songerein | { nightmare bleed: world fragments }

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{ nightmare bleed: world fragments }

NIGHTMARE BLEED: WORLD FRAGMENTS

Details on everything can be found here. As a reminder, events double as our TDMs and information can be found here. Any outside characters participating in the log are canonly logged as appearing in Songerein in June and will remain in Songerein from the IC date of June 14th. TDM only characters can only thread within this log. Anyone who apps in and is accepted will have their character count June as their first time in the game without any disruption, so all content will carry over. Those who do not apply will disappear which should not seem too unusual, however players in game can choose to retcon and pretend a character was never there to begin with if it would be easier; or even think their presence was just a dream.

IMPORTANT! All outside characters MUST have "TDM" in their subject line, even if you might not app. This will help people differentiate those who are already in the game and those who are not.

TDM threads are required for samples. Refer to the Game Info for general information and feel free to toss any questions here. Reserves will open June 24th and Applications will open on July 1st. Our application cycles are bi-monthly so the next cycle after won't be until September.

TDM Toplevel Link Directory (click to view)

Satan | Obey Me!

We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during AC and TDM threads will count. For more information, refer to the Game Notes.

I. CORRUPTION

COMMENTS

I. CORRUPTION

It all begins when there is a call for help by the local tapirs. Ever since the final battle against the Story Eater last summer, some tapirs that over indulged themselves on the nostilium never recovered and in fact disappeared somewhere. It turns out they drifted to other worlds, and while they were able to do so already, the amount of nostilium has affected the tethers connecting worlds to Songerein and the dream realm as a whole, causing something of a "nightmare feedback." More dangerously, these tapirs are insatiable, seeking nightmares to feed on and are deliberately corrupting dreams to turn into nightmares.

This nightmare feedback through the tethers means while the original worlds are not seeing much of an effect—yet—Songerein and the rest of the dream realm is. Bits and pieces of these worlds are appearing in Songerein and need to be sealed before it's too late.

A. Safe Place. While most of Songerein is covered with patches of different worlds bleeding in, there is one place that's managed to escape: Dragefjell, the floating island home to the dragons. The massive dreamcatcher found within the strange castle that had been discovered last year immediately released a bright, white light and created a powerful barrier protecting it from the nostilium spreading throughout the world. Along with support from the dragons' own magic, they are quick to offer aid to those suffering below, flying down to grab anyone they could to bring them back to the island.

🩹 Medical aid. Those who suffer any physical injuries will be treated both through traditional and magical means. There are many dragons who specialize in healing magic that will be able to provide greater healing, but they are reserving these abilities for those grievously injured.
♨️ Purifying Springs. The hot springs are available to help purify those who have been affected by nostilium. Although not as strong as the pods, it still helps those who are on the "low" to "medium" scale. Some are even bottling the water so that it can be converted into some kind of spray to try and help purify areas affected.
🐉 Dragon Transport. After the initial flurry of rescues, more efficient means to transport larger groups are constructed. Gondolas carried by the dragons are made and volunteers can assist in finding and bringing people on board. Assistance is also request to help protect the dragons as the days pass so that they do not succumb to the growing effects of nostilium.

B. Corrupted Tapirs: These tapirs have changed entirely, the excess nostilium turning them into unrecognizable shadowy figures that will take on the form of one's worst nightmare to try and instigate more fear and terror. They continue to seek out nostilium out of anyone, sleeping or awake, and will appear outside of dreams to do just that.

🕊️ Purification. Many will try to purify the tapirs, but they must be subdued first. Once the corrupted tapir is down, pure dreamotion can be channeled into them to try and purify the effects of the nostilium. Other methods that have been discovered can also be used to try and reduce the corruption.
🛏️ Orkili Pods. The Orkilins will have brought their purification pods from the city to try and help purify not only anyone who has succumbed to the rampant nostilium, but also for the tapirs. If they can be subdued enough, they can be tossed into the pod to try and help purify them. However, if they still have too much the pod will overload and break.
💀 Eradication. Some tapirs are so far gone there is no saving them. They must be completely destroyed by using any offensive attack type dreamotion possible. Special "bombs" constructed from pure dreamotion can be made and used against them. Although extreme, it may be kinder to put them out of their misery, and those that are destroyed will whisper words of gratitude before disappearing…

C. Nightmare Battles. With both worlds bleeding into Songerein and the spike of nostilium spreading everywhere, noctaere and other nightmarish creatures from these bleeds are running rampant. They are aggressive with two different types. One type will just feed on pure destruction and will try to attack and destroy anything in its way. The other will try to invoke more fear and nightmares so they can feed off the nostilium and grow stronger that way. They need to be handled regardless and dreamotion is key.

🌚 Noctaere. Rather than be killed, those who overwhelmed by these creatures will be corrupted and turn into noctaere themselves. How weak or powerful the corruption is will be up to players. Note: It is possible to save the effects for next month for our second part, or even have the effects last into the next month. Anyone who turns into a noctaere and continues into July willy (hopefully) be saved in July.
👤 Slenderman. He's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. And he is angrier than ever. Like before, the Slenderman will prove to be a formidable foe, utilizing its ~~noodle~~ tendril like appendages to trap and capture anyone who has the misfortune to cross its path. Those who are caught will remain trapped inside it in a dark abyss-like cage but can be rescued by those who are able to simply make any cuts to reveal the person inside. Those within can try to escape using dreamotion, but the longer they are captive, the weaker they become as their energy is drained.
👥 The Unknown. The Unknown from the Mirror World has returned, but for some strange reason it is trying to capture noctaere and nightmares in a grotesque, black mirror. However, those who are captured will find themselves in a strange place where all the nostilium is extracted to create a "nightmare version" of themselves. They are then pulled back out of the mirror and returned to normal free of most of the nostilium that once afflicted them, and after the Unknown stares at them it will disappear for its next target. While some may think it is helping, those who actually go through the experience are left feeling strange and wary. After all…what will happen to that nightmare copy that was created? Should people help the Unknown? Or stop it?

D. World Fragments. Technically any canon could be found somewhere in Songerein, especially since the NPCs that live in Reverein are also from different worlds, but in Reverein and surrounding areas specifically, it will be mainly current canons represented in game and any guest character canons participating in the event. While players can create specific toplevels, we also request small blurbs to be added to our Canon World Fragments directory thread so that other players can reference and include them in their own threads. There is the option to include a link to your toplevel as well. For those who need a refresher on how this portion works:

🌎 World Fragment. A fragment of their world will appear somewhere around Reverein. It's most likely in the town, but it could be out in the Wildlands. The fragments will be no bigger than a 2-block square. These fragments can be a specific place or a mashed up amalgamation of places to represent that world, and it can include nightmare versions of people and creatures. While they mostly stay within the fragment area, some may escape to add to the havoc and chaos.
🧎 Conductor. To seal world fragment and contain its spread, natives from that world can serve as "conductors" and absorb the nostilium in the area into themselves. This does mean they run the risk of turning noctaere, but they can be assisted by others to help keep them purified. They also have the risk of falling into a coma-like sleep while still absorbing the nostilium.
🫙 Nostilium Absorbers. The Orkilins will deploy numerous containment devices to help try and absorb nostilium so that it's not just the individual. These devices can work directly on the fragment area or on the conductor to try and help keep them stable. However, these are not strong enough to work on their own and will need to be constantly changed out, especially if they are damaged.
📚 Fairytale Fragments. Because Songerein had such deep ties to the fairy tale realm, it is not surprising that there are nightmare fragments of fairy tales scattered among the different worlds. These bleeds will be as if someone took inspiration from the Grimm brothers and then made it more goth horror. Any fairytale, myth, legend, folklore, and story can be stumbled upon and will need to be purified like any other place. Some may even encounter the original heroes or villains of the story trying to serve as conductors to seal the fragment.

I. CORRUPTION

COMMENTS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Although Naminé's historically stayed out of the worst of the action whenever things have gone awry, there's just no ignoring the situation when someone else is in trouble amongst the fight closest at hand. Support-focused or not, once she spots Naoya's predicament, she's still got enough moxie to call out a personally offended, ]

Hey--!

[ immediately prior to hurling a respectably-sized Fira at the base of the plant-type noctaere giving him trouble.

This is probably the point at which a proper hero would say something cheeky, like, 'Pick on someone your own size!' Naminé, for her part, is entirely too busy trying to avoid a retaliatory attack from one of the other noctaere to think up anything clever, now that she suddenly has more of their attention than she anticipated. ]

...!

[He moves away from the monster and sends Huoniao towards the noctaere attacking Namine. He's not one to leave debts unrepaid, after all.]

These things are everywhere...

[He's kind of exhausted already, but it doesn't matter. The little bird-demon sends out a jet of flame between Namine and the monster, keeping it away from her as best it can.]

[ The girl appears a bit frazzled, despite managing to avoid the additional noctaere's initial strike. The intervention from Huoniao is timely, and Naminé takes the opportunity to put some distance between herself and the creatures. (She'll even call a 'thank you...!' out to the bird.)

This also gets her closer to where Naoya is - close enough to speak, at least. Arms lifting at her sides, Naminé focuses on another spell. The area around them darkens, energy crackling in the air for a moment before it begins to discharge as
a few bright strikes of lightning, which seem attracted to their enemies and leave allies alone. ]

--re you alright?

[ It might be hard to hear her over the Thunder, but she's peering over at Naoya now, somewhere between grateful and concerned, so maybe her expression says enough. ]

It looked like that thing had a strong grip.

I'm fine. I've weathered worse.

[He doesn't need people worrying about him, especially not recently. He can handle things on his own. ... He has to.]

That was an impressive spell. Did you learn it here, or elsewhere?

[He throws a ball of energy at a noctarae, letting it explode and take down a few of its fellows with it.]

[ Though her brow stays just a little pinched, Naminé offers an understanding nod. ]

If you're sure. But if you change your mind - I know a spell for that, too.

[ Or if the situation gets any worse, though that doesn't bear saying. Her response to his question is delayed a moment both by the compliment, which causes her a moment of sheepish gratitude, and the fact that he's got some interesting magic of his own, which draws her eye along with it. ]

Here, mostly. I was trying to learn by myself long before I came here, but it wasn't until afterward that I finally found a teacher.

[ And that all the practice started to pay off, once she'd restructured things a bit based on this world's new tendencies. Part of her is relieved to see several of their opponents fall at once, but-- it's not hard to attract more, when they're both using such noticeable spells. Backing up slightly as she sees a few additional enemies begin to head their direction, Naminé suggests a cautious, ]

We-- might not want to stay here much longer...!

I see. There's quite a few people here who are the type to be a good teacher.

[For magic, he's... probably not the best choice. But for other things, maybe. But the sound is attracting more demons - he can see a few Pendragons and an Orochi lumbering their way.]

Agreed. Let's be off.

[Catoblepas covers their retreat as he ushers her towards one of the other office buildings. They're basically all smashed up, but at least they look stable.]

Something more defensible, perhaps?

I'm sure you're right about that.

[ And at the present moment, Naminé certainly wouldn't mind if a few of those "responsible adult"-shaped people were closer at hand as their enemies creep closer. The blonde's metaphorical hackles are already all the way up after the first large beast she spots, much less the additional ones. She's only got enough air in her suddenly tight lungs for a hum of understanding at Naoya's agreement.

It doesn't take much encouragement for her to follow his lead, though her expression does look apprehensive as she raises her face briefly toward the would-be shelter. Still, that doesn't slow her steps. ]

If you think that's best. You - probably know this place better than I do.

[ She'd only just happened upon it when she found him in trouble, after all. ]

[He nods and leads her up the stairs, opening the door into what looks like it was once a fancy office. Now there's scratch marks on the desk from some beast, along with a broken window. Whatever was in here clearly broke out, not in. There's a device on the floor, cracked screen flashing an 'ERROR' message.]

As I thought.

[There's the smell of blood, but thankfully no body around. He perches himself on the desk and looks at Namine.]

This is from my world. That tower... that's where everything began and ended. At least for this situation. Those monsters are demons - ones not controlled by demon tamers. They likely escaped once their tamers were dead.

[ As she follows behind him, Naminé has an inkling he might be yet more familiar with this place than she'd expected. The scene that greets them when they step into the office seems to perturb her, her body jolting to a halt as she takes it all in. Arms tucked close to her, the girl hesitates just inside the room, and her features look troubled when she returns her gaze to Naoya. She seems apprehensive, although that isn't directed specifically at him. ]

Then you remember not just this place, but this moment?

[ Well, that does imply that he's got a part to play in resolving this fragment's presence here, if not a few other things. But Naminé makes no move to suggest it, however; rather, her curiosity wins out, with the assistance of her concern for his safety. ]

What exactly happened, to make things turn out that way?

[ The whole place does seem to be in disarray, to put it lightly. ]

Edited 2024-06-28 03:37 (UTC)

I do. Or rather, this is what my world looks like right now. Or at least my version of it. As for what caused it...

[He gestures at the area around them.]

This place is in an area of my city that was blocked off by the government. Creatures from another world called 'demons' started to invade it and cause havoc. There's a human who has the power to take the throne of the king of demons... which is the war that's caused all of this mess.

That's... [ Looking at the state of the place, the only thing she can think to call it is, ] ... awful.

[ What a mess. Although, as she thinks about it... ]

There are creatures that invaded the worlds I know, too, but-- those ones we saw earlier didn't look quite like them.

[ She does wonder briefly if there's still some connection, and yet there are so many strange commonalities between the worlds connected by this land of dreams that it seems to her that it could very well be a coincidence. Breathing a sigh, she shakes her head as if to dispel the thought. Then, ]

That human that you mentioned... what do you think they intend to do?

I see. As for the human... it depends. My brother and I seem to be from different timelines of events. In one case the human sided with the one who caused the chaos in the first place. In another, he took the throne of king of demons to fight against the one who started it.

It took a bit of talking to figure out exactly what happened, considering everything.

[ Naturally, she can't help but remark, ]

How strange...

[ For one person to make such vastly different choices, given hypothetically similar conditions. The lass feels a chill up her spine as an old memory resurfaces at the notion, a moment late but with a vengeance. ]

Or... maybe not so strange. A long time ago, in another world, I saw briefly into the minds of several other versions of myself. They were...

[ She falters, then tries to regroup. ]

Well, some of them made choices that I would never think to. That - I never had the chance to make, either. So it might be that there are even more different timelines than those, although... I don't think I've met very many people from different ones who wound up here together. That must have been so confusing for both of you.

[ Her sympathy is audible, for what it's worth. ]

But in that case, which one was which? Did you see the world where he helped cause chaos, or the one where he fought against it?

[ And perhaps more concerningly, is this state of things the result of one or the other, or merely the precursor to both? ]

There are - someone else from our world showed up here, and he said the person had made yet another choice. One I wouldn't have thought of planning for, because I think it's foolish and risky in a terrible way. But it was confusing at first, yes.

As for myself, it was the one where he fought alongside the one who made this 'trial' in the first place. The god who rules our world is who is responsible for trapping everyone here. His plan is to take away human free will if they do not bend to His command.

[ Naminé, for her part, looks rather appalled at the mere idea. ]

That's more or less the same, isn't it? Bending to His will, or not being allowed to have a will of your own at all... I suppose gods can abuse their power just as easily as others seem to.

[ Of course, most of her experience with higher powers has been with the likes of Hades, so. ]

It is. And they do. They're no less fallible than humans themselves. It's not like they're perfect beings like some try to ascribe them to be. The god of my world is... cruel and terrible, using people as He wishes. He's always been like that, for thousands upon thousands of years.

[ Brow pinched, the girl shakes her head. ]

I'm sorry. [ Her sympathy is a murmured thing, quiet in her sincerity. ] I haven't known many gods, but I know how much pain anyone with that much power can cause. They do say it corrupts...

[ But they can lament his world's situation all day, at this rate. Naminé's mouth is still downturned at the corners as she shakes her head once more, as if to dispel a thought. ]

At least for now, you're here instead of there. [ Which sounds like a positive thing at this point, and her tone suggests as much. With a touch of reluctance, ] Have you... given any thought to what you'll do about this fragment?

For this fragment? ... I think there's a lot of nostilium here. Someone will have to absorb it, and given that my demons aren't truly here then it's going to have to be me. My cousin is still napping, so it'll have to be me.

[It's not going to be pretty, but it's going to be the most effective.]

... Most of my dreams are nightmares anyway, so it's not as if it's an energy I'm unused to handling.

[ There does seem to be quite the buildup in a place like this, which would look like a nightmare even if it were the real thing. Naminé's concern is immediate; looks like she was afraid he might say that. ]

All by yourself...?

[ It seems a daunting task. (What a time for his worldmate to fall asleep...) After a beat of consideration, the girl shakes her head firmly, as if to dispel any notion of leaving him to it. ]

I don't think I can do much, but - I'll stay here with you. Even if we don't know each other well, I'll try my best to help you however I can.

... That's quite kind of you. And unnecessary, but still kind.

[He takes a deep breath and centers himself, looking out at the city - or the piece of what's left of it, at least. So many possibilities... and this shard is on the precipice of all of them. He holds out a hand and stats absorbing the nightmare energy, trying to keep it from overwhelming him immediately. It's difficult, because the whole place is a living nightmare.]

[But he will hold. He'll have to. There's no one else who can.]

[ The faint, gentle smile that she offers along with her nod in response to his verbal appreciation is probably meant to be encouraging, rather than any sign that she thinks the words are warranted. ]

Whenever you're ready.

[ The girl takes up a place along the edge of the space, careful not to stray too close, lest she cause some trouble with the process. But - true to her word, she'll be there as he begins his work, watching carefully for any sign that he might need assistance. ]

[He nods and faces the tall building in the distance.He reaches out a hand and takes a deep breath, opening himself up to the nightmare energy. It starts to flow into him, wrapping around him and fading into his body like a swarm of angry snakes.]

[There's the faint sound of screaming, of cries of pain, but his face remains passive as it swirls around him. He should have brought canisters, but he didn't think to. Stupid of him to not do that. But he's here now, his body starting to shake from the amount of energy it's absorbing.]

... Try... harder. I will never submit!

[He grits his teeth and pulls the energy faster, trying to absorb it at a rapid rate. He's not sure if he can hold all of this without turning, but at least Kazuya isn't here to see it...]

[ It's... a bit hard to watch, despite never having gone through such a process herself. Naminé grows restless at the sight of his trembling, concern painted across her features. She's got no reason to doubt him, but-- it's a lot for anyone to handle alone. And when he starts to absorb the energy faster-- ]

Careful...!

[ Hard as it is to know how best to advise him, Naminé can't help but think overconfidence could be problematic, here. ]

You don't have to do it all at once...!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

{ nightmare bleed: world fragments }

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