songerein | { lindwormeo and juliet }

LINDWORMEO & JULIET

It is the third dreamshift, and when everyone rouses and becomes aware of their situation, they find themselves dressed in Verona, a gothic city where night reigns everlasting and violence lurks around every corner. Not because of crime, but because of the two main families, the Montagues and the Capulets, everlasting feud. Fights break out almost every other minute and peace is hard sought after. However, peace is perhaps on the table, for the Capulets are hosting a grand masquerade in a gesture of truce. But it's difficult when one of Montague's sons is cursed as a Lindworm, one of the key reasons why there is a feud to begin with.

"But that's not really all that important," a voice echoes around them. It's a voice different from the tapirs that they've grown accustomed to, and after another moment it chimes in again. "Up here my fair little dreamwalkers."

And lo, high above in the permanent night sky is a moon so full and bright that it almost feels as if it could swallow them whole. After learning about the Story Eater's actions against Songerein's moon, the appearance of a face would certainly alarm many. But then the face seems to recede before it changes into a full person holding a quill and manuscript.

"Greetings! I am William Shakespeare and you are now within my own dream, a dreamscape I believe you call it. My works can be found in many places and in many worlds. Yet that accursed Story Eater has been devouring my masterpieces! I must now pen them all over again, but one of its minions is invading my mind and altering everything and I refuse to become a brainless puppet like Marlowe. I have isolated it within this place of my own design based off of Romeo and Juliet. However it seems after my reading of the Lindworm King, my visions have been affected a bit, but no matter. A playwright must find inspiration where he can!

But it is now up to you to see this play through completion. Doing so will help those outside draw out the fiend through the accumulated dreamotion energy, and if you could give it a few stabs that will help as well. Not all of you need to partake in my play, and I have already chosen my leading actors and actresses. You should find a brief copy of the script on your person, but you may act however you wish. However, I should warn you—this is a tragedy, so deaths are expected. But fear not, you will leave this dreamscape perhaps a bit tired, but unharmed. It's all a dream after all.

Now that should cover it. I look forward to seeing how everyone's tragic romances will play out. It may give me material for my next masterpiece!"

And just as suddenly as he had appeared, Shakespeare disappears from the moon, leaving it to loom brightly over the otherwise dark city.

I. GENERAL PROMPTS

Reminder that those cast as Romeo and Juliet can participate in most of these prompts, but the timing would be set early on before they move onto their designated scenes.

A. Family Feud. Everyone in Verona is randomly split in allegiance between the Montagues and the Capulets, and whenever they meet there is some kind of tension. It could be violent, hostile, passive, petty, or even attraction. Surely Romeo and Juliet aren't the only ones who can love across the aisle. If not pit against each other to fight or exchange snide comments, opposing parties can also work together to deal with Erasers posing as creepy looking family members/soldiers/knights/etc.

» BONUS: TO ARMS. A city-wide family feud makes for good business if you’re in the weapons-and-armor trade. Gather materials to help smithies in creating armor and weapons.

B. Masquerade. Almost as if it's the opening act, everyone, both Montagues and Capulets are to attend a masquerade held within the Capulet's ballroom. It's a momentary "truce," and though tension between the families is still rampant, everyone is welcome to wear the finest clothing they can imagine and to partake in the festivities. The masquerade itself is in the ballroom, but there are also gardens and large terraces that guests can go to if they want some fresh air.

» BONUS: PREPARATIONS. Any good party requires a lot of preparation, and all of Verona is abuzz with activity leading up to the big night. Tailors need help getting fabric, jewels, and other baubles to create the finest dresses. Caterers need quality ingredients for the food that will be prepared and served. Someone needs to step up and be the band for the night. There are plenty of ways in which Dreamwalkers can help make the masquerade a success!

C. EXTRA SCENES. There are a few specific "scenes" featuring key characters from the original play. Whether taken voluntarily or "beckoned" by Shakespeare, those who participate will have a little "essence" of the original character. No full personality change, but they might feel certain impulses or find it easier to slip into the role. Note: anyone can fill in the roles of "Romeo" and "Juliet" for the Paris scenes; it is not exclusive to those who signed up for Romeo and Juliet.

PARIS V. JULIET. Paris meets and dances with Juliet, taking a fancy with her. With his arrogance believing he can win over the Capulet princess, throughout the night he attempts to woo Juliet, either in the ballroom or the gardens just outside. Juliet must not be swayed! (Or maybe a little swayed, but try not go totally off-book here). Juliet can shut down Paris however they want. (This scene happens during or immediately after the "Masquerade", but before the Balcony scene.)
PARIS V. ROMEO. Paris bullies his younger brother about the Lindworm curse on a near-constant basis. And to add insult to injury, after meeting Juliet he’s decided that he wants Juliet for himself. Obviously, Romeo is not about to let his stupid mean brother steal the love of his life! They’re going to have to fight this one out, either with words or via fisticuffs. (This scene happens during or immediately after the "Masquerade" but before the "Balcony" scene.)
BENVOLIO'S ATTEMPTS. Benvolio is trying to find a cure for Romeo's curse, and after some research in the library he finds something! Good cousin that he is, he puts the theory to the test immediately. Unfortunately, his attempt backfires and he gets turned into a lindworm (fully or partially) instead. The poor guy is now out of sorts, and he needs protection so that someone doesn't mistake him for some monster and kill him. At least the transformation is only temporary.
TYBALT V. MERCUTIO. The infamous duel. Considering how much their families hate each other, the inciting incident can be just about anything. The original story has Tybalt goading Mercutio into a duel by calling Romeo a villain, Tybalt killing Mercutio, and Romeo killing Tybalt. But no one’s enforcing the particulars very closely here, so players are free to proceed with the fight any way they please. (If this fight does end in one or more deaths, please refer to the event details on how death works within the dreamscape.)

D. Love is a Battlefield. As if there wasn’t enough drama to deal with, a large, winged noctaere can be found throughout the dreamscape firing arrows at the residents, turning them into Erasers. It can summon smaller winged noctaere to fight for it, and if a dreamwalker gets hit by the arrows, they will slowly turn into a lindworm that is full of hate. It's difficult to combat the boss itself, but it can be weakened by defeating its minions and those hit by its arrows. Love of any form will be a powerful counter that will hit the boss as well.

» BONUS: ROSE COLLECTION. In the forests are white and red roses that are hidden under logs and stones. They will sparkle a bit to make them look different than other flowers. They must be collected before the Erasers can get to them. A white rose fed to a lindworm will return them back to normal. Eating a red rose will allow characters to turn into a pink, heart covered lindworm for ten minutes to fly up and try to combat against the winged noctaere or the Erasers.

II. ROMEO AND JULIET'S OBJECTIVES

The following objectives are locked to those who signed up for Romeo and Juliet. Please refer to the notes for all the stipulations and effects characters will experience as the tragic couple. Final reminder that the characters will be aware of the tragic ending as well as reassurance that they will awaken unharmed at the end of their final scene.

Click for objectives.

A. Love at First Sight. Time to get your party-crashing pants on, Romeo, because there is a masquerade that you are not invited to but are attending anyway. Who doesn’t love a good party? If you wear a mask, no one will know it’s you! Here Romeo and Juliet have the opportunity to meet and flirt and make goo-goo eyes at each other. And if they really want to get into the spirit of things, they can go into a laborious metaphor about how holding hands is super hot but kissing is way hotter. (Yes, really.) At this point Romeo's curse is only a partial transformation, something along the lines of scales down one side of his body.

B. Balcony Scene. The time for light flirting is over–this is where Romeo and Juliet get to declare their undying love for each other. Romeo really needs to work it as his brother, Paris, has also made moves on Juliet. There’s some strangeness in the dreamscape at this point that seems to have mistaken Shakespeare for musical theater, so the loving couple must sing their love for one another. With that spirit in mind, the moment should be suitably big and dramatic! Immediately after this scene is when Romeo and Juliet get married, so there’s no reason not to put it all out there. Shakespeare will lend a "helping hand" in giving them knowledge of the lyrics to sing, though they are free to create their own song and freestyle it. (Players can use existing songs or make it up as they go.)

C. Elope. Being the very mature and intelligent lovers that they are, Romeo and Juliet decide to get married after knowing each other for a whole day. Time to get to the chapel, meet with the Friar, and exchange vows. Shakespear will lend a helping hand by providing wedding attire fitting for those who are cast in their role. That's right, every Juliet will have their own special bridal dress, isn't he so considerate? And then it’s time to do whatever it is that newlyweds do, if that's what they are into. Otherwise, Romeo and Juliet will need to return home to prepare for their future.

D. Runaways. Juliet learns that she is being forced to marry Romeo's brother, Paris, which is a problem because she’s already married and also she doesn’t like that other guy anyway. In a major divergence from the source material, Romeo and Juliet decide to make a run for it instead of that whole poisoning-yourself business. It’s just a better idea all around. The goal is to get out of town undetected, which means that this is a stealth mission. Romeo and Juliet must follow a path and avoid getting caught. Whatever it takes to get past the guards and would-be snitches that would turn you in!

E. Find the Cure. Even after making it out so far, fate is against them. At this point Romeo's curse is advancing, so they need to look for the cure. Just outside of town they encounter a very trustworthy set of three witches who provide a list of items for them to retrieve and mix into a potion: rainbow mushroom, feather of a dove, three snails, and lavender. No one said this was going to taste good. However, while it will work temporarily, only Juliet is told that the final ingredient must be the blood of his lover. It's a cryptic message, however they do not specify how the blood is taken. Do they mean just a few drops? Or her life?

F. Tragic Ending. Upon learning of the young couple's running away, the Capulets have declared war with knights out hunting to kill Romeo and bring back Juliet. They are soon found and no matter what they do, death will await them. But how? Players can direct this however they want. Did the soldiers catch them? Did they decide that the whole double-suicide poison thing was a good idea after all? Does one tragically sacrifice themself to save the other? Does Romeo go full Lindworm and eat Juliet? The possibilities are endless. At this point Romeo is capable of turning into a full lindworm if he's taken the cure without Juliet's blood. If he drinks the cure with Juliet's blood, then he will revert to a normal human (teenager) with no extra powers.

[Mod Note: Details on this event can be found here and we request all thread submissions to be made here.]

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[Word spreads fast. Even in the streets, he can hear it. Whispers that someone is dead. Certainly, it can't be... But he can feel this heavy wash of dread suddenly wash over him. It's like he somehow just knows.

When he finds the church he looks up to it with the dread clear on his face. Then he pushes the door open he shouts out,]

Vanitas?!

[He's here. They can be together. They just have to... leave.]

... Vanitas?

[ Vanitas is right there of course. Still as death itself. Laying there for all to see.

Is Sora too late? Has Vanitas finally slipped into nothingness? ]

... Vanitas?

[Sora goes over to the place where Vanitas has laid down to rest. But something seems wrong here. There is a heavy stone in his throat that drops to his stomach as he reaches out for the boy, brushing hair from his brow.]

Wait... Hey... Hey- wake up. I'm here.

[What is...]

W-We've gotta go, Vanitas.

[... Why isn't he moving? Sora shakes his shoulders gently.]

This isn't funny, Vanitas? Wake up...?!

[ Sora can shake Vanitas all he wants. There's not going to be a response. His head sort of drops to the side.

There's no breath. No heartbeat.

Really they are there. They are present. However it's so slow and low that it's undetectable. ]

Va... Vani...?

[He knows this is a story and that all of this is just a fake dream. But somehow seeing Vanitas laying there seemingly lifeless hits Sora more than he expects. It's too real. And his mind starts to meld together with that of the story enough to make the pain extremely vivid.]

Wake... Wake up.

[He shakes the other boy. Again and again.]

Wake up!

[But there's nothing. Sora's hands begin to shake and he feels lost and alone. Like a fire just went out inside of him.]

You were supposed to wait for me... What am I supposed to do now? Did you want to fade away that badly?

[He glances down at the knife sitting nearby.]

[ The shaking, of course, does nothing. Vanitas doesn't move. He's limp. Cool to the touch.

There's no waking from this. Not at this moment.

Though later he'll probably ask Sora about this. Why he assumes that this is part of Vanitas' desire to fade away into nothingness. Vanitas had thought that Sora would know that he's a bit beyond that now? ]

[It's really the story that's getting to him the most. The dream world affecting his thoughts and character. It's mixing with his own personality. And who wouldn't be traumatized from seeing someone like this?

But now that Sora has come to terms with the idea that Vanitas might be dead (right now) Sora picks up the nearby weapon and...]

I'll just have to follow you because what is a world without you?

[Oh his sweet Juliet.

And with that, he brings the tip of the knife into his own stomach. He inhales in pain as he slumps over.]

[ It's not too long after that moment in which Vanitas' eyes start to flutter open. His breathing picks up. Heartrate increases. He's waking up and coming back to life.

There's a weight on him, Vanitas realizes. Something... Well wait. Why is there something on him? Vanitas groans and pushes himself upright. His vision swims a little. At first he's not sure what he's seeing sprawled out there on his lap.

But slowly the blurring fades. The image sharpens and he realizes that this... He knows that shock of brown hair. ]

Sora?

[ He reaches over to shake the shoulder. ]

[~~and sora wakes up in white space~~

There will be no movement. But there is a sticky patch of blood that is starting to pool on the sheets where Sora's body is slumped on the other. Sora's eyes are closed and his breathing is gone. The heat in his body slowly fading away...]

[ ~~don't you dare~~

It will take a moment for it to compute. Vanitas soon notices the red starting to seep in and spread. A cold panic grips his own heart. ]

Sora!

[ He flips the other boy over. Sees the dagger and realizes what must have happened almost instantly. Is this all part of it? If so then why is Sora -

Doesn't matter. His hands are immediately over the wound. Forget the stupid play. Forget what they are supposed to be doing here. He's already trying to heal it with whatever curative magics that he has within him. ]

Don't you dare do this to me now, idiot...

[Unfortunately it appears that the frantic curing spell doesn't do a thing. It sparks to light but fades away quickly almost like the atmosphere of the story is snuffing it out. Romeo is supposed to die, after all.

Sora's body is slowly growing colder... He's fading from the story. Thinking he's lost the one person he holds most dear.]

No. No no no no!

[ The spell isn't working. Vanitas hadn't known if it would or if it wouldn't. He can't tell if it is his own inability or because of other reasons. It doesn't matter. Sora is gone. His Sora is actually bleeding out and - ]

If I can't leave you then you can't go first!

[ He shakes Sora for a moment. Actual tears are starting to sting at the corners of his eyes. Fear and irrational thought is starting to take hold. ]

[That panic must be so awful for Vanitas to feel. It was much like what Sora felt- being left behind and being alone without the other one to fill up that space. It had hurt so much seeing Vanitas gone. Like his own heart was shattering.

But Sora made a mistake. He wasn't gone. He'd only been faking...

Oh star crossed lovers... Are they not meant to be?]

[ It does hurt. This hurts so much more than anything else and Vanitas had his heart shattered. This felt like that all over again. Everything slipping out of his grasp and none of it making sense.

but then... Then he sees the dagger and stares at it.

If Sora isn't around then Vanitas. Vanitas doesn't want to be either. What's the point? The only person that really wants him around is now gone.

So he grabs the weapon and plunges it into his own chest. ]

[As the story starts to fade...

The two of them seem to slump together in death but are still as close as ever. Vanitas' body falls to lay with Sora in a perfect mirrored picture. Their brows together as if they're sleeping and breathing each other in.

The story seems to flicker.

The dream shakes and completes in a way that it never should have to. But... tragic endings are stories too.

Luckily they'll wake from this dream...]

{ lindwormeo and juliet }

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cw: self harm/stabbing

yeah just assume those cw's from here on out

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