Mindscape meme

[twistingkage]

☄ The Mindscape Meme ☄

If you've played Psychonauts, you have some idea of what's going on with this meme. (It doesn't have to play out much like Psychonauts if you don't want it to, though.) Your character has something going on in their inner mental world that needs to be confronted by psychic voyagers, and that's what's going to happen here. It's nothing but metaphor and symbolism from here on out, and you can be as dark or as silly as you want about it.

»» how to play
1. Post a comment (with your character's name and canon as the subject line) with a quick summary of what your character's mental world is like. It doesn't have to be long. "A colorful amusement park with inexplicably Arctic-themed rides" could work for a childish hedonist hiding the emotional scars of a terrible polar-bear-related incident, for example. Give it a snappy name if you feel like it. If you have some imagery or music that fits the atmosphere, you can even link that.
2. If you have any preferences you want to stick with, be sure to make a note of them in your initial comment.
3. Respond to other people's threads with a character to explore their mindscapes. Pick or roll the RNG for an option for what part your character winds up in--or suggest another one if you've got a wildcard idea.
4. First player, your character is the host. Second player, your character is the visitor.
5. The first player writes tags about the mental world that's being explored, explaining how it reacts and adapts to the visitor's presence there. You can do more than set the mood and describe how the environment changes, though: people can crop up inside the mindscape representing various aspects of your character's personality, and the visitor can interact with them. Or if you'd rather, you can have your character accompanying the visiting character through the mindscape, trying to help or misdirect them as they please.
6. The second player tags with their character's attempts to navigate the strange mindscape and solve the inner conflict plaguing the host character--or simply escape back to the material world. Or maybe their motive is less pure, and they're trying to uncover a secret that the first character is hiding deep within. You get to decide why they're there, really.
7. There isn't any right or wrong way to do this meme, so take as much or as little as you want from the options given.
8. Do your best to communicate OOCly with other players if you run into any trouble or confusion, provide warnings if it becomes necessary, and don't be afraid to tag around!

»» prompts for the mental voyagers
1. AT THE GATES. You're about to jump off from the outermost layers of your host's personality and start getting into the stuff that really makes them tick. Can you find the key to the lock, or the hidden door, or whatever wacky trick will lead you there? Of course, the more this character tends to hide their true self, the more their inner world will try to convince you there's nothing lurking behind this facade.
2. YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO FIND THIS. You've stumbled into a hidden place where the host keeps a secret that they never wanted anyone else to know. What is it and how does it manifest in the mindscape? Are they going to attack you somehow for revealing it?
3. NIGHTMARE TIME. Oops, you've gone the wrong way, and now you're squaring off against the host's worst fears embodied within their head. What do they look like and what do they represent? Can they be defeated in combat or do you have to take a more delicate approach? Maybe they don't appear as obvious enemies at all, and they pose a more subtle danger.
4. FREE ADMISSION FOR CHILDREN. Hey, look, it's where your host keeps their most important childhood memories...good and bad. Be careful: they might not be all that accurate or trustworthy. Kids don't have the most objective perceptions of their lives.
5. THE BEST PART OF ME. You've finally found the host's greatest ideals and noblest inspirations--the things that drive them to do good and be a better person. Or maybe what you're dealing with here is the actual personification of their own greatest virtues. Perhaps they're under siege for some reason and need some help getting their strength back, or maybe they have something to teach you. On the other hand, in some characters, this part of the mindscape could be in pretty bad shape.
6. COME TO THE DARK SIDE. This isn't good. You've reached a part of the mindscape that represents or is controlled by the shadow--all the bad things about your host that they don't want to admit. Unless they have admitted it, in which case this place is under better control by them...but that doesn't necessarily make it any less dangerous for you. How will you escape, or will you try to help the host come to terms with this part of themselves first? Of course, you could also try to get them to give in to all these dark temptations and embrace them, if that's your preference...
7. FINAL BOSS. You're facing the embodiment of the core issue that haunts this character. Whatever it is, you have to think of a way to defeat it, whether through violence or other means. Are they too emotionally stable to have such a thing? Then it's the embodiment of their deepest motivation and you have to defeat it to get out of here.
8. ROAM FREE IN THE WILD SUBCONSCIOUS. Enough of those prescribed options; this one is your old wild card. Come up with your own twist on what can be done as a psychic voyager in someone else's mind.

Comments

Green Oak || Pokemon

[almostthebest]

6

[palletspride]

[... He knows damn good and well that he isn't supposed to be here. He knows that this is an invasion of Green's privacy, but... he's worried, okay? Though, he wasn't expecting his internal wish to know what goes on in Green's head to have been granted in this... rather literal way.

He's not exactly complaining. He just wants to get a feel for the place first before he wanders anywhere.]

[almostthebest]

((The world is a hill. There's a thick forest around a clearing, and then a small rolling hill, just like a typical hill found in Kanto near Pallet Town. It's a pleasant world, a lovely scent in the slight breeze, bright blue skies with just the occasional cloud.

If Red's looking, though, he'll see what a pile of rocks and dusty weeds are trying to hide - a small door in the side of the hill.))

[palletspride]

[It's nice and familiar. It's tempting to just stay in this spot and enjoy the sight and the scent.

... but when he takes another look around, he spots the door. He makes his way over to it, gently moving aside the rocks and clearing away the weeds. Once he finishes, he turns the knob and gently pushes the door open to allow him to slip inside.

... He knows this is wrong, he shouldn't be here, he shouldn't be doing this... but damn if he isn't curious. What could Green be trying to hide...?]

[almostthebest]

((As soon as Red opens the door, he'll see stairs heading straight down to a door. Opening that door, he'll see a small and dingy medical room, with two beds pushed close together. It's unlikely that he'll see the chair in the dark corner of the room until a voice speaks up.))

What are you doing here? ((It's snapped by a young boy with familiar messy hair and bright green eyes.))

[palletspride]

... Green? What is this? [Yep, sorry kiddo, your question's being ignored. Although he's glancing from the boy to the beds and back, a look of clear concern knitting his brows together.]

[almostthebest]

We got sick. ((He sneers, crossing his arms more firmly and ducking his head.)) Except there are only two beds, so I guess you can figure out where Mom and Dad went if you're not dumb.

[palletspride]

... I see. [He thinks for a moment.] Would you like me to keep you company?

[almostthebest]

Why? ((He demands suspiciously.)) Everyone else left. Even- even the guy I'm supposed to live with. Something about Pokemon.

Red | Pokemon

[palletspride]

[Red's mental world, at the start, is a field with tall grass in every direction you look. It's also dotted with a few stone arches that seem a little out of place and don't look like they actually go anywhere...]

[almostthebest]

((When Green appears, it throws him off-kilter a little. But soon he's standing straight, looking around with curiosity at the world around him. What will be there for him to find?))

[palletspride]

[It really depends on which way he goes.

The best starting point would be the stone arches, presumably...]

[almostthebest]

((The nearest stone arch, then, will be approached carefully. After a moment, he'll reach out to run a hand over the stone before stepping through.))

[palletspride]

[The stone is smooth, and cool to the touch, and when he steps through it, the entire scene changes.

Suddenly, he's in the caves of Mt. Silver, near the very top, with the arch he just walked through integrated into the exit. There's a figure huddled against the wall, and...

... well, upon closer inspection, it seems to be Red, only he's clothed in a gloomy dark gray and seems to have an aura to match...]

[almostthebest]

((The sudden chill surprises him, and he yelps a little before wrapping his arms around himself and looking around. Of course, he immediately stumbles closer to Red before sitting across from him - though he's not quite exactly like Red. Something is Off.)) ... Red?

[palletspride]

["Red" looks up. Even his eyes look dull in comparison to normal. The crimson eyes are all but lifeless, lacking their usual glint of mischief and cheer.] Green...

[His voice is faint, and a bit hoarse... from disuse, perhaps?]

[almostthebest]

Red, you're- dying. ((That's how it immediately looks to Green, at least. He reaches out to cup Red's cheeks without a second that, shifting closer to the boy.)) What's happening?

Silver | Pokemon

[recalcitrantrival]

[It's a decent-sized room with shelves everywhere.

On these shelves are different bottles and jars, all shapes and sizes, all made of glass, each with some sort of colored smoke inside... the darker-colored ones seem to be on higher shelves than the others...]

8

[stringedsoul]

"Wow," she breathes, not wasting a single moment before running to pick up the first jar she sees on one of the lower shelves. She peers at the smoke in the glass, shaking the jar a little before glancing over her shoulder. It only takes a second to twist the top off and look inside.

[recalcitrantrival]

The light blue smoke pours out of it, before taking shape. The smoke twists and turns into a translucent phantom of Silver and his Crobat--before it evolved into Crobat. He's congratulating it on a job well-done in battle (it's clearly after he learned to treat his Pokemon better), and then before the phantom Silver's eyes, the Golbat evolves and Silver nearly goes slackjaw for a moment before collecting himself and inhaling sharply.

Lyra will definitely be able to sense the overwhelming, unmistakeable feeling of pride Silver had felt at that moment.

[stringedsoul]

She can't help but squeal, pressing one hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles. It's adorable. He's adorable. She wants to see more. The jar is set aside after one more fond look at phantom Silver before she grabs another one and opens it.

[recalcitrantrival]

The next one brings some scenery with it. Victory Road, to be exact.

It's the aftermath of one of their battles--obviously ending in Lyra's victory--but rather than bitterness and anger, Lyra can sense a resigned sort of satisfaction. His Pokemon did all they could do. He's congratulating her on her victory before reminding her to make sure her Pokemon are in top condition before battling the Elite Four. The other Lyra walks off and Silver administers Revives to his team, murmuring "I guess it's time for a bit of a break. You all deserve it."

[stringedsoul]

She has a quieter response to this one, but it's just as delighted. She presses a hand to her heart before looking up at the shelves again. After a moment of thought, she takes off her shoes, nimbly climbing up the shelves to grab a jar from the top before jumping down to the floor. Dusting herself off casually, she opens it.

[recalcitrantrival]

The black smoke that tumbles out of this jar carries a very distinct bitterness to it.

Lyra probably won't recognize the man in black that stands a few feet away from a clearly younger Silver, but the redhead is leveling a death glare on the man. The young Silver is clearly bitter and betrayed, clenching his fists and trying to keep himself from yelling. "You told me... you were number one in the world...! Are you gonna just quit?! What are you going to do now?"

The man coolly glances at Silver, staying silent for a while, before he finally speaks. "One must acknowledge one's defeat before he can move on... I will go solo...for now... So that one day I will form a stronger organization!"

Silver growls, his shoulders hunching. He's still clearly stuck on what he had been saying before. "What aspect of you was number one?! Gathering so many only to be defeated by a kid?!"

The man shakes his head. "Putting together the potential of many is how you produce a huge power... That's what an organization is... That's the strength of an organization! I failed... to make the best use of my subordinates potential...! But you shall witness one day the revival of me and my Team Rocket!"

Silver clenches his fists tighter. "I don't understand you, Dad! You don't make any sense!"

The man simply turns his back, glancing over his shoulder at the boy. "One day, you will understand."

"I don't want to understand you! I will never become someone like you! A coward when you're alone, and acting like a tyrant in front of other cowards... I will become strong! I will become a stronger man all by myself! All by myself!!"

Silver turns and runs off. The scene fades, still leaving a bit of residual anger...

[stringedsoul]

She's left a little shocked by that, standing still in her place as the smoke fades away. Then she closes her eyes tight, clenching her fists. She has to get out - she has to talk to Silver right now...