Sleep Study | Backdated to like... June 2nd or something hahaha | Open

[bonomial]

June 2 - Waking - Telepathy/Action - Primarily for Peridot (but mun welcomes threadjacking)

[Yeah, so Dirk said that nobody should try to be a guinea pig.

Don's never been good with taking that kind of advice. Right now, the dreamscape's making him anxious. What he doesn't understand, he wants to. Normally, he would ask his brothers or his sensei to spot him, to try to reach him on the astral plane - or he'd have them volunteer to be analyzed in his stead, knowing Leo - but he doesn't have that option here.

He can't stay awake forever. He already is having trouble foregoing sleep without coffee.

However, he knows someone who doesn't have to sleep.

So a certain green Dorito is going to get a telepathic message, maybe poorly directed to her because this Turtle is tired:]

Hey, Peridot... can I ask a favour?

[She'll find him in the lab eventually, arranging his cot within range of what passes for their medical bay. Maybe someone else there might wanna know what the heck he's doing?]


June 3 - Sleeping - Action

[Comfortable in the knowledge that he's got someone watching his shell, Don can get to taking in the weirdness of the dreamscape. Everything seems to thrum with life, and on an instinctual level the Turtle feels more at home here than he has almost anywhere else. The ocean is welcoming him.

It feels as if his brothers and his master are with him too, in some capacity. He feels their voices reaching out to him, from the ocean's depths. Even knowing he's asleep, it comes off as achingly real.

If you're wandering around near the base in the dreamscape, you might notice Don floating near it, frowning deeply at the yawning scar left on the seabed.]

So this dream world, or whatever it is, has a smoking wreck where the base is supposed to be. What does that mean...?


June 3 - Waking - Audio

[Comfortable in the knowledge that what he learned about the effect of the dreamscape on their bodies means it's safe, Don makes an announcement.]

Hey, everybody, I've got some good news for anybody who's worried about this weird dream world. [That means you, Stork.] It doesn't seem like it affects our waking bodies any more than a dream normally would.

[A beat.]

It still feels like it's really happening, though, which basically makes it virtual reality. Even if it's not really going to hurt you, I wouldn't pick any fights with the Reapers unless you want a very convincing illusion of pain.

Comments

[transited]

[ neil turns his attention towards the ruin, a small frown betraying the usual neutrality of his expression. ]

Are there any other areas that are affected like this? I haven't looked around yet.

[ if so, then maybe... neil has no idea what it'll mean, actually. ]

[bonomial]

It looks like this damaged-looking area is confined to the base. I haven't gone out further yet - [- he's worried about running into Reapers, honestly -] - but I'm curious if the Aurora is anything like it.

[It occurs to Don that, if he remembers this when he wakes up, he should ask around. Or... he could make the journey himself.]

[transited]

[ neil is always worried about running into reapers, but that's mostly because he is a normal human who. cannot fight giant fish monsters, even though he would definitely make an Attempt if he had to. which would not end well for anyone (except the reaper). ]

If it is then maybe all of the manmade areas are busted up? For some... possibly logical reason, maybe. I don't know.

[ neil is actually curious about this too now. ]

[bonomial]

That's an interesting idea. [You have the wheels in Don's head turning now, Neil.] Could it be something to do with artificial structures? I mean, the natural metals in the rocks aren't any different, so that's not the problem.

It's a dream, so I don't know what kind of logic this place works on. [His tone suggests he intends to find out, though. Kind of... swimming up to the base and poking around, now, not that there's anything immediately obvious.]

[transited]

[ neil watches him for a few seconds before swimming after him, his own curiosity having won out. ]

Well, does it work on regular dream logic or its own?

[ neil is pretty sure dreams tend to have some sort of scientific structure to them? he actually isn't that sure, but. he feels like that might be right. ]

[bonomial]

So far, it seems to be its own kind of thing. I remember things in this dream, and it even carried over to when I was awake last time... it's almost like being awake, still, which is not normal.

[Okay, so looking at the scary base close up now... The texture is still like metal, but rough and corrugated instead of smooth and clean. There's dark scars of rust slashing through the metal in various places.]

This is really freaky. I keep feeling like something might attack us here. [And is it just him, or can he feel... eyes on him here?]

[transited]

[ neil is a very attentive person due to years of paranoia and getting chased, so he thinks by now he can usually tell the difference between when you're being watched or if you're imagining it.

he thinks it's the former but also it's. hard to tell in a dream? ]

Are the wildlife affected by this too? Or are all the fishes we see here, like, fake dream fishes?

[ maybe that's what they're sensing? also, neil winces at his own words. he wishes that came out sounding even slightly intelligent. ]

[bonomial]

[Neil, you're fine. Don hears that kind of wording constantly from his brothers. Not everybody speaks in Nerd Lingo.]

All the species seem to be ones I've seen around the base before. I haven't tried interacting with any yet...

[Maybe that's something he should do. Don scans the surroundings for any sign of a possibly-fake-dream-fish. Does Neil see any?]

[transited]

[ neil has also not tried interacting with any, since he. normally does not try to interact with any of the undersea wildlife aside from the reefbacks?

he also looks around, trying to find any other living creature aside from them... which is strange in itself. there's usually at least a few things swimming by. ]

I don't see-- oh. [ a stalker at three o'clock. ]

this font colour is #005c99 in case you want it

[bonomial]

[Well, that'll work! C'mere, little Stalker...

As Don swims closer, the sinuous, jawed fish flits its fins, turning slowly to regard the Turtle.

Then it does something very unexpected.]

Gimme fish! You should gimme fish! [The Stalker snaps its long jaws excitedly, flickering back and forth.] Gimme fish, I'll give you good stuff!

[That is way too much like Michelangelo for Don's comfort.]

... They... don't usually talk.

[transited]

[ neil almost wants to point out the hilarity of a turtle questioning the fact that a fish is talking. he manages to hold his tongue though, but barely. ]

Is it just me or does it sound like a drug dealer?

Where's the fish? You got the fish?

[ he raises an eyebrow. ] You don't have fish, do you?

[bonomial]

[Hey, the difference is that Don has always talked, and especially outside of dreams! It's okay, it is kind of funny...]

It's definitely annoying like one, sheesh. Stalkers are kind of a one-track mind, aren't they?

Fish! Fishy fishy fishy! [The Stalker, not settling for being ignored, swims right up to Neil, almost butting his chest with that long jaw before settling for prodding Don's arm, as though that will make a fish appear.]

Settle down, big guy. I don't even know if I can feed you in a dream... [Maybe it's worth testing, though.]

[transited]

[ this is what they get for domesticating the wild life tbh.

neil just looks amused since... it's better to have stalkers bugging them than, you know, something more dangerous. ]

We can try. Not that I've seen any other fish around.

[bonomial]

[They totally deserve this. It's like when Mikey started feeding his cat Klunk at the table and then got upset when Klunk started trying to eat the anchovies off his pizza.]

Look at me. I'm trying to feed dream fish to another dream fish. Is my life nuts, or what?

[It's clearly rhetorical, because Don is totally casting around for such a fish, still accompanied by a way-too-excited Stalker.]