Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2017/11/25(Sat)02:53 No. 847899 ID: a606da
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“Who are you?” The giggling voice echoes back. Doesn’t sound right. Not familiar. Not the same as it was. “Who are you? Who are you?”

“What do you want?”

“, doesn’t it?” After a pause, she snorts in disbelief. “Yeah, okay, whatever you say. But it does.”

That’s a piece, I think. A fragment from somewhere.

“I don’t understand.”

I feel like I’m going to throw up, but I can’t focus on why. Just hold it in.

“What do you want? I don’t understand. don’t understand. But it does. doesn’t it? understand.” She stops giggling. “Anansi?! I don’t understand. What do you want? What. are you? don’t understand. Anansi?!”

She goes silent. Does she want a response? What should I say?

My head hurts. I feel sick.

Ignore them and remain silent. Maybe barf to the side. Never touch the devil-grass again.

>>847899
Tell them yes, you are Anansi, and you are a spider.

And what you want is to find a place where you belong.

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2017/11/25(Sat)05:54 No. 847913 ID: a606da
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“Yes, I am Anansi. I am a spider.” I groan, feeling terribly nauseous. “And what I want is a place to belong.”

“Anansi. I was waiting for you.” She whispers. “It’s freezing out here.”

Something catches on that bit. I recall a flash of conversation.

“Were you waiting long?” I mutter.

“I’ll say this: My nightgown’s frosted over.”

“It’s a pretty nightgown.” I play my part, dully reciting lines. It’s just the script. It’s not my fault.

“Trying to flatter your way out of this, huh? Tell the truth.” She sobs. Hang on, she wasn’t crying, at least not then. This isn’t right. “It looks like an old bedsheet, doesn’t it?”

“I…” I can’t take this. I won’t say another word. Not this time.

“Anansi?! I don’t understand.” She flickers. Tears stream down her face. “It looks like a bedsheet, doesn’t it? My nightgown.”

“Davi - “ I reach out for her.

She screams. Hoarse and terrible. It rings through my head, slicing at my insides.

No, that isn’t how it went. That’s not what happened. It wasn’t like in the movies. She never screamed, not even once. She was very quiet, very still.

But she did cry.

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2017/11/25(Sat)05:56 No. 847914 ID: a606da
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“Pardon the interruption.” A voice like a hummingbird splits the scream. “Anansi?”

I gape at the strange figure hovering in front of me.

“My other half told you I would visit, did he not? Though we did not expect you to rest so soon.” The figure twists her neck strangely, this way and that. Searching. “I can taste the dust of your mind, Anansi. This place is tied to you. But if you are here, then you aren’t, not really. You’ve failed to draft a visible form.”

“What are you?” I gasp. “No, I know you. But I can’t know you. You’re not - but you are.” My head hurts.

“Oh. You’re not lucid. Pity.” She tilts her head. “My name is Olorun, and Olokun. I am your sister, but I am also your brother. This is a dream, Anansi. A nightmare. Yours, at least halfway.”

“Ridiculous!” I sputter.

“Well, if it isn’t a nightmare, would you mind particularly if I were to eat it?”

>would you mind particularly if I were to eat it?
...I shouldn't be free of what I did that easily.

And you said yourself, it's only halfway mine. I can't give it away by myself.

I'm sorry.

"Go ahead. Even if I needed to hold onto my trauma, this particular play has seen more re-edits than Bioshock Infinite. Nothing but mindless pain here."

>>847914
>>847932
Agreed.

>>847914
"NO! No. Don't eat it. I can't... I can't forget what happened. What I did. It wouldn't be right."

I've already forgotten the significance of this so yeah, bite me.

Guys I don't think eating the nightmare will remove the memory. It'll just prevent the nightmare from recurring.

Which is a good thing.

>>847941
seconded

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2017/12/11(Mon)21:24 No. 851185 ID: a606da
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“No! Don’t eat it. I shouldn't be free of what I did that easily." A distant vision flits at the edges of my consciousness, but I try not to hold on to it. Force it away. Keep it buried. "I’m sorry. I've forgotten the significance of this, but I can't... I can't forget what happened, what I did. It wouldn't be right."

“You would forget nothing, Anansi. Dreams embark from memories, but it is a tenuous road, and only the rarest few journey back to recollection. This nightmare is painfully common. It will likely be forgotten regardless.” Olorun pauses, glancing at the flickering girl. “Besides… if tormenting yourself with this moment is something you do out of guilt, then keeping her here to experience it strikes me as counter-productive.”

“Her? You mean...?” I stare at her. “No, isn’t she…?”

“Yes.” Olorun nods. “But she remains.”

“How?!”

“Do you think the dead do not dream, Anansi?” Olorun hums to me in melodic whispers. Her voice is always so calming, even if her words confuse me. “It is they who dream most of all.”

“dead?” The wispy figure goes still. “I am. dead?”

“You said this was a dream. My dream. So she’s a figment, right?” I start to panic. “She isn’t real, is she?”

“The dust of your mind is here. So are the ashes of hers."

"I don't understand. What does that mean? Speak clearly!"

"Dreams are rarely clear things, Anansi.” Olorun rises into the sky, fading slightly. "Please, brother, let me devour this nightmare for you while it is young. Staying will only bring you pain."

"pain." Davi blinks. I catch an inkling of awareness in her, and it terrifies me. “dead? ashes? nightmare? I don't understand. Anansi? I waited for you."

“Davi.” I breathe. “I never meant... I mean, you were my…"

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2017/12/11(Mon)21:25 No. 851186 ID: a606da
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“Don't do this to yourself, Anansi." Olorun interrupts. "She’s not who she was. She is composed of memory, and so speaks the language of echoes. Echoes of her, echoes of others, but echoes only. She won't hear you for you, nor you her.”

"You don't know that!"

"I do. The two of you have shared this dream, or variants of it, on every night for the past seven years." Olorun sighs, her appearance turning a gloomy translucent. "I have tried to help you through it, Anansi. Many, many times. Believe me, I want to help the two of you to understand, to move on, but it always ends the same."

"What happens, then?"

"As I said, this is a nightmare. It comprises a memory. Of what, I'll let you guess."

I almost know. It claws at my mind. So close, so dangerously close. If I remember...

"I'm not going to watch it all happen again, Anansi. But if you don't want me to devour it, then I won't." The world lurches, giving me a vague sense of throwing up, and suddenly everything is different. Davi is gone. I can't see Olorun anywhere - but then I hear her voice. "Your nightmare remains. We're just no longer in it."

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2017/12/11(Mon)21:27 No. 851187 ID: a606da
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"We're not?" I look around at the chaotic scenery. "Then where - ?"

"Hah!" A bellowing cackle booms throughout the world. Its origin becomes obvious: Nearby, a lithe man is dodging nimbly around as odd floating ribbons try to grasp at him. "Nice try, brother, but you'll have to be quicker than that! Quickly, now, quick! Oh, what am I saying? You'll never catch me!”

"Who is that? They look strangely familiar.”

“This is Eshu’s dream, I believe.” Olorun whispers to me. “It has been a few years since you’ve seen him, hasn’t it? He’s changed so much.”

“You’ll never be her, you know, and I’ll never be you!” Eshu laughs as he dances, spouting the occasional twirl of flame to shred the ribbons that venture too close. “For that, I shall forever be grateful!”

“Why hasn’t he noticed that we’re here? Can he even see us?”

“No, though I can make myself visible to him, if I wish. You, however, have no form for Eshu to perceive. He’s not lucid, and this is not your dream. If you want to interact with him, then you’ll have to take the place of one of his figments.” Olorun pauses. “But none seem present, at the moment. Besides, I brought you here so we could talk, not Eshu.”

“What is it you want to talk about?”

“You’ve returned home. Out there, I mean. On one hand, it’s nice to finally have you back with us. I love you, Anansi; You’re my brother. But I have known your nightmares, and they scare me. I’m not sure who you are anymore, not really. I fear for the safety of my sisters, as well as my own. Out there, I am frail and senseless. In here is all that I have.”

“What are you saying?”

“I don’t enjoy ultimatums or threats. Still, I must be blunt.” Olorun’s soft voice suddenly sharpens, and it chills me. “Tell me why I should let you wake up.”

Because I am physically incapable of eating my siblings. Can't argue with the rules of nature.

>>851187
Because Mbweha would be sad if you didn't.

Also eat the nightmare.

>>851187
Mbweha.
If you trap me in a dream, force me to remain asleep, then Mbweha -WILL- find out.
And when she does, when she realizes what you have done, she will never, ever stop hounding you until you release me.
And she may not be the only one.

I wake up every morning knowing what I have done and it haunts me, I know deep down what could happen if I wake and I'm scared of it. Even so the worst nightmare I could possibly have is of loosing control and harming you... My family. All I want is for you to be safe, if I have to leave to make sure of that I will, if I need to fall into an everlasting sleep I will, if anything less causes you harm than I will do my best to make sure that doesn't happen. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I do and am. I'm sorry.

>“Tell me why I should let you wake up.”
Huh. That's refreshing, honestly.

>Because Mbweha would be sad if you didn't.
Mbweha would blame herself if I never woke up. She'd think it was her fault for giving me those drugs. If you do choose to do something to me, I'd ask that you please do it in a way that spares her that. Make her think I left again, or something.

I'm supposed to go time traveling with someone on Thursday, apparently. Eventually you're supposed to meet them too, and I think you got on well. That probably doesn't happen if I never wake up. ...and it probably doesn't happen if I wake up and go crazy on my family either.

You've seen how long and how much that nightmare has tormented me. Do you think I would, or could, add to that?

>I’m not sure who you are anymore, not really
I'm not sure who I am, either. I still wonder. And if you've been watching my dreams and nightmares all this time and couldn't figure it out either... *sigh*

I won't fight you, if you think you have to protect them. I respect that. I love you all too much for that.

>Also eat the nightmare.
Nah, I say stick with stubbornness for now.

Eat the nightmare, obstinance won't do you any good! Besides, you already don't remember it when you wake up so all this would do is improve your sleep.

"Because I will do to you what I did to her if you keep me in YOUR head."

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2018/06/28(Thu)01:56 No. 890373 ID: a606da
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“I won’t fight you, if you think you have to protect them. I respect that. I love you all too much for that.” I speak faintly. I know that this is what I deserve, really. It always was. “All I want is for you to be safe. If I have to leave, I will. If I need to fall into an everlasting sleep, I will. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I do and am. I’m sorry!” The last apology comes out as a sob, which is a bit of a shock, since I can’t actually cry.

“It’s alright, Anansi. You don’t need to apologize.” Olorun whispers, her calmness fading a little. “I love you. Things have been hard for all of us, and especially for you. Your life has been twisted down a sad path through little fault of your own. You are family, Anansi, and you always will be. And even if you are stuck here, I still - ”

“Wait.” I croak. “Mbweha. If I don’t wake up, she’ll be sad. She’ll think it was her fault.”

“Ah.” Olorun pauses. “We can visit her, if you’d like.”

“She’s already asleep?” I’m surprised. It was the middle of the day when I conked out. Then again, I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep.

“Only daydreaming. Just enough for us to visit.”

“Ha!” Eshu laughs loudly, startling me. His clothing keeps shifting in appearance, as though his outfit can’t decide what it is. He’s still dancing with the odd curling red lines in the air, however. He dodges them quickly and cleverly, to and fro. He’s also still yelling at apparently no one. “Try again, brother. Try, try, try! You might keep the rest of our family bound in your love and blood, but I refuse to live my life in hiding. There will be no more masquerades for me!”

The lines begin to swivel more frantically in the air, like snakes, each trying to wrap itself around Eshu. Eshu just giggles again, slipping through the lines’ path. Suddenly, he leaps forward, gripping one of the cords tightly. It glimmers with heat, as though his fingertips are burning through it. He grins victoriously. “Give it up, brother. Let her go.”

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2018/06/28(Thu)02:00 No. 890376 ID: a606da
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A visage of Nyame sprouts from the mists of Eshu’s dream. This Nyame looks older than I remember, more tired, but unmistakably himself. At his side sits a short human woman I don’t recognize, who appears to be under some spell of Nyame’s. Nyame’s arm is somehow the source of the red lines, and he winces in pain as Eshu grips the captive strand. “Whatever. Just shut up and let me save your life.”

“Whose life are you trying to save?” Eshu snorts. “Don’t play the victim with me. All you’re doing is looking after your precious little home life!”

“I’m doing this for you, you idiot.” Nyame glowers at Eshu, annoyance cracking his curt expression slightly. “What do you think that humans will do to you, when they find out? What do you imagine will happen to our family?”

“I trust her. She won’t tell anyone. And even if she did, that falls on me and me only!”

Nyame sneers. It’s a strange expression, and one I’ve never seen him make. “I can’t take that chance.” He spits.

“Too bad!” Eshu shrieks, his emotion bubbling to the surface. “I love her, and you won’t stand in my way!”

Nyame and Eshu glare at each other, hatred evident in their looks. I take the silence as an opportunity to ask Olorun questions. “Did this really happen?”

“As I’ve said: dreams embark from memory, but few return there. This is Eshu’s dream, and is likewise tilted in his favor. Here, he is the hero, and Nyame the villain. Things are rarely so clear-cut, however.”

My eyes linger on the woman Nyame holds captive, her body jerking wildly around as her face spews something that looks like electric blood. “How accurate is this recreation?” I feel queasy just looking at it.

Olorun is quiet for a moment. “I have no idea, Anansi. Dreams like this are the only way that I perceive the waking world.”

“Oh.” Embarrassment fills me. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” I get the sense she’s uncomfortable, as she quickly changes the subject. “Would you like to greet Eshu before we leave? You could inhabit one of those figments and say hello.”

“Figments?”

“The image of either Nyame or the woman beside him.” Olorun explains. “You can control and speak through one of them, though it would no doubt turn Eshu’s dream lucid. Would you prefer to do that, or simply continue on to see Mbweha?”

>>890376
Speaking of Mbweha, you do realize that if you stick me in a coma and she finds out, she'll do absolutely unspeakable things to your body until you undo it, right? Like, I don't know what you're hoping to accomplish here. Are you trying to destabilize the family more than it already is? I think perhaps your unique way of perceiving the world blinds you to reality, Olorun.

He's not even here two days and you're trying to break the family up again. Good grief, Olorun.

Possess Nyame and see what it's like having his abilities for a while. Maybe you can weave webs out of those strands.

Maybe now’s not the time to antagonize anyone. Possess Nyame and do the whole “testing, testing” schpeel. Maybe broach the topic of an invitation.

>>890376
The woman's not really doing anything in the story of this dream, she seems like she's more a plot device than character. So no guilt for stepping into her place and making her a character.

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2018/06/30(Sat)19:34 No. 890636 ID: a606da
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“I’ve already walked around looking like one sibling today, so I might as well make it two. I’ll use Nyame.” I decide, but then realize I have no idea how to do that. “Um, what do I…?”

“Just focus on manipulating the image. Think of it like a marionette.”

“I was never a fan of puppets.” I mutter. “I just can’t see the appeal. Might have been my lack of fingers.”

“Okay, then, think of it like you’re molding clay.”

I did do that, once. Bibi bought some clay at the store and brought it home. The whole family spent an afternoon playing together and making little urns and such. I look at the figment of Nyame and imagine I’m curling my claws around it, shaping it as it spins -

And it slips into my control. From a distance, at first, which is disorienting, but I manage to slide my perception so that I’m looking out from its eyes. It isn’t at all how I imagined it’d feel. Rather than inhabiting a body, it’s more like I’m piloting a robot made out of paper-maché.

I tug at the figment’s arm, pulling back the red strands and undoing whatever’s happened to the female figment beside me. I lift the figment’s arms gingerly, in a gesture of surrender. I make the Nyame figment talk. “Hey, Eshu. You’re dreaming.”

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2018/06/30(Sat)19:36 No. 890637 ID: a606da
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Instantly, Eshu lunges forward, wildly shapeshifting to extend his arms and pull the woman aside. Then he rounds on the Nyame figment, grabbing it by the collar. “Dreaming, huh? At least I have dreams, you maniacal idiot!”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” I have the figment sigh wearily. Ironically, that’s probably the most accurate Nyame impression it’s done. “You’re inside a dream. This isn’t really happening. I’m Anansi.”

“Anansi?! Don’t you dare talk about Anansi, after how you and Bibi treated him! It wasn’t his fault, but you - ” Eshu trails off, blinking. “Dream?”

“Yes.” I make the figment nod. “You’re asleep.”

Eshu scowls. “I don’t believe you. This is a trick, and not a good one. Tricks are my thing, and don’t you dare forget it, you - you Poindexter Gandalf!”

I laugh at that, unintentionally making the Nyame figment laugh as well.

Eshu recoils, shocked by the sound of Nyame’s laughter. I’m not surprised; Nyame rarely laughs at jokes. He’ll smile, once in a while, but he’s typically a very quiet person.

“You said you’re Anansi?” Eshu asks, confused. “And… I’m dreaming. Did Olokun bring you here?”

“Olokun’s awake, out visiting Yemoja with Asase Ya. Olorun’s the dreamer right now.” I explain.

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2018/06/30(Sat)19:38 No. 890639 ID: a606da
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“I’m asleep. This is a dream.” Eshu repeats that quietly, as if trying to convince himself. He smiles, apparently having succeeded. “Okay. I think I’m lucid. Olorun? Are you there?”

“I’m here. We’re just passing through. I hope you don’t mind.” Olorun speaks in a pleasant tone, but doesn’t show herself. “Plus, I wanted to let you know that Anansi’s come home.”

“You’re Anansi, right?” Eshu looks at the Nyame figment. “Wait, you’re back? Like, for real?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” I make the figment shrug. “For however long it lasts, anyway.”

“Yes. Yes!” Eshu hops up and down with gleeful abandon. “Man, I can’t wait to see you! Olorun, can you wake me up now? Please?”

“After we leave, certainly.”

“Fantastic! Thanks a bunch.” Eshu laughs, bouncing from one foot to the other. “Welcome home, brother! This is going to be an amazing night, just wait and see! Oh, I’ve missed you. You’re at the house, yeah?”

I make the figment nod.

“Perfect. I’m bringing Ryleigh over right now!” He waves to me, shooing me away. “Go on, now, get out of here, I need to stop dozing and get ready to go!”

“Alright.” I make the figment wave. “Love you, brother.”

“Love you too!”

A moment later, Eshu’s dream fades away, and I’m somewhere else, bodiless once more.

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2018/06/30(Sat)19:39 No. 890640 ID: a606da
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It seems like a party of some kind, or maybe a club, but the environment isn’t detailed enough to say for sure. A catchy beat-oriented song plays distantly in the background, and various vague figures are dancing to it.

An area near the back wall, however, seems far more clearly defined. There, a person who looks very much like Mbweha is speaking with a short woman with a smile on her face.

“You’re so stiff!” The smiling woman pokes Mbweha in the arm. “Loosen up!”

“I’m scared of relaxing too much. I might lose control.” Mbweha is clumsily shuffling around to the beat. “And I don’t do much stuff with my body. I’ve never danced, or played sports, or… um, anything physical. It all feels so far away.”

“Aw, that’s nothing to worry about! Everyone has to learn new things sooner or later!” The lady beside her laughs pleasantly, lightly dancing side to side. “Consider it a part of the human experience.”

Mbweha frowns. “I don’t think that applies to me.”

“Of course it does! You’re human, after all!”

“Oh. Uh, I guess I am, aren’t I?” Mbweha looks down at herself, smiling nervously. “I - I am normal, right? I’m okay?”

“You are! And there’s nothing wrong with you. So, just take it easy, find your rhythm, and dance with me!”

“Can I kiss you?” Mbweha blurts out, blushing.

“Sure!” The small lady giggles, and immediately engages Mbweha in a passionate make-out session.

“This is Mbweha’s daydream?” I ask Olorun, feeling my anxiety start to build.

“Yes.” Olorun replies, simply enough.

“Ah.” I pause. “Do I still need to, er, pick a figment to occupy, and all that?”

“Yes.” Olorun repeats.

“Would one of the other dancers work?” I ask, desperately.

“Figments are detailed. The dancers are a backdrop. I’m sorry.” Olorun murmurs sympathetically. “If you want to talk to her, there’s currently only one avenue open to you.”

This is so uncomfortable. I don’t know what to do.

You can just do that when you wake up, then. if Olorun has anything to say, he can go say it.

>>890640
Uh maybe you should just wait until the dream changes. They never stay the same for long.

>Eshu coming over immediately to see you
Well that's going to be awkward if you never wake up.

>The small lady giggles, and immediately engages Mbweha in a passionate make-out session.
>If you want to talk to her, there’s currently only one avenue open to you.
Maybe wait for the make out session to end? Or for something in the dream to change.

Just as an aside, I want to say that I absolutely D E S P I S E Olorun.
On topic, we are in a very precarious situation. If we wait too long for a chance to insert ourself, then Mbweha may stop daydreaming, and we'll lose our window of opportunity.
If we do insert ourself, what do we say? Do we just say nothing about our predicament or do we try to enlist Mbweha's aid? If we try to get her help, do we drop subtle hints so as not to draw Olorun's ire or do we just be direct and tell her Olorun is being a bastard?
So many choices!

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2018/07/02(Mon)21:18 No. 890932 ID: a606da
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I decide, diplomatically, to wait. It doesn’t take too long, as it turns out. Mbweha suddenly shoves the other woman away, with a dull shock in her expression.

“Did I do something wrong?” The woman asks, blinking.

“This is stupid.” Mbweha shakes her head. “I don’t even know your name. I just saw you once, when I was out shopping.”

“It’s okay to fantasize about me.” The short woman laughs happily. “I don’t mind!”

“Stop it.” Mbweha stares off into empty space. “I’m such an idiot. I can’t do this. I shouldn’t even want this.”

The woman and all the dancers instantly freeze in place, and the dream starts to get more disorganized. Perspective begins to fail itself, distance distorts, and the music’s tempo begins to speed up rapidly.

“Screw you, Eshu.” Mbweha bites her lip, hard, as a few tears roll down her cheeks. “Screw you for making me imagine that this could even happen. I hate you. I hate your gorgeous girlfriend. I hate me.”

The visuality of the world starts to snap, bend, blur, and break. I don’t need Olorun to tell me what’s happening here: Mbweha’s daydream is dying.

I impulsively take control of the female figment, holding it together even as the rest of the environment starts to crumple under its own weight. Now I can speak to Mbweha. I just need to figure out what I’m going to say, first.

Hugs. Tell her you're body-jacking her imaginary girlfriend. Tell her that you're certain that she can manage something, she is clever after all. She should talk to someone, someone who isn't about to vanish, make a plan, start small or something...

They like their families and hate betrayal. If one can be accepted into a family and then reveal their species in some way that isn't a betrayal...

"MBWEHA WAIT IT'S ANANSI I NEED TO TALK I NEED HELP"

If this is a dream, can't you have the figment behave in ways that would be impossible in the waking world? Unfold your fangs or take off a disguise or something. "You thought that was a cute girl? It was actually me, Anansi!"

>>891006
>"You thought that was a cute girl? It was actually me, Anansi!"
This is pretty much perfect. Bonus points if the head / mask you take off goes rolling across the floor the way Mbweha's disguise did in the beginning.

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2018/07/08(Sun)20:50 No. 891784 ID: a606da
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“Mbweha, wait!” I make the figment jump towards her, grabbing her by the shoulder.

“What?” Mbweha blinks, and the world trembles. “Why are you… what’s happening? I didn’t imagine you saying that.”

“Um…” I think for a good way to break the tension. “So, uh, you thought that was your imaginary girlfriend? It was actually me: Anansi! Now we’re even.”

“What?!” She gapes. “You’re not Anansi. Anansi is lying right next to me, aslee…” She trails off, going pale. “Olorun. Oh no.”

“Yeah.” I nod.

“What are you doing here?!” She forces herself to stay calm, but the world around us is still warping. “Why are you in my brain? Get out of my brain, Anansi!”

“Sorry.” I make the figment grimace. “I need your help. Olorun’s going to put me into a - a coma, I guess. I’m just here to make sure you don’t freak out.”

“Excuse me?” Mbweha stares dumbfounded at the figment. “Olorun is going to what?”

“Put me into a coma.” The figment’s voice is quiet. “I mean... What if I hurt someone else, Mbweha?”

“Olorun!” Mbweha ignores me, shouting into the nothingness instead. “Olorun, I know you’re there! Stop hiding!”

Olorun appears, hesitantly. “Hello, Mbweha.”

“What have you got to say for yourself?” Mbweha demands. “Is it true, what Anansi just said?”

“Yes.” Olorun says. “Listen, Mbweha, I know you care about him, so do I, but - ”

Anansi!5tTWT1eydY 2018/07/08(Sun)20:54 No. 891788 ID: a606da
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“Bullshit! Stop falling for Nyame’s garbage!” Mbweha roars. “Anansi’s not even been here for two days, and already you’re trying to break up the family again! You are acting like a fucking child!”

“Look, you haven’t seen his dreams,” Olorun backs away from our furious sister. “You don’t know - ”

Mbweha howls, lunging forward. Her shape is twisting, sharpening… oh no. “Wake him up, or I will do unspeakable things to your body! I will skin you and rip you apart and eat your pieces and - !”

“Mbweha, you’re losing control.” I make the figment urgently remind her, but she’s not listening. “Mbweha!”

“Get out!” Mbweha shrieks, clawing repeatedly at Olorun as the world breaks down around her. “I hate you all! None of you do things properly like Bibi taught us to do! I’m trying to be human, every second of every day. It takes everything I have to just hold myself together. I’m nineteen; I’m just a kid! So how is it that you get to fall in love, and I don’t? Why the hell do I have to take care of you?! Grow up!”

“She’s going to break down, if you stay here. You need to swap out with Olokun.” I speak to Olorun, but keep the figment silent. “Go wake up.”

Olorun whimpers. “But... I’m not tired.”

“Go.” I hiss. “Now!”

Olorun hesitantly flickers out. It feels like a cord snapping, and suddenly the figment feels a lot more like a body. Without anyone to guide me out, there’s nowhere else for me to go.

“Mbweha, she’s gone. I’m the only one here.” I say, urgently patting her shoulder. “You’re okay. Olorun’s waking up. You’re okay.”

Mbweha just screams out in miserable frustration, and the whole dream flickers again. If she stays like this, she could hurt someone. That can’t happen. I won’t let it. I have to calm her down.

I search desperately for something to say, something to help Mbweha come to her senses.

"I know I ripped your head off earlier, but could you leave mine alone?"

"Ok fine I won't do it jeez"

This is still a dream. Dreams are for venting those frustrations. When you wake up (and you better wake up), thank her. She needs a reminder that her remarkable restraint is paying off, slowly.

"If you'd like some good news to maybe cheer you up, I got in contact with Eshu and he said's coming over to visit. Oh, and thank you for saving me."

"... You know, when was the last time any of us talked to someone sane? Because from where I'm standing, I think all the movies and video games we've been playing have warped us more than our monster sides ever will.

... @#$% it, let's hire prostitutes to go on dates with us."

Deploy hugs. Keep her talking. See if she can cry some of it out. It won't fix anything directly, but talking about things usually helps.