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

[ Like many of the new arrivals, Zelda is waking up to Songerein after falling asleep. She's not aware of the decades that have passed since her divine powers awakened and she sealed herself and the destructive force known as Calamity Ganon away from the world. Being sealed was like being half-asleep—she passed between periods of dozing and semi-consciousness without awareness of what was going on outside her gruesome cocoon. Occasionally, the princess stretched out her telepathy and reached for Link, the only person she was sure was still alive. But, meeting only silence, she always curled back in on herself and slipped into oblivion. ]

[ Until this time, when she opened her eyes—truly opened them—and saw something other than the cocoon. ]

[ Zelda may look a little out of place in Songerein compared to some of the other, better groomed, newcomers. The princess is has been wearing the same filthy white dress for decades, stained with blood and dirt, and tattered leather sandals in a Roman sort of style. She is drenched from head to toe in thick crimson goo of the same color and consistency of raspberry jam, as though she had been submerged in a lake of it until just this moment. A large, bulbous eyeball is growing from her shoulder, with a black sclera, fiery orange iris, and slitted pupil. This visceral manifestation of Calamity Ganon's hate, its Malice, clings to Zelda with the same sticky tenacity of any vitriolic feelings. It seems that Songerein's dreamotion energy is affecting not only the princess, but the residual hatred from the beast she is holding prisoner back in her world. ]

[ Throughout the coming days, Zelda will manage to wash away the Malice (and banish the unwanted third eye). But for the moment, she will be dripping raspberry jam wherever she goes. ]

I-C (with some B too) Welcome to Songerein: Exploring Town

[ Immediately upon arriving in the plaza, Solei appeared to greet the newcomer. Zelda's three eyes blinked slowly in response to the tiny tapir's greeting—two together, and the third an awkward second later. Their vacant stares fixed on Solei as its explanation drifted through a long-dormant mind, coaxing tired gears to turn for the first time in decades. ]

[ An uncomfortably long silence passed between Solei and Zelda, the kind where each second felt like an entire minute. It had entreated the newcomer to ask it questions and been met with silence. Unfortunately for the tapir, only two thoughts had managed to penetrate Zelda's dormant brain: Red. Pig. ]

[ Red pig. And the realization sent a ripple of panic through the princess, making her spark to life from behind her blank stare. ]

"Ganon!" [ Zelda lunged forward to catch the tapir, only for it to immediately disappear. She fell straight through the empty space and into something solid. ]

[ Oh no, she's crashed right into one of the other new arrivals, consequentially smearing raspberry jam-like goop all over them. Sorry! ]

[ However, if you were lucky and avoided a collision with Zelda, you will find her at the fountain. She'll sit there for a long time, just staring at her reflection in the water. But after some time, she'll lean over and dunk her head straight into the water. What is she doing?! ]

II-C Home Improvements: Tidying Up

[ Having washed herself off a bit in the fountain, Zelda is looking a far cry less goopy than when she first arrived. She's also looking more alert and the third eye on her shoulder has shrunk down into an ugly boil. It's time to get a better look at her new home. ]

[ The residential area... leaves a lot to be desired. She'd been excited when she overheard some of the other newcomers mention living in treehouses, but her enthusiasm faded when she arrived and got a good look at the sad shape of them. ]

[ She walked into one of the hollowed-out trees. Its sheer size was incredible, but it was full of clutter: musty wood, rotten fruit, dead leaves and vines. It looked like an old nest for some kind of tremendous creature. ]

Well this is ... homely. [ There was already someone inside this particular treehouse, possibly hard at work cleaning or maybe doing something else entirely. Zelda approached them. ] Would you like some help with this?

III-C: Dreamscape Tutorial

[ Zelda is quick to join at the Dream Swings to learn about how to dreamwalk. This is why she and the others were bought to Songerein, right? Maybe if she can get a jump on dreamwalker training, she'll be better able to help this world. ]

[ Inside the forest dreamscape, Zelda is free of Malice goo and dressed in practical clothing, rather than her white ceremonial robe. After freeing herself from her pumpkin state, she sets out immediately to help transform the forest from spooky to autumn festive. She repeats the explanation from the tapirs over and over in her mind: use positive energy and imagination to fix the forest. That's simple enough. The princess conjures up images of her favorite pastries and soon has a little conga line of fruit cakes bouncing along behind her as she walks. ]

[ But it doesn't take long before something else appears at the end of the line: a little black cloud, a shapeless fear conjured from the back of Zelda's mind. As she walks, she waves her hands at the trees to turn their leaves to vibrant reds and golds. At the back of the line, the cloud slowly eats up the the little cakes, one by one. She glances behind her on occasion and notices the cloud, but forcibly turns back to her work to avoid thinking about it. ]

What do you think about some hanging some strings of popcorn right here? [ She gestures to the trees on either side of the path she and her companion are traveling upon. ] We could drape them from the branches above the path like garlands.

IV Wildcard

[ Surprise me! I'm flexible. ]

( hard at work, indeed. at the sound of her voice, ren turns, his broom still in hand. with his free arm, he wipes at his brow where a sweat had been building.
homely, huh? it wasn't great, and the rotting stuff definitely didn't help, but... these trees kind of hard their charm! right...?
maybe he was just trying to convince himself this work would actually be worth it... )

That'd be great. Once more around the room here should do it.

Edited 2021-08-26 06:55 (UTC)

All right.

[ 'Once more around the room,' huh? Zelda could probably manage that. She went to pick up the extra broom leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room from Ren. Sure, Zelda had never held a broom in her life, but she'd seen tons of other people do it. How hard could it be? ]

How long do you suppose this place has been empty? [ Zelda flipped the broom so that it was bristle-side down and began sweeping. ] These tree-houses are awfully filthy, but there are quite a few people around. Surely they don't all live elsewhere.

Hmm.

( he paused, apparently giving it some serious thought, then getting back to the task as he answered. )

If the layers of dust are anything to go by, at least several months I'd say.

( it's a guess at best. but hey, it definitely WAS taking some time to get things looking decently, uh, livable. it was curious to think about the souls that might have occupied this place before them, how they had lived, the things they'd seen... maybe— some had even 'woken up' somehow?

well, optimistically: )

At the very least, it probably beats camping outside.

[ Several months. Zelda was loath to think of what might have caused all of the residents in this city to suddenly vanish, but the thought leapt unbidden to her mind anyway. Something awful must have happened here, some calamitous event that wiped out Songerein's population, leaving behind only a devastated husk of a city. ]

[ No, she didn't want to think about that. And clearly, neither did Ren. Zelda immediately picked up the offered segue. ]

Perhaps when the weather is bad, but otherwise I must disagree. Camping is so refreshing compared to being stuck inside some dank building. [ Her tone was cheerful, if a bit wistful. Remembering all the times she enjoyed camping swiftly pushed dark thoughts to the back of her mind. ] I had thought that a treehouse would be rather similar, but it's far mustier than I imagined.

{ test drive #01 - august 2021 }

Zelda | Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [CW: minor body horror (goo, eyeball)]

II-C: tidying

no subject

no subject

no subject