#pigeon forest

[rosyfele]

Pigeon Forest logo

[megaera-of-pigeon]

Rose Palace Headcanon, I guess

Let’s say the royal family of elves has three children. Chloris, a day elf, his goth brother who is a night elf, and then a daughter. A third child, who unlike most elves is not bound to a specific time of day, but holds power in both day and night. Her unique position means she is expected to act as a messenger, a diplomat, carrying grievances from one group to the other, but never truly feeling at home in either. She’s a child in between, most comfortable during twilight or dawn.

Chloris adores his sister, and she idolizes him. And why should’t she? He’s the golden child, the future king, and her caring big brother. At first, she tries her hardest to do her duty flawlessly, just like Chloris does. But eventually, her responsibilities begin to chafe. She has power over two worlds, and yet all day and all night, she’s expected to be available to hear whatever grievances an elf has, and try to find a solution. Never allowed to explore the boundaries of the forest, to see what wonders day and night hold, to understand her place in them, as the Princess-In-Between… She starts to resent her familial responsibilities, and whenever she thinks she can get away with it, she sneaks away to explore.

At some point, she runs into a group of Kindred. Beings between life and death, existing in twilight, just like her. For the first time in her life, she believes she’s found people that actually, truly understands what it’s like to be her. She befriends them, and they introduce her to their leader, Cardis.

Cardis, who sort of has a thing for luring young, pretty girls from prestigious families away from their destinies and into her fold.

She doesn’t think she will be able to trick the elf princess into taking her contract and becoming a Kindred; her own power is too strong, and as an elf she is already immortal. Instead, Cardis decides to befriend the princess, and show her what a life outside of the elves’ forest could mean.

Soon, she is comfortable enough around the Kindred for her to accept Cardis’ invitation into the Netherworld; the space between realms where the Kindred take shelter. Neither here nor there, it’s not bound by usual laws, much like the Princess herself. The Princess is absolutely enthralled by the endless possibilities of the Netherworld. Passion, lust, greed, indulgence… all are things that elf culture considers frivolous and shameful to devote oneself to, yet the Princess can’t find it in herself to turn down when offered. The magic of the Netherworld is like a drug, addictive and compelling, and ever very chance she gets, she sneaks off to the in-between realm.  When the Kindred leader thinks she has the elf Princess hooked, she offers her the chance to drink from her goblet and bind herself to the Netherworld forever.

But the Elf Princess hesitates; she still loves her family, and despite her complicated relationship with it, the forest is her home. She says she has to think about it, and leaves.

Chloris has, by this point, noticed her strange behavior and unexplained disappearances, and is determined to get to the bottom of it. So when he notices she’s gone again, and isn’t particularly busy at the moment, he decides to wait for her return and then order her to tell him the secret of her absences. When she does get back, she seems troubled by something, but before he can ask her about it, he notices wounds on her neck that mean she’s been with a Kindred. He’s furious; the elves consider the Kindred scum—wretched creatures, not even worthy of being deemed their enemies. He goes off, telling her she’s betrayed their family, their people, his faith in her.

She’s crushed by his words. She tries to explain why she needed them, why she needed friends who understood her and a place where she belonged, but he doesn’t want to listen. Chloris tells her that he will be informing their parents of her delinquent behavior, that she will be punished accordingly, and forbidden from seeing the Kindred again.

And that’s what it takes for the Princess to realize that she no longer wants her life in the forest. Before anyone can stop her, she flees again. By now, she knows her way into the Netherworld by heart, and before any elf can catch up to her, she’s back in Cardis’ embrace, accepting her offer to live in the Netherworld, and drinking from the Kindred’s goblet to sever her connection to the elves’ forest The former Elf Princess constructs a new image for herself, uses her unlimited magic in the Netherworld to create a splendid, underground palace that attracts treasure hunters for her to play with, and has a grand old time with all her Kindred buddies, and just trying not to think too much about what she’s left behind.

Naturally Chloris blames himself, and carries the soul-crushing guilt of having driven away his precious little sister with him forever!

[idothisforfunx]

Whoops I chose a faction

I just wanted to be blessed by the wind its an aesthetic choice ok

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Mercury: Misty Breaths

Designer's Reflection: Misty Breaths

Obtained: top-up for Tides and Flames event

Rarity: SSR

Attribute: Gold/Elegant

Awakened Suit: Dark Contracts

Story - transcripts from Designer's Reflection

Chapter 1 - Beneath the Ice

Chapter 2 - Spirit in the Lake

Chapter 3 - Forgotten Sagas

Chapter 4 - Black Tide Rising

Story - summarized

Mercury and his group finally found the Altar of Arionus, located at the bottom of Lake Bovaly. With the assistance of the Water Elf King's gem, he followed the path into the lake and down a dark passage.

And there, still preserved after all this time, was the stone altar. A misty wraith guarded it, emitting shrieks and screams. But Mercury was not deterred. Instead, he approached the spirit and declared himself a friend of the Water Elves.

The dark mist revealed itself to be Flo, one of the earliest and most devout followers of Arionus. He was there to witness the scorn of the other Elf Gods, as well as how Hephaes led to his great god's demise. Indignant and vindictive, Flo would do anything to restore the great God of Water.

Mercury announced that he had a plan to awaken the long-lost god, but he needed help revitalizing the New Moon gem. Flo readily agreed, and the last of his ghost faded into vapor as he transferred power into the gem.

Now, Mercury could uphold his end of the deal struck with the Water Elf King: he would awaken Arionus, break the oath binding the Water Elves to the deep sea, and assist in the downfall of Pigeon Kingdom and the Light Elves.

But he wouldn't do this for altruism. All he wanted was a glimpse of the power of the Abyss, and he needed Arionus back to do that.

Connections

-Mercury made a deal with the Water Elf King in Startide Dream. Now, he's fulfilling that deal by triggering the events of the Tides and Flames hell event.

-While Mercury craves the power of the Abyss, he still knew the risk of the Goddess of Desire's presence in Miraland and worked alongside the rest of the Shining Nikki cast during the Angel and Demon hell event. He provided resources to the other three factions.

-Flo has met Hephaes, but in Arionus' Reflection for Lost Tides, Flo didn't trust Hephaes one bit, and the moment the other Elf Gods ambushed Arionus, Flo was quick to pin the blame on Hephaes as a betrayal.

-This is not the first time Mercury wasn't the narrator of his own story: the first half of Startide Dream, the full story for Nightmist Aria, Daybreak Overture, Snow Song, and Reminiscence of Flower (to name a few) either feature another character narrating the story or none at all.

Fun Facts

-Even though we've seen Mercury make the deal with the Water Elf King before, this is the first time a mark or emblem has been mentioned.

-This Reflection is a prologue to the hell event, even to the Moon Memories.

-It's never clear if the New Moon gem is the same blue gem the Water Elf King gave to Mercury the day the young boy left the Pigeon palace. But it fits the description.

-While Mercury knows that gods exist, he doesn't worship any and sees them merely as pawns, like the mortals he meets.

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Loen: Woodsy Adventure

Designer's Reflection: Woodsy Adventure

Obtained: Vol. 2 Chapter 6 workshop

Rarity: SR

Attribute: Pink/Sweet

Awakened Suit: Forest Tune

Story - transcripts from Designer's Reflection

Chapter 1 - Emergency Meeting

Chapter 2 - Between the Trees

Chapter 3 - Good Company

Story - summarized

The organization Savior has been monitoring the situation in Pigeon Forest for a while. Cangwu, the mysterious group of figures in black-robes, has been sighted near Lake Bovaly. But they always destroyed any monitoring cameras or devices, so no one knew what they were up to.

Loen leads a team into Pigeon Forest, where Cangwu is expected to be. He goes alone up ahead to check the area - he finds Flower Fairies. They're timid and hide, so Loen presents one of them with a flower crown as a gift. In exchange for his kindness, she gives him the power to understand Flower Fairy language.

They warn him about the "scary men in black robes," and how they use scary, unknown devices. Loen promises to help them, but first he has to get to the devices before anyone can destroy them.

Using quick thinking, he ambushes Cangwu and brings down two members before summoning the rest of the Savior squad. The fight doesn't last long, as Cangwu ditches the devices and flees.

Now Savior can analyze all the data from the dark faction! But when a storm pierces Pigeon Forest, Loen stays behind to help the forest creatures. One of them tells him of some humans and a talking cat that took shelter at a rest stop.

He recognizes them as Nikki, Momo, and the rest. Loen takes off through the forest to come find us.

Connections

-Loen had already gathered data on Mercury's work with Cangwu in his Reflection for Glint in the Night. Mercury's cruise ship was the only one that could survive the increasingly dangerous ocean tides, so Loen was sent to investigate.

-This Reflection explains how Loen got to Nikki and co. as easily and quickly as he did in Chapter 6, Episode 6.

Fun Facts

-I couldn't find a direct meaning for Cangwu, other than it's the name of a county in China.

-Even though Loen can now communicate with Flower Fairies, the effect doesn't seem to spread to the Shroomies, as he still needs Momo to translate their cooing.

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Momo: Raccoon’s Picnic

Designer’s Reflection: Raccoon’s Picnic

Obtained: $14USD pack

Rarity: SSR

Attribute: Pink/Sweet

Awakened Suit: Raccoon’s Sweets

Story - transcripts from Designer’s Reflection

Chapter 1 - Runaway BBQ

Chapter 2 - Woozy Weirdo

Chapter 3 - Gift

Chapter 4 - The Return of Momo

Story - summarized

Momo spots a piece of BBQ running away from the rest stop he’s staying at. He chases it all the way to Pigeon Forest - suddenly it transforms into the Little Raccoon Chief. He says that he and the other raccoons need Momo’s help.

For a while, humans have come and disturbed the raccoons, some taking their food, some taking their fur, some taking their friends. They just want to be left alone, but only Momo can talk to humans. He promises to help them.

He finds the human and explains the situation. The man is a member of a nature group and only wanted to take pictures of the raccoons. But he got carried away and started sneaking up on them, ambushing them, and intruding on their space. After being called out, the man promises to leave the raccoons alone from now on.

The raccoons gather and present the human with a “tail” made of some of their fur. It’s a nice peace offering, and he leaves. The raccoons then pamper Momo and throw him a feast as a token of their hospitality and thanks.

Hours later, Nikki and Yeeso stumble upon the scene. Momo had been missing, and the two of them were worried about him. Nikki is glad to see Momo safe. The raccoons recognize these two humans and offer to guide them and Momo safely back to their rest stop.

Connections

-This pack released alongside a mini-game where you help Nikki, Yeeso, and Momo track down missing food. It turned out the raccoons had taken it for themselves, but they apologized afterward and shared the feast with Momo and the others.

Fun Facts

-When nature photographers work in the field, often times they have to sit or stand completely still for an hour or two just to get a few shots. It’s a painstaking process, which is why you should never just ambush poor little creatures trying to get a photo.

-In Chinese and Japanese mythology, raccoons are magical creatures that can shapeshift.

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Mercury: Snowy Song

Designer’s Reflection: Snowy Song

Obtained: Christmas 2021 event

Rarity: SSR

Attribute: Green/Fresh

Awakened Suit: Frosty Song

Story - transcripts from Designer’s Reflection

Chapter 1 - Legend of Ice Lake

Chapter 2 - Safe Distance

Chapter 3 - Frost-Stone’s Arrival

Chapter 4 - Choice of Life or Death

Story - summarized

Content Warning: death

Bane is a half-elf who is proud of his heritage, but he always grew up uncertain. Did he fit in more with humans or elves? Why were half-elves so hated in Pigeon Capital? Could he really be accepted anywhere? The granny that cared for him at the orphanage assured him he was loved and cared for. She would tell stories of the Snow Elf that blessed everyone at Starsnow. She represented the elves’ love for humans.

As an adult, Bane still had questions. But he now worked for Duke Darrell, a high noble of pure elven blood. He had spotted Bane among a crowd of people, for half-elves have a particular scent. He told Bane he would give him the respect and dignity of an elf - all he had to do was complete a list of tasks for the duke.

Bane embarks on his latest quest: to oversee the mining of a rare ore by Lake Bovaly. He was to make sure the smugglers did their job and that no one else took the ore. Rumor has it that the mysterious ore is the legendary Frost-Stone, a gift left behind by the Snow Elf when she left Pigeon Forest.

Besides the smugglers’ group, there is Bane and a mysterious man named Issa, who also bears the scent of a half-elf. Bane tries talking to him, but Issa remains aloof. The two half-elves work together in the mine. Soon, the conversation switches to the topic of the missing half-elf prince from Pigeon Capital. Bane wonders if the boy was okay, and he muses if half-elves count as elves or humans.

Issa finally speaks up, saying that he doesn’t think half-elves are either, and that they may not find acceptance from either group. Before Bane can respond, the two of them notice a shift in the air: snowflakes fading in and out of existence, a chill that leaves them warm. They finally find the Frost-Stone!

Bane feels that Issa is going to run off with the stone that night, so when he leaves the tent, Bane follows close behind. Issa had started a fire by the smuggling leader’s tent. While everyone is distracted, Bane makes it to the Frost-Stone’s box first. It’s still there.

Issa arrives. Bane tries to stab him - he realizes it’s actually Mercury. He tries to tell Bane that Duke Darrell never liked or accepted him and was just using him for labor, never once willing to make Bane the equal of an elf. Bane is hurt to hear this, and he even thought it was true, but he still wants to hang onto the hope of being accepted finally.

Mercury says that no one can make him fit into elf or human civilization, that only Bane could make that decision for himself. He tries one more time to give Bane a chance to join him and change how half-elves are seen in Pigeon Kingdom.

Bane runs away with the stone - only to get shot by a mysterious person. The person berates Mercury for being too slow. As Bane lies dying in the snow, he could’ve sworn that Mercury was furious with the voice and sad about his death. How could someone as cold and distant as Mercury ever care for someone like Bane?

The last thing he hears is the soft voice of the Snow Elf, welcoming him back to the forest.

Connections

-Duke Darrell is the elf noble who died in Vol. 1, Chapter 10. Mercury barged into the funeral ceremony showing little respect for the late duke.

-While the Snow Elf is associated with the Ninir holiday Starsnow, it’s actually a part of Pigeon legends. Ninir sees elves as benevolent ones that can bless humans. This is why Mercury doesn’t believe in the Snow Elf, since he knows how vile the elves can be toward other elves, let alone humans.

-Lake Bovaly is a major location in Love Nikki. It’s a sacred place to the elves, and the Wood Elf Prince Chloris watches over it as one of his duties.

Fun Facts

-Two more kinds of elf are introduced in the game: Wood Elf and Snow Elf. The original elf types in the game are Light and Water.

-Mercury’s fake name Issa most likely comes from the Futhark rune “isa,” which represents winter, cold, and waiting.

-So far, Mercury and Bane are the only half-elves mentioned in the game, although there could be more.

-The Snow Elf is left ambiguous as to whether she exists or not. However, her final appearance in the Reflection makes her seem more like a god or spirit that watches over all.

[shiningdesignersreflections]

Chapter 2: Safe Distance

Narrated by Bane.

Smuggler A: Come on, guys! The client offered a very good reward.

Smuggler A: We dig it out, and we can relax for a bit, spending the money on whatever we want.

Smuggler B: It’s been a whole week. Does the Frost-Stone really exist? I’m so tired!

Smuggling Ring Leader: Everyone, take a break for half an hour.

Narrator: On the edge of the Pigeon Forest near Lake Bovaly, a group of smugglers were mining some ore.

Narrator: I was one of them at the time.

Smuggling Ring Leader: This time the client is an elf! They say he’s a Light Elf nobleman from the Pigeon Capital!

Smuggling Ring Member: What’s so fancy about elves? Except the wings on their back?

Smuggling Ring Member: No one worships those elf nobles who know nothing but pleasure-seeking!

Smuggling Ring Leader: At least they have loads of money, like our current client.

Narrator: The client they mentioned was my master, Duke Darrell.

Narrator: A month ago, the Duke received a secret report that someone found traces of a new ore near Lake Bovaly.

Narrator: It could be the legendary Frost-Stone.

Narrator: Legends say the Frost-Stone granted the Snow Elf the power to leave the Pigeon Forest.

Narrator: I had no idea what power the Frost-Stone has, but it seemed very important to Duke Darrell.

Narrator: He hired smugglers to dig out the Frost-Stone in secret, while ordering me to infiltrate into the group...

Narrator: ...as precaution to watch over their actions and make sure the real Frost-Stone was brought back in one piece.

Smuggling Ring Leader: You! What’s your name? Right, Bane! And Issa! Make sure the fire is still burning!

Narrator: Most of the smugglers were old friends, except for two newcomers: Issa and me.

Narrator: Issa was very handsome, with light blond hair and dark gray eyes.

Narrator: But he was always wearing a hat, expressionless, and didn’t talk a lot. I could tell from his accent he’s from Apple Federation.

Narrator: Issa wasn’t a part of these smugglers according to my investigation.

Narrator: Even now, I had yet to find out his true identity or purpose.

Narrator: Was he here just to earn a share of the payment? I didn’t think so.

Narrator: Besides, he was always wearing a scarf. I felt there was much more to it.

Smuggling Ring Member: While the elves look elegant and noble, they’re... as selfish as men are.

Narrator: Not far away, the smugglers were still speaking ill of the elves.

Narrator: Unexpectedly, Issa spoke to me first.

Issa: Bane, what do you think of the elves?

Bane: Elves? They are a noble and elegant race that contributed to the glory of the Pigeon Capital.

Issa: Do you believe in the legend about the Snow Elf then? That the Snow Elf represents the elves’ love for humans...

Narrator: I was silent, thinking about how to answer.

Issa: Those fools are correct about one thing: elves and humans are equally ignorant and selfish.

Narrator: Issa turned his gaze on me.

Narrator: On that day, I noticed Issa’s scent. It was the faint scent of an elf.

Narrator: And I believed he might have noticed my scent, too.

Narrator: I was a half-elf whose lineage wasn’t that of the noble Light Elves’. An ordinary Wood Elf and a human were my parents.

Narrator: I had no wings. My ears were no different than the ones of a human.The only thing noticeable was a faint smell of elven blood.

Narrator: But I was an orphan who never saw my parents. I learned my story from the old woman at the orphanage.

Narrator: She showed me a picture of my mother, a beautiful and gentle lady, as if she were emitting a holy light.

Narrator: Granny told me that half-elves are taboo and cannot be recognized.

Narrator: There was once a half-elf prince born to a Light Elf King and a human woman. Even with such prominent status, he was expelled from the capital.

Narrator: Ever since that prince’s disappearance, the Pigeon Capital became increasingly hostile to half-elves.

Narrator: Still, I was proud of my half-elven heritage during my time in the orphanage.

Narrator: I listened to the story of Ludwig the Light Elf building the Pigeon Capital and many elven tales...

Narrator: All the while imagining my mother’s face.

Narrator: But I couldn’t tell anyone or be recognized by anyone. Even I didn’t know whether I was an elf or a human.

Narrator: Until that day when Duke Darrell found me.

Narrator: He said he recognized me as a half-elf among the kids at a glance, that I was different from them.

Narrator: He told me he could make my existence recognized by all elves, as long as I follow his orders and complete his tasks.

Narrator: Even though I looked nothing like an elf.

Narrator: Despite the man in front of me was hiding his scent, I felt he could be the same as I.

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

Chapter 4