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

[invigorates]

Lioriley's brows furrowed; confusion etched across her features. The words 'meaningful connections' and 'cultural exchange' seeming to draw most of her focus. "Forgive me, but I will politely request you specify your parameters for such an arrangement. Do these meaningful connections require intimacy, or simply friendship or some other emotional bonding?" If the Outsider knew anything about Lioriley and where she had been, they could probably guess why she was asking. People had been asking her to fuck a lot, and it would be super cool if she could just, like, be friends with people.

[fromtheoutside]

The Outsider looked taken aback, before looking a bit mortified, realizing what kinds of worlds she'd come from before. "Wh--- Heavens, no! No, no, not at all. Sexual intimacy is certainly one type of meaningful connection, certainly, and will be rewarded accordingly should you choose to involve yourself with it, but that's merely one of many ways you can connect with others," they explained. "Other ways include things as simple as making new friends, physical affection, emotional vulnerability--- You know. Things like that."

[invigorates]

Lioriley looked both relieved and incredibly embarrassed. She would be more than happy to make friends and form platonic relationships with anyone and everyone, although now she wished she had assumed that was the case instead of mentioning how constant the demand for sexual intimacy had apparently been these past few years.

"Oh. Good." She said with a sigh and a small smile. Astarion was going to hate this arrangement - not for the lack of sex, of course, he'd still get plenty of that from her, but for the rest of it. A thought that vaguely amused her. "I can certainly accomplish that with ease. I enjoy learning new things and meeting new people. Speaking of." She motioned politely in their direction. "Might I begin this journey of connection with you?"

[fromtheoutside]

The Outsider blinked a bit, then brightened. "Of course! If you would like." They tried and failed not to seem eager. But how could they not be? They'd gone to all this trouble and someone actually wanted to be their friend. Without needing to be persuaded, as well!

"I know a bit about you already--- I did some brief observation of everyone here. Just enough to make sure you were all a good fit. But I'd love to know more about you."

[invigorates]

Lioriley managed not to flinch, suddenly too aware of how much this potentially omniscient being might know of her. "What precisely do you wish to know?" A beat. "Or, I suppose, what might you know already?"

[fromtheoutside]

"Not too much. I have been trying not to snoop," they assured her. "Just dreams, snippets of memory--- enough to have an idea of your personality, and to know that you've been trapped in strange worlds that commodify... certain types of interactions... for a while."

[invigorates]

That was...good, she supposed. Not that it truly mattered in the grand scheme of things when the overlords of the last world she had been in had always watched them. "Indeed." She confirmed with a blush of violet blooming across her cheeks. "Then you know well enough that my beloved Astarion will be none too pleased by these revelations. I do not suggest speaking with him for some time." Which was why she was here without him. Everyone knew that would be a bad idea. "Though I thank you for bringing us together."

[fromtheoutside]

"I... am aware." They winced a bit at the thought. "Still, I felt your kind and open-hearted demeanor made you a wonderful fit for this place. I truly believe that you will thrive here, moreso with your partner present. I hope that in light of that, Astarion will come around."

They were genuine about this. While they had been honest about not wanting to snoop, they'd seen enough to know that Lioriley had a deep desire for companionship and a proclivity for helping newcomers. Both of these things would be profoundly valuable. Not to mention the fact that they were interested to see just what it would take for Astarion to think of someone as a friend... but that was more out of curiosity than anything else.

"If there's anything I can do to ease his transition, do let me know. I've already merged your personal quarters, so you needn't worry about that part."

[invigorates]

"Time will surely tell." Lioriley had faith that her beloved vampire spawn could play nice, so long as they were together and they could obtain their things...again. Gods, these bartering systems were always so obnoxious. At least this one was more in her wheelhouse. How the tables had turned.

She smiled and nodded, "We both appreciate it." If they hadn't awoken together, both of them would have absolutely lost their minds. "So we are to bond with one another to obtain feathers in exchange for our items from home? Are we allowed to use our accumulated feathers to obtain such items for others?" Because if she was raking them in, she could easily get whatever Astarion wanted while he acclimated.

[fromtheoutside]

"Yes, you may use them to purchase gifts," the Outsider agreed. "You'll find small personal items to be inexpensive."

[invigorates]

"Ah. That is good to know." She said. Being able to give gifts would make things far easier for everyone, honestly. "And how long do you intend for this arrangement to last, or have you yet to work such numbers?" A beat. She quickly added: "Not to imply displeasure, or a need to escape, of course. If anything, this is one of the, ah, superior situations I have been placed in." So far anyway.

[fromtheoutside]

"I... had not decided," they admitted. "If there is a need to send someone home early, that can be arranged, but for the most part, I intend for this to unfold as organically as possible. But I am glad you are finding it mostly to your liking thus far."

[invigorates]

"It is hardly ideal, I will admit, but it is not the worst I have seen." If she had her way, she would be in Faerun with Astarion and his friends, doing whatever they needed to do and then retiring along with him. Gods knows when that would be if shit like this kept happening. "You mentioned our living quarters, but the room we arrived in vanished upon our exit. Was that not what you speak of?"

[fromtheoutside]

"Not at all! Much better. Please, follow me!" They hopped up, in good spirits and obviously pleased with themself. How this would bode to Lior would depend on what she thought "better" meant to them, most likely.

[invigorates]

Lioriley wanted for nothing, but she would be lying if she said she did not wish for something even remotely similar to the home she and Astarion had forged together. They could remake it, it was fine, so long as they were together, but that would not completely assuage her desire for familiarity and comfort.

She followed along regardless, taking in the sights as the Outsider guided her along.

[fromtheoutside]

The Outsider merrily led her to the escalator and up it, into the clouds. They strolled down the invisible pathway, finding the Nimbus Cloud that she would share with Astarion. It looked no different from any of the others, but it would feel right, somehow.

"Here we are!" They beamed, gesturing to the cloud. "Ladies first. Just step into the fluff and you'll see what I mean."

[invigorates]

Lioriley took in the scenery as they walked, politely continuing their conversation all the while. It was a strange place, that much she could be certain of, a place that vaguely reminded her of the tales she heard of the Forest of Dreams. Some impossible thing crafted by fae and so twisted with magic nothing truly made sense.

She stepped onto the cloud as instructed and I almost immediately froze, staring wide eyed at the familiar shape of the cottage she and Astarion had had in the Feywilds. Even the area surrounding it looked the same, and Lioriley genuinely did not even know how to respond. "...I am impressed."

[fromtheoutside]

"This space is yours to craft, with minimal restrictions. Of course, some personal items will have to be restored with feathers, but your home and your wardrobe are only limited by your imagination, and both you and Astarion have full control over its appearance. You are to this little pocket dimension what I am to the Dreamscape, you see," they explained. "The only trouble is books. Text in dreams is tricky. Your subconscious mind has trouble processing it. But as you acclimate to the Dreamscape more, you should find it easier."

[invigorates]

Lioriley was a little disheartened when she realized her and Astarion's pets would likely need to be obtained once again by feathers, but all things considered, she supposed it could be far worse.

She was also a little disheartened to learn that text seemed difficult to discern, but...fine. She could work with that. Lioriley did her best not to look as displeased as she might have been by such revelations. "I see. I appreciate the effort you have put into making us comfortable."

[fromtheoutside]

"I am only sorry I could not do more," they confessed. "But I think that you will find this place preferable to other arrangements you've experienced."

They led her to the door, opening it for her. "I should let you bring Astarion so that you can begin making yourselves comfortable. Inside, however, you will find star-shaped pendants for the both of you. They are magical devices intended for communication. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out."

[invigorates]

"Oh, it is fine." She assured them. "Thank you."

She followed after them and nodded. "It is much appreciated. I will be sure to be in touch soon." Would Astarion be? Probably not for a while. That was probably for the best. "If you have any request of me, do not hesitate to ask." Maybe getting in their good graces would be beneficial for everyone.