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[((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.
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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.
no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 07:24 (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 07:39 (UTC)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?"
no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 09:02 (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 09:05 (UTC)[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.]
no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 09:06 (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 09:09 (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 09:20 (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 09:31 (UTC)no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 10:33 (UTC)But she could have sworn she'd heard someone a moment ago....
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Date: 19 Sep 2023 10:33 (UTC)"...Kyoko?"
It was the pink, honestly. Rather a dead giveaway, that.
no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 10:33 (UTC)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...
Date: 19 Sep 2023 12:56 (UTC)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?
no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 14:15 (UTC)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."
no subject
Date: 19 Sep 2023 15:47 (UTC)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."
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Date: 20 Sep 2023 04:54 (UTC)"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."
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Date: 20 Sep 2023 07:12 (UTC)"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."
no subject
Date: 20 Sep 2023 08:53 (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 20 Sep 2023 09:15 (UTC)no subject
Date: 20 Sep 2023 12:13 (UTC)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."
no subject
Date: 20 Sep 2023 16:33 (UTC)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?
no subject
Date: 21 Sep 2023 13:42 (UTC)no subject
Date: 21 Sep 2023 14:28 (UTC)He rubbed at the back of his neck before speaking again. "My name's Æn'kae."
no subject
Date: 21 Sep 2023 16:13 (UTC)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."
no subject
Date: 21 Sep 2023 16:50 (UTC)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?"
no subject
Date: 21 Sep 2023 22:08 (UTC)"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...?"