songerein | { 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.

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He stared at the mirror even after it was covered, a tear running down his face. His emotions were more deep than loud at the moment. A deep dark pain burrowed within him. Another tear ran after it, from the other eye. A shudder passed through him as he wallowed hard.

Uncertain what else to do, Gabriel, gently pulled Adrien into a hug once again, though this time without crouching down. "I'm sorry," he said softly. He wasn't entirely sure if it fit just then, but he felt the need to say something, and nothing else came to mind. "Maybe... maybe showing you memories of mine was a bad idea."

There was a moment of shock before his arms closed around his father. Well.. Around Gabriel Agreste, and the tears started in earnest.

For the second time in less than an hour, Gabriel found himself holding Adrien as he cried, gently rubbing his back with one hand. And found himself wishing- perhaps somewhat unfairly- that this was his own son, not an alternate. How many times had he wanted to do something just like this for his own Adrien, but been forced to keep him at arms length for his own safety? Or just not been there at all when he should have been, due to leading a secret double life, with essentially two careers to maintain, one of them incredibly secretive. Even knowing it was all for the greater good didn't make it any easier. Or less lonely.

But even then he couldn't and didn't regret his choice to take up the mantle of Betterfly. A better world was possible. The kind of world his son- and his alternate- deserved. And that kind of world was worth fighting for.

For the moment though, he could afford to be the tiniest bit selfish and spend time comforting the alternate version of his son. He could do that much at least.

One wonders if it would help him to know how similarly Adrien's thoughts were running. Wishing this were his own father, his actual father. That his dad cared enough to hug him like this... to be here for him. If this was a dream he could be here... couldn't he?

But with that came the guilt. Guilt because that wasn't fair to this version of Gabriel. Guilt because having his actual father back filled him with terror. Guilt because his father died helping Ladybug save the world. Guilt because he hadn't been there. So much guilt.

But right now he needed the hug, needed the illusion, even knowing it was fake. It hurt too much. Everything hurt too much. Everything was just too much.

None of what they were feeling was fake. Gabriel could attest to that much. It simply... wasn't quite what either of them wanted. But at the moment, it was what they both needed, and that would have to suffice.

He was silent for a long moment before speaking again. "Your mother... Emilie... always knew just what to say in difficult situations," he said, his voice still somewhat tight. "Sadly not a skill I ever mastered. But I while I can't claim to know all the details, I can tell you're carrying far more weight on your shoulders than someone so young should ever have to. If there's any of that burden you feel able to share with me, I'm more than willing to help you carry it."

They... would really need to figure out exactly what they were to each other at some point, he was realizing. But that was for another day. When they could think a bit more clearly.

"I...miss her...." he whispered. It was safe to say. And painfully true. He wanted her back. And his dad the way he used to be. Before.

"I do too," he said softly. He couldn't imagine a version of him that didn't. Part of the difference, he suspected, was in how each version of him handled that. "Some days more than others, but... the feeling never quite goes away. But I also know that she wouldn't have wanted me- or anyone she cared for- to live in constant mourning. So I do my best to move forward, to honor her memory."

He sniffed. Heavily for him. "Wish someone had told my dad that," he mumbled.

"It's entirely possible that someone did," he said. "But it can be difficult advice to take to heart, even when given with the best of intentions."

"You managed..." he mumbled, shoulders shaking.

"And that's how I know how difficult it is," he said gently. "The world doesn't end at times like this; it just feels like it does. And eventually, especially as an adult, we're expected to pick up the pieces and carry on as best we can. Life goes on. Some people just... manage to go along with it better than others. And even if I can't condone many of the choices he made, I'd be lying if I said I didn't at least somewhat understand what may have motivated them."

"Did you.... was there anyone else there... to be with you? To help?" he asked after a long shuddering moment.

He thought for a long moment. "Nathalie has been something of a constant to both myself and my son," he said. "She was both understanding and extremely helpful, especially in the first few weeks. But there was always a... distance there. As devoted as she is, she's still an employee; turning to her on a personal level would been both unprofessional and- given our world- potentially dangerous."

"Amelie and Felix offered their condolences or course, but weren't able to make it in time for the memorial service. I spoke to a few of our old classmates and a few of her acting colleagues there, but I was never especially close to any of them. And given my family's disapproval of may choice of career, I haven't spoken to them since I left for college, nor have they attempted to contact me."

"So no; I had.... have no one in that sense. But Emile was bright, strong, and determined to the very end; I felt that the least I could do to honor her memory would be to attempt to emulate her strength. But giving in to bitterness and despair would have been all too easy, and there were nights where it was... a very near thing."

Nights that had been spent cursing the world, the Miraculous, the Supreme, but most of all himself. Had he been better, stronger, cleverer... Had he understood what was happening sooner... Had he not been so reckless, so focused on his goals above all else, then perhaps... perhaps... If this Adrien's father had had similar nights, and not managed to pull himself out, it would explain a great deal of what he knew and suspected.

"Then..." he swallowed hard, swallowing the words.

If this version had the same people, and the same absences... then how was he able to be this... where Adrien's dad... Was what he had become...?

{ mirror mirror }

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