There exists a small town that appears to be all but abandoned. It looks like all the residents ran out on the place in a hurry. There are cars parked on the sides of the streets but no signs of their owners. Shop lights are on, doors are unlocked, but no one appears to be inside. Smoke rises from the chimneys of homes, but there doesn't seem to be anyone inside. A ghost town, for all intents and purposes.
Ah but the town is actually full of life. There are people everywhere if you look close enough. There are people sleeping in the back rooms of shops and restaurants, on the floors of homes and schools. Every resident of the town is asleep. Those who were out were moved somewhere out of view, everyone else is left to drop where they stood.
It's been a few weeks now since the town grew silent, since the hustle and bustle of every day life simply stopped. It's been a few weeks since the residents of the town lost the ability of wake up. All but one resident, actually. All but Jisu, who can wake up and fall asleep as he pleases.
Sleep is what he prefers though. Sleep is what he chooses for himself and everyone around him. That's what happened to them all, see. Jisu put them to sleep and won't allow them to wake up. People just seem happier when they sleep. Dreams are nice, aren't they? And he's come up with a good one for everyone.
They live in an idyllic little town like the ones you'd see in a Hallmark movie. No one really needs to work, though some still man the bar or the register at a local market or general store. They don't really need to do anything though. They're there to offer friendly smiles and conversation to people who come in. There are no bills here, and no one actually needs to eat or drink, though they do sometimes and when that happens the food is just there.
A perfect little town where everyone gets along. No problems. No conflict. No people trying to hurt one another. Because Jisu made it that way. He made the perfect place for everyone.
The world is already a veritable feast of endless dreams. At any given time, someone somewhere in the world is sleeping. He prefers to take the bad ones, to help people by taking those fears and doubts that plague their unconscious minds rather than stripping them of their hopes. There's no reason for him to be unkind.
But dreams end. Always. People wake up. That's simply how the world works.
Except here. In this one little town, no one's stopped dreaming. Intriguing, to say the least. Intriguing enough to pique Jae's curiosity. It's a pleasant dream, one that seems to be shared by many in this place. One the he doesn't mind nibbling at along the edges. But it seems... off. Manufactured, somehow. Maybe a sleeping, dreaming person wouldn't notice, but Jae's is the realm of dreams.
All he has to do is keep wandering this dream. He's sure to find the one responsible for it since he's not supposed to be here.
There's something perfectly unpleasant, isn't there, about people being trapped in a perfect, pleasant dream. They have no idea that they're prisoners, that they're in this dream and forced to feel only pleasant feelings and act in only pleasant ways while their bodies deteriorate out in the waking world. They're not allowed to feel the full spectrum of human emotion because Jisu doesn't want them to. He made this nice place for them and they have to show their appreciation by feeling nothing but what Jisu wants them to feel. They have to smile while their real lives are falling apart.
All because Jisu decided it's nicer in here than out there. Because Jisu made that decision for the entire town.
Jisu is on his way to a nearby park when he's sure he sees a face he doesn't recognize. It's strange because he recognizes every face here. He knows everyone he's put to sleep, he's grown accustomed to their faces day in and day out. For no more than a moment, Jisu frowns. It's an expression that is unique to him in this particular dream. He is the only one who is free to feel how he pleases. That's just one of many reasons why it's so important for everyone around him to stay happy. It keeps him happy. It influences his mood in a positive way.
As quickly as it appeared, the frown is gone again, replaced by a small smile. "I don't think you're supposed to be here," he mutters to himself about the stranger with the unfamiliar face.
There he is. The one who responds to Jae's presence, even if that frown was so fleeting. No one else reacts to him at all. He has to be the one controlling this dream.
Curious, Jae breaks his stride to turn and trot up alongside Jisu. "Are you heading to the park?" It looks like a nice a park. Jae wonders if it exists in reality or just a figment of this dream. "It's much nicer to swing in reality. Sometimes the fine details are missing in dreams."
"Mhm. I am," Jisu says, turning his head to properly acknowledge the newcomer before returning his attention to the park. It's a lovely little park with soft green grass and trees dotted around the perimeter, with a variety of playground equipment for children and adults alike. Some of it exists in reality, the rest of it only exists in this dream. It's a favoured place from Jisu's childhood that probably never looked as Jisu remembers, but what does that matter now?
The mention of reality is like a knife to Jisu's chest. It's something no one else talks about because it's something no one else knows about. Except for Jisu. And Jae. For a fraction of a second, Jisu's smile falters. Reality has no place here, thank you. "Any details that are missing aren't all that important anyway."
"You don't think so?" That's a genuine question. They usually are with Jae. It's not really in him to be sarcastic or dismissive. He cocks his head to the side, as if pondering it. Are those little details that the sleeping mind simply can't replicate really unimportant?
"I don't think so." If they were important, then he would've included them when he crafted this dream for everyone. At least that's what he thinks. It's what he truly believes. If the detail is too small for the unconscious mind to conjure up, or too intricate, it doesn't matter. What matters is the bigger picture. The world around him and the feelings that come with it. The smaller details don't matter.
Jisu looks off to the side as he ponders Jae's question. How long has it been? Time is always so tricky in dreams. He used to leave once in a while to walk around the quiet town and check on the sleeping citizens and time was much easier to keep track of then. But he's stopped doing that. These people have all solidified their place in his dream. Their well-being outside of it no longer matters. "A few weeks, I think."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Jisu - OC
Jae @devouringdark
Ah but the town is actually full of life. There are people everywhere if you look close enough. There are people sleeping in the back rooms of shops and restaurants, on the floors of homes and schools. Every resident of the town is asleep. Those who were out were moved somewhere out of view, everyone else is left to drop where they stood.
It's been a few weeks now since the town grew silent, since the hustle and bustle of every day life simply stopped. It's been a few weeks since the residents of the town lost the ability of wake up. All but one resident, actually. All but Jisu, who can wake up and fall asleep as he pleases.
Sleep is what he prefers though. Sleep is what he chooses for himself and everyone around him. That's what happened to them all, see. Jisu put them to sleep and won't allow them to wake up. People just seem happier when they sleep. Dreams are nice, aren't they? And he's come up with a good one for everyone.
They live in an idyllic little town like the ones you'd see in a Hallmark movie. No one really needs to work, though some still man the bar or the register at a local market or general store. They don't really need to do anything though. They're there to offer friendly smiles and conversation to people who come in. There are no bills here, and no one actually needs to eat or drink, though they do sometimes and when that happens the food is just there.
A perfect little town where everyone gets along. No problems. No conflict. No people trying to hurt one another. Because Jisu made it that way. He made the perfect place for everyone.
Re: Jae @devouringdark
But dreams end. Always. People wake up. That's simply how the world works.
Except here. In this one little town, no one's stopped dreaming. Intriguing, to say the least. Intriguing enough to pique Jae's curiosity. It's a pleasant dream, one that seems to be shared by many in this place. One the he doesn't mind nibbling at along the edges. But it seems... off. Manufactured, somehow. Maybe a sleeping, dreaming person wouldn't notice, but Jae's is the realm of dreams.
All he has to do is keep wandering this dream. He's sure to find the one responsible for it since he's not supposed to be here.
no subject
All because Jisu decided it's nicer in here than out there. Because Jisu made that decision for the entire town.
Jisu is on his way to a nearby park when he's sure he sees a face he doesn't recognize. It's strange because he recognizes every face here. He knows everyone he's put to sleep, he's grown accustomed to their faces day in and day out. For no more than a moment, Jisu frowns. It's an expression that is unique to him in this particular dream. He is the only one who is free to feel how he pleases. That's just one of many reasons why it's so important for everyone around him to stay happy. It keeps him happy. It influences his mood in a positive way.
As quickly as it appeared, the frown is gone again, replaced by a small smile. "I don't think you're supposed to be here," he mutters to himself about the stranger with the unfamiliar face.
no subject
Curious, Jae breaks his stride to turn and trot up alongside Jisu. "Are you heading to the park?" It looks like a nice a park. Jae wonders if it exists in reality or just a figment of this dream. "It's much nicer to swing in reality. Sometimes the fine details are missing in dreams."
no subject
The mention of reality is like a knife to Jisu's chest. It's something no one else talks about because it's something no one else knows about. Except for Jisu. And Jae. For a fraction of a second, Jisu's smile falters. Reality has no place here, thank you. "Any details that are missing aren't all that important anyway."
no subject
"How long has it been since you've left here?"
no subject
Jisu looks off to the side as he ponders Jae's question. How long has it been? Time is always so tricky in dreams. He used to leave once in a while to walk around the quiet town and check on the sleeping citizens and time was much easier to keep track of then. But he's stopped doing that. These people have all solidified their place in his dream. Their well-being outside of it no longer matters. "A few weeks, I think."