songerein | { summer beach episode 2023 }

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{ summer beach episode 2023 }

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…

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[ For once, Vanitas isn't calling anyone out. At least not intentionally. It's more about himself. He's actually admitting something about himself. But the nervous laughter has Vanitas looking over to Ferran and squinting. Then raising a brow as if to say "explain?"

Then he shakes his head, looking at the waves. ]

Nothing specific, honestly. I'm just collecting what I can and then seeing what will work best.

[Ferran waves the issue and Vanitas's apparent curiosity off with an awkward smile. He'll... explain later, though Vanitas may get an inkling if he remembers Ferran's reaction to his dark fire nearly two years ago, in that first dreamscape they went through.]

Hmm. [Ferran has more questions, but for now he sinks to one knee in the surf to see if he can spot anything enticing.]

Grab first, think later... I'm guessing you're making something? [He's not sure what else someone would do with a collection like this, but better to ask than assume.]

[ That's that then. For now. Ferran isn't going to answer the unspoken question and Vanitas isn't going to press for it. Instead he returns to cleaning out the handful of shells for further inspection. ]

Yeah. That's the idea, anyway. People do that with sea shells, right?

Sure.

[Ah, a small clam shell—oh, but part of it's broken off. That probably won't do, so he lets it fall over his shoulder. Back to searching.]

I mostly just arranged them in patterns when I was a kid, but I know some people love to actually turn them into things. Do you know what, yet?

Arrange them in patterns? What do you mean by that?

[ Information gaps yet again. Vanitas still doesn't know everything when it comes to just normal every day things that people do with their lives. ]

I was thinking a bracelet. Maybe an earring. I don't know.

Maybe it was just me, but—I might put them in a spiral or something starting from the smallest ones, or try to put the same-colored ones together, things like that. Then I'd leave that on a table until I got bored with looking at it, mostly.

[He doesn't know that his experience was universal, exactly, but he's glad to share it nonetheless.]

Those are good options. You could probably put more shells on a bracelet, though. So you could show off more of what you collected?

[A higher shell to jewelry ratio. Efficiency!]

Both is always a choice, too.

Like... You'd use them as just a table decorations?

[ See, that sounds so strange to him. Like why would anyone do something like that on a place that gets frequently used?

He's squinting at Ferran, trying to imagine this in his mind. Then he shakes his head and comes back over from the waves.

Vanitas crouches, starting to pull apart his assortment of shells. Ironically, he hasn't kept any that are too broken. He has a variety of bigger ones to smaller ones. Clam-like to the kind that are more spiraly. ]

Or dresser decorations, or whatever.

[Many tables and desks in his house went unused for stretches of time, actually, so he just took them for his own projects. What's the point of having a big house with a bunch of furniture if you're not going to use it, says he.]

I didn't have a lot of friends when I was a little kid, so I found my own ways to pass the time.

[Ferran continues his own digging, only glancing over briefly at the sound of Vanitas sorting out his collection. He has to focus on his own contributions, after all! There's going to be something nice around here somewhere...]

[ Oh... He hadn't thought about putting things on top of the dresser. Vanitas scowls at the ground, which is really more him thinking than actually being irritable.

Instead he turns to look at Ferran when the other speaks again. ]

Is that code for "no friends?"

[ Not being mean about it. Genuinely curious! ]

[He lets out a self-deprecating chuckle, not offended in the slightest. Honestly, he finds it hard to actually get mad at Vanitas about much of anything, just because he knows the guy comes from... an unusual background, to say the least.]

Does a nanny count?

[His tone is facetious enough to imply he doesn't expect the answer to be yes. That was a long time ago to him, anyway, so he doesn't consider it something to really be all that upset about these days.]

[ Vanitas is going to give him a bit of A Look for that one. Brow raised and all. At least he knows what a nanny is. That's not always a given with Vanitas. ]

Obviously not... Aren't they paid to put up with you?

[Ferran doesn't hesitate to admit it.]

Yeah, if it's done right. [He raises his eyebrows and turns halfway towards Vanitas, holding up a spiral shell to gesture with mock-loftiness as he continues:] Though I'll have you know I was a delight to be around most of the time.

[If she said it to his parents, it must have been true! ... but yeah, that lands him squarely in the "no friends" box at the time.]

You mean your gloomy disposition was different when you were younger? I can't see you being a bright ball of sunshine.

[ Yeah, he doesn't really mean anything by it. However, it is... A little bit of thinly veiled curiosity. Ferran hasn't said too much about these sorts of things.

And it's not like Vanitas has much of a past to talk about. ]

[At this point, Ferran wouldn't deny Vanitas his curiosity. He's more than earned it.]

Hah. The only thing keeping me from that was the painful shyness—which I grew out of, you know.

[It would be stupid for Ferran to try to deny that he's different now, even if it sometimes hurts to remember why he's changed—and how some of those changes are things he's come to hate. But he's not here to go on about his problems.]

For one, I sure as hell didn't have much to worry about. So there was no reason not to be nice.

Honestly, yeah. I can't see you as being shy at all. Not with how you were so bold and irritable when we first met.

[ Of course some of that is on Vanitas too. It's not like he has completely stopped being a gremlin after all. He still enjoys working people up on occasion and seeing their reactions to things. Oops?

Yeah, no. He's not sorry at all for that. Never will be. Ferran will be subjugated to that regardless of his friendship status. It's just now it's less malicious or done out of boredom and more teasing. ]

Are you telling me "nice" is determined by whether or not you're worried over something?

Well, for me—when I have fewer problems, it's easier to be nice. Not always, but most of the time.

[Which is why he's been largely in a better mood in Reverein than he was in Aefenglom; being a Fae was a huge problem. He's got... another big problem here that he didn't have there, but other than the marks on his face and the occasional nightmarish manifestation, he gets to forget about that one.

The day Vanitas stops throwing around implied insults is the day Ferran will wonder what alien has kidnapped him and taken his place.]

Hah, maybe that's why I have temper problems. I never learned how to deal with it because I almost never got mad.

[At least he can admit it...]

Isn't that usually how it goes for most people? Less pressure and all of that?

[ At least that's what Vanitas has observed these last several years. When people are relaxed and things are going good, people tend to be calmer. More rational. But then when things start to get out of hand? That's when tensions rise. Tempers flare. ]

You're not really alone, I guess. It's not as if I had any reason to control my own at all.

[It seems stupid for him to have said, when Vanitas puts it like that... Ferran shrugs with a huff at himself.] True enough.

[His expression turns more pleased once he's fished up an appealing piece of coral, though: a small branch with a dark, almost black base that fades into white as it splits into dozens of tiny ends. He holds it out for Vanitas to inspect.]

I guess we're getting the chance to learn some things like that together, huh?

Vanitas looks over to the piece of coral. More gently than what most people would expect of him, he takes it for further inspection. He might want to just keep this one for himself...

I used to think you were kind of... What's the word Mira would use.

[ Oh no. Vanitas is going to say - ]

An arse.

[ This is what he gets for learning language from someone from a fantasy world. 😔 ]

[If Vanitas is handling it that carefully, then Ferran considers it a success.

At the guy's assessment, though, he lets out a single laugh with some surprise. He might have expected Vanitas to have his own word for it, given his disposition; it's funny he'd pick up someone else's first.]

That bad, huh? [God, he was really miserable in that world, wasn't he.] Honestly, I'm surprised you don't still think that.

[ A single laugh is more than enough to surprise Vanitas. Has he ever really heard Ferran laugh? Like actually laugh even if it is just a solidary one? ]

I think I've gotten a little better at realizing that we all have some pretty depressing stories. That's all.

[ Vanitas looks over with a little smirk. ]

I mean you are still kind of one. It's just different now.

[He lets out a simple heh at the follow up, sitting back in the sand and resting his arms over his raised knees.]

I'll take what I can get. But the sad story thing does seem to go for pretty much everyone I've met, here and that other world... It makes you think, doesn't it.

There was a lot to think about in the first place. Even before here I started to realize that things things that happen to people is... Not normal. It's not normal and not okay.

[ Which is a big thing for Vanitas! ]

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{ summer beach episode 2023 }

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why did i.... whatever lol

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