August 2022 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

AUGUST 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]

Summer Is Over

Content Warnings: snakes, cultists, optional violence.

FALLING DOWN LIKE PIECES INTO PLACE

A breeze with the crisp smell of dying leaves caresses you awake. You sit up to find yourself in the middle of an apple orchard, rows spreading out in all directions. Mouth watering apples hang from the branches, and nobody will stop you from taking one. You can wander the orchard as long as you like, but eventually you will find yourself emerging into the front yard of a little farm. There’s a red barn with perfect white trim set far back, and to one side of the yard is a kiosk modeled to match the barn. This is staffed by a woman who sure looks a lot like the fox that brought you here.

On the side of the kiosk are advertised a few different items: pumpkin spice lattes, hot apple cider, cold alcoholic apple cider, and hot chocolate. The cider, you will be informed, is made on site. (But you have to be of legal age to be given that hard cider!)

There are two other things advertised: APPLE PICKING and a SCAVENGER HUNT.

“You need a buddy for those, though,” the woman running the kiosk will tell you. “Lucky for you there’s plenty of people you can pair up with.”

If you elect to try the scavenger hunt, you and your partner will be handed a piece of paper. On it reads the following:

TAKE A PICTURE OF THE FOLLOWING ON YOUR RELIC! :)

- YOU HOLDING HANDS WHILE YOU GO DOWN A PATH
- FEET WITH AUTUMN LEAVES
- SOMETHING YOU THINK IS TRULY BEAUTIFUL
- A GENUINE SMILE

“When you’re done, bring it back here and show me,” the woman instructs you. “You’ll get a prize if you do.”

It’s an easy enough list, right? Although you have to follow the instructions - you really DO have to find something you genuinely think is beautiful, and that smile can’t be forced! Those might require opening up to your partner a little bit!

If you succeed in the scavenger hunt, you will be gifted with an item from home.


Now, what if you decided to go apple picking?

You will be given a bucket. “Be careful to only pick apples from the trees in the rows,” the kiosk woman tells you with a secret smile. “You don’t want to bother the old trees off the path.”

Yeah. That sure sounds like a challenge, doesn’t it?

If you do stick to the orchard proper, you will be able to pick your fill of apples. All of them are crisp and sweet and delicious. But at some point you will see the other trees.

They’re both huge and old, standing on two sloping hills just past the orchard rows. One of them has apples red as blood, and the other apples gold as the sun. In the shade of these trees are weapons sticking half out of the earth, as if they were carelessly buried many years ago.

If you pick one of the red apples, you will find that you are suddenly besieged with huge snakes. They are as big as anacondas and an inky black that absorbs the light, with eyes the same red as the apples. They aren’t poisonous, but they bite and they crush, so you’ll have to fight them off at least long enough to run like hell!

If you pick the golden apples, a crowd of people will silently begin appearing from the orchard. They are all wearing animal masks… and they are all holding hand scythes. Uh oh. You’ll have to fight them off in order to escape! If you don’t manage that, well, in some places it’s traditional to have a big ol’ sacrificial bonfire…

All the weapons below the trees are non-enchanted items, but you may keep them.

Plaid Shirt Days and Nights

Content Warnings: Optional themes of identity and school trauma.

IMAKEOVER MAKEOVER

Thirteen believes passionately in education. There are, after all, five academies in Folkmore all catering to different types of learning. While these academies are open year round, it becomes apparent if you walk through any of the districts housing shops that back to school is definitely a thing.

A new school year represents a chance to learn more about the world, and about yourself.

Also? It’s a great time for a makeover!

Yes, step into any of the shops selling clothing and accessories anywhere in Folkmore and you will find yourself passionately invested in helping another person discover who it is they want to look like! Do they want to look cool and aloof? Warm and approachable? Are they an e-boy or a cottagcore witch? Punk or prep? You two can figure it out together!

As you shop together you will find it easier and easier to open up to one another, sharing who it is you want to be.

You’ll also be able to score a sweet outfit. Nice.

SAVED BY THE BELL

Wander into any school in Folkmore and you will find a handmade poster instructing all new students and faculty to report to the auditorium. Normal enough, one supposes… but the moment you enter the room you will find reality swims all around you and all of a sudden you’re stuck in a school nightmare!

You know the kind. You’re late for class, no matter how fast you run. You’re in gym class, trying to climb that goddamn rope. You’re getting your books dumped. You’re naked and giving a book report.

These could be memories, but it’s just as likely that they aren’t - you and another person are just trapped in this cliche together. Whichever one of you is in the audience role could maybe help the other one out? Get them some pants or something? Yeah.

Comments

alphen | tales of arise | prrrobably legend??

[sincleavers]

i. scavenger hunt

[The farm, the trees, the barn... Alphen's never seen anything like it. He doesn't have much to compare to, granted -- he only has about a year's worth of memories. But those are all of fire and rock and...well, they're quite a bit different from the idyllic scene and the crisp breeze.

It's nice. It's not home, but it's nice.

He's not exactly thrilled to be here --look, he was kind of in the middle of something? about to fight an important boss battle?-- but you make do with what you've got, and right now, what he's got is a..."relic" and a list of pictures to take.]

This is a lot shorter than I was expecting. [He offers a smile to whomever else might be looking at the list.] Not that shorter makes it easier, of course...

ii. apple picking

["Only pick from the trees in the rows." Fine, but no one said anything about looking at the weapons. The fact that there are so many of them is curious enough, but the fact that they're sticking out of the ground the way they are...well, it's a little foreboding. Still, looking at weapons is something he enjoys, so curiosity's got the better of him.

Someone else, however, has missed the memo and picked one of the juicy red apples, summoning a horde of giant snakes not far from where he is. Before he knows it, the relaxing apple-picking adventure has turned into more of a fight -- not that he seems terribly bothered by it, even as one of the snakes turns on him. Charming fall tableaus are, you know, fine, but this...this is definitely more his thing. So he draws his sword and parries as the giant thing lunges at him, hoping for dinner and instead getting the ol' sword-through-the-mouth.

Perhaps you picked the apple, or maybe you're just another who happened to be too close to where this was happening. Either way, Alphen is in the fight with you, and calls out,] Behind you!

[... where you'll find another giant snake preparing to strike.]

iii. wildcard

[throw something at me or contact me at posolutely to hash something out!]

i. scavenger hunt

[ainsisera]

[it's very like Narnia and it makes Susan ache for home, for her brothers and sister, already. but a scavenger hunt sounds like fun. Lucy used to arrange them for all of them, including the Beasts, Fauns, and Centaurs, they were jolly good fun on a nice fall afternoon.

much like this one.

Susan smiles back at him] That's true. What if our opinions differ on what's beautiful?

[Susan has sharpened teeth, claws which look like they were dipped in black lacquer, and matching small horns peeking out of her long masses of black hair]

[sincleavers]

I...hadn't thought of that.

[He sounds surprised. He really had not. This man is not the brightest. But in a nice way? Like, he just sort of assumed that some things were universally considered beautiful. Sunsets, rolling fields, cool rocks...that kind of thing. On the other hand, it's true that his everyday life hasn't really afforded him the time to ponder things like beauty.

Feeling suddenly a bit sheepish, he rubs the back of his neck.]

I'm sure we'd be able to find something we can agree on if we do a bit of brainstorming. So, what about you? What sort of things do you find beautiful?

[ainsisera]

[Susan knows all too well what one considers beautiful may vary from person to person. Peter considered the heat of combat beautiful, Edmund considered justice beautiful, Lucy, the wilds. Aslan. as for Susan, she considers them all and more beautiful, so she may have trouble narrowing down her subject.

she smiles gently. Aslan had named her well]

Me? Family. I consider family the most beautiful thing of all. That which I'd kill or die to protect, so I would have to include all of Narnia in that statement. This place...reminds me of it. Talking beasts, magic in the air. But there are so many people! In Narnia, my siblings and I were the only ones unless we crossed borders into another country.

[but she shakes herself out of reflection to say]

If a field of wildflowers can still be found, I think that would do nicely. What are your thoughts?

ii.

[trichotomy]

[ What is it with this place and springing monsters on people?

It's easy enough, at least, for Raven to slip in and grab at a weapon on the ground, some kind of knife that feels familiar in his hands. It's not the same as his special brand of archery, but he can make do in a crisis most of the time and he doesn't have a moment to pause and whine about not having his bow.

Not right this second, anyway.

Darting forward, he twists his body almost with too much agility for his future complaints of being too old, bringing the knife down on the head on one of the snakes before he leaps back and summons a gust of wind artes to try and push them back and away from the stranger. Breathing out, he turns to look at the kid. ]

Hey there! Welcome.

[ And he grins, giving a peace sign. ]

[sincleavers]

[What can I say? Either he finds trouble or trouble finds him. Either way, he doesn't exactly mind -- a good fight can be a great way to...to...ease the nerves when you're arriving in a new place? Yeah, sure. We'll go with that.

Alphen is glad of the help, all said, especially from an agile fighter with a good short-ranged weapon. A longsword is great for large, sweeping strokes, but it's best combined with someone long-ranged or a fighter who can get in close and assist. All this to say, Alphen is the tank, and bless you for coming in with the DPS.]

Thanks-- woah! [He ducks out of the way to avoid the wind. An arte user, huh? This keeps getting more convenient.] I didn't realize there was a full-blown welcoming committee.

[Another wide arc of his sword hits one snake and pushes another back.]

[trichotomy]

[ It would be better if he did have a bow, but at least he still has a little bit of magic to get them through this fight. This guy clearly is a little bit more up-close than Raven is - something kinda like Yuri, who could do with a bit of support.

He thinks that he can do that, and the artes are nice and familiar after a bit of a break from doing it. ]

Not really a committee, just people wandering around. I think we're supposed to get used to it.

[ Another snake comes by and Raven shifts, throwing more wind at it to try and get it the hell away. ]

i

[nervesofsteal]

Huh.

[And Therion's snapping a picture before it's too late. Because Alphen smiled and there's nothing about 'a forced smile' or 'a pained grimace' in the meta text. It's a smile. And one of the items on the scavenger list is a genuine smile. So...]

You think that's close enough for them or are they gonna complain?

[Here, he's even gonna lean over so Alphen can see the shot and put in his two cents. Good enough or nah?]

[sincleavers]

[... Well that was quick and unexpected. Alphen blinks a few times at the sudden appearance, and then absence, of the picture-taking device...and then peers very curiously over said picture. He definitely looks surprised -- that's a pretty fair likeness of him, after all. Listen, give him a break, he's taking this pretty well for being the first time he's ever seen a photo of himself. Or in general.]

I...guess it fits the requirements, at any rate.

[He turns his attention to his partner.] That was pretty quick thinking, on your part. I would've been going around asking people to smile for the camera.

[But now that he's thinking of it, would that have been a genuine smile...?]

[nervesofsteal]

[It's okay, all of this is new to him too, he's just had to improvise a lot over the years and learn to bullshit rather well which is why he's taking it like a champ. They're on a voyage of technology discovery...............together.

Anyway, that's besides the point, Alphen gets a nod.]

You learn how to take your chances when they come where I come from, that's all. And the quicker we get this done, the quicker we get... [...] ...our prize.

[Which honestly seems sus, but Therion knows better than to fight the situation (at the moment) and is going to play the long game.

The fact there's a bunch of amazing apples around helps with going with the flow. He's going to help himself to one, in fact, and take a bite.]

Besides [monch] would some stranger really just...let you take their picture?

hello fellow jrpg protagonist with an absolutely normal amount of world experience - i mean, 2

[looksgoodinpaper]

[Taion isn't confident enough in the environment to go experimenting with rule breaking yet. He's the cautious one, generally speaking.

Which is also why he has quick reflexes, and when a stranger is good enough to shout Behind you!, he acts defensively first - by raising a barrier wall of Mondo that the snake crashes into. The little papermen drop out of formation and return to Taion's side, swirling around him in a small vortex, as he risks a glance in Alphen's direction.]

Thanks. Do you need support?

[Because Taion knows someone who is definitely not a support fighter when he sees one.

Meanwhile, the snake that dazed itself on the Mondo barrier seems to be regaining its senses...]

[sincleavers]

[Alphen pauses a moment to admire the...whatever-it-is that he just did. That's one hell of an arte, and one he's never really seen before, either. Are there different kinds of astral energy to thank for that? Something unique to this place, maybe...? (Rinwell would know, he thinks, with a pang of homesickness.)]

I'd never turn down help, if you're up for it. But if not-- [Ah-- that snake seems to be coiling for an attack. He lunges forward, swinging his blade down from above to slice into the snake's soft underside.]

I can make an opening if you need an exit.

[looksgoodinpaper]

[Taion, for his part, lets Alphen take the forefront - they're short a Defender, but the snakes aren't that large. As long as they keep their wits about them, this should be fine.

Instead, he keeps the tree to his back - harder for them to get behind him that way, though he's carefully scanning the branches overhead as well - and directs the Mondo to an attack against another snake off to Alphen's left. The column of paper men blasts past, leaving the snake covered in tiny slices - not dead, but likely to bleed to death before long if Alphen doesn't finish it off directly.]

I'm not one for abandoning a job half-finished.

[It's said without too much bravado - just confidence that this is within his abilities. Even if none of the others are here, this isn't too difficult of an enemy.]

Don't forget to keep an eye out overhead - there could be more in the branches.

[Admittedly, the man may have only one eye to keep out... It's hard to tell under that mask.]