tabularasa_rp | 004 - Lucid Dreaming

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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code bases by tricklet

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ A: you broke your 01010000 01010010 01001111 01001101 01001001 01010011 01000101 (Locked to Legion) ]

[ They were in the apartment again. Everything was in place like they remembered, and the haphazard graffiti paint wasn't there to mar one of the last places they had felt truly safe. They were bathed in the moonlight that streamed through the balcony windows. It was just like--

Their thought was interrupted by a frazzled Hayden coming into the room.

This couldn't be happening. They knew it couldn't, even if that was what they wanted. They so desperately wanted to be back with the people who were familiar and safe and kind.

That wasn't going to happen here. ]

Go now, Turing! They can't find you here, or it'll ruin everything we've worked for! No, I don't know what they want, but I'll come find you when it's safe. I promise.

[ No. ]

Don't go to the police and be careful who you talk to, and remember what I taught you. Take care of yourself... I'll see you soon buddy, okay?

[ No! ]

Now go! Out the window! Out the window!

[ NO!

Turing bolted after Hayden after he disappeared from the room. They wouldn't run away. They would protect him this time! ]

Wait! Hayden, don't go! Please!

[ B: 01000001 01001100 01001111 01001110 01000101 ]

[ It wasn't only easy to mistake the shadows for people. They wanted to believe that these were the people they knew. It wasn't logical in the slightest, but feelings often weren't, and submitting to those feelings seemed so much kinder than accepting cold facts.

Alys, TOMCAT, Hayden--everyone was there, even the friends they had managed to make in the void. Alys greeted them with open arms for a hug, and they would have even jumped into those arms if they hadn't seen that orange gleam immediately beforehand. This wasn't right. These shambling forms only looked the part, and they would offer none of the companionship they wanted.

Turing struck back as the shadow of Alys threatened to take hold of them, and the force of their blow was probably more powerful than anyone might expect from a cute little robot. ]

Don't you dare steal their faces!!

[ C: 01011001 01001001 01000101 01001100 01000100 ]

[ When they saw the lava approaching, Turing simply stared impassively. Thankfully it was a good distance away, so they weren't in any immediate danger, but it was still a good idea to run to safety. Physical safety, at least. No matter where they went, the emotional damage had already been done.

It hurt. It hurt so much. That nightmare and the illusions had picked and scratched at their emotional wounds until they bled all over again, before they had even had the chance to properly scab over. Before, they had easily recognized that shutting off emotion modules here and there wouldn't be very healthy at all. Now, they weren't so sure, and the temptation to make it all just stop was strong.

Slowly, they turned around and finally began walking away from the lava, but not quite as fast as they needed to. ]

[ D: Wildcard ]

[ If there's something you're interested in threading out with Turing, go for it! sibilative on plurk if you want to discuss stuff first. ]

Edited 2020-10-17 19:27 (UTC)

(This location can simulate many things, they've found.

But a whole scene? That they hadn't come across yet. Not that they're thinking about the novelty of suddenly being in an apartment when they rush into the area, following the sound of a very distressed and very familiar voice.)

Turing!

(They shout, pinging the smaller robot over the network as they run after them.)

[ The ping was left ignored. It was impolite, but Turing was not particularly concerned with decorum at the moment.

They could still hear the banging on the door. As long as that they could hear that, Hayden would be fine. Hayden would live! However, Turing heard the door give way with a sickening crunch just after that thought, as if the nightmare knew just how to respond. There was no time! Hayden spotted them trying to close the distance and shouted something, but those words might as well have been incomprehensible static for all the attention Turing gave to them.

The assailants breaking in grabbed Hayden, and one revealed a gun. ]

No! Leave him alone, o-or else!!

[ They were so close! ]

(The lack of a ping only worries them more and they speed up, crossing the distance at a breakneck pace.

The widow is with them and once again fully functional-they unfold it as they go, pointing it at the goon with a gun as they come skidding to a stop.

Turing might remember the widow as the same gun in Legion's three hundred year old memory.)

Cease current action.

(They don't know what's going on here, but it is upsetting their ally.)

[ Turing whirled around at the sound of Legion's voice, and whether they liked it or not, when they saw that gun again that memory replayed in their mind with Hayden's likeness overlapping the ones who died that day. They were aware enough to recognize that as an intrusive thought. They really were, but knowing that did little to calm their nerves, and they froze in place.

An astute observer might notice that it was strange that neither Hayden nor the intruders seemed terribly surprised by Legion's presence in general, but the significance of that was very far from Turing's mind at the moment. Unfortunately, to that same kind of observer, a chance at a peaceful resolution was already long gone, even in this warped replication of what really happened that day. ]

Turing, you need to get out of here! Run!

[ Hayden began to struggle to free themselves from being restrained, but just like in Turing's memory, the intruders tightened their grip on him with annoyance rather than difficulty. ]

I'm not leaving without you! Not again!

[ They stumbled forward in a run, knowing it was a terrible idea, but their desperation won out in the end, even if it meant being caught by the phantoms from the video recording they had seen that day. One of them even moved to scoop Turing up at the same time, and that same arm was met with the most ferocious blow Turing had ever landed on anyone. Worse still, the barrel of that gun was fixed on the back of Hayden's head with a finger already squeezing the trigger. ]

(They know nothing of this individual, other than that he is important to Turing. They are also aware this is a dream.

Their thoughts are fast: they see the shift in the hand as the trigger begins to squeeze and fire their own gun. They know it is probably futile: their mind might be fast but their body is under the same time constraints as an organic one. They are unlikely to kill this individual fast enough to save Hayden. But they make the attempt all the same. If nothing else, killing one goon makes for less going after Turing.)

[ the lava is certainly no joke, and it's got Raihan making a beeline for the next tunnel opening. its thankfully slow pace means that he doesn't have to use Flygon to avoid it just yet, but he's got Goodra running with him, having her use Surf to summon up waves and cool the dangerous substance before anyone else can get hurt by it.

it's unfortunate that he turns a corner at the end of his tunnel to not only see more lava, but also Turing moving at a sluggish pace. the robot doesn't look like they're hurt, but the fact that they aren't more alert is... alarming, to say the least. ]

Turing!

[ the dragon tamer and his partner run closer, with Raihan kneeling down to them while Goodra summons another wave to harden the lava. the wider tunnel means that she has to put in a lot more effort - they aren't out of the woods yet. ]

What's got you moving like that? It's not safe in here!

[ They couldn't manage to greet Raihan properly, let alone look him in the eye, though at least part of that was because they were distracted by poor Goodra having to try so much harder to protect them from the lava. Even now, they were always the one being protected. If they didn't move now, maybe it would lead to even more people (and Pokemon) being hurt, and that would end up being their fault too.

With that in mind they could finally address Raihan properly. ]

I... I'm not ready to talk about it. Either way, that should wait until we're no longer in danger, yes?

[ Their voice was quiet and lacked much of its usual energy, but they still couldn't bring themselves to lie about what they were feeling. ]

[ as much as Turing may need protection, Raihan hardly minds - it's his job to be a protector. though he may not have a Vault and its treasures to stand guard for in this world, that instinct doesn't just go away. when you're strong, it's your responsibility to use that strength to keep the peace and make sure those that may not have that strength are kept safe.

with Goodra taking care of the imminent danger, Raihan has the peace of mind to kneel down to Turing's level to look them in the eye. he's not looking for answers; he just wants them to know that he's here to help. ]

No worries. [ he smiles understandingly; that's the last he'll ask about it until Turing is ready. ] My friend's doing her best to buy us some time. As for me, if you don't feel like picking up your feet..

[ he turns his back towards them, giving them ample footing to climb up his back and on his shoulders, if they'd like. he turns his neck to look at them with a bright grin. ] I'll pick 'em up for you!

[ Raihan was...so nice. A little kindness and understanding went a long way, especially when it felt like anything and everything was going wrong. To be honest, if Turing could cry, they probably would have started right then and there. Instead they allowed themselves to smile just a little in response to Raihan's grin, though it by no means erased the emotional pain they were experiencing. ]

Thank you...

[ They still didn't have a whole lot of life experience, but even from their own point of view 'thank you' sounded better than 'sorry' in this particular case, even if the words had come out a bit shyly in practice.

It was also not the first time someone had offered their shoulders to Turing, so it seemed only natural to do the same here. ]

[ in a place where literally no one has any idea of what's going on, something as simple as kindness can mean a lot! that goes no only for the void at large, but this strange underground area, too. if Raihan can be the difference made in helping someone, he'll gladly step up. ]

Don't mention it. [ he gives them a thumbs up, hoping to ease their worries before hoisting them up onto his shoulders. from here, Turing can see the waves of Goodra's Surf ebbing away, cooling the approaching lava. she turns to the new friend that her Trainer seems to have made, walking over to give them a gooey pat on the leg to reassure them. ]

Nice job, Goodra! That should hold for a little while, at least. [ he nods to her, ushering the way for the three of them to take the nearest detour to another tunnel. he tilts his head up to address Turing: ] You didn't see anyone else back there, right?

[ Like with Raihan, they couldn't muster a particularly jovial response when Goodra came over to comfort them, but that didn't mean their feelings were the same. The gooey part was immaterial; it was the gesture itself that counted. Of course, a proper expression of gratitude would have to come later, but for now a little smile for her would have to do for now. ]

No...but it's possible I didn't see them.

[ What if someone was back there and needed help? Would it be their fault for not noticing?

No, no more! ]

It's difficult with all the residual heat from the lava, but I'll try to search for anyone nearby with my thermal sensors.

If we haven't seen them, we'd probably hear them by this point...

[ unless they were as disoriented as Turing, which would definitely be bad... but he keeps that worry to himself. sending Flygon on a scout would definitely be a good idea; for now, though, he trusts Turing to lend a hand. ]

Give it a shot! If there's anyone else, we'll swoop in for a daring rescue!

Okay! Here goes...!

[ Having something else to focus on was certainly welcomed at this point. Their scan didn't reveal any human shaped figures in the immediate vicinity, but it was at that moment that Turing realized something critical. Synthetic lifeforms, like Legion, wouldn't show up on their scans at all. They sent a ping to Legion through the machine network in a panic, and let out the sound of a sigh when their fears were proven wrong. ]

I can't find anyone else. I hope they have all fled to a safer position...

Turing | 2064: Read Only Memories | Mostly OTA

A

cw for guns and murder from here

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