February 2023 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

FEBRUARY 2023 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]

SPRING BREAKS LOOSE

Content Warnings: extreme weather

the time is near

The earth is awakening.

You are aware of this fact before consciousness truly returns. One minute you were a falling star but as your body reforms you can sense the freshness of spring just around the corner. In your minds eye you can see circling birds in the sky, feel the first warm breeze of the season, and hear icicles melting into crystal puddles.

But something isn't right.

The moment you are truly awake you find yourself in what could generously be described as a shack built in the snowy wasteland of Wintermute. You and another Star Child are at least being kept warm by an electric heater, but there really isn't much in the way of amenities otherwise. More disturbingly, the entire shack has a deeply oppressive aura to it, encouraging the pair of you to leave as soon as you can.

But where can you possibly go?

Stepping outside reveals the answer, as parked not far from the shed is a dogsled, complete with warm winter gear to protect you from the cold.

The dogs themselves are the real marvels; not flesh and blood, the sled dogs are in fact automatons. The winter sun reflects off of their silver and copper bodies and the steady tick of their inner workings breaks the chilly silence. Each dog has a key sticking out of its back, turning slowly.

The oppressive sense you felt in the shack continues to grow. Your thoughts begin to turn negative: sad, paranoid, fearful. It is quite unbearable... until your eye falls on a delicate splash of purple against the snow.

Close to the dogsled, a single crocus pokes out of the ground.

The very sight of it calms you down. Picking it will make you feel happy, and you will find yourself blurting out the first pleasant memory that comes to mind.

The robodogs bark, delighted, encouraging you to climb aboard the sled and look for more of those flowers!

Every crocus you collect will make you feel positive emotions and the urge to share good personal moments with your companion. The more you find, the happier you will be... and you might get quite close to a total stranger as a result as well!

in from the snow

While you are out and about, you'll want to keep an eye on your team of dogs - they can and will lose power after a point. Your job as a good dog driver is to keep them wound up! Yes, you'll have to stop and physically wind the dogs back up when they lose steam.

You are likely to discover weapons jutting up from the snow. These are all unenchanted items, basic swords, guns, shields, etc., but the second you pull them from the snow the weather will take a turn for the worse. You may even be subject to a sudden avalanche! Hopefully you got the dogs wound up enough that they can get you out of there without any damage!

Eventually the dogs will choose to take you to Akhlut Station in Wintermute where you can catch the train somewhere a little warmer.

BUT SO DOES FEAR

Content Warnings: Fungus, spores, live burial, mental confusion and hallucinations.

putting roots in my dreamland

Willow is definitely warmer than Wintermute. The tail end of winter means that while much of the farmland is still blanketed in snow, the more wooded areas have large clear patches beneath the conifers. The ground here is damp and rich smelling. Poking out of the soil are tiny white mushrooms. These fungi glisten wetly, strangely compelling in their little rings of earth. You just want to take a closer look... maybe have a seat under the conifers and listen to the snow melt...

The mushrooms enchant anyone who gets close to them into simply staying put. They cloud the mind, leaving you in a dimly pleasant haze, while your body sinks slowly into the earth. The longer you stay, the more you sink - maybe a passerby can come and pull you out! If you don't wind up suffocated by dirt you will find that your head clears on its own once night falls. You will probably still need a hand pulling yourself out of the ground, but at least now you know what's going on.

The woods at night are not still - there are mice and owls and the usual nocturnal critters. There is also something else, something that moves slowly beneath the trees checking the mushroom traps. About eight feet tall, this lanky creature resembles a human skeleton held together by muscles and tendons of moss and fungus. Its head is a huge mushroom cap, underneath from which glitter a pair of bright blue eyes. If it finds any unfortunates stuck in the traps without anyone to help them, it will push their heads beneath the soil and hold them there until they die.

The sight of this creature inspires feelings of disorientation and hopelessness. These feelings are lessened when you are in close physical proximity with another Star Child, so it is to your advantage to stick together. The mushroom creature's objective remains the same: to feed the living earth with your body.

The creature is not particularly tough - its flesh is soft and gives way easily. You can defeat it easily with weapons or even your fists provided you can get close enough without succumbing to the disorientation and hopeless feelings. Oh, and you may not want to hit it on the head...

The mushroom cap, when struck, showers spores everywhere. These spores burn if they land on your skin, and if they get in your eyes they cause vivid hallucinations of ghostly figures reaching for you, trying to immobilize you. These hallucinations are so real that it is likely you will act as if they are real, standing still as if you are restrained.

If you defeat the mushroom creature, it will dissolve into the ground and leave in its place a wooden chest. Inside each of you will find some canon clothes and/or an item from your homeworlds.

coast is clear

Not far from the forest treeline, a bonfire burns merrily in the center of a circle of light green tents. The tents are kept warm by portable heaters, with some containing food and drink, and others offering small packs of seeds as gifts. These seeds are for common earth flowers and vegetables. One of the tents provides first aid supplies, in case you got roughed up fighting a giant mushroom or something.

The tents are staffed by squirrels and chipmunks. Just plain old ordinary squirrels and chipmunks. They don't speak - only chitter and occasionally screech - but they will help as best as their tiny paws allow.

This is a good time to recover, and also to talk to any other Star Children you may see.

Comments

[woenesday]

Did I say I found them cute? [ She didn't remember saying that. At all. She watches carefully with absolutely no expression on her face and her arms folded tightly over her chest. Indicating she had no intention of participating in the process of winding. ]

Wednesday Addams. Do you really think we should trust them?

[pinkxeno]

[ Mina promptly ignores that first part because she doesn't actually care what Wednesday says - the robots are adorable and that's all that matters.

She also doesn't mind if Wednesday doesn't help, though ]

Well, the cabin wasn't feeling nice and we are in the middle of the snow. So we should get moving before there is a snowstorm or we get too cold. [ makes sense.

Mina stands up when she finishes winding up one of the dogs, which comes to life ]

They might know where to take us!

[woenesday]

[ Wednesday reluctantly grabs some of the mysteriously provided gear and then gets on to the dogsled after Mina's done winding them up. ]

I'd rather not continue to freeze so I suppose we have to trust it. Lets go. [ Once they're both on the dogs bark happily and then they start off in a direction as if they know precisely where they're going. ]

Seems as though they have a destination in mind.

[pinkxeno]

[ Mina grins back at Wednesday when she agrees to come along. Truth to be told, Mina was not going to leave the other girl if she has refused - there is no way she can just leave someone in the middle of the snow like that.

She gets on the sled after putting a warmer jacket, giving Wednesday plenty of room before she finally waves her arm to the dogs ]

Take us there, boys! [ she is very excited.

But despite the excitement and how much of a airhead Mina looks like, she is paying attention to every turn the dogs take and to what might be ahead of them.

She just woke up in a strange place; she remembers Thirteen, being told she is a Legend and that she is there to reach her potential, but all of that felt like a dream that didn't really happen. Plus, this is technically kidnapping and as nice as the dream felt, she didn't ask to be here and she doesn't quite get why she is here.

Of course she doesn't want to worry Wednesday. Because to Mina, her role here is to be a hero, and heroes don't freak out. ]

By the way, you okay? You don't look injured but if you need anything, I know first aid.

[woenesday]

[ At this point Wednesday has built up a sort of resigned tolerance to people this energetic. It's easier to just go with them rather than wasting time on anything else. There might also be the fact that the copious amounts of pink might remind Wednesday of someone she might miss.

Might.

There was no reason to ever actually admit that. Not to another person and not to herself.

She blinks at the question, though much of that is lost through the movement and their positions. Which she's grateful for if it means she doesn't have to contend with someone wondering why she seems so confused. ]

I'm fine. Why are you asking?

[pinkxeno]

Like I said - if you were hurt, I can help a bit!

[ Mina grins wide ] It's what heroes do!

[ Mina's gaze moves to the side/ Thanks to the speed of the dogs, it's hard to tell what she just saw - plus, this is a whole new world. She expects something alien at this point - but she is sure she just saw... purple? ]

Ah, those are flowers! [ and the robot dogs are heading there, it seems ]

[woenesday]

I'm not hurt. [ What does one do with this kind of excitement? Ignore it and hope it goes away. Not that doing so has ever worked in her favor before. ]

Your dedication to fitting into the mold of your role is impressive. [ Is that a compliment? Who knows.

As the dogs get closer to the flowers one of them starts to wind down and then the others stop. ]

They seem to want us to investigate. [ She looks at the suspiciously as if she's already decided this is some sort of trap. A trap created by robot dogs. ]

[pinkxeno]

[ Mina nods when Wednesday confirms she isn't hurt. And she also is absolutely fine with having her excitement go ignored, a lot of her friends do the same. ]

My role? [ she doesn't quite get what Wednesday says, but she figures there are a lot more things to worry about right now.

Once the dogs stop, Mina gets off the sled to go investigate the flowers. They do look normal, but she isn't about to touch strange plants from a strange world. ]

Have you seen these flowers before? They seem to want us to do something but... [ but mina is not about to touch with her bare hands. She does have gloves, though ]

I could try melting it and see what it does!

[woenesday]

We're each placed into one of three roles, myth, legend, or familiar. Heroes go into legend. [ So she's assuming this girl must be a Legend.

Wednesday follows her down and then kneels down in the snow to get a better look at the flowers. Still kneeling she looks back up and shakes her head. ]

I spotted a few walking around but didn't stop to take note. [ She pauses and then shrugs stiffly. ]

Go ahead. It's probably a smarter first course of action than simply picking it up and trusting there's nothing odd about it.

[pinkxeno]

Do they? So... Legends are Heroes, Myths are villains and familiars are... sidekicks? [ Mina thinks about that for a second ]

Who even decides on those roles?

[ Mina kneels down too, pulling one of her gloves to let her pink hand out. From it, acid drips and falls on top of the flower, quickly melting it into nothing. Mina places her hand on top of the acid puddle, humming ]

Looks like a normal flower to me.

Should we get them and give them to the dogs? It seems like that's what they want.

[woenesday]

Thirteen. The Fox. [ Said in that manner that explicitly states that one should know that. Though her entire demeanor seems to change, brightening up actually, when she sees what Mina can do. ]

A useful power. [ She bends down first to examine the acid (which she's clearly much more interested in than the flower) and then picks one up as a clear second thought. Almost immediately a jolt of something unfamiliar races through her. A smile forms on her face as she recites a memory that seemingly just jumped into her mind: ]

My Uncle Fester was a prisoner in a Tibetan monastery. He learned to fight there and he passed that knowledge on to me through extensive, painful, tutoring. [ It was one of the best times she'd had. That was why he was always her favorite. What a nice happy memory. ]

[pinkxeno]

And is it just random? [ or perhaps Legends are all heroes and Myths are villains.

Mina only grins at the compliment about her quirk. She knows it's very useful and pretty strong as well.

But when Wednesday decides to share information, Mina looks back at her, blinking ] ... Oh. It looks like you had a lot of fun, then! That's good! [ she will just accept the information ]

Why was he arrested? By a monks? [ of all the people! ]

[woenesday]

No. I believe it has something to do with our personalities. [ A few people have made her question that but for the most part it seems most people have characteristics that fit into what role they might have. ]

I did. I always had the most fun with him. He's the only one who seems to really get me. [ She glares at the flower. ] I wouldn't usually admit to things like this. [ Clearly not her fault. ]

The details never seemed important to me. Knowing him he either attempted to steal something from them and was captured or he wanted to be imprison to experience it.

[pinkxeno]

[ hmm, that could be it. It could also be their powers? Well, they were kidnapped anyway, does it matter?

But Mina just listens to Wednesday, and looks down at the flower too ] Oh. So the flower makes you admit to stuff? [ that sounds a bit embarrassing, but it's not so bad! ] Your uncle sounds weird.

[ but mina still smiles because that makes Wednesday happy anyway. One of the robot dogs approaches, barks happily again, before it glances down at the flower ]

Oh, they might want us to pick more of those flowers!

[woenesday]

[ She smiles, still feeling a strange amount of happiness from the pleasant memories of her uncle. Though it's mixed with a slight annoyance of this all having been forced. ]

Then they can wait. I'm not going near anymore of them.

[pinkxeno]

Whaaat? But they made you happy!

[ wednesday why are you running away from HAPPINESS ] It's something good, right?