folkooc | October 2022 Test Drive Meme

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Tary Jumbo, you're alive!

[ Taryon's question is completely ignored as Grog just scoops him up in a rib-crushing hug, happy to see a friend. ]

Gah!

[It's not that he minds hugs. It's just that Grog is very... enthusiastic with his, apparently. And Taryon has fragile spellcaster ribs.]

I- may not be- if you don't loosen your grip- big man!

Oop—! Right, right... Sorry!

[ He lets go and gingerly drops Taryon back down into his feet. ]

So, you followed the food, too, huh?

[Taryon drops down and starts to duck back into the water a bit, but then thinks twice of it because he'd basically be at dick-level, and that's just not dignified. But neither is standing around buck naked in a hot spring. ...Only with Grog would this happen, he thinks.]

Let's just... sit down. Relax. It's a hot spring! And what do you mean, food?

[ Thankfully for them both, once he's released Tary, Grog moves to sit and lean his back against the side of the hot springs, stretching out his arms to drape over the walls. ]

Oh, yanno... That fox talking 'bout how if we followed her, we 'ad the potential to eat all the tastiest food.

[ He... may have gotten the wrong message from that vision. ]

That... no. What? [His brows furrow, baffled as he thinks back.] No, I was looking for... my mother. I think. But it was only a trick of the maze, so I thought I might sit in the water and ease my woes for a little while.

[He was definitely not sulking.]

[ Grog grunts his understanding, nodding. ]

I don' like that maze. [ He shoots a glance back in the direction of it. If looks could kill, the maze would be in death saves. ] Too cold.

Ah... yes. This whole area is entirely unpleasant, outside of this spring here.

[It's kind of a miracle he made it through alive. He's not really known for his fortitude.]

I'm glad you made it here, though. Enjoy the heat while you can.

[ While he can?? Now that earns Tary a concerned look. ]

Why? 'S this place usually a lot colder?

This whole area seems to be in winter. [And he is noooot a fan, turns out.] As soon as I'm done here, I intend to return to the Keep, where it's warm.

You got a keep here? I'll go back there with you after this.

[ For now, he just wants to relax in the hot water and let all the warmth seep into his stiff muscles. ]

So how'd you end up here, anyway? If you didn't follow that fox?

I'm... not entirely sure, if I'm being honest. I was in a fog... no, I was asleep. And then I was in a maze, looking for someone. Something. And then I wandered into this place.

[He pauses, then shakes his head.]

This place is very weird, Grog. Get used to that one.

Ehh, it can't all be that bad! At least I've got my friends 'ere!

[ Because it sounds to him like the rest of Vox Machina (excepting Scanlan) all arrived here before him. ]

How long've you all been waiting here for me to show up? 'M not late, am I?

Hardly. You're not even the last to-

[Oh, wait, he doesn't know what sort of timeline they're working with, so he has no idea if Grog even likes that Scanlan fellow at this point. Maybe he'd better not go there. Not like he knows the guy anyway.]

Er, you're the last to arrive, but only barely. Pike and I arrived last month, so you followed us pretty fast.

[ Grog tolled a flat six on his Perception check, so he doesn't catch the momentary slip up of almost mentioning Scanlan. He's just too excited by the rest of what Tary said. ]

Pike's here?? [ He stands up from the water abruptly, exposing the entire hot springs area to his massive goliath dong. ] Where?! I wanna see 'er!

[Oh no, it's back and so big.]

She's not here here. She's probably by the lake. [Just gonna... look at literally anything else. It's too distracting.] If you're done in here, we can get our things and I'll show you the way.

[ Grog can't help the way his posture slumps a bit when he learns Pike isn't in the immediate vicinity, but he perks right back up again after Taryon keeps explaining. ]

Ooh, a lake!

[ Lakes aren't normally so exciting, but if it's a lake with Pike nearby, then yeah, that's got his attention. ]

Yeah, 'm done here. Let's go to the lake!

Good.

[A pause.]

And put some clothes on first!!

Huh?

[ Grog halts, halfway through stepping out of the hot springs, and looks down at himself. ]

Oh, right...

[ Thankfully a little mouse servant runs over, bringing him a towel, which he gratefully grabs and starts drying himself off. ]

I'll go get changed and meet you outside?

Yes, that's a good plan. Hopefully we'll be able to muddle our way through the fog together.

[He'll just... get his own towel and find clothes of his own. So much for a relaxing bath...

On the other hand, Grog and Pike reuniting is usually pretty cute, so he'd like to witness it. Maybe even get thanked for helping! How heroic. ...Okay, less heroic, more nice. And he's working on that.]

[ Grog wraps the towel around his waist and wanders off to find where he'd stashed his clothes. When he reemerges out from the changing room, he's not all that much more covered up than he was with just the towel, wearing just his usual pair of pants and furred & armored mantle, with the Titanstone Knuckles on his hands. He's got a great axe slung over his shoulder— not his usual Bloodaxe, just a generic axe he'd found lying around the side of the road, but it'll do for now. ]

Ready to go?

Wh- of course not!

[He's still in the dressing room. He has like 3 layers to go. He's not an animal.]

Go- grab something to eat for the road! I'll need another few minutes. I have to do my hair.

October 2022 Test Drive Meme

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Whoops, autocorrect strikes again... That was supposed to be "fox"

lmaooo and here i thought it was perfectly IC

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cw nudity

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