songerein | { 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Was that even possible? Shinjiro hadn’t considered it. After all, it’s not like time travel was actually real ~~that he knew of, that he had memory of~~. That seemed like a nightmare. Was he supposed to tell the others about the future, then, or would it cause some kind of sci-fi paradox?

“Stubborn asshole,” Shinjiro muttered. He closed his eyes. What a fucking headache.

Aki would really like this kid. Or they’d get into a stupid fistfight and lose half their teeth in the process. He can’t decide which.

“Ain’t nothin I’ll say will change your mind, will it?” Shinjiro said rhetorically, sounding tired. Did he have a type of hotheadead people he got mixed up with? Was that it?

“No. I got shoved forward in time ten years into my future and a bunch of fucking people were dead, and y’know what? I wasn’t mad at the people that died!”

Gokudera has lost people he wishes he could have spent more time with, like his mother. Never has he thought he’d be upset at her. Maybe if she were revived and hid from him, yeah.

“I may not know anything about what your world is like, or what your friends think of you, but I’m not going to hide the fact that you’re here from them.”

That sounded like it’s own kind of nightmare. What if Shinjiro was thrown into the future? What if he learned that the others had died in the interim? The whole idea twisted his stomach and he shoved the thought away.

This was why what-ifs were useless.

“Do whatever you want, then,” Shinjiro said with a sigh. He could only hope that he really did provide with too many names for the kid to keep track of after all. “I can’t stop you. But I ain’t supposed to be alive - so I don’t know how long this will last.”

And yes, he knew better than to even hint at why it’d be be better if he wasn’t - or why that was the case. Shinjiro wasn’t trying to fish for pity and didn’t want to begin to explain.

For as young as he is, Gokudera’s been through a lot more than most people his age. It wasn’t just him that was brought to the future. It was most of his Family, and the children that his boss’s mom looked after. Toddlers, and a girl from middle-school being hunted by a mafia family who wanted them gone just because they knew Tsuna.

For Gokudera, this is not a matter of what-ifs. It was a future he was just pulled out of. He’s not even been able to go back to his own home time. And now he has to deal with whatever this place is. He’s had it! He’s going to-

Do whatever he wants. YEAH!

“Well. Before you go back to being dead, then… maybe make the most of it. I’ll look for my boss, and if I happen across anyone you mentioned, I’ll tip them off that you’re about.” It’s pretty clear that his number one priority is finding his boss, though.

“That ain’t bad advice,” Shinjiro had to admit, even if he did so a little grudgingly. It’s even advice he’d give to someone in a similar boat. Most people didn’t have a Persona with a track record of slaughtering innocent people, though. Not that he’ll tell this kid that. He lied for the first time that night, saying, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

If he can keep himself from hurting anyone, he will. That’s that.

Shinjiro looked at him again. “I’ll keep an eye out for your boss, too. Least I can do.”

Gokudera doesn’t usually give anyone advice, so it’s weird to be told it’s not bad. He looks genuinely surprised, and it feels like the carriage is slowing. He gets up, less eager to leave, and more eager to see where they are.

“Thanks.”

He feels like he should be ready for whatever is going on. So long as no one recognizes him, he’ll be fine. Gokudera isn’t planning on partying. He’ll do more snooping and looking about for anyone from his Family. Worst-case scenario, he’ll have to figure out what to do on his own in this unfamiliar place.

“Let’s see how it goes.”

And the door to the carriage opens. Looks like a party. Gokudera steps out, but lingers as if he’s some weird bodyguard for Shinjiro.

Shinjiro slowly stood up, looking at the party with a little wariness. He never did parties. Even before everything, it wasn’t his kind of thing. Not that he wanted to get into a fight - but at least he knew what to expect there.

He told himself to grow up and deal with it, and stepped out of the carriage. Squared his shoulders. Here goes nothing.

“Yeah. Good luck, Gokudera,” Shinjiro told him. There’s just a suggestion of a smirk on his face, or maybe it’s a trick of the light. “Try not to blow anything up.”

The bombs had made an impression on him.

“Hey, maybe if I do, I can answer to whoever brought us here.”

Causing trouble doesn’t always result in bad things happening. Maybe for someone who isn’t looking for trouble. Gokudera’s used to it by now.

“Same to you, though. I guess.” And he turns to offer him a cigarette and a miniature little stick of dynamite. So if Shinjiro gets in trouble or whatever, now he can have a smoke to deal with the stress, and a bomb to make someone keep their distance or leave him alone.

“See ya.”

{ stroke of midnight }

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