- Location
- Germany
[X] Yes but there's no need to rush, really.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
Plans are allowed
ConfusedPotato
Unverified Verifier
- Location
- Australia
[X] Yes but there's no need to rush, really.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
[X] Yes but there's no need to rush, really.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
- Location
- Somewhere
[X] Yes but there's no need to rush, really.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
[X] Yes but there's no need to rush, really.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
something we may want to try at some point is seeing if we can swim UP from reality to dream level -1. If "reality" is really the end of the line of the layers of dream.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
something we may want to try at some point is seeing if we can swim UP from reality to dream level -1. If "reality" is really the end of the line of the layers of dream.
Last edited:
Thirty Seven
[X] Yes but there's no need to rush, really.
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
------
There were plenty of things to do here. Many paths to take. There was however a veritable feast in front of the Dragon. It seemed almost rude to ignore it. The dragon flew around the whale a few times before he felt confident in the distribution of the denizens inside the storm. They were all the unintelligent ones more akin to animals, so he wasn't likely going to face anything like a coordinated attack. Just opportunities.
He dove in after a thunderclap. Deep into the rain and storms. There he found a half dozen denizens. His breath washed out and they dissolved in a flash of dream and stars.
Then the feeding frenzy started, and more denizens flocked in. The dragon chomped at the first one to come in. A small drain barely coherent.
Then he felt the sensation akin to pain as something slammed into his side. The dragon twisted on his tail and lashed out at the almost painfully bright Night-Light. He had forgotten about them and their irritating habit of getting in close first. It didn't matter how strong he was if they could wear him down like that.
Hissing to himself the dragon dove out of the storm and snorted dreamstuff. He knew where the whale was going. He just needed to repair slightly and remember to avoid the irritating flashing denizens.
The next day the dragon dove in again. This time finding a proper area to hit. His previous lesson had been learned. Breathing out to cause a wide amount of damage would set off another feeding frenzy and likely attract more Night-Lights. One or two were easy, but multiples would likely cause trouble.
The dragon took his time, hunting a bit like a shark. Darting and and nipping at opportune meals. Very rapidly the dragon found that he could safely traverse the storm if he was careful about being seen. The boogeymen were only the second most likely to attack him. The Night-Lights were the problems here.
Well them, and the lightning apparently. The dragon got his tail singed by one of the lightning bolts. They followed no set pattern that he could tell. For all intents and purposes they were lightning bolts.
Despite these issues, the dragon feasted. These weren't the really powerful denizens. At best one was equivalent to the deeper levels, but those weren't as fast and as deadly as he was. All it took was one quick swipe of his claw and then the dragon could devour them in an instant.
He was still searching for his target as well of course, but this bounty of gossamer was quite pleasing. He took his time to play shark along side the whale. Teeth flashing, claws rending, and him growing almost fat off the gossamer.
Then came the flash of gold through the omnipresent rain, and the dragon's attention was caught. Immediately he changed position to try to find the target. He was still there for a reason, and getting the golden fish would top off an already lucrative reward.
What met his eyes when he finally found the target was not what he expected though. Seeing the golden fish tied up in wires and being held by a moth was probably the last thing he had expected to see.
"Oh, you?" The moth fluttered and giggled girlishly. "Oh my, such a dark and dangerous place to meet a stranger." She practically breathed out.
The rain didn't seem to hinder the way her voice traveled at least. The dragon huffed and circled her warily.
"You're going for the bounty too?" He asked curiously.
"So you're the one getting the good ones!" The moth's wings flapped rapidly. "Do you have any idea how annoying that is?"
"Hmm, not really. You snooze you lose." The dragon responded back and did a casual roll.
"Well in this case you snoozed." The moth huffed and dragged her bounty away with her wires.
For a moment the dragon contemplated if he was going to force the issue. But then something glimmered in rainy air and the moth disappeared in an instant. Surprised the dragon immediately darted to where she had been, and found nothing. That was an interesting trick there. Annoying, but interesting.
The dragon tried to contemplate if he was mad about the lost bounty. In the end he concluded that he had a good consolation prize in hunting around the rain. It was actually fairly fun if he didn't mind the risk. And the really annoying Night-Lights.
Resuming hunting was no real chore. Darting between raindrops to devour various dreams was a strange mix of fun and peaceful. You'd think that it wouldn't have been, but there was something about the entire process that fit him. No complications here. No real trouble. He was just a hunting dragon. Denizens were rended and eaten, and he found himself almost content.
The dragon spent most of the week like that. Most of it.
He did take a small detour though. Through the surface of the dream and around the town on Christmas evening. Seeing the dreams of toys and Santa. Enjoying the spirit of the evening. Perhaps he saw someone red and white flying through the air. Perhaps he didn't.
Sometimes the dream was like that. Even more airy and dreamy than it normally was. The dragon blamed the rain he had hunted in. Though that still didn't explain the red box filled with a dream he found in his horde of gossamer. He supposed that sometimes the denizens of the dream were more influenced by reality than normal.
It was a very good present though. He must have been a very good dragon.
----
1 part of 3. The path of Wisdom - All things are connected. Reality is far more than what you can see with your eyes. Once you step into the dream, this is the only truth.
7 days till tribute.
You have 400 Gossamer.
Daytime Action
[] Patrol the campus. (You're a security guard for the local college. Your contract doesn't really need you to patrol, but it gets you out of the place.)
[] Nap and use Dream of Wonder (Which upgrade?)
[] Watch the Monitors (Talk with Harold)
[] Play Ball with Scott
Evening Action
[] Hit the local library
[] Hit the local cafe
[] Hit the local bar
[] Go home (Use night action twice)
[] Socialize with someone
Night Action
[] Hunt for Gossamer (Specify a number from 1-7. 1 easy, 7 hardest)
[] Hunt for your rivals
[] Look for something new
[] Visit the dream city and do ____
-[X] Farm the place for gossamer. Kill the boogeymen and other creatures that are likely to attack and just eat everything. Look for the goldfish while doing this, but leisurely. The city's bounty can wait. This bounty is in front of us.
------
There were plenty of things to do here. Many paths to take. There was however a veritable feast in front of the Dragon. It seemed almost rude to ignore it. The dragon flew around the whale a few times before he felt confident in the distribution of the denizens inside the storm. They were all the unintelligent ones more akin to animals, so he wasn't likely going to face anything like a coordinated attack. Just opportunities.
He dove in after a thunderclap. Deep into the rain and storms. There he found a half dozen denizens. His breath washed out and they dissolved in a flash of dream and stars.
Then the feeding frenzy started, and more denizens flocked in. The dragon chomped at the first one to come in. A small drain barely coherent.
Then he felt the sensation akin to pain as something slammed into his side. The dragon twisted on his tail and lashed out at the almost painfully bright Night-Light. He had forgotten about them and their irritating habit of getting in close first. It didn't matter how strong he was if they could wear him down like that.
Hissing to himself the dragon dove out of the storm and snorted dreamstuff. He knew where the whale was going. He just needed to repair slightly and remember to avoid the irritating flashing denizens.
The next day the dragon dove in again. This time finding a proper area to hit. His previous lesson had been learned. Breathing out to cause a wide amount of damage would set off another feeding frenzy and likely attract more Night-Lights. One or two were easy, but multiples would likely cause trouble.
The dragon took his time, hunting a bit like a shark. Darting and and nipping at opportune meals. Very rapidly the dragon found that he could safely traverse the storm if he was careful about being seen. The boogeymen were only the second most likely to attack him. The Night-Lights were the problems here.
Well them, and the lightning apparently. The dragon got his tail singed by one of the lightning bolts. They followed no set pattern that he could tell. For all intents and purposes they were lightning bolts.
Despite these issues, the dragon feasted. These weren't the really powerful denizens. At best one was equivalent to the deeper levels, but those weren't as fast and as deadly as he was. All it took was one quick swipe of his claw and then the dragon could devour them in an instant.
He was still searching for his target as well of course, but this bounty of gossamer was quite pleasing. He took his time to play shark along side the whale. Teeth flashing, claws rending, and him growing almost fat off the gossamer.
Then came the flash of gold through the omnipresent rain, and the dragon's attention was caught. Immediately he changed position to try to find the target. He was still there for a reason, and getting the golden fish would top off an already lucrative reward.
What met his eyes when he finally found the target was not what he expected though. Seeing the golden fish tied up in wires and being held by a moth was probably the last thing he had expected to see.
"Oh, you?" The moth fluttered and giggled girlishly. "Oh my, such a dark and dangerous place to meet a stranger." She practically breathed out.
The rain didn't seem to hinder the way her voice traveled at least. The dragon huffed and circled her warily.
"You're going for the bounty too?" He asked curiously.
"So you're the one getting the good ones!" The moth's wings flapped rapidly. "Do you have any idea how annoying that is?"
"Hmm, not really. You snooze you lose." The dragon responded back and did a casual roll.
"Well in this case you snoozed." The moth huffed and dragged her bounty away with her wires.
For a moment the dragon contemplated if he was going to force the issue. But then something glimmered in rainy air and the moth disappeared in an instant. Surprised the dragon immediately darted to where she had been, and found nothing. That was an interesting trick there. Annoying, but interesting.
The dragon tried to contemplate if he was mad about the lost bounty. In the end he concluded that he had a good consolation prize in hunting around the rain. It was actually fairly fun if he didn't mind the risk. And the really annoying Night-Lights.
Resuming hunting was no real chore. Darting between raindrops to devour various dreams was a strange mix of fun and peaceful. You'd think that it wouldn't have been, but there was something about the entire process that fit him. No complications here. No real trouble. He was just a hunting dragon. Denizens were rended and eaten, and he found himself almost content.
The dragon spent most of the week like that. Most of it.
He did take a small detour though. Through the surface of the dream and around the town on Christmas evening. Seeing the dreams of toys and Santa. Enjoying the spirit of the evening. Perhaps he saw someone red and white flying through the air. Perhaps he didn't.
Sometimes the dream was like that. Even more airy and dreamy than it normally was. The dragon blamed the rain he had hunted in. Though that still didn't explain the red box filled with a dream he found in his horde of gossamer. He supposed that sometimes the denizens of the dream were more influenced by reality than normal.
It was a very good present though. He must have been a very good dragon.
----
1 part of 3. The path of Wisdom - All things are connected. Reality is far more than what you can see with your eyes. Once you step into the dream, this is the only truth.
7 days till tribute.
You have 400 Gossamer.
Daytime Action
[] Patrol the campus. (You're a security guard for the local college. Your contract doesn't really need you to patrol, but it gets you out of the place.)
[] Nap and use Dream of Wonder (Which upgrade?)
[] Watch the Monitors (Talk with Harold)
[] Play Ball with Scott
Evening Action
[] Hit the local library
[] Hit the local cafe
[] Hit the local bar
[] Go home (Use night action twice)
[] Socialize with someone
Night Action
[] Hunt for Gossamer (Specify a number from 1-7. 1 easy, 7 hardest)
[] Hunt for your rivals
[] Look for something new
[] Visit the dream city and do ____
- Location
- Brazil
[X] Nap and use Dream of Wonder (A nightmare of glowing eyes.)
[X] Hit the local library
[X] Look for special dreams.
[X] Hit the local library
[X] Look for special dreams.
- Location
- USA
You know with all the gossamer we have we could give ourselves a major upgrade. How about we offer 200 to the dream-catcher and use 200 on ourselves?
We still have a week of hunting so we could even offer more if we wanted.
With 200 gossamer we could do a lot.
The costs are as follows
Phantasm: 12 Gossamer X Stat
Speed: 16 Gossamer X Stat
Cohesion: 4 Gossamer X Stat
So if we put all 200 in any one stat we could get 16 Phantasm, 12 Speed, or 50 cohesion. That is assuming we do not mix or match though.
We still have a week of hunting so we could even offer more if we wanted.
With 200 gossamer we could do a lot.
The costs are as follows
Phantasm: 12 Gossamer X Stat
Speed: 16 Gossamer X Stat
Cohesion: 4 Gossamer X Stat
So if we put all 200 in any one stat we could get 16 Phantasm, 12 Speed, or 50 cohesion. That is assuming we do not mix or match though.
Umi-san
Procrastinating.
- Location
- ꙮ
I'd prefer to maintain Wonder x 20 gossamer at all times. It gives us more stats by taking advantage of our hoard ability. Once we get over that level, though, we should increase stuff. Maybe prioritize speed? Dying is irritating.
- Location
- USA
Yeah I can see what you mean having an ability that grants stats but not using feels pretty bad. To make use of that ability we need at least 110 gossamer to have the most effect, so if we do end up giving the dream-catcher 200 that leaves us 90 to upgrade with along with whatever we get next week.
With 90 gossamer we could get 7 phantasm, 5 speed, or 22 cohesion, so we could nearly double phantasm and speed while actually doubling cohesion, that is still a sizable upgrade if not to the extreme of the other one where could nearly quadruple cohesion if we wanted.
Genesys
(Discrete Mokona)
- Location
- California
No, we need 220 to maximize hoard.
Gems has maximal effect of 20xcurrent wonder, which is 11.
Professor Vesca
Good News Everyone!
One thing we could do is go take out that murder as the Dragon in the real world.
Umi-san
Procrastinating.
- Location
- ꙮ
My apologies, I should have quoted for the sake of clarity.
As you can see, we gain +11 Cohesion & ~5 Phantasm at 110 Gossamer; +11 Cohesion & 11 Phantasm at 220 gossamer.
If you care to put in the effort, it is quite possible that at some # between 110 and 220 gossamer there is a point at which we can gain more stats. After all, Dream of Gemstones gives 1 Phantasm per 20 gossamer whereas editing our character costs 15 x stat for phantasm. Though... @Lost Star is this stat price cumulative? i.e., does "Stat" mean "current stat #" or "per stat point"? I.e., does raising phantasm from 1->2 cost 15, 2->3 cost 30, 3->4 cost 45? or does it cost 15, 15, 15?
- Location
- with internet
I am suspicious. I suspect most readers are not maintaining much memory for this quest. Regardless, I have three differences from general vote to work on, and request that we at least answer "if not now, then when?" and "if not this way, then how?".
[X] Watch the Monitors (Talk with Harold)
-[X] You've been putting this off, and for good reason, but it's time to sound out Harold on the possibility of revealing your other job.
--[X] Ask Harold what he'd do if he could be a superhero with dream powers?
--[X] Use refuge-in-audacity, hypotheticals, and some storytelling to introduce the idea and explain it; a world of castoff dreams and a life lived within it, surviving and learning. A competition of best fitness for the prize of the competition-holders job. A process of shaping the stuff of dreams, and gaining certain powers in dreams and out.
---[X] If he takes it well so far, make a subtle demonstration; something he can accept or dismiss depending on how he feels about it, like a little bit of Waking Dream mist.
----[X] Either way, agree with him, and follow through; if he dismisses it (especially uncomfortably), then that means you're going to be keeping it secret and maybe playing it up as "a joke" to "cover for how often you sleep", but if takes it even a little seriously (especially if he asks good questions about consequences or problems), then invite him to see what you can really do tonight.
[X] Help Meria
-[X] Discuss a more solid schedule for the work, as well as what would need to be done to turn the collaboration into a regular business.
[X] Investigate the Los Angeles murder of the casino boss, possibly with Harold observing the first part while you explain what you're doing and why.
-[X] Find an up-to-date reference of the part of Los Angeles near the murder (or of it, if you can), draw a Window Between using it, check for sunlight, then if dark, send your dream form through that window.
--[X] If light, use the Window to draw a second window into a place of shadow, then use that instead.
-[X] You'll take a look at the evidence in the waking world, but you're mostly using the physical location to get a better idea of the corresponding dream realm location.
-[X] If by some miracle you find the killer's dream form instead of just hints, defeat it and use Sheriff's Star, then try to get them to tell you why they did it; people are generally the hero of their own story, after all. Then, take a vote as to what more to do with them.
I would also be willing to replace "Help Meria" with a socialization action that makes progress breaking the truth— or at least a truth— to her about John's dream form, but I do not know how that action would be done.
(There's also a part of me that still wants to run experiments with the Muse of Paths and non-lucid dreamers, but we just don't seem to have time.)
The following is mostly copied over from an edit of a previous post, in case anyone who missed it didn't want to;
[...]
Edit: Changed the vote a bit; included a method for making sure we don't send our dream form directly into sunlight.
[X] Watch the Monitors (Talk with Harold)
-[X] You've been putting this off, and for good reason, but it's time to sound out Harold on the possibility of revealing your other job.
--[X] Ask Harold what he'd do if he could be a superhero with dream powers?
--[X] Use refuge-in-audacity, hypotheticals, and some storytelling to introduce the idea and explain it; a world of castoff dreams and a life lived within it, surviving and learning. A competition of best fitness for the prize of the competition-holders job. A process of shaping the stuff of dreams, and gaining certain powers in dreams and out.
---[X] If he takes it well so far, make a subtle demonstration; something he can accept or dismiss depending on how he feels about it, like a little bit of Waking Dream mist.
----[X] Either way, agree with him, and follow through; if he dismisses it (especially uncomfortably), then that means you're going to be keeping it secret and maybe playing it up as "a joke" to "cover for how often you sleep", but if takes it even a little seriously (especially if he asks good questions about consequences or problems), then invite him to see what you can really do tonight.
[X] Help Meria
-[X] Discuss a more solid schedule for the work, as well as what would need to be done to turn the collaboration into a regular business.
[X] Investigate the Los Angeles murder of the casino boss, possibly with Harold observing the first part while you explain what you're doing and why.
-[X] Find an up-to-date reference of the part of Los Angeles near the murder (or of it, if you can), draw a Window Between using it, check for sunlight, then if dark, send your dream form through that window.
--[X] If light, use the Window to draw a second window into a place of shadow, then use that instead.
-[X] You'll take a look at the evidence in the waking world, but you're mostly using the physical location to get a better idea of the corresponding dream realm location.
-[X] If by some miracle you find the killer's dream form instead of just hints, defeat it and use Sheriff's Star, then try to get them to tell you why they did it; people are generally the hero of their own story, after all. Then, take a vote as to what more to do with them.
I would also be willing to replace "Help Meria" with a socialization action that makes progress breaking the truth— or at least a truth— to her about John's dream form, but I do not know how that action would be done.
(There's also a part of me that still wants to run experiments with the Muse of Paths and non-lucid dreamers, but we just don't seem to have time.)
The following is mostly copied over from an edit of a previous post, in case anyone who missed it didn't want to;
I wonder what we would need to get similar power projection as the Dream Catcher; we can make our dream form incredibly powerful, and we have a lot of abilities for both dream world and waking world, but... they all take actions. We don't have a single way of getting more actions or action results other than by some special events (or QM mistake compensation). For instance, if we wanted to patrol the dream world for Living Nightmares, we would need the equivalent of several hundred hunt actions, or several dozen and a very good detection ability.
If we want to do this one without having to wait for night at the end (and maybe even having to spend a night action on it), we'll need Dark Scales first.
[] Watch the Monitors (Talk with Harold)
-[] You've been putting this off, and for good reason, but it's time to sound out Harold on the possibility of revealing your other job.
--[] Ask Harold what he'd do if he could be a superhero with dream powers?
--[] Use refuge-in-audacity, hypotheticals, and some storytelling to introduce the idea and explain it; a world of castoff dreams and a life lived within it, surviving and learning. A competition of best fitness for the prize of the competition-holders job. A process of shaping the stuff of dreams, and gaining certain powers in dreams and out.
---[] If he takes it well so far, make a subtle demonstration; something he can accept or dismiss depending on how he feels about it, like a little bit of Waking Dream mist.
----[] Either way, agree with him, and follow through; if he dismisses it (especially uncomfortably), then that means you're going to be keeping it secret and maybe playing it up as "a joke" to "cover for how often you sleep", but if takes it even a little seriously (especially if he asks good questions about consequences or problems), then invite him to see what you can really do tonight.
This action would go with a tribute vote:
[] If the Dream Catcher allows, you would like to address the collected rivals:
-[] Tell them that if we do win, we will try our best to safeguard any good things they've gained from the Dream realm; whether it's investigation, experiences, or power over their own lives, we intend to see to it that it does not need to be lost. It might not be healthy for the dream world or the waking world to make everyone Gossamer weavers like us, but we don't think that means There Can Only Be One.
--[] That said, we will also be taking responsibility for punishing those who misuse their abilities, especially to hurt other people.
[] Hunt for you rivals
-[] The dream of science.
-[] Check and see how he's doing; his scientific project, the people he was trying to help, what data he's collected...
--[] ...and if he's still thinking in terms of winners and losers, make it a trade; you'll tell some things you've learned from the Dream Catcher, dream Denizens, and one of the other rivals.
---[] Stuff like; how the Dream Realm is way older than it looks, existing well before humans, or how there's a force deep within it that keeps it stable and deep instead of a thin veneer, or how people in ancient history worshiped dream entities to give them power and get power in return, or how similar groups of people tried doing what we do now, and it didn't turn out well due to diminished self-care, seeking immortality through dream forms, and mixing the waking world and dream world too much, damaging both.
----[] Reiterate the point about self-care; apparently people doing this too much can forget to eat and die if they don't have someone there to remind them.
----[] And the similar problem with merging the sleeping and waking world; how it gets harder to shake off the dream and see reality as others do.
-[] Wish him luck, and to be careful!
[] Bring our Muse of Paths to different people's dreams; find out if we can get it to grow and help people at the same time.
-[] Also, study the exact effect and form it tends to have in dreams. Does it stay a mirror once we altered it, or can it keep taking radically different forms fitting to the dreamer?
[] Interact with people intentionally, instead of just going somewhere and maybe doing an activity;
-[] Ask some of your friends about expanding your social circle, or going to more social events, since you don't get out enough. (So we can find more people to help using our large variety of dream powers.)
-[] Ask about the well-being of those you know; the depression was really obvious, but is there someone who could use a lighter touch?
[] Visit the dream city and do theater
-[] You wont show them eternity (who knows how dangerous that is), but you do have some things to wow the Moth.
[] Explore the dream city.
-[] Is there a way to better choose bounties; how do we get the lowdown on the criminal underworld and thus go for the biggest bounty we can handle?
-[] The Moth implied there were deeper things a part of the city; can you trace a seemingly simple element of it to something far greater?
-[] Instead of looking deeper to find something new, look farther; get a dragon's eye view of the city. Spot things you've missed, invisible from streets or standard flight-paths? Get a better idea of what the city is as a whole instead of the little parts you've dealt with?
[] Visit the Vault in the Void and-
-[] tell the angel about the new things we've learned, especially on its warning, and ask if it has any more advice to further mitigate our Heretic status.
-[] fight the angel for the goodies or ancient evil in its vault.
[] Help Meria
-[] Discuss a more solid schedule for the work, as well as what would need to be done to turn the collaboration into a regular business.
No idea how to handle the relationship with Meria so that it's actually solid and not likely to turn into metaphorical broken glass after a single honest conversation; the following is a placeholder starter.
[] Socialize with Meria
-[] Talk about how you've had a dream lately that really shook you, about an infinite expanse and how your health might turn for the worse if you're not careful.
[] Watch the Monitors (Talk with Harold)
-[] You've been putting this off, and for good reason, but it's time to sound out Harold on the possibility of revealing your other job.
--[] Ask Harold what he'd do if he could be a superhero with dream powers?
--[] Use refuge-in-audacity, hypotheticals, and some storytelling to introduce the idea and explain it; a world of castoff dreams and a life lived within it, surviving and learning. A competition of best fitness for the prize of the competition-holders job. A process of shaping the stuff of dreams, and gaining certain powers in dreams and out.
---[] If he takes it well so far, make a subtle demonstration; something he can accept or dismiss depending on how he feels about it, like a little bit of Waking Dream mist.
----[] Either way, agree with him, and follow through; if he dismisses it (especially uncomfortably), then that means you're going to be keeping it secret and maybe playing it up as "a joke" to "cover for how often you sleep", but if takes it even a little seriously (especially if he asks good questions about consequences or problems), then invite him to see what you can really do tonight.
This action would go with a tribute vote:
[] If the Dream Catcher allows, you would like to address the collected rivals:
-[] Tell them that if we do win, we will try our best to safeguard any good things they've gained from the Dream realm; whether it's investigation, experiences, or power over their own lives, we intend to see to it that it does not need to be lost. It might not be healthy for the dream world or the waking world to make everyone Gossamer weavers like us, but we don't think that means There Can Only Be One.
--[] That said, we will also be taking responsibility for punishing those who misuse their abilities, especially to hurt other people.
[] Hunt for you rivals
-[] The dream of science.
-[] Check and see how he's doing; his scientific project, the people he was trying to help, what data he's collected...
--[] ...and if he's still thinking in terms of winners and losers, make it a trade; you'll tell some things you've learned from the Dream Catcher, dream Denizens, and one of the other rivals.
---[] Stuff like; how the Dream Realm is way older than it looks, existing well before humans, or how there's a force deep within it that keeps it stable and deep instead of a thin veneer, or how people in ancient history worshiped dream entities to give them power and get power in return, or how similar groups of people tried doing what we do now, and it didn't turn out well due to diminished self-care, seeking immortality through dream forms, and mixing the waking world and dream world too much, damaging both.
----[] Reiterate the point about self-care; apparently people doing this too much can forget to eat and die if they don't have someone there to remind them.
----[] And the similar problem with merging the sleeping and waking world; how it gets harder to shake off the dream and see reality as others do.
-[] Wish him luck, and to be careful!
[] Bring our Muse of Paths to different people's dreams; find out if we can get it to grow and help people at the same time.
-[] Also, study the exact effect and form it tends to have in dreams. Does it stay a mirror once we altered it, or can it keep taking radically different forms fitting to the dreamer?
[] Interact with people intentionally, instead of just going somewhere and maybe doing an activity;
-[] Ask some of your friends about expanding your social circle, or going to more social events, since you don't get out enough. (So we can find more people to help using our large variety of dream powers.)
-[] Ask about the well-being of those you know; the depression was really obvious, but is there someone who could use a lighter touch?
[] Visit the dream city and do theater
-[] You wont show them eternity (who knows how dangerous that is), but you do have some things to wow the Moth.
[] Explore the dream city.
-[] Is there a way to better choose bounties; how do we get the lowdown on the criminal underworld and thus go for the biggest bounty we can handle?
-[] The Moth implied there were deeper things a part of the city; can you trace a seemingly simple element of it to something far greater?
-[] Instead of looking deeper to find something new, look farther; get a dragon's eye view of the city. Spot things you've missed, invisible from streets or standard flight-paths? Get a better idea of what the city is as a whole instead of the little parts you've dealt with?
[] Visit the Vault in the Void and-
-[] tell the angel about the new things we've learned, especially on its warning, and ask if it has any more advice to further mitigate our Heretic status.
-[] fight the angel for the goodies or ancient evil in its vault.
[] Help Meria
-[] Discuss a more solid schedule for the work, as well as what would need to be done to turn the collaboration into a regular business.
No idea how to handle the relationship with Meria so that it's actually solid and not likely to turn into metaphorical broken glass after a single honest conversation; the following is a placeholder starter.
[] Socialize with Meria
-[] Talk about how you've had a dream lately that really shook you, about an infinite expanse and how your health might turn for the worse if you're not careful.
Edit: Changed the vote a bit; included a method for making sure we don't send our dream form directly into sunlight.
Last edited:
- Location
- with internet
Actually, now that I think about it, is it? How close is John's timezone to Los Angeles' timezone? Is the second line of my third action going to result in flying right into broad daylight so the update ends in 'your dream form is destroyed just in time for tribute again'?
[X] Watch the Monitors (Talk with Harold)
-[X] You've been putting this off, and for good reason, but it's time to sound out Harold on the possibility of revealing your other job.
--[X] Ask Harold what he'd do if he could be a superhero with dream powers?
--[X] Use refuge-in-audacity, hypotheticals, and some storytelling to introduce the idea and explain it; a world of castoff dreams and a life lived within it, surviving and learning. A competition of best fitness for the prize of the competition-holders job. A process of shaping the stuff of dreams, and gaining certain powers in dreams and out.
---[X] If he takes it well so far, make a subtle demonstration; something he can accept or dismiss depending on how he feels about it, like a little bit of Waking Dream mist.
----[X] Either way, agree with him, and follow through; if he dismisses it (especially uncomfortably), then that means you're going to be keeping it secret and maybe playing it up as "a joke" to "cover for how often you sleep", but if takes it even a little seriously (especially if he asks good questions about consequences or problems), then invite him to see what you can really do tonight.
[X] Help Meria
-[X] Discuss a more solid schedule for the work, as well as what would need to be done to turn the collaboration into a regular business.
[X] Investigate the Los Angeles murder of the casino boss, possibly with Harold observing the first part while you explain what you're doing and why.
-[X] Find an up-to-date reference of the part of Los Angeles near the murder (or of it, if you can), draw a Window Between using it, then send your dream form through that window.
-[X] You'll take a look at the evidence in the waking world, but you're mostly using the physical location to get a better idea of the corresponding dream realm location.
-[X] If by some miracle you find the killer's dream form instead of just hints, defeat it and use Sheriff's Star, then try to get them to tell you why they did it; people are generally the hero of their own story, after all. Then, take a vote as to what more to do with them.
-[X] You've been putting this off, and for good reason, but it's time to sound out Harold on the possibility of revealing your other job.
--[X] Ask Harold what he'd do if he could be a superhero with dream powers?
--[X] Use refuge-in-audacity, hypotheticals, and some storytelling to introduce the idea and explain it; a world of castoff dreams and a life lived within it, surviving and learning. A competition of best fitness for the prize of the competition-holders job. A process of shaping the stuff of dreams, and gaining certain powers in dreams and out.
---[X] If he takes it well so far, make a subtle demonstration; something he can accept or dismiss depending on how he feels about it, like a little bit of Waking Dream mist.
----[X] Either way, agree with him, and follow through; if he dismisses it (especially uncomfortably), then that means you're going to be keeping it secret and maybe playing it up as "a joke" to "cover for how often you sleep", but if takes it even a little seriously (especially if he asks good questions about consequences or problems), then invite him to see what you can really do tonight.
[X] Help Meria
-[X] Discuss a more solid schedule for the work, as well as what would need to be done to turn the collaboration into a regular business.
[X] Investigate the Los Angeles murder of the casino boss, possibly with Harold observing the first part while you explain what you're doing and why.
-[X] Find an up-to-date reference of the part of Los Angeles near the murder (or of it, if you can), draw a Window Between using it, then send your dream form through that window.
-[X] You'll take a look at the evidence in the waking world, but you're mostly using the physical location to get a better idea of the corresponding dream realm location.
-[X] If by some miracle you find the killer's dream form instead of just hints, defeat it and use Sheriff's Star, then try to get them to tell you why they did it; people are generally the hero of their own story, after all. Then, take a vote as to what more to do with them.
Thirty Eight
AN: This particular chapter fought me.
[X] Watch the Monitors (Talk with Harold)
-[X] You've been putting this off, and for good reason, but it's time to sound out Harold on the possibility of revealing your other job.
"So, tell me, what would you do if you could be a super hero?" John asked Harold curiously.
"Hah!" Harold chuckled and slapped his belly. "With this gut?" He chuckled again and leaned back in his seat. "Maybe go off and do hero shit? Never really thought about it. Got enough issues with my normal life."
"Really?" John asked with raised eyebrows.
"Lord knows I have issues with my life." The man responded and rocked in his chair a bit. "I couldn't say really?"
"Here, what I'm going to do is wave my hand and give you super powers." John waved his hand and the other man floated off his chair. "There, go ahead and do what you want."
Floating through the air, the surprised man looked down at his chair for a moment. Then laughed and moved out of the room. John watched him go and then followed sedately. The fat man flew through the air for a bit and then landed at a donut shop. After a moment of negotiation he grabbed a large bag of donuts and then floated atop the building to eat a few.
"Really?" John deadpanned as he looked at the man.
"Hey, if you can do whatever you want, this is what I'd want to do." Harold replied back cheerfully. "Stopping crime and all that shit would need a lot of calories."
"If you say so." John took a seat next to the man and watched as a police car started to drive by with sirens blaring. "Oh look, a crime!"
Harold stuck a donut into his mouth and began to fly off after the car. After a few minutes he found a large burning building. The man didn't even hesitate, he dove right into the flames. They all went out in an instant and the fat man laughed as he finished off his donut.
"Awesome!" Harold continued to laugh as he flew higher into the air.
John met him on a cloud chuckling along with the other man. "You're really getting into the swing of things aren't you?"
"This is a great dream." Harold nodded rapidly.
"Yes, perhaps it is." John's chuckle died down as he looked at the horizon. "How'd you like to have more dreams like this?"
"Oh?" The other man asked curiously.
"Wake up." John ordered.
Harold blinked awake inside the office again. In the other chair John shook his head with an amused look on his face. "Donuts and flying eh?"
"Eh, what?" Harold sat up in his chair, still fairly groggy.
"Welcome to the dream." John stated quietly. "For the next week, you'll have full control over your dreams. At the end of that week, I'd like to offer you something akin to a job."
"Wait, you saw my dream?" Harold grunted as he pulled himself up out of his chair.
John shrugged and went to his sketching. "Yes. To be fair, it's far from the most embarassing one I saw."
"That's kind of... Freaky kid." Harold shook his head and move to the door. "Yeah. I need to go for a walk."
"That's fine." John replied back.
The man returned after about an hour and settled back into his chair without a word. For now the man seemed content to ignore what had happened, but John could see him thinking about it. John was in no rush so he simply waited.
[X] Help Meria
-[X] Discuss a more solid schedule for the work, as well as what would need to be done to turn the collaboration into a regular business.
Technically they had agreed to meet once a month, but John did have a standing invitation to visit Meria at any time if he needed. He took advantage of that this time. Meria had let him into her apartment with an almost embarrassed look.
"It's kinda small." She gestured around and pointed to a spot on the floor. "Have a seat I suppose?" She trailed off and sighed.
"It's fine." John waved off the awkwardness and just sat himself down on the floor.
"My mother would have a fit at me being such a poor host, and to say nothing about grammy." Meria set herself against the bed and smiled a bit. "So, what brings you here?"
"I was wondering if you'd want to make our collaboration a regular thing? Maybe do a small business?" John asked curiously.
Meria froze as she thought of it and then smiled a bit shakily. "That's a bit sudden? I mean we've barely done one project." She chuckled uneasily.
"I had fun. Did you manage to sell our first thing?" John asked curiously.
"It's in a gallery right now. I've gotten a few small offers." Meria admitted slowly and then turned serious. "You want to do something like a partnership?"
"I would. A bit more money sounds great." John nodded just as seriously.
"It might be possible." Meria leaned forward a bit. "I'd need your help every evening. I'll also need starting capital." She grimaced and looked away. "I can get by on school grant money, but if I want to do this as a 'job' then I'll need more than what I have."
John paused. He did have the money, but spending every evening doing art? It would cut into his other 'job' so to speak. Also while he had the money that was because he didn't spend it on everything. If he splurged it, he was going to have to be committed.
[] Yes - Evening slots are locked helping Meria.
[] No - Continue as normal.
[X] Investigate the Los Angeles murder of the casino boss, possibly with Harold observing the first part while you explain what you're doing and why.
-[X] Find an up-to-date reference of the part of Los Angeles near the murder (or of it, if you can), draw a Window Between using it, check for sunlight, then if dark, send your dream form through that window.
--[X] If light, use the Window to draw a second window into a place of shadow, then use that instead.
-[X] You'll take a look at the evidence in the waking world, but you're mostly using the physical location to get a better idea of the corresponding dream realm location.
-[X] If by some miracle you find the killer's dream form instead of just hints, defeat it and use Sheriff's Star, then try to get them to tell you why they did it; people are generally the hero of their own story, after all. Then, take a vote as to what more to do with them.
It was trivially easy to get a good view of Los Angeles. Getting a view of the room was harder, but there was a fairly easy picture of the street in question which was enough. All he needed to do then was sketch up an appropriate view and create a window to the area. Then when the sun dropped he slipped through the window and into another city.
There was quite a thrill about being able to travel almost instantly anywhere, the dragon admitted to himself. He didn't let that distract him though as he flew up the building to investigate the area.
In the real world there was obviously nothing of course. In the dream world though, he found the lingering traces of a drain. This didn't technically prove anything, but it did make the dragon suspicious.
He decided to roam around the city some in dream form. Almost immediately he located something unusual. A dream denizen going hunting. Something about them triggered a bit of recognition though, and the dragon took a step back to examine them more. A few moment of looking let him identify what was going on.
Someone that was not one of your rivals had a dream form. It looked strange too. A mannequin with a stitched mouth and a collar. That had... Disturbing connotations.
[]?
[X] Watch the Monitors (Talk with Harold)
-[X] You've been putting this off, and for good reason, but it's time to sound out Harold on the possibility of revealing your other job.
"So, tell me, what would you do if you could be a super hero?" John asked Harold curiously.
"Hah!" Harold chuckled and slapped his belly. "With this gut?" He chuckled again and leaned back in his seat. "Maybe go off and do hero shit? Never really thought about it. Got enough issues with my normal life."
"Really?" John asked with raised eyebrows.
"Lord knows I have issues with my life." The man responded and rocked in his chair a bit. "I couldn't say really?"
"Here, what I'm going to do is wave my hand and give you super powers." John waved his hand and the other man floated off his chair. "There, go ahead and do what you want."
Floating through the air, the surprised man looked down at his chair for a moment. Then laughed and moved out of the room. John watched him go and then followed sedately. The fat man flew through the air for a bit and then landed at a donut shop. After a moment of negotiation he grabbed a large bag of donuts and then floated atop the building to eat a few.
"Really?" John deadpanned as he looked at the man.
"Hey, if you can do whatever you want, this is what I'd want to do." Harold replied back cheerfully. "Stopping crime and all that shit would need a lot of calories."
"If you say so." John took a seat next to the man and watched as a police car started to drive by with sirens blaring. "Oh look, a crime!"
Harold stuck a donut into his mouth and began to fly off after the car. After a few minutes he found a large burning building. The man didn't even hesitate, he dove right into the flames. They all went out in an instant and the fat man laughed as he finished off his donut.
"Awesome!" Harold continued to laugh as he flew higher into the air.
John met him on a cloud chuckling along with the other man. "You're really getting into the swing of things aren't you?"
"This is a great dream." Harold nodded rapidly.
"Yes, perhaps it is." John's chuckle died down as he looked at the horizon. "How'd you like to have more dreams like this?"
"Oh?" The other man asked curiously.
"Wake up." John ordered.
Harold blinked awake inside the office again. In the other chair John shook his head with an amused look on his face. "Donuts and flying eh?"
"Eh, what?" Harold sat up in his chair, still fairly groggy.
"Welcome to the dream." John stated quietly. "For the next week, you'll have full control over your dreams. At the end of that week, I'd like to offer you something akin to a job."
"Wait, you saw my dream?" Harold grunted as he pulled himself up out of his chair.
John shrugged and went to his sketching. "Yes. To be fair, it's far from the most embarassing one I saw."
"That's kind of... Freaky kid." Harold shook his head and move to the door. "Yeah. I need to go for a walk."
"That's fine." John replied back.
The man returned after about an hour and settled back into his chair without a word. For now the man seemed content to ignore what had happened, but John could see him thinking about it. John was in no rush so he simply waited.
[X] Help Meria
-[X] Discuss a more solid schedule for the work, as well as what would need to be done to turn the collaboration into a regular business.
Technically they had agreed to meet once a month, but John did have a standing invitation to visit Meria at any time if he needed. He took advantage of that this time. Meria had let him into her apartment with an almost embarrassed look.
"It's kinda small." She gestured around and pointed to a spot on the floor. "Have a seat I suppose?" She trailed off and sighed.
"It's fine." John waved off the awkwardness and just sat himself down on the floor.
"My mother would have a fit at me being such a poor host, and to say nothing about grammy." Meria set herself against the bed and smiled a bit. "So, what brings you here?"
"I was wondering if you'd want to make our collaboration a regular thing? Maybe do a small business?" John asked curiously.
Meria froze as she thought of it and then smiled a bit shakily. "That's a bit sudden? I mean we've barely done one project." She chuckled uneasily.
"I had fun. Did you manage to sell our first thing?" John asked curiously.
"It's in a gallery right now. I've gotten a few small offers." Meria admitted slowly and then turned serious. "You want to do something like a partnership?"
"I would. A bit more money sounds great." John nodded just as seriously.
"It might be possible." Meria leaned forward a bit. "I'd need your help every evening. I'll also need starting capital." She grimaced and looked away. "I can get by on school grant money, but if I want to do this as a 'job' then I'll need more than what I have."
John paused. He did have the money, but spending every evening doing art? It would cut into his other 'job' so to speak. Also while he had the money that was because he didn't spend it on everything. If he splurged it, he was going to have to be committed.
[] Yes - Evening slots are locked helping Meria.
[] No - Continue as normal.
[X] Investigate the Los Angeles murder of the casino boss, possibly with Harold observing the first part while you explain what you're doing and why.
-[X] Find an up-to-date reference of the part of Los Angeles near the murder (or of it, if you can), draw a Window Between using it, check for sunlight, then if dark, send your dream form through that window.
--[X] If light, use the Window to draw a second window into a place of shadow, then use that instead.
-[X] You'll take a look at the evidence in the waking world, but you're mostly using the physical location to get a better idea of the corresponding dream realm location.
-[X] If by some miracle you find the killer's dream form instead of just hints, defeat it and use Sheriff's Star, then try to get them to tell you why they did it; people are generally the hero of their own story, after all. Then, take a vote as to what more to do with them.
It was trivially easy to get a good view of Los Angeles. Getting a view of the room was harder, but there was a fairly easy picture of the street in question which was enough. All he needed to do then was sketch up an appropriate view and create a window to the area. Then when the sun dropped he slipped through the window and into another city.
There was quite a thrill about being able to travel almost instantly anywhere, the dragon admitted to himself. He didn't let that distract him though as he flew up the building to investigate the area.
In the real world there was obviously nothing of course. In the dream world though, he found the lingering traces of a drain. This didn't technically prove anything, but it did make the dragon suspicious.
He decided to roam around the city some in dream form. Almost immediately he located something unusual. A dream denizen going hunting. Something about them triggered a bit of recognition though, and the dragon took a step back to examine them more. A few moment of looking let him identify what was going on.
Someone that was not one of your rivals had a dream form. It looked strange too. A mannequin with a stitched mouth and a collar. That had... Disturbing connotations.
[]?