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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I wish we could all enjoy your comfortable mediocrity, but unfortunately, that's just not on the table. I'll just have to endure being unique with grace and dignity.

[The good news for him is that she's opted to start walking again. The bad news is, she also opts to take a stick of the dynamite as she goes, eyeing it with interest.]

I don’t usually let people underestimate me…

[But he’s not eager to get that close to her fire again. He notices her taking the dynamite, but doesn’t seem to care very much. It’s taking all he has to not whip out his flame arrow, blast her with Rain flames. He doesn’t even know if they would do anything to her. They should, so long as she’s human, but then he’d be attacking her while her back is turned.

That’s kind of dirty, and he’s not so eager to hurt a girl. Gokudera stays up safe in the air, watching her, keeping an eye out to make sure whoever she may run into is not his boss.]

This is you presenting your best, then, is it?

[She pauses briefly to toss the snipe over her shoulder. Eventually, she opts to tuck the tiny explosive away in her costume and continue walking the maze. Either they'd find who he was looking for, or he'd get tired of her verbal abuse and go look for them elsewhere. She'd settle for either.]

Far from it.

[He has an entire weapon system. Gokudera just isn’t the type to show his whole hand. She hasn’t earned that. It’s saved for really dangerous people.]

Well, then you can hardly act astonished at being underestimated.

[Needling him was, if nothing else, mildly amusing. Certainly more so than most of the other diversions at the party.

It was rather marring the relatively pleasant isolation of the maze, though.]

Who’s astonished? I’m letting you get away with it.

[Conserving his powers is maybe important? It’s not like he blames her for bringing him here, or anyone else, but someone has to be responsible.

He’s mostly just being a nuisance.]

While you're at it, perhaps you could let me get away with some peace and quiet.

[She was beginning to wonder if she shouldn't have set off the cigarette after all. Being blown up would at least only be noisy for a few seconds.

She turns another corner in the maze and finds herself confronted by... the same flowers they'd been at when he tackled her.

She just went in a circle. Ugh. She doubles back.]

Edited 2023-02-18 07:27 (UTC)

Where’s the fun in that?

[Being a nuisance is its own entertainment]

Need a tip, donna piccante?

[And there’s a little ball of fire that drops off his platform. It doesn’t stay fire. It lands on the ground and solidifies into a fiery kitten. There! Now Gokudera’s box-weapon can accompany Azula. It just meows up at her and then cleans its paw, utterly useless in terms of helping to get through the maze.]

[What did he just call her?

She eyes the cat, clearly less than impressed.]

Adorable. I can see how this would help.

[Ignoring the fluffy little critter now accompanying her, she proceeds through the maze again. At least it seems to be getting warmer out here, and... she hears water?

Okay, she was almost positive there wasn't water out here, aside from the fountain. And the sound is wrong for a fountain. Hm. She considers asking him for confirmation, but-

Well. Considering how helpful he's been so far, probably best not. She keeps walking.]

[Spicy.

Uri is just a kitten, but will alert Gokudera if something dangerous happens, which will allow him a little more space and time to scout up ahead.

Given he hasn’t been able to find his boss, or much trouble around the party, it’s not any problem if she hits another dead end. If there is another approaching, he’s just going to watch. But there’s something about the maze that doesn’t seem so familiar. He hums and lowers the platform, watching as the kitten and this annoyed woman lead them in deeper.

Uri is still useless, but hey, the kitten can take a hit if anything dangerous is up ahead.]

[At present, following the inexplicable sound of water is making for a nice distraction from her unwanted companion. Companions, now, she supposes. Lucky her.

The sound leads her around two more turns, and as she rounds a third, she knows this should- logically- lead to a dead end, the other side of the hedge she just passed.

Instead, it seems to open out into a garden. Not the garden that was attached to the castle, but a very, very familiar garden for Azula. She stops short in stunned silence, and her seemingly-unimpressed quip takes just a little too long for her to say.]

Impressive. You're so annoying, the maze cheated to get rid of you.

How is this supposed to get rid of me?

[Gokudera feels like this isn’t part of the maze, or that it’s so different, that it doesn’t belong. They didn’t leave already, did they? He could have sworn there was much more to it from where he’d been in the air earlier.

To conserve on his dying will, the platform he’s been riding shrinks away and he’s walking. The kitten prowling up ahead seems to be having the time of its life.]

Some maze…

[This feels like an illusion, but he can’t tell. It’s the one flame he hasn’t wanted to explore thoroughly out of potential kinds flowing through his body.]

This isn't the maze, you fool.

[She doesn't sound as irritated- or even as carefully neutral- as normal, she sounds almost distracted.]

It's a different garden entirely.

[The gardens of the Fire Nation Royal Palace. Her family's garden. Her garden.]

Sure it’s not some trick of it? There were giant mice outside earlier fuckin’ throwing people into carriages. Is it so foolish to think this might be an illusion?

[Gokudera takes a few cautious steps forward, crouches, and places a hand on the grass, trying to remember if it’s all the same, if-]

Is the maze still behind us?

[It feels weird to ask, but he doesn’t even know what he’d like her answer to be. What is this place? It feels peaceful, heavily ornate, and decorated… like something out of a movie set.]

[In a slightly impatient tone, she shoots back-]

This whole world runs on dreams. The maze could just as easily transport us to a different place as create the illusion of one.

[She doesn't check behind them right away. She's reluctant to look away. She's surprised by how much she'd missed this place.

She'd never much cared for it when she lived in the palace, but then, she'd taken a lot of that for granted- before the asylum, before the city, before this infuriating dream world.

Unfortunately, when she finally turns around, all she sees behind them where the maze should have been is the doorway back to the palace. Closed and barred. Ah. Well, that's annoying.]

[Ah, so he isn’t a fool. She doesn’t have to say it. He has enough self-confidence to not let a little name-calling knock him down. Not like he much cares for what she thinks of him, anyways.

It’s annoying. Out of all the people, he’s stuck with this violent fire-woman. He doesn’t have anyone to blame other than himself, so he’s just going to sulk and look behind him, since she doesn’t answer his question. When it’s a building, and one they’re locked out of, how… do they get out?

Uri is keeping close by, cleaning itself, and waiting for them to move, seeming to act as though they aren’t in a different area at all. Gokudera looks around the garden and tries to form his platform. Fire shoots out on his hand, and… doesn’t go anywhere. It’s just a useless rainbow of fire, not doing anything until he groans and cuts it off. So much for getting a fresh bird’s-eye view. Guess the magic maze didn’t like him cheating.]

[He might or might not be right about the illusion, but she's certainly not prepared to cede the ground on him being a fool just yet.

He tries to use those odd flame powers of his and not accomplish... whatever he meant to accomplish. Hm. She was beginning to suspect this was a dreamscape after all. Dreamscapes could have strange rules sometimes, particularly for powers and abilities. His might not have been compatible.]

I know this place. I should be able to find us a way out.

[She doesn't elaborate further, she just stalks her way across the gardens. As she passes the pond, a small flock of shelled, wingless, duck-like little creatures hastily swims to the other end of the water. She ignores them.]

[Honestly, it’s anyone’s guess as to why he cares so much about whether she considers him a fool. He doesn’t know her, or want to get to know her, and the only reason he’d tagged along (as annoying as it was for them both in different ways), it was to keep his boss safe.

Gokudera follows her, and his kitten stops and begins to stalk towards the creatures in the water. Its ears are still somehow on fire, that extension of Gokudera’s power not limited when he’d summoned it.]

Uri-!

[Gokudera scoops the kitten up and it claws its way up his arms and onto his shoulders where it then grips onto his temples, and bites at his head.]

Augh! Stop! We’ve got to get out of here!

[Calling Uri in the first place was a pretty bad idea, he’s realizing now.]

So this place came from you?

[He dawdled back there for a bit, but catches up to her, kitten still clinging to his head, but letting go and deciding to nap on his shoulders. It has ridiculously large paws, a tail twice the length of its body, and has a vaguely leopard-like pattern on its body. The fire burns constantly, but there’s no heat being pushed out.]

Obviously.

[She leads him past the gazebo and through the garden gates, expecting them to wind up back in the maze again... but no. They wind up in the palace courtyard, just as they would have back home. She scowls.]

Apparently, this is going to be more involved than I thought.

[Sometimes she hates Reverein. Most times, actually.]

[Well, now he knows. Gokudera follows her, keeping any further remarks to himself. She seems plenty irritated enough, and with this place being familiar, he’d do best to simply follow.]

[Ugh. A glance across the courtyard confirms that the gates are closed- and they're quite alone, so nobody's going to open it.]

If this is some sort of puzzle, I'm not impressed.

[She says it more to the frustrating dream itself than to him.]

Fine. Next plan. You're not claustrophobic, are you?

[He isn’t impressed, either, but then, Gokudera has no idea what to expect. This place looks cool, sure, but he’s not looking to be unproductive.]

I’m not.

[He bites back the stupid nickname he gave her earlier. She seems frustrated enough without him making it worse.]

Good, then I won't have to drag you for this next part.

[She's already seen that little platform of his, which should help with the climbing part. She heads back into the garden, and- at a dead sprint- rushes back toward the palace, vaulting toward the garden wall and springing off with a boost from her firebending to land on the palace roof.

It occurs to her that she's about to reveal secrets about the palace to a complete stranger, and one she wasn't terribly fond of so far.

Ugh. Well, that's... inconvenient, but it can't really be helped.]

Drag me?

[He follows and watches her vault over the garden wall.

Yeah, see… the thing is that once he deactivated his platform, he wasn’t able to call it back out. He was going to use it to see if there was anything past this garden, like the rest of the maze. Gokudera wonders if he should blow up the wall, but that won’t get him onto the roof.]

Spider-monkey… [He grumbles and manages to summon his arm cannon. Gokudera then points it at the ground and fires. It’s just more red flames, the same as are in his cat’s ears. Uri grips onto him and screams angrily until they are on the roof, but it’s no easy landing. He looks like a buffoon, definitely.

This entire place could be one big secret and he’d be none the wiser. As long as she doesn’t give him the impression it’s something he shouldn’t know, he’s not going to realize it’s even that important. Gokudera’s just getting up, brushing himself off, and deciding to not put his weapon away. What if he can’t get it back out, like his platform? Better to stay armed.]

[She will patiently wait for him to navigate the jump, if only to enjoy the show. She'd assumed he could just do the platform trick again, but apparently not.

As solutions went, it was creative and unorthodox, if not particularly dignified.]

Drag you. Through the tunnels. There's a pretty small passageway up here.

[And on that note, she makes her way up and across the palace rooftops. She presses on a specific stone and a small panel opens in the outer wall, leading to a narrow hidden walkway.

At least that still worked.]

{ stroke of midnight }

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Long as we're in the dream maze, your world or mine?

Yours unless you know KHR. I know enough about ATLA c:

Funfunfun. c:

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