♥ October (Lasohm) Fourth Wall Log

[hugtopiamods]

October (Lasohm) Fourth Wall Log

❥ Speaking of Wall Breaking...

The ghosts in town sure are weird, huh? But they're settling down, as the month draws to a close. They're becoming less anxious and random, their behaviour growing sort of… focused. As time passes some of them begin to develop features. They can interact with the world more consistently. You can… hear their voice.

And then suddenly they are people, real and physical and just as confused to be here as you are. They could be anyone, from your world, someone else's world, a place you've never heard of… some of them could even be you, from a different universe, a different timeline, an unknown reality. What does all this mean?

IT'S FOURTH WALL, Y'ALL. Tell your friends, people interested in apping or just playing around in the setting, anybody! Time to break the wall down and have some fun.

This post serves as a replacement for the usual Test Drive Meme, in order to consolidate the chaos a bit. Though it is being posted now, timeline-wise, this shift will occur ONLY during the weekend prior to applications opening: October 30th to November 2nd, after which point characters will either disappear or become permanent residents via the application process. This also means that the rest of the event effects will have worn off, and characters will be their normal selves through the duration of this prompt.

Some ground rules for the 4th Wall event:

For characters/accounts not in-game:

• a character does not have to meet application qualifications to post to the 4th Wall Event, except in cases where there is an intent to apply when applications open. Duplicates, CRAU, AU, etc. are permitted for the event.
  
• we do ask that crack shenanigans are reasonably limited, game rules are followed, and that the event involve characters only, not players or real people.
  
• anyone can toplevel! It'll be a free for all. Go wild, have fun.
  
• characters will be given a temporary, low-tech communicator for the duration of the event with limited network access, due to limited availability of the real deal.
  
• you will not arrive with any items/companions beyond the clothes that you wear
  
• check out the Setting or FAQ pages for location details! Also, have a look at the October event log, to see what else is going on these days.

For characters/accounts currently in-game:

• players can decide for themselves at the event's conclusion whether or not memories of certain visitors remain, and to what extent; memories could become fuzzy, faces or communication obscured, they could disappear entirely, or they can remain fully intact whether the person apps into the game or not.
  
• network communications with 4th Wall visitors that don't (or can't) app in will be wiped, with the locals citing a data error related to the older communicators being used. Technology can be unpredictable, huh!
  
• any communication exchanges that you WANT to keep can remain with some discretion; for example, if a spouse visits and you happen to take a selfie with them, and they do not (or cannot) app but having that photo of them would give you comfort, feel free to keep it.
  
• Similar to the TDM, 4th wall threads cannot be used for AC or AC Reward purposes unless it is between characters already in-game.
  

---

Click the above prompt to expand for details. Timeline-wise, this occurs October 30th to November 2nd. For players currently in-game, if you have any questions, please direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread on the original plotting post.

On this post, we've created both another Questions Thread and a Toplevel thread (see below) for visiting players, the latter so that anyone can track and see who's posted! When you've made a toplevel, feel free to comment HERE to let everyone know.

Comments

lunafreya nox fleuret | ffxv

[lunaelucem]

i. melancholia

[When one has her life taken and returned so abruptly, what else would there be to do but to return to what she's always known? They may not be her gods, but Lunafreya wishes to pay her respects all the same, and she finds herself at the Temple of Ainea, fingers laced and head bent in front of the altar in prayer. If she's in the way, patience or an outright interruption may be the only way to get her to move; she's going to be here for some time yet.

And that's despite what's happening with the temple mice. She's in her long and ornate Oracle dress and high heels, so it's all too easy for one of the rats to trip her. It happens more than once, in fact. Sometimes she catches herself on someone's arm or a nearby piece of furniture. Other times she tumbles down completely. It's after the fifth instance that her good-natured smile gets a little wry, and she reaches out for the helping hand in front of her.]

Something tells me that the familiars of the god of compassion don't normally act like this. They seem oddly determined that I stay on the ground.

ii. rest and reflect

[Of all the singularly unique situations this world has presented her with, by far the most singular of all of them is that she is absolutely, without a doubt, a stranger to everyone across the land. There is nobody stopping to ask her for healing or a prayer or a blessing, nobody fawning over her or crowding to see her— nobody at all. Her responsibilities in Eos are inconsequential here, and she is simply Lunafreya instead of the Oracle.

She cuts a striking figure, so she'll be easy to spot in the entertainment district, taking the most leisurely walk she's had in a long, long time. Eventually, her people-watching and pensive thoughts will bring her to the library, where she'll sequester herself in a corner to read an almost comically large stack of books. Seeing someone in the corner of her eye, she murmurs apologetically:]

Were you looking to take one? Please, by all means, be my guest. I'm afraid was overambitious in my choices.

[She can also be found at one of the cafes, listening to the poetry readings and perhaps even jotting down something of her own on a napkin...until a strong gust of wind blows it away as she leans back to think. With a small gasp she slides out of her seat to chase after it.]

iii. wildcard

[Message me at raynestorm if you'd like to work something else out, or just go for it! I'm willing to roll with pretty much anything.]

!!!

[carbungle]

[Not entirely unrecognizable by everyone, which she'll find when Noctis sets free an undignified noise at the sight of her by one of the outdoor cafes as he passes in the street. He practically trips over the chairs and tables in the way as he hurries over to her, like he can't believe she's real.]

Luna!?

[Please, please be real-]

:D!

[lunaelucem]

—Noctis!

[Her body moves before her brain catches up, hurrying forward, reaching out to him with yearning in her expression. She'd wanted to reach out to him before, as her soul had sank into the watery depths of the afterlife. Would the gods allow her that this time? Would she be able to touch him?

Her palm and fingertips meet the warmth of his arm, and she exhales.]

You're really here.

[carbungle]

I should be saying that...

[He shifts to wrap his hand around hers, not satisfied with just a touch to his arm; presumptuous perhaps, but he can't help it. His last true sight of her had been in the dream they'd shared, grieving as she fell into a sea of sylleblossoms and weeds, knowing she was gone but denying it in his heart until Ignis delivered news of her fate. After that had been the moment she revealed herself to him on the train, and he'd half-believed it was just a desperate hallucination, or a parting gift from Shiva. He hadn't been able to touch her either of those times.

To feel her hand on him, tangible and real, nearly drops him to his knees. He blinks rapidly, torn between clenching his eyes shut to keep from openly weeping in public and just- letting himself look at her so she won't vanish from his sight again.]

[lunaelucem]

[A weak, helpless breath of laughter leaves her, and Lunafreya clutches his hand in return, simply marveling that she can.]

I've truly missed you.

[After all this time of waiting and hoping and even resigning herself to the fact that their reunion was not meant to be— to think that it would happen in a world so far from their own. Still charged to be saviors, despite everything they've been through, and yet knowing that she can actually stand beside him to do it this time makes all the difference. He's here with her. She will protect him with all her power instead of guiding him from afar.]

I'm so sorry that I couldn't follow you to the end of your journey.

[carbungle]

No- Luna, no. You don't have anything to apologize for.

[That does make him clench his eyes shut, ducking his head and clutching her hand in both of his. To hear her apologize, after she did so much for him, sacrificed her time and energy and even her life to see him succeed- he can't stand it. She didn't do a damn thing wrong.]

I'm the one... I couldn't save you. I couldn't do anything for you... I'm sorry. You deserved so much more.

[lunaelucem]

Noctis...

[She shakes her head though he can't see it, and lets her free hand settle on his shoulder in a silent effort to soothe him, leaning close in a gentle bow.]

Your correspondence over the years was a balm to me in my darkest hours. Knowing you had taken up your mantle despite all the hardships— I felt a kindred spirit in you that I could not find in any other soul. [She closes her eyes and sets her forehead to his mop of hair, as if the proximity would help press her certainty into his thoughts and ease his guilt.] You did more than you know, and it was enough.

[carbungle]

[It doesn't feel like enough. It's never felt like enough, in light of everything she's had to go through alone. All the pain he's endured, the grief he's suffered, he always had someone with him to support him. Luna had to do so much on her own. While it's true that receiving their journal and a visit from Umbra always brought him hope on darker days, it's hard to believe that his handful of words each time would have been a fair balance for all she'd sacrificed for him.

He won't deny her, though- it's not like he can decide how she feels just because he doubts his own contributions. Instead he exhales shakily and leans into her touch, comforted as ever by her presence alone. He didn't save her, and he doesn't know what to say, but... if there's anything he can do for her now, he's going to try.]

[lunaelucem]

[She smiles ruefully when she feels him give in, his body losing some of its tension despite how charged with grief the air remains between them. Lunafreya thinks she prefers this to a long discussion anyways. They're in an incredibly public place, with many of the robot people staring curiously at the intense display of emotion, and...more than that, she thinks she needs time to examine her feelings first, before speaking to him about this again.

Everything she's told him just now was absolutely genuine, of course. There were many times where the possibility of seeing his next message was the only good thing about the next day to look forward to. But his words have her wondering if he expected more regret or frustration from her. If not at him, then at the world that had given them their roles to play.

She doesn't feel any of that— and yet she finds herself uncomfortable with confronting the question of whether or not she deserved more. Did she deserve more? With her calling fulfilled and miraculously brought back to life, does she deserve more now? She didn't do her duty or follow her fate to earn a reward, but—

She exhales. Now isn't the right time for such weighty thoughts. Lunafreya is much more interested in comforting Noctis and learning more about him, now that they don't need a notebook to communicate. She continues to gently shelter him from prying eyes, waiting for his breathing to calm down. And once she's ready, she speaks up, quiet and warm.]

Noctis. Would you like to sit with me? I'd like very much to hear what you've done since coming to this world.

[carbungle]

[He clings quietly to the offer, some semblance of normalcy in the midst of his tumbling emotions, and with another shaky breath he nods, freeing one hand to surreptitiously brush across his eyes and pull out the chair beside her, sitting down heavily. With clearer eyes he can look at her properly, and at last try to muster up a wan smile.]

Yeah... yeah, of course. A lot's happened...

[Both here, and at home, but he'd rather not talk about that side. Everything had gotten worse and worse since Altissia, and they both deserve a break from all the misery their fate had brought about. And getting into that would mean eventually mentioning Ravus... he's absolutely not going there unless his hand is forced.]

Will you believe it's been over a year since I got here? Time's kind of weird in this world, though you probably guessed that much.

[If she remembers her fate, then she knows it's a miracle for at least a few of them to be here at all.]

i; i’m sorry

[scourgingstars]

I’m afraid they’re a bit less welcoming than usual. I assure you this is far from normal.

[The hand that reached out to help her was chilled by death and marked with an ancient scar lancing through it, the voice paired with it familiar in tone but utterly foreign for its sincerity. Ardyn wore comfortable clothes in shades of white rather than a disaster and a trenchcoat, long violet hair tied up mostly out of the way. In short, it was almost like he passed for a normal person for a change.]

Lady Lunafreya, isn’t it? Are you hurt?

never be sorry

[lunaelucem]

[It's him. She hadn't expected him, but if he's here, then subduing any of his malicious schemes has become her responsibility. Her heart hammers loud in her chest, her own skin chilled and goosebumping with apprehension— and yet she allows nothing to show on her face as she looks up to face him. She waits for the oily, suffocating feeling of daemons and darkness to wash over her where their hands are joined, prepares to push back harder against it this time, to fight to bring him some light again.]

I'm quite alright.

[She waits. Steadies herself with his help. And waits.

Her brow furrows imperceptibly. His placid mannerisms aside, something is different about him than the last time she'd taken his arm like this. But she can't quite put her finger on what it is.]

Thank you, Lord Chancellor.

[scourgingstars]

Oh-... [Right. He pulled back slightly at being addressed that way, hands held closer to his chest once she was on her feet. The atmosphere of something dark and inhuman was still present for one who knew how to perceive it, but...repressed, as if under a constant effort to keep it in check.]

It's-...forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm not quite who you think I am, just yet.

[lunaelucem]

[Lunafreya lets her own hand slip back to her side. She watches him steadily, unblinking as she accesses him.

The Ardyn she knows would've made a grand gesture, a sly threat hidden under witticisms. Rage and cruelty simmered just under the surface of his mask. This Ardyn has none of that, and she knows what she felt just now. Like the Wall that had covered Crown City, or the fortress-like Citadel, the darkness she'd been expecting to pour out of him had been blockaded instead. Guarding and protective in feeling like King Regis' magic had been, with a similar twinge of desperation behind it.]

No. You're right. I don't think you are. Somehow, you are him from before the taint took irreversible hold.

[scourgingstars]

...Yes and no, I think I would say to that. It is true that I am no longer what one would call human, but...I am not what you know me as.

[He took half a step back as if to give her space, leaning over in a slight but deferential bow.]

I am--was a healer by the name of Ardyn Lucis Caelum; elder brother to the man known as the Founder King. Your ancestor--the first Oracle was a very dear companion of mine.

[lunaelucem]

[Her body, so used to formality, automatically moves to pay her respects as well, one arm over her chest as she dips into a curtsy. But her face is twisted in a rare expression of confusion, and she doesn't bother to hide it from him. From one sentence alone, he's alluded to a whole side of history that the gods and Gentiana have never spoken of, that she's never been taught.]

I know much of the Founder King and Lady Aera's story. But I know nothing of yours. If you're speaking the truth, then that is...a considerable oversight from our historians.

[She looks like she wants to say more, but a quick glance around the temple and its curious occupants looking their way has her smiling wryly.]

Perhaps we could find somewhere else to speak.

[scourgingstars]

I think I would like that, if you would tolerate my company.

[A short but thoughtful pause, then:]

I know a cafe not terribly far from here, if you happen to like cats at all.

[lunaelucem]

I've yet to find a reason to find you intolerable.

[Even after getting murdered by his future self's hand. She feels a sliver of trepidation in her heart, but in the end, the spiritual, trusting side of her decides to follow her instincts. And so she offers her his hand, waiting for his arm to lead her forward.]

I've less experience with cats than dogs, but I find them charming. It's rewarding, in a way, to earn their trust and affection.

[scourgingstars]

They're quite personable creatures. And it's unlikely we'll be interrupted by anything other than them, if that might set you at ease.

[He gave her his arm with only the slightest hesitation, offering a small and awkward smile alongside it.]

And if nothing else, you seem as though you might benefit from a place to relax for a time without mice trying to trip you.

i

[nyxly]

[ About a month or so ago, something happened in this place where his memory of her had been shared with another: that of her leaping out of a dropship on her own, with him following after to catch her.

A potential fall from scurrying mice wouldn't be as dangerous as that. Nonetheless he catches her, this time without the assistance of magic. ]

Your Highness.

[ ....He had received a memory in return, too. One involving her death at the hands of the Chancellor, making this moment all the more impossible between them. He's gone. So is she. Yet her hands are upon his arm, steadying herself, and one of his is supporting her at her waist for falling any further into him. ]

[lunaelucem]

Nyx Ulric.

[Will the strange wonders of this world never cease? She offers him a small smile, edged with the memories of her bittersweet journey— but if fate has allowed them to meet again, then there's one thing above all else she wants to say to him. Lunafreya carefully rights herself, gives his arm a small squeeze of gratitude before she continues.]

I kept my promise.

[nyxly]

[ He recalls the order-- no, the request from King Regis within the elevator to see the princess to Altissia where the prince would be, the emphasis they both put upon the future and world. He hadn't been able to follow that request, in the end.

Her dedication to the future had meant more than whatever words they had exchanged that night. It was the feeling behind it, the determination she had within her eyes, and the strength she carried in the face of adversity that helped him fight to his final dawn.

Nyx head snaps upward to look at her. ] Altissia.

[ The promise, the Ring, the future. He knows what happens there. If she kept that promise that means--

He's staring at a ghost. ] Your Highness.

[ When he had first learned the truth, he had been overcome with anger for the one who murdered her more than anything else. He had plenty of grief to spare then. Now, words fail to express the remorse he carries for her loss. He gazes at her helplessly. ]

[lunaelucem]

Yes? [Her smile grows, not suspecting at all that he knows of her passing.] I didn't expect to strike you speechless.

[Lunafreya's all too aware that she's looking at a ghost, herself. The Ring's power would have taken his life, no matter how heroic his actions in service to the future, or how fervently Libertus' believed they'd meet again in Galahd. Every time she'd looked at the Ring to ensure its safety, she'd been reminded of Nyx's sacrifice— and yet she'd had little time to properly pray for him once she'd been on her way to Altissia. She knows she had little choice in the matter, as waking the Six had taken every last ounce of energy from her. Even so, he deserved that much from her, after all he'd done.

With this second chance at life, perhaps the two of them can learn to know each other better than a kidnapped princess and proud Kingslaive.]

It's a pleasure to see you again, truly.

[nyxly]

[ Within mere moments of her response, he appears to collect himself-- straightening his posture, disengaging their touch, giving her some space. Caught between his fumble and the weight of recent news he's heard of her death, he thinks he's putting up a good enough front. He hopes so, at least. ]

Hey, likewise.

[ Stiffly, he grasps his hands behind his back, even as her smile disarms him. ] Did you just get here?

[lunaelucem]

Yes. I thought it appropriate to visit the Gods of this world first, to pay my respects. But I'm glad that seeing a familiar face marks my arrival instead.

[She tilts her head ever so slightly at him, searching his face and seeing past the front immediately. Where is his confident swagger, the fierce glint of pride and recklessness in his eyes? It's like that first time she's spoke to him again, all business and detachment, guarded while he was guarding and standing at parade rest like a rank soldier instead of loose and chaotic like the hero he is, that she's seen him be.

Lunafreya decides she doesn't like it.]

Nyx. What's wrong? What can I do to help?