★ wanna crack the code, her spell is so mysterious

[liedol]

⭐ Who: Ai and you!
⭐ When: End of July through August
⭐ Where: Various prompts around Yumemigaoka and the Dream Sphere
⭐ What: August Ai catchall! With things in the Dream Sphere officially getting Weird, Ai's doing her best to investigate like a good Experienced Dreamer while keeping up with her duties as a Mentor and as an idol. I'm also down for doing closed/private prompts so hit me up on Discord if you'd like to plan something!

Comments

Final week of July - closed to Ford

[liedol]

[ With the spikes in odd activity all over the Dream Sphere the last few months, exploring and gathering data has quickly become a top priority for anyone with time to spare at the DU. They're lucky that on top of all the newbies quickly getting acclimated to their powers, there's also plenty of Experienced Dreamers who are still available for a little surveying. And while Ford Pines is, uh, a unique example of the talent the DU has signed on you'd have to be a fool to try and deny that he's one of their best sources of information about the Dream Sphere right now.

It's just finding the damn guy when you need him that's the real problem.

He's been off the radar in the Waking World for just a little bit too long and while they mostly know whereabouts in the Dream Sphere he is, the problem is that he's been there for way too long. They can't risk losing anyone to the Dream Sphere, let alone someone as valuable as Ford, so here Ai is to perform the thankless task of dragging him home. ]

... he hasn't been here the whole time, has he?

[ She lets herself mutter that as she crosses the threshold of the Reverie Necropolis and starts to creep inside. Even a guy like Ford Pines would get sick of a place like this eventually. Right?

Right??? ]

[meteorman]

[Wrong!

The Necropolis is Ford's favorite of the more... for lack of a better term... 'reliable' Dream Sphere locations. It might be a dark, windowless, ever-changing labyrinth of claustrophobic little corridors and cavernous echoing tombs, but... actually, there really isn't an end to that sentence. There isn't a but. He doesn't consider any of that stuff a downside.

Besides, it's very common for less-experienced Dreamers to find themselves lost in the corridors and not because they want to be. If a guy named after Icarus can't even be good at getting out of labyrinths when he wants to then what's the point? Plus the way in is easy to find even if the way out isn't, and once he's inside it's easy to lose track of time. It's a little like a casino: no windows, no clocks, and lots of fun things to do!

You know how in dreams text never seems to stay still, or maintain consistency, or be in a language that exists? Stanford Pines is a big fan of languages, which means Icarus likes to try and decipher the text on the tombs. It's a fun little puzzle, because he knows the Dream Sphere is too changeable for it to have any kind of unified alphabet or language. He figures if it's anything it's more like a super-pidgin, something made up of all the alphabets and languages of all the people who've ever dreamed-- or even more likely thousands of smaller pidgins all overlapping each other, sharing bits and pieces like a horrific rat king of a venn diagram.

It's enrichment in his enclosure, basically, broken up by the occasional Torment fight for exercise. Luxury vacation, basically. At least he's not too hard to spot in one of the deeper open catacombs, a glittering silver and gold shape in the gloom.]

[liedol]

[ Ugh.

There are definitely places in the Dream Sphere that are worse than the Necropolis, but she doesn't think she'd be busting out a controversial statement if she called it her least favourite. On the one hand, it's probably good that one of the most easily accessible locations for newcomers is so... this. It gets them caught up fast on what the Dream Sphere can be like when you peel back all the pretty sparkly layers and take off your rose tinted glasses.

On the other hand. Are all the weird graves necessary? Seriously?

So she's a little on edge when she finally stumbles her way into the catacombs, perhaps understandably. Not that she's going to let so much as a ruffle on her skirt look out of sorts, though the tension is kind of obvious in the same in just how aggressively sunshiney she's being. ]

Ahah! There you are! [ The rhythmic taptaptap of her heels is just a touch too loud as she comes racing over. ] Don't tell me you were in here this whole time!

[meteorman]

[Of course the weird graves are necessary, they're symbolic. That's how dreams work. It can't all be sparkly starlight and crystal palm trees; if it was none of them would be here to begin with.]

No, of course not.

[He paused, standing up a little straighter and running a hand thoughtfully over his jaw.]

... Well, actually. Maybe? How long is 'this whole time', exactly?

[liedol]

Ai folds her arms across her chest and does her level best to beam disappointment at him. She has no idea how effective this particular strategy will be on Ford, but she can at least try for a little guilt trip. As a treat.

A few weeks. Minimum. And that's just on the other side – who knows how long it is in here.

[ Staaaaaaaaaaare. She's gotten pretty good at radiating Motherly Disapproval, even if it isn't exactly going to work on a guy who's old enough to be her dad. ]

You know it's dangerous to spend this much time in here, especially all by yourself.

All August - Dreamer Union

[liedol]

[ With working out whatever the hell is going on in the Dream Sphere still such a high priority for the DU, it's probably not a surprise that a certain. Dreamer idol has been talking ever opportunity she can out of her already packed schedule to drop into the Dream Sphere herself and do some investigating. It's definitely a little too much work for any one person to be taking on for themselves but... well, if nothing else, you can at least be reassured that she's definitely getting enough sleep.

All through the month, if you happen to be working at the DU for whatever reason then you might find yourself subject to a Hoshino Ai Jumpscare as she reappears in the Waking World off the back of her explorations in various places along the office - typically in the designated nap rooms the DU has for these exact purposes but occasionally on the sofa in the lounge or anywhere else you might expect to see a busy lady sneaking a quick nap.

Once she's back, Ai pops up with a yawn and a big, exaggerated stretch. Somehow, even though she's clearly a victim of the devil's nap (sleeping at midday) she looks entirely unruffled. Absolutely unbelievable that she even manages to make waking up from a big midday nap look so pretty and polished. That's Ai for you. ]

Oh jeez, that felt like I was out for forever! [ another Very Pretty yawn ] What time is it over here?

[thezekeinator]

[At the question, Zeke turns, one hand coming up with fingers half-curled before he snaps it into a fist with exaggerated motions, then twists it away dramatically, and then back to regard his entirely bare wrist.]

[After a moment, he tugs his cell phone out of his pocket, checks that, and then puts it back -- all while still staring at his wrist and otherwise motionless. Only then does he release the pose, snapping his fingers before he lets his hand fall.]

Twelve twenty-five!

[liedol]

... There really was no way to make that a smooth recovery, but you did it with so much panache that I'm sort of impressed anyway.

[ She's worked with Zeke for long enough that she's learned to sort of take Everything about him in stride but sometimes he just serves himself on a silver platter and she really can't resist.

She gives one more Big Stretch before climbing back to her feet and fingercombing her sleep-mussed hair. ]

There weren't any major emergencies while I was over there? It was only a few hours, but still...

[thezekeinator]

If there was, I'd have handled it!

...assuming anyone thought to tell me within the past two minutes, since I just got here. [He tugs free the folder he'd been carrying under his left arm to wave it demonstratively.] Day job calls, after all, and that whole event the other day's caused quite a stir.

[liedol]

Which event? It feels like we've had something out of the ordinary happening every other week lately.

[ She says it with a wry and slightly weary smile that only has about 40% of her usual sparkle nicely bedazzling it. It really says something about the amount of work they've been chewing through that despite spending so much time asleep, she's still kind of exhausted. ]

August 5th - Excursion, Odile (Cygnet), Ruby (Komachi), Jeannette (La Pucelle)

[liedol]

[ Ai's been fizzing over with excitement for this day like a little kid anticipating their birthday. If she's honest with herself, it's something she's been quietly wishing for... probably for years, even if it gives her distinctly mixed feelings to admit she'd wanted it at all. The Dream Sphere is a beautiful place and it means so much to her and even if the path to getting here has been a little rough, she's glad to be finally allowed to share it with some of the people she cares about the most.

First things first, though. They're leaving the Slumbering City from the west entrance this time but before they quite make it beyond those bounds, Ai-Doll pauses and turns to face her mentees, swishing gracefully through the water lapping at their ankles. ]

Alright then! Since this is our first trip out together, let's take a second to go over everything. [ she's even more in Field Trip Sensei mode than usual... it's definitely because Ruby is here. ] What role is everyone taking up if we run into any Torments?

[glimmeringruby]

I want to be up front!

[Is this because she wants to make her mom proud? Yes. Absolutely.]

Mic-saber is ready, and I'm warmed up and ready to go.

[atratus]

[ By contrast, Odile is uhhh... pretty nervous! ]

Um... I think... support? So in the backline somewhere...?

August 1st-9th - Twitter Dot Com

[liedol]

Ai ✨ @DU_AiDoll
Can you believe how miserable the weather's set up to be this week? Seriously grim stuff! How are you all managing being stuck inside?
|
Help omg I sent then then immediately realized I had to go on a grocery run today. I'm risking it all!!!
August 1, 2023

Ai ✨ @DU_AiDoll
OK I've decided! Since we're all cooped up, I'll take the chance to chat and get to know everyone a bit better. I'm calling this an AMA! Just leave questions and comments in the replies and I'll get right to them!
|
Well probably not all of them lol but I'll do my best!
August 3, 2023

[flatcola]

Yozakura🌚@ yozakuravtuber
isn't twitter too chaotic for this off the cuff??
lmao
how often do you cook for yourself? ｢(ﾟﾍﾟ)

[liedol]

The chaos is part of the fun! ⭐
I don't cook for myself at home as much as I should, but I'm trying to get better at it! I'm usually too busy for a really complicated recipe but if I can manage something simple then I'll give it my best shot. I've been working with those pre-prepped recipes kits you can get at the grocery store recently and they're really handy!

[flatcola]

ooo those do look convenient
except
I'm too lazy to even cook those most of the time :P

August 10th - Yumemigaoka (Aqua)

[liedol]

[ The wind is still blustering outside, but the last howls of the typhoon battering the city seem to be easing off at last, or at the least receding enough that you no longer feel like you've about to get swept clean off your feet every time there's a gust. It's still grim enough that you probably wouldn't want to be out in it if you could help it...

So why's Ai at the living room door with a smile on her face and holding up Aqua's coat for him? W–why is she already wearing her own? ]

Aqua! You're not busy, are you? I thought I'd run to the store now the weather's picked up a little and I could use an extra pair of hands to carry things.

[ Smiiiiiiile. Surely there's no ulterior motive here. ]

[wracktor]

[ There's alarm bells in his head. This is a trap, he knows it is, somehow. He knows his mother and she's just a little too eager.

He stares at the held out coat... ]

Well. Since the weather's so nice today.

[ ...and he takes the coat. What, like he's gonna tell her no? ]

[liedol]

It's just right for a walk, isn't it?

[ Smile smile. S–somehow it's like having a light shone in your face during an interrogation. ]

We'll go to the one down the street so we don't have to carry things back as far. And there's some sales on, so you can pick out something tasty for dinner. How does that sound?

[wracktor]

[ Why does he hear Kill Bill sirens? ]

So it's bribery, then.

[ As he's putting his coat on, like a mark. ]

August 12th - Torment Hunt (Hanako)

[liedol]

[ No matter how busy she is, Ai always has time for her trainees - even the ones who aren't technically her trainees anymore. And sure, her niggling worries might have more to do with her knowing Amane as honorary aunt Hoshino Ai than they do as Hanako's former mentor Dreamer Ai-Doll, but they say something about prevention being better than cure and... well, if she's honest, she doesn't quite know if this is a thing she'd be able to pry out of Amane in reality. Hanako might be a face that he only puts on in the Dream Sphere but in a lot of ways, he's more honest than Amane ever allows himself to be.

Not that she's starting off on such a heavy note, of course. As they make their way across the pale white bridge that leads into the Stardust Sanctuary, Ai-Doll is keeping her tone breezy and light. ]

So are there any real constellations in the sky here? Or just ones someone dreamed up?

[hanamane]

[Amane, on the other hand, is utterly clueless about the real reason Ai had brought him out here today-- though with everything going on lately inside and outside the Dream Sphere, he was just happy to have a reason to spend time with her in general. And while he was definitely more honest about himself while he was Hanako, there were still some things he had to tamper down and hide, for fear of people making a connection back in the Waking World. Of course, he didn't need to do that while he was around Ai-- if anything, she was probably the only person here who truly knew all sides of him, from the good, the mischievous, and the nerdy.

And speaking of nerdy-- he can't help but skip across that bridge excitedly, his eyes sparkling like the stars above. He couldn't fully let put his fanboy-ish glee for the place when they first discovered it, but, now, with nobody else but Ai around--]

Oh there's definitely real ones here! I've already seen Gemini, and Scorpius... and that's Cygnus over there, too! [He laughs a bit delightedly, before continuing:] Though you can't actually see these all at once in a real night sky, so there's gotta be some dream stuff going on here, I think.

[He spins a little in place, his expression getting just a bit dreamy as he muses to himself. From the looks of him, you wouldn't think they were there for a Torment Hunt of all things...]

Aaaah... I really wish I could bring my telescope here... I wonder how well you can see deep space objects with a sky like this...

[LIKE I SAID... HUGE NERD]

[liedol]

So the person who dreamed this up was probably a bit of a kindred spirit for you, huh, Hanako-kun?

[ She lets that breeze past too, trotting along behind Hanako as he dashes ahead. Her smile is pleasant but vague – and exceptionally hard to read above all else. If she has any ulterior motive here (and rest assured, she definitely does) then it's impossible to guess what it might be.

Even if he won't admit it to her, she's sure he must be longing for somebody like that – someone to call a friend, to chat with at school and spend time with in the real world. And if she can find some way of poking and prodding out of him just why he's so firm about hiding himself away she can figure out a way to fix it.

Baby steps, though. ]

Maybe we'll put a bug in someone's ear back on the other side about seeing if we can't come up with something like that. They made Stabilizers, didn't they? I bet with a little hard work, we could come up with a way to show off the Dream Sphere to everybody back home.

[hanamane]

[Hanako pauses for a moment in his frolicking at her breezy question, his round eyes glancing over in Ai-Doll's direction briefly before casting them up at the vast, vast sky up above. His own smile, bright and excited before, dims just slightly into something more unreadable as he folds his arms around his back and studies that starry expanse, that simple query of hers holding more weight than it might seem.]

Mmm... well, maybe. They definitely seem to know their stuff, at least. Shame we don't really know who's responsible for the dreams we step into sometimes, y'know?

[Though, of course, there's no way to know whether this particular dreamer lived in Yumemigaoka or not... or even if they were anywhere near Amane's age to begin with. For all they knew, it could have been a little old lady who came up with this sort of nightscape! But still... somebody who dreamed up this beautiful scenery and held the same passion for astronomy... he wouldn't exactly have minded meeting them, if he had the chance. It's not like he really had anyone to talk to about this sort of thing, after all...

While Ai had probably intended that last bit as something to get Amane excited, though, it seems to have something of an opposite effect-- he turns his eyes back over towards her and tilts his head a bit dubiously. While the idea of maybe getting the DU development team to finally make some telescopes was tempting...]

You think they'd be able to do it that quickly, though...? I mean... we waited this long for Stabilizers, so cameras and that sorta stuff would probably take another fifty years at this rate. [But then something occurs to him, and he brings over a hand from behind his back to tap at his chin a little.] Although... it would be kinda neat if it means they could update the stuff in the Museum. That stuff is way off the mark, it's not even funny.

[But perhaps it's just the disillusionment of seeing these things after actually experiencing the Dream Sphere that's coloring his opinion here!]