[OPEN] ASTRAL PROJECTING AND YOU

[starseedling]

Who: Steven and YOU!
Where: Various places, and in Steven's trailer.
When: During the latter half of performance week mostly.
What: Steven's astral form gets stuck in your dreamcatcher, because life is awkward. Also, Greg comes back to the trailer after getting attacked by lethifolds.
Warnings: IDK nothing probably.

► DREAMCAUGHT
Being told that following a set of rules will keep you safe is one thing, but believing it in your gut is another. Along with performing in front of an audience for the first time (as spaced out as they may be) and worrying about the mysterious repercussions of taking naps, anxieties of what might happen have been keeping Steven up at night. He's been spending large portions of each night with his eyes closed, wondering if the dreamcaters will work like they're supposed to, and how performances will go the next day. He's not sure how much he actually sleeps outside of muddled periods of missing time.

He can't help but worry what would happen if one of his own nightmares escapes - like the ones he saw when he was Stevonnie. In front of his dad. In front of everyone. He doesn't want to focus on that right now. He doesn't want to think about it. The point of all this was to get away, wasn't it? He needs to escape, just for a while.

And like in so many other situations, his stress and latent desires manifest them in the form of his powers taking over, outside of his conscious control. As if responding to that desire to get away from it all, his astral dream form leaves his body, made nearly physical by the neighboring Dream Realm. It feels like just another dream, as he rises up and sees the carnival from the air above. Without acknowledging that it's a dream, he lets his curiosity rule him and goes searching without another thought.

Except, in this form, it turns out that he counts as a dream just as much as any phantasm or nightmare from the Realm. Which means that as soon as he gets too close, the charms of protections cast on each dreamcatcher are fully capable of sucking him in too. He doesn't even get the chance to realize what's happened, before he abruptly finds himself tangled in one of their weaves, a strange mix of physical and spiritual.

And that's how you may find a miniature child stuck in your dreamcatcher like a fly in a spiderweb, kicking his legs uselessly.

"Help!" he'll eventually call out, his voice small to match his size. "I... I don't... I'm stuck! Please?"


► CLOSED TO GREG
He knows that his dad had a late work shift that night, but that doesn't stop him from sitting up long after he's gotten back to the trailer from his last performance, waiting for Greg to come home. It shouldn't be that late, he thinks, and given his anxieties about this current location, he doesn't really want to sleep alone.

He read a book, for a while, but eventually he gets too tired to focus on the words. Eventually he shuts off the main lights and just leaves on one of the lamps, staring up at the spaceships and stars the two of them decorated the interior of the trailer with, quiet worries about what Greg might be doing nipping at his insides. There's no reason to think that anything bad has happened but... he saw some of those nightmare guys, and they're scary. Maybe he should go out and look?

He doesn't have his pajamas from home, so for the moment he's using an oversized t-shirt from waredrobe instead. He's all ready for bed, except for the part where Greg is there.

He ends up falling asleep on the couch at around 1:30AM, too caught by surprise to be afraid.

Comments

I GUESS WARNING FOR BOOB-JOKES FOR THIS THREAD???

[insidescoop]

[Carly has been doing her best for the last number of days when it comes to sleep. She's been prepared-prepared to the max, especially after that one brief scare where there was a BABY floating around from her dreams.

That sure was awkward.

Snoring away as she is, it takes her a bit to wake-Steven's voice is faint in her ears, even when she finally manages to pull herself from a groggy daze. Even then, it takes her a while to locate the source...of course, when she does-] Heh... ...Did I have a Steven dream again..?

[She kept thinking about how to glitter up a good costume for him, so it wouldn't surprise her...

The dreamcatcher, and as a result, the tiny steven, sits just over her chest, the girl sitting up to stare.] Wait...

[Ah. Now she's awake.] EH?! Stuck?! Isn't that the point of these things..!?

WE'LL SEE

[starseedling]

[The fact that the dreamcatcher is resting on her chest means that he can prop himself up against it a little, the chords of the webbing still tangled around limbs in a way that is irrationally impossible to unwind. When she sits up, though, the dreamcatcher slips down, causing him to lose his gold and leaving him to hang from the threads again.

He's obviously scared, now that she's awake to focus on him, whether he's just a phantasm from her dreams or not. He tries to look up at her.]

I... yeah, I guess, but... I'm not supposed to be out here! I didn't mean to...

AT THE VERY LEAST NO ONE CAN SAY THEY WEREN'T WARNED

[insidescoop]

[Still quite oblivious to the chances of this not being a Dream!Steven, Carly is, suffice to say, missing the meaning of his words entirely.] Of course you aren't..!

You're supposed to be in my head! Shoo! SHOO! [She waves, waving a hand and attempting to shake him from the dream catcher.] What would the real Steven say if a tiny him was floating around..!!

[Well. About that, Carly.]

[starseedling]

[He flinches, unable to 'shoo' or move much in general. The webbing of the dreamcatcher is bound firmly around his arms and legs. Her comment only seems to panic him more.]

I am the real Steven! A-Aren't I? I just went to sleep and I woke up here, and... and I can't...

[He's trying to remember how this happened, but the way in which this is still a dreamstate is confusing him.]

[insidescoop]

Hmmm...That sounds exactly like what dream Steven would say though...

Besides! How would someone be able to just turn tiny and get stuck in a dream catcher otherwise! [she protests.] This thing is supposed to catch dreams, not ghosts!

[A pause.]

A-At least I hope not... S- You're not dead either right?!

[fragileandsoft]

Once the pain had gone, Greg had started worrying about missing his shift, and if it makes sense for him to go back to it after this, or if he CAN go back knowing there's monsters out there waiting for him or for anyone and he can't keep counting on someone to take care of it... well, most of that train of thought peters out once he washes off the ungent.

The loss of those old burns isn't distressing so much as distracting. Greg keeps getting caught off guard by the glimpses of his arms or hands moving in his peripheral. It's just plain weird.

Once that registers, Greg's only interested in going back to his trailer. Over the last few hours, the realization that he nearly died has bubbled up and been repressed multiple times. Finally, he needs to just go back to his son and appreciate that he is, despite all odds, not dead.

It's past two in the morning when he enters the trailer, and instantly Greg's eyes are drawn to his son. Ah.

Without a word, Greg goes over, and gently picks Steven up to carry him to bed. There are a lot of strange things about Steven's stalled growth, but so long as it lets Greg carry him around a little longer he doesn't much mind at all.

[starseedling]

It's not until after he's already been settled onto the bed that he wakes up, the sensation of being carried having felt natural enough to be comforting. Yet, he's pretty sure that he fell asleep on the couch, and so the change is enough to draw his attention. His eyes flutter open half way, and he sees Greg there in the dim lighting. He smiles.

"You're back!" he says sleepily, something about this registering as strange to him, but nothing he can sort out at the moment.

[fragileandsoft]

"Yeah. Sorry I'm a little late." Greg smiles back, soft and weary and so, so glad to be here. He sinks into the bed beside his son and gives him a little pat on the shoulder. "Go back to sleep, bud. We can talk about it in the morning." Steven hasn't quite woken up all the way to notice his change, and Greg would like the extra few hours to figure it out himself. He takes a moment to double-check the dreamcatcher tied above the bed is in order. No blanket demons are getting them in here.

[starseedling]

He yawns softly, and snuggles a bit closer to Greg, though his eyes haven't closed yet. As sleepy as he is, now that someone is here he's inclined to chatter, at least a little. He has a super busy, sort of stressful day himself. He figures things might be similar for Greg.

"Talk about what?" he asks, not really expecting it to be anything serious. Maybe there were just some extra damage or problems Greg had to take care of. He's more eager to let Greg vent if he wants than concerned about the details.

[fragileandsoft]

"Mmm. Ran into some weird folks during the shift." That's the mildest way he can put it, for now. No point dragging Steven out of a peaceful state to worry over him right now. Greg wraps one arm around Steven as he cuddles in. Despite his exhaustion, he's not sure he'll be able to sleep any time soon. "Got to meet some good people because of it, though. They really know their stuff."

[mossbuds]

Lars hasn't exactly been dozing peacefully. The dread of his new reality has been gradually wearing on him, as has his grief and mourning of his few friends and family—especially since he's much better at making enemies than friends, something he finally fully understands. It's been days of turning and tossing and being paralyzed by terror. Somehow, though, the dam hasn't quite broken; he mostly channels all this into a simmering, constant low boil of anger. But it's getting harder and harder to push down.

Currently, Lars is haggard; his health has never been amazing, really, but he looks like a mess (understandable, as people didn't tend to look great at rest, but it's been a look happening for the last couple days). He's in anxious cold sweats, and keeps teetering between sleep and wakefulness, catching about thirty minutes to an hour before he's awake for about the same amount of time.

This time, he's woken up with a low, long and miserable groan. His eyes hurt and he's too hot. He kicks off his blankets fitfully, frustrated, and rolls to his side. His finger pads graze across the sides of his head as he curls a little, pressing his weary eyes shut. Then he hears a little voice, and his eyes snap open. He pauses, and hears it again, so he sits up. He looks over his shoulders, his fingers anxiously curled near his chest as he listens for it again.

His voice raised in an anxious mumble. "Holy crap, am I hallucinating?" Wow, he really needed to figure out how to get some decent rest...

[starseedling]

The realization comes with a flood on panic, every time. It's a feeling like being trapped and unable to wake up, as if he's suffering from sleep paralysis. Things seem subtly blurred and confused, like he's working his way through the fog of a dream.

Except none of those things prevent him from recognizing the sound of Lars's voice. His presence here makes no sense. Except... maybe it does? According to dream logic, he wouldn't need any reason at all.

"Lars! Help! It's Steven and I'm tiny and I'm stuuuuck!" he whines, caught in the threads of the dreamcatcher hanging in front of Lars's window, his body hung at an awkward diagonal. He squirms to try to turn around in the right direction and figure out where his friend's voice is coming from.

[mossbuds]

Yeah. Lars isn't questioning his sanity any less at this point—now HE'S not sure if he's dreaming or not.

"What the f—hhhheck... Steven?" Lars stares vacantly into the darkness in bewilderment, frantically trying to process the unfolding events in his crappy, sleep deprived mind. He grasps either corner of his top sheet, belatedly realizing his shame, and wraps it around his waist after he scoots off his bed. He ties it somewhat absent-mindedly, and slowly, his wide, tired eyes scanning the darkness for Steven. Tiny and stuck?? Where?

Lars decides to go towards the nebulous cloud of Steven noise. He makes way to his window, holding the excess makeshift sheet-skirt by one handful. He drops it once close enough, and finally sees Steven. He can't help but feel kinda anxious that maybe this is some trick of the carnival. But the part of him dumb enough to fall for that trick really just actually wants it to be someone familiar—who he actually knows, unlike Amethyst.

Carefully, Lars removes the dreamcatcher, and decides he feels really weird about... untangling Steven. "How in the WORLD did you do this?" What if he hurts him?? How the fuck is he so tiny?? Still, he delicately maneuvers the thread around Steven's limbs.

This is a really complicated, weird dream. If it is a dream. He pauses, staring doubtfully at the tiny Steven mid detangle.

"Are you real? Am I nuts?? The heck's goin' on?"

[starseedling]

"I don't know!!" Steven replies, pretty confused and panicked in his own right. He grabs onto Lars's finger in an attempt to pull himself out with its leverage, but that isn't really working. Every time he manages to gain some wiggle room from the netting, it seems to pull him back in again. "I mean - I'm pretty sure I'm real because... I'm... I'm not sure how but I am! I think it's to do with my powers!"

Steven isn't always the best at concisely explaining his problems. He looks up at Lars, flushing.

"But when did you get here? I didn't see you anywhere!"

[mossbuds]

"Man, you and your dumb powers always gettin' you in trouble—hold still," Lars firmly asserts, squinting blearily. This is one of the weirdest Steven related incidents yet, besides being possessed by him for a day.

"Yeah, that's cuz I only been here a few days." He makes some irritated growl in the back of his throat as he continues to fuss with the strings, and he manages to free up Steven's other arm. His plump middle is stuck for sure, though. Lars pauses, then delicately pinches the scruff of Steven's shirt.

"Okay, Steven, suck it in. I'm gonna try to pull you out."

[faking]

It's been about two and a half hours, despite dawn's close approach, so it figures something would rouse Alois from his fitful nap. He hadn't meant to sleep quite so long in the first place—he's been wearing himself out, doing his damnedest to run on as little rest possible—so he isn't irritated when he wakes up. Well, perhaps at first blush (or just first anxious flush); before his eyes even focus properly, he has a dazed scowl. But as his consciousness catches up with him, Alois gasps a bit, floundering awkwardly in bed, belatedly reacting as though he's been jerked awake instead of just called with a little cry.

"What," he mumbles, cotton-tongued, mouth dry. Is Silver already up for the day? That's a blow to Alois' weird pride; it means Silver will have seen him sleeping. Alois sniffs a bit, shifting in bed, tousling his own hair and rubbing his face. "What?" This time it's a yawn, and he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment. It hasn't quite hit him, sleepy and vacant as he is, that someone is calling— someone nearby has called for—

His eyes snap open, and he jerks his hands away from his face so he can look around, a frantic vigor. "What?" he demands, now slightly shrill, suddenly kickstarted into liveliness. He twists in his bed, tangling himself in the sheets. "What is that?"

[starseedling]

It's a miniature child, hanging upside down from your dreamcatcher. Surprise!

Steven waves his arms, his legs tangled in the netting of the device, suspended from its place near the window. He is small enough to fit within the ring of the dreamcatcher, which would imply that there's something not quite natural about this image.

"I'm sorry! I... I didn't want to wake you up but I can't get out by myself!"

[fourthscribe]

Tanyuu has been...well, she gets her sleep, at least. Maybe not as much as she should, being a little bit too worried about the implications of falling asleep within a dream, but enough. And always with a dreamcatcher nearby, out of that exact same neurosis that has her up half the night in the first place.

The bed around Tanyuu is crawling with strange, shadowy things, most of it what looks like strings of written kanji that crawl over any available surface, up walls and over sheets in a tangled mess. Seeing those her first morning had been more than enough of a fright, but the fact that the dreamcatcher sucked them in just like any other phantasm was relief enough for Tanyuu to only find them a nuisance this far into the carnival's stay. She shifts and grumbles, still coiled under the light blanket as she brushes a few of the creeping lines out of her face and peers around.

"What...?"

Something woke her, and a glance to the small clock near her bed tells her it wouldn't be Ginko--he's off feeding the menagerie their breakfasts right now. Did Sans find his way in...?

Another blearly glance around, and it's at that point Tanyuu catches the slight swinging movement of the dreamcatcher. She looks over and startles to see Steven struggling in it. She recognizes she boy from working on his makeup and hair, even if she hasn't had much of a chance to get to know him yet.

"Steven?! How did you--?!"

[starseedling]

Steven startles, as surprised by her sudden notice and she was by his presence. He stops struggling abruptly, flaring pink in the cheeks and looking deeply embarrassed.

"Tanyuu! I... It's just... a problem I've been having this week! It'll be find, I'll just-" He tugs on it again, to no avail. "I'm... I'm sorry." He exhales, defeated. "Can you help me out...? It's kind of complicated to explain."

[fourthscribe]

It's hard to not feel sorry for the poor boy, and with a soft huff of breath Tanyuu pulls herself further upright. The dreamcatcher itself is surrounded by a soft, purple light, and unhooks itself from the hanger to float over close enough for Tanyuu to take with her hands.

"I can imagine. Let me know if I hold too tightly, alright?"

As carefully and gently as she can manage, Tanyuu grabs Steven and tries to tug him free of the dreamcatcher. Each time she gets him a little further off, she moves her fingers as a barrier to keep him from re-sticking to the wires.

[puddingemote]

Tamaki's been practicing pretty hard for the performances, and performing his best. He's still a beginner at being an acrobat so his shows aren't too thrilling yet (although the dreamers seem to like them well enough), but he still works hard enough to wear himself out.

He's coming into his trailer after one such performance, ready to crawl into his bunk and pass out for a few hours, when he hears a little voice and notices a very, very small person stuck in Mitsuki's dreamcatcher.

"Huh?"

He leans down a little so he's more or less eye level with Steven, tapping his chin.

"Whose dream are you?"

[starseedling]

He's been hanging there for what feels like a long time by the time Tamaki shows up, and mostly he's just totally relieved that it's a familiar face. So he starts pleading for help the moment he gets the chance.

"Tamaki! I just got... well, sometimes when I dream, I... I guess I'm my dream? But I left my body and now I'm stuck in this thing! Can you help me out?" He'll give you puppy dog eyes and everything.

[puddingemote]

Tamaki' eyes light up in recognition, mouth popping open in an O. "Ah, Stevicchi!"

He gently grips the dreamcatcher in one hand, examining it to figure out how to dislodge Steven. "Is this more alien magic?" he asks as he starts trying to pry him away from the dreamcatcher, carefully of course!

[starseedling]

Tugging him out normally doesn't seem to work very well. The threads seem to cling to Steven more firmly than just being tangled around him, so any pull just seems to result in him bouncing back again. He appreciates the attempt, though!

Also, he has no idea where Stevicchi comes from as a nickname, but it is decidedly awesome.

"I think so! Sometimes when I sleep I kind of... leave my body? Except this time I left my body and went right into a dreamcatcher. It's... kind of been happening a lot, this week. Sorry."

[puddingemote]

It's good that he likes the nickname, because now that Tamaki's decided on it he has zero inclination to change it.

He gives Steven another tug and watches as he bounces back again. It's kind of funny... Ah, but he probably shouldn't keep doing that!

"S'okay. I'm not sure how to get you out, though... When the puddings get caught I just leave them."

He's nervous about trying to cut the strings, for Steven's safety and also the possibility of ruining Mitsuki's dreamcatcher. Maybe he can untangle the threads?