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

Why did you want that?

[He tries to keep his voice calm and coaxing, but there is some of that tension that's hard to hide.]

[Tifa slowly gets to her feet, and she brushes the petals away from her clothes, her eyes never once leaving Violet as she starts to sniffle, and the hollowness returns to her voice again, and it's as if the shadows all grow darker.

"I was smaller than all the other ones..."

She sounds like she's about to cry, and Tifa steps closer.]

They weren't hurting you or anything, were they?

[Violet shakes her head. "No, but... I wanted to play all the games with them, too!"]

[Eustace moves in closer the same as Tifa, worry etched on his features along with some sadness.]

Then...let us help you. We can figure out a better way together.

[There's another sniffle. "You're not mad at me?"

Tifa steps up close to Eustace in turn, her shoulder bumping his arm, and she lifts her hand, opening her palm to reveal a small starflower.]

Of course not...

[She tries to stay the tremble in her fingers as she extends it out in offering.]

We're just worried.

So come here, Violet... Let's go home and help you feel better.

[There's a long silence that feels like it stretches on for far too long. Longer than what Tifa is comfortable with. She's holding her breath, her eyes locked on as Violet reaches that shadowy hand for the flower...

...

Only to stop short.

"N-no, you're scared of me now!"]

Violet, no, that's not—

["You're shaking!"]

[Oh no, this is getting bad.]

Violet, it's not you.

[It was going okay, too. Tifa really thought that things were going to be okay, despite her fears coming to a head. She was nervous, scared, worried... and as much as she tried to reach in and find her calmer center, there was no hiding any of that.]

Violet, please listen to us, it's—

[But a dark, shadowy tendril bursts forth from the ground at her feet to whip at Tifa's hand, and though it misses by an inch, it's enough for that flower to disintegrate, and those sounds that they had heard earlier that drew them to where she was start again, slow and quiet sobs at first...]

Dammit...

[He can feel it all, the surge of nostilium that threatens to destroy her completely.]

Tifa, stay back!

[It's all he can shout at her as he rushes in head first towards Violet.]

[That tendril swings back around, and this time, Tifa is in far too much shock to dodge it completely. It whirls and crashes right into her. While it doesn't knock her off her feet completely, it does send her reeling backwards, her heels digging and scraping over the flowers to stop herself from being sent any further. It does knock some of the air out of her lungs, however, and she keels over, coughing, before her hands have to come up to block another attack.

"yOu'Re mAd aT mEeEeEeEeeee....!"]

Eustace—

[This is her fault. If she hadn't been so afraid, and if she could have just stayed as calm as Eustace, they might have gotten through to her.

But those loud, screeching wails start again, ringing loud not just through the thick fog that descends, but in their heads as well.]

Violet, I'm sorry...!

[He tackles Violet then, ignoring the sharp cold that cuts through him as he finally makes that direct contact with her, but what he couldn't ignore was the onslaught of pain, anger, sadness, and despair that hits him, her mangled voice flooding his mind. It's enough to momentarily paralyze him, and in that moment the darkness around her starts to converge and wrap around him, as if to consume him entirely.]

[Her hands come up to cover her ears, but it's the same as before—doing so does nothing to help drown out the sounds of her cries, or the feelings that wash over her.

It's not until she sees the darkness start to envelop Eustace that there is a spike of panic, a spike of fiery heat that chases the cold away for a moment, and the starflowers glow ominous reds and oranges, almost like they have been lit up as well.]

Eustace...!

[She tries to rush for him despite his warnings, but more of those shadows erupt from the ground, sending petals into the air before they dissolve away like sand, and they toss around at her as if to keep her back and away from him.]

[Her voice and that heat help pull him back to his senses, and although he can feel himself slowly being dragged in—]

Just keep back!

[And with a stubborn resolve, he grits his teeth and a large ice wall will suddenly surround them, as if to keep her out...and to keep them in. But there's another reason...and it's because he doesn't want Tifa to see what he knows he has to do now.]

Violet...I'm sorry, Violet...

[His voice is quiet as he lets his arms sink in further, as if trying to find and reach the small body that must still be somewhere in there. As if trying to hug the lost little tapir and praying for his words to reach her...as at his fingertips, which are starting to feel numb from the cold start to crackle with lightning.

And in response those screams are only louder, the tendrils slamming against the walls. They splinter and crack, but they do not fall.

"MMOOOommMmMmYYyYyyYy DAAADDDydYYdY ISS tRrryrYYYYIInnNGNNgg TOoOOo HuRUUUTUrTUT MEEEEEEE!!!"]

Eustace!

[Her voice is drowned out in her head by the cries as she screams at him, dodging another swinging arm so that she can beat her fists against the ice, trails of flames following her knuckles only to slam into it and disintegrate, but even as it melts and cracks under the heat and the pressure, there is no breaking through it.

And when she hears Violet's words, her fighting and her screams of his name become more desperate. A kick, a punch, a blast of fire, a wall of it that surrounds her, but the ice is resilient, building itself back up faster than she can beat it down.]

Don't—!

[Not just for Violet's sake, but for his... If he does what she thinks he's going to do, then how is he going to come back from it?]

[The guilt is heavy, and he, too, is concerned about how he'll be after this...

But he knows if he doesn't, they will lose Violet completely.

If he doesn't, someone else might and he cannot live with that. Cannot live with the idea that she will suffer and die as an abomination. They can't save her anymore—he knows that. There's no turning back from this, he can feel it so keenly now with how close he is. But he can at least end it. End it before she's gone forever.

There's just a very soft, quiet whisper—]

...Goodbye, Violet.

[—before he clenches his fist and first absorbs as much of the nostilium as he can. Even as he feels the tendrils lashing against him, he doesn't waver, instead concentrating to mix it with his own. Storm clouds quickly gather overhead, the thunder mixing in with the high pitched screeches of Violet, and with this surge of power, unseen by anyone, there's a slight red glow of his eyes before he releases all the dreamotion and nostilium he can muster. Lightning surges down around the area, with the bulk of the blast directly hitting the center where he and Violet stand.

It's blinding, hot, deafening.

And it shatters the ice wall Eustace had erected.

When it all clears Eustace kneels on the ground, his right hand changed into clawed form, blue ice covering his arm all the way up to his shoulder. Even his left hand and parts of his neck has some patches. Yet his gaze is focused on the very small tiny form that is curled up in that clawed hand, his eyes filled with that sense of loss and despair.]

[Her head is filled with a mix of things. Her own shouts in protest, Violet's screams, and that crackling of ice when it becomes too cold to touch, but she does it anyway, slamming her fists into the ice over and over again in an increasingly weakening attempt to break it. The entire moment shatters the instant the lightning comes crashing down from the sky and there is a roar of thunder that accompanies it. It breaks the ice, and Tifa has no choice but to shield herself from it and from the hot, blinding light.

A moment that feels like it passes too slow and too quickly all at the same time because in the next, she's rushing forward and collapsing to the ground beside him, tears already blurring and burning the edges of her vision.

Everything is silent now, the shadows that swung at them before nothing more than wisps, and Tifa's eyes move from Eustace to his hand, and then to the small purple tapir that lies curled up in that claw.]

...What...?

[Her voice breaks with a violent sob, barely a squeak, as she shuffles forward until her arms can drape over Eustace.]

[The little tapir is barely there, already the tips of her hooves starting to fragment and disappear like ash. Her once vibrant purple coat spotted with purple hearts is still splotched with black. Eustace is so focused on the tiny body in his palm that he barely registers Tifa falling against him.

But then, as if waiting for Tifa's arrival, those small eyes slowly open, the madness no longer there. Instead...they shimmer, clear of the nightmares that consumed her.

"Mommy... Daddy... Don't be sad... It's okay..."

His heart twists when she gives them that small, tiny, trembling smile, teeth clenched so tight it feels as if his jaw could break.]

[Tifa opens her mouth to speak, but her voice ends up caught in her throat instead, bringing only silence from her before she breaks with a sob.

Why her? Why this? Did they fail her somewhere? Had they done something wrong? Or was there anything that they could have done? She had gone off all on her own, insisting that she was ready, but as she lies curled up in Eustace's claw, she's never looked so small. So tiny and frail, just like she had when she'd come bursting out of that egg and into their lives for the first time.

It's not okay. Nothing about this is okay, and yet, Tifa cannot bring herself to say those words and all she can do is curl her hands into fists, Eustace's cloak clenching with them as she seeks purchase.

"Stop crying. I don't like it when you cry..."

Tifa blinks away, hiding her face behind Eustace.]

We can fix it. [She murmurs it against him, her voice broken but rife with desperation.] With dreamotion, I can...

[The little tapir just weakly shakes her head.

"This...you already...saved me... And I got... To play... With Mommy and Daddy... One last time..."

Hearing her tiny voice, his heart feels as if it's being squeezed to the point of bursting. It's suffocating, and his hand trembles at her words.

"It's okay..."

Violet subtly moves her head, closing her eyes as if trying to cuddle more into his palm. From it he feels a warmth and his eyes open wide when he realizes what she's doing.]

Violet, don't—!

[There's a little tiny laugh, her hind legs already gone as her body starts to glow bright.

"I get... To save Daddy now..."]

Violet!

[But just as he screams and tries to reach out with his other hand as if to try and stop her, there's a blinding flash of light, a warmth filled with untainted, pure, innocent love washing over them. When it clears, Eustace stares blankly at his healed arm, all traces of the nostilium gone.

With no tapir in sight, just the small particles of light that shimmer and glow similarly to their starflowers.

And as the light starts to fade, they will hear Violet's tiny voice...

"Thank you... Mommy... Daddy... I love you... And will see you... Again..."

One last time.]

[Tifa lifts her head from where her face had been buried against Eustace's shoulder to keep her tears hidden away from the tapir's view, as if it would do anything to stop her from knowing that she was crying. She knows already what needs to happen, or what is happening, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. They raised her just as much as all the others, took care of her and loved her, spent days playing with her and tending to her, holding her when she was sad and laughing with her when she was happy, and to have it all end like this?

She doesn't even say anything, doesn't call to her when that light flashes, when she realizes what it is that she is doing. She can't—even if she tried, what would come but more helpless sobs? So, all she can do right now is hold Eustace, arms around his shoulders and her head pressed against his, her tears wetting the sides of his face as she burrows into him, both to support and for support.

She can barely watch as Violet's small form begins to fade, and when she hears her voice...]

...We will...

[Barely managing that much, Tifa's arms tighten around Eustace and she falters. She tried to hold herself together as much as she could for both of them, but she collapses right to her knees and falls against him, fisting his cloak and bringing it to her face to hide herself again as she sobs silently into it.

She hates loss. They have both already lost far too much in their lives...]

[His arms are now around her, hand feeling so empty now that Violet is no longer there. And he just holds Tifa long after the light has faded with only the faint traces of that light left, though that too is fading into the darkness of the forest. He had grown numb to loss...but he can't be numb to this.

However, although his eyes tinge red and his chest remains tight, perhaps it's because Tifa is falling apart for the both of them that he holds him a little stronger. He wrestles with the relief that she managed to...pass as she was and not as a monster, but that still does little to grief of not being able to stop her before it all led to this.

And then...eventually—]

...I'm sorry, Tifa.

[She shakes her head, biting down on her lip to stop the noise that threatens to come out, and she slides her arms around him to hold him in turn, just as tight.]

Why are you apologizing...

[Her voice is weak in his ear, barely there as she fights her way through sobs and tears, and one of her hands slides away so that she can curl it around the hand that had been the claw.]

Was it at least... painless?

Edited 2024-07-05 21:54 (UTC)

[Because he made the decision for the both of them... He didn't even let her have a say, but he did it knowing it would be too difficult for her to handle—and that she might not have let him right away.]

...Yes.

[His eyes close tightly. He hopes it was, at least. Surely she must have felt...something as all that dreamotion ripped through her form, but it would have been quick as was by design.]

[She wouldn't have. He's right in thinking that, and right in doing what he had to. She isn't mad at him, and she lets him know this by pulling him in close as the starflowers that they sit in begin to dim and lose their colour despite the dreamotion that fills the air around them.

Violet's.]

... And you?

[She doesn't ask if he's okay because she knows that he isn't, but rather, it's a simple ask to how he is feeling. What he's thinking right now.]

[There's just a long pause before he sighs.]

I'll get through it. And thanks to Violet...

[He holds out his once corrupted hand.]

I won't have to worry about nostilium for a while.

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