task of the year

Created Friday 23 September 2022

Woof. Quite a big gap since the last time I posted. Well, better get to it then.

Spoiler for Lots o' text:

Scrap Group 1
Something about Seinfeld?

Gameplay for a mid 90's 2D arcade-style beat-em-up/platformer game. Thematically, it resembled 90's superhero comics mixed with horror sci-fi. Most major characters were mutants of some kind, including the protagonists. Cut to the final levels taking place in some fancy, velvet carpeted office building. At the top floor awaited a Frankenstein's monster type character, a brute sewn together with the mismatched limbs of grotesquely mutated humans. On his defeat, he's left in a daze, blood seeping through his orifices. A cutscene follows, in which, a bunch of enemies ambush the protagonists. The boss recovers, captures the heroes and other characters, and leaves them trapped in individual capsules. The vats are filled with chemicals, killing several characters off. The protagonists manage to break free. The enemies taunt the heroes, gloating that their scheme is nearing completion. The bad guys then leave, as the heroes struggle to keep footing.

Dream 1 - Megaman X 4 Minus?

The visuals were slightly blurred. I was playing a 5th gen console Megaman X game.1 At the level select screen, X himself already had all of his armor upgrades and a few weapons. Yet, none of the primary Maverick bosses were defeated, making me question the plausibility of such even at the time.

Cut to the title character in a laboratory/robot factory stage, the constructions blue steel. I test the X-Buster upgrade. It seems as if the max charge shots can interchange attacks from several different titles: the spiral shot from X1, the cross-charge shot from X3, or the plasma cannon from X4. An interesting additional feature was a temporary power-up after using max-charge shots, during which X's primary shots and mid-charge shots get stronger and gain some of the max charge shot's properties. Glittery spark effects made these attacks more visually striking.

I then traverse through the stage, which was much longer than normal. I resort to using air dashes, a dashing weapon attack, and the armor's Nova Charge attack. An exploit allowed me to use the latter more times than it should (the gauge for it was clearly depleted on screen), practically granting infinite flight. This proved necessary when faced with a particularly long spike trap.

Things warp. Now, I gain X's own perspective. From this viewpoint, the factory's walkways looked far more narrow than I'd expected. Anyway, I soon find myself at a long conveyor belt. Just then, a threatening theme sounds, the fanfare indicating a boss fight was ensuing. Instead of just one enemy, a bunch of smaller robots swarm through many chutes pocked throughout the structure. I climbed and jumped at a pillar to avoid most of them. When the enemies were clustered, I used some laser weapon that specifically fired diagonally downwards, the perfect angle to get a number of hits. As this was apparently a Giga Attack, it was limited in use. I then fired some energy burst weapon, appearing as a rising cylinder. Some upgrade allowed me to use this without limit.

Things warp again. I'm now taking part in some FMV cutscene. Now, I had the role of Zero. I was stepping out from some dark place into a large courtyard, appearing much like a greenhouse with many benches. A number of fellow Maverick Hunters were around, though they didn't appear happy. As I understood things, the latest happenings brought heavy losses among the Hunters and civilians alike.

Soon, I meet up with Iris (who happened to be alive during this event), who was especially distraught. She felt guilt for our latest setback, blaming herself for somehow being responsible for all the casualties. I assured her that these tragedies were of no fault of her own; she shouldn't beat her self up for the actions of the unjust Mavericks. But, my words failed to console her. A sullen silence followed.

The dream collapsed soon after.

Scrap Group 2
At some old city built on an ocean cliffside, imposing buildings covering the sun. I traverse up narrow, inclined alleyways.

Dream 2 - TOTY 2022 - DIY Instant Garden

The visuals were mostly clear. I was on a a dirt road in a deciduous wilderness during daytime. Soon, I noticed I was donned with Megaman X's Ultimate Armor upgrade, making me immediately aware. I rush around, enjoying the armor's features, particularly its jet boots and weapons. For some time, I'm content dashing mid-air while I shooting plasma shots at nothing in particular. Some familiar voices then echo in the distance, questioning me on where I should be. "Good question.", I respond. I then launch myself into the horizon.

My surroundings darken as I fly at blurring speeds. Along the way, I try using the Giga Crush attack. A sphere of energy envelopes me, then bursts into an explosion. It didn't cover as much area as I expected, barely creating force past a few meters.

Just then, I noticed the sight of stars all around me. I'd somehow made it well past Earth's atmosphere. This surprise left me in a momentary daze. I opted to continue forward regardless.

Soon, the darkness gives way to a blue sky roiling with thick clouds. I drop down, to land on a snowy hill. Many simple gravestones were strewn beside me on the mounds. Tried not to get too disturbed by the. On the distance to my left was a small village, a collection of plain cottages. To my right, an ocean could be seen at the horizon. Directly ahead was only more snow. I decided to check out the sea.

In an instant, I zoomed near the shores of a rocky beach. The waves were particularly large and turbulant. Wasn't keen on taking a dip in this frigid environment, so I kept a good span away from the water. I hovered by the coastline, following it in one direction. As I did, I thought of tasks. The environment reminded me of the setting for the Dream Base. And so, I looked for such.

Unwavering I dashed beside the beach, blue energy enveloping my armor. In time, the shadows of large buildings could be seen far within miles of the sea. None of these seemed to resemble my destination. I go on for about a minute, when I notice a particularly vast spiral structure complex, much larger than any man-made thing I've ever seen. At its top rested what seemed like a pole, maybe a very large lightning rod. On closer look, it was a pillar of some kind. Squinting harder, I could see what resembled a globe at its tip. Hah! There it is! Curiously, the beacon itself wasn't active. Well, one problem at a time. For now, I had a task to complete.

I launched myself towards the megacomplex, and in a single bound, made it to its base. This time, I was before a singular structure, a stone building of ancient construction that easily spanned an entire mountain range. Each level, roughly a story between each, became narrower the higher it went. From some perspective, this gave it the appearance of a Mayan pyramid, if of infinitely larger proportions. In other viewpoints, it seemed like a staircase for giants. Speaking of stairs, I found no obvious way to elevate the building, nor of any immediate entrance. I resorted to jumping and climbing between each level (I somehow forgot I could fly). I scale all the way to the tenth level, where I finally find a way inside.

Taking a deep breath, I enter. Great anticipation almost made me lose hold of the dream, the surroundings getting darker. I constantly reassured myself I was in the Dream Base, exploring its garden. Things clarify soon. Now, I found myself in a long, narrow room. The constructions here were primarily made of clay, and seemed of Babylonian architecture. On the floor's stone surface was also a number of garden plots, narrow wooden beams forming rectangular templates and filled with dirt of almost pitch black. Bingo!

However, these plots were plainly empty. I haphazardly point around, when suddenly, a number of sprouts grew! Joyfully, I "paint" the dirt with more young plants. Some AR interface gave me an option for a variety of things to grow. For the moment, I opted simply between some kind of berry vine on the plots, as well as a type of decorative fern near the walls. Being terrible at interior decoration, the results ended up looking kinda messy. "No matter", I thought. "So long as something grew."

Once there was not much space to fill, I went to the far end of the room, to find a doorway. I went through, and found myself in a winding hallway, an array of many more doorways opening with no end in sight. I glanced into some of these, to find more narrow rooms with their own garden plots. One of these rooms was unique in that it had no such features. Instead, it appeared to be a squat bedroom. There was just enough room to fit a single bed and a few shelves. The bed's frames, and the other constructions, were made of unfurnished wood. Yet, the mattress itself looked to be of contemporary work. The sight of a pile of split lumber made it obvious this section was still a work in progress.

Wary of getting lost, I made it back to my original garden section. The plants were still no larger than they were before. Feeling impatient, I motioned my finger to create a holographic clock. I turned the hands in the ethereal device rapidly in hopes of speeding up time. Even though it was the intent, I was still surprised to find this spell worked. Before me, I saw the sprouts becoming larger and fuller. In seconds, I was surrounded by berry-filled vines, while ferns of tall, razor-shaped leaves decorated the sides. There was very little room to move around. Again, I blamed my poor decorating skills. But hey, at least I had a garden. Task complete!

Interestingly, several other people wandered inside. They were in awe of the place, perusing every inch like gawking tourists. I entertained the thought to engage with them. But first, I wanted to sample my handiwork. I plucked a berry from the vine. It was bright yellow, roughly the size of a large grape, and shaped like a cherry. I sampled it. I found that although it was quite juicy, it wasn't very appetizing, being extremely tart and bittersweet. I'd the feeling the berries weren't quite ripe yet.

Things began to deteriorate, and the dream collapses.

Created Saturday 05 February 2022

First LD of the month, which just so happens to be a successful TOTY as well.

Dream 1 - TOTY 2022 - Lighting The Argent

Scene 1 - Void Drop Start Again
The visuals were dim and very blurred. WILD transition in bed. I wasn't quite sure about this at first, as my attempts at imagined movement/detachment felt hollow. Indeed, when I rolled off the bed, I warped right back. This kept repeating, until finally, I found myself descending into the void. A yell of excitement escaped my lungs from how unexpectedly intense this experience was. Warp.

Scene 2 - Lighting The Beacon
The visuals were brighter, if still slightly blurred. I was in the hallway of what seemed an office building. I turn to the nearest room, where I find it was the main office for a high school. A fairly long queue was ahead. For a moment, I got caught up with this plot. Recalling the TOTY snapped me out of it. And so, I called out to the receptionist, a light haired middle aged woman.

"Hey, do you know where The Arcology is?", I asked, not realizing my mistake (I personally call "The Dream Embassy" "The Arcology", though for the sake of this task, it wasn't my intent to ask that).

"Sure. It's nearby, but..." But I rushed out before she could finish.

I go all the way down the hallway to a back door, colored light green, a lever handle instead of a knob. I try opening it, but it wouldn't budge. Just then, the door's latch lock, and the door itself, somehow opens up on its own. Was someone at the other side, I thought? I was about to step out, but the door slammed shut again. It took 15 seconds more of effort, before I could finally step outside.

Glaring light blinded me momentarily. When my vision adjusted, I found a concrete wall interposing. It was massive, over seven stories tall, and was topped with barbed wire. Really made the place look more like a prison than a school... Anyway, I begin levitating up. It was a clumsy ascent, especially given the narrow space, but it didn't take long to free myself from such confines.

Now, I was flying high in a clear dawn sky. It would've been so easy to lose myself here, but I had a task to complete. Down below seemed to be a town built on rocky hills. I followed its roads, when it abruptly ended at cliffs. Beyond that was the calm waters of a teal sea, part of which was trapped in a bay-side city many miles wide, the silhouettes of towers visible in the horizon.

At a peninsula just beyond the town lay a most interesting site: a very wide yard. Stone-carved constructions were strewn about, including low walls, benches, and statues most abstract. Many of these features were of ancient design, yet showed no signs of wear. The rest of the architecture quite surreal. Most tellingly, there was no outward signs of modern technology, nor of greenery.

This was it. This was the Arcology, or at least, a part of it. Quickly, I land in a stone garden. I walk beneath a strange balcony formed of spiral arches, following its pathway towards the center of the space. There stood an engraved wall, much like a memorial wall, though I could read nothing of it. In front of that was a statue atop a tall pedestal, one of the tallest structures in this site. This statue depicted a stone framework of a globe, held in place by stone bands. This didn't seem to depict earth, as none of its landmasses seemed familiar.

In all honestly, the site looked a bit more quaint than I expected. I look past its borders, when I come to a shocking realization: there was no visible borders. All its constructions encompassed the landscape well past anywhere within eyesight. In fact, as I looked closer, the above mentioned city was actually also part of this locale, as noted by its similarly designed buildings. I could barely take in the vastness of it all. Simply incredible.

I appreciate the view as long as I could. When satisfied, I allowed the dream to begin deteriorating. But, I then recalled I wasn't quite done yet! I called out to the dream, asking repeatedly to return to The Arcology. Or rather, the Dream Embassy, as I finally corrected myself. A minute of uncertainty passes, but eventually, I returned just under the globe statue, almost exactly where I was.

There, I begin the next phase of my goal: to light a beacon for all dreamers to see. Charging energy between my palms, I form an orb of light, powering it until its about 3ft in diameter. I then make an overhead throw to launch it at the top of the statue. With a burst, the white light erupts into a beam that pierces the heavens. Against expectation, this ray, rather than remain in state, blinks repeatedly. With each flicker, the light would swirl and arc into aurora-like ribbons, before racing into places unknown. What's more, some of these arced lights found themselves on the surface, zipping and dancing around like ghosts.

I was left mesmerized by the view. Before I knew it, I woke up.

Created Wednesday 22 December 2021

Got quite a haul today.

Spoiler for A lot of words; implied NSFW:

Scrap Group 1
Dreamlet to LD. I was floating around in an industrial building. The scene was very laggy, for lack of a better word.

Dragon Ball Super dream. Goku, in his SSB form, was fighting against final form Frieza. Unlike the real thing, it was a terribly one sided match in the hero's favor. I gained the former's perspective at times.

In a dimly lit dining room or banquet hall. I was seated at a large, white-draped round table alongside co-workers. Some more such figures. Some were former co-workers that I never expected to return. Noting such let me regain awareness, though the dream began to deteriorate.

FA in what seemed as the cargo bay of an aircraft. A huge figure bursts through a side hatch. This was a gigantic naga lady. Cue awareness. Averting the nightmare, I approached the creature, and allowed myself to get wrapped in her arms. She then has me fly with her in a cloudy sky. A bit of fun time happens, but that stays with me, heh heh...

Dream 1 - Task of the Year 2021 Task V

Scene 1 - Chaos Expanse Zone
The visuals were dim. I was at the back rooms of my workplace. One of my bosses was as was an unknown co-worker. I walk out the build to the night, when I noticed a large, white tiled rectangular building replacing the abandoned restaurant across the way. This led me to regain awareness. Ignoring distracting chatter from the other figures, I launched myself up at the dark, cloudy skies. A lone star blinked brightly, a suitable destination. But, upon reaching a certain height, I slowly descended. Reacting to such, I allowed myself to crash through the ground.

Warp. I was flying through a thick cloud in the night skies. After a minute of enjoying the moment, I recalled the TOTY. Swooping down, I looked around for any suitable place for such. Soon enough, I was hovering through urban streets. Around the corner of an apartment building, I stumble upon castle, of all things, composed almost entirely of carved stone. Good place to look as any. Leaping over the gate, I made my way into the keep's entrance. Things got laggy, and some force kept me from moving too close. Undeterred, I turned around, and let myself phase backwards through the structure's unfinished wood doors.

Inside, I was met by a long, empty, unlit hallway. I sped through it, when the surroundings changed into earthen tunnels. Eventually, opened up into a vast chasm. Much of this space was unnaturally rigid, much like you'd see in video games such as Minecraft. Wasn't too fond of that, but I didn't let that bother me. Anyway, I continued past it, and through even more tunnels.

An indiscernible amount of time passes in this underground . It's then that I arrive what could be described as pure chaos. All around, floating stone landmasses, up to hundreds of yards across, drifted about, slowly tilting, bobbling, and bouncing around at any provocation. Atop many of these planes were ruins and rubble, while others contained intact statues, trees, and even garden plots. Heavy clouds roiled in the horizon, a void of blue and violet, swirling ceaselessly, where the lands seemed to barely gravitate. This was quite a mesmerizing view, enough so, I almost let the dream slip.

Recollecting myself, I notice I didn't have a costume, nor a partner, for the task. With a gesture, I immediately donned my appropriate helm and jacket. Conspicuously, my gloves were missing. I tried forcing those gloves, and calling for Dryad. But ,I had enough difficulty keeping in state, as noted by my dimming sight, so I left those details be for now. Anyway, I jump from one island to another, bouncing off a broken pillar, then some debris. Only then did I notice the change in gravity for each landmass, not to mention how violently the void pulled me towards it whenever I was airborn. Thought it best to keep close to the tunnels.

I also noticed a green arrow at the top left of my view, an indicator of sorts. Guessed it was leading me towards my mark for the task? I jumped where it prompted, only to be pointed elsewhere at every other second. Eventually, I flew myself at one of the larger islands, a mound of sorts. On its slope were organized pots and troughs growing many kinds of plants, including orchids, palm trees, ferns, and herbs, among others.

At this site, the arrow remained transfixed. I brushed through a few pots, when I happen upon a mysterious blue powder. This must've been the artifact I was looking for, but I feared I might've broken it... So, I sift around some more, to find a rough gemstone of similar make, and perfectly intact to boot. That's a relief! Curious if there was more, I dig through a trough. There, I find a small plastic bag filled with even more uncut gems of many colors. All things considered, they were remarkable only in how mundane they appeared. Oh well, who was I to argue? Anyway, I fly through a tunnel (different from the one I'd arrived from, as I lost sight of that), and get warped out.

Now, I find myself in an underground hallway. It's then I call for Dryad once again. She arrives surprisingly quick, rushing from a corner. This dream depicted her exactly (and quite aptly) as a spriggan from Skyrim, from their twig-like "antlers", to their glowing aura of wind-blown leaves.

"Hey! I got it!", I exclaimed, holding out the bag to show her.

"I know. We have to move."

Dryad snatches my arm, then pulls me with her down the hallway. Soon, we arrive at a subway tunnel. At the far end and to the right blinked the faltering sign of a fire exit. My partner takes us through that door, only to end up in another hallway, this time for what seemed to be an office building, furnished in minimalistic white. We go to the first left, to happen upon a wide, sunlit foyer. A great line of people, under the leaves of huge indoor ferns, were waiting to be serviced at the reception area. Wasn't expecting there to be this many witnesses... er, other people. "Act casual", urged Dryad. I sauntered alongside her past the reception desk, then barged through a conveniently unattended security gate. A number of folk were giving us odd looks, but luckily, nothing came of this.

We were then walking through a different hallway, one with green tiled floors, and potted plants at every entrance. Colorful text could be seen hanging on the walls. I figured this must've been the structure's daycare. Anyway, at the far end was yet another fire escape, where I was being guided.

We make it halfway there, when suddenly, a klaxon blares. Oh crap! Reacting quickly, my companion and I hurry to an opening in the left, a play area, it seemed, of which had a patterned blue and red carpet for flooring. Anyway, I dart towards a small desk, where I shrink myself to fit right under. A bucket filled with some powdery matter happened to be there, so, as a precaution, I shrunk myself further to fit in it. As this occurred, Dryad phases into a small potted tree a few yards away, hiding seamlessly. What's more, the encounter theme from Metal Gear Solid sounded in the background, just to fit the mood further.

Half a minute later, a figure peruses the area, a guard lady. Seemingly exasperated, she barely made an effort to glance around, then quickly lost interest. Similarly, a random French maid investigated the place, perhaps far more suspiciously than the former, but she too gave up in time. With their dispersal, so too did the alarm (and song) end. Still, I figured we'd need to find another way out.

"What now?", I whispered at Dryad.

"Use a black stone. You'll get out that way."

Doing as told, I pulled out the like stone. Light glistened off its surface, as would be expected. Staring at it, I paused in thought. "Wait, but what about you?"

"Leave a black stone for me. I'll be fine."

Sifting through the bag, I pulled out another stone, and, after restoring its size, left it for Dryad's use. I then concentrate on the one in hand. Suddenly, the stone dissolved, and with it, I was pulled into a black void. "Mission accomplished", I thought, as I floated safely in nothingness. But, no, not quite yet. There's no guarantee Dryad escaped as well. Such doubts causes the dream to collapse immediately.

I struggled to visualize a dream, and to keep from muddling my mind with anxiousness. Re-entry.

Scene 2 - TOTY 2021 Task V ACT CLEAR
Dream re-entry. I was at a restaurant's dish cleaning area. Touching the steel surface of a nearby countertop assured the dream state. Quite surprising, as I'd assumed this was just wishful thinking. With baited breath, I anticipated for Dryad to appear. And, lo and behold, she popped right around the corner. "Told ya I'll be fine!", she teases. Couldn't help but laugh in celebration.

On cue, the victory theme from Sonic 3 and Knuckles sounded. With it, a fitting text UI gave an announcement:

FIREFLYMAN AND DRYAD GOT THROUGH THE ACT

A like score counter ticked down, though what it was counting was anyone's guess. Satisfied, I allow myself to wake up.

Created Friday 03 December 2021

Got a number of LDs today. There was a lot of other content, though I couldn't keep it in memory for long.

Dream 1 - TOTY Task Attempt - Office Raider

The visuals were dim and blurred. FA in bed. Said darkness didn't go unnoticed (the sun had long risen by that point). As such, I immediately regain awareness.

I stumble out the door and into a black void, where I fly backwards at high speeds. This warps me into the poorly lit hallways of a fancy office building, a structure made of grey marble, potted palm trees decorating each doorway. Such extravagance gave me a negative impression of its keepers.

In any case, this got me to thinking of the hero task, and, specifically, that I was raiding a villain's HQ. Once again, I called to Dryad to accompany me, whom answered the summons immediately. In this dream, she appeared as a withered birch, a head of leafless twigs for "hair". On my cue, we peaked through a doorway, and when the coast was clear, dashed past it. We repeated as such for each openings. Along the way, I had music from Metal Gear Solid sound in the background to suit the mood.

Upon arriving at an intersection, we were alerted to footsteps coming from behind. And so, Dryad and I ducked behind a tree to see who was arriving. In steps a heavily armed man, his body fully concealed in a suit of black polymer armor.1 If we didn't act fast, the guard would spot us for sure. Searching my person, I happen upon a pistol. I took aim, and fired, ending the man's life in an instant. Didn't feel too good about doing that. But, a greater concern lied in having caused an alert via gunshot. Luckily, this went unnoticed... for the moment. My companion and I hid the body at our hiding location, and continued our way.

Further ahead, we notice a wall safe at an alcove. By chance, it happened to be unlocked. I reach in, to find a metal orb the size of a soccer ball. It was peculiarly flexible, and seemed to have some kind of liquid inside. Was this the thing we were looking for? I messed around with it a bit, trying to unseal its contents safely. Dryad jabbed me with her elbow, a signal we weren't out of the woods yet. I darted from my surroundings and the object as I followed her out. All of a sudden, the orb popped, covering me in grey gunk. No idea what it was, only that it felt uncomfortably tepid.

We made it to an elevator door, when the dream started collapsing. I did my best to cling onto the environment, to no avail.

Dream re-entry five minutes later.

Dream 2 - TOTY Task Attempt - City Sneak and Graveyard Skulk


Scene 1 - Alleyway Suit-Up
The visuals were dim. Dream re-entry. I was standing in the middle of a run-down urban street, neon lights blinking under a starless sky. I resume the task, when I remember a crucial mistake from my last attempt: I wasn't in costume. I look to my person, to find I was already in my gear (black leather touring suit, combat boots, gloves, and biker helmet). In this dream, my clothes were also studded with spiky metal rivets, especially at the shoulders and in my glove's knuckles. Anyway, I call out to Dryad, who, appearing as she did above, again accompanied me once again.

Past an alleyway, I notice an office tower, the largest and least dilapidated site in the area. I make my way there sounding more sneak-theme music along the way. Halfway through, the scene warp.

Scene 2 - Zombie at the Mausoleum
Similar visuals. I was at the rusted cast-iron gates of a graveyard during an eerie, foggy night. The branches of dead trees fluttered in a cold wind. Lucky for me, my partner wasn't lost in this transition.

We continue past crumbling headstones, when, from the mist, a figure shambles towards us. It was a zombie, a long-desiccated husk of its former self, suit in tatters. Wasting no time, I tackle the thing to the ground, which de-animated the undead for good.

A short distance further, we spot a small mausoleum, the only structure of its kind in this dreary site. We guessed the entrance to an underground lair must be hidden inside. I shuddered to think what horrors would await us beneath. Such uncertainty causes the dream to fade away.

Dream re-entry attempt, with no luck. WILD attempt, but I doze off roughly ten minutes in.

Dream 3 - TOTY Task Attempt - Secret Office Basement

Scene 1 - Another Annoying Awareness
The visuals were slightly blurred. FA in an altered version of the upstairs bedroom at the far end. The mattress was closer to the door, and there were small tables that didn't belong there.

While looking around half-asleep, the door suddenly opened. Several relatives barged in succession, pestering me in some way or another. I could only groan in frustration as they chattered and made nuisances of themselves.

Pondering things further let me realize all these oddities, and thus, the dream state. I waved them goodbye, against some of their protests, as I jumped backwards into the closet. Warp.

Scene 2 - Office Raider 2 - Underground
Similar visuals as above. I was in the lobby of an ordinary office building, the walls colored in an unpleasant yellow. Resuming the task, I looked down, and found I was already in costume. I called out to Dryad, who immediately loomed in from behind.

With the groundwork set up, we went on to explore the site. I arrive at an empty teller's desk, when, suddenly, a commotion from the nearest exit. Two guards, each armed with military arms and faces concealed by balaclavas, were charging towards us.2 In turn, I rushed them Just as they fired, I shrunk myself down to a few inches in height, avoiding their shots. I weaved past their heels behind them, whereupon I restored my size to dropkick one of them at the back of the neck. The other turned to counter, but I shrunk once more. In response, he tried stomping me. I jumped under easily, upon which I restored my size to give a devastating uppercut square in his groin.

Both security officers were down, but a dozen more or so were arriving. There seemed to be no end to them. I was ready to throw myself into the fray, but Dryad stepped ahead to stop me. "I'll handle them. Now go.", she demanded. With no time to argue, I nodded, and left her behind. I glanced back, to see her arms erupt into tentacle-like vines, the wriggling mass fully constraining the entrance those mercenaries were using. For the time being, I could only hope she'd hold her own.

At a nearby wall, I noticed an odd looking vent. I flew there, and tried shrinking myself down to be able to squeeze through the grates. It took significantly more effort to reduce myself, at least 30 seconds in all. Anyway, I start running through the ducts, then chose to hover when I found I wasn't picking up much speed.

A minute in, I spot an opening to an underground site. By a glance, it look like a poorly lit metro subway station, though I'd sincere doubts such a place would be built directly underneath an office building. Surely, this must've been a secret bunker or such. I fall through a grate, and restored my size. It felt liberating to be away from those ducts. From above, I spotted a guard patrolling a catwalk. I stuck very close to the shadow of the walls as I crept around a corner. A wide set of steps was ahead, atop which was an open space. There, some dining tables were set up, tiki torches decorating the perimeter. A small group of figures were gathered, each wearing expensive dresses and suits. A couple in their late fifties almost spotted me, but I shrunk just in the nick of time to avoid their view. Once they were distracted in conversation, I hurried under their table, then rushed around another corner well away from the diners.

Now, I found at the entrance of a tunnel, a mysterious blue light glowing in the distance. I took a few steps in, when the dream began vanishing. I awakened shortly after.

Created Friday 08 October 2021

Got three LDs (well, maybe two-and-a-half) plus a dream to note. Quite a haul. Although I'm reluctant to do so, I'm gonna keep the entry practically in its completion No point keeping things bottled up forever...

Spoiler for NSFW - Implicit naughty things:

Scrap Group 1
Vaguely recall riding around in a forest. I get aware, I fly out of the moving vehicle. This LD didn't last long.

Dream 1 - School Subway Station False Awareness

The visuals were slightly blurred. I was in a subway station. Folding tables and seats were spread throughout the walkways, where I was seated. So too were a bunch of teenage kids. I "recalled" we were in a history class, of which had to be moved in this public transit area due to budget cuts. For related reasons, our primary teacher was unavailable (figured she was on strike, or something). Thus our having a substitute, dark haired, light skinned middle aged lady in dressed in black.

A few minutes in, the other students and I were handed a worksheet on early 20th century history. The teacher starts giving a lecture on such. But, I'm bored out of my wits, so much so that I drop my head on the table and fall asleep. Although the teacher sounded fairly annoyed, she continued her lesson without further delay.

During my nap, I figure out how unlikely this scenario was. I thus gained false awareness (lacked presence of mind to be truly lucid). Of course, I shrink myself down to a few inches, whereupon I run around making a nuisance of myself. I catch the attention of a passerby, a blonde gal wearing a blouse and skirt, but she was too young for my tastes. So, I warped her appearance until she was of more suitable age (maybe a bit older than intended, at least eight years older than I, but no matter). The lady chases after me for sport. I try dodging between her ankles, but shes seizes me quickly. She places me at eye level, scrutinizing the tiny figure in her hands. She questioned what I was even planning, which I admitted I was just enjoying myself. In response, she opted to do likewise, the insinuation being that it would be entirely at my expense.

It's then the giantess pretends to try to eat me, clamping her teeth just inches from me. Even then, I get spooked enough to try to placate her. I fire a slow, arcing wave of energy, soothing her to the core. She's so impressed, she states she'll keep me for "a little while". Uh oh. Not what I was expecting.

This scene repeats several times. In later instances, the giantess actually tries to eat me. She gets as far as gnawing on my shoulder, when I again try assuaging her with soothing energy. Even then, she claimed she'll still eat me eventually. as she reckoned such energies would magnify upon my being digested completely.

Don't recall how, but I awaken a few minutes later.

Dream 2 - Palm Dryad's Embrace

Dreamlet to lucid dream. The visuals were mostly clear. I was floating in a cloudy blue sky. Upon feeling cold winds, I was sure I'd successfuly phased into a dream state. I could never get enough of it...

A minute in, I decide to land, and ponder my next move. I find myself in a field of clovers many acres wide, suburban houses bordering miles away. Things got a bit unstable. I brush at the plants thoroughly to keep in things in check. With that settled, I decide to try and dilate time. I call out to the dream to grant my wish. Instead of such a request, time beings moving in fast forward. All around me, rows of clovers sprout, grow, wither, and rot, and the cycle would begin anew. This, in the span of just a few seconds. Similarly too, did a one-story, cool colored house ahead of me (which somehow was displaced to be just a few dozen yards away). I watched as it crumbled from disuse, only to be suddenly remodeled. Its last form was a bit taller than initially. More pertinently, a bunch of devices were sticking out of the roof and front walls, each primarily made of some unknown ceramic polymer. Was this the future? Or rather, what I perceive the future would look like? Although not what I intended, I was very much enthralled by the experience.

Around then, other urges get the better of me. I look around for any intriguing figures. It's then I spot a palm tree haphazardly placed nearby. On closer appearance, the palm had a feminine figure. All of a sudden, the tree warps its appearance, and begins moving towards me. It now had the likeness of a woman, impossibly lithe, and similarly tall. Her head was (quite literally) an oversized coconut, palm leaves brushed back as if long hair. Despite lacking a face, she could speak.

The dryad catches me in her limbs, holding me high in a tight embrace. Her "skin" was fuzzy and rough, just as would be expected of a palm. However, it was also comfortably warm. The nymph topples me into the ground. A very... wild, primal experience ensues.

But, minutes into the act, the dryad gives me a dire warning. "I cannot control myself much longer. Leave while you can, or I shall devour you.", she bellows. I didn't pay much heed, not that I needed to. That is, until her head cracked open, forming itself into a maw of jagged thorns. It wasn't a conventionally pretty sight. But, such danger, no matter how terrifying, proved, for a lack of a better word, enticing. I wasn't going to escape. Even after the monstrous dryad made earnest attempts at chomping at me, I made only the most necessary efforts to avoid her.

We went on until the dream faded. Re-entry a few minutes later.

Dream 3 - Specimen Cage Match

The visuals were dim. Dream re-entry into the void. I allowed myself top sink deeper, during which I think of tasks, settling for the superhero one.

Warp a minute in, I land on a darkened space. Cold, diamond-plated steel composed most of the room. At two sides were wide, hardened glass windows. Blue lights blinked from a malfunctioning terminal behind the window furthest from me. Many of the surfaces were in similar states of disrepair, if not outright cracked and dented. No doubt, some violent encounter (or series of such) occurred here. This gave the atmosphere of an abandoned sci-fi lab, and that I'd been trapped within a "specimen cage". Was the hero organization reduced to this, I wondered? Forced underground in the remnants of its former greatness? This didn't bode well...

In any case, I projected the shadow flames, which soon left behind most of my gear. Only thing missing was my left glove, which was instead replaced with a disposable blue latex glove. No matter, moving on. I then called out to my teammate/opponent, who I was sure was lurking nearby. Indeed, as soon as I did, a figure emerged from the shadows. To my surprise, it was the dryad from the previous dream. She wasn't anywhere near as tall or inhumanly thin (if still wiry), though her blank face and hair of palm leaves left no mistake with whom I beheld.

Without delay, I goaded her to a fight. The dryad slunk back to the darkest corner in an attempt to lay an ambush. Just as she'd vanished from view, she sprang forth. But, the attack was easily telegraphed, and I pushed her aside. Again and again, the tree spirit tried the same trick, to no avail. Eventually, I struck back with a five punch combo. As she flinched, I shrunk myself, ran beneath her feet, then restored my size from behind, where I hit her with a double neck chop. This maneuver KO'd the being in an instant.

Was this victory? If it was, it certainly was a hollow one. For one, there was no one else to spectate. More importantly, there seemed to be a serious mis-match in ability. There was no contest, no challenge. No stake at all. It just wasn't a satisfying conclusion.

As my mood darkened, so too did the dream. I woke up shortly after.

Created Monday 20 September 2021

Got one LD to share from a few days ago. It took some effort, but it was more than worth it!

Dream 1 - Task of the Year 2021

The visuals were initially dim and slightly blurred. I was walking down a wilderness road during late dusk. Old train tracks intersected the dirt path several yards ahead. Further still, far into the horizon, flickered the vibrant, spinning lights of amusement park rides. At least two familiar figures were with me, though I didn't identify them.

It didn't take long to realize the dream state. I instantly launch myself skywards to begin the next TOTY. This time, I make sure to get my costume. I mutter a quick chant: "Through the Shadow Flames, I am FireFlyMan." It took three times to get results, upon which black fire roiled on my skin, leaving behind my appropriate gear (a black leather touring suit, gloves, etc.).

I look intently for the Superhero HQ, when the dream starts wavering into a black void. Wasn't easy to tell if I was awake or not. I wait patiently, looking for an opportunity. A minute later, a faint light appears. I force it closer, warping the scene.

Coming to, I find myself in the courtyard of a building complex, walls made of solid concrete blocks. Great ferns adorned much of the space, dampening a bright sun's beams. Looked kinda like a small college campus. Yet again, this wasn't a place that screamed "superhero", but oh well.

No one was in the immediate vicinity. I looked around, and stumble upon a white canvas canopy, splayed widely, yet supported by nothing but a single pole. I pass a wall by it, where I find a figure lurching behind a wall: a stout, haggard old woman, weather-worn dress and light hair frazzled under a rag flagrant signs of a destitute lifestyle. Still, I'd a mysterious sense she had a significant role in all this. And so, I asked her where I can sign up for the superhero team. She says nothing, but points back to the canopy. When I look back, I find a simple plastic stall waiting. I thanked her, and hurry there.

On the stall lay small forms, the fields asking for name, date, and signature. Using a nearby pen, I write as such, but before signing, I notice I put my real name. I glance back at that field, and see it actually asked for a "CoO" name, or "Character of Origin" name (whatever that's supposed to mean). Anyway, I crumpled the form, and got another one, only to see this wasn't the correct type. Worried, I sift through more, but couldn't find the correct form. Eventually, they became blank vertical-format cue cards. I grumbled "screw it", and decided to use that.

It's then I remembered I needed to finish an initiation. Suddenly, I heard both my brothers speaking over my shoulder, each pointing out other objects on the stall. I then spot a large ticket, bordered black with balloon and confetti patterns. A bunch of text was in the center, including a lot of disclaimers. Of that which wasn't the latter, I skimmed through. Said something like: "Congratulations... something something... thanks for joining... blah blah... ranks of heroes... yadda yadda... bring ticket... murmur... training starts at..." Those last words were confirmation enough: signing up was the initiation.

With that settled, I resumed writing. But, as it so happened, the pen ran out of ink. Frantically, I scrambled to get a mechanical pencil nearby. Simultaneously, one of my bros began poking me with such a device to annoy me. That, or to alert me of a line of people that were suddenly waiting behind me. The dream's way of creating a distraction, no doubt. I scribbled down my hero name, a random date, and my signature. Just when I thought I was done, my bro nitpicks me on that the date jotted down ended with "2011". I erase it, then write down another date, which happened to be 03/07/21. Good enough, I thought. I then smashed my form into a drop box nearby.

I take a long moment to reflect. Upon review, I figure I missed nothing. This gets me to celebrate with a tune. "I did it! I finished the initiation!", I sang petulantly.

By this point, the dream begins glaring. I hesitate to point the old lady out to my brothers. "Hey, I think there's more to her than meets the eye.", I murmur to them. It seemed my bros were uncertain of such. Before I could hear their full response, the dream collapses.

Created Thursday 12 August 2021

If I dreamed like this every day, I'd be the happiest guy on Earth.

Spoiler for Lots of text:

Scrap Group 1
Attack on Titan dream. Something about some Scout Corps recruits screwing up badly. It would've caused a complete operational failure, had not their superiors picked up their slack.

In an unknown, dimly lit apartment suite, the space only one big room (no partitions or inner walls and such).My bro Gusman was around. I start rambling on about random things, including Sonic. In my half-sleepy daze, I start throwing trinkets into a fireplace.

Dream 1 - Cooky Hero Castle

Scene 1 - Big Banquet, Big Hostess
The visuals were quite blurred. FA in bed. Feeling dazed, I once again start muttering about random things. It's then that Gusman (who happened to be there) interrupts with some gripes. He complains that not only did I talk in my sleep, but that I act out my dreams IRL. In fact, he notes that I do such regularly. I don't help matters by getting up to wrestle with him awkwardly, against his wishes.

Steadily, as I stave off my half-asleep delirium, I have some feelings this isn't real. I start becoming aware, when suddenly, a gigantic finger stamps down nearby. Yup, definitely a dream. Waving Gusman goodbye, I cling on the massive digit, whereupon I get pulled up into a void.

When I come to, I'm face-to-face with a gigantic, bespectacled light skinned woman in her late 30's, long black hair tied in a simple tail, and dressed in a fancy blue ball gown. For some time, we only stare at each other in mutual bewilderment.

"Oh, uh... am I interrupting something?", I ask nervously. I glance down at a fancy huge banquet table, banquet spread included.

The giantess takes a moment to respond. "Um... I suppose I can have you for dinner...", she mutters to herself.

I'm then gently lowered on to the table, set between a cup of tea, and a bowl of soup. Near the bowl, I notice other human-sized figures meandering around. Guessed they too were guests. But, I pondered our hostesses word choice. Maybe we weren't guests after all? This might not end well...

Warp.

Scene 2 - Garuda and the Game Show Hero Castle
The visuals were a bit blurred., though it improves over time. I was in an unknown kitchen. Some confused thoughts almost made me lose awareness, but I regained composure quickly.

Some bossy little girl stamps towards me. She demands I clean this thing, fetch that, and do other menial stuff for her. Ignoring her yacking, I think to either return to the previous scene, or complete a task. I pursuit the latter.

Calling to the dream, I ask to be taken to Superhero HQ. Just then, a figure from above seizes me by my arms. I looked up, and see a bulked-up luchador in blue spandex and boots. His mask, likewise blue, was that of a hawk.

"Who're you?", I asked.

"Garuda.", he responds, his voice deeper than even his size would indicate. It's then I noticed that not only could he move his "mask's" mouth, but that he also possessed great wings under his arms. Seems he wasn't wearing a mask after all...

Before I could say anything, the bird-man begins dragging me out of the area. Below me, that little girl clings on to me defiantly, adamant that I finish her chores. I simply wave her off, as Garuda launches us off into a grey void. I almost lost hold of the dream, but imagining a grey sky fixed that.

"So...", I continue from before. "Are we heading to Superhero HQ?"

"That's right. We'll arrive shortly."

True to word, the shadow of a vast structure looming over a seaside cliff draws near. On closer look, I find it was am 18th century German castle, like something out of a Disney movie. The clouds disperse dramatically, revealing a violet dusk sky. Soon, I'm dropped off at the front steps, double doors ahead.

"The rest is up to you.", Garuda says. "Good luck." With a nod, the eagle man flies out of view.

Sighing nervously, I swing open the doors, and enter inside. Rather than an aristocratic place, I find myself in the lobby of a fancy office building. There wasn't anyone around, not even at the reception desk. So, I let myself into a door behind said reception area. This lead me into an office room. Only, some large, velvet colored vinyl partitions covered much of the space. Behind that, I could more-or-less see a figure seated behind a mahogany desk. This was a middle aged black lady with red lipstick. She was dressed in a blue power suit, and her hair was puffed in a Thatcher-esque cut.

"Er... is this where I take the initiation test?", I ask uncertainly.

The woman gives an unimpressed nod. "Here's the deal. If you can make it behind here without using powers, breaking these panels, or pulling them out of place, you'll be part of our organization."

I had a bunch of questions. But, the woman's disapproving stare, even behind those covers, convinced me that I had to finish quick. So, I hurry out another exit to the left of me.

Now, I found myself in a dimly lit vast space, a series of steel ramps and walkways winding chaotically all over the place. This made things seem more like a game show challenge or somesuch. Almost fittingly, a jazz arranged version of the Super Mario Bros overworld sounds in the background. I go up a ramp, which lead to a bridge high up, which itself twists into a spiral slide. I was take to a fork, the choice another upward ramp, or a narrow slide into dark depths. I take the latter. The deeper I went, the more I lost sight of my surroundings. I wondered how someone with a big belly could've squeeze through this part of the structure, and whether it was safe to have such a thing. Of course, I waved off such illusory concerns.

For a moment, it felt as if the ride stopped. But, only at the last second did I realize I was pulled into a sheer drop. My gut wrenched as a fell. Quite intense, but also fun after the fact. Such repeated a few times. Eventually, the path illuminates in purple light. I find myself staring at a grand aquarium.5 Huge, scaleless fish winded in the amethyst waters between towers of orange-white patterned coral. I would've enjoyed this sight for much longer, though I couldn't stop myself from sliding even deeper.

Once again, it was pitch blackness. I felt myself losing grasp of the dream. After a few more steep drops, I'm slid into a supine position. Soon, I find myself wide awake.

Created Wednesday 05 May 2021

Got just enough time to post this dream loop from Wednesday.

Dream 1 - Department Store Sprawl Loop

Scene 1 - Ineffective Department
The visuals were slightly dim. WILD transition in bed.

I roll off the mattress, and walk out of my bedroom. Suddenly, I find myself in a mall's department store, a place illuminated by subdued yellow lights. There wasn't much organization in how things were arranged; products were sprawled out haphazardly in large wire boxes. About twenty or so people were browsing about.

Soon, I made attempts at conjuring D (a recurring DC), first with a thought, then by trying to reform surfaces in her image. But, nothing came of this. I next tried summoning my super-hero costume as part of the TOTY. I look to and from my person. Again, no results; I was still in my bedclothes.

Things got unstable. I clung on to surfaces to keep in state, but couldn't keep from slipping out of the dream.

Scene 2 - TOTY 2021 Task ii
Similar visuals. I manage a re-entry back in bed. Like before, I walk out into a department store practically similar to the one above, if with slight adjustments. To keep stability, I walk quickly, while also focusing when I make contact on any surfaces.

Once again, I try conjuring my superhero costume, without effect. So instead, I turn to my surroundings. Certainly, there's worse places to find such a thing than a department store. I reach for a nearby rack, where I happened to pull out a black garbage liner. Not what I was looking for. Still, I wrapped it around my shoulder, expecting it would change later on.

After some more sifting, I found a pair of black leather touring pants. Perfect. I donned it immediately. I briefly turned my attention to my torso, when I found that, instead of a trash bag, I was wearing a black leather jacket, deep pockets lined at the midsection. Not quite a touring jacket, but close enough. I then look down, and noticed my having black leather low top hiking boots. Again, not exactly what I wore last time, but acceptable. Next was a helmet. By happenstance, my hand was already digging through a nearby rack. I pull out what what I had, and, surprise surprise, it was a black motorcycle helmet. It had no skull print, though I ain't complaining. Despite the dark tint on its visor, wearing it didn't really affect my vision. All I was missing was a set of gloves, but I decided I'd gloss that over for the moment.

Now, with that settled, I rush off, isolating myself at a far off wall. There, I saw my reflection on a window. To my confusion, the image was of my wearing bedclothes yet again. I look at a different window, and saw my costume, only, it was superimposed on my own form. Thought it best to ignore these illusions.

As per the task, I call out to the dream to grant me powers. Soon, my own voice echoed in my mind.

"Uh... you can shrink, and... fly, I guess?", the voice stammered.

Almost there. Calming my nerves, I try using my super powers. It took only seconds to fly, though for the moment, I opted only to hover a few inches off the ground. I then concentrated to shrink down. Steadily, my surroundings became larger and larger, until I was only inches in height.

At my new size, I could slide through an indent between the floor and wall. Upon doing so, I found myself in a poorly lit bathroom, floating over a pair toilet stalls. The voices of male voices boomed in the distance, their footsteps rumbling louder as they approached. This was my cue to get out of here. I allowed myself to wake up briefly, feeling satisfied at a task well done.

Scene 3 - Where's Dimwit?
Similar visuals. Another re-entry, this time starting already in the above-mentioned department store. On a lark, I opted to look around for other DV superheroes. But as I strolled around, I noticed the store was peculiarly empty. I called out for Dimwit (the only hero that came to mind at the moment), though nothing seemed to happen. Ah, well. I casually resumed my jaunt until the dream collapsed again.

Scene 4 - Willing Bloodbag
Similar visuals. Re-entry. I was back in the department store, only now, I was in a long hallway much further than where I was in previous scenes.

I make my way down the corridor, when suddenly, I'm accosted from behind by a figure. Turning around, I find this was a slender Asiatic woman, black hair short, and dressed in a grey sleeping gown. More tellingly, her skin was inhumanly pale.

"C'mon. This way.", she commands in a curt tone, as if we were already well acquainted. I kinda understood where this was going.

Anyway, I allow the stranger to sequester the both of us into the nearest exit. Incidentally, this was a cramped bedroom, space only enough for a single-sized mattress and a small cabinet.

I return my attention to the pale woman, to be met by a desperate gaze and bared fangs. If I weren't aware, I might've actually been flustered. I brushed aside my would-be assailant, leaving her thoroughly confused. I step closer, and spoke.

"Calm down", I begin saying softly. "Take a deep breath. Now, start again, slowly."

Tilting my head back, I calmly leave myself exposed. The vampire was initially hesitant, but eventually, she heeds my words to the letter.

Slowly, subtly, I felt her fangs piercing my throat. Her teeth dug deep, yet I felt no pain. As time draws on, I sensed myself becoming abnormally cold. Still, this experience was oddly soothing...

The undead lady ends her feast about a minute later, much sooner than expected. She looks up, her eyes bright with satisfaction. As a show of gratitude, she pulls me in a tight embrace.

I lose awareness. Various unknown scenes after this. Don't recall how this ends.

Created Monday 22 February 2021

Got two DILDs and a fragment today. There was a lot I'd recalled before my first known awakening, but memory of such decayed quickly.

Dream 1 - More TOTY Task 2 Shortcomings - Part 1

The visuals were a bit dull. I was in an unknown apartment suite, twilight overlooking an urban block from out the windows. Many family members and several acquaintances were crowded in the area.

As the group was chattering, I noticed my niece, Audrey, playing a dangerous game from several windows. She'd climb out, then hang hang on to the sill for a few seconds, before clambering back inside. Seeing as much worried me, not helped that no one else seemed to care. It also made me question my state. Cue remembering my being in bed moments earlier, and thus realizing the dream.

Through telekinesis, I immediately dragged my niece towards me. She seemed pleasantly surprised at being transported in such a manner. Contrast everyone else, who gave me a bewildered 'what the hell does that guy think he's doing?' look. Ignoring their reactions, I hauled around Audrey solely as a means to keep things stable.

"Where are we going?", she asks.

"Oh, uh, we're just getting a snack.", I muttered.

The girl grinned. "I want cotton candy!"

"Okay, we'll do that."

Nearest visible exit was at the far left corner. By happenstance, the opening connected to a ladder, which itself lead straight down several stories into the building's snow-filled yard. After securing my niece on my shoulders, the ladder seemed to have been reduced to a couple of steps. Furthermore, perspective was skewed such that the ground was very close by. Yet, as I poked my leg past the steps, I felt nothing but air. I took matters into my own accord, opting to forego the ladder, then float straight to the bottom.

I set my niece aside, whereupon I remembered the TOTY. As per the task, I call out to the dream for a response. Soon, my own voice echoes in my mind.

"Um... so, you can shrink, and fly, I guess...", my ethereal voice stammers. I shrugged. Works for me.

But hold on. I'd just recalled I needed my costume. I looked down, and saw I was wearing jeans and a black tanktop. Nope, not my uniform. Flicking my arm, I tried conjuring my gear, but got nothing. This went on for over half a minute. At that moment, my niece tugs at my arm.

"Tio", she begins complaining. "When are we getting my snack?"

I decided I'll try creating cotton candy first, start with something easy. I had my niece sit in a nearby baby slide as I began the summons. This was initiated by my rubbing my fingers, first in each individual hand, then between each other. No results. It's then I thought to get Audrey involved in this. Grasping her right hand with my own, I start rubbing our palms together, before abruptly letting go. Once again, I rubbed my fingers, and... success! Strings of pink and blue cotton candy were being pulled from nowhere! I steadily tugged out more, until I had just enough to make a tangerine-sized tuft. Didn't seem like it'd be enough to satisfy even a kid's appetite. Yet, against expectation, my niece was delighted. She chortled with glee as she snatched it from my hand.

Well, that worked. Back to the costume. Once again, I snapped my wrist and, just like that, my attire changed. I was indeed wearing my designated outfit. Or, mostly. I had the right helmet, gloves, and boots. But, my pants and jacket, as opposed to being black like the other pieces, were now a bright lipstick red. Wasn't too thrilled with the look. No matter. I brushed it off as an 'alternate color' costume. Thought it best to move on.

I was about to call out to the dream once again. Unfortunately, the scenery immediately faded. I woke up promptly. Tried re-entering. Dozed off within two minutes.

Dream 2 - More TOTY Task 2 Shortcomings - Part 2

The visuals were a bit blurred. I was at home in my bedroom. Although I wasn't (falsely) waking up, I felt groggy.

I dragged myself in the living room, where I noticed a figure seated on the couch. To my surprise, it was my uncle Ryan. I couldn't fathom how he got here, and so suddenly, no less. Thinking of such made me aware.

I recalled the tasks once more, when my bro Emil passed by. Taking an opportunity, I seized him by the shoulder, and dragged him away.

Sudden warp. We ended up in what seemed an abandoned warehouse, sunlight peeking in from a broken window. Anyway, I looked at myself, and noticed I was already in costume (sans chest protector). With that settled, I directed my brother to tell me what my powers are.

"You have two.", he begins. "You have the powers 'Last Defense', and "Summon Succori." Following that, he began to ramble on like a loon. Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out what the hell he's talking about.

"Okay, wait. Let's backtrack a bit.", I grumble. "What does it mean to 'Summon Succori?' Can you explain that?"

"It means you can summon defeated opponents to fight for you. Furthermore..."

Emil continues babbling nonsensically from that point on. I tried to ignore him, but his droning was giving me a headache. In fact, such discomfort forced me awake.

Scrap Group 1
SP in bed. Suddenly, I was accosted by a demon lady in a purple robe, her skin pale with a blue tint, and her twisted fangs innumerous. Speaking in a raspy voice, she politely asked "permission" to drain me completely. In turn, I implored she discern me further before doing such a thing. She glared down, then, upon sensing something within me, her eyes widened in bewilderment. "Are you God?", she gasped. I blurted she was grossly overstating things. The fiend recoiled back, and pleaded for mercy. At this point, I could move. I reached out to grab hold of a dream object (namely, the DC nearby) but the dream suddenly collapsed.

Created Monday 15 February 2021

Got a DILD and some fragments. I tried two tasks in today's LDs, as the title indicates, I screwed up at both. Oh well. I had fun regardless.

Scrap Group 1
In a wide, darkened area, like an amphitheater. Monsters were lurking the place. I was given psychic powers, which I used to fly around and shoot telekinetic blasts.

In a hotel lobby or a similar place. A bunch of of zany cartoon monsters (drawn in a 40's art style) were wrecking havoc. It was left to me and a handful of people to neutralize them. One of the creatures was a huge tree. I was told that it was mom, who had been corrupted into that form. I was conflicted on how to handle this.

Dreamlet to dream. Various forgotten scenes. Vaguely recall being in a school. I slowly gained awareness. Warp.


Dream 1 - Two Tasks, Two Misses

The visuals started rather blurred. I was in a wilderness pathway leading to the gate of a large park, sunlight peeking through the leaves.

Suddenly, mom suddenly rushed in from nowhere.

"Hey!", she speaks frantically in Spanish. "How do I change the TV to channel 8?!"

This only catalyzed my awareness. I turned away, dismissing her request. Ma kept babbling about a number of topics, such as trivial updates about my sister. No doubt the dream's way of distracting me. I claimed I'd attend her soon, but of course, I wasn't going to do such a thing.

Since the dream felt unstable, I hurried to hold onto an old wooden railing nearby. I rubbed it carefully, as I worried about splinters. Once I was more assured, I seated myself cross-legged, and meditated. As expected, I began ascending, if much faster than intended. It took only seconds to reach the clouds.

I thought of tasks at this moment. Just then, an ethereal female voice spoke.

"Here he is!", she booms cheerfully. "He's FireFlyMan! A man of power!" A cheesy fanfare followed as she continued her speech. I listened intently. "With the ability to fly, and shrink himself, FireFlyMan is a hero like no other!"

"Wait", I interjected. "When you mentioned power, what did you mean? Did you mean, like, super-strength?"

"Yes.", replied the voice, annoyed. A pause followed before she continued her speech. "So join FireFlyMan as he journeys through the vastness of space...!"

I interrupted once more. "That's okay, thanks. I'm good now."

"Ugh. Fine.", the woman grunts.

Task done (or so I thought; I realized wasn't in costume much later!). With that settled, I flew at sonic speeds to try warping. Suddenly, blue smoke erupted a distance away from me. From it sprang a massive space craft. Much of the ship consisted of glowing blue metal, its light flowing as a stream. Just as soon as it appeared, it vanished.

But, something else was left behind: a huge portal, cackling with electricity of similar coloration to the craft. What else was there to do, but explore? So, I entered the warp heedlessly. I found myself in a maze-like wormhole. Much like the ship, it resonated with wave-like blue radiance. As I continued, the tunnel narrowed. Eventually, the path forks two ways. I opt to take the left.

At this interval, thinking of a TOTM gave me a more definite destination: an alien planet. Once this thought occurred, the portal suddenly ended. I was thrust into a dark, foggy cavern of blood-red stone. Eerie violet lights sparked intensely in the distance. Certainly, this wasn't our world any longer.

Without wasting time, I search for a plant. I soon found a patch of long blades of grass, faded green plants tinted blue at the points and edges. I then begin working at super-speed. First, I smash the leaves between rocks until they become a fine, vibrant purple powder. Then, by will alone, I conjured a campfire, along with a boiling brazier of water. Finally I throw the powder into the pot. The mixture reacted violently, exploding into purple smoke. Only a portion of liquid remained.

I instantly grab the pot, and almost take an swig. But, fear of getting scalded, let alone of drinking an alien substance, held me back. I drew a deep breath, and tried again. Unfortunately, the dream deteriorated immediately. I wake up with a gasp.

Created Saturday 06 February 2021

Neat. Got an LD today and a near-LD fragment. There was more I recalled before the morning, but memory of such has since faded.

Spoiler for Another long one:

Dream 1 - Task of the Year 2021 - Task 1

The visuals started blurred. Wasn't sure where I was, only that I was in conversation with my brothers. We were reminiscing on old video games. I 'daydream' about one such game, the scene a highway ramp overlooking a bay during dusk. Inexplicably, I'm sent stumbling into this vision, and run down an incline.

Soon, I find myself in my exercise route, hurrying east during late dusk. My breath gives out much too quickly. I'm left so fatigued, I fall supine between a complex's entrance. Several people and vehicles pass dangerously close by.

After catching my breath, I clamber up, and struggle to jog. My pacing improves to a run, then a full sprint. Suddenly, I fall straight down a steep, unexpected incline, and into tunnel-like depths. I lost my footing, but found I could hover at increasing speeds. Navigating these dizzying depths made me realize the dream.

The scenery collapsed into a dark, foggy void. I concentrated to maintain calm. Once I felt sufficiently free of doubt, I thought of taking on the TOTY. I called out to the dreamscape in which I was floating. "Alright, dream.", I intone. "Tell me my superhero name. Even though I'm sure it'll be FireFlyMan (my old username here)..."

Some time later, the dream responded with a flurry of spectral voices. One I could distinguish as my niece yelling 'Tio!'. A high-toned male voice called out 'Thaddeus'. Another shouted 'John'. Many other voices uttered even more common names.

This, obviously, was unsatisfactory. "C'mon, I need a superhero name.", I grumble.

And then, a deep, menacing voice speaks. "You know who you are", booms the unknown figure. "You. Are. FireFlyMan."

I sigh in relief. "Thank you."

Now, I needed an outfit. I look at my person, a faint blue light reflecting on my skin, and see I'm still in my bed clothes. "Okay, dream. Gimme a costume." I look at my right arm, glance away, and look again. Nothing has changed. I repeat this again and again for over a minute. Zilch. This was getting annoying.

At the peak of my frustration, the voice returns, intoning with dramatic pauses. "And he arrives, in a chopper."

I suddenly found myself on the seat of a large motorcycle in motion. It was a kind of Harley-Davidson, or perhaps a knock-off. No idea on the model, exactly (I've no strong inclinations towards bikes); it just seemed the stereotypical heavy bike with glossy black body and chrome framework.

"Okay, I could work with this.", I muttered with a shrug. "Now, about my gear..."

The voice calls out again. "He's dressed, in leather."

I look down, and find myself wearing black baggy leather pants, brown leather chaps, and cowboy boots, the latter two complete with tassels. Above the waist, I wore only a leather vest. This discount Village People cowboy/biker get-up... yeah, it wasn't for me.

"Er... I was thinking of something more... professional? How about a tour...?"

"A black leather touring suit.", the voice interjects.

Now, I was indeed wearing a vintage black touring suit, the jacket including two large pockets. This also came with black combat boots, and a pair of leather gloves of similar color. It all fit comfortably, and the jacket really looked snazzy.

Still, I felt something was missing. "Hey, how about some protection?"

I immediately given a wide hard shoulder/chest pad covered with metal studs. It looked too flashy for my tastes.

"How about something more practical?"

Now, my armor was replaced with a much plainer looking kevlar torso protector, the chest and back piece strapped at the shoulder and waist. Attached to it was a set of decorative metal plate pauldrons of reasonable size. Wasn't really a matching set, but oh well.

The voice booms down yet again. "...a face-concealing motorcycle helmet." And I was instantly wearing as much.

"A skull helmet.", I demanded. My vision discorporates and scrolls out. Below, I could see print covering much of the helmet, an image of a cracked, jawless skull, its teeth (where it wasn't missing) jagged, and a single glowing eye on one of the sockets. Nice. "Oh, and can you make the visor bigger?" The headgear's visor widened on command. Very nice.

Looked like a success to me. I restore my vision, then decided to just enjoy the ride.

A minute later, the dream voice bellows unexpectedly. "And he comes equipped with a knight's lance..."

Suddenly, a green lance is couched under my right arm. "That's actually... kinda cool.", I blurt out.

"...and a combat knife....", the voice continues.

Now, I find said knife in a sheath strapped on my left arm. "Okay, we'll worry about weapons and powers next time...", I mutter.

"...and a lighting [sic] baton." Such an illuminated object was thrown ahead of me. Instead of having a glowing head, this metallic baton had a bunch of lightstrips lining its body.

" ...I guess that would come in handy..."

"...and a hot chick.", the voice roars, accompanied by the sound of a rumbling flame and a low explosion.

"...huh?"

I turn around, and realize that there was indeed a hackneyed svelte blonde clung onto me. She was wearing a blue mesh dress, a bikini of similar color flagrantly visible beneath. Much of her hair was tucked away in a light blue sunhat, and her indifferent eyes were covered with shades.

I fought hard not to laugh. "...going overboard, don't you think?"

Ahead, the void merged into a more inviting scenery: a sunny beach. I sensed a lengthy adventure awaited me. Too lengthy, I feared. I decided to quit while I was ahead, lest I lose any memory of this experience. I make a hard sideways skid on the sands. Soon, the dream collapsed.

Scrap Group 1
Navigating a series of scaffolding high above in a clear dawn sky. Various family members, both close and distant, were seated around, including my siblings, and two of my cousins. They were chit-chatting on recent events. I float around cross-legged. I almost got aware, when the others distracted me by claiming it was 4PM. I bemoaned having been asleep for over 16hours. They also I 'reminded' me of an incident at a beach, where I got in a fistfight with some light skinned guy with spiky black hair. Flash back to me running in a wilderness trail near the beach. I stop to stretch my arms, when, without warning, a bike rider passed by me from behind, almost colliding with me. It was that aforementioned jerk. When I returned to the beach, that guy confronted me. He accused me of trying to hit him earlier. I argued that not only was this just a near-accident, but that by not signaling me, he was responsible. He got unreasonably irate. Cue him starting the fight. We were pulled apart before things could get out of hand. Cut back to me running in the trail. I trip, and fall hand-first on a grapefruit-sized ball of semi-dried dog crap. Infuriated, I chuck it at a road median visible beyond a row of trees.

Created Monday 21 September 2020

Man, this is such a relief. Got a WILD and some scraps today.

Spoiler for another wordy LD:

Scrap Group 1
Working in one of my old jobs.

Something about wandering around during a grey day. I was in an altered version the south-eastern parts of town, between some of the shopping district.

Dream 1 - Chao's Containment Vault

The visuals were a bit blurred, but clarified over time. WILD transition in bed, so noted by the sound of my breath amplifying to deafening levels. I still felt my real-world body. So, I took a minute to sense my dream form. I started by imagining movement from my hands, then arms, and so on, until I'd enough presence to roll off bed.

I walk through the lounge, the only illumination a dim twilight peeking through the windows. Both housemates were up and about in the kitchen, rambling on about something or other. I ignored them in favor of rummaging through the fridge outright. There was a lot more food than usual. Notable items included a whole leg of roast pork, and a small chocolate chip cake in a cake keeper, both on the top rack. I tore out a few pieces of the roast. Would've been better heated, but it was quite fine nonetheless. The cake, on the other hand, was wickedly delicious. Not just its flavor, but the textures as well, a mix of thick, moist, soft, and crunchy that combined all too well. I helped myself to three big pre-cut slices.

Once satisfied, I hurried towards the front door. Two windows replaced the one normally beside it, specifically a short window atop a larger one. Looking out the clear twilight, I floated up, then tried phasing to launch myself into space. But, as has happened recently, I was repelled.

The dream began collapsing into a pitch-black void. Acting quick, I dived back first through the ground to warp. I felt myself in bed momentarily. It took some concentration, and a lot of reassurance, for me to warp. Within less than a minute, I found myself floating in deep space. The stars were initially quite faint, then appeared rendered as in 16-bit, before clarifying to a more natural sight.

After enjoying the view, I beset myself towards a TOTY appropriate for the scene (the spaceship one, to be exact). I launched off at light speed (if not faster) further into the cosmos. The pressure of space twisting around blacked me out momentarily, but I endured, and regained consciousness with even greater clarity. A HUD was framed at the edges of my view, reading out random attributes. To the bottom-right was a rotating model of the Enterprise from Star Trek. Wasn't sure what any of this meant, nor was I willing to find out. Instead, I concentrated on locating the target ship via internal radar. As in a previous dream, a continuous beep was soon heard, which became louder and more frequent as I pressed on. Suddenly, an AR map was displayed ahead of me, charting stars on a seemingly endless grid. Both my target and myself occupied points within the same cell. Or, as I gathered, somewhere within the same solar system. I was close.

In a moment, I saw it: a rocket, blazing ahead. Anxious, I trailed it closely. After a short chase, the craft landed onto a reddish-brown planet. I did likewise seconds later. As expected from the view above, the immediate surface of this exoplanet was a rocky wasteland, nothing to see but stars and the ruddish-red rocks of the mountains.

After a brief search, I caught sight of the rocket, a yellow craft that was a lot smaller than expected, no bigger than 15ft in height. The captor aliens weren't far. I tensed myself for a fight. But, to my shock, I realized these were just Chao, the baby-like critter from Sonic Adventure. Each of them were dressed in silly little aluminum suits and glass dome helmets. As I gawked in awe, two of the Chao drew in, curious expressions on their faces, as several others shyly hung back. Their small frame was all too apparent as they got closer; they were barely taller than my knee.

Seeing such innocence made me regret what I had to do next. "Sorry, little guys...", I muttered out. With hurried trepidation, I began dismantling their rocket bit by bit, starting with the tip, then ripping out the thrusters, and continuing on. The Chao's plaintive flailing and whining made this all the more difficult. I kept telling myself "they'll rebuild it, they'll be fine", though I wasn't so sure...

Then, halfway through, I pulled out a large, hatch-locked steel container. No doubt the target captive was inside. I unsealed the door, pressurized air escaping with a dramatic hiss. Soon, a... thing crawled out, a long, spindly creature as black as pitch. It (tentatively) resembled a human-sized stickbug, albeit with four limbs, and no visible head. The Chao, upon seeing the captive set loose, wailed in panic. Something bad would happen if I just stood by, I could tell. Acting quick, I secured my charge in my arms, then blasted off into space.

I made sure to project a life-sustaining forcefield (colored beige) around us, just in case the liberated creature needed air and such. Next, I tried interfacing with it. "Do you know where your home is?", I asked. Besides feeling it squirm uncomfortably in my arms, I got no response. I cruised around aimlessly in space as I thought how I could deal with this. Just then, the dream collapsed in a void. I did my best to re-enter, but got no results. I woke up shortly afterwards.

Media References:

Spoiler for Chao from Sonic Adventure: