{ test drive #04 - march 2022 }

[dreamposts]

✵ TEST DRIVE MEME: MARCH ✵
A reminder that our Test Drive Memes double as an Intro Log and threads can be carried over in-game, which means all content is forward dated to the first week of the app month. They are also required for samples. Refer to the Game Info for general information and feel free to toss any TDM related questions here. Reserves are open and Applications open on March 1st. Our application cycles are bi-monthly so the next cycle won't be until May.

I. WELCOME TO SONGEREIN

Upon "arriving" into Songerein, everyone is understandably confused. The first thought would be they must be in a dream, which makes sense since the last thing they might remember doing is falling asleep or losing some form of consciousness or awareness before opening their eyes and finding themselves in the Plaza of some strange town they've never seen before. But there are a lot of other people around, some that may look familiar but others so strange that it would be impossible for their own imagination to dream up. And they're all just as confused. Fortunately, a red tapir-like creature appears and introduces itself as Solei, one of the "keepers" of this place. It offers some explanation before letting everyone explore their new "home." [Reminder: Other people aside from the characters will also appear to act as filler NPCs so keep in mind that new groups are at least double the size. Players are also free to be creative and come up with any kind of creature or animal their characters might encounter. The only limitations are they must be small to medium in size and not be overly aggressive as the creatures within the town are mostly passive, just wary of the new arrivals.]

A. Magic Journals. Everyone will find a journal stylized just for them on their person somewhere and it's the primary means of communication with everyone. The only limitation is that it's text only, but images can be magically imprinted on the page from the writer's mind. Might as well give it a whirl and see who all is out there.

B. Dreamotion Abilities. Although everyone maintains most of their original abilities while in Songerein, they are also capable of using special abilities based on dreamotion energy. From having their emotions affecting the environment to utilizing new abilities entirely, it's probably something that they should start familiarizing fairly quickly. Especially since all the emotional surprise and confusion may already be affecting things, such as random glass shattering or cracks forming at one's feet.

C. Exploring Town. The town of Reverein is small but still sizable, so walking around and to see what all there is might be a good idea. The town has become more populated over time, but it's still relatively empty with many buildings still unoccupied and some still in disrepair and about to collapse in on itself. There are a few small fae and small wild critters who have made a few nests so just watch your step—or head. Some could venture out to the farmlands and beyond, but having someone more experienced may be wise.

D. Dreambucks Cafe. As a way to welcome their new inhabitants as well as give them a nice, cool refreshment after all the work they will be doing, the tapirs will call everyone's attention to a certain cafe back at the Plaza. Called Dreambucks, it's a quaint little cafe staffed by friendly tea fairies and primarily serves tea and small cakes. Their teas and foods are quite special as the flavor will influence one's emotions and dreams—but in a good way! There are no harmful side effects and they are usually positive. Bolstering one's spirit; calming or relaxing nerves. The tea fairies want everyone to enjoy their time. Anyone can pick whichever table they want to take a break and meet some people. Or take a peek at what someone might be dreaming thanks to the teas.

There are three different types of teas available:

Strawberries and Cream Tea. A sweet and flavorful tea that can provide soft, friendly feelings or have one acting especially sweet towards a friend. Or perhaps even towards a stranger who seems to need a little sweetness in their life.

Black Pomegranate Tea. A few sips of this will invoke melancholy over past loves. However, it doesn't need to be people—it could be anything at all: people, places, things, interests.

Coffee with White Chocolate Raspberry Cream. These bold and strong flavors will cause one to perform grand acts of affection (romantic or platonic) for anyone they see.

Although it doesn't always happen, sometimes the tea will be a strong enough influence that it will make the drinker daydream for a bit. Anyone nearby may notice their dream crystal lantern flicker and catch a brief glimpse of the daydream on it. Or perhaps those who want to try out their dream crystal lanterns are deliberately trying to see if their dreams are captured. Only daydreams influenced by the tea can be caught and even then it's just a brief glimpse, but it's still an interesting way to see how the dream crystal lanterns work.

Note: There is no currency in the world and everything served is free at this time. However it might not be immediately obvious and the fairies won't mind if customers repay in some way, be it helping out via cleaning and serving, giving gifts such as flowers or fruits, or something else.

II. LOCAL PROMPTS

Although Valentine's may be over, there is still plenty of that "romance" in the air, especially with all the leftovers from the month. But it's not all hearts and rainbows.

A. Candy Roses. Candy roses are all the rage right now and once again confectioners are competing against each other in creating the best ones. This has led to many being handed out as samples. What makes them so special? The flavors will influence one's emotions on the positive, "loving" spectrum. However, some will have a softer, subtle effect while others may be more exaggerated.

• Red. Red candy roses will induce ardent love towards the person within their vicinity. It causes them to immediately grab their hand and declare their love for all to hear.
  
• Pink. Pink candy roses will cause the eater to be filled with so much joy they start frolicking with flowers everywhere around them, to the point that flowers will appear in their food, drink, whatever they touch.
  
• White. White candy roses will cause the eater to be very honest about their feelings…about anything that comes to mind or they see. Positive or negative, they can only tell the truth. Some may be able to control it, but the impulse will be very strong.
  
• Purple. Purple candy roses are a mystery flavor that will have a random emotional effect on the eater. They could be joyous, they could be so overwhelmed with passion they become depressed, they could become angry and possessive…it's a toss up wildcard.

All effects will last from ten minutes to half an hour.

B. Orc Chocolate Sculptor. As if not to be outdone by the candy roses, an area around the Central Plaza has been cleared away for a large orc who performs and creates magnificent sculptures made from pure chocolate. From buildings to animals to people, to making replicas of real food, to making large and miniature models of Reverein's streets, this orc can do it all. And he is inviting others to join in. All the tools and chocolate are provided, and should anyone be successful in their creation, it has the chance of becoming animated through dreamotion energy. It could behave as a result of the sculptor's emotions, or someone could try to channel dreamotion energy to make it move. Of course, things can get messy…watch out for chocolate being flung from some kids who snuck in!


C. Eris Arrows. No one knows where they came from, but winged, cherub-like creatures have appeared and are firing arrows at everyone. However, these have orange feathers and anyone struck by them will transform into a lindworm filled with anger and hate for the first thing they see. Clearly this isn't a good thing, and fortunately there are some love arrows still around that will help negate the effect. Otherwise, one will have to try and subdue them and push a lot of positive "love" dreamotion energy on them (can be platonic or romantic). It is also possible to take out the anti-cupids, but as they seem to be a form of noctaere, only dreamotion abilities will make significant damage to them. Similar to those turned into a lindworm, the love arows can also be used against them, as well as any other concentration of "love."

III. DREAMSCAPE TUTORIAL

To help everyone understand their dreamwalking abilities, the tapirs will ask anyone who is willing to gather around the Dream Swings in the Central Plaza. There anyone is invited to sit in the chairs or hammocks and focus on their dream crystal lanterns to enter a special dreamscape made just for them. Those watching might find the sight of everyone suddenly turning into a colorful ball of light and disappearing alarming, but that's just the normal process of entering a dream. When someone leaves the dream, they will briefly reappear as that light before returning to their original form. The theme for this dreamscape is Three Little Pigs in Candyland. For this dreamscape exercise, the tapirs have created a fascinating environment that is basically Candyland. It's a good thing this is all a dream so that anyone who has a sweet tooth can eat to their heart's content and not get a cavity. However, even if this is a dream made of candy, there are still some threats to the dreamwalkers…especially since they will be turned into either pigs or wolves. Free exploration is allowed, but there are a couple of "objectives" or "exercises" they should try to work on their dreamotion abilities.

A. Three Little Pigs. As a fun twist to the dreamscape, dreamwalkers may be turned into anthropomorphic pigs. They can walk on their hind legs, use their forelegs as arms, speak, wear clothes if they feel comfortable about…but they are otherwise very much a pig and will not be able to transform out. They can add to their appearance, such as adding wings, horns, hair—anything that might help bring back some of their individual characteristic. They don't have to work together, but the main "plotline" of this story is to build houses to withstand the big bad wolves.

B. Big Bad Wolves. The other option for dreamwalkers is they may be turned into anthropomorphic wolves. Like the pigs, they can walk on their hind legs, use their forelegs as arms, speak, wear clothes, etc, but they will look more wolf than "person." Their goal is to destroy the houses…by eating them, although they will find they have a powerful set of lungs that will allow them to try and blow them down. Of course, those who want to help the pigs instead are allowed. Might even be a good idea considering what else is out there.

C. Candy Houses. The pigs are to build the strongest house as possible, but they can only use one type of the following material: pixy stix (straw), licorice (sticks), and jolly ranchers (bricks). Other materials such as icing, gum, and other things can be used, and dreamotion energy will be key in helping to strengthen and decorate them, but it must be made with one type of building material. Or cheat, who is actually paying attention—

D. Evil Hansel and Gretel. Although the "Big Bad Wolves" are supposed to the main antagonists, noctaere in the form of Hansel and Gretel appear and try to not only eat the houses, but also will try to turn the dreamwalkers into candy…to later consume. That would be bad, so perhaps teamwork between the pigs and the wolves will be necessary to beat them back. Fortunately they aren't too difficult to eliminate, and upon defeat they will burst into sprinkles.

Comments

[servantofeternity]

[ Of those who she expected to see here? He wasn't one of them, but Yae could say she didn't mind a familiar face from her world. Even if it wasn't someone she had the pleasure of spending time with, it just seemed that now was a good a time as any to do that after she'd just started seeming to miss Inazuma.

There's a smile on her face in seconds, and the hand not holding her cup of tea gestured him to come closer. ]

I could say the same. I don't believe we've had a chance to have an actual conversation, have we?

[ Something about the look in her violet eyes is almost mischievous but still kind, yet almost daring him to say no to what she was about to suggest. ]

Why don't you sit down so we can talk and you can tell me about your time here?

[burnbrighter]

[ It’s not like he’s running an errand for the Commission and can just do whatever he was sent to do and beat a hasty retreat back to the Kamisato Estate. He’s pretty much stuck here, in her presence, and there’s nothing he can do about it. Besides, no matter how much she frightens— er, instills a healthy sense of respect in him, it would be cruel not to try and help her get her feet under her in this strange place.

He doesn’t move too close, but he still takes her up on her offer, taking a seat with no small amount of trepidation. ]

Soooo… um. Did you just arrive?

[servantofeternity]

[ How she oh-so-much enjoyed watching people squirm. Even now, Yae didn't even bat an eye or show a single sign that she was overly enjoying his reaction other than the pleasant smile on her face as he sat down. ]

I did. A scant couple of hours ago, which isn't entirely long enough to be really acquainted with how this place works beyond the simple explanation they gave me upon my arrival.

[ Her earrings jingled slightly as she tilted her head to give him a surveying look for a moment. ]

What about you? Have you been here a while?

[burnbrighter]

[ It seems a trip to another world hasn’t changed Lady Miko’s demeanor at all. She knows that Thoma is deeply uncomfortable and she’s loving it. Normally a bit of familiarity would be something of a comfort, but this is proving to be quite the opposite.

It’s probably a vain hope that if he helps her out she won’t torment him too much, but a guy can dream. ]

M-me? Um, it’s been… three? Almost four months now. So if you’ve got questions I can try to help you out!

[ He will genuinely try his best in that regard, but maybe he should ask the fairies for a drink to calm his nerves. ]

[servantofeternity]

[ Loving this? Oh definitely. It's definitely put her in a much better mood than she'd been in before, pleased that she wasn't the only one from Teyvat who had ended up here. ]

How lovely! As it happens, I do have many things I'd like to ask.

[ As much fun it is to tease him, there are some serious matters still among the things she would like to ask and as such? There's no use in wasting time here. ]

Could you start by telling more about this... dreamotion energy i've been hearing about?

[burnbrighter]

[ Thoma allows himself a small sigh of relief when it seems they’re going to get right down to brass tacks and dispense with the teasing, at least for right now. Even if Lady Miko still scares the bejeebers out of him, this is something that’s easier to talk about than the poor attempts at small talk he sometimes makes on his errands to the Shrine. ]

Oh, sure! Dreams and emotions have power here. If you focus them just right, they can have an influence on the world, or you can even create things.

[ To illustrate, he holds up a hand and in a shower of sunshine-colored sparks and a slight tang of wistful nostalgia, a teacup appears in his hand. It’s swirling, delicate design looks like it came right out of the Kamisato estate.

He sets it on the table, and she’ll find that it’s as real as the teacup she’s currently using. ]

It just kind of comes down to practice, but it’s a lot easier to use the emotions that come naturally to you.

[servantofeternity]

[ In this case it's simply just a matter of wanting answers and he's convenient. So she'd figured, why not take what's here and it'll save her the effort of having to go looking for them herself later. ]

Ah. How fascinating.

[ Yae wholeheartedly means those words, reaching a hand out to brush her fingers against the newly created teacup on the table. A world in which dreams and emotions could bring things tangibly into existence was definitely one she'd never heard of before now. ]

I suppose that would make sense. That will have to be something worth looking into and studying, seeing how... important and unique it is to this world.

[ A soft hum escapes her for a second in thought. Thoma's not off the hook completely for her teasing but there's definitively a time and place for it. ]

Is there anything important you can tell me about this town that I may need to know?

[burnbrighter]

[ Being a convenience isn’t so bad - he would be doing the same were he in her place instead. The teasing will start back up eventually, he knows (and dreads), but right now it’s easy to simply answer her questions.

He watches her with the teacup a moment and he can’t help but wonder just what is running through her mind. Thoma has been learning the ropes around here as best he can, but he hasn’t thought to study how any of this works in any real detail. ]

Mm, well, there’s no currency, but I’m sure you’ve noticed that already. Otherwise, from what I can tell, the town existed before people started showing up. A lot of the living spaces were already here, just full of junk and debris. I don’t know if that means someone used to live here before or if this place has been waiting for us for a long time.

[servantofeternity]

[ Yae viewed the world a little differently than most people might, and one could attribute that to her many years of being around on Teyvat alongside her own clear inhumanity. Little did phase her, but occasionally there were things that did pique her interest.

She wasn't even really mad that she'd been pulled into this little dream realm, since it was strangely fascinating. ]

Hm. I'd like to think that perhaps it's just been uninhabited for some time, but if it DID have others who lived here before? Doesn't it make you wonder what could have happened to them?

[burnbrighter]

[ Thoma is much more of a “live in the moment” sort of person, even if he does seem to have a contingency for everything. There’s a difference between being well-informed and looking at the bigger picture in the way an immortal might. ]

I am a little curious, but you’ll find that there’s no shortage of things happening around here to grab your attention in the meantime. The moon is missing, for one.

[ Maybe he should have led with that. ]

[servantofeternity]

[ There's a slow blink, and a touch of surprise actually flashing across her face for a moment. ]

Oh, really? I suppose by virtue of it being a 'dream' that it can get away with such things, or maybe it is simply that they find no need for it here.

[ Either way she doesn't seem horribly shocked, but more intrigued over anything else. He was once again proving that it was totally worth speaking to him, plus he'd mentioned there were many things that would happen here to 'grab' her attention. ]

[burnbrighter]

[ Someone write this down, the day that Thoma managed to surprise Yae Miko. ]

Um, no. It’s nothing like that. Something ate it.

From what I understand, there’s a being called the Story Eater that’s been sighted around here. It twists realities and devours them. It ate the moon and then vanished.

[ They’re probably going to have to address that at some point or another, but hell if Thoma knows how to go about fixing something like a whole missing moon, or dealing with the thing that ate it. ]

[servantofeternity]

[ Even more curious indeed. There was a being who could eat the moon, twist realities AND eat them? ]

My, how fascinating. To think a creature like that actually exists. I've never heard of such a thing.

[ A pause and Yae seemed to really give things some thought before a smile slowly crept onto her lips. ]

Do you think this mysterious, moon devouring Story Eater will eventually show itself to us?

[burnbrighter]

[ Honestly, this whole situation has all the hallmarks of a great light novel. “Trapped in a World Made of Dreams, and Something Has Eaten the Moon.” ]

I don’t know. Mostly we’ve dealt with its minions, things called Erasers.

[ Contrary to Yae’s expression, Thoma’s lips curve downward in a small frown. ]

Sorry I don’t know more. Information is pretty limited.