songerein | { flower festival 2022 }

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{ flower festival 2022 }

FLOWER FESTIVAL 2022

The three day Flower Festival has started and the town is covered in blooming flowers, music, smell of good food, and excited atmosphere. Full details on everything can be found here, but an important reminder that this event log doubles as our Test Drive Meme and information can be found in this section.

This means any outside characters participating in the log are canonly logged as appearing in Songerein in April and will remain in Songerein for the rest of the month of April. However, outside characters can only thread within this log, so for those seriously considering the game, you are welcome to use non-festival prompts for your toplevels. Anyone who apps in and is accepted will have their character count April as their first month in the game, so all content will carry over.

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 Sunday, April 24th and Applications will open on May 1st. Our application cycles are bi-monthly so the next cycle after won't be until July.

TDM Toplevel Link Directory (click to view)

Y'shtola (FFXIV)
Kotetsu Kaburagi (Tiger and Bunny)
Aerith Gainsborough (FFVII)
Nene Yashiro (Jibaku Shōnen Hanako-kun)
Isabela Madrigal (Encanto)
Rinwell (Tales of Arise)
Lumine (Genshin Impact)
Gran (Granblue Fantasy)
Sanji (One Piece)
Meilin "Mei" Lee (Turning Red)
Rob (The Amazing World of Gumball)
Akira Toya (Hikaru no Go)
Zhongli (Genshin Impact)
Yuuki Konno (Sword Art Online)
Kuja (FFIX)
Nice (Hamatora)
Peggy Carter (MCU)
Leo Valdez (Heroes of Olympus)
Snatcher (A Hat in Time)
Roland (Library of Ruina)
Son Gohan (Dragon Ball)
Gracious Skylark (OC)
Faith Lehane (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Thancred Waters (FFXIV)
Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!)

I. FLOWER VIEWING

There are gardens and flowers everywhere, but the main central location for the flower viewing is around the eastern side of town between the treehouses and the outside fields. Here there are plenty of both open and shaded spaces anyone can take to sit back, have a picnic, and enjoy the flowers blooming in the trees and along the ground. Food stalls are stationed by the treehouses for anyone who needs a meal and they provide blankets and picnic baskets as well.

A. Flower Crowns. Can't enjoy a flower viewing without flower crowns! There's an abundance of flowers that can just be taken and used to make them, but there are folks who go around and pass some out for those unable to. Or perhaps flower pixies may "bless" people with special flower crowns, tailor made with flowers that match the individual's personality. Once worn, the flowers will reflect the mood of the wear and may even grow depending on how much positive emotion they soak up from the wearer. That crown may become more of a headdress.

B. Flower Serenade. Although it's meant to be a calm, relaxing affair, the flowers are drinking in the festive atmosphere and now have a tendency to sing their joy. They are especially drawn to any couples and will start to serenade them with…an assortment of "romantic" songs. Some may be persuaded via calm emotions to quiet down to a more melodious hum while others may be a little more obnoxious.

C. Flower Maze. In one of the fields, a special flower maze has been erected made of hedges and questionably large flowers, their petals spanning several feet in length. These flowers will move and shift, using their petals to create sudden dead ends and new openings to alter the paths through the maze. No pushing past! The petals will be resistant. If a couple is being particularly flirtatious, they'll curl out and drop down to form a kind of "flower curtain" with their petals surrounding the pair. Whether it's to give the couple privacy or to shield innocent eyes, who's to say. In this scenario the petals can be easily brushed away and the flower will lift up to return to its position.

II. ENTERTAINMENT

All along the market square and the riverbank, stores and booths line the streets to provide goods, food, and entertainment for all festival goers.

A. Music and Dance. In the Central Plaza near the Tree of Memories is a cleared off area with a stage platform set up. Here anyone is welcome to grab an instrument, the microphone, and start singing or playing music to entertain the crowds. The floor is open for anyone to dance along or even show off a special dance performance of their own. Flower petals will join along as well, swirling through the melodious winds and even taking on the shape of some of the music notes.

B. Game booths. Come one, come all! Try out the various carnival games on offer. The game booths can be found lining around the riverbank and while there are many, here are some of the more popular ones:

Pebble Toss. Use dreamotion to change the color of a pebble and toss it into a bucket of water. The bigger the effect on the water, the more points scored. Earn enough points to win a prize!
Goose Rings. Try to toss a ring around the neck of a goose sculpture. Which is, of course, magically enchanted to move around and dodge the rings. Being a goose, the sculpture is a bit of a jerk; it’s attuned to players’ dreamotion energy and will absolutely move around more as they get frustrated, so keeping one’s cool is important.
Bubble Pop! Use dreamotion darts to pop magical bubbles floating across a board. Can be played alone (score points by popping as many of one color as possible) or competitively (whoever pops the most of their color wins).
Flighty Flowers. Create colorful paper flowers and use them to craft a floating lantern. The higher and further the lantern flies, the bigger the prize earned. Or, if one is especially creative or creates especially colorful flowers, they may just win a big prize regardless of how high it flies. Players can keep their lanterns if they wish.
Smash! Toss balls at a series of bottles to try and knock them over. To keep with the theme of the festival, the bottles are tiny terrariums. Thanks to the magic of the festival,, the plants inside the bottles remain undisturbed no matter how many times they’re knocked over.
Swan Boat Races. Find a boating partner and participate in a timed race where you have to navigate through obstacles and try to post the fastest time with fewest penalties. Use dreamotion to get through obstacles like ramps, slow whirlpools that will cause the boat to spin in place, turbulent waters, etc. If not interested in the races, people are welcome to help paint and decorate the swan boats! They have to match the mood of the festival, after all.

III. TREE OF MEMORIES

At the center of town is a giant tree that is as tall as a clock tower and with giant books about as tall as a person hanging off its branches. There are a few attractions set up here and there are also some small owls that fly around and greet anyone who come by. They serve as the "guardians" of the tree, and should anyone try to harm it, they will converge together to form a giant owl to deal with them.

A. Dream Petals. As the Tree's petals fall, anyone who manages to catch one before it hits the ground will find their secret dream reflected on it. It could be something they are longing for or something they wish to keep from anyone. Once the dream's reflection is complete, it will remain on the petal and can be viewed at any time.

B. Dreamscape Rooms. Selected by the owls, a few of the books can be found lying open on the ground. Everything is blank—there are no titles, no words, no pictures. The owl will beckon anyone who wants a "fun adventure" to dreamwalk into the book and have an adventure through its pages. It could be any established fairy tale, folklore, myth, legend or perhaps something random. The "players" will be thrown into random roles for the story and will need to complete at least three objectives (which can be handwaved). There is a one hour time limit so if anyone is unable to get through the story, the owls will yank them (safely) out and the book will remain on the ground for another group to try their luck. If they succeed, the story will magically appear on its pages and the book will hang proudly on the tree's branches.

C. Soaring Butterflies. Ever wanted to just ride on something huge and enjoy the flight? There are giant butterflies that are large and strong enough to carry up to three people on their backs. These butterflies are actually local to Songerein and brought in by a native Fae. Whether that makes them more or less trustworthy is up to the character, but the butterflies are definitely frisky—and fast.

D. Book Cages. Sometimes something a little weird happens around the Tree. Black wispy energy will seep from the hanging books and they will suddenly drop down on unsuspecting visitors, especially anyone who has a lot of love in them. The book will open and the pages will fly out like walls and trap the victim before it transforms into a cage and hurls them back up high into the tree. Although unharmed, the prisoner will start feeling some of their feelings of love being drained away and making them more irritable and hateful towards things. It will be up to someone else to try and get them out. Fortunately it's not too difficult a task—just need to get up that tree somehow and break through the iron-paper bars. Some fire should do the trick. The problem is, it needs to be fire made from dreamotion and focused on some variant of love or loyalty. It doesn't have to be towards the prisoner at least, so anyone should be able to help. However, the tree seems intent in keeping the prisoner, so thorny vines will try and smack anyone away. The owls will also try to assist, but they're kind of small and useless and can't use their ultimate transformation to harm the tree. Maybe the Giant Butterflies might be useful?

IV. FINAL DAY

On the third and final day of the festival, the winners of the Flower King and Queen contest are announced. However, there's a huge surprise as everyone finds themselves in a costume. While all contest participants have their own "Royal Court" theme, everyone else will find themselves suddenly dressed like a flower. There are a lot of variations from elegant to downright silly. Best(?) of all, the costumes will stay on until sundown. While parts may be loosened, altered, and removed for a short period of time, the costume will refuse to be changed out of and any attempts will be futile.

A. Flower Power. While some may feel very…uncomfortable in their new "wardrobe," others are having a blast with the small powers that come with the costume. With just a wave of their hand flowers will appear and bloom, and they will leave a trail of flowers wherever they go. But most importantly, they have glitter pollen which is to help bring about love and joy to all! However, not everyone is enjoying the glitter all over the place and some are growing more irritable and hateful instead, which is twisting their own pollen to spread negative feelings instead. Help soothe the unhappy ones and clean up the mess!

B. Flowerworks. Once sundown hits and everyone is back to their usual attire, a call is made to announce the "Flowerworks" presentation and for all to gather out into the fields. The moment the sun is completely set and the stars appear in the strange, moonless sky, a light will shoot up and burst into a beautiful, flowery display. It's a fireworks show, but instead of using traditional fireworks, glowing flowers are sent up instead, their petals illuminating brightly as they drift harmlessly down to the crowds.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh wow, it's not a mocking laugh... in the end. Also, look at that! He got Kuja to laugh. Zidane's kind of proud of that one and he crossed his arms, smirking.

"Duh! That's exactly my point!" And now that he'd said 'die', it was official which was the more dramatic between them. Still, his smirk lessened to a more strained smile, and he shook his head. Really, what was he apologizing for? "I didn't think I'd get to see you either. Maybe a dream in this place, but... not in person."

Though, there's something he kind of wants to do... just to be sure Kuja was actually right there in front of him.

He sighed. "I suppose I ought to ask how... long, it's been, for you, for a start. You have- questions, I'm sure. And, doubtless, a desire to punch me, for which I would... not, begrudge you at all."

He rubbed his face, remembered that he'd been daffodilled, and removed the arrangement with an expression of mild distaste. Yellow. Why. "I am- glad. That you made it out."

Zidane did have a few question - maybe a hundred questions - but he didn't say anything. Staring at Kuja, one brow raising at the suggestion of punching him (which maybe it was at some point?), he refrained from doing so. But he did approach after the flower crown came off, and raised his hands...

... and pinched both sides of Kuja's face.

"Yup, you're really here."

They could circle back to that whole 'made it out' thing in a second.

And thus did the olive branch wither and die. He's been assaulted. "Why."

He jerked backward, rubbing his cheeks with a scowl, tail twitching in agitation. "Yes, yes, I'm really here, are you done trying to rip my damned face off?!"

Zidane burst out laughing, tail swishing in amusement.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm done!" He brought his hands behind his head and again looked at Kuja with a smile. "Just double-checking, y'know? I mean, did you want me to punch you to check instead? I thought we duked it out enough before the Iifa Tree and all. Also, getting out of that was hell, but no regrets."

No regrets. Well, perhaps a few. "No... thank you, very much, no punching, nor stabbing. I daresay we've both had enough violence to last a lifetime." Several, in his case. He stood, dusting himself off. "Is it only you, here, or am I going to have the universe's most unpleasant reunion?"

"Right? But I'm ready for more if it comes to it." He shook his head; just his life. A hand coming to rest on his waist, he... awkwardly scratched his cheek with his other, smile again slightly twisted. "Aha... the General's here. And she might best remember things up to - er, Cleyra? I tried to explain things, but good luck with that."

Kuja flinched. The mention of Cleyra was as ice in his veins. "I- I see."

One atrocity of many. "How- are... are people- Are they rebuilding? The cities I..." Not Cleyra, obviously. He'd seen the ruin wrought by Odin. There was nothing to rebuild.

... Not Madain Sari, either. Garland had done that, but it had still been done to thwart him, to deny him a weapon. Nor... the black mages. "The people whose lives I ruined."

Zidane listened, frowning, quiet as Kuja attempted to even try asking about the lives he'd ruined in his attempt to get back at their creator. It's... a lot. And one of the harder things that would've needed facing had Kuja lived through.

"... Yeah, it's rebuilding. Gaia's kinda resilient like that. It's why Garland had a hard time, yeah?" The corner of his mouth quirked. "Freya's found Fratley and they're working on Burmecia, Cid and Hilda took in Eiko, Dagger's ruling Alexandria... oh, and I met up with a High Priest from Cleyra at Daguerreo. I think Cleyra - even after what it's become - will be fine."

His tail twitched. "Vivi made kids, and the Black Mages live quietly away from everyone with the Genomes. Mikoto's got 'em."

He frowned, slightly, at the mention of Garland. But the notion of more Black Mages made him look up in surprise. "They managed to solve that problem, then? That... gives me heart." He didn't recognize the name 'Mikoto', but it sounded Terran. Another genome? Why would Garland have bothered with a name...

Ah. No, that made sense, actually. One reaper unreliable, the other gone. It would only make sense to develop a third. "It sounds like everything's doing well for a change, in my absence. Have they made you Prince Consort, then, or have I badly misread that particular situation?"

"Yup. Vivi has six kids... can you believe it? He made six kids...!" And gosh, when he saw them the first time, they look just like their 'old man'. Still, they were all so different...

Fortunate that Kuja asked his next question before things became too morose. Zidane stood a little straighter and looked away, his face faintly red. "Nooo... not yet. I haven't been able to ask her yet..." But he's going to! Don't doubt that he wouldn't!

Kuja sighed, staring into the sky for a moment. "I'm glad. Honestly. I know this would have had to have been... a bit of a shock. Given how little you seem to have changed, at least physically, I'd almost ask how long it's been, since last we... parted."

He'd spent close to three years on Vaikuntha, and that had been without... everything that had happened. Time, it had seemed, was mutable- who could say how much time had passed between the worlds?

"It was almost a year last I saw you, and a few more months if we include being here. It wasn't easy getting out of the Iifa Tree... I might've brought your body along." Because he wasn't going to leave him in that mess, but it took longer between his own injuries and weight. "Vivi shut down by the time I reached anywhere to recover..."

Because he'd been marked off as dead for as long as it took. And how much people had lectured him on making him worry after before his hair-brained scheme heading to Alexandria.

He swore under his breath. Vivi... of course. What was one more corpse atop the pile, really? "It's... best that you didn't. Everyone on Gaia deserves a chance to... forget me. As much as I hated Garland... I really did end up exactly like him, didn't I?"

What was it Asriel had called it? 'Continuing the cycle of abuse'? "Eugh. No, no, quite enough of that. On the subject of time..." Kuja sighed softly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's been something around three to three-and-a-half years, for me. I... died. On Gaia. And yet, I awoke elsewhere. A planet called Vaikuntha, which had apparently... drawn me to it. I still haven't the foggiest why..." Other than, perhaps, to force him to make... amends. "I don't know any way to put it, other than that I was dragged- quite against my will, at first- into a pitched battle to save that world from annihilation. Poetically, from a woman with more than a few of my exact personality flaws. It was an eye-opening experience..."

And here it went, the hard bit to talk about. "I owe you a debt of gratitude, Zidane. Your... last words, to me. They unsettled me in a way nothing else ever did... 'Wouldn't you have done the same for me'? It seems so silly now, looking back- but the notion that anybody- let alone you, specifically- thought that, perhaps, I could have been... something. Someone. Better... I might have simply ended it, without that thought to keep me pressing forward. Certainly none would have mourned me.

So I suppose, if it gives you heart, you did manage to save me, in the end. I give you all the leave you want to be smug about it."

"I only knew Garland for so long so I can't say. But I don't think you ended up like him; you were trying not to be him. The thing with Garland was he never tried to break his own design." Zidane shrugged. They'd all been tied to a trashfire design work; how did the Terrans think it would all just work out? "Mikoto appreciated it."

And Kuja could ask why later. For now, Zidane listened to him tell the tale of yet another world, one named Vaikuntha. And his soul(?) then had been drawn there possibly? At least it sounded like this place gave Kuja another chance that he missed out on Gaia - not that... Zidane was sure if Gaia would've afforded him that after everything. "... Heh, not fun seeing a reflection of yourself, is it?"

But seriously, might've had that coming.

However, it did surprise him to hear Kuja say he actually owed him. He rubbed the back of his head, lips pressed while he took it in - processed it - and then shook his head. "While part of me does wanna rub this in your face for 'because' reasons, I'll just tell you like I told the others. If you hadn't done what you did, that would've been me instead. I got to live a completely different life. Hehe, imagine if you had to be the one stopping me from destroying Gaia... ah, I might've been thinking about it a lot."

Though, that laugh was without any humor.

"No... no, it was not. It was like watching a bad comedy. Watching this. Stupid, ignorant, miserably self-absorbed woman ready to burn every world to atomic dust for the sake of not having to face death- were there a barrister who'd accept the case I'd have served the evil bitch a suit for plagiarism." Kuja glanced back at the younger genome, smiling faintly at the laugh, though there was just as little real mirth to it. "You and I both... I hope that I might have risen to the occasion half as admirably."

Okay, that had Zidane burst out laughing, holding his stomach even. Oh yeah, oooh yeah, that was Kuja's whole thing there alright. Gods, the fact that Vivi grasped the concept better than the two of them - how ridiculous. Calming down with his shoulders still shaking a bit, he was grinning again. "I think you would've. Even if you were driven by spite at first."

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{ flower festival 2022 }

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