October 2022 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

OCTOBER 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]

SHINING

Content Warnings: Possible insanity via freezing. Temporary nullification of abilities.

COLD AS YOU

You were falling...

The world snaps into place all at once; you are laying on the ground, surrounded on all sides by towering bushes that stretch up towards a beautiful sunset sky. The bushes were clearly flowered at one point, but now the flowers have died and all that remains are browning leaves that are beginning to fall. On the chill air you can sometimes hear the sound of music, too faint to completely determine.

As you stand, you are filled with an intense desire to find someone. You might have an idea of who, but chances are you do not - you just know that somewhere ahead of you is someone that you need to reach. Whether they are friend or lover or enemy remains to be seen.

You wander the maze. If you're the impatient type and you have the ability, you might try to fly out but you will simply be vaulted right back down if you do. Something clearly expects you to play by rules which were never actually explained. As you move through the twisting passages of nature, you will notice that there is a frost creeping along the branches on either side of you. This frost brings a deep chill with it, and it encourages you to move faster, to find that nameless person now now now! If you take a very long time to wander the maze you may very well be on the verge of freezing and half mad with the desire to find someone. If you try to force your way through the bushes, the frost will crawl over your limbs and inspire both the freezing and near madness at once.

When you find your Person, the cold evaporates. The air suddenly feels merely crisp, and the leaves on the bushes seem more vibrant. The two of you now can focus on finding the way out - so much easier now - but any sense of urgency will have passed and you may just walk for hours, talking and sharing things about yourselves.

It is possible to solve the maze alone, but it is much easier (and more pleasant!) with someone else.

KEEP YOUR BRITTLE HEART WARM

When you exit the hedge maze you will find a stunning display of lights: hundreds of candles and lanterns decorate the ground and hang from trees, illuminating a clear path over a gently sloping hill. When you crest the hill you can look down and see a beautiful hot spring sprawled out below. It too is lit up by hundreds of lights, all of them glowing under the late autumn sky as it darkens towards night. There are changing rooms where you can stash your clothes (yes, there are bathing suits for the very shy) and bathing stations to ensure that you are clean before entering.

The water of the springs soothes madness and heals physical injuries or any frostbite that may have been sustained in the maze. It also relaxes you, making you perhaps more likely to open up to anybody else present.

The hot spring is staffed by many mice. They don't speak, but they squeak to one another in such a way that it sounds like they are singing - high lilting chants that seem to promise that everything will be okay. They are happy enough to band together to bring you towels or hot tea. The spring is open 24/7, always with lights to fight the cold and darkness of winter.

HIGH STRANGENESS

Content Warnings: Monster sighting, optional violence.

GLITCH

Folkmore has trains and of course the cat bus, but it also has roads, mostly utilized by horses and bicycles. Maybe you're looking for the convivence store, or maybe you just like walking. However it happens, you find yourself on a lonely road at dusk. It is unusually quiet, almost as if the world is holding its breath.

Suddenly you hear the sound of wings. A man-sized creature soars above you, something with huge red glowing eyes. It drops something at your feet: a walkie-talkie. The creature lands some distance away, staring at you, and a thought arises unbidden in your mind:

Help them.

The walkie crackles and you can hear someone speaking, asking if anyone is there. It is another Star Child, brought into this trial as well. They are in danger somewhere nearby; maybe stuck on the edge of a cliff, or trapped on a rope bridge - whatever it is, they need someone else to help them get to safety. If they have any powers, they have been temporarily nullified, but if the rescuer has powers they remain intact. That's where you come in! Using the walkie you must communicate with one another so that the rescuer can reach the person in trouble in time!

But what if you don't make it in time? Or decide that you're not the hero type? Well. The rescue-ee will suffer a terrible fate... for a few seconds. Then the entire world fuzzes and resets, but this time the roles have been reversed. Both parties will remember what has already happened, so if you just ran off into the woods with no intent of helping the first time you miiiight get your just desserts! This process will repeat over and over, people switching sides every time, until someone is finally rescued or the sun rises. Whichever comes first!

If you do succeed at a rescue, you will hear the rustle of huge wings once more. This time you don't see the mysterious creature, but you will find a mystery trunk. Inside you will each find some of your canon clothes and a canon item. Looks like teamwork is rewarded! Nearby, there will also be some unenchanted weapons sticking out of the ground: basic swords, guns, shields, etc.

BAD OMEN

You don't necessarily have to have completed the rescue trial to get some goodies, though! Those aforementioned weapons are scattered all over Folkmore. But if you just go to grab any of them you'd better be prepared to fight; after all, nothing comes for free!

As soon as you have pulled a weapon out of the ground, a tall, man in a black suit and hat will appear from seemingly nowhere and attack you. He has no weapons but he is extremely strong. He's also just really creepy - his face looks like it might be fake, somehow. The only way he can be killed is with a wound to the heart - any other supposedly mortal injury will result in another man in black appearing. It is possible for someone with no combat training to beat these creatures, but they really might appreciate a little help from someone with more experience!

The good news is that they won't mess up your clothes any, as none of these creatures bleed. Because that is totally normal.

Good luck!

Comments

Shikanoin Heizou ❖ Genshin Impact

[shikanoinheizou]

((ooc: Heizou is coming along to the TDM with about a month of CRAU from Jigoku, purely for the fact that a previous nugget of CR might be apping too. This won't affect his personality at all, but might be the source of a couple of odd comments here and there if the conversation goes that way.))

---

i. Cold as You

Oof--!

[It's that sensation of falling right as you're trying to fall asleep, and Heizou shoots up into a sitting position with a few leaves and twigs stuck in his hair, looking wildly around himself for a few moments before he quietly subsides.]

... Well. [He murmurs.] That was discombobulating.

[And he sits there for a minute, puzzled. He pinches himself. He picks up one of the dead flowers on the ground nearby and peers at it, then looks around himself some more. Looks like Hell isn't that difficult to escape after all, but he isn't sure he's keen on the new location either.

Eventually the detective pushes himself up to his feet to investigate these new surroundings, brushing leaves out of his hair as he goes, and though his desire to find someone is entirely genuine at first it does slowly begin to build to a level of urgency that even he realises is out of character. The chill moves in and he pulls the fabric of his haori tight around him as goosebumps race along his skin.]

Not good...

[Ahh, it's cold, it's cold--... He needs to find...

Who?]

ii. Keep Your Brittle Heart Warm

[It's difficult to turn down a hot spring, especially when you've just spent far too much time feeling like you're about to freeze to death, so Heizou stashes his clothes and doesn't waste any time in stowing his clothes away and dipping himself straight into the warm water.

No bathing suit required.

As the dull aching from the damage the frost had wreaked on his body eases, Heizou feels himself relaxing by degrees. He puffs out a breath and sinks in deeply enough that only his nose and eyes are visible above the water, along with his half-damp red-purple hair, then quickly ducks his head under entirely before coming up to rest at the edge of the spring.]

I could probably get used to this. [He muses out loud. It's relaxing for the moment, though it's only a matter of time before the detective's keen mind is going to start itching for something to investigate.

Heizou stretches his arms out and taps with his fingers, then worries his lower lip as a flicker of anxiety darts across the back of his mind.

Hmm.]

iii. Glitch
(a)

[Heizou does enjoy walking, and as someone with expertise in both Anemo manipulation and martial arts he has no concerns about walking alone. He almost considers this stance as a large shadow falls over him, a vortex beginning to form in his palm that immediately dissipates as the walkie-talkie drops to the ground in front of him. He picks it up, turning it over in his hands, and his expression lights up as he hears a voice coming from it.]

I'm on the case. [He assures the person on the other end of the device, keeping it close to his ear as he starts to hunt for them. They're nearby, so there must be evidence of their passing - footprints, a broken branch, a torn scrap of fabric, a few strands of hair caught on a hedge - and Heizou is just the kind of person to find that evidence.

The young man speaks into the walkie-talkie again, his voice firm and commanding.]

Shout up, let's see if I can hear you. We'll have you out of trouble in no time.

(B)

[Or maybe it's Heizou's voice you hear coming from the walkie-talkie? He sounds fairly calm, if somewhat breathless as he requests assistance from the person on the other end.

When they find him he'll be a couple of metres down the side of a cliff, clinging to the rock with a white-knuckled grip with no handholds available above him to pull himself up the rest of the way. Heizou is a strong young man and usually more than capable of rescuing himself even without any abilities, but he can't climb up smooth rock!

As soon as he spies someone peering at him over the cliff he looks up, puffing out a sharp breath.]

Ah-- Be a pal and find me a rope, would you?

iv. Bad Omen

[The 5'4" detective probably doesn't look like he's up to much of a fight, unless you look closely enough to see that his frame is almost entirely solid muscle. As soon as he has the jitte in his hand the attack comes, and Heizou darts out of the way of the first strike as if the wind itself is carrying him.]

What the--?!

[What the heck?!

Heizou prefers not to fight as a general rule, but the martial arts that his father made him learn as a child do come in handy at times like this. He clenches his fist tightly around the jitte, and the aqua-coloured Vision peeking out of his clothing begins to glow faintly.]

You don't wanna do this--... [He says levelly.] But if you insist...

[A quick look is shot to the person currently with him.]

Can you defend yourself?

v. Wildcard

[Nothing here catch your eye? Shoot me a DM or hit me up at hardtostarboard and we can work something else out!]

Glitch - B

[foundpurpose]

Nope, I’ve got something better. [He stuffs the walkie talkie into his belt. The jet black wings of his armor snap out and he leaps from the cliff.

He dives down and his wings beat to slow him once he reaches Heizou.] Come on, let’s get out of here.

[He’s a tall man with jet black hair, partly pointed ears, and wearing dark leather armor covered in scroll work. And looks rather calm all things considered.] I can hold you and fly just fine.

[shikanoinheizou]

Well, if that isn't something.

[It isn't every day that Heizou can be impressed or surprised and certainly not both at the same time, and he might have shown it better had he not been currently clinging to the edge of a cliff.

He reaches out and grabs hold of his saviour's arm, dropping the walkie-talkie but not even looking after it as it falls. One arm wraps firm around Vax's waist, the other hand coming up to clasp tight around his shoulder, and the detective lets out a giddy little gasp.]

Talk about a leap of faith. Don't drop me.

[Despite the strangeness of the situation he has no issues with being close to such a strapping individual. Small mercies.]

[foundpurpose]

[Vax makes sure he has his companion tucked securely up against him before he flies back up. The wind tugs at his hair as he angles a little away from the rock. Nothing tries to kill them.

They land without any issue a little ways away from the cliff edge. Vax folds his wings and makes sure Heizou is standing on his own feet before he steps away.] Are you hurt at all? Some of these tests they put us through knock us around a bit.

[shikanoinheizou]

Was that a test for me, or a test for you?

[Because he hardly sees what one might get out of pinning him to the side of a cliff, unless they wanted to see if he would be too prideful or untrusting to accept help from someone freely offering it.

Once he's on his feet he lightly brushes himself off, then looks up at Vax with a curious expression.]

I'm not hurt as far as I can tell. Not sure how much longer I could have held on by my fingertips there, though, so thanks for the rescue.

[foundpurpose]

Any time, we’re all here. Might as well work together. [Vax says before he glances around. Nothing here except for them.

No weapons stuck in the ground. Just this. He relaxes but he shifts his feet. If he needs to draw a dagger he can do it swiftly.]

I couldn’t tell you if it was a test or not. But Thirteenth always tries to get us to forge bonds and ties. It could be that or could even be exposing you to how different other worlds could be. Or even both or more than we know.

We’re in a very tricky place full of a lot of things that aren’t as they seem. I’m Vax’ildan. Call me Vax.

[shikanoinheizou]

Hmmn.

[Heizou rubs the back of his head. Forging connections with people is something he tends to excel at on a superficial level, but when it comes to actually making friends... Heizou's tendency to be difficult to get along with can often not work in his favour.]

Vax. [He drops his hand, then gives a small, polite bow to the other man.] Shikanoin Heizou. [Then a smile.] Just call me Heizou. I do hate to stand on ceremony with formality. It sounds like you're familiar with what's going on around here.

Bad Omen

[descender]

[He's been told by a friend that he'd find his weapon, and well, he finally finds it. He finds his silver sword, but there is a price to pay. It takes him creating about four of these "men" to figure out how to defeat them. He's on high alert after defeating them. Getting his sword back is worth it.

He's going to return back to Lapine when he sees another one of those creepy creatures. His instincts kick in, grabbing his sword as he extends his wings. He runs, launching himself so his wings can make him move forward quickly. As he gets closer, he hears a familiar voice and another figure. There's no mistaking this is Heizou; another one of his friends from Teyvat has found themselves here. This can't just being coincidences.

He intercepts, blocking an attack with his sword. This should buy Heizou enough time.]

They can't be reasoned with. Aim for the heart!

[shikanoinheizou]

[Well, now. Look who it is!]

Given you're the only one carrying a weapon with a pointy end I'll leave that to you, shall I?

[Though Heizou is not sitting on his laurels. He dislikes fighting as a general rule, finding brute force to be uncouth and unbefitting of a detective, but this does not look like a scenario that is going to be solved simply using cunning.

His surprise to see Aether was clear enough on his face when the other man approached, but there will be time for pleasant re-introductions later. They have a more pressing matter to attend to. He spins the jitte in his hand and darts forwards, landing a sharp strike with a blast of Anemo against their assailant's shoulders that knocks them into a stumble.]

Now, Aether!

[descender]

[His battle instincts are in full force now, his focus absolute. He switches his own element to anemo to match Heizou's to increase their elemental compatibility. This is more about speed and an opening, so stamina is needed in this moment.

It feels like they've fought together for years with how they work together. Heizou's timing is perfect for Aether to get enough of an opening to stab the man with his sword with a direct hit. It's a clean stab, just like with the others. Then the creature is gone, like it was never there in the first place.

Aether takes a deep breath in, turning to look at Heizou. His sense of humor kicks in, knowing they both can joke with each other.] Didn't we do this before? Me fight some guys and "save" you? A meeting just like out of a lite novel.

[shikanoinheizou]

[Heizou's lips tilt in a wry smile at the teasing. He tosses the jitte lightly upwards and then snatches it out of the air, shrugging one shoulder with a breathy sigh.]

The famous Traveller, coming to my rescue once again. What can I say? Maybe I just like being your damsel in distress.

[Though he was in far less 'distress' this time, not pretending to be trapped in a cage by brigands who truly believed he would fall for such an easy trap. The smile turns into a grin and Heizou walks over, grasping Aether's forearm and patting his other hand against the back of his friend's elbow.]

Good to see you, partner. You have some impeccable timing. I might have struggled with that fellow without a blade to hand.

[descender]

[He relaxes his stance, making sure his sword his pointed down. His other hand is placed on his hip. He always appreciates the natural chemistry between the two of them, and luckily for them, Aether knew to do a clean kill to the heart.]

So maybe next time I get a treasure instead of a damsel? Or I might just start charging you. The commission fee to save damsels isn't so cheap.

[He nods, showing that seeing him is also something that's uplifting. He would rather his friends stay in Teyvat, but at least he was there to greet Heizou. He also recalls his first day and encountering monsters. It would've been pretty nice to have a sword and know their weak points.]

Having does really help. [He looks over him; Heizou looks fine overall. He knows worse case, his friend would've figured something out. Only fools would only not look past his sense of humor and not see how intelligent and quick witted Heizou is.] So, decided to follow a fox in your dreams and come here?

[shikanoinheizou]

And me without any change in my purse. I'm afraid I can't help you with payment.

[Heizou laughs though, knowing his friend and partner is not at all serious in his statement. His buoyancy subsides, though, at the question of the fox and his brow furrows, his hand coming up to his mouth as he lapses into thought.]

Yes, something like that. Foxes are common in Inazuma as you know... so dreaming about one isn't too out of the ordinary. [The detective's bright eyes flick over to Aether and he wonders... should he tell him? For a moment his gaze shifts, moves away, darkens almost imperceptibly...

Then he smiles again, all bright and good humour, and that look is gone as swiftly as a small cloud passing across the sun.]

To tell you the truth, I wasn't Inazuma when I had the dream. I was... somewhere else, entirely outside of Teyvat.

keep your brittle heart warm.

[mapleleaves]

Ah ... I must agree with you there.

( this spring ... it's reminiscent of Inazuma - as Heizou likely understands, given that he hails from the very same region. Kazuha has little unrest so far in his experience here, due to the call of the fox leaving quite an impression on him. what a fascinating creature she was ... of course the nature-sensitive samurai found himself smitten over the prospect of encountering a being who carried the scent of every season and also the stars. he has decided to trust the call of nature, and relax in this homely bath.

although, it seems that Heizou does not appear to be quite as relaxed as he. detecting this change, Kazuha opens his eyes and peers over at the other man. )

... Is there something troubling you, my friend?

[shikanoinheizou]

Hm? No, nothing.

[Heizou, who holds up his happy-go-lucky front like a shield, knows that Kazuha is harder to fool... but the response comes immediately regardless and with a smile as if to dismiss the samurai's concerns. It's been nice to be able to spend this time with him, though he had made a joke about not being able to arrest him now when they had first come across one another.

Maybe between the two of them they would be able to come up with some answers about this place.]

Well-- hm. [He was lying, and he knows Kazuha knows he was lying. The difference here, is that he owns up to the lie. Or... sort of.] You must find this as strange as I do.

[mapleleaves]

( ahh, yes. the vision hunt decree. with no grounds to arrest Kazuha, it seems that friendship is the next best option. could always be worse!

it is just as he expected, though - after all, Kazuha could empathise with Heizou's suspicions about this brand new realm, despite the fact that he had a lot more faith in it. if it were not for a creature carrying the whims of nature in her scent, he may be a lot less relaxed than he is now. )

It is quite unorthodox, I'll admit. ( Kazuha says this while he runs his hand through the white fox tail curled around his side in the water. ) Might I suspect there are more concerns you have than the new appendages that a person may grow here?

[shikanoinheizou]

[A soft snort puffs out of him followed by a lazy grin.]

No, that's not too much of a concern. Hey, maybe it if happens, I'll get hearing good enough to be able to listen to the wind the way you do.

[Something he has always envied a little about Kazuha. His uncanny ability to read nature in the way that Heizou could read the tiniest clue has always been something the detective has slightly coveted... and part of the reason he was always trying to 'arrest' him. Between the two of them, they had some of the best analytical ability in Inazuma.]

It's more... Hmm... Would you think I was crazy if I told you this isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened to me?

[mapleleaves]

( Kazuha listens intently to Heizou - although just moments ago, he felt as though he could fall asleep in the calming hold of the spring water. but the question that the other man asks makes him awaken with interest. )

Crazy? ( he shakes his head. ) Not at all. You are not the first person I have met who travelled from one world to the next.

( their beloved traveller friend being one of them. )

Although I suppose I am a little but surprised. This was something I did not detect on you.

[shikanoinheizou]

I don't know if it's something that you would be able to, even with your fine senses.

[Any scent he might have picked up while trapped in Jigoku-cho has long since been washed off by the bath he's been soaking in, and he's been wandering around here for long enough as well. Heizou lowers his eyes, his brow furrowing softly in thought as he wonders how he might explain.]

I was only there a matter of weeks before I dreamed of the Fox, and then I was here. I don't understand it myself, but I think it's going to be the kind of mystery that I might not be able to solve. [And how he hates to admit that, when his talent and aptitude for investigation had been the very thing that had reduced the Tenryou Commission's cold case pile to nothing. He sighs.]

How vexing.

Cold As You

[divisors]

[What...is this place?]

[It's good he has a cloak - Moriarty pulls it around himself with a little shiver as he strides through the maze. Ugh. As if a maze could live up to his genius - he'll make it out of here, he will-! And yet....]

[Here he is, with the cold approaching, still nowhere near the exit. Something pulls him along, a desire to be close to someone - who? What is this feeling? It can't be his. He works alone. James Moriarty stands above all, individual.]

[Its all he thinks when he turns a corner and catches a familiar head of vivid red hair, like the burnt color of autumn leaves, and stops in his tracks.]

[Something...feels lighter, already.]


....? You?

[He....must be seeing things. Truly.]

[shikanoinheizou]

[He's struggling to keep his pace by the time the feeling clawing at his chest starts to reach a crescendo. All point of reasoning with it has been passed and his natural level-headedness is the only thing keeping him from breaking into a run. Heizou has his numb fingers stuffed into his armpits and is moving along briskly when he's suddenly drawn to one side. His gaze tracks the sensation as if following sight of something, and then--

His bright eyes widen. Something in him feels like it eases slightly.]

James!

[And it's with a relieved grin that he drops his hands and runs, though now awash with relief rather than keyed-up nerves. The cold around him feels like it fades to nothing and the clarity of his mind returns in a rush.]

I was starting to think I was alone in here.

[divisors]

You don't need to call me that.

[He says, with a little sniff, a seemingly displeased frown - but even as he folds his arms, theres a sense of relief in the tension his shoulders release. At least a familiar face. Even if it is an insufferable one that hes totally not glad to see.]

There was always a probability of others in the maze. It seems that probability worked in our favor.

[shikanoinheizou]

How did I know that would be the first thing your mind turned to?

[Probability. Mathematics. As is always the way of things with Moriarty. Heizou smiles indulgently, but he hasn't missed how suddenly at ease he feels now that he's found the other man. Was this really the person he had been urgently being pulled towards this entire time?

It makes him suspicious that this is one of that Tamamo kitsune's tricks, but to what end..? And why push him so hard to find Moriarty, only for nothing to happen after that? His mind is working, but he answers with another softly teasing question.]

And what else would I call you? You're using my given name, after all. Fair's fair.

[divisors]

As if it wouldn't be obvious.

[He, too, is wondering what in the world is happening, here. Surely, this is some magical place, a maze to lead the astray, yet...how very uncharacteristic of the ever busy darkness of Hell itself. It seems...lonely.]

[He opens his mouth to move on, when that teasing statement comes - and he balks, eyes wide.]

Eh? No. Don't pull my leg. I've been using your last name, surely.

[shikanoinheizou]

[Oh--... that's endearing.

But of course he had never made it clear, and Moriarty had never asked. He grins, giving a light touch down the length of the other man's arm. How close he had come to freezing on the spot seems to be entirely forgotten now.]

Not at all. Heizou is my given name.

[And the one he prefers to be called, by far. His family name is of no small repute in his home village and the martial arts his father teaches are known. He would prefer not to have that expectation on him... And besides, 'Doushin Shikanoin' is what his superiors call him when he's in some kind of trouble.]

Shikanoin is my family name. The family name is always spoken first in Inazuma.