songerein | { halloween }

Entry tags:

{ halloween }

HALLOWEEN

Another Halloween has arrived in Reverein, and the Nightmare Troupe returns from their mysterious origins to help transform the carnival grounds to fit the season. They've added a new feature attraction: The Labyrinth, where everyone just runs around to fight spooky baddies for candy, prizes, and flex one's combat abilities in dreamotion. It's all in good fun, of course!

More details on everything can be found here. As a reminder, events double as our TDMs and information can be found here. Any outside characters participating in the log are canonly logged as appearing in Songerein in October and will remain in Songerein from the IC date of October 25th, just before the event ICly begins. TDM only characters can only thread within this log. Anyone who apps in and is accepted will have their character count October as their first time in the game without any disruption, so all content will carry over. Those who do not apply will disappear which should not seem too unusual, however players in game can choose to retcon and pretend a character was never there to begin with if it would be easier; or even think their presence was just a dream.

IMPORTANT! All outside characters MUST have "TDM" in their subject line, even if you might not app. This will help people differentiate those who are already in the game and those who are not.

TDM threads are required for samples. Refer to the Game Info for general information and feel free to toss any questions here. Reserves will open October 25th and Applications will open on November 1st. Our application cycles are bi-monthly so the next cycle after won't be until January.

TDM Toplevel Link Directory (click to view)

Bokurano - Jun Ushiro
Cookie Run Kingdom - Black Raisin Cookie
Dead by Daylight - Zarina Kassir
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Edgin Darvis
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Xenk Yendar
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - Genesis Rhapsodos
Final Fantasy XIV - Emet-Selch
Final Fantasy XIV - Hermes
Final Fantasy XV - Somnus Lucis Caelum
Full Metal Alchemist - Alphonse Elric
Genshin Impact - Ei
Genshin Impact - Nahida
Great Ace Attorney, The - Iris Wilson
Hey Arnold! - Helga G. Pataki
Hi-Fi Rush - Chai
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Zelda
Noragami - Yato
Original - Astralin Turnont
Touhou - Maribel Hearn

We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during AC and TDM threads will count. For more information, refer to the Game Notes.

I. CARNIVAL

II. LABYRINTH

COMMENTS

I. CARNIVAL

While the carnival grounds still have the standard fare of attractions themed up for Halloween, there are a few new ones popping up thanks to the Nightmare Troupe. Some are similar to what appeared last year, but with a different look to them. Some, perhaps, more terrifying than before.

A. Personalized Costumes. All throughout Reverein boutiques and tailors are in full swing to create costumes for those who wish to wear, either by renting or buying. However, for those who are a bit adverse, the fairy godmothers are out and about ready to employ their fashion magic to grant anyone and everyone a special Halloween costume, just for them! There might be the slight side effect that the wearer may behave like the costume itself, but it's just a temporary phase.

B. Vampring Frights. The vamprings are still out and about, nibbling on nightmares. But now they are also appearing outside of dreams, deciding that a bit of fear could make as good of a snack or meal as any other. Only the ones that are truly hungry will appear, so a little purple blob will bounce and latch onto any part of their target's body they can reach (though they particularly like the top of the head). Those who are bitten in this manner won't try to bite others, fortunately. Instead, they will become something like a "Vampring minion" and try to invoke fear and scare others. (For more information and use the original version of the Vampring, read here.)

C. Monster Swaps. Small monsters will roam the carnival grounds and will swap bodies with random people to go around pulling pranks and tricks in the person's body. The person is now trapped in the monster's body, but has access to the monster's trickster, spooky abilities as well (ie, players can make this up). To return to normal, they must find their original body and bite it. Otherwise, they will have to wait for the monster to get bored and return to switch them back.

D. Carnival Fare. Here are a few of the general games and attractions available for carnival goers to enjoy.

🔫 Zombie Shooter. Ride through a rickety car through a building and shoot the "zombies" that pop up with bright green paintball guns. While most are cardboard, there are a few volunteers that dress for the occasion. Don't mind their pain as they get hit, they're fine.
👻 Spooky Stories. Instead of a fire, there is a boiling cauldron set up where people can gather around and try to conjure up their spookiest story. The steam over the cauldron will change and twist to try and illustrate the story as it goes, and should it proof particularly scary, a manifestation of the terror will crawl out of it to terrorize everyone for a little bit before disappearing.
🍏 Poisoned Apples. Special caramel covered green apples are handed out throughout the carnival. One bite will inflict one or more of the following effects: floating, dizzy, sugar rush, creepy, frightful. (Players are free to be creative and come up with additional effects!)
🧹 Broom Carousel. The horses have been replaced with different styles of witch brooms, letting everyone have a safe experience of flying on a broom. Until the brooms suddenly fly out of the carousel and into the carnival. Hang on or stop that broom!
🎃 Pumpkin Carving Challenge. Pumpkins can be found all over the grounds, and there is a challenge to carve them with dreamotion and light a special candle in them. Doing so will bring the pumpkin to life and behave like whatever expression or drawing carved on them. Whether they behave nicely is a different matter. Blowing out the candle will stop the pumpkin.

E. House of Mirrors. The House of Mirrors will have new mirrors installed that have new special effects…many making everyone inside feel not quite themselves.

🎭 Jekyll and Hyde. A black framed mirror where the opposite version of the viewer appears to taunt them.
💅 Narcissism. A gold framed mirror where one will see the best version of themselves and will stand stuck in front of it admiring themselves. They will need to be forcibly dragged away…else they may get stuck on the mirror.
🛌 Dream or Nightmare? A silver framed mirror that will reflect either a good dream or a nightmare that's on the viewer's mind. It will be a strong image, so strong that the viewer may be tempted to dreamwalk into the mirror, either to be a part of it or to destroy it. Some help may be required to help them either accomplish their goal or pull them out.
🪞 Mirror Version. Sometimes, a "mirror version" of the viewer may reach out to switch places, trapping the original inside the mirror while the mirror version goes out to cause some chaos. The trapped person can only traverse through mirrors, and can only be freed if the mirrored version is shoved back into any mirror. One way to tell a mirror version apart is that they will randomly reflect things off their body.

F. Haunted Ryokan. A haunted Japanese styled inn is the theme for this year's "haunted house." On the outside, it looks invitingly eerie, with life-sized traditional Japanese dolls as their hosts and guides. They hope their new patrons will enjoy their stay…forever.

🏮 Peony Lantern. At first a beautiful woman will appear holding a lantern and take a person's hand to lead them through the narrow halls lit by floating lanterns. But whenever they pass under a lantern, the woman's form changes into a skeleton. Once they are noticed, they will screech and chase them through the hallways and rooms to the next location, but if left alone it will quietly lead them without issue.
🛁 Bathhouse. Somehow they get to the bathing area where the steam rises thick around them. Without warning a ghostly figure of a long-haired drowned woman will crawl out and chase with a bloody knife. Fish spirits will also fly out to impede them, but they could be used to smack the woman instead. Should someone slip in the water, they'll feel hands grab at them, trying to pull them under…
🪦 Graveyard. Past the courtyard is a graveyard where all manner of Japanese inspired ghosts and demons roam. A special paper talisman is available, and once powered with positive dreamotion it will create a shikigami that will help ward off and defend against the ghosts. But it must have constant dreamotion poured into it, so should it ever go out, the ghosts and demons will suddenly rush into chase.
🐕 Shiba Statues. Should anyone be having a truly terrible time, special little shiba inu statues will trot in to dispel the "evils" and give the visitor some much needed comfort and respite. They will even guide them to the exit if needed. Those who manage to pass through on their own will also meet the shiba inu statues and have a chance to play with them as if in congratulations.

II. LABYRINTH

A big structure now occupies the area just beyond the Fairgrounds. Towering stone walls hide complex pathways inside, and it turns out its express purpose is not to get people lost, but for a little bit of exploration. There is no entrance/exit, just a special circular teleportation pad that will take them inside and there is no end goal. It's not difficult to get out once inside, but the winding paths encourage visitors to check behind corners for treats because there's a lot of treats AND tricks!

A. Halloween Creatures. The labyrinth is populated with silly creatures held together by ~~craft glue and duct tape~~ both dreamotion and nightmare. These creatures will attack on sight, but subdue them and reap the rewards: candy and silly toys! It's all for fun, after all.

🦴 Skeletons. Their bones are made of rubber and most physical attacks will bounce off them. Have to get in close to blast with dreamotion!
🕷 Glow-In-The-Dark Plastic Spiders. Will shoot sticky licorice webbing that will trip up and trap any caught in it. Have to eat through it to get out, and the flavor could either be red or black.
🔺 Candy Corn Golems. Chuck giant pieces of candy corn that are delicious, but hurt! Golems will melt under intense heat.

B. Mysterious Doors. Sometimes, you may find a door at one of the dead ends. Knock, and most of the time a kindly old lady (where did she come from? Don't worry about it–) will present you with special trick-or-treat bags. The other times, a swarm of genuinely sinister nightmare creatures will come pouring out. Oops! Try again next time! Here are some of the items the old lady will give and their effects (they can be taken home after the event):

🧙 Witch's Hat. The hat will automatically fly on top of the person's head and will allow them to cast silly hexes of misfortune on their targets.
🧹 Witch's Broom. Can fly at fast speeds for a few minutes at a time. Only goes up to three feet in the air.
🤓 Plastic Fangs. These fangs will fit themselves in the person's mouth and will allow them to bite any candy corn golem or sticky spider licorice webbing with ease. And normal foods, too.
🕸 Spray Can of Licorice Webbing. Releases a spray of licorice webbing similar to the ones used by the plastic spiders.
🧻 Roll of Toilet Paper. Exactly as it says.
🍫 Nougat Center. A delicious treat that will temporarily boost one's ~~stats~~ dreamotion abilities.

C. Beware of Steve. If you're very unlucky, you may hear an ominous clatter in the distance... The low rumble of a revving chainsaw... Those who spend lots of time in the labyrinth will know soon enough–those are noises that mean you need to run. Because STEVE, THE 20-FOOT-TALL CHAINSAW-WIELDING SKELETON, takes no hostages, and he's out for blood!!! He will continue chasing people until fought, and anything goes with this foe. While dreamotion attacks will work, using the items given by the old lady in the doors will inflict greater damage. Anyone who is "killed" by Steve will be knocked out of the Labyrinth unharmed.

D. Grand High Viscount of Candy Corn. On the other end of giant "horrors" is a giant golem made of candy corn with a large top hat that may appear out of one of the doors. Its main attack, besides trying to punch and pummel, is spewing sticky candy goop that will trap anyone caught in it. It'll wear off, but until then, any caught in it will at first feel very energetic and attack more quickly before becoming sluggish and unable to do much, as if they suffered an extreme sugar crash.

I. CARNIVAL

II. LABYRINTH

COMMENTS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

.......

[Cake...hounds...

...

He's curious.

He's so curious.

But he'll restrain that curiosity and continue to be professional and try to...well he's not sure if this cookie will ever trust him, but whether she believes him or not, she'll at least have some information to remember and think on.]

Then I should probably start and make it clear that you won't find anyone else made of cookie or other baked good here.

[...There's no way he can try and explain what flesh and bone is, so let's just go with that first.]

...But I won't deny given your size and...making, you may be in danger from other animals.

[ Oh, that's a one-two punch! She's so startled, she even backs up a bit, blinking rapidly. ]

Wh... what? Not a single other Cookie? That's... impossible!

[ She had accepted her size was absolutely not normal here, since... well, just look at everything here! It's so wildly huge! But then, so is he! But the idea that she is the only one of her kind here... how can it be? And... there are OTHER animals besides this not-cake-hound??? ]

Am I really... no longer on Earthbread? This isn't some... elaborate nightmare or trick from Dark Enchantress Cookie?

[There's really no way to sugarcoat this.]

While this is called a "dream world," it's not a nightmare or a simple dream. You are in a completely different world.

But... that's... I did nothing to leave my world! I never would have! There's too much to do! I'm on a mission from Pure Vanilla Cookie... we must find Golden Cheese Cookie... and my village!

[ She seems pretty upset about this. Even her crows are trying to comfort her, gently cawing and patting her with their wings. ]

[...Oh dear. Sensing the little cookie's distress, Melody whimpers and wiggles. Must...comfort...!

Normally Eustace would allow it, but in this case he's going to err on the side of caution and not let go of his pup. Instead, he will slowly crouch down so he's not towering over her anymore.]

...I'm sorry. [A small pause before he continues in a quieter, gentler voice.]

This... May sound confusing, but listen carefully.

Like I said this is something of a "dream world." The version of yourself here is called a "dream self" and is just a fragment of your real self. You are still awake and existing in your original world.

[ It would be a comfort to hear... if it was true. But what proof does he have? This could still be one long trick. ]

... Am I merely supposed to take your word for this? True, this... entire place is beyond anything I could ever imagine, and none of it makes any sense. But I can't trust a complete stranger with a monster for a companion just because he says things I want to hear.

[ Sorry, the dog-slander isn't going to stop for a while. That pile of floof is a menace to society. ]

[MONSTER!!!!! Melody is now very sad, complete with droopy ears and big, watery, sad eyes that look like that actual tears could fall any second.]

No, you can't.

[He's not going to disagree. It's honestly a good thing that she's wary, so he won't hold it against her.]

Whether you believe me or not is up to you. But you'll hear the same from everyone else.

Everyone else. Who aren't Cookies. And they are...

[ She pauses, looking Eustace up and down again. She doesn't have a name for... whatever you things are. ]

... What are you, exactly? You don't appear to be made out of any sugar, icing, or even dough. There's not a single thing about you that could be crispy or crunchy.

[All right he's going to kill his knees if he stays crouched like this, especially with Melody becoming a sad lump in his arms. So he takes a moment to shift to a sitting position, crossing his legs over the other to settle the pup between his legs as he looks at BRC.]

I'm an Erune. However, most of the people you'll see will be human.

[He twitches his ears.]

We look similar, but they won't have my ears.

We're also... [...This is kind of weird to explain.] Made of flesh.

[...Would she even know what that is...]

[ Judging by the slow blinking, no, "flesh" is a completely foreign word to her. ]

... And you're all so... huge? Is that why every building is so massive, to accommodate you creatures?

[...Please don't make him try to explain that—]

Correct. There are those who are shorter in stature, including small children... But they would be half my height, even less. About as tall as I'm sitting now.

[ !!!! ]

This place snatches away children?! That's terrible! Who cares for them, who watches over them?

Sometimes their parents or other family members appear with them, but there are those who look after them or even adopt them as their own if they were originally orphans to begin with.

[...Great question is there an orphanage or some central place for kids that get pulled into dream world? PROBABLY. THERE IS ONE NOW.]

Still... this is hardly something a child should go through. It's clear that whatever this place is, it has no standards when it comes to whoever and whatever it abducts.

[ She finally seems to put her knife away... or at least puts her arm under her cloak so it's no longer visible. ]

If I'm truly to be stranded here, there's much I'll have to learn in order to survive.

[A small nod.]

That part is true enough. But due to the nature of this world, most find living here as either a chance to live out their dreams—[Because, well, dream world.]—or a second chance at what they couldn't have. [For various reasons.]

It can be disconcerting, and I don't know how much comfort it is, but you can at least be assured that back in your world, you are still there.

Otherwise... If you have any further questions, I can answer.

... Hmph. I need neither of those. I have no regrets, and my happiness is with my village.

... My only question for now is if there are other monsters like that in these parts.

[ Yes, dogs are still monsters, and always will be, live with it. ]

[MONSTER!!?? Melody whines so sadly again, and Eustace gently strokes her little ears.]

I told you, she's not a monster but a dog. Still a pup.

But there are other animals, including other dogs like her.

[And now he has to ask—]

Are your crows also made of cookie or...?

[ Still a pup? So that thing can grow even bigger??? Yikes, she grimaces, turning away. ]

So this entire world is dangerous, no matter where I go... It's really starting to seem more like one big nightmare.

... These are my Raisin Crows. They are not made out of Cookie, but out of the purest, sweetest raisins. Normally, I'd have the entire flock with me... but I suppose I should be grateful I got this bunch.

[ "Caw, caw!" They reply, happy to be with her. One sits atop her ahead, the others hover around, ready to take her away, protect her, anything she commands at the ready. ]

Raisins...

[...All right then, he'll just accept it. But Melody is whiiining. She's even lowering herself flat on the ground, butt wiggling. Pleeeeaasse Miss Cookie, she won't bite!!!]

I admit I do worry about your safety... Not to mention where you will live. That said, there are ways to defend yourself regardless of your size. If you are familiar with magic, you'll be able to use your abilities here, just through the use of dreamotion.

There are Cookies blessed with the ability of magic back in my world... but I am not one of them. But that doesn't mean I'm defenseless either.

[ She moves her arm just a bit to show off the knife again, but hides it again just as quickly. ]

Besides... I'm used to harsh conditions and working to the crumbs for my survival. I've made due before.

[...

Yeah, he admires your spirit but that knife is like a pin prick. Course if she aims for someone's eyes she'd get somewhere.]

If you need assistance, I can help show you the basics. Likewise if you need to find a place to stay until you get your bearings.

[ Living with him... She contemplates it for a moment, but then remembers the dog.

The dog that would also be living with him. ]

I'll find my own lodgings. But... if I am to stay here, any other aide would be appreciated.

[A small nod.]

Understood. Then I can at least help you find a place. There is a residential area filled with treehouses that most people live in. However... If you need something different, I can try and help.

... Most people. And most people here are your size.

[ Pointing out not-too-subtly that they may in fact be too big for her. ]

[...Well he did say if she needed something different!!]

What did you normally live in?

[Gingerbread house...? Was that something that they did or would that be too weird... Would they be living in someone's body... Were they made of house...]

{ halloween }

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