Event | Landfall | Dreaming

[ironwood]

Characters: Any and every!
Date: August 10th - 31, 2013
Location: The realm of Dreaming as accessed via Sinbrilee
Situation: Dreaming is but one of the three realms and here characters are subject to their fanciful thoughts.
Warnings/Rating: Please place content warnings in subject headers!

Sinbrilee | Dreaming | Death

Life. Dreaming. Death. Three realms overlaid upon one another and yet each distinctly their own. They dwell in Life and do so live upon the back of the great turtle as those of Sinbrilee did upon the shell of his sister. However, there stand numerous arches of marble throughout the ruined city that are inlaid with runes beyond understanding. Those that live and breathe which step through those whose runes glow with faint, iridescent light tread instead into the realm of Dreaming.

Here, there exists no single defining characteristic beyond the visitor's imagination. The landscape sculpts to their individual thoughts, the events to their dreams. From a drab gray nothing to the most brilliant of displays, the senses perceive all that they wish to perceive for all that nothing here truly exists. This far from Tu Vishan, the ability to shape their surroundings is all they have, for Sinbrilee's Dreaming does not have the energy to sustain powers, only the bodies of those that dwell here.

Should two parties near, then the Mesh begins. Dreams, you see, not only can be shared, but they strive to be. These visions sculpted into reality reach out for one another and blend. They begin an exchange akin to a linking of the minds, within which one visitor can learn the other's deepest thoughts. Their limitation is but compatibility, for two minds that cannot flow upon the same current cannot hold the Mesh.

Happiness or loss, the landscape and events play out memories and fancies with a most convincing air. The mood rises and falls with the tide of the visitor's mind, detached as they are from the soothing influence of a great turtle's mind. Nothing here, however, is real; 'constructs' simply fade if taken through the archways and even the greatest scientific minds or tools will reveal nothing of its source. This is an ancient magic of an ancient realm, long practised in concealing itself from any prying.

Note: Due to the fluid and highly individual nature of Dreaming, no official subheaders will be provided in the comments of this post. Feel free to post and thread however you like, so long as the rules of Dreaming are adhered to.

Comments

[notdreaming]

A

The sky over Krypton is a greenish blue, and with the red light of the sun comes a sense of great peace and happiness. Kara and her parents sit on a blanket stretched out over the lush purple grass and talk about all manner of things, from Kara's progress in school to the usual disagreement about whether or not gene-matching is still a necessary process and ending, also as usual, with an agreement that they were here to relax and not argue.

Here, with her family, Kara is at peace. Her father is a serious looking man with short-cropped blonde hair, sideburns down nearly to his chin and day-old scruff forming the beginning of a proper beard over his mouth. Kara takes more after her mother's softer but still angular features, and the straight blonde hair that flows down nearly to her waist. All three of them are dressed casually in light pastel-colored suits that stretch from neck to foot, molding themselves to fit the bodies of their wearers in perfect comfort.

Kara lays down and watches the light shine through and reflect off of the crystal structures that give the Crystalline Forest its name: juts of crystal bursting naturally from the ground into shapes like jagged trees and bushes, sparkling blue with hints of just about every other color she could name.

B

Without warning feelings of peace and happiness fade into a deep and crippling despair. Around Kara looms a city built in high fashion with tapering spires, parking platforms jutting out at sharp angles to create an artistic yet natural feel. The city is beautiful, as is the bright orange and red sunset that puts half of it in shadow. The cause of despair isn't clear until out of the dark shadows of twilight loom cracks, and a great rumbling shakes the whole world. An iridescent forcefield shimmers at the edges of the city as great spouts of fire and lava shoot from the ground outside the border, large enough to be seen clearly from the hill-top home of Zor-El and his family.

Kara screams as the world outside of Argo burns and crumbles away, and she keeps screaming as the world inside the walls begins to crack and crumble as well, shattering like broken glass even as the red sun grows smaller and smaller in the distance.

Shortly a great blue sun looms overhead, and what was once fire turns cold and dark and dusty. The city is not just empty, it's dead. The blonde falls to her knees, kicking up a whirlwind of dust, and sobs.

C

The sense of fear is dull background noise behind a growing anxiety and annoyance. The streets of New York are full to bursting with people, and every one of them seems to be shouting to each other in a different language. Lights flash overhead painfully bright and animals with sharp, jagged teeth scamper around in the corner of your eye. The air is suffocating, everything is suffocating, and nothing can stop it. Stress, pure and undiluted, runs like a river through the streets in Manhattan.

C

[bridgetothemyscira]

She doesn't know her that well, only from that one encounter where she had helped her explore the city. However, the distress she felt in this place was familiar to her, in the same way she had been anxious when dealing with Etta Candy or those thugs in the alley. A city that made her annoyed with their nuances and bad attitude, and Diana had to calm her own agitation as she approached her.]

Are you all right?

[notdreaming]

What?

[ Kara glanced around, not certain for a moment where the voice had come from and whether it was speaking to her or not. ]

Are you talking to me?

[bridgetothemyscira]

Yes. [The background noise was agitating her as well, and while she normally embraced the idea of new things-- this was just noise and she didn't like it.] This place... we should get you out of here immediately.

[notdreaming]

And go where? [ Horrible as it is, Kara has the overwhelming sense that she is trapped here. There's nowhere else to go, and Manhattan is all that there is. ]

My home is gone.

[bridgetothemyscira]

Gone? [The surroundings were starting to affect her too. The feeling that she's trapped-- though that can't be. This isn't her city, there was no reason to stay here.] Surely you have some place to return to.

[notdreaming]

There's nothing left. Only the turtle... [ With that little piece of memory, the setting begins to waver, twisting and turning sickeningly around them. The noise does abate, just a little bit, and the tarmac of the streets turns into the more familiar material from the streets of Keeliai. Kara wavers, feeling nauseous. ]

I need to sit down. Is there some place to sit down?

[bridgetothemyscira]

Of course. Here, let me assist you. [Diana starts looking around for the nearest solid surface they could sit on, guiding Kara there while keeping an eye on her, ready to hold her if she really needed it.]

How are you feeling?

[notdreaming]

[ Kara stumbles after, running inexplicably into people as she follows. Finally she collapses onto the sidewalk bench and drops her head into her hands. ]

Overwhelmed. There's just so much noise. [ But it continues fading, and the landscape blends a little more into Keeliai. ]

[bridgetothemyscira]

Do not focus on the noise. [She moves to help her up, frowning.] Think of a good memory. Focus on that.

[notdreaming]

Good memories...

[ She puts most of her weight on Diana, but she does finally get to her feet. As she does, the scenery begins to shit again, moving from an unidentifiable street into the water sector of Keeliai. The city sounds fade into the sounds of laughter and people talking, and nearby kedan children run out between the shops to play on the edges of the river. The mood in the air relaxes somewhat. ]

Good memories.

[bridgetothemyscira]

That's it. You're doing well.

[And since this is the water section, Diana manages to lead them to the fountain to sit on. At the very least, she was familiar with that.] Does this sound better?

[notdreaming]

A little. [ She tries a very sheepish smile up at her new friend. ] Thank you, Diana.

[ Meanwhile the sky is turning reddish and cars start zooming through the sky. Whoops? ]

[bridgetothemyscira]

It is my pleasu-- [Oh hello cars in the sky.] ... What is that?

[notdreaming]

What?

[ She looks up, but sees absolutely nothing wrong with aircar traffic. ]

What's what?

[bridgetothemyscira]

Those vehicles. As far as I am aware, they were designed to travel on land, not in the air. [Her mind warp again?]

[notdreaming]

[ Kara blinks, and takes another look at the vehicles. ]

Aircars? They're... aircars. For the air.

[bridgetothemyscira]

I have never seen cars for the air before. Is this normal in your world? [Well, at least she seems calmer now.]

[notdreaming]

Of course. It saves on space.

[ Keeliai and Krypton are blending together now, and although the visual effect is strange it does seem to radiate a sense of contentment. The tops of buildings have the organic, angular architecture of Krypton, but the streets are still on the turtle. ]

How did you get around where you're from?

[bridgetothemyscira]

In Themyscira, we used steeds to move around. It is but a small island, so there was no need for so many machinery. [Not that they didn't have them, just that it wasn't necessary.] The cars in Washington were all on the ground, however.

[notdreaming]

Washington? Where is that?

[bridgetothemyscira]

America. I believe that's where their leader is based.

[notdreaming]

That's right, they have a bunch of different leaders for different countries. I've only really been to New York.