songerein | { stroke of midnight }

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{ stroke of midnight }

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.

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.
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.
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.

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.
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!

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"It's...complicated." 9S hedged a bit because he didn't really want to scare off this nice person he's had a chance to talk to.

"Thank you!" He smiled. "I always enjoy learning new things." It was built right into his code.

Nico has some ideas, considering the way 9S greeted him. But he won't press. The future is better discovered for yourself than have it told to you.

"I do too," Nico said, his smile brightening. "Reading about history and all the cool stuff that happens. And the bad stuff too, to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"I've dug into what things I can." 9S admitted. "I don't know about history repeating though...that doesn't seem possible since time is linear."

He had thoughts and feelings, but he was still an android.

"I didn't mean that literally," Nico explained. "I mean, similar events that keep happening. Wars over concepts, technology appearing and disappearing and reappearing again."

He paused, considering. "I guess a better way to explain it would be trying to stop the same patterns from happening."

"Did it? Huh. I wish I had access to the database so I could see what you were saying."

There wasn't a guarantee that it would be there, it had been a very long time since humans were around after all.

"I haven't had very good luck with stopping patterns..." 9S admitted with a little grimace. After all, how many times had he been reset?

"Well, neither have humans, so you're hardly in bad company there," Nico said.

"Gods have long memories" the mockingbird said. "Father complains about humans never learning all the time."

Nico sighed, but he couldn't argue. His father did complain about it a lot.

"I learn a lot of things!" 9S answered, and that was kind of the problem. He always learned too much.

"Humans made so many things, so long ago. I'm sure they must have learned something."

"Learning is good, but there's a difference between having knowledge and the wisdom to use it."

Apollo was the god of knowledge, and he was the ditziest of the gods.

"They have. And they forget a lot of things too." Nico shrugged. "It's just the nature of life, I think."

"Wisdom?" 9S tilted his head slightly at that as he considered it.

"I don't know that much about people forgetting things. I think they must know a lot, after all, all of the information we have came from them."

"Wisdom," Nico repeated.

"Know a lot sure, but from the when I'm from, a lot was forgotten. Some on purpose too. Tyrants who want others to forget or remain ignorant. I grew up with a ruler like that when I was little."

"I never considered that humans might try to...manipulate information." 9S admitted. He knew androids did. YoRHa did. But weren't humans better than that?

"I'm not sure I understand why they would. I mean, they're humans."

Nico blinks.

"Because they're humans," Nico said. "It's about power. Knowledge is power sounds like a trite adage, but it's true. The less people know, the easier they are to manipulate."

Edited 2023-03-02 01:17 (UTC)

"I...can't say for sure I understand." 9S admitted.

"From what I know, humans are incredibly powerful and awesome organic life forms."

"Speaking as someone who's half-human, I can tell you that they're not all they're cracked up to be. I've seen humans at their worst and their best."

He shrugged. "Mortality is what makes humans amazing, but it's also their downfall."

"I hadn't really considered that humans might not be everything we know about them." It was difficult. They were gone. He had a lot to complain about when it came to androids, but humans made androids. They were supposed to be better than them.

"I always wanted to meet them."

Nico sighed. Slowly, tentatively, he reached out and gave the android's shoulder a hopefully comforting pat.

"I know it's rough," he said. "But humans are flawed. They're amazing and wonderful and capable of so much good, but they're also awful and terrible and capable of a lot of evil. But those are extremes, and most people fall in between. Closer to good than bad, I think."

Although it was difficult to see, his brow furrowed beneath his bangs and blindfold.

"I don't like that." It wasn't the least bit comforting. "Why?! Just...why does everything turn out so bad?"

It wasn't Nico's fault, he was just dealing with a lot.

Nico removed his hand from 9S shoulder and considered the question seriously.

"You know, I went through the same thing when I learned about the gods being real. They created humans, but they were just as flawed as we were. Since humans created you, I imagine you must be feeling the same way I did when I learned that. I'm sorry."

"It just doesn't make any sense." 9S seemed to sigh a little bit. He looked a bit like he wanted to pace, or something.

"I'm sorry...I'm just surprised. I don't like being lied to."

"It might be less being lied to and more that the information was lost," Nico suggested.

Though, his gut told him that the information that the android had been given was humans trying to make themselves look better.

"Maybe." 9S said with a bit of a smile. "But I don't trust anything that comes from YoRHa anymore."

Not after what they did. It wouldn't matter, all that was left of YoRHa was him and 2B.

"I think that's part of growing up," Nico said. "Learning that sometimes, authority figures aren't right, and you have to make your own choices."

He offered a smile of his own. "I'm sure you're better off now than you were before."

"I don't know about that." He shook his head. "I mean, I don't think androids are meant to grow up. It's not really what we're programmed for."

Then again...

"I'm not even sure who really programmed me at this point. Other androids, I guess."

So this is getting into the realm of science fiction. Nico's always been a fantasy, action-adventure, horror guy.

Will would know more. He's the sci-fi fanboy.

"I don't know anything about androids," Nico admitted. "But I know about living things. We're all programmed to an extent. It's our blood, our families, and our cultures. But we can move past that. Humanity, for its faults, has always tried to move forward, to move past our programming. It doesn't always succeed, but it tries. I think that's humanity's gift, our legacy to you."

"Families sound really nice. Androids don't have things like that, not really, but it's sounds really nice for people." He smiled brightly.

"I wish I knew more about people. There's just not a lot of things left."

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refantasma - 2023-03-14 00:33 (UTC) - Expand

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