TDM #7 - April Showers (and Other Weather Conditions)

[perchancetodreammods]

April Showers (and Other Weather Conditions)

New Arrivals

You wake from what should have been a normal night of sleep bolting upright from what is very clearly the bed you went to sleep in that night, but in a strange place. A tower, high in the air, with huge open windows that clouds could lazily float through. Before you is a massive oaken double door, emblazoned with a carving of an eye, and a note on black lies atop your bedsheets. The note instructs you to go through the door and come to a place called the Torn Oak for more answers, and is signed by someone called "the Outsider." You climb out of bed, pull on the door handle, and step out into an ethereal, mysterious, ever-shifting world of dreams.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Welcome to the Dreamscape. A beautiful, endless dream where you and a bunch of other unique and interesting minds from across the multiverse have been gathered to connect, commiserate, and make the impossible... possible! There are many fantastical locales to explore and even more to come, and you are given your very own Nimbus Cloud to serve as your home. This puffy pink cloud will host a pocket dimension just for you where the only limit to what you can create is your own imagination. Missing personal items or locations from the waking world? No problem--- the only thing you have to do in order to earn feathers, the local currency, is make meaningful connections with others. In fact, making these meaningful connections seems to be the only task assigned to you by your mysterious host, the Outsider.

In order to make your way in this weird and whimsical world, you'll need to form lasting bonds with your fellow dreamers, learn more about the Outsider and their intentions, and stay on your toes. There is something very strange happening here, and despite their jolly demeanor, they are clearly struggling to maintain control of their own domain--- something that could land all of you in danger.

DATE

4/5/2023

THEME

Weather-themed music and springtime!

QUICK NAV

Locations

Feather Info

The Outsider

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!

Mr. Blue Sky

{Electric Light Orchestra} ♫♪♩♬

Do you have a television in your Nimbus Cloud? Or perhaps you just have the screen of light that can be displayed from your Constellation charm. Whatever the case may be, it flicks on, and the Outsider is in a suit. No, not their usual ornate body suit, but a poorly-tailored black and white business suit, completed with a cloud-print tie. They are standing in front of a map of the Dreamscape, holding a pointing stick. They look ridiculous, even a bit disheveled. As they begin to speak, both their tone and their smile appear to be more forced than usual.

“Good afternoon, Dreamscape residents! It’s spring time here, which means we are officially clear of snowstorm territory and on to warm breezes, lovely flowers, and fresh leaves on all the trees. And of course it wouldn’t be spring without a little unpredictable weather!”

Cloud formations ranging from green to yellow to red began forming on their map, moving slowly across it from left to right.

“As you can see, we have some rather unique weather conditions rolling in! They’ll be rotating through all the locations in the Dreamscape, and changing every few hours, so I recommend that all of you stay up to date. I’ve provided resources on your Constellations and on any electronic devices in the Dreamscape to help you get the latest information on what weather will be impacting you, and what impact it will have on your location! Good luck out there, and whatever the weather, it’s better together!”

The Outsider’s rather cheesy presentation of the newest Dreamscape event, while amusing, seems out of character with their normally heartfelt or enthusiastic monologues. But before you have time to really dwell on that, the sky above you begins to shift and change. The spring time weather conditions are quickly arriving, affecting every location in the Dreamscape, and each type of weather has a magical effect of some kind that is influenced by the location itself and the people in it. You can choose whether to look up these effects and stay prepared or fly blind and hope for the best, but these weather conditions will be affecting every location except inside Nimbus Clouds!

Here Comes the Sun

{The Beatles} ♫♪♩♬

Everyone loves a sunny day, especially during a rainy season like early spring! If you’re in a place with sunshine, you’re in luck.

Clouds part above you, warmth filling the air as the sun’s golden rays envelop you and the landscape around you in a honey glow. As sunlight touches the ground, flowers begin to bloom in droves on any surface it might be reasonable to find them, and fresh green leaves sprout from the branches of every tree present. The sweet scent of nectar and florals fills the air everywhere that this light graces the ground, but the effects are particularly potent in the botanical gardens. The warm and almost heavenly glow from the celestial body above seems to soften the whole world, as if everything is faded slightly like an old photograph.

Breathe in. Take that sweetness into your lungs. Feel the warmth on your skin. You can feel a strange, calm euphoria rise up from your core so strongly that you feel compelled to exhale it out. With the dreamy light of the sun, you are instilled with a nearly overpowering joy. What will you do with this unexpected moment of bliss? Who will you spend it with? Will you reminisce about your favorite times, discover who you are without your burdens, or just allow yourself to float through the merry fields of flowers and forget? And of course, all this begs another important question--- how will you cope when it ends?

Northern Downpour

{Panic! at the Disco} ♫♪♩♬

One of the milder ones on the roster, light rains are the most common weather conditions you will encounter. Ranging from fading drizzles with a bit of sun to gloomy but calm showers, these peaceful storms have a large spread, change intensity often, and last longer than the other weather conditions. Occasionally, these storms can impact a single location for days at a time rather than just a few hours. If waiting out the rain doesn’t suit your schedule, there’s a shop in the Twisted City having a half off sale on umbrellas (making them only one feather, instead of two), but finding the shop is another matter. As with most shops in the Twisted City, it has a habit of disappearing, and reappearing elsewhere… But it’ll turn up eventually. (Probably.)

Whether you’re out in the rain or sheltered inside, the effect of the light rain is the same. As the persistent, musical sound of water droplets striking every surface fills the air and thrums in your ears, you begin to feel profoundly nostalgic, and feelings that you’ve been hiding or ignoring bubble to the surface. While it is up to you if this is enough to compel you to speak on these feelings, you will find that they nag at you, affecting your mood and plaguing your idle thoughts. Perhaps this is the time to have a conversation you’ve been avoiding?

Thunderclouds

{LSD} ♫♪♩♬

Another particularly common weather event that you’ll come across is heavy thunderstorms scattered in amongst the light rain. Much like the former, less intense version, these storms can linger, though not as long, and feature darker skies, heavier showers reaching up to the point of torrential downpours and even flooding, and the distant rumbling of thunder and flashes of lightning. The electricity is usually far enough in the distance that the rain is safe to walk in if you have an umbrella or don’t mind getting wet. Maybe you’re even the sort who likes to play in the rain--- in which case you’re in luck, these puddles are HUGE. However, this is also a great opportunity to huddle up and stay inside where it’s cozy.

Unlike the light rain, however, the heavy thunderstorms don’t influence your emotions. Instead, they are influenced by yours. Those in calm, playful, or romantic moods might see the storms grow a little lighter, the skies a brighter shade of gray, while Dreamers dealing with sadness might find the rain around them to be colder and heavier, or perhaps the clouds above you are darker and crackling with more lightning if you’re angry or scared. If you’re looking to change the vibe, start by changing the mood. Whether the severity of the storm is affected by you or the person next to you, a conversation could be enough to change the weather, and the state of the skies could be an indicator that someone around you could use a friend.

Jump Into the Fog

{The Wombats} ♫♪♩♬

More common at night or early in the morning, there is a slightly rarer chance that you’ll run into a patch of thick fog as you wander the Dreamscape. Dense, soupy, and gray, this fog is so intense it makes it hard to see more than a few feet in front of you, and will chill you down to your bones. Where fog is present, the sounds of the world will be duller, and everything will be eerily still.

This fog is not as innocent as the rain, however, and this is a very severe weather condition. As the cold sets in, sinking through your skin and making you shiver, so does a pervasive sense of anxiety, and a fear of the unknown. Listen closely and you’ll hear strange, unsettling sounds or barely-audible murmurs in the distance. What’s out there? It sounds so close, and yet you can’t see it.

What lurks in the fog is drawn from your own fears, and if you stray too far into the dense clouds, you’ll be met with a source of deep fear or stress from your own mind. Whether that’s monsters, people, places---you’ll find yourself among things that distress you. However, if you find another Dreamer to walk with, you may be able to escape the clutches of the fog. All you have to do is maintain physical contact with your companion. Hold hands, link arms, stand shoulder to shoulder or back to back, whatever works best for you, and as you proceed you’ll find that the fog is confused by the pairing, resulting in a fusion of your fears with those of your companion. Perhaps they conflict with one another, form something altogether new, or even result in something comical. Either way, this will allow you to share your burden with a friend, creating a situation that is easier to handle for both of you. Face your fears together, and the fog will lift, revealing the way forward. Or, if confrontation isn’t in the cards, you can always find somewhere indoors to hunker down and comfort each other until the danger passes instead.

Eye of the Storm

{MARINA} ♫♪♩♬

There is one more weather condition that it’s possible to run into, though this one is far less common and far more severe than any of the others. You almost won’t notice it at first as clouds loom overhead, threatening you with rain but never committing to it, and a brisk breeze blows through. However, the once-gentle gusts will escalate quickly, evolving into high winds with nearly enough force to bowl someone over.

As your hair and clothes whip in the wind, debris from the area begins to swirl around near the ground, and a piece of paper, fluttering in the breeze, flies up and slaps you, sticking to your body with the force of the gales. You peel it away from you and can barely make out the words printed on its surface before the rough winds rip it out of your hands and send it tumbling off into the distance.

Catch me if you can.

The page disappears from view, and there is a moment of complete, terrifying stillness as the tempest gales that seemed fit to carry you off just moments ago just drop off into nothing.

The paper, you realize, is cursed, having chosen you as its target, and from your mind a crisis of some kind is selected from your fears or memories and inflicted upon the surrounding area. This can be a natural disaster, an attacking army or monster, a chaotic mishap, or any other manner of catastrophe big enough to afflict the area you’re in, and it can range from comical to terrifying, all while massive gusts of wind bluster through the area. There are only two ways to end the disastrous effects of the high winds--- either resolve the crisis by overcoming the problem itself, or find that piece of paper and destroy it while the effects of the crisis attempt to keep you away from it, and the winds will persist until one of these things happens. Good luck out there! Maybe if you have an Emergency Wish, that could help you out?

Rain on Me

{Lady Gaga} ♫♪♩♬

As rotating weather effects impact the Dreamscape, this may be a good time to explore previous locations and see how they’ve changed with the weather and seasons. Investigate original locations like the Glass Lake and Twisted City, take the ferry over to Marrow Isle and see how Pumpkin Hollow looks in the spring, or visit your friends’ additions from last month’s wishing contest. Peruse the Locations page if you need ideas on where to go!

With all this rain, we’re sure to see some build-up over the course of this month, which will undoubtedly influence what’s to come, so stay tuned!

Additional Info!

-The Feather Info pages have yet to be updated with this information, but going forward we will be adding a new feather gain category: Shared Joy! You can earn this feather by meaningfully deepening your bond with another person over a shared wonderful moment of bliss. This is a fairly flexible category, but carries some weight. The rule of thumb is that it will count for any joyful interaction that brings characters significantly closer. Cannot be applied retroactively.

- Don't forget that we have a birthday chart for both players and characters!

-Reminder that activity check for March going into April has been waived. Existing players did not need to do AC this past week. Barring incident, it should resume as normal next month.

-NEW PLAYERS! Feel free to request a Discord link!

And last but not least, we have the winners of the wishing contest from last month's members-only event. Votes for first place were given 3 points, second place for 2, and third place for 1, ensuring that each vote was weighted according to priority.

In Third Place was Little Inkopolis & the ColisSeaum. Pearl Houzuki is awarded a free jumbo umbrella big enough for two people to stand under!

In Second Place was Blood Moon Library. Lioriley and Astarion are awarded a pair of stylish raincoats and a two-person umbrella of their own, to share.

In First Place is Rainbow Road. Princess Peach Toadstool and Lucas Kovach are awarded their own bespoke raincoats and colorful umbrellas respectively, as well as a letter informing that they will have the privilege of assisting in the planning of next month's Steamboat Gala. Details on that to be announced at the end of April!

An honorable mention to CB Ranch and Ambrosia Lounge, which tied for fourth place and were not far behind! A huge huge HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in making last month's event fun and filled with player participation!

Comments

Captain Jack Harkness {Gray Thane} | DOCTOR WHO/TORCHWOOD {Mirrorverse AU}

[this_isgoodbye]

Arrival

He's an unassuming figure, dapper and handsome emerging from the Torn Oak after his audience with the Outsider. He might even be familiar to some who have seen another man that shares a few similarities with him: ice blue eyes, great cheekbones, and a vintage aesthetic in his waistcoat with watch chain, shirtsleeves rolled up over lean but powerful forearms.

His demeanor is quiet, seemingly affable--but one look in his eyes shows that this particular man answering to the name of Captain Jack Harkness is anything but friendly...at least, under the right circumstances. There's no warmth in those blue eyes, but there rarely ever is.

And, at the moment, if his host can be believed? He's in a safe place. Here to connect with others.

Jack, however, prefers his own connections. Gwen, quiet and vicious except when she's in his bed. Ianto, all warmth and compassion and reason, drawing him like a moth to a flame even when he's bitching about all the secrets he has to keep from his boyfriend, Rhys. He has Mickey out there in the universe somewhere, sweet as sugar and tough as nails...and he has the Doctor.

The Doctor, who could hold the answer to his...problem.

Those are the only connections he wants, and he's going to get back to them. One way or another.

Here Comes The Sun

For the first time in nearly two hundred years, his name loses its meaning. It returns to the man it belongs to, and to think of it brings with it a sweet ache of longing...but even that's okay.

Crouched atop the waters of the Glass Lake, occasionally poking his hand into the surface to let one of the dazzling rainbow fish mouth at his fingers, bathed in the perfect, joyful serenity of the sun, he is Gray Thane again. Memories long buried of the simpler days of his youth drift easily to the surface, the warmth of the sun reflecting off the lake reminding him of lighthearted afternoons back home, being chased by Dad and Javic, swept off his feet and spun or tackled in a brotherly embrace that turned to long naps in the grass or on the beach safely wrapped in his big brother's arms...

Tipping his face up to the sky, he shuts his eyes, smiles...and exists. Not as the immortal killer Captain Jack Harkness, protecting Wales and Planet Earth with blood and fire, but as Gray Thane of the Boeshane Peninsula.

Just...Gray.

Thunderclouds {{CW: ALLUSIONS TO SUICIDAL IDEATION}}

He is Jack Harkness again, and he wishes he weren't.

Standing in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, a torrential downpour punctuated with flashes of lightning and earth-shaking peals of thunder all but over his head, Jack stands immobile as the world grows as dark as his heart again, as he claws for and fails to find the memories that came so easily to him by the lake. Mom, Dad, Javic...

Jack can't even be sure he's remembering Javic's face the right way anymore. He knows the eyes, he shares them with his brother, but was his hair lighter or darker? How strong was the hand that held his before it slipped away from him? How much taller was Javic than him?

He's soaking wet. He can't feel it. He can't feel much of anything anymore. He wonders if this is what it would feel like to die and stay dead, this numbness...

...no, not numbness. He's not really numb, and as he realizes it a distant crack of wood rings out when a flash of lightning hits a tree branch a few dozen yards behind him, Jack realizes he's just in pain. A pain he knows--so constant, so relentless that the body isn't aware of anything else and it feels normal.

Pain so intense, you forget you can feel it--because you can't feel anything else.

And as another flash of lightning strikes, just a few feet closer, Jack just wants to make the pain stop.

Thunderclouds

[capthardness]

Jack's usually not the biggest fan of the Enchanted Forest (too many memories of what happened to Estelle), but he's more restless than he's been for over two months, thanks to John being--

He's been carefully not thinking about that, given what he's figured out about these bloody weather patterns. But maybe not careful enough, given the sudden downpour. But he spent enough time in Wales that it doesn't bother him much. Sure it sucks when he's wearing his greatcoat, but he can manage.

But as he keeps walking, grumbling a few choice words under his breath, he sees someone up ahead who looks like they aren't managing so well. With any luck, they're just freaked out by thunderstorms. But even if that is the case…

"Hey there!" he calls over the torrent, picking up the pace heedless of the water filling his boots or the way the edges of his coat start dragging on the ground. "Hey," he softens the edges of his voice a little, even as he keeps the volume up to at least be heard over the chaos of the storm. "Kid, can you hear me?"

[this_isgoodbye]

Another flash of lightning, striking closer still--maybe half a dozen yards behind them.

"Gray, can you hear me?"

He's only aware of the voice when the memory fills his head--sound and mind in unison, and it hurts, hurts worse than anything.

But this time, this time it hurts because for one fleeting moment he swears he can feel the sun on his face again, hear the distant call of his voice calling Gray to dinner, warm salt air in his lungs and mouth watering for Mom's cooking...

That flare of joy that rips him to pieces results in another deafening peal of thunder, but the rain slows for just a moment, the air growing quieter as Jack turns to face the newcomer with hair dripping in his eyes.

Eyes he shares with the man standing nearby. Eyes he hasn't forgotten, because they're his eyes, too. The only thing he's sure of anymore, the only memory he can't lose because it faces him in the mirror every morning.

...but it can't be. It can't.

...can it?...

"Who are you?" Jack calls out over the rain, steel and agony in his voice as his hands ball into fists at his side.

[capthardness]

Jack watches the other man's body language carefully, taking in the tension in his arms just as much as the sharp, painful edge of his voice. Nope, not just a problem with thunder. That really was asking too much.

"My name's Jack," for some reason it feels a bit strange in his mouth, in a way it hasn't in over a century, and maybe it's just the thing that happens sometimes when you're talking to someone with a slightly-different accent.

"I've been here awhile, and I know how overwhelming some of the shenanigans it pulls can be. Problem of a place slapped together from the collective unconscious of folks from all over time and space." He puts on a softer version of The Captain's smile; not flirtatious exactly (because there's always a bit of that for him, even when he's not thinking about it), but more like the smile he puts on when he has to be brave for the team when they're all hitting bottom. "But it usually sorts itself out if you can let yourself get distracted from it a little. Could start with telling me your name, if you can."

[this_isgoodbye]

The name makes him flinch a little, but at least it's...not what he was expecting. There's something weirdly comforting about disappointment and heartache, old friends he'd lost touch with in finding himself a family. People to love and care for, people to keep the hand of sanity from slipping out of his grip.

A short, bitter laugh escapes him as he takes a deep breath to try and regain some of his calm.

"Sound like you know what you're talking about." he scoffs, plastering a rueful grin on his own face. He recognizes the way it feels--it's real when he shows it to Gwen in the quiet moments, or Ianto when he's going on about that stupid boyfriend of his, the one Jack would kill if he didn't know it would break Ianto's heart.

Everywhere else, it's just a costume to make him seem more human.

Moving a few steps closer, he offers his hand to the other man and does what he knows best: chokes on the pain, buries it deep. The rain lightens some, but not much.

"Small universe, too--I'm Jack. Harkness."

[capthardness]

Jack smirks, a bit more self-assured than the way the man in front of him looks, and it's not entirely a front. At least in this particular area, he does actually know what he's talking about.

"Oh just a bit. Like I said, been around here awhile so I've run into people from way different times and places than I came from, and I had a little bit of experience with temporal displacement beforehand which didn't hurt." Even if the guy doesn't get all of that, it'll hopefully be a distraction.

Jack would probably freeze like he did that moment in the Ritz if this had been the first time the universe had thrown this at him, but now he can't help just barking out a short laugh of his own, only keeping the edge of hysterics at bay through too much practice.

"Of course you are. Tell me, what year was it the last time you checked? "

Here Comes The Sun

[miss_brilliant]

Amanda's been wandering everywhere half in a daze, sure at any moment she'll blink and wake up to her ventilator's rhythmic hiss and her chair waiting for Mary to lift her into it to start the day. But for all the times she's had this dream (and she's had it plenty of times), it's never felt so real. It's like being on the Destiny, except every time she's looked into a reflective surface it's been her face, her own voice in her ears, and it's impossible--

Just like Stargates are 'impossible'. So she's accepting it, drinking it all in for as long as she can. Unsurprisingly for a place apparently built from pieces of the minds of people from everywhere, it's bizarre and a bit disjointed and so beautiful. All of it. It reminds her why she had wanted to work in aeronautics in any way she could, even if it was just helping make the tech to get other people to the stars. It was enough. It had been enough.

But she's not letting her think about the Destiny and Nick or anything besides enjoying the freedom to explore on her own terms for the first time…well, ever, really.

And maybe she's enjoying it a bit too much, considering that even in a dream it still feels strange to be able to move again and she had still been a clumsy kid in the middle of a growth spurt when the accident happened, so it's not really that surprising that she's so distracted looking at the bizarrely gorgeous trees surrounding the area that she doesn't notice she's stepped onto a surface with far less traction until it's too late and she trips.

She manages to catch herself on her hands to keep from entirely face planting, thankfully, but she still ends up crouched just a foot away from someone--

"Oh, god I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt--I was just caught up in looking at this place, I never thought I'd ever be able to…" she cuts herself off, laughing. "And you would probably really like it if I'd just shut up and found somewhere else to be a total klutz."

[this_isgoodbye]

Gray glanced over at the strange, wet-yet-not sound of someone tripping and catching themselves on the water. He can't help it: he laughs, but it sounds so foreign to him that it takes a second to realize it's his voice.

Warm, bright...real.

"No, really--you're good." he assures her. Rising, he shifts over a couple steps and crouches again, offering her a hand to at least help her up to one knee. He thought he was okay by himself, but now that he's with someone else, the puppyish need for companionship is almost overwhelming.

Glancing down at the water, he looks up at the woman again with a grin--a real one, the kind he feels in his bones when he's encouraging Owen to talk to Tosh, or watching Suzie fuss over the Resurrection Gauntlet whenever they have to use it, mother hen of the team with the repeated warnings about its addictive properties.

When he opens his mouth, he almost says his real name, barely stops himself but stops all the same with a huff of laughter.

"Jack--Captain Jack Harkness." he introduces himself, finding her hand and shaking it warmly. He keeps hold of it, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Wanna see something fun?"

[miss_brilliant]

At first, Amanda's too distracted by the feel of someone's hand on hers--her own hand, not that of a body she's borrowing--to be completely aware the man's said something. Sure she's been able to feel hands on her face but that's been all for so long, it's just the right side of overwhelming.

Luckily, she manages to shake herself out of her own head with a few blinks, hopefully quickly enough the guy doesn't worry that he's overstepped or something.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," she says, a soft laugh in her voice as she lets him help her up. "Nice to meet you, Jack. Amanda Perry. Doctor-Ph.D, not medical, if we're giving titles."

[this_isgoodbye]

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Amanda Perry.” Gray replies with a grin—because he can see it. The memories feel distant here, but he remembers how his first days felt when he was freed…the little pleasures, how human contact felt when it didn’t hurt. The way a simple handshake leaves her so engrossed…he wants to prolong that simple, comforting pleasure if he can.

So he keeps hold of her hand, guiding it into the water. With their fingers still meshed, he flexes his own so she will follow his lead. Eventually, one of the glittering, brightly colored koi swim lazily up and begin to gently mouth at their fingertips, making Gray laugh.

“How ‘bout that?” He declares, glancing up to watch her expression. “I think they like you, Doc.”

[miss_brilliant]

While the fingers of her other hand are still curled as she keeps it loosely at her side--it's so strange, to feel like the smallest movements are too much and not enough, that even in a place of dreams it isn't yet easy to make her body move the way it did before--Amanda hardly notices that when she's focused on the warmth of human connection. She'd had herself half convinced for so long she didn't need it, that she had her chess games and long talks with Nick and a few others, that she had her work, and that it was enough.

And it was. And wasn't. And she'd known that on Destiny, when Brody's moonshine had given her the courage to reach for more. But there's a difference between (quite literally, and she's so glad no one else saw that) throwing yourself at a man you've been pining over for years and just being with another person.

And that alone would be deilght enough, but then there's those beautiful fish, glorious as any Ancient artifact in their own way, and feeling them. And Amanda's absolutely certain she looks ridiculous with how much she's grinning, and she does not care at all.

"Maybe. Or they're wondering why I didn't come with something for dinner," but she says it with a laugh. "Thank you. Definitely a much nicer thing of people would do for a klutzy newcomer who almost faceplanted on them.

Fog

[borntolove]

The Doctor is walking along when the fog begins to set in and he can feel that something is coming with and what's odder is that he's afraid of what might come. Usually the unknown doesn't bother him but this is that rare time that his feet are telling him to turn back. Expect when he does, he notices how thick the fog has already settled and he can't see in any direction around him.

"Who's thar?"

[this_isgoodbye]

The sun was…bad. The rain…well it wasn’t great, but now that he was sure of his reality, of Javic, he was feeling much better about the rain. Great, even.

The fog, however…the fog he hates. He hates it a lot, he’s not a fan, and he suddenly wishes he hadn’t felt so damn good about going around to do some exploring by himself. He’s not even sure where he’s at by this point—did he make it onto that highway? Or is he still by that big oak tree thing?…

The fear is cloying, choking, when he hears the voice. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it was familiar…

Peering into the fog, Jack (he has to be, when he’s this afraid he can’t be Gray, can’t be weak and screaming and wild especially if someone needs help fucking Torchwood) calls out into the thick white nothingness.

“Hey! Follow my voice, a-and keep talking! We gotta find each other eventually!”

[borntolove]

That's an interesting voice and familiar voice, "Jack!" The Doctor calls out, "Over here!" Even if he's not sure, he doesn't trust the fog, there's something 'off' about it. "What are you doing out here?"

[this_isgoodbye]

Jack turns towards the sound of the voice—one that knows him, apparently, one that’s just a little familiar…

“Doctor?” he calls out uncertainly—but even as he says it he’s sure. Down in his guts, his marrow, no matter what his face may look like or his voice might sound like, Jack will always, always know the Doctor by the way he says his name.

It’s the Doctor, and he’s here.

“I got twitchy and went for a walk!” Jack calls out, moving towards the sound of his voice. “My lucky day, huh?”

His chest tightens, and for a second he can’t breathe around the hollow, sore feeling that somehow feels good…

“I’ve been waiting so long to see you again!” He calls out, voice thick with longing as he thinks of them both—the Doctor and Mickey, his fellas and the TARDIS…

[borntolove]

"It's always your lucky day." Is The Doctor teases back, however, he stands in his spot and allows, the sound to come closer to him because 'waiting so long to see him again', doesn't make much sense.

"You act like I can get rid of you!" The Doctor teases back.

Thunderclouds

[bigbadrose]

Rose is almost always walking on sunshine, but for a good period finding different versions of the Doctor doomed, all the doomed timelines for Earth, she's gotten used to being in pure darkness. The darkness was coming. Still, here, having it turned rather literal was a fascinating experience. Stranger still though, she's completely drawn to the opposite: the thunderclouds and lightning of others.

"Hey," she greets with a gentle attempt at a smile. "My name's Rose Tyler, and--" Oh shit that lightning is just about to hit him!? She tackles Gray to the ground without thinking!

[this_isgoodbye]

Jack can’t hear her over his own blood roaring in his ears, his own head howling at him. Fortunately, he’s not armed, but when the slim body collides with his he twists, continuing the momentum until he’s straddling the waist of his assailant—

—and when he sees who it is, the storm all but vanishes, tapering off to a gentle drizzle as the clouds begin to fade.

Blinking down at her, Jack sneers.

“Well look what the cat dragged in—Ring O’ Roses!” He snarks…then after about five seconds sits back on his heels so he can tug Rose into a sitting position and wrap her in a friendly hug.

“Good to see ya, shop girl!” He chuckles, drawing back with a teasing, friendly smile of fond recognition. “Napping at the counter? Or is it just that dull without Mickey and the Doctor around?”

[bigbadrose]

"It um---"

.....

"Sorry, I don't always... um know everyone who knows me, time travel... and--" she scrunches her face up!!! "Actually this is completely new to me! Usually I'm the one who knows everyone, and they don't know me at all. But Mick's back with Mum and Pete in Torchwood, and--" Is that confidential not supposed to be revealed information? Like she said, this is TOTALLY new! "But the Doctor is around, yeah. So... name please?"

[this_isgoodbye]

Jack would have thought, for a second, that maybe this was Rose from earlier in the timeline, before he went to Wales with the guys, or before Mickey met the Doctor—except she knew about Torchwood. So…she couldn’t be.

“Come on, Rose—I know we like to give each other crap, but playing like you don’t know me is cheating.” He chuckled, gesturing to himself. “It’s me, it’s Jack! You know, the one Mickey likes best?”

Rain On Me (Sunshine Edition) - closed to Jack

[this_isgoodbye]

It’s been a crazy month, and overall Gray has been doing well. He has his brother back, he’s making friends…he’s met someone he really likes. He’s…

Avoiding the sun at all costs. What little he can identify as feeling good, feeling something he wants to call happy or joyful, he wants it to be his. He doesn’t want another day like that first one—only one good thing came of it, and he knows he won’t be meeting anyone else like Amanda. He’s sure of it.

So he sticks to the rain. The clouds. He stays inside when he catches a hint of the sun…but nothing good can last forever.

Fortunately, when the sky clears while Gray is out one day, late into his stay, he’s near the Torn Oak and remembers where Javic told him his boyfriend lives. If Javic isn’t there, maybe said boyfriend can help him track him down, because if the sun is going to do this to him again at least he won’t be alone…

Knowing he’ll be hurting later still can’t dispel the good cheer that spreads through him like warm honey as he makes the walk to a nice looking horse ranch over the hill. The sun feels so nice that he’s got his bomber jacket slung over one shoulder and his sleeves rolled up, the first couple buttons of his shirt undone—the picture of carefree contentment as he’s walking up the path to the house.

He’s feeling good, really good—but he can’t stop the nagging little worry in the back of his head until he spots a figure leaning against the porch railing that looks like…

“…Javic!” Gray calls out, waving and jogging the last dozen or so feet to sprint up the porch steps and embrace him in greeting, finally letting the happy serenity of the sun have complete control of him.

[capthardness]

While it does give him just a moment of pause and still doesn't sound quite right in his head, Jack's pleasantly surprised to find there's none of that nerve-shaking panic at hearing his old name now--at least not when it's coming from Gray. In fact while he's still not entirely comfortable with too much idle time alone, not-so-unconciously waiting for something to happen, he's been entirely calm since opening his eyes to find a vague note instead of John in the bed beside him. And he didn't think it was all down to the sunshine.

His smile as he immediately wraps an arm around Gray as he bounds up the porch definitely isn't a product of the weather. "Gray! Hey, what's up?" The normal worry he has for his brother's well being is there, in the far back of his mind, but it's all-but forgotten under the joy of seeing him out here in the sun; a startling contrast to the scene of their reunion.

[this_isgoodbye]

For a second Gray just hangs onto Javic, not sure if it’s the sun or just Javic that makes him feel so safe, so young with just a stupid hello hug.

For just an instant, he’s four years old again, soaked to the skin after chasing a crab into the water and getting pulled under by a wave, being carried home in Javic’s arms. He’s safe, he’s happy…he’s home.

Giving him one more little squeeze, Gray draws back with a smile of his own, one that turns a little rueful as he points skyward.

“Got caught in the sun.” He explains. “I figured I could ask your boyfriend where to find you if you weren’t here. It was…bad the last time, after? So…y’know.”

He knows he’ll be safe with you—and that maybe, when this feeling goes away, it won’t be so bad this time since he’s with Javic.

[capthardness]

Following his gesture, Jack only winces a slightly as the implications hit him. "Ah. Yeah, probably a good idea. Guess it's a good thing he left me to take care of some errand I'm not allowed to know anything about. Man's lucky I trust him and that he's cute."

It's still a bit surreal to realize that, even when he's not dazed by soul-warming sun, he's honestly not worried about what John might be doing that requires secrecy. Sure, Jack doesn't have any reason to believe he might try to pull something really stupid like poisoning him or...well, anything his ex-partner might have done that required some kind of secret purchase, but it's still bizarre to find himself trusting someone so completely.

Then again, no one else ever gave him a damn horse. Speaking of. He grins, remembering the main reason he'd kept his coat on after stepping out and feeling the sun. He pulls back just enough to put an arm Gray's shoulders, shoving his other hand his pocket. "But there is still someone I wanna introduce you to."

[this_isgoodbye]

“Probably just engagement ring shopping or something. I wouldn’t worry.” Gray teases, sticking his tongue out at Javic even as he leans into him a little when his arm settles across his shoulders. The mention of someone else makes him curious, however.

“What, you guys have another partner? Isn’t your boyfriend from the 20th century?” Gray asks with a raised eyebrow.