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idream_ofmemes2022-11-16 09:28 pm
perchancetodreammods) wrote in idream_ofmemes2022-11-16 09:28 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #3: A Gathering of Friends
A Gathering of Friends
New Arrivals
It seems, at first, like any other night.
You perform your nightly routine, winding down for bed as you usually do, dressing down, climbing under the covers, and preparing to drift off. This is, in all likelihood, a painfully average night, with absolutely nothing to suggest anything strange was on its way. However, as you reach that strange, liminal moment where only a sliver of consciousness remains as sleep is about to take you, there is a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach. A shift. And in that moment, you realize something is different. You don't have time to think about how or why you know this, or whether it is a good or bad thing, you simply know that it is so.
But it's too late. You drift off nonetheless.
When you rise, you find yourself still in the same bed you went to sleep in, but that bed has been… transported, somehow, to a broad and otherwise empty room. Your feet hit the black marble floor, but even if they are bare, they don’t feel cold. Around you are tall arches, beyond which is a rich, pink, sunset sky, and fluffy clouds drifting lazily by, sometimes close enough that parts of them intrude on the room.
On one side of the room, there is a door. Tall and austere, it looms overhead, bearing a carving of a strange blue eye. You feel awake, yet you know you are dreaming. Never in your life have you had a dream like this, so breathtakingly lucid. You feel foreign here, but welcome, like a guest. It’s an odd feeling, but perhaps it is familiar.
At the foot of your bed, there is a note on a small black slip of paper, written in lavender ink. It’s addressed to you by name.
“If you want answers, come find me at the Torn Oak. Otherwise, make yourself at home. Welcome to the Dreamscape.
-The Outsider”
The only way out is through the door. When you exit it, it slams behind you, and is gone if you turn around. You begin to get the sense that you’re going to be here for a while.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Welcome to the Dreamscape, a unique dream experience hosted by a mysterious entity calling themself the Outsider. They claim to be the master of the unconscious mind, having brought you and your neighbors to this magnificent shared dream where the only limit to what is possible is your imagination. Despite how long the dream may feel, the Outsider assures you that your life in the waking world is conveniently on pause, and when you awaken, you will find everything just as you left it, leaving you full reign to focus on the dream.
Your task here is to forge bonds with other dreamers, through conversation, common ground, whimsical dream adventures and the occasional emotional hardship. Success will reward you with feathers, which can be exchanged for Wishes, which allow you to add things to the Dreamscape or even make parts of it your own.
You are also given your very own Nimbus Cloud, a pink, cloud-shaped pocket dimension where you can craft your home as your heart desires just by willing it to look how you want, allowing you form your own little slice of paradise. Sleeping and eating are optional, death is impermanent, and the ever-shifting landscape offers a wealth of unique experiences. The only catch--- you can't leave. At least, not until the Outsider wakes you from the dream, and they seem to be a bit dodgy on how long that will take, or what their motives are for bringing you here. Your only option is to try and make the best of it, though perhaps getting to know your host might offer some answers, along with some additional benefits.
However you choose to dream, your adventures are what you make them, and how you interact with the Dreamscape will influence how it expands. Good luck out there, and sweet dreams!
You perform your nightly routine, winding down for bed as you usually do, dressing down, climbing under the covers, and preparing to drift off. This is, in all likelihood, a painfully average night, with absolutely nothing to suggest anything strange was on its way. However, as you reach that strange, liminal moment where only a sliver of consciousness remains as sleep is about to take you, there is a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach. A shift. And in that moment, you realize something is different. You don't have time to think about how or why you know this, or whether it is a good or bad thing, you simply know that it is so.
But it's too late. You drift off nonetheless.
When you rise, you find yourself still in the same bed you went to sleep in, but that bed has been… transported, somehow, to a broad and otherwise empty room. Your feet hit the black marble floor, but even if they are bare, they don’t feel cold. Around you are tall arches, beyond which is a rich, pink, sunset sky, and fluffy clouds drifting lazily by, sometimes close enough that parts of them intrude on the room.
On one side of the room, there is a door. Tall and austere, it looms overhead, bearing a carving of a strange blue eye. You feel awake, yet you know you are dreaming. Never in your life have you had a dream like this, so breathtakingly lucid. You feel foreign here, but welcome, like a guest. It’s an odd feeling, but perhaps it is familiar.
At the foot of your bed, there is a note on a small black slip of paper, written in lavender ink. It’s addressed to you by name.
“If you want answers, come find me at the Torn Oak. Otherwise, make yourself at home. Welcome to the Dreamscape.
-The Outsider”
The only way out is through the door. When you exit it, it slams behind you, and is gone if you turn around. You begin to get the sense that you’re going to be here for a while.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Welcome to the Dreamscape, a unique dream experience hosted by a mysterious entity calling themself the Outsider. They claim to be the master of the unconscious mind, having brought you and your neighbors to this magnificent shared dream where the only limit to what is possible is your imagination. Despite how long the dream may feel, the Outsider assures you that your life in the waking world is conveniently on pause, and when you awaken, you will find everything just as you left it, leaving you full reign to focus on the dream.
Your task here is to forge bonds with other dreamers, through conversation, common ground, whimsical dream adventures and the occasional emotional hardship. Success will reward you with feathers, which can be exchanged for Wishes, which allow you to add things to the Dreamscape or even make parts of it your own.
You are also given your very own Nimbus Cloud, a pink, cloud-shaped pocket dimension where you can craft your home as your heart desires just by willing it to look how you want, allowing you form your own little slice of paradise. Sleeping and eating are optional, death is impermanent, and the ever-shifting landscape offers a wealth of unique experiences. The only catch--- you can't leave. At least, not until the Outsider wakes you from the dream, and they seem to be a bit dodgy on how long that will take, or what their motives are for bringing you here. Your only option is to try and make the best of it, though perhaps getting to know your host might offer some answers, along with some additional benefits.
However you choose to dream, your adventures are what you make them, and how you interact with the Dreamscape will influence how it expands. Good luck out there, and sweet dreams!
WHAT
Perchance to Dream's November TDM
WHEN
11/16/2022
QUICK NAV
Constellations
When you join the Dreamscape, you will receive a magical Constellation pendant, allowing you to connect to the DreamNet! The star-shaped pendant, which varies depending on your personal style, lights up and projects a hologram screen that will allow you to send messages, videos, and voice calls. A handy way to stay connected with fellow dreamers on the go that is intuitive enough for anyone to understand, whether you come from a world where email has been invented or not!
Shine On, Harvest Moon
♫♪♩♬
Since the implementation of Constellation pendants, whenever something new is going on in the Dreamscape, you tend to receive a notice that way. However, today, it seems the Outsider has decided to return to form. In your pocket, or somewhere on your person, you feel a thick bit of cardstock appear from nowhere, and realize that you’ve been sent another one of your host’s calling cards. You are invited to a banquet, to be held in the Torn Oak.
It’s amusing how many of these events have been centered around food. The Outsider was not shy about their passion for art, music, and architecture, but it seemed the culinary arts have joined the ranks as one of their interests. (Taako’s influence, most likely.) They also state in their card that in light of how hectic and potentially challenging the last month or so has been, they’ve elected to give everyone including themself a bit of downtime with a calm and pleasant dream.
And so, to the Torn Oak you go, under the warm light of the Harvest Moon as it glows overhead, to join your fellow dreamers for a gathering of friends.
New Friends
♫♪♩♬
When you arrive, you are instantly dressed in mildly-formal dinner party clothing best suited to your style. It seems that for starters, everyone is encouraged to simply mingle. The Outsider’s usual glimmering crystal foyer in rococo and Greek inspired architecture is replaced with a warm, art deco parlor filled with comfortable couches and floating candles, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. At the center of the room, crystal glasses of frosty champagne and warm copper mugs of apple cider are already served and ready to be taken. Smooth, festive piano music seems to come from nowhere, always just barely audible over conversation.
Newcomers to the Dreamscape are given their cards first, and asked to come a little bit earlier than everyone else, in an attempt to help new arrivals settle in. Perhaps you’ve just arrived to the Dreamscape and you’re here early to chat up a fellow newcomer, or perhaps you’re an early bird veteran making your way inside to see a handful of new faces. Whatever the case may be, this is the perfect time to make a new friend or two. So grab a seat on the couch and a glass. It’s sure to be a lovely evening!
Old Friends
♫♪♩♬
As the room begins to fill with dreamers new and old, the space begins to naturally expand to accommodate, with little nooks and crannies forming for a semblance of seclusion. A few seats around a fireplace here, a sofa beneath a bay window there, some corner seats obscured by a bookshelf or decorated end table--- after all, with a gathering this large, no one would blame you for getting overwhelmed.
If you’re in the mood for a break from mingling and forming new connections, one of these hideaways might make for a pleasant escape with an old one. Perhaps you spy a dreamer you’ve bonded with sitting by the fire, or perhaps you’re perusing the bookshelf when a friend comes calling. Sometimes it’s nice to just spend a quiet moment with a friend.
Dinner Bell
♫♪♩♬
Once everyone has arrived and settled in, a large wooden door at the far side of the room swings open, and the Outsider, also dressed in festive finery, stands inside. They smile, welcoming the guests into the room behind them, which is a beautifully decorated banquet hall. Food is piled high among candelabras on the buffet table, and dozens of round tables surround it, each decorated lovingly with candles, red ribbons, holly sprigs, autumn leaves, pinecones, and other delightful seasonal accents.
“Thank you all for coming,” they say. “I know that I have not made things easy for those of you who have been with us a while now. Some of our recent events may have proven quite harrowing for many of you. But even so, I want to thank all of you so very much for embarking on this adventure with me. The reason for this is something of a personal matter, but--- suffice it to say that this project is of great personal importance to me, and has already been a growing experience. So, this dinner is intended to show my gratitude to all of you. For what we have already done together, and what we will achieve going forward. I hope you enjoy, my friends.”
And so, they leave you to it. There is a wide array of beautifully prepared fall comfort foods on the buffet table--- what will you be having? Who will you sit with? What will you discuss? The night is yours to make of it what you wish.
Home is Wherever I’m With You
♫♪♩♬
As dinner begins to wind down for the night, something about the ambiance of the room, the taste of pie, cider, or eggnog, evokes a sense of calm wistfulness in you. It’s none too oppressive, nothing you feel terribly compelled to act upon, but perhaps as you are picking at the last of your dessert or returning to the fireplace, you feel a bit more open. You feel more inclined to talk about your past, share a happy memory, or tell someone how you feel about them. You might even feel a bit more like getting cuddly with someone--- who knows? Your fellow dreamers will be sharing your feelings of warmth and nostalgia, so take advantage of this opportunity to get a little closer to your friends with your inhibitions comfortably lowered.
And I Want to Thank You
♫♪♩♬
As you are making your way out of the Torn Oak, the party having dwindled to a hush and a food coma perhaps beginning to take hold of you, at the exit you can see what looks like a comment box. Slips of paper and pens sit around it, and a card that asks poses a thoughtful question.
"What about the Dreamscape makes you the happiest?"
It's optional, of course. Just one of the Outsider’s methods of collecting information. However, should you fill it out, you will find your expression of gratitude met with a genuine reward, as three feathers appear amongst your belongings. A silent thank you for the information you shared, and your attendance to the gathering.
Thank you.
Mod Note
As referenced by the calendar, today's TDM was supposed to be "Seeing in Technicolor," an interactive puzzle game involving colored glasses. However, this game was meant to be a large undertaking and quite complex. With the holidays approaching, seasonal depression taking hold, and a plethora of other reasons to be busy and tired, many of our members would most likely be unable to participate. We already have a fair handful of hiatuses! So, in an effort to keep things light and chill, the Seeing in Technicolor TDM will be delayed for another time.
I hope this Friendsgiving event is both fun and low-pressure! Huge shoutout to
woocas for suggesting this sweet and cozy idea last minute. I feel I was able to channel the suggestion into a love letter to this game and everyone in it. Thank you all for being here, RPing with me, and enabling my weird ideas and characters!