![[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!
cyno | genshin impact | legend
keep your brittle heart warm;
wildcard;
keep your brittle heart warm;
she felt terribly awkward in what had been called a swimsuit since it exposed all of her legs and was too low-cut on the bosom and prayed to the Seven that no one would get a good look at her.
despite three pregnancies, she still had the slender figure of her youth, and her wavy brown hair floated on the water.
when a stranger dunks his legs into the water next to her, she starts and her eyes widen with mingled shame at her exposure and anger that she hadn't thought of trying that. granted, her calves would have been exposed but better that than her thighs, as they were now]
Who told you that you could do that? The mice? They said nothing of the such to me!
no subject
at any rate, his brows lift in surprise. it's not like him to not notice people nearby, sharp as his senses generally are, and vigilant as he always is, but cyno is not entirely himself right now, either. this is all incredibly new, and the remnants of madness and frostbite still cling to him, dulling his perception, lulling him to exhaustion.
he tenses, staring unflinchingly into her face with molten eyes, as if sizing her up. which is exactly what he's doing. ]
Do what?
no subject
though, she really wishes she'd held firm on her request for a fully-covering robe, rather than this scanty little--swimsuit was what they called it. she felt like she may as well be naked, even though she wasn't reacting as strongly to him seeing her like this as she felt she should have been. was it the water? was it some strange poison they'd fed her along with her tea? she was afraid that she couldn't be too paranoid under the circumstances.
(but fulfill her purpose, surely it wasn't to be a broodmare to the king, perhaps...she was strong, stronger than others gave her credit. she was smart. also smarter than those gave her credit. even knowing that Rhaenyra was the king's chosen heir, surely she could find some way to seat her eldest son, as poorly suited for it as he may be)]
Dip your legs into the water without removing, ah. Your clothes? [she's never seen an outfit like that before]
no subject
My clothes?
[ he looks down at himself, over his mantle and belt and shendyt and shorts, down to his bare legs in the water. his brow creases. ]
Why should I remove them if I'm not submerging myself?
no subject
Yes, your clothes.
[she's not looking! she's not looking!]
I wasn't told that was an option. The mice insisted. I tried to ask for something far more modest, but was told this was all they had. [a pause] It's far too small. [she couldn't keep the dismay out of her voice]
no subject
cyno can't entirely understand that. he certainly wouldn't call himself shameless, but neither is he particularly modest when it comes to revealing his body. his clothing already leaves little enough to the imagination as it is, and he's stripped down before friends before without batting an eyelash, so he can't exactly sympathize.
but he can be respectful. his gaze flicks away from her, pointedly, deliberately; if she doesn't want to be looked at, then he won't look at her. after a moment, he's withdrawing his legs from the water. ]
I'll find another place to sit.
no subject
not that Alicent didn't know when to push things just a little, she may be wed to a man old enough to be her father (and she was pushed towards him by her father), but she did her duty. fully clothed in a nightdress drawn up just enough so that the king could do his duty.
she's embarrassed and is praying to the Seven that any blush on her cheeks could be interpreted as heat raised by the spring]
Perhaps that would be best.
cold as you;
The maze is vexing. His keen senses do nothing to help him find his way, various sounds and faint scents only serving to confuse him further as he meanders through seemingly endless twists and turns. There's a pressing and urgent need to find someone weighing more heavily on his shoulders by the moment, but the realisation of the chill sending uncomfortable goosebumps up his arms gives him pause. He stops, exhaling a soft cloud of vapour, and absent-mindedly pulls his tail forwards to bury his hands in it.]
This kind of thing again... [Tighnari murmurs. He closes his eyes for a moment, long ears twitching this way and that... then he moves again. This time he is more determined. If there is someone here he needs to find then find them he shall.
By the time he sees anyone at all, the cold has eaten its way through every layer of clothing and his ears are pinned back unhappily against his head in an effort to conserve warmth. He's clutching the thick fur of his tail up close to his chest and shivering so violently that he can barely walk. But then he sees--
He sees...]
Cyno!?
no subject
find who?
he doesn't know. cyno only knows that his heart and mind are bent on it, that he has no choice but to find this person, and time is running short. gritting his teeth, cyno turns a corner, expecting to find yet another empty corridor branching off into more empty corridors, but instead he finds.. ]
Tighnari?
[ all at once, the terrible chill begins to fade, melting away, along with the urgent desire to search. cyno is dumbstruck for a moment, quiet and considering, before he casts a critical eye over tighnari. he's shivering, chilled to the bone, and cyno can't help the swell of protectiveness that surges in his breast. he starts forward. ]
Are you all right?
no subject
The cold seems to matter far less now, or perhaps it's simply not as cold?]
All the better for seeing you, I think. [Strange to think he's missed him. The spans of time they might go without seeing one another in Sumeru were usual and there was always a way to get hold of Cyno if he truly needed him. Here though, the gulf that separated them had been entirely insurmountable.
Tighnari touches Cyno's upper arm as they draw close and then pulls his hand back with a soft hiss of surprise. Even through the gloves--!]
You're freezing. [No thought for himself. He frowns and pulls his gloves off, then chafes slim, faintly plant-stained fingers up and down Cyno's arms.] This is no place for either of us.
no subject
hmm. cyno frowns, a crease in his brow. ]
So are you.
[ tighnari is already fussing, rubbing his hands down cyno's bare arms, even as the frost melts away, chilly water running in rivulets down his gauntlets, dripping into the grass. tighnari is just as cold as he is - if only cyno had his cloak to offer. ]
Do you know the way out?
no subject
[Tighnari is frowning too as he lightly warms the other man's arms, pausing when his palms grow damp with the melting frost. He sighs and looks up, shaking his head.]
It feels as if I've been wandering around in here for hours. [Not quite close to giving up hope and yet closer to it than he would have liked by the time he came across Cyno. Now he can feel the way that the air around them is lighter, warmer, and the uncomfortable puffing of the fur on his tail slowly smooths down. It feels like hours, though it could just as much have only been a few minutes.]
I had been trying to find the exit, but I kept running into dead ends... And then I found you. It doesn't sound like you were having any better luck.
no subject
[ it's a thoughtful, unhappy hum that rolls in his throat, and cyno's lips press tightly together. he doesn't like the sound of that, but.. at the very least it's easier to think, now that the frigid chill is ebbing, and the madness that licked at his mind has all but evaporated. he's as comfortable as he ever is, in tighnari's presence. ]
The same was happening to me. We should get moving, it'll warm us up.
[ but first, he's plucking up tighnari's discarded gloves, and taking his hands gently by the wrists, pulling them back from his own bared arms. ]
Put these back on, first. Your hands are freezing.
[ tighnari isn't the only one capable of being fussy. ]
no subject
[It's a weak protest, and to settle his friend's mind he quickly rubs his hands against his clothes to dry them off and acquiesces to pulling his gloves back on again. He smiles, wiggling his fingers at the man as if to say 'see?' before he drops his hands back down to his sides. A moment later, he's planting one against his hip and puffing out a half-agitated sigh.]
It's as good a time as any to tell you that this isn't new to me. [He tilts his head faintly, an indication for them to start walking.] The maze is, granted, but... you had a dream about a fox, correct?
[And followed her... something he might not have expected of Cyno if Thirteen was not so clever in her abduction tactics.]
I had the same dream, only it was over a month ago. I've been in this place since then.
no subject
[ and he'd been ready to ask tighnari if he, too, had seen her, but his query is answered before he's even able to posit his question.
so it's all true, then. it's all real. walking with the fox had felt like a dream, a sensation that cyno was not at all familiar with, all things considered, for how those in sumeru do not dream. it felt more like a hallucination, a fevered mirage, but at the time it had felt so real that he had not questioned it. in hindsight, he feels like a fool. cyno is not so easily tricked, nor convinced.
satisfied that tighnari's hands won't freeze to the bone, cyno nods his head, and they begin to move, picking their way through the hedge maze again. it feels much better, now that cyno is no longer nursing that sense of urgency, nor suffering that bone-cracking chill. he's still cold, it penetrates deep, but his heart is at ease. ]
A month's time.. so it's true, then. Everything she said.
[ he might not trust the fox, but he does trust tighnari. ]
no subject
It was a mistake, but Tighnari is not one to shy away from mistakes even if they are his own. He looks to the other man with a warm and gentle smile.]
I would not put too much faith in her words overall, but what she said when she brought you here was true enough. At least, she believes the truth of it.
[And yet the idea of reaching one's full potential is so frustratingly vague as to be almost unattainable. Full potential according to whom?]
Thirteen is a capricious creature who seems easily slighted. If you have misgivings about her, I would not be too vocal about them if I were you.
no subject
for now, he'll need to let that thread drop, whether he likes it or not. he would like to take solace in the fact that he is not alone here, but to see tighnari trapped, the same as he is, brings him no joy, despite how selfishly he wants to enjoy the company of his dearest friend. ]
I see..
[ cyno grunts his displeasure, his molten eyes narrowing. he's not the sort to easily keep his opinions to himself. cyno is nothing if not bold and brutally honest. with any hope, he won't see himself tested at all. his next remark sounds almost.. testy. ]
At the very least, she could have left me my polearm.
[ he feels absolutely naked without it!! ]
no subject
The young man cannot help but laugh at Cyno's disgruntled tone and he pats one hand against the middle of his friend's shoulders.]
Don't look so dour, Cyno. I expect you'll come across it sooner than you think.
[His bow, slung across his back, had been picked up fairly quickly after all and would no doubt have already been recognised by the other man. His smile turns a little cheeky at the corners and his tail waves from side to side, gently patting at the backs of Cyno's legs as they walk.]
But until then, you don't need to worry. I'm here to protect you.
no subject
not quite. not entirely. the general mahamatra does not pout. but he's clearly displeased, especially when that treacherous tail wags against the back of his legs. yeah, yeah, laugh it up, tighnari. is he a joke to you?? ]
Very funny.
[ not that he doesn't trust tighnari's strength, of course. he absolutely does. but the idea of anyone protecting him chafes him right down to the core. cyno certainly isn't powerless without his staff of the scarlet sands, he'll hold his own with teeth and claws if need be, but for many years it has been an extension of himself; losing it feels like losing an arm. his carmine gaze flits to the bow on tighnari's back. ]
How do I get it back?
no subject
He's trying to lighten the conversation, but clearly his friend is in no state for it. So instead, Tighnari subsides and shakes his head.]
I can't tell you. I located mine with relative ease, but it took Aether over a week before he came across his own. [Cyno's polearm could be waiting for them outside of this maze, or... it might not be. He does not think the lack of certainty in the matter is going to do anything to improve his companion's mood.
He doesn't say more. Instead he simply gently places his hand on Cyno's arm while they walk. Maybe that will be more reassuring than words.]
no subject
I see.
[ he doesn't sound pleased. taking his weapon from him feels like tearing the teeth and claws off of a wild wolf. vulnerability is a new color on him, and one he doesn't like.
but tighnari's hand settles against his arm, and it serves to soothe the savage beast of his heart well enough to calm his dour mood. cyno grunts his displeasure, but says nothing more, and they fall into silence as they walk, but it is not an uncomfortable silence. they've known one another so long, their relationship is close enough that there can be no awkwardness between them, only easy quiet. at last, the maze seems to thin, and cyno sees what might be an exit ahead. ]
There.
no subject
But the hand on his arm works as he hoped it would and Tighnari gives another of those small and gentle smiles as they continue moving. He drops his hand, but he stays close enough that occasionally their arms will brush together while they walk. Talking isn't needed. The silence says enough, and Tighnari has always appreciated quiet.
His attention perks up as he spots the exit almost at the same time as Cyno does. The bone-deep chill of earlier feels almost forgotten now save for some minor tingling at the tips of his ears, and he slips his hand into Cyno's without thinking about it at all as he quickens his pace to close in swiftly on the way out of this dratted labyrinth.]
Finally. [Tighnari exclaims as they step out of the high hedge walls. His fingers slip free of Cyno's as he stretches his arms above his head, all too pleased to be back out in the open air. Enclosed spaces simply do not suit him.]
Now, shall we look for your polearm?
no subject
before he knows it, tighnari's hand is in his own, tugging him toward the exit, and cyno offers no argument, allowing himself to be pulled along at tighnari's pace, until at last they come upon an open space. cyno breathes a low, slow exhale of muted relief, though he's soon distracted by the impressive display of candles and lanterns scattered through the trees and across the ground. he's not the sort to be swayed by pretty things, but even cyno must admit it's lovely to behold. ]
Yes. I'd like that.
[ even if.. he has no idea where to start. casting his gaze across the lantern-lit grounds, he frowns. ]
You know this place better than I do. Where should we start?
no subject
He knows his value to the other man. It has never been in any doubt.
Their closeness and Tighnari's comfort in being around him is how he grabs his hand so easily, and how he lets go without a comment as to why he felt it necessary to grasp onto him to begin with. He feels settled at Cyno's side in a way he hasn't since he arrived here and he is all too happy to assist in locating the missing polearm.]
Hmm... [He brings his hand up to his chin in thought, one of his ears swivelling as he catches the sound of the bustle at the hot springs not too far down the hill, beyond the fantastic display of candles and lanterns.] If you feel like exploring, we can take a look around. But I think I might appreciate being able to warm up a little more first. What do you think?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)