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

Sam Wilson | MCU | Legend probably?

[jetpacking]

[ 1. Scavenger Hunt ]

[Sam remembers some weird-ass dream about a Fox and the next thing he knows, he's opening his eyes in... an apple orchard. This is new. But honestly his life has gotten so strange, he's going to try rolling with it. What the else is he supposed to do? A quick series of light slaps to his own face did not wake him up, so he can't pass it off as some dream.

Then he winds up with a scavenger hunt list in his hand. He stares at it then back to the woman who's handed it to him.]

Right.

[Maybe there's some point to this. Time to find a partner.]

Hey, uh... gotta be honest. Scavenger hunts are not my thing, but when in Rome. Or wherever this is. [He flashes a smile, all easy charm. Or, well, he likes to think it's charming. It does have a habit of working.] Feel like partnering up? I take great pictures.


[ 2. Apple Picking ]

[So he's been warned about the fruit of the old trees and is currently standing, hands on his hips.]

This is some biblical Garden of Eden shit. Don't eat the special apples.

[A tilt of his head towards said trees.] What do you think? I mean probably not a great idea to go breaking the rules first day in a place. It does kind of make you wonder though, right?

[A shrug of his shoulders.] It really is a heavy-handed metaphor though. Not even a little subtle.


[ 3. Saved by the Bell ]

[Sam Wilson is naked in English class. He's right up in the front of the room and holding a small packet of papers -- plastic cover and everything. Very official looking.]

Well. This is awkward.

[He will lower the packet so that he is hiding his unmentionables.] Anyway, here's my report on Moby Dick.

[Humor will diffuse this situation, right? Where are his clothes anyway? ...and also why is he in high school?]


[ 4. Wildcard ]

(( Find him anywhere honestly. Or hit me up at seasided to plan something out. ))

3

[pursuitofcappiness]

Honestly, I don't know if this is your nightmare or mine.

[ But Steve takes his shirt off in the middle of the classroom and hands it to Sam, because it's gotta be better than this folder.

Everyone seems to be staring at the two of them, and the teacher up front is now yelling at them both for violating the dress code. ]

Yeah, well, are we gonna get more shirts if we go to the principal's office? 'Cause that doesn't seem like such a bad deal.

[jetpacking]

[There is a moment where Sam looks at Steve like he's seeing a ghost, but he recovers quickly enough and shakes his head.]

Wow. I'm hurt, that hurts, Steve.

[He takes the shirt and well, drapes it in front of himself which yes, does a better job than the folder, though it's not saying much. Sam flashes the teacher a smile.]

Yes ma'am, you're absolutely right. We should be ashamed of ourselves. We will take this knockoff Magic Mike show on the road. Thank you.

[He nudges at Steve. Go. Gogogo.]

[pursuitofcappiness]

[ Yeah, he doesn't need to be told twice, he'll let himself get ushered off down this unfamiliar hallway. But why are they even going to the principal's office, when they could just leave the school? They both have beards. They're not even the age of actors Hollywood pretends are high school students. ]

Please tell me this is one of your memories, because at least I know how to get us out of it.

[ Not exactly a fun memory, for Sam, but he seems pretty chill about it. ]

[jetpacking]

One of my... what? No, no. Never wound up nude in lit class. What kind of life do you think I lived? Also do I look sixteen?

[He did not get held back, thank you. Sam is definitely not heading the the principal's office either, nope. What he is doing however is spotting a sad little cardboard box tucked by the door to what looks like the gymnasium. Lost and found. He trots over there to see what he can fish out. Sadly it's a pair of gym shorts that are way too short and a t-shirt that was definitely made for a seventeen year old and not a full grown man. ...so he will keep Steve's shirt and toss the tiny tee to him.]

Here. For you. Matches your eyes.

[Steve. He has missed you.]

[expionage]

[Natasha turns to stare at Sam before nodding.]

Even in the USSR we knew that story. Aren't there supposed to be snakes?

[She can't help but looking at the "forbidden" trees. There's something there.]

It can't really hurt if we don't touch anything, right? I mean, you're a trained soldier. I kill men with my thighs. We should be fine.

[jetpacking]

Yeah something like that. Snakes and temptation. One of those is way more appealing than the other.

[He means snakes, of course. Clearly. Sam cracks a smile as his eyebrows slowly rise at kill men with my thighs because yes, and rest in peace.]

With those sorts of skills, yeah. We'll be good. We can take a couple apple trees.

[expionage]

Snakes and temptation? I wonder which one it is that you like, Soldier.

[She looks him up and down with a faint smile that gets bigger as he realizes what she said. Looks like she might have to explain that Steve isn't the only one who's been given a special shot that's enhanced his body.]

Do you want to take point or should I? I promise to keep my thighs to myself, unless you ask nicely.

scavenger hunt

[regulated]

[ sam. bucky's torn between gladness and anger at the thought of him being dragged here, too. on one hand, this place is weird and dangerous, but on the other, steve's here. so. you know. ]

Alright, but I'm not holding your hand, [ he quips, lighter than he's been for about ninety percent of his time here so far. ] Or.. smiling. [ what the hell is going on with this list, anyway?

all jokes aside, though.. he reaches out, prosthetic hand gripping the other man's arm, squeezing once carefully. ]

Man, you have no idea how glad I am to see you. [ even if he's from before he and bucky partnered up, he's just.. grateful. sam's one of two people in all of existence he trusts implicitly, even if the road there was a little bumpy. ]

[jetpacking]

[Oh. Thank god. Sam has embraced gladness at seeing Bucky, mostly because he does not yet know enough to be as pissed off about all this as he likely will be eventually. For now, it just makes him feel slightly less like he's going insane. But only slightly.]

Yeah you are. [Sam informs him, tapping a finger on the paper.] Says so right here. You're already the worst scavenger hunt partner.

[But Sam will grip his arm right back.]

You and me both. What the hell is going on here, Bucky? [It has not yet occurred to Sam that there may be time differences, so his every assumption is this is the Bucky he knows, the one who helped him find himself and get his head on straight about being worth taking up the shield.]

[regulated]

[ the ease with which sam responds to him tells him all he needs to know, really. they got along okay after steve.. left, but it was nothing like it is now. back home, bucky missed steve with every fiber of his being, but missing steve hadn't stopped him from becoming sam's partner. they're.. good. it's good feeling like he has direction and purpose again. ]

The smile's all on you, pal. [ but in spite of himself, his mouth quirks up anyway, amused and a little embarrassed by the strange list.

it fades a moment later, leaving him looking tired and drawn. ] Wish I could tell you, but I haven't been here long, either, and it's been one distraction after another. [ he rubs a hand over his jaw absently. ] Best way I can explain it is that magic's involved, we can't leave, and time's just a suggestion to the Fox, apparently. [ he jerks his thumb back in the vague direction he came from. ] Stark's here, though, from sometime after the Siberia disaster. So's Steve, from a little further on. .. And another Steve from a.. different timeline, I guess. One where he didn't get the serum.

[ he sighs, aggrieved. ] Stevie's a little shit, just like I remember from back then. And Steve's learning magic.

scavenger hunt

[ironism]

( the only reason tony's here participating in this scavenger hunt is because rumor has it that people have been obtaining an item from home through it. the first time he'd obtained an item from home it was his wristwatch gauntlet so it seems like this might be worth the time and effort. tony had been about to text steve to drop whatever it is he's doing right now and to come meet him at the orchard when he hears that familiar voice. whoever sam might have been talking to gets told to move aside and now he's standing in front of the guy. last time he saw sam was on the raft and he'd given him the location of that hydra facility in siberia. )

I'd say you're a sight for sore eyes, but we're really not there yet. ( funny how everyone on cap's team seem to be showing up here lately. it's starting to make him feel like the odd one out, but thankfully, it's not a thing he's unfamiliar with. he can deal with this. easy peasy. )

So... ( he narrows his eyes at the guy, once again wondering which timeline he's from. is it before or after the fight at the airport because god, it always comes down to that for him. tony doesn't really know sam well enough, but he's read his file. a former united states air force pararescue airman, served two combat tours, was sent to afghanistan, was a test pilot for the exo-7 falcon. great stuff, really. does he still hold a grudge towards him for what happened with rhodey? no. that was a terrible accident. )

20 spoons say my prize will be better than your prize. Care to make a bet?

[jetpacking]

[What in the hell is it with dead people showing up. Is he dead? Did he die when he wasn't paying attention? God he'd better not have died. Sarah will be pissed, and he'll never hear the end of it. But since he doesn't feel dead, and he doesn't feel insane, he's just going to play this out and see how it all goes.]

Yeah. Good to see you too, I think.

[Time to not mention he was at Tony's funeral. This is just fine. Instead he's just going to stare at him for a moment.]

Yeah sure uh. I'll raise you two knives and five sporks.

1

[ferrokinetically]

[ Lorna wasn't really planning on finding a partner for the scavenger hunt. Tell her to do something and she'll usually do the exact opposite, it was just the way she was. Curiosity was also part of who she was, which was why she'd come to check it out in the first place. Once she realized what it was all about she was prepared to just turn a heel in her steel-toed boots and march out of there.

That is until someone spoke to her. ]

Uh, not sure if I was planning on sticking around. [ Awkward. She tried to give a smile back, but as always it came out with a slightly sardonic look to it. It's a subconscious thing. ] But hey, maybe you're right. [ She shrugs. ] When in Rome. [ that a weird Fox brought you to... ] Looks like you've got genuine smile down.

[jetpacking]

There. That's the spirit. I mean I get it. It's weird, right? But I'm curious about the prize, and I don't really have a lot better to do yet. I don't even know where the hell I am.

[So he's all for playing along for the moment. His smile brightens at that.] Thanks. My mom gave it to me.

[He inclines his head.] C'mon. Let's see if we can hammer this out quickly. I'm Sam by the way. Sam Wilson. Got a name?

[ferrokinetically]

I've been here a few weeks and I still don't get where the hell I am. [ Which said something, her life was pretty weird. But this? This was Next Level weird. She'd at least been trying to do her best to just go with the flow of it though. ] Hope we're not disappointed by this mystery prize.

[ Better be worth the weird effort. She chuckles at his comment and shook her head. ] Nice of you to give her the credit.

[ She nods and starts moving. ] Can't be that hard, can it? [ Though some of the things it's asking for aren't really her cup of tea. ] Lorna. Lorna Dane. Or Polaris.

1.

[overnightoaks]

[ Henry's definitely got his eye on those apples, intending to pick some later, if all of the good ones haven't already been taken. But for now, he's happy to buddy up with a new friend and complete this scavenger hunt.

He greets his new partner with a wave and a smile. ]

Well, sure, there, pal! It sounds like fun, don't you think.

[ He holds out his hand for a shake. ]

I'm Henry, Henry Oak. And the place is called Folkmore, by the way.

[jetpacking]

[Okay. That's chipper. This guy seems friendly, and Sam will not be complaining about friendly right now. His smile widens and he reaches out to shake that hand.]

Sam Wilson. Good to meet you, Henry.

[He looks around.] And good to have a name for this place too. I think. You from around here?

[overnightoaks]

Me? Oh, no, I'm from San Dimas. [ A beat, and then he belatedly adds, ] ...California.

[ Just in case Sam doesn't know where San Dimas is. But he at least looks like someone who comes from Earth. Though, really, there's no telling what sort of Earth a person might be from.

He looks kind of familiar, and the name is tugging at his memory. Where has he heard "Sam Wilson" before? ]

Most all of the people you'll see around here were brought here by the Fox.

scavenger hunt

[maserannas]

( Ellana smiles back, clearly amused to some degree by whatever antics are related to this 'hunt' of sorts. She inclines her head toward him, shrugging her shoulders a touch. )

Sounds like a plan I can work with. I don't mind figuring out these photographs, but at least one of them's going to be a touch awkward on my own.

( Said with a laugh, but also a slight lift of her arm ending in some kind of grappling hook prosthetic. Handholding is fine and well, but she'd rather avoid having to form a whole arm out of mana until she actually needs to. )

Off to find a path lined with leaves? Could get a two for one going!

[jetpacking]

[Sam looks to the prosthetic, nodding.] Does make that one a challenge on your own. Well, consider me here to help. Sam Wilson, amateur scavenger hunter, at your service.

[And he's all on board with getting right to it, so he smiles.] I like the way you think. Let's see what we can find.

[A quick survey around.] That way looks promising.

[maserannas]

Ellana Lavellan, lovely to meet you, Sam Wilson. I'd figure out a way, but it seems unnecessary if friendly companions are willing to help things along.

( It's nice greeting without keeping a partial eye on what sort of political message would be sent; true enough of this place, even if it weren't a constant thought when it came to dealing with humans, back home or here in a Fox's playing field. Glancing the same direction, she starts moving with a hinted shrug and a smile. )

There are trees, I see leaves, we won't even have to stir up a wind or shake any down. Works for me!

( It's part of the apple orchard still, albeit the far end, where neighbouring trees have started losing their leaves to the shifting seasons evident elsewhere around. Bright oranges, some reds, few yellows, mixing with grasses gone to gold and brown as life went dormant, anticipating winter's following fall.

It's nice, in a cultivated way that reminds her of some human estates she's visited over the years. Less so the forest she'd grown up in, in their varying, wilder ways. Still, the scent of autumn on the air was pleasant, and so far, the company isn't unpleasant.

After reaching the head of this particular path, she offers her right hand. )

Tell me if you care to, Sam, what's the place you're like from? You're familiar with photography, which is a new thing to me here. We made do with portrait painting, regardless of wanting your portrait painted or not back home.

[ 1. Scavenger Hunt ]

[ainsisera]

[the woman who hears his request turns on the charm herself. and she does stand out in a crowd what with the longbow and full quiver, along with the fact that she looks like she got lost on her way to a RenFaire.

and then there are the shiny, black horns peeking out of her hair, the matching fingernails which look more like claws, and her blue eyes slit like a cat's]

Certainly. Now, let me see...it seems as though it'll be simple enough! The only bone of contention may be the something beautiful. Perhaps we can both take a picture of something or someone we find beautiful and compare?

[jetpacking]

[She certainly does cut a very striking figure -- like something out of a sword and sorcery movie. But she also seems friendly enough, and that works for him. Sam's smile widens and he nods in agreement.]

Sounds like a plan to me.

[He lifts his relic and snaps a picture.] Got mine.

[It's playful, but really, he's not wrong. He inclines his head.] Looks like there are some leaves down that way. I'm Sam, by the way.

[ainsisera]

[she's from something close, that's true. and she's always been friendly. even though sometimes she gets hung up on practicalities and logic, which drives her siblings insane]

Wonderful!

[and that makes her blush, but uses her Relic to snap a picture of him] As do I.

[it's playful, too, with a strong thread of sincerity] Good, something else we need! And it's very nice to meet you, Sam. [she curtsies] I am Queen Susan of Narnia.

((OOC: it's cool to be like oh hey, fictional character in metatext, but please no explicit fourthwalling. thanks! ❤))