songerein | { when it snows }

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{ when it snows }

WHEN IT SNOWS

All items on this post will last/be available for the entire month! So timey wimey shenanigans are allowed.

More details on everything can be found here. We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during A.

I. REVEREIN

II. DREAMS

COMMENTS

I. REVEREIN THAWED

After freeing the Ice Queen from the glass shard from her chest and clearing the dreamscape, the blizzard that affected not only Reverein but the Wildlands and beyond finally dissipates and soon everything returns to…mostly normal.

A. Glitter Snow. While the freezing sleet and ice of the blizzard is no more and a more gentle winter has entered Reverein, the fresh new snow that falls is not one one might want to stick their tongue out to try and catch a snowflake. Unless one likes the taste of glitter.

🎉 Good luck getting it out. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad if the glitter melted like snow, but it does not. It sticks to everything everywhere and while some might like a splash of colors, others may not.
🔮 Dreamglobes. Some fae are passing out empty spherical glasses, suggesting those who are interested to collect some of the glitter snow into them and then set the snowglobe next to their bed before sleeping. Whatever dream they have will be captured into the glass and upon waking will create a physical representation of the dream to create a little special "dreamglobe." Hope it's a good one!
✨ Glitter Collector. There are a number of people and shops that actually want the free glitter and ask for anyone to collect as much as possible. Works well for those trying to clean up and not sure what to do with it. What kind of products will end up coming from them well.

B. Mari Lwyd and Family. Mari Lwyd has finally returned to Reverein, and she's bringing along some family she's found. However, they can be a bit of a handful. Some are friendlier than others while others are going to make full use of this glitter snow with pranks and mischief. But they all just intend to have a good time, something that everyone may be in need of after that blizzard.

💃 Little Pranksters. The young Lwydlings cannot sing or speak, but they love to dance around and make all manner of noise—they also bite if you're being a big fat party pooper in their presence, and are a lot more likely to pull a few harmless pranks than their dear older cousin Mari Lwyd is. Very quick, they have the same vanish-and-leave-you-with-bad-luck if harm is attempted on them. Have a dance off with them, or aid them in pranking those who are being big fat grumps/meanie-butts.
🔥 Bonfire. One of the merry friends looks like a very tall pile of long hair and arms, but with them they seem to be carrying a basket and filling it with sticks and other kindling. This is for giant bonfires! Help gather wood and kindling to make a great bonfire to welcome some warmth in this winter, and aid any lost to not wander in this cold.
🥜 Nurturing Gifts. There appears to be another skull-faced being wandering around with their own 'little one' in tow—and despite the horned and frightening appearance of the larger fur and hyde clad figure there are small gifts to be shared. An act of kindness rewards one with a bundle of magic beans that if nurtured and cared for will bear a great gift come spring. Great.

C. Hot Springs. The dragons are holding an open invitation to anyone who wishes to use their hot springs to warm up after that frigid blizzard. The dragons in particular will be practically living there, so hopefully others can squeeze in a spot. Rooms will be available for anyone who wishes to stay the night, and all amenities will be available: food, recreational games, etc. Just beware of the monkeys that have descended down from the mountain seeking warmth as well. They are prone to stealing things, particularly clothing—and wearing them.

D. Dream Board. This is the perfect time to do many of the Dream Board prompts, and while the full details are on the notes, here is the quick list of what they are:

Dream Board List:

⛄ Snowball Tonics: Transform into massive, different colored snowballs.
🔔 Bell Choir: Grab a bell and play for a concert!
🧣 Never-Ending Scarf: Help untangle the beautifully, extremely long crocheted scarf, dodge cats, and get the whole thing together in one place.
🍻 Keg Brawl: A game where one must carrying a keg of ale from one end of a field of ice to the other while avoiding the other team trying to stop you.
🐶 The Inugami. Help a pair of spirit dogs find each other.
🌠 Falling Stars. Make wishes upon the falling stars before they cause too much damage!

II. SHATTERED DREAMS

Although the Dreamwalkers were successful in removing the strange glass shard in the Ice Queen's chest and ended the nightmare dreamscape that caused the blizzard, the Ice Queen still has yet to awaken. Jack Frost has taken her to Orkili to try and purify her with the pods, yet it only caused an adverse reaction, prompting the Orkilins and Jack Frost to ask for help from the Dreamwalkers once more. Isolated in a separate room where neither dreamotion nor nightmare energy can enter, those who are willing to investigate the Ice Queen's dream will be able to freely dreamwalk, with the warning that she seems sensitive to positive dreamotion so everyone should take caution when using it.

In the meantime, there are some other happenings going around in Orkili, including investigation into some nightmare crystals.

A. Piecing it Together. Those who enter the Ice Queen's dream will find themselves free floating in a dark void with large reflective glass-like shards with blurred, fogged scenes reflecting on their surface. They float aimlessly through the space, and a closer inspection will reveal that these shards can fit together and likely form a larger image. The goal is to now try and put the pieces together, though it's not as easy as it might seem.

🪞 Nightmare manipulation. For whatever reason, those who either have high nightmare resistance or can control nightmare energy will be able to move and be around the shards with very little effect to them.

💥 Too much of a good thing. Because the shards are dark and clearly exude nightmare energy, there will be those who will try to use positive types of dreamotion to purify the shards. Some dreamotion will be safe to use and will help clear up the image on the surface. However, too much focus will have a negative feedback where the dreamers are pushed back with a freezing gale and the shard they are focusing on will crack and break into smaller pieces. Nightmare energy can help mend the cracks, so it's better to try and use both at the same time.

💔 Blurred visions. As the surface of the shards clear up, various scenes of different themes can be seen, both good and bad. Love, heartbreak, hatred, anger, joy, jealousy, loneliness, fulfillment, family, abandonment. Those who experienced the ice mirrors in the previous dreamscape will feel a strong familiarity with these larger shards, except these are clearly towards the Ice Queen herself.

This is where we want players to come up with any scene that the Ice Queen may have experienced that could be reflected on the shard! We'll request submissions and piece together a story based on player input. Don't worry about any contradictions, we'll work it all in one way or another. The only constant is that Jack Frost and the Ice Queen do have a close, romantic relationship, which is why Jack is very worried about her.

B. Unwanted Intruder. While in the dream, a grotesque looking noctaere will appear and try to attack and consume the shards. Should it succeed, the Ice Queen will receive physical damage that everyone will be able to hear and feel inside the dream. The void will contort and turn more like sludge. Attempts to use dreamotion will only worsen it, but those who can control or absorb nightmare energy will take it away from the Ice Queen. How it affects them however, will vary between dizziness to momentary lapse in judgment and may need to leave the dreamscape.

Those monitoring outside the dream will witness the Ice Queen scream and her skin blackening as if charred by fire. Same thing applies here: those who try to use dreamotion to heal her will only worsen it, but those who use nightmare energy to either draw it out into some other container or absorb it themselves will be able to pull it out of the Ice Queen. Those who absorb the nightmare energy will have similar varying effects, from just light dizziness to becoming more irritable and hostile. Attempts to try and directly pull out the nightmare energy otherwise will be unsuccessful—it will only work when the noctaere has consumed a shard and caused the physical side effects.

No one will turn noctaere through this method because not enough nightmare energy will have accumulated.

As for the noctaere, it will sometimes appear outside the dream, and those who encounter it or deliberately try to hunt it down either within or outside the dream will find both dreamotion and nightmare based attacks effective against it. However, it's a very tough and difficult foe, so while it can be damaged, it cannot be defeated at this time. Those who investigated the claw marks from a few months ago will notice it leaves behind the same claw marks. Those who witnessed it will also find it familiar and can safely say it's the same.

I. REVEREIN

II. DREAMS

COMMENTS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Café, she says... Ferran does still have a hankering for a drink and snack.]

That sounds like a good idea.

[He'll continue attempting the glitter removal by himself on the way, though it would never be enough no matter how long they took to get there. His priority for now is his face and hair.]

I turned 18 the day we came here, technically, [he admits,] whatever day that might have been.

[He still doesn't know! Sometime before... whenever this dream world likes to celebrate spooky things, is the best he's got. Granted, he would kind of prefer not to think that much about it, given the unpleasant time he had those first several days.]

Plus, there was a year I spent in that other world. [He lets out a brief sigh, more exasperated than actually upset.] Time stops being easy when your memories get mixed up.

[She'll start to lead the way, helping him with the glitter by giving his arm a light brush when she finds a small clump of it sticking to his sleeve. Melody, meanwhile, trots along on Ferran's other side, trying to catch the glitter that falls from him.]

Well, how old would you say you feel? I guess the beauty of a place like this is that without really knowing, we could just pick and choose.

[Ferran's eyes move from Tifa to Melody as he considers, not moving away from her attempts to help de-glitter him further. He appreciates the attempt. His response comes with a tone that's almost wistful.]

Oh, who knows... my ideas about age past being a teenager were kind of based on being in college.

[He's just kind of vibing here, without any real ambitions—the complete opposite of his very specific plans about his life back home. That's not to say the death he expects is better, but it all still leaves him feeling a bit... adrift.]

What about you? How old do you "feel?"

Me?

[Well, she wasn't expecting him to turn it around on her, but she does ponder it a moment.]

Would you believe me if I said I felt like I was at least thirty-something? Or maybe I'm being too generous.

[She's been leading as busy a life as ever...]

Mostly just because life here doesn't feel like it'll ever slow down. You'd think, after a while, things might, but... that's on me for thinking that.

[He lets out a laugh at that.]

Definitely not. There's no way you're that old. [Remember when 30s sounded old? Ferran is still there.] I guess being married and running a cafe will do enough to make you feel older, though.

[He's resorting to picking tiny bits of glitter out of his hair, now. Priorities.]

What do you mean by not slowing down?

[Compared to his fast-paced magical boy shenanigans back home and the ever-present threat of death via plague, magic or political upheaval in the previous world he suffered through, the occasional happening in this dream world seems tame by comparison. ... mostly. Maybe that's just because he's taken such a hands-off approach to Reverein, in comparison.]

Edited 2024-01-17 08:46 (UTC)

[She leads him onto the road that will take them to the café at the end of the block, and already, the sound of barking dogs can be heard. Melody rushes forward, trudging through the glitter and the snow to run ahead.]

I guess between running the café, and the things going on with Orkili... and that crazy dreamscape we had last month... there's been a lot lately. More than what I've grown used to anyway.

[The start of her life here sure was something, but—]

Things slowed down for a while, at least. Enough that I could just breathe and enjoy my life here a while, you know?

[Ah, doggos. The cafe is probably covered in glitter... he smiles a little to himself thinking about it, but the expression isn't without a somber look in his eye.]

When it's nice, it's really nice. [And he's been trying to take advantage of that as best he can... when he can. If the people he cared about didn't keep leaving, and if he didn't keep getting dragged into problems he had nothing to do with...

His expression grows mildly more serious; he's managing to... uh, curb his immediate reaction to the thought of Fae. (Don't let him see the fairy at the café, probably.)]

I've been avoiding anything to do with Orkili, to be honest.

[Eustace saw just how angry Ferran was with those thieves, when they caught up with one. He very nearly considered doing worse than shaking it down before it escaped.]

Ah, yeah.

[Tifa's own expression droops a little—]

It's been a little bit of a trying time after what happened... but we push through as always.

[—only for it to brighten up again by way of force. It's his birthday, she isn't going to sully it with talk about what happened with the goings-on in Orkili. Which is why it's fortunate that they arrive at the café sooner than later and lo and behold, it definitely is covered in glitter].

Home sweet home.

[She swings the door open for him, and he'll be greeted with a blast of wind the moment he walks through while Tifa shouts from behind him.]

Mirabelle!

[... Ferran is trying very hard not to drag the mood down. He's been miserable, acted miserable, and made other people miserable for long enough, damn it. He forces half a smile himself in response.]

Yeah. Nothing to do but move forward, right?

[And yes, just as glittery as he anticipa—SWOOSH. More glitter goes flying everywhere; Ferran has braced himself with his arms in front of his face as if against an attack. It's not the first time a windy thing has attempted to shove him around.]

Wha—?!

[Where did that come from?? He looks around to try to find the source.]

[It's the little plum flower fairy that flits in front of him, looking him over with scrutiny.

"Do I need to do another? I'm so sick of all this glitter that people keep bringing into—"]

No, I think we're fine. Thank you.

[That was quite the blast of wind that they were met with, and even Tifa's hair is all tousled from it. Melody, on the other hand, has taken a face full of the glitter that blew off from Ferran and seems to be loving it. She shoos the fairy away, and turns to Ferran.]

Are you all right!?

[Mirabelle's scrutiny is met with immediate bristling; jaw clenched, Ferran stares at her with open hostility, arms slowly returning to his sides. He looks like he might just retaliate when Tifa shuts the fairy down and gets it to leave them be. His gaze follows it with a glare he doesn't try to hide.

You're a guest, Ferran! A guest!!]

... fine.

[He grits his answer out through his teeth.]

[He clears his throat, and returns once again to sorting out his poor hair, picky about it as always.]

I'm fine. [A little less forced this time.] ... it's whatever.

[Just look at the dog, and how much fun it's having. He lets out a long, voiced sigh in yet another attempt to calm the hell down.]

So, uh... how do you think we should clean up.

Edited 2024-01-24 05:32 (UTC)

[She's going to give that stupid fairy a stern talking to later... She's been doing that to them the past few days and has only gotten more frustrated since. Then again, she's the one who's also been cleaning up after all the patrons who leave glitter everywhere since she's the most equipped for it, but...]

Well, I was going to suggest a little wind to get it off with either Mirabelle or Idris's help but looks like she took care of that herself.

[There's an apologetic look about her as she brushes a little clump of glitter away from Ferran's back.]

There's a bathroom upstairs if you want to use that, though. No magic in there, I promise.

[He lets out a sigh as Tifa helps with his half-sodden coat. Dumb snow. (Dumb fairies.)]

The bathroom's fine.

[Magic he has only so much problem with—which might be evidenced by how he conjures a thick brush in his hand out of nowhere before they head upstairs, and... sorry, but he's going to go ahead and start working with it to shove the mess off of him and onto the floor as he heads up the stairs. Unfortunately, his spite for the Fae has overpowered his desire to be polite to the cafe's owners, and petty revenge is the name of the game.]

Dream worlds, I swear... [he mutters.] I'm guessing Idris is another dog, huh.

[He's met several of their pets, but not all, he's sure—and the names are another thing.]

[It's a good thing that Tifa takes no offense to it.]

He is. The youngest one, actually. But he can conjure up winds like no one else can.

[And he most definitely heard his name from the other end of the café where he'd been rolling around on his back for a customer. He hops to his feet and trots on over, tongue hanging out of his mouth.]

Ah, and here he is. The star himself.

So that's why.

[Ferran supposes wind powers are one sort that's less likely to be immediately dangerous. He still doesn't know whether or not he trusts all of them—on the one hand, they are fae-like, but on the other... dogs...

Truly the internal struggle of all time. He manages not to immediately turn around and start brushing Idris instead. Rather, the air around him starts to glimmer with red sparkles, and at least he can blame that on the glitter even if it happens to not be true.]

It looks like he's pretty popular, huh. [He'd spotted that initial movement out of the corner of his eye.] Do you get a lot of people coming here just for one or two of them?

Not really. Most people are just happy to see any one of them that they can, and the dogs love the attention. So... it's a win for everyone involved.

[Idris stops in front of Ferran and plops his round bum on the ground, tail wagging while he stares up at him expectantly...waiting....waiting.....waiting.....

Tifa just shakes her head at him, drawing out a whine.]

But why don't you get cleaned up? I'll grab you something to eat in the meantime. There's a hair dryer in the bathroom upstairs under the sink that should do the trick just as well.

No dedicated fans yet, then...

[Listen, Idris. Just—give him a second to consider, and maybe after he's less glitterized.

Ferran is clearly a little surprised by Tifa's offer by his pause and the change in his expression, as well as his initial protest.]

Oh, you don't... [But he cuts himself off before he finishes the statement. Just accept the kindness, Ferran! It's your birthday! So, he lets out a brief breath before continuing.]

Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.

[He will be using that dryer, and even if he can't get all the glitter of his clothes and skin, by god, his hair will be pristine. (Just to be ruined again shortly, he's sure, as these things go. But the appropriate effort has been made.)

He makes his way back down stairs after fifteen minutes or so, with his mostly-dried coat in one arm; he still has his brush, and if Idris is visible in his path he clicks his tongue at him and subtly motions with a beckoning curl of his fingers.]

[Tifa hears the door open from upstairs and is in the middle of preparing a plate for Ferran, entirely missing the little exchange that seems to occur between him and Idris, whose ears perk up the moment he hears the clicking of his tongue. He wastes no time in running over, glancing over at Tifa to make sure she isn't watching before he starts to wag his tail eagerly...

Treat!?!? Pets!?!?!? Quick, before mom looks over here!!!]

[Ferran kneels once the corgi is solidly in petting range; he has no treats right now, but he does have a brush, so enjoy your thorough brushies, Idris. Maybe he'll even get a significant amount of that glitter off in the process.

He mutters low enough not to be heard, though he doesn't care all that much whether he is or not.]

The sneaky type, huh? [A little teasing, a little accusatory:] Do you get in trouble a lot?

[Idris barks, whether it's in answer or in response to the brush, but he looks happy as a clam either way for the attention.

Tifa, on the other hand, sneaks up with a plate in one hand, and a cup of something in the other.]

He's not sucking up to you too much, is he?

[He lets out a mild chuckle, actually looking semi-content for once.]

I think he'd argue he's sucking up exactly the right amount.

[He only follows through with another couple of brush strokes before he reaches down to scoop Idris up into his arms so he can step towards the nearest seat. He doesn't want Tifa to be standing around with that waiting for him for ages when she's already gone through the trouble of getting it in the first place.]

What did you make?

Just thought you could use a little bit of cake after the rough day you've had.

[She gives him a wink and sets it down at the table, as well as some of her homemade hot chocolate to go along with it, and already, Idris is drooling at the sight of the food while he chills in Ferran's arms.]

It's strawberry shortcake, so I hope you like it.

[Ferran offers her a smile that might not be bright exactly, but it's certainly close to it compared to her past interactions with him.]

It looks fantastic. Thank you. [He glances down at Idris, running the brush through the fur of his back before he notices that drool.]

Don't look too excited, the chocolate is only for me.

[He will set the brush aside and offer half a strawberry to hopefully occupy the dog as he reaches over for a sip of the drink. Ahh, perfect. He could melt into the chair, really.]

This is a much better experience than I've gotten in any other restaurant on my birthday. Usually there's a lot of embarrassing singing involved...

[That's not a suggestion, by the way!!!!]

[Tifa slides the other chair out opposite him and takes a seat, reaching into her apron and revealing a small dog treat that she sets down for Idris for when he's done with his strawberry.]

We can definitely change that.

[Is he sure that isn't a suggestion?]

I promise you the dogs all love to sing. Or... we can get the fish out back in the pond to do it, if you're so inclined.

{ when it snows }

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think we can wrap this up 💜