Earth Day is upon us!

[applesaucemod]

To what dark realm will the rift bring the dreamers of Manhattan tonight? Another dark, craggy island? A deathly, abandoned place where they will be forced to confront their deepest, darkest demons?

No, not so much. Tonight the dreamers of Manhattan will find themselves alighting in a beautiful, sunlit zoological park. Well-kept paths wind between spacious enclosures, state of the art habitat design allowing visitors close-up views of the animals without depriving the latter of room to roam. One might wander into the indoor aquarium with its tropical microclimate, or go for a stroll in a shady arboretum. Food stands dot the pathways, each one serving up a variety of oddly themed foodstuffs, free of charge. It's hard not to be happy in such a wondrous place.

No, really, it's hard not to be happy. Feelings of well-being permeate the air and the people and animals breathing it -- one has so much to be thankful for, after all.

Oh, and those animals? Probably not what one would expect to find at a typical, earthly zoo. Creatures of myth and fantasy occupy the many enclosures: sea serpents in the aquarium, winged horses in the aviaries, and everything that flies or crawls or slithers through the imagination of the universe's many cultures in the various enclosures.


[Mod Note: Once again it's time for a shared dream! We're back to optional themes this month, so players are free to choose whether and how much to have the happiness whammy apply to their characters. As always, all players and all characters are welcome, including players who are not members and characters who are not in the game. Memories of this and of all dreaming threads may be retained or forgotten at players' discretion.]

Comments

[wildmage_daine]

Daine is not overly fond of menageries as a rule, so she's regarding this one with no small amount of suspicion despite any feel-good vibes permeating the air. The animals seem happy, though, as far as she can tell. She hasn't talked to all of them yet, but she's working on it.

At the moment, she's in the aviary, well off the marked path (to the surprise of no one who knows her, undoubtedly), and in deep conversation with a winged horse. The creature lips at her hair as they talk, its posture relaxed, the feathers on its wings a perfect match for its chestnut hair.

[has_a_horn]

It's no surprise that Gabriel has an affinity for animals, and finding himself inside the aviary might be natural given his own winged state. Today, as usual, his wings are hidden, but that doesn't stop him from enjoying the variety of animals around him.

He's walking along the path when he catches the feeling of a familiar mind, and leaves the path to go in search of her. When he gets nearer, he announces his presence by calling out Daine's name. The birds nearby don't seem to be too bothered by the intrusion. That in itself seems odd, but he's not really worrying about that at the moment.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine and the winged horse both turn toward the sound, though he's not yet visible through the thick vegetation. Still, Daine thinks she recognizes the voice. "Gabriel?" she calls back before returning her attention to the horse. "He's all right," she reassures the creature, though the horse hardly seems upset by the prospect of a new arrival. It does lower the hind hoof that it had drawn up a few minutes ago and gives its feathers a ruffle, but then it resumes nosing at her curiously, in no apparent hurry to depart. Which is fine with her. There are winged horses in Tortall, but they're shy; she doesn't often get a chance to talk to them or examine them up close like this.

[jennifer_strange]

It's not every day you see a Quarkbeast enclosure. More to the point, it's not every day that you see a good one, which is why Jennifer's so impressed.

To the untrained eye, it looks like someone has taken what could have been a perfectly serviceable pen and turned it into a scrap heap: there are piles of metal odds and ends throughout the enclosure, and at least one rusted Buick half-sunken into a puddle of mud. But a closer look reveals several Quarkbeasts, some sunning themselves on bare stretches of rock, others chewing on bits of metal or tossing idle 'quark's at one another.

Jennifer leans against the railing and watches them, a rather wistful smile on her face and a styrofoam bowl of melting pumpkin ice cream in her hands.

[stronglikebear]

"What the --"

Yuri is still meandering, having realized by now that this is not a normal zoo with normal animals, but still not aware of the sheer variety he's liable to encounter here. He almost passes the enclosure and its lone viewer by, just giving it a weird glance when he sees it's full of garbage, but then something moves in there and --

And okay, that thing just tore a bumper off a car. And now it's eating the bumper. Not just chewing on it, eating it. Yuri steps closer to the railing, transfixed and more than a little horrified at the sight of the toothy, deadly-looking little creatures.

[jennifer_strange]

Jennifer glances over at the new arrival, takes in his horrified expression, and smiles wider. "They're called Quarkbeasts," she says, belatedly remembering her ice cream and spooning out a glob of it. "Don't worry, they're not as vicious as they look."

[watchesthebeans]

Off in a climate-controlled building housing small animals of all descriptions, one in particular might catch the eye. The lower part almost looks like a dollhouse behind glass, all sorts of tiny, homespun furniture cluttering up narrow little rooms running parallel to the glass wall, arranged in several levels. The whole thing looks like it could fit inside a hollowed-out wall -- indeed, has been designed to look like it is. Above the 'house' layer is a deeper area meant to look like the space under floorboards, and above that another larger area, this one separated from visitors by mesh rather than glass, this one high-ceilinged and bright, a mural along the back showing the interior of an old house.

Inside one of the little rooms is a little teenager, a scant few inches tall. He's oddly unperturbed by his predicament, at least for the moment, and peers out through the glass...from behind a couch. 'Oddly unperturbed' only goes so far for a Borrower.

[rae_of_sun]

Sunshine is in an unusually good mood considering how the past few days have gone for her - and considering the fact that she's in a zoo. She usually doesn't go in for this sort of thing; she likes seeing animals out in the wild, but years of having them hang around the coffeehouse and beg for handouts takes a lot of the charm out of seeing ostensibly wild animals up close. This place doesn't seem so bad, though, and the food is interesting.

At the moment, she's sitting on a little bench partway through a savanna-themed section of the zoo, enjoying the bright sunlight while taking slow, assessing sips of a cranberry smoothie and trying to decide if it's worth emulating in some way.

[betel_geuse]

Betelgeuse strides up to her, smiling, hiding his confusion. He has no idea why he's in this dream or who the dreamer is. It's unsettling, even for him.

"Hey, babes. How ya doin?"

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew grins and bounces on the balls of his feet as he strolls through a jungle-themed area, head turning to look at the animals he can see as he passes various enclosures. So what if he's still missing a chunk of himself in the waking world? Right now he's feeling like it'll all turn out alright. He stops at a stand and gets a handful of stuffing-on-a-sticks...someone, it seems, is not concerned about maintaining his figure.

[theoldgirl]

This is exactly what the TARDIS has been hoping to find in the dreaming lately; comfort and happiness. The positive atmosphere is very pleasant and she allows it to soothe her moodiness to some degree, settling into the dream for as long as it'll exist.

But she's still not in a terribly communicative mood, so she disguises herself in her unicorn shape, which she thinks ought to help her blend in with these particular surroundings. Of course, it doesn't occur to her that someone might recognize her anyway, or that a unicorn standing by a food vendor and licking the ice cream out of its container might be a tad conspicuous.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine's initial impression is that someone's escaped their enclosure, though she doesn't see that as a bad thing… unlike the ice cream, which can't be a very good choice for the creature, immortal or no. Frowning, she starts toward the unicorn - maybe she can redirect it toward something a bit more appropriate, like grass - but she pulls up short a good fifteen feet away when she realizes she's seen this particular unicorn before.

"Oh." Despite all the time she spent in the TARDIS during Andrew's little crisis, she never actually spoke to her about it. The ship's two-legger shape had been conspicuously absent for all the excitement, and the next time Daine saw her, it's been comparatively brief, and they'd both been focused on Ianto. She chews her lip, wondering if it's too late to apologize for the all the paw prints on the floor (and for inviting her friends in). "Hullo, TARDIS," she offers.

[bluesuit_handy]

Now, that's not what he was expecting to see. Or the unicorn is, more or less, but not a unicorn on the loose eating ice cream...no. It's sort of adorable, though, even if he doesn't recognize her in this shape.

"Don't mind me," he says in the soft voice one uses to talk to horses and other large, easily spooked animals as he approaches the cart. Reaching in, eying her to be sure he's not about to be gored, he snags another of those lovely deep fried stuffing sticks like he had earlier. Really, lately all he's wanted to do is eat, and not the usual things. It's weird.

"Come here often?" he chuckles, retreating just a foot or two and leaning against the cart. He might not know who she is, but that's not going to stop him from hanging out with a unicorn.

[fucking_ebay]

Like minigolf, zoos are on the list of things Peter doesn't really do. It's not that he can't deal with crowds or even that the whole sunlight thing conflicts with his image -- he lived in a desert back home, for fuck's sake -- but that the appeal of lining up alongside a bunch of screaming children to stare at bored, boring animals hasn't really been clear to him since he stopped being one of those screaming children himself.

Now that he's here, though, it turns out zoos are more interesting than he remembered. He peers over a guard rail at a trio of kelpies, two of which are just lazing around in their pond or on its banks in their natural horse shapes, with one currently projecting the image of a naked young woman that stares back up at him with an imperious sort of look.

[erratic_hematic]

Zoos aren't really Spike's thing either, being that he hasn't been able to attend one anytime he's ever been near one without breaking and entering or bursting into flame. He's all for the idea of this one though, as long as the dangerous bits stay where they belong.

When he comes up beside Peter, he peers down at the kelpies without addressing the other man (or what seems like their mutual appreciation for leather jackets). He smiles at the kelpie in the form of the woman. In response, she spits water in his direction then dips down under surface, presumably to go join one of the others.

He leans forward on the barrier, trying to see where she'l come back up. "Rude."

[stronglikebear]

Yuri's enthusiastic about the idea of a zoo as soon as he realizes that's where he is. He treats himself to a turkey leg before setting off on one of the pathways, wanting to go see the sea lions. Oddly, though, lots of the animal silhouettes on the arrow-shaped signs are mythological creatures. Spotting one in the shape of Nessie, he decides that's close enough to what he's looking for -- apparently they have everything themed here, which is fine. Water critters should all be in one place, right? So it doesn't matter that they don't have a real water critter on the sign. Logic!

It doesn't take long, though, before he realizes there's something amiss here. He never makes it to Nessie -- instead he has to stop, stand, and stare through a glass wall at a manticore.

[rae_of_sun]

Sunshine is ambling down the same path as she polishes off her smoothie when she spots a vaguely familiar figure up ahead. She watches him for a moment, sipping at her smoothie and utterly failing to place him. SOF, maybe? Not one she knows, but one of the randoms milling around the Goddess of Pain's office? Probably not. He has the build, but not the bearing. And she's pretty sure no SOF agent would be gaping at a manticore like that. Okay, so no one's actually seen one in ages and they're presumed extinct, but still: SOF tend toward the unflappable end of the spectrum.

She sidles over, thinking that a little conversation might help her figure out who he is. "I thought those were extinct," she says, nodding at the creature through the glass. It's sort of unnerving being so close to one, but the glass looks thick enough to stop it from shooting any spines at them.

[edgar_sawtelle]

Having spotted a lion on one of the pathway markers, Edgar meanders in that general direction, Almondine trotting at his side. He feels happy in a way he can't remember feeling in a long time, and though that thought alone should concern him, he instead finds himself mentally stretching with contentment like a sleepy pup.

He's grinning up at the sky - pale blue crossed by fluffy white clouds - when Almondine lets out a joyful, excited bark and runs around a bend in the path.

Following sedately, Edgar rounds the bend and finds himself in the desert.

Or at least that's what it seems like at first glance. Upon closer inspection, he discovers that he has come to a large enclosure, the habitat mirroring that of a desert landscape. This must be where the lions are, he thinks to himself.

He glances around for Almondine, and finds her a little bit off the path to his right. She's on her hind legs, front paws braced against the enclosure's glass, her tailing cutting swift arcs through the air.

As Edgar steps over to her, he spots movement just behind a craggy outcrop of rocks in the enclosure. He watches, enthralled, as an enormous lion slinks toward him under the hot glare of the desert sun. Then his heart skips a beat as it closes in on the glass and he sees that it is very much not a lion.

A sphinx, he thinks, grinning at it in delight.

[betel_geuse]

Betelgeuse is just wandering around. Being inside a dream isn't so strange for him. So, he's enjoying the sunshine and the freedom from the afterlife. He eyes the animals with amusement, pausing occasionally to catch a bug, munching on it cheerfully.

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew has been trying for some time to break into the Dreaming, but it seems it's not something he can do voluntarily. He appears in the zoo as he currently appears in real life: four inches tall, harried-looking, and in a cage. This cage looks out of place on its stand at the side of the path, being the sort associated with pet rodents rather than with zoo animals. If he were to realize that he's dreaming, he might also realize that it's a construct of his own mind rather than strictly the rift's doing.

Help -- maybe he can find help now that things have changed around him. "Help!" he yells at the first passerby, waving both hands above his head.

[poeticandpedantic]

The Doctor might well be strolling down a promenade somewhere, his always vibrant coat nearly eye-watering in the bright sunlight, feeling thoroughly cheered. He's also entirely aware that this is a dream-- and not his usual sort of dream, either-- but when his subconscious provides him with such an interesting setting, who is he to object? Hippocampi, qilin, ahuizotls, a, gracious, is that a mayura? All quite fascinating.

His cheery progress is halted by-- goodness, is that a tiny man in a cage? It is, and that can't be right. His beatific expression twists into a frown as he strides over to the cage, freeing the catch and peering down into it.

'There now, you're quite all right. Who did this to you?'

And if something about the man is snagging oddly at his temporal senses, he's more concerned at the moment with getting him out of this dreadful little cage.

[essentiallyharmless]

Lucy is probably one of the few denizens who doesn't actually really need a positive mood whammy. Apart from intermittent restlessness and a niggling uneasiness with just how comfortable things have become, she's been, well, comfortable. That doesn't mean having a more cheerful dream congregation isn't welcome.

Currently she's watching some baby pegasi frolicking and attempting how to fly, but mostly going tumbling.

[has_a_horn]

More winged horses. After leaving Daine and the grown pegasus, Gabriel wanders down the path until he spots the babies frolicking around. He grins and starts heading over to watch them before he even notices Lucy, but when he does, he changes his direction just a bit so that he can walk up beside her.

"Fledglings. Cute little buggers, aren't they?"

[mr_stark]

There are probably a lot of people out there who would be damned impressed with a flying horse but seeing as Tony isn't a six year old girl he's not really sure why he's here.

"That should be totally impossible, you know, just scientifically." He takes a sip of the drink he's holding, which he doesn't recall asking for but then how often does Tony have to ask for a drink? It doesn't even strike him as a little weird that a zoo would be serving alcohol, especially not one that specialized in unicorns and frolicking elves of whatever it is he's looking at. First off, not many people make a habit out of telling Stark no. Even fewer have been successful at keeping him away from alcohol.

He's not really positive what the drink is, but he's currently watching a winged horse fly around it's cage. Honestly, he's just thankful there is alcohol involved.

Whatever he's drinking it must be working. There's a light buzz in his head and everything feels soft, distant, untouchable. It's a good feeling if he could just shake it.

"I mean, do you have any idea how much energy it takes to achieve flight? For starters, the design is all wrong with the..." Tony makes his point by waving his hand in the general direction of the beasts which, just to tick him off, keep circling around in the air. "See, that's why I went with four repulsars beams - miniature rocket engines, basically. Much slicker than this whole 'wing' thing evolution is still trying to make work. Do you have any idea how ridiculous those would look attached to the Iron Man suit?"

Next to him is a tiny little redhead who probably is six years old and seems kind of familiar, but isn't because how would Tony Stark know a six year old? In fact, who is trusting this kid to him right now? Where are her parents? Is this some kind of fundraiser? It would explain why he's here and slightly drunk, at the very least. "Don't take this the wrong way but... Is this like a school thing or... Shit, it's not like cancer or something is it?"

From the look Tony gets you'd think he was freak and the girl quickly moves right on to the next exhibit - is that a fucking dragon? Okay, so, probably she isn't suppose to talk to strangers. Could have at least answered the question.

"I'll bet it tastes delicious." Tony shrugs it off, turning his attention back to the horses and his not yet finished for some reason drink. How much alcohol would it take before attaching wings to his suit seemed like a good idea? There's a scientific study he'd definitely be willing to take part in.

[poeticandpedantic]

There's a man next to you, Tony Stark. Not right next to you, but in the general vicinity of the enclosure, casually observing the winged horses. His coat, whilst stylish in cut, is decidedly out of the ordinary in its colour, and his dandelion-puff of blond curls looks like a halo in the sunlight. Combined with the yellow pinstriped trousers, the general effect is rather like he's contrived to have a spotlight on him at all times. Catching the edge of Tony's rambling, he cocks an eyebrow, listening in with some amusement.

When the little girl heads off at a fair clip (just as well; where are her minders?), the Doctor wanders over, nodding up at the flying beasts. 'Hippocampus felicidae, actually. Or that's how the humans of your future will categorise them when they first land on D'vai Ashhan. Binomial nomenclature becomes a bit muddled by that point, unfortunately; mixing Latin and Greek, not to mention any number of non-Earthly tongues.'

In case trends in scientific naming in the future are something Tony's interested in. But he did have a point, and he continues on in a mildly professorial tone. 'That's why the physics works, d'you see? You are quite right to say they couldn't fly on Earth, or at least, not for extended periods; the gravity's much less on D'vai Ashhan, hence--' He gestures rather grandly at the horses. 'If I'm not greatly mistaken, there should be... ah, yes, you see, right around there, there's a localised gravity field that's been rigged up around their enclosure. To allow for the greatest possible entertainment value, I suppose.' He snorts. 'Presumably, flying horses that spend most of their time on the ground bring fewer punters.'