TDM #1 - What Dreams May Come

[perchancetodreammods]

What Dreams May Come

Dream On

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 realms 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.

The only catch? You can't wake up until the Outsider wakes you. And it's not clear when that will be--- if ever.

Make your way in this ever-changing dream realm, find friends and allies to earn Feathers, and navigate strange and fantastical Dreamscape-wide events as you and your new neighbors try to unravel the mystery of what exactly the Outsider wants, and what it will take to escape the never-ending dream. The Outsider isn't just an NPC, either--- they're joining you on your adventures!

WHAT

The grand opening of Perchance to Dream!

WHEN

9/13/2022

QUICK NAV

Locations

Feather Info

The Outsider

I'm Only Sleeping

♫♪♩♬

When you go to sleep that night, it is like any other night. After a long day of living your life in the waking world, you dress down for the night, lie your weary head down, close your eyes, and begin to drift off, as you normally do. However, just as you are about to fall asleep, there is a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that something has changed.

But 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.

The Dreaming Tree

♫♪♩♬

The first area that you come into contact with is a sprawling field of stark white vegetation under a deep purple sky. At the base of the hill upon which you stand, you can see a tree that is particularly large, that seems to be standing perfectly upright despite being torn completely in half just above the stump. A blue wooden door with a silver handle stands in the gap between the body of the three and the stump below. It seems this place has an interesting penchant for disembodied doors. Still, this is probably the “Torn Oak” referenced in the note from the room before.

Should you go in, you’ll find before you a fantastical structure that looks almost like a shrine--- four shimmering crystal pillars, a glass chandelier, and a pedestal with a glowing sphere swirling with light. And beside that, there stands a strange figure. A person with periwinkle skin and a long, slender body, draped in a cloak with golden eyes that moved and blinked. On their head, a pair of horns and a golden halo, and a pointed tail flicked around their ankles. They had three eyes, one seated up on their brow, all of which were that strange, eerie blue that the one carved into that large black door had been.

“Hello there!” They greet you cheerfully. “I’ve been expecting you. I’m sure you have questions!”

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

♫♪♩♬

The Outsider, your host, is more than happy to explain the purpose of this place. You are in the Dreamscape, a special pocket of the collective unconscious of the entire omniverse, and they’ve plucked the dreaming minds of a hand-picked selection of people out of their own dreams, to be here in this mystical place. They cannot tell you why, exactly, but they want you to make meaningful emotional, mental, and physical connections with other dreamers, particularly those who you do not know, and they’re willing to reward you for doing so.

Perhaps you want to get started on collecting right away. The Outsider has kindly informed you that the best way to do this is to go and make some new friends. The likelihood that you’ll find another dreamer or two walking around the grassy knoll outside the Torn Oak or heading up or down the colossal escalator leading up into the sky itself is pretty high. Perhaps you’ll even find someone who wants to walk with you over to the Glass Lake, where the water’s surface can be walked on to get a better view of the Rainbow Koi. For some reason, no matter how many people go there or how inviting it seems, no one else besides you and the person or people you went with ever seems to be anywhere around, making it surprisingly private.

Sleepwalking

♫♪♩♬

If the immediate area doesn’t strike your fancy and you’re looking for some other options, you might consider heading to the Barren Freeway. The long stretch of paved road is oppressively isolating and terribly eerie, but it can lead to so many other places, be they strange, temporary locations from the corners of your mind that disappear when you leave, or the Twisted City itself.

Bustling and full of life, there is always something to do or see in the Twisted City. Restaurants, shops, night life, libraries, parks--- and it almost looks like a normal town, if you can ignore the bubbles in the sky, uncanny structures in the street, and the fact that nothing ever seems to stay in the same spot. Though if you get lost and need to get back to the Freeway, the Submarineway has a stop right by there. Maybe in the process of finding your way, you can find a friend.

Comments

[blue_ice]

That declaration has Kaiba even more confused. He really doesn't trust the person's motives, but...the behavior doesn't quite match a hostage situation, no. He sits, still radiating tension, but he doesn't reach for the coffee.

"Please, elaborate. Because I can't imagine what else could possibly compel you to bring me here."

Kaiba's voice is steady and even, but keeping his composure is obviously requiring effort when all he wants to do is yell some more. He's keenly aware now that he has no idea what this person is truly capable of.

[fromtheoutside]

The Outsider was fully aware that Kaiba was spring-loaded with tension. A hostage situation for him was routine. A nuisance. This, however, was unfamiliar territory. And the Outsider could scarcely deny that having their power recognized so quickly was a little... invigorating.

Still, they remained casual with him. The end goal was to make everyone comfortable. "Of course," they replied. "I am called the Outsider. I am the crux of the collective subconscious of every sentient mind in the omniverse. Essentially, what that means is that all dreams of everything in every universe that thinks converge on one realm, which is my domain. I have created a pocket within that realm called the Dreamscape for my chosen few. You are one of them."

[blue_ice]

Kaiba believed he should...try to play along a little more. He grasped the handle of the mug and pulled it closer, inhaling the scent. It was normal, and that relaxed him a little. Not enough to drink it, but he'd consider it. Maybe once he had a better idea.

The story sounded so ridiculous. Dreams were merely scattered neurons firing as the unconscious mind organized itself in preparation for the next day. There were no special meanings...most of the time. A certain dragon surfaced in his memory, and he pressed his lips together in a thin line.

"Assuming I decide to believe you...why, then? What else could you possibly want with me?"

[fromtheoutside]

"It's something of an experiment, you see," the Outsider continued, happy to explain. "The people here are from numerous worlds across many dimensions. I am looking to foster interdimensional cultural exchange, and am willing to reward dreamers for forming meaningful connections with one another."

[blue_ice]

Kaiba had to bite back a snort of disbelief when he heard that explanation. Forming...meaningful...bonds?

"Surely if you did your research on your subjects beforehand, you know I'm quite possibly the worst choice if that's your goal? Even if you restricted yourself to my town, almost anyone else in it would be more appropriate."

He gripped the mug, grasp tightening in frustration, but he forced his tone to remain even. There had to be some mechanism to encourage or force compliance, and...

"But. Assuming I were to...comply, what would those rewards be?"

[fromtheoutside]

The Outsider couldn't help but snicker at his response. "You might consider that your lack of ability in this area may have been why you were chosen. Each person who is here has been chosen for their individual strengths and weaknesses. I went out of my way to select some individuals who would have difficulty, with intent to see how that difficulty is overcome."

"As far as rewards," they continued when prompted, "each meaningful connection formed, of which there are several categories, produces an iridescent feather. These feathers are currency--- they can be exchanged for various goods and creature comforts, but they can also buy Wishes, which are fragments of my power which can be used to make changes to the Dreamscape. You can create new locations, manifest personal items, summon creatures--- the only limit is what you can imagine."

[blue_ice]

The Outsider's tactic was...clever. They've successfully hit a nerve, and Kaiba's eyes widened.

"I'm not incapable. I just haven't felt it to be worth the risk. But if I revise my risk assessment..."

He took a deep breath. "I'll consider complying if you can summon a dragon."

[fromtheoutside]

The Outsider scoffed at that. "Of course you can wish for a dragon. A standard Wish will get you an animal companion the size of a horse or smaller. Five feathers. Any larger than that, you'll have to shell out ten for a large Wish."