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

[The bright light took him by surprise, but only for a moment. Having lived in a Light drowned world such as the First for so long, you got used to the brightness. Looking over the stone statues, they seemed like fairly normal things you would see until his gaze stopped over the two fighting over a book, and then one eating ice cream. How curious that people chose to encapsulate that particular moment for all time.]

Do these mean anything to you?

Ah- [Wow, he almost forgot he was in here with a stranger. Right.

Sorey looks back up at the relief, then points to one of the figures.] That's me. [Points to the other, holding the book aloft.] That's my partner, Mikleo. [Points to the figure eating ice cream, reaches out to touch it. It doesn't feel terribly worn, but not freshly hewn either.] This one is me, too.

I think my friends built ruins for me...because they know how much I love them.

[He examined the statues closer upon explanation, expression turning slightly bittersweet. It was a nice gesture, especially if he liked ruins. That was a subject to ask about later, but he couldn't help but think about his own experience with statues, so to speak.

He was silent, thinking back to the crystallized statue of him on top of the Crystal Tower. He had hoped it would be a symbol of hope to those who were in need of it, but he also wondered if it made the people in the Crystarium sad instead. There was always a part of him that wanted to see them all again. To see his home once more...

Shaking it off]

That's nice of them. What do they mean? I assume they have some sort of special meaning to you.

Well, [Brushes his fingertips over the face of the boy triumphantly hoisting the book before dropping his hand and continuing down the hall.] They're just memories. Nice ones.

...besides, can anyone really tell the future? Maybe this is just what I hope happens. [Half-turns to gesture down the hall, toward the source of the light.] This way.

The future is subject to change, after all. Well, I don't think it's a bad future.

[Hopefully. He followed along as Sorey gestured the way forward.]

[The hallway feeds into a wide, arching atrium; the intricate designs and carvings continue up along pillars and brilliant stonework, not a seam dividing any of it, as if someone had just hewed the ruins out of a single mountain's belly.

The light is at the center of the room, an angled pillar that twists and curls as it arches through an opening at the height of the domed ceiling and climbs up into the clouds. Where the pillar of light touches the ground, there is a small altar about waist height, and on it, a boy. The boy standing beside G'raha, in fact.] Ah ha. There I am.

[Observing the alter and the boy on it, he glanced over to his companion.]

Well, whatever is going on, it seems complicated. Hopefully nothing too stressful.

[Stressful was likely an understatement. Was he likely to fuss once he found out about Sorey's duties? Probably.]

This part, not really. I'm asleep. [Heads over to the pedestal, squinting up at the hole where the light escapes and arcs into the sky before crouching to look at the carvings on the altar beneath him.] This might be what I look like back home right now, actually. Though maybe not with the ruins, just yet.

[G'raha is trying not to be nosey, but he's very interested in hearing about what he meant. He shouldn't ask but...]

I imagine it's not your average slumber. Is aught amiss?

[Curiosity wins. It's something he might be able to relate to himself.]

Not for much longer, hopefully. [Runs a hand over the stone, picking at a slightly crumbly edge with his fingers to take a look at the stone underneath.] There was a...poison, I guess you could call it, that had permeated our world so completely that it was causing disasters and transformations. One way to fix it was for someone to fall into a slumber while the guardian seraph of the continent used them as a vessel to purify himself. That's what I'm doing here.

[Pushes himself back up.] Judging by the condition of the stone it's probably been a couple hundred years or so, if this is real.

[G'raha kept to himself for a moment, letting that sink in. It was a completely different circumstance, and yet there were things that he could relate to from his own personal experience. Recalling his own slumber in the Crystal Tower and experiencing the Blasphemies in particular, he's couldn't help but feel concerned for Sorey.]

Well, I hope that the effort you've expended to try to help out has stabilized the world. Tis not an easy task to accomplish.

[He paused for a moment, considering an option.]

Shall we move on? I think there's something that you would be interested in seeing as well.

[Glances up at his companion curiously. He hadn't exactly been sad or upset by looking at his own ruins around his own altar that he's going to sleep on for probably hundreds of years, but maybe something else.

Still, something else interesting? Does G'raha know more about how this place works than he'd implied?] Sure, but I don't really know the way out of here.

[He did not, unfortunately. But if these cars could show various moments, than there must be a way.]

Neither do I. Well, all we can do is move forward, hm?

[And any get other visions they see along the way seemed interesting.]

You have a point. [Sorey kind of wants to look at the ruins some more, but there's something disturbingly sad about them at the same time. He doesn't even know if this vision of the future is true, or just what he hopes for.

Sorey puts his sleeping form behind him and follows G'raha down another branching hallway, until they approach a wall seemingly made of ice until he places a hand against it and finds that it isn't cold.] Huh! What is this? [Knocks a couple knuckles against the wall.]

[While G'raha was not entirely sure how they got back out, it seemed like it was unnecessary to find a way out as the walls turned into crystal. That was easy enough. It started to shift into an expansive room with some type of technology. Allagan. He would know it anywear, looking up towards the staircase that he had grown so familiar with.]

Huh, it seems we needn't look far.

[He gazed over to the seemingly floating cubes.]

This... is the Syrcus Tower otherwise known as the Crystal Tower. I spent much of my time here as it's caretaker.

This is crystal? [bro DANG. Sorey turns to look back over his shoulder, but lo and behold his own ruins are vanished and now just more of the crystal from the wall spreads out behind him in elaborately carved and decorated halls, staircases, and yawning open atriums.] This is amazing...was this all carved out?

That it is. Very powerful as well. The tower stores massive amounts of aether.

[He took a moment to ponder how to answer that.]

I would think so, once upon a time, during the Allagan Empire. Though it's a little more complicated than that. The main thing to note about the Allagan Empire is that they were ahead of their time when it comes to technology. Even to this day, many Allagan relics oft as naught remain a mystery on how to use them properly with the empire no longer around. It had reawakened some time back before I had it sealed away.

We were afraid that, with the wrong hands, it could cause mass destruction. Man does not have the right knowledge to properly use the tower, even they have good intentions.

Wow... [Sorey cranes his neck to see if he can even see to the top of the tower around the spiraling staircases, but even then it just arcs up out of sight. He'll get dizzy first before he can follow the path as far as possible with his eyes.] You hear about that a lot, it's always strange to think about. Civilizations with incredible mechanical achievements or military prowess or the finest arts and scholars, but they still fell into ruin one way or another.

It makes you wonder what would even qualify as a 'civilized' society, you know? Is it achievement or longevity? Or is there just no such thing, and we're just meant to keep striving for the best until the end of time?

It's a wonder how those with so much knowledge could fall to ruin so often. Though I suspect outside influences -- like as naught -- are to blame for the change of focus over time.

[Was Sorey ready to climb a lot of steps? He'll let him off easy for now by leading him to the ocular first. He maneuvered around with no problems, very familiar with the tower by now as he led his company.]

Influences outside of that society? [More or less keeps pace with G'raha, except for when he gets distracted by a neat thing or an inscription he can't read. So sue him, he loves archeology.] Or outside of that world, kind of like how we all arrived here?

[G'raha doesn't particularly mind waiting for him. He's fine with stopping for Sorey to observe everything that catches his interest.]

It's... a little bit of both, actually. In a manner of speaking, it's like they were a puppet on strings without realizing it.

Loathe as I am to admit it, even the Allagans had a puppet master. Someone I can't say I'm that fond of due to circumstances. We have at least come to a truce, but it's complicated.

[G'raha is kind to wait for him, and it takes a bit but he finally notices that the catman is trying to make his way through the tower while Sorey keeps stopping to poke at what is essentially his memories without any regard to his urgency or privacy. He finally cuts it out with a sheepish look, jogging to catch up.]

It sounds like it. You don't have to share it with me, if it's too painful.

[If he minded Sorey poking around his memories, he would have likely not been as forth coming with information as he has been. Sorey is free to observe all he wants.]

It's nothing like that. The long story short is that the man responsible for starting the great Allagan empire long ago is actually an ancient being that has lived long enough to become the enemy.

We have some history that isn't all that pleasant, but instead of getting hung up on the past, I'd rather not be enemies here too if it can be avoided.

[Especially after hearing about his dear friend's time in Elpis.]

Here? Oh geez, you mean that same person is here in this dream world, too? [Sorey doesn't even want to think about what he'd do if Heldalf showed up here, hellion or not. He hadn't even considered the possibility, honestly.]

Yeah, unfortunately. We have formed a truce, but I'm unsure how long it will last. It highly depends on whether he tries to do anything I cannot stand by. Though, he's been behaving himself thus far.

[The steps were pretty long up the tower, but eventually, they reached the top. He had slowed slightly before poking out. A moment later, Sorey would see why. There stood a crystalized statue of a hooded man with a staff. Giving a sheepish smile to his company...]

You see, you're not the only one with a statue, so to speak.

[Way to make jokes about one of your sacrifices, G'raha.]

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monolike - 2023-05-11 16:05 (UTC) - Expand

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

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Shadowbringers spoiler mention

yumyumyum love that shb narrative

Let me tell you about statues rofl

granpa graha like back in my day we woke up in an apocalyptic future and we didn't complain

You whippersnappers have it so easy now

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feel free 2 drop if u like, doing mega-catch up!

I'm okay to continue. If you'd prefer to wrap up that's okay too <3

no rush! i figure it'll conclude pretty neatly in a few tags anyway

5.3 Spoilers

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