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, Zelda, complete honesty and Alastor aren't even distant acquaintances of each other. He'd spoken so many lies of omission that they were impossible to count.]

You misunderstand me, princess: I don't agree with what she's trying to do. I admire her stubborn persistence, her altruistic demeanor, but what she's trying to accomplish is, quite frankly, utterly impossible. It's wacky nonsense!

[ Zelda huffs a little in exasperation. She's starting to get wise to his tendency to be difficult. ]

And what exactly is she trying to accomplish?

[Alastor is quiet for the longest time, trying to figure out how to phrase it without going into too deep of detail.]

When we met that second time, you asked me if I was a noctaere. I told you that I wasn't, that I was a sinner who got his due for his misdeeds in life and got somehow redirected here. I've been dead for almost ninety years, princess, and most of that time was spent in a place where only the worst of the worst go to be punished for all eternity...or until I could take no more of existence and allowed an angel to run me through during the annual Cleanse. [He pauses.] I suppose I could allow someone with black market angelic weapons to do the same job, but I don't want to give any one of my fellow sinners the satisfaction.

[Seriously, whoever erases the much-hated Radio Demon will have quite the reputation in Hell.]

The point is that we all had our chance at Paradise in life, but we blew it. Hell is a Sinner's Paradise in we can freely indulge in any of our old sins or try new ones with only one consequence: we can never feel satisfied from them. And that's on top of our other, more tailor-made punishments.

What Charlie wants to do is find some way of getting sinners into Heaven to stop the Cleanses. Hell's grossly overcrowded, you see, so the angels have to come down to thin us out. Like exterminators thinning out vermin.

[He shakes his head with a dark chuckle.]

♪♫ Inside of every demon is a rainbow! ♪♫

[Another headshake.]

Impossible. We're all lost causes.

Edited 2022-04-22 12:42 (UTC)

[ Zelda listens quietly, furrowing brows the only reaction she allows to show on her face. It sounds downright awful, what Alastor is describing. One's time in the world is short: a handful of decades, maybe an entire century if one is healthy and lucky. It feels unfair that one should then be judged for all eternity based on the deeds of one's short life.

And how is one to know in advance what fate is in store for them after death? How good must one be in order to be granted entrance to paradise? How cruel for an eternity of punishment? It's enough to make one scrutinize their every action, lest one misdeed tip the scales from paradise to punishment. Zelda can almost feel the extra weight on her shoulders and fights the urge to reexamine her memories to guess where the tally of her soul currently stands.

No wonder Charlie wants to change such a system. ]

For what it's worth, I think she's right.

[One doesn't need centuries to commit a score of atrocities. Alastor knew that from personal experience. He'd slaughtered and eaten several victims.]

[Alastor barks a laugh.]

Based on what precisely? Your encounters with Satan and Mammon, perhaps? [He snorts.] Their Devildom is far, far different from my Hell. Theirs isn't a kingdom one reaches by wicked deeds.

No. [ She corrects pointedly. ] Based on my own knowledge.

[ Zelda takes a few moments to organize her thoughts. It's challenging to put into words something she has known intrinsically all her life and yet has only recently learned about.

It wasn't the first thing she noticed that fateful day when she awakened her divine powers to save Link from certain death. Really, it wasn't something she paid attention to at all on her journey from Fort Hateno to Hyrule Castle, where she sealed Calamity Ganon. It came to her later, during the decades of semi-slumber Zelda spent sealed away with the monster: memories of the Goddess Hylia, her distant ancestor. They were sparse and fragmented, muddy from millennia upon millennia being passed down by Her descendants. It never felt to Zelda like remembering her own life; it was more like watching a badly-corrupted video recording of someone else's life. But she felt the truth of those memories. ]

Hyrule has no 'Hell' as you describe it. Nor is there a 'Paradise.' When we die, we pass onto the next world, and we continue the journeys we travelled in life. Our souls work to assist those who still live, be that by blessing harvests, protecting our descendants, or becoming the earth and nature itself.

And what happens to those in the reincarnation cycle to those who choose to do evil? Or does your Calamity Ganon already answer the question for me?

[Seriously, he's reincarnated over and over to terrorize your world? That's an awful trade-off.]

And I'm not sure how your reincarnation cycle proves to you that Charlie is right.

It is less a cycle of reincarnation and more of a life after death. [ Zelda clarifies. ] Reincarnation is very rare, hardly more than a legend, and effects only a chosen few.

What I mean is that Charlie is right to pursue changes to the governance of the afterlife in your homeworld. No beings are absolutely good or evil; we are all characterized by good and bad choices we make in life. No one is beyond reproach, just as no one is beyond hope.

[ But does her faith extend to Calamity Ganon as well? Zelda purposefully stops short of answering that. ]

A strange sort of afterlife, I suppose. Though a productive one assuming one doesn't have dark inclinations.

[He thinks for a moment, toying with a flower though careful not to tear its delicate petals with his claws.]

And I can agree that not all of those in Hell dedicated their lives to pure evil for evil's sake. Some made poor decisions in times of desperation, but they still knowingly violated at least one of the ten rules our Creator gave us to follow and assumingly never repented for it. Perhaps they believed there was nothing waiting for them after they died but the void.

Still the bulk of those in Hell willingly committed their sins over and over their whole lives for the sake of pure enjoyment. I've heard a rather ironic little phrase from some of the newer Fallen: "You only live once." Imagine their surprise when they realize there truly is a price to pay for such hedonism.

[He gives her a wry look.]

Of course you do know the question I'm obligated to ask you: Do you feel such a sentiment -- that there's good in everyone -- applies to your Calamity Ganon as well?

[ Zelda's eyes are drawn to the motion of his hands and she watches him while she listens. It's hard to imagine what life must be like in Alastor's world, whether in Hell or on the physical plane. The princess has lived a sheltered life and rarely interacted with criminals or any other 'colorful' individuals. Besides that, it's not her place to pass judgment on people's lives. All people are flawed, all people break rules, and all people change with time and reflection.

Ah yes, there's the subject she was avoiding. Really, Zelda didn't expect Alastor to drop it; she's pretty sure she has described Calamity Ganon to him as an irredeemably evil force, or something along those lines. She's not keen to walk back words that she believes wholeheartedly. But she also can't lie what she felt while inside the seal.

Zelda takes in a slow breath and lets it out in a sigh. ]

Yes, I do. [ She forces herself to admit. ] I know how I described the beast to you---the same as it's been described for millennia, in all the legends passed down from the time it nearly destroyed Hyrule ten thousand years ago. It has always been said that Calamity Ganon is a force of pure evil, a formless malevolence desiring nothing but death and suffering.

But I have reason to believe that there might be more than that.

[ Zelda's brows furrow. ] My sealing power awakened too late to save my father, the Champions, and much of the kingdom, but I returned to the castle to face the monster all the same. I had to protect those who still lived, few though they may be.

Outside the bounds of this dream, I have sealed myself and Calamity Ganon away from the rest of the world. I do not know how many years have passed, but I will keep the beast trapped with me for all eternity if I must. [ She tightens her arms around her knees. ]

Recently, I began to sense something strange about it. A sort of... sentience, perhaps, buried within its instinctive hate. It is difficult to explain. [ She lets out a defeated huff. She's grasping to explain the strange feeling she senses from Ganon as they spend years locked together in this tomb Zelda's own making. ]

Let's say you did sense an intelligence in all that hatred. How can you be sure it isn't actively guiding that hatred? Or that there might be some means of calming its wrath?

And if you succeed in the last, what then? Calming it won't restore your kingdom, the lives your people lost. If they're still alive or their spirits are still guiding what's left of your people, they'll want justice. As their queen, you'll have to decide the punishment of your fellow prisoner. What then?

You are describing a hypothetical scenario far outside the realm of possibility. That I ever manage to communicate with the beast is a fantasy at best.

If it were as easy as finding common ground with the monster and calming it of its eons of hate, one of my ancestors would have surely done so by now. Doubtless I am the least skilled in my lineage concerning the powers of the goddess; I can hardly be expected to succeed where they have all failed.

[ Zelda sighs, dropping her chin against her knees. ] Hypothetically speaking, were I to receive such a fantastical opportunity to calm the Calamity itself of its hate, I would do anything to end the cycle.

"Anything" encompasses quite a lot, my dear.

[Alastor gives her a bemused look.]

Take it from an old Deal Maker: You don't want to leave the terms too ambiguous.

[ Zelda glances Alastor's way, wondering what exactly he means by 'Deal Maker.' ]

That is reasonable advice. Perhaps I would be more shrewd if such an opportunity actually presented itself.

[ Hyrule has already paid a steep price for the current stalemate. From Zelda's perspective, there isn't much left to give. ]

It's more than "reasonable". Particularly if the cost of such a Deal ends up being your soul.

[Maybe it's just miscommunication but "such an opportunity" seems to imply Deals like the ones he makes exist in her world.]

I've made plenty of Deals with people who would give "anything" for what they desired most. They're none too pleased when I come to collect.

[ Part of Zelda wants to say she'd accept such a deal: the permanent defeat of Calamity Ganon in exchange for her soul. Considering all the people she would save, present and future alike, a single soul in payment seems like a bargain.

But another part of Zelda knows that taking such a deal would be foolhardy. She can almost hear the furious lecture Urbosa would rain down upon her if the chief ever found out what Zelda was contemplating. Urbosa would insist there was another way. All of the Champions would. And before the Calamity, Zelda would have leaned on their collective strength and continued the fight for Hyrule's future. But it's very hard to fight alone and the princess's worst qualities come out when she's alone. ]

I suppose it is easy to agree to any price when one is desperate.

[ She gives Alastor a searching look. ] Do you regularly trade power for souls?

[Alastor waits for her to say the words: that she'd pay any price to permanently destroy Calamity Ganon and protect her people for the rest of time. It'd be seen by many as a noble sacrifice.]

[However, what people forget is that trading one's soul is handing over ownership of oneself to someone else. Zelda would be little more than a puppet ruler to the owner of her soul pulling the strings.]

[When she doesn't and instead asks him if that's what he does, his grin widens. Rather than answering her question right away...]

Good. You're learning.

[ Zelda fights the urge to draw back from Alastor. A little chill travels down her spine and she finds herself remembering that he is a demon. Although Hyrulean texts have little to say about demons (beyond what is found in ancient legends), she's learned a few things about them in her time in Songerein. Lucifer was emphatic when they met that Zelda exercise more caution in her interactions with demons. Perhaps there was more than a grain of truth to his warning.

Zelda manages to keep a hold on her nerves and frowns at Alastor. ]

Learning what? You didn't answer my question.

You're learning to think before making foolish assertions such as "destroying Calamity Ganon once and for all to save my people is worth the price of my soul".

[A few of his small shadow friends swirl over to Alastor, creating a silhouette of Zelda standing on a balcony, waving to other silhouettes of her people.]

After all, you'd be handing over not just your soul to the person you made an agreement with...

[Shadowy strings leading to a crossbar held in the hands of a new small shadow that transforms into the outline of some unknown person or demon.]

...you'd be giving them your kingdom as well.

As for your question, well, it's a moot point: I lack that power here. [The little shadow play is dismissed with a gesture.] But if you must know, yes, I did make soul contracts with others. It's one way to achieve power in Hell. However, I arrived with quite a bit at my fingertips and I've no interest in gathering more. Being a proper overlord is such a dull and tedious existence if you ask me. Besides, I prefer quality over quantity.

No no no no, most of my Deals don't barter in souls though I do like to make the price for my services something that the one who approaches me will miss. In the heat of the moment when their desperation is at its highest, they'll eagerly agree to the terms, but -- like I said before -- they get awful sore when I come to collect.

(ooc: Continued here.)

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{ flower festival 2022 }

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