[video/action] The Nightmare Emerges

[phobophage]

(OOC: her permission post is here)

[video] Shameless plug
Well, I reviewed the recent conversations on this network, so I won't bother with the whole "Where are I? What's going on?" procedure. I have a pretty good idea of what's going on. It's superbly annoying, but I haven't survived as long as I have without learning to adjust. So I'm going to try starting a business that's, as they say, by artists for artists. Basically I'm going to apply my prior experience as a professional artist and manager of artist collectives to helping other artists, whether it is with selling their works, promoting themselves, getting exhibited, or getting gigs from local businesses. If you're interested, whether it is as an artist or support staff, drop me a line. I'm called The Shadow Lurking Behind You, but you can just call me Shadow.

Might as well do something with my time now that I've lost many of the usual ways to spend my time. And physicality means I need money for a place to stash my stuff and art supplies. Speaking of, who else have suddenly found themselves physical? It sucks. It means you actually have to walk places and so on. I'll just make that my one complaint of this post.

Also, what's with all this collecting adorable fight-happy critters? It's like something out of someone's dream about similar video games.

[action] The Shadow Lurking Behind You

[You're probably just walking somewhere, probably on a street, when it happens. You get a unspeakably ominous feeling. Like something horrible is lurking behind you. It feels like it's approaching. The shadows seem deeper, darker, like they're hiding things.

Or maybe you have enough resistance to such things to realize you're the target of an illusion.]

[action] Just Catnapping Around Town

[Or you might encounter Shadow in one of her lazier moods loafing around in one of her favorite forms: a black-furred sabertooth cat with red eyes. She has a tendency to sprawl out in weird places like other people's pouches, atop other people's cars, or inside elevators.]

Comments

video

[liveofftheland]

Well, that's enterprising. You sound like you're used to this.

Re: video

[phobophage]

I'm used to having really inconvenient things happen to me at the whim of forces outside of my control. Comes of being one of the Queen of the Dream World's favorite toys. Though occasionally she does things that affect larger swaths of the Dream World, like her declaration of Headless Day. I have friends who took years to find their heads after that fiasco.

[liveofftheland]

I think you've made your point about bizarre. I wouldn't believe a word of it, but I mean, look at this place.

[phobophage]

If it's something you can imagine happening in dreams, it's happened in the Dream World. It's like that. This place is definitely odder than what I would expect from an actually physical place, though.

[liveofftheland]

How can you tell the difference?

The Shadow

[yep_stilldead]

[Hm. This is bad. Ivy doesn't love the darkness under the best of circumstances - it reminds her of two centuries of solitude. But this - this is advanced darkness.

The walking doll turns around, as if to confront the darkness, and Ivy makes herself visible over it.]

J-Just so you know, if anyone's trying to follow me and murder me in the shadows, you'll just be disappointed! I've already been murdered once, so you can't do it again!

[phobophage]

[Huh. So apparently, she's just managed to scare a ghost. This... is not new to her, actually. Ghosts exist where she comes from. Honestly, it's always hilarious when she manages to scare one.

Ivy can hear the shadows... laughing?]

[yep_stilldead]

I'm not scared! Get lost!

[With that brave and definitely true declaration of victory, Ivy vanishes back into her doll and runs, as fast as her stubby little legs can carry her. In other words, not very fast.]

[phobophage]

[People running away? Guess what urge it stirs in someone who embodies the fear of predators? If you guessed the urge to chase, you're right. Ivy can hear the sound of creature footsteps following her.]

shadow

[ninjabanish]

[Alice isn't a stranger to the shadows- She was an assassin trained in the ways of ninja, she knows better than anyone how to hide in them. But to watch them become darker, and this sense, the feeling on the back of her neck of danger...

She leaps, drawing a pair of twin sickles, twisting around as she jumps to face behind her.]

Show yourself!

[phobophage]

[This reaction... it's the reaction of someone with combat training. Okay, you know what? This isn't worth it. She isn't going to find out if this physical shell she's now in can die.]

Okay, I guess I'll just have to stop the fun when the weapons come out.

[And yet she doesn't show herself. Not yet. The ominous feeling recedes, and the shadows return to what they were. But Shadow remains in the natural shadows, using illusion to conceal her presence.]

I don't mean you any harm, okay? I'm just scaring people.

[ninjabanish]

[She remains wary, weapons still at the ready. She doesn't like this- An invisible enemy? Hidden in the shadows, maybe? But she should be able to tell- She, after all, is an expert in hiding there. So if she can't see whoever this is there, then...

Still, the voice gets her to pause. Doesn't mean any harm?]

Why are you frightening people?

[phobophage]

Oh, you're an alert one. I'll answer your question, then.

[She dissolves the illusion concealing herself, revealing herself to be that shadow right over there. She has her hands up, signifying her harmlessness.]

Three reasons. One, it's fun. Two, it's in my nature to the point where I'll cease to exist as I am if I stop doing it. Three, it's fun.

[ninjabanish]

That was but two reasons.

[Okay. She slowly lowers her guard, putting her sickles back into... wherever it is she hides them. Don't look too closely at that part.]

You will cease to be?

Shadow

[therabbit]

[Momiji had decided to buy some groceries by himself, at least in his attempt to try and act like an adult who lives in an apartment, but he soon found himself shivering. he didn't quite understand eye as he looked over his shoulder every now and again before walking.

he still felt uneasy and he didn't know why until he stopped again.]

Is someone around?

[phobophage]

[Silence. There is only an empty street with shadows that're too deep. Then, when he's not looking behind him, he can hear the footsteps of some beast behind him. They stop when he looks back.]

[therabbit]

[Empty, but the young man couldn't help but still feel nervous and a tiny bit scared. It felt like he was pray, which in some cases a rabbit would normally being nervous because the preditor was nearby. But he shook his head slightly in an attempt to calm himself down to very little avail when he started to walk again, steps quickening up a little more.

However the moment he heard the footsteps he found himself tense.]

I know there is someone there... I'm hearing footsteps. If you want to say something, you can.

video;

[trollkeru]

You already seem to know what you want to do. Probably the quickest I have ever seen anyone figure thing out.

Impressive.

[phobophage]

When you live long enough, you get into enough weird situations that you learn to adjust quickly. Besides, I spent a couple of days lurking and reading the network.

[trollkeru]

So you are older than you look?

[phobophage]

I have no idea how old I am because I predate calendars. I know it's millennia at least.

[trollkeru]

So that answered the question. But impressive that you still look young for your age.

[He was saying it in a joking manner since he at least understood that sometimes people just don't age if they live for a long time.]

Text in response to the video

[nrgsvr]

[ He sees nothing strange about texting his new housemate. Even if they are in the same room and he notices.]

I have plenty of room for art supplies.
My brother originally bought the house with the intention of having convenient work and storage spaces. He's a mangaka and currently back on Earth.

I've never been incorporeal. I once had to adjust to turning into a bear and meditation helped with that.
Bodily functions might take some time getting used to. Bodies have limited energy. Sleep is important.

Pokemon arrive and leave almost yearly. You can keep a few. I got my Zangoose from the previous group.

[ He thinks he's addressed the key points of the video.]

[also text]

[phobophage]

[Ah, young ones and their devices. Mind, nearly everyone's young to her. She's also old enough to recognize the complaints of the old about the young. Really, this amuses her more than anything.]

Seriously, I'm in the same room as you. I know those devices're fun to use, but I'm right there. You could talk to me like in the old days. Not offended, though. Honestly, it's more funny than anything.

Anyways, thanks on the art supply front. I'll likely be getting some of my own, but it's nice knowing there's plenty of room for it.

So, yeah, I've gone a couple of days without sleeping or eating since becoming physical? So apparently that isn't a problem. I just have to do everything physically now. The bear thing is neat, though, and yeah, meditation is handy.

Pokemon, huh? Maybe next year.

Still text

[nrgsvr]

Talking takes more energy. Especially with autofill.

[ This is an improvement from how he used to text. At least he's using words that make sense.]

That's convenient. I like sleeping, but I also can't function without it.

I was a cute bear.


[ He physically shows Shadow a picture of a Japanese black bear holding na sign that says "I'm Mayu Nozaki"

A couple of years ago, my brother taught his how to color.