one of my very favorite obscure story tropes is when there’s an episode/plotline/tabletop campaign session where the conceit is ‘each member of the gang gets trapped in a specially tailored dream/nightmare/illusory mindscape and has to break out’
my favorite addition to this trope is when the gang has to pass through everyone’s specially tailored nightmare scape and it’s just one gut punching trauma after the next that their friends help them through
Some good twists on these:
Nightmares:
- one party member’s nightmare seems like a perfectly normal and even pleasant scenario until the rest of the party realizes that what’s normal and pleasant for them is terrifying for the other member.
-the happy-go-lucky character who told everyone their fear is something benign like “ducks” actually has a massive and crushing trauma nightmare scenario they never told anyone about because they didn’t want to be a burden/still can’t trust.
- villain tries to make a nightmare scenario for someone and it backfires because they didn’t realize that guy is a grade-A Freak and they love it.
“ideal life” illusions
- villain attempts to make what they think will be an ideal dream life only for the protagonist to immediately point out a glaring flaw or get mad because they know damn well life isn’t like this
-a party member struggles to break free from the illusion because it’s just like regular life for them
- party discovers someone in the group has been not entirely honest about who they are when their ideal life doesn’t match thier projected persona at all.
-the illusion is exactly the same as real life save for one glaring but inconsequential difference, like someone having a different hair color.
-the illusion is a perfect replica of real life but the group realizes something off when a characters benign habit isnt present such as drinking the wrong kind of tea or walking with the wrong gait
voidbirdy reblogged this from dndaddyissues
voidbirdy liked this
pretty-thoughts-and-a-pen liked this
virisrast liked this overcastskye liked this
9r7g5h liked this
previouslycheesed reblogged this from starlightfound
fandomsearcher-stuff liked this
anotherdayadifferentdream liked this oxyphara liked this
asexualenjolras01 liked this elhatto liked this
silver-queen reblogged this from sphorus
silver-queen liked this
sombra-wateva liked this mirakcis liked this
mirakcis reblogged this from theprincechorus
alborkedgestein liked this the-golden-summer-rose reblogged this from sphorus
quietwhat liked this
theprincechorus reblogged this from enderofdays
hermitminded liked this
apez255 liked this saccharine-tar reblogged this from mutatedfish
ohlookafrogiguess reblogged this from wearethewitches
ohlookafrogiguess liked this
rosegoldripper liked this
slugs-against-stairs liked this
ladyofthelaurel liked this
modeltpines reblogged this from mutatedfish starlight-adventurer liked this
pistachiopigeon reblogged this from mutatedfish colourblindhedgehog reblogged this from royalarchive2
mageofdarkmagic reblogged this from bathtubjohnny
beafae liked this
mangota liked this pokemaniacgemini reblogged this from staygoldsunshine
pokemaniacgemini liked this
etheriumwind reblogged this from saintalessia
bathtubjohnny reblogged this from wearethewitches
bathtubjohnny liked this
limerancy reblogged this from ogsatansdolphin
rabbit-rays liked this violethairedsappho reblogged this from honorarybigsister
internet-is-for liked this
rhiknyt liked this sphorus reblogged this from mutatedfish
sphorus liked this
shuurima liked this
heedra posted this
- Show more notes