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

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

Taako

[ohshitsweetflips]

A.
Rumor has it that the chef over at Spicy Treasures is a pretty chill dude. Rumor doesn't have much else to say on the matter, but that's fine; as a new hire or maybe a patron, you get to fill in the blanks for yourself. You wanna do an inspection? Sell some lettuce? Knock yourself out. Why's it called that, anyway? Who knows, not Taako.

B.
Maybe you're a friend or acquaintance stopping by for an off-duty brunch? Then it's not so much a rumor as a #confirmed fact. The Taako you know is smart but laid-back, none of the neurosis or prickly ego that sometimes comes with that. Genuine, confident, content. He definitely remembers to ask after whatever it is your life's about, and he pays attention to the answer. Maybe you're a surfing friend, that's probably a thing. He's pretty good at it even, though it's not like he invented it.

C.
Or maybe this is a more star-struck encounter out in the wilds. (Metaphorical wilds. This is a nice city, that's why he picked it.) Hey, isn't that that hot-shot space arcanist? No, actually, it isn't, you're thinking of Lup, who's probably gone to fuckin space. But it's fine, he gets it all the time, it's kind of funny really. I T S F I N E.

D.
Literally anything else. Go buckwild.

Closed to Ren
At least one thing will be familiar in all this. Sure, he sees his niece much less often than in their jungle-camp reality, and actually she's an elf, so that's kind of startling maybe, but this isn't too jarring, at least for him and that's what matters most.

There's no criminal activity, however, or at least he won't be expecting any. No food hoarding, no child labor, no ghost talk, as far as he knows. Just normal if maybe a little distant caretaking. Which he can do, because he knows his limits and it's not long term.

"Ren! Glad you made it, I was afraid you got lost."

[pLEASE LET ME POST IT IM SORRY I DELETED IT THE FIRST TIME OH MY GOD]

Blease

[hellawrath]

Guess what, it's your favorite sister back from whatever totally rad space mission, waltzing into the kitchen like she owns the place, or at least like he owns the place. Lup's whole situation is, as always, on fucking fleek, tastefully dressed down like a rockstar on vacation. It's not like she's here to bring a perfect storm of hungering paparazzi down on her poor brother's workplace, this is just, checking in, catching up, it's probably been way too long.

And she really is happy to see Taako, beaming like the sun just came up when she spots him. One arm laden with a box of macaroons (store-bought, cuz astronauts are a bit too busy to do much baking of their own) and a smaller box containing a fist-sized rock from the Elemental Plane, she goes in for a sort of awkward half hug to greet him.

"Hey babe, whatcha got cooking today?"

No.

[ohshitsweetflips]

Taako does not own the place, but she can still do this, no one's about to stop her. And it's not busy, anyway. Pretty conveniently, he's always exactly the amount of occupied he most wants to be. That's one cool thing about the work.

He hugs her back with none of the encumbrance, and of course he's thrilled to have her here. She does important stuff with her time, and he's never one to begrudge that in the slightest, when the whole point of what he's doing is...not that. She'd never be happy like this, and he understands that, totally. It's sad, but just normal sad, nbd. Just like these are normal sniffles, that he's got no qualms about sniffling.

"First one thing 'n' another," he answers with a grin, straight from their aunt's stop-asking-what's-for-dinner repertoire. All that old shared language comes out when Lup comes to visit, and there's nothing bittersweet about it, just a fun callback to a warm and unhurried past.

"It's like Thursday, Lup, do you even know what day it is? It's just stuffed pork roast today."

[hellawrath]

Aw darn, why's he gotta get all sniffly on her, now she's got something in her eye too, good job. It doesn't even feel like it's been that long? Even though it must have been, for sure, and there's something so important about seeing him-- she's just real glad for the hug, is all. She presses her face into the crook of his neck for just a second, mouthing along to one of their aunt's unforgettable bon mots. That's the best thing about coming back to this plane - as soon as she's with him, it's like she never left.

"Time's not real in space, dingus, you know that--" Actually, why would he? He's never been. Hasn't seen any of the amazing things out there, never stepped foot on another plane by her side, no matter how much she wishes he did--

But he's happy here. She knows that.

Lup slips out of the hug to put the boxes down and turns back to him, clapping her hands together expectantly. "Let's make roast, hell yeah."

[ohshitsweetflips]

There's something there for a second, he almost feels so torn, so grieved, to have been someone who couldn't be happy and with her at the same time. But at least it's always like this when she returns, this seamless and comforting thing.

But seamless or not, he seems a little surprised by her...suggestion, for lack of a better term. They're gonna just hop into making a roast, just like that? Guess that's fair enough, it's not like he's got a lot for her to catch up on. But doesn't she? He's more than happy to hear about it, instead of roping her into his work.

So he just rolls his eyes with obvious affection. "Kinda forgot you didn't learn how to chill in space school," he teases gently, leaning back with his elbows on a counter. "Wouldn't you rather kick back and catch me up on all your nerd gossip?"

[hellawrath]

She's ready to go, this is probably like 90% of what she came here for, or at least it is now? To let their hands do most of the talking, her unpredictability and his finesse, to make the best roast this kitchen has ever seen. And it-- it almost hurts, that he's just standing there, not making a single move to join her? It's pretty stupid, probably, to feel defensive about it, just because he's-- maybe not as excited to cook with her as she was expecting. It's his job, for fuck's sake, he's gotta stand here and cook like every day of the week, why would he get excited about a dumb roast.

She can't quite keep her grin from slipping, for just a second, ears dropping uncertainly before she manages to shrug it off. "And miss out on all the hot stove action? Nah bro." She pushes past him to the cabinets, looking for... something to do.

"Since when do you care about some shit you weren't even around for, anyway?" As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she realizes that sounded way harsher than she had meant it to. Taako's a good listener, he pays attention and he cares. Maybe not everybody knows that, but she does, and-- it's still weird, though. "I mean, it's kinda hard to put into words?" she hedges, not sure if she's contrite or what. "You kinda, I guess you kinda had to have been there, is what I'm saying."

dabs, uhh let's go with b basically

[deathfindsaway]

He's apprehensive about this.

It was strange enough being taken from his own fantasies, finding his way back and figuring out what was going on. It was stranger still to find out this was some sort of attack, though not something that left him afraid or otherwise incapable of doing. He's more worried about what exactly he'll find. Kravitz knows what he thinks of Taako, made possibly more clear by his subconcious putting him on blast recently, but Taako is not the type to be clear with his emotions or show off exactly what he thinks of him. He has some confidence that it'll be okay- Taako wouldn't be the type to string him along, he thinks, if he wasn't feeling it or them- but how that might manifest is entirely unknown. And Kravitz doesn't like things that are unknown, undone variables he can't track and plan for.

It's not hard to find him, after a bit of asking around, and he pushes into the restaurant quietly. "Taako? Are you here?"

[ohshitsweetflips]

It's a quiet time in the restaurant, a peaceful afternoon stretch that doesn't see much in the way of patronage, well suited to prep work and catching one's breath. That must be why Taako, normally so at ease, feels a flash of something at having it interrupted, called out by name. Irritation, alarm? It's too fleeting, and either one would be unfamiliar anyway, so he doesn't pin it down.

He sets all that aside and makes himself known, wiping his hands with a rag. He's got nothing to be wary about, here, plenty of people know his name. Well, a normal amount, and he usually remembers them back, but still. No reason to be unfriendly. Even if this guy looks like he maybe saw half a ghost. He smiles agreeably, if a little impatient; he's got things to do.

"Yeah, man. What's up?"

[deathfindsaway]

There he is.

Kravitz still hasn't gotten used to the little way his heart flips when he sees Taako, every feeling made so much more potent when he has the body to back it up. It's an adoration garnered from something he can't explain, some bond he may have forged too quickly but he won't stop clinging to. It's intoxicating. He hasn't felt anything like it for so, so long.

It is, however, worrying that Taako doesn't seem to have the same recognition. But he can do this. He can get him out. Kravitz smiles, tries to wait until it comes, until this dream slots him into place so he can really proceed.

"I heard you'd be here." He starts, and then realizes he sounds utterly ridiculous, trying to scramble for proper words. "I mean, of course you would be, I-- nevermind, that's not important. I'm so happy to see you."

[ohshitsweetflips]

Ridiculous isn't quite how he sounds, and there will be no slotting into place in this dream construction. These words are greeted with confusion, incredulity, and something that is only threatening to become wariness. He sets the rag down with an excess of care, one ear canted like he's listening for a sneak attack.

"Uh huh, that's-- nice." It's a testament to the strangeness of this situation that he hesitates in his words. Taako doesn't have fans, can't be bribed out of his common sense with attention from an admittedly very handsome man. He sincerely hopes this isn't going to be another guy-asking-for-rocket-fuel situation. That kind of thing makes for a good story (told by someone else) but is less fun to deal with in reality, in person.

He'll try his gentle prodding for information again, maybe a little more pointed this time. "What specifically can I do for you?"

[deathfindsaway]

He had prepared himself for roughly three scenarios. One, that Taako was still just his enemy. That it might come to a fight, an argument or convincing, but he just needed to wake him up. It wouldn't be good, but he could do it. Two, that Taako was in fact as saccharine and kind as his dream was. He'd do a great job of tempting him to lay down and take a nap or start kissing him and Kravitz' brain would do that thing where he forgets the rest of the world exists. Also complex, but doable. And three, they might just know each other. Just an-- associate. Another person. And it would sting, but he could handle. He reasoned that these were the three most likely options.

But as the hesitation creeps into his movements, the questions and the confusion, Kravitz is forced to confront the fourth scenario he didn't want to even think about.

Taako doesn't know who he is. He doesn't seem to recognize his face, his voice, and it clenches at his throat. He thought he'd have to be more smooth with this, work himself into the dream and then pick it apart. But the dawning horror of this is encompassing, and it shows on his face.

"Taako..." He starts, feels his anxiety building in his joints and buzzing into his head. "Do you... do you not know who I am?"

[catpiper]

When he speaks to her, there's something in her heart that swells-a kind of longing that makes her ears rapidly perk up at the sound of his voice. She missed him. That part she knows, but it's not like he doesn't show up to gatherings or that she hasn't come by before to spend the night when her mom's gone up to space for who knows how long. It just feels like, maybe-

Well, it doesn't matter. She's here now and points up to her ears, which are beautifully decorated with with flowers and leaves hanging by bent stems. She Had Fun in the neighbor's yard. That's the important takeaway here. "I had to stop because I found these. They look like treasures-do you want this one?" She holds a hand under one of the hanging flowers, framing it like it's a beautiful diamond earring, instead of trash. "We can match while we eat Funfetti."

[ohshitsweetflips]

A grubby elf ransacking some poor fool's yard for personal ornamentation-- he almost feels something about that.

Almost, but not quite. He accepts the flower graciously enough, like anyone else would, humoring her and her garbage collecting. The 'treasure' is affixed in its new location without fanfare or preening as he ushers her along.

"Sure, pumpkin. How about we wait on the Funfetti, though. Probably not what Lup had in mind for your dinner."

[catpiper]

Ren's momentarily torn between she said it was okay and she won't know and somehow, even without verbalizing either of those statements, Ren has an inkling she's been caught in this Funfetti trap. She shoots a quick glance up to the ceiling, ears fluttering down, but it's fine. Her mom's really in space and definitely can't sense her unspoken thoughts.

Probably.

It's a feeling that occurs every time she enters her uncle's home. It's like the floodgates lift and all she wants to do is cause some minor mischief with him, especially since their moments together are few and far between. It makes her sad, in a weird way. Oh well. The little pieces garbage fall off her ears as she drops her bag on the ground. Will she clean up her mess? No, probably not.

"Can I help you cook? Can we make something from Spicy Treasures?" There's a whole menu of items to choose from and she's pretty sure none of them have funfetti, so that's acceptable? Right? God.

[ohshitsweetflips]

The real twilight zone moment here is the idea of Lup having shit-all to say about someone eating funfetti. But presumably when the stakes don't involve any life or death consequences, people have better impulse control, even Lup.

"Yeah, sounds good to me," he agrees readily enough. He can have her chop-- She can peel the-- Hmm. It's a big menu, they'll figure something out that won't cost anyone any fingers or blisters. Someone has to teach this kid caution, and he feels like it probably hasn't been Lup all that much, so far. He's not sure why he thinks that, but hey, can't hurt either way.

He eyes the fallen 'treasures' without comment, only opening his mouth when his eyes settle on the bag, and he indicates it with a little nod.

"Did you bring everything you own, or what?"

[catpiper]

"I tried, but I had to leave the furniture. So I put everything I could into my bag." Comes her terrifying, serious answer. If they could've magicked her closet into that bag, she would've done it in a heartbeat. Do you learn that in wizard high school? Whatever. The point is, there's a whole lotta of everything and most of it's unnecessary. She can't even recall what's fully in the bag-just that it's stuffed to the brim. "I haven't seen you in a long time, so I wanted to show all my stuff."

Which is-why? It's a strange compulsion with equally unknown origins that she's going to ignore. But literally unpacking that is a problem for another hour and she hurries to the kitchen, making herself at home by pulling out the drawers. Where are the spatulas? And whisks? And other Cooking Things? She's ready to spatulate some food together. "Should we make eggs?"

Is that a spicy treasure menu item?? Maybe?? It sounds right.

B.elated whoops

[youfoundher]

Having a good gig has been good for Taako. It's that little dash of independence, the spice of a reliable source of income and increasingly popular dishes that's left him- more settled, in a way. Barry's proud of him. Lup's proud of him. Taako's proud of himself- not actually that surprising, but also essentially everything Barry could ask for. Having a loving partner and a steady job of his own is just the icing on the cake.

Don't worry too much over asking how he's doing, Taako. That's not why he's here. The bonus of being head of his own science department is taking an extended lunch, every now and again, so he's in no hurry. Doubtless, he'll be noticed eventually, but for now Barry takes a seat as unobtrusively as possible, ordering a barley water and looking around at the place Taako's made so popular with a fierce surge of pride.

Because Taako deserves love too, duh.

[ohshitsweetflips]

Why wouldn't Taako deserve love and a reasonable portion of pride? It's not really something he's needed to consider.

It's nice to see a familiar face, really nice, though he's not entirely sure why. It can't have been all that long, can it? It'll be even nicer to sit down, but such is the price of moderate success. He takes a seat and hands off the barley drink, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Gross," he says, but he's grinning nonetheless. "You come to my house, you come to a place that has actually good things to order, and you get the kind of grain and water that isn't even booze. For shame, Barold."

[youfoundher]

Wow, did he really just get his non-alcoholic beverage served by the Taako? Head chef Taako? His simple, plain barley water, handed off like a culinary masterpiece. What a world.

"It's noon, Taako. I'm on my lunch break." Not that that's going to stop him from getting an earful, but as Barry settles back in his chair, it's clear he doesn't mind.

[ohshitsweetflips]

The Taako of this unreality maybe doesn't earn that tone of patient affection as often, but he still enjoys having a foil for his nonsense, even if there's less of it. And Barry is always a good one.

"You think I don't know a thing or two about lunch break Long Islands? The ol one-and-done?" Taako puts both his arms on the table, leans in mock-accusingly. "You can't blame society for your bad taste in beverages, Barry."

But he kids, he kids. "So you gonna order a real thing, or are you just here to make me keep your dumb water on the menu?" He is, of course, thrilled at the prospect of impressing these fuckers his family, no matter if he's done so a thousand times, and he's completely unreserved in that excitement.

[youfoundher]

"If I didn't invent barley water, and it's regularly added to menus, then I kind of can blame society, just a little." He doesn't encourage this bad habit; the world does. Humming, Barry leans to the side, having a look at the specials board. See, Taako? He can be daring.

Or, to be more accurate, he can absolutely feed that excitement to the very brink of it turning to annoyance.

"Can't I do both? Jeez, you guys've added to the menu." He squints, attempting to look lost. It's not hard. "You know one of the chefs here, yeah? What d'you think he'd recommend?"

That isn't insanely spicy- you know him, he's... he's a delicate man with a delicate digestive system. Have mercy.

Another one for the B gang

[proficienciesouttheass]

It seems that even in weird creepy irreal fantasy dreams during off-duty time, Magnus just cannot show up on time for anything. But, hey, that's fine, he's only unfashionably late for brunch.

"Hey, 'sup!"

Late and dirty, someone apparently forgot to change clothes after some early morning woodworking project time, stained with varnish and paint - and is that a wood chip in his beard? - but no less chipper about probably scoring some food. Oh, I mean, yeah, definitely sharing some food. Yeah.

It's hard to find some free time, really, busy as he is working on his projects, hiding in his workshop for full days, unless he's at his dog training academy. Life's hard, but life's good, and he apparently decided he'd grace the world with his massive beefy presence.

[ohshitsweetflips]

Let's be real, it's definitely scoring some food in this instance. Not that Taako minds, or would have it any other way. It's maybe not as much a victory to impress Magnus with food, since he doesn't exactly have the most discerning palate, but Taako doesn't have anything to prove here. It's about making his family happy or whatever. With free good shit. That's how you know it's unreal, the free part.

That doesn't mean he can't give him hell though. Not for being late, that's whatever, but don't showers exist on this plane? Not much of an ideal world if they don't.

He surveys Magnus with an eye that is, if anything, more critical than usual, just by lack of exposure to the unhygienic context that is adventuring.

"You know Mags, when I said bringin in dogs would be a health code violation, I didn't mean it as a challenge."

[proficienciesouttheass]

He looks down at his clothes and arms like he doesn't see anything wrong with it, which he obviously doesn't. One can imagine he probably eats quick food monstrosities in his workshops when time is tight or he's on a groove.

"What? This? Naaah." He waves a hand dismissively, a couple of bandaids wrapped around his feelings. strikeApparently, in his ideal world, he still somehow gets cuts on his fingers despite being a real-world Master Carpenter.

"You didn't say anything about a dress code, so." Apparently there's nothing legally binding there, so he can't be denied the meal.

[ohshitsweetflips]

He didn't say anything because there's not one, but the point remains. Still, he didn't really expect anything else.

And whatever he might say jokingly, he's not really gonna refuse this grubby ass his lunch just for being what he is, which is a disasterlanche of a human being. He doesn't question in what context he knows that.

"Yeah, yeah, just park your barbarian ass somewhere, try not to trample any real paying customers or build anything out of the furniture. You want a drink, or what?"