songerein | { GAME OPENING LOG }

✵ GAME OPENING LOG ✵
Normally our TDMs serve as intro logs, but we have prepared a special character intro log for game opening! It is a massive, chaotic feast that can only be found in a dreamworld like Songerein. You can also use this to continue ongoing TDM threads, especially as it nears captcha. Reminder that any thread from the TDM can be carried over. Players are also welcome to make their own logs for things if they would rather skip this part. Be sure to read the Mod Announcement for other information and you can ask any questions regarding the log here.

I. THE FEAST

As the sleepy looking sun begins to set, the small little tapir fairies will buzz around to find all the new inhabitants and usher them to the plaza. There everyone will find several tables of various lengths, sizes, and shapes. Yes, that is a star shaped table along with a moon one. A special feast has been made just for them to welcome and celebrate their arrival. Some may even recognize decorations: leaves mottled and changing to an assortment of colors, festive streamers, popcorn strings, glittering garlands and bows, string lanterns, and maybe a few small gravestones here and there. Some areas might look a bit brown and withered while some of the trees take on a more cherry blossom look. It's a bit of a strange mashup, and yet the chaos seems to have a sense of harmony as well—especially when considering everything else that the feast has to offer. This is one divine feast that is going to be completely topsy turvy.

A. What's Your Sign? Everyone will find themselves mysteriously "tagged" with a special sticker and will suddenly gain special characteristics based off the animal: ears, tails, behavioral traits. They're mostly mild and to add flavor, but they may also feel different compatibility towards another, such as more attracted or opposed. The sticker will be hard to remove, but it is possible to swap with someone if they want to try a different experience.

B. Special Bowls. There are many tables and anyone can sit wherever they want. Just don't forget to pick up the special dinner bowl already personalized with their name on it. Of course there are some extra paints and decorations that can be added to it if one desires.

C. Wild Food. Every table has the same kind of food, and there is plenty to go around. Of course, that's only if the food can be caught and if one can keep an appetite for some of them. The boar's head is a bit talkative and might settle down if someone stuffs an apple in its mouth or tells it a joke. However, it might just get several laughs by the barrel of monkeys funnel cake nearby, monkey shaped pastries hiding within it to chuck out various candies and fruits. Not even the candy is safe, at least not the stringed ones. Licorice, chocolate coated taffy, and others will start slithering around and even hiss, sometimes wrapping around the arm of those who try to eat them. Playing some music might calm these sweet serpents so they can be eaten properly. How about that special carousel cake stand with the horse cookies prancing about?

D. Spice Up Your Li—Meal. However fear not. There is normal food around so it is possible to have a proper meal. However, some helpful little dragons may fly by to add a few herbs and spices to the dishes. They are quite friendly and will listen to requests, however if one is rude or too demanding, they may just dump a bunch of a hot pepper and other unsavory seasoning instead. Make a good enough impression and they might make house calls, even follow someone home. They live to spice up food, after all.

E. Drink Tea. Although there is an assortment of beverages, the prevalent one will be tea. They are similar to the ones found in the cafe and all will help bring out festive dreams and restful sleep later for everyone. However, someone is clearly making mischief as they have slipped in some rodentia tea. Drinking it will cause the drinker to shrink to the size of a rat. The only way to return to normal is to find the elusive cat cookies, which can be strangely hard to find; they seem to vanish and reappear at random, but only the ones with wide grins and “Eat Me” written on them can be eaten.

II. FUN & GAMES

Perhaps the food isn't up to one's tastes, or they just would rather have some fun. There are a few games around the plaza that everyone is welcome to participate in and they are encouraged to play to their heart's content. Just beware of the geese as they are being a menace not only at the tables but disrupting games as well.

A. Playing Chicken. A simple game, really, one that will test one's creativity and taste buds. There is a goat cheese fondue fountain surrounded with various platters of cooked chicken: grilled, steamed, boiled, baked, fried. This fondue fountain, however, is special. The flavor of the fondue can be altered depending on the kinds of emotions near it. Joy and love make it sugary sweet, anger and jealousy spicy hot, despair and distrust salty sour. And of course everything in-between including a chaotic mix. The challenge is one person will try and alter the flavor of the fondue, lather it on a piece of chicken, and then hand it to their opponent. The chicken must then be consumed. If not, the one who "cooked" it wins. If it is consumed, then the second person can now do the same to the other. This continues until one forfeits. It should be noted that the emotions of the one eating can also affect the fondue. (It is of course possible to take either the fondue or chicken without playing this stomach churning game.)

B. Gravity of Luck. There is a special wheel lottery set on a table decorated with rabbits. In fact there are a lot of rabbits congregating here and would love a few carrots. Anyone is free to spin the wheel one time per round to determine what kind of special "gravity" effect they receive. Each time the wheel is spun, a ball will drop and the color will indicate the type. A gold ball will cause them to lose all sense of gravity, their bodies starting to float away and although they can fly and float around, they'll need help being tethered down. White balls allow them to jump higher, small mushrooms appearing at their feet so others can follow. A black ball will cause them to be stuck in place, even fall flat all the way to the ground and need help standing up. Those imbued with the power of the different balls can help balance each other out until the effect wears off in half an hour.

C. Ox Go-Kart. For those who really want some speed and action, there are ox driven carts stationed by various streets. Two people can partner up with one driving and the other serving to help try to slow the other cart down. In this race, all non-lethal, non-destructive abilities are allowed to try and disrupt the other racer. Perhaps utilizing dreamotion based abilities may fare better. Just beware of other obstacles, especially any random crying dodos that create giant pools of tears as water hazards.

D. Tiger Fishing. There are special colorful ponds filled with sparkly gummy koi fish. At each one there is a little round tiger(?) with a pair of tiger mittens. In the same vein of fish scooping games, players must wear the tiger mittens and catch the gummy fish with them. It won't be easy as the gummy fish are even more slippery than normal. Perhaps some other skills could be used...but the little tiger will be watching and will latch onto anyone's heads who try to cheat. But if caught, they will make for a delectable treat—or interesting pet.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It gets dark around dinner time? But won't that be hard?

You could be walking home and suddenly the sun goes away.

[ Nier's still not used to the idea of the sun being completely gone. It seems absurd to him, but things in this world are different and he's going to have to accept it.]

I imagine it would be difficult to walk around and even do things like work.

There are lamps outside, most places. That's what people said, anyway— and the moon and stars give some light. Not enough, but you can see where you're going.

[Well... mostly. Being unused to things getting that dark, it had taken her own eyes some time to adjust, but they eventually did.]

Most people are done working by then, too. Save it for the daylight hours, I guess. It's real different than what we're used to.

Seriously? I guess Weiss was right after all. He would on and on about how people used to live in the past. The talking book knows its stuff.

[ Honestly, Nier misses hearing some of Weiss's nonsensical chatter and even his company. They were friends.]

It's way different than what we're used to, but I think it's better. There's no Shades and there's tons of people.

Better...

[She echoes him, frowning slightly as she considers it. Objectively, yeah, it does seem better, but...

She shakes her head in response, frown pulling deeper.]

I don't know. Maybe. Hard for me to feel that way about a kidnapping, but... it's not like home is any kind of picnic.

[Their world is struggling, just like everyone in it.]

I don't trust anything here, but it would be nice to be proven wrong.

Everything will be just fine, Kainé.

[ He understands being wary and not trusting of things to a degree. Maybe deep down he feels more doubt and insecurities. So his words might even seem hollow or distant. Certainly, Nier wants to believe they're fine but are they really? ]

Have you been to a picnic before?

[ asking the real questions apparently. ]

Have I—

[He really is asking the important shit, isn't it.]

No. Have you?

[It seems like a fair question to turn back on him, and it's easier to do that than to argue why she has trouble believing that everything will be just fine. It never is.]

No, actually.

[ Back home Nier couldn't even afford to do anything extravagant so he lived simply in order to survive. He always wished that they could have more happy times though. ]

Might be possible to do something like that here. What do you think?

[ Does Kainé feel like having picnics in a strange dream world? ]

[Something they had in common— doing only what contributed to helping you get by. It was that way for a lot of people where they were from, to be fair, but Kainé had never felt any kind of kinship with them the way that she eventually felt with Nier.

Is he really asking her to...?

She frowns thoughtfully, folding her arms again.]

Never really thought about what it'd be like to have the opportunity.

[They could probably do a lot of things here they've never really considered before.]

... sure? Why not. Could be fun.

I know what you mean. We have so many different opportunities here and I think it'd be more fun with you by my side.

[ It sounds like they really would have a good time. They could eat while sitting on a blanket and bring different foods. ]

I like spending time with you, Kainé. Friends should stick together!

Well, when you put it like that, how am I supposed to say no?

[Even though she'd already agreed— but if she hadn't, he'd be making a great case for himself right now.

She smiles faintly, letting out a soft chuckle that's surprisingly warm, given the rest of her posture. The Nier she knows always brings that out in her. Why not this one, too?]

You really like that word— 'friends.' But you're right. I've probably told you before, but... where you go, I follow, that right?

[That much, she's sure remains the same between Kainés.]

Right! No matter what happens, I'll be there for you.

[ Nier smiles softly when he speaks and there's conviction behind his words. His resolution is firm and unwavering when it comes to this particular topic. There are these tiny flowers blooming right next to him. ]

Is there anything else you want to do, Kainé? Think about something you want to eat!

[For someone who's shed as much blood as the both of them have, Nier really is too good for this or any other world. She pauses for a moment before shaking her head, looking back towards the town itself.]

I could eat anything right about now. I stopped at that tea place earlier, but I wasn't really thinking about food then.

[Too distracted. There's still some of that now, but...]

Think I heard something about a welcome feast?

If there's a feast there's bound to be plenty of people and food.

[ He's excited for food and a chance to see what everything is about. Nier still hasn't gotten over the fact there are so many people here. It will never not be strange to him. Some of them even come from different worlds. Last time he checked using higher level magic and warping only led to destruction. ]

Tea sounds nice too. I dunno it seems like there's so much going on. I don't always know what's the right thing to do. We're just going to have do our best and eat well when we can.

Unusual problem to have, don't you think?

[She does manage a partial smile in response.]

Not that we were starving near the end, but not like there was a lot to go around. I say we check out the food.

[Seems as good a place to start as any, especially since the tapirs clearly don't want them going into the woods right now. She'll— figure that part out later.]

Come on. I'm fucking starving.

I can't say I disagree with you. We had food back home, but the Shades made life difficult for everyone so it's not like we had tons of resources to spare.

[ He nods in agreement with Kainé's last comment. Even he's starting to feel his stomach growl. ]

I'm right behind you and just as hungry. Maybe we should pick up our pace a little.

{ GAME OPENING LOG }

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