songerein | { Saving Oz }

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{ Saving Oz }

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sounds like it.

[If it's meant to help this place somehow, then it shouldn't be so bad, right? If they think of something happy that they are willing to share together, Tifa doesn't see a problem with it, even if she, too, is a very private person with her memories. With Eustace though, it's different.

She's trying.]

What do you think? Should we do it?

[Hmm...

Eventually he just shrugs, his tail swishing a bit against her arm.]

Sure, let's do it.

[The tail is so telling, but she chooses not to point it out, and instead, she does as she's instructed by those tending to the people who have volunteered. Tifa lays back on the bed with Eustace still in her arms, and rests him on her chest the same way she did back in the flowers.]

I'll see you in there, then.

[And it won't take long before Tifa falls into a sleep again. Maybe it's some magic, or maybe she really is still tired, or maybe it's just having Eustace here that has her easily relaxing with him. Maybe it's a combination of all things, but she's asleep before she knows it, before she even has the chance to really think about the kind of dream she'd like this to be.

And soon enough, she'll find herself in the middle of a snowy field with the backdrop of a town behind it. Nibelheim, her home... And it's snowing. The flakes are thick and powdery, but they drift from the sky quietly and peacefully, with not a gust of wind to be felt. There is a light nip at her nose at the chill, but the thick coat that she wears helps to protect her from the cold of the mountainous winter.

But when she looks down at herself, she notices how small her hands are in the mittens she wears, and how much closer she is to the ground than usual. Suddenly, she's been transformed into her eight-year-old self, small and dainty with her feet buried ankle-deep in the snow, with a pair of ice skates fit for a child slung over her shoulder by their laces.

Despite all of that—despite being unexpectedly transported into the past, she finds herself searching around her, turning in circles to try to find Eustace...]

[For a brief moment Eustace wondered if it would be wise for them to sleep together like this. What if he somehow turns back to normal while they're asleep? Would he crush her??? ...But the chances of that happening are rather slim given his current luck, and he doesn't really want to be separated having grown quite comfortable where he is. So comfortable that it doesn't take long for him to fall asleep right after her, only taking the time to adjust him slightly so that he can give her one last nuzzle and lick before closing his eyes.

What kind of dream would they have? He has no idea, he didn't even really think of anything. Honestly... If it had to be a positive dream, so long as she was in it it would be good enough for him.

So when he "opens" his eyes within the dream, he takes a quick look around while taking a step forward—only to find himself stumbling slightly when he discovers he's trying to trek through thick snow and his strides are not as long as they usually are. In fact, his perspective also seems strangely lowers, and as continues to look around to see thick forest trees that seem familiar and different at the same time, his eyes widen briefly. Was this...something from his past? Looking over himself, he recognizes his age to be around nine or ten, and his surroundings... It looks just like the forests that surrounded his village and yet...there was something off about it as well. And why does he have a pair of skates in his hands...?

Frowning slightly, he heads out towards the edge of the treeline and comes out to first find a different town in the distance. It looks a little familiar...not one from his world, but... Tifa's? And then he looks around again and finally spots the small figure he had been looking for.]

Tifa.

[—Wow he's forgotten when he used to sound like.]

[The voice has her spinning around, and it's familiar, yet not. The way he says her name is what gives him away, but the voice it's said with is smaller, like he's just as young as she is... and when she spots him, it confirms that they've both been dreamt up into their childhood selves, not unlike the last dream like this, only this time, she's got to be roughly around the same age.

Smiling, she jogs over to him as well as anyone her size can in the thick snow, although it's more wading than running until she stops in front of him, her cheeks rosy from the cold.]

Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this.

[She looks him over.]

You got smaller.

Still taller than you.

[Although the difference isn't as large as when they are adults, he's a little taller. And he's going to be childish and give a light poke to the forehead.]

...Is this your doing?

[She grabs him by the hand when he pokes her forehead, and this all feels a little surreal. Seeing him like this but knowing that it's the same old Eustace, the same one that just fell asleep on her moments ago, is a little strange as she holds his small hand in her even smaller one, but it draws a laugh out of her anyway.]

I wasn't trying to.

[But maybe...]

Was just thinking of some good memories from back then that I wanted to show you, but I didn't know you... we were going to end up like this.

[...So small... Her hands had always been so small against his, but even though they seem closer in age, her hand just seems so tiny to him now. And also a bit cute. Slowly his fingers move to brush against her fingertips as he tightens the hold on her hand. If they had met when they were children... What would it have been like? Granted he would have been much older... Hrm........ Maybe it's better they met as adults—]

I didn't have anything in mind... Just as long as you were in it.

[CAN A TEN YEAR OLD SOUND SUAVE no, nor is he trying to be as he's just stating his honest feelings.]

And the skates?

[She flushes, the feel of his fingers on hers still toeing that line between familiar and not, and she wants to lean up and kiss him then, but seeing his younger self, she ponders what that might be like and decides to hold off for now, no matter how tempting it is.

Instead, she's thankful for their attention steering to the skates, and she hoists them from over her shoulder to look at them.]

I guess... this was the memory I chose. [Whether it was intentional or not, she isn't sure. It could be subconscious, but—] All the adults in the village would make an ice rink just outside of town for people to skate on. I'd spend days out here, no matter how cold it was.

[Tifa looks out towards the snowy fields, noting the forest of trees in the distance where he had come from and how that view isn't so reminiscent of Nibelheim's uneven territory. Something from his home, maybe? But not far from where they stand, it looks as if the snow has been swept away to reveal a flat sheet of ice on the ground, and people who weren't there before now skating over it. People she recognizes from home...]

I see... We had a lake nearby that we could walk to and a large portion of it was frozen for most of the year. The area here... Looks similar to it. I wonder how much of our memories merged together like this...

[And then he's taking a step forward towards the lake, tugging her hand gently as he knows she's going to want to go to it.]

Enough, I bet.

[She does notice that the rink seems a little bigger than she remembers it being as they near it, Tifa allowing him to take the lead as they trudge together through the snow, and she watches as the snowflakes seem to disappear into his white hair when they fall, and it makes her smile quietly to herself. It's her turn to wonder how things might have been if they had met one another like this, years ago, when they were younger...

As they arrive at the edges of the ice, those skating around it don't seem to notice them. No one turns to look, and they all continue to dance along it as if they were just put there to fill the space. Tifa slumps down into the snow, and it poofs out in a cloud around her as she sinks down into it to take her boots off.

She almost brings up that time at the lake just outside of Reverein when they had gone ice skating together, but she promptly closes it when she remembers what had happened after the fact... Better not to dredge up that memory if she can help it, so she focuses on something else as she slips the skates onto her feet.]

At least it's not cold. Nibelheim's winters could get pretty frigid on some days when the wind would blow down from the mountains.

[As he sits down next to her to switch out into the skates, he also recalls that time...and also will seal it away. This is going to be a good memory for them, one to make up for that shitty time so that whenever they think of skating on the lake, it'll be this time—and then the many future ones they will surely have.]

Hm. [A small laugh.] You'd probably be bundled up to your ears and still be shivering if you tried to live through North Vast's winters.

[Off with the boots and on with the skates, lacing them up with ease before he's standing, dusting off some of the snow from his pants.]

Well, if the dream came to that...

[She finishes lacing up her own skates, but she has some trouble getting up out of the snow on her own. If she were her older self, she might not have needed help, but she reaches her tiny hands up to Eustace.]

At least I'd have you to keep me warm.

[This is still so strange, she thinks, as those words leave her mouth and she looks up at the ten-year-old boy standing over her.]

[There's a slight rise of his brows because... Yeah it really is so strange. But he can't help but laugh a bit, too, because she just looks...so cute right now reaching out to him. Taking her hands, he pulls her to him with enough strength to bring her right up close to him...

....

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

...Can't...

[He has to turn his face away BECAUSE THIS SOMEHOW FEELS WRONG. They are actually adults, practically married, and yet seeing her as a young child somehow it pricks his conscience.]

[Tifa tumbles right into Eustace, catching herself with her arms around him. They're close—so close that she can clearly see the snowflakes on his lashes as he stares back down at her...

...

.......

But his mumbling and skirting his gaze away snaps her back, and she tips her head up at him.]

Hm?

[Can't what?

She can't exactly blame him for it. This is all a bit strange, and she's trying to remember that they are still their older selves on the inside, but she can still think he's cute!

Slipping her arms from around him, Tifa sets her sights on the ice rink instead, wanting to shake off the awkwardness that had lingered there. Taking him by the hand, she gives him a tug.]

Come on. Before we wake up!

[Had the perfect opportunity and everything—but he just let her lead him to the ice, once again finding her small form cute.

...

Daaammmiiitt—

Once at the ice, he'll step on first, careful but natural in his step as he easily half turns to help her on, her hand still in his. Although the ice is busy with other people, their area is fortunately clear and relatively quiet, the snow falling gently around them.]

Edited 2022-08-30 15:22 (UTC)

[Even now, those skating around don't notice the two of them even as they pass. They'll move around the pair, but besides that, their eyes don't travel to them, confirming Tifa's initial suspicions that either she or Eustace subconsciously put them there to help fill the space. To make this dream feel more real and alive, because the way Tifa remembers it, there would almost always be someone out on the ice when the weather was cooperative enough.

Tifa follows along behind him still, stepping onto the ice carefully with her hand in his. She wobbles on the skates a little before she reaches out to grab his other hand to steady her, but she's grinning from ear to ear even as she does.]

Been a while since I've been on skates...

[Since the lake, and even then, it had been longer before that.]

I'm a little rusty...

[She moves towards him anyway, using one foot to push herself along until she's stopping directly in front of him.]

[There's a small quirk of his lips as he keeps her steady, watching her take those small steps and having his other hand ready for her to take when she needs it.]

Should I teach you then?

[Seeing that smirk on his younger self, Tifa can't help but laugh a little. It's so different, but it carries the same sort of weight and meaning. It still makes her cheeks flush rosier, and her little heart flutter, and she mirrors it back.]

I could use a refresher.

[Honestly, she probably doesn't need it that much, but if it means that he'll hold her hand through the whole thing, then Tifa will take all the lessons she can get from him.]

[Eustace can see through her plan, but he's not going to call her out or complain about—he's also willing to use whatever excuse to hold onto her.]

Do you remember how to move your feet? Glide out one after the other...

[And he'll start gliding backwards to put some (unfortunate) distance between them and tug her a bit to get her to move towards him.]

[Oh, she knows he knows. He likely could tell from the moment she said it, but she knew he wouldn't call her out on it and that, like her, Eustace would take advantage of the situation to hold onto her and keep her close.

All according to plan.]

I remember using one foot to push the other.

[And she does that again, looking down at their feet as she mimics his movements, driving herself forward to keep that distance between them smaller.]

Let's try turning...

[He nods, his eyes never leaving hers except to momentarily flick down at her feet to see how she's doing. Even if most of his attention is on her, he is taking this "lesson" seriously.

...Mostly.

Okay maybe a little questionable because as he starts turning, he's deliberately turning them into circles. And maaaaybe going a little faster with each turn.]

Edited 2022-08-31 00:13 (UTC)

[As he gets faster, she feels her feet starting to wobble. She's a lot less coordinated in this body of hers—she has the dexterity of a nine-year-old girl who is probably too small for her age, and so as he picks up speed, her tiny voice cries out at him.]

Eustace...!

[She trips and stumbles a little, and it's far from gracious as her brow furrows together in concentration to keep herself balanced and to keep up with his increasing speed. But he keeps turning and turning until the two of them are skating in a circle around each other, with Tifa clinging onto his hands as tight as she can hold onto him...]

Edited 2022-08-31 01:24 (UTC)

[He laughs a bit at her cry and feeling her tightening her hold on him. But his own grip remains firm, their spin growing tighter as he pulls her in a little until at last even he can't maintain it and stumbles a bit, his skate catching on the ice, and he pulls her close to him as they eventually fall onto the ice with him taking the brunt of it so that she's landing more or less on top of him.

But he's laughing, as if pleased by his little prank.]

[She yelps as she falls, spinning a little as if that will help to stop or break the fall, but it doesn't, and before she knows it, he's pulling her in and protecting her as the two of them tumble to the ice. Her coat is puffy and it only puffs out more when she lands, like a balloon that's been suddenly inflated as she lays on top of him, her face buried against his chest and her fingers clinging onto his jacket tight.

And then... he's... laughing!?

Tifa lifts her head, her eyes wide and round and bewildered, and she gives him a weak swat on the arm that completely bounces off his coat before she's bursting into giggles too, her head falling to rest on him.]

Don't go so fast next time!

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