songerein | 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

Okay! [So, cup her hand over a light and tries to think 'blink'. No no...! Not flash or flicker, 'blink'... You can do it light, take your time.]

I remember seeing fireflies before. They were so pretty!

[So thinking of them would help her so much!]

They're wonderful, aren't they? It's not summer without them blinking and dancing over the fields, the smell of flowers after a rain...

[She opened her hands and revealed a soft yellow light that winked cheerily.]

And the nights when they come out are warm, and you can hear crickets too! It's so peaceful...

[She missed days like that... but she gasped when Madhuri revealed her own light.]

That's perfect!

Oh, I'm glad you approve. Now, let's see... we place it here like this, and-

[She stuck it to the snowy frame of the cottage. It seemed to adhere to the surface.]

Voila.

Ah, it looks so warm! Like, if you stand next to it, it would be like a fireplace!

[But the lights are so small, there'd probably be no actual warmth off it, but the look gives that feeling still!]

Gosh, I could use a fireplace after this cottage is done.

[She rubbed her upper arms.]

...And a cocoa. So why don't we finish this wall here with some blinky lights and see if we can't call out the cottage owner?

Mmm, that does sound good. Even with gloves on, my hands feel cold.

[And while she would like warmth, she wouldn't put that in the lights. Just the soft flicker would have to do.]

Sure. How many lights do we have?

[She took a moment to do a little mental count.]

I think twelve... up to fifteen should provide enough coverage for the rest. Let's see about divvying that up by half, before we freeze our fingers and toes off.

[She nodded and smiled up at Madhuri. That doesn't sound like a lot to Rosalia so they'll be done in no time.]

Okay! We can do it!

Perfect!

[It's the dreamotion, she swears, but once she got going into work in manifesting more lights, something in her brain decided that they needed cheery holiday montage music. What? It's what all the holiday specials do, even if things like that didn't exist in Eorzea...]

[Rosalia giggles and gives Madhuri more smiles to keep the positive energy going. She has no idea where the cheerful music is coming from, but it's welcome! They can do this! They'll make the best warm lights that anyone has seen!]

I can't wait for them to see!

[This one, this one, aaand... finished. Madhuri stepped back and admired the work, hands clasped against her chest.]

Now that... is a Christmas cottage. I'm going to go knock on the door and see what they think.

[Meanwhile, Rosalia clapped her hands once, excited at the final look.]

Hehe, okay! I'll wait right here!

[She nodded, and went to knock thrice. Slowly, the village was growing in warmth and light; to come here at first was a shock, seeing how ransacked the place was. To fix it had become her nearly tunnel-visioned duty.

The door slowly opened, revealing the tear-streaked face of a who. Madhuri gestured a come-hither and stepped back.]

Miss Rosalia and I have finished. You must come see!

[That who stepped out, pulling her coat tightly around her and almost seemed reluctant to step out. Their Christmas was ruined. Ruined! But she finally walked out, turned and lifted her head.]

...Well?

[The who blinked. Clasped a hand to her chest.]

It's not bad. I get that you guys didn't have much to work with. But you've undone that terrible Grinch's work.

So the Grinch is real. You all made him sound like a boogeyman.

He may as well be! He's a monster! We thought he'd changed, but... I guess you can't change some people.

[She looked to Rosalia.]

So this Grinch is our shadowy foe. Thank goodness- I'd feared it was Santa. I don't think I've the heart to fight the big guy.

But we should move on and see what other houses still need help. I think we've only got tonight to set things right.

[Awe, it's upsetting to see the who so reluctant to come out and maybe see a mess, but hooray for Madhuri convincing her to come out. Rosalia swayed a bit with a smile on her face, waiting eagerly for her reaction to their work. Yes, she's a little nervous, but thinking about how happy she could be overrode that.]

[And yay! It's a success! Though, at the mention of the Grinch, Rosalia frowned a bit.]

Hm... do you think it's him, or could he be affected by a noctaere? This... I don't know, it doesn't seem right...

[Also, if he changed, was it right to give up on him if he switched back for some reason? Still, when Madhuri mentioned moving on to another house, Rosalia nodded.]

Noctaere... that's the name of those stronger nightmare creatures, isn't it?

[She hadn't heard the name spoken, but she'd keep that in mind.]

But that's why we're here, to set things right. We make sure the people here are going to be alright and won't dip the meter further, then we get a plan for the core of the problem. We'll get a few more houses done and see about getting everyone together to figure that bit out.

Mhm...

[She nods. Rosalia's gotten better at pronouncing odd names from the Index.]

Right! I like that plan, Madhuri. Hmm... what about that house over there next?

[Pointing, it's a house that has lights and it looks like a few lawn decorations have been smashed.]

Oh! Those poor lawn friends...! Yes, that sounds like it's hurting for a little something.

Off we pop, then!

[Let's do this! FOR SANTA.]

Saving Christmas

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

I think a wrap around here might be good?

Yes!

no subject