Week 6

[vellamods]

WEEK 6 LOG ♬
Weather: All Week - Clear Skies

A New Week

This weekend, you had unusual dreams. For some of you, they brought you to an outdoor arena that none of you had ever seen before. For others, you dreamed of a familiar place: a place that felt like home in some way. And when you fall asleep on Sunday night, you’ll find that dreams of your homes are continuing. Your home may be exactly as you remember it, at any point in time before you arrived here; perhaps there will be slight differences, or maybe it seems like a different version of your home altogether. Maybe nobody else is in it except for you.

For each dreamer, however, you’ll find that your dreams will start in your own world; but at some point, there will be a mysterious blue light that appears. It looks like a large portal that will lead you to somewhere. Choose to step inside, and you’ll be taken to a random islander’s dream. Alternatively, if you elect to remain inside of your own dream, you may suddenly see a ray of yellow light that appears, and once the light fades, another one of your fellow islanders will appear before you.

Abilities will work as they did over the weekend in your dreams and in the real world. Everyone will have one of their own, whether it be their existing powers from home or something new entirely. Even the formerly powerless will have something within them -- namely something similar to what the strange boy you saw this weekend could do. Perhaps you now have the ability to launch apples at your opponents at a lightning fast speed. Maybe you can rip a tree out of the ground with your bare hands.

And most importantly...everyone will remember their dreams when they wake. Your memories of seeing your friends’ homes (or seeing them in your home instead) will remain. These dreams seem to happen every night for the rest of the week.

--

Things do seem to return to relative normalcy on Monday morning. Tom Nook’s announcements begin, though he only has two new things to report.

“Good morning, everyone! I hope you all had a fun weekend, yes? I apologize for not having much for you to do this time around, but hopefully you could all use it as a chance to relax. Now, though, it’s time to get back to work on event planning. I’m hoping to bring K.K. Slider over by August 15th, so if that date does work for all of you to host the event, then that’s when you’ll need to be ready by. Once you’ve all decided on what to do, the other thing I’ll need for you to do is to create flyer designs.

In my tent are some papers and markers, crayons and what have you. It may see a little...childish, for some of you, but I assure you that your creativity will come a long way in capturing the hearts of all sorts of people in this world! Feel free to submit as many designs as you want, and I’ll send them over to Nook Inc. to make copies of all of them. We’ll work with Orville to get them all sent out.”

The next and final announcement follows immediately afterwards.

“And finally, we have an exciting opportunity passed onto me by the Able Sisters! Mabel and Sable are holding a design contest for an Isle Sonrisa pattern to put on some of their clothing! Channel your island spirit into your design and create something that you think best represents the island. You can use the supplies for the flyers to draw out your designs, and submit them to Mabel by Thursday. Everyone will get a participation prize of 5,000 bells, but there will be a grand prize for the person whose design gets selected!”

He claps his hands for a brief moment in excitement.

“That’s all for your announcements! Have a wonderful week, everyone!”

Possible Objectives

1. Participate in the Able Sisters' design contest. (Note: Entries can be drawn OR written out OOCly. We will choose a winner via RNG.)
2. Work towards preparing the island for your event
3. Make those flyers and submit them to Tom Nook (drawn or written OOCly is fine)
4. See what's going on in your dreams...



Turn-Ins
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday

Taken / FAQ / Locations / Rewards / Full Nav

Comments

[conceptualize]

[ Early Wednesday morning, Laurent puts up a bulletin board notice next to the Residential Service tent.

Give the star rocks to people who want to go back home.

He won't linger in the area, so just consider it as a PSA of sorts.

When you see Laurent's dream on Tuesday/Wednesday night, you'll find yourself in a vast room, dim with blue light. There are all sorts of people there, but when they notice you, you'll feel constricted right away:

> Cutting function is impossible for tools the intruder has on them.
> Healing function is impossible for the intruder.
> Limb movement function is impossible for the intruder.
> Successful casting possibility has been reduced to 0.0000001% for the intruder.
> Hostile actions will certainly backfire for the intruder.

Their eyes shine among the dim blue lighting in their respective colors. Otherwise, they look like humanoids of various ages from child to young adult to middle aged, wearing modern clothes. The little girl, who doesn't look older than 12, pipes up with a smile and a sweet voice: "Sorry. It's standard protocol for unwanted visitors."

A man with dark brown hair, glasses, with doctor's attire speaks next: "Did 'End' bring you here? He must really hate us, huh?"

"Can't be helped," a man with black hair with a white streak in his hair says in a disinterested tone as he's lounging from the couch, "he's young and probably doesn't give a shit about consequences."

Laurent stands next to you, listening to them talk as if he isn't here. He attempts to end the restrictions put on the visitor, but nothing happens. The man in the doctor's attire grins.

"Careful, you wouldn't want that to backfire." ]

[ On Wednesday, you'll see someone wandering around the island with a noh mask over their face. If you approach them, you will immediately get a fox mask put over your face. This world's equipping mechanics are pretty handy, huh. If you try to bat that away before it reaches your face, another facewear and accessory will be flung at you face, but this time, it's a cat nose and a hair ribbon. This time, your attempts at swatting these away will be prevented, as if your limbs stopped moving for three seconds enough for these to be put on your head.

Someone's enjoying themselves... ]

wednesday

[sugooooooooi]

[Serval puts on a fox mask -- huh, who knew she already had one in her inventory? -- and skips over to the Mask Bandit.]

What game are we playing?

[conceptualize]

[ Oh, Serval already has a fox mask. He puts his own away for the time being and seems to make energetic motions. ]

Tag.

[ With that, he runs away as soon as he announces the game. He isn't too fast and runs like... a normal human. But if Serval chooses to chase him, her movements might stop for one second every four seconds as if she's frozen in time while being aware. ]

[sugooooooooi]

That sounds fun! Here I go!

[She chases after, giggling with a burst of speed and... stopping? She stumbles over herself after the first time stop and ends up tumbling and rolling forward, crashing into a tree.]

Oww... Is this your power? Okay! Here I come again!

[Getting up like it's nothing, Serval just starts running again.]

[conceptualize]

[ He looks back when he hears the crash, but when Serval gets up like nothing happened, he resumes running. He runs here and there, running across bridges and the momentary pausing for Serval continues until they get to the beach... looks like the one being chased has gotten really tired and is considerably slowing down with nothing to stop Serval now. ]

[sugooooooooi]

[She launches herself into the air, doing a full front flip, to pounce on Laurent, laughing the whole time.]

Wow, you're really good at this!

[conceptualize]

[ Unsurprisingly, he gets pounced on and lands on his stomach on top of the sandy beach. Good thing he's wearing the noh mask, or he would be eating sand right now. ]

So are you.

[ The mask tilts and falls off when Laurent turns his head. ]

Looks like I got caught... whew, that was quite a workout.

[sugooooooooi]

[Serval gsts up and offers her hand.]

I didn't know you liked this game! Back home, we call it hunter and prey. It's one of my favourite games, but some people don't like it so much.

[conceptualize]

[ He sure made himself the prey... he takes Serval's hand and gets up with her help, holding the noh mask while doing so. ]

Are they scared when playing it? It's probably because no one likes being labeled as the prey.

[sugooooooooi]

I guess so. What other stuff did you like doing at home?

bulletin board

[toushiro]

[ well...he'll see the bulletin board notice and write a reply of his own: ]

What for?

[conceptualize]

[ He'll just scribble right under his response on the same paper. ]

They're like little wish rocks, so the more you gather, the stronger the wish can be.

[toushiro]

I see.
So people who don't want to go home have no need to hold onto them, is what you're saying.
How do you know this?

[conceptualize]

It's mostly a theory, but I think it holds, considering the timing of their appearance and what Blathers had explained last week.

Keep them safe, regardless of your position!

[ He draws that signature smiley face at the end of his message.

It's-a-me! ]

[toushiro]

[ ah...yes. he knew he recognized this handwriting from somewhere. the smiley face confirms it, though. it's-a-me, a laurent, indeed. ]

I see. I have one in my possession, and I don't intend on letting it go anytime soon.




- H

Bulletin board

[southclaw]

[A handful of those star rocks appear under the bulletin board sometime later, along with a piece of paper with TAKE scribbled on it.]

[conceptualize]

[ Thank you, Kevin. Those rocks will go to a good home. ]

dweam

[regression]

[ It's not like he isn't used to chains and restrictions. However, it isn't welcome. Joonghyuk's glare only grows darker as he takes in the sight before him. It's unfamiliar, but the presence beside him is. He doesn't need to look at Laurent to know who it is. ]

... Since they have faces, this must mean they're people from your life.

[ He doesn't seem concerned by the limitations put on him. Instead, he takes the time to memorize their faces, features, and demeanor. Down to the very last detail, he doesn't allow even the smallest hint of their personality to escape him. It may be a dream, but the subconscious is telling. ]

Which one will we need to kill?

dweam team

[afterword]

[ Kim Dokja is quite familiar with restrictions.. as well as straight up having his existence shot out from scenarios, thanks Star Stream. Still, Dokja keeps a steady smile as he takes in Laurent and the other additions. ]

To think we'd get such a nice preview.

[ With an observant eye, he takes to each one to memory and their personalities. You know, they really do act like what you would think of villains. Typical smugness in the comforts of their safe zone. Dokja can't help but laugh a little? How amusing. ]

Wouldn't it be better to kill all of them?

[conceptualize]

[ I love how they just go to the straight up murder option. Laurent isn't worried since none of it right now is real. He knows he's dreaming, but it still irritates him somewhat to be here and he remembers being cast aside into a--

"Do you need a longer time out? I can put you there again. You've made such nice friends with the void, haven't you?" The one that looks like a doctor speaks, all smiles, 0 friendliness.

Laurent makes it a point to ignore them to talk to the two while the little girl circles around the three men with a curious look. ]

That won't fix the bigger problem at hand.

[ "Did you bring them in hopes to sever the connection to the world's core from yourself? You know that's impossible, right? No matter how many times I told you, you still won't listen and bring trouble." The girl continues to circle them. Maybe she's getting ready to pounce. Maybe she's merely observing.

"If 'Cut' says that, aren't you doomed? Might as well give up already." The guy on the couch says lazily and plops on it on his side. Not his problem anymore. ]

[regression]

Who said we're trying to fix anything in a dream.

[ Joonghyuk is well aware that everything is off and that none of his actions matter here, but... Acting out in dreams has its purposes, too. ]

It's about feeling better. [ And what gives you more serotonin than killing annoying people? Stress relief. ] Believe in yourself, us, over them.

[ This is Laurent's dream, after all. If he believes in them, it should give them power here, shouldn't it? Joongyuk tests something out and calls upon one of his fables. The other man already knows of their existence... He has heard them before. ]

[afterword]

[ Other than faces to remember, Dokja doesn't waste any breath much less pay any mind to talking ghosts. Instead, he smiles a little wider at the conversation shared between the three of them. ]

It's a little fun doing whatever you want with dreams, even if it doesn't change anything. [ Anything else, Dokja leaves for the protagonist and his powerful words speak for him. Believe in himself and us both, huh.. Moving words.

Theat's the thing with Fables. They will tell their story for anyone willing to listen or not. The power that stems from them alone isn't to take likely. Dokja glances back to Laurent, curious.. what will you do? ]

[conceptualize]

[ That makes him realize something. Even though he wanted to hope with what Joonghyuk and Dokja told him, it was still rather difficult for him to do so. It was so hard to hope that he couldn't even imagine defeating the opposing Concepts in a dream, an imaginary space of all things. He deemed it so impossible that even in his dreams, they torment him with the idea of impossibility. Laurent glares at the aloof one with black and white hair beyond the couch--"Probability".

Laurent could just end the dream right here, to get rid of everything forcefully, but the other two are right: it's about feeling better and doing whatever he wants with dreams. They're also right here, with him. When Joonghyuk unleashes his fable, he feels "Circle" working his magic:

> Hostile actions will certainly ba▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

Laurent looks calm when looking ahead at the Concepts before him while exerting a certain pressure in the entire room. The other Concepts try to counter it with their own, eyes glowing with menacing looks on their faces, but it fizzes out quickly--forcing most of them to look surprised.

> All restrictions' timeframes have ended.
> Pressure has ceased to function for the residents.
> Sight has ceased to function for the residents.
> Movement has ceased to function for the residents.
> Movement is rega▒▒▒▒▒
> Movement has ceased to function for the residents.
> The ability to sustain your life has ceased to function for the residents.

It's a dream, but Laurent feels strangely exhausted even in here. Though the pressure from him doesn't abate, because his anger and frustration that he usually bottles up all surfaced at once. His eyes look over them with scorn as they writhe on the floor.

Die. ]

[regression]

[ It should be a concerning and unsettling sight, but Joonghyuk smiles in the same way. Unsettling, disturbing. All because he's enjoying watching arrogance die in the cradles of their throats. However, overall, he seems unsatisfied as he tilts his head at the sight. It's effective, but is it cathartic? Does it ease the contempt in one's heart? Joonghyuk is aware that he's extreme, but his suffering runs deep.

Is this how deep Laurent's runs? ]

Then you enjoy a silent, relentless end?

[ Hellscape of Eternity quiets, but whispers in the air as he walks over to one of the bodies. It doesn't matter their appearance, whether young or old, he kicks them aside like they're garbage. Turning his head to both of them, he at least throws some kind of praise. ]

At least you're letting it out.

[afterword]

[ Dokja keeps his attention focused elsewhere, moving as soon as he's able to look over the bodies scattered on the floor alongside his companion. He doesn't share the same insane kind of expression but he doesn't seem bothered by what he sees. He's seen too much at this point that it would be strange to get affected by it now.

He crouches near one of the bodies just as Joonghyuk kicks it over, a hand reaching out to cup the jaw and take a good look at the expression that scorns their friend. He tilts his head, blinking a little until he glances back over to Laurent. ]

Or maybe it's the end they deserve.

[ They seem like a noisy bunch, as far as he can tell. ]