logsinthenight | EVENT LOG: ENTER MR. SANDMAN (DREAMERS)

Entry tags:

EVENT LOG: ENTER MR. SANDMAN (DREAMERS)

characters: all characters that signed up as a dreamer for the event.
location: dreamland feat. beacon of the past.
date/time: november 16-29.
content: the dreamers investigate beacon as it once was.
warnings: psychological/existential horror. further cws will arise depending on the location; mods will cw tags appropriately, and you will too!

say your prayers, little one.

Hello, dreamers. Welcome to Beacon.

Below, each group has a toplevel ready and waiting for the investigation to begin. Feel free to tag in however to establish a tag order, and mod responses will begin once each character has tagged in. If you need a refresher on how the event will work, give the OOC info another read!

As for those of you in the ~~sin bin~~ opt out area...

The Beacon of the past isn't all too different from the Beacon of the present, frankly, except for a few notable exceptions. For one, it's far better lit: daylight leaves everything feels a lot brighter and more sensible than eternal night does. Several advertisements for community theater in the Invincible are hung up (Tryouts for the Ice Man Cometh! Cometh try your luck!) and minor lost and found posters are tacked to a community bulletin board nearby. Oh, and a merry little tune is playing on loop from a record player set up outside the Invincible.

It's cheerful, if not a little off-putting. But the signs of life are clear, even if the forest still looks darkly oppressive over yonder.

Additionally, since investigation threads 1) rely on mod responses, and 2) will likely move on the slow side given the nature of the event/size of the groups, if you would like to have your characters "mingle" in their assigned location, please feel free to write your own toplevels! We ask that you post them as separate toplevels not in response to the mod toplevels (so our inboxes don't get super flooded/we don't accidentally miss stuff). Remember that groups may only interact with each other during the event, but you're welcome to assume timey-wimey shenanigans to excuse why your characters are mingling instead of searching for clues—they do have two weeks in this dream, technically, and dreams are not always linear. If your investigation thread has not yet progressed to a point in which you've got enough of a handle on the setting to write a separate mingle starter, ask the mod you're working with! We'll fill you in on some OOC details so you can mingle accordingly while still allowing for characters to discover those details ICly in the investigation thread.

If you're still jonesing for more threading action during the event, we encourage you to check out the TDM!

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[All at once, the eyes disappear. They don't flicker out or vanish, no. They leave, as if veering off course from where they are, suddenly. And the thing, the creature, whatever it is, is gone.

It's gone, at least, until there's a sound of roaring, ripping water, and a claw bursts through the water and into their tunnel behind them. It reaches, stretching, coming closer. It's big enough to blot out the sun. To engulf life itself. Their little boat is nothing.

Their little boat is a splinter.]

( great. this dream is taking a unique and terrible turn. and not one that makes much sense, none of this seems like an applicable vision from a well-meaning spirit. it just seems like... well, Beacon is fucking with them, basically. he's honestly a bit tired of it, or he would be, if he weren't at least a little worried about what it would mean if they died in their dream. )

We need to fall faster or start trying to go the other direction.

( he manages to keep panic from his tone, but the fact he's speaking at almost a normal human volume indicates he's rattled. it won't help them to panic, and Matt is determined not to... but he'd also not like to die, on the off chance it means something whenever they manage to wake up form all this. )

[Welp. Stone could fight that. Probably. If this being a dream means he has the strength, speed, and endurance he remembers, instead of the fragile near-death body he arrived with. Does he want to take the risk, with two groundlings right there likely to get tossed to splinters themselves if he tried?

Nope, not really. Stone is a dramatic old geezer, but he's got some streak of realism in him. So he yells at the two humans:]

Grab onto my legs and tail!

[And before they can (well, currently, he doesn't have a tail...), he disappears, into a cloud of dark mist. That cloud expands, reforms, and solidifies into... well, dragon is probably an apt enough word. Four limbs, wings covered in feather-like scales, a long spaded tail, and a mane of spines all down his head and back. The last is currently flared tall, like an cockateil, a shield of deadly sharp protection along his spine. Also, he's easily as tall as the Invincible standing on two legs, with something like a seventy-foot wingspan.

He lets out a shriek that sounds somewhere between an angry cat, a diving hawk, and a challenging elephant, then rears up off the boat to swat at the approaching claw, while his hind feet start cracking and tearing at the boat simply by being very big and very sharp-clawed.

Now's the time to grab on, boys. He's getting them some breathing room (hopefully), and then he's gonna dive.]

What th--

[ he doesn't really have time to say it this time. because that's the problem: time. he understands transformation, and even he's shapeshifted himself before, but holy shit.

eliot has to shake his head to break out of being caught off guard by the sudden immediate need to make a decision. he leaps, and as his luck tends to work, manages a good grasp onto one of the dragon's legs before looking to make sure the other man made it over too. (hopefully not on the tail? talk about whiplash waiting to happen.)

if this was already like a rollercoaster, this suddenly turned into a straight vertical drop. eliot has to gasp as gravity does its usual work and is almost grateful that the feeling of his stomach turning upside down keeps him from shrieking. ]

[Whatever they do, they better do it fast. When Stone transforms and Eliot leaps, the little ferry loses its balance and begins to tumble. It'll only be seconds before it veers off course and is lost in the depths of the lake. This impossible lake.]

( Matt is both lucky, and unlucky, to have his eyes closed at the moment. the transformation would be nearly as jarring for his mind to process as the freefall they're in, and he doesn't have time to worry about anything but getting out of the boat, especially as it tilts precariously with Eliot's jump.

it's good he has the excuse of seeing in the dream, otherwise explaining how he could get from where he is to the huge-dragon creature would be really hard to explain. as it is, he gets up, skitters along the rim of the boat, and does manage to snag a foot with a surprisingly graceful leap. actually, maybe how easily he does it is a little suspect...

the fact he does it with his eyes closed still certainly is, though who has time to notice that when they're falling towards potential doom? )

Let's go!

[Stone doesn't care how anyone gets to him, he just cares that they do. He launches off the boat, curling his hind claws around his little burdens as best as he can, and rather than flying up towards the advancing claws, he folds his wings and dives, spines flattening down against his neck and back again and tail whipping behind them.

He keeps ready to unfurl at a moment's notice, so they don't crash into anything, but right now the plan is "get someplace a giant predator isn't", and that place is unfortunately down, following the path of the water.]

[ eliot had been looking for matt after he'd leapt and so ends up noticing something isn't quite right there with leaping with his eyes closed. chances are it probably wasn't a lucky guess, but. well, at least he's on board now too.

he's still too much in shock to really be screaming, but they are now diving at a really fast speed, so he clutches on tighter to keep from slipping. dreams don't have to follow rules, and this tunnel could keep going forever if it wanted to. eliot really hopes it doesn't. he'd like to breath normally again. ]

[What happens next makes less sense than anything else. Stone dives, and the cold is oppressive. It sinks into their marrow as somewhere behind them in the deep dark their former ferry is crushed to splinters. Down they go...down, down...

Until down is up again, and they're swimming toward the sunshine that streams against the top of the water--and something else, a shadow, looming in their path like an underwater mountain. It isn't anything alive, that much they'll be able to tell if they can bear to keep their eyes open--it's a structure, and at its very top, which tapers just below the water's surface, it gleams. It's a shining metal hatch.]

What the hell?

( things must be going pretty bad if the good catholic boy is out here saying swears. then again he’s hanging off a dragon like creature, and was nearly eaten by Cthulhu’s eyesore of a first cousin. get it? eyesore? all the eyes?

Matt apparently is willing to look now that he’s made it to the relative safety of Stone’s foot. which is the only reason he can really make sense of what is happening, they’re moving too fast for him to sonar it. )

Is there any way to open that? ( Matt actually has to shout in the din of movement, it’s good to know his voice is capable of being that loud. )

[Stone can't talk in this form, but he does arrow up towards the object or whatever it is, using his wings now to propel him now. He clings to the object with one hind foot, the leading edge of one wing, and his tail, and reaches up to pry at the hatch with a couple claws. He's too close to really see where any latches or locks are, but his claws might catch on one. Either of the humans might have better luck, if they want to swim up, or climb up the offered free hand to investigate more closely.]

[ other side of the world? small world. eliot's more than grateful it's stopped though. seeing as this has fallen back into the realm of physical magic he can manage, he shouts: ] I've got it.

[ eliot takes a moment to find his balance and assess their surroundings before he casts, tutting with a single hand to try and unlock any mechanism holding the hatch in place. it follows with a flick of his wrist, kinetic magic to help with opening the hatch.

hopefully the fact that it's underwater isn't going to make it difficult to get in. or make them have to get wet. eliot knows a spell for that too though, at least. ]

[Fortunately, Eliot's spell works. The hatch's large handle turns with a great metallic yawning, and quickly they're swept toward the opening as water rushes inward. They'll have to close it again quickly if they don't want to flood the place.

And inside, it isn't dark. A light akin to its own sunshine bursts out from within.]

( this is all for sure getting more and more ridiculous dream as they go, isn't it? he has never put much thought into theorizing dreams, it's never seemed valuable to him. he wonders, distantly, if this is a message in code. that all they are seeing is more implied than exactly what is presented.

he doesn't have time now to figure it out. )

How can it be this bright so far under the water? ( it's mostly mused to himself; Stone can't talk, Eliot is probably too far away to hear. other than that, Matt just worries about not falling, and holding on for dear life. )

[Stone snatches the two of them up, both in one hand (it's a tight fit, sorry, boys) and shoves them through first, then wriggles through himself with his wings held tightly closed to his side, using his tail to haul the hatch shut behind him.

And then he just kind of hands upside down from it, because that's easier than finding somewhere to land, and he's tired. He's still an old man, even if he's also a dragon-thing. He needs to catch his breath. Matt and Eliot can look around while he gulps air. They can get free from his hand easily enough, if there's something for them to jump or climb to.]

[ this isn't quite how he imagined he'd end up plastered to matt, but it's certainly one way to go. but after being shoved in, he lands with an inelegant faceplant, grunting in defeat as he presses himself upright. ]

Yeah, let's just go into the submerged vessel in the crazy lucid dream. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

[ not that the other two really need the added sarcasm but. even in dreams, there are ways to set yourself up for a nightmare. without full control of the environment, it's difficult to think of a plan b that would bypass anything horrible that could happen (assuming it does), but it's one of those moments where eliot finds himself grateful for specializing in physical magic.

casting lazily he sweeps up the water that pooled in from the hatch and draws it up into an amorphous blob while looking around for somewhere to dump it all. he got the water off of all of your scales, skin, clothing, and whatever else too, by the way. you're welcome. ]

I really hope this isn't a submarine about to make a dive.

[They've landed, it seems, on some kind of deck. A landing. There's a drain not far off that the water can get deposited, and with the hatch sealed, everything is relatively dry...if a bit damp, overall. There's the sound of water, always, which is hard to avoid, considering the outside of this place is surrounded by it. If they move forward, there's a staircase--and they can lean over to see that it spirals all the way downward, to the very bottom of this metal structure.

And it is metal. The whole thing. And it's very obviously still under construction. Even from the very top floor they can tell that the place is going to be hauntingly empty, supplies and materials scattered about, very few viable structures anywhere inside. Whatever this place is, it's new. And it isn't done.]

( this investigation has peaked, there's no going up from forced tiddy touches with eliot. he's gotten all he can out of this experience.

after the sudden release, Matt stumbles to keep his feet. he's lucky he doesn't lose them. at first, he tries to see without his eyes — reaching out with senses, trying to map the place for size, even basic contents. it takes long enough that he isn't quite as rattled or breathless by the time he finally folds and uses his eyes. he hates how easy they are to rely on, when he knows he only gets the luxury for however long this bizarre trip lasts. )

Why would they be building this under the lake? ( it's a huge structure, but ridiculously empty. the staircase is the only thing that hints at anything, and Matt heads that way to test the metal, see if it's sturdy enough to be climbed. ) We've gone this far. Do we keep falling down the rabbit hole?

[Stone drops down to join them, finally, and peers over the edge, down below. Ugh, all those stairs... maybe he'll just climb down in his current form, if he can squeeze through. That'll be faster.

He jerks his head and points down, suggesting agreement. Might as well keep going, since they were dragged this way anyway.

And if he can get his winged form down the central stairwell shaft, he's going to give it a try. Otherwise he'll wind up giving himself a heart attack, or something, climbing them all. Feel free to hitch a ride, boys, at least until and unless he gets stuck.]

[ eliot nods, disposing of the water. ] Yeah. Might as well. It is a dream, so. At best we learn something new. At worst we just. Wake up?

[ he looks toward the staircase. ]

Whatever this facility is, there's got to be something here that tells us. Well. Something. We haven't seen this anywhere in Beacon, or at least I haven't, so there must be something here worth understanding. Unless the spirits are sending us on some kind of wild goose chase.

[With Matt and Eliot riding on Stone once more, they're able to make a descent down layers and layers of empty, under-construction metal floors. There's suddenly a sound of cracking, popping, metallic groaning, and they may think it's going to collapse under the weight of the surrounding water. Or maybe the monster from before is making an assault.

The truth of the dream is much more frightening. Metal railings warp and the bottom beneath them begins to open, until it appears that they're in a giant vortex of artificial teeth. The mouth of the cavernous beast is hot and acrid, black and bottomless. No matter how fast Stone flies away from it, it pulls them down, down, down, and it seems there's no escape.

No way out.

The jaws close around them, and then they wake up.]

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EVENT LOG: ENTER MR. SANDMAN (DREAMERS)

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just a comment to keep us moving, not really anything matt can do i don't think!

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I'll continue to tag this until it's wrapped up, and aimed to have that done by the 7th!

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sorry life's been a bit crazy

wrap up!