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aftr_ooc2018-05-11 09:46 pm
lifeaftr_mods) wrote in aftr_ooc2018-05-11 09:46 pm
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Exploration Event: Neverwere
EXPLORATION EVENT: NEVERWERE
By now, the news of the strange vines that frequent the island of Ziziphus will have doubtless begun to circulate in earnest. What initially may have seemed to be ordinary flora that one would expect to frequent a vegetation-rich island like this one will turn out to be something...rather different.
As you'll soon learn.
The Answer Lies With You
Come May 15th, the purpose of these vines will rapidly and unexpectedly become clear. Their examination of the travelers upon their turf will cease, and the forests and hills of Ziziphus will abruptly come alive.
They won't stop until they've wrapped around you entirely. And then...and then...?
Then, you'll start to feel incredibly, peculiarly drowsy. You can't seem to keep yourself from closing your eyes...
Come May 15th, the purpose of these vines will rapidly and unexpectedly become clear. Their examination of the travelers upon their turf will cease, and the forests and hills of Ziziphus will abruptly come alive.
They won't stop until they've wrapped around you entirely. And then...and then...?
Then, you'll start to feel incredibly, peculiarly drowsy. You can't seem to keep yourself from closing your eyes...
And All Your Dreams Are Still As New
Eventually, you wake, and when you do, it is to the most perfect world imaginable. Perhaps it's the world you belong to, having reached a point of peace, no matter how unrealistic. The changes can be as vast and all-encompassing as necessary, or as small as on one, key absence. The villain never existed in the first place. A character never died. A war never occurred, allowing the kingdom to flourish and thrive. Maybe it's a different world entirely - a blissful, ideal paradise, that white-picket fence you always dreamed about, a perfectly suburban house with two-point-five kids and a couple big dogs, just for kicks. No matter the world you're envisioning, there's only one limitation:
This is a world in which your character is earnestly and completely happy, no matter what shifts must take place in order to achieve it. This is a world in which your character has nothing to worry about, a perfect fantasy taken to its logical extreme. They are as successful as they want to be, with the home and family they always imagined.
When coming up with your character's ideal world, consider the following points:
Additionally, the characters are connected through the very vines that have induced this fantasy, and will allow them to traverse each other's dreams. This crossing over may be purely accidental, or it may be a willful desire to see someone you know. The bottom line is that the more dreams your character takes part in, the more aware they may become that everything is not quite as it seems.
As the event progresses, those who are not on Ziziphus will not be immune. The dreamworld of Mu, bolstered by the intricate network of self-contained fantasies that have abruptly taken up residence in its landscapes, will seek to pull in anyone who falls asleep and trap them under the same spell. Hope you have some coffee on hand, or some other method of stimulating yourself so that you don't doze off, because you very well may not wake if you do.
Eventually, you wake, and when you do, it is to the most perfect world imaginable. Perhaps it's the world you belong to, having reached a point of peace, no matter how unrealistic. The changes can be as vast and all-encompassing as necessary, or as small as on one, key absence. The villain never existed in the first place. A character never died. A war never occurred, allowing the kingdom to flourish and thrive. Maybe it's a different world entirely - a blissful, ideal paradise, that white-picket fence you always dreamed about, a perfectly suburban house with two-point-five kids and a couple big dogs, just for kicks. No matter the world you're envisioning, there's only one limitation:
This is a world in which your character is earnestly and completely happy, no matter what shifts must take place in order to achieve it. This is a world in which your character has nothing to worry about, a perfect fantasy taken to its logical extreme. They are as successful as they want to be, with the home and family they always imagined.
When coming up with your character's ideal world, consider the following points:
[ ♆ ] If based on their canon, this world may be considered an AU. Conflicts have either already been triumphed over, or never occurred, leaving your character to reap the benefits of peace that come afterwards. What changes need to be made to ensure this blissful peace are entirely up to you. Ideally, your character has achieved everything that they wished to achieve. If they wanted to be a leader, find a cure for an illness, or stop a world destroying event, they have done so.Of course, characters are hardly restricted to their own dreams. Much the same as the dreams characters would be exposed to during a normal sleep cycle, dreams that seem to expand over years can take place in a fraction of a second. Entire histories can be compounded down to mere minutes.
[ ♆ ] While these fantasy worlds can be based on your character's canon, they do not have to be. The only stipulation is that they must be something your character would feasibly consider their perfect world.
[ ♆ ] Other characters within LifeAftr will most certainly drop into your character's dream world at some point. For close CR, what is their role now? Are you a family? How do others fit in?
[ ♆ ] The mods have worked on a template to help people compose their world, with examples down below!
Additionally, the characters are connected through the very vines that have induced this fantasy, and will allow them to traverse each other's dreams. This crossing over may be purely accidental, or it may be a willful desire to see someone you know. The bottom line is that the more dreams your character takes part in, the more aware they may become that everything is not quite as it seems.
As the event progresses, those who are not on Ziziphus will not be immune. The dreamworld of Mu, bolstered by the intricate network of self-contained fantasies that have abruptly taken up residence in its landscapes, will seek to pull in anyone who falls asleep and trap them under the same spell. Hope you have some coffee on hand, or some other method of stimulating yourself so that you don't doze off, because you very well may not wake if you do.
And Happiness Is What You Need So Bad
For those who would like a few ideas, discrepancies may show themselves in the following manner:
It seems that the vines didn't expect you to be able to wake at all.
For those who would like a few ideas, discrepancies may show themselves in the following manner:
[ ♆ ] The more dreams your character partakes in, the more confused their roles and identities in these worlds may become. They may assume the role of a soldier in a world that has no need for such things, or identify someone as family in a dream that they are not.The more your character can decouple themself from this false reality, the lesser the hold of the vines that keep them entrapped. As more gaps in the fabricated narrative appear, the fantasy world will start to decay - perhaps in a very visceral, physical sense, or perhaps in a more abstract sense - and flickers of reality will begin to creep in: the strong stench of rot, the sensation of being bound up in vines, the heavy sense of fatigue that weighs you into the ground. If you can rouse yourself from this dream utterly, the vines will not fight to keep you. You can claw yourself free without any barrier, save the extreme lethargy that will accompany waking.
[ ♆ ] While the composer of a dream may have memories of someone close in their canon residing in this world, characters from LifeAftr cannot have memories of someone they've never met before. A large discrepancy could occur if, for example, a close family member does not recognize the name of your character’s life partner.
[ ♆ ] Clocks and numbers. One of the largest indications of dreams is often the inability to read time and numbers. Your character may have a watch, or attempt to read a train timetable, only to find they cannot.
[ ♆ ] A total lack of conflict, no matter how unrealistic, may give away the false nature of these worlds. For example, even little things like running out of food or needing to do an undesirable chore will never come to pass...ever.
It seems that the vines didn't expect you to be able to wake at all.
What Fun It All Would Be
Naturally, there's more at stake than some fun little dreams where no one wants for anything. As circumstances would have it, the vines that keep your characters trapped in their fantastical delusions are slowly sapping them of life, as evidenced by the incredible exhaustion that sets in, should you free yourself. The instant the vines put you under, they have begun to feed upon you, and your capacity to sustain them can only last so long. Likewise, those who are caught in Mu's pull will risk death the longer they are under - if not by malnutrition and dehydration, then by being slowly drained of life by whatever has commandeered the land of Mu.
Those who die in the grip of those fantasy realms without being woken will suffer a death, and will need to submit the occurrence to our Deaths page. Their death penalties will not be reduced and must be endured for the entire period.
Naturally, there's more at stake than some fun little dreams where no one wants for anything. As circumstances would have it, the vines that keep your characters trapped in their fantastical delusions are slowly sapping them of life, as evidenced by the incredible exhaustion that sets in, should you free yourself. The instant the vines put you under, they have begun to feed upon you, and your capacity to sustain them can only last so long. Likewise, those who are caught in Mu's pull will risk death the longer they are under - if not by malnutrition and dehydration, then by being slowly drained of life by whatever has commandeered the land of Mu.
Those who die in the grip of those fantasy realms without being woken will suffer a death, and will need to submit the occurrence to our Deaths page. Their death penalties will not be reduced and must be endured for the entire period.
What Next?
On the third day of this onslaught, the Storyteller will attempt to contact those that are still conscious and free of the vines' influence - it will take them some time to reach those still awake without risking them being sucked into the fantastical vortex that has been made of Mu.
From there, questions will be answered...and a solution will be presented for those still awake to exact it.
Lastly, we would like to thank Michelle, player of our resident Mira, Akechi, and Noctis, for proposing this plot!
On the third day of this onslaught, the Storyteller will attempt to contact those that are still conscious and free of the vines' influence - it will take them some time to reach those still awake without risking them being sucked into the fantastical vortex that has been made of Mu.
From there, questions will be answered...and a solution will be presented for those still awake to exact it.
Lastly, we would like to thank Michelle, player of our resident Mira, Akechi, and Noctis, for proposing this plot!
Event Timeline
[ ♆ ] May 15th: The vines make their move, ensnaring characters in ideal fantasy worlds
[ ♆ ] May 17th: The Storyteller will make contact with those they can, as well as issue information and a potential solution
[ ♆ ] May 18th: Those that have not freed themselves from the vines or from Mu will suffer a death
( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )
MERLE HIGHCHURCH
Character canon: The Adventure Zone
Briefly explain what their ideal world is like - how has it changed? Well, if you weren't living on island time already, you're definitely living on island time now. It's essentially Enso, but with a lot more quaint beachfront property. Ever heard James W. Buffett's hit tune "Margaritaville"? That's basically what you're living right now. All margaritas all night long. Virgin ones for the kids. Lots of music and dancing every night. Hawaiian shirts for everybody. The music in the background is mainly a hit list of Kenney Chesney, Jimmy Buffett, and (inexplicably) Kesha.
The living vines make a feature appearance as everyone's favorite sitcom character -- you know, the one that gets cheers every time they enter the room -- that is just such a rascal! They're mischievous, playing pranks and such, and almost... flirtatious? Oh god.
Also there's just lots of the Arboreali around. Merle loves those things. Damn.
Briefly explain your character's role in this world: Merle is a stay at home dad who can party with his kids without it being weird. Also, he's filthy rich. Basically, Merle can just chill twenty-four-sev and use some of those 1,999 Party Points for good.
Also we don't talk about his relationship with the vines.
Other roles characters might assume in this world: Well, the whole IPRE are there Already, and they're a big happy family and they all love each other and no one ever fights and it's great. In this house, we love and support Lucretia. Also, I guess everyone's aware Merle's a dad now, because Mavis and Mookie are making appearances as loving children who don't actually need that much looking after. Even Mookie, who is somehow managing not to poison himself instantly despite being in a tropical island.
Other characters can show up and chill, Merle honestly doesn't give a shit who or what you are as long as you adhere to rule no. 1: "No bummers". It's on one of these signboards posted on the island. The rest of the rules in that picture are on there too hell why not. Come party with him. The most important thing is everyone loves each other and has fun.
Potential discrepancies others may pick up: When entering this dream, you will start to genuinely enjoy Kenny Chesney. You will think "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" is a jam.
That is just unsustainable.
Also everyone's favorite dimension voring artist John Hunger will appear, only he'll be totally chill. This is pretty weird to anyone who knows about the Hunger. He'll be looking pretty opalescent for a human also, but it's fine. He gives motivational seminars at the beach that feature such hits as "You've gotta dance every day" and "Ball till you fall and then get back up and ball some more" and "Socks with sandals are in".
The motivational speaking isn't that great, honestly, and will start to get more and more repetitive as the dream goes on.
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wrong account but