World Refugees Final Mix

[have a half-awake and sniffly-sounding Emmy]

I rarely ever remember my dreams... Might be because I haven't been sleeping right because of trying to kick this stupid cold. Or maybe Mabry's post triggered this? But I had one last night and figured I should probably put it somewhere before I manage to forget it.

[she pauses]

There was a lot of sand. A desert plain, I think.

And this little tan bird that tried to lead me around the landscape. It had a triangle crest of feathers at the back of its head.

[another shorter pause]

Yeah... I don't know.

[long pause, there's a rustle of sound that makes it sound like she's about to cut the connection, but then she speaks up again]

And so this post isn't all random dream babble, Amy have you figured out yet when you're having Eli's party?

I figure I should try to plan on getting back out into the multiverse to be there. I have the little guy's Christmas and birthday presents.

Well, I'll be around anyway.

Thank whatever Powers exist that I always have my emergency basket on me 24/7 and that I actually restocked my healing supplies recently.

Can I get a ride outta here? I guess I'll join you guys in the epic battle at Radiant as a junior healer/go-fer.

[again NPC'ing of both my characters allowed in the battle log because today is Emmy needs to clean and write day]

I'm not sure which I dislike more: Coliseum Cleaning Crew or tabling for tournaments.

On the one hand, the former is mindless busy work and it usually involves cleaning up nasty stuff. On the other, I meet interesting people but spend a lot of time drained from socializing so much.

The wages are still crap, but I get enough to pay the bill at the place I've been staying and have some left over.

I still need to work on some of my training with my stave... Getting better, but it's kind-of hard to practice when Phil keeps making me do prepwork for tournaments. First Hecate Cup, then the Reconstruction after that Hydra crash, then Hecate Cup's final round and now Nike Cup.

I've barely had time to do anything besides work, eat and sleep. And I'm still exhausted.

I wonder if he'll let me watch the tournament this time... or if I'm going to be stuck running a betting pool again....

We got mail... lots of fan-mail delivered to the Castle.

Mostly fanworks -- art and prose and plushies. And letters from the contributors and organizers...

*chuckles* At least this time a good quarter of the fanfiction is gen and humor? Though the rest of it is still spork-worthy drivel, at least from the summaries....

There's even some Ref sayings tshirts in these!

I had some help moving the boxes from the audience chamber to one of the unused rooms. Door's open and you'll know these packages when you see them.

Anyone here want to come see if there's anything worthwhile in this stuff?

Or have a sporking fest?

....Or both?

[video start: Dreamwriter smiles with a bit of what seems to be forced cheeriness at the camera. She's out in the courtyard as it gets dark.] I've been doing my own form of protection here - a chant reinforcing everything that this place is: a safe haven against darkness. I like my non-traditional 'power' as the many magical folk at Star Market called it last summer. Perhaps I may need to rethink the prospect of training in the school trees here, but for now, I can deal with what I have. And I enjoy it.

I have also been doing my usual work of research, stopping in on mage training for the castle mages, kitchen duties, and preparing guest rooms with the servants. I guess the one thing I've learned in all the time spent here over the years is that there's always work to be done...

[She pauses] My birthday's tomorrow. It's another year come and gone. But, I'm not scared anymore.

[There's another longer pause and the energy in her voice has much more of a sincerity to it than her earlier cheeriness] There's a lot of stars out tonight. Some of them have gone, yes... but, no matter what happens, we write our own stories. We always have. We grow, we change, we learn. But most of all, we love - be it romantic love, friendship love, or family love - and that is the nature of our keys as Refugees no matter how new at this experience you are. As long as that chain of faith is never broken, nothing can break us. No matter how much it tries. Fight for what you care for, but remember that we all come from the same light and we will always return to that same light. We are a part of the children of light.

Darkness can't hide forever, and I don't expect it to. Entropy can and will show its face.

Brightest blessings, good luck and keep your light shining. We'll get through this together no matter how far apart we are.

[video end]

[video start- In the dim glow castby a candlestick, DreamWriter is sitting with Sheridan on her shoulder, placing a large white pillar candle on a plate on the table in front of her. She looks over at the screen.]

It's the darkest part of the year. From darkness comes dawn. And well... the wheel turns.


[she lights the pillar candle, singing softly]

Light is returning
Even though this is the darkest hour.
No one can hold back the dawn.
Let's keep it burning.
Let's keep the light of hope alive.
Make safe our journey through the storm.
The worlds are turning.
Circling their paths around the sun.
The World Spirits are calling their children home.


[she smiles looking at the flame]

Let's remember this season to keep our lights and hopes deep inside alive. The fire flickers, and while knowing darkness is important, we are not alone.

Happy Solstice, my friends.

[video ends]

[[ooc - the song in the vid is a modification of a real solstice chant.]]

Getting things together for the potential trip to Narnia, and setting up my journal to automatically enable voiceposting, since last time i went to a form-switch world I ended up as a tiny critter and for all I know I'll have probably have paws or talons anyway.

I was going to make this in a comment to Song's post down below, but I think... it's more fitting to post it as a post since we all need a little bit of encouragement right now, I'd say.

Come on everyone, a little bit of faith and trust, and maybe some pixie dust if anyone has it. :)

We're a great big family and we're together, even when we're far apart, and that is worth far more than anything the Darkness can throw at us. After all, Darkness usually can't comprehend the things that set light from it -- Love, Loyalty, Innocence, Family, Friendship. Keep clinging to the lights which we value so much and don't forget to smile because those are contagious and that's how things run best around here!

And don't ever forget this:

'Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.' Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I stand by my icon no matter what. Even if this looks like the perfect time to panick it is NOT. That's just forfeiting oneself to evil.

So, lets take this logistically, can we do some very logical information gathering?

What we know...

• Alexandria and Ivalice appear
  
  
• Aya may have had a run in with Kefka
  
  
• The King, Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Kairi and Roxas investigate
  
  
• Weird Weather shifts
  
  
• Appearance of Final Fantasy Critters
  
  
• Earthquakes in RG
  
  
• Magic Epidemic
  
  

... did i miss anything else important?

Canon similarities:

Alexandria is from FFIX
Ivalice is from FFXII (?)
Kefka is from FFVI
Weathershifts REMIND ME of FFV (...but that might just be me)

... Does anyone know if any of the final fantasy games cover the concept of "magical suppresion"?