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.

▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲
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?

back to top

code bases by tricklet

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

My guard's not lowered!

[ is what he says to sena's nagging, except not really. even when he doesn't know who the hell cole is, he's triggering leo.

.......

see, those are supposed to be lovely, gentle words... kind of, but they just make leo feel funny. bad...? no. uncomfortable? maybe. except, that's not right either... it's like something that leo feels he should want, while recognizing that it's unnecessary. and "maybe we can't be friends after all"? what does that mean? there's too many people he knew he couldn't be friends with, really, but he doesn't recall this unknown stranger in that group. this guy's weird--

realizing that his guard actually is lowered and adjusting his grip on his sword makes him conclude that he won't have much luck navigating this newcomer, so. ]

Ahhh... No, I don't need that! At least, maybe not from you? [ what the hell does that mean. but, now, his gaze is on izumi: ] What d'ya think, Sena? Is this real?

[ ha

ha ]

How should I know? You can see with your eyes, right? Of course everything here is real.

[ ...is it? izumi sounded so sure of himself just now, but even he has his doubts. they were too busy warding off these shadows by themselves that they hadn't realized that they were completely taken over by this strange world's influence. all that's missing now is the appropriate outfits they used to wear during those times to make this even more authentic.

he can't help but overhear cole's somber words, frowning. ]

It's impossible to make friends in a battlefield. If pure words like that actually worked, we could've stopped countless wars by now.

[ jesus ]

You probably have good intentions, but can't you see we're busy right now? If you're just going to get in our way, then--

[ izumi will have to take the first step, charging towards cole with his sword at the ready. he Will not hesitate. ]

[He can hear their uncertainties, and while he can chalk Leo's up to just processing what fragments of Cole he remembers before he forgets entirely, Izumi hasn't seen him before. And now Leo's questioning if this is real...]

[None of this place may be real, but whatever this place is doing to them definitely isn't how things should be. That's made especially clear when Izumi charges at him.]

[He leaps back, just barely dodging his first strike- and while he raises his blades in defense, he doesn't try to strike back.]

I'm not in your way, I'm trying to help! This isn't real. You're Leo's friend Sena- the one he thought was too kind to beat him with a whip.

[Maybe that sounds weird out of context, but look, everyone in this room is weird.]

Leo is kind too. Is this really what you want? I don't want to fight you.

[ okay.

there's still that something pulling leo back that he can't name, but sena's made his conclusion. and-- leo doesn't have the luxury of hesitating or questioning that. or, rather, he doesn't want to.

after all, he said he'd move for sena's sake. some of the things that cole said may be confusing, pulling at loose strands of recognition in leo's mind and ultimately missing them, but there's one thing that's clear and agreeable there.

cole is right that sena is kind. and that's all the reason leo needs to not be. ]

You heard what Sena said! If this is what he wants, it's what I want too. I'd say sorry for that, but you did get on stage, so...

[ cole should've just stayed home!!! ]

You're interesting, though! Running into wartime and yelling "stop, stop"! Wahahaha! If you do something like that, even if you're not the intended target of the gunfire, you should still expect to get hit. Are you brave? Are you an idiot? Don't tell me, I'll imagine it!

[ he can follow a lot of izumi's directions, but apparently not all of them. or, maybe? this isn't small talk? it's big talk! so it's fine.

oh yeah, also leo's going to move to attack cole now, his strikes complementing izumi's easily to attempt to get through cole's defenses. this part of it is simple, simple, simple. ]

Edited 2020-10-29 14:00 (UTC)

[ izumi startles at cole's words just now, face flushing. not because the phrasing is embarrassing, but because he'd heard those words before. he was there, after all. ]

H-How did you know that?! Did you get that memory from him?

[ because how else did it happen? luckily leo picks up the slack as izumi pulls away to collect his thoughts. something something about canaries singing, in a certain hall...

but they're no longer in that hall anymore. this is a special hellscape carved just for them, so of course all of this has to be real. they both deserve to be here, to be overwhelmed by their former comrades - because it's all izumi's fault.

before he can let his burden weigh down on him again, he spots a couple of shadows coming up to attack leo from behind, and he promptly hacks them down. right, it's his turn to pave a path for leo now. they absolutely can't go back to the past - but why is this place insistent on making them relive it over and over again? ]

[Cole doesn't like this at all.]

[His words may not have entirely gotten through to Izumi, but it did seem to distract him, which is good because while Cole may like to think he's a tank, he's just a rogue with a couple of knives, and right now? He's only on the defensive, dodging and parrying. He's not going to hurt Leo.]

Is he the one you were drowning with, Leo?

[He thinks it is, but Leo's not thinking in a way that makes it clear. Izumi's thoughts flow through him, though...]

You're not here because you deserve it, Sena! You're here because the shadows want you to feel what hurts you. You can't let it-

[One attempt to back away has him tripping over one of the shadows felled by their swords, and for a moment he's wide open.]

[ drowning?

who's drowning?

there's the stirring of an answer that rises up in leo's mind, an answer that stills his sword, but that's squashed before it can register when sena downs the two behind him.

right. right. ]

Whoops! You're always looking out for me when I come short, huh, Sena...?

[ let leo repay him for that.

while izumi may be hesitating now, leo can't. he'd resolved himself to being the sword cutting down anything that may stand in the way of his only, only friend, so when it's cole turn to stumble, leo can't.

to protect the things he really treasures,

he's gonna kill the part of himself that honestly, honestly regrets the sword getting run right through cole's shoulder. good that's not fatal, huh. as leo pulls the sword back-- ]

Stay down, okay?

[ that'd be a mercy for leo too, because somehow that aforementioned part of him that's been easier to quell in the past is struggling back. ]

[ izumi's eyes widen, watching the whole scene unfold as if in slow motion. cole's words echo in his mind repeatedly until he somehow comes to his senses, and the first thing he does is scream his name. ]

Leo-kun--!!

[ no.

"the shadows want you to feel what hurts you", the boy says. and all of a sudden izumi's back at the checkmate stage once more, watching leo slay their enemies with wonderful song and dance, the color rising in izumi's face as his mind tries to register those sweet words of affirmation the king had said to him just now.

this is a nightmare. right, this is what it is. and izumi's got to stop leo by grabbing his hand and forcefully pulling him off cole, his sword cutting in between them. he shoots cole a cold look - or at least it's supposed to be icy. ]

You understand, do you? Why you shouldn't step in like this.

[ he bows his head. ]

...Go.

[Cole isn't one to bite down on his pain, and Leo's thoughts leading up to the strike only make it worse. He cries out sharply as the blade pierces through him, barely catching himself on his other arm as he goes down fully. He scrabbles to get a better grip on his dagger and hold it up in defense, even if Leo backed off and Izumi moves between them. Familiar fear tries to rise up, urging him to run, but the attacks stopped.]

[It's harder to hear through the bright blooming of his own pain, but Izumi's thoughts seem clearer now. He wants Leo to stop. The cold look doesn't match with his intent.]

[He makes another wounded noise as he lifts that arm to sheath his dagger, though he keeps ahold of the second one as he climbs back to his feet, dark red gradually soaking into his shirt.]

[He still wants to help, but... part of him doesn't want to be here anymore, either. Maybe he shouldn't be, the pain and other feelings he doesn't like threatening to fill his head and overflow. Maybe Izumi can help him through this, now that he's come to his senses. It's fine if Leo forgot him, but-]

Don't forget what you nearly lost, Leo. You already decided you wouldn't live like that anymore... we both did.

[If in very different ways.]

[He turns and leaves.]

Edited 2020-10-31 04:34 (UTC)

[ ah, good. cole's leaving. there's a moment of clarity that hits with izumi's actions, cole's words and the look of his back. what did leo almost lose? why would he decide not to live like this, when this is honestly the best thing he's got?

we both did.

cole leaving feels terrible, even if leo should be relieved because it means he doesn't have to fight him specifically any more. but, leo just feels like shit. izumi's hand in his is warm, and that helps, but he still super, super, feels like shit.

ah, ]

... Ko?

[ that name pops into his mind for a moment, when it's too late for leo to follow. ]

Sena, what did I--

[ hahahahahaha

well, crap. ]

[ whew, that was close. izumi puts his sword down, watching the stranger's back as he walks away into the darkness. that was a pretty ominous thing to say... sure hope that wasn't a premonition for things to come.

for now, he turns to leo with a wary eye. ]

Hey, I'm just as lost as you are. Why does that guy know you so much while you can't even recognize, huh?

[ should he be jealous,

no, of course not. leo will always going to be at his beck and call, no matter what. even if that young man did nothing wrong.

hm. ]

...Whatever. Let's just keep going.

[ to the deep end. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

004 - Lucid Dreaming

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject