TheMushroomLord

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

Erin Williams

On the one hand, Erin had been totally correct in thinking that this class would be less than scientifically rigorous. On the other, she’d been way off about it being boring. The guest demonstrator – or he might have been the TA, Erin wasn’t sure – had dedicated a single line to a single reasonable hypothesis on what dreams might be and then immediately jumped off the deep end with crackpot theories about dreams accessing other realities.

Erin wasn’t sure whether the guy was high or having some kind of psychotic break, though whatever it was it’d lasted long enough for him to have created an entire presentation on the topic, even if said presentation was mostly just pictures of movies Erin hadn’t bothered to watch.

Having sat near the back of the class, when the usual demonstrator decided to let them off early, Erin was one of the first to get out, though not before managing to snap a picture of the image link on the final slide of the insane presentation. She wondered if she could have gotten away with filming the whole thing, but after a moment decided it was probably better that she hadn’t; Erin didn’t actually know enough about either psychology or neurology to actually say what was happening with the guy and thinking about it along those lines made her feel a little bad for him.

She decided she’d read up on it more later, either way, the incident itself was funny.

Her phone already in hand, Erin pulled open the group chat and messaged her friends.

Guess who’s already out of class? I am.

8:19

Demonstrator had a psychotic break or something so we all got kicked out early. Gotta tell you guys about it later.

8:19

Absentminded, Erin trudged over to the usual meeting spot, taking a seat before realising she was probably going to be waiting a while given the incredibly early mark. Erin shrugged to herself, shivering slightly from the cold, but not bothering to get up and move somewhere warmer.

She pulled up the photo she’d taken, taking a moment to memorise the link before opening up her browsers and typing in the URL, having to make three attempts when her phone’s autocorrect proved particularly uncooperative to the endeavour. She didn’t exactly trust the link all things considered, but her phone was old, and it wasn’t like she used it for anything important.

The page loaded up, and a quick scan revealed it to be… some kind of niche roleplaying forum where everyone pretended to go on adventures in their sleep? Whatever it was, the demonstrator earlier clearly hadn’t understood that it was a game, that or he was committed to the bit more so than his job.

That said, the people on this site were clearly pretty dedicated to not breaking character. Erin scrolled through a thread where people made out like they were exchanging techniques, and for the most part, their stories seemed shockingly consistent. She searched for an informational or lore page, but couldn’t find anything to explain what these people were going off; maybe they had mods that deleted anything that didn’t fit? Or maybe all the posts were by one person with a bunch of alt accounts and way too much time on their hands?

Erin decided to send another message to the group chat.

This was the guy’s only source dreamsrreal․org

8:25

There are a bunch of people here talking about how to jump into other dimensions in their sleep which is pretty much exactly what the demonstrator was saying up until the class got canned. Really crazy stuff. These people are obviously insane.

8:26

Anyway we should definitely try it.

8:26

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

I don't know if that's a real website! I made it up! Don't go really looking for it xD I can't imagine what you might find at the end of it

@BunniesOfDoom

Never have I been more disappointed to find a blank lander page. Unfortunately no matter what I try it doesn't seem to have been archived anywhere.

It shouldn't take too long. I started and ended the class in one fell swoop lol

@BunniesOfDoom

I suppose I should get another post up quickly so Erin can bring this news to the gang.

Having more curiosity than good sense, Erin would probably open that link up while waiting for the others to get out of their classes. Would she notice anything obviously instructional or the like for her to latch onto as a really funny idea to try? Either way, I'll have her message a group chat about the crazy instructor to give people something to respond to.

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

No need for such dramatics lol. Just feel free to modify your post! Or if you want to do a double post, that's fine as well. But I don't want your pride sullied by the mere thought of having to perform such an act!

@BunniesOfDoom

My soul tarnished. My hopes and dreams squandered. It is an accursed thing wrought of despair and misery that I have brought upon us here today, but alas it is done and too late to turn back now. Let us hope the value of this ‘double post’ makes worth exacting its terrible cost.

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

Erin Williams

Erin sighed as she pulled up her timetable on her phone and realised she had psychology. It was one of those classes she’d picked up on a passing whim, thinking at the time that it would be interesting. Well, it wasn’t exactly an uninteresting subject per se, but it also wasn’t anywhere near as grounded as she’d thought it would be when she’d signed up.

As she walked, Erin pulled open her lecture slides, while lamenting her decision not to just wait the extra year it would have taken to enrol in a neuroscience elective, which probably would have been far more up her alley. Assuming she was, in fact, looking at the right week this time, it seemed like they’d be covering the psychology of dreams today; that sounded a little bit like new-age mystical mumbo jumbo to her, but maybe she was being unfair, and either way, it could still be interesting.

Hey, maybe if she got really lucky, they’d teach her how to make her dreams more interesting, or at least productive – having to waste so much time sleeping every day really sucked. Erin scoffed at her own fanciful imaginings as she stepped into the lecture theatre, quickly taking a seat near the back of the room.

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

@BunniesOfDoom Erin is TheMushroomLord's character. Don't know if they agree with me

@Squirrel98

Lies and slander. I've never once heard of this character.

Anyways, the same stands for @TheMushroomLord if he wants to be the one to do that. If not, it's no big deal. We can just have everyone guess a number and force it upon some poor sap.

@BunniesOfDoom

If no one else wants to do it, I'm happy to. It would require I forsake my morals, my pride, and everything I stand for by double posting, but if the greater good demands I must, then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

Erin Williams

Erin’s grin only widened at Fae’s comment. “I wish! If one of us were some storybook detective or explorer things would already be interesting!” She groaned, waving a hand in mock dismissal.

Hearing Damon’s proposal and the banter between him and Max, she gave a double thumbs up their way to the idea. In all honesty, she didn’t really care too much about what they did; as far as she was concerned unless someone had a truly novel idea for what to do, it didn’t really matter, and unfortunately, reality dictated that such ideas couldn’t be explored every or even most days.

Despite the fact that today was looking to be yet another relatively normal day, Erin couldn’t quite bring herself to be disappointed. If there was one thing she knew, it was that most topics she pursued – however interesting they may at one point have been – would inevitably get boring once she’d figured them out, but truly interesting people like her friends somehow seemed to remain so no matter how long she studied them.

With that the bell rings, marking it as 8:00 am and cutting her time with her friends short. Erin lets out a groan before trudging off towards her first class.

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

Erin Williams

Erin gave a noncommital shrug at Demon’s reply, then she paused for a second, seeming to think for a moment before amending her response to a solemn nod.

“Don’t I know it! Noting all that interesting ever seems to happen round here; it’s always just shit other people have done a thousand times before!” Erin griped, managing to keep the grin off her face for just long enough to get her words out. “But worry not my friend. One of these days I’ll find something truly interesting to explore, and when I do, I’ll be sure to drag all of you along with me.”

Swiping a doughnut, Erin turned to answer Max’s question, but not before swiping a doughnut and cramming the entire thing into her mouth, the first thing she’d eaten all day on account of her earlier distraction. Wanting to swallow the treat as fast as she possibly could in order to get back to more important things like talking to her friends, Erin was rewarded for her impatience with a second of discomfort as her oesophagus struggled to push the too large doughnut bolus to her stomach.

“I was just planning on hanging out with you guys today, unless there were other plans. That and class,” Erin grinned as soon as she could speak again. “Also, thanks for the doughnut Fae!”

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

I'm taking all these posts describing the cold weather as a personal attack. It’s so hot. I’m dying.

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

Erin Williams

Erin couldn’t help but shiver slightly as she exited the dorms and was hit by the chilly outside air. Her choice of clothing today was little more than a simple t-shirt and trousers, the first things she’d managed to uncover from within the pile of cloth atop her dresser in her rush to get out that morning. She was pretty certain at least the clothes were clean enough to wear – though a particularly attentive observer might notice she’d worn the same shirt just a couple of days ago – but she had definitely underdressed for the weather.

As she suppressed another shiver, Erin briefly considered going back to grab a jacket at least before deciding against the idea. She’d already gotten distracted that morning, reading through an interesting article she’d found, and she was excited to meet with her friends before class, so for the time being she decided would just deal with being a little cold.

Shoving her hands into her trouser pockets for warmth, Erin set a brisk pace towards the table that had somehow become the de facto meeting spot for her and her friend group. The moment she spotted Damon and Fae already there and waiting, a wide grin spread across Erin’s face, the cold all but forgotten as she hurried to jog over to her friends.

Putting her bag down on the table, Erin didn’t bother to take a seat, instead continuing to jitter and pace around the table, lest the cold catch back up to her.

“Morning guys,” she chirped, beaming at the pair. “Anything interesting happen since yesterday?”

Imaginarium: Careful what you think of

Erin

Name: Erin Williams
Age: 19

Major: General Science
Year: 2nd

Appearance: In regards to her physical appearance Erin was neither particularly lucky nor particularly unlucky in the genetic lottery. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height, not particularly attractive but not ugly either. Physically Ada is average in almost every way.

Personality: Most people who meet Erin would probably describe her as excitable, easily distracted, and scatterbrained, as she is at her core an intensely curious person with her attention often rapidly jumping from subject to subject as they draw her interest. It is worth noting, however, that this is largely a result of lacking a novel subject that she can truly delve deep into and given such a muse she can instead become hyper-fixated, often to the detriment of everything else.

• Perks: Erin is a quick learner and creative thinker. Her tendency to jump from topic to topic has allowed her to learn a little bit about lots of things.
• Quirks: Hates doing nothing. Dislikes incurious people. Has a tendency to neglect her own needs in favour of more interesting pursuits.

History: Despite her best efforts and much to her vexation, Erin’s life has thus far been one largely devoid of notably interesting events. Perhaps above all else, Erin craves to discover and understand truly interesting things, whether that be in a lab or elsewhere.

RP Example

Erin slammed the door behind her. Her muscles ached and her lungs defied all attempts at controlling them, as she was finally forced to stop and catch her breath. Even just a few moments after coming to a stop, Erin could already feel her body starting to shake; the adrenaline from her encounter, finally catching up to her now that she was resting – paradoxically insisting that she could run further still, even while her muscles screamed at her that she absolutely could not.

What the hell was that thing? It certainly looked like a person, but it acted more like the villain of a cheesy slasher flick. Erin knew enough about biology to say that a person shouldn’t just be able to shrug off a wound like that, and while she couldn’t say the topic had ever held her interest for long enough to call herself anything but an amateur, she was pretty certain that what she’d seen wasn’t some kind of magician’s trick either.

She’d literally seen bone, and yet the man – or whatever that thing actually was – had kept on coming at her like its wounds were non-existent. How on Earth did that work?

As Erin thought about that question, she didn’t notice as she slowly stopped shaking. As the abject terror of just moments earlier was replaced by a growing sense of excitement. As she pondered a truly interesting subject.