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songerein2024-06-15 02:52 am
dreamposts) wrote in songerein2024-06-15 02:52 am
Entry tags:
- !event,
- -tdm,
- anastasia romanova,
- barok van zieks,
- black raisin cookie,
- cid highwind,
- eustace,
- ferran gallagher,
- flowey,
- frisk,
- gabriel agreste,
- gina lestrade,
- helga pataki,
- hermes,
- iris wilson,
- isabela madrigal,
- joshua rosfield,
- kratos aurion,
- link (oot),
- maedhros,
- mammon,
- martel yggdrasill,
- naoya,
- portgas d. ace,
- rachel berenson,
- rufus shinra,
- ryu,
- satan,
- sheik (zelda),
- tifa lockhart,
- tobias,
- zelda (botw)
{ 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.
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
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 itsnoodletendril 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.
no subject
Their scales are similar to this, but a bit more flexible to allow them better mobility in the water. And they aren't sharp along the edges either.
[ It occurs to Zelda that all of this --showing her his demon form, allowing her to touch his tail-- is probably rather intrusive for Satan. She would probably feel the same if he wanted to touch her ears because they are so much different from his own-- fascinating for him, but quite personal for Zelda.
She retracts her hand so that she doesn't risk cutting herself on those sharp scales and places it in her lap. ]
Do they ever shed? [ A nod towards his tail. ] The Zora shed scales as they grow, but because of how slowly they age, it tends to happen pretty infrequently.
no subject
[ He was mostly serious when he said he'd only offer the chance just this once. Realistically, he knows he would quickly fold if she ever asked him again later, but he tries very hard to not make a habit of entering this form by accident.
Satan pauses before he answers her question because it was such a reasonable question that he had never considered. ]
No, but I suppose that doesn't mean they can't. As you know, I'm not often in this form, and so my tail only rarely has the opportunity to be damaged.
[ Honestly, his own leg has sustained more damage over time than his tail ever could. ]
And... unlike most demons from my world, this is the size I was born, so there was no need to for the scales to shed to foster growth cycles. I...
[ "Don't have anyone to really look to for guidance in that department," is what he wants to say. Instead, he offers her: ]
...I'm embarrassed to say that I don't actually know the answer, other than "they haven't so far."
no subject
[ It's probably for the best that they don't shed. How dangerous would it be for new ones to grow in, given their sharp edges?
Zelda shifts position so that she can look up at him more easily. It's odd to see Satan with horns, and odder still to remember that this is his true form. Why does he prepare to take a human form over this? Because of how most people react to demons? That would certainly be reasonable, if so. She knows that she lack of fear is unusual, to say the least. ]
And these?
[ She lifts her hand to touch one of his horns, but stops herself a few inches away. ]
Are they also dangerous?
no subject
My horns? They're very... durable. As you can see, they taper off, but they're quite safe to touch -- which you may, if you'd like, just this once. Given that, and the angle they curve, it'd be too much trouble to hurt anyone with them. Really, they're no good as a weapon. The best they can do is dent metal, which is... generally unhelpful.
[ He falls silent for a moment, wishing his horns had done more than just dent that box. ]
Demons in my world may have either wings or a tail like I mentioned before, but all demons have horns. They differ from demon to demon. Mammon's are thin, vertical and coiled, like a double helix. He thinks my horns look stupid, but he's the one who could use his horns like a corkscrew.
[ Mammon's not wrong, though. If Satan's horns had at least been angled differently, or maybe a little sharper, he could have torn through that metal back then. Which, sure, may have been a very horrible thing for everyone else, but...
Very carefully, his tail removes itself from around his arm and settles itself at Satan's side on the ground. ]
Anyway, I... hope I don't remind you too much of the demons in your world.
no subject
Slowly, she reaches out with both of her hands. The line of her gaze is just above Satan's as she touches her fingertips to his temples, running them through his hair until they reach the base of his horns. A line forms between Zelda's brows, that familiar look of concentration Satan has seen on her countless times before, as she trails her fingers along the shape of them. (Are they as unexpectedly cold as his tail? Smooth to the touch or textured? Can he feel her touch through them, or just the slight weight of her hands?)
Though Zelda doesn't think that Satan has been overtly hiding this form from her, she recalls his hesitation to show it to her whenever she inquired about it in the past. Given that this is his true form, his disinclination to take it surprises Zelda. Or is it more that he prefers not to take it around her, or humans in general?
The stigma against demons in his world clearly effects him greatly-- or else why would he worry as he does right now that he reminds her of demons in her own world?
Zelda shakes her head in response. ] No, you do not.
There are no demons in Hyrule. There are monsters, grim spirits, and evil men, but there are no demons.
The Demon King... he is not a demon like you. He is nothing but a monster, a man who coveted godlike power and was corrupted by it.
no subject
Although he initially watches her investigate his horns, he eventually shifts his gaze elsewhere, unused to anyone being in his personal space for so long, Zelda or otherwise. It isn't that he is embarrassed about it, at least he doesn't think he is, although he can't quite pin down how he feels about it, either. At the very least, he doesn't mind. ]
That seems to be the way of Demon Kings. You know, the very first Demon King of the Devildom actually stole the land. It originally belonged to a Fairy King until the Demon King gave them tainted wine that resulted in the Fairy King falling into an eternal sleep.
Our current Demon King is... also asleep, and has been for the past thousand years. He waged war constantly with the Celestial Realm for the right to influence humans as he saw fit, but I guess he got tired of it and decided to nap permanently.
But, I'm glad to hear your Demon King and I are nothing alike, at least not right now. I'm sure that when I was first born, I probably had a lot in common with him. I suppose being raised by six brothers who used to be angels was helpful in teaching me how to be a decent person.
[ Satan, wearing a thoughtful frown, glances at Zelda. Had they met a thousand years ago in his own timeline, he is positive she would have absolutely detested him. And rightfully so. ]
no subject
Ah. Whoops. That's prooobably enough time invading Satan's personal space. (Goodness, she's really so accustomed to the physical closeness she shares with Sheik that she settled right into the same with Satan, didn't she?)
Zelda clears her throat self-consciously as she retracts her hands, scooting back a bit so that when she sits down again, she's about half an arm's length away. Close enough that the distance is comfortable and far enough that she's not all up in his space anymore. ]
A lot in common with him? Why would you think that?
[ Because as far she's concerned, Satan and Ganondorf have absolutely nothing in common. In fact, Hyrule's Demon King has more in common with the other Demon Kings Satan mentioned. (Is it the prerogative of demon kings to covet another's realm and seek to conquer it for their own? ]
no subject
How do I put it...? I'm a little over a thousand years old, but... not really at the same time. I'm the fourth oldest of my brothers, but I'm also the youngest because I was born last. It depends on how you think of it.
My existence really began five or six thousand years ago. I don't really know when, precisely. Whenever Lucifer started to realize he was unhappy with how things were running in the Celestial Realm.
Anger has no place in the Celestial Realm, so he buried it deep in his heart. His anger, and resentment, every negative feeling he ever felt, he pushed down. It festered for a good five thousand years. And... you know what they say about bottling up emotions. They have to come out eventually, somehow, and they did.
As me.
[ His expression is one of melancholy, despite talking about how angry Lucifer had been at the time. ]
I'm just a--was a fragment [ he corrects himself too late ] of Lucifer. Of all his unwanted, discarded, festering emotions. When I say was born knowing only wrath, it really is true. I really was just an emotion that was suddenly given its own body and identity. And... you know, being so angry and having zero humanity allows you to try to do some pretty awful things. Most of my brothers were terrified I'd kill them, and I probably would have if given the chance. Well, I did try, but was obviously unsuccessful.
So, sure, maybe I wouldn't have lusted after power or land or anything quite so lofty as that, but... I absolutely would have decimated whatever humanity was in reach just because I could. I didn't need a reason.
[ He looks at her, and perhaps because his eyes don't reflect any light, his expression looks especially serious. ]
That's why, when people would tell you that demons are selfish or power-hungry, that we're dangerous or malicious... I'm the type of demon that comes to mind. Ah--not that I'm trying to scold you or that I'm saying you ought to regret ever befriending me because I am eternally grateful for that.
My very long-winded and round about point is that maybe it's silly to be glad I don't remind you of the Demon King from your world, but I'm glad all the same because it helps me recognize how far I've come.
no subject
Of course, Zelda does not interrupt him to remind him that she knows all this. She would never. She listens, with the same attentiveness as when he wrote this all to her, which he will see in her expression whenever he looks her way. There are a few things here and there that she doesn't think she's heard before, either because she has forgotten the little details in the decades since that dream or because Satan never mentioned them before.
It's also still difficult to imagine Satan the way he describes himself-- angry and utterly devoid of humanity. She tries to picture what he must have been like, tries to supplant Satan's intellect and wit with the cruelty of the Demon King. But even with him sitting in front of her in his demon form, she can't imagine it. Her image of the Avatar of Wrath will always be the kind soul who was her first friend in the dream world. ]
I still find it rather funny that people are always warning me about demons, and yet the most "demonic" person I've ever met was a mortal man. I was often called naive, even by your own brother- [ during her single brief and unpleasant acquaintance with Lucifer ] -and yet I knew from the minute I met Ganondorf that he was a monster unlike any I had ever known before.
no subject
I suppose you don't really need those warnings anymore, do you? You've become much stronger--in more ways than one, obviously. Just a bit of sacred, divine light would surely put most demons to rest, permanently.
[ Even him. Especially him, given that there's 0 chance he has any latent angelic protection within him the way his brothers do. ]
To your point, though... that does tend to be the way of it. Humans or mortals are often underestimated because they're thought of as weak and fragile... but that's not true of all of them. We both know that; you were never weak and fragile, and neither was he.
I do hope... that as you most certainly continue to receive warnings about getting too involved with scary demons... that you simply take it as a sign that you are well-loved and cared for by the people warning you.
no subject
(It has not occurred to her before that her divine magic would be dangerous to Satan, and the thought is... worrying at best. So for now, she'll push it out of her mind.) ]
I will do my best to interpret those warnings as such. [ She says in a tone twinged with slyness. Her gaze returns to his and glimmering in it is that impetuousness he would see so often from her in the past. ] Whether I heed them shall, of course, be to my own discretion.
[ Because if she had heeded such warnings in the past, the two of them would not be here like this right now, bound as their souls are. ]