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

[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?

[palletspride]

[He looks down again, refusing to meet Green's eyes.]

... I'm sorry.

[almostthebest]

Stop that. ((He snaps, rubbing his hands together before putting them back to Red's cheeks.)) Are you cold? It's the cold, isn't it? I knew something would go wrong with you climbing this fucking mountain.

[palletspride]

[He shakes his head.] I've... done so much I should apologize to you for... [He brings up a hand to rub at one of his eyes.] All those tricks I've played on you, for instance... I'm really sorry for those... and all the times I won those battles against you? Those, too... and y-your Raticate... that battle where I wounded it so badly, I'm... I'm so sorry for that... and-- [You might want to cut him off, Green.]

[almostthebest]

((He's trying to cut him off, but the part about Raticate sticks in his chest uncomfortably. He's silent for a moment, then shakes his head.)) It- it doesn't matter. I was a brat. You- those things helped me grow out of it.

[palletspride]

St-still... I... I... [Okay nope, he just leans forward and pulls Green into a tight hug, burying his face in the other's shoulder. It's quiet, but that shaking of his own shoulders...]

[almostthebest]

((He'll clutch Red to his chest, murmuring soothingly into his hair.)) Don't- don't cry, man, you don't have anything to apologize for. You just- we had to work things through. S'okay.

I forgive you. And- I'm sorry too.

[palletspride]

[It takes a bit for him to calm down, but he lifts his head once he does.]

Th... thank you, Green... [Well, if anything, the grays of his clothing look a little lighter and his eyes seem a little brighter (if a bit red from crying).] Y'know, you probably... shouldn't stay here long. 'M used to the chill, but I know you're not...

[almostthebest]

Right. I'll... you should... you should come down from the mountain soon. ((He says slowly.)) I'll be waiting for you. ((And with that, he gets to his feet to go back through the archway, though he does look over his shoulder and give Red an encouraging-ish smile before stepping through.

[palletspride]

[Red nods before he vanishes, just like the scene of Mt. Silver once his rival steps through the exit.

Green's back in the field again, three other stone arches waiting.]

[almostthebest]

((The next closest one, clockwise, then. Green's just a little apprehensive of what he's going to find.))

[palletspride]

[The scene that the field transforms into is a significantly sunnier one. It's the streets of Celadon City.

There's another Red--this one dressed in green--that almost dashes by him, but skids to a stop and backpedals.] Hey! Green!

[... this one is obviously so much more full of life than the previous one.]

[almostthebest]

Red! ((Green catches his arm, swiveling to face him.)) -You're okay?

[palletspride]

Yeah, I'm great! [He grins widely.] Gotta stay in top form, y'know?

[... He can't seem to stay still either...]

[almostthebest]

...Yeah. Yeah. ((But Green can't resist settling his hands on the other man's shoulders, frowning a little. Which part of Red is this?))

[palletspride]

Man, that last battle we had was really awesome! [His grin grows wider--if that's even possible at this point--and he drums his fingers against his leg.] You almost had me backed into a corner there!

I always really look forward to battling you, y'know? You're one of the few people who can actually give me a challenge! 'S how it's always been, actually.

[almostthebest]

--Really? ((That. Well. He's not smiling, but. He's sort of smiling.)) That's- good to know.

[palletspride]

You always manage to push me just that little bit further! It's because of you that I've improved so much!

[almostthebest]

... You're welcome.

That doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you for beating my ass every single time we meet.

[palletspride]

Didn't expect you to. Hey, maybe you'll win someday.

[The corners of his mouth twitch into the slightest smirk.] I wouldn't count on it though.

[almostthebest]

((... that's not normal. Green hesitates a little, raising an eyebrow.)) ... excuse me?

[palletspride]

[Red just laughs.] Gotta defend my win streak tooth and nail, no offense or anything.