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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Zack can only observe wordlessly as Sol moves forward to address the issue at hand— hey! Major points for taking the initiative. There's little he feels he can do to help, but with a watchful eye the man will look on as the flowers are carefully examined. He does stiffen ever so slightly when the hand moves into the soil, thinking that the flowers were going to be uprooted.

"Rich... loam?" There's an obvious tone in his voice to likely indicate he... has no idea what you're talking about and with a defeated sigh shakes his head.

"Honestly? You might know way more about these than I do." He admitted, bringing an almost irritated hand to the back of his head.

They smiled brightly. "Possibly in general, but in specific it never hurts to ask! My dad's a botanist and my mom's a farmer, so as you can imagine I spent... most of my childhood dealing with plants one way or another."

They cupped their chin, looking contemplative. "Could just be that the environment doesn't agree with them. It's unfortunate, but some wild species just never take to domestication. There's something in their natural environment we just can't..."

They paused, only now seeing the helpful little sign mentioning... Dreamotion? "Or there could be a sign ten feet away telling us what they need that I'm too much of a doofus to notice. What's Dreamotion, d'you know?"

Well, that would certainly explain it. Zack chuckles, a little embarrassed by his lack of knowledge against someone who clearly knows their way around a garden. Sure, there were plenty in his hometown, but he was more interested in playing in the dirt beside the flowers than the actual plant themself. Until recently, of course—

"I thought all plants were basically the same? Y'know, just throw some dirt and water on them. Plenty of sunshine— the works." Sure he knew that some plants needed more sunlight than others, but flowers? Now that was just being too picky for them. "... You could say I've only recently become a bit of a flower enthusiast. Not that I know the first thing about taking care of 'em."

That was suddenly a lot of plant terms he was nowhere near familiar with, but as the direction of the conversation turned towards Dreamotion, his brows furrow in further confusion.

"Not a clue, sorry. I kinda just popped in." Zack shakes his head before walking over to look at the sign more closely. His hands on his hips as he "hmms" softly to himself in thought. "Dreamotion... it's gotta have something to do with dreams. But isn't that what this is...?"

They had to laugh. It wasn't a derisive or mocking one, just a chuckle- but admittedly that had been kind of funny. "Some plants are like that! It really depends. There's a few species that've just adapted to be incredibly hardy like that, you could stick 'em in an old boot and they'll grow just fine. But some of them need lots of water, almost no water, lots of sunshine, some grow best in the dark, some need cold, some need heat, I've even encountered one or two species that flourish the most when regularly exposed to electrical current. These ones..."

They tap their chin. "Dreamotion. It sounds like it's a portmanteau of... Dream emotion?"

The further Sol went into their explanation of the different types of plant conditions, the more Zack really had to set his attention to focus on their words. It... was a lot of information he didn't know he needed, let alone would have even considered learning about before. He's trying to stay focused and follow along, but eventually the pursed lip of confusion gave way to just how complicated they could be. Man, and Aerith really made it look so easy...

He shakes his head in order to clear up the fog of new information that came filing in, but eventually once the conversation drifted more towards figuring out how to help the flower through other means... well, maybe he could be of more use than just figuring out if the flowers weren't getting enough sunlight or not.

"Dream emotion..." He repeated the phrase to let it sit in his mouth, the words giving him time to ponder over it. "You mean like the flowers emotions? The instructions aren't very clear."

He leans over the sign again to repeat the instructions as his face further furrows in confusion. "... Are we suppose to talk to them?"

Sol clapped their hands, straightening up. "I don't actually know! Could be they actually feel emotions themselves, could be they just feed on good vibes, could beeee we gotta stage an upbeat musical number to make 'em grow, how's your singing voice?"

A beat.

"That last one was a joke, probably."

Alright, so perhaps the first two seemed somewhat believable, given his current predicament, but the third option caught him a little off guard.

Zack tensed, face scrunching up at the idea as his body physically reacts to it the idea. He jolts rather dramatically backwards as his arms are partly thrown up in to the air.

"Huh!?" ... Oh, wait. They were joking? Well, at least he was able to thankfully recovery fairly quickly and repositions himself so that his hands were not placed firmly at his hips. "No way the flowers would want to hear something like that. Probably would just die quicker." His dance moves were nothing to witness, either.

"Isn't... talking to plants a thing people do? Something about helping them grow if you're nice?" He wasn't sure on the details, but maybe a plant expert like Sol would know about it.

"Maybe. I'm gonna try it. Just on the off chance my brain gets eaten by some kinda alien plant hivemind, suddenly awakened by our emotional connection- I bequeath all my stuff to whoever grabs it first."

They reached out, gently, cupping one of the lilies with both hands. "Alright... tell me what's wrong, little flower. You're sick, you're far away from home, right? But you can grow bigger than this..."

It felt silly, talking to a plant like this. They knew from experience that singing or talking to plants didn't help them grow at all- but in an almost-literal dream world...

And there it was, something like a spark, warmth inside their chest that flowed out to their fingertips- and the lily bloomed, perked right up in their hands- and a few others nearby, too. "Okay. That... was unexpected."

Zack will give Sol a little salute in solidarity. Not that he realizes it as a possibility, but you never knew what would happen in a dream world.

... Wait, that actually worked?

He SOLDIER hovers over Sol, a little too close for comfort as his eyes peer down to hear the conversation. It took him a moment to process; eyes wide and mouth fully agape. He's nothing but impressed, and a strong shoulder pat of approval is given, followed up by a small fit of laughter.

"Hey, way to go! You're the Plant Talker now!"

"That... is so kickass!" They couldn't help the laughter, bright and excited, that bubbled out- "I mean I don't think it's talking to plants, they didn't exactly talk back or anything- but still. Making plants grow? That's, like- magic or something! Right??"

"Heh, gotta be, right?" He's used to "magic" back where he is from; the accumulation of focused and centralized mako from the earth... or, something like that. Sephiroth had explained it once, but if it works, it works? Though he's never witnessed mako do anything quite like this before. Perhaps it was the mixture of "dreamotion" and mako, but it was still too early to guess.

"You're the one who made it grow, so it has to be something you did. Wait, lemme try-" Now it's Zack turn to kneel down beside Sol, looming once again over the lilies. "Alright, let's see some magic! C'mon flowers, do your thing!" But... will it actually, is the question.

It was a feeling, really, just a vibe, deep in the gut. But they'd long since learned to trust their gut feelings, to trust that the soul remembered what the mind had long forgotten-

"Here. I think it's less about what you say and what you feel." One hand gently placed upon the older man's, guiding- "Think about... what it would mean to you, to see all these lillies healthy and blooming. Let that thought, that emotion sort of... fill you. Right? Then... just let it be."

Zack was only momentarily taken by surprise when Sol took his hand, guiding it over the flowers. At first he felt a tad bit of awkwardness being in front of these withering flowers asking to feel something about him, and his weight shifts awkwardly with the sudden pressure he felt in his chest. But the more he began to look at them, as he studied each individual petal, he remembered how carefully she would tend to the flowers.

How quickly and easily she scolded him for almost stepping on them the first time they met.

How they only grew in a particular place where the light rarely gave away from the plate above.

How happy she felt to share them with people in the slums... to share a piece of the land many didn't get a chance to see.

He closed his eyes, concentrating on those thoughts. Focusing on the flowers, on her before... a bud. A small, fresh bud formed at the center of the patch of lilies and glowed with an unnatural sort of light. Slowly the flowers around it began to also glow with that same light until the entire plot was beaming. The drooping petals lifted upright and straightening upwards, as if pointing towards the sun. Each vibrate and beautiful in their own way.

Zack could feel the light behind his eyelids and as he opened his eyes his entire body begins to lax with mouth agape. He could only stare in awe- amazed with the sight before the two of them.

"Aerith..." Was the only word he could muster out of his lips.

"They're really beautiful," Sol said, softly. "I won't ask, since it seems... private. But whoever Aerith is, they're lucky to have someone who cares about them so much."

He's momentarily lost in the vision of the blooming flowers and only breaks it when he hears Sol speak up again. Zack laughs, his voice going dry in his throat.

"Yeah, lucky..." Or not. She was waiting for him, and waited too long. Would she even want to see him after all this time? He shook his head to clear the intruding thoughts that left the flowers' light shutter.

He was going to remain positive and hopeful. For her... and for these flowers.

"Couldn't have made them grow without you- thanks for the help! The name's Zack. Nice to meet ya." The man beams brightly now, extending a formal hand to Sol.

They took the offered hand, grinning. "My name's Solanaceae, but seriously just Sol's fine, nobody calls me Solanaceae except my mom when she's mad."

Well, he certainly wasn't his mother, so with a laugh he will nod. "Right. Sol it is, then."

It's a firm handshake, not ever tight enough to hurt. But the moment he lets go he'll let the hand rest on his hip, taking a view of the flowers one more time. "Doubt I ever could of done anything like this were I'm fun. Man this place is weird."

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{ stroke of midnight }

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