Dreamscape Player Plot

[ghostharasser]

MAY YOU FIND YOUR WORTH IN THE WAKING WORLD

INCEPTUS NOLANUS OVERRATUS

It happens without warning. You're enjoying yet another day, trapped under the ocean in a metal can, waiting to either escape or die, when a scream rings out. Strange, because it almost sounded like it was in your head. What happens next is a deathly silence, a ringing in the ears, and then suddenly reality shifts. Color drains from the world around you, time slowly crawls to a halt, and the cosmos holds it's breath.

A moment ticks by.

Reality exhales and the world bursts forth, warping your environment until it becomes something different, something new. Somewhere you definitely weren't before. Your greatest fantasy or your worst nightmare has come to life, and something has become increasingly apparent: You are not alone. Traverse your fears, your dreams, your secrets with whoever else wound up in this hell with you. Maybe together you can figure a way out, or a way to make it stop.

WE'LL MEET AGAIN SOME SUNNY DAY

While moving between dream to dream, a few things start to become apparent: Most, if not all, of the Sea Base has been affected. Every so often, certain edges of the dream will shift to look like a haunted looking old Victorian city. Despite that, before dreams get to be too bad, a lamp will appear with it's small attendants beckoning you over. Touching the lamp will send you either to a new dream, or to ...a house.

The house is empty, though it appears to be well lived in. There are personal affects littered all over, so if one is nosy enough, it will be easy to find things like pictures. Either way, it's a safe space for people to collect themselves in. There's sodas in the fridge, just don't mind the kitchen possums running around.

SPARK NOTES

OOC

Hello! Welcome to your Dreamscape plot! Have fun and be as self-indulgent or as terrible as you like, just be sure to tag your CW's appropriately! If you have any questions or concerns you are welcome to DM at [maplecoffe] or hit up my plurk takatorabatta. a top level for the Moon Presence showdown will be in a top level below.

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[start_again]

[Mirabelle continues rifling through her papers like he's not even there. Her elbow occasionally bumps him, oblivious to his existence, and every additional bit of contact seems to increase the sharp ringing in his ears. It's a little hard to focus on Loop's voice through it.

Still, he doesn't move.]

[This was supposed to be over. I thought I escaped. I thought... We were in that other place, weren't we? So why am I back here again?]

[There's a growing touch of hysteria in their voice.]

[theuniverseleads]

[Escaped... why would they have escaped? There's no escape from this place. This is their punishment, their little corner of hell for whatever it is they did to earn it, there's no

no... no, no there was something. another place. something is]

[Take a deep breath, stardust.] [Both of them could use it. Loop exaggerates it a little so Siffrin can follow: inhale, pause, slow exhale.

Try to remember. You're supposed to remember things now, isn't that all you're good for?]

[Are we sure that the other place wasn't the dream? But it's strange that we'd both dream the same thing like that.] [they're not fully convinced, honestly... this is the reality they're used to. but it's still weird, this feeling.]

[We were underwater... we went diving together. There were other people there, too, and colours everywhere.]

[start_again]

[Luckily he seems to have gotten gentle Loop today. Siffrin forces himself to breathe along with the star. It helps a little, lets him at least focus on Loop's words and try to make sense of their situation.]

[If that was real, then we're still having the same dream now.]

[And is it so weird for them to share a dream? They're the same person, after all.

Siffrin thinks harder, trying to remember details. Why is remembering always so hard for him?]

[...I stuck my hand in your face. Was that real?]

[It was hot. Can you feel heat in dreams? He'd have guessed dreams would have felt more muffled, more numb.

More like this.]

[theuniverseleads]

[Maybe all of this is a dream, too. Maybe none of it is real. Hah.

That kind of thinking won't get them anywhere, though. If this is a dream... they just have to do something impossible. To prove it. They can figure the rest out from there.

They bring up their free hand to their face, and

it passes through

hah! hahaha! they don't feel real at all!!

they dig their fingers into their knee to feel nothing, nothing, nothing they need a knife they need]

[Where are you, stardust? Come visit me~ You don't need to call when you can just walk over, you know!] [they're fine they're fine they're fine]

[start_again]

[He really should. Siffrin isn't stupid, he knows what he's doing isn't exactly healthy, and not just because of the sharp ringing pain in his ears. This can't be real anyway, it just doesn't make sense.

Still, he doesn't want to leave.]

[You could just come to me for once.]

[Even as he thinks it, though, he knows why that never happens. Loop makes a lot more sense with context. It's no wonder they hide by the Favor Tree all day.

It still seems so lonely, though.]

[Sorry. Just...give me a second.]

[Siffrin sighs and sits up properly, peeling himself away from Mirabelle. The screeching pain eases as he does so, but there's no sense of relief. It takes him a bit to commit to the rest, standing up and walking away, but he manages eventually.

Gotta find Loop.]

[theuniverseleads]

[When he stands, does she glance his way for a second? Or is that just a coincidence, wishful thinking, a want for something they have no right to ask for? She shuffles her papers, repeats, repeats,

Loop doesn't answer. It hurts too much to say that they can't, they can't, they can't.

They're waiting under the tree, like always. One hand gripping their knees, the other still held loosely in the call sign, not quite willing to hang up until they're sure, he'll definitely come see them, he wouldn't leave them behind like this. They perk up once they see Siffrin's approach.]

If it isn't my stardust! What a surprise! [it sounds way more forced than usual, they're doing Bad, thanks. They clasp their hands together.] You can see me, can't you? We're both here? Come on, you can even sit next to me for once!

[they should just come out and say it but they feel dizzy, they feel sick, they're too scared to ask for something as blinding stupid as wanting touch right now]

[start_again]

[Siffrin knows something is wrong immediately. Not that it's hard to guess that, with the town in this state. But Loop isn't ok. Their facade is transparent, at least to Siffrin's eyes.]

I can see you.

[So it was the same for them, huh?

They know what Loop wants, because they're the same. He, too, would suffer forever in a prison of his own making before just asking for help, for human contact. He'd also be horrifically embarrassed if someone just called him out on that, which makes doing so tempting. But there's an edge in Loop's cheery act that takes the satisfaction out of the idea. He doesn't have the heart to antagonize them right now.

So with a sigh, Siffrin just takes the seat next to them, leaning into them just lightly enough that it isn't incredibly obvious what the intent is. It's a disconcerting mirror to the position he'd just been in with Mirabelle, but at least this doesn't hurt. At least Loop isn't acting like he doesn't exist.]

[theuniverseleads]

[They close their eyes, soaking in the faint warmth of the shoulder just barely brushing against their own. A deep breath in, then out, then another, until they no longer feel like they're going to collapse in on themselves.

It's fine. They're here, and so is stardust. That's all they need to be real. That's all they need...

Hesitantly, they reach up again. This time they can touch their own cheek. Feels weird. Sinks in a little. Just like Siffrin said.

They try to pinch themselves, but it doesn't do anything. Hm.

For good measure, they also pinch Siffrin (you're welcome). Also nothing.]

... I don't think this is real, but how are we supposed to wake up?

[start_again]

[Ow?? Rude.

But honestly, the little pinch of pain is better than the total numbness. It's grounding. Spurred by that thought, he absently bends a finger on one hand back with the other – not far enough to break, just enough to hurt.]

I don't know. "Dying" would have been my go-to, but I don't know how safe that is to try anymore.

[theuniverseleads]

We can save that one for last. [yknow. since if it doesn't work they'll be dead.]

Maybe if we fall asleep in a dream it'll cancel out? We could try leaving Dormont, or check the House... I don't know. Is there anything else that seems off to you?

[start_again]

You mean besides everything?

[His voice is dry and bitter, but he shakes his head.]

I don't want to go anywhere near the House right now.

[Their friends aren't there right now anyway. In this scene, everyone's still in town and won't go off to their deaths in the House until tomorrow.]

...We could try leaving, I guess. I can't even remember what's outside of Dormont.

[It feels like so long ago now that they arrived in town, and his memory feels extra foggy here. It's hard to say if it's an effect of the nightmare, or if he just forgot that memory somewhere in all the looping.]

[theuniverseleads]

Hah. That's fair. [They don't really want to go in the House, either. Doesn't leave them with a lot of options, though. Better hope the remaining one works.]

Trees, Sadnesses and the curse. You've gone as far as the outskirts before. We can turn back if it's impassable, so it's worth a try.

[but they don't stand up yet, because that would mean breaking the tiny bit of shoulder contact they coerced Siffrin into giving them... they'll wait for him to decide first.]

[start_again]

[It's oddly reminiscent of the time he'd called Loop in a panic over forgetting his friends' names. A shame that Loop only ever seems to manage this kind of gentle patience when Siffrin is too fucked up to properly appreciate it.]

Yeah... Ok. You're right.

[He says that, but it takes a solid extra minute for him to drag himself away from Loop and back up to his feet. Unsurprisingly, their thoughts are the same on that matter, even if neither will verbalize them. It's just extra pathetic, really. They're in sync, they surely both know that, and they know that each other knows too, but they still can't just say it.

Part of Siffrin wants to ask to hold hands. It'd probably be easier with Loop than with the rest of their friends. But he won't, still.]

[theuniverseleads]

[Neither of them are going to ask for what they both want, because they're idiots. That's nothing new.

They don't hold hands as they head for... a direction. Does it matter which way? Loop doesn't want to risk seeing anyone, so further west through the trees is fine. Away from civilization, towards the stillness and silence.

It's darker, when they next emerge from the trees. A wide, open field beneath a faintly starry sky, and...

and in the grass is

Loop freezes, turning quickly to look at Siffrin. He's still there, of course he is, so why



Laying in the grass under the stars, the Traveller and the Fighter are chatting away. Warmly, genuinely, like the very first time.

They can't really tell from this distance, but neither of them have faces, still. Just normal dreamscape things.]