applesaucemod: (Default)
The Big Applesauce Moderators ([personal profile] applesaucemod) wrote in [community profile] applesaucedream2015-03-31 06:55 pm

Between the Roots and Branches [Open to All]

 photo treehouse banner 02_zpsauguouyv.jpg

Don't worry, dreamers of Manhattan. There will be no humiliating episodes of sudden-onset-clumsiness tonight - at least, nothing more severe than what you might experience naturally. Your physical and mental faculties will be left perfectly intact. What a treat! And what luck, because if you do lose your footing, it's a long way down to the forest floor.

But hey, who wants to be on the boring old ground when there are so many wonderful treehouses to explore? There are dozens of them spread throughout the surrounding forest, connected by a series of bridges and catwalks (some, admittedly, a bit more stable than others). It's easy to forget - or fail to notice - that there really is no easy or conventional way down to the ground when you're surrounded by such splendor.

The houses' styles range from charming and rustic to modern and sleek, with many falling somewhere in between. There are viewing platforms for bird-watching or simply taking in the scenery (trees, mostly, though if you venture high enough, you'll be treated the sight of the forest canopy stretched across a valley far below). But the insides of the treehouses are comfortably furnished to varying degrees as well, so there's no need to immerse yourself in nature if you'd really rather not. Some are complete houses in their own right, with all the amenities of a Manhattan apartment and then some.

Go for a climb, or kick back and relax. The only enemies you'll find here are other dreamers... and, potentially, gravity.
insectreflection: (41)

[personal profile] insectreflection 2015-04-02 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Tara lets out a soft 'oh' and smiles at the explanation. Yes, she probably would've been more startled by the rocking of the bridge than the voice. She's got her feet firmly planted and is holding onto the rope railings though, so jiggling of the bridge doesn't cause much trouble now she's prepared for it.

And then she lets out another 'oh' at the question, not answering immediately, glancing over at where she'd conjured the lights. ...Well, given the fact this woman's first assumption was magic, that would presumably be someone at least passably familiar with magic as a real thing rather than just something from fairy tales. So, probably not someone Tara particularly needs to hide it from.

"Um, yes," she answers finally, and returns the smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Tara." She gives a little wave.
rae_of_sun: (interested - glow)

[personal profile] rae_of_sun 2015-04-02 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)
"Likewise," Sunshine says, coming to a halt a few feet away.

So, talking shop can't be so bad, right? It'd be a hell of a lot easier if the topic was baking (she can expound at length about flour quality without feeling like she's constantly toeing a line between bragging and downplaying), but at least there's common ground, here. Which isn't actually all that common, since literally all of her relationships are inter-universal anymore.

"I know some small-scale transmutation," she says humbly, as if it's a mildly embarrassing family secret (which isn't too far off target, considering how she was raised). She'd add 'warding' to the list, but that still feels like some kind of miraculous fluke and not a learned skill.

And there's no way she's bringing up her counteraffinity, even if that is the more impressive skillset. 'I can help vampires' isn't going to get her a standing ovation, and 'I can also kill them really efficiently' isn't something she wants to even think about, let alone talk about. Yeesh.

Instead, she says, "But I'm not, um... professional. I'm a baker."

There. Both shops covered.

"Are you new?" she asks. The fact that she's never met Tara might not mean anything; Sunshine's pretty settled into a routine that doesn't often include Getting Out There or Mingling With Randos.
howverydareyou: (HRRUUUOOHHH)

[personal profile] howverydareyou 2015-04-02 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
"OH," replies the Earl. "HELLO. YES. I DID CALL. PLEASE ASSIST MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

at which point his flailing becomes so violent that he manages to dislodge himself from his perch, plummeting instead toward the large pillow man.

"HHHOOOOOOUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRR," he says on his way down.
apidae: (mroo?)

[personal profile] apidae 2015-04-02 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh! Yeah!" She grins and takes the offered bottle. "Thank you."

She takes a little sip, looking at him curiously. "My name's Bee," she offers. "Don't think I've met you before."
soft_robot: (On a scale of 1-10)

[personal profile] soft_robot 2015-04-02 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Indeed, Baymax has been programmed with all basic medical routines and protocols. He will not enact harm on another living being, even if they intend harm. Then he will defend, but not harm.

His current patient falls into Baymax's embrace and then the robot blinks a few times, calculating a safe route to the closest building.

"Can you rate, on a scale of one to ten, any pain or discomfort?"
soft_robot: (On a scale of 1-10)

[personal profile] soft_robot 2015-04-02 05:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Bonk. Lemongrab falls into Baymax's huggable, non-threatening embrace.

"I am Baymax. Can you rate any pain on a scale of one to ten?"
peacefulexplorer: (Surprise | Concern | Horror | heartbreak)

[personal profile] peacefulexplorer 2015-04-02 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
It's with a graceless whump that Daniel hits the pillowed whiteness, remarkably free of pain aside from the shock to his system that was striking a surface soft enough to absorb the shock of his fall. One hand flutters over the arm distal to the searching, trembling fingertips, running reassuringly over chest, legs, to ensure everything's in working order, that he didn't inadvertently damage anything in his breakneck free-fall.

"Ah," he says shakily, still adjusting to the sensation of no longer being in motion, now comfortably cushioned against the thing. Verbal processing is still taking a minute. He blinks several times, finally reaching up with his assessing hand to feel for his glasses which have, miraculously, stayed on for the duration of the downward trip. "I'm - okay. I think. Nothing broken."
etherthief: (ur cute)

[personal profile] etherthief 2015-04-02 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
"Good," says Iman with a pleased smile and nod. "I'm glad."

Oddly timed but not overtly threatening. And Greta's happy. That's the best case scenario.

Iman stretches out a bit, looking around the little enclosure. "This is kind of a neat setting," she says. "I mean, once you get over the high drop. There's a bunch of different houses all over the place."

She doesn't want to make Greta leave the relative safety of this space, but she hasn't forgotten about searching for Rush either - there's still a chance she can find him here and she has to try.

"Would you... be okay to explore a little?" she asks cautiously.
soft_robot: (There there)

[personal profile] soft_robot 2015-04-02 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Baymax blinks again, quickly scanning his patient. No broken fingers, but a neurotransmitter level consistent with emotional shock. Baymax tilts his head. "You are upset, but physically unharmed."
peacefulexplorer: (Confused | Seriously? | Wary)

[personal profile] peacefulexplorer 2015-04-02 06:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"I, uh." He adjusts his glasses, shoots a look at his rescuer's rather minimalist face. "Yes. Yes, that would be correct."

He tries for a smile, but it emerges as something pained.

"I have a small problem," he says, lending delicate emphasis to the word, "with heights."
biscuit_powered: (Asmodia | thoughtful | listening)

[personal profile] biscuit_powered 2015-04-02 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
It's a little hard to pay attention to the conversation when he seems a split second away from falling to his death. Biscuit makes a questioning sound, but Asmodia just waves a hand at him vaguely, shushing him. She shuffles forward, holding fast with her tail as she tests how far out she can reach -- no, not far enough. Her breath catches when he moves again and sends bark falling, and she finds herself wishing she had even something mundane like a rope to toss out to him.

"Oh? I, um, traveled with a group that -- wait, space?" Her reminiscences about Pathfinder-style 'archaeology' (of which Daniel will no doubt disapprove very strongly whenever she does get around to telling him about it) are interrupted by her befuddlement over what he even means by the word 'space.' "...What kind of space?" she asks, baffled. Isn't everything 'space'?
peacefulexplorer: (Skeptical | Reason | mild sass | srsly?)

[personal profile] peacefulexplorer 2015-04-02 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"As in, you know, galaxies. Wormholes. Planets and, and such." He keeps his voice light, conversational. No big deal, just casually discussing his former line of work. His former, unbelievable, occasionally destructive line of work.

This is just fine.

"I don't think I'm familiar with the one you're from," he continues, scooting along his branch with a desperate, rapid energy. He's getting closer, he just needs to - not look down. Keep going, and not look down, and soon he'll be close enough to pull himself to solid ground. Relatively solid ground. Does it count as solid when it's still suspended in the trees? He makes the command decision to leave that question where it is, thanks.

"Assuming you're not from, uh, from Earth." His brows knit together as he reconsiders. "Which might be an entirely untrue assumption. I don't, ah, I don't actually know. You're not, are you?" He squints at her, abruptly transitioning from uncertain to blazingly incisive.
andhiswife: (neutral - curious)

[personal profile] andhiswife 2015-04-02 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
"Erm..." Greta starts before lapsing into a silent contemplation of the door - and the slice of forest she can see through it. Iman never did shut it all the way.

Could she explore a little? She'd be perfectly happy to just stay in here. It's comfortable, quiet, and restful - and she could use some rest. One the other hand, she neither wants to make Iman just sit here when there are interesting things to explore, nor part company with her friend so soon. Unless she gets lucky in another dream, there's no telling when she'll next be able to spend time with Iman without looking over her shoulder.

Surely she'll be all right if she isn't alone. And if she doesn't look down.

"I think I could manage," she says. Her tone isn't exactly suffering from an overabundance of confidence, but she supposes if she can't handle being back on the platform, they'll both find out before they get a chance to make it too far.
biscuit_powered: (Asmodia | confused | doubtful)

[personal profile] biscuit_powered 2015-04-02 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, no big deal. No big deal at all. He didn't just tell her that he's been out doing what only the most powerful archmages can do, going places people literally cannot survive even if they are powerful enough to get there in the first place. Nope. Just an ordinary conversation about an ordinary person leading an ordinary life.

"No," she says, making a face. She really does stick out like a sore thumb, and it's not fair when almost any of her friends could have walked among the humans of Earth without immediately being assumed foreign. "It's called Golarion. Are you really -- are you really saying you've traveled in the dark tapestry? You're not making fun of me, are you? Because I'm not stupid, whatever I look like. If you've been out there, how are you not dead?" Equally important: "Or insane? You're not a cultist, are you?"

He can have a penetrating look right back even as she stretches out an arm, fingers coming up a few inches too short to grab at his shirt.
peacefulexplorer: (Question | Huh? | Wary | Suspicious)

[personal profile] peacefulexplorer 2015-04-02 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
"Err." He looks at her blankly for a minute, mouth slightly open before he reclaims the presence of mind to snap it shut. "No, I'm. I'm pretty serious. And I'm not, I'm not a cultist?" The statement comes out sounding much more unsure than intended. He hastily plows onward.

"If by 'dark tapestry' you mean like - the night sky? Intergalactic travel? In which case, yes, yes I have." His expression settles for something between perplexity and faint amusement. "Though I wouldn't say I haven't died. You could, uh - in fact, you could call it a habit. I just happen to not be dead - now."

He closes the remaining distance between them and closes one hand gingerly around hers.

"Ah." Immediately the added stability gives him the leverage to swing his other hand up to grip the corner of the platform she's perched on. "Much better."
wildmage_daine: (starling perch)

[personal profile] wildmage_daine 2015-04-03 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
Daine preens for a moment, trying not to feel too dour about how close that sounds to the situation she's in, now. Forests like this one shouldn't be a privilege to see. They should be within an hour's walk. But all of America's properly wild places are out of her reach.

Sounds like Manhattan, she finally replies, lifting her head. But the realm I come from has forests like these all over the place.
howverydareyou: (unACCEPTABLE)

[personal profile] howverydareyou 2015-04-03 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
The pillow man is acceptably cushioned but this does not resolve the matter of being deeply uncomfortable. Lemongrab writhes into a physically improbable pretzel arrangement and shrieks, "TENNNNNNNNNNNNNNN" before melting further down onto the platform.
etherthief: (I'm going to try science)

[personal profile] etherthief 2015-04-03 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
"We'll get you somewhere comfortable if it doesn't work out," says Iman encouragingly. She stands and reaches out to help Greta up. "There's just someone I'm hoping to find here."

And some others she'd rather not find, come to think of it. Well, that will be dealt with as it happens.
driftseeker: (got those jet pack blues)

[personal profile] driftseeker 2015-04-03 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
Manhattan. That's only a vaguely familiar name, familiar in the sense that it once had some kind of distant pertinence, long since lost in the pancultural shift to prowling coastlines and throwing up any protective means possible. Mako gives the woodland another dubious look. This doesn't look like 'Manhattan,' or at least not in the way she would visualize it. Cities do not tend to have quite so many trees.

"That sounds like a wonderful place," she admits. She wonders what it would be like to live inland, encircled in a protective layer of natural forests and the media cushion, the constant assurance that any danger was far, far away, and could never possibly cleave this far into the mainland.

"The coast can be beautiful." She contrasts the mental landscape, blue-tainted beaches and choppy gray waves, to this one, but finds somewhat mournfully that there is little comparison. "But not like this."
peeta_mellark: (Hey Girl)

[personal profile] peeta_mellark 2015-04-03 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
Having found himself in a house in the tallest tree he's ever seen, Peeta takes stock of the situation. There's some thin fog down below that - assisted by foliage - obscures the ground, thereby making it impossible to determine just how high up he is. Various walkways and bridges stretch out from the house he is in - some to platforms or houses on other trees, some disappearing into the surrounding greenery. There's a gentle stillness to the air, as if it is simply waiting for the next breeze, and he can hear birdsong.

He's dreaming. Months of shared dreams have helped him to more quickly recognize the feeling, one that's overlaid with a sense of calm and peacefulness this time.

Peeta pours himself a drink - a sweet wine, from the smell of it - lowers himself into a chair on the house's wraparound porch, and relaxes. If he has to be here, he's going to make the best out of this good dream.
powerdealer: (33)

[personal profile] powerdealer 2015-04-03 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
He shakes his head a bit, pulling out a second bottle for himself, opening it and taking a sip.

"Guess I don't get out much," he answers with a shrug, heading towards the half-bed half-sofa. "I'm Seth. You been in town long?" By town, he of course means Manhattan, not this little tree village or whatever it is.
apidae: (Default)

[personal profile] apidae 2015-04-03 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
"A little while now," she says, taking it upon herself to plop onto a cushioned window seat. More than room enough for two if he's comfortable sitting beside her - if not, there are many places to sit! "I came through in June. You?"
biscuit_powered: (Asmodia | misc | nose in a book)

[personal profile] biscuit_powered 2015-04-03 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
"It's the space between the stars -- oh." And his earlier terminology makes sense now. "Space. Funny way of saying it."

Reassuring that he says he's not a cultist (from what she's heard they tend to be proud of it). Not as reassuring that he's died before, nor that he didn't answer how he could possibly have traveled out there. Her grip on his hand is firm, but she really hopes he doesn't actually fall because she's not completely sure she'd be able to haul him up. She tightens her grip with her tail, suddenly afraid he is going to fall and take her with him.

"You shouldn't make a habit of it," she says, looking at him like he's grown a second head. "Come back too many times and the wrong kinds of gods are going to start paying attention."
peacefulexplorer: (Skeptical | Reason | mild sass | srsly?)

[personal profile] peacefulexplorer 2015-04-03 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
"Ahh, gods," he says with mock dismissiveness. "They're a mixed bag. More or less challenge them for a living. Or, you know, kill them," and his rate of speech rockets up to an impressive velocity as he hastens to elaborate, "but only the intergalactic conquering ones. Those're - those're usually false gods, and not, um. And not very nice," he finishes less-than-eloquently. The rest of anything else he might have to say is lost in the low grunt as he levers himself upward, putting a frankly agonizing amount of strain on the arm grasping the platform for fear of putting too much weight on the arm of his impromptu rescuer.

He's got to thank eight years of spending entirely too much time with the military, because after a minute of struggling against the terrifying pull of gravity, he heaves himself upward and fully onto the platform. Immediately he rolls onto his back, panting slightly, and decides that he is really quite comfortable, sprawled like this on this odd wooden construct, potential for splinters be damned.
stronglikebear: (interested | insistent)

[personal profile] stronglikebear 2015-04-03 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
"...Oh." And that's just disappointing, even if Yuri can see immediately that it's true. He's not sure now why it made sense to him that he would suddenly be in a giant treehouse network in the middle of the woods, but he was enjoying it enough that he didn't really care why or how.

At least he's not a bear. Showing up to a group dream as a bear is the worst.

"Are you okay?" he finally asks, because this conversation is weirdly tense.

Page 4 of 13