And the wind smells slow and sour when it blows

[whichwayyoulean]

Who: The Once-ler and YOU!
What: Nightmares
When: Friday
Where: HIS MIND
Rating: Uh PG/PG13.


[You'd be forgiven for thinking you've entered a pleasant dream, rather than a horrific nightmare here. You've arrived in Truffula Valley, a peaceful, wonderful place that almost puts Paradisa's created beauty to shame. Forest creatures are scurrying about, singing and playing and generally going about their business.

The sky is bright blue, the sun is shining and the waters of the nearby river and pond are crystal clear. And most importantly there are miles upon miles upon miles of Truffula trees. For anyone the Once-ler described these trees to, he wasn't kidding. The touch of their tufts really is softer than silk and that comforting, wonderful smell? Fresh butterfly milk baby.

Nothing good lasts forever, and there's a general unease about the place. A disjointed sort of feel, like someone's putting on a play and you've already been told everyone dies at the end]

[[ooc: Sections: Pretty Valley | Dying Valley | Dead Valley ]]

Comments

Once morning I came to this glorious place

[whichwayyoulean]

[Despite the uneasy feeling in the air, you could stay here comfortably. It's certainly not frightening by any means. Well, except for that low engine noise somewhere in the distance...

Oblivious to the sound, however, is the Once-ler. He's currently lounging underneath one of the Truffula trees, throwing marshmallows at a tiny Bar-ba-loot, the creature jumping to catch them in his mouth]

You're getting pretty good at this, Pip. Sure you didn't run away from the circus?

[Nope. Nothing wrong here]

[amiable]

[ Uru is not... sure... what's happening here. Is that Once-ler? This doesn't look anything like the forest near the castle. These trees are way too... too strange looking. Strange, albeit beautiful.

She makes her way forward anyway. ]

Once-ler?

[whichwayyoulean]

[He doesn't seem to recognise her, and looks surprised she even knows his name. Still, he offers her a warm smile as the Bar-ba-loot scuttles to hide behind his back]

...Hi? Are you from Greenville? [Oh hey! His smile turns hopeful] Did you come about the Thneed?

[mom_to_us_all]

[... Where in the world... How, when... what? Are those trees? They smell pretty. Hey, there is someone. She's never seen this man, but somehow his voice seems familiar.

She approaches with a bit of a smile, nothing nicer than seeing such a lovely scene. ... And the food has nothing to do with it, okay?]

What are those?

[Hey it's a dream, in dreams things like hearing animals talking happen, even though none of them might be really aware of it.]

[whichwayyoulean]

[He doesn't seem all that bothered by the speaking wolf thing. Why not, animals speak regularly, right? If they so choose to]

What? You mean these? [He holds up a bag of marshmallows] They're marshmallows.

[He squints at her a little] I haven'y seen you in the Valley before.

[dupable]

[ This is... surprisingly nice compared to most of the places that John has seen so far. It's pleasant, pretty... brightly colored! Also people aren't all fighting and dying horribly, so that's a definite plus.

John walks towards the tall, spindly man who is sitting under a tree feeding marshmallows to some sort of bear thing? \

... Hi?

[whichwayyoulean]

[The Once-ler glances John's way and offers a smile]

Oh, hey. What brings you out here? [Please say you want to buy his Thneed, pleasepleaseplease]

Then oh baby oh how my business did grow

[whichwayyoulean]

[It's like a scene changing, which strictly speaking in the scope of the memory-nightmare it is. That nice peaceful hillock now houses a an intimidating looking factory, which is spewing out smoke into the sky and black sludge into the water. The animals have taken to running and hiding, trying to find shelter in the very few trees left. Thneed. Inc is well and truly in control now. Oh and by the way, there are axe machines of doom heading your way. Might be an idea to get out of the way or those things will mow you down.

One of them eventually stops and a familiar green-suited beanpole of a man climbs out. The Once-ler doesn't look happy you're here, and just like before, there's not a hint that he recognises any of you]

Okay, seriously, what am I paying security for if they can't even keep the bottom feeders off my land? [He waves his arms in a general southwards direction] Hey crazy people, you need to move, like now. You're in the way of progress here. Go. Home.

[kalinda]

[Big smoggy factory. That's nice. Remind her of home...

Oh, yeah. Those machines? Definitely sidestepping those jerks as she tips her sunglasses low enough to get a better glance of those things. Because that's not straight off one of those bloody horror movies or anything.

But, whose voice is this? That... certainly is ostentatious. And turning? Yeah, the outfit matches. Let's juts put two and two together, shall we?]

I'm here for the tour.

[whichwayyoulean]

[Did people honestly think he just had all day to lounge about and play games with them? Did they not understand he had quotas to meet? The Once-ler arches a brow, seemingly not amused by that smart remark at all]

You're hilarious. That was a real side-splitter. And if you're done with your comedy act, you can vacate the premises [he points] thataway. Unless you'd rather me get security on you, I hear they have new tasers they;re just dying to try out.

[hairflyingheartpounding]

[Rapunzel barely has time to take in the factory before she notices the axe machines, and finds herself frozen to the spot, despite her brain screaming for her to run. Dreams, huh? At least it gives her a chance to take in the smoggy sky, leaving her coughing hard.

At first, her blank staring is redirected to the man, and then she realizes how familiar he sounds...]

Once-ler?

[whichwayyoulean]

[The Once-ler doesn't recognise her, and her knowing his name doesn't surprise him at all. After all, he's growing into one of the most powerful men in the world. He's a household name, there's not a soul who doesn't know who he is]

Yeah, congrats. You found me. Now get out, you're getting in the way of the axe-hackers.

[circleoflife]

[Wow, okay... this is a nightmare indeed. His own homeland would be relatively safe-- there were so few trees to chop down, it surely wasn't even worth it-- but none the less, seeing such a blatant disregard for nature, tearing down trees and dislodging animals from their homes with abandon and without discrimination is easily enough to make Mufasa's blood boil.

So, yeah. The person you're getting sassy with right now, Once-ler? Is a lion. And he looks none too pleased.]

And what, exactly, is this progress you're speaking of?

[whichwayyoulean]

[The Once-ler doesn't seem that bothered by having a lion talk to him. After all, most of his life is dogged by an orange furry forest deity. This is nothing new. So, he rolls his eyes]

The progress of Thneed. Inc, duh. What else could I mean? You one of his buddies? Let me guess, you Speak for the Trees in the Jungle of Nool.

[wizard_redfive]

[Oooh, creepy factory. How terrifying.

Dairine was just passing through, hoping to escape from her own nightmare for a while, when a GIANT axe machine stops in front of her. Dude, overcompensation much? Dairine was planning on getting out of the way when Once-ler starts insulting her.

Uh, yeah. No way she's moving now.]

You call this progress?

[whichwayyoulean]

[How do punkass kids even get onto the forest floor, that's what he wants to know. Why can't they be content in the town? It's not like he hasn't made sure Thneedville has everything a kid would ever want to distract their tiny attention spans]

Uh yeah. You know why? Because it is. Now you run along and go melt your mind with donkey kongs or something.

[mom_to_us_all]

[Hadn't she left her new two friends behind, the landscape blurred on her as if the flow of time had started moving forward in a vertiginous speed. When it stops though, she can't believe what's around her. Was this the same place? It had to be, there were some of the bizarre looking trees around.

The sound of the contraptions snaps her out of her surprise, and her eyes widen at the view. The trees were being chopped. CHOPPED! The goddess' heart shrinks in pain. She knows humans need wood, and they use the trees for that purpose and it is alright, it's life, but at this rate there weren't going to be any left!

She refuses to move away when one of the machines heads to her way, or more likely, to the trees behind her. She's gotta stops this!

This has to be a joke, right? Wasn't that guy yelling at her her friend? What was he doing up there?!

She can only growl at him, there is no words from her to express her disgust.]

All that was left 'neath the bad smelling sky

[whichwayyoulean]

[Another scene change, another skip in memory, and it's all gone. The valley is a husk of what it once was. The smoke in the sky blocks out the sun, leaving an ever present darkness. Breathing too deeply will bring on coughing fits, and the water is an undrinkable black mess. You're going to have to find shelter soon, or you'll die from exposure. There's a long winding road you can follow. Dotted along it are reminders of what happened to this place.

And just at the end of the road, overlooking a cliff, is what remains of the Once-ler's factory. The Once-ler is standing outside of it, watching the sky intently, beside him stands a stone with a certain word on it.

Go too near and be hit with an overwhelming sense of loneliness and failure. If you were travelling in a group, you're suddenly alone. Well, alone except for the Once-ler, who right now doesn't seem to be paying you the slightest bit of attention at all]

[wilder]

[Zelos is following the road, he probably stands out a great deal with how brightly colored he always is. He's looking around the scenery in a bit of horror and shock. He's seen battlefields, too peaceful fields riddled with bodies and blood. He saw the ruins of Ozette - rubble and scorch marks, a quiet village now a mass grave. ]

[But neither, no matter how horrible the sights, were like this. No battlefield, no ruined cities, no massacres- was ever enough to blot out the sun or the air so dirty it's nearly impossible to breath]

[He coughs, his hand going to cover his mouth. He attempts to call out]

Anybody out here?

[courageous_wit]

[Hermione doesn't know how she managed to get here. Or where here is, exactly. All she does know is that she can hardly breathe and the more she walks, the more the place chills her.

Something terrible happened here. That much she can tell]

Hello..?

[ino]

[well this is .... super gross. she's definitely not used to anything but clean air, which means she's coughing up a storm, here. she's not even looking in once-ler's direction when she stops to lean against a rock and catch her breath from all that walking it took to get here]

[heal_theworld]

[Martel has been walking for a while, picking her way between old, dead stumps and puddles of noxious water. She finally gets on the road, and follows it for a while, a factory looming up in front of her and a tiny, tiny figure in front of it. She makes her way over there, and then she recognizes him from a distance. She coughs a bit, and then raises an arm, waving it, calling out as loud as she can with the smog clouding her lungs.]

...Once-Ler?

[cyan_maid]

[What was there before this - her room in Paradisa, curled up with a cookbook - and now she traverses this frightening place. It reminds her a little of the Land of Crypts and Helium with how desolate it is, but at least there she could tell life was just waiting to burst forth, and the water and air were clean.

It's also not too fun to be alone here.

Coughing, the collar of her shirt pulled up over her nose in a feeble attempt to filter the air, Jane wanders down the winding path, past the horrors, to the sad and precarious tower - and then she spots the first person she's seen this whole time.]

Once-ler!!

[She starts to run towards him, but ow, hacking cough ow. Yep, running is a bad idea here.]

[hedonic]

[ This is disgusting, and mildly horrifying even to someone like Echidna. She's a forest elf, and despite having no problem melding into human culture, she knows her roots and respects nature and it's bounty (and challenges).

But this is unnatural. She can't help but be reminded of the Swamp Witch's influence as she tries to regain her bearings, ignoring the loneliness that comes from being without her pet snake. No doubt he would die from this exposure, anyway.

Coughing against the back of her hand, Echidna squints at seeing the figure in the distance. As she gets closer and recognize the form, a hand immediately goes to her sheathed sword. ]

You. At the center of all of this?

Finally made it here. :)

[ninjainviolet]

[Sheena has no idea how she got her, and it's really not important as she travels down that winding road, despair washing over her with every step farther into the gloom surrounding her. On either side what appears to be nothing more than land covered with tree stumps stretches for miles, making her wonder about the forest that had been here and what could have happened to it.

Up ahead, she spots the sign, barely able to make out the brightly-colored "thneed" that happily shouts to her through the murky air. Her brows knit as she tries to recall where she had heard the word before, nearly colliding with a huge machine with several axes attached to it.

Well, that answers one question, and as she looks from the machine to what was once a lush forest, she sighs a shaky sigh as she realizes that once again, man's technology forgot to take the world into consideration before being put to use.

She continues on, her despair deepening as she draws closer to the strange little building ahead, her voice shaky with that emotion as she calls out.]

Hello? Is anyone there?