![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
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!
Kieran Trevarde | The God Eaters
[ Okay, this is all just really fucking weird. Kieran moves towards the hot springs like a predator, quiet and stealthy despite his ridiculous height, eyes narrowed sharply as he takes everything in. He's never seen a hot spring before, but is aware enough they exist to not be thrown off by the location itself... it's the absurd amount of candles and lanterns burning that have him wondering where the fuck they've found themselves. He can think of a half dozen more practical ways to light the area than wasting all this wax and oil. Whomst the fuck would choose this setup?
It isn't until he gets down to the bottom of the hill that he realizes the spring's attendants are mice, their cheerful squeaking and chittering registering less as cute and more as bizarre to him. They use their mousey teamwork to offer him a towel when he approaches the bathing area, and you know what? No. Nope. ]
Fuck off--!
[ In Kieran's defense, he doesn't quite kick the mice away, but that was a very aggressive shooing he just did with a booted foot. He's not changing. Like hell is he getting naked just because some magical mice tell him to... but he won't stop Ash from doing what he wants. Kieran will simply stand guard as his lover strips, bathes, and sinks into the warm water.
The redhead is by far the more social of the pair. Kieran, in comparison, appears extremely unfriendly. He lingers with his back against the bathhouse wall, tall and lean and threatening, just watching the scene. Sizing up the people around, his sharp green eyes studying everyone in turn. Someone must be controlling the mice, right? Someone must be in charge here. Someone must have brought them to this place, and while Ash is going to ask around nicely, Kieran has other means.
What are you up to? ]
Glitch
[ Unfortunately for the person in need of help, Kieran has no clue what a walkie talkie is and no inclination to figure it out. He does kneel in front of the fallen device to try and identify what it might be, but when a crackly voice begging for help comes through it he frowns skeptically... then picks it up by the very tip of the antenna and flings it away off the path.
Surely the flying creature was just trying to lure him into some sort of a trap, right?
Wrong.
The next thing he knows he's not safely on the path but at the bottom of a deep chasm, with that strange boxy device crackling beside him. He's going to have to climb up a sheer cliff face to get out of here, and from his angle it's hard to tell where the best place to start might be. Someone up at the top would be able to guide him if he'd call for help himself, but besides his pride?
Kieran still has no idea how the fuck the walkie talkie works.
Help???
He'll just be down here cursing a very loud (seriously, you can hear him without the walkie) blue streak for the moment, trying to plot a course back to the top. ]
Bad Omen
[ The only possessions Kieran gives even half a shit about are weapons, more specifically firearms. So although he knows this is absolutely a trap and there's going to be either a consequence or price for grabbing one of the seemingly free for the taking items scattered around... it's just too tempting for him. Self control has never been his forte, and he figures he can handle whatever they throw at or charge him for the rifle he pulls out of the ground. He's already gotten his custom, but versatility is important.
Immediately, a man in a black suit and hat appears and leaps at him. Kieran sidesteps, a wicked grin curving his lips. ]
You're all they've got? [ He laughs, but it's a cruel sound. Low and unsettling, if not as outright creepy as his opponent's face. ] I'll make it quick, then.
[ Those observing who can sense magic might feel Kieran's essence reaching out, twisting around the enemy and drawing tight as if rigging a puppet up on strings-- and then there's a snap, whatever's animating the suited man abruptly severed from his physical form. He crumples to the ground, but is only down for a moment before getting back up and lunging again.
Kieran actually looks surprised as he continues to dart out of the way, movements quick and agile for someone his size. This has never happened before! But curious as he is about it, he's definitely not the type to sit and pick somebody apart to figure out how they work... and he hasn't missed that a second attacker appeared from nowhere when the first went down. He backs up, looking from one suited figure to the other, and scoffs. ]
More rules? Fine. No magic is more fun for me... but now this is gonna hurt. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Bad Omen
[The comment comes from the sword-wielding halfling who seems to have popped up out of nowhere. When one is as small and agile as he is, going unnoticed is a talent. He watched whatever this guy had done to the strange dark suited figure -- magic, definitely magic -- take it down only to be shrugged off in the next moment. And the oddly unsettling assailant now has matching back up.
Firearms aren't an entirely new concept to him, but he's not exactly used to fighting with someone wielding one. But he's versatile.]
...that turned out to be a test. But we aren't always so lucky.
[Maybe Kieran doesn't need help, but Orym's not the type to leave someone to fight on their own, especially when they've become outnumbered, so he turns his attention to the newly spawned adversary, sword raising for only a moment before he's in motion - all quick, lithe movements, like he's dancing more than fighting, though the blows he lands are strong and sure and... draw absolutely no blood despite the fact that he knows he struck deep.] That's weird.
no subject
Huh.
Luckily for them both, Kieran's more interested in the sword this guy's holding than his size. He watches the flurry of strikes out of the corner of his eye as he takes on the original foe once again -- his style is also surprisingly graceful, but it's not like he's dancing. Kieran is all savage efficiency, thrusting the butt of the rifle into the man's already wrong face with a brutal crunch and spinning it around to hang against his back.
They notice at the same time that the attackers aren't bleeding, but Orym comments on it first -- Kieran's response is a frustrated snort. ]
Everything here's fuckin' weird. What kinda test was the horseman?
[ You can't really be back to back with someone who only comes up to your hip, but Kieran positions himself accordingly with the stranger while they reconsider their strategy. ]
no subject
You're not wrong about that.
[Weirder by the day, honestly.]
Attrition, I think. We couldn't kill it, but we fought it to a stalemate and it suddenly gave us presents.
[A shake of his head.] Not sure if this is the same. But this thing has to have a weakness. Maybe its head? Since it has one.
Glitch
The problem seems to be temporary, however, as suddenly he isn't at the bottom of the chasm, but standing atop the cliff looking down at it. Once again, there's a walkie talkie, so, being ever the optimist, he gives it another shot, peering over the edge to get a look at who the unfortunate figure who's switched places with him might be. ]
Uh, hello? Come in, this is Henry Oak speaking!
no subject
What? The fuck do you want?!
[ Except... er... he doesn't know he needs to press the button... ]
no subject
Also thankfully, he can see the man down in the chasm pick up the walkie talkie and mutter something that he can't quite pick out at this distance. ]
Hey there, sorry— I can't hear you through the walkie talkie unless you press the button on the side while you talk into it. Can you be so kind as to try that again?
no subject
Fine, he'll press the fucking button... the crackling noise stops and he quirks an eyebrow at the device, repeating himself with the button held down. ]
The fuck do you want?
[ At least this time he sounds far less irate? ]
no subject
Well howdy, stranger! My name's Henry Oak. I'm up here on this cliff, and I can't help but notice you're in a bit of a pickle! I thought I would give you a hand out of it, if that's alright with you?
no subject
It's unfortunate for him that the off-puttingly cheerful voice is right. Even just knowing where to start climbing would get him out of here much faster, and if the stranger is willing to direct him on the way up he won't have to backtrack.
The problem is that it requires trusting a voice coming out of a weird crackly box, which Kieran isn't inclined to do. He hesitates, then pushes the button again. ]
And what're you charging for that hand?
no subject
No charge, my friend! Just helping out my fellow man! If you really want to repay me, then you can pay it forward and do a random act of kindness for a stranger.
no subject
Yeah, alright. I can't see shit from here... where should I start from?
[ And if it turns out this guy's not actually being helpful? Well, then he'll pay for it when Kieran makes it to the top on his own. Simple as that. ]
no subject
[ Let's see, how to get him out of there... ]
I can probably swoop down and come get you, but the spot you're in right now is a bit tight. I don't know if I'll be able to reach. Can you work your way over to your right a little bit, get up on that outcropping? The walls are a bit wider back there.
Bad omen
The man is dressed in a flashy fashion, but the cold is swirling around him. As if he were a mountain crowned in an icy storm. He kicks the suited man so hard it stumbles back towards the other one. He grins with a feral light in his uncovered eye.] Seems I was dumped in here to make this a little more interesting.
Just like always with this place. [He laughs and dodges another strike. And punishes his opponent with a flick of his blade.]
no subject
It's easy enough to dart out of the way again, and honestly Kieran's more interested in the flashy guy than the creepy attackers now. He aims a vicious kick of his own at the side of the suited man's knee, smirking as it bends in the entirely wrong direction and collapses under his weight.
There. That'll slow him down a bit. Enough that Kieran can spare some attention to watch the other pair, his eyebrow quirked curiously. Like always, huh? That sucks. He's got a different question first, though. ]
There a reason everybody around here's using swords?
no subject
More time to study the problem and to talk.]
That’s the case for myself, anyway. Tech has a cautionary tale about it. [His opponent swings. He twists out of the way and uses an open palm strike to spill more ice over yet another target. Just enough to slow him down.
He draws back with a slight frown.] I can’t help but notice they’re not bleeding or reacting to pain.
no subject
...unless a sword might look kind of badass? Maybe. He'll think about it.
The pattern of the stranger's ice is pretty fascinating too, and though Kieran leans more on the practical side of these things he can just imagine Ash's excited chatter as he puzzles through how everybody else's magic works already. It does mean he's studying Kaeya more than the enemies, though, as they're more or less immobilized. At the question, he glances to the one the other man most definitely slashed with his sword.
Yeah, no blood. Kieran shrugs. ]
Well they ain't people, so why should they? Killing the first one just made another, though... any bright ideas? Since it sounds like you've been here awhile.
no subject
His face goes flat and his eye sharp. The flashy feral amusement is gone. Like a glimpse of the man he really is behind the masks he likes to wear.] Nothing is consistent here. This is new but, there will always be an answer to any challenge.
Last time, it was ancient trees that if the fruit fell a guardian appeared and tried to kill us. And fog that messed with our minds or transformed us. Capable of being broken through. That fog is still around. Take care with it. [He walks around the immobile creatures and narrows his eye. The ice grows like plants spreading out of soil to lock the creatures into his trap.] Tell me how did you kill him? Mortal wound or?
no subject
...nah. It's a Talent. [ He waits for any sign of recognition in that bright eye, but none comes. ] Guess you've never heard of a ghoul-witch either?
[ Still nothing. Huh. Kieran moves forward, peering closely at one of their opponents' creepy not-quite-right faces. His dark, empty eyes. ]
All I have to do is want you dead. But I felt the thread snap, he should've stayed down. And if I try a different way, we might just wind up with two more creepy fucks on our hands.
no subject
And knowing Thirteen, they will follow you to the ends of this realm until you find a way to kill them.
[He stops circling.] I can’t smell or hear anything off about them.
…walk to my left about four feet. I have an idea but my next shape is larger.