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

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[what a shame this vision of his didn't account for not annoying your musicians to the point they opt to play keep-away with your things. oh, how easily could a tall angel man assist with that bell problem. what a shame said angel man instead stands there and watches on without any intention of assisting. sometimes lessons need to be learned. this here? is one such lesson.

kratos hums about as dryly.]

Given how persistent he's shown to be, he'd likely run out of the hospital and back here the instant the opportunity presented itself. [a beat.] Likely with all the hospital equipment still attached to him.

[the man simply does not look like he'd care to detach any of those tubes and such before rushing out.]

[With a resigned sigh, Sheik begins to nod in agreement with Krato's assessment - so much for those hopes of potentially escaping their predicament that way - but the addition that follows a moment later startles a noise out of him that is certainly not a snicker. That would be unbecoming, as a fellow member of the "Too Cool for Depth Perception" club.]

If only the staff wouldn't be inconvenienced by such a mess. I imagine that would make for quite the show in it's own right.

[The lwydlings would be satisfied, the conductor would get plenty of attention (if not the kind he necessarily wants), and the people would be entertained. A win (or at least a draw) for everyone. Alas. His plans continue to be foiled by a gaggle of mildly macabre spirit children.]

They're quite the energetic sort, the lwydlings. [One would think they'd get bored eventually, but they don't show any sign of slowing down so far. Is that because they're spirits, or just because they're kids...?]

[it’s ok, the ‘too cool for depth perception’ club has a one snicker per day clause.

ah, fair point. no one deserves to have to clean that level of a mess up. it seems they’ll have to settle for the show currently going on in front of them. sheik’s observation is very on point. lwydlings aren’t creatures kratos has ever seen before, but they’re behaving much in the manner any kid would.]

As children tend to be.

[going by personal experience, a child who cannot run around for hours on end is a rarity.]

If the conductor is betting on them running out of energy, he’ll be in for a surprise with how long that’ll take and that’s without factoring in the fact they’re not human children.

[how much that adds onto their energy timer is a good guess. human children already are little bundles of pure energy. the amount of energy lloyd had as a child was staggering and, if it weren't for kratos’ own lack of humanity, dealing with that would’ve been nightmare-ish.]

Your words carry the weight of experience.

[Sheik remarks, briefly glancing sidelong at Kratos (or attempting to, anyway; hair may get in the way of that in one direction or another), before returning his attention to the lwydlings.]

There aren't many children running around like this where I am from— [Besides the Kokiri, anyway. It's not as though living under Ganondorf's tyranny makes one eager to have a family, after all, and the ones that do are more likely to keep their little ones close where they can be kept safe instead of allowing them the freedom to roam like this.] —so this is something of a novelty to me, even beyond the man's lesson in... "humility," so to speak.

[Perhaps he should write to Link. He might enjoy tagging along with this strange group of spirit children for a while, though he's not sure if he'd find quite as much enjoyment out of tormenting Mr. Vision over there.]

Do you think they will get bored first, then? Or perhaps their nature gives them an edge in that regard as well?

[a hum comes at the mention of experience. it still feels odd at times to be reminded of the fact he does have that experience. that said, being a father, even if briefly, taught him more than he ever would have thought about children. simply put: children are chaotic and children respond well when shown kindness.

which sums up why the situation unfolded as it has. kratos can't help but muse that a stern but gentle request of handing that back alongside with an apology for yelling would likely help the situation. yelling like this only ends up fueling that chaos. case in point? the lwydlings have changed the game up to look as if they're about to give the conductor back the item but then keep snagging it just out of reach every time he grabs for it.]

Perhaps, but there is also the chance of children being children regardless of their species.

[children might simply be children no matter what they are.

he glances over at sheik with his own hair obstructing the view somewhat.]

And should that prove true, I give them a few more minutes of keep away before they get bored and find something else to occupy their attention.

[which could be returning to the music, flying off and likely being chased by the conductor or even simply going to take a nap. all are possible.]

[Oh, the switch up is mean... but still pretty funny, and Sheik stifles another laugh as the conductor's baton goes from being juuuust within his reach to flying through the air into another lywdling's hands. Poor guy. He seems like he's starting to lose a bit of steam too; there's only so long a stressed out mortal body can keep up, no matter how willing the spirit is.

Was Impa ever run ragged like that, looking after a princess who was practically the very definition of precocious? The memories aren't quite as clear as they used to be, but at least she only had the one child to wrangle most of the time. It's not as though there was a wealth of other children around the castle back then, either.

(Huh. Maybe he has even less experience with kids than he originally thought.)]

I suppose our break will be coming to an end soon as well then. It's a bit of a shame; this has been quite the entertaining interlude.

[And Sheik can't say he's exactly looking forward to being "conducted" again. He swears, he's sticking to duets after this. Trios at most.]

[kratos will pass on future musical involvement if he can help it. sure, he knows how to carry a tune vocally and can do some instruments, but his time is better spent in other ways.

even if this musical venture ended up more comical than anticipated and was an entertaining way to pass some time.]

Agreed. It's been sometime since I've seen antics of this nature.

[the thought ends up getting a small smile out of him. lloyd had been a handful somedays. it's bittersweet to think about.]

Though I'm rather glad to not be on the receiving end of them.

[that steam finally runs out as the conductor plops on the ground while huffing and out of breath. the little lywdlings try to dangle the baton again, but realize quickly that their fun looks to be over. cue immediate unhappy pouts and attempts to poke at the conductor in attempt to get him to get up. all said attempts fail.]

I'm surprised he held out as long as he did, in all honesty.

He is certainly strong in spirit, that much cannot be denied.

[rip in rest, dude. Watching the children poke and prod at the man gives Sheik a bit of an idea, though, and after a moment's consideration he draws a golden lyre from his back, tucking it against his arm and softly testing a few of the strings. At the sound, one of the spirit children less occupied with the conductor looks up curiously.

He may or may not regret this later, but he knows he definitely regrets getting conned into this bell choir, so... how much is there to lose, really? He looks up to Kratos, a tilt to his head.]

Perhaps sharing the burden might make it easier to handle, and he will excuse those who can remove the little ones from his presence. What do you say?

[let's play hooky, angelman]

[sheik opting to pull out a lyre and play a note receives a curious quirk of the brow from kratos. any potential questions are quickly answered with the suggestion that immediately follows. helping out in exchange for leaving? truly an appealing idea.]

Perhaps. It certainly isn't an unreasonable sort of reward.

[freedom from this sounds divine. that said, he's sure as hell not using this chime for that and sets it down.]

If you can play a tune, I can come up with some lyrics to go with it. It should be more then enough to catch their attention.

[angelman much rathers singing than a teeny tiny chime. it'll probably be a lot more successful to boot. going off previous experience, children seem to enjoy his singing for whatever reason. if these are children like any other then they shouldn't be any different.]

[And, in turn, a pleasant sort of surprise lifts Sheik's brow with Kratos' offering of lyrical accompaniment. The man certainly doesn't give off that sort of impression, but he supposes the conductor must have roped him into this nonsense for a reason. Sheik nods.]

That sounds more than fair. I'll keep to something simple, then.

[A grin in his eyes - thank the Goddesses, they're finally getting out of here - Sheik sets his fingers to the strings and begins to play. Something light, jaunty, and up-tempo... a tune that brings to mind lush forests and days of adventure. He might be woefully inexperienced with children personally, but imagining the Kokiri forest in its prime is inspiration enough to this end.

The other two lwydlings look up from their current target of torment, but don't seem quite ready to leave him just yet. That's your cue, Kratos!]

[for a moment, kratos allows himself to listen to the melody. a thought of sheik being rather skilled crosses his mind, but any compliments can be saved for whenever they've gotten free from this task. hmm, that energy and tempo fills one with a sense of adventure and fun. now for the lyrics. children exploring a lush forest, perhaps? yes, maybe in search of some treasures and thrills. simple, but likely to entertain.

with lyrics determined, all that remains is to sing. thus, with a deep breath, he starts. it might be a bit surprising how smooth and soothing his voice ends up being.]

[Sheik certainly has several years of practice under his belt, even if he remains largely self-taught. What he's less experienced with is having vocal accompaniment (well, male vocal accompaniment, anyway; the deep tones of Kratos' voice are a sharp contrast to the sweet clarity of Malon's singing), and so he does fumble a little with surprise as the other man joins in. It's definitely curious, how he carries himself not unlike a solider, yet knows so much about children and sings with such a rich quality to his voice. What kind of life could one have lived for such traits to come together in a single person?

... But that's not important at the moment. What's important is that the lywdlings stop their torment of the conductor to stare at the duo, interested. One begins to ring their bell to the beat, and, recovering from tripping up earlier, Sheik bows slightly at the waist to the "fearless leader."]

May we be excused if we entreat the little ones to leave with us?

["For the love of all that is holy and not, please," the conductor answers, utterly spent. He'll probably be back up and regretting his moment of weakness in a few minutes, but that is not something they'll be anywhere in the vicinity for. Sheik grins beneath his cowl, and nods his head to Kratos, gesturing to the door.

Let's blow this popsicle stand.]

[the little ones having their attention fully on the musical duo means this idea is a success. them joining in means it succeeded about as well as they could've hoped. then again, given their harmony, it ends up unsurprising. his voice coupled with sheik's playing compliment the other wonderfully.

kratos finds himself unable to hold back a small smirk when sheik poses his question. ah, so not only do they save the man but can also nobly remove the cause of his suffering. a wonderful plan, if one with a high chance of succeeding. the conductor seems over these children's antics. how eagerly he agrees with the suggestions confirms as much.

needless to say, you don't have to tell him twice to.

as soon as the conductor gives the ok, kratos will start heading toward the exit while continuing to carry that tune.]

[Pied Piper, eat your heart out. Sheik is quick to follow after Kratos, a rhythmic skip to his step to further encourage the lywdlings into joining them. They continue to be quite noisy as they bounce along, swinging their bells that the choir will probably want back later, but at least it's a vaguely organized sort of chaos as they ring along with the melody.

Once he's certain they're out of the conductor's earshot, Sheik steps up to Kratos' side (Goddesses above, why are you so tall—), speaking softly while the skull-headed trio trail behind them.]

... I suggest we put as much space between ourselves and this place as quickly as possible. I'd rather not find out how accurate your assessment of the man's determination might be.

[He also doesn't know what they'll do with the lywdlings once they've fully escaped, but that's a bridge they'll cross when they get to it.]

[the timing of sheik speaking up falls perfectly inline with the last bit of this lyric ending. kratos looks down at sheik (perhaps the real question is why are you so small, hmm?).]

Agreed.

[and, unfortunately, he's fair certainly he nailed the man. that sort of a fellow tends to be an easy read. their goals thusly are: a. get far far away so as to not be wrangled back to the show and b. to get these little ones distracted somehow with an activity not involving either of them. the choir can handle getting back their items themselves.]

We can potentially kill two birds with one stone.

[he glances over a shoulder to see the lywdlings still following but who knows how long before they tire of this.]

Namely, finding a place far from here to get these children food and then be on our way.

[a win/win in all honesty.]

[Oooh, now that's an idea. This Kratos really does know his way around young children. Sheik isn't sure if he would have thought of distracting them with a snack, even if they didn't have horse-skull faces. He continues to strum his harp in hopes of keeping their attention, though the tune may become somewhat repetitive as his focus is divided.]

Somewhere around the plaza, perhaps? Not as far away as we'd like, perhaps, but should they have a guardian they've slipped away from, I would think they would stay somewhere well populated.

[Not that he knows for certain that they even eat, let alone have some kind of parental figure, but hope springs eternal. It seems like their best bet, in his eyes.]

[kratos nods, pausing in his humming to respond.]

My thoughts exactly.

[even if there's no guardian there, they can do a quick ask around and see if anyone knew where said guardian was. with any luck, maybe whoever they find could take these children there in their stead as well. if only.

said children do look to be getting a tad bored by the repetitiveness but that boredom fades quickly as the plaza comes into view. ah, good timing.]

Our best bet would either be sweets or something savory. Ice cream or pizza or the like. [aka junk food.] Granted, I'm basing this off of human children, but hopefully it'll apply in our case, as well.

It seems rather cold for ice cream...

[He's... less familiar with that other thing Kratos mentioned, being a medieval fantasy weirdo that has only just started living near civilization again, but the idea gets across regardless. What could be like ice cream, but warm...?]

Maybe... [Sheik turns back to the trio, head tilted in question.] You all must be thirsty after playing so much. Perhaps you'd like some hot cocoa...?

[The lwydlings freeze.

... ... ... and then start bouncing excitedly, their bells once again erupting into a cacophony of noise. Given Mari Lwyd's entire raison d'etre, it should hardly be a surprise her relatives are also easily swayed by promises of food and drink. Sheik, for his part, simply winces. His ears are going to be ringing for days after this...]

[ah, what a lovely sound. it's so lovely, in fact, that kratos ends up joining sheik in wincing, perhaps wincing a bit more intensely. enhanced hearing can be a blessing, but it damn well is a curse in situations like this. ugh, that actually hurt. leave it to children to have screams and make noises to the degree that they can pop eardrums. ...perhaps he should've expected it. lloyd did that a number of times himself.]

I believe that's a resounding yes.

[hot cocoa it is then.

as luck would have it, there's a little cafe not too far away. even their billboard outside has a cute chalk drawing of a hot cocoa with the words 'warm up with some cozy cocoa!'. perfect. kratos wastes no time with heading on over toward the place.]

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{ when it snows }

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sorry for the delay, march got away from me!

that's been my april lmao, i'm glad you came back to our thread tho!!

ofc!! this thread has been super cute so far so i'm happy to keep going with it

these super cool guys with their dumb haircuts, i love them

saammee! they're cute dorks having the cutest thread!

and will either of them ever speak of this again? signs point to no

lmao an unspoken agreement to never speak of it again

they have Reputations that must be kept, Cool Guy Reputations

EXACTLY. Cool GuysTM need to be cool always.