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

"Gods are not meant to so casually interfere in the workings of the world." Viridi responds wisely through a mouthful of fruit. "It's just the way it's always been. You do a little nudge here, a little shake-up there, hope things turn out for the best!"

A faint pause.

"Up until now, you know. ...Seems like we all started to move at the same time. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut I think we're at a ceasefire for the time being."

"Oh? Though when you say 'started to move' I would hope that means not in a way that leaves destruction in your wake!"

He doesn't actually care, since clearly whatever the issue was is resolved (quite possibly by human intervention at that, if he knows his stuff) so that makes it rather a moot point.

"Nope! Tons of destruction. Alien invasion, otherworldly abomination, space pirates... It was a whole thing."

Viridi also doesn't seem to actually care about the destruction.

"The important thing is, I kicked Hades's butt and stopped his Underworld army from destroying the world. ...Me and my sidekicks."

Her sidekicks warrant a brief mention.

"I see."

Sounds kinda like a plot of a videogame to him, but considering some of the things he's seen and done, does he really have room to talk?

Well, that wouldn't stop him, really, but not everyone here would even know what a videogame is, and he doesn't feel like bothering to explain if so.

"A battle to go down in myth, I'm sure."

"Sure will. I'll be the star, naturally. It was only thanks to me that those other dolts were able to pull it off at all." She sighs in a long-suffering manner. "The things you do when you're the only one who's competent."

More grapes vanish down her gullet.

"...You know, you're very agreeable when you're not being a perv. Do you mostly just nod and smile to everything everyone else says?"

"Not at all!"

He's far more the sort to be up to some mischief. In fact, there's no guarantee he's not doing such right now, in his own way...

"But it's been some time since I've properly been able to do anything with dreams, so it's rather fun to see what people do, you know?"

He's enjoying the free entertainment, in other words.

"Hm."

She frowns slightly.

"Wait, what do you mean? What's your power here? I thought you made flowers grow."

"Well, yes, but dreams themselves are also something of my home turf, so to speak."

He can mess with them to his heart's delight, pretty much.

"Ugh, of course. Incubi! Spirits that traditionally seek to gratify their unnatural perversions with humans as they sleep and dream."

Viridi shakes her head.

"Then you ought to have more power over this domain than anyone else! Can't you tell what's causing this?"

"Something to do with a new addition to this world, I'd assume," he says with a vague gesture and a shrug. He hasn't cared enough to really look into it.

"It seems fairly harmless, though."

Well, to him, at least.

"Yeah, tell that to the human who almost got fried by lava. ...Not that I care much about humans." Viridi will not mention her own nightmares as - obviously - she is above such pitiful things as 'nightmares.' They clearly haven't bothered her at all, in the slightest, most definitely.

"You must be relieved, though. This is the first time anyone here's been 'asleep' at all, isn't it? I mean, I don't sleep, but the rest of you are supposed to."

"Well, it is a nightmare."

Outside of the immediate area under his influence, that is.

"Though, yes, it's the first time it's been possible for anyone to sleep or dream here."

Merlin's not remarking on whether or not he's relieved, though. He is, but good luck getting him to admit it!

"You just said it was harmless."

Viridi shakes her head slightly.

"I'll tell you what, it's not a normal dream. That is, I suspect you won't be too happy if you do get fried by lava. Dreams aren't my thing, but you don't need powers to tell something's off."

"A nightmare by its nature inspires fear. Including fears of pain and death. But all dreams are mutable, and only dreams in the end."

Well, perhaps they could leave psychological scars, but that's a whole other matter!

"And of course, like all things so far in this place, this too is... half-formed, so to speak. Probably combined with something else, as well. But as long as one doesn't permit the nightmare's machinations to get to them, it's harmless."

She arches an eyebrow.

"So don't get hurt by lava if you don't want to get hurt. Solid advice, thanks. ...Not that it matters to me."

Actually, she isn't even sure if she can die right now or not. No divine powers - but yes in a dream - but did that protect her from the dream itself?

"What do you mean, 'combined'?"

More like 'alter the dream so that lava is harmless, or cools off to a safe temperature, or suddenly you can fly so it doesn't matter' or such, but, well, Merlin can't be bothered to explain.

"Well, if you haven't noticed yet, most things that appear in this world seem to be a combination of multiple different things from other worlds. It's likely that this is following that same pattern."

"What? Why I would have known that?!"

Viridi splutters faintly.

"I haven't the slightest idea what you all have going on in your worlds. I thought you just had slightly inebriated architects." It is true that most of the landmarks had odd... contrasts. "So not content with rifling through our collective recollections, this void is just throwing them together haphazardly! Wow! I hate it. So much for my wish of getting my Reset Forests."

"Apparently."

It would probably be fascinating if it weren't so annoying at times.

"Well, you might get them after a fashion, but I doubt they'd be the same as what you're familiar with..."

"Ugh! I bet they'd fuse it with some sort of technological monstrosity just to spite me!"

A slight pause.

"...And now I've said it out loud, it's definitely going to happen. You know how some places have character? Spite. Spite is this place's character."

"Well, it might also never appear at all in the first place, you know!"

Then again, that's probably not the sort of thing that'd cheer her up to hear. Oh well.

"I mean, I'd rather that." She gives a sigh. "Once I have my full divine attributes, it won't be an issue. I can just terraform this place to my whims."

And won't they all be much happier then!

"Oh? Others here may not care for that, necessarily."

And given the variety of worlds people hail from, who knows what powers everyone has.

"There will be flowers everywhere. It will be the perfect world. Everyone will stop and say, 'Wow, Viridi! The splendor of your creation is a testament to your divine perfection!' Then you'll all bow down and vow to serve me until the rest of your days."

This seems plausible.

"Ah, but will it be perfect to those who prefer their cities and computers and such?"

Though there's plenty of precedent for humans rebelling against the gods, really. But it could still be... interesting to see first hand, should it come to it.

"They'll get over it when they behold the ~beauteous wonder of nature~"

A bluebird starts singing somewhere.

"Also don't be stupid of course I'll still keep the Internet around. What would I do with all my spare time if I don't have message boards?"

004 - Lucid Dreaming

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