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

[defenderoftomorrow]

Big. [ Jayce repeats, amusement in his eyes as he glances at her, but it's not in a mocking way.

If it helps Laura any, Jayce is not the kind of person who would pressure others for answers. For years, he had been terrible at socializing and making friends, and while he learned a bit better after becoming the face of Hextech, he will always be an anxious man at heart. It's why he tries to put others at ease. ]  Pity about the fights, though. That happens in my world as well, but it's often more against humans. It's hard to handle.

[ The smile on his lips lessens, as he thinks back about all the issues between Piltover and Zaun. So many lives have been lost already, and who knows how many more could be at risk if things don't change. ]

Hah, yeah. [ Jayce actually finds the honesty refreshing. The mouse is now rubbing his little paws over his ears, cleaning himself, and doesn't look like it wants to go back to work anytime soon. Jayce lets him stay in his lap. ] A Hexgate is a machine that uses technology and magic. It allows people and objects to travel from one point of the world to another. A teleporter, so to speak.

[anesthesia]

Very big. [ It's a logical response at least and accurate in it's own way! It is in fact a big place. ]

Humans fight against us too. [ Us. She counts herself as a nonhuman species even if she looks human. ] They also like to use us. [ For weapons. That was what they had done with Wolverine. They had used him to be a weapon and when he had gotten away they had used him to make more. ] Conflict is never easy to handle. [ That she knows all too well. ]

I think it likes you. [ She finally makes a passing comment about the mouse. There's more gentleness in her tone about that than in anything else she's said. Maybe she really is warming up to the mice. Her cousin would love them. She listens to his explanation carefully. To her it sounds like it's something humans created to compete with people who could do it naturally. ] We have mutants who can do that.

[defenderoftomorrow]

Got it. [ There's still amusement coloring Jayce's voice. His arrival in this world has been stressful and more than a little bit frightening when he was trapped in that maze, but talking to Laura helps to put him at ease, even if she's not all that chatty. Her next words have him tilting his head in question, and as her explanation goes on, his expression shifts to a concerned one. ]

That's not...that's not right. It's cruel. What happened? [ He doesn't know what she means by 'us', not at first, since he was under the assumption she was human. But no matter what, she's too young to be made a weapon or used in any way. It's not fair. ]

I...oh. [ He looks briefly down at the mouse again, his expression softening before they look back at Laura. ] Thanks. I hope so. I always liked animals too, they're way less complicated than people. Have you ever had any pets?

[ Despite having to be the spokesperson for Hextech, Jayce really isn't always that good at social interaction. But animals either like you or they don't, and they don't pretend or lie to you about it. ]

Mutants? I've never heard of those before. I mean, I know what a mutation is, but ...is this what you meant when you said 'us'? And you can do magic? Because that's incredible. In my home, we call those attuned to the arcane 'mages'.

[anesthesia]

[ Laura's own gaze casts down at the question, showing just a flash of discomfort. Awkwardness even. What a loaded question. After a few seconds of awkward silence on her end she looks up with a blank expression. ] I was made to be a weapon from the DNA of a mutant. [ She says it like it's a fact that someone could read out of a textbook. Which, in a sad way, it just kind of is to her. That was a fact of her life. But she hoped to be more than that. Even if it was proving more difficult than she thought to find her footing.

Another question that brought flecks of emotion to her face. Memories of a puppy in the Facility hit her like a wave. That was not a story to tell others. It was barely a story she wanted to remember. Still, she's pretty bad at lying. ] Yes. [ Though she moves on quickly from that. ] Megan took me to a pet store once. We played with them all. [ That was a more enjoyable memory. If anyone's going to get being terrible at social interaction, it's Laura.

She shakes her head at the question. ] No. We do not do magic, that is different. [ There's a mutants that do magic, but that's complicated. ] We are homo superior. We are born with an enhanced genome that give us powers.

[defenderoftomorrow]

[ It's brief, but the reaction is enough for Jayce to notice and feel bad about it. It seems like he hit a too-personal topic, and it is no wonder she wouldn't want to share it with a virtual stranger. She speaks again before he can apologize, which renders him speechless for a few long minutes. This is worse than he expected, and it reminds me far too much of the shady business that Silco had going on in the Undercity with the Shimmer drug. ]

I'm sorry, I had no right to ask you that. I didn't mean to be nosy.  I appreciate the sincerity. [ Even if it evidently left him at a loss for words. She spoke the words in a fairly detached way, and Jayce couldn't really blame her for that. He rubs at the back of his neck before adding, in what he hopes is a more comforting tone. ] But now that you are here...you can be anything you want. You don't have to be a weapon, you could just be you.

[ The mouse on Jayce's lap sits on its haunches and sticks its little nose up, making a couple of small, squeaky sounds at them, as if in agreement. ]

Maybe you could get a pet here too. Ey, uhm...could I get your name? Unless you don't want to, of course.[ He's just curious, and it seems only polite to ask since he didn't offer one when Jayce introduced himself. ] Oh! That's ... sounds pretty cool, actually. A better version of humans, uh? I can see how that could cause trouble with close-minded people.

[anesthesia]

You did not know. [ The apology seems unnecessary to her. Even if the silence left her feeling something strange. Had it been the incorrect thing to say? He said he appreciated the sincerity, so maybe not? She gave a single nod of confirmation at his statement. ] That is why I came with the fox. I want to learn what I can be. [ Because as it stood, she was still trying to figure that out. She wanted to.

She looks from the mouse to him before answering his question. ] X-[ She stops herself quickly before finishing. ] Laura Kinney. [ That was who she wanted to be. Or who she wanted to learn about. ]

I do not know if we are always better. We are just stronger. [ Which lead to fear. ]

[defenderoftomorrow]

No, but I still should have been more tactful. [ He's glad she doesn't seem angry, even if in general she isn't being very emotional at all. After learning about her past, it's understandable. ] That's a good reason for coming here. I thought I was dreaming at first, but I think a part of me also wanted to see if what the fox said was true. If being a better version of myself is possible.

[ He is way too flawed and has made far too many mistakes in the past for his liking. Being here might give him the chance to better himself, but he also fears what might happen in his world while he's not fully there. When Laura finally tells him her name, Jayce gives her an honest, pleased smile. ]

It's nice to meet you,  Laura Kinney.  

[ In his lap, the mouse nods, makes another small sound, and runs down Jayce's leg to get to the floor. It turns to look at them one last time and then it seems to wave them goodbye with a very tiny paw, before scurrying off. Back to work, it goes! Jayce huffs in amusement, then his attention goes back to Laura. She would do numbers on Noxus, strength and being able to kill anything in front of you are one of the things they value most. ]

Hm, noted. There are many ways to put strength to use, it can be an inspiration to others too. Or a way to protect them.