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Tabula Rasa Mods ([personal profile] tabularasa_mods) wrote in [community profile] tabularasa_rp2020-10-15 06:47 pm

004 - Lucid Dreaming

Lucid Dreaming Event Info Pt.1 Event Info Pt.2 Comments
Please see the two info posts linked above for details on the nature of the event, the nightmares within, and the setting it takes place in. You may ask any unanswered questions in either post. If your character dies at any point during the dream event, please leave a comment in the death report thread to notify the mods.

As a final reminder, all characters will fall asleep for the full duration of this event whether you decide to take part or not. You may continue tagging threads that take place before the event, but everyone will fall asleep simultaneously.

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Falling Asleep, Waking Up
The shift happens without warning, much like the first time people appeared in the world. Perhaps you remember what you were doing in the last moments before a strange feeling of exhaustion overwhelmed you - or perhaps you remember nothing at all. Whatever it may be, you've appeared somewhere new. A seemingly ordinary train station, if not for the bizarre walls of flesh blocking the only exits. The only path forward is down into the pulsating depths, a humid breeze pushing at your back.

There may be others here with you, or you may be alone. Could there be more people trapped in this strange place? You won't find them just by standing around.

Nightmares
The screeching of a distant train will echo through the tunnels on occasion, shadows flicking through the translucent flesh of the walls. Sometimes, however, instead of fading away the noise will only grow louder, closer, until it sounds like the train should be upon you. It never appears, but something else always will.

The train is a siren call for nightmares, and you're unfortunate enough to be their victim. The shadows turn alive, twisting and growing as they rise up from the ground and begin to transform. What form they take varies, but the shadows of the mind know the true fears of those who walk among them. Are you prepared to face the darkness?

Volcanic Panic

The shadows congeal at the edges of the floor, and soon after a hot orange glow begins to fill the room - molten lava is pooling in from the other end of the tunnel. It rolls slowly forward, devouring everything it touches with an unquenchable searing hunger, leaving behind only the charred bones of its victims... although, strangely, the tunnels themselves appear to be completely unharmed.

Outrunning the flow of lava shouldn't be a problem, but there seems to be no end to it. How long can you run from something that never stops? Or worse, what happens if you find yourself surrounded? You'll need to find a way to higher ground before that happens.
A Radiant Plague

The shadows rise up into familiar shapes, and at first glance it'd be easy to mistake them for people. They may even share the faces and voices of people you know, stumbling towards you with wide, open arms... and empty, glowing eyes filled with an orange light. Something smells sickly sweet, and it's only once they're close enough to grab you that they begin to attack.

These are not your friends, and they'll do whatever it takes to make you one of them instead. Unfortunately, it's not an experience you'll be able to survive. Your only hope is to fight back before the plague can take hold, lest you become another mindless husk that knows only to further spread the infection.
Trust No One, Not Even Yourself

The shadows stretch and fill the air, choking everything in a thick blanket of darkness... before dispersing just as quickly as they'd appeared. A few moments pass and nothing else seems to be happening. You must've gotten lucky this time!

... Or did you?

Surely it can't be that simple. Nothing else here has been, so something must have happened just now. It's only you and the person you're currently traveling with... but are you sure that's really them right now? How do you know they haven't been possessed by another nightmare, waiting until you let your guard down to stab you in the back? Should you interrogate them to be sure, or start with restraining them and ask questions later? Wouldn't it be better to just kill them before things get out of hand? The sooner you strike, the safer you'll be when their true form emerges.

Yes, that must be the real explanation. It has to be them that's been possessed by a nightmare. What else could it be?
Joker’s Wild

There’s no limit to what form the shadows can take. The world may have its own perception of fear, but your nightmares are something only you could understand. What darkness lurks in the depths of your heart?
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pinwheels: (018)

rinoa heartilly • final fantasy viii • ota

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-10-16 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
( information | permissions )
in the dream, Rinoa will have access to all of her powers, even those that are subject to strikethroughs in the post linked above.
for this event only, I am also okay with mind control should it come to it.


I ☆ to Dream
[ After going so long without sleep, Rinoa almost doesn't recognize what it feels like to be tired, what it feels like to fall asleep. There's a yawn on her lips, her eyes fluttering closed before she even realizes what's going on, and for a moment Angelo and Felix paw at her in worry before their heads droop, sleep taking them. Her own consciousness follows shortly after. When she wakes in the aftermath of the nightmare, she'll find herself curled on the sofa in her apartment, a curl of animals half on top of her.

But right now, that's not where she wakes. Where she wakes is a strange labrynthine mess of something that seems like a mix of a train station and a body. Angelo and Felix are still by her side, but there's something else, something burning like liquid fire beneath her veins...

She gasps as her wings burst forth from her back, a flurry of feathers and a gust of wind, her fingers flexing automatically as she feels the surge of power where it's felt empty for so long. For the first moment since arriving in the Void, she's not thinking about who might see her, or what they might think of what she is. She has her magic, and she's not afraid. ]


II ☆ on Wings
[ Her journey through the strange system of tunnels is not as dangerous as it might be for some others; with her powers back, Rinoa flies well out of reach of the strange shadows that seem to melt from the floors. Her companions are kept aloft alongside her through Float magic, and anything that draws too near to them is blasted away with whatever element pours itself first out of her veins. A shot from her Blaster Edge occasionally follows.

Like this, she offers aerial support to anyone taking the shadow creatures head on, either going on the offense with casts of Ultima, Meteor, and other powerful magics, or offering healing and protective spells to the other inhabitants of the Void.

Perhaps you see her flying overhead and call to her, or maybe she's about to see you in the middle of a battle... ]


III ☆ the Hollow
[ She finds herself at a dead end, wings folding into the aether as she lands on the strange tracks, looking around. There's a strange aroma in the air, something sweet and light and almost like flowers. She hears her name, a familiar voice making her heart soar, and when she turns—

There he is, arms out as he draws nearer to her, calling her name again, and Rinoa's heart catches in her throat, tears springing instantaneous to her eyes. ]


...Squall?

[ Her voice trembles, but it's him, she's sure of it, it's really him, even if his eyes glow with a strange orange that seems so unlike his usual blue. She reaches out in return. Angelo's teeth grip her hand - too hard, the pain enough to draw blood - and Felix paws in desperation at her leather booth; Rinoa pays neither of them any heed. It's like she's hypnotized, shuffling steps drawing her closer to the figure... ]


IV ☆ Wildcard
[ as always, if there's nothing here that speaks to you, or you have other ideas, feel free to hit me up via PM or at [plurk.com profile] denouements! ]
bridge_princess: (130)

The Hollow (Powers Active)

[personal profile] bridge_princess 2020-10-20 02:28 pm (UTC)(link)
That's not Squal, Rinoa.

["Squal" wasn't the only one in this equation with glowing green eyes. Parsee had been running from "Yuugi" for a while when she found Rinoa there, fighting with her dog to get closer to the vision of a man in a fur lined leather jacket whose eyes glowed unhealthily. There was still distance between them, and in that moment Parsee felt... was it protectiveness? No, jealousy. Jealousy of the way that this guy affected Rinoa even when it was clear just how 'off' he was.

Hadn't she told her about him a couple times? Mister taciturn? Mister doesn't show emotions? She scowled and ran between them, pushing hard against Rinoa's shoulders, eyes flaring an ugly, sickly color.]


Tell me. Would your precious Squal want a hug? Ever?
pinwheels: art by <user name="skribeskrable" site="tumblr.com"> (061)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-10-23 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She doesn't register immediately that Parsee is speaking to her. In fact, it's not until the rough shove against her shoulders that Rinoa realizes that the other is nearby at all, the entirety of her attention having been taken up by the hypnotic energy that is the strange, shadowy Squall. Even now, she's not entirely snapped out of it; her gaze is clouded and confused as she looks at Parsee. ]

Of course he would. He—

[ He would. But not like this. Not calling her and reaching for her with that sweet smile. Squall's hugs are spontaneous, coming when she least expects them; not called to her from half a room away, arms wide and reaching. ]

But—

[ She looks at Parsee, and then back at the strange creature, her gut twisting, a feeling like a lump in her throat. He takes another step closer, hissing, and the twisting in her stomach only gets worse. ]

You're right. [ She feels sick. ] That's not Squall.

[ Even as the tears spring to her eyes, Rinoa's wings burst forth from her back. She can't make herself fight him, but she can get her and Parsee out of here. She reaches a hand to the other with a nod. ] Grab hold.


( she'll definitely get hit with some passive effects once they've put distance between them and the shadows that are bugging them! )
bridge_princess: (010)

[personal profile] bridge_princess 2020-10-23 11:55 pm (UTC)(link)
You have no idea how jealous I am of the way she looks at you...

[That part was said like a snap back at the hissing form of Squal right before she reached for Rinoa's hand, clutching at it and nodding for her to do whatever it was she intended. And then those wings burst out, like some western angel's and she swallowed. They were way too pretty. She wished she had wings like those, even as she felt the first rush of wind, heard the hiss behind.

The roiling of her bitterness wasn't strong, but it was there. Always self conscious, always seeing reasons to be jealous, to think someone had it better. It didn't matter if she actually wanted what they had. that was never the point, just as it wasn't right now. They had it. She didn't...]
pinwheels: (071)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-10-24 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ As soon as Parsee's hand clutches hers, Rinoa's wings flex, taking both of them into the air. A quick wave of her other hand has a Float spell placed on Angelo and Felix so that they can follow behind as she carries them free of the shadow, away from that calling, desperate voice that sounds too much like Squall's. She flies until the voice finally stops echoing in her brain; only then does she find them a vacant side room in which to settle, all four of them setting back down on the tracks in a flurry of feathers.

She takes a deep breath... and then sits right down on the ground, trying to ignore the ugly twisting in her stomach. Her wings fold into the aether, leaving her looking smaller than before. ]


Thanks. [ Her voice is quiet, shaken. ] I don't know if anyone else could've gotten me out of there. I really thought...

[ But that doesn't matter, does it? It wasn't him. ]
bridge_princess: (129)

[personal profile] bridge_princess 2020-10-24 08:48 pm (UTC)(link)
I wouldn't say that. They could have hauled you over their shoulder like a sack of potatoes and booked it. The dog could keep up. Pretty sure of that.

[She flopped down onto her rear, curling her arms around her knees, clutching at her legs and looking over at Rinoa for a moment, eyes glittering green while they chatted, fighting the jealousy she felt over those damned wing. Seriously. Pretty.]

You thought it was him. Because you want him to be here. We're not exactly substitutes. Tifa's lucky she has Cloud around.
pinwheels: (022)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-10-28 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ In any other situation, Rinoa would laugh. It's the kind of statement that should make her laugh. But instead, she just offers Parsee a weak smile, sitting down across from her with a small nod. She's probably right. But still, she's lucky Parsee got there when she did.

It's a thought that makes her frown, unhappiness still twisting in her gut. But it's not until Parsee speaks again that a chill of something else goes down her spine, something that feels like anger and sadness and want all at once. ]


And Aerith. [ It's said with a bitterness that's unlike anything Parsee would ever have heard from her. And it's not like it's coming from nowhere - she really has felt twists of jealousy toward her new friends before. ] They have their most important people, and even familiar places from home! What do I have?

[ As if in answer, Angelo and Felix nudge their noses against her side, but they go ignored for now, Rinoa reaching up to angrily dash tears away from her cheeks. ]

It's not fair.
bridge_princess: (124)

[personal profile] bridge_princess 2020-10-28 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Right now, you've got me.

[She hadn't mentioned Aerith for a reason. It was a test of sorts. Rinoa had picked out at least one of the other names right on her own, and she could hear the bitterness forming in her voice. She reached up to brush at one of the tears Rinoa's cheek, the aura of green around her pulsing a little.

I... need to stop. I'm going to hurt her.]


It isn't. there's a lot of things that aren't fair... you... you should back off, Rinoa. I'm getting under your skin. You've got me, but I'm crappy company.
pinwheels: (049)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-11-05 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's a vague realization, something that surfaces in her mind as Parsee says it, as she fights the urge to tear her face away from the hand that brushes at the tear on her cheek. (And why? She's never minded physical contact before...)

Her power. The feelings... it's Parsee's power, clinging to her real feelings and amplifying them, and...

...and right now, Parsee, who has to deal with the horribleness of such feelings all the time, who's always alone, is telling her to leave. Not for Parsee's good, but for hers. A move entirely unselfish, entirely for Rinoa's benefit.

It's enough to send another spark of irritation flaring through her, as she turns her head away. She's never been that strong. She's always relied too much on other people. Why can't she find that strength for herself, the same strength Parsee has? More tears blink into her eyes, and she lowers her gaze, keeping it away from the other. ]


N-no. I told you before, we're friends. I can't leave you like this.
bridge_princess: (129)

[personal profile] bridge_princess 2020-11-06 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[It was selfish and selfless. She didn't want to hurt Rinoa out of fear that she might not come back if she hurt her bad enough, after all. So... some of it was the desire to keep the things she'd gained so far. But here she was. Doing exactly what Parsee expected of her.]

You are so stubborn... I envy that about you. A dog's biting you hand and you're still trying to pet it, to calm it down. [Grunt.]

I... can't make you go away. I could scream at you, but you'd just stay close. Just know, you're going to be really bitter and lonely the more you are around me. Ngh... Guess we could do that together for the moment.

[She reached the palm of her hand and gave her a sad, tired grin while those glowing eyes pierced Rinoa's, a sigh on her lips.]

You're my problem today, not Squal's, heh.
pinwheels: (037)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-11-08 10:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Parsee's words remind her, vaguely, that there's a dull ache in her hand, something left over from when Angelo was trying to pull her back from the shadowy creature. It's enough to bring her attention to her animal friends, crouching down and patting them both as they continue to nudge and nuzzle at her sides. There's even a depth of her feelings reserved for the two of them, a jealousy over how simple their love for her is, how it isn't marred by the pain of loss and fear.

With a sigh, Rinoa sinks out of her crouch and into a sit, looking up at Parsee with a tired, unhappy light in her eyes. ]


You think I'm stubborn? You live like this all the time... [ For a moment, it might sound like she's jealous of Parsee's misery, but the next sentence clarifies the feelings swirling in her gut: ] I couldn't do it. You're... so strong.

[ A pause, and then she adds, tone bitter: ] I kind of hate that.

[ So much for not being ashamed of needing others. ]
bridge_princess: (124)

[personal profile] bridge_princess 2020-11-09 04:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[She watched her flop into a seat. In that moment, Parsee almost ran. She could run, and the effects would wear off, but Rinoa wasn't leaving, and had told her that she didn't want her to, even if it hurt. Slowly, she got down on her knees behind her and wrapped her arms around the dark haired girl from behind. The aura floated around them both, though it was lower, not as potent as before.]

And you're here, letting me stay here with you, even as I'm hurting you. I don't deserve friends like you. I kind of hate it too... [Her arms tightened.] But... I don't want you to leave. I'm jealous of Squall, you should know. The way you cared about the words of even a fake version.
pinwheels: (014)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-11-17 11:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ Despite the unhappiness clamoring for purchase on her heart, there's a relief in the way Parsee moves to hug her, arms tight around her from behind. Her head leans back, dropping to lay on the other's shoulder, and if it wasn't for the bitter jealousy burning in her eyes, the smile on her lips would surely look amused, triumphant. ]

You know, I told you we'd be friends.

[ Parsee didn't seem to believe her at the time, but they're here now, Rinoa stubbornly holding on as always, and Parsee not giving in to the instinct to push her away. A victory to enjoy later, then, when she doesn't feel like she wants to just curl up and cry, or scream, or both. Because right now, her smile is twisting into something less kind, a shake of her head as she sits up again. ]

I hate that I cared. It's like you said, he's a fake. I don't understand how... [ There's a pause, a frown as the words sort themselves in her head, and she sighs. ] So many people have their loved ones here, Parsee. It's not just Tifa and Aerith and Cloud. Even Ren...

New friends are nice but it's not the same.

[ She's cycling back to those same feelings again. Later, she'll be horrified at how easily she was able to reject the idea of the new people in her life in favor of the old, especially when they're people she's come to care about a lot. But right now, she's fixating. ]
bridge_princess: (031)

[personal profile] bridge_princess 2020-11-18 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
Ngh... it's never quite the same, but... it's also a chance for something else. Maybe something you didn't have. [She gripped more tightly and pulled her in even more, the hug a fraction possessive. The way that she held on, she was definitely trying to get Rinoa to focus on her and her alone.]

You know the difference between envy and possessiveness isn't that big. I'm jealous of them having their friends, jealous of them having someone that matters so much to them. Kind of wish I could get that close again...

But it doesn't end well. And... I don't want to get too close. If I did and lose one of you, I'd go nuts I think, for a bit.

[Yep, they were both fixating right now. One on jealousies of others, and the other on being jealous of literally every last person that Rinoa was thinking about right then. Why couldn't she just think about her right this instant?]

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king_in_dreams: (It's frozen still)

on Wings

[personal profile] king_in_dreams 2020-10-21 12:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Noct has found himself surrounded by a group of goblins and imps. He's doing a decent enough job keeping them back, but they also don't seem to stop coming. He's just thrown his dagger and warped after it, hanging from a point over their heads to catch his breath when he sees something swooping toward him - and he just manages to stop himself from dropping away from them before he realizes it's Rinoa.]

Whoa, you can fly?

[Clearly, that's his priority right now.]
pinwheels: (067)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-10-23 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She registers the question before the fact that Noctis is hanging from a dagger, which in turn is anchored into the strange, fleshy walls of this place, and for a moment she just hovers beside him, taking in the sight with a curious tilt of her head. She has no idea if he's in trouble, or if he's put himself here, but either way, there are questions to be asked.

For now, though, she smiles. ]


Yeah. Do you need help getting down from here?

[ Her gaze drops, sweeping over the clamoring creatures beneath them, and her hand stretches out, green and gold flames flickering over her palm. ]

And dealing with those?
king_in_dreams: (Default)

[personal profile] king_in_dreams 2020-10-26 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Uh... I'm good, actually? [at least as far as getting down, goes. When it comes to dealing with the daemons...]

I can deal with those guys, too, unless you wanna help?

[He doesn't want to put her in danger if she would rather stay out of it, but, well. He'd like to actually get out of here sometime today.]
pinwheels: (019)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-10-29 07:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ She offers him a brief, warm smile. He may notice though that there's something different about it, something gentler and less playful, along with a similar change noticeable in the timbre of her voice. ]

What if we deal with it together? ...Stay there for a moment.

[ The last thing she wants to do is hit him with her magic. The green and gold flames disappear with a shake of her hand, replaced by a bright beam of red flame that comes from both hands, exploding around the creatures clamoring around the tracks.

It doesn't appear to do a lot of damage to them, at least not at first glance, but she looks at Noctis with a satisfied nod. ]


If they had any natural defense against your weapons or my magic, it's gone now. Shall we?
king_in_dreams: (Default)

[personal profile] king_in_dreams 2020-11-10 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
[Noct nods as she asks him to stay put - and then watches as she does her actual magic.]

Nice. And yeah, let's go.

[With that, he dismisses the dagger and starts to fall - but before he gets any real momentum, he's flashing toward the daemons in sparkling blue light, and one of them goes down in another flash of magic.]
pinwheels: (021)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-11-17 12:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's some kind of teleportation magic, Rinoa thinks to herself as she watches Noct flash down toward the creatures. It's impressive, and she figures she'll have questions to ask after—

—but for now they have to take care of the monsters. As he flashes between them, her focus is on aerial support, zipping over the top of the scene with carefully-aimed blasts of magic, and an occasional shot fired from the weapon strapped to her wrist.

Despite her initial resolution to ask later, though, Rinoa can't help the teasing smile that curves her lips as she hovers near him, one of the creatures encased in frost after her latest cast in its direction. ]


Looks like we've both been keeping things to ourselves, right?
king_in_dreams: (Default)

[personal profile] king_in_dreams 2020-11-20 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[Noct looks over at her - and then smiles back a little.]

Yeah. Kinda easier when it didn't work before all -

[He pauses, then, swinging his sword through a monster that had been lurking in the shadows.]

All of this.

[He gestures with his free hand toward the fleshy walls.]
pinwheels: (021)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-11-24 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Rinoa can't help but grin back at him. He's right - even if she had felt comfortable talking about it, there would have been very little reason when they couldn't even use the abilities in question. Whatever this part of the Void is, though, it's different, isn't it?

Which makes her think... ]


This is a dream, right? I remember falling asleep, but...
king_in_dreams: (Default)

[personal profile] king_in_dreams 2020-11-26 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not sure this isn't all some kind of weird dream, still.

[Considering yes, he's had some really vivid dreams through his life.]

But yeah, I definitely remember falling asleep. And considering we didn't before today...

[Obviously something is going on.]
pinwheels: (051)

[personal profile] pinwheels 2020-11-28 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Rinoa nods. ]

Yeah. The whole time I've been here, I've been awake... until before this.

[ Over his shoulder, she notices one of the creatures getting back to its feet; she steps to the side and shoots a bolt of energy at it before turning her attention back to him. ]

So now we just have to figure out how to wake up.
king_in_dreams: (Default)

[personal profile] king_in_dreams 2020-11-28 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[Noct turns to look back at the creature, tensing for a moment in case any of the others try the same thing. When it still looks calm, he looks back to her.]

I'm guessing it involves getting out of here. But I think that might be the tricky part.

[Because who knows where the exit actually is. They definitely aren't labeled.]