{ 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

[starshower]

[Tifa can only laugh at his shrug and the almost-jaded thoughts that come with it, and funnily enough, not a word of it is a lie. One slip-up in her emotions or one accidental thought and all of that magic and effort go right down the drain.

But that's why she's still learning, and why she's going to keep trying until she gets it right. At the very least, to give these kids something they'll remember when they go home rather than the trauma of watching a chocolate cat melt before their eyes. What a gruesome sight that would be...]

Mm-hm!

[With the piece of chocolate in her hands, she closes her eyes, as if she's trying to envision what that fix should look like, but after a brief moment, she pops one lid back open, her lips curling upward into a smile.]

You really know your stuff about magic. I take it you practiced a lot back home?

[recreator]

[And they certainly don't want that. So she'd best put in the effort (or hope that Emet-Selch deems it worthwhile to step in and spare the children from having nightmares for the better part of a week).]

[At first he thinks she's about to throw in the towel and beg for his help once more, but what he does not expect is the line of questioning.]

[He'd arch another eyebrow but well does he remember where that got him the last time, so he simply answers in that put-upon way of his.]

I'd be concerned and offended if I didn't. The practice of magicks is not something one simply dives into without first knowing the fundamental basics of its application.

But, yes I suppose. You could say it comes with the territory. While across some worlds magicks are a rare gift bestowed upon a select few, my people have ever and always been fluent in its use. A way of life; boundless. Almost as natural as breathing.

[starshower]

[She can see the kids listening keenly through the corners of her eyes, that small glimmer of amusement glinting in there as she keeps them fixed on Emet, listening with intent and genuine interest, and taking each word he says to heart. It helps, listening to him talk about it, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and slowly but surely, the chocolate begins to melt in her hands.]

So, I'm guessing you've never heard of materia, then?

[Given that there are already similarities between their worlds, it's a question worth asking. The way he talks about it reminds her a little of the Ancients, or the Cetra, as Aerith called them. People who could naturally bend the magic of the world to their whim—controlling the mako and all that.

And to make a point of it, she twists her wrists just enough to bring attention to the materias embedded in her leather gloves.]

That's what I have to use, so it's not exactly second nature to me. More like third.

[recreator]

[Emet-Selch spares the children but a glance. (Just because he said he was well-versed in the use of magicks, he wasn't volunteering to teach any of you lot!) They'd best be grateful for the show they've already received and let that be enough.]

[And though he may not know of a peoples who refer to themselves as "Cetra", she may be at least somewhat surprised to know that the similarities she's already begun to draw in her mind are not so far removed from the truth.]

Of course I know of materia. Who wouldn't? They're widely and commonly used to enhance the properties of both equipment and weaponry.

[His gaze sweeps over the selfsame crystalline objects attached at her wrists, and then his eyes narrow almost imperceptibly. There's something (he would hazard a guess) distinctly unusual about them.]

This would, however, be the first I've heard tell of them being used to enhance a person's magical ability. ...Although, in theory I suppose it might be possible...

Might I ask where you obtained those? Materia bond to the soul of the wielder, but there's something else in there too.

[It's only a hunch, impossible to know with absolute certainty given the way the energies here tend to muddy everything else, but.]

[starshower]

[Tifa pauses to offer her hand to the cat, where the half-melted chocolate is, and after a sniff, it dips its paw in and begins to groom itself with it, smoothing it over the parts of its body where the chocolate has already started to melt away like a protective coating of butter. It also serves to grant the kids a closer look at the little glowing orbs, and they 'oooh' and 'aaah' at them before their attention is turned back to the kitten.]

That must be the mako they use to make them.

[Interesting that he seems to be able to sense the difference. She's yet to meet someone else who's ever heard of the substance before in another world.

How does she explain...]

It's a form of the Lifestream extracted from the planet. When it's condensed and crystallized like this, it has magical properties which allows me to use it... outside of otherworldly circumstances, I mean.

[Here, she hardly has any use for them, but she points them out with her chocolate-covered fingers.]

Healing, fire, elemental, and a summon.

[Tifa's head tips, and her eyes shine with curiosity.]

How'd you know they were made of mako?

[recreator]

[Emet-Selch scrutinizes them from a distance, and quite intently at that. In fact, this is the first thing the man has directed true, steady interest in - and without having his arm twisted in the process besides.]

[The chocolate cat, the children, the spells imbued to each of those materia - all set aside. He has fallen to silence, and when at last he realizes that this girl is staring at him as if waiting for an answer, he abruptly looks away.]

How? I didn't. I'm not familiar with this "mako" of yours.

[But he is familiar with the Lifestream. Intimately so, in fact. And the idea of mankind extracting crystals made up of its essence is mildly concerning to say the very least. However, if he wanted, he could say quite a lot. Yes, he would know that energy anywhere, whatever others might choose to call it. It's inextricably linked to all that he is.]

Nevertheless, the materia used on Etheirys are produced in a different manner.

[starshower]

[He wouldn't be wrong in any of it, nor would Tifa disagree. It's all that she's been fighting for back on Gaia, and although the big bad corporation extracting the mako is the entire reason they're fighting against them, it's one of those "necessary evils". Materia helps them in that, even if she'd rather not think about how it's made.

It is a bit curious that he's familiar with it at all—or the energy that resides within the little glass balls, and it makes one think... how connected are some of their worlds beyond just familiar creatures or magic?]

Probably for the best. The way it's done is not exactly great for the planet.

[It kills trees and plants and runs rivers dry.

Tifa shoots a quick glance at the kids, all of them playing ball with the cat, some of them bickering over who gets to throw the little chocolate ball next while it sits, its tail furling and unfurling, as it waits.]

How do they make them in yours? Just take magic and coil it up real tight in little balls?

[recreator]

Yes. To put it mildly.

[One would almost think this were a personal affront, as if these materia were being extracted from his very own backyard, but that's quite enough of that. Although he doesn't particularly like children, he certainly doesn't want all those little eyes focused upon him should he put these concepts into more words. A brief glance in their direction, and then he shrugs again, and any remnants of irritation vanish.]

For a thorough explanation, you'd want to speak to a goblin about it, not to me. But in the simplest of terms, a great many materia are crafted and extracted from primed weapons. The entire process is relatively cyclical, all told. "Waste not" as they say.

[starshower]

[At least if it were that way—recycled from goods made by humans rather than the planet itself—she might be okay with it, and there's a small heave of her chest when she looses a sigh of relief at that.]

Haven't met a goblin yet, but I'm sure one will turn up someday.

[There have been plenty of non-humans that have stumbled into this little dream world, although she does have to wonder... what the goblins even look like. She imagines something terrifying and wrinkly and very unfriendly, simply based on the books she would read to Marlene before bed. They were hardly ever the good guys.

But when his attention turns back to the kids, so does Tifa's, just in time to catch something horrifying.]

Wait—!

[One of the kids has snapped the cat's chocolate tail from its back, and some of the girls scream, and others begin to cry and shout "what did you do!"]

[recreator]

You could do far worse, in any case. Though I should very much like to know the "how" of it. Simply "turning up" is far too convenient.

[Whatever she may be imagining, it's undoubtedly far removed from the stout little creatures with their gas masks and heavy backpacks filled to the brim with whatever items they might require for their trade.]

[But that is mere background noise for the stunted crack! of chocolate and the high-pitched screeches of tiny, horrified children.]

[Such a bother.]

Now, enough of those sad eyes and sorrowful looks. Remember - this cat is made of chocolate. A mere figment of dream and memory. It isn't hurt and won't feel any pain.

And although it may have to go away for a while, there is always the chance of bringing it back out to play once again. Mayhap it was time you allowed it a little rest.

[starshower]

[Tifa, too, has a hard time remembering that it's just a little bit of carved chocolate made mobile through dreamotion, so the look of horror on her own face is obvious in that moment before he reminds her. One of the other boys exclaims something about eating the chocolate tail, and that's when she fully steps in to break up the little spat of shrieks between them.]

He's right. Let's not get too worked up, alright? It's just chocolate.

[Although Tifa picks up the chocolate cat, who had been busy "grooming" itself, and cradles it in her arms as if it were a real one. She worked hard on this!]

I'm going to take the cat home, and maybe one day, if you're all good, I can bring him out to play with you all again.

[One of the girls looks to Tifa, then to Emet-Selch, her own little cat ears twitching on her head.

"Will you come too, mister?"]

[recreator]

[What a bother. Emet-Selch finds himself peering down into an innocent little face framed by the excited flapping of two furry feline ears as one would stare into an oncoming Megiddo Flare. Has he mentioned before that he dislikes children?]

I make no promises, but perhaps if you lot behave yourselves in the meantime, I'll consider it. Assuming I'm not preoccupied with a prior engagement.

[Though he will relent. Slightly.] And it's Emet-Selch, not "mister". You'd do well to remember it.

[And with that he glances sideways at Tifa with a raised brow. He noticed how quickly she retrieved the chocolate cat, and he can only imagine that her attachment has much to do with the memories she associated with its creation. It's not an uncommon phenomena. Even amongst the Ancients, he witnessed such biases many times over, though they tended to be far more discreet about it.]