applesaucedream | Tender Lumplings Everywhere, Life's No Fun Without A Good Scare [Open to All]

The woods are dark and deep, but not particularly lovely. If anything, they feel dangerous, as if something terrible might come lurching out from behind any given tree and tear into the nearest warm body. What that terrible thing might be is anyone's guess. A cat with hands? Slenderman? Stegosaurus? Actual cannibal Shia LaBeouf? All of the above in a horrible mob? It's anyone's guess. But every dreamer will be absolutely convinced that there is something unspeakable out there, and that it's after them.

The dreamers have two things on their side. The first is that there is actually nothing dangerous lurking in these woods (with the possible exception of other dreamers). The pervasive terror the dreamers are feeling is just that: a rift-given feeling, nothing more and nothing less. That snapping twig or rustle in the undergrowth is almost certainly just a squirrel or something else equally harmless.

The second is that no dreamer is alone. They all will be reunited with - or introduced to - their dæmons, a source of comfort in this dark, intimidating wilderness. However frightened the dreamers might be, at least they have someone with them who definitely doesn't want them dead.

[OOC: as ever, any and all are welcome! You don't have to be in the game to join the fun. Dreamers can remember or forget the events of the dream at the players' discretion. And the party only stops when you want it to; feel free to backtag forever.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

They're Desire, huh? "What, like the concept?" he says, almost aggressively droll. He doesn't like the way the thing, whatever the fuck kinda animal that is (weasel? cat? fursnake?) is hovering around him, and then it touches him, pawing at him like a potential meal. He twitches back slightly.

"Hey, careful," he says, throwing a glance at the person - 'Desire', apparently. "It's weird when you touch someone else's, um, animal... thing, I think it's like a - um..."

He trails off on his awkward search for the word taboo, his mouth suddenly dry as the stranger steps closer, into a dim slant of moonlight. Oh. Well then. Speaking of lovely.

He couldn't quite ping from the voice, and seeing them doesn't actually help at all; he realizes he has no idea what gender this person is supposed to be. His initial instinct is man, but that might just be the way they're dressed - their features are so soft and gorgeous, and... is that makeup? And yellow eyes? Hard to tell in this light. He finds himself constantly tripping back and forth as he tries to decide what pronouns he should be using in his head, and eventually gives up entirely. It's not like it matters. They're fucking beautiful. Dangerous, yes, very probably, but in an incredibly sexy way. Fear is suddenly mingling potently with - well. With desire.

"I, um," he says, and swallows heavily. "J-Johnny."

Nova lets out a very soft, shy sigh, compelling him to add, "And this is Nova."

Tender Lumplings Everywhere, Life's No Fun Without A Good Scare [Open to All]

mild binary-centric cw (johnny is from the 90s and doesn't yet get the concept of gender fluidity)