...It's supposed to be a way to give back to our community. Using our Gifts to help people. To help take care of everyone.

It just...feels like a lot sometimes.

[ All the time. ]

[Oh, Luisa. So much like Falco. So much like Reiner. Her heart ached to see it.]

It is a lot. Especially if it starts young. Nobody who's not even done growing should have so much responsibility placed on them.

[And she meant it. She'd said as much to Porco. To Reiner. But not in front of Zeke - oh no. Never him. In front of him, it would be seen as treason and a death sentence.

But Zeke wasn't here.

Pieck unfolded a little, motioning toward where Luisa sat.]

Can I come sit beside you? If the answer is no, that's okay.

[ Luisa hums, an uncertain tone. Even now, it was hard to think of not helping her family and her town. A part of her always wanted to help and take care of the others, so trying to find that balance between that and taking care of herself is still difficult.

The question has her pausing a moment, hesitant. But eventually she nods as she scoots a bit to give the other girl more room to sit. ]

It's okay. I don't mind.

[Pieck, in her plain brown skirt, plain white shirt, and khaki jacket (albeit with a paler stripe on her left sleeve), came to sit on the edge of the bed, turned so she could face the younger girl. Her smile was sad, but there was an honesty to her as she folded her hands lightly in her lap.]

When I was little - younger than you are now, I think - I volunteered for something that was... similar. We were taught that we needed to fight as soldiers for the country where we lived, to make up for the sins of our ancestors. I don't know how your gift works, but I was given mine when I was ten. I trained and I fought and I worked for my country. I'm even glad that it was me instead of some of the other children that tried to do it.

[She leaned ever so slightly forward, reaching one hand outward - not demanding it be taken, in fact not even suggesting it, but using it for emphasis as she said:]

But even though I'm glad nobody else had to do it, and I'm glad I was strong enough to do what was asked of me, and even though there are parts of it that I don't regret, that doesn't mean it was okay. Helping your people is important - but it's something you should be asked, not demanded, to do. It's something you should be allowed to choose to do.

And it's something you should be able to stop doing when you need to, when you choose to. Luisa...

[Pieck smiled at her, gentle and warm and sad all at once.]

Don't forget that you're a person. Not a hammer. Just because you're strong, it doesn't mean that that's all that you are.

[ Luisa is quiet as she looks up at the other girl, listens to her talk about her own experiences. But those last words have her blinking back tears, and she rests her head in her arms again. ]

...I got my gift when I was five.

[ Her voice is barely above a whisper now, as she stares out into the hard stone walls of her room. ]

And I like helping people, I do. And I like being able to do things that others can't. But I'm...I'm always so busy. It's like someone is always needing me for something, and no matter what I do there's always still more work to be done.

Event: The Reveal Glass

No worries at all!

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