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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[Wow, weird? You're the one who was staring, Mikleo! That's weird!]

Ohhhh... My brooch?

[Kor chuckles softly. Well, that explains everything.]

Why didn't you just say so in the first place? Sorry about that.

[He's all too eager to help, so he's plucking off his brooch and holding it out for Mikleo to properly inspect and see if it's a match. You know, without staring at his torso like a creep.]

I told you, I thought you couldn't see me! Usually no one can hear me, either. What was I meant to do, throw it at you?

[He does oblige and look at the brooch, though, since it's being offered. It... actually does look like a match, too. Dammit.]

I dunno, you could have still said something?! The worst that could happen is you just end up talking to yourself, right?

[Kor is so used to having friends with Mikleo's personality type. ...He still isn't sure how to read them or deal with them.

He looks at the pair of brooches. It really does look like they might be a match.]

I think we have a pair here. So now what?

Edited 2023-03-07 14:48 (UTC)

[Sounds like the words of someone who's never had to stand in front of a human and shout boo, then avoid getting crashed into as they walk blithely forward having never heard a thing. Because that happened! Multiple times!

But whatever, he'll accept a subject change. Arguing with this guy seems like punching a rock.]

I think we're just... supposed to talk? I'm not sure what happens next.

Just... Talk? Mmmh, sure. That seems easy enough.

[There's an awkwardness to his voice. As sociable and outgoing as Kor was, small talk wasn't his strong suit.]

Well, let's start with names. I'm Kor Meteor! What's yours?

Mikleo.

[Oh no, he's not great at small talk either.]

Does your world have, uh, benign ghosts?

Benign ghosts?

[He mulls over that question. Does Lithia count as a ghost? She's got a physical body now, so no, probably not...]

Umm... No, I don't think so. All of the ghosts I've encountered were just monsters.

Same here. [That's too bad. Why are ghosts so angry? ...Probably because they are ghosts.] I ask only because plenty of people assume seraphim are ghosts, since they can't see them, but seraphim can still affect the world around them. I'd be curious if there could be other worlds like that.

Mmm... We don't have anything quite like that where I come from.

[Unseeable beings that could still influence the world without anybody even being aware of their presence? Almost sounded like a god. ...Did his world even have gods? Kor wasn't sure about that, the church worships a giant whale and that was a space ship all along. Some people seemed to view Lithia as a goddess, but she definitely wasn't that.]

Thinking about it, though, I guess we have something similar. Though it's not really a living being.

[There weren't gods or ghosts or seraphim in his world, but there is something else that could influence the world in big ways.]

What is it, then?

[He'll try his best not to be offended by that comment. Seraphim were very much living beings, so of course it wouldn't be comparable to something that isn't! And even ghosts are... well, they were living beings. Now they're just beings.]

A Spiria. Every person has one that's part of them.

[Kor places a hand over the center of his chest.]

It's made up of a person's emotions, and particularly strong Spirias can affect your surroundings and even the people around you. Those emotions can even resonate with objects if they're powerful enough.

[With his actions and the way he's talking, context clues might suggest to Mikleo that Kor's referring to a concept he might be familiar with; the heart, albeit one taken to an extreme.]

[....Is he talking about-]

Pretty sure that's... definitely not the same thing. But what kind of effect can it have on the world, or on objects?

[Are hearts magical in this guy's world? Because that sounds neat, even if it's a sharp veering away from seraphim, nevermind ghosts.]

[That's why he said it wasn't a living being!!]

One time, I saw a beloved town bell develop a Spiria core of its own because of the townspeople's affections for it being so strong. And another time, the emotions a painter poured into his life's work caused those paintings to develop cores too! It didn't bring them to life, but people could feel the feelings coming out of them.

That's amazing. I've only ever seen that occur with negative emotions over time... but to think it could happen with something like love or passion is fascinating.

[Or maybe it did happen in a way, and that's why Lastonbell's belltower had been Sindra's chosen vessel. It sure had more positive energy than the church.]

[the fact that Mikleo has seen this happen before catches Kor's attention. It's not often people can relate to the things he talks about.]

Wait, you've seen that happen before?

[With negative emotions especially is troubling...]

Kind of. Most people can't sense it, but seraphim are attuned to the hearts of those around them, and if human hearts are troubled, they can generate a supernatural poison called malevolence. It can infect whatever's around them, be it other people, animals, plants, even the earth itself. Someone with enough malevolence can become a monster, and their possessions could absorb enough malevolence from them to start generating its own poison. We came across a sword that was like that- even after its owner died, it still had a ton of malevolence.

[It feels more like adjacent concepts than the same thing, but it's similar enough to strike a chord with Mikleo, and that makes him curious.]

They turn into monsters...?

[Something about the situation Mikleo is describing gives Kor the willies. It sounds similar enough to the things that can happen in his world, almost uncannily so in some regards, and yet... the idea of people turning into monsters just made it seem so much worse.

When people suffer from these problems in Kor's world... Well, that's what Somatics are for. But what happens in Mikleo's world...?]

What do you guys do about them? Do you have Somas in your world too? To heal them with?

I don't know what Somas is. As for what's done, that depends. Most people kill or are killed by them, because they can't do anything else about it. They usually can't see that they're monsters to begin with- a wolf hellion might just look like a feral dog.

[Which sucks especially, because it doesn't really give them a fighting chance, but it can't be helped.]

A human with high enough resonance could form a pact with a seraph who has the power of purification, and with it, they could revert the hellion back into its normal form, and purge the malevolence. They're called Shepherds.

They're... killed...

[Kor repeats those words, with a sad, somber look on his face. So in most cases, there isn't anything that can be done for people or creatures who have this happen to them. How depressing... This really is a lot worse than his world's version of it. While it was true that ways to treat it in his world were limited, it was rare that anybody suffering from it affected anybody besides themselves.

But what Mikleo says next does catch Kor's attention, and his eyes go wide. So they do have a way then?]

So you mean if someone makes a pact with a seraph like you, they can help people like that?

[He missed the part about purification being needed.]

[It's not the happiest of worlds, unfortunately, and Mikleo can't sugarcoat it. Even with the hope of the Shepherd, and with hundreds of years passing, there's still too much malevolence and too few with resonance to combat it. But at least by now they've had more Shepherds, and more seraphim willing to act as their pact partners.]

Exactly. It's something we've been working on for a long time now- better ways to save people, rather than condemn them or leave them as monsters. They all deserve a chance to live a life free of all that misery.

Thank goodness...

[There's a genuine sense of relief in Kor's tone. Even though it's not a situation that actually affects Kor, being on a completely different world, just hearing that there is some sort of solution that is actively being worked towards really puts his heart at ease.]

You're right, nobody should have to suffer through that. If everyone works together, there's definitely a way to save everyone one day.

Mm. [His relief is evident, and doesn't seem like it's coming just from a deep sympathy (though it very well could) so Mikleo throws a curious bone.] You asked if my world had Somas to heal them. Is that how it works in your world? Negative Spirias can be healed through... Soma?

[Still doesn't know what that is, but.]

[Kor nods to Mikleo's question. It was a valid one, and one Kor was prepared for.]

Mmm. This is a Soma. [He holds up his left arm, showing off the peculiar red device strapped to it.] It's a tool designed to help Spirias connect with one another more easily. And with it, I'm able to enter a person's Spiria and help fix whatever's plaguing them!

I see...

[Mikleo leans in, giving the device a serious once-over, as if it might reveal all its secrets as long as he stares at it closely enough. He's done this a million times before in old ruins.]

Like an amplifier. That sounds very useful... but what does it mean to 'enter' ones Spiria? Is it like a different place? Or some kind of dreamworld?

[Kor waits as Mikleo inspects his Soma, mildly confused by it. What was Mikleo hoping to learn just from staring at it?

He nods along to Mikleo's questions. He's on the right track with his assumptions, which makes explaining it a lot easier for Kor, which he's thankful for. He's never been great at explaining this stuff. At least, not in a way that makes sense to people not from his world.]

Mmm, kinda? I guess it's more correct to say it's like a person's inner world? One that reflects their true thoughts and feelings and emotions. People can hide behind masks and lies, but a Spiria never lies.

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tsunergy - 2023-04-19 05:05 (UTC) - Expand

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