{ Saving Oz }

[dreamposts]

SAVING OZ

After a month of increasingly windy weather, it all comes to a head when a giant book appears right above the town of Reverein. It opens its pages facing the town and a large tornado emerges, descending down to cover the entire town. Miraculously, no buildings are destroyed, but the entire population is sucked up into the air and into the pages of the book. It's a wild, twisting ride until everyone crash lands into a strange city all in emerald green. The tapirs make their usual rare appearance and look around before gasping, "Oh! It's the Emerald City from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! Looks like a mess though… And so do you!"

As pointed out, everyone will find themselves dressed or transformed into some semblance of one of the five main characters: Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman (Tinman), and the Cowardly Lion. They could be wearing authentic costumes, have an almost complete appearance change, partial transformation, and anywhere in-between. While they are mostly stuck in whichever "role" they've been initially cast in, they can temporarily change if a different role would work better. They gain additional abilities fitting of the character, such as the Scarecrow unable to bleed as they are now made of straw, the Tinman always wearing or made of some kind of metallic armor, the Lion have wind blasting roars and the strength of a real lion, Toto able to become a real dog, and Dorothy has their charisma stat shot up through the roof. Everyone will be able to use their dreamotion and original abilities as well, so they can be even more creative. While there are no complete personality changes, some may feel some "adjustments" to fit their role at times. Some roles will be more effective for certain tasks and objectives, and they will receive additional buff bonuses to help clear it.

With the help of local citizens who have formed their own rebel force, everyone must now help push back the nightmare force that has taken over this story and lure out the mysterious new "Wizard" that is the source of all this chaos. If they can fill a giant emerald with positive dreams and launch it at the "Wizard," then it'll be a mission success.

For any questions, refer to the Game Notes and comment there.

I. HELPING THE CITY

Emerald City is a mess, but not lost. The rebel force has a base set up to help direct everyone and serves as the main camp for aid and rest. There's plenty to do, and now that they have "Dorothy and her friends" again, they may be able to win back their proud city. Oh, if only they could find the Princess Ozma...

A. Porcelain Rubble. Aside from the usual physical destruction, large portions of the city have turned into porcelain and broken apart. A special glue is available and becomes more potent with dreamotion infused into it, and as soon as pieces are glued back together the structure will return to its original form. However, there is a risk of someone turning into porcelain the longer they remain in the area and will need to be glued back together if broken (fortunately no one can die, just lie helplessly in pieces). Perhaps those who are cast as Toto can help sniff out trapped individuals, while the Scarecrow's straw would make for excellent padding for those broken pieces.

B. Statued. Many citizens have been turned into statues, scattered all over the city and outside the walls. They need to be moved to safety first before a cure can be used as it takes time to fully work. Special sleighs fashioned after the Gump are available to help carry any statued citizen to safety; just be careful when driving it as they are very unpredictable. Once in a safe spot, a few drops of the potion will start the curing process. The many witches that cursed everyone to begin with are still out and about, ready to turn anyone unaware into statues. Strangely, the spell bounces off metal, so those cast as the Tinman will be great in offering support and could even try and reflect the spell back onto the witches to turn them to statues instead.

C. Into the Poppy Field. The dangerous poppy field known for its ability to lull any who are flesh and blood to sleep until their dying days has been inching closer towards the city, perhaps drawn by the nightmare energy flowing out from it. To make matters worse, they now can move their roots and leaves to try and ensnare people. A special plant killer diffuser has been developed, but it requires anyone cast as Dorothy, the Lion, or Toto to take the diffuser and run into the field as deep as they can before they succumb to the pollen, which will activate the diffuser. Either the Tinman or the Scarecrow must then make their way through to fetch them. Those who volunteered to run in can use their ability to dreamwalk and appear as a little wisp to help guide their would be rescuer to their slumbering body, even give them some help with the snares. (Mod: for threading purposes, characters can either partner up as the sleeper and rescuer, or both can be rescuing an NPC that served as the role of sleeper instead).

D. First Aid. For any who prefer to stay out of combat and help the wounded and scared, the base camp is stocked with medical supplies, food, and other necessities to help weather out the attack. They do need to be resupplied, however, so those more daring to venture either into the city or outside the walls to get items should take someone capable of defending just in case. Some places include an orchard of lunch pail trees that grow fully stocked lunch pails filled with various foods. Lions will be great at climbing them while Scarecrows can shoo away annoying crows. Another is gathering wood in a cursed forest where the trees have become Fighting Trees. The Tinman's ax is lethal against them and will chop through them easily.

E. Yellow Brick Road. The famous golden yellow brick road has been broken apart and needs to be repaired so additional support from neighboring areas can come in. Because it's a magical road, it needs to be fixed in a magical way—which is reliving the whimsical, iconic, song and dance of Dorothy and her friends. The Munchkins have created special silver shoes that anyone of the cast can wear and it has the magic to inform the wearer how the musical rendition goes. It will also "help" their movements to skip and dance along the broken spaces. Should they be successful, the broken and missing bricks will be repaired and the road will start to shine. So partner up, link arms, and belt out those vocal chords because they're off to see the Wizard!

II. FIGHTING FOES

There are numerous enemies attacking the city, but while some are original to the story, many are abnormal creations or noctasers, the unholy union of noctaere and the Story Eater's minions, Erasers. Of course the Story Eater would have a hand in this! But with the advantages gained by the roles, they can be defeated.

A. Wheeling Monkeys. The Wheelers and the Winged Monkeys have been ensorceled and are creating havoc within the city. However, instead of violence their actions are more…goofy. They're throwing rotten eggs, colored water balloons, creamed pies, and other strange pranks to hinder everyone's movements. They're relatively easy to capture and even prank back. The more aggressive ones, however, are actually noctasers and will need to be destroyed via dreamotion. Those cast as Dorothy will be able to distinguish those who are original to the book and the disguised noctasers as well as inflict extra damage to weaken the noctasers. Everyone in the cast is strong against noctasers.

» BONUS: THE GOLDEN CAP. The Winged Monkeys were once free but after the Golden Cap was ripped apart to steal its magic and now many are once again enslaved. Dorothy can convince the originals to join their side, if they have some Golden Cap fragments that appear when a noctaser is defeated. The more noctasers defeated, the more fragments collected and the more Wheelers and Winged Monkeys will join their side!

B. Meeeelllttiiiinng! Those witches are causing the most problems, and they are abnormal creations that need to go. Because they were fashioned after the Wicked Witch, they are weak to water, especially dreamotion infused water. The trick is actually getting to them as they are often found flying high above. There are numerous small hot air balloons that can be used to fly up and to either hose the witches or dump giant buckets of water, both tools already attached to the balloon basket. Just be careful because it just takes one giant tear to pop the balloon and send everyone into a crazy spinning crash to the ground. Having a Tinman to help deflect spells off their armor will be a great help.

III. SWEET DREAMS

The Projector of Dreams has been set up and several beds with the magical headsets are available to those who wish to volunteer and produce positive dreams that will be used against the Wizard. These dreams will be funneled into a giant emerald that will be launched from a cannon at the Wizard once lured out.

A. Positive Dreams. To help the Projector, positive dreams are needed. These dreams will briefly be projected onto the emerald so those nearby monitoring things may catch a glimpse of the dream. Perhaps those who are dreaming will have theirs be more interactive to try and get others in and create a stronger positive experience.

B. Luring out the Wizard. The Wizard is holed up in the Throne Room of the castle and needs to be lured out before the dream infused emerald can be hurtled into it. The methods to do so might seem a bit unorthodox, but it will work and may give a hint on who the "Wizard" really is. Everyone is told to play various children's games within the Emerald City's castle. Tea parties, hide and seek, tag, games—whatever they can think of. As they play, a strange shadow that looks like a young princess will emerge to either watch or join in. Players can either incorporate the shadow playing or just focus on their characters, but the shadow will always be happy and laughing. The goal is to produce happy, positive fun feelings, so there are no dangers. Unless someone wants to throw in a noctaser or something to spice things up.

Comments

Eustace | Granblue Fantasy

[flamekthunder]

[For most of the time, Eustace will be stuck as the role of Toto, and will more often than be in the form of the classic black Cairn Terrier from the movies. He is just as small so pick him up at the risk of getting bitten. He can transform to his normal self with an additional tail, but it's requiring him more effort than usual. He can also use his other dreamotion abilities, but he'll be stronger in his normal form. He may also be rather reticent and silent when a dog, which would be true to form to the original as Toto was always silent and just chose not to talk.]

⊗ ia: sniffing through the rubble

[Eustace is very not happy about his current role and form. Couldn't he at least be a bigger dog?? How the hell is he supposed to properly fight in a small form like this... For now until he figures out everything he can do, the sight of a small black dog sniffing through the rubble.

1. Dig out victims. When he does location some trapped victims, he quickly turns his head towards the nearest individual and there's a loud, sharp bark to first get their attention followed by a deep voice that doesn't quite match the dog.]

Bring a wagon, there are some victims broken and buried under here. Careful not to step on their leg.

[He'll also try to help by carefully pushing away any smaller and medium sized pieces he can manage...and slightly cursing how at this point he hasn't figure out how to transform back. It would be really more useful he could be normal sized!! Though there is one advantage to his small size—he can slip into smaller spaces to investigate, so don't worry if the sight of a small dog disappearing causes alarm.

2. Stiff joints. Time does seem to pass more quickly as he becomes focused on trying to find victims, especially in his current form. It's not until he feels a leg go stiff that he realizes he's in trouble, one of his legs now turned to porcelain. Frowning, he looks towards the closest path out and tries to hobble carefully before something else changes. Care to lend a hand?]

⊗ ic: poppy field

[1. Toto: Diffuser Runner. He is severely questioning the method for how this diffuser works, but given his speed, he's certain he can get fairly far at least.]

Here, I'll run it through. Just be quick in getting me out... I'll help guide you once I'm out.

[Trusting someone to get him... Unless it's someone he already knows he's not going to feel too comfortable, but he'll try and have some faith.

2. Tinman: Rescuer. After learning how to change his role here, he opts for the Tinman, believing that although a bit stiff and clunky, it would likely fair better than the Scarecrow who may get tangled up by the vines. Either way, so glad to not be small anymore. And now he'll have better access to his abilities and is more than ready to either chop through or raze the field to get to whoever he's partnered with.]

⊗ ie: yellow brick road

[For this prompt, there is the option to have either Eustace in his dog form or his normal form, so feel free to pick! Otherwise I'll just go with whatever is the most hilarious. Either way, Eustace is not that enthused in participating in this...particular task, especially when in dog form. Those silver shoes? Even more ridiculous on his paws.]

...Forget it, I'm out.

[HE TRIED TO DO THIS TO HELP, HE REALLY DID, BUT IT PUSHED WAY PAST HIS COMFORT ZONE just drag him in anyway it's fine. Even if no one else forces him, the shoes will when he accidentally gets close enough and is suddenly yanked onto the road.]

—!? What the he~ll ♫ !??!!?

[And look at that pupper just tap tap dancing and voice lilting slightly into more of a sing-song voice.]

⊗ wildcard

[All other prompts are also open! Given his current role, Eustace is avoiding any combat unless he's in his normal form as he's uncertain he would be effective in a fight. But he'll still assist in any he can. Same for the dreams and childhood games, he'll assist but he won't be doing much with it. And anyone is free to just pick him up and try and carry him, especially anyone cast as Dorothy. He will be more amiable and protective towards them given his role. If you have any other ideas or questions, feel free to contact me via PM, Discord or laenavesse!]

Poppy Fields

[grandduchess_anya]

(Luckily for Eustace, Anya happens to be in her Scarecrow form that she has a good chance to avoid feeling super sleepy and take him to safety if he gets very sleepy. She is also thankful that Pooka doesn’t tag along with her for this adventure because she would have been pretty worried for his safety in this dreamshift.)

This sounds like a good idea. Hopefully we can keep these poppies from making their way into the city and becoming overgrown.

[flamekthunder]

[Knowing Anya is on the rescue team helps as he's at least familiar with her. So he nods.]

I'll try to take a straight path and get in a little deeper so it can slow any further growth while what's closer is cleared.

[And still in his little terrier form, he dons the device, shaking it a bit so that it's on his back.]

Count to ten before heading in.

[grandduchess_anya]

Sounds good enough to me. We’ll able to keep the poppies away from Emerald City that way.

Alright, here goes nothing. One, two, three…

(She proceeds to count to ten as she mentally gets her mindset ready for the poppies ahead.)

[flamekthunder]

[And off Eustace goes, the sound of the flowers rustling as his small body darts through. Perhaps it's because as a dog he's more sensitive to smells, but he can already catch that intense scent, his vision momentarily blurring as he feels a wave of sleepiness. Quickly he shakes his head and holds his breath, pushing his small paws forward. Fortunately as a terrier his speed is fast, and perhaps it's part of his dreamotion, sparks of lightning leap from his feet, leaving charred patches that will later help as a trail. By the time he can no longer hold out and stumbles, he's run a considerable distance. He had tried his best to keep a straight line, but with how the roots are, he sometimes had to jump or swerve so as not to get caught too early. When he at least falls completely to the ground and sleep overwhelms him, he can only hope that the device will do its work...

...The next time he opens his eyes, he's a bit disoriented. Having never been in such a form before, he wavers in the air before he finally gets his bearings and finds his sleeping body beneath. The roots hard started to warp around it, but the once vibrant flowers are already beginning to wither, the smoke from the diffuser now spreading outward. Seeing it working, Eustace feels more confident in turning back towards where he had started...and wow, he really did run far. It'll take a bit for Anya to get to him.

After bobbling a bit, he begins floating back, his wispy form a dark gray color with his trademark dog-like ears a helpful characteristic for Anya to recognize as he tries to find her while keeping note of the path he's taken by following those charred streaks.]

Stiff joints!

[leveillpier]

[ Blasted book, dragging her into this blasted world and now she was forced to walk around with more armor than she would like. How was she supposed to move about quickly with this cheap suit of armor?

However many times she's tried to take it off, it refused to stay off. Not even half of a minute of her internal griping, does she forget about it in lieu of seeing a dog struggling. What happened to its leg?

She wobbled over in her tin suit of armor, carefully so she wouldn't topple over on top of the small dog. ]

I see you could use a hand. Come here.

[ she gently speaks towards the dog as she got closer, feeling a little uneasy about the porcelain for various reasons. ]

This isn't the safest place to be at the moment.

[ or so she thinks. Something about it is off putting ]

[flamekthunder]

[Ugh, this isn't really good... He's starting to feel his other foot starting to stiffen up, so it's a bit of a relief to see someone, even if he's not familiar with them.]

Thanks... Stayed longer than I should have.

[A deep, somewhat tired voice coming from the small dog, do not mind it. But he'll start hobbling towards her before there's a surprised yelp as he falls forward, that other leg now more than halfway turned to porcelain.

Dammit.]

[leveillpier]

[ Alisaie moves as quickly as she can in this oversized armor, but it's not exactly doing her any favors either. ]

Quite alright. It's not your fault. There is a lot going on.

[ She replies reassuringly. When he does fall forward, she reaches in time to catch him with her metal clad arms. Stiff, sure but he's at least safe from possibly injuring himself. She uses her other metal arm to scoop him in her arms carefully. ]

I'd say tat was a close call.

[flamekthunder]

[It may not be the most comfortable...and his pride and dignity is definitely taking hits, but he can't really afford to complain right now.]

Closer than I'd like. But it's still spreading—I think it's got my tail now. How far are we from the exit?

poppy fieeeelds

[starshower]

[What an odd day it's been. Besides being "cast" once again as another leading heroine of a new story, she's had to deal with a large tornado sucking them all into a giant book, helped a few people out from being turned to porcelain, almost got transformed into a statue herself, and now... Her first priority of finding Eustace has been pushed further and further back the more the people of this world ask for her help—he's probably fine, and they need her help more than he does, so who is she to say no to these requests?

Although this one—taking the diffuser into the field of poppies where she'll likely succumb to their slumber magic—she's a bit more wary of. It's with some trepidation that she wanders into the fields, but she picks up her pace soon enough, rushing through to get as far as she can before she finally feels her knees starting to give way beneath her, and the diffuser falls from her grip, tumbling to the ground before she follows along behind it.

The sleep takes over her body almost immediately. The exhaustion hits, as if she'd been running on fumes for days, weeks even, and as soon as she sinks into the flowers, Tifa can no longer keep her eyes open. The man that had sent her out here had said that someone would come to rescue her—someone cast as a scarecrow or tinman, not of flesh and blood like they were. She would just need to find one...

Find someone...

Find him...

It's the last thought that passes through Tifa's mind before she falls into a deep sleep and the next thing she knows, she's hovering just above where she sleeps. It's a bit surreal seeing herself like this, and she'd crinkle her nose if she had a nose to do so with... She doesn't realize yet that she's been transformed into a small wisp, almost in the shape of a rabbit, but she tries not to think too much of what she sees—how much it reminds her of something else that she's seen before—as she takes off. Not to look for any specific tinman or scarecrow, but to look for Eustace...

And the moment she manages to find him—wherever he is—she tries to call out to him, but either her voice doesn't travel to him or he can't hear her. So, he'll instead have a small rabbit-eared wisp bouncing around his head in a very blatant attempt to grab his attention.

Hellooooo!]

[flamekthunder]

[Like Tifa, Eustace has been stuck helping others when he would rather try to seek her out to at least know she's okay. But he also knows she can handle herself, and fortunately while there are some uncomfortable situations and threats around, this dreamscape doesn't seem as dangerous as others they've been through. Still, he keeps an ear and eye out as he trots around until he makes it to the poppy fields. It's completely by chance that he had helped a bit not long before Tifa arrived, and he had been brought back in just as she went out.

Having grown a little wary, he shifts out of the puppy form to his original one, stretching his arms with a slight disgruntled swish of his temporarily gained tail. Still no sign of Tifa...should he try somewhere else? Running a hand through his hair, his gaze drifts over to the field before he starts to walk out... When his ear flicks and he hears a sound a moment before he feels something bouncing over his head.]

What...

[Confused he looks up to see the wisp, and at first he doesn't notice its form, only that it looks similar to how everyone else is.]

You should ask someone else, I can't...

[...Wait.

Those rabbit ears.

That general feeling he gets from the wisp.

There's no way he wouldn't recognize his life partner.]

Tifa!?

[What is she—no. Immediately his head snaps out to the poppy field. She's...out there?! Okay, she's......relatively safe in there it has its problems but it's not like it eats or hurts anyone, but still—]

[starshower]

Eustace... I found you...

[She tries to call out to him again, but whether he can hear her, she has no idea. So, she flits around him, twirling around his head in response before she moves back over the poppy fields, her little wispy self shimmering, as if to beckon him. To tell him that she needs his help.

But one look at him and she pauses to wonder... can he even follow her in the state he's in, or will he just fall under the spell of the poppies, too?]

[flamekthunder]

[He can hear her—but it's faint and he only looks at her with pursed lips. He wants to bolt in there but—]

Dammit—I can't go in there like this.

[Normally he would not curse about being a dog, but in this case it is definitely proving to be more disadvantageous. And just as he's wishing he could be anything else—CLANK!

In a flash of light, Eustace has lost his tail and has turned completely into metal.

...................]

digging out victims

[stillarhino]

[Similar to Eustace's feelings about the form he's taken, Beat thinks that being a scarecrow sucks balls. Still getting used to it, he's constantly finding himself off balance because of the sag of the straw and just gravity in general. And he hates the fact that he's having a hard time helping others because he's lacking his usual strength in this form.

He groans a little, rubbing his face and pushing the black beanie atop his head backward to reveal his straw-like hair, before going back to sifting through the rubble as best he can.

And then he hears the voice. Hey, that sounds familiar. Beat heads to the source to see... a black dog? Huh, wasn't Wolfie a big wolf thing last he saw him in that form.]

...Wolfie? Izzat you?

[flamekthunder]

[...They really need to stop meeting like this—

But Eustace squints a little as he stares at Beat for a moment.]

...Beat?

[He trots over to him to briefly inspect.]

[stillarhino]

[They really do. It's like the only time they ever meet is when something is wrong. For a second Beat stares back at the terrier. And then he snorts unceremoniously.]

Naw, seriously, yo. That really you? [He's really trying not to laugh and failing horribly.] Gotta say, this look kinda suits ya.

digging out victims.

[everblooms]

[ His bark catches the attention of a woman with her hair plaited into two braids. She doesn't seem to quite understand where it's coming from, and looks around for anyone who might have called out. She's searching for a larger dog, or a person, perhaps someone with a great deal of doggy features but not a dog specifically.

Finally.

Aerith spots the black dot amidst all the white porcelain of the city, cracked and falling apart as it is. Her eyes grow wide for a moment, recognition lighting up her face. She knows this voice— not well, no, but she recognizes the tone, the way his words spill into one another— ]

Eustace!

[ There you are, buddy! With a smile, she rushes over, carefully stepping around debris. She slips down, along the curve from the fragment of a collapsed building, sliding onto the ground with a little cry of joy. When she comes closer, she kneels down, to his eye level. ]

Alright, then. You got it.

[ ... And then scoops him up in her arms, depositing him into a wicker basket stuffed with tubes of glue. ]

[flamekthunder]

[Seeing Aerith, he senses nothing amiss and is just glad to see a somewhat familiar face. Though.

Why is his tail wagging a bit upon seeing those braids?? His tail should only wag happily for one woman and it's not her—

So in his confusion, Aerith has ample opportunity to pick him up and—

Wait a minute.]

—!? Hey, what are you—??

[HE. HE GOT SCOOPED UP AND PUT IN A BASKET????????? Already trying to shove his head up, paws on the rim.]

[everblooms]

[ That voice coming out of that tiny body is hilarious, and he'll have to wait for her giggles to subside before Aerith is capable of responding. He fits in perfectly, in that compact form. ]

There you go! Nice and safe. [ Without another word, she starts about making her way back, climbing over what looks like a statue carefully. ] Sorry... We'll be back very soon.

[ To him, however, she begins with a little joking huff. ] I'm not risking leaving you out here, all alone. We need your nose to get back there!

Going Digging

[darkcharge]

[ Vanitas has been given the lovely role as the lion. Which means that there fuzzy ears on his head. A tail. And his attitude persists - for the moment. He's not really fond of being a cat-like thing yet again. But that's how this stuff works.

At least until he hears a yippy dog. That makes him laugh, snorting. ]

What's wrong? Timmy stuck in the well?

[flamekthunder]

[Oooh don't mess with him Vanitas! He is not having it and he just growls a little at him.

Would be more menacing if he weren't a small dog.]

Save it. There are people trapped over here, a few of them broken. Put those muscles to use and move some of these pieces over.

[darkcharge]

[ Yeah Eustace. You can growl all you want. It's not really going to deter or stop Vanitas from snickering. ]

I didn't hear you say please.

[ This is Vanitas. On a whim he might help someone. But overall? He's not just a HELPFUL person. ]

yellow brick road...

[shithogs]

[Kainé, too, is adamantly against this approach to fixing the road, and is firmly standing on the grass with her arms folded in front of her blue gingham dress, letting out a loud snort of laughter as dog-Eustace gets yanked onto the road and his paws scramble against the brick.]

Looks like someone else has other ideas.

[Which means... she's probably next.]

Shit, are you dancing against your own will?

[He's... not bad. For a dog. She thinks.]

[flamekthunder]

[He is desperately trying to make himself stop.

Desperately.

Which looks even more comical because he's basically just clinging onto the edge of this piece of road, paws trembling as they're clearly trying to move.

Ignore his tail.]

Yes—tch!

[He can already feel lyrical words bubbling up his throat and he clamps his jaw closed. HE REFUSES DAMMIT!!!]

[shithogs]

[She laughs. Loudly, openly, almost mockingly—

Stopping abruptly when she feels something sharply tug her forward and onto the bricks, her legs starting to move against her own will.]

What the fuck—

[She probably should have kept her mouth shut, but now she's awkwardly tippity-tappiting right alongside Eustace, her limbs at strange angles as she tries to wrest control away from whatever is causing this and get herself back off the road.]

I said I'm not doing this shit!