vaeraooc | TDM 001

TDM 001

» arrival.

You were doing--something. Thinking something, walking somewhere, through something, when suddenly you find yourself somewhere else entirely. You've stepped through the Gateway: an empty doorframe in the middle of a large clearing, facing away from the large city known as the Capitol. When you first step out, you're alone. There's the distant sound of a soft tune on the air, like the world itself is humming pleasantly around you. The air smells sweet, pleasant and serene.

A glance around shows a soft, blue barrier surrounding the Gateway, approximately 10 meters away from the Gateway itself, and surrounding it in a wide circle. Attempting to escape from the barrier proves useless, and the moment you step even slightly away from the gateway, it grabs the attention of the Gateway's guardian:

It's difficult to make out her shape, at first. A wispy wind, a few branches swaying in the wind, the sound of breath in one's ear. She phases into existence against the wide of the Gateway, and immediately along with her presence comes a feeling of being safe. Maybe you're more suspicious of it. Maybe it feels comforting. It takes her several moments to fully form, keeping her distance but lips twisted up into a gentle smile.

"Welcome." Her voice is soft, more of a whisper against the wind than sound itself. "I apologize. I can. . I can feel that you do not belong here with us. You are from elsewhere, not quite the Between but not here either." Her head tips to the city, before she continues,

"Please, make yourself comfortable. I will see what we can do regarding your presence."

Her form falls apart, small little leaves gathering at the foot of the Gateway. The blue barrier opens with enough space for you to exit; there's nothing keeping you inside of it, and it will wait for you to exit before closing behind you.

The city's within close enough of a distance to walk to, and it seems to be bustling enough. . or, you could always explore the forest around it. The space between the Gateway and the City. Talk to those who have also walked out of the Gateway around the same time as you had.

» into the city.

The Capitol is bustling. Full of individuals of all shapes, sizes, and colors--beings with four legs, or six legs, or iridescent skin who pay no mind to the newcomers walking straight into their city. It's evident by looking to the buildings within the city that this whole place is new. The buildings show barely any signs of wear and tear, the streets are pristine. The structures are of all shapes and sizes; one may be walking down a block of street and pass by a large skyscraper, and directly next to it, pass by a circular building extremely low to the ground with doors there's absolutely no way someone over two feet tall and with more than twenty pounds of mass would be able to fit through. The signs around the city are in all kinds of languages; some matching those from Earth (English, Arabic, Latin), and several others incomprehensible.

There's some kind of market currently taking place: several stands with miscellaneous items ranging from magical to simple food items line the main street going through the center of the city. Items offered are free of charge; grabbing hold of an apple, or a charmed item will only earn smiles in response from those running the stalls. Stopping a local will get you answers of varying levels of helpfulness: a smile, clicks in a repetitive pattern that sound like it must mean something. The more humanoid members of the crowd may offer a few words, "Ah, you're new! Welcome! Thank you for joining us!" before continuing on their path.

» a particular case. (network)

Several hours after characters are left to wander around the city, they are tracked down by two young, near-identical ( although their appearance keeps shifting, like they can't settle on a hair color, a skin color, a height ) brothers who offer them a sympathetic smile and hold out a YDEX to them, explaining the functionality of it and how to turn on the language interpreter, access the (barebones, new) network they have begun setting up for them and others like them.

They explain how to choose a username, how to access the map functions, point them towards one of the newer apartment buildings on the edge of the Capitol with instructions on how to reach it, and let them know they'll inform the doorman of their situation and that they would be coming to stay in one of the new apartments. They leave with the promise of providing more answers soon, most likely through the network itself.

In the meantime. . it looks fairly empty, there's a few accounts listed as having access to it. Maybe see what's up with the rest of your new pals?

» dreams never hurt so much.

It's one week after the initial batch of arrivals that it happens: something else steps out of the Gateway, something warped. Myra will whisper soft into the ears of newcomers and settles alike: a be careful, she's hurting without offering anything else.

She wanders the city and the construction sites: a young preteen in a massive hoodie and boots, hood pulled down over her face. Get close enough, and you'll hear the sound of her teeth clicking together hard, grinding, before she tips her head back towards whoever gets close and--screeches. The sound is loud enough to hurt, digging painfully at eardrums until all sound around those nearby fades away to nothing, and the girl disappears. Characters will find themselves losing the ability to:

• hear
• speak
• decipher directions / extremely directionally challenged

While they may lose one or more sense, the girl is nowhere to be seen when they turn their attention back to her. Luckily, the effect wears off after an hour and those who were hit with it will regain their senses, as if it had never happened at all.

Trying to touch her proves to be futile, her body phasing through any attempt at physical contact. Trying to chase her down proves similarly pointless: she will walk around corners and disappear behind them, turn around and simply fade into nothing. Her appearances are random, appearing through the Capitol, inside houses, restaurants, only resorting to deafening those who she senses has intentions of moving towards her.

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You done yet?

[ not a real question. he knows adam is far from done. but the vague irritation in his voice is probably enough to convey that he'd like to be done. to find a good, safe spot to hunker down when the need for sleep eventually catches up with him. ]

No.

( but he knows that tone. and adam does know better. so he takes in a deep breath. lets it out slow. and turns back around to face ronan. nowhere near finished, but finished enough for now. )

Do you want to head back?

[ he gets a shrug. ]

Gotta dreamproof a space sometime.

( an important step to take before they go around galivanting through the city and surrounding areas, which adam should have considered earlier but hadn't. he takes a breath.

lets it out.

and reaches for ronan's hand to grab hold of him. )

You're right. ( obviously. ronan doesn't need to be told that. ) Sorry. Let's go back.

[ Adam's hand slides so neatly into his own. Ronan gives it a squeeze as they turn around, headed back the way they came. ]

( it's stupid how fast it calms him down. ronan's hand in his own. ronan squeezing onto his fingers. ronan turning them around and heading back off towards the city. it's not what he wanted to be doing, but it is--what's more safe. they probably have time, even if time here is the opposite of what adam wants. )

So. Another planet.

Another planet.

[ they're together, at least. that means something.

probably that it's his fault, really. whatever magic runs through them probably makes them more susceptible to this. ]

Maybe I dreamed it.

I don't think so. This place doesn't feel like you.

( he knows ronan lynch's creatures. knows how he is, knows the way his things feel. how his dreams do. ronan brings a certain something to his dreams. this isn't it. )

But we'll keep that on our list of possibilities.

[ Another dreamer, maybe.

Bryde had said that this world wasn't made for him. Maybe this is someone else's paradise.

Or maybe aliens are just fucking real. Who knows? This feels like Henry Cheng's territory, with his fucking robees and dumbass memes. ]

You're right. I don't care about this scifi shit.

If it doesn't have wings and doesn't try to steal everything shiny every chance it gets, it's definitely not Ronan Lynch's.

( not entirely accurate but he's sticking with it anyway. it works for this. )

What about your other Dreamer friends?

[ he snorts, the edge of a smile curling his lips. ]

No. Bryde'd rather shoot himself than make any of this shit. [ And Hennessy only makes copies of herself. ]

Oh, well. If you put it that way.

( guess they've got to go for option 2: this is a planet that actually exists and wasn't created by dreamers and they're stuck here. well. that's fine. )

Should we clear a space out in the fields for you, or pick an apartment on an empty floor?

Field.

[ honestly maybe he can get a nice little cabin in the woods dreamed up. ]

Field it is. We'll find a nice patch of flowers or something.

( gripping onto ronan's hand, thumb pressing against the pulse point at the base of his wrist. )

Guess we're moving in together.

[ there's a slight smile. ronan pulls their joined hands up to his lips. ]

Wasn't really how we planned to do this.

Wasn't how you planned to do what? Propose to move in together?

( he--turns in towards ronan. moves so they're facing each other, extends out his free hand to press his palm against ronan's cheek. )

Before college, I was basically living at the Barns anyway.

[ i planned to have you at my apartment every night. i planned to have an apartment. to be normal. to be the sort of ronan lynch that could follow you to cambridge, not the one that you follow into yet another mystical mess. ]

Live in the real world with you. [ do whatever shitty things boyfriends are supposed to do. give adam the normalcy that he was clearly trying to project to all his college friends. ] The Barns are different.

Does another planet, away from everything we know, really count as a plan to live in the real world with each other, or?

( he can't fault ronan lynch for being himself. for being a dreamer. for what happened in his dorm room. ronan doesn't mean to. adam knows that if he had even an inkling of a choice, that whole mess with the crabs and the motorcycle would not have happened. )

For as big of a mess as we've found ourselves in, I think we're doing alright.

College students are basically aliens anyway.

[ he doesn't understand them at all.

but this, bizarre as it is, is still more his world than adam's. or at least its the world he wants to live in. not the one adam spent all those years struggling and aspiring to. ]

We got each other.

I'd take offense to that, except you have already met my friends, so any denying on my part is obviously just trying to cover up for the fact they are actually aliens.

( crying aliens and whatnot. definitely another species from another planet. but adam likes them all the same. his hand pats at ronan's cheek, before he's taking a step back and continuing on his trail. )

I think I saw a nice patch of creeping thyme this way. Or something close to it.

You sure can pick 'em, Parrish.

[ god fuck this alien shit. but whatever. ]

S'long as it doesn't itch I'll live.

I did choose you.

( fingers back against ronan's pulse point, counting each beat of his heart. it's comforting, in a stupid way. )

You'll be fine. It smells nice, too.

You did. What a freak.

[ god please. ]

I'll be sure to roll in it.

( he could throw back a you chose me, too, but he thinks that's a little unnecessary. they both know that they're freaks. it's fitting.

adam pulls ronan around one of the larger trees, towards the aforementioned field. )

As long as you take the time to dream, I'm fine with that.

[ yes, well, he supposes his interactions with jordan should've empowered him with that. he should have the confidence in his abilities to dream without issue, but that's the problem.

whenever he thinks he's got a handle on it is whenever it flies out of control. ]

I will.

(no subject)

scrlies - 2021-05-10 17:36 (UTC) - Expand

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