folkooc | August 2022 Test Drive Meme

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*tdm

August 2022 Test Drive Meme

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Sam watches Steve "on your left" Rogers take off downfield and grumbles as he's tossed the ball. This guy. But he's grinning when very suddenly, they're right in the middle of the big game, and he's throwing a ridiculous hail mary right down the route that Steve is running.]

You better catch this, Rogers!

[It's a good throw, okay? Now it's on Steve. And maybe it'll get them out of football season.]

[ And it's... a touchdown! Maybe? Sort of? Steve isn't sure how that happened, but suddenly there's a rush of people from the bleachers lifting Sam and him up, and handing Sam a trophy of some sort that's way oversized. This is a weird dream. ]

This must be based off your high school years!

[ He shouts this as they get human-waved back towards the school building. ]

'Cause I don't remember High School being like this at all!

[ He tries to get down from here, but every time he makes an attempt, he's too polite to actually hurt anyone. ]

[Sam holds onto the giant trophy with a quizzical look. Definitely a dream, and rolling with it like it's a dream seems to be the best idea they've had. At least things are still happening.]

Ha. In my dreams maybe.

[...which, yeah. Okay, fair.] I was a tight end, not the quarter back for one thing.

[Sam watches Steve struggle for a moment before he works on getting himself down, right around the time they hit doors to the building which open to the gymnasium. His feet hit the floor right in time for the scene to change. The gym is draped in streamers and lights. Boyz II Men is playing. Couples are swaying across the gym floor.] Looks like we made it to prom.

Right, 'cause you think I was a quarterback?

You ever see what I looked like in high school?

[ Steve looks up and-- Yeah, Boyz II Men? That's definitely Sam's prom. Otherwise, they might be playing some Fred Astaire instead.

Also, this is a very inappropriate song to play for teenagers, if Steve's gonna be honest, considering he did those PSAs for high schools. Parents are opting their kids out of health class now? Anyway. ]

Great, that means we've almost graduated. Hope you have a date, Sam. Or this prom's gonna start looking a whole lot like mine did back in '36.

Yeah, I've been to the Smithsonian.

[Steve could've been the football back then. But no, yeah. He'll cop to it. This must be his dream, because this is screaming 90s. The dresses alone. Wow. Sure was a time.

But hey at least they've both picked up the appropriate attire. Sure the tux he's wearing is a little dated, but it's much better than his other wardrobe options in this nightmare.]

Oh shit yeah. Katie... she was pretty pissed at me on prom night though. Maybe we try to stay out of sight if she's going to turn up.

[ Good thing Sam's no longer in those short shorts, that might've been scandalous. ]

What? Why?

You forgot to get her a corsage or something?

[ Steve goes to touch his beard, and a corsage kind of appears there even though it hadn't been before, probably because he's so used to pulling flowers out of it that his subconscious tells him it's okay. ]

You could give her this one.

--Are the only songs you remember from this band?

[ Actually, now All-4-One is playing, but Steve should probably be forgiven for not realizing it's a different band, since "I Swear" really could be a B2M track. ]

She is under the mistaken impression that I was flirting with her best friend.

[He was in fact just being himself. But high school anything can cause drama. The usual. But he's pausing to watch Steve pull a corsage out of his beard.]

How did you just do that?

[Is this a new trick, Steve? It's a weird trick.

Sam holds up a hand.] The same..? Are you serious. Okay, we are adding a few lines to your book. And no, I know plenty of--

[Oh. Oh no. It's the final dance of the night. It's 1996, and that means Celine Dion Because You Loved Me and Sam sighs.] See? Totally different. [At least it's not the Titanic song. That won't be out for another year.]

Don't ask, you won't like the answer.

[ Oh yeah, this definitely sounds like the Titanic song. ]

Guessing Katie and her best friend are out of the picture.

[ And also like seventeen, Steve. So Sam probably doesn't wanna dance with them anyway. But then Steve holds out the corsage, offering it to Sam instead. ]

Didn't get to dance at my prom. Just got rejected a bunch of times. Wanna help a friend out?

[ Steve has actually never slow-danced in his life. It's kinda sad. Maybe Sam even knows the details of how he'd made plans with Peggy. But Celine Dion in the middle of a high school gym is pretty far-removed from that. So as long as they don't decide to encore with some of Steve's favorite music, he's fine. ]

Yeah, real out of the picture.

[Because yes, they are definitely seventeen. Not exactly Sam's target demographic these days. He looks from the corsage back to Steve, not bothering to hold back the grin as he reaches out to take the corsage.]

Well. At least you got me flowers this time. Can't possibly say no to that now, can I?

[C'mon, Steve. They'll do prom right.]

[ He makes quick work of tying the corsage around Sam's wrist and then leading him out to the dance floor. His cheeks turn red as he realizes the people on the dancefloor move out of the way for them, but he takes Sam's hands and uh, tries really hard not to stomp all over his feet. ]

This is a nice song.

[ Also, partially because they're not children, these two look the most put-together at this prom, and they cut a nice image. ]

As far as dreams go, I think we did well dialing it back from a nightmare.

[This is Sam's first time being given a corsage and there's a faintly amused grin on his face as Steve ties it on. Sure, why not.]

Not bad, right? Little overplayed at the time, but not bad at all.

[Sam at least doesn't seem phased by the other couples on the floor parting for them or the attention that is clearly being paid in their direction. That's right, look. Two Captains America dancing to peak 90s aesthetic.

And since it's Steve, and Steve will likely always be one of Sam's favorite people, he'll even forgive any assault on his toes. He falls into the slow easy rhythm of the song easily enough; Sam Wilson can dance, so they have that going for them.]

Definitely going better than naked book reports. Just wait. If we're lucky we'll be prom kings when this is over.

Oh? I don't think they give out two prom king crowns, Sam. You'll have to take it.

[ The song's slow and everyone else is just awkwardly shuffling back and forth so, there isn't a whole lot of involvement that Steve needs to put in. He imagines that this would have been really swell at the end of an evening, after a nice night with your high school sweetheart.

Steve is not getting most of that, but he does have many non-teenage and non-hormonal affections towards Sam, who had swiftly taken the mantle as one of his best friends, and had only bonded more with Steve in the past two years they'd been on the run.

He doesn't know what's happened in the six years since, but he's more than happy to be here with Sam. ]

Missed you in the two months I've been here. But this place keeps me on my toes.

Nah, not one for the monarchy. Bad look for-- [Well he'd been about to say Captain America but instead finishes it off with,] a big proponent of democracy.

[The awkward teenage shuffle is a time-honored tradition really, one that Sam has certainly engaged in back in his day. It's definitely different with Steve -- different but not bad at all. Steve is absolutely one of his best friends, and his absence has certainly been deeply felt. Hell, it's one of the things that he and Bucky had bonded over, he supposes, at the beginning anyway. Until they found their own common ground and trust in each other.

He grins as Steve says those last words.] Of course you did. I'm a missable guy. But tell me about it. Is it all weird trippy things like this, or do I need to be ready to defend myself?

Well, there was a lake creature that negated my serum for a bit, and then there was seaweed that could only be cut by a golden sword.

So. You know, maybe we could get you equipped with weapons once we get outta here.

[ Once the song is over, there's a bit of a lull, so Steve goes over to the snack table to eat something because he has no idea how much longer they're going to be stuck in here.

Halfway through a plate of appetizers, they do in fact start to name the prom royalty, of which Sam does get elected Prom King, since it's the 90s so it's his prom. Steve cheers for him, encouraging him to get on stage to get crowned. ]

Uh, yeah. Let's do that. Armed sounds much better.

[He would ask about lake creature, but he's not sure he wants to know. He is definitely picturing Loch Ness Monster though.

Sam is ready to be done with Prom too, but apparently this weird ass dream has another trick up its sleeve. Sam is trying to protest but he's ushered up on stage, giving Steve a look at the cheering.

But he accepts the crown, turning to wave at the assembled crowd of teenagers only to hear a particularly unhappy, 'You cheating bastard! Well. Shit. There's Katie. Sam flashes a grin.] Sorry, it's just not going to work out. It's me, not you.

[And with that he hops down from the stage and beelines it for Steve.] Let's get some air.

[Come on, Rogers. Move it. Move it move it. By the time they get to the door, time will shift for them once again.]

[ Steve keeps his plate with him, he's about to offer Sam something to nosh on but then he's quickly ushered out of the gymnasium, where there's all these tables congratulating the graduating class. The food on Steve's plate has shifted, and they're in graduation gowns.

There's a diploma in his other hand. ]

Guess we're about done here.

[ Steve tries to leave, but he finds he can't. Due to the senior prank, it looks like there's a giant boulder having been delivered in front of the school, and everyone's being asked to stay inside while the school has to get it removed. ]

Wow.

[ It's about then that the principal walks by, trailed by a few professional violinists paid to follow him all day long. ]

Some class you had, Sam.

[The change to the plate Steve is holding will not stop Sam from helping himself to an hors d'oeuvre as he contemplates the diploma in his hand. The tassel hanging in his peripheral vision is distraction, so he reaches up to take the cap off before tossing it away like a frisbee.]

Thank god.

[Sam is ready to leave too, but they're thwarted.] Well, that's creative at least.

[He's busy staring at the principal and his musical accompaniment.] Hey, remember. Dream. My high school was not this fancy. We were a fishing town.

Yeah, well, yours was probably fancier than mine.

And it did pick all your tunes.

[ So forgive him for thinking this place looks like home. Steve scarfs down a few hors d'oeuvres in case they're incorrect and it shifts them somewhere else where there isn't food. ]

What are your plans after graduation? Joining the Air Force?

[ Thinks he might play along with the situation as long as they've got it. But hopefully it's over soon. ]

That's because no one has a victrola lying around.

[Sam jokes with a bit of a laugh.] But no, we're peak mid-90s for sure. I'd say you should be sorry you missed that, but it was a weird as hell decade.

[Very surreal in a lot of ways, looking back. Still, he does have that bult-in nostalgia for that time in his life.]

College actually. [Sam gestures vaguely.] Air force comes after the degree. [The world sort of changed right around that point, and he'd enlisted, found his way into pararescue and never looked back.]

Oh, right.

[ He smiles at Sam and claps him on the shoulder. ]

Well if we don't get out of this dream, I guess I'll help you move in to your dorm.

[ But he really hopes that graduation's the last thing. He'd like to return to Folkmore proper, clean up after the flood. ]

Guess I could also just get you to wake up.

I am very ready to wake up. The trippy dream version of this is your life is interesting, but...

[He is very much ready to be back-- well. Back in that weird place obsessed with apple picking and scavenger hunts that he was before he wound up waking up in a bespoke nightmare.

And maybe it's the Fox taking pity on them, but all at once a band starts playing the swelling familiar refrain of Pomp and Circumstance and the dream seems to culminate and start coming apart quite literally at the seams, like fabric fraying away around them. Good thing Steve ate those snacks.]

[ Whoa, what on earth is this dream doing? The music seems to stretch out longer, like it's going through a tunnel. It's all white for a moment, like they're at the end of a film reel, and then everything eventually fades out, as Steve opens his eyes up to find himself fallen asleep in an orchard.

He stands up to his feet, immediately. ]

Sam!

[Sam is sprawled out on the grass not far away, though he lifts his head up when he hears his name. He grins and lifts a hand.] I just had the weirdest dream. But it wasn't a dream. And you were there, Scarecrow.

[Muddling Wizard of Oz quotes is fine, right? He sits up and climbs to his feet.]

...still in the weird place though. Not home. So that part actually was real. [But that means Steve is actually here, not some figment of a dream.]

Yeah, well, you get used to the oddities.... cowardly lion.

[ He tries. He's trying. ]

Not sure how that happened, but it's over now. You get settled in yet?

[ It's a popular question to ask, but he means it every time, and he tries to help every time. ]

I'm living in a hobbit hole with Bucky. We could dig out a third room.

I usually do.

[Since he met Steve he does, anyway. He shakes his head.]

No, just showed up. I haven't settled anything.

[He dusts off his pants since he's apparently been lying in the grass this whole time, and turns to face Steve. There is a moment where he tries to process living in a hobbit hole with Bucky, and sure. Okay.]

Well, that nerd must love that. [Mr. "I read the Hobbit when it came out."]

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