songerein | { test drive #01

✵ TEST DRIVE MEME ✵
Reminder that our Test Drive Memes double as an Intro Log and threads can be carried over in-game. 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 open on August 25th and Applications open on September 1st. Our application cycles are bi-monthly so the next cycle won't be until November.

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 the initial group is 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 is empty of any other people and it's relatively safe aside from most of the buildings looking like they're about to collapse in on itself, but 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 anyone who gets too close to the Wildlands will encounter a tapir who will tell them to go back for now. Be warned if anyone tries to ignore and push past them.

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:

Rainy Morning. After drinking this tea, one might feel a little melancholic or nostalgic for something from their past. They might even have a short little daydream of a distant memory.

Summer Afternoon. This tea will make anyone feel more vigorous and joyful. So much so they might start shining like the summer sun itself! Any dreams influenced by the tea will be one of a happy occasion or a hopeful dream.

Autumn Evening. Brewed with special strong, herbal spices, this tea has a bit more of a kick to it, but it's also warm and is great for calming nerves while giving just enough of a confidence boost to get through whatever difficulties lie ahead. The dreams influenced by this tea will reflect when the drinker has been their bravest.

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. HOME IMPROVEMENTS

The entire town is in need of a massive fixer upper, but one of the first areas everyone will likely want to start is the residential area to figure out their new homes. Instead of houses, most of the homes are in the trees. Be it a treehouse or carved into the tree itself, various dwellings can be found. Unfortunately, there are some unwanted guests making a mess of things, so they will need to be cleared out.

A. Pest Control. One of the worst offenders are giant bugs of varying size of type with the biggest about the size of a large dog. Some are actually quite friendly and can be shooed or coaxed away to the forests just outside of town. Or who knows, someone might befriend them and make them into a new pet or house helper. The giant beetles could make for some interesting guard...bugs. Some, however, are more hostile as they find the fruits, leaves, flowers, and wood of the trees delicious. The biggest threats are the giant termites so they must definitely be eradicated or removed.

B. A Little Pruning. The trees themselves are a little...testy in large part of the bugs that have been chowing down on them. After the bugs are cleared they will calm down and become more passive, but until then everyone will also have to beware of wild swinging branches, rotten fruit falling, and roots suddenly springing up from the ground. Another way to appease the trees is cutting out some of the old, rotten wood and giving the trees some pruning, especially any vines that are choking some to death. Positive dreamotion energy will also help revitalize the area.

C. Tidying Up. Once the area is clear, the new residents can start cleaning up and repairing the different houses there. From repairing walkways connecting the trees, to the stairs and ladders that lead up to the treehouses, to decluttering and repairing the buildings, there's a plethora of work that needs to be done.

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 Spooky Forest and it first starts in a pumpkin patch before moving to a dark, fog filled forest.

A. Suddenly Pumpkins. The moment anyone enters the dream they will find themselves in a fenced in pumpkin patch and turned into a pumpkin. Since anything can happen while dreamwalking, the first exercise is to try and change back to their original form or have fun and just roll around as pumpkins. They can even try to change the pumpkin form, such as changing the size, the shape, color. Just watch out for the mice. They are feeling very artistic and will try to scribble whatever on any pumpkin around, but otherwise are harmless and easily scared off. The marker will remain even when turned to the normal, but should be easy enough to remove, right? The only way to leave the patch is to turn back to normal.

B. Festive Candy Hunt. At some point the tapirs come in and ask the dreamwalkers to try and change the spooky forest into something a little more festive. They are given free rein to change the environment in how they see fit. Of course, this means the dreamwalkers need to figure out how to focus their energy and imagination to make those changes. Perhaps starting small by adding decorations or changing the colors of the leaves is a good starting place. But there may be some difficulty as some rogue candy is messing things up and getting in the way. Capable of movement, they will dash, roll, and even fly to evade capture. They will also try and defend themselves using special "attacks" based on what they are. Chocolate will make melted chocolate puddles, taffy will make sticky traps, bubble gum will try and encase people in a sticky bubble—might want to avoid the giant jawbreaker as it's more of a bodybreaker. Fortunately once caught, the candy will change to its more normal form. Maybe altering the environment could work to their advantage. If successful in either decorating or catching the candy, there will be some kind of reward later.

C. A Little Frightening. While traversing through the forests, any small, minor kind of fear will manifest and chase them around. For example if one is afraid of spiders, a small group or one large spider will suddenly appear. If one hates cleaning, a bunch of brooms and brushes will start harassing them. It's not enough to induce full blown nightmares, and no one can actually be harmed, but it's enough to give anyone a fright and need help getting rid of them. Thinking of more pleasant ideas that counter the fears, like fluffy clouds or cute plushies, can help disperse them. If the fears worsen instead, a small noctaere will form. The tapirs warn that they are creaturn born from nightmare energy, and if too many appear and grow bigger the dreamscape could turn into a nightmare. So what a great opportunity for the dreamwalkers to test out their new dreamotion abilities! Especially since their original abilities aren't even useful while dreaming. The noctaere are quite weak, so a few hits can easily disperse them, but there might be a few that will take a bit more teamwork. This is especially so since everyone's abilities will be weak as well.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Okay, fair enough. McGillis is a pretty large guy and has had no problem manhandling beetles all through the afternoon, but some of the specimens do seem a bit heavy. ]

I'd say so. The one in my home even settles for particularly tasty leaves as my roommate discovered.

[ It is very specifically 'the one' because they've elected to keep it... ]

Maybe you could set a trail for it?

A trail, hmm..

[ not a bad idea!! elsa examines the forest floor for a moment, before flicking her wrist and producing a handbasket made of delicately woven ice, which she hooks onto one arm before beginning to collect some of the smaller, less rotten looking fruits. ]

The one in your.. home?

[ pet beetle?? ]

[ Okay, wait what. There is a notable second of pause as McGillis just kind of stares at the craftsmanship of this basket that appeared out of thin air - this must be the dreamotion energy at work, but what an incredibly mastery in such short time!

Ahem, anyway. ]

It was initially just trespassing but... my roommate decided we should move him in - well, 'him', preliminarily. We aren't sure about identifying beetle genders yet.

[ one by one, the fruits go into the basket, and it isn't long before the beetle rooting around the dilapidated treehouse she's chosen begins to take notice, skittering a little nearer. ]

Well, I suppose there are worse pets..

[ elsa wouldn't necessarily say they're, uh, cute, but they're docile at the very least, and probably.. don't make too much of a mess?? honestly she has no idea what the bathroom habits of a beetle are. ]

[ It's hard not to notice Elsa's skepticism below the cheery exterior and it makes McGillis smile a little. ]

There are also better pets, I certainly know.

[ He was not precisely a bug enthusiast before... well, today. And he's desperately in need of finding a book to read about them even now. ]

But this place is already so strange and unusual, why not open ourselves up to entirely novel experiences?

That's certainly a good way to see it all.

[ novel experiences. that's kind of all her life has been for the past four years, but even everything she went through back home was nothing compared to waking up in a dream world you're expected to stay and live in. that's next level.

now that she has enough fruits, however, she approaches a large root and begins setting them down one by one, down the root, luring the beetle to the forest floor. ]

Still, I think I'll pass on the beetle pets, oddly charming as they might be..

[ McGillis smiles slightly as he watches the giant insect enthusiastically monch n the treats laid before it. It feels easy to get fascinated by the way beetle bodies work, now that he's got such a close-up view of them. ]

That's fair enough. We can't all immediately turn to the strangest of hobbies. [ ... ] Tangentially related, how did you get so good at dreamotion energy this fast?

[ Teach him your icy secrets that he mistakenly assumes to not be innate... ]

[ one by one, down the fruits go, until at last both elsa and beetle are on the forest floor. she overturns the ice basket and dumps the remainder of the fruits onto the ground, where the beetle happily scurries to begin scarfing them down. mission accomplished! ]

Oh, you mean this?

[ elsa gestures to the basket while she's walking back up the root again, and with a flick of her wrist it dissipates into flecks of snow, carried away on the wind. ]

It isn't dreamotion energy, though they're very similar..

[ This is practical and very pretty - McGillis traces the snowflakes with his eyes until they vanish from sight entirely. ]

That is a shame, because I'd love to learn something like it. My world has stories about magic but not the real deal, unfortunately.

[ knitting her hands behind her back, elsa smiles. it's nice to be complimented on her work, after so many years spent hating and fearing it. ]

Well, I don't see why you can't still try. From what I can tell, the dreamotion energy can take any form you like, so long as you practice and try enough.

That is true. Fortunately, if there is anything I am then it is studious.

[ It's the emotion part of dreamotion that troubles him. He much rather keeps those in check and the implication that he has to work with them might make getting a proper start a little difficult. Luckily, McGillis is also stubborn. ]

Do you simply conjure an image up in your mind to create its match? How detailed does your knowledge of an object need to be to recreate it? If I am allowed the questions, of course.

[ yes sorry, keeping her emotions tamped down was in fact the worst way to practice her magic, so it's time to... let it go, friend. ]

Of course - ask whatever you like.

[ her smile says she doesn't mind. ]

But.. yes, something like that. It's very fluid. I have an idea of what I want to make, imagine the shape of it, and..

[ whoosh! icy flurries swirl again, and in her hands elsa is holding a small snowy squirrel. ]

[ Ah?! McGillis is a fully grown and very cynical man, but he is not immune to the wonder of tiny snow squirrel. He leans down (like, way down, he is 2m tall) so he can get a closer look and there definitely is an excited little glimmer in his eyes. ]

That is an excellent replica. Have you spent a lot of time watching squirrels before?

Oh, thank you!

[ it's a decent enough squirrel, she thinks! and his excitement brings a bright smile to her face. these are the things she enjoys using her magic for, after all - to bring people delight and happiness. what better purpose could it have? ]

And I suppose so, yes. I used to watch them climb the roofs from my window.

{ test drive #01 - august 2021 }

apologies for this delay, I got busy!!

no worries at all!!

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