May 2022 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

MAY 2022 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]

A PLACE IN THIS WORLD

Content Warnings: Possible insanity via cuts by thorns. Temporary nullification of abilities.

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

The world comes into focus in one sharp, overwhelming rush. You are laying on the ground surrounded by staggering walls of flowers of all types and colors. Their sweet scent fills the air and the sky above is clear, blue, beautiful, and endless. It would be easy to be lulled into a quiet nap in such a peaceful place. You can even hear a soft, disembodied voice singing songs from some unknown place all around you. After some time, this siren song creates an intense yearning that will eventually bring you to your feet and pull you forward. You are filled with the urge to find someone important. You may know who or you might just have some aimless, faceless person at the forefront of your mind.

All you know is that when you finally find them, you'll know. Is it love? Is it a friend you have always needed? The perfect enemy? Only time will tell, but for now, you must find them. The flower maze is dense and for now, it doesn't seem like flying out and above them is an option. If you try, you just wind up vaulted back into the maze. Nope! This trial is about using other means of exploration. Maybe you can destroy the flowers, but you will find that this flower field is apparently endless. If you get cut by thorns along the way, you will become increasingly hectic about finding this mystery person. Some have been thrown into insane desperation just looking for their People among the flowers.

But once you finally find them, you're both filled with relief and the flowers around you blossom wider. You can then treat the flower maze like a solvable puzzle and get your way out of it. However, some people spend a bit more time in the maze since once you do find your person or people, you will be stricken with the urge to talk to them, to "open up" about your yearning to find them...even if you've never met them before!

OUT OF THE WOODS

Just outside of the flower maze is a little festival set up just on the edge of Willow and partway into Epiphany! Little stalls of food and drinks have been set up - and we mean little! The good folk who set up these stalls are magical cats standing upright and wearing clothes like little people! All the stalls are cat-sized and so are the dishes and food - which means most of the people walking through will likely be quite a bit bigger! That's okay, the cat folk seem happy to serve you bigger or multiple helpings of their yummy soups and bread. None of them seem able to really communicate with the new arrivals, but that's okay, their cute meows are fun to listen to anyway.

The music is a bit more pronounced here and a handful of cat couples are dancing around. Don't be surprised if they encourage you to join in the dancing! Maybe you didn't actually find someone in the flower maze - if not, the cat folk will encourage you to dance with another new arrival to get to know them! Because apparently dancing with someone you don't know is a good formal introduction? Ah well. Sometimes it's just the idea that counts.

There will also be some supplies to help patch people up who have gotten a lot of cuts from the flower maze. Some of the bouts of insanity are probably still going a bit hectic, so you might want to lay down in the recovery area until you feel a bit more stable. Talking to people apparently helps with the stability, so maybe strike up a conversation with a fellow newbie?

ENCHANTED

Content Warnings: Optional selective amensia and/or altered sense of self, possible monster/creature violence, temporary enchantments, forced relocations.

LONG STORY SHORT

You're in a very unusual, specific outfit and in a place you might have seen once or twice in a storybook or in the imagination of your childhood. For some, you might pick up on what's happening immediately. For others, you might be so immersed in the role that you don't realize it - but you're featuring in a classic fairy tale. Maybe it's Sleeping Beauty or Little Red Riding Hood or Tale of the White Snake or The Mirror of Matsuyama. Either way, you're the main character or the main antagonist and it looks like you're going to have to play out the story with whoever you're stuck with!

The other person in the trial can either match up to the other side of the story or just arrive as themselves and have to play along. Trying to just abandon the trial is quite literally impossible! You're stuck in the weird woods or high tower and trying to "leave" just results in you going in repeated cycles until you wind up where you started. You have a role to fill and you might as well get used to playing roles in Folkmore! It's time to understand how these trials work. What lesson are you supposed to take away?

If you're grumbling about it or are left confused, don't worry! Thirteen will appear to those struggling and explain the situation: "You need to play out the story! C'mon. Everyone knows this story...Right? Well, whatever, it's obvious! If you play your part, I promise I'll give you something you want." Can you really trust a fox though? Especially the fox who brought you here? She laughs before you can really pester her for more information and vanishes in a burst of red dust. Foxes really are mischievous, aren't they...At least most fairy tales are incredibly short, basic, and straightforward so most people should be able to figure it out!

In theory.

DAYLIGHT

At least the Fox wasn't lying. When you complete the task of the story, the fairy tale world will melt into one of the settings in Folkmore and you will be brought back into the current reality. You will be left in the weird clothes, but fear not! A mystery trunk has appeared in front of you and whoever you completed the trial with. Inside the trunk, you will find some of your canon clothes and a few canon items. Nearby, there will be some weapons sticking out of the ground: basic swords, guns, shields, etc. These items might not be enchanted, but at least you have something to work with!

Better yet, you don't necessarily have to complete the Long Story Short prompt to find these trunks either! They seem to be dotted around Folkmore and you might find them just by virtue of exploration! The trunks seem to mysteriously know who is opening them so you won't find someone else's stuff by accident, but you might have to fight over who gets the sword in the stone...

A word of caution to those who grab the weapons...You will immediately be tested on how good you are with them. As soon as you have pulled them out of the ground, the ground will begin trembling and a serpent-like creature will form out of the ground. If you're in Wintermute, you have a sizeable icy creature to deal with. If you're in Cruel Summer, meet the fire-breathing snakey nightmare that's going to try and roast you alive. Don't think Epiphany or Willow will have gentler creatures! They might be covered in moss or flowers but they will hit just as hard. You have to defeat the angry creature - or try running for your life. They are relatively easy to beat and people without powers can manage if they are highly skilled or...really lucky...Or if someone far more capable finds them! Good luck. As a pro-tip, maybe don't pull weird swords out of the ground in the future.

Comments

sunny 🔪 omori (myth)

[oversleep]

_{[ please read his warnings / opt out before tagging, thank you! ]}

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS.. █

<sub>[ How long had he been lying here, truly? It seemed like hours, but he was never good at keeping track of time. The urge to get up and find himself out of this maze grew stronger and stronger with each fleeting second, but like always, he repressed the desire to do much of anything. The flowers smelled sweet and being surrounded by plants made him remember someone he was connected to. A friend, but his connection to him was stronger. Important. Life changing. But what was it?

The sky was beautiful. It reminded him of a crisp summer day. A perfect day for a picnic.

It takes effort, but Sunny sits up and steadies his gaze on what seems like an endless path. Although the desire to find someone was now something he couldn't ignore, he takes his time wandering around, often distracted by flowers and occasionally stopping to look at them — plucking at the petals — maybe even crushing a few. You know, as an intrusive treat.

Without a doubt, he does get pricked, mostly from being careless with his hands and he does grow more and more desperate. Occasionally, he has to stop and CALM DOWN when he worries he won't be able to find this person, but the second that he sees a figure in the distance, he runs up to them and places a hand (pricked or not) on their arm with a statement: ]</sub>

Tagged you.

_{[ Looks like you have a friend! He's just very shy and quiet. ]}

LONG STORY SHORT.. █

<sub>[ This was more like it. A nice, soft bed for a Sleeping Beauty. He could sleep and dream and dream and dream and dream. That sounded wonderful. What was he going to dream about today? What adventures are he and his friends going to explore today? Will they be chased by bunnies? Or visit Otherworld in outer space and meet fun and colorful alien friends? Sunny couldn't wait, so. He literally falls asleep right there in his set up.

Either he doesn't realize he's in a dress or he doesn't care that he's in a dress. If you happen to be his handsome prince, you can kiss him all you want, but like... this guy is probably going to be unresponsive even if he wakes up. He's been a shut in for four years; it's hard to get him out of bed. Erm.. you can physically drag him out and maybe he'll comply. ]</sub>

DAYLIGHT.. █

<sub>[ Somehow, you've gotten him out of bed. Congratulations on being victorious! But now you have a meek teenager by your side who doesn't speak much. He doesn't talk about the fact he's in a dress; if his company happens to mention it, he will blush and be embarrassed, but he's soon distracted by the trunk they have been given. Sunny makes himself comfortable to sit on his haunches as he looks over the items he was given as a reward and he instantly goes to a shiny steak knife first and foremost, watching his reflection in it once he picks it up.

Oh yeah. He had one of these before it as taken away from him. ]</sub>

thousand cuts

[anthropophagite]

[ Kaneki is in the same boat, wandering through the flower fields, hoping to find someone he doesn't quite know who. He only knows they are there and he only knows he has to find them, which is very vague and not entirely helpful.

But it seems that person finds him first. Ken turns his head around immediately, gasping when he meets the boy. it's certainly the person he was looking for, but he doesn't know him ]

H-hello. [ does he know why they feel like this? Does he know why they are there? Or how to get out? ] I'm Kaneki. I think... I was meant to find you? [ that probably sounds really weird and somewhat creepy from someone he doesn't know ]

[oversleep]

<sub>[ No pressure, but whenever Sunny tags someone, he expects them to lead the way. Kaneki may not know the way out, but Sunny is expecting him to. He’s a good bit taller than Sunny so he has to tip his head up to look at him.

Why would anyone be meant to find me? I’m a burden.

Still. It does seem right because there’s a rush of relief over him now that he’s in his presence. That’s odd. Maybe he should stick with him.

It’s been four years since he’s introduced himself to someone new, and naturally, one would think he would say his name, but he avoids doing that. ]</sub>

Lead us out of here.

_{[ wow. TACTLESS… again, like.. NO PRESSURE. ]}

[anthropophagite]

[ It's not like he knows how "tag" works in Sunny's mind. But Kaneki certainly has no idea how to get out of here, but he figured finding this person was the first step to do so, for some reason.

But since Kaneki doesn't receive a name back, he stares at the boy for a little while, before he nods ]

Okay- I will try. I mean, I'm not sure where we are and where to head, but if we keep going straightforward, we are bound to find a way out, right? [ kaneki smiles. It all makes sense. Maybe just like the way he found this boy, they will be able to find a way out? He hopes so! ]

bowl cut eyepatch protags for the win

[oversleep]

Maybe.

_{[ Maybe. Always a Debbie-downer, this one. Though, the little bit of pep talk down make him feel a little happier. Sunny rolls back and forth on his heels, waiting for Kaneki’s lead. He even reaches out and takes a gentle hold of the older teen’s sleeve so ensure he won’t lose him again. ]}

I feel better now that I am with you.

The best type of protags tbh

[anthropophagite]

[ Kaneki looks down at his sleeve and then back at the other. Although his cheeks redden a bit because he is always awkward about contact and any kind words said his way, he nods]

I feel the same. I'm glad I found you. [ he offers the other boy his hand if he wishes to take it, and eventually starts walking, in no direction in particular]

How should I call you? [ since Sunny didn't introduce himself]

they look so similar it's wigging me out

[oversleep]

<sub>[ Awkward about contact and nice words said his way? That's a big mood. The fact that Kaneki says he's glad he found Sunny makes his heart swell for a moment. It brings back some memories of playing hide and seek so many years ago. He can still hear "I'm glad I found you!" in her voice.

It was.. so long ago.

He does take the hand, though, a little adamant about making sure Kaneki doesn't leave him. Oh.. right. Where are his manners.. ]</sub>

Omo--

_{[ No, that's not right. It's been four years since he's introduced himself to somebody in the real world and not his HEADSPACE. ]}

Sunny.

Long Story Short...

[violetlies]

[This world is strange. So strange. Kokichi kind of doesn't like it, but he's helpless to protest the ongoing events. Thus...

There he is, standing in front of a bed, and there's some boy asleep on it. He gives him a long stare, before sighing.]

Oiiiiiiii. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.

[He's poking one of his cheeks first. He doesn't want to kiss someone he doesn't know...maybe it'll work...]

[oversleep]

<sub>[ ”Have you checked over there? How hard is it to lose an entire planet? Boss is going to be so angry if we can’t find it.”

“It’s not a planet anymore anyway..”

“Don’t say that! You know he gets upset when we say that about Pluto.”

Pinch his cheeks all you want, but he’s having a fun filled dream involving space pirates and their endless search for the planet Pluto. The dream is fun and exciting; a lot better than anything in his reality. Kokichi may notice his lips part and..

a dreamy sigh escape him. ]</sub>

1/2

[violetlies]

...You're not gonna wake up, are you?

[Kokichi sighs, looking the boy up and down. At least he's around his age. At least he isn't bad looking. Just kind of pale and scrawny, but Shuichi was the same way.

He bit his thumb, thinking it over.]

Are you really gonna make me comp to the story? This is...

[He's going to give his first kiss away to some stranger. He'd be even more huffy if he knew that he was having space dreams. This should really be Kaito's department, then...]

2/2

[violetlies]

[He looks around, carefully, to see if there isn't a bucket of water, or anything that would help this situation. Unfortunately, no such luck.

Mrrrrrph.

He huffs.]

...When you wake up, you better be real nice to me, buster.

[He begins to lean down. Slowly, slowly...he's hoping he might wake up from the proximity, and then maybe it can be blown off as awkward. He has excuses. He's a great liar.

If it's not stopped, however, he puffs his cheeks out - almost defiantly - but eventually lets his eyes fall shut and kisses him. It's very soft and feather-light, but he's hoping...something something fairytale purity that breaks this sleep something.]

cw: mention of self harm

[oversleep]

<sub>[ He felt limitless in Otherworld. He and his friends were in space, but still grounded as they ran about the area, searching for a mixtape in outer space dump. Apparently last time he went to this world he had met a dramatic space captain who was lovesick and needed his mixtape to be woken up out of bed. Omori and his friends were on a quest to find that mix tape.

“You think it’s in here? Look at all this trash!”
“Kel, that looks dangerous! Don’t just jump in that dumpster without being careful, idiot!”

He could stay like this for hours. Days. Weeks. Asleep and in a safe space.

The damp lips meshes against him stir him though, mostly because he’s never felt anything like that before. Usually he had to drive his steak knife through his body to wake up and come back to reality, but.. a kiss was so foreign. So different. His eyes open and he simply stares back at his rescuer. ]</sub>

…

_{[ Only now it occurs to him what is happening and he feels his eyebrows pin together slightly as a rush of red flourishes over his cheeks and reaches his ears. At least he doesn’t look mad; just confused! ]}

[violetlies]

[Kokichi's eyes open, and that's when he realizes that the other boy's eyes have opened as well. He pulls back, his face entirely red. Well. He doesn't look mad.]

Hhhhi. You, um. You wouldn't wake up and I think we're trapped in a story, and I know that sounds weird, but...

[He coughs.]

Sorry. About that. That's a weird way to meet someone, I know.

[...But hey, he didn't shove him off or anything.

So Kokichi doesn't mind.]

death by a thousand cuts

[defendure]

[ Izuku's lost in thought when Sunny approaches. He's got his notebook out, his pen tracing over the pages as he tries to figure out where he went wrong in the maze. He could have sworn he was making progress, but the further and further he goes, the more turned around he gets. It's starting to drive him up the wall and around several corners, though he doesn't look upset so much as mildly frustrated at best.

He does fumble the notebook and pen when Sunny touches his arm, almost comically startled, though. ]

U - waaaah - ah - um - oh? [ ...Fumbles his words, too, give him a minute here. ]

[oversleep]

<sub>[ Oh. Maybe this isn’t a very good leader. Sunny just expects him to get things going, but he’s stammering over his words and acting jumpy. His brows pull together in minor irritation, but it quickly subsides when he notices the sketchbook.

He’s quite the artist himself, but you probably don’t want to see his art. It’s unsettling.

There’s a silent tilt of his head. Izuku is a little taller than him, so he rolls up on his tiptoes to try and get a better look at the notebook. ]</sub>

..??

[defendure]

[ Noticing, Izuku is fine with tilting it so Sunny can see? He's not taking notes on anything secret. Looks like he's generally mapping the maze, although he sketched a few flowers in the margins that he didn't recognize and wanted to look up later. ]

Um, I'm trying to map my way out. It's...slow going so far.

[oversleep]

<sub>[ That is pretty smart, actually. Sunny didn’t have any gear on him to help assist his endeavor, but the more he was in this maze, the more he was beginning to maybe.. grow fond it now that the worry of not finding someone had surpassed him. Just think. He could recluse in here forever and probably not have to worry about people disrupting him again. Sounds like a dream.

But deep down, he knew he should probably leave. He closes his eyes and nods a few times. He’s typically not a physical touching person, but he doesn’t want to let this person out of his sight and feel panicked again.

He reaches over and takes Izuku by the hand, expecting them to travel out of this together. He seemed reliable and that’s the kind of people he needs. ]</sub>

[defendure]

[ Oh, wow! Okay. Izuku doesn't mind Sunny taking his hand, at least? It's startling maybe, but he's always been willing to Hold People's Hands. So there's no shaking the other boy off or trying to get away. ...It does make it less likely he can take notes at the same time, but... ]

Okay, I think if we just keep taking lefts, it should be okay. That's one of the tricks to getting out of a maze - although I can't say it's going to be fast.

death by a thousand cuts

[integrous]

[ Asahi gives what is - naturally - the reaction anyone would have to such a sudden action.

By which I mean that she screams at the top of her lungs the moment he touches her like that. (Okay, maybe it's not that natural of a reaction, considering she may just have startled all the birds in a five mile radius with that shriek.)

The girl spins around as quickly as possible, staring at the other with wide, obviously startled eyes. Her breath is uneven, and once she realises that it's not some sort of monster standing there but just Some Guy, she lets out a sigh like her soul is leaving her body. ]

Ah.. N-No way...

[ Asahi leans forward, hands pressed against her knees, panting like she just ran a marathon. ]

Seriously! You just almost startled me to death!

[ Please, Asahi, all he did was tap your shoulder... ]

[oversleep]

_{[ Oh, my goodness.. she is loud!! Sunny stands there, a bit stunned, eyes growing as she shrills and then turns around, all out of breath. ]}

… Sorry.

_{[ ummm.. ]}

Glad you’re okay.

_{[ He wants to reach out and pat her to comfort her but like.. his mind instantly assumes she’s gonna yell again. ]}

[integrous]

[ Honestly, it's not even an irrational fear on his part. Asahi certainly looks like she's about to start shrieking again, but..

Something about that energy seems to be lost when she glances over at Sunny when he speaks those words. Like something about the way he seems so quiet and almost kind of shy makes her feel bad about yelling, even though the instance of it a moment ago certainly wasn't on purpose. ]

.. sorry. [ Asahi mumbles, clearly looking a little guilty. ] I didn't mean to yell, I was just.. just surprised. Sheesh, everything is so weird here...

[oversleep]

_{[ Don't mind him just.. staring at her with an unsettling gaze and not saying anything awkwardly for a moment. He's slack faced so it's really hard to know what he's thinking. ]}

Are you afraid?

_{[ cause boy howdy this guy has a lot of fears.. being trapped in a maze like this isn't one of them, though. ]}

[integrous]

I don't know about afraid..

[ Because - thankfully - at least she hasn't seen a ghost jump out of somewhere yet. It does kind of feel like that could happen any moment now, considering how utterly strange everything had been up to this point, but it seems like she's safe from one of her biggest fears.

For now.

Still, he's clearly hitting on something, because Asahi does look kind of uncomfortable, averting her gaze. It's not like she can really read anything off his face anyway.. ]

I just don't like this situation.

[ That's the honest truth. Asahi isn't one to lie, after all. Not if she can help it. ]

It's strange, and I'm still not entirely sure I know what's going on, and-- It just feels like I'm having a really strange and bad dream that I'm not waking up from.

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS.. (CW: self-hatred)

[theladyofhighever]

[Mariane cursed herself for letting someone else get even an arm's length away from her defenses, let alone touching her without permission.

she's a rogue. has been one as long as she can remember. training with Isabela and Zevran to hone her skills to a razor's edge.

so why didn't she sense that touch coming a march's away?

there will be time to browbeat herself thoroughly over that later, but this person seems to be intent on...on making a game of it.

very well]

You're next. [she states the same way as she'd state the condition of the weather and gives chase]

[oversleep]

_{[ Oh. She wants to play chase? He loves doing this. Sunny's eyebrows perk upward, and although his eyes are hollow, the small gesture should be enough to indicate some interest. ]}

Catch me.

<sub>[ Then, he sprints off, allowing her to follow, turning a sharp corner.

My. What was he doing again? Oh well. It's not important now that he has someone to play with. ]</sub>