dreamkeepers | { game info }

ABOUT THE GAMESongerein is panfandom game that is set in a dream world of the same name with a mix of fantasy and fairy tale themes. Instead of pulling in the character themselves, a dream self is created that is basically an independent extension of the character. From there characters will find themselves in a newly developing world and will play a role in building the world along in finding new discoveries within it. They will be able to dreamwalk and travel into dreams and larger dreamscapes as well as gain new abilities through the power of dreamotion energy. But there are threats from nightmares that they need to be watchful for.

Ultimately the game is a world building game filled with exploration, adventure, slice of life, and character development. This is not a plot driven game and there is no concrete endgame; the game will continue for as long as there is interest. Large events occur every even month with a downtime "break" month in-between to allow players and characters to explore and do things on their own.

The time ratio is 1 IC:OOC day with the calendar following ours for sake of ease. We have steadily maintained as a medium sized public game, and while there is no set end date, we have the option to turn into a sandbox whenever activity begins to wane but interest remains. While we do hold a lot of big events and provide monthly content, we are still ultimately a more relaxed game and slant more "slice of life" compared to others. Whatever game "plots" we have are bite-sized to give room for players to focus on their own character arcs.

This is why players who are able to do their own thing and do not need a lot of mod produced content to create their own would be suited best for this kind of game. We provide a lot of options and try to develop the setting and environment while leaving it open for player contribution. We fully expect and encourage our players to be able to do things on their own and will welcome any suggestions brought to us.

We have an 70 player cap. Our application period and the test drives run on a bimonthly schedule. The app cycle has a 15 new player cap. Current players within the game do not count toward this cap.

The three main communities are

songerein (logs),

dreamcrystals (network), and

songerein_ooc (ooc) with

dreamemers for anyone to throw random memes. If you have any questions or concerns that cannot be address here, feel free to contact us via Mod Contact. We do have a discord server and a plurk account (

dreamkeepers) that you can join and follow respectively.

BACKSTORYSongerein is a bit unusual because it is a combination of all three games that the head mod, Laena, has created in the past. Because it incorporates a lot of different mechanics, this section is just explaining where it all came from.

somarium: the game's base, Somarium was also based on the "dream world" concept. It's where Song's concepts for dreams, dream energy, and dreamwalking was taken from. Even the noctaere were originally from here, and the world map is very similar (main central populace on the inside, giant wasteland on the outside). However, it should be clarified that Songerein and Somarium are two separate game worlds, no matter how similar they are.

empatheias: this is where the "emotion effects" part of dreamotion came from. Empatheias was a game that focused on character emotions and how they affected the world, and since dreams and emotions go hand in hand, it seemed fitting to combine them to the version we have in Songerein today.

forgottentales: the game that is something like a direct "prequel" to Songerein storywise. Based on fairy tales and jumping into stories to fix them, the "antagonist," the Story Eater, is taken directly from it. The fairy tale concept and trying to fix or using story environments is also from here. Other references such as the Storyteller are also made to here.

Because this game is pretty much a giant nostalgia piece, more references and cameos from these games will be made as Songerein continues to develop. That said, no actual knowledge of these games is necessary to play in it. All that was taken was mechanics and concepts of each game, with Forgotten Tales the only one that lore continuation, but even that is minor and not central to Songerein's narrative.

RULESClick on each rule for further information.

Be friendly and play nice.

Not everyone will get along and that's fine, just be courteous to each other and try to be reasonable when interacting. Try to work it out with each other if there are problems, but if you can't resolve them on your own, contact the mods and try not to let a problem fester. We can easily defuse a bomb if it hasn't been lit, but if it's already reaching the end of the rope then there's only so much we can do to mitigate the inevitable explosion. And I don't want to deal with explosions.

Communicate with each other.

Because we're small, it is important to communicate any major plans to those who may be affected. Everyone in the game will primarily use the Discord server and Plurk, but please also make use of

songerein_ooc for anything that would be more widespread. Just makes things easier to have something organized in one spot. And of course if any problems arise, talk to each other.

Stay (mostly) ic.

Although players are expected to stay true to character, a lot more leeway is allowed here. Just don't turn Mr. Sparkly Sunshine to Andy Angst Muffin or do something crazy without reason and we all should be cool. There are no required HMDs nor will there be any gamewide ones. But if there is a real problem, talk it out first or contact the mods and we'll try to sort it out.

No godmoding, metagaming, powerhousing, etc.

Would you like it if someone roflstompped all over your character or suddenly knew everything about them despite never saying a word? No? Then don't do it. Even if you do like it or don't care about it happening to you, don't do it. Your fun does not come at the expense of others.

Mature content.

Although this is not specifically an 18+ game, such content is allowed in the communities. Any mature or graphic content should include warnings and cuts. If you prefer privacy, using character journals is perfectly fine.

Activity required.

We're not intended to be a fast paced game, but we do have activity checks and it requires 1 thread of at least 5 comments from the character to pass. Threads from within entries and toplevels count as individual threads so you are free to use those. There is no strike system so if you miss AC, you're out until the next application cycle. Depending on how bad a player's activity has been, we might not allow them back in unless there are stipulations that they can keep up with the game.

As a capped game there is very little tolerance for squatters. Exceptions are of course made for real life situations, so please do contact us if something happens that a normal hiatus won't cover or might affect your play for an extended period of time so we can work things out. Refer to the Activity Check section for the full requirements and our policy on squatting. But do note we have the right to reject AC on the grounds outlined there.

Applicable characters, limits, and caps.

Since we do want the game to stay on a manageable, small side, we have a hard cap of 90 players. If we're at or near cap, we may close the application cycle to the public at that time, but it will remain open to current players.

There is a total cast cap of 10 per canon. This may change in the future but it will depend. This cap is not a franchise cap, but it may be considered if we end up with overly dominant franchises.

Everyone is limited to 3 characters at the start with the possibility of increasing the cap in the future. There is an additional limit of 1 character per canon. This does not include franchises, but we do expect that the characters will have no reason to interact with each other.

Please refer to the Application section for more details on what we expect and allow.

There is a two week waiting period on both new canons and canon updates. Discussions can be made for canons that have already existed for a while and receive translations later. In all cases, be ready to mark for spoilers as a courtesy to others.

Contact the mods for all problems and inquiries.

If you have any problems that you can't resolve on your own, contact us. Either PM or use the Mod Contact form. While we have no problems throwing the books at people who deserve it, we really do wish to foster a friendly atmosphere. But the head mod has been through this four times and really doesn't want to deal with any headaches so please try to be good peoples.

ACTIVITY CHECKOur Activity Check is held during the last three days of the month and because we are a capped game, we do not have a strike system nor a make up system. We make official announcements when it goes up and will bump it once during the first day for players in different time zones, but we do not make warning reminders so we expect players to remember to do their AC when the time comes.

Click for our requirements:

As stated in the Rules, to remain in the game you must provide 1 thread of at least 5 comments. The comment count is from your character.
Any thread counts, including 1) inboxes, 2) threads made within your own entries, and 3) subthreads within your own toplevels. While you can use threads from within the same entry or toplevel, it's preferred if you provide threads from separate sources. Using threads from different toplevels within the same entry like an event (mod or player hosted) is also allowed.
We do not count post entry links as that would require additional conditions and using threads is easier. However, players can count their post as the "first" comment of their thread if needed.
Continuation threads (ie, overflow threads) are considered as part of the previous thread so they do not count as separate threads. However, you can combine them to count as one thread. So if the first part is 2 comments and the continuation has 3+ that will work as one proof of 5. For sake of ease, we would like the two threads linked together.
Backdated threads can be counted so long as they 1) start in the previous month, 2) the majority of the comments are in the current AC month, and 3) was not used for the previous month.
Test Drive threads will count, however we have a one TDM thread limit. Because our TDM is bimonthly, only the TDM before and during the AC month will count. This means you can use the August TDM for the September AC, but not for the October AC. The October TDM will count for the October and November AC.
You are exempt from any checks for hiatuses that last for over 21 days. Anything less and you'll still need to submit your AC unless there are other circumstances. In that case, we might consider whatever you have or even half AC, but you must talk to us first. Players can still tag out and even make AC if they find they have more time than initially anticipated for the hiatus. Doing so will cancel out the hiatus and allow a clean pass.
Free passes are given to those who meet the requirements for the December AC of the previous year (ie, December 2022 AC will reward free passes for 2023 year). They can be used one time during the year and do not carry over. They are player tied, not character tied, so if a player apps or drops a character it won't matter. However, if a player leaves the game and returns within the year, the free pass will no longer be available. A free pass cannot be used right after a hiatus unless there are extreme extenuating circumstances. A hiatus will also be looked disfavorably if placed right after using a free pass, unless there are extenuating circumstances. This is because we don't want a hiatus > free pass > hiatus situation where a player skips out 2-3 checks in a row. We keep a list of who has free passes available, but it's up to the players to keep up with and remember their own.

Squatting policy
In regards to our policy on squatting we have some basic guidelines that we follow that will determine whether a player is continuously squatting on a character and may need to be removed. Because we are a capped game, we are being more stringent about this. To be considered as squatting a player must:

Tag mostly within the AC period (ie last 3 days of the month);
Tag only the bare minimum (5 comments per thread);
Drop the threads once they reach AC;
Repeat this behavior for several months in a row.

Meeting all four criteria will guarantee a kick out of the game, no question. Any other combinations (particularly 2, 3, and 4) will warrant a message from us to see what's going on, but we still have the right to remove a player without a warning for these reasons if the pattern is obvious. To be clear, we differentiate this from players being slow. As we mention in the Rules we don't mind slow, but we do mind practically non-existent players that only check in for AC. Such behavior is not showing clear investment in the game and is wasting our time and everyone else's in a limited capped game. This is especially troublesome for other players who want to make CR and make their own AC.

Basically, if we constantly have to remind ourselves who you are and are surprised because we thought you already left the game, then you are squatting and will be removed.

APPLICATIONAll the big rules can be found on that Application entry proper, but here's some additional information up front.

Samples for the application require participation in our Test Drive as links. This is to allow players a chance to truly test how their characters fit in the game setting. It can be either a toplevel or tagging into someone else's thread. However, we don't require a full thread. Toplevel comments will be enough as long as they show enough of the character for us to get an idea of how a player will play them in the setting.
All character journals will need some form of character information in their journal, be it a copy of the application or some kind of profile page. You're free to use codes/info sheets used for other games, but we also provide a few Profile Sheet codes if needed.
While almost every character is applicable, we have the right to refuse characters that may be too insensitive to players. Basically if a character has to have 50 trigger warnings for every post or is inherently so offensive that most players are uncomfortable interacting with them, then they are likely to be refused or at least require some discussion with the mods.
We have a reserve first system where players must place a reserve before they can apply. It's a first come basis, so anyone who makes a reserve after the limited cap will be placed on a waitlist in the order they comment. Reserving guarantees an app slot, but not an automatic acceptance. Should a reserved slot fail to apply or their application is rejected at the end of the application period, we will PM those on the waitlist so they can submit their application. Depending on the amount of interest we may increase the limit a little bit, but that will be something we determine within a few days of Reserves opening.
For app challenges, they will go on another list mostly for reference. We will look at both applications and the better application will be selected. If both applications are equally good, the original reserve will be selected.

For the kinds of characters we accept, the usual Canon and Canon AUs (ex, Kingdom Hearts, Tsubasa Chronicles) are accepted. We do not accept fandom AUs/OCs.

Click for list of other characters that can be accepted with certain conditions:

Malleable protagonists. Or characters that are silent or have different quest lines that the player can shape through choices or routes. They are acceptable however if they have a "default" canon personality then we would prefer the character be set to that state. The exception here would be characters that have different personality tree branches that are affected by game event routes. Players can pick the route. It should be noted that because of the nature of Songerein and dreams, players do have the opportunity to have characters "explore" the routes or personalities not chosen through dreams, but they won't undergo any sudden personality switches from it. 100% blank slate protagonists are excluded. There must be some canon information about the character that gives some basis of the character's personality.
MMO heroes. Technically under malleable protags, but out of fairness we will not allow any true main MMO heroes. Whoever is going out leading the charge and dealing the big bads will be considered an NPC instead of a PC. However, "heroes" who follow more of their own storyline as an adventurer instead of the main one are perfectly fine.
Original characters. Most OCs are acceptable and to be clear we mean characters that are completely unique and of the player's design.
CRAUs. Characters coming in with previous game experience will need to limit the carried over game history to one game. If you wish to CRAU a character that's been through several game iterations, only the most recent one will be dominant. All other previous experiences will still be considered as part of their development, but specifics especially regarding a game's setting or people will be vague and they will have difficulty recalling it.

Any physical changes, transformations, or powers gained from the previous game's setting will not carry over, however any natural skills they may have learned and knowledge can. Same is true for items. Only their original items and personal regained items can be brought. Nothing from the previous game can carry over, but they can be regained later. It is possible for CRAU characters to have any physical appearance changes or transformations occur while dreamwalking, but the form and any powers inspired by it are based off the character's memory and imagination. Outside of that, they would have to relearn whatever abilities they had via dreamotion like any other canon ability.
Canon AUs, aka Franchise duplicates. It is possible to have multiple versions of a character if they are from distinct enough installments and background stories. For example, the Final Fantasy characters and their Kingdom Hearts counterparts. What would not be acceptable would be multiples of different media adaptations, such as book to movie or tv series. Only one version may ever exist at a time.

For information on how abilities will be affected, refer to the Dreamotion Abilities section.

TEST DRIVEOur Test Drive usually falls around the 17th or 18th of a month, which is usually around the third weekend. Because our TDM is a bit different than most other games, here is an explanation of how it works.

Read more:

We require TDM threads as samples for our application. This is because we want players to actually test the setting and see if they can work with and enjoy with the prompts and mechanics. For us, it's a great way for us to see not only how you play the character, but how you would play within the game itself.

Topleveling is not required. You can use threads you've tagged into instead.

Often we use our events as TDMs, which means instead of two separate logs, potential applicants will play alongside those in game for the event. It's a little similar to a Fourth Wall. This is how it works ICly:

TDM characters will appear during the event period, which is usually forward dated to sometime during the last week or few days of the month.
The characters will only remain during the event. Those who apply and are accepted will remain in the world. All interactions will be considered and carry over UNLESS the players involved want to retcon their thread to do something different for first meetings. This means the event period would be the character's "intro."
Those who do not apply or are not accepted will have disappeared after the event ended. Usually players in game will retcon a character's appearance if this occurs for sake of ease, but it is possible for players to keep the interaction as part of their character's experience.

In terms of how it works OOCly:

TDM players will need to clearly mark their thread toplevel as "TDM" to help differentiate from current players.
TDM players can only tag the log; they cannot tag outside of it.
Depending on the event, it may be possible to incorporate other prompts from the Dream Board or something else.
We keep a thread directory of all TDM threads on the post for easier navigation.

If there is event that we think might be too much or not suitable for potential applicants, then we will make a separate log that will have more general prompts to better fit the purpose. If we make a separate log, this is usually what happens:

The log is forward dated to the beginning of the month, set after whatever current event is happening.
The log still doubles as a character intro and all threads can carry over as canon should the players choose to.
Only TDM players can make toplevels. Current players cannot.

We include a brief overview of this information in our announcements and on the logs.

CHARACTER ADJUSTMENTSBecause this is a different world from their original, certain types of characters will need to be adjusted to fit the setting. As a dream world and through the use of dreamotion, a lot of things can be kept, but things they couldn't do before may now be available—and conversely, some traits may no longer be feasible.

All characters can dream. If a character canonly cannot sleep or dream, they will be able to in Songerein, and to enter Songerein they only need a momentary lapse in awareness. Daydreaming counts!
Nonhumans. Robots, animals, and other nonhuman characters can stay as they are in form, but anything super huge will be downsized to at most 10 feet tall. However, within dreamscapes there are no size restrictions unless it's during an event. By default they will enter downsized but they will have the ability to return to normal. It may also be possible to change size via dreamotion after a character has developed their abilities.
Dead characters are able to enter Songerein because their dead soul just happened to be pulled into it directly. They are still able to utilize both dreamotion energy, they just don't have a corporeal body to "wake up" to. This means in theory they can try to latch themselves to stay in this world, but it's still possible for them to be expelled so there's no guarantee.
Unconscious and sealed characters. For characters in a state of permanent unconsciousness, such as in a coma or sealed away, they will be connected to the world through dream energy like everyone else and will have a dream self created. The reason for their original state does not need to apply unless the player wants to incorporate it somehow. Otherwise, they can be played as completely free.
Vampires and characters with special dietary needs. For characters who need a specific kind of sustenance like vampires and blood, congratulations that's no longer an issue because their dream selves technically don't even need to consume those specific things to live. They will be able to subsist off normal food just fine, but they may still favor that type of "food." Special potions can be concocted to create a similar substitute product if they're really craving that fix.
Supernatural characters like angels, gods, demons, Cthulhu, will maintain most everything that makes them supernatural and unique. They will just have to be nerfed down a bit so that they can't do anything game breaking.
Pets and other sidekick like creatures and entities are allowed to be brought in. Characters that have multiple "pets" or summons will be limited to 5. There are also two different ways for this to be explained. Either the creatures tagged along with their master to dreamland via the dream energy connection, or what the character has is not a dream self version of the creatures but an "imaginary" one recreated from their memories. The first version may work best for those with living pets and partners while the second may work for those who just summon things in battle and have no real connection to them.

We'll add more if needed, but if you have any questions feel free to ask.

ABILITIESFor the most part, all canon abilities are allowed with usual power nerfs:

Anything game breaking is either adjusted to fit the setting or rendered completely useless/non-existent.
God tier abilities will need to be reduced from something like SSS to S or A tier.
Anything that can manipulate characters or invade their privacy must have player permission before doing so.

Similar rules apply for weapons. Only weapons that the character would have on hand, near their person, or normally have equipped at their canon point. If they've given up or have yet to receive a weapon, they will not have it. However, if at their canon point they have yet to give up their weapon then it can appear with them. This does mean there is a potential for duplicates if a successor also has their weapon at their canon point. Additional items and weapons can be regained later.

Other ways a character's canon abilities are affected can be read in the Dreamotion section.

HIATUSAll hiatuses and drops are to be commented on the Hiatus & Drop entry, which also lists out the following information. Because of dreamotion energy, there are three options for Hiatus:

Autopilot. The usual "my character is doing something offscreen" option. Best option for those who may want to still tag around.
Sleep coma. A kind of hibernation state, the character is just asleep with nothing able to wake them. However, this means they are vulnerable so friends and family may want to be sure they are kept safe or they may wake up with injuries or worse—dead.
Returning home. This can be done involuntarily (ie, no warning) or voluntarily through the use of the 3 regain baubles, and the return is temporary. The character will remained tethered to Songerein. If this is voluntary, the character (and others) will know they will be back. This route could double as a canon update, but if not you can take advantage of the "time is weird" and just say they were in their world for a couple of days even though weeks or a month may have passed in Songerein.

For how hiatuses work for the Activity Check, please refer to the Activity Check section.

DROPSFor drops and those who idle out, the basic reason is the dreamotion connection between the dream self and the original self was broken. For those who were dead, it would mean they were unable to maintain a stable connection and were expelled out of the world. Currently this is all random, but a voluntary departure is being developed.

In terms of memories of their stay in Songerein, back in their world it's kind of a vague "wow I had this wild dream." And for those who drop and are either reapped or apped by a different player, retaining memories of their stay can be fuzzy or completely wiped. Not everyone remembers their dreams after all.

CANON UPDATESCanon updates can be requested on the Canon Update entry which has the same information as below.

The waiting time to update to new materials is two weeks and there are two ways for a character to canon update.

Via Dream. Similar to a memory regain, characters can have a dream detailing the new things their original self is experiencing. Everything will feel as if they had also experienced it and if there were any physical changes, they will also occur.
Returning home. Thanks to dreamotion energy and 3 regain baubles, characters can leave and return to their original self. So it's possible for them to use the bauble to make a "quick trip" back to their world and then be pulled back in. With this option the characters won't really remember much of Songerein while they're gone but will remember everything upon returning to Songerein. The character can be "gone" for up to three days. This method can also be done involuntarily in which case no bauble is used.

In both cases it is possible for characters to obtain new clothes or items they may have acquired during the update. These can be included in the canon update, however it's limited to what they have on their person. Anything else would have be to regained normally.

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LIVING IN SONGEREINSongerein is rather similar to most other "jamjar" settings where characters suddenly arrive into a new setting and need to adjust. There are more detailed sections to help explain major parts of the game, but here are some common questions and answers for a quick overview (click questions for answers):

How does a character enter Songerein?

Songerein is only accessed when the dream energy connects to someone's "dream." This can be when they are asleep, unconscious, or even daydreaming—any moment when someone is not consciously aware. As for the dead...it seems it would be that their souls have drifted into this particular pocket of the multiverse. Once connected, a dream self is created. This dream self is a fragment of the character's original self. Although their body in Songerein is as real as anything else, it only exists because of dream energy so they different qualities than other creatures and entities in the world.

A "welcome package"??

Sort of. Upon arriving into the world, characters will find a few new items on their person:

journal
crystal lantern
regain bauble

All items are explained in their respective sections.

How much will my character learn about the setting upon arriving?

One of the many tapirs that inhabit Songerein will appear and give a brief introduction. How they got here, what they are ("A dream version of yourself! Don't worry, your real body is fine and carrying on like usual—it's like a small part of you is having your own adventure!"), what dreamotion and dreamwalking is. They don't stick around too long for questions, though—too sleepy for that. But it will be enough for anyone to have a basic understanding before asking others for more information. The journal will also include some basic information about what's going on that characters can refer to. Of course, it's possible to easily miss any of this if a player chooses to go that angle.

What will my character arrive with?

In terms of items and clothing, they'll appear with either whatever they were currently wearing or their normal attire. Any items on their person will be carried along, but other personal belongings that they normally carry with them, such as weapons, can be brought as well. This is all up to the player. Anything else will have to be regained later. This also applies to CRAU characters—only their original items will be on their person upon entry. Any items acquired in other games will need to be regained. More information and how regains work can be read on that entry.

What are the living accommodations like?

Independent of their original self, characters can live and explore all that Songerein has to offer, which has grown and continues to grow over time. The only town available is called Reverein and where all characters will appear and live in. The overall atmosphere is rustic fairy tale with steampunk flavor, and the town has a sizable population and development to make it feel as if one was living in the 17th or 18th century. In terms of technology, electricity has been recently introduced and will see future development. Until then, dreamotion energy can help fuel lighting and plumbing. There are no cars, but horse carriages and other rustic modes of transportation have been developed. The steeds pulling them may not look like normal horses, however, with taking on more fantastical appearance. Might even use an ox instead.

There is no currency used in game. Instead barter and trade for goods and services is used, though some folks will give things out for free. Resources aren't too hard to come by, but they appreciate if someone brings in materials or helps clean up after themselves. OOCly we just don't worry about it to keep things easier for everyone.

Is this really a DREAM world? Are dreams important?

Songerein is a dream world in the sense that it a large component of its "world energy" is made from the energy created by dreams. However, it's not a temporal or vague dimension or plane that one would associate with dreams. It's a physical planet in its own universe, so there is a "real" component to it. What makes Songerein a bit complicated is that it's possible for those who are dreaming to reach this world via their own dreams. This dream energy is the bridge that connects Songerein to other worlds. So to the characters and others who enter Songerein in this way, the world really will feel more like a world that only exists in dreams.

Dreams are not necessary for the world to sustain itself, but it does help cycle the dreamotion energy through. They also play important roles in dealing with certain conflicts and issues that occur in realms and worlds outside of Songerein.

What's this about emotions manifesting?

Thanks to the emotion energy component, there is an added bonus of characters' emotions manifesting to produce some kind of tangible effect in the environment around them. For example, happiness can make a particular area shine brighter, create flowers, even turn something the color pink. Anger could cause tremors, cracks on the ground, something bursting. The strength of the emotion will affect the intensity of the effect, so the weaker it is, the milder the effect; the stronger, the more volatile and potentially dangerous.

What about NPCs?

In terms of NPCs, there are a few different "categories." Note, while we have some "major" NPCs that appear, we do not play any of them and except for rare occasions, cannot be directly contacted.

Tapirs. Most notable are the fairy tapirs that will sometimes look like orbs of light. They aren't around all that often, but they appear to help guide the characters when major events. They are based off the dream eater myths and while they appear in person every now and then, they prefer to just stick within the dream plane, happily munching on dreams, especially nightmares. Although they seem very knowledgeable, they are not gods or controllers of this world. They just have a bit more power and knowledge. Still, they support and root for everyone who comes into the world.

Native or Wild NPCs. These are the fae and creatures that live out in the wildlands and beyond. Some were "born" in the world, i.e. creations of dreamotion. Others were also pulled into the world, but not through the dream connection that characters and others are pulled. Some traveled through dimensions, others fell or were pulled in through rifts that opened up in the early creation days. Their forms are their original forms—if they die, that's it. They are "real" as one can be in a dream world. However, except for those who have the natural talent and ability for it, they cannot dreamwalk.

Dreamer NPCs. Sometimes called "locals" or "townspeople." These are the other people that were pulled into Songerein via the dream connection. That's right, the characters aren't the only ones confused about stuff, there are other people coming in along for the ride. Just like the characters, they exist as a "dream self" version with their original back in their world. If they die in this world, they will follow the same Death rules. They will also dreamwalk and join characters in dreamshifts and dreamscape events. The fun part of this is that players can have NPCs based from their canons appear and be available for cameo appearances, and they can then be used for whatever reasons. Refer to the World Building section for more information.

Is there a job/quest/mission board?

There is a job board located in the Plaza called the Dream Board that will have various jobs or needs that characters can take care of. They range from specific, specialized tasks to generic fetch quests. OOCly we only post about 6 or 7, but ICly there would be a lot more. Players are free to come up with their own jobs to either submit, or to use for their purposes via NPCs.

Can my character return home?

Sort of.

The dream selves are tethered via a special dreamotion connection to their original self throughout their stay in Songerein. They will stay within Songerein so long as that connection remains. However, it's not entirely stable and for no reason at all, it can be severed. This will remove the dream self from the world and return to the original body. So the usual "random departure" is the main way a character leaves.

There has been some development where the regain bauble can be used to temporarily allow a dream self to return back to their original self. However they would still maintain the connection through the bauble so that they will be forced back to Songerein after some time (with the usual "time flows differently between world"). This is used for hiatus and canon updates.

There is currently no way to cut the connection to voluntarily leave Songerein permanently.

Will my character remember their time in Songerein?

Not really, no. Whenever they "wake up" they may feel like they had a long, weird dream and they may remember very vague snippets and blurred images, but nothing concrete or specific. For them, it will just feel like a very strange dream that could either stick with them or forget.

This could change in the future.

Can my character stay?

Currently no, but there are currently some attempts to figure out a way.

WORLD OVERVIEWFor complete information about Songerein's world, refer to the World Directory. But here is a brief overview of what the world is like. Songerein's "world map" can be envisioned like a three layered concentric circle:

1) Town: Reverein. At its center is a sizable rustic town called "Reverein." Once run down and covered in heavy overgrowth, it is now a bustling town with several hundred inhabitants. Only the characters and other dreamwalkers inhabit the town though the local fairies and other creatures will pass through intermittently, especially for trade and businesses. For the most part, everyone lives in harmony, but there are still personal conflicts and mischief that occurs like any other place. Of note, most of the houses are some kind of tree house, but normal buildings are available as well.

2) The Wildlands. The wildlands surround the town in a rough, ring-like formation. It contains a random assortment of various environments ranging from nice friendly forests to dark sinister foggy woods to creepy swamps. It has a lake, underground caverns, cliffs, mountains, fields, plains, floating mountains, an ocean—it really does have a lot of environments with an even greater assortment of creatures, both friendly and hostile.

3) The Wastelands. The wastelands is basically a giant desert that is a mix of sand and barren earth. It's mostly black as if it was scorched with pockets of desert sand. Although some of the more nefarious and evil creatures claim it as their home, it's also where most of the nightmare energy gather, creating the nightmarish monsters called noctaere, the details of which can be found under Noctaere.

4) Twin Moons. High in the night sky are a pair of twin moons. One is original to Songerein, and the other is a crystal moon created by the efforts of the dreamwalkers. Perhaps there is a way to get there...

5) Bestiary. A number of creatures have began to populate Songerein since the dreamwalkers arrived. Though some are native to the world, many new ones have started cropping up or have yet to be found. Though not an extensive list, a bestiary is available for one to learn more about them.

EXPANDING THE WORLDAside from having fun with dreams and emotions, the main "goal" for the game is building onto the setting. It's a bit barren as it is and it could do for some sprucing up. Fortunately there are a few ways to do this.

One of the most basic, passive way is just by sharing dreams. The more that are shared and dreamotion energy accumulated, the more the town will magically restore on its own. Of course it could use some physical labor of love to get it started, but it could get a big speed boost in recovery through dream energy. This will only give small improvements, however, so it won't be enough on its own.

Events will be the main source of world development. Should these be successful, pieces of different environments will be added onto main game setting. It could vary from a large building to an entire block or street to a small neighborhood to a new environmental habitat to particular creatures to, well, just about whatever we think would be the most interesting for the game! Most of it will be fairy tale themed.

Players are welcome to submit their own plots or events, whether personal to their characters or something more general for us to use via the Dream Board or an event. More information can be found in the Player Plot/Event Submission entry.

Then there are the population npcs. As mentioned in Living in Songerein section, there are different kinds of NPCs, including ones that arrive with characters. Although they are left as generic, it is possible for these other people to be canon npcs from other character worlds. Of course they are going to be nonamed generic npcs and it's mostly to have variety in design. For example, that generic merchant npc model that shows up in various towns, or those funny looking people or different species that also populate that character's world. The "Soldier A" and "Noblewoman B" types. Basically those filler NPCs are now going to serve their "filler role" here. We'll be ensuring the NPCs fit the game's setting, but as long as the NPCs have no names and would never be possible to app then it should be fine.

All additions can be submitted and will be listed in the World Directory for reference. We also ask for submissions during our Activity Check to feature in our subsequent game notes.

DREAMCRYSTAL NETWORKThe network community for Songerein is

dreamcrystals and it is where both network and passive dream entries are posted. Directions are on the community as to how to properly label posts made there. Only passive dreams are posted in the network community, interactive ones go into the log community,

songerein.

The primary means of communication is through special journals that will be created along with the character when they enter Songerein. They can look however you want and will magically appear and disappear as they are basically a part of the character's dreamotion energy.

No matter how much is written, the journal will never become too full and will always have empty pages.
It comes with its own quill that not only never runs out of ink, but it can erase by swiping with the back of the feather.
Texting is the only function available and while ID is on via default, it is possible to set it to be anonymous. ID names cannot be changed at this time, EXCEPT for known aliases (i.e., if a character is more known by their nickname instead of their real name, then the alias and real name can be the ID).
Pictures can be included via "imprinting" the image onto the page. The character just holds the quill over the page, imagines the image they wish to convey, and it appears like magic (note: this function only works in the journals and not anywhere else).
If a character cannot write or read, the player can come up with various solutions on how they can communicate. Some ideas: the character can gain basic understanding and skill; they can be taught in game; they can use the image imprinting system and use images to convey their message; the journal could "write" for them by magically creating a very rough message of what the character is trying to convey.
Messages are formatted to be sent out to designated recipients and will be "Public" by default. However it's possible to limit the recipients so that only certain people can see it. An "exception" can also be used to filter someone out of the larger group.
A directory of sorts is also included in the journal so everyone will know who is still around or not. However, while it's quick to remove those who have left Songerein, it is slow to add those who enter. It will also only include whatever name the character most frequently uses. So if someone is coming in with a known alias instead of their real name, the alias will be used until the character changes it themselves. (So basically the Taken Roster.)

The second item that will be created with the character is a dream crystal lantern. They are special crystals encased or formed in the shape of small, amulet sized lanterns. They can be worn like an accessory or however the character prefers. Like the journals, they can disappear and reappear at will and will take on any shape and form, but it should best reflect the character. These dream crystal lanterns will be filled with dreamotion energy whenever a character dreams and is essentially their power amplifier. They are also used to view and enter dreams. When a dream is recorded into a dream crystal lantern, it will first glow before it flashes as the dream energy is dispersed out. All other dream crystal lanterns will flash as they pick up the "signal," alerting characters of the dream. They can then view and converse with the dreamer via telepathy with the dream crystal lantern as a conduit, or they can take to the journals. Unfortunately, this function is only available when a dream is recorded.

EVENTSFirst we just want to point out that while we hold some kind of event every month, players are welcome to submit their own plots or events, whether personal to their characters or something more general for us to use via the Dream Board or an event. More information can be found in the Player Plot/Event Submission entry.

Originally the game started with one major type of event, but we have now developed three different types.

Local Events are what we (currently) call the open logs that we post after the application cycle. Since the TDM doubles as an intro of sorts, calling it "Character Intro" like usual seemed like a misnomer. So we instead utilize the post as a chance to introduce or take care of smaller event happening in the game. Usually they will be posted after we process applications, so usually around the 5th. However, because they are flexible we can move them to later in the month if a player would like to throw an event that could work in its place instead. Overall, these event logs are like "mini events" and a lot more casual and laidback—basically just something easy for players to hop into with some minor goals to push forward.

General Events only occur on every even month and are any major events that will take up most of the month for threading. ICly they usually happen within the last few days/week of the month, but OOCly we post the log around mid-month (14~18 depending when the weekend falls) to give players plenty of time to thread while also providing the first half of the month for players to do their own thing before the event drops. These events are usually happening within the town, Reverein. These are like the big festivals or some major incident that is taking place locally.

Dreamshifts are the same as the above "General Events" in scope and what we used to focus on before we've expanded our events. The only difference is these events are set in large dreamscapes, usually with a fairy tale or some kind of story theme to them. ICly, they are a result of a large amount of dream energy coalescing around a particular world and creating a dreamscape based on the world. They are large-scale dream environments that can be as large as a city, sometimes larger depending on how much dream energy is gathered. Because of the giant influx, characters are forcibly pulled in and cannot leave unless 1) certain conditions are met; 2) the dreamscape collapses on its own.

Both major General and Dreamshift event will double as our Test Drive Meme, which means potential new characters will canonly appear at this time. More information on how that works can be found on in the Test Drive Meme section.

After every major event, rewards are given in the form of any combination of new items, new locations, new creatures, and a guaranteed regain bauble. More information on the baubles can be found in the Regain section.

REGAIN BAUBLERegains are pretty easy to get in game. Every major event, an item called a regain bauble is awarded to everyone in game, including those who are participating an event as the TDM. They are little baubles that are connected a character's dream energy. This is the blurb we include in every game notes when they awarded:

Within the first week of the month, everyone will find one special little baubles next to their pillow with a note that reads, "Thanks for the helping! 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) Can also be used at the Observatory or gifted to others!" 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.

Sometimes we'll give two depending on the type of event, such as Christmas, Anniversary, or some special event that seems suitable for it. Since these are given every other month and the event TDM will count, it doesn't take too longer to receive a bauble.

However, these baubles have developed to gain different purposes. Currently they can be used to: 1) regain a personal item; 2) regain a general item from their world; 3) use in the Dream Observatory to get a glimpse of their world; 4) gift the bauble to someone else.

They are also used as a means to temporarily return home as seen via Hiatus and Canon Update. It's quite possible there's still more that could be done with these baubles...

Further information and all submissions are to be made in the Regain Wishing Well entry linked above.

DEATHSBecause it's just a character's dream self, any deaths aren't permanent—unless you count dying and returning to their world as "permanent" and that is an option. However under normal circumstances, if a person dies, they are not kicked out of Songerein. What effectively happens is all their dreamotion energy has been depleted and it needs to be replenished in order for them to have a their physical dream self form again. In the interim, they become a wispy orb of light and can do whatever they want such as playing pranks, haunting people, or just chill. However they also risk becoming a noctaere. The form the "deceased" will take can be up to the player, and will behave in various ways depending how they died:

Murdered in cold blood: they will go on a rampage either to seek revenge and will reek of angry dreamotion energy.
Accident/Illness: wallow in despair and flood everyone with their despair dreamotion energy.
By Combat: for those who decided to have duel to the death or were fighting evil things and died in combat, this will vary. They might think the killing blow was unfair and seek vengeance, or they might be depressed they lost and just wallow in despair. Some might just be at peace with it and instead of becoming a noctaere they will turn into a wisp.

To deal with a noctaere, characters will have to try and subdue them with their dreamotion energy since canon abilities won't really do much. However the most effective use of dreamotion energy will be somehow entering the deceased's "dream," which is more of a nightmare.

The length of death will be 3-5 days. At this point the dreamotion energy will have been restored and the character will return to their original dream self form. They will feel tired and might have a few bad dreams for a little while, but will return to normal over time. For those who turned into a noctaere and were not subdued before the end of the time limit, they will return back to normal but suffer extreme illness, exhaustion, and be plagued with nightmares.

Finally, if too many deaths happen, a certain someone who might be the cousin of a certain emotional death reaper might appear to inflict nightmares on the murder happy people (for the record, there have been no IC character deaths so far).

————— ⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱ —————

DREAMOTION ENERGYDreamotion energy is an energy resource similar to mana and is the combination of dream energy and emotion energy. It's also what the characters' dream selves are basically made of despite having fully functional physical bodies. Abilities similar to magic skills, conjuring, creating weapons, all of this is possible based on the character's emotions and skill in harnessing dreamotion energy over time.

Players can get very creative with these and make up whatever they think would fit the character or what they're trying to do. We just expect everyone to be reasonable with it and treat it like any other kind of "magic."

Every canon ability will be "converted" to dreamotion energy upon entering Songerein. This means that on the surface a character will still retain their abilities, but how it's functioning and used may be different. If a character uses mana to cast spells, for example, they will be utilizing dreamotion energy instead. Fundamentally, it should be the same, but the player can choose whether the character notices a difference or will need to have some practice with dreamotion before they're back to how they used to be.

A character's emotions can be a part of this difficulty as emotions will influence their powers. They may feel weaker or stronger depending on their mood, and similarly it could affect the strength of their powers. In Songerein, emotions can also physically manifest within the environment. This means it is possible for a character to learn to harness their emotions and create or enhance their abilities. For example strong emotions could temporarily increase an ability's strength and potency, or it could alter a skill to take on a different form. Of course, all of this still falls under the term "dreamotion," this is just an explanation of the "emotion" component of it.

DREAM SELVESFor all intents and purposes, Songerein is another game where characters are ported into a different world in such a way that whatever happens on either side does not affect the other. But we have to give technical explanations for the characters so they don't keep wondering, "How am I here—what's going on—am I dead" etc.

Dream selves are basically a piece of the subconscious taken physical form. Because they are still tied to the original via dream energy, saying "clone" gives a false impression as the dream self is still part of the original character rather than an entire new entity based off of it. You could try to consider it like an astral projection that is capable of moving independently even when the original is awake and going about its business back in their home world. Thus only the dream self is aware of Songerein and nothing that happens to either version affects the other. So if the dream self suffers injuries, the real body does not and vice versa.

killed

Although Songerein is a dream world, for all intents and purposes it's as if they're living in a "real" world. Their bodies are physical, there is gravity, they can be injured, bleed, feel fatigue, illness, get hungry, sleep, etc. The only place where none of this applies (at least in the normal sense) is in a dream or dreamscape.

And just a bit of a side note, although the individual character is a "dream self," more officially they are referred to as dreamwalkers as a kind of "title" or "label." It's similar to saying the "dream self" is the individual body or form and "dreamwalker" is like being called a person or human. "Dreamer" is another term often referred to those who appear and live in Reverein.

DREAMSIn Songerein, everyone can dream—yes, including those who never dreamed before for whatever canon reason—and strong dreams are recorded into dream crystal lanterns (can be referred to as "dream crystal" or "dream lantern" or even "crystal" or "lantern" for short). Special crystals are housed in lanterns, they can look something like this or this and can be customized to look however the player wants as long as it matches the character. Through them anyone is able to either:

View dreams like a passive recording. It's basically like watching a recorded memory that anyone is able to watch and comment via the dream crystal lanterns. Passive dreams are also usually not intended to be recorded and viewable to the public, but due to the amount of dream energy, it gets dispersed out and the other dream crystal lanterns pick up on the "signal." They will flash once a dream is recorded.
Enter the dream and interact with the dream environment. Called "interactive dreams," these tend to be more consciously created by the dreamer for others to come in and visit. However, it is possible for a particularly strong dream, such as nightmares, to become open for others to either go in voluntarily or be pulled in without warning. These are especially so if a dreamer is having difficulty waking up from their dream and needs outside assistance. While anyone is able to use their abilities within interactive dreams, the dreamer will always be the most powerful and everyone will have to abide by the rules set up by the player for that dream's setting.

Dreams can be whatever a player wants to write about. It could be related to the character, like a memory, or it could be completely random with no connection whatsoever to the character. The only limitations would be that a character cannot dream about canon content they are not privy to and any mature content needs to properly warned and under cuts.

DREAMWALKINGThe act of entering dreams is called dreamwalking and only those from other worlds are capable of doing so. When dreamwalking, the character converts into dreamotion energy and completely injects themselves into the dream. That means there is no body left behind, it's like a complete teleport. They will only manifest their physical body once they leave the dream, either willingly or ejected.

Once inside they can take on their normal form or have a special "dreamwalking form." This could be of their own design or random (i.e., the player's).
They will have access to whatever of abilities they have, both canon and any dreamotion abilities they have developed. Because they are dreams their abilities may have less restrictions, but still must be reasonable and not game breaking. Canon abilities in particular will have less restrictions. For example, if a character's transformation ability was limited normally, in dreams they will be able to transform more freely. Additional limitations can be applied by the other player. For example, they may prevent any abilities that can use water or flying.
Dreamwalking takes a lot of dreamotion energy, so how long they are able to stay within the dream will depend on how well they've managed to harness their own dreamotion energy. In general most should be able to last "as long as they need," but should they run out of time they will automatically be ejected from the dream and return heavily exhausted.
Any injuries sustained while dreamwalking will not carry over upon waking...under normal circumstances. There can be cases where they carry over or the character may feel some residual pain, but for the most part what happens in the dream stays in the dream.

IMPORTANT! Dreams are not static—they are fluid, malleable creations of the psyche and as such can be influenced by anyone and anything that enters. A good dream can turn into a nightmare, and vice versa. As such, players may want to consider whether they are okay or not in the possibility of their character's dream changing. If you prefer to keep things the way they are, indicate so on your post so those tagging in can keep that in mind when threading. If you need some kind of "force," a character could be forcibly expelled by the dreamer if something they don't like is happening.

Interactive dreams are meant to be posted as logs in

songerein. Passive dreams are posted in

dreamcrystals.

DREAMSCAPESDreamscapes are large-scale dream environments that can be as large as a city, sometimes larger depending on how much dream energy is gathered, or an isolated place. The dreamer who creates the dreamscape could either have full control, or no control at all. The dreamer may not even realize they've created a dreamscape as they are too into the dream itself.

It is only through dreamscapes that a character can enter and dreamwalk. While the dreamer has the most control, they dreamwalkers can still affect and change the environment within whatever reasonable restrictions or limitations are in place. This means a character dreamwalking could destroy monsters or construct buildings, but they couldn't forcibly destroy or change things the player wants.

Basically these are special environment or settings that players can write up and have characters interact with. They could be recreations of a character's home, a specific scene or memory of their life, or something completely made up and off the wall. They can also be private or public, however a player wants it.

Dreamscapes that are event sized are called dreamshifts and are only possible through the mods. You can read more about them in the Events section.

NIGHTMARESNightmares create a certain type of dream energy called nightmare energy or nostilium. This is more volatile and basically toxic, capable of corrupting and twisting things outside of the dream and made worse when combined with strong emotions. In general nightmare energy just makes the outside environment look nightmarish and influences others to have nightmares. But if there is enough concentrated nightmare energy and negative emotions, then a nightmare creature called a noctaere is formed.

Nightmare energy can harnessed like dreamotion energy, it's just more difficult and dangerous to do. If a character is more inclined toward negative emotions and nightmares, then they will have an easier time if they can keep control of themselves. If they can't, then they become susceptible to it instead. If harnessed, nightmare energy can be used "positively." Think of it like fire or an explosive. It can be dangerous if mishandled, but used properly it can useful. It's also possible to restrict the effects so that others aren't affected, but that takes a lot of time and control.

NOCTAERENoctaere can appear in any form, from your typical creepy shadow monster to an actual person. Although they mostly appear within dreams, they are capable of taking physical form outside of dreams. Their sole purpose is to inflict terror and create more nightmare energy for them to then absorb to grow stronger. The good news is despite how realistic a noctaere may seem, they will also be oozing black mist and ooze, a visible, concentrated form of nightmare energy, so they will be obvious in what they are. Touching it will immediately inject some nightmare energy, so be careful. The sort of bad news is only dreamotion abilities can effectively subdue noctaere. So if one encounters a noctaere out in Songerein, although they can be defeated the better tactic would be to somehow lure it into a dream and take care of it in there. However, there is a high risk of the nightmare energy taking over the dreamer, so it must be handled quickly.

It is also possible for a character to become a noctaere since they are made of dreamotion energy. Overwhelmed by their own nightmare energy by having too many nightmares can be a way. Consumed by too many negative emotions is another. A noctaere can also turn someone into one by dumping all their energy into it, basically possessing the victim. And then there's death, the details of which can be found in the Deaths section.

For characters who are naturally negative or "evil" such as demons or monsters, they would have to really fall off the deep end to turn noctaere. Players can have the flexibility of how it works for their character, so some might like a higher chance of a change and some might want a lower or normal chance. A partial change might also be possible, such as only their arms or legs start turning to look like a noctaere's, but there's still enough time for other people to stop it. There's a lot of flexibility here so players are welcome to ask us how this would work for their character.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Is it possible for a CRAU character to come into Songerein after returning home and forgetting the previous game experience and going through more of their canon, and then remembering "oh hey I've done this before" once they arrive? Basically just slapping a canon update between the two games.

Yep, that is totally doable!

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CRAU question re: Noragami canon

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proxy reserves?

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compiled questions re: dreamotion abilities, dreamwalking, passive dreams, & nightmares

Answers ahoy!

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