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TDM 001 ● JUNE 2025
TDM: ONE
ᛗPRELUDE
(content warnings: dream horror, loss of autonomy, mild body horror, cult undertones )You’ve had this dream before.
A moon cracked wide, spilling tendrils from its craters like bleeding silk. A sky starless and slow. And on the horizon: a wave. Massive. Black. Still. It creeps forward every time like sunrise. It hushes before collapse, but every time before this, you wake up just in time.
But not tonight. You can't outrun it even if you tried— it comes crashing down on you at last, swallowing you like a gaping black hole. Saltless, soundless, the water devours. But instead of drowning, you drift, suspended in velvet dark. And in that dark, her voice breathes.
Let me in.
I can give you everything you’ve ever hungered for.
A place.
A purpose.
Stay.”
She offers. And you— your mouth, your mind— give an answer before you even know you’re speaking. Yes.
The tide recedes. The dark peels away like silk. You awaken beneath a canopy of gold, in a garden that hums with warmth and longing. Soft grass. Strange trees. Fragrant fruits in every color, dripping with light. And a mask upon your face, no straps, no weight, yet it clings to your skin like it was always part of you. You don't want to remove it. You could, maybe . . . But it would feel like tearing your skin away.
She no longer speaks to you, but her orchard breaths a sigh upon your arrival. A force tugs at the edges of your thoughts, beckoning you to contact the web you're now a part of. Welcome, Vessel.
ᛗYOU CAN THREAD THE NEEDLE
(content warnings: sensory manipulation )An orchard stretches around you in impossible directions, the horizon blurred like wet paint. Trees curl and arch with an elegance that feels practiced— like they’re posing for someone watching. Their trunks shimmer faintly. Leaves flutter even when there is no wind.
You are not alone. Others stir nearby, familiar or unfamiliar, though that distinction begins to blur. You may not know them, or perhaps you have the feeling you do even if you've never met them in your life. Either way, you might wish to know them.
From the strange branches within the orchard hang fruits shaped like stars, teardrops, or glass bells. Each one pulses faintly, waiting to be plucked. Their effects are subtle but powerful, crafted to cater to your desire and wonder:
🍎A pearlescent orb, cool and slick to the touch, whose taste floods you with a future that might be: a fleeting vision of joy, belonging, or beauty you didn’t know you craved. Whoever is nearby sees a glimpse of it too.
🍎A silver-veined citrus, fizzing like champagne. When shared between two, it evokes the feeling of a first time— first love, first rebellion, first triumph — even if you’ve never lived it. The emotional residue lingers between you.
🍎A blood-orange fruit with velvet skin, which when bitten into, causes your voice to harmonize with another’s— even if you weren’t speaking. You’ll find yourselves finishing each other’s thoughts, or speaking a secret you both forgot you held.
🍎A waxen, translucent fig, which grants you a small miracle: something you longed for appears beside you, conjured from dream. It might be a lost keepsake. A voice. A scent. A face.
🍎A smooth, silver fruit with a mirrored skin. When bitten, it briefly reflects the dreamer’s true self — not as they are, but as they wish to be. For a moment, others may see it too. The illusion clings for a time, making the character appear more like their ideal self in body, presence, or aura.
🍎A dark plum that glows faintly pink, almost heart-shaped, and warm to the touch. Its juice runs red and sticky, clinging to the lips. To taste it is to be filled with longing— for intimacy, for sensation, for touch. The desire may be gentle or overwhelming, but it lingers, tuned to the presence of someone nearby. It is not mindless. It is focused.
At the center of the orchard is a fountain, still and inviting. Its water tastes like clarity— and for a moment after drinking, your thoughts shape your surroundings. What you create might intertwine with what another dreams beside you.
Sleep does not speak in words. She breathes through the trees, hums through the soil, stares through your mask. Her voice, barely a whisper:
Want.
Want, and see what answers you.”
You feel it,— if you resonate with another, something will change. Maybe the orchard will shift again. Maybe it already has.
ᛗTHE DAYLIGHT RECEDES
(content warnings: grief, loss, emotional vulnerability)The orchard is gone. In its place stretches a landscape of ashen grass, supple and fragrant underfoot, warmed by a pale light that doesn’t seem to come from the sun. All around, a soft breeze stirs the fields— endless, loamy, and quiet. The air smells like soil after rain. It is peaceful here. But not happy.
Scattered across the fields are half-buried remnants: old beds, cracked record players, wilted bouquets, melted candles, notes scrawled on napkins— things lost in the moments between love and loneliness. Everything here feels half-remembered, yet painfully familiar. If a character reaches for one of these objects, they may hear a voice whispering a name they have tried to forget, or one they wish they'd remembered sooner.
In the distance, a shrouded figure walks the fields, unhurried, always just out of reach. Their back is turned, but their presence pulls like gravity. Some may choose to follow. Some may wait. And some may realize they’re walking beside someone else— a stranger who seems to carry a memory they, too, once held.
This is a moment of reflection. Interactions blossom from shared worries, slow confessions, or uncanny synchronicities. Characters might recognize something in another, such as a gesture, a phrase, a scent— and feel that thread begin to tug. Best follow its lead . . . You won't be able to leave unless you do.
ᛗ
EVERYTHING WE LOVE RESETS
(content warnings: body horror, transformation, loss of autonomy, psychological horror, cosmic dread )
You awaken— or perhaps you never truly slept. The orchard is gone. The fields have withered. All is silence now, and the air is soaked in dread.
A still, uncanny plane stretches out before you: rotted soil, stagnant pools, shattered glass trees that hum with an almost-familiar voice. Echoes of what the dream once offered—sweet fruit, blooming things, beauty— remain only as scars on the land. Their pleasures have fermented into menace. The dreamscape is collapsing.
Sleep, ever present, ever watching, does not weep. She has already taken what she wants, and you see her teeth stretched too wide in the shadows. In the reflection that splits back at you. In the soundless breeze with much more bite and possession than the gentle caress of invitation. She whispers, from the shadows between dying stars:
"You said yes. Now let me see what you become."
The mask on your face tightens, no longer decoration. A binding. You are no longer merely dreaming— Your skin may change fluidly, or break down through the bones violently. Your flesh may split, brimming with power, or your blood could burn like lava oozing through your veins. You may even experience it again, and again, and again; a different beast or burst of magic each time. Whether painful or painless, You are now either Token, or Offering. You may not yet know what that means— But your body does.
A still, uncanny plane stretches out before you: rotted soil, stagnant pools, shattered glass trees that hum with an almost-familiar voice. Echoes of what the dream once offered—sweet fruit, blooming things, beauty— remain only as scars on the land. Their pleasures have fermented into menace. The dreamscape is collapsing.
Sleep, ever present, ever watching, does not weep. She has already taken what she wants, and you see her teeth stretched too wide in the shadows. In the reflection that splits back at you. In the soundless breeze with much more bite and possession than the gentle caress of invitation. She whispers, from the shadows between dying stars:
The mask on your face tightens, no longer decoration. A binding. You are no longer merely dreaming— Your skin may change fluidly, or break down through the bones violently. Your flesh may split, brimming with power, or your blood could burn like lava oozing through your veins. You may even experience it again, and again, and again; a different beast or burst of magic each time. Whether painful or painless, You are now either Token, or Offering. You may not yet know what that means— But your body does.
ᛗ EVEN WHEN WE RUN WITH DEATH
(content warnings: body horror, fungal infections, parasitism, loss of agency, cosmic horror, violence, death, cult imagery)Your surroundings bend and break with growing instability: The sky splits open, revealing a bleeding red moon, weeping tendrils like raw nerves. It feels wrong in a way you have no words for. It sees you. And it beckons for blood.
The dream does not want peace now. It wants performance. It wants pain. And above all, Sleep wants you all to herself. She watches from the broken heavens, humming in delight as you run, as you fight, as you fracture under the weight of your becoming. Perhaps you turn on each other, frightened with what you have become or too frazzled to control yourself, or the newfound power you possess.
There are other things to look out for, though. Creatures stalk this unraveling plane: malformed creatures with mutated faces and fungal blooms bursting from their orifices, or tendrils slithering from what were once mouths and eye sockets. Once Vessels. Hosts. They may speak with familiar voices. They may try to barter, or bite. Those with hands and fingers may try and force your eyelids to part, to tilt your gaze to the sky above you, chanting in tongues that drill into your brain stem. Hushing in song. Whispering Look at her. She is Beautiful.
If you are caught, if you gaze up at Her for too long— you too will suffer the same fate. Fungal bursts and tendrils will spurt from your mouth, invade you from the inside and reach out to her in sacred reverence. It's a horrible way to go. If this is an end you find, you too, despite your pain, may begin to smile. You might have even more reason to attack your fellow Vessels. They too, must see Her beauty like you do.
The song stutters. The dream recoils when you succumb to the worst of Her parasitism, even though you don't lose consciousness. It is not Sleep who speaks next. In your last few seconds of awareness, you hear in your ears, in your mind, in your soul, snarling and thick with fury:
The world begins to scream. You begin to fall.
The dream is over.
ᛗNOTES
➤ Welcome to Somnia’s first TDM! All TDMs will be considered game canon.
➤ You are free (and encouraged!) to experiment with the Tether mechanic as well as Vessel options and the Network to your liking; this is a dreamscape, so multiple/different situations for you to really test which option you like most is possible.
➤ All TDMs take place within a dreamscape, meaning characters can interact with the setting without needing to apply. Come have fun with us!
➤ Mod invited players may currently extend one invite per player. Interested players who do not have mod invites or a friend to get an invite from may comment to the appropriate top level to solicit one, or, solicit one from the mod here. Please keep in mind that soliciting an invite does not guarantee one.
➤ Questions? Please direct them to the designated questions comment linked below!
➤ You are free (and encouraged!) to experiment with the Tether mechanic as well as Vessel options and the Network to your liking; this is a dreamscape, so multiple/different situations for you to really test which option you like most is possible.
➤ All TDMs take place within a dreamscape, meaning characters can interact with the setting without needing to apply. Come have fun with us!
➤ Mod invited players may currently extend one invite per player. Interested players who do not have mod invites or a friend to get an invite from may comment to the appropriate top level to solicit one, or, solicit one from the mod here. Please keep in mind that soliciting an invite does not guarantee one.
➤ Questions? Please direct them to the designated questions comment linked below!
no subject
Uhhh... probably not...
[And then he goes still as he stops breathing, his body going limp. He lays there facedown for a few moments, then he suddenly opens his eyes, now looking particularly sunken to go with his deathly pallor. He lets out a horrifying gasp, clawing at the ground beneath him.]
Fuck! That sucked!
no subject
There's not much time to ponder how she feels about this development or what should be done with his body, though. Those thoughts are barely given a moment to land, much less take root, before the loudest (post-)death rattle she's ever heard rushes out of this guy and prompts a louder, more alarmed reprise of her earlier interjection:] Oh shit!
[Reflexively she scrabbles a few feet back on the ground with quick kicks of her legs, her hand reaching up to the space where a quarterstaff would usually be mounted on her back. It finds nothing, but that's probably for the best, as she doesn't particularly want to beat a helpless dude while he's down unless he gives her a reason to.
There's clear wariness in her eyes as she hurriedly takes in his new state, and ventures the first thing that comes to mind.] Zombie...?
no subject
[Toki simply stares downwards, trying to get a feel for things now that he's all disoriented. It definitely seems like something out of a movie. As far as he knows, he basically just fucking died, but here he is. What better way to describe it than zombie?
He groans, dragging himself up to a sitting position. So he's still capable of movement, that's a good sign. He peers down at his hands, which look fine, but at this point he knows there's no guarantee they'll stay fine.
Okay. Well. One thing at a time.]
I guess it's brutal if I start eating brains.
no subject
[She has no strong opinion about keeping them in her head specifically, but she definitely doesn't want them getting eaten.
Despite her very matter-of-fact declaration, her sitting posture relaxes a little as she watches him gather his bearings. It seems it was more of a disclaimer than a threat, because she continues with wary curiosity.] That seemed like it hurt. Are you still in pain?
no subject
[After all that, he'd especially prefer not to get his ass kicked, thanks. Although how much can someone do to you when you're already dead? It's a good question, but not one he's looking to find the answer to right now.
Still looking down at his hands, he flexes his fingers a few times. He kind of needs those for guitar, after all. So far so good, so now he's going to work on getting himself to his feet. He pulls himself up to his knees.]
I... don't know if I feel anything right now.
[Which is... probably a good thing!]
no subject
Some concern enters her eyes as she watches him examine his hands and then get to his knees.] Like, physically? Or emotionally?
[Bad sign either way, but she can probably help more with one than with the other.]
no subject
[Emotionally he feels all... well, weird, and pretty freaked out, but that's pretty normal. But he's not sure if he's just not feeling stuff because of all that, or if dying brings a lot of weirdness to your sense of touch.
He's kind of hoping it's the first one, or things will be really, really confusing.
He groans as he manages to steady himself enough to scramble to his feet, where he stands unsteadily, swaying lightly.]
So... I don't think anything hurts... but I'm not sure?
no subject
After a few moments, she offers:] I could pinch you. Want me to try?
no subject
Okay. Hit me.
[He pauses for a second.]
Or, uh... pinch me. Same thing.
no subject
[Still, the appraising look she gives him and the beat she takes makes it very clear that she's considering this alternative he has proposed.
After a moment:] Tell you what, I'll pinch you, and if that doesn't work I'll try hitting you.
[Compromise!
With plan established, she uncurls from her seated position and extends her upper body out so that she can reach for his arm and give the thin skin of his inner elbow a firm pinch. With a little bit of a twist, of course.]
no subject
Huh, I don't think I felt it at all.
[Maybe a little bit, but he's not so sure about that. He squints over at his arm, like that's going to help him decide better. He can't tell if there was a dulled feeling, or none, and he's just been too overwhelmed to tell the difference. Looks like they need more testing.]
Okay... now hit me?
no subject
No matter. It's not often she gets a whack at someone with no strings attached. She floats back down onto her toes as she singsongs,] If you insist!
[Punching is not in her usual wheelhouse, and her lack of upper body strength is obvious, but she nonetheless puts her weight into it like a seasoned professional as she quickly and decisively jabs her new pal right in the stomach.]
no subject
Oof!
[He automatically expects it to hurt, and he cringes a little as her blow connects. But, really, it barely registers as anything more than a dull sensation. Does death also mostly kill feeling? Is that part of the experiment here? He straightens up, his eyebrows furrowing.]
Wowee... didn't really feel like anything!
no subject
Huh. [Intrigued, but confused. She straightens up as well and places one hand thoughtfully to her chin, the other resting on her hip as she once again surveys the spot she'd experimented on.] No pain, then... What about pressure? Would you have been aware of it if you hadn't watched it happen?
no subject
Um... I don't... I don't know.
[That's a pretty complicated way of thinking about it. But maybe it makes sense? Maybe they should try it again, just in case.]
I think I kind of felt it a little. But only a little? So maybe I just thought I felt it...
[Well, great. Now he's just going to keep wondering about that.]
no subject
[Then, without warning, she rears back to go for another hard punch, this time to the meat of his shoulder.]
no subject
[He lets out a loud "oof" in the middle of his sentence when her fist connects. He stares at her silently for a moment, like he can't believe what she just did.]
Hey! What'd you do that for?
[And then he blinks.]
Wait. That didn't feel like much either!!
no subject
[Though her veil obscures her mouth, the crinkle of her eyes indicates a clear grin.] Not much, but something, right? You felt me make contact with you!
Should we try something else? A pleasant sensation, perhaps?
no subject
[But he's all for moving on. The hitting game's getting a little old right now anyway. Although it is good to know stuff doesn't really hurt.
Besides, this is more important to test, he's pretty sure. Pleasant sensations are the ones you want. If you don't have those... that sucks!]
Just, uh... don't kick me and pretend thats a good one!