entrancelogs | + Your imagination can't hurt you! +

Entry tags:

+ Your imagination can't hurt you! +

Who: YOU!
Where: The Mindscape
When: starting November 11th
Rating: may be up to R for character deaths
Summary: Navigate challenges to learn valuable lessons about nonviolence, cooperation, and self-sacrifice! Release your inner animal! Read more about the event here, and on the bulletin board.
The Story:

"If you know yourself, you have nothing to fear."
"Working together is the only way."
"Deaths are a necessary part of life, but not all deaths are necessary."
"The needs of the many outweigh the life of just one."

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[Well, Dorian won't need to wait long. When Zacharie appears it's rather sudden. He's...just sort of there now; a man wearing a strange cat mask. That's all that really needs to be said about the NPC, in his opinion. But he appears to be human enough!

Zacharie takes a moment to look around the room before approaching the door. A black cat in a dark room sadly slips by someone who should - by normal standards - have problems with peripheral vision. He feels along it and finds a familiar slot or two. Six actually, but he knows what that means regardless.]

I see! Ah ah ah, one of mine.

[But as far as he can tell, Zacharie was alone. So he calls out for someone.]

Buenos días, my possible partner hidden in the dark! Will you be able to shed some light on this situation?

[Or just meow. Either or.]

[Another person... Whom Dorian doesn't recognize at all. Even without the mask. He walks up to the man, trying to explain.]

...Mrowr?

[Unfortunately, as he is a cat, he can only meow.]

[Dorian makes another pitiful squeak as he brushes up against the man's legs. Oh if he could only remember how to become human again...]

Maiou.

[It's...a really awful impression of a cat. Zacharie kneels down to get a look at his new furry companion. He's heard more than once about the supposed 'bad luck black cats' but to him they're just adorable. A little more fuzzy than he's used to.]

Greetings, my feline friend. If you are truly a cat then I am sad that I have not met you prior to this event. I enjoy the company of cats, you know. If you are human on the other hand, then it is quite alright to change your form back.

[Or stay fuzzy. The NPC is fine either way.]

[Hm... It sounds French. The urge to speak becomes more pronounced, the desire to talk to this new person so great.]

[Thankfully, the burning desire was enough to change him back to normal.]

[Dorian's true form is what one could describe as a handsome gentleman from the 19th century. He stumbles to his feet, somewhat disoriented by the sudden transformation as he brushes a golden lock of hair out of his eyes.]

Ah! Forgive me, sir, but the cat form is somewhat hard to control...

[He's not particularly surprised and stands.]

That's quite alright! Indeed I had trouble of my own the first go-around. I do not mind but as much as I love cats I also enjoy using my hands as they are, ah ah ah.

[Thumbs. So useful for things like counting through credits. But anyways, Zacharie takes a look around, which is pretty useless since it's still dark. Well, there's probably a light somewhere around here.]

It seems we have been brought together for yet another puzzle event. As for introductions, my name is Zacharie the obligatory items merchant. And you?

So you got a cat form, too...?

[Dorian glances about, looking for a light. He does note the strange mask on the other man's face, but now is not the time to contemplate that.]

[... Or the "obligatory items merchant" bit.]

Hm... I'm not sure what you mean by "obligatory", but I am Dorian Gray. Pleasure to meet you, Zacharie.

The items merchant that you always encounter in video games. We are quite useful, unless the Puppeteer wishes to play on Hard Mode and ignore me.

[Which became kind of moot in point during Zone 3. But anyways...]

Nevertheless, it is a pleasure to meet you as well. But let us shed some light on this place to begin the puzzle that I am assuming is lying in wait for us. Perhaps it lies on the walls?

[Only place he thinks someone would stick a light switch, unless the puzzle was to find the thing.]

[Dorian raises an eyebrow in confusion. You see, concepts like "Video Games", "Hard Mode", and the context of the word "Puppeteer" are all lost to this 19th century gentleman. To him, it sounds like Zacharie was taken from a mental hospital.]

... Hm. Yes, a light switch would be useful. Or a lantern...

[At least Zacharie's trying to be a helpful lunatic. Dorian starts trying to feel for a light switch.]

Edited 2016-11-17 06:26 (UTC)

[Fair assessment, although depending on your view of everyone else in his game Zacharie's pretty sane. But debates about it are probably left to theory posts elsewhere.

The NPC checks along a different wall, before finding one. Who knows if this puzzle world requires two switches Just Because, but either way he flips it. Let there be light. Anything in here Zacharie doesn't recognize so he just turns around.]

Here we are! Anything you recognize amigo?

[... Yes.]

[He recognized EVERYTHING.]

[The room was lined with paintings. All of them were identical in size and composition, all of them with the exact same picture... But the subject in said picture was in various states of decay. One was riddled with scars, one was skeletal, one was diseased...]

[All were painful to look at, especially for poor Dorian. He smiled with a twinge of nervousness, wondering how he would have to explain what these pictures are to the merchant. He wished that he didn't have to explain, really...]

[He just wanted to escape this hell.]

... Unfortunately.

[Zacharie regards the paintings with less shock then one might expect before turning to look at the exit door. It's severely out of place - or perhaps just for Dorian. It's very familiar to Zacharie. Almost comically large and entirely green, the door looks open but the NPC knows they'll run smack into an invisible barrier the second they try to escape without imputing the code.

What the code is, this time, he doesn't know. But that's par for the course in this game.]

And I recognize something from mine so it appears we have a combination once again. The door is pretty easy to get through provided we both have some enjoyment towards solving malicious puzzles. If not, then we may be stuck! Ahahaha.

[Combination?]

[Dorian walks over to the door, looking for the code. The door is immensely larger from a cat's perspective, so it might be hard for him to see what the actual combination lock looks like.]

[The cat glances back at the hideous paintings.]

[...Does that mean the combination is...?]

The combination likely has something to do with these paintings.

[This puzzle, at least, looks a little simpler than the others this time around. Zacharie approches one of the paintings to get a good look at it. At least he seems neutral about how they look? Or maybe not. He is wearing a mask after all.]

Perhaps there's a number or six hidden inside. Or on the back. Usually if a puzzle involves paintings it's a staple to have them there.

[The whole situation is frightening and surreal.]

[The cat wearily turns around and sees Zacharie studying the paintings.]

[Even now, the thought of a stranger seeing the portrait makes him sick. Hopefully, this stranger won't question the significance of the paintings.]

[Unless the look of these paintings comes into play for this puzzle, Zacharie is content to let sleeping portraits lie. However...]

Since this is from your world I feel the need to put this question forward to you. There is no objection to me touching them as you do not currently possess thumbs?

[May as well get it out there.]

[No, he does not have thumbs at the moment. Dorian makes a noise that sounds like the feline equivalent of a sigh and nods.]

[He is really hoping the looks of the paintings aren't so important. They all seem to eat into his soul.]

[The NPC walks over to one of them, seemly at random and flips it over to check the back. No code. Oh well, can't expect them all to be that easy. He places it back carefully before moving onto another.]

If you happen to see a combination of numbers and possibly letters on the back of these, then give me a cute meow and I will come look.

[Unless it turns out to be on the inside. He does have a knife but let's not go for gutting just yet.]

Edited 2016-11-27 21:38 (UTC)

[How is this cat supposed to turn the pictures around and check? He is small and without thumbs.]

[Oh well, looks like he'll have to go try looking around himself. He walks up to another picture that looks the least disturbing (so far) and... Yep. It's high up on the wall. Can the cat climb the wall?]

[... The answer is no, but he's doing a good job of tearing up the wallpaper.]

[Perhaps Zacharie was far to used to cats who talked like they ate a thesaurus. He'll head over to where his cat friend is tearing up the wallpaper with possibly unintended gusto.]

Ah ah ah. Need a hand or two amigo? I can lift you up if you are intent on seeing this one in particular.

... Meow?

[Please help this cat, he is struggling and cannot speak.]

[Any excuse to hold a cat? He'll take it! Zacharie lifts Dorian up, carefully because he wasn't in the business of harming felines, and holds him close enough to the picture that he can touch anything he needs to.]

See anything, my feline friend?

[Oh. He is being held.]

[He is not going to object to this at all.]

[Carefully, Dorian paws at the edge of the painting... And sadly shakes his head when he finds nothing.]

[He's going to have to find the worst looking portrait, isn't he?]

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+ Your imagination can't hurt you! +

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CW: Horrifying imagery.

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