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

[king_in_dreams]

[Noct blinks at her a few times through all that, a little overwhelmed by the information.]

That's, uh... a lot.

[He chuckles a little.]

But they're kinda like this place, though? I mean, not here, but... out there, where stuff shows up that's kind of like stuff we knew from home.

You're saying it's all really metaphorical though, right?

[menaretrash]

I know, I'm sorry... Mona is usually the one who explains this stuff, he's much better at it than I am. Uh, Mona is... the cat bus, by the way. But he's had to explain Mementos and Palaces so many times that I think... he's really good at it by this point.

[ She really, really wishes that not!cat was here right now, but... well. He's not. ]

Yes! Something like that. Basically, this place is made up of the cumulative shitty cognitive desires of the general public... and by shitty, I mean, the trashiest, nastiest people and desires you can think of. There's no good or peaceful desires to be found here, unfortunately.

[ She nods, though, to that question. ]

Yeah! I guess that's why this place is generally also known as the Metaverse. Usually, we get here via an app on our phones-- [ She pulls out her phone to show him the app on the screen. ] But uh, considering up until now electronics didn't work? No idea how this happened or why. We also try not to drag anyone else in with us, because it's dangerous. If someone enters and doesn't awaken their Persona... they'll die.

[king_in_dreams]

[Noct waves off her apology.] No, you're doing fine. [He lets out a wry breath and reaches up to ruffle his own hair.] I have a really hard time explaining everything that was going on at home for me, too.

That's too bad it's only bad stuff, though. I feel like going somewhere that's, like... one of those big blow-up castles would be awesome.

[Noct takes a step closer to look at the app.]

So that's what the costume is about? Your Persona, I mean?

[menaretrash]

I guess this whole thing is just a little overwhelming. I didn't expect to see Mementos here, and if it's anything like the one at home, we might be in trouble. Just a little.

[ Her shoulders sag, and she heaves a sigh. She knows that once she finds Ren and Akechi, they're going to want to travel deep down and see what lies at the core of this version. Though those two, according to her latest text messages, seem to be having a Good Time™ on their own right now.

Her expression visibly brightens, and she laughs, because yes, she can get behind Noct's vision. ]

Oh my God! I would love to be stuck in a bouncy house! Could you imagine how amazing that would be?

[ She nods. ]

Sort of! I mean... the outfit is supposed to reflect a Persona user's 'rebellion'. Mine just happened to be... this. [ Much to the absolute delight of the majority of her male teammates. ] Ah, I should probably just... show you. It might make it a little easier to understand what a Persona is.

[ Reaching up, she tugs her mask off, which seems to burn away in blue flames -- and behind her, within the same blue flames, Carmen appears in all of her male-stepping-smoking glory, peering down at the two humans as she puffs away on her ethereal cigar. ]

...Meet Carmen.

[king_in_dreams]

[Noct takes a few startled steps backwards, looking up at Carmen, mouth open.] Holy crap. She's... that's incredible.

So she is like one of my Summons. [Because yeah, this is definitely reminding him of when he calls on Ramuh or Titan.]

[menaretrash]

[ At his assessment, Carmen seems pleased. She doesn't speak, but she finally takes her gaze off of the two, blowing smoke off to the side and stepping on one of the two men she's got leashed just a little bit harder. ]

You have Summons? Neat! Carmen is... sort of like that. She's more or less an extension of myself, though. She is me, and I am her... if that makes sense.

[king_in_dreams]

Yeah, it does. [Weirdly, maybe, but he thinks he gets it anyway.]

And I'd show you, but it's kind of... I have to work up to it.

[His ability to call on the Six mostly involves someone being in mortal danger. It's not outside the realm of possibility that they'll get to that point while they're here, but it doesn't come as easily as Carmen seems to.]

[menaretrash]

It's okay, I get it. That's still really cool, though! I can only really call upon Carmen in the Metaverse or Mementos, outside of here... nada. So I get it.

[ Which is both a blessing and a curse. The last thing she needs is for Carmen to unleash her passionate firey rage on students at school, even if half of them deserve it.... ]

[king_in_dreams]

[Noct wrinkles his nose.] Yeah, I guess that's both good and bad.

[Because yeah, it could come in handy if someone tried to mug her or something, but she probably wouldn't really need it otherwise.]