lifeaftr | Exploration Event: Neverwere

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Exploration Event: Neverwere

EXPLORATION EVENT: NEVERWERE

Who: Everyone!
What: Your wildest dreams come true!
When: May 15th to May 18th
Where: Ziziphus, those still on Ensō...and Mu
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Then Know That My Life Was Just a Killer Dream
You can find most of the information you need in the OOC info post! In the meantime, feel free to use this log as a catch-all for your dream worlds, as well as detailing your efforts to free one another. Whether they're on Ziziphus or Ensō at the time of the dreams' capture, your character is free to access as many dreams as you like, as the interlocking mental landscape allows for that sort of crossing over apropos of nothing. And time, of course, is very fluid in dreams - many days, months, and years can transpire in a matter of mere minutes.

Will you fight your way free from Ziziphus's vines or Mu's thrall, or are you content to die in your sleep?

Remember to let us know if your character dies during this event!

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

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well, she understood... some of those words. Shepard's mind has certainly given her an interesting backstory, she has to credit her with that.]

[She seizes on that 'we', another thread to pull, another way to make the dream work harder to keep up.]

And who else was there? Do you remember what they remember?

[Moving past this is exactly what she wants to do- past this dream, past these traps. Back to the world that's waiting for them.]

Liara was there. And Garrus. You remember, right Garrus?

[Shepard turns to look at the turian standing next to her. His talons grip her shoulder reassuringly. Or perhaps in a possessive manner. She's not entirely sure, but something in her stomach drops at the feeling.]

Of course I remember. That planet was so cold. I kept asking for a sweater.

[Shepard shakes her head.]

Yes, it was cold, but you remember getting Muffet, right? Finding her?

[Garrus can't quite smile like humans do, but his mouth flaps fan out in amusement. She's learned his cues after years of knowing him, knows what his body language means like she knows how to breathe- but the "smile" doesn't reach his eyes.]

Of course I remember, Shepard. What? Do you need me to provide every last detail of that night? Come on. There's no need for that.

[He looks to Traynor and shakes his head.]

Maybe you should take Muffet to the medbay. Maybe she hit her head or something.

[Traynor nods, putting a firm hand on Muffet's elbow.]

You're probably right. Mordin and Chakwas can take a look at you and see what they can do.

[Shepard freezes.]

...Mordin? He's here?

[The confusion is evident on her face.]

[Muffet calmly but firmly crosses her arms, pulling herself out of Traynor's grip with all the self-composed, serene disdain of a society lady brushing off a pushy gentleman at a party.]

[She never takes her eyes off Shepard.]

And Mordin is...? [Someone she should know, judging by this backstory, but not someone Shepard's ever told her about.]

Can you ever recall me being injured, I wonder? I suspect you remember that I can heal myself, or others- do you remember how? [Green magic, soft light and kindness, running through her fingers and down into another, given directly or baked into food...] Do you remember the last time I did so, and why?

It wasn't a night, Garrus, it was during the day.

[She looks at him then, her eyes critical as she takes in his visage. She shrugs off his hand then and the turian gives her a a slight pout.]

Shepard... come on, don't tell me you are starting to believe her nonsense.

[Shepard's eyes narrow.]

You know me, Garrus. I always investigate anomalies.

[Shepard looks at Muffet then, giving her an appraising look.]

Mordin is a doctor. A Salarian doctor who used to be with the STG. But... you wouldn't know that, would you?

[She steps a little away from Garrus and Traynor then, closer to Muffet.]

And if I recall correctly, Mordin died back on Tuchanka. He died curing the Genophage he helped create. There's no way he could be here.

[Garrus steps closer to Shepard then, his tall stature looming over her a bit.]

But he is here, Shepard. You fixed it, Shepard. You fixed the Genophage and got Mordin out alive.

[Shepard shakes her head sadly.]

Things rarely work out so well, Garrus. You should know that.

[Traynor moves to the door then, blocking any escape.]

Muffet, really, I must ask you to leave. You're bothering Shepard. She's gone through too much to be hurt now.

On that, at least, we agree. That's rather why I'm here. [She doesn't make a move for the door- she isn't planning on going anywhere, not until they're done here.]

[She turns back to Shepard. Time for the direct approach.]

This isn't truly your ship, dearie. It's an illusion you're trapped in, something snaring you in a comforting dream of home to keep you from escaping. I'm genuinely sorry to end such a pleasant dream, and I would have liked to meet these people, but the fact remains: they aren't truly here.

And we shouldn't be, either.

[Her voice is calm, gentle- but utterly unyielding. She knows the truth and she won't be turned aside, for all that she's sorry to deliver it so harshly.]

[It feels like something snaps in Shepard's mind. The hold on her dissipates instantly leaving her a bit whip-lashed, a feeling that she hasn't had since she was back home and breaking free of Reaper control. She shudders but then squares her shoulders and turns to Muffet entirely.]

...Muffet. Thank you.

[She goes to say more but then- Garrus begins to laugh. A dark, chocolately chuckle with fluctuating vocal tones. It sounds eerie. Wrong.]

Shepard, Shepard, Shepard... you always dug too deep. It's what caused all your problems in the first place. It's what killed you, in the end.

[He steps forward, his eyes suddenly glowing red.]

And it's what will kill you and your friend now too.

[Shepard whips around to look at Traynor at the door and her eyes glow a mechanical red as well.]

Muffet. You know how to fight, right?

Any time, dearie. [The reply is as calm and polite as ever, as though she simply refilled her cup of tea instead of forcibly breaking open a beguiling dream world. But she means it- whenever she can save a friend, she will.]

[She calls a line of purple magic into her hands, coiled like a whip, and shifts to keep their illusory enemy in her sight.]

Oh, one can always do what one must. [She's not a soldier, but she's been through dangerous situations and come out the other side. By now, she's learned how to handle herself well enough.] I'll follow your lead.

[That gets a small smile out of Shepard.]

Well, I don't plan on making a habit of being locked in illusions, but I will keep that in mind.

[Her squad- no, these fakes, these enemies, walk towards her and Muffet. And as they do they mutate, the "Garrus" figure growing taller with a horrible squelching noise, his head squishing in on himself as his flesh distorts into a more pointed shape. "Traynor", for her part, has her flesh darken in a mottled blue and grey, as her eyes melt from her face, leaving streaks of a gelatin-like substance on her skin. The clothes on her body disappear and her body distorts, flattening as wires burst out of her body. The eyeballs left behind glow a bright blue mechanical light as they open their mouth in a screech that gets the hair to stand on Shepard's arms. The "Garrus" (or Marauder, as Shepard now knows) raises a gun they didn't have before as their eyes suddenly glow yellow.

The voice that comes out is not one that Muffet would know, but one that Shepard knows very well.]

You struggle against inevitability, Shepard. You can die, have died, and will die again. There is no salvation in where you go. Only annihilation.

[Shepard turns then, punching out the Husk at the door blocking their way. She punches at the door and it opens quickly, as she grabs Muffet out of the room. When she and Muffet emerge, they come upon a spaceship that is falling apart at the seams.]

[Muffet keeps up with her, not wasting any time as she follows, trusting Shepard to lead her through the unfamiliar corridors.]

[The sight of the fragmenting ship raises a proverbial eyebrow- that can't be safe- but she suspects the nature of dreams means that dying of hard vacuum is comparatively much less of a threat to them right now.]

We might not have to fight them directly, for all their threats and posturing. Elaborate as this is, it's still a dream. If you wake up, we'll both be safely out of here.

[She turns to Shepard.]

Try to think- this is your dream, it's built out of your feelings and memories. When you think of "a way out", a way back to the real world, what feels like the right place to go?

[It's a gamble, but they might be able to pull it off.]

[Shepard pauses, hearing the screams of the Reaper enemies behind them as they claw their way towards the pair. She looks to the giant gap, the shine of Alchera stinging her eyes. She nods, resolute.]

I know the way out. There was always only one way out of here.

[She turns and steps out into the ruins of the ship, the sounds of the reapers and fire instantly cutting out around them. Shepard and Muffet suddenly are wearing helmets, with purified oxygen pumping in. Shepard motions to her helmet, tapping a glowing button that releases some pressure and she steps forward slowly. Anti-grav boots. Muffet will find that if she mirror's Shepard her boots will do the same and lock her to the ground. If she doesn't though, don't worry, Shepard will grab her and pull her back down and activate it.

Regardless of how that goes, Shepard begins to lead the way towards the cockpit, towards the distant light of flickering flames from within a small forcefield.]

[Well. That's not ominous at all.]

[Muffet's a quick study, and has plenty of motivation to pay close attention at the moment.]

[She moves cautiously, the equipment unfamiliar to her, but manages to keep up a steady pace without accidentally drifting off into the void. Though she can't deny a deep curiosity at the shattered remnants around them, this great and broken vessel, she doesn't waste time gawking.]

[The whole time Shepard's walking ahead of her, she's watching her back. She has no intention of letting her be ambushed on her watch.]

[It's eeriely silent as they go, the void of space swallowing up all sound. Blessedly there are no bodies floating about, just broken bits of ship and machinery drifting along with some force that is still left in them from whatever attacked this vessel.

Each step is a heavy, clumsy thing. The only true sound either of them can hear is their own breaths inside the helmet. Despite the destruction around them, Shepard leads the way like she knows this place by heart. Which, of course, she does. She'll always know the way home.

If those Reaper soldiers are following, Shepard doesn't care. Her eyes are dead set on the force field coming closer and closer to them. If Muffet has any mechanical and vehicular know-how, she'll realize that Shepard is leading them both to the cockpit. It's surrounded by a force field with orange fire flickering inside. The moment they step through, sound comes rushing to their ears and sparks fly around their heads as the pilot seems to be desperately pressing and maneuvering around a holographic computer display in front of him. He doesn't turn his head to look directly at Shepard but he knows she is there.]

Come on, Joker! We have to get out of here.

[Shepard knows this is a dream and yet she still says it with the same amount of urgency she said it almost 5 years ago now. The human shakes his head and desperately pleads with her.]

No! I'm not abandoning the Normandy! We can still save her!

[He then looks to Muffet.]

You agree, right Muffet? There's still a chance!

[That she's never met this man- and still hasn't, knowing this is only a dream- doesn't matter. Someone is looking to her in a crisis, and she will always, always answer. That's simply the way of things, for her. She has never been able to put her responsibilities aside.]

There is a chance. But not if you remain. [Her response is calm, not swayed by panic.]

A ship can be saved and salvaged, rebuilt and made anew. But only if those who would do so are still around to remember her.

And men cannot be so rebuilt.

[Her words are phrased carefully, playing to his sympathies. He can't save the ship by remaining here, only share her grave.]

[The man in the pilot's seat is quiet for only a few brief seconds before, looking between Muffet and Shepard, slowly nods.]

Shit. Ok. You're right.

[He looks to Shepard.]

Help me up?

[She nods instantly, getting him out of the chair and slinging an arm over her shoulders. He protests a little bit, saying something about Shepard needing to be careful, but overall he limps his way to the nearby escape pod. Shepard looks back to make sure that Muffet is following.]

[Oh, she absolutely is. She has things to do today, thank you, and none of them involve dying in a dream.]

[Or anywhere else, for that matter.]

[She's quick to follow on Shepard's heels, positioning herself on the other side of the man she's helping just in case he stumbles or needs extra support.]

[He's grateful for it, surely. The trembling in his fingers as Joker tries to hang onto Muffet's side without breaking his own hand in the process is proof enough. Shepard, meanwhile, seems oldly stern for what can be seen through the helmet. She walks with a purpose, fast enough to get both Muffet and Joker to the escape pod, but not so fast as to leave either of them behind. It seems like she is, for all intents and purposes, preparing for something.

Shepard ushers Joker into the escape pod, angling it so that Muffet carries the majority of his weight to finish bringing him into the pod. It's as she's doing this, focusing on Muffet and Joker, that the second attack occurs- the ship rocks and shakes and the force of it all pushes Muffet and Joker deeper into the pod. Shepard is ejected, flying backwards in the force created by the new hole in the hull, and then feels the gravitational pull of the planet behind them attempting to pull her further away. She throws her hands out, catching herself on the edge of a wall, right by the button to close the escape pod doors.

She pauses, looking to Joker and Muffet. The seconds feel like eternity.]

Commander!!!

[Joker shouts in alarm, unable to get up and try to get her. When the commander does not immediately make her way back, Joker begins to try and struggle past Muffet.]

Shepard!

[Shepard's eyes drift directly to Muffet. She locks eyes on her and nods, just once. Then she presses the button and the escape pod doors close.]

Absolutely- not-! [She refuses.]

[The second she sees Shepard tumble back, she casts out a line of magic, through the doors before they shut.]

[It's a single thread- but a lifeline is a lifeline, still.]

Hold on, you impossible woman!

[The ship splits. And the escape pod shakes as it breaks away from the ship and begins to fly into space. The single purple thread peeking through the doors seems so bright in Shepard's eye. She knows she shouldn't. She knows she shouldn't and yet-

She reaches for it. Feels her fingers close around the magic and the distant pulse of worry and fear and care.

For a moment, things seem to slow down. For a moment, Shepard hopes, a small, fluttering feeling, it's feathers beginning to earnestly spread in her chest. And then a piece of sharp debris collides into the back of Shepard's helmet. She hears the pop and hiss of her oxygen supply being cut and in instinctual desperation she lets go of the thread to claw at the cord.

The escape pod sinks towards Alchera, a name of the planet below that she only learns after her remains are collected from it and she's brought, miraculously, back to life. It'll be two years until then. Luckily she won't remember the vast majority of it.

All she will remember, however, is the view of the sun around the edge of Alchera. She will remember the burning in her chest, the stinging in her eyes as she desperately gasps for breath. She will remember trying to temper her breathing, trying to control herself in her panic to get just a few more precious seconds of air.

She will remember dying. And she will remember that she died again. And she will remember what it feels like to wake again from that eternal slumber, this time clawing her way out of the vines that Bliss trapped her in.]

[Muffet can feel her lose hold of her line, in the last few seconds before the dream completely breaks apart- any spider knows when something pulls free of their web.]

[But as Shepard comes out of the dream and back into waking, she may feel something else:]

[A hand, holding hers.]

[Muffet is sitting neatly beside her, legs tucked primly underneath herself like she's sitting on the grass at a refined little garden party, back straight, expression composed. Since the moment she sat down beside her, and reached out to enter the dream as the Storyteller taught them, she hasn't let go.]

[She smiles ruefully as her eyes open, seeing Shepard wake.]

You truly are the most impossible woman. [It's fond, and weary, and warm.]

[With her other hands, she begins to help pull away the vines, already weakening at the loss of their meal.]

Let's not linger here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Exploration Event: Neverwere

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CW: BODY HORROR, CHOO CHOO

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muffet is about to find out some Things about Shepard that I love

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CW: DEATH, CW: ASPHYXIATION, feel free to respond after this if you want!

"You know what? I can make it gayer."