And the Boats Drift On [Open to All]

[applesaucemod]

The water is calm, and the night sky is filled with stars. The only light is natural: a patchy, bioluminescent glow coming from the water below, and the bright swath of the Milky Way above. It's not much, but it's more than enough to see by.

The dreamers will find themselves sitting in their own little rowboats, each stocked with two oars, a length of rope, some cushions, and a little picnic basket full of snacks. There is no visible shoreline, but it won't take the dreamers long to realize theirs are not the only boats in this shallow sea. Anything stirring in the water, be it fish or paddle, causes phosphorescent plankton to glow a bright blue, so there isn't really anywhere to hide.

Feel free to paddle around and visit the other dreamers, perhaps tying your boats together and sharing your snacks in an impromptu picnic. Or you could go for a swim - the bioluminescence makes it difficult to see the bottom, but it's not too terribly deep, so the risk of drowning is all but nonexistent. This setting, unlike the last one, isn't actively out to kill you. Or you could simply lie back and look at the stars.



[ooc: Same drill as always, folks. All are welcome, regardless of whether or not your character is in the game. Characters may remember or forget dream shenanigans at the player's discretion.]

Comments

[rae_of_sun]

Sunshine doesn't normally go in for boating, in part because fishing tends to be involved, and she's never been a fan. But there isn't a rod or tacklebox in this rowboat, just some comfy seating and a basket that, upon cursory examination, reveals nothing more than food intended for human consumption.

Really, though, it's the sky that has her attention. You can't see the stars in Manhattan. Even back home, with the overall population depleted as it is, you don't get skies like this. (Well, you probably do in a lot of places, but traveling far enough from civilization to avoid light pollution is pretty ill-advised.)

For a few minutes, she just leans back in her little boat and stares up at the sky. Then she pulls her jackknife out of her pocket. It glows a warm, comforting gold in contrast to the blues and greens that surround her. She pries open the second blade - the dull, lint-covered one she barely ever uses - and wedges it between two of the planks at the stern, like a little clement lantern. Or a beacon.

All right. Time to more thoroughly investigate the contents of this basket.

[bagropa]

Croach has abandoned his boat - unlike humans, his people did not develop as a culture with bodies of water in mind, so he is not entirely at ease on the water. In the water, though, he need not worry about the vessel's lack of stabilizers. He also enjoys the bioluminescence produced when he agitates the water. It is a pleasing shade of blue. He alters his own to match it.

He is swimming without aim, observing the stars he has not observed in over a month, when he senses a familiar being occupying the vessel to his right. "Human designated Sunshine!" he calls out, swimming closer, pleased to have encountered someone familiar.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine is decidedly not going to just sit in a titchy little boat when there is an entire ocean to explore. When she reaches her hand in to test the temperature and sees the resulting flash of blue, that clinches it. She tumbles overboard - a neater dive seems risky, given she doesn't know how deep it is - and beams as the water around her glows with every little stirring of her limbs. Numair's told her about this sort of thing before, and that it's caused by tiny creatures living in the water, but this is the first time she's seen it firsthand.

A few moments later, she's taken dolphin shape and is twisting through the shallow sea, leaving a fading trail of blue behind her.


[ooc: feel free to spot her from your boat and call out to her! She'll respond once she's over her initial giddiness. Or perhaps she approaches your boat out of curiosity and pops her head out of the water.]

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta's fascinated by the sky. They could see plenty of stars in the districts, but none of them match the ones here. The sky is different and the stars seem more numerous.

It's beautiful, but what captures Peeta's attention is the water.

He has only seen the ocean once before, during the Victory Tour. And even then, it was only from the shore. The water had been dark - very different from the clear, bright blue that stretches around him in all directions. The boat he is in drifts gently, the water around it glowing blue as the hull rocks against the surface.

Peeta leans over carefully, trying to gauge the depth of the water. It doesn't seem too deep, and he cautiously dips in his hand, momentarily surprised when the water glows around it as well.

[johnny_truant]

It's a while before Johnny realizes he's dreaming. For some time he just rests on his back in the little boat, listening to the gentle lapping of the water, gazing up at the stars. Has he ever seen so many? He feels so content. He could just drift off to sleep... but he already is asleep, isn't he?

Instead he sits up, looking around himself. No land in sight, but that doesn't bother him like it ordinarily might - it's just a dream, he's not really lost at sea. Looks like he has some supplies as well, though he doesn't investigate yet.

He lets his fingers dip into the water, which is just cool enough without being cold, and it ripples gently, and beneath the surface he sees bright glowing pinpricks of light shimmering and dancing around. He pulls his hand back, a little startled, and just watches for a while.

It's been a while since he had a restful dream all on his own, without Gabriel or the TARDIS assisting him. He hopes it stays this way.

[bluesuit_handy]

Hi, Johnny, you're about to meet someone who isn't watching where he's going. Andrew spent a while admiring the unusually clear view of the Milky Way -- definitely still on Earth, by the by -- but eventually grew bored of sightseeing and took up rowing about in search of company. He's ceased to check over his shoulder, though, since he's gone so long without seeing anyone else. In a few moments, assuming nothing happens to make him change his course, he'll accidentally ram Johnny's boat.

[canofwords]

The CORDIS is out looking for prey, or a distraction, or any number of synonyms. Manifesting her avatar for Zagreus reminded her how much fun could be had playing with the matter monkeys, so she's scouring this shallow dimension, carried along by conversational fragments, shifting her chameleon meme to hide in nautical terms and exclamations of delight. She tries dressing up as rocking the boat once, but only one creature actually obliges her by using the idiom, what a waste.

Her impeccable sense for storytelling soon lets her pause at the recently asleep again Johnny. Now there's a damsel in need of some distress. She appears sitting neatly on the board across from Johnny, a vision in red hair and a gaudy sailor's dress, smiling pleasantly. It wouldn't do to give the game away too soon. "Excuse me, are you quite alright, dear boy? You look a little dead in the water."

[brink]

Topher's decided to participate in a dream party for once. He's felt a bit too much like a shut-in lately. But only after taking certain precautions of course, like making sure anyone he's hiding from (quite a few specific Romac and rebel higher-ups, a certain angel, a few other people...) can't actually recognise him. It's become routine by now, anytime he goes someplace they might turn up.

Still, that doesn't mean he intends to look unremarkable to everyone else. In fact, he finds the whole "tiny little row-boat" thing a bit too dull. Instead, he's sitting on the shell of a giant, realistic-looking Lapras, serenely paddling along.

[decoyslavetwin]

How in the hell did he get on this boat?

Furthermore, what in the hell is that thing?

He doesn't even realize there's a guy riding around on the creature's back. He's too busy grabbing the - okay, yes, good, there are paddles - and hurriedly attempting to row away. He's never rowed a boat before, and his efforts produce more phosphorescent splashing than actual movement.

Oh, shit. He almost wishes he was back in his cage.

[sadie_doyle]

Boozy laughter echoes across the water, occasionally interspersed with a ringing clink! The Doyles wasted no time in making a two-ship flotilla by tying their respective boats together. Now, they're sitting side by side in one boat while the other (riding noticeably lower in the water) is stocked with enough liquor to either fell a herd of elephants or last the Doyles an entire weekend. There seems to be a disproportionate amount of rum in keeping with the oceangoing theme.

It's safe to say that they won't be doing much in the way of rowing, as the glasses they're holding would make it cumbersome. But the liquor has put them both in a rather expansive mood, so they'd probably be delighted to chat with anyone else who happened by.


[ooc: you're getting two Doyles for the price of one, so any threads will involve (at least) three players.]

[anguiform]

'Now that's handy,' Crowley observes idly, and abruptly, surfacing next to the Doyles' boats and leaning over to eye their impressive heap of bottles with much the air of a someone leaning over his neighbour's fence to eye up their new landscaping. 'But then, I always did say the rum was the only thing that made sea travel bearable.'

He might be mistaken for a merman to the casual viewer, or, if one doesn't look below his torso, simply a shirtless bloke, but he is in fact a currently snake-tailed demon. Wearing sunglasses.

[mr_fring]

Strange. He doesn't remember coming here.

It's been a long time since he was on the water. He has a boat, oars, supplies - he seems to be well stocked. Everything is quiet, the sky is bright and beautiful. May as well enjoy it. Gus has become better at accepting life's strangeness lately.

He opens what appears to be a picnic basket and finds it to be just that: filled with little sandwiches, what looks to be guacamole, chips, fruit - there's even some beer. Enough for more than one person. Gus looks around, and it's not long before he can see more boats in the distance. He hesitates, wondering who they might be, before deciding not to worry. He takes the oars and rows slowly, steadily, toward the others.

[watchesthebeans]

It's a mote! It's a hunk of driftwood! No, it's the tiniest rowboat ever!

Aglet's never been in a boat before, but he's already pretty sure he doesn't like it just like he never likes any of these dreams. The flat, open water sets a semi-subterranean creature like him ill at ease, and it's impossible for him to stop scanning the sky for something ready to drop out of the air and nab him. He doesn't know what that tiny orange vest is for, either, though he may find out if his boat tips over. Even the presence of free food isn't enough to reassure him, and he would be paddling madly for shore if a.) he could see a shore and b.) he knew how to paddle properly. As it is he keeps digging one oar into the water with both hands and going in little circles.

[brink]

It's more general dream awareness that makes him notice Aglet, than actually spotting him. Poor guy, he could be easily toppled over by almost anyone. He makes sure the Lapras he's riding slows properly down when he gets closer, not to disturb the water.

"You alright, down there?" he asks, holding onto a shell-spike and leaning over, peering down at the boat.

[interndana]

The first thing Dana sees are the stars overhead, so bright and vast that for a moment she thinks she's back home looking at the desert sky. But then she sits up, and everything lurches unpleasantly, and Dana grows to realize that she is not at home, and not even on solid ground. She is in a boat. Dana has never been in a boat before.

She does know how to swim, if only because of city council-mandated flash flood survival training, but this vast and oddly glittering sea seems ominous to her, despite the calm surface. Dana tries to move as slowly as possible, looking around for any sign of life, or a shoreline. And what are these, paddles? Dana reaches for one but the motion sets the little boat swaying. She shrieks, and the sound echoes out across the water.

faster than liiiiiiightniiiiiiiing

[wildmage_daine]

Even without her enhanced hearing, that shriek would be hard to miss. Daine streaks toward the sound, expecting to find that someone's gone overboard. But the woman who screamed is still in her boat, and nothing appears to be outwardly amiss. Daine circles the area, wondering if she's just missed a shark or somesuch, but she doesn't hear anything bigger or scarier than fish.

Concerned, and a little perplexed, Daine bobs up out of the water alongside the woman's boat. What's wrong? she asks. Then, as she gets a proper look at her, … Dana?

[fucking_ebay]

Peter's a mess. He has spent the weeks since he and Lucy abruptly stopped seeing each other slowly but surely falling apart. A combination of increased drinking (sans Gabriel's magically summoned alcohol since the angel magicked it away again) and the loss of the assistance from Lucy on which he'd come to rely, he's kept himself penniless and frequently unfed. A couple times now he's managed to pull women just as desperate for the meager validation that accompanies sex with a stranger as he is, but there's not much satisfaction to be found in an act done to spite someone with whom he's lost all contact.

His first act upon taking stock of the situation and discovering the picnic basket in his boat is to open the bottle of wine inside. He's at least civilized enough yet to use a glass, but when it comes to disposing of the cork he opts to throw it off the starboard side. It's then that he sees the phosphorescence in the water. Unsure what it is, he cautiously dips an oar into the water to stir it up, staring at the light show, the wine glass in his other hand forgotten for the moment.

[wildmage_daine]

Hello, here's someone she hasn't seen in a while. Daine doesn't have quite so many reservations about startling Peter as she did Peeta, so once she realizes which side of the boat he's leaning over, she takes care to pop up on the opposite side, so his back is to her. She's giving sea lion shape a try, now, and finding it a bit easier to spit water in this shape… so naturally, the best way to announce her presence is to send a stream of bioluminescent saltwater toward Peter's back.

[anguiform]

Crowley doesn't usually dream. Sure, he sleeps; he's a reptile, he loves sleep, but dreaming doesn't generally enter into it. Dreams are the province of humans.

Regardless, though, here he is: dreaming.

Huh, he thinks. Well, weirder things have happened. And as far as his limited personal experience with dreams goes, this is a lovely one; warm, glowing waters and a sky as starry as he remembers it from way back in the beginning. Crowley did not get as far as he has by being unable to appreciate a good thing.

Having decided to take the unexpected dream at face value, he promptly allows the lower half of his body to fuse into a long, muscular tail, miracles away his shirt and jacket, and slides into the water. It blazes into phosphorescence around him, and he grins a little, before executing a lazy arc of a dive under the surface.

[bibliophale]

Well, isn't this nice. Aziraphale should dream more often, if they're going to be like this! Still water, starry sky - glowy lights under the surface, now that's interesting. Ooh, is that a picnic basket?

There are relevant questions to be asked here, but there's WINE in the picnic basket, and everything is just so pleasant. Surely questions can be asked after a little wine. It's just a dream, after all!

[anguiform]

'Angel,' drawls Crowley, by way of greeting. He's still in the water; he's stuck to the two legs for the best part of five millennia; he's really enjoying swimming about with the tail like this now. It feels rather like the relief one gets when one's been sick and stuck in bed for a fortnight; not that there's anything wrong with lying in bed, but it feels good to get up and stretch again. Change of pace, liven things up, all that.

'Fancy seeing you in my head; thought you didn't go in for sleep.'

He hooks himself over the gunwale of Aziraphale's little boat, peering lazily up at him and dripping onto the deck. Can you call it a deck when the boat's so small? He's not sure. The point remains, regardless.

[slumberingwood]

Two shaggy youngsters recently arrived in the dream have lashed their rafts (larger and flatter than the rowboats of most other dreamers) together and can be heard chatting and splashing at the phosphorescent water -- or at least, one of them can be heard chatting while the other listens. Neither of the adolescents is much longer than two meters yet from nose to tail puff, though the male, his lion-like mane just recently grown in, is noticeably bigger than his twin sister.

"Water magic," says the sister in question decisively, coming to the end of whatever she was saying to her brother to justify the conclusion. The boy takes in a thoughtful breath and gives a little nod of agreement. A little smile quirks at the corners of his mouth as he dips a paw in the water and flicks some at her. She grins and scoops water up to fling in his face, and the two quickly take up an impromptu water fight.

[jennifer_strange]

This is a strange sort of setting. Jennifer feels as if she should be boggling at the stars or the strange, glowing water - or even at the contents of this weird little boat in which she's found herself. Instead, she finds herself boggling at two sizable creatures floating on what looks like a giant raft.

They're very… fluffy. But going by their overall shape, they look a good deal like Feldspar Axiom Firebreath IV and Colin.

It takes her a few moments to get the hang of rowing, but the two creatures don't seem to notice her approach. They're too busy splashing one another. She lifts the oars a few yards away, though she's still drifting toward them. "Hello?"

[erratic_hematic]

Spike isn't entirely sure if this is a dream or not. He woke up in a boat with no land in sight. A small rowboat that really isn't going to do the job if he ends up in choppier waters, so the picnic basket full of snacks doesn't do much to reassure him.

He picks a direction and starts rowing.

[bibliophale]

There's someone! Aziraphale's been rowing about for a little while, given to understand there are meant to be others populating the dream, but it's taken him a while to spot any. This one stands out because he's very pale. White hair, from what he can tell, but quite young. Is he young? There's something funny about him. Aziraphale can't place it.

"Ahoy!" he calls, waving cheerfully. He's enjoying this whole boating thing a lot more than he thought he would. The wine helps.

[antitimelord]

Has Zagreus mentioned lately that he hates boats, and water, and horizons? Or that vasty cosmiscapes are about to be added to the list? He supposes he doesn't hate cushions, or snacks. Rope is on probation. Zagreus...is on a boat, in a boat? glaring and huddling apprehensively, aggressively not thinking about boat words.

[johnny_truant]

Johnny's been rowing around for a while now, having got the hang of it at last, and is drifting gently toward the nearby boat right up until he realizes who that is in it. He completes the awkward boating equivalent of screeching to a halt, dragging the oars against his momentum in the water, then trying to back away as quietly as he can.

[theoldgirl]

The TARDIS would be making a wide berth around this dream, if she wasn't so desperate to find the new Doctor, whose arrival she sensed twelve days ago now. Being without any incarnation of his has been a constant stress, and the telepathic current seems like her last hope of reaching at least his mind.

Only for that reason does she endure this ridiculous boat business, sitting very stiffly and still in the little vessel. She tries to root it in perfect immobility to avoid the disturbing unsteadiness, how she knows it'll tilt at the slightest movement, but this dream seems very recalcitrant about its internal consistency. And even worse, she can feel it trying to draw on her hateful physical memories of seasickness. She stubbornly refuses to allow that though, seeing how it's both unnerving and unnecessary, in a dream. Which isn't helping her mood either, and she all but glares at the horizon as she searches it with her eyes and mind.

[antitimelord]

Sorry, no Doctors here, only Zagreus cutting a glowing swath through the water with his greatly improved rowing skills. What, was he supposed to sulk forever? He's aware enough of time sensitives to hone in on the TARDIS when the dreaming washes her ashore, metaphorically speaking, or perhaps metaphysically? The distinction seems unimportant. Perhaps they can bond over a shared dislike of boating. He hails her, mentally, a spiteful radar ping. "Fancy a picnic?"

[has_a_horn]

Gabriel isn't too impressed with the setting, but at least it seems like it's not trying to kill him (for a change). When he arrives, he changes his little rowboat into something a little more comfortable. He leans back onto the plush red bed, a glass of wine in hand. The turntable built into the end of the boat plays something soothing, and he focuses up on the stars overhead. The night is comfortable and the boat is rowing itself along, churning up the bioluminescent plankton as it goes, leaving a trail in his wake.

I hope this is okay?

[wentdowntogeorgia]

Why sit idly in a boat when you can simply walk upon the water? And it would be a lie to say that the sight of his vessel walking over the surface, light flaring at his feet, wasn't appropriately dramatic. So sue him, he was the devil and he knew how to make an entrance.

Lucifer stepped up onto the prow of Gabriel's boat, his weight causing it to dip forward slightly but not enough to tip or capsize; his feet were already dry by the time they touched the wood.

"Gabriel."

[thehobbsgirl]

Abigail doesn't know how she got here, but the fact doesn't concern her. She simply becomes aware of her surroundings, and becomes aware of her enjoyment of them. It's quiet out on the water, drifting some distance away from the other boats. The water is bright with ethereal light around the other boats; she can hear the sounds of water being churned and voices coming from them. She thinks she will paddle over, but not just yet. She intends to enjoy her solitude, first. Solitude is a rare commodity, at the Port Haven Psychiatric Facility.

[erratic_hematic]

Well, so much for solitude. Spike had arrived rather far off from the group and only now has found his way back. He rows, propelling his little boat backwards along a glowing trail. The first boat he comes upon he collides with gently, and he looks back to see what he's run into. "Who're you?"

[heysoulsister]

Jodie's first thought is that this has to be a mission of some kind. Historically, if she's in a weird situation, it's because someone else ordered her there. But she's in plainclothes, weaponless (there's a basket, but it only contains food and water), and her surroundings don't present any obvious destination points. It's nothing but ocean on all sides.

She's not in any position to notice the bioluminescence around the hull, but Aiden quickly spots it. He examines the glow, fascinated by the familiar hue. Then he moves out over the water and tries swiping at the surface.

Jodie turns her head toward the faint splash and the flash of blue, brow furrowed. Maybe Aiden shouldn't be doing that - he'll give away their position - but who's going to see it? Is anyone else even here? The boat sways as she turns to look around, and then she spots something. It looks pretty distant, but there's a faint pinprick of golden light that doesn't match the phosphorescent glow of the water or the cold light of the stars. That's as good a thing to aim for as any. Jodie picks up her oars and starts to row.

[i_jones]

Ianto is drifting, laying sideways in his boat, legs hanging off one edge from the knee and head leaning off the other, pillowed on his folded sweater, to watch the stars. He's got a travel mug of hot cocoa balanced on his chest, steaming into the night, because it's a dream, okay, and he can have whatever improbably warm drink he wants in his picnic basket. He can have a fresh-baked pie in there if he wants, you can't judge.

If he ignores the dark water beneath him - which he can, quite easily, if he just stares up at the sky - then it's almost serene. It's not, but. Almost.

[canofwords]

What a great place to go fishing, apparently, at least for word ships in search of fun and whimsy. Who would have thought she'd run into another friend here? Well, practically a friend, she did only almost murder him that one time.

One moment, the scene is almost serene, and in the next she's laying at Ianto's side, mimicking his position perfectly. "Still indulging your sweet tooth, Ianto? You should know that isn't good for you." It's important to start a reunion from shared memories, after all.

[dustonmyfeet]

She's in a boat.

She's in a boat.

Toph knows this because of the way the floor moves, bobbing gently underneath her, and, as she sits up way too suddenly, something splashes off the side.

She's in a wooden boat in the middle of the water, completely blind, and . . .

Please excuse her while she gets sick over the side.

TOPH :D

[heysoulsister]

Aiden is the first to notice the second boat. If it had contained anyone other than a miserable young girl, he might have warned Jodie away… but he has something of an affinity for miserable young girls. The tether hums with something between an 'all clear' and a 'get over here,' and a minute later, Jodie's little rowboat is pulling up alongside Toph's.

"Hey," Jodie says cautiously. She can tell the kid's having a rough time, and she doesn't want to freak her out. "Are you okay?" Obviously she isn't, but at least this will determine if the girl speaks English.