004 - Lucid Dreaming

[tabularasa_mods]

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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code bases by tricklet

Comments

Add | Elsword | OTA!

[psychokinesia]

[A - Arrival & Encounter]

The environment is at least half-familiar, but that doesn't mean Add has to be happy about it. He is happy to have his six dynamos working again, even if he still has no idea why they suddenly decided to start working... frustrating as it may be, he's not going to complain about a good thing. It means he doesn't have to walk anymore, so he's absolutely taking what he can get here. A hoverboard made up of six tiny robots is clearly the superior mode of transportation.

But aside from that, this place sucks. Wasn't one trip inside a giant monster enough?! And the train tracks are just weird... what kind of freak would build a train system inside a living creature? Who would ever ride that train? Hell, he hasn't even seen any trains yet, so why build the tracks at all if they're not even going to be used?? It's stupid and gross and he wants to leave.

Alas, leaving just isn't so simple... so for now he's been wandering around aimlessly, occasionally stopping to pummel some shadow-monster to death. It does little to ease his nerves. He hasn't run into anything he can't handle yet, so why does being here make him feel so anxious...?

The tunnels always seem to be echoing with distant voices, but it's a long, long time before Add actually bumps into another person. He freezes in place, drones positioned in a tight arc by his hand.

"... Hey. You're real, right?" A hint of hopefulness, but he's prepared to fight if they make a wrong move.

[OPTIONAL Prompt A-1: Trust No One, Not Even Yourself is also in effect.]

[B - Scouting]

Add has a few more exploration tricks up his sleeve. He can't risk losing too much of his arsenal, but he can spare a single drone to scout the area ahead. So, instead of Add himself, you may come across a lone dynamo hovering its way through the tunnels. Upon detecting a new presence it stops in mid-air to investigate the anomaly, flashing some scifi-looking scanners around.

Or... it might be stuck. It's not the smartest little drone, but it's trying its best. It might need help getting unstuck from whatever weird jam its landed itself in.

Either way, it eventually gets a status report through to its master and a crackling voice comes out of the tiny machine. "This is Add, identify yourself."

[C - Battlefield]

Behemoth—or Mementos, or the void, or whatever he's supposed to call it now—seems to grow more agitated the further in he travels. Add is trying to be careful not to damage the tunnels, shockingly, but it's hard when everything is already trying to kill him. It's in the middle of a fight with some shadowy demons (literal demons, they have the wings and everything) that he suddenly finds himself cut off by a wall of angry tentacles, swinging towards him with their gaping, gnawing mouths.

The tunnels flash with bursts of lightning, and Add stands at the centre of the chaos with his body wreathed in a crackling aura. Each strike he delivers comes with a blast of energy, tentacles and nightmares alike crumpling to the ground with a smoking stench... only for more enemies to spring up just as quickly as he can fell them. He's quick to react, dodging and deflecting what attacks he can with a shield-like barrier, but as the fight drags on his movements are starting to get more sluggish...

He's not in too much trouble yet, but it is getting a bit dangerous. Maybe he could use a hand?

[D - Heart to Heart]

The only path forward is down. Logically, that means they'll find answers at the heart of this place, right?

In hindsight, that doesn't really make much sense. Who says there has to be any answers at all? Still, he made it all the way down here, and he was at least able to confirm something. After seeing the heart for himself Add parks himself outside the chamber entrance, unwilling to re-enter but unsure of where to go next. He appears lost in thought, but he looks up when someone else starts to approach.

"Don't bother. What's in there... isn't something you should be messing with." oh yeah, that ominous warning will definitely keep anyone from going in and fucking with the heart.

[E - Wildcard]

((Feel free to hit me up at BlueFlewFedUQueen or Lavvy#1238 on Discord if you have another idea!))

B

[halloflamer]

[Blue isn't exactly a techhead, but he's seen drones before- even ones as strange-looking as the one desperately whirring and buzzing in front of him, tangled up in some manner of goopy, fibrous flesh-matter. He's not exactly one to be sympathetic to a random machine, but.... the thing somehow seems distressed, and he can't help but feel a little nagging guilt.]

Ahh jeez, alright, stay still! [He grouches, approaching the drone to get a better look. It's just a little out of his reach... Blue frowns, and unclips a capsule-like ball from his belt, holding it out beside him.] Arcanine, help me out with this! [The capsule bursts open, and in a beam of energy forms a large, scruffy dog, striped like a tiger, which shakes out its mane and wags its tail, giving a bark. He's seemingly very happy to be called out (and after all that time spent in his balls, who wouldn't?). He certainly doesn't trust his master to be left alone in a dangerous-smelling place like this, and eyes the little dynamo with suspicion.] Rrrrr...

It's fine, it's fine, just gimme a boost! [Blue clambers up onto his back to get a bit of height so that he can reach in and try to disentangle the weird little purple Magnemite-thing, grimacing as his fingers touch the slimy fibrous meat that it's stuck in.] So nasty! Bet it's too much to hope there's some clean water around here to wash my hands with, ugh.

[psychokinesia]

[He might get a slight electrical shock when he touches it, but Dynamo is at least smart enough to be able to tell when it's being assisted. With a bit of effort it's finally able to wriggle free of the wall, spinning down in a weak hover for a few seconds before steadying itself, floating back up to roughly Blue's eye level. Lacking any other way to properly express itself, the tiny robot beeps exactly once. That's, uh... probably a thank you? maybe??

It seems content with hanging around Blue and his cool fire dog for now, though. About a minute later Add's voice crackles through from the machine's speakers.]

Identify yourselves. I'm getting two energy readings, but it looks like the distress signal was cancelled... what's going on over there?

[halloflamer]

--Yowch! What was that for!? [Blue hisses at the little shock, shaking his hands out as the Dynamo goes teetering and tottering free to right itself; he scowls at the thing as it hovers back up to him, and beeps.]

...Um, yeah, you're welcome, I guess. [Like a Magnemite, indeed... Blue slips down from Arcanine's back, and looks like he's going to glance around to get their bearings again, but it seems like the little drone is content to keep hanging around here... Where did something like that come from, anyway? There's all manner of weird stuff in here, though, so he doesn't find it too much weirder than anything else.]

[At least it's not attacking him. Yet.]

[Arcanine is the first to bark sharply in warning, wheeling around when Add's voice crackles from the drone. Blue jumps, and looks around, like he's expecting there to be an owner to that voice- but finally settles back on Dynamo, and narrows his eyes.]

You identify yourself! [He demands, crossing his arms. Arcanine stands at the ready, inching in front of his master. Did the voice.. belong to the little robot-maybe-Pokémon-thing??]

[psychokinesia]

What's your problem? I asked first, so you identify yourself!

[Dynamo jitters in the air, shrinking back slightly at all the yelling and barking. Hostility!! That's bad! Alas, it can't do much to control its master's attitude... pls no fight...]

[halloflamer]

Is that how you thank people!? Hah! I don't gotta say nothing to such an ungrateful lump!

[Blue gives a flippant wave of a salute, and waves Arcanine along.] The next time I see ya, I'll just leave you to struggle on your own! How you like them Leppas, loser?

[psychokinesia]

Who do you think you're calling an ungrateful lump?! [add you literally just refused to identify yourself] For all I know, you're the one that was causing trouble for my Dynamo, so why should I be thanking you when you're acting so suspicious?!

Ugh, whatever! Just stay put, I'm heading over there now. And don't try anything stupid! [because... Blue is going to listen to him after all that???

it's fine(?) tho, since Dynamo is going to keep following Blue around anyway. It's a pretty chill little drone despite the cranky voice coming out of it.]

a

[obsessiveness]

[ after agreeing with leo that they should split up and look for clues on whatever the fuck they found themselves into this time, izumi has gotten himself lost somehow! not that he can be blamed for it, of course - this is completely unfamiliar territory, and the fact that it's alive just makes it worse. he's expecting to be eaten alive by the place itself at any moment now.

but what he didn't expect is bumping into a familiar face. should he be relieved that it's add? probably not, but beggars can't be choosers here. ]

I'm as real as can be, moron. Not sure about this whole place, though.

[psychokinesia]

[Ah yes, this guy. Well, it's probably not the other kind of nightmare if it's already Izumi...

Add eases off on his defensive stance, allowing his dynamos to settle into a tidy little formation behind his shoulders. He folds his arms and leans back, using the robots to support himself. Cool guys bring their own portable cool guy leaning-walls.]

It's real enough, unless you want to be the one to test that theory. [definitely_not_foreshadowing.txt] What are you doing wandering around on your own, anyway? I don't see a weapon on you.

[not that he cares or anything..........]

[obsessiveness]

[ cool guy, his ass... what is this chuuni ass shit he's parading around with? because izumi's like, cringing inside. outwardly he makes no reaction, because he doesn't get the appeal. he himself is Too Cool for that. ]

I'm not wandering, I'm just trying to figure this place out on my own. [ crosses his arms in a huff ] Well, I wasn't exactly alone. Me and a friend had to deal with some weird shadow things, then after that we decided to split up and meet again later. But it's not like I chose to be here without a weapon, you know.

[ he wasn't trained for it, after all. ]

[psychokinesia]

[So... not only was he wandering, but after seeing the kinds of dangers this place posed he decided it'd be a bright idea to split up. Way to go, Izumi.

Add doesn't know him that well, but he does know that he's a friend of Leo's. It doesn't seem like to much of a stretch to guess that Leo is the friend he's talking about. Well, at least it's not like that idiot is any more useful... but is it really a good idea to be leaving Leo on his own? That can't be what happened, right? He probably left that idiot with someone.]

Doesn't matter if you chose it or not, why the hell would you go off on your own if you can't defend yourself? At least with two idiots, you... [ok maybe now isn't the time to be making another human bait joke] tch, never mind. Consider yourself lucky to have run into me while I'm in a good mood! At least half of this place is built from my memories, so you couldn't ask for a better tour guide, kukuku.

[yeah, the flesh tunnels are his fault, sorry not sorry.]

[obsessiveness]

[ well, they are two halves of a whole idiot so it's not surprising that he'll be connected to leo by people he barely knows in this world. ]

Ugh, so does that mean it's your fault we were brought in this place? I mean, it kinda matches the technobabble you were spitting out back when we were exchanging memories.

[ he completely forgot the details about that, though. all he knows is that add is a mad scientist kinda guy who makes things, so obviously this world's aesthetic would be traced back to him. ]

Whatever. The faster we can find Leo-kun, the better. Hate that you're being right for once, but he really can't do things without me sometimes.

[psychokinesia]

It's not my fault, I said it's only half from my memories! It's probably the other asshole's fault, whoever they are. Behemoth isn't exactly known for creating illusions or shadows or whatever you want to call them. That shit's got nothing to do with me. [but the tentacles and gross slime everywhere is his fault, definitely.

He should be glad that Izumi is agreeing with him... but it comes with confirmation that yes, Izumi did leave Leo on his own, and yes, he is actively looking for him again. And now this feels awkward. Add did run into Leo earlier, so theoretically it shouldn't be that hard to backtrack and find him again using Dynamo, but... what did they talk about? The details are fuzzy for some reason. All he remembers is that Leo hates him now.

So there's a bit of an awkward pause after Izumi declares their new goal. Should he say something, or...?]

... Right. Can't leave the idiot to fend for himself. We should start with this path, then.

[or... he can just not say anything, and pretend he hasn't seen Leo at all, and not go down that other path since he wouldn't know Leo was down that way earlier. Izumi isn't the worst company he could ask for. It's fine if he lets this drag on just a little longer, right?]

B

[theforgottenboy]

[Cole isn't exactly sure what he's found when he comes across the drone- he thinks it's almost shaped like a weapon, but he's not sure how you would hold it. Though it currently seems to have gotten wedged in a wall of tentacles, whether the wall formed as it was trying to pass through or it just wasn't looking where it was going.]

[But then it talks. It sounds strange, and what he can hear from it feels more like magic than a person. But that doesn't always mean much, especially in a Fade-like place like this.]

I'm Cole. Do you need help, Add?

[psychokinesia]

[The voice is relayed back to Add, somewhere else in the twisting tunnels. He's never met a Cole here before... but it's probably not a monster. That's better than nothing. It feels like it's been days since he's spoken to another human.]

Help? Hah, as if I'd need help! [well, that's a total lie, but more obviously—] Ah, but Dynamo appears to be restricted somehow... I can't see what's going on from here, but it doesn't appear to be serious. Help me with whatever that is and I'll consider offering you my assistance. Keke, how does that sound?

[He's mostly blowing hot air around because he doesn't want to admit he's alone and kind of freaked out right now, but the offer isn't completely empty. Being able to scout from long distances has done wonders for trying to map this place, so he has a pretty good idea of how to get around. Surely that's something other people would be interested in and want to keep him around for, right?]

[theforgottenboy]

[He's not entirely sure what Add is talking about, and what he can sense from them is even more faded than their voice. But of course he wants to help.]

Who is Dynamo? How can I help them?

[This thing must be Add, after all.]

[psychokinesia]

The machine you're looking at right now—that's Dynamo.

[The dynamo attempts to do a friendly little twirl, but it's more of a sad wiggle with it still being stuck in the wall. Dynamo is trying their best.]

It's probably stuck on something. The walls here are as much of a nuisance as ever... just pull it out of whatever it is and it should be fine.

[theforgottenboy]

[Machine? Like Turing?]

I thought you were Add.

[Either way, he gathers enough of the situation to reach up and pry Dynamo from the tentacle wall with a hefty tug.]

[psychokinesia]

Eh? Well, yeah, I'm Add. Didn't I say that already? [obviously?? what's this guy so confused about huh

There's a gross wet pop as Dynamo is finally freed of the wall of flesh. It beeps cheerfully—that might be its attempt at a "thank you"—before settling itself into a roughly eye-level hover. Whether Cole decides to pay attention to it or not, it's going to continue following him around from here on out.]

Status updated... yes, yes, good! That's a much better reading. There was a slight miscalculation in the danger zone... hmm, I'll have to consider a wider margin for error from now on. [... and Add is mostly just mumbling to himself through the channel now, but it's fine, he remembers Cole is there eventually.] Anyway! Current location isn't that far away. It'll be easier to navigate once we regroup, so just continue along this path for now. There shouldn't be too many obstacles. [probably, maybe]

wildcard lol

[rotomphone]

[ considering Raihan and Add had been in the same room when they suddenly fell unconscious, it only makes sense that they'd wake up together, right? unfortunately, the position they've found themselves in isn't remotely comfortable - Add's elbow is more or less jammed into Raihan's lower back, which is among the first thing he feels when he starts to regain consciousness. whatever knocked him out sure hadn't been kind about it! ]

What in the...

[ he meets a weighted resistance when he tries to move, still feeling groggy and heavy but eventually trying to turn and lift off whatever is on top of him. ]

[psychokinesia]

[Add is still feeling hazy when Raihan comes to. He was doing... something... when he suddenly collapsed. He's pretty sure it was important, but there's an odd familiarity in the humidity and the wind here that's making it difficult to focus on anything else. What is this place? He's been here before, hasn't he? The ceiling does look kind of familiar, but...

A moment later, he's flipped off of his comfortable Raihan-shaped cushion and lands face-down on part of the wet, slimy, squishy floor.]

Ptthhhbbbbpphhhffftt!

[Now he's awake.

Add flails uselessly on the ground, trying to wipe the questionable fluids off his face with hands that have now also, unfortunately, been touched with the gross substance that coats the floor. He's having a bad time.

There's also the small matter of Dynamo, Add's drones. For reasons currently unknown, they've suddenly decided to start working again. Add has not realized this yet. This is a problem because, being telepathically linked to Add's mind, the dynamos are now also flailing around uselessly, except they can also fly and shoot electricity. So basically there's a swarm of six angry shoe-sized machines buzzing in the air above Add, spitting sparks everywhere, and generally just being a health hazard.]

[rotomphone]

[ now that he thinks about it, the floor is disturbingly... squishy. pressing his hands into it to get the balance to get up has made him painfully aware of it, but he's momentarily distracted thanks to the weight that was on him now moving and making sounds. he's also struggling to remember what he was doing before passing out, but looking to the side to see who's with him instantly reminds him.

ah, yes. that motherfucker. what a tool.

what's more pressing, however, are the sparks that are coming out of those buzzing robots. Raihan quickly stands to move out of the way (carefully; he's still shaking the remnants of sleep away), spotting Duraludon lying on his side, still asleep. he quickly moves to his side to wake him up and set him upright, calling out to Add. ]

Oi, get those under control!

[psychokinesia]

[Add is still kind of freaking out, desperately trying to find a surface to clean himself on... eventually, he manages to get his fluffy coat off and wipe his face off on the inside of it. Ugh, this stuff better wash out later...!

But anyway, now he can focus on what's important, which is glaring over at Raihan. His dynamos finally settle down, clustering near Add's hunched shoulders as he wipes off his hands.]

Get what under control? [like, he should probably notice the robots... but he's still in a bit of a daze here. at least dynamo is chillin now.]

The hell is going on...? This isn't the apartment building, that's for damn sure. This kind of shit can't be normal...

[it better not be normal, but who fucking knows with this place, maybe the apartments decided to turn into a meat subway for the day]

[rotomphone]

[ Raihan's loose hoodie has gotten the brunt of the wetness, but he manages to carefully wipe whatever was on his face off with the inside of the hood itself. that's going to need a washing once they get out of here... wherever here is. ]

Those! The bots! [ but it looks like they're relaxing now, and he does the same in turn. ] They're cool-looking, but try to keep those sparks to a minimum, yeah?

[ he wipes some of the stickiness off of Duraludon's side, looking around to try and get his bearings. talk about bleak - besides the obvious unsettling fleshiness, it's as if there's a haze of darkness over the area. ]

No kidding. We must've gotten knocked out or something. [ he glances over to Add; it doesn't look like either of them are hurt. ] Weird place to get kidnapped to, though...

A-1

[koopacrusher]

Shortly before Bowser sees Add, the horn sounds, and nothing happens as far as Bowser can see. However, unbeknownst to him, his red eyes have become slightly oranger, and emit a faint glow. Then, he sees someone, asking if he’s real.

“What are you talking about? Of course I’m real.”