folkooc | February 2023 Test Drive Meme

Entry tags:

*tdm

February 2023 Test Drive Meme

FEBRUARY 2023 TDM

INTRODUCTION

[ TDM Questions ★ Jump to Comments ★ Full Navigation ]
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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Lemme guess, too used to most of us trying to kill you?"

Most that were recognizable as demons, anyway. He's fairly unusual in his reluctance to don a human disguise when moving among mortals.

"Exactly."

But of course, there was the fact that some of them would put on human disguises. He can smell out a demon, in that case - but were there some who could cover their stench? It was a good question.

"I guess I better start looking at things differently."

"We are still people...if we were a monolith, you and your brother wouldn't even exist."

Nor would humanity in general, at this point. If Sparda hadn't found the courage - and the strength - to stand in Mundus' path, there would be a new meaning to the term 'Hell on Earth'.

"I'd kinda want to practice with a devil I can actually trust and that knows me pretty well."

But that was probably a tall order, huh?

"Hey." He pats Dante on the shoulder. "I'm gonna be sticking around now, remember? You're going to get plenty of practice dealing with a devil you can trust."

"Yeah, but that's not the same, unless you're not above kissing me."

Now that definitely isn't something he'd say usually. Probably.

He snorts, but looks away to hide a violet tint to his face. He's not about to admit he had briefly been interested on Mallet, before he'd seen what a doofus Dante really was. Nor that he'd have found those shenanigans entertaining, if he'd been able to watch them in full instead of being stuck at Devil May Cry.

"Sorry, I don't care for breath that smells like cheap pizza and bottom shelf alcohol."

"What, so if I brush my teeth?"

...he does normally do that! When the water is on at Devil May Cry anyway. It's not like he's looking to get dental work done, that sounded like pure torture.

"I'm sure there's something around here..."

"I think you've had enough of this."

He reaches for the vodka bottle, honestly regretting not doing this sooner.

"Oops."

He lets Alastor take it without trying to grab it back, feeling embarrassed - and it shows on his face.

"You should try to sleep it off, before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."

Ah...but those mushroom things...

"I'll make sure nothing bad happens while you're napping."

"You sure? I could use the sleep. I'm damn tired."

And it's catching up to him. It's obvious in the way his eyes look weary and heavy.

"I don't think I've slept in weeks."

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm as well rested as I need to be, so staying up to play lookout is no skin off my nose."

"Cool."

Dante's gaze lingers on Alastor for a long moment, wanting to thank him but not having the capacity to know how yet. In the end, he settles for laying down on the ground, making sure to be far enough from the campfire so that he doesn't catch on fire in his sleep. That'd be a rude awakening.

He shrugs and stretches, then leans back into a seemingly relaxed pose on his side...except the fact that it leaves his wings free means he's capable of springing to his feet at a moment's notice.

"Just hope you don't wake up with a hangover, I'm not turning this place upside down to see if there's any Aspirin for you."

...He is, however, going to quietly get a blanket and pillow for Dante once he's soundly asleep.

It doesn't take as long for him to fall soundly asleep as it usually does. Generally, he's afraid to fall asleep - because his dreams aren't usually pleasant. But he's too tired to be scared this time, and he falls into a deep sleep within ten minutes or so.

But after a few hours of dreaming nothing that he can remember, the nightmares come in. This time, it's images of Vergil dying, alone in Hell. Which doesn't really make sense, because he didn't leave him alone - he'd left his body behind, right? To continue on without him.

But try telling logic to nightmares. He's sweating in his sleep and gritting his teeth, it's obvious he's not having a good time.

Alastor recognizes the signs of a nightmare...he's had more than a few of his own, both trying to pass the time on Mallet and on the rare occasions he'd actually needed to sleep. It's not a fun time. And so, he sets his diary down on the ground next to him and gets up to nudge Dante's shoulder.

"Hey, wake up."

He startles awake - possibly with too much of being startled. He thrashes a bit, trying to find who touched him and fight them off. He's completely misinterpreted the situation in the adrenaline rush of a nightmare.

"What!"

He backs up a bit, not feeling particularly interested in having his nose broken again by flailing limbs.

"You looked like you were having a nightmare."

He regains his sense soon enough. "Oh - Alastor." He shoots him an apologetic look as he sits up, then buries his face in a hand.

"I usually do, yeah."

"Mm..."

He can't help but be reminded of the last time he'd slept, when his subconscious had seen fit to remind him of how painful it had been to drag Fire Leo down to the depths of Jadow's headquarters.

"Well, whatever it was, it's over now."

"Yeah."

He runs his hand through his hair then looks down at himself. Now where had that blanket come from? And what about the pillow?

"...did you do this?"

"Oh, that?"

He looks away and rubs the back of his helmet.

"Didn't want to hear you complaining about a stiff neck when you woke up."

"Yeah?"

Dante shoots him a grateful look. He's not sure how to take this gesture of kindness, but he can accept it and act thankful for it. That's the least he can do.

"Well, no stiff neck here."

He wants to say that nobody's ever done anything like that for him, other than his mother, but he can't bring himself to.

"Good, I'd have had to look for earplugs if you started whining at me."

His face is definitely tinged with violet as he goes to sit back down and grab his diary.

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