{ summer beach episode 2023 }

[dreamposts]

SUMMER BEACH EPISODE

Thanks to the Dreamsortium's aggressive advertising in town and around the Wildlands, the Forever Dreams resort's grand opening is a bustling and lively one with both dreamers and local fae alike coming by. Even the dragons from Dragefjell are coming down to enjoy luxurious sunbathing.

Just remember, only the first night is free! After that, one must either pay or help fulfill some "odd jobs" around the resort for the Dreamsortium.

More details on everything can be found here.

I. FOREVER DREAMS RESORT

A. Resort Amenities. Everyone will have a room to stay in, though there are also camping options for those who might want to stay outdoors.

🧑‍🍳Outdoor Dining. There are outdoor kitchen patios that are available for guests who would like to prepare their own food, however while the resort will provide with some ingredients, guests will have to bring their own. Perfect for those who try their hand at fishing and want to enjoy their catch. Just beware of the sea gulls that will try to pilfer anything left unattended.
♨️Spa and Massage. Need a break? Relax those sore muscles? The resort boasts only the best and have a special spa for those who can gather and relax with a drink and snack. They have also hired friendly dragons and orcs who specialize in providing the best massage possible.
🦀 Crab Shuffleboard. There are some shuffleboard courts setup that are said to be more unusual than normal, which is quickly revealed by the usual round "discs" used for play. The discs work well enough regardless…until at some point legs appear to reveal they are strange little crabs! They are sturdy little ones so some consider their traveling as part of the game, but others might want to catch them. (Note, they are not normal crabs and are Karka hatchlings.)

B. Animal Control. Unfortunately the construction agitated and displaced a few of the local creatures in the area, and while most have just moved on, others are less willing to leave their original habitats. Some are making it work, while others are hostile. Perhaps creating a newer, better habitat will make them more willing? Or figure out ways to coexist.

🐍Sea Snakes. Completely harmless, these aquatic snakes would nest in the tall seaweed that grows near the beach by the resort. Most of them were able to be relocated in other places, but there are some patches that haven't been moved because of their nests. By now the eggs have hatched, but the babies are still hiding out. Help move them to a safer location!
🦦Seaweed Otters. The otters prefer the clams that can be found in the shallows which is why they can be found lounging about. They're cute and friendly, but also mischievous, stealing other food and toys from beach goers. Although relatively harmless, it's dangerous for them. Good news, the same types of clams can be found further down. Catch the otters and guide them towards the new location. Alternatively, have them try different foods from other areas of the beach to encourage them to move elsewhere.
🦉Pineapple Owls. Pineapples are popular to serve, but harvesting them has been difficult. There are some owls that are dive bombing those who try. It doesn't help their eggs look like small pineapples! Help locate the affected trees to mark them and find empty trees to safely harvest from.
🦀Karka. KARKA ROOOOOLLL. Appearing by the coves on the edge of the Wasteland, these giant, monstrous creatures have a tough outer shell that is difficult to penetrate and requires using a special acidic solvent that somehow the Dreamsortium are able to prepare quickly. They appear to be very agitated and while they mostly stay where they are, some will come close to the resort to attack. Maybe returning some of those "little crabs" from the shuffleboard courts would help…

C. Beach Fun. There are some casual fun beachside activities that everyone can partake in! For those who didn't bring their own, towels and beach chairs are available to rent.

🤿Snorkeling. Grab your gear and do some snorkeling in the clear shallows around the resort! Might make a new finny friend or two.
🐚 Shell Collecting. There are a number of beautiful shells, and they say the large conch shells will whisper a dreamy tune that could help one sleep. There are also contests and requests to collect certain shells.
🏐 Games. Various games are set up, such as beach volleyball, watermelon smashing, water balloons and water guns, and the return of the fruit slicer, where one must slice a barrage of fruit with only dreamotion.
🍈Melon Dodgeball. A new game that's becoming an explosive hit is a dodgeball game using special melons. These melons are sensitive to the temperament and dreamotion of the players, so the more tense and energetic they are, the more likely they will explode and splatter their target instead. Still counts as out!
🐢 Boating. The turtle shell boats are back! Toting large clams shells big enough for two people, these giant sea turtles will happily pull people for either a relaxing cruise, or a fast paced ride through the water. Small sailboats are also available to rent.

D. Special Businesses. Some of the local businesses are putting up stalls on the beach!

🍷 At Day's End.Two days a week during the month of July, At Day's End will have a booth available at the beach resort! The bar and winery's offerings include a number of fine drinks and cocktails designed with summer in mind, such as: the Champagne-like Dew of the Ether; the luck-changing, naturally cold Azure Omen; the floral and sweet Divine Retribution, available with or without alcohol; and the minty and light fruit punch, Dawn in the Wildlands. Other drinks will also be available at the beach stall, though in limited quantities compared to the town's location.

Much like the services provided to patrons of the establishment proper, van Zieks will be available to provide cooling through his personal dreamotion abilities, though in exchange for passing out pamphlets or helping him serve drinks. He can't do anything about sunburns, though, you're on your own there.

🌸Wild Harvest. There is nothing unusual about the Wild Harvest's stall, and at a glance, it is exactly as you'd expect. There are flowers for the taking, set decoratively inside a vase beside a stack of fliers for any new dreamers who don't know about the establishment yet. A list of names that seems to be a sign-up for something called You Be the Chef also sits in front of whichever staff member may be running the booth, and if asked, they'll happily speak about the contest.

There is a grill set up with sticks of freshly grilled kebabs, also for the taking to sample, and nearby, a wooden-looking slide of sorts has been set up. Those who have visited the Harvest in recent weeks will know this is for the nagashi somen, or flowing noodles, for anyone who'd like to "catch" them. Chopsticks are provided, as well as the complementary dipping sauce.

In addition, as a dessert, there is also a station set up with cups of shaved ice for passersby to create their own Summer Dreams. Various toppings, condensed milk, slices of fruit and fruity syrups are provided. Even emoji-fruit with positive emotions are used! And if patrons are unable to infuse their sample with their own positive dreamotion, the staff is more than happy to assist.

II. ATLANTIS

At some point during the grand opening, some merfolk will surface and wave at the beachgoers. With reassurance from the Dreamsortium, anyone who wishes to visit the underwater city Atlantis may do so and will be given a special potion that will allow them to transform into some kind of merfolk or aquatic creature. They can last for several hours and will automatically bring them back to the surface before it wears out. Enjoy~ And beware the sirens.

A. Around Atlantis. The city is vast at the bottom of the ocean with so many things to see and do, with numerous shops opening their doors and the locals curious to meet their land based neighbors. So much so, perhaps another visit will be in order. For now, here are some highlights, and for those less inclined to try the potion, they could try and figure out a different way down there. Surely someone with enough dreamotion talents can come up with an idea?

🎣 Jellyfish Hunting. A favorite game of the Atlantians, there are special schools of jellyfish that swim around the city that come in a total of five different colors: blue, pink, yellow, green, and orange. If one catches at least one of each jellyfish, a small chest of jewels will be given as a prize. The jellyfish are friendly and harmless, though they might still try to sting out of defense.
🍴 Look at this Stuff. A young mermaid has been watching the "landdwellers" for a while now and has started to create her own collection of items only found on land. She asks any visitor she encounters whether they have or could find some trinket to add to her collection.
✨ Glowing Coral. The city is filled with beautiful, large coral patches and large reef gardens, especially just outside the city. Of particular note are special coral that sing, and one particular group of merfolk request some help in harvesting these to be used for everyday purposes in the city. Visitors are welcome to gather some for themselves—with careful moderation of course. As long as they are cut properly and kept in sea water, the coral will continue to thrive and potentially grow.

B. Temple of Saudade and Hiraeth. An ancient temple that is partially submerged just outside of Atlantis, and there is an indiscernible melody or song that can be heard faintly throughout the temple. The merfolk are still excavating it to find what all is within it, but it's a difficult endeavor due to the effects of the temple. It has a large amount of dreamotion energy and there are certain areas where people can become trapped in an illusory vision of a memory or unrealized dream with a very strong emotional tie to the individual. This will make the individual more emotionally reactive and must be calmed and talked out of their illusion. If the emotion is strong enough, whatever the character is seeing or wishing to be real will form.

C. Sirens. While not targeting the visitors swimming through Atlantis, there are sirens and other hostile fae that dwell in the ocean depths that don't take too kindly to the visitors. Stray too far from the safety of Atlantis or drift too deep into the shadows and they may appear to either harass or downright attack. Their songs are not as effective while someone is in merfolk/aquatic creature form, but they do have some effect to at least try and lure them for attention. Those who are afflicted with nightmares or have more nightmare energy will also be more susceptible.

❄️ Christmas Carols!? One siren in particular may be familiar to those from around Christmas. Called "Sirenia Caviary," she is one of the more "friendlier" sirens, but her voice wails through the waters as she is suffering from writer's block. Help her come up with new Christmas songs and the sirens may look more favorably on everyone.
🍌 Treasured Bananas. One reason why the sirens are hostile towards outsiders is due to a recent "plunder" of their precious chest of bananas. Seasalted Bananas are a delicacy and hard to come by since bananas are not found underwater. Bring some bananas to the sirens and their mood may improve.
♻️ Underwater Cleanup. Another reason for the sirens' hostility is the amount of trash and litter that has accrued both during the construction of the resort and the large influx of visitors thanks to it. While it wouldn't be enough to make them as friendly as their Atlantian cousins, clearing out some of that trash would at least make them less inclined to attack and chase upon sight. The collector in Atlantis might also find some use out of the items.

D. Thieves. There are some suspicious individuals (pirates) that appear around Atlantis trying to steal various treasures and items from the city and from the temple. Try to stop and catch them–but even if they are caught, they somehow escape. There is always an odd "click" and "buzz" sound before they disappear in black smoke that has a hint of nightmare energy in them…

Comments

[skyglider]

[Cruel. Indeed. Link gives him a long look, neutral and thoughtful. The Sheikah has no way of knowing how true his statement is, how long this particular Link and Zelda have been separated not by distance, but by time. He cannot know what the princess has had to do, what she has chosen to sacrifice, just to make sure she could make it back to their present.

For him. For the sword he has not yet been able to retrieve.

He tries not to linger on those thoughts, as much as he can. He's not sure he's ready to process them -- he may never be, but in the moment, he needs some time. Cruel as it may be, it can also be a balm to help treat wounds, and he needs that. Instead he focuses on Sheik's words.]

Two weeks...

[It seems so trivial, doesn't it? Certainly, much can happen within two weeks, but compared with the last four years, or even with the last few months...it feels like nothing at all.

It's not the first time he's heard of something like this happening, though. People come and go in Songerein all the time; they sleep, they disappear, and then they return, as if ages have passed for them. He never considered what he might do if it happened to him. He thought he'd have little left to tackle, if he was able to go home and defeat Calamity Ganon. Well...for a while, that was true. Not so any longer.]

I... [In truth, it's a tempting offer, if only because he's had quite enough of being alone. Not only in Reverein -- his recent journey, after losing Zelda, has been a striking difference from the last several years of companionship. He struggles to remember the last time he was so thoroughly on his own. But--] I wouldn't know where to start.

[But it's not a no. It is, if anything, a tired and uncertain yes.]

[sagesurvivor]

[Oh, that's... he was expecting a much stronger denial than that. A projection of his own feelings and fears, perhaps, but-- while it would be rather disingenuous to call it a "pleasant" surprise (nothing about this could be called pleasant), there's a certain level of... contentment, so to speak, despite how fragile Link's acceptance might seem.

He doesn't get many victories. He has to acknowledge the small ones.]

Hmm. It is often said that, in the absence a more suitable point, the beginning is as good a place as any.

[Even if there are some things he wishes to know more urgently than others, particularly when he reaches down to pick up the bundle of twigs Link had been "carrying" and finds them to be stuck together with a bizarre green substance. Gross. But he can be patient, and if the Hero needs a guide to lead him through the fog of his thoughts, he can play that part comfortably as well. With a slight jerk of his head, he beckons Link to follow him in the direction of his camp as he continues.]

Before you woke from your long dream, you had yet to confront your Calamity. I can only presume that is no longer the case.

[Given that he mentioned he'd gone back "for a long time." Sheik doubts he spent all that time simply preparing for that final battle, nor does he think they'd even be able to have this conversation if Link had failed. But confirmation that the damn thing is gone would be nice.]

[skyglider]

[Start at the beginning. That seems reasonable.

Link follows almost without thought -- perhaps he's spending it all on trying to figure out how to explain. That question... He had forgotten just what state he had been in when he first arrived in Reverein. Could this place be responsible for patching together some of his memories? For strengthening his resolve to face his duty? He cannot say for certain.

Well. To start with, the short answer is yes -- so he nods.]

That's right. [It's so strange to think back on. The friends they had grieved for, the changes they had made, the healing that all of Hyrule had begun...it feels so normal now that it's hard to recall his state of mind from before then. He had been a wreck -- a little like now, perhaps. In ways.]

Four years ago. I fought Calamity Ganon, and we... [A slight tremble in his tone, difficult to detect. He's going to have to relay these memories to others at some point, too. Might as well get used to talking about it now.] ... Zelda sealed it away. We spent the rest of that time rebuilding.

[Sheik may be one of the few to notice --and indeed to see the significance-- in the lack of honorific added to the princess's name. It had been a habitual part of the way he addressed her, always Your Highness or Princess Zelda even after the Calamity occurred. Even in Songerein. But that, too, is among the changes of the last several years.]

[sagesurvivor]

Good.

[Sheik says with a quietly bitter satisfaction that he knows he hasn't earned, but he feels nonetheless. All the more so as he recalls the traces of the beast that slipped into Songerein, and the horrid creature he fought that wore the Princess' face. That the Calamity has been felled (that their mistake has once again been rectified) is an unequivocally good thing that should not be ignored, no matter how he dreads learning what followed to make Link seem so haggard despite his victory.

He gets pieces of it, in the spaces between Link's words. The way he doubles back in his recollection, minimizing his own involvement while elevating the Princess', might be a bit too subtle for others to notice, but for one who has all but enacted their own erasure from history in favor of glorifying another, it rings a little too familiar. Did he fail her somehow, like how he's failed the Hero of Time?

Another point to the constellation, but its shape remains a mystery. Of course, that's not the only thing he notices.]

... You must have spent much of that time together, then.

[Zelda. Just Zelda. It wouldn't be accurate to say that he's envious - he stamps down on the feeling long before it can develop into such a thing - but there is a sort of wistfulness as he imagines the two of them, rebuilding their kingdom together, side by side.

(There will be no one that will call the Princess of Destiny by her name, when it is her turn to rebuild.)

They approach Sheik's camp, if one can even call it that. He seems to have hollowed out a space underneath the roots of a large tree for the purpose of tucking away what few belongings he's collected during his time in Songerein, but there's little in the way of man-made shelter otherwise. At least he's allowed himself the indulgence of a bit of cookware, it seems, as a pot steams aromatically over the smoking remnants of a campfire. Kindly ignore that the tree itself seems oddly gnarled and withered in places; despite his best efforts to leave as few traces of himself as possible, he can't entirely stop the energy created by his nightmares and anxiety from seeping into his surroundings like a blistering wound.

But it could be worse. A certain someone has been doing their goddamn best out here while the ninja has not, and Sheik beckons to them as he sets the bundle of twigs in his arms down.]

Come out, Tem. We have a guest.

[A tiny, month-old tapir with stone grey fur sticks its head out from within the hollow before trotting out entirely. Red, blue, and green freckles upon its face shimmer like gems in the dappled light shining through the forest's canopy, and it sniffs the air around Link curiously as it slowly approaches. Guest? Guests aren't a thing that happens around here, whomst is this???]

[skyglider]

[Link's memories continue to shift and resurface as Sheik speaks, as they walk through the wildlands. He recalls the spectres of Calamity Ganon that followed him here through his nightmares, remembers fighting them alongside other people here, but something about the way Sheik says that...it feels like something much more personal. Something bitter, something based on deep resentment. The Sheikah have always been supportive of Hyrule's royal family, and protective, in their way. But this feels like more, in a way he cannot put a finger on.

The feeling is mutual, though. Good riddance. His entire life had revolved around prophecies of Calamity Ganon's return for as long as he could remember; even drawing the Master Sword was spurred on by wanting to protect his family from that prophecy. To finally be rid of it after so long...it had been a kind of freedom he'd never really known.

Sheik can't possibly feel the ache that twists in his chest at those words, but he's quiet for a moment anyway.]

Yes, [he finally says, quietly, faltering as he tries to choose the right words to respond without falling apart.] Hyrule needed her guidance. Calamity Ganon was gone, but...that didn't mean she was safe.

[Even as he says the words, he knows they're not entirely genuine. The truth is that he stayed by her side because he wanted to, not because he had to. She had released him from that duty, and even if she hadn't, there were no more royal knights or Champions or the like to enforce any of those rules. She released him from service, and he remained at her side as a friend. A heavy admission; one he might make more easily if not for the loss that now comes with it.

This is when they arrive in Sheik's camp, and for a moment, Link is at a loss over the state of it. The heavy energy in the air...it calls to some of the corruption that still seems to simmer within him, purified little by little but never truly leaving. He looks around, glances sidelong at Sheik, his expression neutral. Underlying it is worry building in his chest...and, perhaps, the slow realization that he must be worrying others with his own state, as well.]

Tem? [A small tapir. He glances from Sheik to the creature, and then kneels down, greeting it cautiously with a small wave. He knows that they eat nightmare energy, but the sort of corruption that Ganondorf left within him...he's not confident it's entirely the same thing.]

[sagesurvivor]

[When Link's eyes cut to Sheik, he will be met with his scarlet gaze glancing back at him, a brow raised in thinly-veiled skepticism. No, he's not lying, exactly, but the truths he is choosing to omit are obvious enough to be noteworthy. He called her "Zelda," and it's not like Sheik isn't aware of the bond they share here in Songerein, if not in their own time in Hyrule. So why, then, is he falling back on duty when his, theoretically, has been fulfilled? What comfort could such a thing offer, when it has been so cruel to him in the past?

But Link doesn't voice the questions carried by his gaze, and so Sheik offers him the same courtesy, turning his attention to the pot steaming over the coals as the tapir investigates.]

It was born - or, more accurately, hatched - from my memories of the Temple of Time, so... Tem.

[... Perhaps being bad at naming things runs in Sheik's family.

Tem, meanwhile, is mildly less concerned with the fraught emotions flying around here. A kneeling person is a friendly person as far as it knows, so it trots up to Link without hesitation once he's closer to the ground. The curious sniffing continues... to the point that it presses its snout fully against his leg and huffs, resulting in some very silly noises. The Guest has goodies inside him but they won't come out! Tem has never experienced frustration like this before. :<]

[skyglider]

[He can only meet Sheik's gaze for a moment before he casts his eyes downward. The Sheikah are the protectors of the Royal Family. They have been at his side since the moment he was named Zelda's sworn knight, and they have done everything in their power to assist him in whatever quest he needed to carry out. To face a Sheikah, knowing that he has failed so grievously... it's shameful. He's ashamed.

Perhaps all he needs is a little more time. Time to work through the shock of losing Zelda, time to figure out what to do. But time is not a luxury that Reverein has afforded him -- he is here now, and he will start having to work through it all now, whether he is able to do anything about it or not.

Luckily, he has a little friend to distract him from the deeper parts of this navel-gazing.]

Nice to meet you, Tem. [In spite of everything, he can't help the ghost of a smile at the mention of the Temple of Time, nor at the tapir. Small, weak, nostalgic, but still present, at least for a moment.

Tem's insistent snuffling causes an eyebrow to lift. Curious, Link lifts his sword arm for the tapir to investigate. He has no idea whether the creature will be more or less interested; his arm was suffused with corruption, it's true, but its replacement belonged to King Rauru, who wielded power over light. It could go either way, really.]

[sagesurvivor]

[Link presents his arm, and Tem's focus shifts, its wiggly snout brushing over his rings and fingers. The tapir's interest does not seem to wane terribly much compared to Link's less kingly limbs, though the reasoning behind it might not be readily apparent. The number of Guests the tiny thing has encountered in its short life could be counted on one hand, so there is a non-zero chance it is simply fascinated by this new person and the vast array of goodies they carry within them.

Speaking of, Tem decides it's done more than enough investigating at this point. It wants a snack! And so, after a brief pause, the creature's tiny mouth chomps down on Link's index finger. This fearsome attack might tickle, a little; its blunt baby teeth not even breaking skin, but what's more interesting is the moment afterwards, when it draws away from Link's hand like it's pulling taffy off of him, some grey, amorphous substance caught in its mouth. There's little time to examine the substance before it all disappears into Tem's mouth, but Link can probably make some educated guesses as to what it was.

Of course, a tiny creature like Tem can't do anything about the gloom of the Demon King, or even the great and terrible anxieties that currently plague the Hero's mind. But maybe some smaller concern - his fear of seeing his friends again, of not knowing how to explain what happened to him, of facing this Sheikah in particular - might be a little easier to bear, for a while.

Said Sheikah in particular, meanwhile, has poured out some citrus-y tea while he has watched all this go on. His ability to adhere to hospitality remains limited by how little he keeps with him, but he does have a couple of ceramic cups, at least.]

... Should you still be taking suggestions on points of interest, I would say that arm of yours is going to garner quite a few questions.

[A roundabout way to ask what the hell is up with that, certainly, but Sheik promised he wouldn't interrogate him. If Link doesn't want to talk about it, he's been given an out he could drive a Divine Beast through.]

[skyglider]

[It's at first with interest, and then with surprise, that Link watches Tem investigate his arm. His expression flickers a bit as the small creature chomps down on his finger, softening somewhat, but his eyebrows lift as it draws some substance out of his hand. After the initial alarm ebbs, he surmises that it must be the corruption that should have killed him. The gloom. Is it safe for Tem to consume the stuff? It certainly doesn't seem to be bothered by it, at any rate...

He does feel somewhat lighter, or perhaps more heartened. As if he's returned to the surface after spending too much time in the Depths. That, too, should be unsurprising -- this is what the tapirs do, as he now recalls.]

Mm? [His attention turns from Tem back to his hand. He can sense the Sheikah's maneuver around the question. Perhaps thanks in part to the little tapir's help, he feels less reluctant to talk about it. ...To talk about that part, at least.]

... I was injured. [Link, master of understatement.] This one's a replacement...though I'm not sure how it was done.

[He's...not sure he wants to know, all said. Good thing he was unconscious for that part.]