songerein | { test drive #01

Entry tags:

-tdm

{ test drive #01 - august 2021 }

✵ 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

[Kor's surprised to see a familiar face finding him like this, for a brief moment even forgetting his present predicament and expressing excitement over running into the boy.]

Vanitas!

[but only for a moment.]

W-wait, no! No, I'm not, please help me out of this!

[ There comes a little snort from Vanitas. ]

Gee, I don't know. What did you do to tick it off so much?

[ He might help out the guy in a bit. Need to gloat a little more first. ]

I... I dunno!

[He sounds pretty panicked right now. Since when do trees attack people!?]

One minute, I was trying to clean up here with my magic, and the next, here I am!

I suppose I can lend you assistance.

[ Even if it is weak and not really too effective, Vanitas will throw a Fire spell. Might be enough to spook it? ]

[Upon being under attack by Vanitas (even if he's not actually trying to fight it), the tree places Kor on the ground, almost surprisingly gently.]

Ah, hey, it worked! Thanks, Vanitas!

[But now the tree is angry, and that root is now lunging for Vanitas, trying to ensnare him instead.]

[ Hey hey! Stupid tree. Don't come after him! ]

Augh! Maybe I shouldn't have bothered!

[ At least he's going at dodging and getting out of the way? ]

[Vanitas not accepting his punishment seems to only anger the tree further, its roots now lashing violently at him like tentacles as they attempt to grab him. Can he really keep dodging forever?]

Are you going to be okay here?

[He's just... standing there watching this tree attack Vanitas.]

[ When has Vanitas ever really accepted any sort of punishment? At least he still retains his agility here. Despite his physical build, Van is actually really fast. Getting out of the way isn't an issue but Kor standing around doing nothing sure is! ]

How about you do something?

I don't know if I should.

[yeah, you deserve this one, Vanitas. Totally earned it. He's even mimicking the way Vanitas said it.]

You seem like you're doing just fine on your own.

How about if you don't, I will disappear and leave you to deal with this!

[ And he will. Just poof! And gone...

If Kor doesn't get that snarky butt of his to work! ]

[There's a brief pause. He was going to help anyway, he just wanted to give Vanitas a taste of his own medicine. But now he's concerned.]

W-wait, you can do that?! O...okay, I'll help, I'll help! Just don't go disappearing...

[Kor walks over to the tree's trunk now and places a hand on it, trying to get it to calm down as he conveys positive feelings to it, feelings of friendship and camaraderie. Feeling of how he considers Vanitas a friend, even.

Soon enough, the tree's attacks begin to slow down, the lashing being less frequent, until finally, they stop all together.]

Yes. I can.

[ But he's not going to explain now. Not until Kor comes over and deals with the tree. Once the roots calm down, Van can settle. Of course he will still glare at the thing, but that's a given. It's not as though he appreciates being attacked for helping an "acquaintance" out.

Which has him questioning why he even bothers. No good deed goes unpunished indeed! ]

With all of my powers and abilities given back to me, there's much I can do. Calming animals and plantlife don't seem to be within me anymore.

[The tree settles down, responding to Kor's emotions and magic, the roots nestling back into place, but not before one reaches up and pats him on the head this time. Much better than its attempts to hug him.]

I'm sure you could figure it out if you put your heart into it.

[And he's not talking figuratively here.]

[ Oh that comment sure merits a flat look from Vanitas. If he puts his heart into it, huh? ]

Aren't you funny. Wouldn't I actually need a full heart to put it into anything?

[Kor's pretty used to Vanitas' sourpuss attitude by now, so he's not even remotely fazed by his response. In fact, he's quick to fire back a comeback.]

You're already halfway there, maybe even more. You've definitely got emotions, at least.

That's fairly easy to say when I started out with at least half.

[ Though there is no denying the fact that he has emotions. Apparently still has a wider range of emotions.

However he doesn't really want to... Ask. How much of his heart he actually has healed at this point? It's probably been undone. ]

[Kor can tell what Vanitas is thinking. ...Okay, he can't, but he does have a sharp sense when it comes to the topic of emotions.]

...My offer still stands, you know. To go inside your heart, I mean. Back in Aefenglom, I never really got the chance, but I can still make up for it here.

[A pause.]

And here, I can make sure I do it right.

Why would you do that?

[ Oh he remembers that promise. It had been a shock then and it is no less so now. He doesn't understand where this comes from. Oh there's no doubt that Kor is being sincere. Vanitas doesn't think that Kor possesses an actual deceptive bone in his body. ]

After all, we're not all connected like we used to be.

Because... I promised you I would?

[The way Kor says that sounds like he's stating the obvious. Like, duh, he said he would do it, why wouldn't he do it? Kor Meteor always does!]

And I don't back down on my promises, especially to my friends.

You might have promised, but you're under no obligation to fulfill it now.

[ Although Vanitas is already getting the idea that Kor doesn't really get it. Since the guy's up and decided that he's going to follow through with it, then that's it. End of story. How many people are like this in Van's life now anyway... How can he not recognize it for what it is?

Just plain and simple compassion. That's what this is. Kor knows there is a need and he wants to do what he can. Stupid, since Kor doesn't get anything out of it but. Well. That doesn't really matter to him, does it. ]

Fine, fine. I'm done trying to convince you that it isn't necessary.

You haven't really tried all that hard, to be honest.

[Kor, no. Even if he does have a point. Asking him to back off only to back off yourself upon seeing Kor's resolve isn't trying very hard.]

But even if you had tried harder, I wouldn't give up so easily.

[...At least he knows what he's like?]

I could. Ask Sora how obstinate I can be.

[ Honestly, he just doesn't see the point. Not when Kor and Sora are cut from the same cloth on this. Van is very much aware that being stubborn is only going to make the other boy try all the harder. ]

Which I still can be. If you'd prefer.

[Kor can't tell whether Vanitas is teasing him again or not. That's what makes him scary.]

Ehh? Ahh- n-no, that's okay, I'm good with you just like this.

(( continued here ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

{ test drive #01 - august 2021 }

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