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

[psychokinesia]

[Add is still kind of freaking out, desperately trying to find a surface to clean himself on... eventually, he manages to get his fluffy coat off and wipe his face off on the inside of it. Ugh, this stuff better wash out later...!

But anyway, now he can focus on what's important, which is glaring over at Raihan. His dynamos finally settle down, clustering near Add's hunched shoulders as he wipes off his hands.]

Get what under control? [like, he should probably notice the robots... but he's still in a bit of a daze here. at least dynamo is chillin now.]

The hell is going on...? This isn't the apartment building, that's for damn sure. This kind of shit can't be normal...

[it better not be normal, but who fucking knows with this place, maybe the apartments decided to turn into a meat subway for the day]

[rotomphone]

[ Raihan's loose hoodie has gotten the brunt of the wetness, but he manages to carefully wipe whatever was on his face off with the inside of the hood itself. that's going to need a washing once they get out of here... wherever here is. ]

Those! The bots! [ but it looks like they're relaxing now, and he does the same in turn. ] They're cool-looking, but try to keep those sparks to a minimum, yeah?

[ he wipes some of the stickiness off of Duraludon's side, looking around to try and get his bearings. talk about bleak - besides the obvious unsettling fleshiness, it's as if there's a haze of darkness over the area. ]

No kidding. We must've gotten knocked out or something. [ he glances over to Add; it doesn't look like either of them are hurt. ] Weird place to get kidnapped to, though...

[psychokinesia]

Bots...? [sorry Raihan, he's really slow this morning. But he does finally notice something feels different and glances over at his shoulder. Dynamo also gives a slight tilt in Add's direction, as if both of them just now realized this was happening.

Oh.

Oh!]

Dynamo! [at least it's a cheerful distraction from their current situation. Raihan is getting completely blown off in favour of Add giving his machines a "hug". Well, it's more like Add is the one getting a hug since he's clearly outnumbered...] Hahaha, finally! Damn, it feels good to be whole again! And here I was starting to think I'd have to rebuild you from scratch... ah, but did we identify the source of the problem? Some sort of interference, or maybe an El deficit in the atmosphere...

[and then he goes semi-quiet for a bit, mumbling to himself as he exchanges some more information with Dynamo. Yeah, he's pretty much forgotten Raihan is even there for now... or that they're in a fucked up place... or that they've basically been kidnapped a second time... but this is important, okay??]

[rotomphone]

[ he's almost ready to chide Add for being slow on the uptake, but the reaction that the other man has towards the robots curls a surprised smirk onto his lips. the Add in front of him now and the Add that he's had not-so-friendly encounters with before this point are like two completely different people. ]

So you're not all sour sitrus berries after all. Good to know!

[ he looks to Duraludon with a smirk, who gives him a slightly dubious look in return. the Pokémon has always been more wary of things than his human partner, but Raihan is always one to at least try to give people the benefit of the doubt. ]

Can your friend there give us any idea of where we are?

[psychokinesia]

Eh? [He does look up again when addressed, at least. Ah, right, weird circumstances. They should probably look into this...

But he has Dynamo now! So of course something like this will be a piece of cake to figure out. Add stands up, chest puffed out proudly as he calls his machines into a neat little formation at his side.]

Kukuku, of course! Consider yourself lucky to have ended up with a genius like me. I'll gladly show you the power of Nasods. Dynamo!

[With a dramatic snap of his fingers, the drones fan out to sweep over their immediate area. It only takes a minute or two for them to finish a full scan of the room, returning to their formation at Add's side. After another brief moment of flickering lights and processing, a purple holoscreen pops up between the two men and their partners, finally revealing the true nature of their surroundings...

CURRENT LOCATION: UNKNOWN

Nailed it.]

... hmm, well, I suppose they wouldn't have any data from this dimension to compare our location to...

[rotomphone]

Right, right. I bet I'm the luckiest guy in the void.

[ this aught to be good, but hey, maybe he'll be pleasantly surprised! with an expectant smile, he watches Add and his robot (named Dynamo, from the sounds of it) do what looks like a scout. in that minute, he figures it'd at least be prudent to fill the silence somehow. ] Did you build 'em yourself?

[ whether or not his question is answered before the scan is done, he'll watch the bots go about their work. he and Duraludon lean in curiously to catch the results once they're finished... only to be let down. phooey! ]

You got us all excited there for a minute! [ he has yet to see "the power of Nasdos", thank you very much. ] Guess we'll have to do it the old fashioned way, then...

[ those dark, creepy-looking escalators look like a good place to start exploring, so he and Duraludon will head over to them with a nod of understanding to each other. before they get to far, he turns to glance at Add. ] You coming with?