songerein | { gingerbread town | test drive #09

Entry tags:

{ 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.

————— ⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱ —————
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

[ To wake up one morning and suddenly find himself a stiff nutcracker is not welcome. Nor are any of the sudden changes to the town that greet him. Trahearne feels his plans for the day crumble, and for a brief moment, he feels frustration filling his chest.

But no, actually. A shift like this means a problem that needs solving, and what better distraction than that?

And so he quickly fills himself in on the situation, what needs to be done. He devotes his whole being to this task, to saving Reverein from this, quite frankly, absurd curse.

This is how he finds himself standing on the train platform beside Nier. His jaw would be set, his expression blank yet vaguely determined if it were not for the total transformation his face has gone through. He simply looks like a toy. Perhaps that's for the better.

When he sees the sign "Future" above the doors that pull up before him, he almost wants to laugh. This is just his luck. What could possibly be waiting for him in there?

He turns to Nier. ]

After you.

[If it isn't one thing, it's another in this place. That's how it always is. He doesn't get too wrapped up in it except trying to get through whatever Songerein sees fit to put him through. This year so far is considerably better than the one prior during the similar season. He can recall vividly when he was stuck in the sweater he couldn't get himself out of. Is being a wooden figure better or worse than that? At least he could still move relatively well.

He's managed to make it to the present moment where he stands with Trahearne, who... Well. Were it not for the voice, he might have a little more trouble figuring that out. Current company is encouraging enough, though he's not sure how much of him feels particularly warmed by the notion when he sees what they're faced with.

Future.

It's one hell of a word, really. A heavily-weighted word, or probably would be for most others. He tries not to think about it too much and when he does wind up thinking about it, he tries to brush it off. To the best of his ability, anyway.

"After you."

Sure thing, that. He pauses for several long moments, wondering if he even wants to see whatever might be waiting for him. If anything is at all. He doubts it. No point in just standing around.]

Yeah, okay.

[He finally replies before hopping his way in. He'd beckon for Trahearne to follow, but he doesn't exactly seem capable of that either. Maybe he can face it, whatever it might be, as long as he's got someone with him.]

[ It's Trahearne's small hope that by having Nier walk in first, it will show his future instead, saving the sylvari from yet another reminder that he has nothing left on Tyria. He can't stand the thought of, quite literally, facing the truth, much less having someone else see it for themselves.

But as he steps into the car after Nier, he feels all of his insides sink, a sickening feeling roil in his gut. Of course. The dismay clings to the paint on his stiff wooden limbs.

In an expanse before them is nothing. Darkness. Silence. The doors roll closed behind them, and if it weren't for the lurch and rumble of the train pulling out of the station, Trahearne would think themselves suspended in the void.

He feels himself grimace, but it does not show on his painted face. Still, he turns to Nier. ]

I suppose this is it.

[ What choice do they have but to work through? If not for themselves, then at least for the wellbeing of Songerein.

He thinks this is his future. ]

[...

Somehow, Nier is not exactly surprised by this discovery. Of course he's thought it a possibility. That he would walk in and find nothing on the other side, because that's exactly what he is back home at this point. Nothing. He doesn't exist. There is no Nier. No name. No man. No history. As far as the world is concerned, there never is, never was, and never will be a Nier.

Greeted by the darkness, he can only settle in his thoughts for several long moments. It's not until he hears Trahearne that he starts.]

To be fair, I wasn't expecting much.

[And then, maybe it seems a little uncharacteristic of him, but Nier laughs. It feels heavier in the darkness, however. Maybe that's just his way of coping with the truth of things. What else can he do? Laughing seems like the only way to deal with it all.]

But I guess I was a little curious. Now we know.

[Because it hasn't occurred to him that this could be Trahearne's future.]

[ It isn't Nier's laugh that causes Trahearne's gaze to snap to him, it's what he says.

As he starts down the endless dark, he fixes his eyes on the slight pinpoint of light far in the distance. ]

I can't say I was expecting much, either. [ In contrast, Trahearne's existence was undeniable on Tyria. He was the one who acted as vanguard in the resistance against the dragons. His memory is revered, many of his younger siblings stepping up to fill his shoes where they can to continue to further the efforts of his Wyld Hunt. Though he will never learn of any of this...

There is still nothing left of him. No body. No spirit, if it resides here in Songerein. No effects, no possessions, nothing to pass on. Echoes in the Dream, perhaps. ]

I want to apologise, Nier. [ His voice is strangely pained. ] I was hoping it was not my future you would have to see.

[Nier pauses in that space of darkness, of dimmed life, and he looks toward Trahearne. The words are weighted and he can resonate with them so deeply that the subtle little fracture atop his heart will sink deeper than he can rightfully recognise in these moments. This is a conversation that he will play back in his mind many a time. The realisation and understanding that there are things that bind them. Things that Nier would never wish on another person.

After a beat or two of silence, he shakes his head.]

Who says it's yours? [He lifts his arms, folds them over his chest as he considers the possibilities.] It could just as easily be mine. [It'd almost be funny if it wasn't so painfully upsetting.]

Although it sounds to me like we just have something of the same. Not worth apologising for. If this train is trying to tell me that I don't have a future, I'm not gonna argue it. I knew that coming here. It doesn't matter. But what does matter is the here and now.

[ Hearing it said aloud out of the other man's mouth hurts. Many times has Trahearne thought the same for himself, but...he really does have no future, does he? There is nothing left for him.

Slowly, the optimistic side of him withers. What good is the here and now if there is no brighter future to work towards? ]

I suppose we do have something of the same.

[ His stiff limbs feel heavy. He doesn't like this. Maybe Nier doesn't want an apology, but he isn't going to take it back. He'd shake his head if he could. ]

I am dead, Nier.

[Nier has certainly imagined it to be something like that. Maybe he's grown desensitised too his own situation. He doesn't seem particularly broken up about it and that is likely because he's the one who made that choice. He suspects—]

Gonna guess you didn't pick that for yourself.

[They may be similar in that neither has a future to return to, but how they've gotten there is not a parallel. Nier wouldn't wish it on anyone. If they had to have it, however, it would be better to have the freedom to make that choice. Not to have it yanked away from them.]

I'm sorry. You deserve better. How I feel about it won't change what's happened, but it's not something I'd want others to go through.

No. It isn't.

[ He wants others to have a waking self to return to. That Nier doesn't, stings in a way. If only his painted face could show the sympathy he feels for him in this moment. ]

It was...complicated. The consequence of a long sequence of events that I started, and I was eventually left with no other choice.

[ His mistake lead to his death. And everything that happened in between was nothing but pain, despair, and the smallest parts of him clinging to the faintest slivers of hope. As much as he wants to work past that-- ]

This realm seems to delight in reminding me of this.

[ Anger seeps from his voice and clings to the void around them. When can he rest? ]

[Somehow, he's not surprised to hear it. Nothing about the concept of death is a simple thing. Existence, in general, is probably more complicated than he's likely to give credit for.

He takes several moments to simply rest on Trahearne's explanation. He can't even offer solace because there's truth in the assessment of the world. It seems like many things remind him that he has nothing to return to.]

It does, at times, I've noticed.

[But unlike Trahearne, it seems, he's just accepted it. Probably not the right way to handle that...]

I don't know what that means for people like us. Dreamers can just wake from the dream, or somethin'. I try not to think about it too much. No point in doing so if we can't change it.

[ There's an attempt to shake his nutcracker head in response. ]

No. There really isn't.

[ In all honesty, he would be fine with his afterlife being Songerein. He would be happy to spend the rest of eternity here until his soul eventually withers and fades away.

If only it didn't come with constant reminders of everything he's lost. ]

I'm sorry...that you have something of the same.

[ His own anger surrounding the situation side, Nier doesn't deserve this either. He's a good man. ]

[Would that he could be more reassuring. He's not even sure outside of his wooden figure self that he could be. He'd try, certainly, but sometimes trying just isn't good enough.]

Nah. Nothing to be sorry about.

[It doesn't sound real convincing when it says it like that. He can't even really use gestures to soften any of that.]

It's not great. [For either of them, really.] But it is what it is and I came here just grateful for the opportunity and the time I've been given. Doesn't mean I wouldn't want more, but this is what I chose. If I had to make that decision again, I would, and it wouldn't be any different. I did the right thing and I don't know if I'm stupid or what, but for some reason that makes this feel a little better.

[Every time he looks at Kainé and realises that she'll live because of him, it kind of makes things all right.]

[ There's a long stretch of silence after Nier says that, as Trahearne lets the words process in his mind. The only sound is that of their wooden feet plodding on nothing, a soft, dull noise echoing into nothingness. The pinprick of light at the end of the car grows nearer; there is nothing between them and the end beside the stories they decide to share.

It was Trahearne's choice, too, in a way. But his other option was a life of torment and one that would put all of Tyria at risk. Does that make this any better at all? ]

...Life is precious.

What made you choose to throw yours away?

Life is precious.

[After some moments of consideration as he hobbles along in the weird way that a wooden figure only can, he rolls Trahearne's words over in his head. Throw his life away? He'd never say it like that. That's not what he did. That's not what happened. Although Kainé would likely agree.]

It wasn't throwing my life away. It was the right thing to do.

[He wishes he could smile about it. He'd like to. He is on the inside.]

I wanted to protect someone else important to me. Someone I felt deserved life and someone that I knew I could trust to take care of my daughter in my stead. I wouldn't change anything about it. It was her or me and I'm always gonna choose her.

[So. Love. It was love.]

[ Love. That part gets across quiet clear, and it strikes a dulled pain in his chest.

Trahearne loved--loves Tyria, yes. But this feels much more personal. ]

But does it not...pain you knowing she lives on with the hurt that you are gone?

[ His own commander's face twisted in disbelief, in agony as he gripped the broken Caladbolg in his hands flashes in Trahearne's mind. Though he will never know if his affections were ever returned, that his final memories of someone so important and precious to him were of pain in the face of an impossibly difficult ask hurts. He can't imagine what the man's life has been like since that day.

He hopes that whoever Nier was hoping to protect does not have to live through the same. ]

[He has to wonder if he ever really thought that much about what he'd done and the repercussions for doing so. He knew he wanted Kainé to live and he knew that Kainé and Yonah could be happy with one another. He also knew that in his particular circumstances, no one in the world would mourn him. Maybe that was why it made it easier to make such a decision.]

No. Because she doesn't know that I'm gone. To her, and to everyone else, it's as if I was never there to begin with.

[Nier smiles grimly.]

That was the deal. Her or me. She got to live, but in return I couldn't be. And for me, that was the right decision to make. My daughter couldn't mourn a father who didn't exist. My village couldn't mourn a guy who had never been.

[The only person who got hurt in that situation was him and he was surprisingly okay with that.]

[ If it weren't for the transformation, Trahearne's mixed feelings would be evident on his face. Maybe it is better that way. That those left behind never have to experience the hurt of losing someone important, so that they may carry on with their lives with little interruption.

But a sylvari, of all the kinds of people in the world, would understand the weight of memory, and the lessons they leave behind. They are a people whose experiences live on through the Dream and are then passed on to the future generations of saplings. To erase someone and all they lived through from the Dream entirely would cause an irreparable rift.

Trahearne's pace slows, in lieu of an expression. ]

Perhaps, in a way, that is better.

But is it okay to rob your daughter, your loved ones of their memories of you? They may not be hurt by your passing, but...

[ He doesn't know how to finish that sentence. It doesn't sit right with him. ]

[With care, Nier turns. At least to the best of his ability. It's a valid question and certainly one he's thought about from time to time. Honestly, there probably wasn't a truly right course of action. There were going to be repercussions no matter what he's chosen to do. No way to make or keep everyone happy. In some way, someone somewhere had to be sacrificed.

He's quiet, thinking.]

I don't know.

[It's a very earnest response. He can't possibly know that.]

There's always lots of ways to handle a situation. I wasn't given a lot of time to think about how to handle it or what the results were gonna be of every little thing. Would I have changed what I'd done knowing any of that? Probably not. I'm not sayin' memories aren't important. They are. I dunno. I did what I thought was best.

If you think it best, then I won't argue.

[ Who is he to pass judgment, then? Perhaps not having time to think about one's death and the pain that comes with it is better. Trahearne had not been so lucky.

After that, Trahearne falls silent and his attention falls to the bright light of the exit in the distance. ]

You're lucky. [ His jealousy gets to him again, and he does all he can to hide it behind a measured tone. ]

[...Is he?

Nier has never exactly thought of himself as particularly lucky. He would be, if he takes Kainé and Emil into consideration. Is a lucky man a man who has no existence? Or could it be that he's a lucky man because he was given the choice? Tyrann could have just stripped it right from him. In fact, he's a bit surprised that he didn't. He isn't exactly sure why either.]

...I guess? I didn't think so, but if you didn't get a choice in your own, then yeah, I am pretty damned lucky. That said, I don't think there's anything lucky about not having a future. That goes for us both. You and I are just workin' on borrowed time.

[He's helping. ...Right?]

[ The alarm that rips through Trahearne in that moment goes unnoticed and passes without a trace, thanks to his painted face and stiff wooden limbs. Borrowed time?

What has he even done, then? Will he one day fade from Songerein without having accomplished anything, without having left a mark? And when his friends awaken, so, too, will his memory vanish from this Dream. Perhaps Nier is fine with that, but...

The same hopelessness, the same despair that came over him when he began to realize his Wyld Hunt was pointless and impossible seeps into the fabric of his being. ]

What makes you say that?

[Nier pauses for several long moments. It was thoughtless of him, really, to say it. Just because he's resigned himself to the idea that he won't be staying in this world doesn't mean anyone else should be. He isn't even depressed about it. He's just accepted it and he's happy that he's had the opportunities that he's had.

Trahearne, he decides, is decisively more affected by this turn of events.]

Oh. Uh. Nothing. I was mostly just thinkin' of myself. Don't think anything of it. Old man, remember? I say some pretty crazy stuff sometimes.

[Because he definitely knows better.]

...

[ Trahearne doesn't really like how Nier discounts himself; regardless if it was mindless, it certainly did not come from nowhere. Something must have happened to him for him to think this, some sort of experience in Songerein that has eluded Trahearne thus far. If he knows something, then he wants to know, too.

It tickles his anxiety in the worst way possible. ]

What makes you think you have limited time, then?

[He isn't sure that Trahearne is buying it, but... Well. He can hope. When Trahearne presses further, he's thoughtful before he continues. How to put it...]

I've never actually thought that I can just stay here forever. Not like I've got control over that, right? So I figured at some point I'll wake up. Or whatever 'wake up' means for me.

[Which is to say, he's simply assumed nothing would happen. He'd simply cease to exist.]

But I don't think very much about it. That part isn't important. It's what I do now with the people I care for most that's important. That includes you, you know. 'Cause we're friends.

[ Nier does have a point. In contrast, Trahearne thought he was stuck here forever--with no body to return to, pulled from the moment his own blade sundered him apart, how was he supposed to "wake up?" There were creatures that had been here for much longer than any of them; he has no reason to suspect that he could be any different. Perhaps one day the lone sylvari of Songerein will simply become a part of the fae.

Is it not important? If he has limited time, then he should be doing all he can to ensure future dreamwalkers have the resources they need to thrive in this world. Perhaps he's been dragging his feet. The buzz of anxiety grows, rattling him from the inside.

He doesn't respond right away. ]

That we are.

[ Though his tone isn't all that convincing. ]

If it is the present that matters, then we should hurry. I'd like to get out of this car and erase our lack of future from my mind.

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

► closed to nier.

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