Lucidity Challenge 50—obfusc8 wins!

Before the start, just quickly describing my character - Good-looking Victorian-attired gentleman. Intricate magical sigil tattoo on left hand, both palm and back, extending the full way up forearm to elbow. Tattoo glows when channeling or casting magic. Basically if I can make that tattoo appear on whatever form/transformation, then it’ll count for the 5pts?

^ If that’s its defining characteristic, then yes, that’ll do it, although I’d challenge you to have the proper attire when you can complete tasks as that character (i.e. most of the time) instead of when further transformed.

I’ll put the first week’s tasks up in about 45 minutes!

Well there’s not much to elaborate on, I came up with a general scenario, locations and was starting on wondering if a full roleplay system would work and the mechanics of actually running it. In the end my best plan was to have a text-doc based space for people to roleplay out their task completions in the scenario given. This was just based on the observation that many people took part in the VampWolfGame in LC48. With roll20.net or similar online stuff you really need a set group of people all available at the same time, and with this being worldwide and across all timezones, that’s not easy.

Okay, let’s get this LC going! As always, stupid story stuff is put in spoilers so that the people who liked it from the past LCs can read it and everybody else can skip right past it.

[spoiler]“Okay, so you all know what you want to be?” Thorn says. “Great, then if I can have you all step into this dark room with no windows… no, I’m not following you in there! I, er, want to be surprised when you come out as your new shapes!”

Seeing as you don’t really have a choice in the matter, you and the other LC participants enter into a dark room as the door shuts behind you. A sound that can only be described as a “rawr” comes from some unknown spot, and a second later, you feel odd, as if you became what you imagined in an instant. The door opens behind you, and you all head back out.

Thorn stands by the door, waiting to see what everybody has become. “Okay, hopefully everybody’s happy with what they ch- WHAT HAPPENED?!?” You look around and get a glimpse of the other participants. You see a Disney princess, a few aliens, and some cat-people. Thorn continues, clearly in shock. “You were supposed to try to blend in! You were supposed to make characters you could develop with dream powers and personalities! What are you people?!?

One participant counters with a question of his own. “What happened to the wings I wanted? I don’t have them!” Thorn, seemingly expecting the question, answers immediately. “This is not the Monthly Quest. You don’t get to say, ‘I think I deserve wings.’ Here, you earn them. I’m thinking you can have them after earning… let’s say 300 points? That goes for all of you, by the way.”

“Anyway, your tasks for this first week of the competition all involve exploring Elcedia on your own, since I assumed you’d all look like natural Elcedians. Check out the task list and then get going!”[/spoiler]
Week 1: Welcome to Elcedia

The goal for this week is to explore an urban dreamscape. You’ll be doing some exploring through the streets as you expect, but I’ll also challenge you to explore above and below the streets as well as find specific locations within a city. Some tasks will also have subtasks attached to them; if you complete a subtask in a way that also completes the task it’s tied to, you’ll earn more points than if you had done the task by itself.

There is one thing from the story that will work its way into the LC: wings are earned, not given. Flight tasks throughout the LC will be available for people who have earned at least 300 points. Hopefully this spurs you to get some tasks done for the sake of your character, since everybody craves flight!

Wander around a bustling city: A simple task to start off the LC. Explore a bit! 20 points

Drive a motor vehicle: Yet another easy task to start off the LC. Go somewhere exciting! 20 points

Work out in a gym: You have a brand-new dream body, so find a place to start toning it! 30 points* Visibly put on muscle from your workout. 20 points
Eat in a nice restaurant: It wouldn’t be an LC without an eating task. McDonald’s doesn’t count as “nice”; go somewhere decent with waitstaff and good meals! If you have to ask me if your dream restaurant counted, then the answer is probably “no”. 30 points* Fatten up from your food. 20 points
Visit a carnival or amusement park: Find some fun in this city! Personally, I’d suggest riding a slide, water slide, or roller coaster (without the coaster car if you think you can pull off a wicked sweet grind), as letting the dream lay out a track for you to follow at high speed is actually quite exhilarating. 30 points* Ride a slide, water slide, or roller coaster. 30 points
Explore a sewer: The dream world doesn’t just make water appear from faucets, and water doesn’t simply disappear when it goes into the drain. Explore the sewer system underneath Elcedia and see what you can find! 30 points* Encounter a sewer gator, mutant goldfish, or other sewer urban legend. 30 points
Find a library and read a book: What knowledge may lie within? See if you can learn something about the dream world. 30 points

Become your character: While I’ll give a 5-point bonus for every task done as your character, it’s also a standalone task so that you get some extra points for your first time being it (not stacking with the bonus, of course). If you haven’t posted a character yet, then you cannot earn points for this until you do so; you are not allowed to dream of a character and then decide to use it after the fact. 40 points

Interact with an anthropomorphic creature: As a fantasy world, Elcedia is full of them. Why not strike up a conversation with one? 40 points* Interact with a participant’s character (non-human characters only) or the host’s character. 40 points
Available after earning 300 points:
Fly through a city: No, not “over” a city; you can fly high without me telling you to, I’m sure. Just above the street level or high up between skyscrapers will do. 40 points

Your points will be tracked here. The small, square boxes will track if you’ve earned the bonus for being your character for each task that allows it (subtasks do not replicate the bonus from the source task), so between the character bonuses and subtasks, you have incentive to either do each task to its fullest the first time or to give tasks a second go if you’re not satisfied with how you completed them the first time.

Best of luck to all of you!

Had an LD here this morning which at 5-6 minutes long makes it a medium one for me. Thorn for some reason took on the form of Simon Cowell and I got my LC task mixed up with a previous LC team task for some reason.

James: Sorry, but I can’t award points for trying past LC tasks. In any case, you’re currently in first place, so congrats on that!

The scores are updated.

Wandered in a city last night. Ate in a restaurant too, but since I only recall the building and not eating, probably doesn’t count. Posting dreams soon. It was Skyrim/One Piece inspired city first, but when I escaped with my crew it was a modern one. :smile:

Edit: Almost forgot! I did some physical activities on a football field that then turned into a gym hall. I did push-ups with one hand.

Aaannnddd James’ first place went away in an instant. The scores are updated.

Damn, you guys get up early for a Saturday! :tongue:

Kicking off the challenge with my 200th LD :partying_face: which was a medium one. I struggled with my character transformation.

Susan_Y will approve though of the pre-lucid bit in which I chat to a six-foot animated snowman who was a bit Olaf-y. :happy:

Congrats! ^-^ :partying_face: :hugs:

[color=orange]Congrats Obfusc8!

Can I get points for encountering the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the sewer?[/color]

Congrats obfusc8! :content:

I had a long LD (yay) in which I drove a bus through a city (mega yay, I wanted to drive a bus since I was a kid).

obfusc8, with respect to the part of your journal that says I required the attire, I did challenge you to do so, but it’s ultimately up to you as to what constitutes your character. If the tattoo is the key part, feel free to tell me that you feel as if you’ve completed the task. In any case, congrats on 200 LDs! Is that really all you’ve had? Given the rate at which you have LDs, it feels like you should’ve had way more than I have.

Koharo, yes you can! EDIT: I originally gave points here, but didn’t realize that Koharo hadn’t actually had the dream yet and was just asking a question.

En’enra, I was smiling seeing how happy it made you to drive that bus… and laughing that you had a collision. :razz:

The scores are updated. Thinking about the entire “be a character” thing, I’ve decided to make one last concession: You may change your character once before the end of Week 1. If you made something that just doesn’t sit right with you or that is too hard to become, you have one chance to make something that works for you. Part of the reason that I originally requested anthropomorphic creatures for characters is that I find radical, surreal changes much easier to envision than more subtle, realistic ones. After all, the uncanny valley effect is much more noticeable in humans than in animal people because we see humans every day, so imperfections can be much more bothersome. If you find yourself struggling to incubate/visualize/become your chosen character, I suggest you try something crazier, paradoxical as it seems. Of course, if you’re perfectly comfortable, then keep on keeping on!

Thanks everyone. My LD rate has only recently reached this current level, and I’ve been practicing for less time than some… but I’m catching you up, Thorn! :happy:

Re the task completion: No I can do better. This is supposed to be a challenge and while my competitive streak wants to claim every possible point so I’ll beat drd this time :tongue:, there’s a voice in my head reminding me the challenge is ultimately against myself. Plus, there’s seven weeks to perfect this transformation… :content:

[color=orange]@LC Participants: [com](Already discussed it with the TM)[/com] To clear things up I didn’t have the dream, I was asking about the conditions before incubating it. So no points for me just yet.

Added a bit more to my description, I believe it was a bit brief beforehand.[/color]

How mean. :tongue:

I’d like to change my character. I’ll think about it some more and update the description (and the pictures, if I manage to create them).

Transformation is really, really difficult for me. Even a simple one, like changing what I wear. I had the most luck with a changing my hairstyle, but that’s probably because I change it often irl.

So… here’s some surprise success for the first night of the LC! Not as much as Letaali, but still. :razz: I’m grouping any kind of “wondering if I were dreaming” under the category “Lucid Moments” even though they’re not actually lucid. If they were to continue under that level of thinking they would have led to lucidity and so the name I give them is as such. :razz:

A Suburban Scene ~ Short Lucid Dream
Laundry Burrito ~ Non-Lucid Dream ~ Lucid Moment

Stats so far:

[spoiler]NLDs: 1
Short LDs: 1
Medium LDs: 0
Long LDs: 0
Lucid Moments: 1

Task 1: ~ none ~
[/spoiler]

Meaner than you dreaming me up to be the evilest dragon around that attacked you and made you kill your family? Meaner than shrinking me and putting me in a pillowcase prison? I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN! :razz:

I’ve updated the scores with Scipio’s dreams.

I thought I was forgiven. :crying: Your memory is great, though, I completely forgot about the pillowcase. :wiske:

Anyways, I updated my application post with a new character. Now that she’s wearing battle armor, she’s looking forward to host-related tasks. :grin:

EDIT:

Today, this entry.
A medium lucid (about 10 minutes long), and a tiny lucid FA. Low lucidity, no tasks.

Non-lucid dream in which I’m in a battle scene in a modern city. It had something of the look of 1950’s sci-fi comic about it. (Also apocalyptic anime like Akira or Neon Genesis Evangelion … and in parts a bit like the Israeli war documentary Waltz with Bashir).

Does this count for the “Wander round a city” subtask? (Even though people were shooting at the time).

I bet Thorn totally wants to see Anna from Frozen replacing Asuka as a mecha pilot in Neon Genesis Evangelion, but I wasn’t Anna in this dream.