Am I the only person who's observing a pattern? I think everyone's overreacting. There's no way all of us were involved in matrimony.

[Private; Unhackable.]
This is absurd! The flood of memories seems far too convenient. It's nearly Valentine's Day, and I'm certain the fact that other people are also remembering "being married" is no coincidence at all. It wouldn't make any sense for the island population to be made up almost entirely of couples; most of us don't even come from the same worlds and

...

Getting worked up over this is foolish, regardless of how convincing it might have been. It's not real. It's not. It's

...

...there's obviously something wrong with me.
[/Private.]

[[OOC: Cue MAJOR awkward. Tear's trying to remain rational about all this, really, but she's kind of horribly failing at it.]]

[Assume this was written after the snow thread, please. I can happily edit this if anyone else would like to participate.]

Ah... Before I forget: Nall, X. Thank you. I had a good time. Perhaps we can enjoy the weather again sometime.

Well then. Another one of those Earth holidays appears to be coming up soon. Nothing incredibly strange has happened for some time, which leads me to believe that it just might. I could be wrong, however. I hope I am wrong...

At first everything seemed to roughly follow a pattern in regards to "events" and regaining memories, but recently this hasn't been the case. I've also noticed that I've been remembering things at a considerably faster rate than I was months ago. I wonder how much longer...

Regardless, I still have far more questions than I do answers, so I would assume that I haven't made as much progress as I would like to think. Though, I suppose, one can hardly call it "progress" when it requires no effort on our part.

[Filtered from Ari.]

The more I think about it, the less sense any of this makes. What could anyone be gaining by taking memories away from other individuals? Whatever the reason, I can't imagine that the results are turning out to be particularly favorable.

I also have to wonder if the shopkeepers might provide some sort of clue. Getting them to speak, however, might prove easier said than done. They are cats after all.

( [Private; unhackable.] )

[OOC: Let's get this chick caught up with remembering stuff that actually happened DURING the game. 2% on all remaining backstory (Major Cantabile, more of Van and his crazy visions of grandeur). 1% on actually breaking into the Fabre mansion. 3% remaining. 27% total.]

( [Private; unhackable; cut for length/canon recap/spoilers.] )

[Public.]
It's been rather quiet since the new year started. I suppose that's not so surprising, given the temperature.

I've been reading again and had a question: Is snow commonplace in other worlds, and, if so, how is it handled? What I mean is: do people participate in activities and games when there's snow, or do they merely clear it out of the streets and move on?

Suffice it to say, in my hometown, we don't have snow. Although we do have lightning.

[OOC: Major tl;dr, I know. I was bored at work again. 1% on the "hair divorce" as some people like to call it. 3% remaining, 24% total used.]

If I'm needed for any reason after normal work hours, I'll be in my room.
The weather isn't very practical for training in any case.

[Private; unhackable.]

It would seem that in the end, my resolve to stop Van wasn't enough.

I couldn't save Akzeriuth.

[[OOC: 1% on arriving in Akzeriuth, finding out the Fonstone was a trap, and Asch subsequently rescuing her, 1% on Akzeriuth's collapse and that she used a fonic hymn to save the party, 1% on said hymn (Force Field), 1% on everyone taking the Tartarus to Yulia City and witnessing the Asch vs Luke battle there. In her universe Asch wins. 4% spent, 4% remaining, 23% total.

Suffice it to say thousands of people died and Tear feels she's partly to blame, although she'll be keeping up a fairly normal outward appearance. Sorry for all the first quarter game spoilers.]]

It's... ironic that I should happen to remember something about the knives I carry.

[Private; hackable.]
For a long time I had wanted to attend the Oracle Knights training school in Daath, but neither Grandfather nor Van would hear anything of it. Instead, they hired a private tutor to teach me what I would need to know about fighting.

I was incredibly ungrateful at the time. My attitude towards Major Legretta and my lessons was completely disgraceful. However, there was an incident. Someone had used a knife issued by the Order of Lorelei to slaughter a neighbor's rappigs. Since no one could be found who used throwing knives except for myself, Grandfather told me to apologize in their place even though I wasn't responsible for what happened.

It was Major Legretta who stood up for me. She said that I shouldn't have to apologize for something that I had no blame in and proceeded to trace and capture the true culprit. Even though Major Legretta insisted that she didn't do so for my sake, she had gained my admiration. I felt ashamed for my earlier actions and decided that I would devote myself to my training.

( [Private; unhackable. )

((OOC: Sorry for the Tear spam. And I need to write up another Meer entry, too, but Tear hasn't remembered anything in a while, so there you go. 1% spent on her first meeting(s) with Legretta, her instructor, 1% spent on the battle with her at Deo Pass en route to Akzeriuth; 19% total spent, 5% remaining.))

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone. So, "thank you". I truly appreciate the kindnesses that have been extended to me since my arrival earlier this year.

But that aside, it must have become quite obvious...

[Tear got so much cute stuff for Christmas. She appreciates it, really! But her self-image might be suffering just a little bit right now. ^^; (Old habits die hard.) Also she's never gotten so many gifts from people before. Ever. Culture shock? Very much, yes.]

[Private; Unhackable.]

Fay, Raven, Mokona, and so many others.

I was told that it was foolish to cut myself off from everyone else, and I see now that that would have been a stupid thing to do. Even still, it's hard to accept that I may never see these individuals again. It's entirely possible that when I leave this place, I won't even remember them at all, or anything else that happened while I was here, for that matter.

It's thoughts like these that lead me to understand Van just a little. There were people on Auldrant who clung to the Score and relied on it to do even the most mundane things. They never thought for themselves, but instead allowed others to decide how they should live their lives.

But shouldn't people be allowed to make their own choices?

Even if "Memento" and "Eden" think that they're doing everyone some sort of favor, so many things have been stripped from us. We never decided that.

It's unfortunate that I wasn't able to share this holiday with all of you, but what I regret the most is not being able to say "goodbye".

[Tear really should be attending school or something with all the reading she does. The cut is not necessarily meant to be a public announcement, but is completely readable; her journal just happens to be the most convenient place to copy all of this down. The entry is followed by a few rough copies of sheet music, sans lyrics, for two hymns and a more generic Christmas carol.]

( Cut for Tear's self-research, which both muse and mun gave up on because there's just too darn much going on this time of year to list it all. )

I found him on the church roof. I'm not sure how he got stuck up there, but it must have gotten too cold for him to fly anymore. I apologize for any disturbance I may have caused, as the only way to get him down seemed to involve climbing up to the roof myself. He seems to be fine, though.

((OOC: Solution - Combine the two entries.))

I trust that everyone managed to successfully pull through last week's event? I'm sure that you all have taken note of the room changes already, but I'd like to reiterate that I am now in Room 208 and not Room 308. I wouldn't wish for anyone to bother Miss Yomiko needlessly.

In addition, it would seem that some items may have been misplaced during the apartment shuffling. If anyone happens across a small yellow songbird, could you please inform me? I'd appreciate it.

If there is anyone who still requires assistance, do not hesitate to ask one of us. I have helped to start a number of controlled fires in the general vicinity. These should aid in generating warm air and providing areas for cooking food or boiling water. They may also serve to deter some of the wild animals. Please use standard fire precautions and keep a bucket of water nearby at all times just in case the flames should become too difficult to handle. If anyone sustains injury and there is not an island healer immediately on hand, you are welcome to come to me and I'll do what I can. That's all.

[Tear was up at the crack of dawn as per usual, walking off some lingering traces of sleep, getting a feel for whether or not anything was amiss out of doors, and proceeding to hike a little ways off the path to do her ritual morning training. It wasn't particularly necessary, but it was the norm for her, and something familiar. It made sense. And she certainly wasn't going to complain that she had remembered artes in the process. It was almost ridiculous how something so simple as running through her most basic artes could fill her with relief. She yanked one of her knives out of the trunk of a large cedar tree and checked along its edge for any nicks or scratches.]

Well, this might be a small improvement at the very least.

((OOC: I actually had a nice plotty entry written up, but we'll save it for another time. 1% on her base and arcane artes - Pow Hammer, Nocturnal Light, Severed Fate (hey, look, her username!), and Banishing Sorrow. She can also use FOFs, if FOFs are possible here. 17% used, 1% remaining.))

They say that married couples tend to start acting alike after they have been together for several years and can even finish one another's sentences. Therefore, what does it mean when two people are nearly perfectly matched prior to a formal wedding?

[Sigh.] I fear for the future of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, I really do. They're just children, no matter how you approach the situation...

[Private; unhackable.]
I'm relieved that Luke's mother wasn't stricken with illness too badly as a result of her son's disappearance. Still, I feel somewhat responsible for causing her to worry needlessly. I should have been more careful, and must continue to be so.

Perhaps I was foolish for trying to explain things. I suppose anyone would feel the urge to speak up about what they've learned in a setting like this. The very process of remembering is vexing. Many times I lack context or any sense of chronological order; I can't be sure when these events occurred or if they even hold true at the present time. For now, I suppose I have no option but to wait. Raven was right - my current approach to returning to Auldrant certainly won't benefit anyone.
[/Private.]

In any case, I wonder if peace is truly an option between two countries that have been at war for so long.

((OOC: 1% on being arrested taken aboard the Tartarus and lots of dialogue thereafter; 1% on meeting Natalia... that whole lovely scene where Tear gets called a "servant girl" and suffers through a few other insults from various people. Let's just say it didn't go very well. But hey, at least Suzanne was nice. 16% total. 2% left from Halloween.))

I wonder if that's why I took to waitressing so easily. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but it seemed almost natural, as if I had held a similar job once before.

The customers would often watch me... Does a servant possess the air of a servant? I guess I am rather plain, now that I think of it.

[Private; moderately hackable except for strike-throughs.]
In any case, it would explain a few things. Why else would I remember the layout of Baticul Castle so well? The soaring ceilings of the throne room and entryway... There was a library with a large globe and a stairway leading to the upper shelves of a large bookcase; the walls were lined with family portraits. The princess's room had soft couches, and a silver tea service. There was a teddy bear, too. It was incredibly fancy and expensive-looking... I recall that there was an occasion where one of the maids lost the king's seal. I went looking for it, and a cute cat brought it to me in the library.

...There must be a reasonable explanation.
[/Private.]

Even taking all of that into account, I can't imagine why I... even after what happened...

Anyway. I apologize if there's anyone who misses me at Cafe Demois. I recently applied to be one of the town's patrolmen. If something's troubling you, or you witness anything suspicious, please inform one of us. We're here to help, after all.

((OOC: Tear remembers the Proud Maid sidequest and as a result has come to the conclusion that she was actually employed as one of the castle maids. Ouch. Sure the outfit's lovely, and she knows her way around Baticul Castle well enough, but... she didn't ask for this. Last 1% from Oktoberfest spent on the Proud Maid sidequest. If anyone can see game stats, it's her current title. 14% total, 3% remaining from Halloween.))

[Tear is summarizing what she has discovered via the library about this peculiar Earth holiday. It is likely that she researched Christmas while she was at it. I wiki'd all this.]

"All Hallows' Eve", more popularly known as "Halloween", is a holiday observed predominantly in the Western world on the planet called Earth. It was derived from the Old Irish festival at summer's end, "Samhain", which celebrated the close to the lighter half of the year and the beginning of the darker half.

The ancient Celts believed that on this day, the border between the "Otherworld" and the world of the living became incredibly thin, allowing both passive and violent spirits to travel back and forth between them. The wearing of costumes was said to disguise humans in an attempt to trick the evil spirits into leaving them unharmed. Family spirits were also honored by lighting candles.

The holiday is becoming increasingly secular and commercialized, even though it is believed to have religious origins. It is widely celebrated on October thirty-first, where children dress up in costumes and go from door-to-door uttering the words "Trick or Treat". Children are then either given candy, other food items, or currency, or they can be shooed away in which case they will perform a harmless prank on the home owners. Halloween traditions include burning bonfires, bobbing for apples, haunted houses, costume parties, divination, the telling of... ghost stories, and the aforementioned trick-or-treating. Popular foods include candied apples, candy corn, and a wide variety of manufactured sweets and chocolates.

Symbols such as the jack-o-lantern (a pumpkin or other vegetable with a face carved into it), witches, vampires, werewolves, black cats, scarecrows, and ghosts are common.

...the spirits of the departed is one matter, but...

... ...Ghosts?

I-It's a good thing the island isn't haunted...! There are no ghosts here, so there's no need for me to worry! Right. No ghosts. None. Absolutely not!

...W-well! That's the gist of it. There have been a large number of children hurrying about in costume recently. Perhaps I should try cooking something again, otherwise I have a feeling I'll run out of food to offer them. And besides, that the "island" left us with those bags, no matter how harmless the sweets appear, it still makes me the slightest bit suspicious.

((OOC: I advise you not to spook her. Just warning you.))

Wh-why do I keep getting forced into strange costumes? This is getting ridiculous...

[Tear takes a few steps down the pathway towards the library and no, her face isn't pink, before something rolls out from under her long denim skirt. She pauses to pick it up and inspect it, shedding a pair of glasses as she does so.]

...a plastic apple? I can see how the sweets might be used to accent Olette's pastries, but this...

[An awkward mish-mash of being both caring and stern, forgiving and unwavering; a costume possessing the normalcy of a teacher (we liked this art off pixiv; idk it looked teachery) seemed the logical choice (or babysitter, or big sister...). It's about 90% more modest than her usual attire, too. Feel free to assume it's a soft pink color as opposed to green, because pink is much cuter. Honestly, I had more flashy ideas, but something plain seemed to fit her personality better.]

So Misa-Misa was right in the end.

It would seem my family originally came from the Island of Hod. "Grants" is the last name belonging to Governor Teodoro who took us in. Van and I were are apparently the only surviving members of House Fende, which-- No. I feel certain they're known for something, but I can't pinpoint just what that something is.

And also...

[Tear starts doing some math in the margins of her journal, something to do with Ifritday, Lorelei-Decan 1, ND 2001*. It probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense, given Auldrant's unique calendar system, but once she's done, she's got a date circled that actually does - December 2nd**.]

If my calculations are correct, I should be around 16... Well, that's assuming my last memory was recent. I don't think it could have happened terribly long ago, but I can't be completely sure.

[Private; unhackable.]
Was it all revenge for Hod? Perhaps I never understood, and I certainly don't understand it now...
Van, why did you have to go to such extremes?

((OOC: 1% going to what Van has told her about their origins and Hod. Throwing her birthday in, too. 13% total. 1% remaining from Oktoberfest.))

Footnotes:
*I have also seen it listed as 2002. I'm not sure which is accurate, as there are a few errors in the calendar anyway. Suffice it to say Tear's calculated that she's somewhere around 16 years old based on what she has remembered, although her actual age is closer to 19 since she's taken from the end of the game.
**Based off this thread.

[For all technical purposes, Tear has made herself scarce. She is taking the rest of the week off from work and has informed no one about it save the manager. That doesn't mean she's impossible to find, however. Rather predictably she is sitting near her flower garden at the Hakurei Shrine, rolling an apple between her palms that she snagged from breakfast this morning and hasn't taken the first bite of. There's a lot for her to mull over, and she can't do that unless she has some time to herself. Auldrant has never seemed so far away, but she has no idea where to go from here, and she still has so very many unanswered questions.]

Van...

[OOC: Cherry's mean, but I need to get some of this heavy crap out of the way at some point. 1% on Absorption Gate, mainly concerned with dialogue; the battle itself; and Van, like all good Disney villains, falling to his "demise". AND THAT VAN SRSLY PLAYS HIS OWN BGM ON THE ORGAN. We'll worry about the other cast members and all the technical Sephiroth (not that Sephiroth) stuff at another time, so assume she doesn't know anything about lowering the land or where the heck all this drama is taking place. That makes 12% with 2% left. She'll go back to work next Monday.]

[Private; unhackable]
None of this makes any sense.

Perhaps the issue of hyperresonance can be explained, at least.
From what I remember, the Score is a very important aspect of our society. It's like a prophecy... as long as the Score is followed, you can expect the future written within the Score to be carried out. In fact, the Oracle Knights are the military branch of the Order of Lorelei. Our overall goal is in making sure that the Score is protected and followed, as well as maintaining peace. As for myself, I'm a subordinate to Grand Maestro Mohs, and a member of the Intelligence Division's first platoon. The reason I was sent to the Outer Lands was to locate the Seventh Fonstone on which is written a part of the Score that describes the future of Auldrant. For quite obvious reasons, this Fonstone and others like it are invaluable.

Of course, that wasn't my only reason for going to the Outer Lands... What I had really hoped to do was locate Van and stop him from carrying out his agenda.

In any case, I remembered reading a part of the Score contained on a fragment of the Sixth Fonstone. It mentioned a 'scion of Lorelei's power', and from the description, it sounded like it was talking about Luke. With an organization called the "Order of Lorelei", Lorelei must be very important, and likely related to the Score somehow. I'm not entirely sure what Lorelei is, but if Lorelei's power is related to the seventh fonon, then it might explain why Luke can perform a hyperresonance on his own. Some seventh fonists are Scorers, so the possibility exists... The Score itself seems something like a recording of the planet's history.

But that's not the problem. Why is Asch remembering the same name and background that Luke has? There can't possibly be two Lukes... and Ion even said that Asch the Bloody was a member of a group of individuals known as the God Generals.

I don't understand what's going on.
Apparently I traveled with Luke, but the person that I remember...
[/filter]

...does anyone play chess? I... was just thinking that we used to really enjoy Rika's games, but after she disappeared, everyone quit playing them.

[Tear had just recently discovered something she hated even more than ghosts: alcohol.
If the hangover didn't kill her now, the not remembering exactly what she had been doing during that too-long period of time would. She thought she remembered a few things, but none of it was incredibly comforting. Maybe no one else would remember either. She could certainly pretend that she didn't just fine. But as for the other parties in question...

But that didn't matter. She was hungover, and she had work today. Luckily, there were breaks, and as soon as she could, she sank down into a chair looking much like a wilting flower. The sun was too bright, customers all seemed to be shouting at her, and she felt exhausted and sick because she hadn't slept for more than a few hours. She had never been more grateful for a steaming cup of NORMAL tea. The idea of sitting like this for the rest of the day was far too tempting. Not that she would; the cafe was short-handed again; as soon as break time was over, she'd be back on her feet.]

Wait...

[Tear dug around in her apron and produced her journal and a pen and began writing down something as she remembered it. This bold part is about the equivalent of a public journal entry.]

ND2000. In Kimlasca shall be born the scion of Lorelei's power. He will be of royal blood with hair of red. He shall be called "The Light of the Sacred Flame" and he will lead Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to new prosperity.

ND2018. The young scion of Lorelei's power shall bring his people to the miner's city. There

[Stops writing. This is not helping her headache very much at all.]

...that's it?

[OOC: We now return to your regularly scheduled Tear. 1% on Tear's rank under Grand Maestro Mohs and her mission to find the Seventh Fonstone, 1% on her reading the Sixth Fonstone in Baticul. Essentially she now has some idea of what the Score is. 11% total used, 3% remaining from Oktoberfest.]

Lately I've taken to reading books about different cultures, since I noticed that not many people are even aware of what fonons are and don't seem to be able to sense them. I hadn't considered how diverse the various worlds are until just recently. In fact, it's surprising that we have anything in common, and yet there are numerous similarities between us.

I was wondering if there are any other holy days that are commonly celebrated on the island?
I recall there was "Easter" back during the blooming period with the father-and-son, egg painting, and rabbits.

Speaking of rabbits...

[OOC: Uh, yeah, it's about time Tear finally got a pet, in case anyone wanted to know. And it will be named "Fluffy" as per canon. Don't laugh, giving pet names isn't her forte!]