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

[worthtempting]

Oh, right. I forgot how hectic that day was. Tomas had spoken to you, and you were...preoccupied while Francescu, Manfred and I all tried to kill each other after I'd spent a week in the furnace of Christine's House. We might have even managed, had Violet not intervened.

You're the best of us, Elisabet. I never did find out what was between Francescu and Manfred, or why Manfred wanted me dead. I don't care anymore. There's another me there, just as there's another you. No one here has tried to kill me yet, only the wildlife. That's routine enough.

[hophophide]

[Her expression sours at the mention of Tomas. And that day. It was not a very good day at all, and she's still a little ashamed of herself for what she tried to do. She's also still shaken about Tomas throwing the truth she'd spent so long carefully dancing around in her own mind right at her as a direct attack.

She nods her understanding though. Maybe it's no surprise Sophie would want to start over somewhere.

Reaching out she takes her sister's hands.] All right. Then, I'm glad. That you're here. And that I'm here too.

[worthtempting]

[ sophie smiles at her sister, a small soft thing, and squeezes her hands. ]

You're the only one I've missed, little sister. I know they're family, but I'm glad we're away from them. You can find new missions here; there are a lot of people far more helpless than we are. Some are as strong in their own right, but you can still help protect the others.

And no one here will care what you are, or even guess. We knew, all of us, but you're our little sister, and so good. That's more than the rest of us could manage.

[ she takes a deep breath and lets it out, not meeting elisabet's eyes for a moment before turning her gaze back to her sister, her grip tight enough to hurt anyone who isn't a protoplasmic shadow. ]

I'm not good, Elisabet. I cannot be touched by grace or sin, cannot do good or bad in anyone's opinion but Santa's. That's what it means, to not have a soul. I can only do my best to be kind. Do you understand?

[hophophide]

[They're family, and Elisabet loves them. She thinks anyway. The jury is still very much out on Tomas after that night. But love or not, she nods her agreement.]

Then I'll find new missions that will be worthwhile. Helping people sounds very worthwhile. I think I'd like that.

[Elisabet smiles at Sophie's reassurance though, that even though they knew the truth of her... she'd still been loved. It's still hard for her to let herself admit what she is, even in her own mind, but that acceptance helps. Even if in her head she very much still thinks of herself as a ninja, and not some hell-spawned Devil's child. Self preservation is a funny thing.

As tight as Sophie's grip is, Elisabet squeezes back.]

I think so. I understand that you can't be judged good or bad, but you still choose to be kind because that's who you are and who you've been. I understand you're my sister, and I don't care if you're good or wicked or polka dotted. [You know, the full spectrum of morality.] I love you because you're Sophie.

[worthtempting]

[ some things are just so simple for elisabet. but she has only been betrayed by one of them, and no one is that fond of tomas anyway. ]

There are many more people here than are anywhere near the Tower. At least a town's worth of them.

[ being what she is, sophie doesn't particularly care about what kind of creature elisabet is. what matters is that elisabet likely has more goodness in her than the rest of them combined. she gives a little chuckle at the because you're sophie, and changes herself to be polka-dotted. ]

And people here will love you because you're Elisabet. It's practically inevitable.

[hophophide]

Is it strange? Being around that many people?

[Goodness knows they mostly had their siblings growing up, and the various creatures that crept around.

Elisbet can't contain a giggle when she suddenly has a polka-dotted sister. She should have seen that coming, really. That one is on her. She flushes, pleased at what Sophie says.]

It might be nice to have friends.

[worthtempting]

Very strange. I spent the first few weeks I was here not speaking to anyone. There's just so many of them.

[ sophie grins at elisabet's giggle--that was what she was looking for. ]

I only have a few, but yes, it's very nice. Quite different from having only siblings for company. You'll find many of them, I'm sure. There are so many kinds of people here. Some with wings, some who can also turn into animals--you may be able to do that as well--some with horns and tails even though they're not Red angels, and some who may not be human at all. We're all from different places and times. It's very interesting.

[hophophide]

It sounds a little overwhelming. But exciting.

[Meeting people is such a rare thing that Elisabet wonders if she'll actually be any good at it. She'll try though.]

Turn into animals? Me?

[No, that's Sophie's trick. Among other things. But Elisabet's interest is piqued now. How effective a ninja could she be if she could pretend to be a bunny? Ridiculously effective. Someone would pick her up to cuddle her and they'd never see death coming.]

But you made friends! I'm so glad. That's so much better than being alone.

[worthtempting]

That is an accurate summary. You're friendly and kind, people will take to you.

[ she smiles. ]

Some people, like myself, are called Familiars, and can take on animal shapes. I could already do that, of course, but nonetheless. Others are called Myths or Legends, and they tend to have some changes to their standard forms, such as having wings or a tail, or even a halo like an angel.

And yes, I have made a few friends. It's very nice, not being alone, and friends are very different from siblings.

[hophophide]

I hope so.

[Very much. And she thinks Sophie might be a little biased, because she's her baby sister but also because compared to the rest of their siblings, she definitely is the friendly one. But that is a skewed scale to base things on.]

That's amazing. All of that is amazing. ...I want to try it.

[Elisabet has absolutely no idea how one would even begin to change shape, but she's going to try. She shuts her eyes and does her very best to think about turning into a rabbit.

And then all at once there is a small, fluffy black bunny blinking equally dark black eyes up at Sophie before giving a little excited hop of victory. Sophie look at this she totally did it!]