folkooc | October 2022 Test Drive Meme

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*tdm

October 2022 Test Drive Meme

OCTOBER 2022 TDM

INTRODUCTION

[ TDM Questions ★ Jump to Comments ★ Full Navigation ]
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

A.) Cold As You

What the fuck.

[ It's uttered under his breath -- breath that escapes in a visible clouded huff. Tech Boy is averse to nature on a good day, but this isn't a good day and as he stares at the sunset sky, an overwhelming sense of confusion and awe grips him. He never thought he would see another sunset. And yet there it is -- clear and so seemingly real, something he had taken for granted throughout what he could remember of his life. It staves off the cold temporarily as his hand lifts to trace the line of colored clouds. ]

Fuck.

[ His hand drops and he sits up suddenly as another realization dawns. Sunset means evening is about to hit. And without a flashlight or GPS or the ability to rip a hole right through time and space to get where he wants, he'll be completely and utterly boned in the dark. Who knew what sort of creatures came out at night in this weird ass place.

Grabbing a fist full of crisp leaves, Tech Boy crunches them in his hand and starts to leave a trail behind him as he wanders. No sense of what he's looking for. No clues as to where he is. All he can rely on is his technological abilities. He reaches out for any device, any electronic, hell even any AI -- pinging anything he can find. It's frustrating that the radius seems limited -- like he can only sense what is extremely close when typically he can sense an entire country's worth of technology. But it's better than nothing, and it helps him to navigate to another person. Which is the point, isn't it? Finding someone else. Breathing a sigh of relief, he approaches. ]

Thank fuck I found you. Hey, you have any idea where we're even supposed to go?

B.) Keep Your Brittle Heart Warm (cw: reference to drug use)

I don't...

[ The words die on his tongue as Tech Boy isn't even sure what he's about to protest. Bathing with strangers? Accepting whatever aid the sentient mice are offering? Because they are sentient, right? They might not be talking full on words, but they might as well be with how they seem to know exactly what people are asking. Frigid fingers swipe over his face as though he can rub reality back to some semblance of normalcy. But no. The sentient, singing mice are still here -- still offering a towel with their little mice hands. ]

Damn. Whatever I'm on right now is real fucking strong.

[ He wanders woodenly toward the changing area -- and yes, he will take a swim suit thank you very much. The only reason he's doing this at all is because his balls feel like they're about to freeze off if he doesn't warm up quick after all that wandering in the maze. Full of suspicion and paranoia (and maybe a degree of shyness), Tech Boy takes up a corner furthest away from anyone else -- sinking down in the water. The spring itself seems to wash away his worries and after a moment, he's feeling slightly less suspicious of his company. ]

Hey. So. What's the deal with the fox?

C.) Glitch

[ Technical Boy might be a god, but a hero he is not. When the walkie talkie drops to his feet, he stares at it for a moment or two. Eyes drift back to the figure then down to the device then back again. Eventually, though, he picks it up and answers the call -- leading him to another person in an extremely precarious situation. Maybe something like having fallen into a pit and hanging on for dear life before they hit the spikes below. His eyebrow raises and there's faint amusement on his face. ]

You gonna honestly tell me you didn't see this thing before you went and fell in? Uh, maybe open your eyes a little when you walk.

[ A hero he is not, but. After taking a moment to mock the poor individual -- he does extend his hand to help try and pull them out. A good deed done can mean a favor owed. And favors could be very fortuitous in a place like this. ]

D.) Wildcard

[ Choose your own adventure!! Also on an OOC note, Tech Boy will be Penance CRAU. ]

[the jury was still out on whether or not Sarajane Hawke was a hero or not. true, she'd beaten the Arishok in single combat with only her magic to assist her, thus saving Kirkwall.

but then again, she'd sided with the mages when Anders (why did he do that, how did he think she'd react? there was no other way) blew the Chantry all the way to the Fade, so that didn't exactly win her any favors. so, hiding out in Starkhaven with her--boyfriend sounded too juvenile, lover didn't work because they weren't having sex (damn!), significant other made him sound like an alien.

anyway. she'd hidden out in Starkhaven with Sebastian, the one place she was most likely to flee to and as a result, the one no one ever bothered to check.

and now she's getting attitude which would put Carver to shame]

It wasn't there when I stepped there! C'mon, sometimes I have bandits falling in out of nowhere, give me a break. It's like they want me to kill them. So, help? Now?

[ There's a moment, albeit brief, where he does a double take. She's not Media. He would have been able to sense Media. But there's similarities between the form New Media had taken and this girl. The height of their cheekbones. The darkness of their eyes. The doll-like shape of their lips. It feels like it's been a long while since he thought about the other goddess and even longer since he'd seen her. It's highly tempting to leave this girl hanging (literally) for no reason other than spite toward a ghost of his past.

But.

Tech Boy doesn't. He had already been part way to reaching out. He pauses at her comment about bandits, raising a brow. The way she talks about it, it's almost like the bandits are about to spawn out of nowhere like a videogame. Are they in a videogame? Hey. The world is weird. Anything is possible. ]

Guess I can give you a hand. But first...

[ He wears a shit-eating grin -- the type of grin that comes naturally when one is a well-practiced little shit. ]

What's the magic word?

[she's not media. if told to define the word "media," she'd be completely confused. the best thing they had to media was town criers and of course, Varric's books. he swore that all names were changed to protect the guilty, but Sarajane had her doubts.

and she can't really tell him where, exactly the bandits come from. all she knows is, she kills one round of then and then another (all apparently having death wishes) came in out of nowhere. honestly, she was more surprised than anything that they didn't break anything on the way down.

and that grin. that grin reminds her of Carver the few times he's been able to get the jump on her. so she repressed an exasperated sigh and said]

Please.

Or I could just do magic. Whichever works? I don't have my staff, though, so it might not be as shiny.

[ The word, it seems, is sufficient enough. Tech Boy flashes a brief smirk before winding his hand around her wrist. He anchors it with his other hand and plants his feet into the dirt to begin pulling her up. She's not heavy, but it's still a bit of a strain because he's not exactly built for strength. Technology and smarts are where he excels, okay! This is new territory. But he manages in the end, drawing her up to higher ground and plopping back on his ass afterward. ]

You're welcome.

[ There's his good deed for the month. Tech's arms drape across his knees and he tilts his head, glancing at her again. She doesn't really have to stick around now that she's free, but he'll make conversation anyway. Knowledge is key. And in a place like this, he's severely lacking in knowledge. ]

You been in this place a while? Or are you a new schmuck like me?

[it's all she can do to not lift two fingers at him, but this hole is too Maker-damned deep to be able to get out of herself. so it's either suck it up and deal or piss him off and leave her stranded here for who the fuck knew much more time. but when he reaches down to help her up, she does her best to talk up the side of the hole.

(and there's a memory of Seb helping her out of a similar hole trap, as she groused at him that he was supposed to be there to find the traps while he countered with she'd told him that his main job was was to look pretty and sound sexy and damn him, he was great at both)

and up she goes, even maintaining most of her decency! score one for Team Hawke. of which there is all of one now. depressing]

Totally new schmuck like you! It's fine, this is far from the biggest shithole I've ever been stuck in. Ever been to the bone pit? And before you ask, no, it's not the name of an all-male brothel. The all-male brothel would be much nicer. Unless dragons turn you on? You can say if they do, I won't judge.

Anyway, I'm Hawke. Sarajane Hawke. Who're you?

[ Well, as disappointing as it is to not find a veteran in this place -- at the very least finding someone on the same page could form some form of camaraderie. She mentioned being a mage. A magic user and someone who knows the ins and outs of technology could be a useful alliance. ]

Never been to the bone pit. Never boned in a pit either. Both sound archaic as fuck.

[ The commentary about the dragon earns a huff that's close enough to a laugh. That is until it comes time to introduce himself. This bit is always awkward. Why do humans always have to jump straight into exchanging names? ]

Hawke, huh? Well. [ He sniffs. ] I don't really have a name. That's not me being a dick and not giving you one. It's complicated. You can just call me Tech if you have to call me anything. Short for god of technology -- which I am, by the way. A literal god.

[ And he'd do a cool let there be light trick....if they were anywhere near a lightbulb at the moment. They're not. So she's just gonna have to take him at his word. ]

But you're a mage, so. Tell me about that. And where can we find your staff?

[ Because she mentioned something about a staff and not having it. Maybe it's a conduit to make her powers stronger. ]

[if she knew, she's say it was an excellent alliance, full charge ahead!]

Ehh. Kind of? Kirkwall was somewhere ahead of Ferelden in terms of civilization, but behind Starkhaven.

[because names are important. Malcolm Hawke was the name given to a Dalish apostate taken in by the Templars and eventually released by a Templar]

That's me! And, hmmm...technology? Like the dwarves have? I've seen Bianca, whoever designed her is like. Ages ahead of their time. And...a literal god? No connection with any darkspawn or a total cretin known as Corypheus, right? Because no one in their right mind would want to be associated with Corypheus.

[see also: Samson. and she mostly is]

I am! I'm a specialist at the Entropy and Spirits form of magic, though I have some Force experience and just an eensy bit of Healing. Enough to keep us all alive back home. [wistfully] Back when we were killing stupid, stupid bandits who'd fall on us feet-first. I miss those days.

And no one would love to find my staff as much as me, but [she kicks at a sword] there are none to be found! I fully intend on lodging a complaint with management! Whoever that may be...Is it just me, or did you get roped into all of this bullshit by a fox, too?

[it is! which is yet another reason why she's mad]

You're spewing out a lot of names I don't know. So either a lot of shit has went down on earth while I was away....or I'm guessing more likely you're from some place other than that. Especially with the dwarves.

[ Although the mention of this Bianca is curious because it very much sounds like Hawke might have a robot or something similar in her world. A world that thus far sounds like some D&D campaign if he's honest. Fortunately, after having known Jaskier for so long, he has a lot more patience for medieval things than he used to. Enough to at least try and make sense of the conversation. ]

Don't know any Corypheus. Though wikipedia says he's the conductor of the dramatic chorus in Ancient Greece? So look at that. Got one hit on all those names of yours.

[ He flashes a quick smile. And that would be the wikipedia that is currently in his brain. Sometimes it's handy being the internet personified. Hawke's description of her magic, though, earns a headtilt. ]

So....you're like a necromancer meets jedi?

[ What other places use the force? And what other things specialize in spirits? Listen, that's the best way his modern mind is gonna grasp it. But to the final question, he nods. ]

But honestly, yeah. Don't know why following the fox seemed like a good idea. And don't know why said fox couldn't at least let us pack our shit? Like....what the fuck. We could still reach our potential or whatever the fuck with a spare change of clothes.

What, you mean where you're from doesn't have dwarves? Hmm. What does the world you come from have? Other than provable gods, where I'm from you can't verify if they exist or not.

[she's fairly certain that if Varric was told that Bianca sounded like a robot, he'd first 1) be very confused and 2) insist upon showing off Bianca's prowess. followed by 3) SJ facepalming in the background. and she'd have no idea what D&D stood for, although she'd been in plenty of dungeons. and killed a dragon]

--what, really? I guess you could call Corypheus dramatic. Drama queen, more like, he's kind of like 'I am your god now, grr, rarrr, look upon me and despair mere mortal! But mere mortals killed him twice, let's hope he doesn't pop up a third time like some particularly angry weed.

[she grins back. and best never mention that to Hawke, once she figured out what all of that involved, she'd send him a barrage of questions]

Necromancer meets, what? Is that a Tevinter thing?

[please tell her it's not a Tevinter thing, if she ever has to deal with any Tevinter things ever again (other than the occasional murder spree with Fenris), it would be too soon]

I know, right! She was hustling me along so fast, I didn't even get to keep my pack with me! And not to sound completely arrogant, but I already thought I had reached it.

Well, technically we got dwarves. But like....in 2020, you're not supposed to call them that.

[ There might be some magical ones somewhere or another, too. Some from legends. The ones who finished off the runes on Wednesday's spear, for example. But Tech Boy has to just roll his eyes at the description of Corypheus. Sounds like a stereotypical villain. When will they learn that monologues and declaring dominance is just cliche and pointless?

And judging by his raise of a brow, it's clear Tech doesn't know what Tevinter is either. So clearly, Jedi has nothing to do with it. He opts not to elaborate, though. It'd probably confuse her in the end. ]

You know the saying. We're all works in progress.

[ Finally, he stands and then ducks as the sound of wings or something rises up behind them. But when he turns to look, there's nothing there but a large chest. Huh. ]

Yo. Is this what it's like to have loot drop after completing a mission? Or....you think the big, magical box is definitely a trap?

...2020? What's that? It's 9:41 Dragon. And the dwarves haven't gone anywhere, even though a lot of them moved to the surface. Can't blame them for it, if I had nothing but mushroom ale to drink, I'm move right on outta that place, too.

[Corypheus is very eye-roll worthy. he monologued so long, SJ could feel herself growing older as he did it. and the news that apparently he had somehow died by her hand and then...brought himself back to life? even more annoying. with probably even more monologues, she was honestly afraid to ask the Inquisitor for fear the answer was yes, he just plain would. not. shut up!]

I'm thirty-one. Sure, I'm a little out of practice 'cause I was busy helping Seb take his throne and then got sent a long fucking walk to Weisshaupt, but rack up some bandits, I'll kill 'em all in five minutes. Less!

[and she lifts an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of a chest]

...well, that's convenient. Usually, I have to take stuff off of corpses and it's all bloody and messy but the coin still spends. [a pause] What's a loot drop?

[ The old gods would probably have a better time deciphering what she's saying. 9:41 Dragon sounds like some kind of biblical passage if he's honest. And Weisshaupt makes him think of some medieval ihop where instead of serving pancakes, they serve bandits? ]

Look good for thirty-one.

[ He says because that's really the only thing he feels he can comment on without asking a million questions. He would have pegged her for early 20s at most. One part personality being as chatty and vibrant as it is and one part her appearance. But he doesn't focus on it for too long, approaching the chest with only a wrinkle of his nose at the thought of her raiding corpses. ]

Regularly collecting that blood money, huh? Well, hopefully you don't gotta do that shit here. And loot drop is just something that happens in videogames. Which isn't something you'll understand either...so maybe we shouldn't deep dive into the differences between your world and mine. Which that's the year I'm from. 2020. The big question I got, though...

[ He taps his thumbs against the latch of the chest. ]

Should we open this thing? Or you think like.....bandits are gonna pop out of it?

Technical Boy | American Gods

C.) Glitch (CW: implied terrorism/death)

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As cold as you

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