Once upon a dream... (4th Wall Event/TDM Combo platter)

[missrecalled_mods]

[((OOC note: This fourth wall is open to any character who would be game legal. If a character who posted here reserves or apps in September, these threads can be considered game canon as long as all involved agree. If a character doesn't app, for those in game already... wow that was a weird dream. Wait, what did you dream about again?))]


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For Jordan, still comatose after the magical mishap that had resulted in the first Misrecalled being summoned, it began with a dream. A dream so strong, that it had her stirring fitfully even in her current state; and eventually caused her to release an uncontrolled burst of magic.

For everyone else, unaware of what was coming, it began with falling asleep. Whether or not someone was tired before hand, whether they even could sleep, they simply fell asleep - or a reasonable facsimile - wherever they happened to be. Maybe they remembered falling asleep, maybe they didn't. But either way they suddenly found themselves in... a very strange place.

First all there was that they could see was a vast featureless plain in shining gold and silken draperies. But that was only a glimpse, for just by existing in this space, each dreamer warps it. Changes it. Not all at once, but bits, constantly changing between them and whomever they encounter. Each person brings with them bits of three places... where they had been last, a familiar place from memory, and whatever place they call home. But this is constantly changing and shifting, more so the more dreamers are present in any space. Before long, Bits of different landscapes, different environments, even different weather conditions will cover the landscape like some crazy patchwork quilt. Here a bit of a sunny, idyllic garden, there a section of shadowy, graffiti covered slum. To one side, a chunk of charming cobblestone streets under sunset tinged skies, to the other, a forest of towering trees, some of which seem to be moving. And glimpsed through the gaps between some of the odd terrain sections, some remainder of the poorly defined golden space, hung with colorful draperies could still be seen.

And the ground itself was not immune to the changes. While the ground on which they stood might seem stable enough, if someone walked more than a few paces in any direction, that could change. Solid ground could become shifting sand. Or water. Or a wall might suddenly appear to block their path. Doors might lead to places they definitely shouldn't or open to the edge of a sheer cliff. And if the complete lack of logic to the landscape wasn't enough of an indication that this was some sort of dream, then the unreadable signs would clinch it. Because any signs - or indeed, anything with writing on it that they didn't have on their person when they arrived - was covered with nothing but unreadable gibberish.

And it got even more surreal when a dreamer spotted anyone else in the dreamspace, or even looked at their own reflection - for each person appears in the dream in whatever way they see themselves. So someone with low self confidence might be short, someone with a huge ego might tower. If someone sees themselves as a horrible criminal who needs to repent, they might be in prison togs. If the change is dramatic enough people who know each other well might still fail to recognize each other within the dreaming.

Now normally such a bizarre dream might have been put down to stress, a meal that disagreed with them, or maybe indulging in some sort of illicit substance, but this clearly was no ordinary dream, if for no other reason than that in this dream, they weren't alone. The other people they encounter are not just figments of their imagination, and they too change the shared dream space.

Those already either on the Isle or in the kingdom of Auradon proper would find themselves all thrown together in the bizarre dreamworld. And that would have been strange enough. But more than the current populations of Auradon and the Isle could be found in this place. Maybe the faces where familiar. Maybe they weren't. But they definitely hadn't turned up in the physical world that was home to Ben and Mal. Yet anyway.

Given the extremely variable geography, exploring the area might be dangerous. At least as dangerous as anything in a dream could be. But investigating might help them find a way back to the physical world faster, for those who realize they are dreaming. Or they could just stand around and talk or complain about the latest bit of magical weirdness to happen to them and hope they woke up soon. Or they could go with it and enjoy the weird. It was their dream, after all. They could pretty much do what they liked. Or at least try to. Either way, they seemed stuck there for the present, for better or worse.

Comments

[not_42]

Hermes looked around, but saw no one else in the area. "There doesn't seem to be anyone else here at the moment," he said. "Perhaps a compromise? I will have a cup of tea, so long as I can drink it while we talk. And if any other customers enter, I won't interfere with your work."

[not_42]

Hermes nodded. "I never dreamed that I would see it for myself," he said. "Not like this. It's so different from looking up at the night sky." It felt almost like he could reach out and touch them, though he knew that to be a foolish notion; even like this, and even had this been reality rather than a dream, they would still be impossibly far away. So far that blazing suns were rendered naught but tiny glimmers of light in the darkness.

He turned his attention from the stars to his companion as he continued, giving a polite nod of apology and greeting. "Forgive me; I neglected to introduce myself. I am Hermes, Chief Overseer of Elpis. And you?"

[motherofresistance]

Leia clearly didn't buy it either, but saw no harm in humoring the girl. "Of course," she said. "Many hands make light work, as they say." Once the young woman was well clear of the box Leia stopped and released her hand. "There. You can open your eyes now."

[windslept]

So.....Xion and Roxas and Lea? They're these...Nobodies....?

[He assumed. Based on the little vague context he has from what she just said at least. Ven does also note how she seems to be avoiding answering his question. She was the one that brought it up, whatever it was she had been about to do. But maybe she isn't ready to talk about it. Yet. So he doesn't push about it or anything.]

[motherofresistance]

"There is no hook, and you're dreaming, not in any sort of simulation," Leia said. "And I'm not an NPC; I'm another person who's somehow ended up in this shared dreamspace with you and a number of others. My name is Leia Organa."

[motherofresistance]

"This is a dream, so it's entirely possible they could work if you believed that they would," Leia said. "But until and unless you reach that point, you're going to need a way to get around. As to why you can't curse, your guess is as good as mine. Likely it's some peculiarity of the shared dreamspace we're in, but beyond that, I have no idea."

[motherofresistance]

"Good to meet you then, Ian," she said. "Or would you rather I address you as Doctor Wright?" She got back to her feet and offered them a hand up. "Either way, I can't imagine the floor is terribly comfortable."

[mist_the_point]

For better or worse, the confused frown only deepened. "I'm... afraid I understood very little of that, other than the part about the theater," he said. "Though that is not as surprising as it might have once been. This seems to be a place where many different worlds meet, and I doubt any in mine would have knowledge of the sort of technology you describe." A slight pause, as he reconsiders a moment. "Well, perhaps the Garleans. Though they would be far more likely to employ it in war machina to grind the rest of the world beneath their heel than for playing games."

[queen_butterfly]

"Hello...?" Mallia stepped around the corner, trying not to touch anything, about as confused by this new setting as one might possibly expect someone wholly unfamiliar with such things to be. She'd actually taken to gathering a bit of her skirts in her hands, pulling them up a few inches out of an abundance of caution as she'd stepped down the stairs, peering this way and that, as curious as ever. What was this place?

But she could have sworn she'd heard someone a moment ago....

[queen_butterfly]

"Oh... oh, what is this? It smells lovely!" She looked around, taking in the setting as she made her further in, and then finally settled on looking the young lady over.

"...Kyoko?"

It was the pink, honestly. Rather a dead giveaway, that.

[queen_butterfly]

It was a large fairy-butterfly that landed on the half-wall off on the other side of the room from Xion, a bit bigger than her toddler size. She crouched, wings out for a few little half-flaps as she caught her balance, and then folded them up behind her. They drooped down, cape-like, as she did, and she paused there to briefly preen, ducking her head down as she raised her two hands to put her hair up out of her face again.

It was an odd little change to watch -- what had started off as the smooth features of a dark, exoskeletal sprite-like creature quickly became the more expected look of someone far closer to human than insect. The thick tuft of short fur-like hair proved itself to be black tresses smoothly twisted up into her usual style, and as she brought her arms back down to hold the edge, repositioning herself to step down from it more easily, none of the alien form remained. It was just some lady with a dark flowy dress and cape, not a suspiciously big butterfly-thing; the shift in size had probably been a mere illusion as well, everything hidden behind the drape of her outfit.

Except that the cloak behind her shifted, its sides lifting a bit, billowing up a mere few inches behind her... no, no, it was the butterfly wings again, wasn't it? No, it was cloth; it laid back down and swished limply as she turned to survey the area, the brief change merely a trick of the way it was decorated to look like wings, surely....

"Hello there!" It had taken her a moment to spot the smaller figure... and her smile seemed a tad hesitant once she took in their appearance a little more closely. "....Are you well, poppet...?"

No, this one probably wasn't; she could see as much! But perhaps appearances were deceiving? They would know better than she would, wouldn't they, if they were faring poorly?

Chell here is so very, very confused...

[queen_butterfly]

He hadn't been awake for long... and in all honesty, maybe he still wasn't quite focused again yet. He'd been dimly aware of another's strong presence... and then it was gone. A pause, briefly, and then another had come, one that, unlike the previous, had made an effort to wake him. Perhaps not specifically him, but the trees surrounding. He'd been aware of movement, of activity, and then a sort of stillness, a settling. Another little pause, and he'd finally gotten up to see what was going on. It had been different, had finally broken through his long dormancy....

After climbing out from the twisted trunks of the trees that had held him, he'd wandered about, taking his time, pausing to try looking around him. The world was still indistinct, however familiar the forest had been... and there had been the... what was the word for it? Cloth? If it was that.... He'd shied away from the odddness of it, rested again among the trees for a beat, and then tried again. How he'd ended up at the edge of this place after was anyone's guess; the tangle of forest seemed to have come with him, giving a very odd contrast to the jumbled cityscape.

This figure was humanoid, at least, with features largely in common with so many other species throughout the galaxies. Pointed ears, a little more obvious than Mallia's, still less obvious than the Vulcanoids'. Eyes that were a solid, inky, alien black all through, though the light reflected on them such that it was possible to tell that they were moving about, trying to take in the strange sight. Skin that was... not quite skin? It was light brown, smooth, shiny even, though not solid in color, the grain of wood playing over those features, as though the face were a mask carved by some skilled hand. Sharp contours, high cheekbones and a softly pointed chin. Rather than hair, the edges of the face had darkened to a near black, and a rather artistic sweep of... twigs? It looked to be twigs that reached back, forming almost a sort of crown behind his head, a few small spots of green peeking in here and there, small leaves budding from some of them. It wasn't clothes he wore, but what looked like full platemail armor, its surface likewise nearly black, smooth, similarly bark-like. A few little nubs peeked up from it here and there, and another leaf or two was trying to bud. It looked grown, rather than carved.... The only part of his appearance that seemed like it might've been something else, perhaps cloth, was the cape that hung behind him, from under his pauldrons.

A plant-person? A dryad-knight, arboreal royalty of some sort? He blinked again, absently putting a hand to the tree beside him to steady himself, the bracer on his left forearm seeming to shift a bit, unfolding another layer to it from just under the first. It looked as though, if he were to slide it out further, it might form some sort of shield... but he wasn't, just yet. And though he had said apparently natural shield, he bore nothing that resembled an offensive weapon. No sword, no dagger, no implements of archery, no polearm... not even a sling.

It was the buildings, in all likelihood. Something about them was unsettling to him, and he wasn't certain if he ought to step any closer, practically radiating uncertainty and wariness as he stood there, caught between investigating and retreating....

But he'd been retreated. He'd been retreated for so long, he'd nearly forgotten how to move forward again. He took a deep breath, and another half step into the more artificial-looking place, tense, not yet letting go of the tree....

Where was this? What was this?

[cheep_soongbird_knockoff]

Rren had to hide some amusement at the reaction. It was both entirely strange and felt entirely normal to have a stranger join them here. If they took the time to consider, even that would have been a bit odd, and yet. They looked out to the stars, something they had never even considered before, as it was just part of life. "If you think they are amazing, wait until I tell you what the ship's engine is," they said with some of that amusement leaking through.

Their form flickered to code for a moment, the shift almost seeming to take the place of a blush. "Oh. I should have introduced myself also. Apologies. I am Rren, ah, just Rren."

[cheep_soongbird_knockoff]

Rren took in each bit of information, integrating each map into their memory. "It may never happen, but if it does. I will keep all of this in mind. I would like to see you in your home in actuality, and to meet your friend. So I can only hope it does happen. Though, ah, it would be nicest if our timelines coincided rather than us meeting as strangers."

A pause as they considered. "I do think we would still become friends even so. Khell and I are hardly earth natives in our own reality, much less yours. I. Cannot guarantee Khell would not be hostile in the middle of a forest, but it would be more akin to grumpiness than to any actual ill intent. And she would not harm anything, which I imagine would assist."

[logic_in_unity]

The presence of another interrupted Skisan's plan to exit the mix of his own memories. He turned, and headed for the edge of the cityscape. Once in sight of the newcomer he had to pause and take him in. Given the setting this could easily be someone's perception of themself. Or they could simply be a species he was unfamiliar with.

"If it would aid you, I can recall another place?" He offered before continuing his approach. Already some of the more distant buildings faded, replaced by patches of the desert of Vulcan or the strange trees of Mol'Rihan. He made sure to keep enough control of the mental image to avoid any abrupt changes, however, not wishing to startle the stranger.

He gave a nod that came close to a half bow in greeting. "I am Skisan, and while I am uncertain what brought us here, this is a dreamscape, of sorts."

[queen_butterfly]

"The ents have had to defend against people working to cut them down because they liked the look of their wood," she said, sighing, smile fading a bit briefly. "The history of the fae where I'm from is... not the happiest one.

"But I'm having difficulty picturing you not being able to make friends among us. And you'd be welcome in my home regardless; one need not already know you, to have love for a friend." She gave Rren's hand a little squeeze more, quiet. "You'd still be you. And that's more than enough."

[mist_the_point]

The woman was absolutely and utterly mad. There was no other explanation. But if playing along with her delusions was the only way of preventing her from burning the forest down around them- he didn't trust the Elementals to not take offence at even an illusion of their domain being thus attacked- then he would do it. "Wait!", he shouted. "Deal with the beasts you've angered- without burning down the forest-, and I'll tell you what you wish to know."

And hopefully he'd have figured out what that was by the time she'd finished off the Treants and Ziz. Meanwhile he was still keeping a healthy distance from her, ready to break and run if she decided to ignore him.

[mist_the_point]

"If I had any, I would gladly share them," he said. "The place I was last in- and where I presume my body still is- seems fond of inducing visions, but this is far more dreamlike than either of the ones I experienced there previously. They were more like memories of my past playing out around me, while I and any others swept up in it were mere observers. Once the memory had played out for a brief time, the illusion faded on its own. I doubt that this one will be so obliging, however."

[queen_butterfly]

The tree-person's attention had been on trying to make sense of the artificial parts of the scene around him at first, so he'd missed the Vulcan's approach, until he spoke up. He turned his head quickly enough to see him once he did, tensing a little on reflex... but that reaction didn't last. Judging by how quickly he relaxed again, having glanced him over and then taken a better look at his face -- and ears, though that detail might've been harder to discern, given the uniform blackness of the newcomer's eyes -- it was hard to tell if it was something about Skisan physically, or simply in his behavior and speech, that was putting him at ease... but it was.

The newcomer returned his gesture, that semi-bow, smiling faintly. "I'm...."

A pause, hesitating. The look on his face said it wasn't an issue of distrust, but a lack of knowing what to say, of having to think about it first. "...I...."

He frowned a little, looking down as he thought. Curse that lack of focus, it was right there, if only he could-- ...wait, was it right there? He thought he knew. It should've been reflexive, to answer here, to introduce himself, so why...?

Quieter, "I think... I was asleep...."

He tried to remember what he could; it was clear even to someone with zero telepathic skill that he was having difficulty doing so. But there must've been something at least half dredged back up there; as absent a move as it looked to be, perhaps even unconscious on his part, he brought a hand up to feel over part of one of the layers of his... chestplates...? There was a subtle little ridge there, a too-even hint of a change in the way the surface reflected the light... assuming that part of him was wooden, as it appeared to be... had he been injured somehow? Because if so, that was a very artificial-looking bit of evidence of it, as straight a change in shape as it was. A weapon's work, surely. Or more charitably, an accident with a blade?

"How long was I asleep?" He turned his head, asking not Skisan, but of all things, the tree beside him. A very brief pause, and then, frowning more, "Oh. ...No, that can't be right...?" He sighed, shaking his head, still confused. Whatever answer he'd gotten, he didn't look to be satisfied with it, but looked back at Skisan. "...For a long time."

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Æn'kae paused when the stretch mimicked aspects of the isle along with a city a style of architecture he'd never encountered before. When he heard a stranger speak, he headed that way, clearing his throat. "Jolan'tru." Some day he'd remember to consistently say 'hello'. No idea when that day would come, but. Maybe?

The young vulcanoid was tall, with scars over much of his visible skin, a v shaped ridge on his forehead, and pointed ears. His outfit was a non-descript mix of greys and blacks with rolled up sleeves on the shirt. He hadn't even been consciously aware of the outfit he'd worn prior, but now that he didn't have the armor like uniform, he was very aware how much it had weighed him down earlier. One of the illusory 6 eyed and antennaed rodents, this one a deep blue, followed underfoot, sticking close to him.

"Are um, are you okay?" He took in the stranger's appearance, the oversized outfit, and the strange shadow that seemed to be part of the location almost more than the young man himself. He wasn't sure the significance of any of it, but there had to be something. (The skulls were a lot less cryptic.) And... did he smell food of some sort?

[goldfishmind]

The young black man startled at the new voice, turning to see who spoke. "Who...who are you? Another shade to torment me? Can't say I remember ever seeing a face like yours before though." He asked. The skulls continued their taunts though a wordless nattering of vexed sounds more than any real attempts at communication. The words of a dream, or a nightmare.

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Æn'kae shook his head. "No, uh, I'm mostly trying to figure out what's happening." Look, he had no reason to see Terrhasu skulls, so they didn't much effect him. At least that's how he tried to convince himself to ignore them. Obviously they were no more real than the rest of the setting, but they represented something very real to the stranger.

He rubbed at the back of his neck before speaking again. "My name's Æn'kae."

[cheep_soongbird_knockoff]

Rren nodded, quiet for a moment. "It seems in any reality, people have a history of cruelty. You already know those in my reality was not always kind to those like me or to other groups. I believe they have learned better, and I can only hope that the people in yours learn also."

They looked around the castle then, not flitting away because they did not want to drop Mallia's hand. "I suppose how we might meet in another reality would only matter if it comes about."

[logic_in_unity]

Skisan waited patiently, staying quiet as the stranger worked out his answers. It did not strike him that he was coming up with stories, but rather, that he was trying to work out the current situation. He did not miss the irony of coming out of whatever lengthy sleep he'd been in (something more akin to a deep hibernation than the typical sense of the word, if he had deduced correctly) only to enter a shared dreamscape with strangers.

Really, it meant it made some degree of sense that this stranger would end up part of it, though what brought Skisan himself? That was still a mystery. "I do not know much about your people, so I am uncertain what is the norm for you. But if you are amenable to the idea, I will keep you company and explore?" He recognized that perhaps given his confusion, this being would not want to end up alone just at the present.

He paused then, considering. "I have been in a shared mindscape on many occasions before this, but I cannot say I have accidentally come into one before, so my only guess is something brought me here. Are occurrences like this among the norm for your people, or is this an oddity for you also?"

[queen_butterfly]

He wasn't all that focused yet, that much was very clear... but he was trying to work on that, raising his hand again to rub an eye and taking a deeper breath that wasn't quite a yawn as he took another small step forward, nodding a little to the question of company. One of the trees behind him picked itself up, proving to have less of a root system hiding underground than one might have suspected, and one that seemed to function more as limbs with which to be mobile instead, and stepped after him quietly while he wasn't looking. It didn't seem to be a threat of any kind, at least, given that these trees seemed to be part of this newcomer's entourage of sorts... more like a pet following its caretaker, perhaps?

"Trees don't dream," he said quietly, still considering what to say. "But they do share. And I can share with them...." He looked back to Skisan, expression still puzzled. Hibernation might well have been an accurate guess; he was plenty calm about all this, despite clearly not understanding what he was trying to figure out here, and not quite catching on just yet to some of the other things that, really, might've tipped him off that he wasn't interpreting things correctly here. "Can you also share...?"