songerein | Saving Christmas

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Saving Christmas

✵ SAVING CHRISTMAS ✵

As the sun sets and the moon rises on Christmas Eve, a strange sound of jingling bells is heard high in the sky as the snow suddenly begins to fall heavily upon the town. A heavy weight of sleep slowly overcomes everyone, and just as their eyes close they'll hear a loud, raging bellow—

That damn bastard!! I won't let you ruin—!

Before the words are finished, everyone will suddenly jolt awake and find themselves scattered in a strange looking town called Whoville. Although it looks as if it's supposed to be festive, none of that holiday cheer is evident. The town is completely ransacked with torn up decorations, broken gift boxes and toys. Even its colors seem faded, music distorted and muted.

All through the town the Whos stare listlessly at their hard work now ruined, some crying openly while others remain indoors in their grief. A brave few young souls try to help clean and bolster some cheer, chanting, "It's not too late, we can fix this! We can't let that Grinch get us down!" But many just shake their heads, their eyes dim. No one seems to have noticed the sudden arrival of new faces.

In the meanwhile, the tapirs appear to inform the Dreamwalkers that they are inside another large dreamscape similar to the one during Halloween. This time, however, an entity called "The Grinch" had suddenly appeared and attacked it, stealing all the presents and leaving everything to ruin as they see now. The tapirs point to a meter floating high in the sky, and although it's not rock bottom, it keeps wavering and lowering as time passes. The Dreamwalkers must help raise the meter to save the dreamscape from turning into a nightmare.

"But the big guy is really angry now," the tapirs chatter among themselves. "If they help fix things, maybe they'll gain a powerful ally!"

Dressed in Christmas themed attire, it will be up to the Dreamwalkers to try and restore the Christmas spirit before the day is ruined forever.

I. HELPING WHOVILLE

The town is an interesting looking place with its unique architecture, bright colors swirling and curving about that it make it look like it could be made of cake or candy instead. It's supposed to be adorned with all manner of Christmas decorations and lights, and yet all of it is missing and instead everything looks so drab and dreary, the colors faded and nary a carol sung. Its tree has also been stripped bare, the presents pilfered, and the much too big Christmas Star gone.

A. Gift Retrieval. The Grinch has scattered all of the presents and decorations throughout the surrounding forests and they need to be returned before Christmas is over. Dog sleds big enough to load up found presents are provided to be used, and the dogs will help track down presents. However, those who enter the forests should be cautious. While there aren't any huge threats, there are present mimics, monsters that pretend to be present boxes only to attack any who approach. They will also eat real presents, so be careful they don't reach the sled!

» BONUS: PRESENT DELIVERY. The last objective is to deliver the present to their rightful owners. However, it's possible the Grinch may have tampered the presents, and this will only be revealed upon opening. Players must RNG 0-5 to determine if the recipient likes the present or not.

» BONUS: SPECIAL PRESENTS. There are some special marked boxes that are guarded by present mimics. Get past them to retrieve the present. However, upon touching the box, it will disappear in a poof of orange and be replaced with a pumpkin pie that will help amplify one's dreamotion abilities if eaten.

B. Fixing Decorations. With broken ornaments and torn wreaths and ribbon everywhere, a massive cleanup is in order along with repairing and redecorating. While anyone good at crafts can help, positive emotions and dreamotion abilities will be key to help brighten everything from its current dreary atmosphere. Creative minds can help produce the necessary decorations while the athletic can figure out ways to bolster their skills to reach those high, hard to reach places. Another RNG for rating is here as the residents will judge their work.

» BONUS: JUDGMENT. Anyone can throw up decorations, but will it be to the residents' liking? Players must RNG 0-5 to determine what kind of rating their efforts receive.

» BONUS: CHRISTMAS STAR. The original Christmas star was smashed to bits so a new one is in order. Although anything can be used, the Whos do have some preferences on what can be used on the star, even if those materials may be hard to find. Rainbow crystals found in the forest will surely help give the start that glittery feeling; they prefer to have it gold; and it needs to illuminate on its own so some kind of light source is needed.

C. Christmas Carols. Carolers are doing their best, but everyone is stumbling over their verses and instruments are out of tune. A bit of positive reinforcement and Christmas cheer will help sort things out. Those who are musically inclined can lead the way by singing and even creating new songs to help inspire others.

» BONUS: A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS CAROL. In the designated thread, a new carol will be composed by the dreamwalkers. Each one will supply their own verse in response to the previous (click here for example). The thread is only for the verses, but there will be another thread where players can go ham for their characters to comment on the song as it goes on. Anyone can participate multiple times but must wait for another comment to be made first.

II. SANTA'S TOY FACTORY

Just beyond Whoville with just the Winter Forest to separate them is one of Santa's toy factories. It, too, has been attacked and smoke rises from the damaged buildings. With machines malfunctioning, toys are running rampant and everything is chaotic. If not fixed soon, there will not be enough toys for Santa to deliver.

A. Elf Rescue. The Grinch not only stole the presents and destroyed the toys, but they also sabotaged the machines running the factor. Now elves are trapped inside and are in desperate need of rescuing as toys malfunction and start to turn on them. The machines are even trying to box up the elves as gifts instead! Behaving similar to the present mimics, boxes, wrapping paper, and ribbon bounce around in search of anything to wrap up. Dreamwalkers must venture in to try to turn off the machines and rescue the elves without getting turned into a present themselves. The more elves rescued, the more allies gained to fix the factory and more favor earned from Santa.

B. Reindeer Games. The reindeer have been scattered all over and the only way to bring them back is to attract them with fun and games. In order to do so, dreamwalkers will transform into reindeer and will have additional abilities granted to them, such as flying and manipulating snow. As for what kind of games, they can choose from any of the following:

Ring Racing. High up in the air is a flying course with rings made of magical frost. Racers must pass through each ring to count, but they must fly quickly. As soon as they approach, the ring will start to contract, and if too late it will close and the racer will be disqualified.
Sleigh Pulling. This is a contest of strength! Sleighs will be piled high with presents and, if not enough presents are available, large rocks to weigh it down. Each reindeer must then try and pull their sleigh down a simple straight lane to the finish line. Just beware, rogue toys will appear on the track and will need to be dealt with somehow. There are no restrictions—each reindeer can use whatever ability or skill they can think of to help pull the overloaded sleigh. The contest can be 1v1 or 2v2.
Robot Reindeer. All the excitement does attract many of the reindeer back, but unexpected guests arrive as well—and they're not friendly. Sent by the Grinch, robotic reindeer will suddenly descend from the skies to ruin the festivities. It will be up to the dreamwalkers in their reindeer form to fight back against them—or try to convert them to help out instead.

C. Gingerbread Army. Giant gingerbread men occasionally appear and try to smash through the toy factory, hampering rescue efforts. Fortunately, they are only made of gingerbread and easy to fall apart. Unfortunately, they will not only regrow lost parts but grow from severed parts. Their weak point is the glowing gumdrop located among the many gumdrops on the body, and destroying it will destroy the gingerbread completely.

[Mod Note: Details can be read and questions can be asked on the Event Details post. Submit all special threads and ratings to the Event Thread Submissions form.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ouch. Well, let's get you moving to a tree. I know there's a pretty good one nearby you could rub your antlers against.

[Sigh.]

No need... ...I've already done all I could.

[Yes. He's already done the tree thing sob.]

Let's just go out and do what we came here for.

[And now just...awkwardly walking, picking his legs up probably higher than he needs to as he walks towards the activities.]

If you say so.

[They could probably see about other methods, but there goes Eustace walking again, talking about what they need to do... all while looking awkward as help raising his legs so high. Zidane chuckles and begins more trotting along at a slight hop.]

Oh yeah, what are we doing? I kinda missed the part about reindeer so... oh, are we going to pull sleighs ourselves? Maybe fly in this form? Sora mentioned reindeer can fly.

Flying seems easier than this.

[Mutter grumble just a side eye at Mr. Sprightly Teen over there. ...Though he should probably try, huh.]

Think it was over there in the clearing.

[Another few awkward steps before...he tries a faster pace. Ah, the trot does seem more comfortable...]

Gotta learn to walk before you fly... but yeah, it'd probably be easier.

[Mr. Sprightly Teen continues keeping his trot. Seems easier this way.]

Alright, lead the way!

[If he doesn't trip, but Zidane's ready to help. Falling over right now doesn't sound like fun.]

Being a dog was easier than this...

[Just a small mutter under his breath as he trots forward.

He won't trip!!!!

Probably.

But the more he moves, the more he manages to adjust as he stops thinking about it and instead lets the body do its thing. And soon they reach the clearing where a couple reindeer that were lured in are flying about. So now is the real question...]

Tsk, looks like we'll have to figure out flying ourselves.

[There isn't anyone around to teach them, at least none that he can see.]

That's true. At least the legs weren't as long.

[And hooves, this is silly... though, one might be able to really hurt someone with a hard enough kick.]

[Walking with Eustace, ears wiggling about, it looks like they're starting to pick up the pace.]

[And once they're able to see the other reindeer flying about, Zidane tilts his head. Geez, make it look easy, huh?]

... Maybe it's like dreamotion. Can't be that hard then!

Dreamotion... Perhaps. Then the first step would be trying to hover off the ground.

[......If this is going to be similar to how he had to transform from a dog back to his normal form in the Halloween dreamshift, he hopes it won't be as difficult.

But how to go about this? Imagine himself flying? ...Think light thoughts...?]

That's true... Hrm, I don't even have jumping down yet. If you want to start practicing hovering without me, go for it.

[He's not teasing Eustace or anything, he's being serious. If he's gonna be a reindeer, he wants to get full motion on the ground down before anything in the air happens.]

...Hm... I wonder if this could be similar to when I was a vampire...

[He had a wings, but...maybe the same feeling???

He'll just kind of. Stand there, his head lowered slightly as he stares at his hooves, as if glaring at them might get them to move. But no, he's actually studying them a little and he does a few experimental hops in place, trying to imagine himself hovering in the air.]

[While Eustace attempts going to vampire route, Zidane goes on to try getting normal movement down. Again, back to walking, then trotting... and then running. Oh gods wait, they hadn't tried running...! Yeah, this build tells him normal reindeer just aren't meant to fly.]

[And here is Eustace just hopping up and down—and feeling a little ridiculous.

Okay what if he exerted some kind of...downward force or life in his hooves..???

ARGH clearly he's overthinking it, and just as that happens—]

—!?

[In a rather frustrated desperate attempt to leap forward, he finds himself not hitting ground but suddenly flailing about in mid-air.]

[Safe to say with Zidane's running around, he's good if there's a race, but maybe the races would be with flying. Shaking out his head to get rid of some snow after an earlier tumble, he looks back over at Eustace.]

Whoa! Hey, you got it! ... Er, mostly. How'd you do it?

[He watches Eustace continue to flail about, turning his head when it looks like he's tilting sideways.]

I don't—

[Hold on, he needs to try and right himself before he completely flips upside down. Deep breaths... Deep breaths...

When he finally relaxes, he's at least rightside up, his legs slightly bent beneath him as he's not really sure what to do with them.]

I was only thinking of how I would even need to get into the air and jumped up.

[Zidane continues watching Eustace, his head turning as Eustace turns still... almost falling into the snow as a result of him turning almost upside down. But it's all good, they're back to right side up! He shifts on his hooves, tail flicking.]

[Ears up, they lower. Gosh, be descriptive there, eh Eustace?]

It must've been like how you tried transforming before.

...Unfortunately. When I was a vampire, the start is fairly similar in that I didn't have as much control, however towards the end I only had to envision myself doing so and concentrate a bit of power into it.

[As a test, he slowly moves his legs towards the ground and he manages to descend to land. He then leaps back upward. This time he doesn't think about flying and it's a simple leap forward. Again he leaps up, this time concentrating more in reaching in the air, and up he goes!]

The concentration seems to be the key, at least for me.

Huh... guess that makes sense. And since you don't have wings this time, it probably feels different.

[Even without the wings, it was a different body shape. Now that Eustace was in the air though, did the difference in weight cause issue? It's one thing to fly as a human-like form or dog, he's sure.]

Cool! I'll have to give it a shot.

[He seems to have the hang of it....... Hovering at least. Moving forward seems like a completely different challenge.]

Go ahead. ...I'll see what else I can figure out.

[If he tries to just. Stick out his legs and walk does that do any—nope, he just looks like he's walking in place and is now starting to teeter forward and once again flailing a bit before he rightens himself.

Well. At least he already threw out his dignity.]

[Oh yeah, he's noticed that Eustace hasn't really moved aside from spinning and righting himself. That's... that's a thing.]

Haha, got it.

[And he'll give Eustace some space, trotting a short distance away to try concentrating on flying. It's not like he has an example of flying aside from airships. However, he has an idea of it - the weightlessness from things like falling or jumping from certain heights.]

[He's not facing Eustace, but from the way he raises his head, something... did come to him. That... the portal...]

[Okay he is inching forward. HE HAS INCHED FORWARD. He has to once again not be so tense and loosen up and make more of a leaping motion with his hooves. But for now he'll turn his head and check on Zidane.]

Have you managed...?

[What the heck is that appearing by him??]

... Huh?

[Shaking his head, whatever was appearing next to him is gone in a second, fading from sight.]

Oh, nope. Just thinking about something. Trying to remember that feeling.

[Eustace stares at him for a moment. Maybe it was just something in reaction to Zidane...? If it's not harmful he won't question it, but it's clear he's a little skeptical.]

...I see. I think I've somewhat managed movement.

Oh yeah? Let's see!

[Because Zidane would like to get away from anything weird potentially happening. He's back to looking at Eustace, waiting for him to move.]

It's a similar concept... I just need to think about moving forward and move as if I'm on the ground. "Leaping" movements seem to work best.

[He demonstrates, though he doesn't realize he looks more like a reindeer prancing in the air with how he's jumping about.]

Huh... makes sense. It's not like we have wings to help us move.

[And the leaping motion probably would be enough to give the thought of moving forward.]

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