folkooc | July 2022 Test Drive Meme

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July 2022 Test Drive Meme

JULY 2022 TDM

INTRODUCTION

[ TDM Questions ★ Jump to Comments ★ Full Navigation ]
Welcome to Folkmore's monthly Test Drive Meme! Please feel free to test drive any and all characters regardless of your intent to apply or whether you have an invite or not.

All TDMs are game canon. You can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Each TDM will provide a scenario for how characters arrive in-game that particular month.

Playing TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain canon items from homes especially weapons or other things they may have had on their person when they were pulled from their worlds! There will always be a prompt that provides some sort of "reward" to characters who complete certain tasks.

Current players are allowed to have in-game characters react to TDMs via the Network or make a log with the prompts. Current players are always encouraged to tag new people on the TDM!

TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.

[ Prompt One ★ Prompt Two]

Paper Rings

Content Warnings: Unwanted romantic/sexual attention from a monster, optional sexual themes, optional monster fights, giant insects in 'accidents' prompt.

YOU'RE THE ONE I WANT

Folkmore has many lakes and streams. You wake up suddenly beside one, the world coming into sharp focus the moment you do. It's sunny, and the sounds and sights are warmly nostalgic for the very idea of summer.

You can sit and relax a while. Maybe lounge in the shade. Let your mind drift, and relax. There's a few people around, some still sleeping and some awakening the same as you, but it's far from crowded here.

Suddenly a shadow falls over you. You turn and are greeted by a monster: it looks sort of like an avocado covered in kelp, with oversized hands and a huge mouth. It also looks like it's entirely made of rubber - even its eyes appear to be only painted on.

This monster waves its arms threateningly. “Gaaaaah!” it says. Its voice is muffled. “Gaahhhhhhhhh!”

Somehow this creature is a lot faster than it looks, and the next thing you know it has enfolded you in its embrace.

“You will be Greg’s bride!” the monster shouts, regardless of your gender identification. It looks at whoever happens to be in your general vicinity. “Who this?”

Struggling, you realise that Greg is stronger than any creature you’ve ever encountered before. You can’t seem to get it to let go of you, and it's rocking against you in such a way that it makes a sound like the soles of sneakers on a gym floor. On the plus side, it doesn’t have any genitals that you can see, so at least it’s not as bad as it could be? Still, desperate times call for desperate measures! “That’s my partner!” you claim before you can think about how stupid an idea that is.

“You bride? PROVE IT!"

Oh shit. Now you’re stuck - you and whatever innocent bystander you've dragged into this have to convince Greg that you're a couple! You could admit to something true about love or intimacy under the guise of it being about the other; Greg’s lie detecting abilities are good enough to call you out on untruths, but not good enough to know who you’re talking about.

Or you could just start making out, I guess. Whatever works.

If you're a terrible actor, Greg will abduct you and pull you beneath the water. You better hope your fake partner will try to rescue you!

If you manage to convince him that you're a couple, he will shed a tear from his unblinking eyes before either slinking away or flying into a murderous rage.

If you choose to fight Greg, either in the water or on land, you will find that he's pretty tough for a rubber monster. Any blows to his back or sides will land harmlessly, and the kelp on his body may grab whatever you hit him with. And that big goofy mouth of his hides rows of deathly sharp fangs!

However you get rid of Greg, once he's gone you will find a trunk shaped like a koi fish. Open it and you will find some canon items from home. Clothes or weapons, maybe. Lucky you!

I HATE ACCIDENTS, EXCEPT...

You don't necessarily have to complete the One I Want prompt to find these koi trunks! They seem to be dotted around Folkmore and you might find them just by virtue of exploration! The trunks seem to mysteriously know who is opening them so you won't find someone else's stuff by accident. There are also some unenchanted weapons sticking out of the ground in random places: basic swords, guns, shields, etc. They have no magic, but they're usable!

But be warned: the second you take one of these weapons, you'll have to use it.

As soon as you have pulled a weapon from the ground, a high whining buzz sounds, swelling in volume as somethings come barreling out of the sky at you. They are short humanoid creatures about three feet tall with the heads and wings of cicadas. They are also wearing human clothes - what sort depends on what part of Folkmore you're in. If you're in Wintermute they might be wearing cute sweaters, but if you're in Cruel Summer they might be dressed like your suburban dad on summer vacation. How cute! Except they have very sharp talons and the sound they make can incapacitate you. Better take them down fast!

Or run even faster.

TIME OF MY LIFE

Content Warnings: Mood altering substances, optional alcohol use, optional suggestive themes.

I LIKE SHINY THINGS

Summer isn't all about getting bitten by mosquitoes out at the lake, or sweating your way up a mountain in uncomfortable hiking boots. For the less outdoorsy types, there's still plenty of fun to be had... and all within walking distance of an air conditioner when the weather gets too humid. Close to Epiphany, there appears a gem of a spa, nestled comfortably by a beautiful waterfall. The lobby is spacious and cool, with a distinctly mid-century modern sensibility. The gentleman working the front desk wears a crisp suit of burnt orange with a small golden fox pin on his lapel. He is more than happy to direct you to any of the spa amenities.

There are massage tables, hot tubs, and steam rooms. You can get yourself a manicure, pedicure, or facial. There's a full salon for anything you might want to do to your hair - maybe it's time for a kicky summer 'do? Any kind of pampering you're after, you can find it here! If you need to lie down, there are even some hotel rooms on the upper levels that you can rest in.

There is also a tea room - all soft pinks and sage greens, with plush chairs in sets of two or more around small round tables. You will be seated with someone else, as the tea room is designed to encourage conversation. The waiters in this delightful space are all flamingos - they move around the room with a sort of gangly grace, carrying trays on their backs or with their beaks. Unconventional, but they seem to have no problem understanding people's orders. Speaking of, what's on the menu? Seems every kind of tea has a different effect...

Black tea hypes you UP! Who wants to stay sitting around with a bunch of birds?! Let's go party!
Green tea brings a sense of great peace and mental clarity. You will find it easy to talk about emotional subjects without being overcome with feelings.
Oolong tea calms you and relaxes you deeply. You might even find yourself nodding off!
Milk tea inspires feelings of affection - whoever you're sitting with now seems like they could be your new best friend. (Or more?)

Spending time in the tea room really does encourage you to open up to other people one way or another, and all the other spa activities tend to put people in the mood to open up a little bit.

IN DIRTY DREAMS

If you tire of such relaxing pursuits but you still don't fancy wandering off into the woods, you could always poke around behind the spa, where there is a smaller separate building. If you listen you can hear loud music playing, carried faintly on the summer wind. Some kind of party? Why not check it out? Okay, so there's a big old 'STAFF ONLY' sign on the side of the building, but you could just wander in and come up with an excuse if someone spots you. Or sneak in through the bathroom window or something if you're that worried.

Once inside it becomes apparent that this building functions as a private club for the spa staff. The interior is dark and wood paneled, lit only by some old hanging lights with warm bulbs. At the far end is a bar, and beyond that the glow of a small kitchen. A few tables are scattered along the walls, but the bulk of the long room is taken up by a dancefloor.

And boy oh boy are people getting down.

The music is so loud that you don't have to be able to hear to feel the beat - it pounds through the floorboards like a pulse. It's a compelling rhythm that urges you to join the throng. Even if you lack any and all natural grace, the urge to dance is strong enough that you can cast off your reluctance. You can even find yourself a dance partner, although you might want to keep it a little more G-rated than some of the couples around.

If you tire, you can hit the bar. The bartender isn't checking any IDs, considering they think everyone present is a staff member. Just don't blow your cover!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

You know— television.

[...Except Paggart doesn't know. Uh, attempt number two:]

Hmm... Television's kind of like a moving picture show, if you've ever seen one of those. They're pretty common where I come from.

[As for Paggart's question, Shuichi can only speculate. He shakes his head, the wider answer unknown to him, however:]

From what I gather, worlds like mine are more common than not. What's it like where you come from?

_{[ This whole exchange with Shuichi has been very strange. Maybe it’s because, like Kaneki, Sunny can pinpoint similarities between him and Shuichi. It’s like being on the same self loathing and depressive wave length. The look he gives the other teenager next is silent doubt, his thin eyebrows pulling together and creasing his forehead slightly.

That’s not what he has convinced himself over the span of four years. He’s convinced himself that he is a waste of space with no potential. Every day was getting harder to live. The worst part was Sunny had no idea why he felt this way. Losing Mari was hard, but it was a suicide. Sunny can’t help but think he had some role in her ending her life. Maybe if he was a better person she would have lived. ]}

…

_{[ Just wait. I’ll probably hurt you too somehow. ]}

Oh! I saw one of those - scary stuff. I almost had to leave the theater.

[A train came right at the screen!! It was like nothing he'd ever seen before.]

It's... different. My town, Warmwater, is in the middle of a boilin' swamp - there's hardly ever any humans there. But I recently went to Dovine - the biggest city in Pasque - and it's got taller buildings and a lot more humans and dwarves and stuff than here.

[Shuichi can't help but snort a quiet, jovial laugh. A simpler world without all the screens and and interconnection might be fun for a change, and as Paggart describes his home to him, Shuichi closes his eyes to better imagine it.]

Sounds amazing... like a world from a fantasy novel. But it's your reality, so I'll admit I'm a little envious. This water must not feel warm at all compared to the swamp.

[Sunny doesn't believe him... but it isn't because he'd chosen the wrong words, Shuichi tells himself. It's not because he's unable to help anyone. If he believes that, he'll clam up again, fail to help a friend in need. And if he fails another friend, he... can't imagine what he'll do with himself then.

He can't. He won't. They aren't far from their destination, but taking Sunny's hand, Shuichi reroutes them for a little detour. He parks them on a nearby bench, scrounges up his courage, and pulls his hat off his head. Sitting it on his lap, he looks Sunny dead in the eye, ignoring every cell in his body that screams at him to look away. Run. Hide. This time, he won't heed the call of cowardice.]

Look at me, Sunny. Please.

The swamp - the Stewpot, we call it - ain't evenly heated. There's coal veins that go underneath it, and something caught them on fire a couple hundred years back.

[The running theory is that there's a dragon asleep beneath the swamp, but it's hard to test without potentially waking up a dragon.]

So some parts are worse to be in than others. This here, though? This is nice.

[Also it's clean water! It's not full of enormous leeches and giant, man-eating fish, and his feet aren't sinking into thick, red-clay mud. So that's a bonus.]

It's hard to imagine someone writing a novel about us, though. Back home we're just... the place no one wants to go.

The Stewpot...

[Knowing his poor luck, Shuichi'd trip in the wrong part of the swamp and boil himself alive, but the mental image Paggart paints for him is vivid and a welcome distraction from his worldly troubles.

It's so intriguing a world that Shuichi sits up straight, his sights set firmly on Paggart. For someone who struggles so often with making and maintaining eye-contact, this is one hell of a feat.]

Maybe it's not the ideal vacation destination, but... I'd love to visit a place like that. By comparison, my world is pretty boring.

Well, you seem like a nice enough young man. If you ever make it over there, ask around for Paggart. I'm pretty easy to find 'round those parts, and I can show you around.

[He's the mayor and the town's primary healer. But he doesn't like to talk about that kind of thing.]

What's your home like?

[It's only a minute or two after Adam retreats to the restroom that someone else gets the same idea. The music had made Raidou curious and so he followed it, but it after the day he's had, this was a bit too much sensory overload and culture shock.

The door is opened by a young man in an old-fashioned uniform who is definitely out of place here. He stops when he sees someone inside, not wanting to interrupt.]

Ah... excuse me.

I'll be sure to. Ah— It's nice to meet you, mister Paggart. I'm Shuichi.

[He briefly considers giving Paggart his last name rather than his first, but this is a new world divorced from the conventions of his own. In an effort to fit in, and perhaps forget, it's his first name he gives Paggart instead.

It'd be lovely to trip through dimensions and end up in a world like Paggart's... but the world waiting for Shuichi hasn't been painted over in the same rose-colored hue. His hesitation gives him away — how much can he say without concerning this poor stranger? — but he does his best not to let slip any mention of his recent kidnapping and the killing game he's been roped into. He doesn't want to think about it, much less discuss it.]

Well... You could say it's pretty peaceful. We've got big, tall buildings we call sky scrapers where a bunch of people live and vehicles that travel way faster than horses ever could. Japan doesn't have much swampland, but we do get earthquakes and tsunamis. Compared to your world, mine is pretty boring.

[It doesn't take long for these two to make short work of the bugs that were foolish enough to fight this out. They've realized they got into more than they bargained for here, and start making shrill calls to their cohorts to get the hell out of here. Raidou has no trouble dispatching whatever's left. If these were demons, they weren't anything he hasn't already dealt with. Their real strength was only in their numbers.

When all is said and done, Raidou shakes bug goo from his free sword. It got the job done, that's what's important. He dropped his own sword right before his arrival here, and now it's probably lost from him forever. What a shame. On the list of his current worries, though, this would be towards the bottom. He turns to Heine and gives him a polite, slight bow in gratitude.]

Thanks. Sorry you had to get involved.

[The few seconds she spends picking mushrooms and berries out of the grass allows her brain to catch up with everything that's happened in the past couple of minutes. She can handle this. She can. She's experienced stranger things in stranger places. This is practically nothing. Just all the unasked questions, unresolved thoughts and feelings, and a quiet, empty hole in her chest from the past four years all hitting her at once. Basically a piece of cake. She tells herself this over and over for those few additional seconds of silence, a mantra to get her through the shock and misplaced hurt and every other emotion she can't yet put a name to.

You're older.

Nill's hand freezes just centimeters away from a morel, and she looks up at him, a little bit of guilt in her eyes. Of course he'd noticed, he'd have to be blind not to (though she knows that wouldn't be a real detriment for some people). A part of her hates not being the same as he left her, and that's a can of worms she isn't even close to ready to touch. She quickly goes through her mental catalogue of all the things that have changed about her over these long years, and yes, ageing does come out near the top of the list. But there are still a lot of other things: the space travel, the powers, the knives, the sign language, the trying-a-cigarette-once-when-she-thought-she-was-going-to-die (he's going to kill Badou). Still, yeah, she's older. Enough for it to matter to a lot of people, for a lot of reasons.

Before she can nod again, he assaults the rubbery monster behind him (honestly, poor Greg; it isn't his fault this is all happening when he was just trying to get hitched). By the time Heine looks back at her, she's stood, abandoning the rest of her foraged goods on the ground, and wipes her hands on her shorts, telling herself it's to get residual dirt off them, but really doing it because her palms feel sweaty and clammy. God, nobody told her it would be this hard to see him again. To see anyone from her world, really. The only familiar face she's seen over the years for any amount of time had been Badou's, and they were separated two years ago. That was basically another life.

She holds up four fingers, surprised by how steady her hand is.

Will he know? Will he remember how she told him the years when they first met? She thinks so. She doesn't even try to sign, knowing that he won't understand any of the gestures. But that's okay. For now, this will have to be enough. Considering their current circumstances, it's all she can offer.]

It's nice to meet you too, Shuichi.

[Paggart's decided that Shuichi is nice kid - he's a simple guy, and all it takes for him to turn his impression of a person completely around is a moderately pleasant conversation.]

Oh, we got cars too. Not in the swamp, o'course, but I made friends with a bunch of adventurers who got a brand new Model T.

[That should give Shuichi a bit of an idea as to the time period Paggart is living in.]

Earthquakes and tsunamis sound pretty scary - I think you got the wrong idea about both of our homes. If you live someplace your whole life, it can seem pretty boring - the Stewpot is kinda strange, but most of what I do there is fish and talk to my friends. I like it a lot, but it's not the most excitin' life.

Now a country full o' big cities and tall buildings? That seems excitin' to me. I bet all kinds of people live there, and all kinds o'things happen. You're just too close to notice how wild it all is.

[Raidou's uniform screams military to Heine and that bow makes his skin crawl for a second. He knows it's some kind of cultural thing, but doesn't care to be polite about it in return.]

Don't bow to me, dipshit.

[He shoves his guns into his holsters and starts walking away, scratching the back of his neck. He doesn't turn around, and his tone isn't particularly inviting, but he's getting his intentions across as he steps over cicada carcasses; namely that Raidou wouldn't be imposing too much if he followed.]

Town's this way.

[Heine's not 100% sure of that, but he'd come from the other direction and there was nothing over there but more trees.]

_{[ Oh. Well. This is embarrassing. He feels anxiety bubble up inside his body at being suddenly taken held of by the hand and then positioned on a bench. He complies, looking at Shuichi with utmost attentiveness. His eyes are wide, though, and he’s nervous that maybe he’s done something to upset his new friend.

Wordlessly, he waits for an explanation. ]}

If I'm honest, I totally thought you were dead. You look really good for a hundred-and-eighty-something year old.

[ Pat pat to the tree, then she's walking through the woods, not super phased by possibly insulting Number One. Which is... maybe she should be. But it's done now ]

[As she wipes her hands, Greg's started lamenting about the fact they're clearly involved somehow, dismissing him so blatantly, will he ever find a bride? It's ridiculous and casts a strangeness over this whole thing that lends more unreality to a situation that should be impossible. It's surreal, but sharp at the same time, and Heine feels like he's both participating and watching it all from somewhere else. He waits for any cues or signs, though he's not as adept at reading all the subtleties in her body language as he'd like to be. The fingers though, that's straightforward, and the gesture brings him an instant flashback of that hotel room, when he'd been so lost about why he needed to save her, and then he'd... that part's unimportant and not worth reflecting on right now.]

You've been here for four years?

[His voice is calmer than he feels. He can't delude himself for even a moment that she might mean four months. It's a very long time, and any number of things could have happened to her. Even if he sees so much of the girl he'd just left in her, there are changes too. More of them now that he's allowed himself to truly see her as she is, right here. The person she is now, shaped by experiences he wasn't there for. It's a weird thought to have, but it's the prominent one. That he should have been there.]

... and you're okay?

[There's a harshness to that question, but not directed at Nill. It's for anyone who had potentially harmed her, people he may have to track down and kill later.]

[Between that reaction, and the following informal invitation, leaves Raidou furrowing his brow. Okay, fine, no more formality.

Raidou takes a brief look around, making sure their trail is truly empty. He'd been wandering awhile, and he was already tired from the battle he had preceding his arrival here. So far he hadn't seen signs of civilization. Seems like following this guy would be the smartest move right now.]

... Is it far?

[ stede beams at him. ]

I knew you'd appreciate it.

Considering the state of today's economy, that's definitely true. [Surprisingly applicable regardless of what era they're from, respectively...]

Then again, considering it was served by flamingos, I can't imagine over-sugaring would make it any worse.

I think some Familiars can manage whether their animal traits are visible or not. You will also likely find you can change your shape into some animal or another.

[He's not a Familiar himself, but that's what he understands from talking to peope who are.]

But first, clinic. Not much farther now, thankfully.

[Corrigan catches that little pause, and one eyebrow quirks up slightly. The amusement doesn't fade from his expression, though, and his hands stay right where they are. Call it a strategic effort to ensure that they don't lose each other mid-conversation, considering the gyrating crowd.]

And? Is it as shady as you suspected? I'll admit, the flamingoes had me a little concerned as well. The most nefarious of birds. [He's definitely teasing, judging by the crooked grin.]

That we would. Very fairytale-like.

[Which is appropriate for this place.

Caleb watches her with the burnt out staff, curious but not asking.]

I'm glad you've found it then. For me it was my spell book. She seems to choose significant things for us to find.

... I don't know.

[It's fine, he'll admit to that much. The trees all look the same to him, and he's never seen a forest before. He can't judge how large this one is, but nothing is indefinite.]

This place can't be that big.

...was it really that bad?

[ Will Flynn regret asking? This guy—Manabu, he said—does look... very tired. ]

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July 2022 Test Drive Meme

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do you have a problem with it

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what are you gonna do if i say yes

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III

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asmr of me beating your ass… also this is very gay of shuichi

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