dream journal

Dreams

A so called mental hospital in the middle of a void of static. No escape although it's rumored that there may be something else out there. Time seems to not work very well as daytime and nighttime changes at random. The rules are simple. Don't go on the indoor jungle gyms, you will get lost. Don't talk to strangers, you will have to be put together again. Strangers are black, man shaped creatures that appear when the ceilings in the park, cafeteria and lobby turn night. And the last rule, always take your meds. There are other rules as well but these are the main three. There are three categories of people here, Dreamers, staff, and natives.

   Staff are all very robotic and npc-like. They have various jobs, actions and appearances that correspond with their types (nurce, doctor, emergency staff, cafe staff, and one front desk worker). Staff are the only beings known to tell time. It is unknown how or when the staff first arrived. There is also no knowledge of there being an owner of the hospital.
 
   The natives are formless, shapeshifting, black beings of all three states of matter. They hide in stuffed animals and speak in whispers. These creatures are only hostile when provoked and have been known to be here before the hospital.
  
     Lastly, the dreamers or patients. Dreamers are never human nor do they have a physical sex(gender at birth). All different creatures work differently with different feeding, sleeping, and other habitat needs. Dreamers are aware that this isn't their "real world" and prefer to call this place "dream world" despite most claiming it isn't a dream but a pocket dimension instead. When a dreamer "sleeps" (returns to their real world) they are put in a sci-fi type tube to keep their body safe. This is not a secret and everyone knows of this fact. Dreamers are given a new name once the world accepts them as family. Dreamers who are not accepted yet are not allowed to know the names of others until they are accepted. Dreamers don't die, they just get broken and put back together. All dreamers are given a custom room that appears when the dreamer appears for the first time and despite the dreamer staying in the world when they wake up the room doesn't and disappears when the dreamer wakes up. Dreamers are also always carnivores, and eat meat. Dreamers appear for the first time randomly in one of the chairs in the lobby. It's unknown how the dreamers get in the lobby.

   There are also sickness' in this world as well. Stranger syndrome, Haze sickness, and shy are the most well known, the last two can be medicated.

   Let's start with stranger syndrome. Stranger syndrome is something only natives can get, and it affects the mental and physical state of the creature. Stranger syndrome makes a native stuck in the form of a deformed tall man. Known as strangers, they will attack other natives on sight and attack dreamers once approached. They do not seem to notice the staff at all, this is possibly because the staff do not approach them.

    Haze sickness is a spectrum with two different types as well. Haze sickness is something that dreamers almost always have. It is basically when the state of your body (either your real life or dream life body) has side effects. Examples of short term Haze sickness include having trouble speaking, walking, eating or picking up items. These can possibly carry on to long-term in severe cases. These problems are caused by your consciousness not computing with your dream body. Examples of long term Haze sickness are having a different mindset or personality from the one you have in the real world. This is typically caused by the world itself. Logic is different here and your consciousness is automatically given the ability to understand it.

   Shy is more so a side effect of haze sickness. It is an effect of the mind of a lucid dreamer. Lucid dreamers are less likely to believe that this isn't a dream (if it isnt lol) for obvious reasons. This causes paranoia and people like this tend to like a buddy system with another dreamer to make sure they don't get hurt/break rules. Shy is a phobia of being alone, or a phobia of typical bad dream situations.