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]

[The chill begins to settle in once more the further away Tech walks from Jaskier. And for a time, Jaskier attempts to pay it very little mind because it's not a terrible sign. It means that Tech is doing as Jaskier told him and going back for that ring. So, Jaskier tells himself that for that alone, he can tolerate the cold for as long as he must.]

[Of course, that's much easier said than done. Jaskier's breath starts to come out in puffs the lower the temperature drops, and the little nearby fire doesn't feel like it's enough after a while. Involuntary shivers eventually set in and it's then that he can't simply ignore it anymore. It's gotten absolutely frigid in Tech's absence and Jaskier doesn't know quite what to do. He could get up in search of wood himself and tend to the fire, try to give it a little more life, and keep it going a bit longer. That would be the smart thing to do, he thinks. But as cold as it's gotten, he doesn't feel much like moving once he's rolled over onto his side, folding his arms and tucking his hands beneath them. He manages to summon up the energy to rub his legs together a little in an attempt to bring a bit of warmth to them as well, but it does little to help. Jaskier just curls up tighter, torn between wanting to sleep and thinking it's best he tries to keep himself awake all while wondering what exactly is taking so long. Did Tech get lost on the way there? On the way back? Similar to the temptation of tending to the fire, Jaskier feels the temptation to get up and look for Tech again, but...]

[He should wait here. Jaskier knows he won't be able to find which way Tech went let alone find his way back to that stump where he abandoned the ring. And that would be far, far worse. He would definitely freeze to illness at a minimum on his own. He'll wait. He'll wait.]

[Eventually, that patience is paid off. It's subtle and slow enough that Jaskier thinks he's just gotten to the point where he's so cold, he can't really tell it's still cold anymore. But then he hears a footfall in the near distance followed by more and he knows Tech is coming back. It's not just his imagination. It's getting warmer the closer Tech makes it back to the fire, and the shivering subsides in its own time. And it's warmer still as Tech tends to the fire, breathing it back into fuller life.]

[Jaskier stays where he is when Tech comes beside him, although every instinct wants to press immediately against him for warmth if nothing else. Words cannot express the gratitude and relief he feels when Tech's arms come to wrap around him. He's about to try as much, drawing breath to speak now that some of the tension from curling so tight against the cold has left him, but the words die before they can reach his lips when he feels Tech's press against the base of his neck. Jaskier lets the breath go slowly, mimicking the same breath that would come about if he were fast asleep, uncertain of what to make of the kiss when it seems so unlikely that it should be for him right now. Why else would Tech do it if he didn't feel Jaskier was already sound asleep and unaware of his surroundings?]

[And he is, eventually, fast asleep. Jaskier just couldn't say when it happens. For all he knew, he laid there for an hour, maybe more, pretending to be sound asleep for... Well, he wasn't entirely certain if it was for his sake to remain selfishly held so preciously, or if it was for Tech's sake to let him feel something more than just his grief. But it could have just as well been only mere minutes before sleep took him. But regardless, he sleeps peacefully, too bone tired for any semblance of sleep-talking or moving about in his sleep as he normally does.]

[It only adds to his reluctance to wake when morning does come. Without opening his eyes, Jaskier whines at being disturbed from his sleep as he always does. Jaskier burrows his face in Tech's chest. Were he not so groggy upon waking, it could be forgiven in accusing him of intentionally tangling one of his legs up with Tech's, but it's about as intentional and conscious of an action as lightly fisting some of Tech's shirt in his hand ends up being. Jaskier mumbles a protest that arguably didn't contain any sounds that could pass as recognizable words, but his grip relaxes with a pleased sigh that trails off into a hum. Eventually, there's another sigh before he sleepily asks,]

Did we miss it?

[He doesn't move from where he's nestled into Tech.]

[twatter]

[ Tech remains oblivious that Jaskier was awake for any period of time since he started to hold him, assuming if he was he would have said something or at the least started when Tech touched him out of nowhere. So they linger largely in silence. Tech listens to the steady sound of Jaskier's breath when it shifts from wake to sleep and doesn't much change. He sleeps quietly. Tech has been around Jaskier enough to know this is a sign of true exhaustion -- an exhaustion so deep even the nightmares can't get him.

Tech doesn't sleep, of course. He can't. Things are normal again and he's back to not needing to rest. But also he wouldn't. This is a new world and one of them should stay awake in case some hidden danger beyond the cold makes itself known within this maze. It doesn't, though. Absolutely nothing disturbs them. Not a hungry wolf nor even a hunting owl in the woods. It's only with the morning bird chorus that Jaskier starts to awaken.

Tech laughs softly at the question and the groggy way Jaskier does just about everything -- including (and not limited to) the tangling of limbs with his. Tech should discourage it, but with the sunrise on the figurative and almost literal horizon, he's sure the position will amend itself. It's funny, though. He's called Jaskier a songbird since the second time they ever spoke, yet Jaskier has never been an early riser. Whereas birds awaken every day with enthusiasm and vibrancy. They sing to the sun because a new day has begun and for that moment, tucked in their hollows and nests, they're alive and together and that's worth celebrating. ]

Not yet.

[ Tech answers Jaskier's question finally. ]

But if you don't get up, we will!

[ And that's when Tech gently draws back from Jaskier to slowly clamber to his feet, dusting the grass and dirt away from his pants. He leaves the jacket on the ground, however, until Jaskier's ready to get up from it. In the meantime, Tech stretches moving past the dying embers of their fire to look up at a tree in contemplation. Would it be too ambitious to climb up like one of those birds? Perch up high to get a brilliant view and sing his own inner chorus in celebration of being alive and together?

Who is he kidding? He doesn't have any upper body strength. ]

C'mon, c'mon, Jul~i~an! We gotta find a good spot!

[ He heads back toward Jaskier, grabbing him by the arm and attempting to drag him to his feet. Time is of the essence! The sun will start to peek over the mountains and they'll miss the best part! ]

[bardicdisaster]

[There's a whined, wordless protest when Tech begins to disentangle himself from Jaskier. The hand that was resting nearby Jaskier's head on Tech tries to take hold of his shirt again in an attempt to get him to stay, but it's too little too late. Fingers catch on fabric, but not enough to make any sort of meaningful grip. Jaskier lets out a displeased groan where he ends up on the ground (because he refused to make any motion to make Tech leaving him easier and therefore, he refused to sit up) and stays exactly as he "falls." Well. Almost. As Tech is stretching and taking in their surroundings in the morning, Jaskier curls his arm underneath his head and lets his eyes fall shut again.]

[It's definitely not as nice as when Tech was acting as his pillow, but Jaskier is willing to make do.]

[That is until there's a persistent call for him to wake up. Jaskier furrows his brow without opening his eyes, curling into a tighter ball in protest and waving the hand not currently substituting as Tech.]

I'm up, I'm up. [Jaskier says this, of course, while being very much not up. But his arm is caught and there's a tug to haul him up, and Jaskier has to admit defeat whether he wants to or not.] Alright, alright! I'm awake...

[Jaskier reaches out with his other hand albeit somewhat blindly despite finally opening his eyes. Minimal efforts are being put into actually getting up through his own energy or will right now, but if Tech is willing to do the work... Jaskier at least has the courtesy not to be complete and utter dead weight when Tech gives him another tug up. Jaskier doesn't immediately let go of Tech once he's finally on his feet. He can't when he immediately yawns. Not that he needs Tech for balance so much as he mentally cannot fathom doing more than one thing at a time right now. The yawn ends with a soft noise and leaves his vision a little blurred. Only then does he let go of Tech to rub the sleep from his eyes. Slowly, he looks over at Tech, still rubbing at one eye.]

You're awful. Making me stand first thing in the morning...

[Normally, there would be more words and theatrics accompanying that, but Jaskier's not yet awake enough for all that. The proof was in the follow-up yawn that comes after. Smaller than the first, but still leaves him blinking rapidly afterward.]

Awful, [he repeats with a sniff, folding his arms tightly around himself. He's not trying to sulk—it's quite possible he couldn't if he tried—he's just immediately colder off the spot they warmed all night. Even if it's the cold hard ground, he'd much rather be there than upright right now.]

[twatter]

Oh I know, I'm just the worst, aren't I?

[ Tech commiserates with Jaskier while not at all being very sympathetic to the case. Instead, he's quickly grabbing his jacket from the forest floor and then tugging Jaskier along. Obviously when the bard lags behind in his own grogginess, Tech pulls him harder -- heading... Well. Truthfully he doesn't know. There's something calling out to him, though, that if he keeps walking this way, he'll find the perfect spot. And when he finds that spot, he'll know. So as the time wears down and they trek up a hill, at the end of the hill is a break in the trees. And also at the end of the hill is their escape from the maze, a road leading to the nearest town.

But Tech's not concerned about escape. Instead he rushes right to the clearing and stops there. His eyes are on the icy peaks of the mountains and the glistening reflections of the purple sky fading into a salmon pink. Tech stares, mesmerized by the colors. Were sunrises always so colorful? And in all of the colors, there's not one single hint of red. That horrid, formless red of the Penance skies. Tech doesn't realize he hasn't let go of Jaskier yet. His fingers dig into the fabric of his doublet, creasing into the sleeve and it becomes quite apparent for Tech, this is the most amazing thing he's seen in a long, long time.

Golden rays burst brilliantly from a stony grasp. The birds sing louder as though through only their song can the sun take its place. Tech spares one single glance away from it, one tearful look toward Jaskier at his side as though to say: do you see what I'm seeing? Then it's back to the sunrise and all of its splendor and drama and life. He'd imagined it, of course. Seeing it with Jaskier someday -- watching by his side. But his imagination always focused on the part with him and Jaskier, less on the beauty that would unfold. You see one sunrise, you've seen them all...he would have jadedly thought. But no. That's not at all true. Every one is different. Every single one is special. Every sunrise marks a new beginning.

Tech reaches into his pocket to take out his relic and he guides him and Jaskier to face opposite way -- the sunrise behind them. Tech opens up the relic, leans in nice and close to Jaskier and takes a selfie. No explanation to poor Jaskier who will probably only look confused in the photograph. But Tech soon explains without words when he shows Jaskier the picture they took together before turning back to face the sun -- arms extended as though his wingspan can express its magnitude.

And when the burst of excitement finally dwindles and Tech calms down to a level Jaskier is probably still at in his drowsiness, Tech instead leans his head against Jaskier's shoulder so they can watch the rest in silence -- watch until the gold medallion sits with the clouds and the sky takes on its overcast blue. Blue enough to match both sets of eyes that are watching. ]