AnimeCon Harem 9: Dreamscape Geography (Patreon)

“Awesome, okay, awesome!” Emily leaned over the quick illustration Rebecca had doodled into her phone. “Is all of this to scale?”

“Maybe?” Rebecca pondered. “Kinda? I don’t have a real frame of reference, Emmie.”

“S’cool! This is plenty to work with, for now!” Emily praised. “Okay, everyone—gather ‘round! This is gonna be… uhhh, I guess our first official harem party meeting?”

Rebecca dutifully clapped her hands in a small round of polite applause.

“I’m just happy to be here,” Megan said as she clapped along. “Actually, am I allowed to be part of the meeting? If I’m not part of the harem?”

“Of course!” Emily said. “You’re our control case, we need you here. If all of us are being like, hypnotized or brainwashed or affected or whatever by harem charm magic, how would we be able to tell? We need you here to speak up if you think our thinking is skewed, help give us an outside perspective.”

“Wait, I’m actually useful?!” Megan sounded shocked. “...And, how brainwashed are we talking, here?”

“This isn’t gonna be an official harem party meeting,” Kelly argued. “Not without Steph.”

“That’s… okay, fair,” Emily conceded. “We’ll have our first official meeting later, when she can be here for it. I mean, we need to agree on a cool team name and everything, we’ll do that then. When everyone’s present.”

“We’re not going to have a team name,” Kelly flatly rejected, visibly cringing at the idea.

“Hey, you haven’t even heard my ideas, yet!” Emily pouted.

“Um-um-um,” Rebecca raised a hand. “Motion to table any and all team naming discussion for that later meeting!”

“Okay, motion passed,” Emily nodded. “We’ll do that, then. After all, Steph might have ideas, too.”

“That’s not actually how motions work,” Megan spoke up. “In parliamentary procedure, a proposed motion needs to—”

“Objection!” Emily interjected, slapping her hands on the chaise lounger.

“I’m just sayin’—” Megan shrugged.

“It’s whatever!” Emily groused, rolling her eyes and letting out a dramatic sigh. “Anyways, time to talk shop. Dreamscape Geography 101! Dreamscape geography; fact or fiction? Dreamscape geography, a metaphor for interpersonal relationships?”

A smart phone with a hastily drawn up map sat on the end of one of the chaise lounges for sunbathing arrayed alongside the patio of the hotel’s fenced in pool area. Emily straddled the lounger with the cardboard box and small pile of things hastily collected from the room at her back, while Rebecca and Megan sat on their knees to either side of the piece of outdoor furniture so that they could huddle close. Only Kelly was keeping to herself, relaxing back instead on the adjacent lounger and glancing over in amusement.

As a group, they had waffled for a moment on whether or not to head over to the convention ahead of Brian and Stephanie, finally deciding unanimously to wait on their friends. What exactly those two were getting up to in there had become an animated discussion before Rebecca started chiding them for it, but there were still plenty of other interesting topics for the girls to explore before delving back into the distractions of AnimeCon itself over at the convention center.

“Rebecca either is this forest, or she explores the forest,” Emily began. “Accurate so far?”

“Yes,” Rebecca gave her a serious nod. “I feel that the forest represents me, but also it exists as something I can navigate. It’s very dreamlike.”

“Okay,” Emily used her finger to pan across the image. “Zig-zagging throughout the forest is a blue river—that’s me. I’m blue. And a river. My being threaded throughout the forest—throughout Rebecca—would seem to indicate how close we are. Or, that we’re intertwined somehow, ‘cause we’re good friends. Right?”

“Right,” Rebecca nodded again. “Good friends!”

“Now, you just kinda drew me as kind of a scribble—in the dreamscape, is there any solid indication of where my water originates or terminates?”

“Um,” Rebecca closed her eyes for a moment and furrowed her brow as she seemed to search deep inside herself for answers. “No? Not that I can tell. You do definitely flow in a direction... but in the dream state, that doesn’t translate to mean anything, really. When I follow the path of the river, there is no beginning or end—but, it’s not like you’re in a loop, either.”

“Okay, yeah—very dream-like, so far,” Emily said. “How big a river would you say I am?”

“Not big!” Rebecca reported, wincing when she saw Emily’s expression fall. “Err, that is, I mean—not huge. Normal-sized, for a river? Too big to jump across, but not so big that I couldn’t throw something to the other side.”

“Wait, I’m small enough that I could throw something to the other side?!” Emily appeared aghast. “That’s like, barely even a river! Am I just a creek?!”

“Well, no. You couldn’t throw something across, silly,” Rebecca gave her a helpless smile. “I’m really good at throwing things!”

“...I really hate you, sometimes,” Emily facepalmed.

“But I love you, Emily!” Rebecca protested in a sweet little voice.

“Moving on, the for-sure fixed feature we have is Kelly, way over here.”

Emily zoomed in on the edge of Rebecca’s scribbled-in trees to where she’d drawn what looked like a small volcano. While the simple forest of trees were done in the color brown and the river drawn in blue, the entire crater had been illustrated in bright red.

“How big is Kelly, in this?” Emily asked. “Is this to scale?

“I… don’t know,” Rebecca said. “It’s not clear.”

“Well, can you throw something across her?” Emily retorted.

“I don’t know,” Rebecca replied after a moment of thought.

“What do you mean?” Emily asked. “Actually try it, try throwing something over her.”

“Mmm, no,” Rebecca shook her head in confusion. “It doesn’t work like that. It’s a dreamy sort of thing. Even when I’m there I’m not completely there.”

“Could you jump across her?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so?”

“So, she’s at least kinda big.”

“I don’t know. Reply hazy.”

“Since you can obviously also jump so freakishly far.”

“Reply hazy. Ask again later.”

“Rebecca, you drew her way over here off to the side—am I right in assuming that your forest does not surround Kelly’s crater?”

“That’s… right,” Rebecca answered after a moment’s thought. “Kelly’s crater feature is adjacent to the forest, but not within or inside the forest itself.”

“Kelly?” Emily probed. “Anything you’d like to add?”

“I’m not a crater, for one,” Kelly frowned. “Not really. I’m just the bit in the dead center of it. The crater, it’s… stuff around me, but it isn’t me. Stuff displaced by my impact. I feel like it also represents... I dunno, keeping you and Rebecca at arm’s length right now.”

“That makes sense!” Emily said, flicking back through the app’s draw tools so that she could paint bucket the color of the crater to a neutral gray. With a few quick taps, she switched back to red and scribbled some red in the center. “Rebecca, what’s the crater boundary like for the forest? And, is the river separated from the crater by forest, or is there interaction?”

“Hold on,” Rebecca said, closing her eyes and retreating into herself to focus on the dreamscape again. “Uhhm. It’s complicated? Kelly—you said earlier that your representation was starfall?”

“Uhh, it was stars,” Kelly clarified slowly. “I think my initially... keeping myself aloof, holding myself back from getting closer to people, that represented me being out in space. Alone. Then, I got drawn into stuff, this orbit… and I couldn’t escape, came crashing down.”

“Wait, you were stars, plural?” Emily tapped her lip. “But now, you’re just one fallen star?”

“I don’t fucking know, Emily,” Kelly said in exasperation. “It’s like a dream. It doesn’t always make consistent sense, alright?”

“Hmm,” Rebecca mused thoughtfully, closing her eyes in concentration. “Kelly, I feel like… you’re definitely still keeping yourself apart from Emily and I. Dream-speaking, at least. The displaced... earth? Material? From your impact is still very raw, and my forest doesn’t encroach upon your direct surroundings. That may change as we grow closer? Maybe?

“Likewise, this crater caldera formed around you creates an uplifted rim of displaced material—Emily’s ‘river’ isn’t able to flow into the impact basin and fill it with water. Or, maybe she can? I don’t know, she goes downhill and uphill, Emily’s Emily, she doesn’t make a lot of sense. I can feel that there’s a place for her there, in the basin. If we take the dreamscape geography as a metaphor for our interpersonal relationships…”

“I’d… what, I’d flow into Kelly’s direct surrounding space because I’m… impressionable?” Emily made a face. “I’m not that impressionable. Right?”

“It could also mean you’ll fill in something I lack,” Kelly guessed. “I think we’re going to become close. Maybe I’m the impressionable one?”

“Seems… doubtful.” Emily quirked her lip. “Wait wait, do you think that or do you know that? From your… prophecy thingamawhatzit.”

“Maybe?” Kelly said.

“Aggh, whaddya mean, maybe?” Emily groaned. “You don’t like, have to be super cryptic about that stuff. Just lay it out, whatever you know.”

“Okay, listen—my life’s fucked,” Kelly revealed. “Out of options, burned all my bridges, got into some bad shit and fucked everything up. Brian offered to… try to help me. Set me up at his place for a bit, maybe... talk your mother into mentoring me somehow, or something.”

“Whooooa fuck,” Emily’s hands shot to her temples. “Seriously? You’re moving in with Brian? You guys want Mom to… holy shit. Holy shit. I mean, yeah that’s brilliant, but—why didn’t anyone bring this up earlier?!”

“I mean,” Kelly frowned, looked down at the surfacing of the pool area. “I don’t know. It’s weird. Weird and I don’t like it, don’t like really relying on people, or taking handouts, or forcing myself into your life or anything like that. Super uncomfortable. They kinda just sorta talked me into it somehow, last night.”

“So, you’d say you’re acting out of character to how you’d normally be?” Megan jumped in. “Like you were maybe influenced or affected by something?”

“I guess?” Kelly fidgeted. “It’s—I don’t know. It was like, back then before, whether or not I was right about everything was... more important than what was actually going on? Or something. I can’t fuckin’ explain it. Don’t even want to. Fuck.”

“Mrs. Emily’s Mom is very nice,” Rebecca assured Kelly. “I think she’d be a great mentor figure for you, and, whatever’s going on, she’ll be able to help you get somewhere. For sure. She’s helped me tons and tons!”

“She did?” Emily blinked. “What? How?”

“Is it true that she’s an actress?” Kelly questioned. “That she played Hannah Hudson on Criminal Lives?”

“Ugh. Yep, that’s her,” Emily made a face. “Hate that show, could never ever stand to watch her in it.”

“What?” Kelly asked. “Why?”

“She’s too good at acting? I guess?” Emily threw her hands up in disgust. “It’s like, you see her all your life as Mom, and then you see her one day on TV, and she’s someone else. She’s not Mom, she’s in love with some guy who’s not Dad, she’s this whole other gross person but wearing my mother’s face. Traipsing around in her body. Unnatural. It’s like—thanks, I hate it!”

“Huh,” Kelly remarked.

“I do see Emily’s perspective,” Rebecca murmured. “But at the same time, I think that just makes me admire Mrs. Emily’s Mom’s dedication to her craft even more. She’s really amazing when she—”

“Thanks, I hate it!” Emily said again, crossing her arms.

“Why are you referring to her as Mrs. Emily’s Mom?” Kelly arched an eyebrow.

“Because that’s who she is,” Rebecca blinked. “She’s Mrs. Emily’s Mom.”

“Wait, Criminal Lives like that old cop show?” Megan interjected. “The soap opera thing?”

“It was a TV drama, not a soap opera,” Emily sighed. “But, yeah, yeppers, that’s the one.”

“That’s so cool…” Megan mouthed. “She’s your mom? You do kinda look like her!”

“Yeah, except without her good looks and great figure,” Emily scowled. “But, otherwise? Yeah, totally!”

“No, I meant—”

“I think you’re hot, Emily,” Kelly said, creating an awkward moment of silence.

“Uhhh,” Emily floundered. “Thanks, I think? Just…”

“Wait, would you have thought she was hot before, or is this a new thing?” Megan inquired.

“I was bi before, but no,” Kelly answered. “Wouldn’t have thought of her as my type. More and more though, it’s like I can see myself being really open to… you know. More types. Petite little Latina bitches with cute faces and dirty minds.”

“Uhhhhh—” Emily looked mildly alarmed.

“Goodness!” Rebecca covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “Goodness Gyratos!”

“So, that’s a magic charm thing! Right?” Megan turned from girl to girl for support. “Totally has to be. Right?!”

“I think so, yeah,” Kelly said, eyeing Emily carefully. “I’m not like, against it, though.”

“You wouldn’t be, that’s the point,” Emily countered. “That’s how brainwashing works.”

“Could be?” Kelly shrugged. “I don’t buy into that stuff too much, though. I mean, I almost flipped out on Brian yesterday when we were having pizza. We’d argued about stuff earlier, too, I even bailed on them a bit to go take care of some of my own stuff instead. Don’t feel super compelled by some magic power or anything like that.”

“You do, though,” Emily argued. “You totally do feel compelled. I mean, the whole overpowering attraction thing. That’s a compulsion right there. You say you almost flipped out on Brian—maybe back before, the old you would have flipped out him. Well? Would you have?”

“I…” Kelly paused to consider it. “I dunno? Steph was there, too, so I don’t think—”

“Stephie’s super duper fucking charmed,” Emily shot back. “Like, head over heels. Eyeballs deep. Pink hearts in her eyes, the whole shebang. C’mon. When I brought up that maybe we were getting mind-controlled or whatever, she was like ‘that’s fine. This is fine.’ Thought that being charmed was still way better than going back to how she was before.”

“I get what you’re saying, but also—that’s valid for her,” Kelly said. “She’s right to say that either way. You never saw her on Friday, back before her hair turned pink. She was totally different, was this... super-shy little fucking blonde girl with a really bad stutter and a crippling case of social anxiety.”

“Her stutter wasn’t that bad,” Megan huffed. “I’ve known her for longer than any of you—I’m her best friend!”

“Nah, it was really bad, sorry,” Kelly shook her head. “And, friends? You were like, her only friend, I saw her address book in her phone—there were like five entries total.”

“We’re, we’re working on that!” Megan blustered. “I got her to come to the convention, I got her to cosplay! She’s not that shy, she just needs—”

“—She just needs a little bit of magic in her life, and some support—yeah, that’s us—who love her and want the best for her,” Kelly interrupted. “Right?”

“Her stutter wasn’t that bad,” Megan insisted, crossing her meaty arms.

“Kelly are you arguing in favor of us getting charmed?” Emily questioned. “Because if that isn’t indicating brainwashed bias already for you, then—”

“Fuck it, then. Yes, I am,” Kelly admitted. “Like I said, my life’s all kinds of fucked. You know what Brian said when I laid it all out for him? He said it was like I was heading towards a bad end. He was fucking right. I was. Am I supposed to see living this charmed life instead as some kind of bad thing? For any of us? Steph’s so much better off with Brian, I’m better off with Brian, what about you, Emily? Don’t you think you’ll be better off with Brian— with us?”

“Uhhhhhh, shit,” Emily flailed her arms and spun to face Megan. “Control, control case! Control, tell us why being mind-controlled harem slaves is bad!”

“Being mind-controlled harem slaves is bad!” Megan called out.

“No no, like tell us why—”

“Emie, I don’t think you have to worry so much about it,” Rebecca pointed out with a sleepy smile. “Look at you—your hair’s just as blue as Kelly’s is red and Stephanie’s is pink. But, you still have the free will to doubt things, to argue against being a... mind-controlled harem slave.”

“Well yeah, but that doesn’t count!” Emily pouted. “I’ve been crushing on Brian for forever, obviously I’m totes gonna be his harem slave no matter what. That was always my thing. I was just making a case for you guys, since I’m the brains of this here—”

“Except, you weren’t his harem slave?” Kelly countered. “Crush or not, seems to me like you were dicking around getting nowhere at all with Brian—‘till you got charmed. Am I right?”

“Uhhhhh,” Emily seemed at a loss and abruptly turned to Rebecca. “So yeah anyways, Rebecca I noticed you didn’t draw Stephanie’s fire on the map, was there a reason for—”

“Am I right?” Kelly repeated with a smirk.

“Kelly, be nice,” Rebecca scolded. “She was trying… just. Well, she’s very Emily sometimes.”

“Wha—what the, what the hell’s that supposed to mean?!” Emily exclaimed in a fluster. “Rebecca—”

“It’s your name, Emily silly!” Rebecca explained with a sleepy smile. “I couldn’t think of how to draw Stephanie in, because it never seems like she’s in the same place. She just kind of roams around, always moving. Like a wildfire. She’s not as big as the forest, but she has a lot of intensity, the same way Kelly does. I think that may matter more than attributing size in the dreamworld, because—”

“Say that to begin with!” Emily jumped to her feet in aggravation. “Here I am trying to figure out what’s even—so you’re saying things rank by intensity in the dreamworld, and Steph’s the intensest?”

“‘Intensest’ is definitely not a word,” Megan chuckled.

“Neither is ‘scare-ified,’” Emily retorted, sticking out her tongue.

“Actually, I think ‘intensest’ is a real word,” Kelly added. “Isn’t it?”

“Hmm-hmmm…” Rebecca closed her eyes and fell deep into thought again. “Kelly might be the most intense by a little bit—but, she has the smallest area. Stephanie’s forest fire is maybe… one tenth of my area, but she’s also very very intense. I have the largest area by far, but absolutely no intensity at all. Emily, your little river is pretty lively, so I’d say—”

“What?” Emily cocked her head in disbelief and bewilderment. “No, no, that doesn’t make any sense at all. You’re like, by far the most intense person I’ve ever met.”

“I… what?” Rebecca’s eyes fluttered back open in surprise. “No, I’m not!”

“When you’re—you know what I mean,” Emily made striking gestures. “When you’re in your gung-ho sword valkyrie of death mode. You’re one hundred percent the most—”

“Yeah yeah yeah!” Megan agreed. “Like when you guys were fighting in the hall, Rebecca stormed in and like, threw you aside, slammed that Chloe girl to the ground and had pinned her right away—”

“Oh,” Rebecca blinked. “I... never even thought to try—”

“—Kelly?”

Stephanie’s voice startled all of them, and all four girls twisted over to see Stephanie across the pool area from them, leaning partway out of Brian’s hotel room door. The tufts of her pink hair were askance, she was blushing furiously, and a slight sheen of sweat was visible on her pale skin.

“Kelly, um—can we see you for a moment?” Stephanie sounded incredibly embarrassed. “If you’re not busy? Is your purse out here?”

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