songerein | { gingerbread town | test drive #09

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

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.

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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.

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.
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.

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!
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.

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.
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) :

Regular chocolate: Makes the drinker nostalgic, particularly for something in their childhood.
Peppermint: Gives the drinker a spark of inspiration to work on something creative.
Caramel: Gives the drinker extra energy, making them unable to stay still without doing something.
Raspberry: Makes the drinker want to get back to nature by finding an outdoor activity to do.
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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Velvet is very much in the same boat. While she isn't a wooden figurine, those poor souls, the nutcracker isn't that much better. Honestly? None of this is better. While the nutcrackers are stiff, the gingerbread would have been far too brittle for the amount of damage she wishes to inflict on whoever turned her and this town into Candyland.

Unfortunately, she hasn't quite mastered the art of dreamotion just yet, but at least her Artes should still work, right? While she won't bring out the claw, she will certainly try other methods... and so she slides up to Azula's side, not recognizing her at first, prepared to destroy this...

What the hell is this even!? A giant oven? This is the witch that everyone is talking about??? Please. This'll be a piece of cake... ~~are her famous last words.~~]

Should try to take out those legs first. Knock it over and attack it from the bottom.

[Azula, on the other hand, recognizes that voice. She doesn't know what exactly the...

daemon, was it?

is capable of, and 'in the middle of an already difficult fight' is not the moment she'd have chosen to find out but she has to work with what she has.]

Unfortunately, my primary weapon is firebending, and obviously this thing was built to withstand heat.

[...well. 'Built' may be a loose term here, but still.]

You focus on the legs, I'll try to control its flames.

[Whatever Azula plans to do, Velvet trusts that she'll get it done.

So... she rushes in... Or does so as much as her stiff nutcracker limbs will allow. She grunts as she moves, trying to remember how to move these stupid legs properly before she's charging in with as much brute force as she can muster. At least she's got that going for her...?

When she gets to one of its legs, she swings her arm back in preparation to strike with the blade that's sheathed away in the gauntlet on her arm...

...

Except when it swings out, slaps it with the flat side of a giant lollipop instead...

And the shock of it sends her reeling backwards onto her ass.]

What the—!?

[On one hand, Azula could certainly understand the rude awakening presented by these particularly inconvenient transformations. On the other, however, she'd made certain to test her abilities to make sure that they weren't impaired. She saw no reason her temporary ally couldn't do the same.

As the oven belches a gout of flame at Velvet, Azula swipes with a wooden hand and the fire is diverted and quenched.]

Well, try something else.

[With that oh-so-pleasant suggestion, she springs back into movement, trying to get its attention with more ineffectual flashes of fire so her partner can get to its legs again.]

[She's about to thank Azula for putting out the flame that's shot at her, and she would have if she hadn't belted out that... suggestion that feels more like an order. She's already embarrassed and angry enough, so she doesn't need telling twice, but if she could look more irritated about it, she would.]

What do you think I'm—ugh!

[Velvet rolls out of the way as the oven tips only for it to slam its feet back down near her.

Well, if her blade is going to turn into a lollipop the second she pulls it out, then Artes it is! Fire likely won't work, so she goes for Shell Splitter instead. A water based attack should do the trick, right?

She slashes at it with her foot, but rather than magic that comes from it...

It's cotton candy instead. Much to her surprise, however, it wraps around the foot and catches it to the ground like a sticky cobweb to keep it in place and, sensing it, the oven-witch-thing blasts a flame in her and the candy's direction.]

[Well, she cant deny, that definitely counts as 'something else.'

Thank the spirits her firebending wasn't affected like that.

And speaking of, she quickly moves to divert the burst of flame from Velvet and her now-candified weaponry. The oven, slowed by the candy, is getting a lot easier for her to react to now, but it's still moving around too much for her to get a clear sight-line on the fire in its mouth.]

[Velvet is at least quick, even as a nutcracker, so she skids to a halt right back at Azula's side to look over her work from afar, and to get a better feel for what she can do now. The cotton candy is at least doing something, acting as a sort of web for the oven's feet.

That'll be their key, she thinks.]

If I can get it to hold still, think you can find a way to knock it down a peg?

I can't be certain, but I think it slowed down when I smothered some of the fire inside it. It could be a fatal weakness.

[Which is probably a 'yes?' Regardless, that's all Velvet's going to get before Azula starts moving again. She jumps into the air, with a jet of blue flames from her hands and her conjoined wooden mono-leg to give her extra height, and lands on top of the oven. That should distract it even if her fire isn't effective.]

[That's all that Velvet needs. A 'probably yes' is better than a no, and she's willing to take that chance if it means getting them all turned back. So, as soon as Azula starts to move, so does Velvet. Where she leaps up into the air, Velvet stays on the ground, rushing at it with as much speed as she can manage with these legs. The oven's attention is torn between the two of them, not sure which one to look at first.

It goes for Azula, and it stomps the feet that are still free of the cotton candy to try knocking her either off of the head or into the fires.

But it does give Velvet enough of an opening to try out her Artes again, knowing full well that she'll get the exact same result as last time. Her leg sweeps and out shoots the webs of sugar. It isn't enough to do just that, so she spins around the foot opposite the first to keep it down, wrapping around and around.]

Think I got it—

[For good measure, she tries one more... and secures the cotton candy with blue icing. And as the oven witch tries again to stomp the feet, it lurches to a halt... so hopefully Azula is holding on tight!?]

[Oh, Azula is doing better than that. Her fingerless wooden hands don't give her much grip strength, but when the sudden lurching of the oven sends her sliding toward its front, she doesn't fight it, instead using a jet of flame from the peg-leg to control her movement until she can swing in front of the open oven door, hanging precariously by a single wooden hand-

And using the other hand, she swipes, and the fire flares blue and starts slowly dimming, lower and lower, until the oven- now far slower- manages to buck her off.

She tries to catch herself as she falls, but the lack of legs throws her off and she instead clatters onto her back and bounces across the ground. Well, it's undignified, but at least it didn't hurt much.]

[Velvet will check on her in a moment, but she can't let her guard down just yet. Not while the oven witch is trying her/its?? best to tear the cotton candy webbing away, and shooting fire every which way while it does. Clearly they've done enough to piss it off, too... and Velvet feels the flames singe her foot as she dodges out of the way of them.

Just one more hit and they should be in the clear... or at least take it down a peg far enough that they can figure out a better way to destroy it completely.

With one last blast of magic, she shoots icing at the mouth, creating a sort of barrier between them and the fire so that she can rush over to Azula's side. It won't last long, but it'll buy them a minute or so as it's already trying to melt it away.]

Can you stand? This stupid witch is almost through.

[Azula actually spent a good portion of the time Velvet was fighting the oven contemplating that very question- how to stand up without individual legs, or proper joints?

By the time Velvet makes her way over, she's figured out an idea, and she responds to Velvet's question by sort of hopping upward and using jets of fire from her hand to propel herself upright.]

Don't worry about me, keep it locked down.

[As soon as she sees the flames beginning to melt through the sugary icing, she whips her hands upward, forcing the fire back into its mouth, then spreads them downward to extinguish the flames again.]

[She gives a steady nod and continues her magic, rushing in again to tie the legs down further while Azula works on keeping the flames under control.

...

But as she's wrapping more cotton candy around its feet, she grumbles a curse under her breath.]

This is only doing so much.

[They can wrap as much sticky candy around the witch's legs and extinguish the flames, but it just seems to be delaying the inevitable. The flames come back, and it will eventually break free of Velvet's restraints.]

Gonna really have to do some damage to this thing if we're gonna stop it.

[She knows, she knows. She was hoping quenching the fire would be adequate, but so far it's only slowing it down, not stopping it.

She does have one other idea, and it fortunately works well with what they've already been doing- but if that doesn't work, she's out of ideas.]

We just need to keep it still for a few seconds.

Can do.

[Velvet doesn't need any more telling. As the giant, fiery maw starts to open up again, she focuses on that rather than the feet which seem stable enough as it is now. She rushes at it as best as her wooden limbs will carry her and with a sweep of her arm, a wall of cotton candy sprays out like a web to catch on the edges around the opening. They'll catch fire sooner or later, but if she can hold its mouth shut to buy Azula some time, then she'll keep swinging until she's no longer needed.

It's so unbelievably infuriating that she's stuck in this form... If she absolutely needed to use her claw, she would. It might have done the trick—sliced right through the steel and then devoured. Not that she's tried it at all, but now is not the best time to take that risk.

Still, she swings her arm anyway, until there's a loud CLANG against the steel as she screams at it.]

Change us back—!

[And now, with its attention on Velvet, Azula has an opening.]

[An opening she'll be happy to take advantage of. As Velvet focuses on locking down the oven, she's gathering lightning. No small, rapid burst- a bolt of lightning powerful enough to kill, which takes time. She doubts it will actually kill the witch, but she's not bothered about it if it does.

Just as Velvet shouts her demand, Azula releases the lightning she's created- despite the tiny wooden body, the electricity is still just as potent, lighting up the entire room vivid blue as it courses through the air and strikes the giant oven. Unlike her fire, the lightning seems to affect it dramatically, twitching and writhing in place before falling still.]

[The sudden flash has Velvet shielding her eyes from it. It isn't what she had expected from Azula when she had mentioned an idea, but it's not an unwelcome one. It's loud, it's violent, and it's hot where she stands just beneath the oven as it strikes only feet away from her.

There's a bang and several clatters as the rickety steel quivers and twitches, but then, everything seems to stop, and only the sound of the embers inside that are still burning gently can be heard.

But Velvet isn't going to celebrate just yet.

She moves out with caution back to where Azula stands, peeling some of the cotton candy that's clinging to her like spider webs away, trying not to get it stuck on Azula instead (and fails miserably. Ah, well.) When she stops, she looks at the oven, and shoots one more web of cotton candy at it for good measure. It's only then when it doesn't even budge that she breathes out a sigh.]

Wasn't expecting it to end with a bang like that.

[Azula tries to avoid the cotton candy that's flicked through the air, but there's clearly too much to avoid all of it, and she winds up having to scrape some off her wooden head. Fortunately, painted wood is easier to clean than actual hair.]

... It ends when we've reverted to our original shapes.

[She sounds pretty sour about it, despite their victory.]

But she's done. Let's get out of here.

Yeah. About that...

[Velvet turns sharp on her heel and looks around at some of the others who had come in to help.]

Any way you know how to go about doing that? Someone we gotta talk to?

[Someone she can put into a chokehold until they give these two ladies what they want for helping the town!?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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

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Azula being sympathetic and understanding as always.

LOL I love it

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so sorry for the delay! life really came for me 😭

Listen, this time of year I 100% get it. Also I'm backtag-friendly on principle. Or try to be.

I appreciate it <3

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