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

p5 vanilla spoilers

[simulatio]

[Some may already be familiar with the Black Mask from glimpsing the past through Akechi's eyes. He stalks with a deliberate calm through the fleshy walls of Mementos-that's-not-Mementos, visage obscured by a black knight's helmet, clawed boots digging into the soft floor. Everything about the Black Mask is sharp and jagged, from pointed claws of his gauntlets to the curved horns on his helmet, as if to ward anyone away from getting too close.

Elsewhere, one might find another Goro Akechi in his school uniform. There's an odd glint of yellow to his eyes, his smiles coming too easily to his face. The walking nightmare likes nothing more than to gain someone's trust, get close to them, and then try to hurt. This is Akechi's nightmare given form, the cognitive version of him that had killed him. Encounters with him are best avoided for one's own safety.]

A. Radiant Plague

Oh, fuck off!

[It might be a little surprising to hear the normally-polite Akechi swearing, but rounding a corner reveals just why, exactly: it appears he's been backed into a corner by a mob of orange-eyed girls reaching for him. Some have notebooks and pens as if asking for autographs, some are holding baked goods, still others have their phones out to record the scene.

Just as they approach close enough to touch him, Akechi seems to finally snap. Instead of drawing his sword, a hand goes to his face to rip off his mask, back arching at an almost impossible angle as a harsh scream tears from his lungs.]

Loki!!

[A flash of blinding white light and the roar of an explosion fill the cavern. The creatures scream with one voice as they're simply erased from existence, leaving only Akechi behind. He calmly replaces his mask, and the intangible black and white figure behind him vanishes once again.]

B. Cognitive Dissonance (cw: blood, dismemberment, descriptions of character death and torture)

[Further down, deep in the pulsing caverns, one could step into a horrifying sight. Corpses line the hallway, all sharing the same face of a boy in the black blazer and plaid pants of Shujin Academy. The body of Ren Amamiya lays sprawled out on the floor, shocked eyes staring unseeing at the ceiling. Blood still oozes from a bullet wound in his forehead, and its best not to look too closely at what might be splattered across the floor behind his corpse.

Not far away lies another corpse, Ren once again, his body ripped open by a jagged blade. Watch your step: that's an arm in the middle of the path, though in the mess of blood and gore and a dozen other corpses, it's difficult to tell just which body of Ren Amamiya it could have come from.

In the center of the room stand two boys in school uniforms, one in the same plaid-and-black as the corpses on the floor, fluffy hair and glasses marking Ren Amamiya, and the other, contrasting in a brown uniform, the proper image of Goro Akechi. Neither seem to notice your entry at first; Akechi's hand is cupping Ren's chin in a gentle gesture, and his eyes are only on him. Ren's eyes are closed, leaning into the touch, but Akechi's are open, analytical. His other hand comes up as if to stroke Ren's hair.

In one quick motion, he snaps the other boy's neck.]

C. Wildcard!

[Want to do something else, or did we discuss something elsewhere? Please use this space! Cognitive Akechi will be roaming around just like actual Akechi. Feel free to hit me up @jaderhade for ideas or plotting, or even just to ask for clarification on wtf is happening here lol]

akechi dies at the end (closed to ren)

[simulatio]

You're still wearing that?

[They'd parted ways for a while, each exploring on their own with the agreement to meet back up. Akechi's a little early as he rejoins Ren, taking in his Phantom Thief outfit and shaking his head with a quiet huff. He, on the other hand, is wearing nothing but his school uniform.

He rests a gloved hand on his hip and flicks the other as if to preemptively dismiss a stupid question.]

Why on Earth don't you change back when there isn't a threat?

all tears and spoilers from here on down

[forethinking]

(Joker wasn't expecting Akechi back to their meeting floor so soon, so having that surprise had him jumping - but just a little.

He doesn't have an answer. Maybe he is just basking in the fact that he can for now after who knows how long of feeling restricted. Maybe he just forgot. Maybe both.

At the end, giving it a rest won't hurt. Ren returns to his daily form after some very brief consideration, v-neck and jeans instead of his gentleman thief attire.)

Better?

[simulatio]

Much.

[He tilts his head with a bit of a smirk as he glances over him once again, then nods in approval and tilts his head back the way he'd come.]

Come on, I've found the stairs to the next floor down. You're not getting too tired to press on, are you, Joker?

B (Oh boy here we go, also SO many P5R spoilers)

[feale]

[ It's a moment of sickness like she hasn't felt since watching her sister die right in front of her, a horrible twisting in her gut that has her in tears and alight with rage at the same time. She wants to be sick, but there's no time for that; right now, she needs to find the person responsible for the bullet hole in Senpai's head—

As if she doesn't already know who it is.

The second corpse should make her feel better, torn apart as it is by the jagged edge of a sword, but doesn't. Should, because for there to be two rather than one means that they're just cognitive versions of Ren, and not the real thing. Doesn't, because the jagged cuts only reinforce her knowledge. Is this what Akechi truly wants, even now?

Violet sprints along the tracks, rapier in one hand and mask in the other, Ella following closely behind, wreathed in blue fire. Blood splashes thickly over the dark of her boots, and more than once she nearly trips over a dismembered body part. Every corpse makes her sicker, angrier, more afraid all at once, until she sprints through a doorway into the room where they stand together amongst the corpses, Joker and Crow - no, Ren Amamiya and Goro Akechi.

In the amount of time it takes for Violet's lips to part, her voice dies in her throat.

And in the amount of time it takes for her to process the image in front of her, Akechi snaps the cognitive Ren's neck. ]

Stop!

[ The word is a shriek in her mouth, feet slipping in the gore as she rushes across the room, too late to save him from whatever mess Akechi's creating in the dreamscape. Her red eyes are wide, filled with tears and anger both, and Ella's flames swirl behind her, whispers of fury reaching into her soul. ]

What are you doing?!

[simulatio]

[The shriek doesn't faze Akechi at all as Ren's corpse crumples to the ground with a sickening thud that seems to echo through the cavern in spite of how the fleshy walls should absorb sound. Only then does he twist his neck to look at her, almost as quickly as he'd snapped Ren's neck. His eyes glimmer with a sickly orange-yellow light swimming in their russet depths, subtle enough to be missed at a distance.]

Yoshizawa-san, [he greets with all the false cheer he might have greeted her with a year ago, as if they'd merely bumped into each other at the train station.] You're too late, I'm afraid. I seem to be fresh out of victims.

[feale]

[ Out of victims? Could it be that even after all this time, he still thinks of Ren the same way he did before? He may not be from the same point in time that she is, but even back then, they were working together; he was channeling his chaos for the same goals as them. And when she met him here, he seemed content with the knowledge that the group - that Ren - had followed through with their plan to fight Dr. Maruki, despite knowing what it meant for him.

Has something changed?

Violet should hear the click of her heeled boots against the floor as she crosses to him, still holding her mask and rapier; instead she hears the squelch of the blood under her shoes, a noise that turns her stomach with revulsion. ]

Answer me. What are you—

[ But as she draws close enough, she recognizes the light in his eyes, and the revulsion in her stomach rolls into something more like fear. ]

Ella! [ It's a desperate shout, one made without hesitation, and the white pillars of Violet's Kougaon cast spiral into the figure in front of her. In the same moment, she lunges forward with her rapier, ready to follow the attack. ]

A

[koopacrusher]

[Bowser stands in awe, having seen someone destroy so many shadows so quickly. He’s spoken with the person before, but with the Black Mask and the power he’s just demonstrated, he doesn’t recognize him.]

Who’re you?

[simulatio]

[Akechi turns, and- oh. The turtle. No, Koopa. It's hard to see beneath his mask, but he smirks. There's something refreshing about getting to show the people here the true extent of his power, when he'd been hiding as the polite Detective Prince for so long.]

Akechi, [he supplies, after a moment of weighing whether or not he should bother with his codename.] But I'd prefer you call me "Crow" for the time being.

[He flexes one clawed-gauntleted hand, stretching his fingers before resting his hand on his hip.]

May I assume your powers have returned as well?

[koopacrusher]

[Who Akechi is doesn't click until he mentions Bowser's powers.] Yeah. I've got my powers. He holds up his hand and creates a ring of small fireballs around it, before dispelling them. It may not be his strongest or most commonly used ability, but a simple spell is easiest to demonstrate.

You said you were good with a sword. You didn't mention whatever that was. [Bowser isn't even entirely sure what exactly he saw.]

UNLOCKED BONUS DLC: Loki

[simulatio]

A. (closed to Ren, Ann, and Yoshizawa)

[One moment, the corpse of Goro Akechi lies still and peaceful on the fleshy, bloody floor. The next, dark red flames wreathe his body like a second Awakening, though they don't burn anyone foolish enough to stay close.

When the flames clear, the boy sits up, cracks his neck and stretches.]

Well, [he says in a voice like Akechi's, though his voice is deeper than usual, a low, buttery purr.] Isn't this interesting?

[He smiles, revealing jagged, pointed teeth and licks the point of one with a too-long tongue as he appraises those around him.]

B. open

[The boy was once human. The body, that is, not the being currently inhabiting it. Goro Akechi had once been conventionally handsome and reasonably intelligent, but in spite of his powers, he was weak in the way that all mortals are. Weak to death.

His Persona, on the other hand, suffered no such weakness. When Akechi had died and left his body vacant, somehow, Loki had remained behind instead of returning to the sea of the human collective unconscious.

Still, Loki likes the boy well enough. He keeps Akechi's face intact, though long, curved horns curl back from his forehead, and he smiles with pointed teeth. His skin is dizzying to behold, black and white stripes blending together across his skin like an optical illusion.

He is actively seeking trouble. Shadowy figures and zombie-like wanderers are no match for the red-hot blade he grips with a pair of pliers in lieu of a hilt, a blade as long as his slender human boy is tall. If cutting his way out of the maze is impossible, then at the very least he can try to have some fun while he's here. Unbound and unchained, save to this human body, Loki can create whatever chaos and destruction he likes, sow the seeds of dissent wherever he can. Just for fun.

A too-long tongue licks pointed teeth as he grins. Oh yes. It will be fun to play this game, indeed.]

A

[forethinking]

(Ren is no longer Joker as for now. Instead of the elegance and glamour of the thief, one can see the boy in his v-neck outfit, drenched in blood that, by now, seems to have dried out.

Well, honestly, he looks like shit. All injuries have already been healed, but the evidence of sadness can still be seen - his nose is still red, and his expression won't soften even behind the glasses he wears.

In front of him, there are two girls - Ann and Yoshizawa, and he's listening to their takes on what to do with the body, what could possibly happen, does this mean death has returned, what implications this might have - it's a dream, after all, isn't it?

Their strategy meeting breaks when Ren hears the familiar voice and his eyes nearly triple in size when he turns around to catch a glimpse of the teeth.

What?)

[feale]

[ Unlike Ren, Violet remains in full costume. With the continually-changing nature of the Void-twisted Mementos, she feels more comfortable remaining like this; plus, with her senpai tangled in his own emotions as he is, he's probably not in fighting form if something does go wrong for them.

But even like this, she doesn't find she has much to contribute to the conversation. She doesn't know the Void like they do, didn't even realize until one of them said something that until now, no one has died in this place. Plus, there's still a strange echo of images in her head: Akechi, with his glowing eyes and his pile of cognitive Ren corpses. The gentle way he held the cognition before snapping its neck. And now the pain written all over Senpai's face, the way he was holding the body of their comrade in his lap so gently...

He told her he was seeing someone.

In any other circumstance, she'd probably be able to muster up the energy to at least pretend to be surprised. (When really, she's not. There's something about the whole thing that makes a twisted sort of sense.) But as it is, she can only watch the situation from eyes rimmed red with tears and tiredness. Ren's pain...

...is replaced by shock at the sound of the familiar voice, and Violet turns too, her eyes widening. ]

A-Akechi-san?

[ No. ]

Loki?

b

[forethinking]

(After the shock, comes a whole new batch of questions - why Loki? Where's Akechi? What does Loki intent to do now that he is unchained in chaos itself?

Maybe Ren can be forgiven if he follows the other. It is, after all, the God of trickery and chaos that inhabits Akechi's very soul. If Akechi returns to himself, whatever the God decides to do will easily be blamed on him entirely and it would take much explaining to undo whatever damage inflicted upon him, if that explaining amounts to anything. Akechi's worked hard to conceal Loki from the general eye, after all.

So, here he is. The dark outfit helps him blend with the shadows, soundless steps allowing him to move when Loki leaves his sight.)

[simulatio]

[Loki knows he's being followed. Of course he is. Who wouldn't want to follow behind him, bask in his greatness? He rounds a fleshy corner, and vanishes with a blaze of red light.

He reappears behind Ren, gently draping his arms around the other boy's shoulders.]

Trickster, [he purrs, his long tongue caressing the shell of Ren's ear.]

B is for blue is unmitigated disaster part 3

[halloflamer]

Uhhhhhhhh

[A voice comes from behind Loki, eyes half-squinted as if trying to discern.... something.]

[Mercifully, Blue Oak has found Loki at a moment where he is not actively ripping anything to shreds. Apparently, that's not needed. Blue looks him up, and down, taking in the horns, the stripes.... and then his mouth likewise does a twist to the left, and to the right. And, against all odds, even with that moment to reconsider his words, they still come slowly tumbled out, like he's unsure of his eyes, but never his mouth.]

I know I was encouraging you to like, embrace your inner bossy bottom and everything, but this is a lot.

[simulatio]

[Loki turns, and his eyes glimmer with a hungry light that Akechi's never have. His gaze sweeps him up and down, and when he opens his mouth, a too-long tongue grazes pointed teeth.]

Blue Oak, [he greets, his voice lower than Akechi's, deeper, yet still unmistakably his. He approaches, intending to circle around him for a better look.] So full of helpful advice for my boy. Perhaps I should thank you.

B. Side-quest; Goddess Summon Obtained.

[obscurus_phantasma]

Melinoë has not felt this exhilarated since October of last year, when she was beginning to see herself less as Dulcinea, the human shell, and more as the powerful deity she’d been since Time Began. In this nightmarescape, she’s been indulging in having that power restored, from constructing havens to drawing forth armies to fend off the creatures that wish ill on the others. And she’s relished having her body back, a form not seen in years. Merlin was gracious enough to pepper her gown with real flowers, their species both known and strange, their fragrance whatever the company prefers.

There comes a moment wherein something seems to pull at the Goddess, singing in a way that differs from the elusive train, and it draws her up, a halt so severe that the ghost she’s been keeping company with drifts through Mel. When it phases itself to face her, curiosity plain, her features adopt a smile that most would consider feral and she explains, "There is yet another, my darling."

With nothing more than a fluttering of fingers, Mel beckons the ethereal companion forward while she seeks out the source of the deliciousness. It feels as familiar as Viridi, as Set, but not so much as someone from her own pantheon would.

"Come out, come out wherever you aarree," she murmurs, sing-song tone haunting.

[simulatio]

It's the smell Loki notices, more than anything. The smell of flowers, some humans had ascribed to him, centuries ago. Mistletoe and mullein, among others, drawing him closer out of curiosity. And he senses something, a presence not unlike his own, a presence somehow familiar.

Ah, and then he's being summoned. He steps around the corner of a flesh-covered corridor on gold-hooved feet, a wide smile revealing long, pointed teeth and a longer tongue.

"You called?" he purrs, and while he might have kept Akechi's face, his tone is deeper and lower than any teenager's has any right to be. He bows expansively, red-clawed hands extended at either side. His sword is nowhere to be seen, for the moment.

B

[menaretrash]

[ It's not really that Ann wants to stalk Loki around. More or less, she's concerned -- that's Akechi's body he's in, and she does not want him tampering with it more than he already has. It's not so much Loki screwing with it than... other people, honestly. She doesn't know what's going to happen here -- will injuries carry over when they all awaken? Will it be Loki waking up instead of Akechi? There's a whole lot of uncertainty right now, and Ann's not taking any chances.

It's not just Akechi's body she doesn't want taking on damage, either -- she doesn't want other people getting onto scuffles with him. She's not stupid, she's seen Loki in battle before, and that was with Akechi still around to sort of control him. Without Akechi there to say yay or nay, things are a little different.

She knows that he probably knows that she's following him, yes. At least she's being smart and trying to keep her distance, not wanting to provoke the Trickster God and have his ire directed at her.

That's still not going to stop her from keeping tabs on him, though. Sorry, not sorry, Lokechi. Please don't do anything too destructive... ]

[simulatio]

[The Phantom Thieves really are all about doing things for others, aren't they? The false version of Loki's ward had accused them of such, and with every interaction he has with them, it only proves the fake's words truer than his self.

A single sweep of Lævateinn disintegrates an onslaught of zombies, and then there's silence. Far too much silence, actually, because if Ann ventures forward, she'll find that the Trickster God has seemingly vanished into thin air.

Only to rematerialize behind her and rest a single, clawed finger between her shoulder blades, flicking her once in an attempt to both startle her, and push her forward.]

B

[theforgottenboy]

[Cole isn't trying to go follow his senses right now. He's just moving, aimlessly, anywhere. At some point he sheathed his dagger to hold his blood soaked shoulder instead, the ache of the stab wound a loud distraction.]

[He doesn't completely register what he's sensing until he's almost on top of- is that... Akechi?]

[No. He remembers this feeling, from a different perspective. But it wasn't like this before. Something is missing.]

...Where is Akechi?

[simulatio]

Ah...

[It's almost a purr as Loki faces Cole, eyes glimmering with curiosity as he appraises the spirit. This, then, is the being that so unnerves his ward. Perhaps it's because he's roaming freely, or because the same power that had let his boy manifest him had also seen fit to restore Cole to his true form, but Loki can sense something about him that's not unlike the other beings swimming around the sea of souls.]

The helpful spirit, [he continues, moving forward effortlessly on hooved feet with the intent to circle around the spirit in the guise of a young man.] Have you come to offer me aid?

b

[abeautifulgame]

[most of the nightmares Damien has experienced in being here, the ones that belong to him, have revolved around the notion of being stalked with lethal intent by people he once cared about. it started with Aiden, and ends, or so he thinks, with Akechi, now. that's the only way the way he looks, now, more monster than boy, makes any sense to him]

[so very tired, emotionally, he closes his eyes briefly, mutters -- ] Fuck. [ -- before he brings up his gun, the gun Akechi let him borrow. he never wins these fights, not without help and there's not to be found here, but that doesn't mean he won't defend himself. little does he know, maybe he won't have to. or maybe he will. it's hard to tell]

[either way, hopefully this isn't too late]

[simulatio]

[Damien draws the gun his boy had lent him, and Loki laughs. How could such a pointless act of defiance be anything but amusing? Humans are so willing to lay down their lives for the pettiest reasons.

Loki simply grins at him, a flick of his wrist materializing the sword of Lævateinn. In this form, he's only a few inches taller than Akechi had been, and his clawed hands should be much too small to easily grip the pliers needed to safely carry the red-hot blade, but somehow, it works just fine.]

Do you miss my boy so badly that you desire to meet him yourself? [he purrs, flicking his long tongue through pointed teeth as if scenting the air. His eyes glimmer with amusement as he locks his gaze on the hacker. His phone would be infinitely more useful than the child's toy his ward had lent him, but either way: this man doesn't stand a chance against him. How could he, facing the manifestation of chaos itself?] You, the man who thinks you can claim ownership of my master.