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songerein_ooc2022-07-01 02:10 pm
dreamkeepers) wrote in songerein_ooc2022-07-01 02:10 pm
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{ dream notes: #11 - july 1, 2022 }
DREAM NOTES #11: JULY 1, 2022
It's app month and SUMMER IS UPON US! And guess what—WE HAVE A NEW MOON AND AN OCEAN NOW!!!! And also the map got bigger.
CALENDAR
Here is our current schedule for the month:
| 7/01: Apps open |
| 7/03: Final apps due, begin processing apps |
| 7/05-6: Player Intro post, Open Log, and CR Meme go up |
| 7/29-31: Activity Check |
| 8/01: Dream Notes #12 and new Dream Board |
| 8/?? Event |
| 8/17: Test Drive |
| 8/25: Reserves |
| 8/29-31: Activity Check |
| DREAM TREND: This month's dream trends may involve any of the following themes: fireworks, happy fun, exotic trips |
| WEATHER: All the muggy humidity has passed through and it's now just high hot temperatures with occasional quick showers and brief storms, mostly in the evening. Fortunately there is a nice cool breeze coming from the north, carrying with it the scent of the sea… |
| OTHER NOTES: Mind the seagulls and the sand. With the new beach seems both are making more of a presence, especially as sand keeps drifting into town. The sand likes to get into any cracks and crevices and seems to "dance around," but otherwise aren't more than just a minor nuisance that is difficult to sweep away. Those seagulls, on the other hand, are pesky things as they keep trying to steal things and repeat, "Mine! Mine!" all the time (see Dream Board). Oh and we have a moon again, hooray! |
It's time to just relax and enjoy the summer, and everyone in town will be wanting to hit the beach, so expect a lot of stores and vendors switching up to fit the season. What kind of interesting swimwear will be available in this melting pot of world styles?
As for the moon, more details in its own section below, but the night skies will be a lot brighter now with it back. Has a few interesting new changes, though.
Apps are open this month and the open log will handle the introduction (and reintroduction) of the beach and moon. In celebration the locals will be throwing a big party a few days after the next group of newcomers arrive. It'll give them ample time to first ensure the new beach's safety and prepare food and activities. They're also doubling it as a chance to really enjoy the view of the new moon, so everyone will want to stick around for that. Drinks and tents will be provided for those who stay the night. Enjoy the summer beach party and moon viewing! If you have any activity requests, feel free to comment! Otherwise expect both standard and unique fare.
There will not be any other mini event from our side this month, but if anyone wants to organize something to explore the new places you are welcome to do so. You can ask us for any specifics that we could not write up in this post or it would be twice as long.
ACTIVITY CHECK RESULTS
Congratulations to everyone who commented on our Activity Check! The following characters were removed from the game:
Sana Futaba
inveilsibleHunter De Vil
hashtagwoofY'shtola
aetherialseeIf anyone was swept because they missed AC, you can reapply in the next cycle. Just fair warning, we will notice if this happens more than once and we may not allow immediate reapplication the next time.
This puts our player population to 55/75, which means our new player reserve/apps slots are at a maximum 20. (This number will change after the app cycle.)
WORLD UPDATE
Be it new NPCs, creatures, places, or some other discovery or creation, the world of Songerein continues to grow! With the upcoming app cycle, the population will rise from ~500 to ~600.
So here are a few things as a result of the Dream Board and other submissions:
Beastiary:
- Bunnanas. Tifa and Ori discovered bunnanas while out looking for real bananas in the Wildlands. They live (and maybe grow?) in the banana peels up in the trees among actual bananas. They look and feel like real bananas, but who knows if they actually taste like them... PLEASE DO NOT EAT THE BUNNANAS.
- Goldfish Lanterns. Living metal and glass, Goldfish Lanterns swim through the air with warm, colorful lights emanating from them. Some have bells attached, giving a tinkling sign that they're close. Sizes may vary from as small as a normal goldfish to the body being the size of a sports ball, and they're generally of a friendly temperament... unless they're hungry. In which case, it may be best not to ask how they're spraying you with water.
- Smoke Bats. Strange bats that appeared within Reverein during the Verens dreamshift and refused to leave. Capable of transforming into a cloud of dark mist when danger presents itself. Inhaling any may lead to a sudden deep sleepiness and minor memory loss, so try not to startle them.
- Choya. The Choya are large cacti-shaped plant creatures that can walk. They photosynthesise and make weird rattling noises by means of communication. They have basic intelligence and are capable of specializing in certain roles in their community, including cooking. They're a peaceful sort who usually go about their own business lazing in the sunlight, but there are certain troublemakers who are eventually kicked out of the community. If attacked, they will defend themselves with their spines or melee attacks.
They will explode upon death, but why would you hurt a choya?
Places:
- Owl Sanctuary. Eustace and Kisara created a little "owl sanctuary" for a family of flower blossom owls last month that had a nest in one of the trees in the Residential area. They cleared out a small area to allow a staging area to leave out food as well as some of the flower bushes that were already there so that the owls do not have to venture far to feed. A sign is there to let anyone know that there is a nesting flower blossom owl family, and one of the Eustace's flower pups will always hang around to make sure they are well protected.
- School Room. Mei is in the process of getting a school set up! So far a room in the library has been offered, and other characters have offered their talents for teachers. Mammon has also gathered desks to supply the room.
- The Wild Harvest serves various western and eastern style earth-based street food dishes. A special menu is rotated every month.
Wild Harvest's specials for the month are:
- Kebabs: Meat and/or Vegetable grilled on a stick.
- Shooting Stars cookies - Citrus flavored cookies with a little popping surprise to them. (Basically think pop rocks when one eats it).
- Peach Jelly Dessert: Peach-like fruity dessert with cream and jello.
- Kebabs: Meat and/or Vegetable grilled on a stick.
Three sets of grills have been setup for use and they will remain until fall weather starts. Lotus koi fish have also been added to the pond along with a few stone starfishes.
Other:
- Eustace made a network post requesting assistance in making door portals and power limiters. The door portal is for personal reasons but has potential to expand to public use for smaller teleportation options. The limiters are for others who may be at risk of losing control over their powers with detrimental effects. He hopes this can be expanded onto nightmare energy.
- The music studio has been collecting more music scores and instruments over time. It now offers lessons on playing the saxophone, and composing one's own music.
- Thoma is offering housekeeping lessons! The lessons themselves will be handwaved and take place sometime in early July. Any interested parties, whether they replied to his journal post or not, are free to assume they stopped by to learn the basics of cleaning, cooking, mending, and/or laundry! (And knitting, but that’s sort of a side thing.)
- Shigeru made a post about sign language and first aid training. Expect an open log to follow in July for mingling and one on one character threads!
The World Directory page will be updated over the next few days as there are a number of updates to include. We've already updated the world map diagram to reflect the new expansions and the rest will be filled in hopefully soon.
For those wondering about Elimei and her brother Perlios, both are happy to be reunited. Perlios is mostly sticking to Elimei as she recovers, but by mid-month they can be seen occasionally out and about in town or out exploring.
NEW MOON BOGO
Thanks to everyone's efforts and our teams from the event, Songerein's moon fragment and Elimei have been successfully rescued. Now awake and no longer plagued by nightmares, she helps in recreating Songerein's moon, utilizing her
Twin moons.
High up in the night sky, two spheres can be seen right next to each other. How this is realistically possible, don't ask, it's a dream world. However, there is something very unique about these moons and the researchers are quick to reveal their qualities:
- Original Moon. Recreated by the moon fragment, Songerein's original moon returns in all its glory. At first glance it looks as if it's a normal moon, but there are times, especially when it's full, that it seems to reflect vague shadows on its surface, like a face or a rabbit.
- Crystal Moon. The most striking of the two, this moon is entirely new and is theorized to have been created due to the stories used to help aid in returning the moon. It is multi-colored with a subtly visible black core, representing one of the black scales Madhuri used in her attempt to replace the missing moon. Although researchers are not sure, the crystal nature is due to all the various stories, myths, and even songs shared in building it, and whenever one looks at it through the telescope they may see some of those things reflect off its surface like a movie film. The fact there are also a few accounts depicting two moons, which may be another reason why there are two now. Further study has also revealed odd shapes that almost look like strange ruins, but that's just probably a trick of the light. Definitely no way anything is living up there. Right? Was that a face that's creepier than the ones seen from the other moon?
The moons have their own separate orbit and move in opposite directions. Sometimes, they eclipse each other in such a way to form a heart shape. Perhaps because of the increased light thanks to the moonlight, throughout the month there will be reports of better hunting. There will also be reports of alcohol tasting a lot better when drinking under direct moonlight.
Who knows what else will be discovered in the future… And for those wondering if we're hinting anything, let's just say all options are on the table
OCEAN DROPPED, WORLD EXPANDED
Remember those glittery glowy starfish that a certain Sand Enthusiast requested on the Dream Board to save? And the Sand Guardian from the Test Drive? These two things were orchestrated by a surprise guest, the Sandman! He has decided to pass through Songerein and reward everyone for a job well done. And also because it's the Sandman and he's overdue for an appearance
The process of creating the ocean is no small feat, and it requires an expansion of the area.
- First, the amount of dreamotion so far accumulated and used is gathered up by the Sandman. They take on the form of crystal stars before they are hurled down to the area immediately outside of the Cliffside, battering the ground. The desert sand glows bright, any noctaere immediately perishing in the light as the land is purified and the nightmare energy repelled back outward.
- Next, a new border called "The Outer Range" ("Range" for short) made of cliffs and mountain ranges emerges at the new exterior limit, about two miles out from the original Cliffside and there is a massive opening in the north. It's mostly made of rocky ridges like the previous ring, but there is now a mountain range in the southwestern side. Like before, there is a very small "safe boundary" beyond the outer border so those who venture past it into the Wasteland desert can only go about half a mile out before the air becomes too toxic to continue.
- The original cliffs will still be called the Cliffside ("Cliffs" for short). Some of the original cliffs are either moved outward to join the new ring or crumble away, creating large gaps and openings so travel to the new area is made possible. Original Cliffside inhabitants will either remain or move to the new location. The "sentry" like entities, such as the centaurs and Ents, will migrate over to the new location.
- The ocean will appear on the north side, about a mile out from the Cliffside. Forming a crescent shape, the shore will be about two miles wide at its longest side and shorten as it curves in towards the cliffs to form a half mile wide opening. The water then flows out through the large cliff opening into the Wasteland. Coves can be found within the cliffs. Its depths are currently unknown. Many fish and sea creatures will already inhabit the water with more sure to come, giving the ocean a diverse and vibrant feel. The sandy shores are white and soft with jungle trees just beyond them.
- The ocean water will flow out and expand further into the Wasteland for an unknowable distance. All creatures that used to live out in that area of the Wasteland have now changed to live in the water. Sand sharks are now massive megalodons and the desert wurms have turned into massive eels. It's still not safe to venture out there, but the Wasteland creatures do not venture too close to the cliffs, in large part due to some defensive mechanisms set in place underwater. Namely, giant explosive spiked urchins that float in the water that burst in pure dream energy and incinerate anything that touches it. Don't mess with them, they can harm normal people and animals, too.
- The new stretch of land is immediately filled in with more open areas such as meadows, plains, and fields, but there are pockets of forests as well. The sides closest to the new ocean shores will be jungles.
- New streams and small rivers will also form, the water changing from salt to fresh the further inland it goes. There is at least one that will connect it to the lake in the south.
- A road will immediately appear that leads from the town of Reverein all the way north to the ocean. It cuts through the Wildlands and while it's mostly safe, take care as there can be some natural threats. It'll also take a few hours to get there by foot, so this is going to spur new modes of transportation.
Here is a very professional visual of what that area looks like:
(click for bigger view)
And of course, along with all this will come new flora, fauna, and who knows what could be resting underneath the new area… But hey there's an ocean! And a beach! Right now it is just an ocean with typical marine life, but we'll be utilizing logs, events, and the Dream Board to introduce new things to do with it. No pirates or treasure islands or hidden underwater cities yet but soon.
EVENT REWARDS
Good work everyone who participated in the event! Here are the rewards that are available to everyone currently in game:
- Regain Bauble (x2). Within the first week of the month, everyone will find two special little baubles next to their pillow with a note that reads, "Thanks for the helping get back our moon! Throw this into the Wishing Well to receive a special item from home. Just imagine the item and it will appear. (watch out for the glitter)". As briefly described, this bauble is basically the game's "regain token." With this item, characters can throw it into the Wishing Well and receive the item they think about. All regains are manifestations of the item rather than the original and are affected by the game's limitations so nerfs may need to be applied. All regain submissions may be posted to the Regain Wishing Well entry.
We are also adding options to use the baubles for! It's depicted in the entry but we go over it in the next section as well. - Location: Lunar Garden. Located within the old Cliffside on the east side on top of a large plateau is a small patch of two types of lunar flowers. These are the same flowers that appeared within the moonscape and only appear and bloom when the moon is full.
- Honey Blossom. Although not as effective as when processed, the scent of the flower can help clear one's mind to prevent bad dreams. The petals are used to create Lunar Honey.
- Moon Drop. If one channels enough dreamotion into the flower, they can create a temporary shield to deflect any nightmare based attack.
- Honey Blossom. Although not as effective as when processed, the scent of the flower can help clear one's mind to prevent bad dreams. The petals are used to create Lunar Honey.
Of course, it's no easy feat getting to the garden. It's a tough climb, and harpies and grpyhons still inhabit the area. They also need to be harvested with care. If the patch is cleared out, it can take a few weeks before a new crop of flowers will grow.
A lot of new things to help with nightmare energy problems! This isn't foreboding or anything…
REGAIN UPDATE
With the game nearing a year old, those who have stuck around since the beginning will have acquired at maximum seven regain baubles. That's a lot! …And not every character will have that many items they own that they would use it for. So we're expanding the options for what can be used with the regain baubles.
- Personal item. No change, so same as the original.
- Dream Observatory. Introduced in May, the baubles can be used to get a glimpse of home. By using one bauble, people can look through the telescope to catch a glimpse of their world at a certain period of time related to them. It's vague and blurry so it's not the same as a real canon update, but it can give characters a little peace of mind to know they can at least see their home for a minute or so. Alas, it's too quick to let others see it.
- General item. NEW. If a character doesn't have any personal items but wishes to regain a generic item that can be easily obtainable or purchased from their home world, then they can use their bauble for that. Same limitations as personal items apply.
- Gift a bauble. NEW. Have some extra baubles to spare? By filling out a simple card at the Wishing Well, a character can gift their bauble for someone else to use. All they have to do is write "I, [NAME], gift my bauble to [NAME]" on the card and toss it into the well and with a poof of glitter, the bauble will align itself to its new owner and be used however they see fit. They can even gift it to someone else using the same process if they decide not to use it. Note: in the event the receiving character drops before using the bauble, the bauble will be returned to the gifter.
If you have any questions or need clarifications, you can comment here or on the Wishing Well entry. We are open to further suggestions, so feel free to let us know of any other ideas we could use the baubles for!
DREAM BOARD
How the Dream Board works:
- This is all optional, the quests are just extra content for players and while they can sometimes relate to upcoming or current events, they're just kind of "filler" stuff. Some will be set out in Songerein proper while others may involve dreams.
- The Dream Board can be found at the Plaza and quests will automatically appear on it like a bulletin board. Some will also appear in the journals. Anyone can accept them and rewards automatically generated upon completion of the task. It's a dream world, it's full of magic, it just knows.
- Quests can be done as many times as a character would do them and rewards will be delivered to the character upon completion.
- If you have any questions, comment to the designated subthread.
| 701 | Ice Cream Crush. In our efforts to create more ice cream to meet increased demands, the warehouse is now filled with giant blocks of ice cream! We're certain they can be salvaged so we don't want to melt it all down, but we need to get all the giant blocks out so we can try to reform it. We need a lot of volunteers who can either physically push or have the ability to move large items. Volunteers to help reshape and repackage the ice cream are also needed! (Note: Yes, the blocks are arranged in a weird puzzle-like formation and the action will be reminiscent of Candy Crush.) | Tub of ice cream of any flavor of choice |
| 702 | Dream Vehicles. We've been living in this world for almost a year and we STILL don't have carriages or any kind of public transportation?? What gives!! Walking is great for exercise and whatever, but seriously?? Not even a bicycle?? I know a car might be impossible but come ON!! And we have an ocean to get to and I'm not busting my ass riding on a horse! Thus I call upon all engineers and inventors to start making carriages or rickshaws or something so we can get into the whatever "modern" century for this place! (Note: Players can either have their characters try to create something on their own OR have them try out something NPC made. While there are no automated vehicles just yet, various animal drawn carriages (not limited to horses) will be seen around and as well as attempts for flying carpets and other similar methods. The local dog sled team will also be participating. Players are welcome to be creative in the kinds of things that may be starting to develop. We'll be accepting any player submissions as well as have more definitive list next month!) | Free rides and helping bring this dumb dream world into a better future or something like that |
| 703 | Seagulls. These seagulls are a menace! Not only do they keep repeating "Mine" all the time, but they will descend on anything they think is edible like a horde of rabid rats and even steal right out of a diner's hands! This is ruining outside eating, especially on the riverfront. I'm not even going to talk about the guano mess they leave behind. Trap them, send them back to the ocean, or fry them for all I care, just get rid of them! | 2 gold coins |
| 704 | Boatbuilders. We're a group that's been making smaller fishing boats for the river and the lake, but now with an ocean it's time to set our sights bigger and build some real ships. We have some materials that we need and will pay any who can help gather it up. Anyone with knowledge or can help craft the parts are welcome to lend a hand! We're limited to wooden ships, but we'll try for steel in the future.
| 1 gold coin per material; 5 gold coins to test out the boats |
| 705 | Seafood dining. Many restaurants are clamoring for new ocean based ingredients. They are willing to try anything beyond the usual staples of fish and oysters, so they'll take almost any catch. (Note: Players can come up with any kind of ingredient that can be found, including different fish and marine creatures that may or may not be edible) | 3 gold coins per delivery and coupons to various dining restaurants |
| 706 | Choya Chop. There are these weird dancing cactus things spotted around the beach, but some look like watermelons. I can't be the only one wondering what they would taste like, right? (Note: They are indeed edible, but they will put up a nasty fight and will explode if not killed quickly enough as well as on death, leaving a rather large mess.) | N/A |
END NOTES
WHOO THE GAME IS GROWING!!! I'm going to take a nap now.
DREAM BOARD QUESTIONS AND REQUESTS