songerein | { mirror mirror }

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{ mirror mirror }

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.

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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

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[He is, perhaps a bit strangely, sweeping. He's taking to it as a bit of...well, not a hobby, precisely. But as an act of focus, helping him to keep his mind on where he is, on the present. Because he does miss home, his friends - particularly Katara. The strangeness of this place, its isolation...it can pull at the mind.

And so, he sweeps. It's a task that can help him refocus on where he is, what he's doing - and it makes it easier for him to notice the struggles of others.

Or, in this case, a young woman staring in a mirror nearby.]

Are you alright?

[The most asked question in this place, really.]

Uh-huh...

[Pauline doesn't turn to look at him and continues to stare into the mirror, glassy eyed; she hears him, but his voice sounds far away. She's so entranced by the mirror that she's not even really comprehending what he's asked her.She reaches out and begins to grasp the mirror tightly, her knuckles turning white.]

[Well that's not good. He recognizes it as a sort of...enchantment? Enrapturing? There's stories like it, where he's from. Ok, what to do, what to do...]

[Moving at a bit of an angle, he tries sliding the broom up under her arms, over the mirror. It seems the least intrusive first option.]

[Even if it does bring him into close range, but risks have to be taken...]

[For just a moment, as the broom blocks the mirror, Pauline vaguely wonders what she's doing. Her mind is fuzzy, but she doesn't let go. She wants to keep staring into it, but...why? She furrows her brow briefly, though her gaze remains on the mirror.

The mirror's magic soon overtakes her again and she starts trying to push the broom bristles out of the way. ]

Edited 2024-03-19 09:49 (UTC)

[Ok, that's...not ideal. It's clearly a trance like state. So...what are his options? Make some rain on her? Maybe some snow...]

[Or he can attempt to gently pull or turn her away, which seems, the better option.]

[Pauline struggles against being pulled away from the mirror, her brow furrowing just a bit. The dreams and illusions of happiness the mirror is showing her have her mind completely ensnared. However, she's also not the strongest, so Aang shouldn't have much trouble separating her from it.]

[He'll keep pulling, then.]

Hey! Whatever it is, it's not real!

It's not real...?

[Her eyes are still glassy and her voice is quiet and dull when she speaks, but she gradually starts to struggle less and less.]

Not real...

[He nods, moving to stand between her and the mirror.]

Not real, it's just a mirror.

It's not real...It's not real...!!

[She goes still for a moment as the life returns to her eyes. She stumbles backwards a step as she regains her bearings, briefly wiping her eyes. Even with Aang between her and the mirror, she doesn't yet dare look up, afraid of being drawn back into its magic.]

Sorry, sorry, I just...I need to like, get my head together...

[He winces a bit, in sympathy - there is something important there, for them. The magic can only work if it finds a way in, after all?]

No, no, it's ok - it's...well, it's magic. It does funny things to people.

[She sniffles quietly, before forcing a small laugh.]

T-tell me about it! I'm starting to think I'll never get used to it...you never know h-how it'll affect you.

[He offers a reassuring smile.]

It's ok to be upset...you're right, you never do know. I won't tell anybody. You can let it out if you need to.

[Even though he's being so kind about it, Pauline is determined not to start crying in front of a stranger. She's 17 years old for goodness sake.

But still...it's getting to be A Lot. She lets out a shaky breath and starts fiddling with her hair.]

It's just...it's like whatever magic in this place knows the exact worst things to show you sometimes, you know? Almost like it knows all the worst little things about a person.

[He nods, gesturing at her to sit down on a nearby bench.]

I know. It does that to me, too. I'm not sure if it's trying to hurt us or...trying to test us. Or if this is...just how it works.

[She sits next to him, folding her hands on her lap.]

That's the part that kind of freaks me out. I always thought magic was like rain or wind, you know? It shouldn't be able to want to do anything, right? But even if this is just how magic is...this kind of stuff is just going to keep happening, isn't it?

[She doesn't need some unseen force showing her things she doesn't want to face.]

[He nods a bit.]

It might be. I think we just have to rely on each other and hope that this will get us through it.

[It's what he has always done, and it's proven right in many situations.]

Do...you have friends here? People to help you through?

Y-yeah, I have friends here, but...I don't know. I mean, they're probably dealing with some of the same stuff, right? I don't want to bother them with any of this.

[Even if they matter to her, she feels like her problems are so small.]

...I feel like I should be able to handle this stuff on my own.

[He shakes his head.]

That's what friends do, though. They help us stand when we feel like we can't.

You don't have to ever handle things alone.

[She sighs, her shoulders tensing a little.]

I know. It's not that I'm like, totally against asking for help but like...I know I can ask for help, but I want to know that I'll be okay standing on my own sometimes, you know? How else will I know that I can help my friends when they need me?

[As unlucky as she is, it feels like someone's always stepping in to save her.]

[He looks thoughtful at that, quiet for a moment.]

You know, I found myself thinking like that, more than once. I sort of learned to have faith. In them, but also in myself.

[He smiles, gently.]

But that takes time.

How did you start to learn? I can deal with normal stuff, but in a place like this...

[She exhales quietly and furrowing her brow a little.]

It's just like, really hard sometimes, you know?

[He nods in return, sighing a bit. It's a big pair of questions.]

It really is. And in truth, we had...well, there was a war going on. I learned we could rely on each other because we were tossed into the crucible from the very start.

...Oh., um, I guess you don't really have much of a choice under those circumstances.

[Even with all the stuff she's dealt with in Reverein, a war is certainly a different, and she imagines much harsher, situation entirely. How can she do something when there's no clear path to it?]

Maybe learning to have faith in myself is going to be a little more complicated than I thought.

It can be. But it comes with time. And faith in others, which is an easier pre-requisite, quite frankly.

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ribbonbon - 2024-05-15 10:48 (UTC) - Expand

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