TDM #2

[fabulists]

fable test drive meme #2

// away with the fairies

In your land, there may be stories of the Fae taking people away. Perhaps you haven't heard of the Fae at all, or perhaps you are more familiar with them than others. No matter how well acquainted you are with the Fae, everyone around you has experienced the same fate tonight: Being taken by them. Partially, at least. For they did not want to kidnap anyone from their home and take them away from the life they knew. In a small jar of fairy dust, part of your soul was taken in the night and brought to a magical village by the name of Fable.

On arrival, the Fae release you from the jar before waving their magic wands, and materialise this taken little part of you into a brand new you. From here onwards, your new life begins, shared among magical creatures from all walks of life. Here, you will be allowed to grow, thrive and enjoy the bounties provided to you by these mysterious and wonderful creatures. In exchange, they ask for a share of the magical fruit that you grow in your garden, in order for their dragon overseer to reclaim his own magic and find his missing siblings. After a briefing on your new life, you understand things as best as you possibly can. Now, it's time to settle into a brand new cottagecore life.

Welcome to Fable.

// arrival

Now that you are a resident of Fable, you have a brand new cottage, a garden, and a few tools to use! There's not an awful lot in your cottage, though: Just a cardboard box, a lamp, a cassette tape and a single bed. Most of the village shops are currently closed due to the bad weather, so it seems like socialising with your neighbours might be your best shot at finding something to do.

Something sparkly catches your attention before you realise it's a message board, advertising an array of tasks for bonus fruit. Did this thing appear out of nowhere just now? That must be the case, since you can swear it wasn't there a second ago. Perhaps the board will urge you to find some fellow people who are in a similar situation as you. It seems that the monthly tasks are geared towards togetherness due to this being the month of love!

love is in the air

// an arrow through the heart

When the 14th of February rolls around in Fable, every creature across the realm seems to be full of love! The villages all across the realm have many loved-themed attractions for the occasion. There are Fae folk giving away cookies in the streets, mysterious Cherubs flying around with bows and arrows that might make you suspicious, and a general sense of happiness and warmth can be felt all around.

Of course, Valentine's day is for more than the love shared between romantic couples, though! All kinds of love are celebrated on this day - platonic love, familial love, romantic love, and every other kind in between. To celebrate this romantic holiday, the Fae have poofed some attractions up into Fable including an outdoor café, a magical carousel and an evening firework show! When the fireworks explode, they explode into hearts! Isn't that sweet?

// merry-go-round

In Fable's town square, a magical carousel has appeared! As you take a closer look, you notice that the wooden horses seem to be alive...?! If you stare and linger for too long, the Fae may pester you to go and ride it! If you succumb to the wishes of the Fae (or decide to ride it out of your own accord), everything will seem to be pretty normal to start. The horses move up and down while music plays, giving a pretty novel carousel ride experience.

Then, suddenly, the horse you are riding will turn around to look at you...!? And then say: "Seems the two of you are getting along just great! Now, we'll take you on a date!" Uh, what!? Before you can ask questions, you realise that the horse you are riding has detached from the carousel, and it is now taking you to a new location with the person next to you to set you up on a date! Both you and the person riding the horse adjacent to you will be taken on a fun date spot by both of these horses. It seems to be far out of Fable, too! The horses will take the two of you for a fun time out in Kanshi! Known for its famous flower gardens and pink foliage, it makes for a wonderful date spot. Once the carousel horses deliver you, they tell you they'll come and pick you up...! On one condition. The condition is that you must either play 20 questions, truth or dare, go out for a meal or make flower crowns for each other. Simply whistle to call the horses back afterwards. Have fun!

// complimentary candy

Care for some candy? Although, you're pretty sure these are cookies ... In any case, there are several fairies flying around Fable with trays filled with complimentary candies! Upon first glance, they just look like a regular plain heart, but once they're picked up, they will tell you something you really need to hear right now. Something to warm you from the inside out!

Once you consume one of these candies, you won't be able to resist complimenting other people as well. The more you eat, the more compliments you'll give!

Uh oh, there's trouble in the air ... Mischievous Faerie Cherubs may shoot you in the heart with an arrow today! You won't feel it, but the momentum of being struck might make you wobble a little.

Red arrows will give you strong feelings of lust. Oh, my. When did everyone here get so attractive...? You feel like you're on fire. Better go somewhere private if things get heated between you and another.

Yellow arrows will make you feel like sunshine today! If you're usually a grumpy grump, you find yourself filled with inexplicable joy. It's probably contagious!

Pink arrows will fill you with so much love for the people you care about. It's like the holiday spirit of Valentine's has hit you full force! You really want to do something to show someone you care about them.

White arrows will give you a case of the hiccups that can only be cured with a kiss! You know the cure, but nobody else does (unless they've been affected too.) What will you do?

viva festivale!

// a feather hunting festival!

After a fun time on the 14th, you feel as though the Fae must be all partied out by now during February. Surely they can't still be partying this month? Wrong! They certainly are! You awaken one morning to discover that music is playing in the distance. If you feel intrigued enough to go and investigate, you will notice multicolour paper decorations lining the streets along with lots of bunting.

Any questions you may have will be answered very swiftly when a peacock bursts out of nowhere, wildly shaking his feathers! "WELCOME TO FESTIVALE!" He says, and before you can open your mouth to speak, he continues:

"One and TWO! Three and FOUR! Your hips! They do not move! They do not hear the music! They do not DANCE! Dancing is not done with your feet, but with your HEART!"

You still don't follow.

"Your heart cannot DANCE while you are lonely! Therefore, you must complete my scavenger hunt to make some friends! You must team up to find the magical feathers I have hidden! Bring the feathers to me, I will reward you with furniture! And you will reward yourself with friendship!"

Okay, you think you get it now. After reading the peacock's directions presented on a wooden sign, you are given the opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt! What's there to lose, especially if there are prizes to be won?

Each feather will appear when participating in a different activity!
The activity involves gathering a material and doing something fun together in Fable's locations!
The material seems to be relevant to the type of furniture you want, too ...

Red feathers can be found when collecting stardust in Qijue! In order to assist with this task, a little bit of magic will temporarily give you feathered wings! Once you have gathered stardust from the sky and swapped a meaningful story, a red feather will appear! This feather can be swapped for a random piece of star furniture and its DIY recipe!

Green feathers can be found while gathering glowing moss in Limerick! In order to assist with this task, a little bit of magic will temporarily transform you into a tiny fairy with a moss pouch! Once you have gathered moss and danced together, a green feather will appear! This feather can be swapped for a random piece of moss furniture and its DIY recipe!

Blue feathers can be found when diving for seashells in Villanelle! In order to assist with this task, a little bit of magic will temporarily transform you into a mermaid! Once you have gathered some pretty seashells and played two truths and a lie, a blue feather will appear! This feather can be swapped for a random piece of mermaid furniture and its DIY recipe!

Purple feathers can be found while gathering blossom petals in Kanshi! In order to assist with this task, a little bit of magic will temporarily give you fairy wings! Once you have filled a basket with petals and shared an ice cream, a purple feather will appear! This feather can be swapped for a random piece of cherry blossom furniture! and its DIY recipe!

Once you have hit 5 comments each in your thread (10 comments total), you will be eligible to redeem your furniture and recipe! This is to guarantee the prize in case threads get dropped or fall incomplete. Reply here to do so!

Welcome to Fable's second TDM!
We're excited to have you here, and hope you enjoy the prompts!
To familiarise yourself with the setting, please take a look at the arrivals & premise page!
We would also appreciate it if you could have a look at the rules as well.
As a general note, the TDMs are considered game canon!
Which means all rewards for fruit & furniture can be used in the game if you apply!

New arrivals have a cottage, a network device, the clothes on their back and a single item from home.
To view the locations, NPCs and more information about the game, please visit our full navigation!

If you have any questions that you have not seen answered in the FAQ, please ask in the FAQ post. Thank you!

(CODE)

Comments

[regnal]

[ Smart, she thinks. And here she thought he was only all talk.

Lumine makes a noncommittal noise at his remark about sharing information, deciding that she's gathered enough flowers and settling down on a certain area in the field. Her hands start to weave the flowers togethers, crisscrossing the stems, letting the blossoms effectively hide them, trying to recreate the one given to her by the Aranara a long time ago. ]

Mm, Mondstadt's streets are covered with flowers, while everyone offers their own representation of the Windblume flower to Barbatos or a person they love. Whether it's a single bloom or a flower crown you offer, it doesn't seem to matter to the god.

[ She doesn't think the festival has changed since she's last gone to one. She would've known if it has. ]

After all, it's a festival that supposedly celebrates both freedom and love.

[harbingereleven]

Mondstadt, the city of freedom. We call it the city with no god. Barbatos up and abandoned them, after all. The Tsaritsa still helps rule Snezhnaya.

( He can see that Lumine's hands are deft with the flowers just as he would anticipate them being. She's a formidable fighter with her sword so it stands to reason she would be good at this too. Lumine is good at quite a lot of things. The strangest thing, though, is to see her without Paimon. )

I guess your little companion didn't make the journey with you? I don't remember her name, just that she floats around.

[regnal]

[ Her hands momentarily pause in their occupation, wracking her own brain for the name of Aether's traveling companion. Perhaps she just pays little attention to what her brother has been up to, trusting him that he would find his way through Teyvat, but perhaps she should've also considered this, given that he has a knack for getting involved with the Order.

Still, that's a strange thing to ask of her, and Lumine glances up at Tartaglia with a slight frown, fingers coiling around the bent stems of the crown. ]

You ... remember me traveling with Paimon?

[ Not Aether? Would it not make sense that he associates that little fairy with her brother?

Then again, it's rather strange that he's been treating her in such a friendly manner. She understands that the Harbinger isn't quite like the other Harbingers of the Cryo Archon, but one would think he'd have his defences up, at least. Her gaze flickers back to the unfinished flower crown in her hands. ]

Curious.

[harbingereleven]

You were inseparable the last time I saw you. I never saw one of you without the other, actually. It seems strange not to have her here, floating around and talking about food and mora.

( Childe can't say he misses Paimon but she had been stuck to Lumine's side like glue and had been hard to miss. Her reaction is strange, though, almost as if she hasn't seen Paimon in a while. Has she just been here a long time and Paimon unable to come? It's possible. It's a mystery he's going to have to untangle before it eats him alive. He takes a chance and reaches out to touch Lumine's hand. )

Do you miss it? Teyvat?

[regnal]

[ The touch on her hand startles her, and it's only then that Lumine realizes that she's been deep in thought. Her thoughts aside, however, it surprises her more that her brother's acquaintances hold such affection towards him; then again, she also can't imagine otherwise, her twin brother practically the sun and the stars in a dark sky.

It only makes sense that he would've made such compelling connections with people during his journey. Betrayal, then, would be much more bitter and more painful for him once it comes.

But this affection isn't directed at Aether but at her. Which makes her question this situation even more. Tartaglia looks at her with a familiar gaze, one that unsettles her. ]

No, I don't.

[ The machinations of Celestia, the suffering of its people, the heavy responsibility placed upon her shoulders—she doesn't miss any of those at all. And yet, she has to return anyway, determined to keep a promise, and only sees this as a momentary respite.

She pulls her hand away, resuming her creation of the flower crown. ]

Though is it possible you're mistaking me for someone else, Tartaglia?

[harbingereleven]

( Lumine is acting strange and it isn't his imagination. Childe frowns a little and wonders why she'd call him Tartaglia, ask him if he's mistaking her for someone else when he fought a duel against her in the Golden House, had her take Teucer around Liyue...why wouldn't she know him? )

No, I don't think I'm mistaken. I know you. You fought me in Liyue. You took my brother around when I was busy with the Fatui. You and I are rivals if not friends. Why wouldn't you know me, Lumine? You've never called me Tartaglia.

[regnal]

[ Curiouser and curiouser.

He's associating her brother's journey with her, alluding that she's been traveling across Teyvat all this time. Lumine pauses once more with her preoccupation, closing her eyes and tapping a finger against her lip as she tries to make sense of all of this. A disturbance in the Ley Lines, perhaps? Or is it because they're in this world that memories have been altered?

She also considers one more possibility, though she's never thought it would be applicable to Teyvat—and certainly, to her and her twin brother. ]

Something else is at play here ... [ She murmurs quietly, looking around the garden once more before letting her gaze linger on the male in front of her. ] Those memories of yours, I remember them differently.

[ Her expression shifts for a split-second, that of consolation and sadness. But it disappears right away as she averts her gaze. ]

They're not mine but someone else's.

[harbingereleven]

Someone else's? I don't think I understand, Lumine.

( He desperately wants her to elaborate on it but he thinks he should play the long game here and let her divulge at her own pace. If he pushes, she might close up, and any chance he has for getting information will slip through his fingers. These are the tools of the Fatui but not the ground soldiers; these are the tools of him and him alone. )

Why would my memory be different than yours?

[regnal]

[ She falls silent at his question, weighing her options here as her fingers continue to weave the flowers together. But then, there are no other options, are they? He is Fatui and a Harbinger, at that; they are and have always been at odds, even more so since Pierro had joined their ranks. That will not change, not even with the assumption of her role and the obligations that go with it.

Even in another world, she doesn't think it would be wise to divulge the truth to the Eleventh, even if he considers "her" as his friend. ]

Let's just say that my fate has not crossed yours in Teyvat, not in the way you remember it to be. Hence why our conversation is at cross-purposes.

[ She carefully places the flower crown in his hands like it's made of glass, her fingers brushing along some of its petals and leaves, featherlight. ]

[harbingereleven]

Pity. I was hoping we could find ourselves on the same side for once. If you look around, there's no Fatui and no Tsaritsa.

( It doesn't mean he isn't still loyal to them, no, but it isn't the first thing pressing at his mind while he's making flower crowns with someone he thought was a friend but clearly doesn't think of him as the same. Lumine seems different and he'd already thought it but as he looks at her a little more she seems reserved and brittle in a way the Lumine he knows has never been. His Lumine, for lack of a better term, is eternally hopeful and always trying to do the right thing. This one seems like she has a shadow on her and he wants to find out why. )

Does it bother you? To hear that I'm your friend?

[regnal]

[ A bother.

Perhaps in Teyvat, she might have considered him as one. The similarity in their goals and his relations with Aether aside—and even that doesn't truly bother her—the Abyss Order has always been at odds with the world and she's more than certain there's no love lost between them and the Cryo Archon, Pierro too since he's decided to side with them.

Plucking a nearby dandelion and gently blowing on it, its seeds scattering around them: ] More of a conundrum than a bother as I only know of you in passing while you seem to know me more intimately.

[ It isn't as if his information as a Harbinger is kept as a secret, so she at least knows who he is. ]

Does it trouble you that I'm not the Lumine you remember?

[harbingereleven]

Yes and no. Troubling would imply that I'm unsettled by it and while it's strange I'm not really...you were always looking for your brother and thought every Archon might have the answer. The thought that there's a place where your brother was looking for you isn't any more strange than us being here, I don't think.

( Lumine's blowing a dandelion and it reminds him so much of his Lumine that he has to pause for a moment and get his bearings. )

It's not like I can't figure you out here the way I did back home.

[regnal]

I see.

[ Perhaps he is different from the reports given to her by the mages, but Lumine resolves not to let it influence her in any way. Not only because he's a Harbinger and pretty much an enemy of the Order, but also because the look in his eyes seems to still seek recognition somewhere.

And she can't offer him that kind of solace, even in a world that's not Teyvat. She's long forgotten all those sentiments, buried under centuries of solitude in the abyss. ]

You make it sound like I'll permit you to figure me out.

[ His report of him being quite cocky as all Harbingers are isn't wrong, at least. ]

[harbingereleven]

Well, I don't really need your permission to try and figure you out, Lumine. I would rather have it because I respect you but I can find things out on my own, too. I didn't get where I am by being stupid.

( There's a soft place in him where Lumine is concerned, though, and he wants her to know him even if she doesn't want it. It's his need to be liked, he thinks, and all the things they'd built up together to make them friendly rivals instead of enemies had been meaningful for him. )

[regnal]

[ Lumine wonders if her counterpart or even Aether found this annoying. She's never truly paid attention to the group that surrounded her twin brother during his travel, only trusted his judgment and good sense. He's never failed there, at least, and she doesn't expect him to fail her in any way.

But if they were anything similar, it wouldn't surprise her if they both did. But to tolerate him for so long, perhaps patience too is something she shared with her counterpart and her brother in another lifetime. ]

Only by being reckless, unthinking and arrogant, I see this now.

[ With a sigh, she gets up from where she's settled on the field, done with her flower crown. That's the condition they needed to complete, right? ]

I suppose the fault is yours should you regret this choice in the end.

[harbingereleven]

Now, now. Arrogant, I'll accept, but I've never been accused of being reckless or unthinking. Those two will get you dead very quickly in my line of work and not making a reputation for myself that I end up getting in hot water every time I'm working on something. I can be cautious.

( Maybe he had shown his hand with Lumine but he thought it was the Lumine he knew, the same Lumine that he thought of as an equal and a fun rival. The same Lumine he'd trust with his family's life. It's very clear that this isn't his Lumine but someone else entirely masquerading in her body. What happened to her? )

What about you? Do you regret any of your choices?

[regnal]

[ Lumine momentarily averts her gaze from him when asked that question, eyes that have been accustomed to the darkness of the abyss flickering to the sky: bright and blue, a sky she has not seen for a very long time now. She can't tell if it's offensive or beautiful; maybe it's both.

Does she have regrets, he asks her. ]

Certain expectations do not permit me to indulge in regrets.

[ It would cost too much time and too many lives that she cannot afford. Even now, they're struggling against the world, and regretting the choices she's made would only discredit those struggles. ]

Regrets will not bring back the consequences of any mistakes I make.

[harbingereleven]

No, you can't change what you've done in the past. You can change what you do now, though. I'm hardly the person to give someone a persuasive argument about changing their wicked ways, though. I wouldn't consider me a good person in the traditional sense of the word.

( Not like the Lumine he knows from his version of Teyvat, who he does believe is truly good. She's someone who will do the smallest favor for ordinary folk and while Paimon might make noise about wanting mora for it, he thinks that Lumine would do a lot of these things without reward just because she likes to help. Not this Lumine, though. Childe doesn't think this Lumine is going to run around taking commissions that are more annoyances than anything else. )

Every day is a new day, though. You could wake up tomorrow obsessed with making flower crowns and drag me back out here.

[regnal]

[ She doesn't wish to be compared to anyone nor judged for any decisions she's made. After all, they were hers to make, and no one else was burdened with such a choice other than her. She has no idea what her counterpart has done, only assuming that they parallel that of her brother's, but they have been spared so far of the kind of pain she'd undergone.

Her expression turns stony and impassive at his remark. The only sign of a shift in emotion is the slight furrowing of her brows, the crinkling of the space above the slope of her nose. ]

You have quite the imagination as well, don't you?

[harbingereleven]

Some would call that kind of optimism a good thing. Besides, flower crowns could help you make new friends, Lumine. You could make a whole bunch and just drop them on everyone's head like you were celebrating some new kind of festival.

( Childe touches the petals of the crown she'd put in his lap and decides he'll keep it, even if such things don't last very long. The petals will drop and the stems will wither and it'll disappear sooner rather than later. Flowers are only beautiful because they don't last and they're a gift of the moment and a fleeting bit of beauty that slips away as quickly as it slipped in. )

Did you have fun making them?

[regnal]

[ Lumine recalls a similar inquiry posed to her by the Aranara a long, long, long time ago during their Festival Utsava. She, however, no longer remembers her response to them, her memories of the Dendro Archon's familiars stowed away in a part of her mind that she's locked away.

Which is why she doesn't respond to his suggestion or question, simply turning away from the Harbinger. They've lingered for far too long in this place, even if the stipulation is supposedly for them to have a date. ]

Are you done with yours?

[harbingereleven]

I am. You should take it with you so you can remember we went on a date with one another and I found something out about you. It's always nice to have something to remember a person by.

( Childe leans forward and tosses his flower crown, managing to get it on Lumine's head but it droops a little to the side and it's likely to come off if she twists her head too much one way or the other. )

To memories?

[regnal]

[ Her hand deftly catches the crown before it falls off completely from her head, holding it next to her side. She puts her other fingers in her mouth, blowing a sharp and ear-piercing whistle to call the horses. A trick she's learned a long time ago, one she didn't think would come in handy.

Lumine's quick to ignore the questions about how the date went and the grumbles it made when it realizes that it wasn't a date at all, simply placing the flower crown over its wooden horn as she easily mounts it. There, condition completed. ]

Try to forget about me, [ she says, grabbing the reins of her unruly horse. ] That way, your memories of the other Lumine will remain immaculate.

[harbingereleven]

( Try to forget about her. Childe grabs the reins of his horse and wonders if he could do such a thing, if he could ignore the stranger wearing Lumine's face but none of Lumine's personality. He doesn't know that he can. It's a mystery he wants to unravel and he thinks he'll keep picking at it until he knows how and why this has come to be. )

Can't say I can promise that.

( He heads off though, head full of questions and no answers. )