// A newly written blog-post would be mass posted to many forums and chats of the Nexus Net, mostly those that discuss things and subjects related to all things anomalous, abstract, spiritual, and esoteric alike. When clicked open, the following content would be revealed to all the viewers and readers. // Hello, everyone! My name is Cebey, or how I am known as on Nexus, LARDFORCOPPER. You might be wondering what the point of this entire thread is, and I’ll try to explain along the way. Before I jump deep into the subject that is the main differences between Qarins and Dream Eaters, I’d like to give you all just a glimpse as to why I decided to write on this somewhat difficult matter. If you decide not to be interested in all that sad backstory whizmo-gizmo, simply click on the contents table to jump to the section that interests you. [A simple table of contents is put here, mentioning every different section of the article. One click was needed to properly jump to the desired place.] Not too long ago, that being Friday past week from the day I am posting this, my beloved significant other, who I still hold with much respect despite what has happened, has decided to give me a gift of incredible rarity and status in certain segments of the Fringe. That being, well, a Qarin, or how some like to refer to it- “a punching ghost”. An incredibly peculiar thing popularized by ICIF back in the days where they hadn’t isolated themselves from the rest of the galaxy. Because he already owned one , he had no use for another. He simply stored the “gift” for later, and waited for both the perfect person to give it to, and the perfect occasion to bring it out. While I was overjoyed to be blessed with such a grand and expensive act of kindness from his side, I would soon learn that it wasn’t truly what was intended to be given to me, and I would regret ever wanting it. It wasn’t a Qarin. I did not receive a special floating punching phantom, and instead I received a horrific abomination that would attach itself to my body, and torment me for days to an end. I would soon learn that those wanna-be Qarins are more common than I initially thought, even having a proper name granted to them. “Dream Eaters”, as one of my friends has explained to me, are the more parasitical counterparts of the friendly phantoms that do your bidding. Because of me not listening to them at first, and me not being willing to accept that this horrible fate befell on me, I almost threw my entire life away; consequences of which haunt me to this very day. This one simple mistake ended many of my current friendships, some of which I am still unable to repair, caused me to fall into many of my old addictions that I have tried to get rid of for so long, and almost destroyed the entirety of my relationship. All because I put the thing in my body without knowing what it was first. Not the first, nor the last time this happens. Hence why I decided to write this entire thing; many people are affected with the Dream Eaters, and I am 100% certain that at least half of them don't know this is the cause of their life going to shambles. I have spent many hours researching, learning, reading and checking facts about the two things, interviewed many owners and ex-owners of Qarins and Dream Eaters, and I had experience with those myself. Without further ado, let me open this “guide”, for the lack of a better term, with an explanation of what the two do, and what are the main differences between them- and heading into an proper explanation how to see which is which. -= QARINS =- Aforementioned Qarins, or again, “punching ghosts”, as some like to call them, are beings composed entirely out of phase matter. I won’t explain what that is, how it forms, or how it functions, because that is not the topic of this entire document, and I will leave that to the actual professionals. I will simply compile the facts that I learned about them, in an attempt to help you know how to tell one apart from other wonders of the Fringe, and how to prepare for possible contact with them. How do Qarins function? Qarins, similarly to everyday parasites, are one bound with their owner, entering a symbiotic relationship. They are directly connected to their host's nervous system in case of them being an organic, or the mainframe, if they are a synthetic being. This direct link allows the Qarin to directly feed off their owners energy and power, allowing themselves to stay powered, all the while allowing their owners to wordlessly guide them throughout the environment without use of gestures or any other convoluted means of communication. They simply think what their little companions should do, and they do that. How does one bind with a Qarin? Binding with a Qarin is... odd. You cannot possibly tame one, as it usually is with beings similar to them. Rather, you have to be injected with one; yes, injected! As in, the same way vaccines are administered! Well, not literally. You don’t use a syringe to give yourself a phantom parasite. Most, if not all Qarins, are stored inside specialized arrows which you... simply stab yourself with. As absurd as it sounds, it is just how it works. Once used, the arrow is then free of the Qarin, and is nothing more but a shiny trinket that you can hang on your wall. How can one acquire such arrows? During my research into this topic, I learned that there are three main ways of acquiring Qarin arrows in the Fringe. The Islamic Caliphate in the Fringe; This one is most definitely the most common and the most popular way of acquiring Qarins- At least was, back in the day. Friends of the current Caliph, Syed al-Qureshi ibn Dhakir al-Emir Mumanin ya-Waarith, or any other higher-up in the hierarchy of ICIF could randomly be given an unused Qarin arrow simply because he enjoyed their company. That does not mean it was limited only to people who were friends of his, of course. Many mercenaries could receive a Qarin as a payment for fulfilling tasks in the name of ICIF, be it bounty hunting, bringing escaping convicts home for proper judgement, or other menial tasks. ICIF was possibly the biggest export of Qarin arrows back in the day, but ever since they closed their borders and decided to isolate themselves from the rest of the Galaxy, the amount of arrows with Qarins inside of them has been gradually declining to lesser and lesser amounts, now being even more rare than the other options. You can instantly tell an arrow manufactured in ICIF apart from others from the design. They usually had many decorations on the heads, usually made out of high quality gold and other valuable metals, with many engravings, jewels, sometimes even proper pictures embroidered into the shafts. One of the most common ways they are decorated is in the form of calligraphy and quranic surahs. Certainly the most stylish ones out there, that can sell for a high price, even when they are empty. Example of a Qarin arrow manufactured in ICIF- note the rich decorations. The owner of the object wished to remain anonymous. The Undercrypt; Modern days most popular way of laying your hands on the Qarin arrows, the hotspot for all adventurers, thrill-seekers, and treasure hunters alike to gather by and scavenge the massive system of caverns that is Undercrypt. Again, this is not the subject of this entire talk, so I won’t go in depth on it. Despite being the most popular way of looking for Qarin arrows, it’s definitely not the most effective one. Many people went into the Undecrypt with the sole purpose of snatching one and coming back up to the surface, but more often than not they simply returned with empty hands.. Or they have not returned at all. That’s right! You can very easily die in Undercrypt, even over the smallest of mistakes. This makes all your journeys to the “UC” a high-risk, low-reward type of expeditions. You never know if you come back, and you never know if you manage to even catch a glimpse of what you are looking for. Perhaps fortune favors the bold..? Undercrypt-made arrows are odd in their own design. They seem to be prehistoric in nature, oftenly made out of materials such as iron, silver, low-quality gold, or even brass and copper. Despite them being much more “crude” than their ICIF counterparts, they still have visible worth to them, one that tells apart their true nature from any other arrows used for hunting and fighting. That usually are faint engravings and decorations, although they might not be visible at the first glance. Used Qarin arrow from the Undercrypt. I had the pleasure to see this one in person, as it belongs to my current partner. The Precursor ruins on Garlen; The newest way of finding and gathering Qarin arrows, and one that seems to be the most reliable one in the past few months. That comes from the fact that Garlen (the weird place that popped up on your teleporter list a few months ago; again, no details about that) is full of ruins that date back to the age of Precursors, which were left untouched for.. well, centuries. You can feel both like an archeologist and an action-movie hero when you move through them, but brace for the fact that they hide as many dangers as treasures. Traps, monsters of all kinds, maybe even undead Precursors themselves. This is no joking matter, seeing how some of those remains can prove to be even more dangerous than the entirety of Undercrypt itself. From what I learned, Precursor arrows are similar in looks to the other two sources. The only traits that tell them apart are the condition, the color scheme that is common between all of them, and the design choices used to decorate the objects. Instead of utilizing gold and other valuable metals in massive amounts, those arrows opt to be more “down-to-earth”; with only some parts of them (mostly the edges of the heads) being emblazoned in gold. They are the cleanest arrows out there, oftenly without a single scratch, damage, chip, or any other form of impurity on them, making them look brand new even after uncovering them from a literal pile of manure. The other trait that is oftenly shared between all of them are the long, purple features put all over them. Be it ribbons, feathers, shafts, as long as it’s purple, it’s a part of the arrow itself. Arrow snatched from the Precursor ruins on Garlen. The owner of the arrow requested to remain anonymous. Despite those clear, visible differences between all three types of arrows you might encounter during your adventures in the Fringe, all of them have identical properties. They are heavier than normal arrows, they have rounded-up, dulled heads, which effectively states that they were not made for combat. Unless you manage to somehow come across one of them being sold online, on Nexus (for which chances are astronomically low, and the bids and prices are astronomically high, oftenly reaching one million pixels), your best bet is going out on an epic, dangerous, oftenly suicidal mission. That might not pay off in the end. That’s just life, isn’t it? How does one shape their Qarin? Qarins are shaped by you, either consciously, or subconsciously. After injecting yourself with a Qarin, there is a several-hour long window in which the shapeless mass will change form according to your vision; you simply have to think and focus on how your Qarin should look like, and it usually will turn out that way. That’s not to say this is the only way; some of the Qarin users I know have stated that, after receiving the injection, they simply went to sleep, and their ghostly companion shaped during their dreaming state, resulting in them looking like an abstract piece of art. Sometimes, although rarely, some Qarins can be shaped from both their owners' consciousness and subconsciousness alike; resulting in a weird mixture of solid, concrete ideas, and incomprehensible thoughts all linked together. How does one bring out a Qarin? It’s surprisingly simple! Assuming that you own a Qarin that is bound to you, and that Qarin is fully sculpted, it’s as easy as clenching a fist. You simply need to concentrate on “summoning” your ghostly pal, and he will be more than happy to listen to your orders. Bringing your Qarins into shadows is equally as easy, simply think about them dematerializing, and they will be gone before you realize. Disappearing Qarins? Qarins don’t disappear from existence, no. They simply cycle between two states; “inactive”, when the Qarin is still present but is simply invisible to the naked eye, and is unable to interact with the world around it, and “active”, when the Qarin is both visible, and is capable of interfering with its surroundings. “Inactive” Qarins are capable of passing through thin walls, and are able to relay information to their hosts, unlike the “active” ones, which can only do the latter. “Relay” the information? Yes. When a Qarin is bound to its owner's nervous system, the host will in turn be able to see, hear, and feel whatever the Qarin itself is feeling. This allows the Qarin to act as a long-range eavesdropping and spying device, which efficiency drops only with the distance between its and it’s owner. The bigger the distance, the weaker the bond is. Usually, the Qarin’s effective range is around five feet from itself, and anything beyond that becomes hazy and more difficult to make the details out of. So what can’t the Qarins do? Most obviously, Qarins can’t think for themselves. They listen to you for every command and movement, which is sometimes a curse, and a blessing at the same time. Curse, because you need to stay concentrated and focused on your punching ghost to do the exact things you want it to do, else they won’t be as effective, and a blessing, because you have full control over their actions. I think this is some of the most important information. If anyone has any more knowledge to add onto this pile, don't be afraid to message me and tell me about it, and I will be more than honored to add them to the list. A humanoid Qarin, one of the many that are out there. The owner wished to remain anonymous. Example of a non-humanoid Qarin, showing how wacky their forms can be. -= DREAM EATERS =- Similar to how every good thing has an evil counterpart of itself, for every good Qarin there is bad, bad Dream Eater. I am much more knowledgeable when it comes to dealing with (D)ream (E)aters, because as it was mentioned, I was bound to one of them before. Functionally, structurally, and "biologically" speaking, DE's aren't too different from Qarins. They also can disappear from the view and appear when they feel like it, although unlike Qarins, they don't follow their hosts command. You cannot order a DE to appear when you feel like it, you can't make them float and move where you want them to, and you definitely cannot use them to scout ahead of yourself. Unlike Qarins, DE's seem to have a sentience of their own, and are even more similar to parasites than their good cousins. They are there to leech off of you more than anything, without giving you anything in return. How does one bind with a DE? The process of binding with a Dream Eater is identical to binding with a Qarin; they too are stored inside special arrows that contain their entire form, and upon stabbing oneself with said arrow, the Dream Eater enters your body and binds with you. Unlike Qarins, DE's can't be shaped to your liking. You cannot directly intervene or affect how they will look like on the end, as it varies from person to person. How do Dream Eaters look like, then? DE's appearance is based off the thing that you fear the most. Your deepest fear, your biggest trauma, or just the thing you're most scared of. If you suffer from severe arachnophobia, a DE may look like a massive spider, if you're scared of being invaded in your house, a DE may look like a twisted, spooky, ghostly burglar; so on and so forth. Possibilities are countless, and it specifically matches your individual profile, rather than go off a template you thought of before. Dream Eater arrows? Yup. As far as I know, the one and only place you can actually get a DE arrow from is the Undercrypt, the place I mentioned before. Undercrypt is the one and only place to contain both Dream Eaters and Qarins, so there is a gamble whenever you find or get rewarded with an arrow from that place. Although, from what I noticed, the "good" arrows look different from the "bad" arrows. While the "good" Qarins are contained within ornate, regal-looking arrows out of gold and more elegant materials that have been finely shaped and former, DE's are held inside crude, brutal tools that are composed out of primitive ingredients like graphite and rocks. Dream Eater arrows also look much, much more sinister, in a way that they have darker coloration, lack any decorations, and oftenly have menacing streaks of red paints and ornaments running through them. One of those arrows is the one I possess, and the one that contained my very own parasite. The arrow that held my Dream Eater, in all it's metaphorical glory. Notice the overall "evil" vibe that comes off from it. So what do DE's do? They leech off your energy. Except unlike Qarins, they have absolutely no boundaries as to how much they will sap from you: they will take as much as they can, and they won't stop even in the face of your death. One of the most iconic abilities of DE's, though, is their ability of affecting your dreams, and out-right forcing nightmares onto you. Those nightmares will gradually become worse and worse as time goes on, up until you will not be able to even fall asleep because of sheer fear of experiencing them again. Their other power is to, simply put, create visual and auditory hallucinations as they please. You will see and hear things that aren't there, you will come to experience horrors that never actually existed. You will distrust a lot of people when you are affected by a DE, mostly those who are a threat to it's existence and are capable of removing it. Is there anything Dream Eaters will stop before? Yes! The biggest fear of every Dream Eater is.. a Qarin itself! When they're in a presence of a Qarin, or a person that is bound to a Qarin, even if they aren't using it, they will attempt to run as far away as possible. They will make all attempts to distance themselves from you, attempting to run away from the only thing that threatened them. In the time that you are separated from a Dream Eater, you might as well leave the place that they have been present on, be it by a ship or a teleporter. Just make sure you have a Qarin wielder nearby at all times, so it doesn't actually tether back to you again. If everything went successfully, then the DE will starve to death, unable to leech off anyone in the slightest. Is there anything else I can do? Of course. Sometimes DE materialize on their own, usually when you sleep or are napping; they will be present for just a few seconds after you wake up, making them vulnerable to attacks then. If you're a particularly good sharpshooter, you might blast them right off, right there, without any need for any scientific devices or without relying on Qarins. Take note that Dream Eaters are most vulnerable to plasma weaponry, which tears through them like through butter, almost instantly killing them. Just make sure you don't shoot anyone else in the process of getting rid of them. Can you see a Dream Eater before it materializes? Not really, no. The only ways of seeing an "invisible" DE is if there is a person with a Qarin nearby. They will know that something is present, that something is alive, and that something is not a Qarin, but not much else. The only other way of seeing Dream Eaters, and Qarins in this case, is if you're a Thaniifarri, or if you have a Thaniifarri representative nearby. Something about their biology allows them to see the "energy structure" of Dream Eaters, which in turns let them directly pinpoint their location. Sadly, I don't know much else about it, so I can't really say anything else. Are there any downsides to being separated from your Dream Eater? Yes. When the connection between you and you DE is severed, you will be struggling with severe migraines, nausea, waves of heat, cold sweats, and mild insomnia. How severe those symptoms are depends on how long you were bound to the DE; the longer your connection, the more severe the withdrawal. Those usually go away after a week or so, so you don't have to worry about it leaving a long-lasting effect on your body. -= A SMALL GUIDE =- Here I will explain a really quick, easy, and simple ways how to stay safe in face of being afflicted with one or another. ALWAYS check how does your arrow look like, and determine what it contains. Does it look ornate? It's probably a Qarin. Does it look brutal, cheap, and sinister? It's more than definitely a Dream Eater. Always give the benefit of doubt to your arrows; just because it looks like it could contain a Qarin, doesn't mean it will contain a Qarin. Fringe is a treacherous place, and so are the arrows. If you experience nightmares, inability to bring out your Qarin, or you are just incapable of commanding it, be it hours of a few days after using the arrow, you are afflicted by a Dream Eater. Seek out an expert or handle it on your own, before it's too late. If you are unsure whether or not the arrow you gained is a fraud or not, don't be afraid to ask people who are knowledgeable about it. A few hours of making sure is much, much more worth it than having to deal with suicidal thoughts. NEVER be too hasty when you find an arrow out in the wild. Never be in a rush to stab yourself with one, never be too eager to bind yourself to a Qarin, even if you are one hundred percent sure it is what you think it is. Always check if it actually is the ghost you're looking for. And most importantly, something that I can't stress enough, DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP. If you think you are affected by a Dream Eater, please for the love of God, seek help and support from others. Never close yourself off from your closest ones and your friends, even if that thing living inside you tells you otherwise. Not only will it be easier to get rid of it in the end, but it will be much, much easier to return to proper shape after it's all over. -= CLOSING WORDS =- I hope that with this guide you will be able to protect yourself and others from being bound to a terrible wraith, and be able to tell between the two without much trouble. Despite me trying to make this guide as in-depth as possible, I am aware that I'm not an expert in this field, hence I cannot give you any details about their functions and similar. If anyone would like me to expand onto the topics, and has information to help others stay safe, don't be afraid to contact me. I would like to thank everyone who helped me with writing this guide, and everyone who helped me get rid of my own parasite- my lover, my closest friends, and a few other people who I won't call out by name for obvious reasons. I hope this massive block of text will help at least some of you out there, and I will actually save just a few lives. Be wonderful people, and stay safe! Cebey out. ♥ // The blog-post ends here. There is, obviously, a comment section present underneath it, in case anyone would like to get their thoughts out. //
//User Environmental_Cool_Factor comments// An informative guide that will probably save a lot of people from a lot of upset.
