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

Xion | Kingdom Hearts | OTA | CW: angst, trauma, possible suicidal elements

[nobodys_puppet]

Xion was... confused, to say the least. She didn't know where she was, or why. The floor looked like the grey of her old room in the Castle That Never Was. The walls around only went to shoulder height and they were the walls of the school on the Isle - damaged, dirty, and covered in graffiti. But above that?

Sunset.

She rushed to the closest wall, to climb over it. But as she got closer she got smaller. And smaller. And smaller.

In the end she was no taller than a toddler. Those on the Isle only had a chance to recognize her by her outfit. It was the same in the dreaming. But her hood was pulled back, and instead of a head she had a round mirror with a crack running through it. Her neck and the little bit of skin that showed above her zipper showed her usual flesh tone, but riddled through with cracks. She held her Keyblade in one hand and an ice cream in her other hand.

The worst of it, perhaps, was that she was partially translucent.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea had spent an unknown amount of time wandering the dream space. It didn't feel like a long time to him, maybe fifteen minutes or so, but given the strangeness of the place, he had no idea how long in might actually have been. In that time, he'd been through several different environments, but couldn't make heads or tails of most of it.

Really the Organization coat was one of the first things he saw that was at all familiar. What was above it... less so. But given the Keybade and ice cream in the partly translucent figure's hands, he took a guess at who it might be. "Xion?", he said. "Is that you?"

[nobodys_puppet]

"AXEL!" she cried, hearing him. She rushed over, unaware of how she looked. But she skidded to a stop before barreling into him. "You... You're back in the coat..." she whispered, fear replacing whatever that was that had made her smile hearing him at first. Something hurt.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Hey, I didn't pick this outfit," he said. "I just kinda... appeared this way. Though my change of clothes isn't nearly as weird as what you look like in this place. I mean you've got a mirror for a head and I can kinda see through you."

[nobodys_puppet]

She had been about to respond, the tightness leaving her shoulders at him not saying he was a Nobody again. Though he hadn't said he hadn't. But what he said next through everything else out of her head. She stumbled back, a hand to the slick surface where her face should be.

"Y...you... see... me like that now?" she whispered. She didn't need a skin tone for him to know the paled, it was in her thin voice.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"I think everyone would see you like that here," Lea said. "But that's got nothing to do with me or you and everything to do with this place. The longer I'm here, the more sure I am that this is all some kind of dream, so how we look here might not be how we actually look at all. Though whose dream it is, or how we got into it, I have no idea."

"But however it's happening, and however this place makes either of us look, it's really great to see you again, Xion." He knelt down and pulled her smaller- now more than usual- form into a hug. "...Man, I've missed you."

[nobodys_puppet]

She had been about to bolt, ready for whatever he said to cut her down. Not that he would have meant to. But she had been so braced for the pain that what he said froze her in confusion. It kept her still long enough for the hug. Her hands, full, hung to either side, but he'd feel the tremor running through her.

"Axel..." she whispered, starting to cry. Not that he could have seen that, even if he wasn't hugging her. But no way he could miss it anyway.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea rubbed her back soothingly. "What, you thought that just because you looked a bit different, I wouldn't want to be friends any more?", he said gently. "Xion, you could look like a giant purple moogle with green wings and pink polka-dots, and you'd still be one of my best friends. That's not gonna change no matter where we are, what we wear, or what we look like. Got it memorized?"

[nobodys_puppet]

"But the thing said Xehanort was where you were, and then you didn't find me, and then you're in the coat and saw me the way the others see me and..." she hiccuped, tears rolling. Not that they could be seen...

[hotheadwarmheart]

Le sighed. "OK, yeah, I can see how that might look bad<" he said. "The Xehanort that was here... he was like the Xehanort who was on the train for awhile, except even younger. He wasn't a threat, at least not to us here. And at any rate, he disappeared awhile ago, so he's not around any more."

"As for not coming to find you, we're working on getting to the Isle, but it's taking longer than we thought. We're getting close to the shore on our side though, so hopefully it won't take too much longer. And when it comes to our appearances, I don't think either of us really got to pick what we look like to other people here. I know this wasn't what I was wearing before I wound up here, at least."

[nobodys_puppet]

"S...so you're really okay? You're not.... not lying to protect me?" she asked, her voice wobbly, even as her gloved hands clung to his coat.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"I'm really OK," he assured her. "And I've met a few people I can't wait to introduce you to once we actually make it to the Isle."

"And how are you doing? I left a note for Mast- er, Professor Yen Sid, asking him to look out for you that time we all got swapped around, but I've still been worried, you know?"

[nobodys_puppet]

"There are a lot of Somebodies and..." she swallowed. "My magic doesn't work. And...She hesitated and looked down at one hand. The glove was as it usually was. "I... The glove got cut..." and so did her hand. But she was used to getting hurt. But her uniform had never been damaged before. And that was scary. "You're coming soon... right, Axel?"

[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?

[nobodys_puppet]

Seeing the landing and transformation, there was only one thing Xion could think. She readied her Keyblade and started to lunge, but then she heard the figure speak. She threw herself to the side to stop the impact, grabbing her Keyblade in close to her chest. She hit the ground hard and rolled several times before coming to a gasping stop. She struggled to get up, but with her hands full it was harder than it should have been.

[queen_butterfly]

"Oh!" She hurriedly approached, crouching to fuss over the littler one, lending a hand as she was able, trying to help them up, to support them as she did. "Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere? That was quite a tumble!"

She didn't need to already know who this was, to be worried at an impact like that, or the clearly far less than favorable results of it!

[nobodys_puppet]

She tried to pull away, but it was hard with her hands full. And for some reason neither the Keyblade nor the ice cream vanished. She couldn't seem to let go. She looked up as she failed to get away, the crack on her mirror face catching the light.

[queen_butterfly]

She winced a little, seeing that, and brought a hand up to barely touch the little figure's apparent head, even as she continued to try holding them up with her other. It probably felt a little different, given that the nature of their magic wasn't the same... but healing magic was healing magic, in the end, and she was determined to try repairing the recent damage, at least the best she could.

"Please, be still a moment? Just a moment? It won't hurt, I promise...." Even if they didn't hold still, well, it wasn't going to stop her from trying to make this right....

[nobodys_puppet]

"Wh... what are you going to do?" she asked, trying to pull back still. Her hand slipped, the one with the ice cream, and she dropped closer to the ground, away from Mallia's hands. The girl seemed terrified beyond reasoning.

[queen_butterfly]

"You looked like you'd been injured. I just want to fix it.... It isn't paining you, is it?" She did what she could, transferring that bit of energy, intent on fixing every crack she was able, even as she tried to keep Xion off the floor. She wasn't exactly trying to hold her in place, just keep her from falling over while she flailed at first. If she was going to pause in her movements, she might notice that Mallia's hands weren't actually gripping her any more, simply barely touching her, more or less resting under one of her forearms and behind her shoulder, still glowing with the attempt to heal her, ready to catch her if she were to move very suddenly and hit the ground again. And if she was going to bolt... well, maybe she'd at least be able to stay upright in doing so.

[nobodys_puppet]

She cried out as the energy hit her. It was like.... No! NO! "NO!" she cried out. She wasn't ready to cease! Not yet!

[queen_butterfly]

She quit trying to mend the cracks and pulled a hand back, leaving just the one supporting her from falling down, and blinked, eyes wide. Well, that wasn't the reaction she was anticipating! "I-- Are you all right, poppet? You-- I only--!" What on earth sort of reaction was that, to expressed concern?

[nobodys_puppet]

"Who are you! Why are... why...?" she sobbed and fought to try and free herself.

[queen_butterfly]

There really wasn't anything to fight against, at this point. She wasn't being held against her will there, merely supported a little, lest she should be off balance and fall from her own flailing. She could very well simply step away.

"My name is Mallia," she said softly, staying crouched right where she was, "and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you...."

[nobodys_puppet]

She pulled away, crouching. "Why... Why did you try to unmake me?!" she demanded, bringing her Keyblade up to defend herself. Which was weaker given her other hand was occupied.