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Entry tags:
October 2022 Test Drive Meme
OCTOBER 2022 TDM
INTRODUCTION
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.
Content Warnings: Possible insanity via freezing. Temporary nullification of abilities.
COLD AS YOU
KEEP YOUR BRITTLE HEART WARM
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.
Content Warnings: Monster sighting, optional violence.
GLITCH
BAD OMEN
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!
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( worth a shot, right? honestly, technology evades Kazuha also. ) Or just not poke it at all perhaps?
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...hello?
[Perhaps they have finally made it past the most difficult part of this trial!]
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Hello? Can you hear me? I require your assistance.
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[A paused garble punctuated with a beep. Not because he got confused again. He just thought that it should beep.]
But first I must ask if you are easily frightened.
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I have the heart of a samurai, very little in life has shaken me. ( it's quite astonishing how few things Kazuha has been bothered by, when they absolutely should've. ) If facing a fear is a necessary part of seeking rescue, I shall endure it.
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[He laughs, which sounds perhaps a bit sinister, though that is not his intent. At least not this time.]
Then I will say that once I take flight I will likely be unable to respond, but do continue to guide me until I see you. I am hesitant to fly too close, lest I knock you from your perch, but you shall see me once I take flight, I have no doubt.
Is this acceptable?
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... unless he's like a big creature, or something. is he? well, he'll soon find out. )
Yes. Thank you. I am the only person stranded here, and there are bright red trees on the other side of the ravine.
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[And one final beep before the device goes quiet on Malleus' end. Within minutes, a flock of startled birds can be seen taking off in the distance... followed by a large black dragon.
One that is approaching the cliffs at a rapid pace.]
1/??
2/??
3/??
4/done
D-Dra--
( better yell louder. maybe the dragon can't hear him down here. he brings his hands to his face, sucks in a breath and-- )
HELLO, DRAGON? I AM IN NEED OF RESCUE. ( please, in the name of the seven. don't eat him. please-- )
that is the most adorable comment spam I have ever gotten
Y'know, all that worry about blowing the poor human to an early death if he tried to hover in place like this.
But soon there is a very large head peering out over Kazuha's ledge. He looks like he's smiling possibly! Or just showing a lot of teeth. Either way. Rescue is here.]
Hello child of man. You are in need of rescue?
I'M SO GLAD LOL
Yes. I ... recognise your voice. ( so this is who he spoke to ... it's funny, he truly did expect a human to appear. ) Thank you.
( he'll follow the dragon's idea of rescue however it may entail - whether it be climbing on his back, or any other means. )
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[And he just sits there a moment, waiting for a response. Like a laugh. It was a joke! He thought it was funny. He is not so good at jokes. But he tries.
It slowly hits him that his brand of humor does not seem to go well with humans, and after a brief silence, he continues, awkwardly.]
...that was a joke. You have nothing to fear from me. [Another awkward pause. He's not so good at this.] You may sit on my head if you believe you can hold on, or I can take a smaller form and lead you down.
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Ehehe ... ! ( it's cute to him, and endearing beyond all measure, to hear a joke delivered by a dragon. just what sort of magical place had he wound up in? Kazuha wasn't prepared to ask questions ... not too many, at least. but rest assured, the dragon had himself a fan. )
Worry not. I know you have no ill intent, I can sense as much. ( it was perhaps difficult to tell from the start - since he was in awe above all else. now, he is ready for a dragon ride. ) Thank you most kindly for allowing me to sit atop your head.
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You are the first to say so. Most fear me for my power.
[He lets Kazuha get settled on top of his head, trying to contain his excitement. This must be like what having friends is like! Having someone laugh at your jokes is a very nice feeling. He likes this.]
You are welcome. Be sure to hold on- I shall catch you should you fall, but still... I do not wish for you to fall.
[Because you laughed at his joke.]
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( this is incredible - he's never sat atop a dragon before. he could only imagine what it must be like having access to such heights and freedom while flying ... of course he can glide, but it doesn't feel the same. there's a giddy excitement he can't describe, even though this is supposed to be a rescue operation, it feels far more like a joy ride. )
I'll put my faith in you, and in myself to stay on board.
( honestly. this is so exciting! he grips on for dear might, allowing the dragon to take off with him-! )
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Ah, perhaps he should ask about that.]
So where is it you would like to go? If you have a destination in mind. You mentioned the trees by the ravine.
[He key himself fall into a glide, though even when he beat his wings, it was likely noticeable he was primarily relying on magic to fly. He was a bit large to be airborne otherwise.]
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( well. amazing, is what it is. Kazuha feels his breath taken away when the dragon flies him over a spread of the vibrant autumn trees. definitely not the same as gliding. )
This is ... one of the best views I could imagine ... ( his tone is pushed out as a whisper, and he certainly doesn't want this to end yet. ) Friend dragon, might you show me more from up here before we touch the ground? The trees ... everything. It looks amazing. I wish to see it all.
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[He says, but there's a happy lilt to his tone. He's made a friend! And so quickly! He was not expecting such a turn of events this day!
So naturally, of course he obliges his new friend's wishes! With a heavy beating of wings he soars higher over the landscape, but still working to keep his excitement in check lest his power bleeds through and he accidentally causes a magical mishap. Again.]
Is this suitable? The higher we fly the colder it shall grow, but I can warm you if you need.
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( this most certainly resonates with Kazuha. his appreciation of the simple couldn't be any more transparent by how much he loves nature. the natural world that grows around us is something that some may take for granted, but not him. even a fallen leaf has the potential to be an instrument.
he affectionately pats the dragon on the head. )
This is perfect ... thank you. ( he casts his gaze out to the horizon, falling silent as the view quite literally takes his breath away. he's certainly feeling inspired ... no doubt a new poem will be in his future about what he has experienced. )
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Perhaps his new friend has places he favored over others! He should know so he can seek them if needed. Or perhaps hope he enjoyed ruins to if he did find any, he could how him... and maybe gargoyles too.]
It is a shame there are no ruins to wander. I find myself drawn to such places when I feel the need to wander. What of you, my friend?
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Wandering is the very essence of my life. It is what I do. There are many places I have been, and many more I have yet to discover ... this may be a wonderful start. There is nothing I love more than the unplanned, the unfamiliar and the outstanding. The latter of which always comes back to nature. Forests, ruins, the sand and the sea ... how I wish to see it all.
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[He circles around a mountain, taking his time to admire it before he spoke again.]
But I am a prince, and as such I have spent much of my life confined to my homeland. This is a rare opportunity for me.
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