fablecottage | TDM #2

Entry tags:

!tdm

TDM #2

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)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( Childe can't help but laugh at that and he lifts a hand, indicating that no, he doesn't want Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to die. He also doesn't want to die but he isn't superstitious enough to think he's courting trouble by just talking about it. )

The last time I was in the Feiyun Commerce Guild, I heard you were selling death pre-arrangements. Is that true or are people just talking nonsense because there's nothing else to talk about?

( Childe had spent a good amount of time in Liyue Harbor, long enough that it felt like a second home in some ways. )

Goodness, you are quite the nosey person, aren't you? But no, they are correct. I was attempting to sell coffins but alas, it seems that nobody was interested.

[She gave a dramatic sigh before looking at her flower crown. As she tried over the knots, she smiled to herself.]

Isn't that a pity? Nobody wants to prepare should it ever happen.

Maybe you were selling to the wrong customers. I lose soldiers left and right. Maybe I should be investing in coffins so we can get them all buried or at least in a coffin before being shipped back home. It's something to look into, anyway.

( Childe watches Hu Tao's face to see how she takes it, to see if she believes him or not. He's not sure if he even means it or not. )

Besides, a burial done by the esteemed Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is nothing to sneeze at.

Oh? Is this a partnership I am seeing? I certainly wouldn't mind sending you some coffins should you need it.

[And yet, she wasn't even sure if she was serious. But then again, she doubts Childe would accept her offer.]

After all, it'll be good for my business no?

Exactly. It's just good business to make a partnership with an organization that has a high risk of casualty. I might not be from Liyue but I can see a good contract opportunity when it comes along.

( Childe thinks he might actually be serious now. Hmm. This is something to consider when he gets home. ~~It has to be when and not if for his sanity.~~ )

Do you want to shake on it?

[And here, Hu Tao had a decision to make. As much as she wanted to better business, it was another now that they were in a new world. Additionally, would it be wise to do business with the Fatui?]

I wouldn't mind but it is something I'll have to think about. I'm afraid I can't really do a business until we have returned to our world!

[That and she rather not get into messy stuff!] But until then? You can consider this as a payment. [She said before putting her flower crown on top of his head.]

Edited 2023-02-11 13:21 (UTC)

( Childe laughs at that, the crown slipped lazily on his head, and he feels like the boy he was before the Abyss, before Skirk, before everything. Would that boy have become a Fatui Harbinger? Hard to say. )

Absolutely. If we get back to Liyue Harbor, I'll come and talk to you. As it is, I guess we're just going to make flower crowns in a field until we fulfill our captors' wishes.

How many are we supposed to make? Do make as many as we want until they grow bored of us?

[With that, she gave a small hum before letting out a gasp!]

Or perhaps we should make one for them! We certainly can't leave them out. That wouldn't be a very good 'date'.

Oh, you have a good idea. If we make crowns for them, surely they'll come back to get us.

( Childe doesn't know about the logic about this whole thing because he's never been on a merry-go-round, much less one that takes you on a hostage date, but this makes as much logic as anything else. )

At least I'm with esteemed company.

Then all the more reason why we need to make sure the flower crowns are as pretty as it can be! Quick, let us find the most beautiful flowers here!

[And with that, off she went to look for whatever flowers that were the best combinations around!]

How about you start first? What colors should we get?

Blue flowers are popular in Snezhnaya. They remind you of the ice. You'd think we had enough of that but no, apparently not. What about blue and white?

( It sounds like a good color combination to him but he is eager to see what the opinion of Hu Tao - born and raised in Liyue Harbor - is. )

Or how about we add in some orange and red? If they are going to be cold colors, we might as well add in something warm to balance it out!

[And after all, everything evens out!]

It'll add in something for everyone. How about it?

I think it's a plan that can't go wrong.

( It's nearly every color so there's something here that their kidnappers must like. Childe starts deftly weaving together another flower crown. )

We should make a suggestion to the Qixing to add flower crowns to Lantern Rite.

Oh? You think that they would allow it?

[She said as she looked around for red flowers before crafting her own flower crown. At the same time, she did narrow her eyes at his crown just a bit.]

Flower crowns aren't exactly the most traditional though.

It is more of a Mondstadt thing, isn't it? They'd probably do it for Windblume. I've never had a chance to actually go to Windblume but I hear it's exciting.

( Childe laughs a little. Liyue does love its traditions - it's the backbone of the Land of Geo. Still, he thinks there's a little room for everything everywhere. )

Nothing compares to Lantern Rite, though. Everyone should see that at least once.

I haven't either but for all I know, it certainly does lead to some rather interesting events going on. What they are, I think that is up to our imagination!

[That and she truly does wonder what happens there.]

Then what about you? Have you seen it?

Oh yes. I stayed in Liyue for it. I had to be...subtle, of course, but there's plenty of ways to hide in Liyue Harbor when there's that many people around. I don't think it was technically what I should have been doing but I don't really care for always following orders.

( Sometimes he pushes back against the orders as given unless it is a directive given directly by the Tsaritsa herself and not one of his fellow Harbingers. He thinks of himself as equal to them and doesn't like the hierarchy they've set up. )

So if I wasted a little time in Liyue, it didn't hurt anyone.

[For a moment, Hu Tao paused a bit. Looking at her flower crown and then back at Childe, she could see she was about halfway done. And yet, she wondered what she should say to him.

Giving a small frown to herself, she eventually settled with a sigh.]

But now you can consider yourself being on an extended vacation, right? I know you have duties to fulfill but I don't think you have to worry about that here.

[And you know. Hopefully start over again?]

I guess I won't be on any Fatui business here, no. It's kind of hard to do that when there's no one to report back to.

( Childe gives Hu Tao a smile and it has a little mischief in it. She seems like someone that his siblings would like, if they got the chance to meet her, and that makes him a little soft and he knows it. )

Besides, I can just say we're having a talk as business associates, right?

Yes that is true! Although we are talking as business associates, I certainly hope we can keep it that way as we go back home.

[She said with a small sigh.]

I really don't want to have to fight you when the time comes to return to Liyue.

I'm not planning on any fights any time soon. Although...you have a Pyro Vision, don't you? We would be well-matched if you ever wanted to try.

( Childe might not want to be Hu Tao's enemy, per se, but it doesn't mean he doesn't want to fight with her just for the experience of it. Knowing how to counter any kind of opponent means you can fight against more of the unknown. )

I'd rather we stay associates the next time you see me in Liyue, though.

Oh, don't worry, I plan to! The last thing I want is to engage is any combat with the fatui. Not to mention that my business would be destroyed if I do!

[All the while giving a dramatic sigh.]

And I have a feeling you would beat me in combat too.

Would I, though? I like to think I would but I've never engaged the illustrious Hu Tao in combat before.

( There's a smile playing at Childe's lips as he says it because while he bests most of his opponents, there's a few who have met him at a draw or defeated him (like Lumine). )

I can't say for sure until I have a real match.

Even so, I'm not sure engaging in combat here is a good idea.

[All the while Hu Tao raised an eyebrow at him. From here, there was the rare serious look on her face as she debated on how to get herself out of this.]

Especially when we are supposed to be on a 'date'.

No, probably not here. We need to find a place that has plenty of room and not when we're on a date to see what we've got. What weapon do you use, Hu Tao?

( Childe uses a bow because it's his worst weapon but he is able to disassemble it into melee weapons and apply Hydro from his vision on them for a brief amount of time before going back to using a proper bow. )

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