applesaucedream | A Day Late and a Dollar Short

As far as dreams go, this seems surprisingly...normal. True, the dreamers of Manhattan and beyond will find themselves stranded in the middle of the ocean on a fairly deserted rocky island, but it's nothing so unusual as the labyrinth from last time, and no one appears to have become an animal or reverted to an insane past (or future) version of themself. Besides, well, rocks and grass, there's nothing here but an abandoned lighthouse, the doors and windows broken, and the spare furniture worn by the weather. You can go up the spiral staircase to look at the view, but there's nothing to see but the endless ocean. One might almost think tonight was a night for simple socializing via the telepathic current.

As if anything to do with the rift is ever that simple, you silly bumpkin. How quickly each person realizes what is unusual about tonight's dream will depend in large part on their personality. Some might go the entire night without noticing (except from the distress of others, naturally), but some will find out the instant they open their mouths to converse with another dreamer. You see, each and every dreamer will be completely unable to tell a lie for as long as the dream lasts. The truth might be evaded by omission, but any attempt to say that which is untrue will result in the corresponding truth emerging instead.

Good thing it's just a dream and everyone's going to forget in the morning, right? Right??

[Mod note: As usual, players can choose to have their characters remember or forget anything that happens in the Dreaming. As per usual party rules, both members and non-members are welcome to play any character in this post, regardless of whether that character is currently in the game. Unlike usual, tonight's theme is not optional; all characters will be subject to the enforced truth-telling. Have fun!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There is a girl standing unexpectedly next to Cecil, wrapped in something drapey and knitted under her dreadlocks and over her leggings and cute boots. She follows his example and stares out to sea, but cocks her head in his direction in a friendly fashion.

'Never seen the ocean before?'

Cosima's just guessing, but the bogglement on the guy's face would seem to suggest as much.

He smiles delightedly. Was it that obvious? Maybe she's psychic and just being polite. "No, never. I come from a desert town. This is more water at once than I've ever seen in my life, probably. My name's Cecil, by the way." He offers his hand to this fashionable and potentially psychic stranger.

Not psychic, he's just a bit obvious. And it seemed like a good opening gambit. His smile, though Cosima has no clue of the reason for it, is infectious, and she smiles in return. 'Wow, seriously? I grew up by the ocean; I can't imagine living in a desert. Though, well, this is kind of a far cry from the Bay; more like the North Sea or something.' For a moment, her mind wanders curiously down that path, brow wrinkling, and then she snaps back to the present, taking his proffered hand and flashing a grin.

'I'm Cosima, good to meet you.'

"Cosima, that's an interesting name." Cecil is one of the less than 13% of the population who can make that statement and have it sound positive. "I can't imagine living not in a desert. Except now I do. It's taken some getting used to." He looks around the beach, focusing on something besides the vast ocean for a change, though of course this landscape is hardly the same as the waking world he's currently evading via sleep. Still, it's a great metaphor for how displaced he feels. That's probably not what it's intended for, though. "I guess if you're used to living by the ocean, New York must feel just as weird."

Cosima, fortunately, is the kind of person to whom 'interesting' is a high compliment. And, let's be honest, people have been commenting on her name her whole life.

'It's Greek,' she says, and grins again. 'I got off lucky; my brother got saddled with Anaximander.'

As for New York feeling weird, Cosima shrugs. 'I dunno, not really. I mean, New York has ocean too, even if the Atlantic is totally different from the Pacific. I was living in Minnesota before I got nabbed, though, so. Lots of lakes, but no ocean. Honestly,' she admits, 'I mean, it's a total trip, but I think I've been too fascinated by the whole thing to've had time to have a freakout yet.'

Cecil, though, looks perhaps a little more lost than fascinated, and Cosima drifts a little closer. 'What about you? You getting used to it?'

Nothing wrong with Anaximander; Cecil rather likes it, if only because it follows the naming conventions of red dragons. But that's not really the issue at hand. "I guess I don't feel much of a compulsion to get used to it? It doesn't feel permanent, or even real. Which is good, because if it felt permanent I'd probably be a lot more upset than I have been." That hadn't really been a thing he'd intended to say out loud. But oh well. It happens, at least during mandated truth-telling events. "Things are just...very different. There's more than one pizza place in town, stores are open at all hours, and the forest in the park doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives at all. It's a lot to get used to."

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

no subject

SORRY SO SORRY I WENT TO NYC TO SEE NIGHT VALE AND WAS GONE FOREVER

THAT IS FINE I ASSUMED YOU WERE DISTRACTED BY THE PARD

I WAS; ALL HAIL THE GLOW PARD

ALLLL HAAAAAAIL

no subject