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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[—Oh. WELP it's not like it's a secret. He'll just, you know, keep her little title a secret for her to tell. 'Cause wouldn't that be a fun surprise for the seraph—]

Ahh, yeah, Velvet is another daemon from my time. We traveled and fought together. Long black hair, bandages her left arm, kind of temperamental. Can't miss her.

What was Maltran like?

[He'll have to keep that in mind should their paths ever cross. ~~a few threads down~~]

I see... [Another human looking daemon, then? Interesting. He wonders if they're more common in their era.] Well, Maltran was a formidable, disciplined woman. She was intelligent, and always seemed calm and in control. Ah, and you'd appreciate this: she was incredibly skilled in battle. It was four against one when we fought, and our victory was still a close call.

Damn, definitely sounds like a worthy opponent. Wish I lived long enough to meet her.

I'm sure it'd make for an interesting show, at the very least.

If you don't mind my asking... besides your brother, you haven't given the impression of really wanting to hurt anyone else. Is that the case?

Aside from just wanting to test their strength and skills against mine, not really.

[Small shrug.]

I see...

[That tracks, based on the conversation up until now. It's so interesting. He's never been able to have a sensible conversation with a hellion before, because they've all been enemies. This man is really unique.]

I'm sorry for such a weird question. All the hellions I've met before have wanted nothing but chaos and destruction, usually widespread. Sometimes world-ending. I don't want to make any assumptions about you just because of what I've experienced before.

[Damn straight, he's unique!]

Haha, it's fine, I get it. I know I'm pretty weird for a daemon—hellion. [...Yeeeeah he's going to never get used to that.] I'm proud of who I am—both as a daemon, and as a swordsman.

But I know one day I'll probably lose it, so hopefully I'll die at the hands of a worthy foe before that happens.

[So even daemons who aren't evil can lose themselves to the darkness...?]

You don't sound very concerned about that. Aren't you worried?

[A half shrug.]

Not really. That's just part of being a daemon, right? Same thing like everyone will die one day, chances of my malevolence taking over is probably inevitable. Course I'll try to last for as long as I can, but you never know what the future holds.

[A look at Mikleo before a small laugh.]

Well, guess I could get some insight. Either way, no use worrying about it. I'd rather focus on what's in front of me.

[The fact that he's taking it in stride admittedly puts Mikleo somewhat at ease, and he offers up a small smile in response. It's true that malevolence for hellions - or daemons, if they are truly one and the same - is inevitable; the daemonic nature is born from its existence in the world around them. Exist as a hellion for long enough without purification, and the chance of losing yourself to it grows exponentially. It's why the world was in such a sorry state after the last Shepherd passed. It's why seraphim became dragons. Malevolence grew in the heart of a cursed man who couldn't hold onto his humanity as he became a hellion, eventually deteriorating into The Lord of Calamity. The threat to his heart became a threat to the world. The same could be said of Maltran- malevolence claimed her against her will, and she could only choose to embrace it, or fall to it. She chose the former, and longed to watch the world burn. Evil was thrust upon them, and death their only salvation.]

...Maybe... it's different, when it's something you choose.

[His tone is quiet at first, musing, halfway to himself. After a moment, he shakes his head.]

Well, if you ever feel like it's going to overwhelm you, just call on me. Dealing with that sort of thing happens to be my speciality.

You sure?

[A slight arch of the brow before he smirks.]

Or if by "dealing" you mean "killing."

I didn't say that! There's plenty of hellions we helped without them having to die. That's the whole point of purification- to save people, not kill them.

[He's so OFFENDED, mostly on Sorey's behalf. He's not too proud to admit there are those that couldn't be saved, and in turn, there were those who had to be killed. There's a substantial difference between the two, in his eyes. But many were saved, too.]

[Haha that was worth the reaction.]

And if I don't wanna be purified?

[Mikleo narrows his eyes at that. The grin sort of gives Rokurou away, but that doesn't mean he likes talking about it.]

Then it depends on the situation. If it's some kind of temporary madness, then maybe a fight would settle you enough to be safe even if you're still a hellion. Maltran chose to take her own life rather than be purified. There were those who we couldn't purify and to save others, there was no choice but to kill them. There's no such thing as a singular answer.

Hm...

[A small nod.]

Sounds fair. Doubt it'll happen here, but might as well—if I can't return to normal, and if I don't take my own life, kill me.

[A light grin.]

Like I said, I have my pride as a daemon and as a swordsman. I'd rather my victories not be tainted by indiscriminate kills like a brainless monster.

Just make it one of hell of a fight.

[Is it weird for him to be so calm? Yet he is, just further proving how much acceptance and little care he has about these things.]

There's no such thing as an easy fight with a hellion. We'd make it worth your while.

[It does feel wrong to just accept like that, though. It isn't their usual way of doing things, or... at the very least, it's not what they'd prefer. Killing another hellion would only cause Sorey pain, especially if they're on good terms right now. (And it's not like he'd enjoy it, either!)]

...Regardless, don't put that sort of burden on us if you don't have to! Do your part and stay in control as long as you can. It's irresponsible to make someone else clean up your mess.

[He's a little surprised, but then he just laughs.]

I got it, don't worry. This is all one big hypothetical, anyway. Doubt it'll ever happen. I don't even have any nightmares.

[~~and so the wheel of fate turns—~~]

Is that what causes it, then? Nightmares?

[Guess who's gonna try real hard to take advantage of the "seraphim don't need sleep" trait, if that's the case.]

For what happens here, sounds like it. Nightmares and negative emotions—which really isn't too different from maleovlence.

Get consumed by enough of it and you turn into a noctaere.

[Which sounds exactly like turning into a daemon/hellion.]

Haven't seen the actual change in person, but I've face a few noctaere before.

[Yeah, that... really does sound a lot like malevolence. Makes him wonder if this noctaere state would give him the same sickly feeling if he were around them, the way hellions do.]

I wonder if the power of purification would help with a noctaere, then.

[Ideally he wouldn't ever have the opportunity, but just in case... he'll have to bring this up with Sorey.]

As long as you're using dreamotion... Probably? Just like with daemons, normal attacks won't do much. You'll need strong dreamotion to do any damage or purify them.

Not sure how that translates with your abilities, but could probably work something out.

I'm not really sure how dreamotion works with any of my power, honestly. I'll have to experiment for a while, to make sure everything works as it should.

I'll be interested to see how it goes. Maybe a little spar?

...I'm not opposed.

[He doesn't do much fighting these days, but it wouldn't do to let himself get out of practice.]

Fighting a malak from the future...heh, this'll be fun. Just name a time and place and I'll be there.

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