[Video] A Nightmare's Curiosity

[phobophage]

[A tortured stasis shrieks from the Vine, accompanied by vague shadowy impressions of a face in the mirror, with red eye glowing. The video quickly cuts out. A while later, it resumes, showing an empty backdrop of the Gardens before cutting out again. Finally, the video returns and stays, showing an oddly monochrome teenager.]

This is so fascinating. This place all feels weird and I can't really grasp things here which's kind of irritating, but it should be interesting learning how here works. I wonder if this is what another Queen's Dream World feels like. Or is that too much of an assumption? But I'd love to learn this Queen's secrets.

And did you enjoy my welcome? I had to work hard to get the Vine to do that. I can't get the mirror to act like a portal which's rather annoying but other than that it just took a little fear to make it cooperate. Oh, would you know anything about this Queen? And if I could build dreams here, I wouldn't do it at her whim, but it's still annoying that I can't seem to do that even when I want to. Has anyone succeeded in building anything here?

Comments

[phobophage]

I understand what makes you afraid, but I don't understand why. I think I've just understood the whys for a great many things more.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Wow, yeah, that would probably be kind of confusing if you didn't know about the whole dying thing.




Although now I'm wondering why I'm trying to help a Nightmare be good at her work. That doesn't seem to be a really rewarding tack to take...

[phobophage]

Oh, I knew about the dying thing, just not the specific causes. After all, Dreamers come and go all the time. And you're doing it because this discussion interests you.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Fair enough... I just feel like next nightmare I have might be a little more tailor-made than I'd like. [Possibly a joke, that.]

But yeah, if there's one thing I can't fault this place for, it's interesting conversations.

[phobophage]

Oh, I can already tailor-make nightmares to people. So far the talk's been interesting indeed.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Better than talking about the latest American Idol, anyhow. Even with the occasional threat to life and limb.

[phobophage]

There're some hilarious nightmares related to that show.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Hm... anything interesting beyond the usual "naked" and "can't remember the lines" stuff?

[phobophage]

Being chewed out by the judges figuratively and literally.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Literally?

Ew. Yeah, that'd be kind of terrible. Kind of very terrible.

[phobophage]

I suppose you have to be a Nightmare to appreciate the humor.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Probably. Or a jerk. Like, if you're a... Dreamer, right?

It's the whole "empathy" thing.

[phobophage]

Oh, that empathy thing Berry talks about. I'm afraid I still don't get it, but I do get her point any Dreamers can be potentially interesting.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

I suppose it'd get in the way of your work if you had empathy, at least for Dreamers. I'm guessing it's not a general Nightmare thing, even for your fellow, um, Nightmare?

[phobophage]

Other Dreams aren't really food sources so we just talk to each other or ignore them if they bore us. Though I've heard some Dreams, like Succubi or Blisses, have more empathy.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

....food sources.




Well, I guess that makes sense. So, bedwetting terror is food for you?

[phobophage]

With many varieties of flavor.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

I feel like I should be more creeped out by that than I am.

This place must be breaking me.

[phobophage]

The Dream Saviors I worked with got weird out by how quickly they got used to me, too.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

Dream Saviors?

[phobophage]

They protect the Dream World from what would destroy it.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

This sounds kind of like a video game.

So there are seriously things that want to destroy the, uh, Dream World?

[phobophage]

Not as a direct aim, but the inevitable result of them dragging everyone into their own despair.

[notvitiligo.livejournal.com]

That sounds like either more than your usual share of despair, or more power than any one person needs.

Although a lot more interesting and realistic than a video game plot, at least.

[phobophage]

It was both. It's a good thing the main danger's over. There're only a few here and there to be mopped up.

It'd be worse if this Queen took me away before the end of the Dream War.