dreamposts (
dreamposts) wrote in
songerein2024-07-19 02:36 am
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
Entry tags:
{ nightmare city }

NIGHTMARE CITY
On a fine, dreary day while Reverein is still experiencing the chaotic aftermath of worlds bleeding into Songerein, a familiar top hat, long tailed coat wearing figure will appear in the center plaza. Dubbed "The Ringmaster," he calls out to everyone a friendly greeting, and while a bit wary, those who remember him and his crew who hosted the first Halloween carnival and subsequent iterations gather around to listen to what he has to say.
With a heartfelt plea, he asks assistance from the Dreamwalkers to help aid his brethren, "Nightmarians" who are suffering from nightmares of their own. Residing in a city dominated by nostilium, they are creatures and figures who thrive off it and are able to live without issue, but the recent influx has affected even them. In return for receiving aid, they will help absorb the excess nostilium and seal remaining world fragments.
Meanwhile, the tapirs have another mission for those who would prefer staying behind in the city, and that is to start repairing the tethers.
More details on everything can be found here. Because we are in endgame, all events are open to anyone outside the game! Feel free to tag in or start new threads as we march on towards the end!
I. REVEREIN
Those who decide to stay behind will find the tapirs appearing in and out around the town. There are still a few corrupted tapirs that need healing as well as some that need help recovering, however the more important task is finding the tethers and repairing them. Doing so will help stabilize the connections between Songerein and every other world and stop the world fragments from bleeding further in.
A. Moon Crystals. It was a bit of an accident, really. Those in the Observatory were doing their own research to try and determine the connection between Songerein and other worlds, and one topic of interest was the dream world's moons, a medium the Story Eater employed to traverse between worlds. While debating if the twin moons still maintained those connections, somehow the giant floating crystal activated and fired a giant beam of dreamotion right into the moons, which also just so happened to have aligned right on top of each other and right above Reverein. While no physical damage was detected, as in there are no visible giant holes, light falls from the moons and are revealed to be "moon crystals," crystal shards made from the moon and infused with pure dreamotion.

โจ Crystal Collection. While most of the shards are small, those viewing through the telescope notice there are quite large ones that could cause some damage. Quick, collect the ones that have fallen and try and break up the larger pieces before they put a hole through someone's roof!
๐ New purifiers. The amount of dreamotion in these crystals is significant and could help with the remaining world fragments and nostilium that continues to bleed into the world. While they could just be scattered around like seeds, the Orkilins will be quick to fashion a device that could help amplify and focus the dreamotion into the area. Now they just need those areas to be cleared out of noctaere so they can be set into the ground and activated.
๐ Tapir Medicine. When crushed, these crystals can be used as potent medicine for tapirs who are still corrupted or recovering, either as a pill or even dissolved into a drink. However, the trick is administering said medicine and will require someone to hold down the medicine adverse dream eater. Perhaps offering it with a snack conjured by some nostilium will help.
B. Tethers. By now everyone knows about the tethers that connect the worlds to Songerein, however, no one really knew what they were. They seemed to be this intangible pathway that could not be seen or touched. However, the tapirs have discovered that due to the current circumstances, the tethers are taking physical form in this world. They're still not sure what's happening, so time to investigate!

๐ฎ World Object Fragments. Within world fragments, strange broken pieces of some kind of object can be found scattered around. They have a distinctive sparkle and shine to them, drawing anyone to them. Collect the pieces, and if successfully able to put it all together, it will take the form of a symbolic object of that world. Perhaps those from that world fragment will be able to recognize it and explain what it is.
๐ Dream storytelling. With these new objects, the tapirs will inform everyone that those from those world fragments should try and create a simple dreamscape based somewhere in their world, perhaps an important or popular place, and tell stories about their world in general. Although they can share personal stories, ones about the world in general will work better. Others not from the world can ask questions to try and learn about the world. These dreamscapes and stories will help strengthen the object.
๐ Moon Crystals. If there isn't anyone nearby for a particular world fragment, using the moon crystals will work just as well. Crush it into dust and let the object absorb it while walking around the area while imagining what kind of world the place is trying to represent.
C. Nightmarians. As promised, residents from Nightmare City, the Nightmarians, will enter Reverein to assist in absorbing excess nostilium and serve as conduits to seal off world fragments. However, their initial appearance may startle and confuse the natives as they are creatures that tend to have more "nightmarish" appearance. Try not to attack them! In addition, they will need someone to help them when the nostilium becomes too much by channeling dreamotion into them when needed.
D. Mysterious sightings. Reverein has been abuzz with eerie occurrences over the past two nights following the tail end of the eruption of nostilium and the appearance of world fragments. Witnesses have reported sightings of a strange, humanoid creature wandering the streets under the cover of darkness. Descriptions are vague but some claim to have found fiery red feathers in its wake, along with ominous claw marks etched into the alley walls. In addition to this enigmatic figure, there have also been sightings of a large wolf roaming the area. Despite the unsettling nature of these events, no attacks or injuries have been reported from either the creature or the wolf.
Those who have investigated a slew of recent interrelated occurrences may notice a few things about this creatureโs description and the timing of its appearance. Even if not, thanks to their efforts, related professionals in Nightmare City will have a wealth of information to help with dealing with this matter, should it be brought to them (literally and figuratively). Those looking to investigate can also use this toplevel for additional information and responses.
II. NIGHTMARE CITY
For those willing to venture to Nightmare City, a special gateway is erected in the Central Plaza where anyone will be able to enter and leave freely, and will remain for as long as needed. Passing through the gateway may feel strange at first, a sharp chill that seems to overwhelm the senses before it is replaced by a rush of heat as they step into the center of a much larger city square. Tall buildings tower around them with neon lights blinking in and out from windows and signs. Music, chatter, and other sounds fill the air as all sorts of "nightmarish" creatures walk or fly past—demons, monsters, ghouls, masked figures, all from horror based worlds. But rather than dreary, it's lively with laughter mixing in with those ghastly screams. Those from modern cities may liken the city as one of the larger populated metropolises. However while it is busy, there is a tension, and as soon as the Dreamwalkers start to appear many will rush in not to attack, but to plead desperately for their help.

B. Dreamwalking. Right away requests for Dreamwalkers to enter nightmares is called upon, but somehow the nightmares are so terrifying to the Nightmarians they can't even properly explain what they see. Bracing for the worst, what the Dreamwalkers find will surprise them.

๐บ Cuteness Overload. In some dreams, the dreamer is surrounded by a plethora of cute things: cute animals, cute aesthetics, cute colors—even the Dreamwalker and the dreamer are "cutified." Big eyes, sparkles, even the sun has a cute laughing face. This has left the dreamer hunched over in sheer terror while kittens and puppies paw and purr around them. Help the poor Nightmarian by somehow ridding the dream of all this cute.
โ Domestic living. Some may find a dream where one is just chilling on the couch and enjoying a cup of coffee and watching TV relaxing. For a Nightmarian, it's pure hell. They feel trapped, unable to break through the cycle, and they feel their sense of self being drained away, Even the colors are starting to fade. Time to spice up their life, perhaps even shock or scare them back to their old self.
๐จ Dream wreckers. One way to try and break the Nightmarian out of their stupor is to destroy and "horrorfy" the dream as much as possible. Whatever could terrify the Dreamer may be a sweet dream to the Nightmarian, so this could be good practice for someone who may want to try and twist and use nostilium actively for a good purpose.
๐ช Open door. If the Dreamwalker is unable to handle the situation on their own, creating a rift into the dream so that an awaiting Nightmarian can assist is another option. To create a rift, they have to conjure a weapon and use enough nostilium to break through and create a tear in the space. The job isn't over even when the Nightmarian arrives. The Dreamwalker will need to still assist them so they aren't scared off by the contents or worse, fall into the "nightmare" themselves.
C. Nightmare Forms. For those who want practice or need help controlling their nostilium, there are a number of experts willing to teach the way of the nightmare, both in and out of dreams. This will require a lot of mental strength and fortunately if someone loses control, they are in a place that will help them. This also includes learning to take on a controlled nightmare form. What that form will be will vary, but as Dreamwalkers will be facing nightmares and their vices, it could incorporate the seven deadly sins.

๐ฅ Strength in Sin. It may sound strange, but instead of trying to face one's fear, Nightmarians will ask Dreamwalkers to think of what their worst vice is. Do they have anger issues? Prideful? Lazy? Gluttonous? Envious? Lustful? Covetous? Because nostilium is also formed by negative emotions, it is easier to try and focus on a negative aspect of oneself than trying to grapple with something more emotional based on fear. By focusing on a negative trait instead, they can lean into that vice and turn it into a source of power and strength. Thus in this exercise, whatever powers they exhibit will reflect that particular trait.
๐ Nightmare Form. The next step will be trying to transform into a unique form born from nostilium. Those who have turned into noctaere before or have transformed in some way will naturally lean into that form. But they can also try and learn something different, one based off their vice. This form may actually be more stable and offer them more control. What look will they have in this form?
๐ฏ Target practice. Whether in a dreamscape or out in a designated practice zone, participants can go through various exercises and use targets and dummies to help focus, channel, and release nostilium into a controlled force no different than when utilizing dreamotion. Some may use spells and abilities similar to what they know, however with nostilium it will be changed in some way. Different element, different color, curse or hex-like effects, etc.—how it manifests will be unique to the individual. Weapons are treated similar.
๐คบ Sparring practice.It's also possible to try and spar against someone, whether it's two nostilium users or one using nostilium and the other using dreamotion. There will be experts supervising and will intervene if someone loses control, so do not worry and push to the limits. These exercises will benefit both nostilium and dreamotion users as they navigate using and countering nostilium.
๐ช Worst Nightmare. After going through the different exercises, those who want to try go further and harness the powers and force born from their nightmares have the chance to take a partner and be launched into a nightmarescape based on their worst nightmares. They will remain lucid, but they will feel the effects of the nightmare more keenly than usual. But if they are able to "defeat" their nightmare and take control of the nostilium and emotions created by it, they will be able to strengthen their powers and their nightmare form.

no subject
Careful, you're undoing all your hard work.
no subject
A little greenery didn't hurt anyone. Besides...
[Thorns start to creep up to where he stands, these starflowers bright red.]
You've made it pretty easy for me to fix it.
no subject
Think it's enough for this place?
no subject
[Those vines now wrap around his ankles, meaning to trap him in place, and Tifa slowly closes the distance between them.]
I think we could stand to do a little more.
no subject
[And just as she thinks she has him—
He once again disappears and reappears a few feet away.]
no subject
In what sense? I'm just trying to help, but you're making it difficult for me to do that.
no subject
no subject
[She glances past him up the hill where she knows the Nightmarian is, and she can see them... are they dancing in the rain that's started to pour down over them? Yes. Yes, they are.]
So why do you keep trying to duck away from me?
[Flames spark around her in a small bout of frustration.]
no subject
no subject
[He'll feel the light brush of something against his cheek and tickling the tips of his earsโa wave of heat that feels like a warm wind caressing him.]
Or is the wolf afraid of being caught by the rabbit?
[This is your fault, Eustace.]
no subject
The harm would be turning this "terrible dream" into something worse for our Nightmarian friend. But if the rabbit wants the wolf so much...
She should try catching him elsewhere.
[And is that him starting to fade a bit? Is he going to leave the dream?]
no subject
[Is he fading a bit?
Tifa's face flushes, sparks flying up from her knuckles as she openly pouts at him now. Maybe she wanted to enjoy a little bit of that nightmare form of his before they had to go, and it's not like the Nightmarian notices them! They're too busy dancing in the rain!
Except when there's a pulse of dreamotion, it nearly transforms the entire area around them back into the lush green landscape it was before, flowers blooming and grass poking through the vines. A scream echoes through the dream, and Tifa looks back to Eustace.]
Wait, are you actually leaving!?
no subject
I told you, it's too much of a risk. Besides.
[And then he'll suddenly appear right behind her, voice next to her ear.]
Wouldn't you rather want actual privacy? Unless you want someone to watch.
[Honestly, he's a bit surprised that Tifa wants to stay with them flirting around like this. He would have imagined she'd rather leave and take this all elsewhere since they were in someone else's dream and effectively their mind.]
no subject
Those ears perk up and straighten the moment his voice and his breath move over them, her cheeks immediately glowing a bright red again as she mumbles.]
... You started it.
no subject
So feeling a bit guilty, he wraps his arms around her.]
Sorry, I got a bit carried away. But I can make it up to you.
no subject
[She leans back against him, letting her eyes flutter shut, his warmth doing wonders to ease that feeling.]
But yeah. Let's go do that. Somewhere else.
no subject
Let's add one last storm to get rid of these starflowers.
no subject
[She cranes her neck back to look at him finally, her cheeks still glowing a bright red.]
Just one? Before we do and have to go back?
no subject
He knows what she's asking, and really it's tempting, especially all that cat and mouse chasing they did.]
You know even with just one this place will fill up with starflowers, don't you?
no subject
Alright, fine. But you owe me a bunch once we're out of here.
[Her fingers find his and they curl between them. Don't mind the flowers that continue to bloom—]
One more storm for the road, then. Let's make this the most terrifying one.
no subject
The rest for later.
no subject
So when he leans down to kiss her, she leans right back into it, humming softly against his lips, practically melting beneath the softness of it.
There's a giant burst of warmth that suddenly spreads, beating back the shadows and the darkness of the trees as a whole bed of starflowers bloom. And then more. And then more and more.
Tifa pulls back in a slight panic, though she is... giggling?!?]
Quick. Do the storm and let's get out of here.
๐
Knew it.
[But he's not displeased in the slightest, instead tightening his grip around her waist as he conjures up that storm. The clouds darken and roar with booming thunder above them before lightning streaks across the sky. The black bolts are ominous to be sure, and they carry cold, sharp rain that soon flows over the hills and the forest, the winds scattering the deep red starflower petals into the ether. Yet despite it, they will remain dry and unaffected by it, protected by a barrier of his own making.
With the storm now set, they waste no more time and leave the dream. At the very least the Nightmarian will no longer be tormented by the strange cuteness it had been afflicted with before, and the last they'll hear is them laughing in what can be interpreted as joy.
However, since they were already in a private room, Eustace doesn't let them "wake up." Instead, Tifa will find herself pulled into another dream, this one of his own making. There, well. They'll just continue where they left off without fear of ruining someone else's dream with an overflowing field of deep red starflowers.]