Exploration Event: Neverwere

[lifeaftr_mods]

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

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

ASGORE | ota

[journalname]

[On the Surface, everything is peaceful.

Monsters and humans seem to populate this neighborhood in roughly equal numbers, and plenty of them are out and walking around on this lovely day. Many greet Asgore as they pass his home, where he's in the front yard, gardening. He's not wearing any of his formal wear, or his crown. There's no real need for all that right now, is there? The garden is large and clearly well-established, with a wide variety of flowers and a section off to the side for vegetables. There's a bed of golden flowers, but as prolific as they are, they haven't been allowed to take over the entire yard. At some point, Toriel comes outside with some iced tea, and the pair of them sit and chat for a little while.

If you stop by while Asgore is inside, he'll probably invite you in. The house is full; it's always full of someone or other. Asriel and Chara might be around, or there may be visitors, be they monsters from here or people from other worlds.

Considering how diverse the town is, it's easy for visitors to fit in anywhere. A monster can look like anything, after all, so no one has to change. This is just a nice, quiet place to see some flowers and spend some time with family and friends. That's all you need.]

[postictal]

[The problem is there's this prickle in the back of his skull, something that raises hairs on the nape of his neck and stiffens his shoulders and makes him walk with a ball of tension in his gut like a knot of molten lead. Doesn't make any sense, see. Monsters - they're peaceful. They're friendly. Even the king, with his curved horns and significant bulk that makes him look like something straight out of Revelation, is perhaps one of the nicest guys around.]

[He stops just outside the house of the king of all monsters himself, watching the guy garden and wondering why he feels the way he sometimes does when he enters a room and can't remember why he's done so.]

Hey. Your, uh...Your Majesty, right? [He sounds uncertain of himself, which is absurd; how many other goat-people does he fucking know, exactly?]

[journalname]

Oh - hello, there!

[Asgore sits back on his heels, reaching for a nearby cloth to wipe the dirt from his paws. He certainly doesn't seem to have picked up on anything wrong, either with Tim's demeanor or the world in general.]

Please, just call me Asgore. How are you today?

[postictal]

...right.

[There are too many buried reflexes that suddenly want to make themselves known. Most prominently, he succumbs to the first, most immediate one - arguably the one that makes the least amount of actual sense.]

D’you...I’m looking for Chara, actually.

[journalname]

Oh! I am not sure if they are home right now, but you are welcome to come in and check.

[He gets to his feet, ready to lead the way inside if Tim accepts. He's not about to abandon a guest to possibly just go stand around the kitchen alone when he has no idea when Chara might return, if they are out. It's rare for them to go out without one of the family.]

[postictal]

Uh...you sure? I mean, I'm not interrupting, or anything like that?

[He doesn't know why he's looking for them, even. There's just the feeling that it's important he find them. Important that they know...something? Maybe he'll remember by the time he finds them.]

[journalname]

Not at all! The garden will still be here later.

[Asgore smiles, and goes to beckon Tim inside.

It's a nice homey space, built on a scale that allows Asgore to enter without having to stoop beneath the doorway. The furniture is similarly large, and there's lots of light and potted plants. There's nobody else in the foyer, or the kitchen.]

They are not in the backyard, either...I will see if they are in their room. Would you like some iced tea?

[postictal]

I think I’m good. I’m just... [Worried about them? How - and why? They’re fine, aren’t they? They should be fine. He’s acting like they’re fine and he’s their actual dad and not just some stranger who can’t put his finger in why he’s worried.]

Are you...doing okay? [He blurts it in the doorway before he can consider the wisdom of doing so, and backpedals accordingly.] I just mean, like - how are you?

[journalname]

Oh - I am well, thank you.

[He seems faintly surprised, but only because he doesn't generally expect his children's friends to spend much time conversing with him. Mostly because most of them are children, and even the most polite child does not really want to spend their playdate speaking with an adult.

Tim is an adult, so this really isn't something you could call a playdate. It's different. Somehow it doesn't seem unusual, though, that he should be friends with Chara.]

There has not been much official business lately, and the weather is lovely. How are you?

[postictal]

[Anxious. Unsettled. Weirdly jittery. Having trouble focusing on anything at much length. Like he took a shot of caffeine straight to the bloodstream and is paying for it now.]

[He blows out a breath, shaking his head as if to clear it.]

You know, I think I’ll take that offer for tea, if you don’t mind. Guess I’m just jittery.

[journalname]

Of course. [Asgore shoots him a vaguely concerned look as he moves to the fridge.] Please, sit down.

[Not everyone living here is enormous, and there's more human-sized chairs at the table than Asgore-sized. The open floor plan also means Tim could easily just go hang on the couch. Wherever he ends up, Asgore will bring him a glass right quick; iced tea means that all the work is already done, even if Asgore might have preferred hot tea for someone who seems to have a problem on their mind.]

Is everything alright?

[postictal]

[That’s the thing. It should be all right. It should be just peachy. The weather is perfect, human-monster relations couldn’t be better, and there’s a genuine aura of peace that manages to pervade just about everything. So why’s he got a pit of dread solidifying in his stomach like congealing ice?]

[He sinks into one of the chairs, accepting the tea gratefully. The glass is sweating slightly. A drop of condensation rolls along the lip and drips onto his thumb.]

I don’t know. Are they - are they okay, do you know? [He must be pretty dumb to need to ask. Why wouldn’t they be?]

[journalname]

Why - yes?

[Asgore's brow furrows, and he clasps his paws together. If he sounds doubtful, it's only because Tim's nerves are beginning to rub off on him a little. He's sure Chara is fine...but then, why is Tim so anxious about them?]

Let me go and see if they are in. [And off he goes down the hall! Even at that short distance, Tim can probably hear the knock of his paw and the low rumble of his voice calling Chara's name. After a moment, he opens the door, and then shuts it and returns.]

They have probably gone out with Asriel. Would you like me to call them?

[achievementhunter]

[They're trying to make tea.

There are, of course, a few issues with this.

The first is easily overcome with determination and a chair- to reach the stovetop (and sink) so they can put the water to boil. When your adoptive parents are three times your height, if not more, furniture is not made to your size. Chara makes do. As it stands, they're just lucky neither of their parents has turned off the gas to the stove in order to save money.

Much more difficult by far is actually reaching the tea, kept on the top shelf, it's far too high for even a chair to help them. Chara is instead forced to simply look up at it, frown tugging at their lips with a soft murmur of darn it as their reaching fingers simply knock the edge of the box and push it even further out of reach. Behind them, the kettle has been whistling for more than a few minutes- long enough to start boiling over.

And that's what Asgore walks in on.

Isn't having kids just blissful?]

[journalname]

[Ah - truly he is blessed.]

Oh - oh dear, Chara.

[Nothing here is fully a cause for alarm yet; he takes the kettle off the boiler and places it on a cool one like it's an afterthought on his way over to Chara, where his paw hovers over their back as if to steady them, even if they didn't look ready to fall in the first place.]

Which were you trying to get?

[achievementhunter]

[They jump- an action that's spawned entirely by surprise, nothing more. There's no tension when he comes in close; if anything, they lean back into his hand, purely for the comfort found in such contact.]

I don't know. I was... [Their scowl softens, glancing off to the side.] I was going to make us some tea to have in the garden.

It was supposed to be a surprise.

[journalname]

Oh, my dear, that is so sweet!

[He smiles and reaches up to ruffle their hair. There's no hesitation to show physical affection, no pause to check that it's okay - why wouldn't it be?]

I'm sorry - I should really keep that on a lower shelf. [He reaches up to retrieve some of the tea, and moves a few things aside to set it on one of the more accessible shelves.]

[achievementhunter]

[Why wouldn't it be, indeed? They duck down a little- huffing as he messes up their hair. But there's a smile on their face when they look back up at him, vexation eased by his obvious delight.]

Thank you, father. [They say politely, not grabbing at the tea until he's finished moving around. Setting the box on the bench, they hop down from the chair, looking at the stove thoughtfully.]

Perhaps... you wouldn't mind boiling the water, whilst I collect the teapot?

[They, uh. They don't want to drag the chair over to the stove when he's watching.]

[journalname]

Of course.

[Shelves are one thing, but the stove really can't be helped. He and Toriel mostly use fire magic anyway, of course, and that's what he uses now. Someday, though, he knows Toriel is looking forward to giving proper cooking lessons with it, unhindered by difficulty in reach.]

I am thinking of adding a new flowerbed on the side of the house, but I have not decided what to plant yet. Do you have any ideas?

[achievementhunter]

[And when that day comes, they really hope your love of butterscotch-cinnamon pie is eternal- because that's all they'll be cooking for months.]

Another one? [Despite the question they don't sound at all surprised, placing a small plate on a tray and reaching for the cookie jar. Tea requires cookies.] Perhaps... some Baby's Breath? And Morning Glory, to climb the house itself. Mandevilla, even?

[journalname]

Ah, that sounds lovely. Perhaps a trellis.

[He turns with the heated pot to fill their cups, and doesn't say a word about the cookies.]

Did you know that some types of baby's breath are used as an ingredient in ice cream? I am not sure we could use it in that way ourselves, but we should make some this summer.

[achievementhunter]

[An interested hum as Chara moves off to the side- best he has room to pour.] I didn't. May we research it?

[If they can make ice cream out of flowers, they are absolutely going to insist on it.]

[journalname]

Of course! I never could match your mother's skill in baking - [And why would he need to? He doesn't, of course not.] - but perhaps we may contribute a little.

[achievementhunter]

Well, making ice cream doesn't necessarily equate to baking. [Does it? Citation needed. Chara peers around him, clearly eager... for the tea, of course. Not the biscuits, and ice cream plots.] May we retire to the gardens?

[journalname]

[Asgore frowns thoughtfully as he pours the tea.]

I am not sure! Perhaps it is not baking after all. We could be the premiere Dreemurr ice-cream makers!

[A new art to pair with Toriel's! That sounds perfectly lovely.]

That sounds lovely. Could you get the door, please? [He'll carry the tea!]