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

[jetpacking]

Yeah, you wouldn't. Steve's down to earth as hell. He's a real good guy.

[One of the best really, and while Lorna says that it may not be the same Steve, and Sam is willing to believe she is right that it's a possibility, he's really hoping it's the Steve he knows. Maybe that's selfish, given the whole snatched to a weird world thing.]

We're all making it up as we go along. [Sam agrees.] Only thing really in our control is our own actions.

[ferrokinetically]

Seemed like it. Friendly guy too. Barely knew me but was still willing to help with something. Might've been suspicious but he seemed so... [ she shrugged. She wasn't sure how to put it. ] Genuine. Almost hard to believe someone like that exists.

[ They definitely don't in her world. It could use someone like that. ]

Yeah. [ A hint of a frown touches her lips. ] That's true enough.

[jetpacking]

They don't really make 'em like Steve Rogers anymore.

[Sam shrugs with a smile. It's true on several levels, but hey. If nothing else, now she knows the standards that he's trying to live up to. It's a lot, but he is doing his best.]

So... [He's noticed that frown, and turns the subject.] You sure I can't get a picture of your feet?

[ferrokinetically]

[ She appreciates that and flashes him a sly smirk. ] I knew there was something weird about you. [ She waves a hand and moves a foot forward next to a pile of leaves. There's a definite contrast between the Autumn colored leaves and her black steel toed boots. ]

Make sure to get the boots good side.

[jetpacking]

[Sam just grins but doesn't deny it. Feet aren't actually his thing, but he can't argue weird is accurate enough for him. But as a gesture of solidarity, he sticks his foot beside hers and snaps a picture.]

There. I think we've got two off the list now.

[He turns the relic so she can see.] Your boot clearly knows its angles.

[ferrokinetically]

Guess we're making a decent enough team. [ She gives a nod of approval at the photo. It's still kinda weird to take pictures of feet in leaves, but she does have a particular fondness for her boots. ]

It'd appreciate that. It's more used to action shots, so trying to pose for a quiet Autumn look was really branching out. [ Was that a joke about the trees around them? Maybe. ]

[jetpacking]

Told you I'm a great scavenger partner.

[Sam snorts. Because that was a terrible pun, which makes it excellent.]

All right, I see what you did there. Terrible. Groan-worthy. Good job.

[He holds up the list now, considering it.] So. What've we got left? I'm still curious about this prize.

[ferrokinetically]

Hey, I thought it was decent. Definitely above groan-worthy. [ Nah, she knows it was groan worthy. She's still going to huff and put up a fight about it being above groan worthy! Even though she knows at least one teen back home that would have rolled his eyes and moaned about being embarrassed to be seen with her after that. ]

I think just the hand holding one? [ But the reality is she lost count and is too terrible of a student to double check. ]

[jetpacking]

[Sam just shakes his head. Nope. He knows a groaner of a pun when he hears one. But oh hey. They're down to the last item. He checks the list, and yes, seems she's right.]

All right. Look at us go.

[He holds out a hand to her.] Shall we?

[ferrokinetically]

[ She looks at his hand and then heaves a sigh. Well, there are worse things one can be asked to do right? It seems awkward but it's all for this potential prize that probably won't be great. She's not an optimist.

She reaches out and takes his hand and looks over with a grin. ] Just don't expect any skipping through the orchard.