folkooc | April 2023 Test Drive Meme

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*tdm

April 2023 Test Drive Meme

April 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]

worms. ★

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!

so scarlet it was. ★

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm not. Wasn't around for the blip. It was 2018 when I came here. And that was a year ago.

[ So, yeah, it's not exactly the same timeline here, but he thinks he should explain: ]

We return to our old selves and our old times when we go back. We don't remember anything about this place.

It's kinda. Just a vacation.

[ He holds onto Bucky though, tightly, glad to see him ever since he'd left again. Having to explain all this to him over and over doesn't seem so bad, as long as he stays. ]

( weird timeline shit confirmed. this. is going to give him a headache. )

Geeze, ( he mutters to himself. at least it wasn't a curse this time. )

But you've. Been here this whole time? ( not that time works the same, yeah, he remembers, but. still. ) A while, now, I mean.

( if you don't remember when you go back, though, and it's just some kinda vacation, then— ) Does that mean people come back, too? After going back.

A year? Yeah. Almost. Except, this last month's been really hazy, I think maybe I was a star. That happens sometimes.

[ He's got a lot to explain. ]

And uh, yeah. Tony's left twice. One of them. There was another one. Completely different.

I think Strange managed to find a real way out. He hasn't been back.

We should sit down somewhere. Talk about it over ice cream.

( the fact steve talks about sitting down, maybe getting an ice cream, is pointedly deflective of where the logic follows. which is all the more reason bucky stays exactly where he is, and lowers his voice. )

Me, too, then, huh?

Shit.

( he shifts the position of his head, dipping his chin down so he can press his forehead into steve's shoulder instead. bucky can't imagine. he can barely wrap his head around things right now, so it's hard to. but it must feel awful. just like before. )

I'm sorry.

[ Yeah, him too. He doesn't want to say that aloud, but Buck's figured it out. ]

Hey, don't be. It's not your fault. If anything, it's the fox.

[ He pats Buck's shoulder. ]

I just get to keep having this conversation with you. But I'm here and you're here. That's what matters.

Oh, and I live in a hobbit hole. You'll love it.

Doesn't gotta be my fault for me to feel sorry, Rogers.

( how many unfair things have they endured now? it's just another to the pile, still another thing he's making steve do, even if it cuts him up.

bucky pauses a moment, trying to remember. but he just comes up empty. )

You're as tall as me now. A hobbit hole sounds really.

Short.

Tony helped me lower the foundation. You just gotta watch your head when you step in.

[ But he'd picked it out because he loves that book, because he'd read Buck's copy of it, back when it first came out, the nerd. ]

Spare room's empty now, if you want it.

[ Bucky used to live there. And so did Sam, for a spell. ]

This place is. There's a lot to it.

( spare room's empty now. so it wasn't before. had it been him? peggy? natasha?

a lot to it indeed, even without actually involving any of the rest yet. )

Do you want me there?

( he doesn't want to be a ghost, doesn't want to make it all worse. bucky can't remember being here before. what if he said something that he doesn't mean now? or did something he wouldn't do? what does steve really think about him, most days? bucky doesn't even know. )

Of course I do.

[ He doesn't want Bucky to be a stranger. And all of them seemed not to know what to do with Steve's presence back in his life, knowing that he'd chosen to go somewhere, or sacrifice himself, or whatever he did. Steve still doesn't know. ]

Whatever happened between 2018 and 2024 - Bud, you're still my best friend.

Come on, I've gotta warn you about Greg. And the lightning.

( the best friend you left behind. but he could never say this. no, even if this wasn't a steve from before that, it's not his place. steve always does what he wants anyway. )

That. Sounds awfully foreboding. Well, the lightning, mostly. Greg sounds more innocuous, but you did mention the lightning right after, so.

( so. he should probably stop hugging steve now. yeah. he'll. do that.

bucky masks his reluctance with a tired sigh. he was just running around in the sun for an awfully long time, after all. it's not that strange, some malaise from the heat. )

Hey, if you're tired, we can just go home and you can have a nap. I'll explain everything later.

[ He doesn't mind. Bucky just sounds... like he needs a break. And there's a lot of information to dump on him at once. It took Steve a couple months to get situated here. He doesn't forget that.

So he lets Bucky decide what it is he wants to do, what pace he wants to go at. ]

Easier just to deal with it all now, though.

( mission driven as he is, this makes the most sense, regardless of his discomfort. then maybe when he gets to steve's — home? is he allowed to call it that already? — he can sleep like the dead and.

yeah. like he even knows how to sleep that well anymore. )

There's a train station, right? Nearby? Is that how you got here?

No, I took my bike.

[ There's a pause. ]

My bike runs on compliments instead of gasoline, thanks to Henry. So, say something nice to it when we get outside.

And I'm driving.

[ Cruel Summer isn't a place that Steve likes to hang out in a lot, because things tend to be hot and unpleasant, but he also knows Bucky has no idea what the scale of this place is yet. ]

( compliments? the fu— ) The sand can't be good for the engine, compliments or not.

( though also, now he has to wonder, ) Why were you out here? I don't wanna interrupt, if you had something else you were up to.

Heard there were a bunch of new arrivals having trouble out in the desert.

[ He gestures towards the sword he has in his hand. ]

Can't say they were wrong.

[ He puts it back down in the tent, for someone else to find. The magic won't be activated again. ]

This happens every couple months or so. Pick up a weapon, and something chases after you. I go to clean them up sometimes in case kids pick them up by accident.

( shit. yeah, he'd seen a lot of weapons earlier too, before he got distracted fighting a huge worm and completely forgotten about how dangerous it'd be for someone to just stomp on a sword in the dunes.

bucky rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. he'd left the sword he'd used earlier out in the dunes too. whoops. )

Are there kids here, too? I mean. Is. The fox will take kids, too?

( that's a grimm fairy tale about murder right there waiting to happen. )

Yes.

[ He starts heading towards his bike; the air will help cool Bucky off and then Willow's still pretty nice, temperature-wise. They can clear more weapons tomorrow. ]

Anya was only five. The fox made us relive memories one day and I had to run her through a war zone.

[ It was the time when he'd found Bucky, when he'd rescued the 117th. She'd been so small in his arms as he ran to the edge of his memory, never being able to get further than the immediate area where he had been in reality. ]

But she's gone home.

( anya. someone else that arrived, then. very young. maybe too young. then, being dragged through a warzone also, that's.

what is this place, really? that seems like. that's too much. this isn't what was advertised, but it's probably in the fine print somewhere, isn't it? if that even matters, with magic involved. )

Do you. Have to relive memories often, here?

( asking for a friend. )

Only sometimes. They're usually not good.

I uh. Try not to pry. But sometimes it's hard.

[ Like when he sees people burning in a building, and he knows it's a memory and saving them won't do anything to change reality, but he does it anyway. ]

You tired? Maybe we should talk about this after you've had some rest.

( huffing dryly, he gives a slight shrug with his good shoulder. ) Figures. Get lured off to a place that seems promising, but it's actually a trap in disguise.

( needless to say, he's already feeling quite jaded. breaks just aren't ever a thing anymore, are they? and steve called it just a vacation. )

I'm always tired. ( proverbially. ) I'm no good with rest anyway. ( there's a slight hesitant pause before he offers the explanation. ) Nightmares.

[ Of course it is, Buck. Things are never so easy.

And hey, it's a vacation compared to where they were from. ]

Sure. All right then, let's go into town. I've gotta pick up groceries anyway. I'll make you something to eat, and don't lie and say you're not hungry.

[ He knows exactly how that super soldier physiology is. ]

( too bad bucky has not frame of reference for what makes a good vacation anymore anyway. )

Groceries. ( this whole reunion has certainly gotten immediately more surreal. it's still plenty weird, being reunited with steve at all. and now they're just. gonna get groceries? not that he can pretend at all he dislikes this thought, doesn't appreciate what it reminds him of, even though no one else remembers when steve was small anymore. especially because no one else remembers. ) What kinda things they got? Is it even Earth stuff?

( look, when aliens invade earth enough times, you can only wonder if the magical place with hobbit holes is anything like earth too. )

Mostly earth stuff. But I've got a garden on my roof for vegetables.

[ Since he lives in a hobbit hole, his whole roof is a garden. Covered in flowers, tomatoes, zucchini, all sorts. It's. Cottagecore.

And yes, it'll be weird, because Steve is now living in this idyllic little town where magical things sometimes happen, and he hops on his bike that runs on compliments, and gestures for Bucky to get on the back. ]

Go ahead, Buck. Tell the bike something nice.

( a garden, huh? there's something endearing about that. steve. gardening. he'd never have imagined, but here the guy is talking about it like it's no big deal.

maybe not everything has to be awful here.

patting the seat gently, in greeting to this apparently sentient enough bike to understand compliments, bucky cocks his head slightly and offers a smile while speaking. )

Hey, bike. I, uh, I dunno your name, assuming you've got one, but you've done a real swell job helping Steve out, here. He'd be slow as a turtle getting around otherwise. Thanks for that.

[ The bike whirrs to life, and Steve rolls his eyes but lets Buck get on behind him. ]

Hold on tight.

[ And then he's off - the pinks and oranges of Cruel Summer fade into the yellows and greens of Willow as he bikes through, and it definitely looks more like spring here, and like The Shire.

He stops by the farmer's market, and then takes some flowers out of the front of his bike basket, and sticks one behind Bucky's ear. ]

It's customary to wear flowers in Willow.

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