MIDNIGHT DISTRICT

Fragile Like Shards of Glass.

Important Terms & Functions

Door

Every soul in the Midnight District has their own door, an entryway to a pocket space that is built in the owner's image. It is essentially a portal to one's home that can be opened anywhere at any time. There's a lot of utility to be found with them, their purpose up to the user.

There are even doors that lead to other worlds within doors, unique in appearance to represent the ring they are in.

Spawn Point

Inhabitants of the Midnight District can't truly die since they are in a space between reality and fantasy. Not all consequences translate to the real world, and that includes death. Those who die will reappear at the nearest Spawn Point, a white star found all over the district, often near major locations.

It's not recommended to die since respawning itself is an awful feeling, described as a brief yet intense disconnection from one's soul, symptoms of Dream Daze. Likewise, It is theorized Spawn Points are the 'strings' keeping the denizens' mind from falling somewhere darker where they no longer have access to themselves.

Flowerbed

Sparsely scattered throughout the Midnight District, with the expectation of The Hub's flower store, flowerbeds usually don't serve a purpose to the average denizen, being nothing more than a bed of golden flowers to look and step around on.

Though, with the right connections to the right creatures, these flowerbeds can be used a source of healing or a means of emergency help.

Fear Factor

Fear Factor describes a mana system based on the amount of fear one is able to inflict into an individual. It can be gained through committing scary acts and invoking panic into targets in order to gain power. The higher one's fear factor is, the more capable they are of preforming terrifying and dangerous acts through conjuring nightmares.

While a powerful tool and weapon, nightmares are inherently destructive and harmful in the long run, even to the user. Those with a high Fear Factor tend to lose themselves, becoming harder to distinguish until they are essentially an entity that can only be viewed as a terrifying and incoherent mess as they slowly succumb to Dream Daze. It's very frowned upon to use it in the first place too since it can wreak havoc if left out of control, corrupting parts of the Midnight district and ruining dreamscapes.

Very few denizens of the Midnight District are able to control the power of fear and most don't want to, but unfortunately anyone's Fear Factor can unintentionally increase. In these cases, frightened opponents are sometimes more dangerous than brave ones.

Nightmares

Also known as dark magic, it is the corrupted essence of the souls keeping the Midnight District alive. When hope seems lost and dreams feel so far out of reach, victims forms this essence to be siphoned for their Fear Factor. With enough essence, their opponent becomes empowered and able to manipulate it to their will. Nightmares encase their user and can empower spells to the point it can corrupt the very world. With enough power, it can turn even the happiest dreamscape into a cursed, hallucinatory hell.

However, as mentioned earlier, becoming empowered with nightmares runs the risk of Dream Daze as you become viewed as nothing more than a terrifying demon.

Dream Daze

A term to describe when a denizen feels disconnected from their soul, it often happens through dying and respawning, overexerting influence on the Midnight District through magic, or overexposure to fear and nightmares. This is due to a literal disconnection, the mind of those affected by leaning too far into fantasy, threatening to leave behind their own soul in the middle ground. All magic in this world is fantasy, fake and conjured by the mind. To believe and rely on it too much is dangerous to the thin balance established.

Symptoms of disconnection range from delusions and delayed reactions to intense reactions and hypersensitivity, depending on the circumstances. Additionally, those affected by it long term may even become emotionally numb over time, acting as if they are without a soul. If it persists long enough, the affected individual may experience what is known as 'petrification'. This is the only true way an inhabitant of the Midnight District can die.

Petrification

Petrification is the process of the body of a monster or human turning into stone. Two of the most common reasons for this occurrence is from the affected individual dying or suffering from prolonged Dream Daze. No one can come back from it if it fully takes over.

Soulbound

A state in which a soul is bound to an object or person. Everyone is soulbound to their door, but through dark magic, one can form a "connection" to other places or entities as well. While cases are few and far in between, being soulbound to something inherently means the victim is unable to separate from it. It's good for keeping items permanent, making souls loyal, or locking denizens in spaces, physically unable to leave without a spell breaking the curse.

Fallen

Fallen are monsters, humans, and animals who are in a dying state or dead in the overworld. These include jarred souls, the hospitalized and comatosed, fallen down monsters, goners, and possessed.

Dreamers

Dreamers are monsters, humans, and animals who are physically alright in the overworld and are simply in a deep sleep.

Manifestations

Creatures of the Midnight District who do not exist in the overworld, they were created by the most powerful denizens many years ago. They are, in essence, the embodiment of the Midnight District, its hopes and dreams acting as their soul. They are nearly immune to Dream Daze and nightmares while being hard to distinguish from monsters, humans, and animals. Thankfully, there are only a handful of them.

Dark Dollars

Originally currency derived from the world below this one, the idea of dark dollars have seeped into this dimension's economy. It has become a staple item used to trade and buy goods or services. They appeared black rectangles with any color for details and outlines.

Normally, money is useless, but many denizens desire power of some form. Dark Dollars are not just currency, but paper-thin slabs of power extracted out of an individual and used to exchange for other powers (consumables, gear, services, etc.).

Notable Loacations

The Hub

Beating as One.

The Hub is mostly a collage of various locations from the Underground and the Surface jumbled in one large, grayscale mess. Despite the incoherent design of the place, it is the heart of the Midnight District and many of its denizens. It is, after all, one of few locations within the district that connects dreaming humans and monsters to each other and their respective dreamscapes. Almost every inhabitant within The Hub has placed an assigned door tied to their soul here. Anyone can enter these doors, so long as they have permission, leading to the owner's dream world made out of their interests and desires.

The Hub is essentially a city made to connected souls together, functioning as an essential waypoint for those who wish to socialize, share their world, and/or satisfy their endless curiosity by exploring a near-endless amount of doors. It's easy for many to grow comfortable and live out their existence here, never exploring the rest of the Midnight District for one reason or another.

Mother Tree

massive tree within The Hub, it is where every souled denizen ends up 'spawning' here. It's not well-understood why this is this case, and why it doesn't apply to soulless inhabitants, but the tree itself is made of up extremely concentrated amounts of power gained from the millions of souls powering the fragile world it inhabits.

Plaza

The plaza is the center of The Hub. It is a popular spot for denizens to gather and socialize outside of dreamscapes. Many hosted events take place here; almost every day the plaza is filled to the brim with activities to do. Without the plaza, The Hub would surely be a depressing grayscale city.

Additionally, there is conveniently a spawn point here that hangs above like a shining star. Rumor has it that it is the first true spawn point to exist in the Midnight District, although this is purely based on superstition.

Market

While the Midnight District allows its inhabitants to create anything their magical capabilities and creativity can offer, not everyone can form the items they want or manifest the power they need. The market is a solution to that problem, allowing anyone with the ability to create well-crafted items and consumables to take that power and craftsmanship to buyers.

The market itself consists of an alleyway within Crumbling Corners, filled to the brim with small shops, doors, and stalls littered everywhere in inconsistent and strange spots. It appears as a tunnel of vendors willing to offer their services and goods at the price of some D$. However, visitors should be careful who they approach. Some'store owners' can be shady individuals and aren't above trapping and robbing anyone of everything they have.

Crumbling Corners

The main section of The Hub, the Crumbling Corners is filled to the brim with city structures mismatched and unstable, much of the architecture overlapping one another or erroneous in some way. There is no set theme aside from the gray coloring, the composition of its many places ranging from overgrown and in ruin to pristine and futuristic.

Oftentimes, due to colliding styles and spaces, the structural integrity of some places have completely ceased to exist, collapsed, or defy the laws of physics. Even as the Crumbling Corners tries to reconstruct itself and expand, it almost always falls apart in some way.

Waterside

What was supposed to be a sewer system or a river, the place is a flooded wasteland near-impossible to navigate for most inhabitants of The Hub with its inconsistent layout. Pipes, waterfalls, waterways, tunnels, and massive graters lead into other parts of the Midnight District, but they all pour in water at random intervals while constantly changing locations. It's almost always a gamble as to where one will end up by traversing Waterside for all humans and monsters.

Thankfully, It is ruled by a singular shadow-like manifestation who can remedy the issue. It is the only one in the entire Hub able to consistently find routes to other locations that would otherwise be unfindable without luck. Through inexplicable means, it can traverse its ever-changing waters and guarantee passage into any known territory, so long as you have a good enough standing and enough D$ to compensate

Infinite Link

Endless Reception.

The Infinite Link is a singular concrete path that extends across the entire Midnight District from one end to the other, touching the North and South Abyssal Zones. Transmission poles and colorful patches of vegetation line around the walkway. No one knows who made it or what its exact purpose is, but the strip of land is immensely useful as a road and landmark for explorers.

Our Town

To the North of the Infinite Link is Our Town, a small zone where there are many trees, vegetation is golden, and the plants expand outward way further than normal. Straying away from Infinite Link's path and into the golden forest, there is a small ghost town that is a 1 to 1 replica of a real life area above ground. The town includes small houses, two warehouses, a condominium and apartment complex, and a couple of other abandoned buildings once made for shopping and entertainment.

The town itself was created by a humanoid creature made purely out of nightmares. Although rude and mean, it is uniquely friendly and bears no ill will despite its dark composition. While not fond of visitors, it won't disallow the occasional passerby who needs rest or equipment.

SnowRing

Close to Our Town, there is a small section encasing Infinite Link's path with snowfall known as SnowRing. Its a calm, constantly snowing environment with giant bells scattered around its pastel pink snow.

Within the area, there is a singular Christmas/cabin-themed post office that is home to two small animals and monsters who occassionally occupy to space. There, items and messages can be sent and/or picked up through their services. Ocassionally, dead mail can be bought there as well.

Fountain Springs

A Gift From Our Dreams.

A massive park somewhere within the Midnight District, it is home to dozens of fountains bursting into this plane of existence from the one below it. These fountains are made of pure darkness, a power that is unfortunately unable to be utilized by any known resident in this space. They are harmless as well, able to be touched without issue, and serve no purpose other than to be aesthetically pleasing.

Originally there was only one fountain, but recently more have begun appearing for some inexplicable reason. No one minds though; it only attracts more visitors.

Still Site

For Those We Have Lost.

Essentially a graveyard, Still Site houses many former inhabitants who have now become petrified over the years. Statues of long lost humans, monsters, and animals rest here, neatly aligned and carefully placed with meaningful intent from other loved ones. Overtime, these statues become part of the flora and fauna of the area, becoming part of the Midnight District.

It's popular to bring any petrified creature here due to it being the site of a once powerful Dreemurr who existed centuries ago. His massive stone body can be found at the very end, standing over a uniquely red respawn point with a smile. It's assumed they created the unique star. And while it may not have any unique capabilities, some denizens use it in hopes it'll bring them good fortune.

Abyssal Zones

Fading Hopes... Fading Dreams...

Abyssal Zones are areas outside the known Midnight District and denoted by the darker layout in comparison to other places. They are found by walking too far out, where the power of hopes and dreams waver and weaken due to straying so far from its Hub. That said, it is extremely susceptible to nightmares and almost the entire place is a hallucinatory nightmare as one's magic becomes less effective and more draining to manifest.

Only the strongest and bravest dare approach these areas, but even then there seems to be little incentive to go aside from curiosity getting the better of some souls.

Field 1

Also known as the Sword Field, it is a dark plain filled to the brim with '1' shaped swords owned by the mythical 'H'. The field is their domain, although, from what it's known on record, they rarely appear and are usually absent. Despite that, it is a popular spot to pick up a free and powerful weapon/souvenir. Humans and monsters looking for quick power usually come here, but recently that has wavered.

A small cult has popped up worshiping 'H', considering them a benevolent god for granting them the power of the 1-swords. They are extremely protective of weapons and will defend with their lives, their numbers and sword skills often overwhelming opponents.

Field 2

Much like Our Town, Field 2 is a small area filled to the brim with golden trees and vegetation. Somewhere within the foliage, there is a treehouse belonging to Monster Child within the Midnight District. Also similarly to Our Town, it seems to be created entirely by one individual and takes major inspiration from the place. It explicitly serves no purpose outside of being a hangout spot. Supposedly.

Field 3

A field of tall grass and echo flowers scattered around. Visitors tend to leave messages in these flowers, which can range from jokes to personal secrets.

Field 4

An area with many strange documents and papers littering the ground, all in wingding font. Most writings contained in them are pure gibberish or seeming to make no sense to the average denizen. They strangely cannot be picked up and are virtually indestructible.

The few souls brave enough to venture into the Abyssal Zones and interested in deciphering the texts and drawings have a small outlook set up nearby. The inhabitants of the outlook wear lab coats and act sciencey, but most of them just wanted to look cool and mysterious. Regardless, they are funded and supported by .Lab.

Dark Pond

[Text Removed]

.Lab

Poke and Prod.

Its name created through an accidental spelling error, .Lab is a tall, complex building that houses dozens of scientists voluntary employed under two goner monsters. It is one of the few places that isn't constructed out of magic and is from materials that have been displaced throughout time and space. This allows for the mechanics and laws of the Midnight District to be studied and tested here without influence from the hopes and dreams running throughout the rest of this world.

Many advancements have happened through the lab's existence. Without it, almost all denizens wouldn't be as knowledgeable on important topics like Dream Daze, petrification, magic, and the Fear Factor. The experiments and studies preformed in .Lab has allowed for a greater grasp on many subjects and, in return, has birthed an era of prosperity.

Important DreamScapes

Owned by Flow Flow, the Flowing Garden is one gigantic golden flower field. The world appears as if it's above ground with a sky that is constantly daytime, allowing for the flowers to soak up sunlight 24/7 and enjoy the rays. Its purpose is to mainly be a hub for all the instances of Flow Flow that exist.

Tied to Midggit, The Index is a void-like space with various window screens tied to one another. In these windows, collections of various works, information, data, and updates are posted here regarding the Midnight District, the Overworld, and even the Dark World. While .Lab aims to learn new information, The Index is made to store it for them. Anyone lucky enough to find this place potentially has access to every known bit of information learned and lost throughout the decades of the dreamscape's manifestation.

Unfortunately, all information has to be manually implemented and controlled, a job in which Midggit has solely regulated himself to do due to his current predicament. Outside a couple special individuals, no one else has managed to gain beneficiary access to what he has in store.

Manifested by StoreOwner, it is a surprisingly small world despite their aspirations. The place takes form as a small store outside a forest made of dark candy trees. Inside, the shelves and fridges lined with various items, consumables, and accessories purchasable with D$ and special coupons.

The Toy Store is always open so long as the StoreOwner is there. Which is really random. A gamble, really.