July 2022 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

JULY 2022 TDM

INTRODUCTION

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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!

Comments

[regulated]

[ some tension he didn't realize he'd been holding bleeds out of him at the reassurance, and he turns his hand a moment later beneath steve's own, cold vibranium fingers curling carefully around steve's. he can't really feel anything with this hand, but there's enough sensory input that it's almost like feeling. he knows exactly how carefully to hold, how much pressure to use, and the rest is rusty, unreliable memory. steve's hands had usually been chilly back then, callused at the tips from his pencils, scraped up from the fights he'd get into.

if he didn't get the serum.. they wouldn't have let him go to europe, would they? unless he'd found another way. peggy had always been sweet on him, hadn't she? it's fuzzy, but he's pretty sure he remembers a red dress, eyes only for steve. ]

Good, [ he says after a moment, a little hoarsely, and squeezes the thin fingers in his gratefully. ] .. What about you, though? How'd you know about the-- I can't see you being agreeable at home waiting for my letters. [ a pause, brows lofting. ] For one thing, you've never been agreeable even once in your whole life, pal.

[thatskinnykid]

[His hand is definitely cold, different from the warm reassurances he's used to. But it's just a physical difference, behind that metal arm is still his best friend, the only person that he had by his side for the longest time. That's what matters the most to him and as Bucky grips his fingers with just the right pressure, he's only reassured with his thoughts.

He grips his hand just a little tighter, just wanting to convey that he's not bothered by the new change at all. If his voice is a little rough at first, well, it's Bucky's fault!!]

Wow, you're a real charmer, Barnes. [He clears his throat just a bit.] But if you really wanna know...

[Steve can't help but give Bucky a slightly cheeky grin, recalling what his Bucky said when he first saw him in the Hydra Stomper. Oh, he was definitely surprised about him piloting a big suit of armor.]

When we rescued the 107th-- Bucky, he shouted 'hold on, you can't even drive a car.'

[He wonders if that's enough of a hint to give Bucky an idea, but if not, he can definitely give a few more.]

[regulated]

[ his brows climb higher at the hint, puzzled and a little intrigued in spite of himself. steve can't be talking about a tank. tanks are slow, unwieldy, impersonal. steve would hate driving a tank, and they definitely hadn't had a tank when steve came for him back then. so if not a tank, what else could it have possibly been? ]

.. Is it something How-- [ fuck. howard. they'd been friends once, and bucky had--

don't. don't do that. he hadn't remembered him. he hadn't known. it doesn't absolve him, it doesn't make it better, but it matters. if he'd been himself, he would have never.

he plows on past the falter in his voice, hand withdrawing from steve's to fuss with his cup instead. truthfully, he's not sure the other man won't sense the blood on him, most of a century's worth of murder under his skin. ] Is it something Howard cooked up? [ he squints, trying to catch at memories that may never be whole again. ] He was always makin' stuff back then, wasn't he? His kid's a lot like him.

[thatskinnykid]

[There's something there, a strain in Bucky that is honestly unfamiliar to Steve. It's troubling to see him like this, but he knows how different things are for him. Getting rescued by the Soviets does not spell out nice things, to say the least. He just remains quiet as he watches his best friend fiddle with the cup, sensing that there's some things he doesn't want to say, not even to Steve.

Maybe stuff that the other Steve does know. He's still not entirely comfortable about going to him about that, he wants to hear anything from Bucky himself.]

Sure is, give him a new power source, and he's made somethin' new for me. Met both Tonys here and based on what I've heard, what I got is similar to theirs.

[regulated]

[ both tonys? that means he's going to have to avoid two of them..?

but of more immediate interest, the information from steve. what does he mean, similar to theirs? similar in what? the arc reactor? no, you don't drive that. then-- ]

Wait, you're Iron Man? [ or something like that, anyway. ] You have a-- a suit? [ a beat. ] Goddamn, your Howard was really doing some work.

[thatskinnykid]

[Steve smiles, knowing that he would get it. The surprise still almost mirrors his own Bucky.]

Hydra Stomper, actually. Dugan sort of coined the name, before calling it a flying Buick. The name just sort of stuck though and honestly, the name fits.

[He sure stomped a lot of HYDRA with that big tin can.]

Yeah, when Howard got hold of the Tesseract, he had one thing in mind and that was building me a way to finally join the war. [...] Really wanted to rescue you and the others.