![[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:
April 2023 Test Drive Meme
April 2023 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: hallucinations, poison, giant worm
One minute you were a falling star, but as your body reforms you become aware of one important detail: it's friggin hot.
That's because you've landed in a desert! Yes, you have had the misfortune of landing in Cruel Summer, the hottest and arguably most dangerous part of Folkmore. Lucky you!
The first bit of good news is that you're pretty sure you can see a train station off in the distance, although it's extremely difficult to judge exactly how far off due to the flatness of the terrain. The second bit of good news is that you have awoken with either a canteen of water, or an umbrella to keep the sun off. The third bit of news - good or bad, depending - is that you've awoken near another Star Child. Whoever this is will have the opposite gift than what you received; if you have water, they have an umbrella, and if you have an umbrella they have water. Well, you know what they say: sharing is caring! Undeniably the water is a touch more important, so hopefully whoever has it isn't a colossal dick.
As you trek through the desert towards the distant structure, you will notice periodically the air off to either side of you will shimmer. You may dismiss it as merely the heat playing tricks, but if you choose to investigate you will find mundane weapons like swords, guns, shields, etc.
At some point as you walk, you will feel a tremor beneath your feet. It grows in intensity until suddenly the sand sprays everywhere as something bursts forth from the earth below!
Wavering above you is a blood red worm. It is large - end to end it runs about thirteen feet - and its segmented hide is tough enough that rocks bounce right off of it. You might have more luck with bullets or bladed edges, but it's still going to be a tough fight. It also boasts some impressive offensive tricks; its mouth is ringed with many rows of fangs, and itspits a thick yellow acid that will corrode your skin and your weapons if you're not careful. If that wasn't enough, during your fight you might here a sudden brrrrrrrrrapppp! as the creature farts lightning at you. Hilarious... until it knocks you to the ground.
You would do well to work as a team to take this monster down. You and your partner might have powers or skills that could come in handy, or maybe you're quick on the uptake when it comes to any new abilities afforded you by your new role!
If you defeat the worm in battle, a golden chest will appear. Inside of it are items from your homeworlds - these rewards are especially likely to be any weapons you owned back home.
But hey, maybe you're a lover, not a fighter. There's no judgement here in Folkmore. You can outrun the worm instead if you're both fast and clever - finding any terrain that is more rock than sand will give you a decided advantage.
Once you have either defeated or escaped the worm, you will find that you come upon a small group of tents. Under their shade are first aid supplies, and kiosks manned by fennec foxes offering water, food, and shaved ice. Nice!
One minute you were a falling star, but as your body reforms you become aware of one important detail: it's friggin hot.
That's because you've landed in a desert! Yes, you have had the misfortune of landing in Cruel Summer, the hottest and arguably most dangerous part of Folkmore. Lucky you!
The first bit of good news is that you're pretty sure you can see a train station off in the distance, although it's extremely difficult to judge exactly how far off due to the flatness of the terrain. The second bit of good news is that you have awoken with either a canteen of water, or an umbrella to keep the sun off. The third bit of news - good or bad, depending - is that you've awoken near another Star Child. Whoever this is will have the opposite gift than what you received; if you have water, they have an umbrella, and if you have an umbrella they have water. Well, you know what they say: sharing is caring! Undeniably the water is a touch more important, so hopefully whoever has it isn't a colossal dick.
As you trek through the desert towards the distant structure, you will notice periodically the air off to either side of you will shimmer. You may dismiss it as merely the heat playing tricks, but if you choose to investigate you will find mundane weapons like swords, guns, shields, etc.
At some point as you walk, you will feel a tremor beneath your feet. It grows in intensity until suddenly the sand sprays everywhere as something bursts forth from the earth below!
Wavering above you is a blood red worm. It is large - end to end it runs about thirteen feet - and its segmented hide is tough enough that rocks bounce right off of it. You might have more luck with bullets or bladed edges, but it's still going to be a tough fight. It also boasts some impressive offensive tricks; its mouth is ringed with many rows of fangs, and itspits a thick yellow acid that will corrode your skin and your weapons if you're not careful. If that wasn't enough, during your fight you might here a sudden brrrrrrrrrapppp! as the creature farts lightning at you. Hilarious... until it knocks you to the ground.
You would do well to work as a team to take this monster down. You and your partner might have powers or skills that could come in handy, or maybe you're quick on the uptake when it comes to any new abilities afforded you by your new role!
If you defeat the worm in battle, a golden chest will appear. Inside of it are items from your homeworlds - these rewards are especially likely to be any weapons you owned back home.
But hey, maybe you're a lover, not a fighter. There's no judgement here in Folkmore. You can outrun the worm instead if you're both fast and clever - finding any terrain that is more rock than sand will give you a decided advantage.
Once you have either defeated or escaped the worm, you will find that you come upon a small group of tents. Under their shade are first aid supplies, and kiosks manned by fennec foxes offering water, food, and shaved ice. Nice!
Content Warnings: emotional trauma, impalement
Giant death worms aren't the only danger in the desert, they're just the most obvious.
Even if you avoided the worms entirely, you still have to make it to one of the train stations in Cruel Summer. As you trek across the dunes you will gradually become aware that over the sound of wind and shifting sand you can hear someone singing. You feel an urge to follow the sound to its source.
This song could be anything - one that exists in your world or others, or just a melody spun in the air for the first time. Whatever it is, it is heart rending; tears may spring your eyes as you follow the sound, precious moisture falling to the thirsty desert ground.
The singing is coming from a cactus. It is taller than most humanoid creatures, tinted purple and pink at the tips, with abnormally long spines. Its song reminds you sharply of some deep loss from your past, and at the same time inspires a terrible compulsion to go to the cactus and sink against it.
And what a relief it is, to embrace that melody and feel the spines slide easily through your flesh to pierce your heart. You do not bleed. By some strange alchemy, your heartache drains from your body as liquid, filling the cactus and causing its flowers to bloom and its song to cease.
You could very well stay pinned there, dying a slow death of desiccation, but lucky for you Star Children are all over the place this time of the month and someone is bound to see that you need help.
Trying to pry someone off of the cactus is impossible. The key lies in the flowers - they must be removed. When they are, sweet liquid will spray from the place where it had grown, dousing the rescuing Star Child. With this impromptu shower comes psychic flashes of the painful memory that has trapped the victim.
Once all of the blooming flowers have been removed, the cactus will retract its spines and release its prisoner. There will be no physical wounds left from this encounter.
You will also discover nearby that there is now a golden chest. Inside of it are items from your homeworlds, although none of these items are weapons.
Thankfully, you should be able to reach either Oozlum or Obambo Station without further incident. At either of these you will be able to get some water and supplies, as well as get the hell out of Cruel Summer.
Giant death worms aren't the only danger in the desert, they're just the most obvious.
Even if you avoided the worms entirely, you still have to make it to one of the train stations in Cruel Summer. As you trek across the dunes you will gradually become aware that over the sound of wind and shifting sand you can hear someone singing. You feel an urge to follow the sound to its source.
This song could be anything - one that exists in your world or others, or just a melody spun in the air for the first time. Whatever it is, it is heart rending; tears may spring your eyes as you follow the sound, precious moisture falling to the thirsty desert ground.
The singing is coming from a cactus. It is taller than most humanoid creatures, tinted purple and pink at the tips, with abnormally long spines. Its song reminds you sharply of some deep loss from your past, and at the same time inspires a terrible compulsion to go to the cactus and sink against it.
And what a relief it is, to embrace that melody and feel the spines slide easily through your flesh to pierce your heart. You do not bleed. By some strange alchemy, your heartache drains from your body as liquid, filling the cactus and causing its flowers to bloom and its song to cease.
You could very well stay pinned there, dying a slow death of desiccation, but lucky for you Star Children are all over the place this time of the month and someone is bound to see that you need help.
Trying to pry someone off of the cactus is impossible. The key lies in the flowers - they must be removed. When they are, sweet liquid will spray from the place where it had grown, dousing the rescuing Star Child. With this impromptu shower comes psychic flashes of the painful memory that has trapped the victim.
Once all of the blooming flowers have been removed, the cactus will retract its spines and release its prisoner. There will be no physical wounds left from this encounter.
You will also discover nearby that there is now a golden chest. Inside of it are items from your homeworlds, although none of these items are weapons.
Thankfully, you should be able to reach either Oozlum or Obambo Station without further incident. At either of these you will be able to get some water and supplies, as well as get the hell out of Cruel Summer.
tents
But there, under the tent, sure enough, is one Jean Kirstein.
He's sure his heart stops for a moment. Jean looks like the last time he saw him, more or less, but that doesn't mean much. When is he from? What's the last thing he saw, did? He's old enough to know if not where it ends, then where it's going, right?
Eren himself recently lived through a pretty upsetting other point of view memory of the Rumbling, which has done him no favours with chronological time.
Still, he'd rather not try to avoid Jean, not here. Things are different here. He's different here. Or he tries to be. He's sure as hell different than he was immediatley after Liberio. So he just stops there a meter or two away and looks down where Jean is sitting. ]
Jean.
no subject
The last time he heard Eren was when he announced he was going to commit genocide. That was in his head. The last time he properly heard Eren... yeah that was right after Sasha died. It felt like it was ages ago. He hadn't properly seen him or talked to him after that. During the fight with Marley they caught climbses of him, but a proper face to face encounter like this? Honestly, Jean had been pretty sure that would never be possible again.
Yet. Here he was. One Eren Jaeger. Saying his name and looking down at him.
Jean felt his emotions were in a turmoil. The feelings he had felt before he followed the fox making a return too. All of the bullshit that had happened after Eren woke up the Colossals.
It's a long silence, but eventually Jean looks up at Eren. There's anger, pain and just confusion mixed in.]
So you followed the fox too.
[It's all he can think to say at first.]
no subject
Not knowing is so novel that he doesn't know what to do with it. ]
Yeah. Months ago.
[ At least he gives a straightforward answer. ]
Are you hurt or anything?
no subject
So the question is when Eren left a version of himself behind to come to this place.]
Not badly. It's nothing I'm not used to already.
[Just some bruises and a few scratches. It had been difficult, working with a weapon you weren't used to.
But that's not important. Instead, Jean gets up. He's rested enough (he hasn't) so he wants to move his body a little. He's strangely calm, still, even if there's clearly something stirring inside.]
So. [He starts, but there's an unintended dramatic pause as he figures out how to ask the next thing.]
Did you come here before or after you started genocide?
no subject
Great job at being a person, Eren.
He opens his mouth to say something, but…ah. There it is. That's what he wanted to know, when in time Jean had come from.
He wonders if this is going to turn into a fight, but it might be pretty one-sided. He doesn't want to fight Jean. But if Jean hates him, that's something that comes from everything he's done, the weight of his choices. He wanted to save them. They can't understand. How could they? What he does to save them is unforgivable. He's known that for years and it's festered inside him.
But he's not actually sure how to answer. When did he start? He hasn't. He will. He already did. Before he was born, this was already… ]
The Rumbling.
[ He shakes his head. ]
I haven't done that yet.
[ The yet is really the key, though. ]
no subject
Probably longer than Jean could ever imagine. Eren had started to feel different sometime after Shiganshina. Even more different than how he had been after the Reiss mess.]
Call it whatever the fuck you want, it doesn't change what it is.
[He's not annoyed enough to punch Eren yet. It's partially because of how tired it is. He does want to punch him, but he's still straight enough in mind that it doesn't help anything (just like using Reiner as a punching back didn't, not really). But the option was still there. Tempting him.]
You started marching the day before I left. Since then I saw Floch shoot someone right in fron of me and then he wanted me to execute people too and go into retirement afterwards. Since I no longer had to work anymore. Since I was free.
[He had wanted to believe that. That he could just ignore everything and let the Rumbling happen. Retire and be happy.]
And then I had a pleasant conversations over campfire. Did you know? It was Reiner and the others who killed Marco. The things you learn because Yelena wanted to see us murder each other. Well she almost got what she wanted.
[Why is he telling Eren all of this? Because he feels the need to vent and because he wants to pinpoint just how fucking done he is with everything. Why he chose to follow to the fox.
He's tired, done, and pissed off. At Reiner, at Annie, at Magath, at Yelena and at himself for letting Yelena manipulate the conversation into him snapping.]
Oh and Levi's been blown up and Jaegerists are probably out for our blood. Things are looking just great back home. And yet we are planning coming after your ass once again, because what else would we ever do?!
[Oh, yeah. And he's pissed off at Eren, too.]
no subject
He listens, unflinching, at all of it. The Rumbling already started. Eren is a little hazy on how and when it happens, though he knows some of the lead up. There's some vital piece missing in his memory (it's Zeke, that piece is tied to Zeke) but it doesn't really matter. He came here to avoid that future anyway, but he can't erase his memories. His memories are of the future, which makes it complicated.
Floch. Floch was a wild card in some ways, but he was truly dedicated to what he saw as the cause. Many of the self-proclaimed Jaegerists were, Eren knows. Jean joining them? The easy life he'd wanted when they were younger? Ha. There's no way he'd really do it, Eren thinks. ]
Did I know?
[ He looks up, away, off in the distance at nothing.
Reiner and Bertholdt and Annie, responsible for Marco's death. He knows a lot of things in the sifting mire of his memory. But he doesn't answer the question, partially because of what comes next.
It snaps his attention back to Jean. ]
Levi— Levi what?
[ Go back, look again, play it over. He has no idea. He's not sure what happens to Levi, because he can't see what he can't see. Some day in the near future — a future he won't live through now — he'll see it all clearly, but from where he's standing, there's still too much uncertainty.
But it explains something the captain told him here. ]
The captain…he told me he thought he was dead.
[ Eren knows Levi doesn't die. Visions of his face in bandages. This is it. This is what it means. How did he get blown up, though? Levi didn't tell him, and Jean hasn't exactly told him either. It must have to do with Zeke as well, since Levi was on babysitting duty, wasn't he? ]
But he's not dead.
[ That's not a question, but it almost is.
He looks away again. ]
I came here to avoid that future. To be something different.
[ To be free. He doesn't have to say it. ]
no subject
But the part about Levi surprises him.]
He's here? [It's not like Levi otherwise could have talked about dying with Eren, right?] I don't know the details, but he's definitely not dead. He's definitely badly injured, but Commander Hange saved him. I'm not sure how he expects to fight.
[But he has a feeling Levi would still find a way.
That thought, however, passes as Eren says what he does next. 'Came here to avoid that future'. Jean clenches his hand into a fist.]
Clearly nothing like that happened when you're already on your way back home. All you really did was run away from what you were about to do. Just like I ran away from my duties of stopping you. We both ran away from something.
[If Levi thought he was about to die, that couldn't be counted as running away, at least. But both Eren and Jean had something they were about to do.]
no subject
Yeah, Levi is here. He's fine. Doesn't look blown up, but he didn't really talk much about what happened.
[ Unsurprising. Eren isn't entirely sure what Levi knows, but Levi isn't the kind to just tell him everything. That's not his style, especially without trust between them.
But Levi had still come to save him from a dragon, trust or not. Old habits, maybe.
He's not surprised Levi would fight if he could, no matter what his condition. Humanity's strongest, always tied to duty. It's impressive, but it won't matter much in the future Eren has seen. Eren doesn't know the ultimate end of that road, who lives and who dies. Most of the world doesn't live, but even here months removed, it isn't exactly regret.
He's glad he doesn't have to do it, but he has never seen another solution. His friend Gideon is still trying to convince him. ]
It's running away if I don't end the world?
[ He almost laughs. ]
You think so, huh. You wanna fight me that bad?
[ It's a shitty thing to say and he knows it. And Jean is a friend, or was, or…something. Eren considers him one, even though he's burned all those bridges. Even before coming here, he knows that's what happened. He figures they all hate him, or will shortly enough that it doesn't matter. It has to be that way, even if it tears him apart inside.
But he looks down. ]
I don't want to hurt any of you anymore.
no subject
[Jean is well aware it's probably not as simple as that. He's painfully aware that Eren probably had reasons he couldn't or wouldn't tell anyone. Maybe even reasons Jean wouldn't be able to understand. But despite that, Jean couldn't accept it.]
... I want to punch you, and you fucking deserve it, but what good will that really do other than hurt my first?
[His first was already showing signs of being damaged, thanks to using Reiner as a punching bag. He'd probably be more punch happy if that hadn't happened. Or if he wasn't so tired from fighting the worm and the heat.]
You hurt us all badly enough for a lifetime anyway. Worst of it is that most of just want to talk you down and stop you.
no subject
[ Does he explain what he means? No, of course not. He's not even sure he could. The Attack Titan's true power is a secret he will die with, after all, in their own world, and it's not one he's about to spill right here. ]
There wasn't another way at home. This place is…something else. You're running too.
[ It's not an accusation, not really. Just a statement. Eren wouldn't wish anyone to stay in the hell of their world. If he could pull them all here, he would, just to save them from the inevitable. It's a better choice than he knew how to make at home.
Someday (in both Eren's future and past now, since he's technically older than he gets to be at home) he'll tell them all there's no point in talking. If you want to stop me, you'll have to stop me breathing. Keep walking forward, blah blah.
Here, out of time and in a universe that still doesn't always make sense to him, he just watches Jean's face and considers. ]
I know.
[ Not I'm sorry, just I know. ]
What do you want?
[ He drops his gaze. This is harder for him than he lets on. ]
You can be mad at me for what I haven't done, knowing I would. Hit me. Hate me. I wanted you guys to live. There was no other way.
[ Never mind that he's not even sure they do live through to the end. That's not the point in his head. ]