{ mirror mirror }

[dreamposts]

MIRROR MIRROR

With the sleepwalking curse over, everyone will have some time to rest and recuperate—until Jack Frost comes barging in with news of a clue on how to help his beloved Ice Queen who still remains asleep. The clue was the mirror shard that was in her chest, and there are theories that it may have been a fragment of a much stronger, powerful mirror she had been given some time ago. Problem is, he can't find it nor can he remember who gave it to her. He does, however, have a magic incantation that will allow people to enter mirrors and hopefully find a trace. Unfortunately, this horrendously backfires and we have mirror chaos instead. Dammit, Jack.

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

I. REVEREIN

II. MIRROR WORLD

COMMENTS

I. REVEREIN

It all begins in Reverein, where there's a strange shift in the air upon Jack's attempt to cast the spell. But instead of affecting just one mirror, it reflects off the surface and spreads out to the entire town, hitting every reflective surface instead. Ripples can be seen before the surfaces still, but it's too late. Every reflective surface—glass, mirror, window—is under a different effect because of the botched spell.

And some are being unwittingly pulled into them.

Fortunately It is possible to communicate and even watch people from the other side of the mirror, but it's only through certain mirrors and at certain times. It also will be temporary, so while one mirror might work one time, it may not work again.

A. Strange Reflections. While some mirrors may still reflect proper images, many will have…unusual changes.

🪞 You are what you see. Whether it's an odd hairstyle, change in skin color, or style of clothing in the reflection, suddenly the viewer will look exactly like what's reflected. The most extreme is a different form entirely.
🏡 Glimpses of home. Everyone will have a rare glimpse of their home world, and these can be instances from the past, present, or even a limited future. They are just reflections and cannot be interacted with, and future reflections may be blurry to prevent the person from seeing too much. For those who have memory issues, such visions will also be blurry, but perhaps they can help stir some things…
🔮 Most desired. Mirrors that have a bit of a pink hue to them will reflect the viewer's most desired "thing." It could be an object, person, place, or even a general idea. However, if not careful the viewer may become trapped in a trance and will need to be removed or smash the mirror.

B. Clone Wars. Mirrors that do not show any kind of reflection are to be quickly taken away and covered as it will begin to create duplicates in Reverein of what is reflected within it. Yes, even people, and they will be very obviously fake: wrong colors, different voices, odd behavior, etc. and will usually be harmless. These "clones" will continue to appear and multiply until the mirror has been covered, and will need to either be destroyed or captured and shoved into the mirror, where it will lose its "no reflection" status and become a proper mirror again…only for them to appear on the other side in Mirror World.

C. Mirrorsnatched. A mirror with a black rim has the chance of absorbing a significant personality trait or memory of the one looking into it, and when this happens, the person will walk away feeling very muddle-headed and off. The mirror will "keep" this part of the person and someone from the Mirror World side must find their essence and "shove" it back out onto any mirror surface so that the original owner can break the mirror and retrieve it. The downside of this method is that breaking a mirror means one less mirror those on the Mirror side can use, so they need to choose carefully.

D. The Unknown. Appearing in both the Mirror World and Reverein will be a strange mirror masked, black cloaked figure called "The Unknown." It traverses through the mirrors and through the walls, seeking those with happy reflections and will try to corrupt them with nightmares. People on both sides of the mirrors will be able to confront and try to stop the Unknown, though beware its chocolate attacks.

II. MIRROR WORLD

Everything in this "Mirror World" is, in a word, chaotic. Imagine an AI-generated monstrosity based off of Picasso, Escher, and Dr. Seuss, where everything seems to be upside down, backwards, colors everywhere and nowhere, and everything feels so fragmented that one step feels like walking towards the edge of a cliff. In a way it's nightmarish in an unusual sense, and those inside can feel that touch of "madness" that seeps through the cold air.

Beware the strange creatures in the Mirror World. They are grotesque monstrosities, many of them looking as if they were stitched together from different parts. Fortunately they are susceptible to weapons and dreamotion and those inside the Mirror World will find they are able to use different abilities, especially those with reflective properties.

A. Fragment of their old self. In order to get out of the Mirror World, those inside will need to catch a small fragment of themselves that has escaped and is running around. This fragment is actually a piece of their old self prior to arriving in Songerein. For some, this self may not be so different, but for long-time residents, they may seem a lot more different. To make things more interesting, this self can be from any point of the character's past. It just has to be a version of the character from before entering Songerein. This version will also appear "homesick" and "want" to return to their original home, regardless if the character actually feels that way. Thus the fragment will seek out mirrors that will reflect anything of their home world. Shattering these mirrors will weaken the fragment until it can be caught. But that's only half the challenge. If the fragment is injured, the original will also feel the damage but to a lesser degree. If the fragment is destroyed, then the original will be "knocked out" for a few seconds before a new fragment appears. However, this fragment will be much more distorted and worse than the one before.

B. Distorted Memories. At random points while traversing, characters may come across strange pockets of the world that they will feel drawn to. Following said instinct will lead them to a shifted landscape that will reflect images of home from different points in time (past, present, maybe even future) as if they've just walked right into it, but just like everything else, they are distorted. The changes can be as subtle as the wrong color of clothes, having too many limbs, to something major like the sky now being the ground. The only way out will either be destroying the anomalies or correcting them, and they will be rewarded with a mirror shard that will aid in their escape.


C. Warped Sense of Self. The longer a person stays within the Mirror World, the less "coherent" they will feel, and sometimes sound. Their memories will slowly become more disjointed, their personality feeling a bit "off", and they may even forget who they are or where they are from. Even their physical selves will start to twist and change, starting with something subtle (e.g. eye color) and then growing more drastic as time goes on (where did those extra fingers come from? Or why are they suddenly much shorter?) Finding those reflections of home will help with these anomalies, but those weak of heart be warned: the distortions may only exacerbate the issue and make them believe that they are the truth instead. Help anyone who might be caught in fixing these so that they can recover.


D. Finding an exit. To leave the world, those inside must find a mirror that will connect back to Reverein, and those on the other side can also try to help by posing as "anchors" for those inside to recognize. Otherwise, there are many mirrors in the Mirror World that will lead to different places within Songerein—presumably. However, perhaps due to the magic or needing something else, they will be unable to pass through any mirrors that are not connected to Reverein. This is where players have the fun opportunity to make up whatever kind of location or place the characters may see reflected on the mirrors. They could be existing locations in the game, or new ones that could be explored in the future. One unique place we can mention will be reflections of a city covered in night.

Only upon finding a mirror that leads back to Reverein, but they will also need help from the outside. Someone from within Reverein must also be there to physically reach in and pull them out—while hopefully not accidentally be pulled in themselves.

I. REVEREIN

II. MIRROR WORLD

COMMENTS

Comments

Rachel Berenson | Animorphs | Reverein

[xenamorph]

A. I agree with the second part.

[Rachel isn't optimistic, but she's had it. If she doesn't do something that at least resembles shopping... well, her other form of stress relief is probably gonna cause some problems, so let's not.

As she feared, the clothing selection here is genuinely tragic, but she's determined to make this work. She's spending an excessive amount of time fighting making something workable out of the clothing when the change comes over the shop mirror.

And suddenly she's extremely fixated on it. Whatever she's seeing in the mirror, it's made her completely forget what she was doing. But it definitely doesn't seem like it's hypnotizing her with her heart's desire- if anything, she looks pretty freaked out.]

B. Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real...?

[Once she's stopped being transfixed by the mirror and its glimpses of the future, she's in a really bad mood. She doesn't say why, exactly, but she's clearly distracted by every reflection she passes and fairly testy with any of the strangers she meets... which is basically everybody here. She won't be actively rude, but she's not exactly sociable.

Until she comes across a mirror that shows her... no reflection at all. At least not of her. The trees, the scenery behind her, the buildings, the light, those are all reflected, but she's not.]

Wait, are you seeing this?

C. One fight at a time

[Dealing with the duplicates pretty much ground her last nerve. She's done with this. As soon as she hears about this Unknown figure who's causing problem, she's almost ecstatic. Finally, finally something she can just fight to make it better.

She immediately finds privacy, morphs a Bald Eagle, and takes to the sky, patrolling for any sign of this 'Unknown' guy. If you want to help her take him down, she won't say no. If you find him yourself, she might help you fight him.

She might even help you find him in ways you don't appreciate. Sorry. But not that sorry.]

D. You jump, I jump, right? (Locked to Tobias/@notachickenhawk)

[It seemed like a perfect plan.

The open water wasn't great for eagles, so Rachel opted for dolphin- she doesn't know if all her morphs are gonna work here, but she's definitely not wasting time on the seagull. A dolphin can get out to the open water just fine, anyway.

Of course, the koi are... well, massive. The size of whales. She's been a whale, of course, but it's still sort of staggering to swim alongside something so huge and powerful.

Especially when she demorphs to human, which she has to for the plan to work. The increasingly powerful waves that the huge catfish are generating are child's play to a dolphin (Most things are child's play to a dolphin) but as she tries to swim into position alongside the fish, those 'fun and playful' waves keep shoving her back and threatening to pull her under. Fighting to keep her head above the surface- and the salt water out of her eyes- she calls out to Tobias.]

You-

[Bleah. She sputters out some salt water that splashes into her mouth and tries again.]

You ready?

[Hey, a demorphing trance should calm them down, as long as they both get hit by it at the same time, right?]

E. Wildcard

(Don't see anything here you like? Have something specific in mind? Feel free to DM me on this account, hit me up on the game discord, or on plurk at yonfellow)

D

[notachickenhawk]

[Tobias heads out with her in dolphin morph - at least at first. When he starts seeing how big those waves are... no. He demorphs and takes to the air, letting his wings dry out as he circles above the fish.]

<Holy carp, Batman!>

[Sorry, he had to. But he's feeling more and more unsure about them the closer they get. ... But a plan's a plan. And besides, they're dreaming - what's the worst that could happen?]

<Ready!>

[He swoops down on the signal, heading down towards the bluish catfish, leaving Rachel with the silvery one. He touches down on its back and tries to acquire it. ... And tries to - huh. Did... did it work? Because -]

<Not calm, not calm!>

[Great. What now?]

[xenamorph]

[Rachel's fish seems, at first, to be calming- but no, it turns out that as she struggles to stay beside it, it only slowed down for a moment, raising one massive fin to splash the water and throw her off.

The wave it creates shoves her backward, and she flounders and sputters in the water for a few seconds.]

Did you-

[Water. Blegh. The fish are already back at it, and the regular circling waves are only getting faster.]

Did you finish- ack-

[Splash. Ugh. Come on. Screw it, she's gonna try it herself, if only so the stupid things don't drown her. She closes her eyes, focuses on the carp, and starts to change, hoping that he's able to get out of the water or morph himself. And that the carp morph isn't the size of tiny food to these huge ones.

Judging by the size of the enormous whisker-like growths that suddenly erupt from either side of her mouth, she's thinking 'no.']

[notachickenhawk]

<Yeah, I think so?>

[Oh good, she's morphing. He should probably try - ugh, okay. He's not a fish fan but he lands in the waves nearby and tries to focus on the koi. What would it like to be one? ... And why is it so close to the surface? Aren't they supposed to be -]

<Woah!>

[His body balloons to cartoonish size, stretching out like a blimp as it starts to change more into a fish shape. Morphing is never pleasant, but sudden size changes are really disorienting.]

[xenamorph]

[She would sag in relief when she sees him suddenly erupt to the size of a fishing boat, but she doesn't really have the right muscles to do that anymore- and her legs just shrank into fins. Still, the relief is there she was really worried she'd have to somehow save him from the waves, and the giant fish really weren't a good shape for it.

At least she can use thought-speak now.]

<This makes no sense. This thing's brain is just... calm.>

[Maybe she was wrong, maybe once she finished morphing something else would kick in, but the fish brain just wanted to float and patrol for food right now. It didn't sense danger or anything. In fact, it seemed to think the other three fish nearby were safety.

So why were these two being such a pain in the ass?]

<I can't believe I'm saying this- Maybe it's because of that dream magic?>

[notachickenhawk]

<Maybe. ... In which case we might need some help, because I sure as heck don't know how to use that stuff.>

[He finally finishes changing and... yeah, this brain is pretty chill. Huh. So what's the issue?]

<Though these morphs might be useful if we need to swim long distances. Dolphins are great swimmers, but sometimes they're just too... distracted.>

[Childlike, really. The big fish is just... big and calm.]

[xenamorph]

[Wait, what?]

<You want to just give up without even trying? C'mon, we have to figure it out eventually, how hard can it be?>

[...not that she has the slightest idea where to start. Uh, what did the baby anteaters say?

Tapirs, she corrects herself mentally.]

<Dream magic is based on emotions, right? So maybe we just need to, like... think calm thoughts. Be zen.>

[Yeah, because she's so good at zen.]

[notachickenhawk]

<Who said anything about giving up? I'm just saying that if it doesn't work out then maybe we might need someone to show us how it's done.>

[... Emotions, huh?]

<... We're probably the worst people on the team for that.>

[Between his hawk instincts and Rachel's... Rachel-ness. But he tries to pull on the koi's instincts and think chill thoughts.]

[xenamorph]

<What's that supposed to mean?>

[She knows exactly what it means, but it gets a rise out of her anyway. Which just proves his point. She tries not to think about that part too hard.

The few weeks since coming here had been relatively peaceful, but it also had a weird, tense feeling. Like she was expecting the dream to turn into a nightmare any minute. It's made her... irritable.

She's at least managed, up until now, not to take it out on Tobias much, and she wants to keep it that way. She shuts up and tries to think chill, carp-y thoughts.]

<We need an Enya album, that'd put anything to sleep.>

[See? Jokes. No problem here. Nope. The carp brain instinctively settles in beside the other two, following them in a circle. Schooling, Rachel thinks dimly. It is sort of calming... would it calm them down too?]

[notachickenhawk]

<Sail away, sail away, sail away...>

[Now she's got him thinking it. He will choose to ignore the question because they both know the answer, so there's no point. But he's starting to swim in a circle, slightly getting over his nerves. Being in the water is bad for him generally, so he just tries to mentally float along and swims near the others. It is kind of calming, isn't it? Huh.]

<Or math class. I was good at drawing diagrams, bad at everything else...>

[He doesn't consider himself a great artist, but he's passable. More than that, but self-confidence isn't high.]

[... He doesn't really miss school.]

<At least you won't be missing any essays or something while you're here. Your mom cares about your grades, right?>

[xenamorph]

[...Oh, right. He doesn't remember. Or. Didn't live it yet. She's still not super clear on how that works.]

<It's been a while since I had to worry about that anyway.>

[She doesn't want to get into it now, not when she's trying to think calm thoughts and all. Just drifting in a lazy circle with the other fish is nice and simple. Relaxing. It even seemed like the koi were slowing down a little bit, as if the slow, lazy influence of their little school had calmed them down.

She hasn't felt this relaxed in a long time. Despite her indignation, she knows exactly what Tobias meant. Knows exactly why it's been so long since she felt this calm.

There's something pretty dark inside you, Rachel.

The thought comes into her mind very suddenly, and it cuts through the carp's natural calm, sending a spike of frustration and tension through her.]

<Did something just... nah, nevermind>

[notachickenhawk]

<Wait, what?>

[His tail thrashes, but then the koi's calm cuts through and he chills again. He can ask later. Probably. He's not sure. He almost feels sleepy though, and he tries to not close his eyes. It's a bit of a battle, but he can -]

[Huh?]

<Something just... what? I didn't say anything.>

[Not in the past minute or so, at least.]

[xenamorph]

<No, like I said, it's nothing.>

[Very believable.

I worry about you, Rachel.

Ignore it. Ignore it. Just be the fish. Be calm. Even as she thinks it, though, the koi beside her seems like it's getting agitated, and the circling gets faster.

Do you feel the adrenaline rush of murderous desire?

Why was this happening? Why now? Why-

Oh. Oh. As she tried in vain to keep her thoughts calm, the waves continued to circle higher and choppier around them.]

<... I think the fish are messing with my head.>

Re: Rachel Berenson | Animorphs | Reverein

[bienjoue]

I agree with the second part

Adrien was not yet aware that anything was wrong with the mirrors. But he had gone out for the day, needing space. And freedom. And escape. This version of his father that was here wasn't as bad yet as his actual father. Yet. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He found himself in the clothing store, not that he needed clothing really. Given both versions of his father were fashion designers, he never actually bought clothing in his life. But as they were both fashion designers, if he needed an excuse for why he walked out of the house, maybe this could do as one? Say it was for research? Or... something? It was the best he could do. He hadn't meant to come in, wasn't sure why he had. Not really.

He twisted the double silver rings he wore on one hand, knuckles brushing the silver ring he wore on his other. A new nervous habit since that day with Marinette when he started to make peace with...

He shook his head, shaking away the thoughts.

Distraction. Distraction. He needed a distraction. His eyes landed on the blond girl who was staring horrified at the mirror.

He should be able to help with that at least? Right? He was better at interacting with people than he had been a year ago. So maybe? Anyway, he had to try. Even if he wasn't in his skin tight costume at the moment, there were other ways to be a hero. He'd learned that from his friends.

And right now, anyone that upset could use a friend.

He walked over to her, noticing that she probably should be kept away from any version of his father if she didn't want to spend the rest of her life as a model. She had the looks for it. More than Lila, that was for sure. Well, just one more thing to try and protect her from. But this first.

"The outfit looks good on you," he said, trying to be comforting. He knew some people hated how they looked, though he never understood it. While he could identify who had more potential as a model than someone else, he'd never understood why people could see themselves as ugly. He'd never actually met anyone who really was. At least, not on the outside. And part of him still held out hope for Chloé and even Lila. "But if you want something different, maybe I can help?" he offered gently.

That was what a friend would do, right? This was how to make a friend?

He wasn't fully sure. Nino had all but abducted him into friendship, and Mairnette... Well better not to think about her right now. But generally since he started school... friends just kind of... happened to him? And it wasn't like anyone here would know from Alliance. Or from his modeling career. So maybe... he didn't have to try so hard?

Maybe?

Friends were easier as a super hero...

[xenamorph]

"What was that?"

She wheels around, bristling for a fight, with the-

Blonde guy. The harmless blonde guy. The one who had just... complimented her outfit.

Very nefarious.

Way to be chill, Rachel. She sighs and runs a hand through her hair, willing the adrenaline out of her muscles and trying to look relaxed.

"I-I mean, uh- sorry, did you just... see that? In the mirror?"

[bienjoue]

"See you looking at a new outfit?" he asked, confused. "Or is something wrong?" Was there an Akuma at work? He was hiding it how tense he was for the moment.

PARDON THE DELAY

[xenamorph]

"There was a-"

She gestures to the mirror, glances back toward it, and sees... herself. In her new outfit. Talking to the blonde guy.

Not for the first time since she arrived, she wonders if this is just an elaborate dying hallucination.

"... Thought I saw something. Something I wasn't... supposed to see."

You have an excuse. :D

[bienjoue]

"Oh..." he offered her a sympathetic expression, and his voice which was already kind, gentled further. "This place does things like that," he said, almost apologetic. "I was told this is some sort of weird dreamscape, but one we can't choose to wake up from. So weird things keep happening. And... they make about as much sense as dreams do..." Of course, his dreams were all nightmares recently. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop here.

[xenamorph]

Oh. Oh, good. Pity. For a moment, a resentful flare of anger bubbles up inside her, but then he keeps talking and-

Oh.

Okay. Not pity. Maybe she should stop jumping to conclusions.

"I guess that explains the whole Disneyland costume party that was going on when I got here."

She glances back at the mirror again.

"What about the mirrors, do they always show you, uh... weird stuff?"

[bienjoue]

"I'm not sure we could use the word always for anything around here," he said with a bit of a wince. "A lot of what happens here feels like Akuma attacks, but with less directed malice." A casual tossing out of the term to get a read on if she was from Paris or not.

[xenamorph]

She's not sure what an Akuma is, exactly, but she's getting the impression that most of the people here are from places with wars of their own.

Which is kind of depressing, really, but she tries not to think about that part.

"This wasn't an attack, exactly. It was more like... I guess I saw stuff from after I-"

She pauses, frowns, glances back at him.

"From my future, I mean. Just little bits and pieces"

[bienjoue]

He winced on her behalf. "Not a happy sight then?" he asked, voice still kind.

[xenamorph]

"Not really."

She frowns back at the now-normal mirror.

"I only saw bits and pieces, but..."

But she saw enough to know that her death had destroyed Tobias. That even after they won, Jake was a broken wreck from the things they'd had to do. The things he'd ordered her to do.

"...I dunno. Maybe it wasn't real, right?"

She didn't believe it, even as she said it.

Phone tag while cat is keeping me awake, please excuse typos and errors

[bienjoue]

"Maybe," he said, unsure. But... Even if it is real, you don't have to deal with it alone." It was said so softly it came out somewhere between an offer and a question. "I don't really know how to no do the whole starting a friendship thing, because most of my friends decided we were friends before I knew what was happening... But... If you need a friend while we're both stuck here..." He offered a hand awkwardly.

No worries.

[xenamorph]

There's a moment when she looks at the hand, suspicious. She's not sure why a stranger offering friendship immediately strikes her as a threat, but the whole tone of the conversation seems like it changed in a second.

Chill, Rachel. This wasn't Drode, this wasn't even Tom. This was just some kid trying to be nice.

After a second, she forces the visible tension out of her shoulders and accepts the handshake.

"Yeah, alright. My name is Rachel."