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.

▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲
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

Comments

[halloflamer]

[Arcanine's Intimidate procs just as he intends it to; after all the false 'people' they've come across so far in this dangerous place, Arcanine is a lot less willing to give the benefit of the doubt to anyone new than Blue is, more intent on keeping his master safe. But at this point, Blue is dying for some kind of contact and shared experience after wandering alone for what seems like ages. Well, he's not really alone anymore, now that his Pokémon can finally roam free with him again... But human contact was just different.]

[Blue's not so sure about that way out, and makes a sort of doubtful face at that, but he doesn't want to bring her down about it... Even still, he can't hide a bit of hopeful light in his own face, and relief, when she suggests sticking together.]

--Yeah, we'll help you out! [Arcanine makes a face, but Blue gives him a scolding look for it.] My friends've gotta be in here somewhere, so I'm sure we'll run across someone eventually. That is, assuming we're all still in this together, haha...

[Who knows if the void was even a part of this? If this was all just yet another new turn of madness.... There had never been any sense in what was happening to begin with, so Blue thinks he can hardly assume.] Are you looking for anyone in particular? There's... there's a guy named Red I'm looking for, he's my best friend. But I haven't seen him in a while, and I'm starting to get worried...

[anciently]

[ At the question, Aerith nods, grip on her rod loosening a little, for now. ]

Mm-hmm. I'm looking for Cloud, Tifa, and Zack, if you've met any of 'em. [ It's likely, considering how the void is a semi-close-knit community, even as their numbers grow a bit. ] But I haven't seen them yet...

[ Well, not beyond their shadowy versions, which she hardly counts. ]

I haven't run into anybody named Red yet, but I'll keep an eye out! What does he look like? And don't just say "red."

[ She cracks a little smile, hoping that a touch of levity in an otherwise heavy situation will help both of them. ]

[halloflamer]

--Wha!? You know Tifa-chan!?

[Surprise opens Blue's features up a lot from the guardedness he'd had to this point, and something like relief lights up his face. Oh, thank Arceus... That means this girl must be fine, right? And Cloud, that was the cute blondie she hung out with, right? (He totally assumed they were an item but, well, that was just his own nosiness, and he would never--)]

[--Wait a minute.]

Eh? Ah-- Zack.... You said Zack just now, right?? [The surprise, which had started to fade from his previous shock just seconds ago, returns to his face- but this time colored with a kind of bashful nervousness. He didn't know that guy had been an acquaintance of Tifa's, too...]

[...He's sort of hoping Zack hasn't mentioned their meeting to either Tifa, or the girl before him.]

........U-um anyway, [Maybe he can just distract from all of that. Let's talk about Red, instead! Oh, this is awkward-] Sheesh, well he does always wear a red baseball cap... But also, he's got a Pokémon with him that's-- a Pokémon is like a creature, like Arcanine here-- it's a yellow rodent, about this big. [Blue holds his hands out, a little over a foot.] His name is Pikachu.

Also, Red doesn't talk very much, he's pretty quiet, so... If you ran into him, you probably didn't get much conversation outta him. But I guess that's sort of unique in itself, right? [Blue gives a sheepish grin, though it's already fading.] ...You haven't seen anyone like that yet, though, have you?

[anciently]

[ ...Interesting. Aerith tilts her head sideways, curiously, and a little smile blooms in spite of the situation. ]

Hm? Yeah, sure do! Zack's my boyfriend, and Tifa and Cloud were my friends back home. [ Her expression warms, and she links her arms behind her back. ] Everybody here knows Tifa, though, because of Heavenly Blanc! And just because she's an amazing person.

[ Cloud and Zack are also great, but Aerith happens to be Tifa's #1 Hype Girl, so. ]

Oh, I know about Pokémon! A little bit, anyway. I've met Lance once or twice, and Raihan, too. He really helped fill me in. [ She turns her smile to Arcanine, sighing wistfully. ] WIsh I had some of my own. It must be nice to have a partner like that by your side all the time.

[ The summons of their world are certainly not so warm and fuzzy, that's for sure. ]

Okay! Good to know. I haven't seen anybody like that, but I'm sure I'll run into him sooner or later. It's just a matter of time! [ Aerith gives Blue a confident thumbs-up, planting her free hand on her hip. ] So, should we go looking in the meantime? I'd be happy to help!

[halloflamer]

[B-b-boyfriend!?]

[........That Zack's got a lot of explaining to do. Blue chews back his shock, instead choosing to focus on Tifa because... Aerith's right! She's great and amazing unlike certain flirty swordsmen!!] O-oh yeah, well after all, I help tend at the bar! After all, Tifa-chan decided to start dabbling in the restaurant biz, so I stepped up to help since I'm always there anyway, haha...

[He rubs the back of his head. Oh boy. Oh boy oh boy. Well, at least she's met the dragon nerds, so he shouldn't have to explain much else.] Oh, you met those guys already, huh? Well, Lance is an old pal of mine, we go way back to when I was a kid..... That Raihan guy's pretty okay too. I'm sure you'd be a great trainer, though, [He offers a cheerful grin, and ruffles Arcanine's mane. The canine Pokémon seems to have calmed in his wariness of Aerith ...particularly, or at least partially, in tandem to when Blue had begun sputtering. Now he seems somehow knowing. Curious.]

[Blue almost seems to hesitate at the offer of Aerith's help, but in the end, he'd much rather not be alone. With a brief grasp of Arcanine's fur he turns back to her and smiles, offering a nod.] Yeah, let's... take a look around, huh? Maybe we'll find Tifa-chan and those guys, too.

[anciently]

That's why you looked a little familiar! I'm sometimes in there, myself. [ In spite of the situation, Aerith smiles, fond. ] It's a great place, isn't it?

[ The compliment about her as a trainer makes her perk up, and she turns her smile to Arcanine again and back to Blue. ]

You think so? I'd love to have the chance. Maybe one day. [ If their worlds ever collide more than they already have...or, if Pokémon without trainers appear in the void. ] Oh! Well...I do have Mireille, but Lance told me she's not quite a Pokémon. She's more one of the hybrids that live here. Still, though!

[ Her rabbit-Pidgey is beloved to her all the same. ]

Let's go! We're sure to find one of them before long. [ With that, Aerith makes a point of stepping forward and starting to walk down the tunnels, even though she still has a prickle of apprehension toward the trainer and his partner (one, unbeknownst to her, brought on by the tunnels' influence). ]

Have you ever been to the church? The one around town with the café in it?

[halloflamer]

Ahh, Ren-chan and I take shifts, so... [Blue laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.] I guess... especially if you're more of a coffee and tea kind of girl, you're more likely to come in when he's there, huh? [Which, let's be real, he's assuming- from a dainty looking girl like her. But then again, Tifa was a lot tougher than she looked, too...]

[In Blue's opinion, the weird Pidgey in this place might as well be Pokémon- closer to them than to the other weird monsters around here, but then he wasn't sure some of them didn't count, either. A lot of them seemed pretty intelligent in their own rights, even if they didn't quite seem to understand people...]

[He pauses in his thoughts a moment to answer her as she goes skipping down the hallway; the both of them trying to ignore the pulsing veins in the walls beside them.] Church...? You mean that cake place, right? Sheesh, Red kept trying to drag me there, that guy's got a real sweet tooth....

Um. About your Mireille-chan- she look like a bird but with furry legs? [He has the hunch, anyway, mentioning hybrids.] She's a kind of Pokémon called a Pidgey. I figure this place must have a weird regional form of it or something.... Anyway, I have a Pidgeot, the evolved form... So, if you ever wanted to try training her, he might be able to help teach her a few things. [If he behaved himself, that is...]

[anciently]

Coffee and tea's all right, but I wouldn't say that's usually why I'm there. [ As Blue suspects, Aerith isn't all that she appears. She offers another enigmatic smile, though, as they walk and talk. ]

That's the one! The church part of it is one of my favorite places back home. Not sure about the cake shop, though... Nobody has claimed it, as far as I know!

[ She manages it all the same, though, in case that person ever steps forward (or, returns, if they'd gone back home somehow). ]

That's her! So...a Pidgey, huh? [ Nice to have a name for the little gal. ] You're saying she'll grow to be something else, right? Or - she'll evolve?

[ It's a really nice offer, and her smile softens as she nods enthusiastically in response. ]

We'd both love that! As long as it's not too much trouble, that is.