+ Why, you're only a sort of thing in its dream! | MINGLE LOG +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: EVERYONE (Reals AND Mirrors!)
Where: D R E A M S I D E
When: June 6th - June 12th
Rating: PG-13, warn if going higher!
Summary: Mingle log for the Dream Side event! After the girls’ seance, every single person in Wonderland, no matter what they were doing at the time, will black out. When they awake, they will find themselves in a strange and twisted world outside of time - a different one than usual.
The Story:

After the girls’ seance, every single person in Wonderland, no matter what they were doing at the time, will black out. When they awake, they will find themselves in a strange and twisted world outside of time - a different one than usual. Elements may seem familiar, but it's clearly a different place.

Welcome, Mirrors and Reals, to DREAM SIDE. The sky above is dark and speckled with far-off stars but the world below is unnaturally lit and bright. There is a mansion at its center, but it is warped and unusual, as though someone stretched it like taffy, but if you try to enter it, you'll find that the door is not just locked - it appears to be painted on, as though it is just static scenery. It isn't a mansion that can be entered, just a cartoon-ish mansion cobbled together from dozens of memories.

Dream Side, as you might have guessed from the name, is not a static place. It is built from the scraps of dreams of those who cross into that side of Wonderland. Characters on this side of Wonderland are not asleep, but the world they are in is shaped by the contents of their dreams. Unlike the glass between Real Side and Mirror Side, there does not seem to be an obvious thing connecting this Side of Wonderland to the other two - at least, not something visible.

They are not alone in this world either - because the girls were conducting a seance, they have inadvertently called upon the dead. For each time your character has died a mansion death, there will be a ghostly copy of them wandering Dream Side. They will look as standard ghosts do - pale and translucent, looking as they did the moment they died. They will have a tendency to haunt their current living version (and those who care about them), but they will not be able to speak directly with them. For Mirrors, these ghosts can be Unmade versions of themselves, if they were ever Unmade. Some ghosts might be hostile and some might just gently haunt from a distance - it will depend on the character and what they would do if they were a ghost how they behave.

Behold, the world your dreams have built!

NORTH

• Mabel Land Castle


• Sparkly Horse Library


• Clementine's House

NORTH-NORTHEAST

• Fabletown

NORTHEAST

• The Unknown


• The Milano


• Avengers Tower


• Hala / The Supreme Intelligence


• Vault 111

EAST

• Main Street


• Holiday Star - Lighthouse


• The Amagi Inn

SOUTHEAST

• School University


• Secret CDC Lab

SOUTH

• Trost


• The Abattoir


• The Hanged Man

SOUTH-SOUTHWEST

• Dead End Flats


• Prime Kindergarten


• The Man Cave

SOUTHWEST

• Craigh Na Dun

WEST

• The Casino


• Flooded City

NORTHWEST

• Spooky Murder Bridge


• Rokkenjima


• WYBS 89.3 FM

For more details, and for the FAQ thread for this event, please see the plot post! We'll be periodically checking the location thread so we can add to this log as needed.

Comments

[singloversing]

[Something about that particular ghost, the fact that it isn't merely a ghost but also a shambling zombie, brings out a different sort of fear in him. It's evident from the onset that it's not Wirt's usual anxious impulses. He actually looks afraid for the life he doesn't have anymore.

He slides backward, away from Louis' ghost. It had been hidden by his cape before, but one of his arms is heavily bandaged and blood-stained, and he holds it now as though to guard it from Louis' ghost. Talking has been difficult, but in desperation he manages to spit out one word. It has an odd reverb to it, a strange echo.]

No!

[It's only then that someone else steps onto the path - the Real Wirt, in his more normal clothes. He stops abruptly when he sees there's ghosts ahead, but it eases into mere caution once he realizes who it is.]

Oh boy. Wow. There's, um. ...There's a lot going on here.

[teamfun]

[Well, that was sure a reaction. Louis is about to tell the ghost Wirt that his is a ghost too and absolutely not dangerous at all- when the real Wirt shows up. He breathes a sigh of relief because at least this means Real Wirt is currently not dead.

He doesn't take the time to process exactly why Wirt's ghost would be so freaked out by a walker. He just assumes it's due to Wirt's natural skittishness. Not that there's any underlying cause. He offers the living one a smile. ]

That could be the tagline of this entire event. Wow, am I glad to see you with a pulse.

[singloversing]

[Wirt's ghost is not having any of this, and decides his best option is to just hide behind the Real Wirt, occasionally poking his head out to make sure the walker ghost isn't coming for him. Wirt, skittish as he is, isn't really phased much. It's a ghost, so it's not like it can turn him, right?]

Yeah, me too. Um, to see you with a pulse, I mean. Or anyone?

[He's been having trouble finding anyone, really, so any familiar face is welcome.]

So, uh...is that...you?

[He gestures vaguely at the walker ghost, not really sure how else he can politely ask the deeply uncomfortable question.]

[teamfun]

The pulse is the best part, trust me.

[He turns to look at his walker ghost and grimaces. Yeah. Shit. That. He seems to consider not saying anything at first, weighing up how much shit he wants to put on Wirt's already pretty fucking overflowing plate. But he trusts Wirt, and Wirt deserves to know.]

Yeah. When those alien dog things attacked, I got killed in the fight. Aaaand because they didn't destroy my brain, I turned.

[Because there's nothing like solid grade A proof that you've brought your horrible zombie virus along for the ride to another world. He folds his arms, looking down. His usual upbeat facade has slipped. ]

Apparently, walker-Louis tried to each Kokichi which is....great, always wanted to psychologically damage my loved ones. Clem had to uh- put it down. So now that's a thing here. Following me around.

[singloversing]

Oh. ...Wow, I'm really sorry.

[For what it's worth though, he doesn't seem scared or anything. He knows about Louis' world, and even if he didn't know that specific detail, zombies are an unusually common risk in Wonderland for some reason.]

I should probably share mine too. Um, so...before you got here we had like, a whole bunch of zombie events? I don't know if anyone's ever told you that or not, but there was this weird year where we had them like, every few months or so. And...like, you probably can't really see it on him but. I got...bit?

[The ghost of Wirt looks deeply uncomfortable with this conversation. The real Wirt turns to look at him, and gives a small wave to get his attention. His ghost is a little confused by what Wirt wants exactly though, so when Wirt raises an arm up he tilts his head and mirrors the gesture...revealing a heavily bandaged forearm he'd been hiding under his cape.]

...Yeah, I had a feeling. U-Um, yeah, so. Dipper put me out of my misery before I could hurt anyone, so I didn't completely turn, but. That's probably why he's so freaked out. I'm. I'm sorry about him.

[It's understandable, if he's from that exact moment in time, but Wirt still feels like it's overall kind of rude.]

[teamfun]

Yeah. Not the best time, in all honesty. I'm more worried about Clem than anything.

[She's lost so many people- she's had to put down so many people- a lot of whom she cares about. He knows she's more than a little paranoid about losing more. And then he went and added himself to her shitty death tally and he can't ever fix that.

He listens to Writ's story, his brow furrowing as it goes on. Well. Shit. He knew there had been events where the dead showed dup before, but he never knew the casualties of it. Shit. Neither Wirt nor Dipper needed to go through that sort of hell. ]

I heard about the zombie events but... fuck. I mean. Dipper did a smart thing, if it was anything like our walkers, you would of had a really shitty death and then probably turned and killed a bunch of people.

[It's a horrible fact of existence for him. Putting someone out is the decent thing to do- even if it's a terrible burden to put on your loved ones- even if you're not sure if it won't end up breaking you worse.]

He's okay, he doesn't bother me all that much. But are you okay? It can't be fun, being reminded about that shit.

[singloversing]

Yeah. Y-Yeah, I wouldn't have wanted that. It was...it was definitely rough. Greg was still here when that happened, so I had to leave him with someone so I wouldn't wind up hurting him. The whole thing was, um. Pretty traumatic for everybody all around.

[His ghost is evidence enough of that, really. It still looks absolutely petrified that there's a walker just feet away from him.]

I-I'm okay though. Really. I mean, it's not great but...it could be a lot worse too?

[He could have stayed dead. Or, he could have found out he was definitely dead at home, and something like encountering a ghost of himself would have shaken him for sure.]

[teamfun]

That's- yeah. He wouldn't have wanted to see any of that.

[Greg is the same ages as AJ- but AJ is sharp and broken, he doesn't know any life that the walker-ridden hellscape they exist in. He's a true child of the apocalypse. And even he would struggle with this. Louis remembers how freaked out he was when he got back to the school, pushing Clem in the wheelbarrow, sobbing about how she wanted him to leave her to turn. If it does that to AJ, he'd hate to see what it does to a regular kid that age. ]

You did the right thing. With Greg. Only thing you could've done, really.

[Louis offers a smile, but it's more of a thin line than anything genuine.]

Oh, yeah, it can always be worse.

[singloversing]

Yeah. Yeah...

[There's a quick awkward beat, a moment of discomfort that hangs uncomfortably in the air, because no one wants to think about a real child dealing with the trauma of his brother being bitten by a zombie.]

Um. We should probably get out of here though. This forest, it's-- it's from that place I was stuck in?

[The name keeps blinking out of his mind. He gets so close to it and then there's nothing there. It makes him feel kind of stupid in conversation, but Louis surely knows what he means.]

It's kind of creepy and potentially dangerous here, so...we should like, probably leave.

[teamfun]

[No one needs that. Louis deals with that shit enough back home, thanks no thanks, hard pass.]

The Unknown place? Uh. I mean. The word that Wonderland helpfully made you forget because why would it let you remember something useful? Maybe we should call it like "The Festering Spookhole" or something.

[He considered calling it a shithole, but he's fairly certain that if Wirt actually swore he'd burst into flames.]

But yes. Let's just go and absolutely not hang around here because I am pretty much at my max levels for being creeped out by now.

[singloversing]

[That's the word, the one that's gone. He knows Louis said it; he must have said it. But the word is gone the moment it leaves Louis' mouth.

Of course, Wirt isn't expecting what Louis suggests instead, which he absolutely hears, and a loud laugh sneaks out of him.]

I-- I guess that works? It's definitely better than nothing, and it's uh. Not wrong. The Festering Spookhole...

[Beatrice would probably be so mad about it, but Wirt still snickers after he says it himself.]

But yeah, I wouldn't trust this place not to put the actual Beast here somewhere, especially since there are Edelwood trees, so we should probably go.

[He said that already, but he seems a little unsure whether they should go back the way he came or the way Louis came. He was never really that great at navigating this world, which was part of the problem in the first place.]

[teamfun]

[Louis has no idea what it's like- to be missing a word like that. To have people be able to say it to you and it just not be there. It's weird and he hopes he never has to deal with it - not only because if he loses a word, it'd probably mean an Event around his own memories which... no thanks.]

See? It works! That's settled, then. New name. Fuck you, Wonderland, we'll find our own ways around your memory-stealing shenanigans.

[Louis nods, he doesn't want to stumble on his own... bullshit- but he figures the way he's come from is a good a ways as any, so he starts towards there.]

Right, c'mon, Wirtster. Let's blow this popsicle stand. I do not wanna deal with the crazy bullshit in your world.