{ stroke of midnight }

[dreamposts]

STROKE OF MIDNIGHT

Although the Masquerade is being held on the night of the Fourteenth, some new problems arise in the days after. This log is split into two sections, the Masquerade and Around Town. Everyone is free to participate in either or both, whichever catches your interest.

More details on everything can be found here and here. As a reminder, events double as our TDMs and information can be found here with arrival details here. Any outside characters participating in the log are canonly logged as appearing in Songerein in February and will remain in Songerein from the IC date of February 14 through 28. TDM only characters can only thread within this log. Anyone who apps in and is accepted will have their character count February as their first time in the game without any disruption, so all content will carry over. Those who do not apply will disappear which should not seem too unusual, however players in game can choose to retcon and pretend a character was never there to begin with if it would be easier; or even think their presence was just a dream.

IMPORTANT! All outside characters MUST have "TDM" in their subject line, even if you might not app. This will help people differentiate those who are already in the game and those who are not.

TDM threads are required for samples. Refer to the Game Info for general information and feel free to toss any questions here. Reserves will open Wednesday, February 22nd and Applications will open on March 1. Our next cycle after won't be until JULY.

TDM Toplevel Link Directory (click to view, updated 02/22)

Avatar: The Legend of Korra - Korra
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Iroh
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Miriam
Chainsaw Man - Power
Dr. STONE - Dr. Senku Ishigami
Elsworld - Noah Ebalon (Nyx Pieta)
Final Fantasy VII - Cloud Strife
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - Zack Fair
Final Fantasy XIV - Erichthonios
Final Fantasy XV - Noctis Lucis Caelum
Final Fantasy XV - Prompto Argentum
Genshin Impact - Shikanoin Heizou
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist - Solanaceae
Katekyou Hitman Reborn - Hayato Gokudera
Kingdom Hearts - Ienzo
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Link
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Sheik
Marvel Cinematic Universe - Kate Bishop
NieR: Automata - 9S
Percy Jackson & the Olympians - Jason Grace
Percy Jackson & the Olympians - Nico di Angelo
Persona 3: FES - Shinjiro Aragaki
SinoAlice - Sleeping Beauty
Tales of Arise - Shionne Vymer Imeris Daymore
Tales of Symphonia - Kratos Aurion
Tales of Symphonia - Martel Yggdrasil
Tales of Zestiria - Mikleo
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Sena
Your Wings and Mine - Shealtiel

We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during AC and TDM threads will count. For more information, refer to the Game Notes.

I. MASQUERADE

It's time for the masquerade and the carriages will start arriving before sunset. Upon arrival, everyone who leaves the carriage (or mercilessly spat out if they try to resist) will be greeted by fairy godmothers with an eye for the most dramatic and extravagant fashion. It's a masquerade, after all! For those who already arrive with their outfits, the fairy godmothers may add a little embellishment here and or just change it completely if they think it could look better. For those who did not, they will create a whole new outfit that would fit the wearer perfectly—with magic of course. They will also create the masks and half of the glass slipper brooch that everyone will wear. The masks are enchanted so that regardless of obvious personality or physical traits, they are somehow unrecognizable at first. While it is possible to figure it out through interaction, or if it's someone they already know well, it's more likely they need to reveal their identity first. These outfits can be kept even after the masquerade is over.

A. Get in the Carriage. As the pegasus drawn carriages begin to arrive to transport those who have decided to attend the masquerade, there is some commotion from others. The pair of coach mice—who are only about four feet tall—can be found smiling and cheerily squeaking about the masquerade as they grab and literally throw protesting individuals into the carriage, whereupon the door will immediately shut behind them. Ho ho ho, it'll be such a grand time! Will anyone try to help the poor soul? Or perhaps help the mice? Maybe you're a struggling victim instead. Should anyone want to try and drive the carriage, they might have a chance…but good luck having the pegasi listen to them. Eventually the carriage will land and take them to the front of the castle where the masquerade is hosted.

B. Half of a Pair. Near the entrance, everyone is encouraged to pull out one or more of the shoe brooches contained in a large bowl. The rules are simple: 1) use the brooch to lead them to the person wearing the other half; 2) spend whatever time or activity with them, be it general socializing, a dance, a walk in the gardens; 3) keep the brooch or return it to a designated "Used" bowl. The brooches will absorb whatever kind of dreamotion energy is formed between the two, and the stronger it is, the brighter (if positive) or darker (if negative) it will glow. The interaction can be romantic, platonic, or hostile. For those who do happen to "click" and wish for some privacy, there are numerous terraces and balconies available. Some are public, but there are quite a few with curtains, so be sure to close them to signal the balcony is occupied!

C. Dancing in the Air. The main draw will be the dance floor, and the ballroom is wide and spacious to accommodate numerous pairs to dance to their hearts' content—the music is played by enchanted instruments so they'll keep going without much of a break! Of course, what makes this dance floor truly special is how it uses dreamotion energy to lift everyone up—literally. Pairs who are having a fun time may find themselves floating up and dancing in the air instead of on the ground. Somehow they can maintain some balance…but it's just as easy to lose it.

D. Royal Banquet. There are numerous tables one can use and be served an assortment of foods. In fact, one could make special requests and somehow the dragons serving will be able to make it, or at least as close as possible. One just has to imprint the idea of the dish onto a special card that the chefs will use to recreate it. There are also two bowls filled with special tear drop chocolates, one with only white, pink, and red, and the other filled with the other colors. The "game" is to randomly choose one from each bowl and share a kiss depending on what is picked.

E. Out in the Gardens. Every castle has extravagant gardens, and this one is no different. Filled with numerous pink, red, and white flowers, the gardens have their typical fare…with not so typical effects.

1. Extravagant mazes that one could easily get lost in are common, but what's special about these gardens is that the flowers will emit a soft, sweet scent that will feel as if they are walking through a dream. In fact, the section they are going through will begin to change to look like a place from their world and must now find their way out. When this change happens, only those who are in the area will be affected and no one else can enter the area until the main person affected gets out. Those inside can help, and there are no threats—it's all in simple fun…unless the place evokes certain memories and emotions for the person. Might not be as fun for them, then.
   
   
2. A crystal greenhouse where the temperature is perfectly warm (or cold!) and houses various different flowers. Here some may recognize flowers from their world, the scents also creating nostalgia. There are instructions left that indicate anyone can try to help grow the flowers. The key ingredient will be dreamotion energy, and should they succeed in creating a blossom, a small marble containing a symbol of their home. There are also special daisies that can be used to play the "they love me they love me not" game. If the last petal is "they love me," then become extra flirty and clingy. If it's "love me not," they become angry, jealous, and possessive. The effects only last for a short time…unless they keep plucking flowers.
   
   
3. The white fountain in the center of the gardens will have a bit of a musical playful side. It will splash colorful water at any who pass by, chime-like notes playing out as it does. But if one were to drop a flower that has absorbed positive dreamotion into its water, it will calm and let people sit to look and relax. There is also a strange frog wearing a crown that claims to be a prince. For those who believe its words that a kiss will free him from the curse, they will be sorely disappointed as nothing happens and the frog just laughs and hops away.

II. AROUND TOWN

A. Mask Up. Attracted by the masquerade, some enchanted masks have found their way to town and are now finding their way onto people, be it by tricking their victims to be put on or just forcibly latching themselves on. Depending on the type of mask, the wearer will behave based on a festive, dramatic emotion. While wearing the mask, the dreamotion that is projected is stronger. Examples are angry emotions will cause tremors and cracks on the ground, happiness could blind people or will cause confetti to fly everywhere, while sad ones will cause clouds and drizzling rain to appear overhead. The only way to remove it is to somehow make the other person feel the opposite of whatever emotion the mask is using. Once the mask’s emotion is countered and stabilized, it could be removed or even fall off if the countering emotion is strong enough. Masks can also be captured and collected before they attach to someone.

B. Special Messages. Throughout the month, valentine's are being delivered to people all over town. Some are even receiving some from the fae and dragons who live outside… Perhaps some caution should be had from those. Regardless, while the messages are brimming with both platonic and romantic (and questionable) love, the messengers are a bit… Well they need help.

1. Insightful Mockingbirds. Special mockingbirds are flying around and perch on random shoulders. They have the ability to "read" a person's thoughts and repeat them out loud. Without warning. Hope there aren't any secrets because that bird is going to make it public, especially if it's an observation or thought—good or bad—about another person. Good luck shooing it away, too—it'll stick around for a while because it might enjoy sowing this bit of chaos.
   
   
2. Arrow Delivery. The group from last year have decided to use their prank arrows for good and start a business in delivering special Valentine's messages via arrow. A "shot to the heart" in the less literal sense this time! While some of their archers are skilled, others are…less so. Some are hitting a bit too close to comfort or way off the mark. Some messages are going to the wrong person entirely. Help avoid, retrieve, or even deliver these messages around town.

C. Candy Kisses. A special assortment of flat bottomed, tear shaped chocolates are currently selling like hotcakes and can be found practically everywhere. Their main selling point is they come in different colors and each color has a special effect that will make the eater want to kiss the person near them in a certain way (see chart). Some people are deliberately swapping the wrappers around, so be careful!

D. Bleeding Hearts Return. It's Valentine's, yet Cupid is nowhere to be seen. That is because he's still corrupted from last year and now he's thirsting for love, any love. Using the Bleeding Hearts from last year, Cupid is using them to gather all that jealous, possessive love, but of course that's going to make it worse. We're not tackling Cupid here, but the main goal will be helping those who are afflicted by the Bleeding Hearts and purifying them via dreamotion instead of just destroying them. Purifying the Bleeding Hearts with pure love—romantic, platonic, familial, reminders of how they are loved and cared for by others—will help Cupid. Of course this could backfire and make the person feel worse, so be careful!

Comments

[sleepsalot]

That's--

[ The Blade of the Mystic, found in the Disc of Cauthess, face to face with the Archaean. Noctis remembers acquiring this blade quite well, as he forged a pact with the God not long after. This person standing before him has to be a member of the line of Lucis, somebody with the ability to summon one of the Royal Arms... And why would they summon any but their own? Of course this has to be the Founder King himself, right?

He folds his arms across his chest, standing there for a second, before shifting and resting a hand on his hip. What does one even say to a man who walked their world 2000 years before? Is he supposed to say thanks? To ask questions about their family, about the ring he now wears on his right hand? Of all the things Noctis has experienced since leaving Insomnia, this has to be one of the weirdest, something that has left him a bit speechless. ]

So you're, what, my great great grandfather?

[luciing]

[ More like, great-great-great-(etc.)-great grandfather. But his head dips forward in a slight nod of affirmation anyways. Ancestor, he is, indeed, and with the very same face as his descendant, albeit aged by a decade.

Somnus dismisses the blade. No need to have it out when there are no daemons nearby-- which is odd, considering how the real Costlemark had been infested.

His focus dips to his descendant's hand. ] The very same as the one within the Ring. [ He notes this pointedly before meeting Noctis' gaze again, and then raises his own hand. There, there is no Ring of the Lucii-- but there are faint scars of where it once was, as well as the web-like lighting marks that trail up his hand, vanishing beneath his cuff. As if he needed more proof that he once carried it, himself.

If Noctis wears the Ring, this puts him at least in the Empire's domain. It was then that Somnus and the Kings of Yore first taught him Death....

His voice hardens. ]

You should not have to use it here.

[sleepsalot]

[ Noctis looks down at his hand at the ring's mention. The ring that has been nothing but a source of pain from the moment he became aware of its existence. The ring that feels like the weight of a thousand worlds on his finger. It took so much from him and will likely take even more, but he wears it anyway because he has no choice. He's the King of Lucis, it's his burden to carry. ]

It's not like I wanted to use it back home.

[ But he did, again, because he had no other choice, his weapons taken from him, his ability to use the Armiger blocked... He's certain most of his ancestors would say the same of having to use the Ring of the Lucii. He never talked about this sort of thing with his father, but he knew the weight of this ring back then, too. ]

Why are you so sure I won't have to use it here?

[ Because they're standing in the middle of the ruins of Costlemark, which, last time Noctis checked, was filled with daemons. ]

[luciing]

[ Not one king would use the Ring if they did not have too, but all ended up scarred by it regardless. Its power burned both their bodies and seared their souls, draining them of their life. Somnus doesn't know how a dream-self will be affected by its power, but he'd rather Noctis not use it, either.

Fortunately, the question of why he wouldn't have a need to use it here is simple.
While there are fiends in this realm, none would have warranted its use.

Somnus replies, tone clear. ] I expect you to overcome any adversity in this realm without it. [ Noctis has both the Ring and his abilities. It's not the height of Noctis' power ten years after being in the Crystal, but Somnus presumes him to be capable. ] You are a dream of yourself. Do not toll your soul with its power in this realm.

[sleepsalot]

You just expect me to? That's it?

[ He had no intention of using it, not after what he went through in Zegnautus Keep without access to his weaponry, having to rely solely on the ring to get him safely through the daemon infested military instillation and to Prompto's side. He would only use it again if his life and the lives of others depended on it.

But he doesn't like Somnus's tone, running into him like this and acting like he knows him just because they share the same blood, carry the same burden.
Noctis sighs, tilting his head back and closing his eyes for a moment, hands resting on his hips. ]

I told you I didn't even want to use it back home, but I had no other choice. I couldn't use my... powers.

[luciing]

[ If Somnus has anything else to say on what other expectations he has, he doesn't voice them. Noctis survived the Keep through grit and necessity, utilizing the Ring for all of its magic, and sacrificing his health in the process. To that effect, Noctis is like all who came before him.

Moving on, this brings them to the next topic. ]

Others speak of our dream selves in this world being tethered to that which exists in our waking realms. [ Somnus expression remains the same, but his voice lowers, cautious and firm, not unlike a parent would when attempting to emphasize a point. ] The Ring siphons our lives, and it takes our souls. It is too risky to use it here.

[ And if... If Noctis happens to use it, then what? If they're truly "tethered", his soul might be forfeit in their own world, and all with be for naught. ]

[sleepsalot]

There's too much at stake back home for me to use it here. [ He sighs ] I get it, okay?

[ He thinks about the state of things on Eos, the days that have slowly turned into night, the daemons taking over every habitable place, everything Ardyn has done and is doing... And then there's the crystal and his own role in all of this. Noctis left the guys in a horde of daemons, was on the elevator by himself, and then... Then he was here. He hasn't even had time to process everything that happened in Gralea before having to deal with this whole dream self, dream world. ]

I just didn't realize that using it here would have such an impact.

[ Give him a break, Somnus, he doesn't know much about this place. He showed up, tapirs were involved, and then he was whisked away against his will to this masquerade, and here he is... in a maze that strongly resembles Costlemark Tower. He didn't really pay attention when being given a brief intro to this place, so he's still trying to find his footing. ]

[luciing]

[ Somnus dips his head briefly, adjusting his weight. Admitting one's ignorance after being summoned into a new realm is no flaw on Noctis' part, and it causes Somnus to pause. ]

Astrals willing, the dreamotion power that makes a connection to our realm is not as strong as others.

[ --Because if Ardyn showed up, and he harnesses the apparent limitless power of dreamotion, it's game over. ]

...And that our presence here is brief.

[sleepsalot]

[ Dreamotion...? Again, Noctis vaguely recalls hearing one of the tapirs mention something about that, but he was overwhelmed and then dragged to this masquerade, and it's all quite a blur. Paying attention has never been his thing, too, because Ignis was always around to do it for him.

If one of the Six could strike him down this instant, he feels like it'd be preferable than standing here in what looks to be Costlemark with the Founder King himself. ]

Dare I ask how long you've been here?

[luciing]

[ This question, Somnus can certainly answer, because the answer itself is simple: ]

Too long. [ As for the exact amount, it doesn't seem he cares to specify. ]

Enough to assume there are temporal discrepancies ...but we must not act as if time away does not jeopardize our Star.

[ The Ring is a tool, but also a conduit. Every single king's soul is to be sacrificed with it. Noctis is the key, but the others are needed, which includes Somnus. Otherwise, the light will not be strong enough to eradicate the Scourge once and for all. ]