Project Nocturnus : "The Grotesque"

paperclip2

Arrggghhh!

Everytime I see Dragans posted I leap to the end of the thread in anticipation of great things!

Once more no joy!!

fonpokno

paperclip2 wrote: »

Arrggghhh!

Everytime I see Dragans posted I leap to the end of the thread in anticipation of great things!

Once more no joy!!

Hahaha!




me too.

paperclip2

fonpokno wrote: »

Hahaha!


me too.

Doctor DooM

Me three.

*sniff*

c - 13

/Raises Hand

Four ...

fonpokno

That Dragan is such a heartbreaker... Getting all of our hopes up like that....

Dragan

Here you go folks, rough outline of setting etc!!!!!

The Dreamscape :

This is the setting for our story, a world that exists only in dreams. It's where the human spirit goes to rest and drop the shackles of the physical world, no limits here except your own faith and imagination. Most people enter it briefly and have no control over their dreams. It's an automatic thing as the connection between the spirit and the Wakened Mind is weak and one cannot control the other.

However, some people are Controled Dreams, able to dream lucidly and control the events that occur within their dreams. Still, these people can only control their own dreams and still have no clue that an entire other world and population exists.

Finally, you have the Weavers, people who Awaken within a dream and see the Dreamscape for what it is, an unshackled universe for the human spirit to exist in.

However, like every place there is good and evil, danger and safety. Nightmares exists alongside Dreams and will often adopt clever guises to hide their true nature. The same prevalance of human nature exists here as in the real world, the good will do good, the bad will do bad and the cycle will go on and on and the balance will be maintained.

You can be injured or even die while Weaving, the mind accepts the Dream for what it is, another form of reality, so the threats remain the same. People are found having died in their sleep, with no physical marks or clues as to why. Often times obscure medical reasons are blamed…in reality these people are the victims of Nightmares.

Occassionally a Weaver will come along who is almost like a Window to the waking world, it would be possible for another Weaver to take over their physical form and escape the Dreamscape. This can never be done by force, the link between the physical and spiritual form of the Weaver is just too strong, they must be either tricked into staying or choose to do so.

This is where our "Innocent" comes in. She is a Lucid Dream who one night Awakens within her dream to discover the Dreamscape. Almost instantly characters of both Dream and Nightmare proceed to take an interest in her..some try to help, some try to hinder, some try to take over.

One of the greatest dangers in the Dreamscape are those who died in the physical world but who's Spirit remains in the Dreamscape, Weavers of incredible power who by will alone refuse to allow their souls to dissapate, always waiting the next possible host. Eventually even these Weavers will wither away and die, so control of a new Window is often hotly contested.

Between the Dreams and the Nightmares is a shaky truce and politics is rampant. Issues will normally be solved with out violence but when it must come to "blows" it happens in great arena's made from the minds of those who fight, and filled with the Spirits of those who watch. The entire Dreamscape exists only as a place of subtle control, the main power always changing hands as one Weaver will rise to prominance before fading away and being forgotten. At least, until Lust appeared. His physical origins a mystery it is thought that in the real world he was a great and powerful industrial magnat who's appetites for the finer things in life knew no limits. It is said the night he Awakened was the darkest moment for the Dreamscape. He quickly rose to power using his innate ability to read other peoples desires and use this to control them, the people he could not break he simply destroyed. He ignoed the truce and politics and cut a bloody route to the top of the pile building around him an army of sycophantic creatures who were the same as him……people who had been lost to the Dreaming and had embraced the darker aspects of their personalities and drawn power from that.

At the time of our story the balance of power is firmly in the hands of Lust. He controls the Dreamscape and only a small few who are pure have managed to escape his controlling nature.

So, our freshly Awakened Innocent is suddenly the talk of the town, both sides scrabble to try and control her, but who can she trust in this strange new place, what is real and what is not and most importantly why can't she wake up?

c - 13

Dragan wrote: »

Long Post

Guilt finally got to you ? :pac:

paperclip2

fonpokno wrote: »

Hahaha!

me too.

SDooM wrote: »

Me three.

*sniff*

c - 13 wrote: »

/Raises Hand

Four ...

And a-one and a-two;

'Why Are We Waiting '



(No pressure D!)

Edit: Disregard the above. I am soo slow today.

Dinxminx

Dragan wrote: »

What you doing post work tomorrow? We can meet for a chat and sort something out?

Only joy for me!

Dragon - Well I was kind of talking more Beers night? I'm so bloody busy this week, but we'll see. You still have my number?

EDIT: Never mind...

Dragan

Dinxminx wrote: »

Only joy for me!

Dragon - Well I was kind of talking more Beers night? I'm so bloody busy this week, but we'll see. You still have my number?

EDIT: Never mind...

Yes i do indeed, beers night is good for me, i'll shoot you a text later anyways!!

fonpokno

I knew he wouldn't disappoint us!


I like it muchly Dragan, it's very cool.

Dinxminx

Dragan wrote: »

but who can she trust in this strange new place, what is real and what is not and most importantly why can't she wake up?

Me! She can totally trust me! Just look at this face - innocence personified!

c - 13

Okay so after reading and re-reading I have a couple of questions if you have a sec ?

(1) The Dreamscape - Does everyone go here when they are sleeping ?

(2) In the Dreamscape - Are the original ideas of Lusts minions appearing in the form or emotions/feelings/desires to be kept ?

(3) Weavers & Windows - Basically when a weaver awakens in a dream they have a window that they use to get back out (or another weaver if they trick the first) ? Does Lust want to use her as an escape path, destroy her, or something else ? Or is it not supposed to be known yet ?

Dragan

c - 13 wrote: »

Okay so after reading and re-reading I have a couple of questions if you have a sec ?

(1) The Dreamscape - Does everyone go here when they are sleeping ?

(2) In the Dreamscape - Are the original ideas of Lusts minions appearing in the form or emotions/feelings/desires to be kept ?

(3) Weavers & Windows - Basically when a weaver awakens in a dream they have a window that they use to get back out (or another weaver if they trick the first) ? Does Lust want to use her as an escape path, destroy her, or something else ? Or is it not supposed to be known yet ?

Good questions!

1) Yes, everyone goes here when they sleep. Most just skim the surface, never getting deep enough to actually control anything but also never getting deep enough to be at an risk. The are so close to the link between Spirit and Body at all times that they are instantly pulled back when under threat ( why the bady never gets you in a dream basically )

2) Yes indeed, the idea will be that to survive they had to strip down to their strongest emotion, their iron need....like an anchor to stop themselves drifting away. In short you have evil people embracing their most evil quality.

3) Spot on, each Weaver has a window only they can access, they can allow another person in but this will mean that they themselves will die. Lust is an equal opportuinity guy, he will control her is he can, would prefer to trick his way back to the real world and will destroy here to keep her from helping those who would see him fall.

Adam

Fantastic stuff Dragan, I can really get behind that.

Doctor DooM

Ooooh I'm liking this.


Is Lust going to be obviously evil, do you think? Or should he just be ruthlessly manipulative, appearing to be friendly at times?

Dragan

Right,

a very important point to note is that the format of the story has changed. I wanted to go with the comic book style but sadly the amount of work that would entail would require someone to decide to pay myself and Doom for about 18 months to be able to pull it off properly.

Instead, we are going for mixed media, the story will be told almost like a book, each chapters will have photos staring characters portrayed by this forums population and also drawings from Doom!

Needless to say myself and Doom are delighted to receive submissions of idea's, characters etc. If your into photography start thinking about how YOU might like to portray the story, if you can draw then maybe get the graphites out and give it a shot.

I have decided to set the story in the Dreamscape for a very simple reason.....it allows our imagination to know no limits. Everything is on the cards and will be included once it fits with the overall story and theme!

Anyways, the next piece i will be popping up is like a sample Prologue, a rough idea of the writing style for the story and hopefully just enough to wet your appetite!

Dragan

SDooM wrote: »

Ooooh I'm liking this.


Is Lust going to be obviously evil, do you think? Or should he just be ruthlessly manipulative, appearing to be friendly at times?

Oh he'll be both. I want him being his obviously evil self when the Innocent is not about, i want him trying to manipulate her himself and i want him taking on some guises in an effort to control her aswell.

The guy is a total bastard and we shall write him as such! lol

Doctor DooM

Dragan wrote: »

Oh he'll be both. I want him being his obviously evil self when the Innocent is not about, i want him trying to manipulate her himself and i want him taking on some guises in an effort to control her aswell.

The guy is a total bastard and we shall write him as such! lol

Excellent. Liking that.

I will need help with colouring and photoshopping my drawings. Someone who would like to work with pencillings/ inkings up.

Nerin

Cameo by nerin ftw

Doctor DooM

Nerin wrote: »

Cameo by nerin ftw

OOOOOOOOoooh! you could be a character that Lust has previously destroyed, that we just throw in to show how nasty evil he is.

Nerin

SDooM wrote: »

OOOOOOOOoooh! you could be a character that Lust has previously destroyed, that we just throw in to show how nasty evil he is.

Aw i had other plans i was thinking a crossover cameo of sorts,my now writing revolves around the character Nerin (hence the username) i was thinkin just a scene were the main character sees super angry Nerin attacking Lusts minions,and then the main character flees. Pretty much picturing my character in an older grittier form.

Nerin

SDooM wrote: »

OOOOOOOOoooh! you could be a character that Lust has previously destroyed, that we just throw in to show how nasty evil he is.

Aw i had other plans i was thinking a crossover cameo of sorts,my own writing revolves around the character Nerin (hence the username) i was thinkin just a scene were the main character sees super angry Nerin attacking Lusts minions,and then the main character flees. Pretty much picturing my character in an older grittier form.

Doctor DooM

No problem with that at all, for my part.

Dragan

Nerin wrote: »

Aw i had other plans i was thinking a crossover cameo of sorts,my own writing revolves around the character Nerin (hence the username) i was thinkin just a scene were the main character sees super angry Nerin attacking Lusts minions,and then the main character flees. Pretty much picturing my character in an older grittier form.

Works perfectly to be honest. Despite being in control we need Lust's time to be running out, he needs this Window so we need him almost against the ropes, you taking a chunk out of his supporters works perfectly for that.

Nerin

SDooM wrote: »

No problem with that at all, for my part.

I might try forward you some of my character designs,if i can find them

Doctor DooM

Nerin wrote: »

I might try forward you some of my character designs,if i can find them

I can do up some Brianical art of him when you do.


I'm going to have to get some pens to ink this

paperclip2

Just had a quick read and so far i reckon its well worth the wait. Kudos Dragan.:)

It reminds me a bit of the stories of the Greek sleep gods the Oneroi who could control and direct mortals dreams.

Dragan

Very rough prologue idea.

The Grotesque
Prologue

The dream was the same as it had always been. She opened her eyes to find herself in the hallway of a great house. It was old, neglected. Dust hung in the air and covered the floorboards beneath her feet and the odd smell of damp and decaying wood hit her in the back of the throat as she took her first breath.
She looked straight up at the huge staircase that rose up into the house. As the stairs grew higher they seemed to twist and change, ignoring the laws of sense and physics until they twisted in upon each other seeming to lead nowhere. She had tried to climb them before but always woke long before reaching where ever they might lead to.
She turned around just as the grandfather clock behind her gave the final tick towards Midnight, raising her hand towards the battered old clock. The hands stopped and a hush grew around the house, seeming to pour into every room, down every corridor. It was always Midnight here, she thought, time for a change. The hands on the clock began to speed forward, drawing in the hours as the night brightened and sunlight poured in the windows. It seemed to wash away the dust and decay and suddenly the house was beautiful again, picture perfect and noble once more.
Once again her eyes moved upwards towards the staircase, it still twisted and grew into itself, refusing to bend to her wishes even here. She gave a sigh and walked down the corridor, footsteps echoing behind and ahead of her. The house was still empty and she was still alone. She wondered if anyone else came here when she was gone. She had dreamed this place twice of three times a week for the last 3 years and it was always the same, always empty, always lonely.
She reached the back door and it opened for her, light and air flooding into the house as she step outside onto the soft cruch of gravel. The whole horizon bleak and bland, gravel and rock as far as the eye could see. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, tiny lines creeping across her forehead as she concentrated on the task at hand. Suddenly, beneath her feet grass began to bloom and spread outward in tendrils of green. It slowly expanded and soon flowers and bushes followed, springing up all around her. Suddenly, the earth began to shake and fully grown tree's exploded upwards, showering the flowers in a spray of dirt and mud.
Her work done she sat and waited, closing her eyes and straining to her the sounds of life through the hush. She could here nothing, not even an animal or bird and most definitely not a human. Every night she came here and changed this world and yet everyday night she was destined to witness it alone. She sighed, deep and lonely and walked back to the house. She entered one of the bedrooms downstairs and climbed into the bed that was there, closed he eyes and tried to wake up.

This time it was different.

She couldn't wake up and there was no one there to hear her screaming.