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misrecalled_tdms[((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: 30 Sep 2023 07:49 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 07:55 (UTC)He gave a small smile then. "Now uh, if you want out of it, the best bet is to just keep walking. You'll end up in someone else's memories soon enough."
no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 07:59 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:02 (UTC)"None taken. Best compliment I've heard in a while... as for the door, another part of the problem is that it looks like a completely normal wooden door. That way, to the outside world, no one thinks anything suspicious is going on. So we're going to have to do some breaking and entering whenever we find one - but I suspect you don't exactly have an issue with that."
no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:02 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:04 (UTC)End here... or...? I could have her run smack into a wall if you want...
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:06 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:07 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:15 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:20 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:20 (UTC)But perhaps more interesting was another thing that accompanied it: the sense of the mind attempting to share the idea with him. The humanoid tree-person's was surely well enough within the realm of the sorts one might encounter in the already-known, inhabited regions of universe. It wasn't too far from a human's, in some regards, though the sense that he was still very much struggling to focus was unmistakable. The lights were on and the wheels spinning, to mangle the sayings, but the hamsters were banging on the doors, trying to get back into their home after getting locked out, somehow. At least they weren't dead?
And just barely past that, there was another presence: the patterns that were interrupting his, keeping them from resuming normal operation, keeping his focus entangled. That was similar enough that it was no wonder they'd managed to intermingle, but different enough that he couldn't quite reconcile the two, or use them effectively himself, at least not the way he was trying to... which was causing the problem. There was no sense of intent to sabotage him, just an issue with perspective and routing, so to speak, him trying to follow their thoughts' tendencies when he ought not to, attempting to roll dice when he needed to draw cards instead. They worked differently, an intelligence without the same sense of self inherent. There definitely was one, but it was more... vague? No, less ego and more rational, organized id, something like one might suspect of forming from a biological computer, a necessarily non-artificial AI, rather than a more conventional animal-based mind. It -- they? -- were calm, their attention on Skisan as well, as this odd knight-looking figure's was, taking his lead. There was no sense of wariness, merely relaxed, comfortable acceptance, given that he'd already identified the Vulcan as family in some way.
It seemed like something akin to the result of a very clumsily, half-ended, long-term mind-meld while he'd been asleep, so the guess at him having been hibernating was almost certainly correct. No wonder he hadn't figured out his own name, when his perspective was so mixed up with the sense of being something other than himself... and he was still figuring out to disengage, even as he did so. Waking was slow, but it was happening, at least?
It might be trivial for Skisan to lend a hand, so to speak, and pull him away from his entourage mentally, so he could properly think on his own....? It wouldn't take much; he was already trying, but fumbling in his attempts, and the trees didn't seem to understand that there was an issue, let alone what the issue was, or that they and their link to him was causing it.... And if not, well, he'd probably get there well enough on his own, though more slowly.
But those trees... those apparently actually very intelligent, if only for plants, trees... might actually also be a decent enough possible explanation for why this guy looked as he did? He wasn't quite so focused yet, for his self-idea to be as firm as this, as sure as he seemed that it was correct, as he looked himself over. But if it were a result of that outside point of view... if it were due to him seeing himself from the trees' eyes, or whatever passed for them... then it was also possible that his appearance here was entirely accurate to what he physically looked like in the waking world.
That, or he looked like a tree because that was all the trees knew, and he was basically taking their word for it, so to speak. That was possible here too.
no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:22 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:40 (UTC)They loved seeing all this, getting a window into Mallia's life, her friends, her people. but they didn't know how much strain it was on her.
A pause.
"Oh! I could show you some of where I am from. If you would like?"
no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 08:58 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 09:02 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 09:18 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 09:19 (UTC)"If you'd rather?" She turned more toward Rren, still smiling, ready to take their lead. She was offering the ballroom full of guests, of course, but it could wait! She wanted to see what Rren would do, honestly. She could cast illusions even while awake, to do a lesser version of this later on, in the real world, if Rren wanted. But here... here, surely Rren had equal capability to hers?
This would be a treat, she was sure.
Behind them, the crowd began to fade, though the sense of them lingered, the sounds of the conversations still carrying....
no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 09:47 (UTC)"If you wish, I can offer my aid in waking. You will still be in this dream, but it may be of assistance in collecting yourself." He could pick up the lingering hibernation fog, the sense of self muddled by the presence of others. Something he must have had a while, which meant Skisan would need to exercise care if he agreed to the offer.
no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 09:55 (UTC)"How about figuring out why we ended up in a shared dream? Problem solving without violence. Think you can manage that?"
no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 09:57 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 10:22 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 10:24 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 10:34 (UTC)He nodded, almost absently, already setting aside the attempt to give over those ideas from a few minutes ago, and try focusing again, now that it'd been brought up.
And the trees... didn't seem to be parsing the offer, to agree or disagree. They weren't offering any judgments or opinions at all, if they were even actually there to begin with, rather than simply being what echoes this odd person was dragging with them....
no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 10:49 (UTC)[Ven is trying his best to make sense of this. To piece things together from what she says, who everyone is. Whether they are here or not. He is trying to make mental notes and remember, keep track of it.]
no subject
Date: 30 Sep 2023 10:59 (UTC)And it would take the other figure a moment to reach the courtyard, even after she'd beaten him there. He actually wasn't in a hurry, interestingly enough. Perhaps he hadn't seen her as a threat? When he was finally coming back into view, he'd slowed even further as he stepped out more from the trees, looking her over.
She'd seen him before, though, hadn't she? That brown wooden face, so easy to mistake for a carved mask, and solidly black eyes... that dark platemail-looking exoskeletal -- was it exoskeletal, really, his armor a connected part of him, or was it removable? -- body of his... He had no visible weaponry at all, no obvious pockets or belts, nothing in his hands... and that expression as he took the sight of her dragon form in....
He showed no fear.
Curiosity, sure, as he took another absent step forward, tilting his head a little... and of all things, a faint hint of a smile seemed to be growing there.
He took yet another step forward, not actually entering the courtyard yet... and lifted his right hand up toward her, open, palm up, as though offering to take hers.
He said something, an odd word that was half-translated as a greeting of some kind by whatever dream-logic was at work here. It wasn't in English... it sounded more like... well, who knew. Something else, at any rate. It wasn't of any of the more common languages she might've heard yet....
Was he mad, approaching her like so? Maybe, who knew? But it was at least pretty clear that he'd decided to try making this meeting a friendly one, now that he'd seen her looking like this.