{ dream notes: #20 - april 1, 2023 }

[dreamkeepers]

DREAM NOTES #20: APRIL 1, 2023

HAPPY APRIL!! And I am too tired to make an April Fool's thing SORRY TO DISAPPOINT (Kyo suggested I make it early 2000s angelfire/neocities internet and I rejected). But we have a lot of April things happening, namely our Flower Festival!

CALENDAR

The Official Calendar has been updated. Here is our current schedule for the month:

4/01: Plot With Me Meme

4/08: Flower Festival

4/15: Percy and Leo's Big Boat Trip

4/25: Reserves Open to CURRENT PLAYERS ONLY (see notes below)

4/28-30: Activity Check

5/01: Apps open to CURRENT PLAYERS ONLY (see notes below); Plot with Me

5/05: BIG STORY EATER EVENT

5/29-31: Activity Check

DREAM TREND: This month's dream trends may involve any of the following themes: new beginnings, flowers,

WEATHER: IT'S SPRING~~! The dreamotion distortion seems to have mostly settled, though there are still some pockets of random weather here and there. Overall, as the weather warms with sunny blue skies, there are also occasional scattered showers with boisterous storms occurring farther out in the Wildlands, especially around the Cliffside near the Wasteland. There are also flower showers that occasionally occur instead of rain, perhaps a remnant of the dreamotion distortion from last month. But with these "flower showers" will be an increase of pollen. Good luck to those with allergies.

OTHER NOTES: None.

As a reminder applications are closed to the public so there will be no official TDM. However, reserves will "open" to current players only. So if anyone wants to apply a second character, they can still do so. For the TDM, the Flower Festival event will serve for those to get their TDM threads in.

If there are no reserves, then we won't open applications since it would be pointless. If we only have a small handful, we'll be able to process them quickly before the big event in May.

Other than that, note the player plot log that will be going up later in the month!

ACTIVITY CHECK RESULTS

Congratulations to everyone who commented on our Activity Check! The following characters were removed from the game:

Yasusada Yamatonokami | hairpinings
Nier | heseesonlyher
Penny | introveert
Dorian Storm | makingmyway
Dohalim il Qaras | menancia
Ann Takamaki | menaretrash
Lady | notladyluck
Kate Bishop | pmuch
Amy Rose | pricklybloom
Shirou Emiya | projections
Kiyomitsu Kashuu | redbeauty
Beatrix | roseofmay
Miraim | shardbound_rose
Kainé | shithogs
Hans Westergaard | sleightofhans

If 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 76/75, which means our new player reserve/apps slots are at a maximum 0.

WORLD UPDATES

Be it new NPCs, creatures, places, or some other discovery or creation, the world of Songerein continues to grow! For official lists and information, refer to the World Directory and Bestiary. So here are a few things as a result of the Dream Board and other submissions:

Places:

• 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:
  

  Hippity Hoppity Breakfast: This Western-style breakfast set makes its return to honour the year of the rabbit! Named for its adorable bunny-shaped bread topped with butter and jam, the set also comes with a serving of eggs (cooked however you like), sausages and cabbage, lettuce, or spinach.
  
  Mini-Quiche Egg Bites: Your choice of a variety of hearty toppings, baked within a flaky golden crust. Including but not limited to: ham, bacon, cheese, spinach and mushrooms.
  
  Floral Cupcakes: Sweet and freshly baked, with requests taken for colour and flower type. The flowers made of icing appear more vibrant and will bloom more readily when in possession of a customer with positive energy. By contrast, the flowers will appear muted and even wilted if tainted by someone in a bad mood.
  
  Spring Dreams: Cool, fruity mixed drinks with milk and (optional) whipped cream, infused with dreamotion to paint a view of what the patron considers "home." Various fruit jellies, pearls, and even ice cream are available as additions.

  
  The weather may be unpredictable and inconsistent, but the Harvest is ready to welcome the coming spring. Floral arrangements are carefully placed throughout the restaurant, from the countertops, to the tables, to the karaoke stage—all made from flowers plucked from a very special grove in the Wildlands. The flowers are imbued with positive dreamotion to spread happiness and cheer, and you may catch them glowing faintly if you are in particularly good spirits. Origami flowers are made to match, appearing in varying colors at every seat for patrons to take home.
  
  Regulars may also notice a little bit of rearranging going on in the restaurant this month. In the main dining area, there seems to be the makings of a bookshelf being built in preparations for a reading nook of sorts, and out in the garden, there is a particularly large tree that is receiving similar treatment, with its roomy hollow cleared out, also for shelves.
  
  Things are as peaceful as can be expected, with the chorus of snakes ever hissing but seldom seen, and the splashing of lotus koi fish in the ponds as they are fed. Come to think of it, the fish sure are thriving lately, aren't they? Hm...
  
  
• The healing magic lessons offered at the Music Studio have now expanded to include basic dreamotion lessons as well! The classes are held every Saturday afternoon, feel free to handwave attendance.
  
  
• The Starflower Sanctuary and Cafe, run by Tifa Lockhart and Eustace, is now open in the northwestern corner of the Plaza. Along with it being a combination bar and café, it also serves as a sanctuary for stray cats, dogs, and other small animals that are in need of a home. For characters who wish to adopt an animal, they may view a list of available animals here, and comment here with their preference. At the moment, there are some berry turtles, autumn dogs, and a fairy cat with butterfly friends looking for a new home!

Other:

• Norimune's wishing test caused a glitter explosion from the Wishing Well, which he did notify people about. So there's probably? Some glitter around the area even after clean-up.
  
  
• Zelda and a few other dreamwalkers snuck into the sealed room in the Tree of Stories to try to strengthen the seal on the book imprisoning the Story Eater. Results are pending.
  
  
• Eustace made a call to suggest Dreamotion lessons. An organized group is looking doubtful, but will consider offering private lessons every now and then… maybe. The permanent residence quest is still open for sign-ups!
  
  
• Leo's ship is coming along and will be ready to set sail in April!

DREAMOTION DISTORTION AFTERMATH

After tallying up the threads submitted through the AC, here are the results:

DREAMCATCHER
7 success
5 failures

SLENDERMAN
4 successes
1 failure

CRYSTAL
13 successful patch ups
3 failed attempts
12 encounters with the crystaltei

The results from the Dreamcatcher are a bit dodgy. Although it edged out to more successes, it was close. The successes against the Slenderman help out, however, so the Dreamcatcher will be purified enough to be used against the Story Eater. The giant crystal was also pieced back together and stabilized, and it, too, will be used against the Story Eater. How? Without spoiling too much, the two will be combined to create a special weapon that will be used against the Story Eater.

For now, the castle will be put on restricted access mode only with the dragons guarding it. The crystal will have moved to above the observatory, where researchers are frantically studying. Anyone is free to visit and look at it, too.

As mentioned in the Calendar notes, there are still some lingering effects from last month's distortions, but nothing too disruptive.

And just a side note, there were at least three confirmed rabbit captures and everyone who responded in the murdered wisp quests have so far succeeded!

FLOWER FESTIVAL: DAY PORTION

IT'S TIME FOR THE FLOWER FESTIVAL! For those who weren't here last year, it's basically a giant festival celebrating spring and themed around flowers. And this year's Flower Festival has a lot of parts, so the note sections have been divided up to properly detail each part. Everything is optional. It's just a festival, so it's easy to not participate…but it's also just as easy to get dragged in if necessary. Here is a quick overview:

The festival is a two day one night affair, ICly covering the weekend of the 8th-9th. Which just happens to be the same as Easter weekend for countries that celebrate it (not intentional). For both days, the activities will remain the same, however on the 9th the results of the Flower Royal Court contest will be announced. Just like last year, there will be special costumes for the winners, and everyone else will have a repeat of flower themed outfits. What's new this year is there will be a night portion that exists in a special dreamscape, and this will be held on the first night of the festival.

Now, let's see what we have in store for the daytime portion of the event:

General activities. Some of the usual things, like food stalls, music stands with dancing, flower swings in the trees, a plethora of flower gardens that anyone can walk through, and at least one flower maze located in a nearby field.

Business promotions! Anyone who has a business and wants to have it featured with a stall or something can write a short prompt to be included in the main log.

Flower Viewing. There will be numerous designated flower viewing areas around and outside of town, making it a perfect opportunity for a picnic. Food and beverages will be provided by numerous restaurants and food stalls. Flower crowns can also be made or received by some fairies that will fly around to drop them on anyone's heads who don't have one already.

Ambient pollen effects. There is a lot of pollen flying around through the festival and inhaling enough of it could affect a person's mood. Possible effects include:

• Rose Tinted Glasses. Rose pollen will make everything seem nostalgic and seem better than it actually is.
  
• Green with Ivy. The flowers of some ivy are giving off some green pollen that will cause one to feel more envious than usual. Possibly to the point of wanting to wrap their target with said ivy instead….
  
• Sunflowers and Rainbows. Pollen from sunflowers will cause one to be either extremely happy and hyper…or become so sensitive they cry at anything, be it a touching or sad thing.
  
• Violent Violets. Inhaling too much violet pollen will cause someone to become so impassioned about something they will be quick to defend it—with violence.

The effects will eventually wear off, but a good "cleansing" (ie, splash with water) will clear them up pretty quick.

Special Games and Activities. We have a lot of unique games and activities that will be available, which will include: Flower Chalk where everyone will be able to draw with special chalk; Flower Arrangement to arrange special flowers, including paper ones; Bouncy Flower Pad to just bounce around; Make It Grow, a contest to grow the biggest brightest flower; Topiary Races, where you race while riding topiary animals; and Bee Herding, to help herd bees back to their orchards.

Flowerworks. To cap off the festival, on the final night the special "flowerworks" will return from last year. Instead of explosive fireworks, canisters filled with flower petals will burst in the air and will be illuminated in the night sky.

And that's just the day portion.

FLOWER FESTIVAL: NIGHTSCAPE

The fae are hosting a special festival of their own to celebrate the change of the seasons and just the overall changes and growth the world has seen over the past year and a half. To give everyone the full "fae" experience, however, they opt to make it a dreamscape. Everyone will be informed, perhaps through dreams in nights prior or through the festival itself as the fae are also having fun during the day, and on the night of the 8th, whether asleep in a dream or awake, a special door will appear. While it's optional to go in, for those who might need a forceful pull, they will feel an impulse or unnaturally drawn to it to the point they enter without realizing it. Oops. Once inside, there will be a whole different kind of festival underway.

Ethereal Forest. Instead of a town, the dreamscape is set in a dark, mystical forest where all manner of fae can be found lounging or frolicking about, enjoying their time in the dream. It's much more relaxed compared to the festivities of the day, with plenty of seating areas made of large flower petals and moss, and even more private, secluded areas for those who just wish to relax alone (or with special company, they're not gonna judge).

Everyone takes on a form of some kind of fae. The moment they enter, everyone will find themselves in a whole new form. It could be more "pixie/elf" with wings, or could be more animal/creature based. It can be exactly like a known fae or something more loosely based to allow more creativity. It should be noted this is not a costume—this will be a full or partial transformation.

• Fake names. To go with the theme, everyone has a "fake name" because giving one's real name would be taboo. These can be completely new, something based on a canon nickname, or just simply shortening their first real name. Everyone will still be able to recognize each other, but no one will be able to immediately say the person's name, at most just the first letter or syllable. Only after the person says their own name can someone else say it, and if another person does the named will now owe them a favor or must do some kind of task. Can be silly or serious, but it can only be done once.

Dream Egg Mosaic Hunt. Everyone is also given a white, crystal egg and are tasked to find and visit certain locations throughout the forest that have special mosaic glass just floating around. Each location has a theme, and if one can have one of their dreams manifest and reflect onto the glass, a piece of the mosaic will break and attach to the egg. Create as many pieces to decorate the egg and upon leaving the dreamscape, the egg will appear next to them and will hatch into a surprise creature. What could it be? Hmmm~ The mosaic glass will affect their future personalities.

A Tale of Two Stags. There is a pair of stags, one white and one black. These are legendary entities that have manifested into the dreamscape and can risk imbalance…though the fae don't seem too worried. In fact, they will reward those who are able to "stabilize" the deer with a "favor," though they're ambiguous as to what that is. The white stag must have nightmare energy used against it. The black one must have dreamotion energy used against it. Rather than killing or destroying them, just some brief encounters will help. Traps, tricks, even giving it food somehow will work.

Lost Your Voice. Oh the fae love their tricks and pranks, and this one is quite "harmless." Little blue wisps will suddenly ram into the back of their target's head and then giggle way—with their new voice. After stealing their target's voice, they fly off, giggling and blabber away in a poor imitation, leaving the now voiceless victim to chase after and try to signal for help. The wisp will eventually return the voice; they get bored easily enough and will want to mess with another person sooner than later. But it's possible to catch the wisp in a special glass jar that can be found growing off a tree. Don't ask, it's a dream. If caught, the person must "swallow" the wisp by pouring it into their mouth. No wisps are harmed, they'll pop back out after returning the voice.

River of Dionysus. The river that runs through the forest is made of fruity alcohol. Just grab a chalice, dip it in, and drink to your heart's content. Because this is a dream, it takes a bit more to get drunk…but it's still possible. And, well, drunk shenanigans.

Careful What You Eat. Even in dreams one will feel hungry, and the fae have left out a delectable feast! They say one should be wary when eating their food, but…it's just a dream, should be fine, right? Weeeeeeeeell as some probably suspect, it's not so simple. First, upon seeing the food one will feel a very strong pull towards it to the point that food will be in their hand and in their mouth before they even realize it. While a lot of the food is harmless, some will have…interesting effects of the physical kind. There's no tell, no specific food that does what, which makes it even more troublesome to figure out. From changing size, to colors, to growing another pair of horns or wings, gaining invisibility, turning into an animal or a random plant or object. Whatever you can think of, it'll happen. The effect can either naturally wear off over time or someone can try and help find or try to create an antidote to get rid of it.

One could say the night portion is a bit more "mature" compared to the more festive day portion.

FLOWER ROYAL COURT

Just a fun contest where characters can nominate anyone to be the "Flower Royal Court", which will include 2 Kings, 2 Queens, 2 Princes, and 2 Princesses. IC votes are submitted to see who will win. Characters can nominate and vote for as many people as they want, but they can only vote once for that person. The winners are chosen during the last day (April 9th) of the festival and are paired to spend some time together at the festival. They are also made to wear some very interesting costumes for the whole day. Those costumes were from last year, so who knows what it will be this time~ And we'll probably throw in a new gimmick to spice things up ho ho ho. Anyway, we're going to kill this mod post by using this to vote. Here's how it will work:

Two courts. This year, we're upping the number of winners to eight by creating two courts: Day and Night. Thus there will be a set of King, Queen, Prince, and Princess for each "court."

Nomination Subthreads. There are two designated subthreads: Flower King and Flower Queen. Winners will be in the top 4 places, so 1st and 2nd will be the two kings/queens, and 3rd and 4th will be the two princes/princesses.

IC Nominations. Characters are nominating each other or themselves, so using your character journals, players will comment under the appropriate subthread with the nominated character's name in the subject (ex: Trahearne). In the main body of the comment, you can include an image to act as a kind of poster ad for the character and we include a code for it. You will also indicate if the character should be in Day or Night court, but characters can vote for either. So if Trahearne is nominated for "Day," Phantom could vote for "Night" instead.

Voting. Everyone replies with their character journals with +1 in the subject line. Remember, these are IC votes! You can also include whether the character should be voted for Day or Night. Should the character win, we will count and see which has more and slot them in if they have the most for that side. So if Beat wins 3rd with 10 votes and 6 are for Day, he'll be put in the Day court if the other Prince nomination, Percy, is less. If Percy has 7 votes for Day, then Percy will be in Day court and Beat will be in Night.

Unlimited nominations. Characters can nominate as many people as they want. Characters can also vote for as many people they want, however they can only vote once per person. So Lyria could vote for Reaper, Azula, and Della, but can only comment once under each.

Gender does not matter. Males can be Queens and females can be Kings. HOWEVER, they can only be nominated for one side, so if a character is nominated for Queen, they cannot be nominated for King.

Previous winners are excluded. The previous winners of last year's festival cannot be nominated again. These include: Tifa Lockhart, Soldier: 76, and Susato Mikotoba (Oriphi and Yujin Mikotoba will be fondly remembered). They can nominate other characters and vote, they just can't be nominated for the contest.

And that should be it! Everyone has until the end of Thursday, April 6 to submit their votes. We'll announce the winners on the following Friday so players have a day before the festival to prepare.

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.

ID	QUEST	REWARD
401	Spring Cleaning. Pollen is everywhere and now cleaning supplies have somehow been enchanted to come alive and start cleaning EVERYTHING! Brooms, rakes, hoses, sponges, towels, it's like someone waved their wand to give them arms to move and clean. It wouldn't be bad if they weren't so destructive in the process! Stop them or help them.	Well-behaved cleaning supplies, one voucher for a free house cleaning from the local cleaning fairies
402	Pruning Ents. The neighboring Ents usually stay within the forest, but this spring the flowering season has been more than they can handle. They've come to town, hoping some people might be willing to prune their extra branches, flowers, and leaves, even offering them for the Flower Festival preparations.	Happy, pollen-free ents, a bouquet of wildflowers
403	Return of the Cat Bees. The cat bees from last year are back and more "invasive" than ever. There are a lot of flowers and they are just making themselves right at home, even entering them! Help relocate the cat bees to the farms and orchards. (Keeping one is possible, but better take good care of it!)	Jars of the finest cat bee floral honey
404	Boss Bunny. There is a giant, massive, macho rabbit that's out for a fight. Guess it wasn't happy for all the rabbits that were hunted last month… It can be found destroying numerous farm buildings and fields, and smaller rabbits are assisting in taking all the vegetables they find. Stop them, and watch out for that macho rabbit's right hook! It can send you flying!! (Note: It cannot be killed.)	Recovered veggies, a champion's belt, boxing gear of your choice
405	The Pollinator. Appearing after the Flower Festival, this "creature" is made entirely of pollen and is rolling through town, covering everything in pollen! Help clean up the mess and get rid of this thing. Just be careful – physical attacks will only cause it to break apart and spread out instead.	A bottle of Magic Benadryl
406	Love Life Fish! The fish are thriving this month in the Harvest's garden ponds! Maybe a little too much so... It's getting a little hard for the staff to keep up with them. Grab a net and try to catch some for yourself. Jars will be provided for transport, but please make sure you're able to provide a nice home for your new fish friend(s). If not, you can release them at the lake in the Wildlands, or ask a staff member to do it for you.	However many lotus koi fish you can catch. Additionally, a plush doll, to be handmade by Susato herself, for whoever catches the largest koi fish by the end of the month. (Winner's request!)

END NOTES

And that's it! A LOT OF FESTIVAL STUFF so enjoy it since the next one won't be for a while! If you have any questions, be sure to comment to the designated thread here!

Comments

+1

[removal]

Voting for Day court.