{ gingerbread town | test drive #09 - december 2022 }

[dreamposts]

GINGERBREAD TOWN

On Tuesday the 27th, with no warning whatsoever, everyone will awaken and find the entire town transformed into gingerbread and candy, from peppermint candy cane trees, to gumdrop bushes, to chocolate brick roads. They will also find themselves changed into one of the following forms: gingerbread figures, nutcrackers, or wooden figurines. It's a complete transformation—no costumes or partials this time! Although they can move and use most of their abilities, it's a bit hampered when it's also discovered that everything has shrunk down a bit in size. Not only that, but there is an indestructible magiglass dome over the town to prevent anyone from breaking in—or out. So if there is anyone who happened to be out of town at the time, they will not be changed and will be stuck outside. The Tree of Stories, the Observatory, and the Carnival park are excluded from the change and remain normal.

Fortunately a pair of gingerbread twins named "Hansel" and "Gretel" as well as the tapirs are there to help explain what happened. The town has been cursed by the witch who inhabited that suspicious house from the Dream Board, and everyone needs to band together to do two things to break out of curse: 1) gather enough dreamotion music notes to charge up the golden chocolate bell hanging at the Plaza and 2) break into the gingerbread house and destroy the witch.

————— ⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱ —————
More details on everything can be found here, but an important reminder that this event log doubles as our Test Drive Meme and information can be found in this section.

This means any outside characters participating in the log are canonly logged as appearing in Songerein in December and will remain in Songerein from the IC date of December 27 through 31. TDM only characters can only thread within this log. Anyone who apps in and is accepted will have their character count December 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 as people randomly disappear already, 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 Sunday, December 25th and Applications will open on January 1st. Our application cycles are bi-monthly so the next cycle after won't be until March.

TDM Toplevel Link Directory (click to view; updated 12/30)

Adventure Time - Finn the Human
Adventure Time - Jake the Dog
Ai: The Somnium Files - Mizuki Okiura
Bleach - Riruka Dokugamine
Bunjou Stray Dogs - Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Chainsaw Man - Denji
Don't Starve Together - Wendy Carter
Fallout 3 - The Lone Wanderer
Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Noel Kreiss
Final Fantasy XIV - Y'shtola Rhul
Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Bernadetta von Varley
Forgotten Realms - Jarlaxle Baenre
Friends at the Table: COUNTER/Weight - Cassander Timaeus Berenice
Genshin Impact - Amber
Genshin Impact - Scaramouche
Granblue Fantasy - Lyria
Heroes of Olympus - Leo Valdez
Kingdom Hearts - Demyx
Kingdom Hearts - Riku
Persona 5 Strikers - Zenkichi Hasegawa
Pokemon Scarlet/Violet - Penny
Rage of Bahamut - Amira
Shadow Game Series - Enne Salta
South Park - Kenny McCormick
Spark the Electric Jester 1 & 3 - Spark
Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion - Agent 8
Tales of Zestiria - Sorey
Undertale - Flowey

THREAD SUBMISSIONS WILL BE IMPORTANT TO DETERMINE HOW THIS EVENT ENDS FOR JANUARY! We will request them during AC and TDM threads will count. For more information, refer to the Game Notes.

I. IN TOWN

There is a lot to process with everything changed and the appearance of Hansel and Gretel, but by now most people are used to needing to roll up their sleeves and get through the tasks needed to succeed. The giant bell at the Plaza helps serve as a reminder of what they need to do and many will be anxiously watching as the musical notes slowly gather into it. To gather enough notes for the bell, everyone will need to work together and utilize their current forms. Note: all prompts can be done by anyone, however some forms have an advantage over others. Musical notes will automatically appear and go to the bell when the objective is achieved. The gumdrops are also trapped in town and will still pull their "mistletoe" mischief.

A. Woodstock. Those turned into a wooden figure will find they have the least amount of changes appearance wise…but their legs and feet are stuck together, forcing them to hop and slide around. Fortunately they can control their movements and after some adjusting they will find it's not too strenuous to be hopping around everywhere. It can be tough to get up if they fall over, though.

1. Caroling. What better way to gain notes than making some? With movement a bit limited, singing and playing simple instruments may be the easiest way to help. The catch is the music must be filled with hopeful, cheerful dreamotion strong enough to form those notes, and the instruments can also be a problem. First they have to be found, and then some instruments may try to play music on their own—and it's not always the right genre.
   
   
2. Snowmen Mayhem. Snowmen can be found all over town, most of them built before the town changed. Now they are coming to life, wearing big, giant frowns as they slowly shamble around and chuck snowballs at everyone they see. Melting them or using physical force only makes them reform back into snowmen. The only way to stop them is to participate in the snowball fight until that frown turns into a smile to release a note! People could even just have a snowball fight around them and it would please the snowmen. Perhaps they just wanted to have fun, too…?

B. Gingerbread Run. Those made of gingerbread will find they are quite fast and even have the urge to run for whatever reason. However, although sturdy enough, they are still fragile and can break easily. Fortunately they can quickly repair themselves with an extra bit of dough and icing, but water is the greatest weakness. A few drops or even a brief dousing won't hurt them too badly (maybe make their icing a little runny), but they can't swim and submerged in water too long will make them very mushy.

1. Obstacle Course Marathon. Some streets are sectioned off to have a simple marathon for those who just can't help but feel restless and want to run, and notes can be released throughout the course. More like a cross country track, there are numerous "checkpoints" participants must pass through while shouting the famous line, "Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man!" Each checkpoint mimics the story of "The Gingerbread Man."
   
   
   1. Avoid the "old ladies" swinging candy canes (non gingerbreads can take this role to help)
      
   2. Outrun the plush pups and kittens (or just stay and play with them, also valid)
      
   3. Climb up and over the makeshift marshmallow chocolate wall (don't let it melt!)
      
   4. Use the "foxboat" (swan boats altered to look like foxes) to peddle across the river (don't sink!)
      
   5. Dash through the finish line
   
   Since it's designed as a group marathon, participants are encouraged to help each other. More notes gained, the better!
   
   
2. The Chase is On! Those who were not turned into gingerbread figures will feel a strange urge to chase those who are. They may be fully aware, or they may desire just a nibble of that delectable baked good. While punching the chasers in the face to try and knock some sense into them will be an option, those who are gingerbread will similarly have the urge to run, run, run! Passing over any type of water, including puddles, will end it. This chase can be long or short, and at the end of it whether the gingerbread is caught or escapes, a musical note will play and fly to the bell, freeing the two from the weird curse…until it happens again.

C. Nutcrackin' Around. Nutcrackers have a sturdier build compared to the general wooden population, with powerful jaws and already armed with a weapon—even if it might feel more like a toy. Their movements might feel a bit stiff, but they have their strength to make up for it.

1. Get Crackin'. Built to crack nuts, it's no surprise that Nutcrackers are assigned to crack through as many nuts and hard candies to try and find some notes hidden within. They have to go to the farm fields to find the right trees to harvest from, and anyone can assist in this. If they listen carefully, they might be able to hear the note ringing inside as a hint. But they also need to be careful—some nuts are actually cursed and once cracked open will cause the individual to brandish their weapons (or whatever they have on hand) to attack those nearby. Unfortunately there's no tell, so it's truly luck of the draw. Shove a jawbreaker in their mouth and they'll be back to normal. With a slightly damaged jaw, maybe.
   
   
2. Mouse Infestation. Large, toy wind-up mice are causing havoc around town. Although they are just oversized toys and don't attack, they're crashing into buildings and chasing people. Anyone can try to catch and slow them down, but a Nutcracker is the only one capable of inflicting enough damage to break the gears inside and stop it for good. Doing so will release a note.

D. Candy Monsters. While the town is mostly safe, nightmare energy is seeping in from everyone's initial fears and chaos and absorbed into all the candy and delicious goods that make up the town. It makes them come to life to turn into aggressive and sometimes cute monsters made out of candy. Fortunately, they are not too difficult to fend off even with everyone changed into different forms, and dreamotion abilities are in full effect. Other creative ways to defeat them like dumping boiling water or freezing them can also be used.

II. TRAIN CARS

All aboard the Dreamer Express! The toy train has a simple track that circles around the town with the main station right at the Plaza. Anyone can hop on to either enjoy the ride or help get those notes.

A. Past, Present, Future. There are three particular cars that Hansel and Gretel will encourage most to go through because the notes in these cars will be the strongest. When going through either of the "Past," "Present," or "Future" cars, everyone will have a "Scrooge" experience and walk through either a happy or difficult memory or made up simulation of that set time period. The primary theme for each one is something that the individual can learn or reflect on. The experience can be done solo or with a partner. If with a partner, only one simulation will be active, but the other person's could begin after the first ends. Sometimes the memories will be passive like watching a movie and will only stimulate emotional reactions. However, the stronger the memory, the more realistic it will become, to the point that one will live through it all and must face and interact with whatever is there to get through. Once they reach the exit, the note will be granted.

B Unboxing. Most of the train cars are either passenger cars or boxcars filled with presents. A lot of presents. Guess where a lot of notes are hidden. While opening presents seems like a simple task, it can be tricky when some gifts are actually mimics that will pull unsuspecting individuals inside of them instead. Fortunately they are not too difficult to beat up and free the trapped prisoner.

C. Hot! Hot! Ooh, We Got It! There is a special car that's only purpose is to serve hot chocolate…as a musical number. Witness or perhaps even participate as servers dance around with extremely hot chocolate and somehow not spill a drop—or maybe someone gets scalded by an unfortunate spill. But when it's all done, anyone can enjoy some different flavors that can last for quite a while (ie as long as you want it) :

1. Regular chocolate: Makes the drinker nostalgic, particularly for something in their childhood.
   
2. Peppermint: Gives the drinker a spark of inspiration to work on something creative.
   
3. Caramel: Gives the drinker extra energy, making them unable to stay still without doing something.
   
4. Raspberry: Makes the drinker want to get back to nature by finding an outdoor activity to do.
   
5. Spicy (chili powder and cinnamon): Makes the drinker feel more amorous than usual.

III. WITCH'S HOUSE

Getting the notes is just one half of the equation. To completely beat the curse, the witch behind this needs to be defeated. But it won't be easy with everyone transformed and the witch quite powerful. The gingerbread house has a lot of traps inside, from sticky paper to snapping mouse traps to licorice that try to tie them down.

A. Breaking into the Gingerbread House. The witch's gingerbread house will be the biggest piece compared to everything else. The original defense mechanisms are in place and people can get sucked inside like before, however there is no easy way out. A little stealth can help gain an advantage especially as the battle begins by those who enter first.

B. Escape Routes. While some may try to let themselves get caught to get inside faster, having an escape route would be prudent. Since they are smaller in size, it'll be easier to sneak around the house and try to carve a piece out of it to make a hole, or maybe something from the windows or chimney. Multiple routes would be ideal, just be careful not to get caught!

C. Fighting the "Witch." For those expecting some creepy old woman, they will be in for a surprise. The "witch" is actually the oven itself, moving and operating as if it were alive. Rather, perhaps the oven is what the original witch of Hansel and Gretel has become as an eerie cackling can be heard when the doors open and fire flickers out. Regardless, despite its form the "witch" will be a difficult foe to defeat due to its sheer size and everyone still in smaller forms. Restrain it, try to douse the flames, but another effective way to stop it is to just fill its mouth with anything that can go inside, from candy and baked goods, to pots and pans. The more it consumes, the slower it moves. Time to over stuff the oven.

Comments

Anastasia Romanova | Anastasia (1997)

[grandduchess_anya]

Gingerbread Obstacle Course
(Things have gotten very weird for Anya pretty quickly. Just earlier this morning, she has woken up to see in horror that she is now turned into a gingerbread cookie. How is this even possible? And she has barely enough time to sink in whatever information Hansel and Gretel have to relay to her and everyone else.

While she tries to flee from some hungry folks wanting to bite her hand off, she notices that there is an obstacle course on the town that she could get to use. That was weird for the town to have such a thing all the sudden, but whatever. Anya might as well burn off any anxious feelings she has at the moment because this day has gotten very bizarre for her liking.)

The Past is Haunting Me Now
(As soon as Anya steps into the Past train car, things got pretty bad very quickly as the simulation takes shape of the one memory she doesn’t want to remember for this very month: the angry mobs storming the gates, her family being taken down one by one, the loud cries of horror, and Dmitri risking his own life just to get her and her Grandmama away from the Reds.

There is chaos within the halls of Catherine Palace as Anya witnesses the horrific night her family was crushed and her and her grandmama fleeing from the chaos in the hallways towards her room. One can hear Dowager Empress Marie crying out for her granddaughter as she went the other way for her music box.)

Anastasia! Come back, come back!

Fight the Witch
Alright, where do you think that witch is at? She can’t be that far away inside.

(After having to navigate the numerous hallways and sneaking around obstacles, Anya has managed into the where the witch should have been and runs into whoever is wanting to fight off the witch. When she looks around, she is surprised to learn that the witch is now a giant oven that wants to burn anything and anyone in its path. Oh what a day it is going to be.)

Wait, what? A giant oven?!? How is that considered as a formidable foe?

Wildcard
(Throw in any prompts down below. Anya is also likely to doing the hot chocolate, caroling, and breaking into the gingerbread house.

The Past is Haunting Me Now

[lonelysmiles]

[If Alastor's ears weren't made of wood, they would be pricking up right now.]

Anastasia? Why does that name sound familiar?

[It's not a common name where he came from...either place he came from. Yet it sounds like he's heard it before. A very long time ago.]

[grandduchess_anya]

(After all the time she must have spent has feeling helpless rewatching the memory played out, a familiar voice, not her grandmama this time, brings her back to reality and she turns to find Alastor musing on about where he must have heard her name from.)

Oh hey, hi. I’m very sorry, I just saw the whole memory of the day most of my family, um, didn’t make out it alive. One of the most terrible days I have ever gone through.

[lonelysmiles]

[Alastor waves his hand dismissively.]

There's no need to apologize, dear. Though even the Dickens tale this was inspired by never went quite this --

[Alastor stops, his ambient static hum increasing for a moment as things start to click into place.]

Miss Anya, what is your full name?

[grandduchess_anya]

My full name?

(It takes a while for Anya to let the question sink in. She doesn’t normally give people in this world her actual name at all, except for the time Akechi privately sent her a message in the journal, but since Alastor did want to know what it is, it looks like she has to confess it.

Taking a deep breath as the simulated crowds of family members ring out, she does the thing she didn’t expect to do on a daily basis.)

My full name is Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova.

[lonelysmiles]

Romanova. As in the last tsar's family?

[And the last pieces click into place.]

...So you did survive. There were rumors and conspiracy theories saying you might have gotten away somehow.

[grandduchess_anya]

Yes, that is correct. Papa was the last tsar to rule over Russia before the curse happened. My family in fact used to rule over it for around 3 centuries.

In a way, I did survived the whole nightmare we’re seeing now but it is not without me losing my memories after losing grip on my Grandmama’s hand while trying to get onto a train.

[lonelysmiles]

That's terribly unfortunate. My condolences, Miss Anya.

[Even though he now knows her name, it's clear she prefers this other one. He has no reason to rub it in her face.]

I presume that the memories did come back in the end. Even more unfortunate.

[grandduchess_anya]

(She gloomily nods in agreement. She really hates that she was not able to recall any pre-head meets hard cold ground memories for a decade and that she had to wait for those ten years for all these memories to return to her and to have the loss of most of her folks to sink into her head.)

The memories did come back slowly over time when I decided to make the trip to find my Grandmama. It is just very sad that I wasn’t able to remember everything before I hit my head hard for over ten years. It is not the greatest thing to experience from barely surviving a night of terror on one’s family.

[lonelysmiles]

I wouldn't imagine so. [Alastor folds his hands behind his back, his microphone cane held loosely in his grip.] Though perhaps it's for the best you didn't remember until much later on. What better way to hide your identity than to not know it yourself? If nothing else, it allowed you to reunite with your grandmother in the end.

You both lost your family that night, but your survival gave her some of it back.

[grandduchess_anya]

(She nods in agreement as they soon enter another part of the memory: the bedroom. A small bed (which looks more like a camp cot than an actual bed) was tucked into a corner and there are plenty of toys on the floorthat haven’t been touched in more than a decade, Anya had placed the music box inside the doll house at the time of the attacks.

They could see the younger Anya scrambling into the room to retrieve it from the dollhouse before Marie came in, calling out to her with bullet sounds cutting through from the hallway.)

Yeah, it was probably for the best to lay low like that, considering that the people who are currently running my country aren’t among the nicest people around. Heard from a lot of folks that they’re that strict.

I couldn’t help but to cry once we got to see each other and I played the music from the music box she gave to me again. She almost gave up hope in finding any more surviving family members before we reunited with each other.

[lonelysmiles]

Oh no one would blame either of you for tears of joy given the situation.

[He watches the awful scene play out.]

Take it from someone who's already dead: Time is a precious resource that the living spend their whole lives trying to pretend is limitless until suddenly it runs out. You and your grandmother lost ten years. You can't replace those years, but I believe that you will treasure what time remains all the more. Not just the time with your grandmother but the time with any family you might start. You have your whole life ahead of you, and you can make the most of every second.

[grandduchess_anya]

(Anya quietly nods as Dmitri came in through a hidden servant passageway and quickly escorts the younger Anya and Marie to it to escape the siege. But she drops the music box as she and Grandmama escape through the door.)

My music box. Go, go, go!

So I do have plenty of time to do anything I could ever think or dream of until my time will come to an end. I didn’t know how short life can be cut until that night. But thank you very much for the advice. I will keep that in mind whenever I think about that night and the lost years.

Fight the Witch

[helluvaboss]

You're tellin' me, there's no blood or guts in any of this, everyone's cookies or wood or metal.

[Blitzø himself was one of the people made of gingerbread, though he was twirling a gun a bit thoughtfully. When exactly he showed up wasn't clear, he just was suddenly there, speaking with Anastasia as if he had been invited to the conversation at all.]

With the size shrink this is a little more like a pea shooter than I'd like it to be too, so figuring out how to fuck this thing up is gonna have to come from another angle.

[grandduchess_anya]

No kidding. The curse really does a good number on our appearances today. And yes, that oven is pretty huge in comparison to all of us right now.

(It took Anya to think another idea to beat the oven but she is able to see plenty of candies and pans and pots scattered on the ground. The clever Grand Duchess now has a plan to take this oven down.)

Hey! See these pots and pans and candies strewn about? Maybe we can try to stuff that oven as much as we can so it will make it slower than it would like to be and defeat it immediately.

[helluvaboss]

Good ol' feeder kink huh? Hey if anything, we'll make it too sick to move around. Or maybe it'll be like shoving a potato in a tail pipe and the thing'll explode!

[Fine by him! He'll start grabbing stuff, some of it he kept in his own grip and some of it he tossed to Anya for the plan.]

Think fast!

[grandduchess_anya]

Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m thinking of: Shoving as much things as we can to make that thing so sick that it could barely move an inch.

(Anya manages to catch the stuff that Blitzø is throwing to her to shove at that giant sentient chunk of metal. She then wastes no time throwing them at the oven’s mouth as fast as she could and, what do you know?, the oven catches some pots onto its mouth much to its annoyance.)

Hey, you living giant oven. Eat this instead.

(Soon she is gathering all sorts of candies and pots and pans into one neat pile for her and Blitzø to use for their oven stuffing needs while she tosses mint candies at the thing next.)

[helluvaboss]

That's right, stuff it RIGHT where the sun don't shine!

[Not that Blitzø sees any other pipes he can plug up yet, but that's fine - for now he picks up the duty of collecting stuff, tossing it to Anya for her to chuck in. He even gets into juggling some of it - he wasn't some insanely good juggler, but he definitely did know how to do it, and it was a little fun twist on being the baton passer rather than the one stuffing the oven full.]

See any pipes along the side sticking out human-lady?

[grandduchess_anya]

I may have seen some of those sticking out pipes a while ago so we can add that to the list of locations to throw stuff at too.

(Luckily, Anya is able to find one of them in clear view before proceeding to throw a candy cane at said pipe to see if that can work too. And that candy cane is able to slip into the pipe without any problems much to Anya’s sheer amusement.)

Wow! That is a quick hit to the pipe. We can throw more candy canes on the remaining pipes so the oven is going to have a hard time chasing everyone down while we stuff more things up on the oven mouth.

[helluvaboss]

Here, switchy-switchy - I'm gonna try something that may or may not be stupid.

[Ceasing his juggling, Blitz piled the things he'd picked up into Anya's arms, picking out a nice big hunk of some kind of junk. He runs up to one of the fire-spewing pipes on the side of the monster oven, and sticks his hand in - only briefly before hopping closer and shoving the hunk of junk into the pipe, which started sputtering the tiniest gasp of flames from around it. Running back, Blitzø started digging around for another suitable something to stuff in the pipe.]

Yep! Still immune to fire. Toss me anything good for stuffin' and throw the rest in the big ugly mouth!

[grandduchess_anya]

(Well, what do you know: despite how dangerously close Blitzø got to the pipes, he was able to stuff another pipe of the oven. What a miracle indeed. Anya is very impressed by this courageous move.)

Terrific! I am loving this new change of plans already. Here!

(Anya tosses plenty of pots and pans and a couple of candies for him to toss at the pipes. She now has full focus on the mouth as she prepares to throw a set of chocolate eggs at the mouth.)

If you run of them, let know me right ahead. There is plenty of things for us to shove at the pipes as well.

[helluvaboss]

[Fine by him!! Blitzø dashes around excitedly, laughing practically maniacally as he stuffed more pipes, delighting in the groan of straining metal. Any little crack, fissure, pipe, grate... he was stuffing it full since he could get right up close and personal with the fire without getting burned.

Eventually he runs back over to Anya, shoving a few gum sticks at her.]

Quick! Help me chew all this shit up so it's sticky, I'm gonna fuck up the grate all the way on the back.

[grandduchess_anya]

Okay, I’m gonna try to chew these up fast. Not sure if gingerbread cookies can chew things but I’m going to try.

(So Anya does her best to chew the gum sticks up as quickly as she could before handing them over to Blitzø, hopefully there is no gingerbread saliva to be found. She still doesn’t understand how gingerbread cookie anatomy works but oh well.)

Here you go, these gum stick should be chewed up to stick inside the pipes.

[helluvaboss]

[Blitzø had also stuffed his face with gum, and gave a cheeky wink to Anya in thanks, not caring about the grossness of grabbing someone's chewed gum. It's fiiiine, germs burn off! He ran off with his new weapon, sliding under the oven and past its clawed feet, disappearing behind the back.

Not long after, more smoke was belching out of the oven, the sickly smell of burning sugar intensifying from everything going in from the mouth and from the new mesh of gummed up exhaust grating in the back. The oven looked as physically ill as an oven could possibly be.]

WOO!

[Blitzø starts running back, dodging a few stomps and ignoring the fire from the oven entirely.]

Not dead yet sugar tits?

[grandduchess_anya]

Nope, haven’t gotten myself roasted by the fire just yet. But ho boy, do I smell burnt sugar and smoke and hear a horrible sound from that giant oven.

(Anya thankfully avoided the fire by ducking inside a pan earlier when the oven started to spew smoke and threw fire randomly. Though how long they’ll stay in here might be limited at any moment and she has a feeling that the oven is gonna hate them for this.)