"Hmm, yes. You definitely have those little dangly lobes." Moonwind said. "But that doesn't explain… wait."

After another few seconds of study, Moonwind plucked the Yang talisman out of Russ' pocket. "My my. This is quite the treasure."

"You're familiar with it?"
Also, I guess this confirms we lost access to the tailsman until Russ returns?
 
I have no idea what's going on but it's going a lot better than I allowed myself to hope for.

No matter how this plays out it sounds like we're going to be waiting a bit.
 
Seems Russ' past is catching up to him. Hopefully, he can level up and get back here before the seals on whatever "she" is fully breaks down. Also, Theodore Riddle unknowingly screwing us over with his mental backdoors. Stupid Riddle

Nice to see some Soul references. Makes you wonder what happened to the characters in that movie. Also, it looks like Bill's been having a bit of fun (unless I'm wrong about what those nightmares meant by "eye", but really, what else could it be?)
 
I wonder if Russ will permanently look a bit like a hippie when he finally comes out of this place? Or will he lean into that cliche of wearing lots of hippie gear immediately after escaping, but also discard it all shortly afterwards back to his old look.
I'm thinking he keeps the Men In Black look but the black becomes tie-dye.
 
Who is this creature again? Can't recall any creature Russ sent to his bosses.
Seems Russ' past is catching up to him. Hopefully, he can level up and get back here before the seals on whatever "she" is fully breaks down. Also, Theodore Riddle unknowingly screwing us over with his mental backdoors. Stupid Riddle
ITS DREAM QUEEN. SHE'S BREAKING THE SEALS. THE MANSE BECKONS!
Also, I guess this confirms we lost access to the tailsman until Russ returns?
Its in his pocket, and he's on the damn astral plane. Ain't no way to get it out of there, and even if we could, we'd probably be using it to try to get &%@# back anyway, so its probably fine where it is.
 
Seems Russ' past is catching up to him. Hopefully, he can level up and get back here before the seals on whatever "she" is fully breaks down. Also, Theodore Riddle unknowingly screwing us over with his mental backdoors. Stupid Riddle

Nice to see some Soul references. Makes you wonder what happened to the characters in that movie. Also, it looks like Bill's been having a bit of fun (unless I'm wrong about what those nightmares meant by "eye", but really, what else could it be?)
I'd guess the Jerries were unwilling to allow Joe to return, meaning he was just found dead in his apartment, seemingly of cardiac arrest, on the night of his greatest triumph. It seems suffering a severe accident, then checking himself out abruptly to play the gig was just...Too much for him.
 
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Trying to put together a reference bank, so we know what we're dealing with here.

"I am… how would you say it? Not at liberty to disclose my identity. Those few I interact with call me a Sleepwalker. I'm simply one with a vested interest in places like this."
Dunno who this is.

"Oh!" the figure cried. "Well why didn't you say so! Welcome to the Day Tripper!"
This is from Soul.

"I know a duck on Santa Monica." Moonwind confided. "But egad man! Are you telling me you went through the elevator?!"
Might be just a joke, might be a reference. Any notable ducks in Santa Monica?

"This isn't the Mindscape?"

"In a manner of speaking. What most people encounter of the Mindscape- you know the ah, the grayscale bloomy-colors world place? That is the Collective Unconsciousness. A world of smoke and mirrors formed from the combined thoughts and impressions of all the world's peoples.
Might be the Mindscape from Gravity Falls? At least the grayscale part would fit.

"We're Shadow nightmares!" The five shadows chorused together. "We help small children to overcome their real life fears by pretending to be Dream Demons and scaring them- just a little bit! Until they learn we're nothing to be scared of after all."
Dunno who these guys are.

We… we think she's started dreaming, sir."
This is obvious the illustrious Dream Queen, eho we know nothing of.

Newly promoted Director of Paranormal Affairs Theodore Riddle walked slowly and deliberately along a long metal corridor in the heart of some hidden bunker.
Somebody already pointed out this is a character from W.I.T.C.H.
 
The figure watched him go. "If you make it to the waking world, search for a man called Mercurial. He will help you find your spark."
Mercurial ehh?

[ ] Establish the Imagination Institute
DC 70
100+68+28+25+6=227
Critical Success! Something special unlocked!

A new research facility and organization devoted to the study of Toons and other examples of what the staff calls the 'Anthroficiticus Genus' was officially opened this week in northern Maryland. The organization had originally been dedicated to Dr. Blair Mercurial, a founder in the field. In a shocking development, the event was interrupted by none other than Dr. Mercurial himself, dressed in outlandish attire! Missing and long thought deceased, it is as yet unclear how Dr. Blair returned, or what it will harbinge for the broader staff or the Institute's erstwhile leader, Dr. Nigel Channing.

New options for collaboration with the government have been unlocked! If you can Imagine them.
Team up time!
 
The cyphertexts has been fully unscrambled.

Brx kdyh ehhq khuh ehiruh.
As @Nystical said, the plaintext is
you have been here before

Blf szev yvvm sviv yvuliv.
I ran the second ciphertext through a Substitution Cipher Tool,
and got the same result:

"you have been here before."

Wco oaqi gsvt vxki octiye. Tsz gfauam xuc chl dzttgvj hh yil.
Based on the pattern of letters and spaces, I assumed that the first portion of third ciphertext would have the same plaintext as the other two, and I was correct. Working on that assumption, I have found out the Vigenère key "youhaveforgotten" decodes the ciphertext into the plaintext

"You have been here before. You sought the one deposed to fey."
 
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ITS DREAM QUEEN. SHE'S BREAKING THE SEALS. THE MANSE BECKONS!
U wot m8?
Anyway if Russ can learn to manipulate toonforce without becoming a caricature, I'd imagine he can learn hippy dream magic while remaining monochrome.
Also, in the Golden timeline, Mercurial invented infinite free energy with the added bonus of creating life from nothing. He's an absolute madlad but also the perfect person to teach Russ.
 
*THIS IS AN EMERGENCY TEAMO SUPREMO EARLY WARNING SYSTEM BROADCAST*
*THIS IS NOT A DRILL*
*I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL*

The Sleepwalker that Russ communicated with might be a villain from Teamo Supremo called the Somnambulist, wo can manipulate dreams and has minions referred to as Sleepwalkers.


We do not know for sure that this figure is the the Somnambulist, but we have deemed it prudent to give an early warning nevertheless. A team is standing ready at Hoover Dam as a precaution, stay indoors until we know more.
 
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Concerning the figure in the tank, initialy it ticked of Hearthless boxes for me but then i remembered that kingdom hearts is not part of the setting

I have a couple realy out there ideas what it could be just for fun. Riddle said that it felt like it did not belong here so i got to thinking what could fit that description in the canon of the setting but i drew a blank so i thougt just for fun to think that "it doesnt belong here" refers to it being foreighn to the setting itself and from there i came to two figures Rise of the Guardians and their nightmares(maybe a corrupted Sandman?) or if we want to keep it tangently Disney Alice from american mcgee
 
If Russ wants to help pay them back after he escapes, they apparently make substantial use of recreational chemicals and DEI has some very talented chemists on payroll. Potentially expands into a new profit-making venture?
 
I'm hoping somebody spots where the Shadows are from. Since I used them in my own game, I was the one who suggested they be used as the antagonists in this scene.
 
If Russ wants to help pay them back after he escapes, they apparently make substantial use of recreational chemicals and DEI has some very talented chemists on payroll. Potentially expands into a new profit-making venture?

Well, we ARE a pharmacists, among other things (no really, Doofs trait "Omnidisciplinary" indicates that he has at least some knowledge about pharmaceuticals)...and if not Doof himself, then either Ludivine (as a supposed "expert in everything") or maybe TECHNOR (as a shrink, he might have some knowledge about therapy-supporting medications depending on his exact job description)

So, Russ is safe enough and currently having a training arc to get rid of that giant backdoor in his mental defenses Riddle left there (deliberately?), while the containment unit for the Dream Queen seems to be breaking down and friggin Bill might be corrupting the minds of little kids in order to twist the Dreaming to his liking...just great.

Any chances of either Monsters Inc. or Toy Story slowing down his progress down at least a bit? Heck, maybe even team up on that matter?

If this is Bill and we gain IC knowledge of him after Russ returns, we should tell David about it.

Yes, I can hear you groan about running to him first notice again already, but consider this: He already knows about Phobos and Toffee, who are both threats closest to Bill in sheer scale and he intended to get us up to speed if we hadn´t realized some of it on our own - meaning that he has a good chance about at least having suspicions about Oregon as well and if he doesn´t, he needs to because with his giant Intrigue and Occult powerbase as well as "ties" to (read: "influence in") the US government, he is our best chance at getting anything resembling a proper resistance and eventually the CotSR (Council of the Semi-Reasonable) going.

We won´t be able to last against threats that big on our lonesome, guys - we *need* that multi-King alliance for *simple self-preservation*, if nothing else.
 
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