songerein | Saving Christmas

Entry tags:

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

[She chuckled quietly. The memory had come rushing along as if she'd experienced it but the night before.]

I always knew that he meant well, just... got into things a little far above his head. I remember my squadmates joking about their Commander needing their swaddling cloths washed, too, but I really wasn't too much older than he was when I enlisted, all told. I felt a little offended. I could kill things several times bigger and heavier than my entire squad- that was my rite of passage into womanhood in the Steppe, for crying out loud!

Needless to say, when they all turned on me the night of the banquet, I was no longer a Brave. Worked at Costa del Sol and the Gold Saucer for a while to hide out. Gods, maybe I ought to apologize to the guy for technically deserting.

[Oof, that wasn't a good story. Here we was, being a big damn hero while she blasted a bunch of jerks with a Holy spell stun and ran for her life.]

Not one of my finest moments, I suppose... but I take it your decision to bind yourself to the tower was no easy one. You more than likely didn't know what it'd do to you... not when it'd granted you a gift: Why your eyes match now, when they didn't when I'd first seen you during those expeditions.

It couldn't have been easy. You seem to have come out of it unscathed, at the very least. Though it may be hard to see at times, these trials only serve to make us stronger as an individual.

[That last bit took him by surprise. Sure he hadn't made it a point to hide what was so special about his eyes, but he had no idea that she knew of that. How much had he simply missed her before that she would know? He felt a little ashamed that he hadn't noticed her sooner.]

'Tis true that I knew naught of what the future held for me. All I knew was the future is where my destiny lied. It seems crazy having said that way. I could have never have guessed that this is where searching for answers would lead me.

[Reaching for the side of his face hear his eye unknowingly]

I was once shunned for it you know... People thought it strange enough, I suppose. All I know is that I have had this Royal Eye passed down to me from my father and I wanted answers. And those answers led me here. Now I have both eyes, I'm able to control the Crystal Tower with it and its secrets, and it's led me to become the Crystal Exarch.

It's funny how life works out. I never would have guessed this to be my path forward. And yet... there are plenty of mistakes that I have made that I would love to take back and rewrite history. Even so, even with my regrets, I couldn't imagine myself walking this path much differently than I already have.

[Gods, she hoped she was stronger for her experiences. But it seemed to make her more cautious than anything else...

Shunned? Strange... she hadn't seen many miqo'te that didn't have heterochromia and figured it was par for the course. Though, now that she thought about it, she hadn't met any of his kind that had red eyes of any sort. Yellow, blue, green... not red.]

If it's any consolation, I find your eyes quite striking. It's hard to look away from them.

[She lay her cheek against a hand.]

You became an Archon, ran a city, and even became a Scion all while technically owning quite a bit of real estate. Haha, your detractors can go suck an egg! The important thing is what you do going forward, at any rate.

I wonder what someone would answer if, let's say five years from now in jolly old Eorzea, I asked what G'raha Tia is up to...? Surely you've got some irons on the fire, or intend to.

[It had certainly been an adjustment, though he hadn't spent much time looking at them himself. Now it just felt normal after so long. He paused to consider her thoughts and an appropriate answer to her question.]

I haven't really thought about it. Aside from doing what needs to be done back home, I figured I would just do whatever my actions take me. [Any direction his adventures led him.] If anything, I would like to see various locations for myself, rather than merely just read about them. There are plenty of people I'd like to meet as well.

But how about you? What do you see yourself doing in five years? [It can't be all about him, after all, right?]

Mm... maybe it's kind of silly, but...

[She shrugged.]

Something like what I have here, maybe? A cottage, a garden, a place I can retire to once I've finished what needs doing for a time. Um, home, I guess...

Yeah, that's a good way of putting it. I wouldn't mind a feeling of 'home' in my future, be it a person or a place. Preferably both, if I'm feeling a little covetous.

Hmmm... [Reflecting on her answer for a moment.] That does sound nice. I hadn't considered what it would be like to settle down. I spent most of my time with some sort of mission or goal in mind. It's not a bad goal to have. After all, eventually things will settle down and we can really consider it.

I guess I just never thought I'd have the chance to have something like that for myself.

Hah! That's true. I suppose I thought rather far ahead, but the years ahead of me still have adventures to be found, battles to be won... recipes to be cooked.

The New World, for instance, demands to be investigated. Thavnair recipes too, I hear, are out of this world...

Of course, it'd be serious Scion business. I'd need other Scions to accompany me.

I assure you that there will more than likely be plenty of adventures to take on. When that time comes, I'm sure there will be a few Scions interested in accompanying you.

[Him being one, but that's probably obvious without even saying it.]

[She laughed.]

Oh, I can feel Y'shtola's judgmental aura, sipping tea as she wonders what use an aetherologist would be when eating spicy food...

The aura, it burns! But Ser Urianger can come in with the block, such pontification to make an excuse for a lunch break. It's the perfect ruse.

Well, it will be something to look forward to. There are still some loose ends to be dealt with back home, but this reprieve is relaxing enough. Unplanned, of course, but there will be more than enough things to do once we are able to wake up from this dream world.

Unplanned though it might be, this reprieve allowed me to get to know you better.

My hope now is that I won't stand out like a sore thumb should Krile succeed in securing passage in Sharlayan. A raen auri would fit better among the studious, but I do have no less than three pairs of prop glasses and a couple of long coats.

Give me a clip board and something to scribble into it with, and I'll become smoke upon the wind.

'Tis true that Xaela are scarcely seen compared to Raen, but you would look lovely nonetheless.

[Then again, she always looked beautiful.]

Oh right.

[Getting up from his seat, he retrieve her present to hand it over to her.]

I hope it's to your liking.

[She brought her hands to her cheeks and fluttered her eyelashes.]

I bet you say that to all the xaela.

[But they lowered when he got up, and the look of surprise flit over her features. She retrieved her box as well, a gift for a gift. She hoped practical was fine- his ears always looked so cold, and perhaps a handmade hat, scarf and gloves would help see him through the rest of this devilishly chilly winter.]

Of course, silly me! You just had to be cute and distracting, didn't you?

[She settled back in her seat and hopped to it, opening the little box to see what was inside. She paused upon first sight of it, this... this wonderful, this gorgeous...!

Whoops. Her hair was flowering again.]

Oh, sweetest Dusk... it's so lovely. G'raha, however did you come across this?

[Practical is perfect. He hadn't gotten around to getting himself some wintertime stuff, aside from a jacket yet, so it worked out well.

But ah! The compliments!! Judging by how her hair was blooming up and her response, he was relieved that she had liked it. Sheepishly rubbing he's arms...]

I... Uh... Well... I did my best to make it with my dreamotion...

[It may as well not be winter right now for just how many flowers were adorning the house now between her and his own. It was basically a springtime paradise in an otherwise chilly time of year.]

Thank you, I've been needing warmer stuff for winter.

Edited 2022-01-18 00:00 (UTC)

...You made it...

[She could see it now, the facets here and there reminiscent of his conjured crystals. She brushed a thumb over the charm, and was completely oblivious of the new flowers in the room. So accustomed to the ones she made, the fragrance was something she didn't usually pay much heed to.

Madhuri removed it from the box and eased her head back, granting space to reach behind her neck and clasp everything into place. She adjusted its position fondly, and if G'raha was concerned about needing to feel a little warmer, he'd worry no longer.

Because she rose from her seat and moved to his side. She pressed a soft, lingering kiss upon his cheek. There was mistletoe somewhere, by golly.]

...I adore it. Dinner was also just fine. Thank you.

[He was certain there were no mistletoe in his house, unless she snuck some in, but he's not complaining. As long as she liked it... As long she was happy, that's all that mattered to him.]

I-I'm pleased to hear that.

[If she had ever wanted to see his ears wiggle, now was the time as he did it unconsciously.]

[Oh no. They wiggle! Her heart. She can't take it...! Was it some sort of reflex, like she needed to do that again and see what happened...? Ah, but let's not get too hasty.]

And I'm glad to help against the bitter cold.

Hey, why don't I help with these dishes? You went through so much trouble preparing everything, it's the least I can do. Then we can enjoy the wine and round out our first real Starlight.

[It would likely happen again eventually; intentionally or not.]

I'd appreciate the help. I hope it was sufficient enough.

[It was the first time in ages that he had actually celebrated Starlight with someone, so he hoped it met her standards.]

My very first, and by far my favorite.

[You're meeting all of her standards!! But she went to gather up the dishes and get started. At this rate, by night's end, the kitchen may be left far more polished and shinier than when she entered...]

[Her first? He would have thought that she'd celebrated it with others before this? The night was special enough, but this made it all the more worth his efforts.

The dishes and cleaning would be done in no time, thanks for her help. They could enjoy what's left of the night with some wine.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject