Halfway

[applesaucemod]

Tonight each dreamer of Manhattan will find out they're half the person they used to be.

No, really. Or at least, they're half the human[oid] they used to be. One way or another, each dreamer has been transformed into a hybrid creature from mythology. Fortunately, they find themselves at stunning fjord where those of the more aquatic persuasion can relax in the calm waters (unless, of course, the rift decides to beach them for fun) while others remain on dry ground (then again, who says a centaur can't swim?). There are trees in which bird-people can roost and warm rocks on which the cold-blooded can sun themselves, and the water of the fjord is cool, clear, and inviting. There's nothing man-made to be seen, no hint of civilization other than the dreamers themselves…and in this state, are they really so civilized?


[OOC: The usual dream party rules apply: all players and characters welcome, regardless of whether or not the character (or any character of yours) is in the game. Despite the wording, characters who did not start out looking human are welcome. Characters may remember or forget everything that happens in the Dreaming at players' discretion.]

Comments

[apidae]

Bee is grateful for his restrained curiosity, though now she feels a bit awkward, having left them with nothing to talk about. She doggedly changes tacks. "What else can you do?" she asks, gesturing to the dreamspace. "Can you change the dream itself, or just you, or..." She trails off, inviting him to fill in.

[brink]

That wasn't actually what he was thinking of, since he's only had that a while. It was more his general intelligence and, well, frankly world-changing consequences it's had. But he's made it a habit not to talk about that, so he's not going to correct her.

"Um, well," he answers, rubbing the back of his neck. "In a large, shared dream like this, I can only change things on a small level. Like myself, or changing small things -- or help you change yourself, probably. But if I'm just in someone's dream, or my own, I have pretty much full control."

[apidae]

"Oh." She nods thoughtfully. It's a little scary, the idea that he could enter her private dreams and change everything around - but what she can do is a little scary too. "You wouldn't do it without asking permission, would you?" she feels the need to ask.

[brink]

"Course not. I only use my powers for good!" he answers, intentionally making it sound as cheesy as possible, then gives a little laugh. "I dunno, I mostly do it to help people with nightmares. Or to have fun with friends."

There are of course exceptions, and a few times it's been a little on the sketchy side, especially when he's failed to see it from the other person's perspective. But, well, he's not infallible, is he? Well, not in that regard, anyway.

[apidae]

She smiles indulgently, wishing she could get a better sense for him - he's very guarded, playing everything close.

"Good," she says, and then stretches back, looking out over the landscape. "I sort of feel like galloping. I've never galloped before. What do you think?" May as well explore the dream, especially since it seems so much less dangerous than the last one.

[brink]

"It's a bit tricky to figure out all the limbs at first, but you get the hang of it," he answers. At least the area is decent for it. A bit tricky where there's a lot of trees, but there's open grass fields to run across freely. To illustrate he speeds up to a light trot, waiting for her to catch up. When she seems to be good, he speeds up to a gallop, or whatever you call that when a dragon's doing it. What's cool about this shape is that he can use his wings for balance and to make sharp turns, or stopping very quickly. He can even make very long jumps, but he hasn't tried properly flying yet.

[apidae]

Bee watches Topher with a grin, then comes after him, getting the hang of it rather quickly. Moving this fast is exhilarating beyond compare, and she can't help giving a little whoop of delight a she skids to a halt to watch some more of Topher's acrobatics.

"Can you fly?" she asks excitedly. "You should fly."

[brink]

"I'm not sure if this shape is really that aerodynamic," he calls back with a grin, turning towards her and flapping his wings a bit. "Then again, it's a dream, I probably doesn't need to be logical."

He speeds up against, heading in her direction (though not on a collision course), this time he tries flapping his wings, getting the feel of the air, how it makes him lift a little as he runs, and then he pounces onto a rock and then further into the air, flying.

Or at least it looks for a little while as if he's flying, but he's too heavy with not enough wingpower, so his ascent soon becomes a descent, and he falls to the ground a little rougher than anticipated. Too many limbs to keep track of, he trips and rolls over sideways once, his wings folded in against him, completely lacking any sort of grace. He's not hurt though, just a bit stained with grass as he tries to figure out all his body parts.

[apidae]

Bee skids to a halt as he crashes, and can't keep from laughing uproariously. She's fairly certain he isn't hurt - and even if he were, it's just a dream, right? She claps her hands over her mouth, giggling sheepishly. "Are you okay?" she asks, trotting toward him, grinning - just shy of a smirk, really. "That was almost extremely impressive."

[brink]

Topher finally figures out where his different limbs should go and manages to push himself to his feet, now grinning too. "It's rude to laugh at other people's misfortune," he answers, clearly not even slightly offended or all that embarrassed, just a little sheepish.

"Alright alright, hang on, let me try something else." He sobers and squints a bit, concentrating on what he's going for. And then all of a sudden he's completely changed. He's also quite a lot smaller, suddenly half the height of Bee, and a lot less massive, though still pretty huge for a bird, which is what he's just turned into. Well, mostly.

Most of his chest is still his own, but his shoulders and arms have now become large, blonde wings, his back is covered in feathers, and from the waist down he's all bird. The feathers crawl up the back of his neck and head as well, covering the parts that would normally be covered in hair. His eyes have also taken on a definite bird-like appearance, round and bright yellow (although with circular pupils, so less creepy than reptile eyes would've been), though the rest of his face remains the same.

"This might be more effective," he says, grinning at his successful change, and spreads his wings wide. It's a quite impressive wingspan, actually.

[apidae]

Bee gasps softly when he changes, then grins, impressed and delighted. "Cool!" she gushes, coming a little closer (but not too close - she's wary of invading personal space, especially when she can't get a solid sense of someone) to admire his feathers and wingspan. She steps back again, smiling with excitement. "Try it now!"