+ Something Is Coming +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone! (Plus a special guest.)
Where: In their dreams
When: 9/11-9/13
Rating: Let's go with PG-13
Summary: Something is coming...
The Story:

Starting on the night of September 11 and continuing for the following 2 nights, characters will go to sleep as normal. However, they will find that their dreams are unexpectedly vivid. Even characters who don't normally dream will experience this. Even characters who don't normally sleep will experience it.

Many of Wonderland's guests have dealt with events that distorted their dreams before, but this? This is a little different. Because something is coming in those dreams. Something not altogether friendly.

If you'd like your character to encounter this...something, post their dreams to this log.

Comments

[charlastan]

The ocean is rocky. There's a storm on the seas, and Stan is holding the line taught while Ford sails.

Despite this, the memory isn't a negative one. Sure, they were in some rough waters, but they got out of it alright, didn't they? The dream keeps threatening otherwise - the boat is rocking a lot more than he remembers.

He's been having this dream a lot lately. From here, a giant squid rises up from the depths and starts to beat up their boat, and the Stan twins retaliate with harpoons and punches. However, instead of retreating like he remembers, the squid manages to grab Ford by the ankle and dangle him in the air. The first time spooked him enough to wake him up, but since then he's just been fighting the dream back, using his ability to lucid dream to try and prevent things from going there, or to retreat into the actual memory the way he remembers.

But something feels kind of different this time, as Ford steers and he holds the line steady. He feels...more awake all of a sudden, maybe? He's never been good at putting his finger on stuff like that. But something's off and he doesn't know what this time. He lets go of the line (which stays taught because he wants it to, as though someone is still holding it) and thinks for a second. Ford keeps doing what he's doing though, steering them through the stormy seas, so Stan decides to lean over and pinch him. Why pinch yourself when you can pinch someone else?

Ford doesn't react though, and Stan sighs.

"Alright, so this is a dream," he says. "But if it's a dream, then what the hell's going on?!"

He can smell the salt. The rain feels wet on his skin. There's too much sensory detail that usually gets skipped in sleeping brains. Something's not right here, and Stan leaves his post next to Ford so he can look out over the side of the boat, as though the answer will be somewhere in the ocean.

[manxomnivore]

The squid begins to rise up out of the ocean, but it doesn't attack, just hanging out there, bobbing a bit with the waves.

"Is it a dream?" the squid asks.

[charlastan]

That's considerably less attacking than it's been doing in other dreams, so Stan doesn't even jump.

"Well. Squid don't usually talk," he points out, hand to his chin. "So I'm gonna go with yeah, definitely a dream."

[manxomnivore]

"Maybe you are my dream," the squid says, pointing one tentacle at Stan.

[charlastan]

Stan reels back a little.

"Uh. I think you've got the wrong Pines twin here," Stan says, glancing away nervously. "Tentacles aren't really my thing. Now, if you were some kinda hot mermaid I might think about it."

Who wouldn't make an exception for hot mermaids?

[manxomnivore]

The squid seems to consider this before morphing--rather unpleasantly--into a very hot mermaid. Her hair is long and white, her skin porcelain.

"Think about it."

[charlastan]

Well, that was gross, and then very abruptly not gross at all. Stan winced through the transformation, but once it's over he blinks at the beautiful fish woman.

"...Huh. Not bad."

He leans against the railing, trying to look as smooth and suave as he can. He's always been a sucker for a pretty face.

"So uh, what brings you to my dreams, toots?"

[manxomnivore]

She crosses her arms on the railing, leaning toward him, somehow. She's kind of hovering over the water now. Dream logic.

"What brings you to mine?"

Her voice is a little too high-pitched, like she's pretending.

[charlastan]

He's well aware this is a dream. It comes with the territory for him by now. But that doesn't mean he can't fall into the illogical things it throws at him and enjoy himself a little bit. What's more fun than flirting?

"Oh, y'know," he says, grinning. "I just happened to be in town, thought I'd pop by and see if there were any pretty locals like you around."

[manxomnivore]

"Lucky you, you've found the only one."

Her mermaid tail curls as she considers.

"Would you like to visit my home?"

Her underwater home?

[charlastan]

Even Stan, who is very easily swayed by a pretty face, can faintly hear alarm bells.

"Uh-uh," he says, playfully shaking a finger. "How do I know you're not just gonna drown me like all those other mergirls?"

He doesn't, but it doesn't really matter. This is all a dream, and if he drowns he'll just wake up or grow some gills or turn into a hot merman or something. What does he have to worry about?

[manxomnivore]

She chuckles. Her teeth are on the sharp side.

"I'm not like other mergirls at all."

[charlastan]

He weighs it for exactly one second before caving.

"Welp! Good enough for me!"

He unbuckles his life vest and swiftly flings himself over the side of the Stan O'War II, with the ease of a man half his age. However, the water is ice cold when he hits it and he remembers his initial reservations with this particular dream - there's too much sensory detail for a normal dream.

It occurs to him, very belatedly, that he might have made a grave error in judgement here. Wouldn't be the first time a pretty face has done that to him.

[manxomnivore]

She cups his face in her hands and smiles at him again.

"Now you're mine."