songerein | { when it snows }

Entry tags:

{ 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

An arm was still hung around Gabriel, Jack just trying to catch that breath that had been knocked out of him upon 'landing'- or whatever the hell happened. Didn't want to think too hard—

"Dizzy, hell of a headache." Otherwise? Was probably fine as far as he could still with that cracking pressure in his skull. The energy buzzing through him still, those streaks of black with star-like glimmers still there amongst blue in otherwise white hair and beard.

Probably would fade soon enough.

Hopefully Jack hadn't broken anything in the landing, not that he didn't expect his lover to simply walk it off. His assessment was more bruising rather than broken, the cells that lived in Jack providing him vital information. He hummed in response.

He was not yet ready to even move. There was something about that escape which had been terrifying as the pull of those wolves faded back to normalcy. "You did rip a hole in a dream and drag us both through it. That has to take a bunch of energy."

Until Jack was well enough to rise, he had no reason to get up. "Those wolves...."

"Hate to say it, but you may have to do the walking for us both. Could fall asleep here if you left me-" And he didn't really want that, not with what they had just gotten out of. What he had just gotten the two of them out of, risky a move as it was Jack felt it was more what well worth it.

His head tipped a bit, an arm slung around Gabriel all the same-

"Fed them a bit too well, this time around."

"Fireman carry or bridal style?" He was willing to provide both at this point with how he had been slipping in the dreamscape at the end there. The only reason he probably wasn't consumed by all that nightmare energy was because of Jack, so whatever it took to have his lover safe and sound. "I'm not leaving you, by the way. I'll never leave you, for better or worse."

Yet, he was reluctant to rise as well. He was letting some of their nightmare energy dissipate from his body for a few more minutes. He needed this simple safety with Jack for however long it was going to last.

He grunted in agreement. "We're probably lucky they didn't turn on us sooner than they did."

A faint snort- "Whichever you feel, but I might take bridal over fireman with how my head's feeling." Something he'd only let himself admit around a very small number of people even these days, including Gabriel himself as the biggest part.

"For better or worse- let's try to keep it for the better, huh?" Just the lightest of teases, Jack keeping his breath slow and even as if that would help with the dizziness. Ugh.

Jack hummed, the sound low. "That other Noctaere kept them busy long enough at least, even if it was more or less a stuck pig for them."

"Mmm, bridal style it will be then. You are, after all, an upcoming bride," he replied, a hint of teasing entering his tone. He then sighed, shifting a little as he considered motivating himself to his feet, but that little foray into absorbing nightmare energy and expending it on the mirror shards so he too was tired. And in pain. Even warm, his chronic pain felt worse with his mood.

"Fine," he said with a huff. "You do make me better, which everyone probably thinks is impossible." After all, he didn't consider himself a threat as much to everyone as he was back home. He had a mission objective then and now Jack was his mission.

"Thankfully that noctaere required a team up so we could finish our work, but I'm having greater concerns about our noctaere. They seem stronger and they seem like they are strategizing better." Their goal was to get out, and it showed. They were using his love for Jack and vice versa.

"Consider it practice for later," a little dryly with how it was a tease thrown right back at Gabriel.

Hands did finally move, one to pinch the bridge of his nose in an effort to take even the smallest edge off the pain cracking through is skull- the other was checking for any sign of blood at the back of his head. Even if they didn't literally fall, it never hurt to check. God, he was going to need a drink and maybe some greasy fucking food once he didn't feel so sick to his stomach.

"Mm, love you, too."

An eye finally cracked open, and while the blue of it was a bit brighter than usual there was at least no sign of gold. Veins of black to the whites of his eyes perhaps, but that was fine. "They're learning, unfortunately."

"For when I have to carry you off for our first sexual experience together?" He barely could say that with a straight face. If it was anything like other weddings he had been dragged to, the couple was normally too exhausted to do more than strip and lay face down somewhere.

He noted the way that Jack pinched his nose, and he expected that there was quite the headache there. It was going to be quite the nightmare energy hang over. He roused himself enough that he could lean up and put a kiss on Jack's lips, lingering there with a soft breath from his nose.

"I know. I love you too. Let's get you up, though."

He didn't want to think too much about how the wolves were learning, and slowly pushed himself up off of Jack. It took him time to get to his feet and then he leaned down so that he could moved to scoop his lover. "We will need to deal with them. They will continue to use us against each other."

"As a married couple." Straight faced, but just as dryly stated as before.

At the very least, Jack did have the spare energy and thought to return that lingering kiss so very softly, an arm dropping back around Gabriel. Could be worse than the after effects of taking in all of that nostillium, no matter if he used the majority of it to pull off that last ditch effort trick. The weight of Reyes was soothing, at the very least.

"Take it easy on yourself, too."

Jack moved arms around Gabriel, doing what he could to make lifting himself that much easier as he let out a low noise. That was a deep ache right there. He'd be fine- "Just not right now."

"Wait, you're not a virgin?" The sarcasm was dripping from his tone.

He savoured the kiss even as it had to come to an end so that he could get Jack up. After all, it was the least he could do as the younger man had saved them both back there in the dream. He bent so he could scoop Jack up into his arms, slowly pulling his body back together enough that he could walk. He wasn't going to attempt teleporting yet.

"We need to get to safety so we can have that stiff drink and lay down in that hammock," he remarked softly. He rested his chin on Jack's head as he began to take the first steps to prompt them into motion to return to their safe space. "No, not right now. You're my priority, not them."

"You'd know." Drier than the desert.

There was no shame as Jack simply let Gabriel lift him, even if there was worry about the other's condition after all of that as well; they'd end up collapsed somewhere safe in the end, but it was simply... difficult not to worry at all, honestly. More so these days as he settled with Reyes in this place more and more.

Jack hummed faintly at first- "Might not make it past the mattress at this point, honestly." Which wasn't a bad thing, not really.

"Mmmm, would I ever. It doesn't help my case because of how beautiful you are."

He held his lover gently and protectively, willing to push the limits of his strength for Jack's case to ensure that safety. They were both exhausted, but he also was brimming with dark energy which he used to put one foot in front of the other as they left the place of battle. His arms tightened around Jack to hold the other closer as he found a path to lead them towards the general direction of home.

"Doubtful, but I'll try. We can snuggle far more thoroughly in the hammock." But it was true that it was more difficult to get into when exhausted. "Mattress might be safer for some of that honey-shine anyway. How's your head feeling?"

The laugh was faint, but there was still some warmth to the sound- "Think you're a biased opinion there, sweetheart."

Still was doing what he could, with what energy Jack still had left, to try and make things easier on Gabriel when it came to carrying him. What bit of dreamotion energy was there to help balance out the nostillium so that Reyes could use that without some worry of being overcome. Keep them both balanced. Head still rested there against the other's shoulder, eyes closed so he wasn't watching things spin with how it felt.

"That's true, and may be good to get half a jar of the special honeyshine I managed to make up in us," that was more potent, used some honey he managed to get made from the Glowing Dawns with the trick he figured out with some of the blue dreamhoney bees. "Like my skull is split open, but it's stopped with the pulsing at least."

"Well, you're about to be my husband, so yeah, definitely bias. That doesn't make the statement any less true."

He knew they would have to move faster eventually, once he was assured of both his footing and his control. He was not going to drop Jack or lose it and become the wolf himself. After all, there was a place where he was keenly aware of the noctaere storming in the nightmare energy flowing through him. He wasn't going to risk Jack for anything.

Still, he decided to teleport a few meters forward to determine if he could. He stumbled once his feet settled on the ground, but he kept walking with a jerk to his step. He turned his head enough to look at Jack's head against his shoulder, and he steeled himself. Nothing would harm his lover, not even himself right now.

So he teleported the maximum distance he could with line of sight.

"We'll be home soon, Jack. Then you can demand whatever special alcohol you want to soothe your head," he rumbled, gathering himself for another jump. Unlike Jack, he still required line of sight to where he was going, but they were making good progress now.

Still got a chuckle out of Jack all the same.

Fingers curled a little tighter when Gabriel teleported, a soft grunt but nothing distressing. Just a little off guard, more so when he felt the man stumble and then jerk. A huffed sort of breath as an eye cracked open as well to try and get a more visible assessment of just how the man was doing. A little difficult with how his vision wanted to cross, but—

"So long as you drink it with me, Gabe. Think the both of us would do some good getting drunk off the Glowing Dawn mix before taking a good and long rest together." Just that much more firmly, eyes closing again after a moment when a wave of dizziness hit him- "Sorry that I can't help out on getting us home faster."

They were going to be sleeping well for a handful of hours at this rate. He glanced down at Jack to make certain the initial burst of his energy to move them more swiftly wasn't going to result in the younger man vomiting on him or them both. It seemed like it was alright for now.

"I like that your gayness comes out with the drinks that you name," he remarked with amusement in his voice. He teleported them again to the full range of his line of sight, stumbling when they touched down but again maintaining his balance. He took a step and immediately teleported again, then again, moving them rapidly through the woods where they had come out towards their safe house. "You got us out; let me get us home."

It took about ten minutes of teleporting, but they did arrive at the base of their tree. He hugged Jack close to him as he made one last teleport to the platform that would allow him to carry the younger man inside. "We're home. Want me to throw you on the bed? I'm only making one trip so... choose wisely."

Jack snorted, "What, calling it after the flower a good bit of the honey used came from is gay now?" More amused than anything else- or maybe he was just too tired for any other sort of emotion. Maybe for the better; better than being irritated like he usually was once he hit a certain point of exhaustion.

Still...

"Alright, if you're sure on that."

He squinted a little bit then, as if by that point Jack was too tired to think straight when he had to actually choose something— "Bed. Like you said, easier to drink in that than the hammock. If we got any sense in us after rest we can move up into the hammock for more."

"That's about right. You could have called it something badass yet went with the gentle flower instead," he remarked with amusement as he shouldered his way into their house. The kittens immediately looked up and meowed greetings at them even as he kicked the door closed behind him. Above, Blue and Specter issued their own greetings.

He dragged them both towards the mattress after Jack's decision and he even went so far as to kneel down on the edge so he could place his lover there without much of a bounce. Then, he extracted his arms so he could unfasten and tug off Jack's boots. He struggled to rise to his feet again but did so he could go retrieve a bottle of the honey shine they would both need.

Yeah, yeah, they should have had a debrief about the mirror world, but that would come after sleep. Madeline stayed with Jack and Annabel followed him with several meows of greeting. As he knew where all of Jack's little stashes of distilled alcohol, he knew where they heavy hitting stuff was and retrieved a whole bottle. No, no glasses because they would be heathens tonight.

He returned to the mattress, his boots, armour and jacket absorbing into his skin as he unceremoniously lay down next to Jack with a heavy sigh. "That was more work than it should have been. I'm getting old, Jack."

"Scythe," said as his nose wrinkled up a bit at the memory of that sickly sweet 'cocktail' that he knew Gabriel would concoct after a hard day or mission. "Glowing Dawn Honeyshine tells you what it is at least." A moonshine made with honey made from Glowing Dawn flower nectar.

A hand did reach out to ruffle Madeline's fur a little once he was down, corner of his mouth twitching a bit when she clambered over on top of a nearby pillow. Stretched out after a murmured Thanks to Gabriel- mask taken off and dropped off to the side as he shrugged out of his jacket to simply toss it somewhere. A bit better at least, felt the ache deep in his bones.

Once the other man returned Jack reached out for him, just to tuck a bit closer and make it easier for Gabriel to catch his body's warmth after all of that. "We both are, Gabe. Hell of a thing to be really feeling it, huh."

"A drink that cuts," he said with amusement. It had been a long time since he had indulged in such a drink, avoiding it to not remember why he liked it so much. That life was dead, and it was safer for all those who were related to him to think that remained true. "It tells you it's sweet and will murder your liver."

He shifted closer to Jack there on the mattress, and he moved so his head to rest on the younger man's shoulder even as he moved his hands to open the bottle. He offered it to Jack first, knowing that headache had to be a giant pain in the ass. Of course, his actions opened the way for Annabel to crawl onto him and shed some glitter on his skin.

"It would be far worse if our genetics hadn't been churned up," he said with a groan. "We'd definitely be dead without SEP."

"Or send you into a diabetic coma." Far too easy of a tease, maybe.

An arm tucked around Gabriel once he was close enough, Jack letting out a soft breath all the same. Could rest and relax, and know that they had managed to get to a point they both could feel safe; guards down and knowing there were two larger creatures above that would take care of anything that got too close.

He took the jar, taking a deep drink of the glowing blue liquid; shades of purples shifting a little at the motion, but never mixing. That strong taste of mint at least curved with the added bit of blackberry and blueberry used in the mash of the mix along with the Glowing Dawn honey.

Holding it over to Gabriel to take- "Mm, you're right there."

"That's one state I don't need in my life. And neither do you."

They had done the coma thing in the past, not that it had been related to diabetes. Still, he remembered looking through the medical-grade glass at Jack pale and unresponsive back in the day thanks to a medically-induced coma. For some of the SEP, that was the only way they had survived the process. For others, it was how they died.

He closed his eyes as he felt Jack's arm around him, sighing from his nose as he allowed himself to relax. Dark thoughts still picked at the corner of his mind from all the energy that he had absorbed. Thankfully, he had used a lot of it up teleporting them to this point.

He took the jar and swirled it to watch the colours, expecting this shit was going to put his liver to the test. He was certain it could melt paint off of walls, but thankfully he and Jack had regeneration going for them. He took a long drag from the jaw, shivering as the heat slid down his throat and settled in his belly.

"We probably should have eaten something first," he remarked as he offered it back to Jack. Yeah, they were getting so drunk tonight.

"Tell you what, in the morning I'll make us both some Hangover Cure breakfast sandwiches, and maybe some cubed hash browns to go on the side." Sometimes a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with bacon and a shaped slab of hash browns could help a hangover like nothing else. Also just plain tasted good after a rough night, but that was carbs for you. "Think that sounds good?"

Taking back that jar, and drinking down a little deeper as his eyes closed. The burn was welcomed, and while it tasted like sweet and fruity paint thinner it was what they needed.

Of course he had jars filled with the less strong stuff at the Harvest, but that could still knock someone the fuck out. Meant to, in a way.

"So many carbs await then," he said with a grunt. Hang overs were never much of a problem after SEP, but the type of alcohol Jack managed to concoct actually left him with one in the morning. Short lived they may be, but it was a reminder of what it was to be 'normal' as it were. "I'll drag myself up to help with breakfast, but you're going to have to listen to me grumble."

He snuggled Jack's side before forcing himself to sit up enough that he could open the younger man's jacket and start to work at stripping his lover. It would be way more comfortable for them both to not be bogged down with gear, even if they had slept like this many times before. The fact that they didn't have to was a novelty he wanted to enjoy.

Besides, he thought Jack might pass out soon enough and definitely needed that rest.

"At least they will be tasty carbs, and we'll feel a bit better for them. Don't mind your grumbling then, either," mumbled a little as Jack let his head tip back. Eyes closed and- yeah, that warmth spreading through him from the honeyshine was being welcomed. Even as he kept some hold of the jar so Gabriel could take it back.

No fight in getting the jacket off either, because one Gabriel had finished that? Be welcomed right back into Jack's arm for snuggling while they curled up there on that mattress.

At least they had this.

{ when it snows }

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)