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

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.

( the ride definitely helps to settle some of his anxiety, gives him time to breathe while still enjoying steve's company in the way they'd long grown used to over the years. the silence was never empty, only a gentle calm between the moments they spent talking. seeing the verdant colors as the draw nearer to where steve apparently calls home brings back that little bit of comfort bucky has always found in nature too.

bucky's about to hop off his seat when steve turns about, decorates his ear with a flower. abashedly he reaches up to. not remove it, even though the instinct is definitely that he should do so. if it's customary, he should keep it. that's what steve's advising. right?

regardless, ) Not even a warning about it, huh? Bet you were just waiting to spring that on me.

( he's deflecting, so please ignore the light, reddened tinge against his cheeks. )

Maybe.

[ He takes a few out himself and dots his beard with flowers. It's customary, and he likes being proper and not upsetting the locals.

In fact, it seems all the spirits greet him warmly, and he asks about their families even though they seem to mostly respond in chirps, croaks and other animal-like sounds. ]

Well that's great, tell your kids I said hi. Almost forgot--

[ He pulls out a little toy and offers it to one of them. ]

For the little ones.

[ And then he gathers a bounty of fruits and vegetables, of course, now that he's feeding two super-soldiers again. ]

Anything you want? The muffins are pretty good?

( this is all really soft, and bucky isn't sure what to do with it other than smile to himself. he can't really think of the last time steve acted so at ease with anyone else, but being on the run for a long time will do that to a guy. seeing steve pull out that toy to gift only makes it all the more bittersweet.

none of this could be afforded if it was back on earth, could it? this must be where the vacation part comes into play, being so wholly separated from everything else that weighs steve down on a regular basis.

he's grown pensive as he watches, brow furrowing as the smile fades. does steve ever intend to go back? would he stay, if he had the choice? the question snaps him out of his thoughts belatedly, and he looks up with some mild confusion.

muffins? oh. right. food. )

Yeah? Let's get muffins then. ( his demeanor shifts away from observant to active as he steps forward and finally gives a look around. ) They got any good cheese?

[ This is precisely why Steve thinks it's a vacation - he gets to do nice things and be nice. Bad things happen sometimes, yes. He has to tell Bucky about it. But right now? Things are great.

He goes to order some muffins from a timid-looking sheep with an apron, and then goes on over to the cheese stand. ]

Lots of fresh cheeses.

Here, they'll let you try some.

[ He does a sort of pantomime with the person behind the counter to gesture that he wants them to try some cheese, and he's presented with some samples and toothpicks. ]

There. Get as much as you want.

( he gestures gratefully to the attendant as he takes a toothpick. ) Thank you, kindly.

( picking a few to try, politely restrained as he samples also, he notes a couple that he prefers and points them out for purchase. his eyes start to wander again as the cheese is being wrapped for them. )

Is everything like this, here? This is like something out of a storybook.

In Willow? Yes, it's why I choose to live here. It's nice, most of the time. But stay away from the lake, that's where Greg lives. And the baby kraken. It'll take away the serum.

[ Yes, he's been tiny here before. That wasn't a lot of fun. ]

Ready to go back to my house? I will warn you. It's just as cozy as the rest of this place.

[ And really seems like it stepped right out of the pages of Tolkien's books. ]

( wow, that's a lot of information to dump suddenly on top of the lackadaisical nature of their endearing surroundings, but hey, it's not like the rest of this hasn't been a complete overload of details already, so bucky tries to swallow down the need for answers in favor of at least grounding himself first. though he likely won't be resting like steve had suggested, getting somewhere private to process more of this still feels safer than pushing himself further than he can manage in the moment, and though his instinct wants him to continue exploring, his head is starting to feel a bit dizzy with it all.

his gaze darts unevenly a few moments before it settles on steve's shoulder. his hand finds and grips steve's forearm after another moment to keep himself steady. )

Yeah, I. ( his head dips shamefully. is this what it was like for steve before, whenever they were out too long? ) Yeah.

[ Yeah, this place is a lot to take in all at once, which is kind of difficult to tell with the bright colors and what looks like a friendly atmosphere. But beneath all that there are some monsters, some things lurking underneath the surface waiting for you to get complacent.

The thing is, the two of them understand monsters. They can take that on. They just have to be prepared. ]

Okay. But if you go around my neighborhood, make sure to take a flower from my garden and tuck it behind your ear first. Otherwise they'll know you're not a local.

[ He starts up the bike; it won't take long to get there and it's through extremely scenic territory. ]

( they're best friends because they can do anything as long as they're together. or at least, that's how the logic has always gone, more in the past than in the present.

bucky eyes the flowers in steve's beard for a moment before nodding. flowers are, apparently, a priority here. but if it means the fancy fairy folk and magical creatures won't be terrified of him, he can't exactly complain.

as he climbs back on the bike, he idly remembers letting the local children play with his hair while he'd still been in wakanda, sometimes placing flowers into the braids, and he sighs. )

[ He wonders what that's about, but thinks it's probably just Bucky being nostalgic about something. He shrugs it off and wonders how best he should explain the goings-on at Folkmore. It's a strange place, with stranger people.

But for the last year, it's been home. And for the most part, it's been nicer than home. Bucky will see. Again.

He pulls up to his house, and like he'd said, it's a hobbit hole, but there's a victory garden on the roof. Tons of flowers and vegetables grow up there, and the bike looks a bit odd parked out front, and the door's barely big enough for them to get into - they have to crouch. But the inside's been dug out, the foundation's been lowered. ]

What do you think? It's nice in the summer. Not too hot.

( the sight of steve's abode genuinely leaves flutters in his chest, strange shifts he doesn't recognize from how foreignly they settle, but he assumes it's probably a good thing. entering, he can't help but feel shorter than he actually is simply from the way the windows look out.

cautiously he takes a slow breath. in. out. feels safe enough. for now. )

Anything's better than that desert I arrived in, honestly.

Cruel Summer's not a great place to start off.

Okay, there's a bedroom on the first floor that used to belong to Sam. You can have that one.

[ It also technically used to belong to Bucky twice, but he thinks it'd be awful to mention. ]

You can have anything in the fridge. Sometimes things happen like we wake up younger, or older. One time I ended up as an alternate version where I was a Winter Soldier.

[ So, that says a lot about what kind of hijinks ensue here. ]

April 2023 Test Drive Meme

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sry dealing with some post-sick brain fog; hopefully back to my usual speed soon

ah np it's been myeeeh for me too

accurate descriptor

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