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

[bardicdisaster]

[There's an anxious bounce from Jaskier as she begins to slowly creep her way along the rickety boards and the wood and rope both groan in protest at the shifting of weight. Were her attention not correctly placed on how the bridge appears to be handling her movements, she'd likely see that he is just mere seconds away from telling her not to move any further. He's just too certain this is going to spell out disaster for her if she continues moving any closer. But she tells him what to do and Jaskier, while not always the best of listeners, is able to at least adhere to that rather than getting tangled up in growing anxiety. Or rather too tangled. Jaskier scans over all the weapons sticking out of the ground, but he does so in such a hurried manner that he needs to look over them more than once to truly register what he is even looking at or for.]

Ah!

[Jaskier points at the halberd that's been wedged into the earth and with a little hop, he quickly scurries to it rather than waiting for any acknowledgment of his discovery from Nancy. When he goes to pull it free, Jaskier finds that it truly is wedged in there.]

Oh for—

[Jaskier doesn't continue with his grumbling, instead putting a bit more effort into yanking on the shaft and giving it the occasional wiggle when it begins to loosen to see if there's any form of leverage he can create. It's not a particularly expedient process, especially as he gets a little more anxious about how long it's taking, and perhaps he ought to look for something else that might be a little more straightforward to remove. He spares a glance back towards Nancy about to ask for her input when finally he gets the damned thing out of the ground. He stumbles a bit backward when it finally gives, but manages not to fall on his ass, nor thwack himself with either the shaft or any of the pointy bits.]

[nosiness]

[Nancy is cognizant enough of the precarious position that she's in to know better than to move. Holding tightly to the rope, trying not to do or say anything overly sarcastic. It's hard, really, because good god does this man seem like a totally incompetent fool. When he almost falls on his backside, she internally groans. But hey, he's got the halberd there.]

Okay. Now just...hold it out so I can reach for it. If you can hold it up, then I should be able to get clear. Or at least reach the cliff.

[It's a lot of trust to put in a stranger, and she doesn't trust him at all, but what choice does she have? The damn fox was going to get an earful over this...]

[bardicdisaster]

[He nods a little, following along with her logic. There's a brief moment when he considers which end of it would make the most sense to hold out to her. Although she'd likely be mindful of it, Jaskier settles on keeping the sharper end towards himself rather than her since the shaft should allow a better grip. He doesn't step onto the bridge itself, but steps right to the edge before holding the halberd out, shaft-first, towards her. It falls a little short of where she's currently positioned. Jaskier purses his lips before he asks her to hold on.]

[Much as he doesn't love the idea of only having one hand on the halberd, taking a step closer could cause the bridge to fray faster than she can get a hand on the halberd. Jaskier takes one hand off to hold onto the post. He gives it a quick tug to test its sturdiness before he leans to get the halberd within arm's reach of her without too much shifting of her weight.]

[nosiness]

[Tension mounts as she waits, but she doesn't say anything. No sense in making this already nervous nelly freak out more than he already is. She keeps holding on, taking slow breaths to try and quell her racing nerves. When the shaft is presented, she reaches out to take it. Grabbing it quick with one hand, and then letting go of the rope, she takes it in both.]

Okay. Brace yourself because I'm sure the bridge is going to snap when I start moving. Counting on you to not drop this, okay?

[And after giving him a second, she starts moving. Pulling herself forward at the same time as she pushes off of the rotted board. It snaps, as does the next board her foot touches, the ropes beginning to fray entirely. She makes it a few steps, almost within reach of the edge when the entire structure gives way.]

Shit!

[Hands grasping, she holds onto the halberd. But does he manage to keep his own grip?]

[bardicdisaster]

[Jaskier nods, understanding what he needs to do when she says she's counting on him. And he tries as best not to show just how terrifying the prospect of her life being literally in his hands feels right now. It's arguably quite too little too late and possibly of no real consequence to her, but he thinks showing some endorsement in her ability and as though her trust isn't going to be misplaced is the wiser thing to do all the same. As she starts taking the first step, Jaskier ends up holding his breath, pursing his lips tight, and then it begins to feel like it's all moving far too fucking fast. She barely has a foot on a board before it snaps and falls, the next cracking and dropping after as the beasts below are stirred into wakefulness and agitation immediately with the ruin raining down upon them.]

[Instinctively, he straightens and tugs. He's not trying to outpace her or make the halberd more difficult to grip so much as he doesn't trust that her weight won't suddenly be pulling the opposite end faster than he might have time to properly brace. He needs to straighten himself upright again and get another hand on the halberd or she is going to fall.]

Fuck!

[The weight still pulls him forward as he predicted it might and there's a moment where it feels like his heart stops beating altogether as she suddenly drops out of sight with the rest of the bridge. Jaskier tries as quickly as possible to lower his own weight in the opposite direction as he holds on tighter than he's likely ever held onto anything or anyone before, hoping that at least his weight even if not his strength will be enough to keep her from falling if she can just hang on. Peering over the edge with just one eye, Jaskier breathes a small sigh of relief although he's notably a lot paler than when all this began.]

Thank gods... You climb and I pull?

[The halberd's now running more or less perpendicular to the edge. While she is smaller and therefore lighter than Jaskier, Jaskier isn't confident in his ability to simply pull her straight up. So, he'd have to change the angle, which he's not too keen on since it will leave her without any hope of catching something should her grip begin to slip. But he's also not entirely certain she can climb that angle independent of any momentum. He's going to have to do something to help with her momentum.]

[He waits for her instruction before doing anything. The last thing he wants to do is make any sort of motion or movement that would cause her to lose her grip.]

sorry for the delay. This has been a weird few days, friendo.

[nosiness]

[Well, shit.]

[That's the first and only thought that comes to mind as she holds tight to the halberd's haft. She's grateful for the physical training she'd been doing since arriving in Folkmore, because there's no way she'd have managed this back home.]

Hold...tight. Yes. You pull, slow...

[And she starts getting her feet aligned with the edge of the cliff. Carefully, her boots settling into solid rock.

Far, far below there's a roaring sound, as the prehistoric monstrosities that are crocodiles begin destroying the bridge's remains.]

We do this easy, no fast movements. I've...got an okay grip, I think.

[And she starts moving, legs bracing, one hand going up to grip ahead of the other.]

no worries!

[bardicdisaster]

[Jaskier nods his acknowledgment at the instructions as they seem entirely sensible. Not that he could have likely pulled all that fast on the halberd. He's not completely without any sort of strength to speak of because, as it turns out, putting one's whole body into a performance is a good way to build up strength and endurance, but that's not exactly what's required in a moment like this. But he waits before doing anything until she's able to get her feet against the edifice before somewhat mirror to her movements, he starts slowly raising the halberd up along the cliffside. He lets her get a couple of steps up before he raises it up some more, hand over hand just like her just perhaps even slower.]

[Even once she manages to get closer to the edge, Jaskier refrains from any jerky movements that could cause her to slip or otherwise lose her grip. Instead, he finally starts changing the angle to help her right herself "walks" as far up as she can go alongside the cliff. Only once a foot manages to be placed on the edge properly does Jaskier let go of the halberd with one hand. He places it on her elbow, nudging her to continue moving forward and trusting the momentum before sliding it up just a little further on her arm to have a better grip. As he does this, Jaskier pulls the halberd behind himself and she's finally, blessedly no longer in danger of plummeting to her untimely demise.]

[There's still a moment though where Jaskier is holding his breath in disbelief they managed to pull it off before the sigh of relief comes. And then looking at her, he very quickly realizes he is still holding onto her arm as well as the halberd. Jaskier clears his throat, gently giving the halberd a small push so it falls aside to the ground without any danger of hitting either one of them. He likewise is quick to let go of her arm and take a step back, giving her her space. Brushing some imaginary dirt off his double for a moment, Jaskier gives the hem a little tug as if straightening it out while glancing at her.]

Are you, erm, alright?

CW: emeto

[nosiness]

[The ascent is terrifying. There is absolutely no other word for it, it is simply terrifying. Nancy Wheeler, however, is rather used to being in terrifying situations. She keeps the worst of her fear under control by concentrating on the task, and that blissfully pays off. It's just like hard-learned lessons at home, and she can almost hear Hopper's voice. Panic doesn't do anyone any good, Nance, so just focus on what you gotta do to stay alive.

She keeps her cool until she is at last over the side. Taking three steps forward, Nancy drops to her hands and knees and starts coughing, the adrenaline making her spit up some of her dinner. Breathing raggedly, she shakes her shoulders, wipes her mouth on her jacket and straightens herself into a kneeling position.]

...I am...but Jesus Christ I never wanna do that again.

cw: emeto

[bardicdisaster]

[When her coughing takes a turn for the worst, Jaskier very quickly jerks his head away to not look. He purses his lips tight as he can to avoid mimicking her. As it is, he feels himself just a moment away from beginning to shake like a leaf now that she's securely on land, and he knows if he gives into that natural reaction, he's surely going to join her in emptying the contents of his stomach onto the grass. Mentally, he tries to coach himself through it as he takes a deep breath or two through his nose.]

[Slowly, he manages to look in her direction before he asks,]

How exactly did you end up there in the first place? Doesn't seem the sort of thing a sensible woman such as yourself would do to herself.

[nosiness]

[Nancy remains quiet for a moment, trying to get her breathing under control. It takes real effort, but she does manage it with slow breaths. Her fists clench and when she does speak, her voice is tight with anger.]

I t was the damn fox, I'm sure. I was on a walk, just minding my own business, and then the world went crazy and the next thing I knew, I was there.

[Like she'd stepped into a TV or something.]

...Thanks. For bailing me out of that.

[bardicdisaster]

[Well now, that's curious. Jaskier's heard people speak of the Fox already, but really he's only heard of it in reverent, respectful tones. He's yet to hear anyone speak of her with any sort of agitation or frustration. And honestly, it's a bit of a relief. Jaskier hasn't formed his own opinion just yet, but he's never been all that pious in his own world. Trying to keep up the appearance of respect and adoration for a deity when he didn't feel that way exactly would have been exhausting.]

[Jaskier shakes his head furiously at the expression of thanks.]

Oh no, [he says,] I hardly did anything. You did most of that yourself.

[It had been her idea and instruction after all. Jaskier just followed along and did as he was told (for a change). There's another second before he offers her a hand to get her back on her feet now that she seems to be coming down from the adrenaline.]

I'm Jaskier, by the way.

[nosiness]

[Nancy has feelings about the Fox, mostly positive, but after being nearly made into a Temple of Doom extra she's decidedly irritated. Just enough to talk bad about the creature. Not that she's much for worship and religion, if she's honest.]

You did the heavy lifting. So thanks.

[She's not going to duck giving him credit. But she is going to take his hand and haul herself up. Breathing heavily, she fishes in her pockets for a handkerchief to wipe her mouth clean.]

Nancy. Wish we were meeting under less...stressful circumstances. But here we are.

[bardicdisaster]

[There's a slight face at her continuing to push gratitude towards him as Jaskier hardly knows what to do with it, but he doesn't protest or dismiss it any further.]

Well, they say the best friendships are forged under such duress, do they not?

[It's what many great stories and songs talk about anyway. If the focus is not on a heroic deed or some great love, it's always centered on the strengths of loyalty and unbreakable bonds. Still, there's a degree to which Jaskier is not altogether serious and is trying to lighten the mood, too. Now that the danger's passed and he feels only a little weak in the knees still.]