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

[bravesteps]

[ she would rather he did Not make a bigger deal out of this than she already is, tbh.. sumire knows she's being silly, but she can't help it. it's not as if she has been on many dates, before. she's hung out with people before, but.. dates are different, aren't they? they're supposed to be romantic!! ]

Oh! Yes, I can show you how to make one, for sure. Let's go!

[ she tugs on the sleeve of his jacket, smiling warmly. ]

[skews]

[ Now she's acting a bit more her usual self, though he's certainly use to Sumire's nerves as well. If he focuses on keeping her calm, it works for him, as well. He doesn't have to fixate on it being a date when he instead focuses on the task at hand, even if it could be considered romantic in nature.

But he's not really a romantic kind of person. ]

Do you enjoy gardening, Yoshizawa-san?

[ Whether she does or not, she's going to have to do it now. They all will. ]

[bravesteps]

Gardening? Oh - !

[ he means the fruits, doesn't he? sumire looks thoughtful as they walk toward the flower gardens. ]

Honestly, I've not done much gardening. I've grown some herbs on the balcony, but that's about all.. though I don't mind learning. It seems peaceful, and rewarding. Do you?

[ somehow she just cannot picture him gardening.. ]

[skews]

[ To be fair, he can't picture it either, even if it's sure his life now. He's entering his Bob Ross era, creating happy little trees. ]

It has taken some... [ hmm. ] Adjusting to. As you may expect, this world operates at a much slower pace than the life I was used to.

[ But then again, that goes for her, too. There is no school to worry about here, no gymnastics, to say nothing of the Metaverse. ]

It may be a far cry from my typical pursuits, but there is something satisfying in it.

[ Like she said. Rewarding. Perhaps even cathartic, therapeutic, though he's not about to admit that, even to himself. ]

[bravesteps]

[ tbh some bob ross therapy would be good for him probably ]

Yeah.. I can believe that..

[ akechi's, uh, excursions were quite.. time consuming. among other things. but she's too kindhearted to hold any of that against him, here. she doesn't even hold it against him back home, so. ]

Have you managed to grow any fruit, yet?

[ oh look, they've made it to the gardens!! ]

[skews]

[ It would...they need Yusuke here to teach him how to paint, stat. ]

I've...got a few starting to come in. Nothing prolific, but my green thumb is still developing.

[ With some difficulty, perhaps, but he enjoys getting his hands dirty. Crossing his arms over his chest, he approaches a full rose bush. ]

Have you?

[bravesteps]

I'm about the same. I've been a little shy about getting to know new people..

[ they're both a little antisocial, if for vastly different reasons. for all sumire might seem outwardly bubbly and confident, she's in fact quite shy and insecure. talking to new people isn't always easy, even though she's getting much better at it. ]

But I'm sure it'll get easier with time.

[ approaching the rose bush beside him, she frowns. ]

Hmm, I wonder how we're supposed to cut the flowers..

[skews]

[ With their powers combined, they can become one single extrovert - or, perhaps, the ultimate introvert. At least knowing each other is liable to help with their fruit situation, and Akira, too. It's convenient to have familiar faces around for that reason.

(And others, but he's not addressing those right now, thank you very much). ]

If we're not supposed to, I say we let the centaurs take the blame. They didn't leave us with many instructions, after all.

[ Reaching out, he plucks one of the flowers from the bush. They're supposed to make a whole crown out of these? Seems cumbersome. ]

[bravesteps]

[ GOD, THE ULTIMATE INTROVERT.. they need akira to balance them out here. not that senpai is super outgoing or gregarious, but he certainly attracts people to him like moths to a flame.

also, he just plucked that flower right out, no scissors at all!! huh. sumire leans forward, examining the flowers, then carefully pulls one away for herself. it's not easy without a knife to cut through the thick stems, but she manages. ]

That's okay, pulling them off seems to work! We'll want to make sure to take all of the thorns off, though..

[ she just.. plops right down to sit comfortably in the grass next to the bush, to begin collecting roses and carefully plucking off the thorns. ]

[skews]

[ Imagine if they're not supposed to do this, and the flowey popo show up to book them in the local jail for vandalizing public property...

But that probably won't happen. Turning to follow Sumire's lead and sit in the grass: ]

Not too eager to wear a crown of thorns, are you?

[ That's for the best. Carefully, he begins to dethorn the first rose he pulled free, and then another, and then another. ]

I can hardly blame the flowers for being hostile, really, but why are roses known for their thorns?

[bravesteps]

[ NO NOT THE FLOWEY POPO.. !! SHE DOESN'T WANT TO GO TO FAE JAIL, IT'S PROBABLY WEIRD ]

That's a good question. I know that roses aren't the only ones, there are lots of thorny plants.

[ it is SO hard not to go full tighnari in this tag.. ]

I guess it's a defense mechanism? But they're still very beautiful anyway, and I think it's a little.. poetic, isn't it? That something so lovely is also so sharp and dangerous?

[skews]

[ tighnari just on the other side of the bushes whispering what to say to sumi cyrano de bergerac-style ]

It's a fitting metaphor, yes. The most precious things in life rarely come without dangers, or a high cost.

[ Maybe that's not exactly what she meant, but it's how he's choosing to interpret it for his purposes. ]

Yet many flowers don't have thorns. You'd think they'd learn from the others of their kind that take measures to protect themselves.

[ Is he even talking about flowers anymore... ]

[bravesteps]

[ lmfao i'm cryin ]

Well.. I don't really know how flowers work, or why some have thorns while others don't, but I think the world would be a much less friendly place if everything had thorns, you know?

[ are they still talking about flowers?? sumire is smiling, in any case. ]

[skews]

[ Are they indeed…Akechi has his doubts, but he doesn’t comment on it for now. It’s sort of a fun game, to see how far they can take this little analogy of theirs. ]

I’d go so far as to say it isn’t a friendly place as it stands right now. Between the weather, animals, diseases, environment…flowers have every reason to guard themselves.

[ Yet some don’t, do they? ]

[bravesteps]

Mm..

[ sumire looks thoughtful, gazing down at the rose, her fingertips drawing against its velvety petals. ]

The world can be unfriendly, it's true, but there is just as much about it that isn't. Warm sunshine, rainshowers, friendly bees taking their pollen away on the wind - flowers love these things, too, and persevere in spite of it all. I think there's something beautiful about that.