Charlie smiles , looking at new living quarters " Oh , I can't wait to live here " Rune said " And I can't wait for all the money coming in ... Even though the money is going to lose most of its monetary value when someone's economic Dream comes true " Charlie said .
" We can always pay with products and calculate the labor hours for later conversion " Charlie said " Look at you , already got a solution to our problem " Rune praised " How do you think we survived working without any educational background ? Now there's not a lot of things we can do "
Charlie asked and paused to think of what else to do now that the comix were becoming less interesting as compared to what's going on in the world .
" How about speculating ? " Charlie asked " Sounds fun . What are we thinking ? " " Dreamscapes manifesting into reality , a lot of people probably can get the hang of Imaginary enough to affect more things than right now "
" Yeah , but dreams aren't exactly something we can understand " Rune said " Before this , but now we can be sure that these dreams are starting to connect with what people think of themselves as . All those furries who like to be that OC they commission an artist for are now those furries , literal dreams come true "
" And don't you think some people would want some of their other personal fantasies to appear too ? " Rune asked as the store went silent , letting them pause to think about that more .
" You're not saying " " Yeah , eventually some girl is going to have their prince charming carry them off . Or someone gets to be a sugar baby to their fantasized owner or something " " You're talking about a master and slave " Rune said .
" That one is possible , why else do you think Julie is dropping down hints " " And what about the animals " Rune mentioned " That one might be hard , should we just call to check on what is going on with that rabid dog that Sid killed and Rinri ressurected ? "
" Should we ? " Rune asked , worried about what might happen there " Well that dog or cat ? I don't even remember the species anymore , Rinri's first lab experiment took the brunt of her curiosity as a child "
" Well , the shock collar that Julie asked Zion to make hasn't given us any notifications , so they should be fine and we are still getting some feedback from them "
They talked a bit more about what's going on with the pet , the other oldest domesticated , while attending to the few customers who appeared and when the store was empty , something pushed the door open .
Charlie was stunned to hear the door open so violently ' Rune , what is it ? ' Charlie looked outside and saw a color-warping fog that retracted while Rune looked at the frightened customer .
" An avali ? " Rune told Charlie " Avali ? " the shelves shook as products fell " AOOHHH " Charlie rushed to the shelves and saw a few juice boxes scattered on the floor while the Avali saw them and quickly rushed out .
" We need to stop this avali " Charlie looked at the avali going to the wholesale freezer glass door and it opened , freezing the avali in the spot " Hey , don't you think it's bad to freeze something alive "
" Oh , calm down . When I meant to stop them in place , the ice was just the first thing that came to mind since it was going to the freezer door " the avali shivered in fear as they shut their eyes and Charlie put on their Doctor impressions .
" You're hurt " Rune says , projecting themself onto the stranger while Charlie locates the problems " Let's have them healed up " Charlie takes out the vials and pours them into the ice as the liquid enters the avali as it moves through the imaginary ice .
" Okay , all healed up , now what exactly are you ? " Charlie asked " Careful now , they came in scared . Don't you think we should counsel them first before asking " Rune said .
" Yeah definitely " Charlie imbues Aura in their eyes " Huh this guy is all Imaginary except a tiny part " Charlie looks at the center of the avali , which had a foggy image of something , but they couldn't pinpoint the shape .
" Come on , little one , care to tell us your stories ? " Rune says , projecting their care to the little avali who shivered while Charlie worries about the fog that the avali seems to come from , which had now disappeared .
" Do you think this is someone's conjured dreams ? " " Are you saying if the person wakes up , this guy disappears " Rune asked " No " the avali's terrified voice went through " Please , I don't want to go back there " they begin to cry as some of the memories surface .
Charlie looked at Rune " So they see you now " " Why don't you focus on the avali ? " Rune asked , criticizing Charlie's worry about another thing " Cause your existence has a bigger priority than taking care of a random stranger "
" Sorry , but it's in our character to worry more than one thing . I'm technically the one with less self-restraint " " Then let's focus on where this Avali comes from , it's not like they'll calm down if we console with them " Charlie says and puts on Imaginary glasses with the the intent to ascertain the Avali's origins .
" This one comes from a dream , seems like they were on a run and have been doing so for a while " Charlie says and learns more about this Dream .
" Rather than a dream , it's someone's own story , isn't it ? " Rune asked while observing with Charlie " So this Avali is the character of someone else's imagination ? But you said this Avali has something inside them that isn't imaginary "
Charlie nodded " This something inside seems to be real . How do I say this ? It's like those actors in the news . The original person probably got hit by someone's Imaginary hard and became a character . But there haven't been a lot of missing person cases at all , it's quite the opposite since more people are locating these missing persons with Imaginary " Charlie said .
" Why can't this new thing just be about everyone achieving their fantasies of suddenly being their fursona ? " Rune complains .
" It is frustrating , but this is reality , not everyone is a furry " Charlie looked at the avali and unfroze them " Do you have a home to go back to ? " Avali trembled but didn't fear the two now that they settled and reflected on the care they receive .
" No , can I stay here ? I will do anything " " The world sure is good at tempting us " Rune said while Charlie pushed those thoughts back " For now , you should rest . You can go take a bath and Rune , do you think you can bathe them "
" Uh uh , I am the one who wants to do certain things . Better lock the doors and bathe them yourself " Rune says " Fine " Charlie takes the Avali and washes them while using Imaginary .
Charlie expands the sink to make a bathtub and uses the Imaginaries as shampoos " When you are done , use that towel and come out , I'll help you dry out "
Charlie leaves and Rune asked " You think they're warming up to us ? " Rune asked " It'd be better to keep them in here , who knows what the government will do if they notice that I am housing a person who seems to be brainwashed into being someone else "
" But the real question is , why is a real person or maybe thing acting like that ? No way is it possible for someone to make another thing solely through Imaginary right " Rune said and Charlie asked them .
" Then what about you ? how can you exist if you're not made entirely of Imaginary " " Cause I'm not , I'm you made real through Imaginary , I'm not made entirely of Imaginary . So who's the base that the Avali is ? "
Charlie opens the news and searches " Here , take a look " while there were not a lot of missing person cases that appeared after Imaginary took its effects , it seemed that the missing animals were plentiful .
" Are you saying ? " Charlie nodded " It can be possible that the Avali was supposed to be an animal , but maybe because of Imaginary they became an Avali "
" So animals can be the victims , but if that's the case , what about humans ? " " They might need someone with higher Imaginary than them " Charlie says " And do you think you can tell how Imaginary can be measured ? " Rune asked and Charlie looked at them .
" I don't know yet , but the kids clearly have been really good at play pretend thanks to this , so maybe it has to do with wonder ? " Charlie speculated " Playing pretend is one thing , but didn't Liam tell us that the population is starting to turn into shifters with no way to go back "
They looked up the news about it and found that not only has it been more and more difficult for everyone to turn back to humans " Imaginary is very tempting , if they could suddenly have muscles from now on , they'd want to keep that body too " Rune says .
" I don't like my body , but I haven't changed " Charlie says " The best explanation for that is that you don't have enough dissatisfaction to worry about it . "
" God damn it , why can't everyone just be satisfied about their personal appearance that they didn't choose " Charlie said , not trying to sound sarcastic in that ironic statement .
" Yeah why " Rune said with a little bit of fanfare " But seeing all of them , do you actually like to look like them " " Maybe a bit , but I know the consequences of making some changes . The furries will think it's cool to have a fluffy tail , but then they'll still catch dust "
" Can't they use Imaginary to make that go away ? " Rune asked " Possibly , but you'd have to input that thought , don't you think ? " " Ehh may or may not . But let's just do as we usually do " Charlie understood what the usual "do" was .
" Yeah , let's just keep learning with no direction . Our random trove of fun facts will come in handy one random day " Charlie wipes the plastic surface above the counter as they enhanced the reflective properties of the plastic cover to a higher degree and sees the ocean .
" Really as still as ever " Rune says " You think the end of this is the horizon ? " Charlie asked and Rune shrugs their shoulder " Don't know , but we can have a look-see on what's deep inside " Rune says .
" That would be you , isn't it ? " Rune nods and replies " But you know you are into some extreme things and you don't make a character sheet because it would be too long to talk about . This civilian identity you put up is just a facade or a tip of the iceberg "
" We have a lot of ways to define ourselves . Maybe the best way for us to see it is that you are the deep monsters inside and I'm the calm surface masquerading us so we can blend in and not get arrested "
They heard the bathroom " Mister , I'm finished " Charlie brought some towels and wove the Avali some pajamas " Go to sleep , little one " Charlie said and turned the light off .
" Oh , it's so tempting to snuggle them to sleep . Are we sure they aren't nocturnal " Rune asked " No , according to Doctors , they're like a blank slate " " Meaning " " You know , like kids , but there is some background information , which is that this Avali is a frightened lab experiment "
Charlie couldn't help but think of Rinri because she always looks like a lab experiments " She'd probably say there is no law guarding the rights of an Avali " Rune joked .
" But we taught them that it's not about the law but rather public perception . So they should be able to restrain themselves " " Maybe self-restraint is also a part of Imaginary use . " Rune says .
" Then I should be really good because I am really tempted to just punch something , but I'm holding it back " they looked at the reflection of their ocean to see some bubbles .
" Maybe a quick game can fix it ? " Charlie thought of the games that they bought when they were on a really good sale " Sure why not , although I do worry about what could happen when you play a game "
" You're not thinking that the game will become real right ? " Charlie shrugged their shoulders " I don't know , but one thing is clear , this unmeasured factor we call Imaginary is still affecting the population and more importantly , there are already some people getting to that stage three we speculated and it's going to be worrisome when all the animals are suddenly used as material to be turned into someone's ideal fantasy "
" So back to speculating ? " " Yeah , we do have new information , especially about the Real that we are naming as the basis from what we observed in the Avali " they looked at their ocean and Rune asks " So the Real is the true part of a person ? Should we think of it as an opposing force ? "
" Complementary , maybe ... Let's call Rinri and ask for her opinion about this " ... " Oh , that's definitely something we never know about . But if you did make something purely out of Imaginary , the object doesn't exactly last forever , so this Real you are using should be a complementary force " Rinri says as she looks at the vial .
" But that also means that your vials would also require some Real , don't you think ? " Rinri asked and Charlie looked at the new stock that they extracted the toxic Impression from and told her their findings on the stock .
" Yeah , the people's Impression about the food was replaced by my impression of the food " " And how Real is that impression ? " Charlie looked at it " I'll send it to you through the phone cause I really need a professional to look into it "
Rinri scoops out the Canned goods and eats it " Okay , this taste is the same as the regular Spam , we extracted the fading impressions from " Rinri said and told her analysis .
" From what I can tell , the Imaginary you used on these products maintains the taste . It's likely thanks to you always tasting your products first , which is why the Imaginary didn't change the taste of the products "
" So you're saying I can use Imaginary to make the products taste different ? " " Uh huh , now as for the potions you've been making " Rinri looks at the vials sent to her and the Spam she ate out of .
" Don't worry about the potions fading and don't think about the Real or the chemicals of the products , because it looks like the Imaginary you replaced the original toxic impressions with has an effect of extending the products' shelf life to the designated expiration date but doesn't have much adverse effect as a carcinogen "
" Wait , the Imaginary I replaced made the ultra-processed food healthier ? " " Yeah , you removed most of the chemicals that are more associated with health risks because they were attached to the toxic impression . It will be bad if your garden just eats everything in because some products aren't just in a chemical bath but actual chemical , like the foams "
" So your suggestion is ? " " Use more real seeds that you have been selling , it will be a great base for the toxic Imaginary to Settle " " Oh , I already did that " " Then you have no problem , now you know more " Rinri said and Charlie smiled .
" Thanks Rinri . It's really nice that you and the rest are in college " " Oh come on Charlie , we are at legal age , let's just get married . We could've had a kid when I was ovulating at 12 , but you keep saying you're not a man and that you were trans " " The signal is breaking up " Charlie closes the call .
" So we are still okay with the potions we're making and it seems we know a bit about Real " Rune said " Most of it is just speculation based on a small sample though " " Great more words to appear smart "
Charlie took a deep breath and then remembered that they didn't ask about Real in other applications " Should we worry that the rest of our store's structure is made of Imaginary ? " Rune asked
" Yes , but Imaginary has some power and we haven't fainted yet when we used it to make two rooms . So what's our capacity ? " Charlie asked and Rune looked at the ocean and said " What if it grows depending on how much Real there is ? "
" Maybe , but what about the consequence of using too much ? " Charlie asked and they recall the kids at the orphanage playing pretend and then an idea emerged in their minds .
" Wait , isn't that serious ? " Rune asked " It is , but this isn't magic that's in our blood acting like blood , so bodily effects don't seem very likely . It's Imaginary and the word itself means something that isn't Real , so what if they get lost in their imagination and don't snap back to reality "
" Holy sht , we need to make sure that we have a tight leash on the kids at home " they racked their brains , figuring out how they can keep the kids at the orphanage from getting lost in their pretend play that they forget about reality and then they looked at the door .
" The Avali ? " Rune asked and Charlie nods . Charlie imbued their eyes with Imaginary and saw what the Avali had seen that led them out of the Fictional world they were trapped in .
" So they saw a lighthouse ? " Charlie asked and looked into the nature of the lighthouse and saw themself " I'm the lighthouse ? " " But what kind of light are you supposed to be emitting and how can we even tell ? "
" Don't know , but if this Avali followed me as the light , that just means something about me . So what do I have " " Me ? " Rune joked " No , the Avali didn't even see you or they would've reacted to you first when you checked on them "
" Maybe it has to do with you , but your sea of consciousness is all water . Why would you have a lighthouse ? " " The only directional guide I can think of that connects to the mind is a moral compass , but what Avali was navigating to was between Imaginary and Reality , so what in the world could it be ? "
They both paused as an answer came up " It's Real " they said in unison " but how should we create that lighthouse in the orphanage ? " Rune asked " Maybe you can go "
" Yeah and there shouldn't be any consequences of long term separation . Do you want to feel sensory overload as a human and as someone who doesn't go to school ? " " Oh sht , you're right , there's still a lot of things we have to worry about "
" Maybe we can figure out a way to create Real ? " " We don't even know about Imaginary , how can we think about Real ? " Charlie said , being realistic " Yeah , it's too much to ask . And it's not like there are children who've gone missing , so we can never confirm whether the danger of overusing Imaginary is getting lost in dreams like how Avali there experienced "
The door was pushed open by a child and both of them immediately connected this event to their previous conversation " Hello police "
...
Charlie slouched on the bed , thinking about the several procedures they went through while Rinri was called to come immediately , thanks to her achievements in speculating the Imaginary's properties and researching it in better depth than everyone else .
She also shows credit for identifying the Real factor , providing a proposal in researching the Real factor . She took the opportunity to stay close to Charlie and now she is beside Charlie , who is about to sleep .
" I'll have you know , my Imaginary is very strong and I am making sure these clothes do not leave my body and neither are those eyes of yours going to pierce into my layers " Charlie warns .
" And don't traumatize Avali as you did with Piet " Rune says " Okay Charlies " Rinri says joyfully as she stares at Avali with a piercing gaze ' It's so uncomfortable sleeping with people now '
' That and when we wake up we're gonna have to deal with our new position as reality lighthouse ' Rune thought and they began talking , trying to go to sleep ' You know I ... we always talk in our sleep trying to go to sleep ' Charlie said .
' We did , it's so mysterious . Do you think the way we always talk and mysteriously sleep into unconsciousness can be related to overuse of Imaginary ? '
' Maybe , but even so it's not wrong , is it ? ' ' Most definitely not , but I understand . Whenever we are quiet like this alone with only our thoughts , it's awfully comfortable to have no one but yourself ' Rune thought while they continued their back and forth and went to sleep eventually .
...
The embrace of stuffed animals and pillows was comforting to Charlie as they rested , then these toys came to life . But they never wriggled out of Charlie , in fact , they felt extremely warm while the blizzard outside was blocked by the blankets and other pillows under .
Charlie felt cold around their mouth and nose , which was exposed , as the rest of the head was wrapped in a cloth blocking the cold . The remained wrapped in living stuffed toys and pillows as they remained still in the cold blizzard .
Suddenly they freed themselves and felt the cold hit their arms as frost began to form as the living toys lost their warmth and life . The blanket and pillows froze and broke apart while the cloth covering the upper part of their head remained .
A few people who were in the cold freezing area couldn't believe what they saw as they thawed the ice and reached to pull the cloth out to better identify the person as they continued thawing , but unfortunately the cloth couldn't be removed .
But interacting with Charlie made them react to their attempts at saving them as they let the cloth fall free , allowing them to gaze at the cold , unfeeling eyes . Everyone stood perfectly still as Charlie's gaze fell on them . They were frozen by the gaze as the cold crept into their coats , causing them to really wish they hadn't freed it .
Once Charlie closed their eyes , they made a run for it as the piercing gaze had given them an experience they couldn't forget . They looked at the person who was enveloped in ice and at the cloth they had pulled out from them . The took pictures cameras and retreated away from the ice to report it .
" They just appeared and frozen themself after you thawed them ? " Rinri looks at the report and looks at Charlie , who was no longer using the blanket soaking in the cold air and using Imaginary with it . She looked at the air conditioner and adjusted it , getting some updates as Charlie began tossing and turning on the makeshift mattress made of packing peanuts .
By the time Charlie was supposed to wake up , the aircon shut down and Rinri continued to gather more information about Charlie's dreaming self , which is now sleeping with warmth instead of cold in the cold regions of the world " Mmhmm , what time is it ? " Charlie asked .
" Morning Charlie " Rinri greeted Charlie and Rune " Charlie , we were some guy frozen in ice and I think during our half-asleep state we " both Rune and Charlie yawned in unison and Rinri smiled , recording it " I don't know , I'm still stuck to the bed . it's so comfortable " Rune complains .
" I'll stay here for a while " Charlie searched for their other shirt but couldn't find it and settled with the blanket to cover their eyes and told Rinri to open the curtains for sunlight to get through .
Rinri does so and notices that the glass was the type that gives privacy by blurring the light through and wondered if this construction was based on the Imaginary Charlie's dream work-and-home unit .
" You should replace the Imaginary walls with Real walls " Rinri advises " I already thought of a way , all I have to do is shrink the room so that construction can work around it " Charlie embraces the pillows while they continued to soak in the comfort of the Bed .
" How is Avali ? Did you give them a real name yet ? " Rune asked " No we have been trying to identify the Real they are made of , but since we have just discovered Real , we are still in the early stages of research . We're planning to fine-tune what we discovered , but the point is that the Imaginary can be used as much as you want "
" Yeah yeah , we get that part , just tell us about Capacity " Rune said and Rinri smiled as she was talking to the deeper parts of Charlie " Capacity is defined by how much imaginary you can use before falling into the dreams . It's defined by how much grasp you have of the real world . We are also speculating that proficiency aligns with people's ability to imagine , but that is still vague as of now; we imagine it has to do with how well people can visualize information in their head "
" What a fun way to start the morning " Charlie complains as they grow more awake and ready to leave the Bed .
ns216.73.216.103da2
and then Add to home screen.