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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!
no subject
What are the Horsemen of John?
[ Anything called 'Horsemen' in the same list as demons is probably not good. Jayce doesn't need to be a genius to understand that. If they are lucky, they won't encounter any strange monsters in the maze, this is not an easy place to flee or fight anything. ]
There's no way to go back then? Perhaps to fall asleep and wake up in our own bodies? ... Oh, that was such a weird thing to ask. [ Jayce makes a face and lets out a chuckle, but there's no real amusement in it. Maybe he's lost his mind and all this is a crazy dream. ]
No, it's not. I came from, uh, the north, which is my best guess. The only things I've seen in that direction have been frost and branches.
no subject
[He doesn't figure to go into details. Yuu doesn't figure there is a need to. He hasn't seen any of them around here. And no demons either. The other doesn't need to know about all of that back home. It's kind of depressing. Dangerous. At least, more so than here. Where there are so many people.]
I don't know. I was in I guess the last bunch of us that showed up. So I probably don't know much more than you, really. I'm still figuring this place myself. But that's about all I found back the way I came too. So far.
no subject
[ Jayce answers, pressing his lips into a flat line. He imagines that the Horsemen of Jhon are called that because they ride on horses, so he will be paying attention to the sound of hooves from now on. There's no telling what he should or shouldn't expect to see now that he is in a different world than his own. ]
I see. Well, have the people you've met been treating you well? Is there anyone I should make sure to avoid or to meet? [ He starts to walk so they can find the way out, but he doesn't wander too far away from the other man In fact, he tries to make sure they are walking side by side, keeping close to Yuichiro and avoiding suffering an attack from the frost again. ]
no subject
[So they are probably safe. At least as far as he is aware yet, as far as the demons and Horsemen of John go, that is. Still, he gives a shrug at the question. It's kind of hard to say, since he didn't get here that long ago himself. Everyone so far has been alright. He isn't immediately figuring anyone that immediately irritated him so far anyway. He considers his answer as he follows, sticking close on his end as well.]
They seem okay so far. Not that I've likely met that many out of everyone here yet but still.
no subject
[ He makes a face at that, because is such an understatement. People like Silco and Jinx do more than just cause trouble, they're like poison, destroying everything they touch. There are still so many things to fix back home, he shouldn't have followed the fox. It all simply seemed like an odd dream, so it was easy to let himself get distracted. ]
'Okay so far', is better than nothing. There's no system or government? The fox made it sound as if people were free to do as they please here. [ Jayce is not used to this kind of anarchy, even if it sounds good in theory. He turns a wall of bushes and finds... another wall. ]
This looks like another dead end.
no subject
[Only certain areas were protected, defended. Otherwise one was at risk of being attacked. Yuu was just lucky he was found the moment he ran out to flee Sanguinem. Else he would surely likely have been attacked himself. Still, he keeps close.]
Looks like it. But I haven't exactly been looking into the government or whatever. We can try another way if this is a dead end. Not the first one I came across in figuring this damned maze.
no subject
[ Jayce isn't doubting Yuichiro but he does sound a little bit exasperated. it's one weird thing on top of another. He doesn't like violence but since Jayce is big, tall, and pretty fast, he can at least defend himself and isn't useless in a fight. But if he can avoid one, he will go that route first. ]
I see. Yeah...Let's go a few steps back and try some other direction. I think that even if it takes us time, we're safe as long as we are together. It's a game of trial and error, much like I did back home. I was an inventor. What about you?
no subject
[Mika is an exception. Always would be. In being the one that needed Yuu and got in under his defenses and tsundere attitude even back then. Yuu was no longer entirely so focused on killing all the vampires, more on figuring a way to help Mika. But so far he has not seen the blond half-Russian teen here yet. Though there is a softening of his features, his voice briefly as he mentions the other boy.]
Right. We can double back and keep trying. I just hope we aren't lost in here too long. But ah, I was military. I was signed on to help exterminate the vampires.
no subject
[ That's a lot of upsetting information to get all at once. He's glad that Yuichiro seems safe and sound now, but an experience like that would leave anyone scarred. I'll be careful if I spot those traits.
He is silent for a beat, studying the softer expression in Yuu's face, and then nodding once. Ah, best friends. Jayce understands the connection and how one is willing to do anything for them, no matter how odd or dangerous, if your best friend needs help. ]
What does Mika look like? Just so I can tell him apart. [ Vampires wearing white sound impractical. Jayce knows how hard it is to clean blood from white fabric, but it's a thought that he keeps to himself. ] I'm sure we will find a way out eventually.
[ And so, they go a few steps back and choose a different path, one that looks more clear and straight. ]
Military? Exterminating vampires can't be an easy task, is it common where you live? Because you look very young, no offense. You should be enjoying life at this age, not fighting for it.
no subject
[Yuu is more matter of fact and casual about it. Probably because it is just what happened. As it is now at least, as far as he knows, there isn't exactly a way to change that. He just tries to remember their directions in case they end up at another dead end, trying to stick close to Jayce.]
Mika's just barely taller than me. Wears the white vampire uniform they all have. Red eyes, blond hair. Pointy ears, fangs.
[He gestures to maybe an inch or two taller than he is. As if that helps judge how tall Mika is in comparison.]
Not like there is a lot of options back home. Besides. It was my choice. I wanted to. I wanted revenge on those bloodsuckers. I kept pestering Guren to let me sign up for years.
[That has changed now. Now his focus has shifted towards helping Mika regain his humanity.]
no subject
Almost subconsciously, Jayce moves a little closer to him, as if his mind wants to make sure he can keep the boy safe from any possible vampires that might show up. It's an irrational thought, more so because Jayce has zero experience with vampires, neither good nor evil, but he can't help it. ]
Okay, got it. Those are pretty singular traits. [ Jayce nods, and pays attention to the height, but his memory focuses more on the 'Red eyes, pointy ears and fangs' bit because those are not things you generally see on normal humans. ]
I can understand why revenge can be a powerful drive, but it can also rob us of a future. [ It's not Jayce's place to judge, but Yuu is young, and he shouldn't have to fight against undead creatures, whether for revenge or not. ] That kind of motivation rarely brings peace of mind.
[ Quite the opposite. Revenge and frustration is what led Vi and Jayce to stage a raid in one of Silco's drug factories, and that ended in more innocent blood spilled. ]
Is Guren another friend? Or perhaps family? I wonder if any of mine might be lost in this world too, or if they are safely back home. For a
no subject
Rob me of a future. You sound like Guren. He was going on about finding something, someone, to keep living for. He's family too. He took me in after I escaped from the vampires. But I guess. You can ask around? About if your friends are here? Worth trying. I don't think any of mine are, but. I'm figuring things as best I can.
no subject
Jayce smiles a little after being compared to Guren, even if he never met him. It seems like Yuu likes him well enough, and that he at least looked after the young man. ]
Guren sounds like a very wise man. [ Jayce says playfully. ] Jokes aside, I believe It helps up to keep going when we are doing it for someone or something. We all need someone we can put our trust in. You have your friend Mika, right?
[ He has Viktor, Caitlyn, and Mel, as well as his mother. He would do anything for them, but they also keep him grounded when he is the one who's losing sight of what's important. ]
I'll do that. If...we manage to get out of here. [ The path they are walking makes a turn to the right and when they get there, Jayce can see some faint light at the end of the long corridor. ] Ey, do you see that too? Perhaps it's the way out.
no subject
[He has to agree and admit that. He has people. He might have denied it back when he was with the Hyakuya orphans in Sanguinem, the underground vampire city but he had it back then too. People to trust. He had just not wanted to admit it back then. So scared of losing them the way he had lost his parents.
He gives a nod at the question. The idea of the light ahead being a way out. Maybe. It's worth confirming at least.]
I think that might be an exit? Only one way to know for sure, to check it out!
no subject
[ And like Yuichiro, Jayce also wants to find a way to save him, even if it seems impossible now. Being here is inconvenient, so he better find his way back to Piltover quickly.
Jayce gives Yuichiro's arm a squee as a sign of agreement, and they both head towards the clearer path ahead. He makes sure to stay close enough that the frost is kept at bay and the strange plants around them don't get in the way. Sure enough, the closer they get, the less dense the fog is, and in no time an archway leading out of the maze can be seen. ]
Oh, thank the gods. That seems to be it. [ He has no idea were to go from here, but the world outside will be better than the maze for sure. ]
no subject
[Or at least. Yuu feels he does. Like he has to be useful and prove himself worth Guren taking him in. Spending all this time and effort with him. Training him. So of course, he's offered to do whatever it takes if Guren could help find Mika for him. If there was even a chance.
Not that he had needed to, given Mika had ended up finding him anyway. But still. He sticks close to Jayce, picking up pace as the fog becomes less dense. There's a sense of relief and visible relaxing of his posture at the sight of the exit.]
Yes! Made it! You going to be alright from here or....?
no subject
[ Jayce can't tell which one would be the kinder option, given how brutal Yuu's world seems to be. Perhaps living in Folkmore is less stressful, scary mazes notwithstanding.
Once they finally step out of the maze, it seems like the persistent chill is also gone. Jayce isn't really sure what else to expect from this place, but he gives Yuu a small smile and a reassuring nod. ]
I think so, yes. I'll have to learn how to handle this world sooner or later, so it better be sooner. Thanks for the help, Yuu.
no subject
[He agrees, figuring it wouldn't be that hard to make a note if someone like that showed up. Yuu stays close as they exit, but is relieved when it does seem to warm up as they leave. He pauses, stopping hugging himself as it doesn't seem quite so cold anymore, glancing around to see where they have ended up now they are free from the maze.]
If you're sure you're okay. But yeah, I'll see you around.
no subject
[ Jayce wears a white coat on top because he hates being cold and because after joining the city council, he had to look more formal. ]
I want to see if I can find anyone from my world, and I'm sure you have things to do as well, I don't want to hog all of your time. We will keep in touch and I hope you find your friend oen day as well. [ He gives Yuu's shoulder one last squeeze as a show of companionship, and says his goodbyes.
It's a strange new world out there, he better start exploring it if he wants to find his way back home ]