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

Uhhh! Hold on! Come on! Maybe we take off before the frog knows where we're going?

[He's still just really against the idea of strangling the poor frog to death! Stop with the thorns too?! Even if the frog was rude that seems cruel!]

Alright, how about this? I'll toss the frog back in the lake while you make get to a safe spot?

[Beauty stares at Sora for a long moment, but after a minute, it seems that she is considering the offer as her vines hold out the frog to drop into Sora's hands.]

...Fine. You can take him.

[Plop.]

Oh, good.

[Thank goodness?? Sora sighs really dramatically and then nods. The poor frog is wheezing in his hands but he's got this!]

Okay, I'll get rid of this guy and you go towards the town's main plaza! I'll meet you there after!

Understood.

[She starts to walk away, albeit very slowly as those vines of hers proceed to do the heavy lifting of carrying her... but then she pauses, turning back to look at Sora with a slight frown.]

I just realized... I don't know where that is.

[She's new here, sorry.]

[Sora stares for a second because those are some scary-looking vines. Where has he seen something like that before... Where??]

Huh? Oh!

[He shakes his head.]

It's just that way, it's not too far away. Uh... You'll see a bunch of purple and pink trees with swings attached to them!

Oh, that sounds nice! Maybe they have a nice swing to take a little nap on...

[And there she goes, heading in the direction that was pointed out to her. You'd almost think that she's already forgotten about the rude frog...]

[Yep, there she goes... But hey, Sora can relate those swings are super good for taking naps on. He has before-

Anyway! It's time to throw this frog back into the water and let it swim away before the girl comes back!]

And don't come back! We don't like pushy jerks around here!

[With the frog released into the wild Sora then heads for the dreaming swings as well to see if she made it okay. He calls out!]

Hello? Hey, are you still here?

[She is in fact here! ... Sitting on a swing, head tilted in a manner that looks like she's already nodding off, but then she lifts her head back up again upon hearing Sora's voice.]

Mmm? ... Yes, I'm here...

[There she is! Sora makes his way over with a curious grin.]

Ahah, sorry! Were you sleepy? [MOOD] But I took care of that frog for you. He won't be bothering you anymore. What's your name, anyway?

Oh, thank you.

[She seems to soften a bit upon hearing that, no longer carrying that quiet rage she seemed to have before when she was cruelling strangling that frog.]

I've been called a lot of things, but as for a name you can call me... Sleeping Beauty. That's... the name I was given by my author.

[She seems to relax a little bit and that makes Sora feel relieved too.

For about half a second?]

Uh... What? Your name is Sleeping Beauty? Someone gave you that name?

[Author?? She doesn't look like Aurora at all?! ...???]

Mm. Because of my story.

... And because of my curse.

[You are indeed looking at the princess who slept for a hundred years due to a curse from a malevolent fairy.]

[Sora looks marginally confused for a moment or two longer.]

Your curse...? What's your curse?

[He has an idea but he never actually got to speak with Aurura at length before. If this girl is anything like her...]

To sleep. [She yawns, a hand coming up to her mouth to try to smother it momentarily.] For hundreds of years. Possibly forever.

[There's a pause, however, as she lowers her hand.]

It's not so bad, though. Sleeping is actually quite wonderful, so it would be better to call it a gift rather than a curse like everyone else does.

Uhh... I guess I can't argue there. I love a nap just as much as the next person. But the longest I've ever slept is a whole year.

[Unfortunately, Sora doesn't know Princess Aurora's story all that well. He only met her once when he saved her and never ventured to her world, himself. But despite that Sora does believe her.]

You're really Sleeping Beauty, huh? I can't believe it.

[Beauty blinks at that, momentarily a little more alert than she has been before.]

Have you heard of me before, Mister?

Have I ever!

[Wait. Sora backtracks with a tilt of his head.]

Uh... Well, I think I've met another "you" if that makes sense?

Another me...

[She goes quiet for a long moment, thinking it over before she finally speaks.]

I suppose it's possible. The Library is strange like that, after all. Maybe there was another me that the Puppets recruited before... but I wouldn't really know a lot about such things. It's too exhausting to think about.

[Sora almost lets out a short laugh at that. If she thinks it's too exhausting to think about then she's in for a real nap if Sora gets into everything he knows.]

Puppets? Well, when I met Sleeping Beauty it was when I was saving her from some pretty bad people that wanted to use her light for all the wrong reasons. She's a princess of light. That means she's good to the core. Does that ring any bells for you?

[He's not sure how different the two of them might be. But he sure is curious.]

[At that, she quietly shakes her head.]

No... none of that sounds familiar to me at all.

Weird...

[Sora tilts his head in thought.]

So you're probably a different princess! Still, it's really neat to meet you.

[Beauty nods in acknowledgement, but judging by the way her eyes droop, it looks like she's already about to fall asleep any moment. As if she's tired of thinking any further about the possibility of other Sleeping Beauties out there for the time being.

However, despite her sleepy demeanor, she does manage to stay awake as a thought occurs to her now.]

... I still don't know your name, Mister.

Huh? What? Did I seriously not tell you my name?!

[He hops on the spot and looks surprised because he's usually not that rude! He always introduces himself!]

Geeze, sorry! I'm Sora! My name is Sora! And welcome to Reverein!

Sora... okay. Nice to meet you. Let's talk some more later.

[And with those words, Beauty's eyes close and... oh. She's already fallen asleep here in the spot she chose while waiting for Sora to come. Well then.]

Huh? Oh!

[He lowers his voice... It's nap time now, apparently.]

Have a great nap then...!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

{ stroke of midnight }

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🎀