folkooc | May 2022 Test Drive Meme

Entry tags:

*tdm

May 2022 Test Drive Meme

MAY 2022 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]

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Luckily - (luckily?) - Asahi doesn't seem to be paying too much attention to Izuku's appearance here. Though the reason for it is definitely a little less luckily, since Izuku himself may be looking half-sheepish here, but Asahi looks like a kettle containing boiling water, on the verge of bursting. The blush on her face makes her skin so red that it's starting to match the shade of her hair, and though she's frowning at him, she seems more flustered than angry.

.. at him, anyway, since: ]

Oh, if there's anything aggressive here, it's me! [ Please, Asahi. Slow down in front of this poor guy. ] I can't believe they're making us do this..!

[ Yes, she's just majorly flustered. Which in Asahi's case always outs itself as flustered frustration. She can't even walk away, since it seems that the people sure are insistent on the two of them dancing together here, no matter how awkward this initial meeting might be. ]

Oh, um, well - it doesn't seem like they mean badly - ?

[ It's okay, he's dealt with a lot of very aggressive people over the course of his life. Izuku's cheeks are for sure a little flushed, but he doesn't seem to mind being made to dance so much as he's worried about not being competent enough at it. But aggressively average should be decent enough to get through it without TOO many issues...maybe. ]

That is, I think they just want us to make friends, and for some reason that involves dancing for them?

.. [ She lets out a grumbling sort of sound, her gaze moving completely off to the side at this point. As if she can't even bring herself to look at Izuku's face without blushing even more than she already is. ]

Who even makes friends through dancing..?

[ People in dance clubs, for one. ]

B-But.. I guess if there's really no choice, then we've just.. got to go for it. Uh, somehow. Because..

[ Her voice trails off for a moment, but then she just very openly admits: ] I'm not a good dancer either.

[ Which means they're off to a great start together, huh. Look at these aggressively average dancers at best. ]

W-well, then all we have to do is try not to step on one another's feet!

[ Surely it can't be that hard! They can do it, if they just believe! Maybe!

Izuku holds out a hand for her, anyway. Since he's the guy, he...should lead? He guesses? ]

[ Asahi really doesn't think it's that easy.

On the other hand, she's going to have to do it now. So when Izuku holds out his hand, she takes a hold of it. Something about her seems to turn a little shy as she does so. Asahi knows that it's just for the sake of dancing and all, but even so, holding hands with a guy is a little..

Her cheeks grow red, and she stares down at their feet. Partially so she doesn't have to directly look at Izuku, but also so she can focus on not seeming like some inelegant cow by stepping on his toes while they move. ]

Um, I guess.. I-If you start moving, I'll just move along..!

[ Surely this can't end in disaster, right. ]

[ Well, even if it does, they can have fun doing it! Izuku grins a little, still shy, as he starts the slow first steps of a simple waltz? ]

It's okay, just follow my lead. I'm not great but I kinda know some stuff! My friend is a really great dancer so she taught a lot of our classmates how to dance.

It isn't that easy though..

[ The words come out of Asahi's mouth half-mumbled, since she is way too busy trying to pay attention to the steps she's making here. Even if the dance is only a simple waltz, she still seems to be having difficulty with it. Maybe the girl is just naturally bad at this sort of thing..

But then again, even though her movements are a little awkward, at least she has managed to not step on Izuku's toes just yet.

She'll call that a victory. ]

These cat people really ought to think a little bit more about what people would or wouldn't like.

W-well...maybe we can get away after this dance and do something we would like instead? Like grab something to eat.

[ That's an easier friend-making activity, isn't it? At least...Izuku thinks that might be the case. He's not totally sure about it. ]

[ !!!

Look at that, Izuku. The moment the guy suggests this alternate plan, it's like something shifts about Asahi. She perks up instantly, like a dog who just heard the word walkies being thrown around.

Apparently he made a good suggestion just now. ]

Can we? [ Something in her tone even sounds eager, though there's an indication that she's still trying to suppress it a little. Like she doesn't want to seem too overly eager, but just can't help it. ] How long do you think we need to do this before we can sneak off?

[ And have food!! Which is a much better plan!! Thank you, Izuku "genius" Midoriya. ]

W-well...why don't we dance to the edge of the area and sneak off that way?

[ Like...just dance over there, then go run off to get food. It's a brilliant master plan. No one will suspect anything at all! ]

Yeah!

[ It's amazing just how much more energy snuck into Asahi's tone just at the very idea of this. It's not even a succesful plan yet. Heck, they haven't even started on this plan yet.

And even so.. all the sulking and pouting is gone from Asahi's face and tone. It's like there's something sparkling in the girl's eyes.

She is ready.

She was born ready! ]

Hurry up! Come on, come on, let's go!

[ Izuku sure did say 'dance' to the edge of the area - but with the sheer force Asahi is pulling on the other's hand with, it's more like she's dragging him towards the edge of the area.. Not quite as planned. ]

[ Not quite as planned indeed! But if it helps, the cats who notice them going don't comment since, well, the main point was to make new friends! If they're going off together, the mission was Clearly Accomplished, right?

Right?

Izuku yelps but keeps pace even as he's dragged, so. ]

W-whoa!

[ Asahi doesn't even seem to notice the cats - like she's not even considering the vital part of this plan being the sneaking part of it. Instead she's just dragging the guy along, making her way past other dancing pairs of people like she's a bulldozer on a collision course.

If anything, she almost doesn't seem to notice the way Izuku yelps either. She just keeps moving, as if nothing can stop her. Like there's something really enticing waiting for her at the edge of the dance area.

(Perhaps said enticing thing is just 'not having to dance', mind you.) ]

Hold on, we're almost there!

[ B-Be careful to not hit any of the dancing pairs while Asahi is blindly dragging you along, Izuku! ]

[ HE IS TRYING TO DODGE THEM THANK YOU and to sort of lead when he can to avoid collisions, and it is taking up most of his attention... ]

[ Poor Izuku, just doing his best here... At least it means that he's not slamming into absolutely everyone on this dance floor as Asahi is making their way off it.

Thankfully it doesn't take too long - partially because of the brisk pace she's using. After only half a minute - though it might have felt like more of a torturous eternity to Izuku, considering all the effort he had to put in - they do arrive at the edge of the dance floor.

It's only when Asahi is absolutely sure they are beyond the line of dancing pairs and cat people watching that she dares to stop walking, letting go of the guy's hand and letting out a sigh of relief. ]

Ah, sheesh, I really thought I was doing to die back there..!

[ Please, Asahi. ]

F-from dancing?!

[ He's not THAT bad a dancer. He thinks. ]

Yeah!

[ Zero hesitation.

Sorry, Izuku.

Though - to be fair - she at least isn't talking about his dancing skills, especially since they're better than her own and Asahi is well aware of it. No, the reason why she's so relieved to be away from that is way easier to sum up, and she promptly does so, like this girl doesn't understand the concept of a brain to mouth filter. ]

I-Isn't it embarrassing?! Just meeting someone and dancing with them right away?! [ The girl looks even flustered at the concept of it, since she's blushing even though they're not dancing anymore now. Just the thought of it is enough to do this to her, apparently. ]

U-um - well, I guess it kind of is? But, you know...I dance with people so rarely, it's kind of like, the nerves about stepping on a foot potentially are bigger than anything else?

[ Like. WHAT IF HE DOES. ]

[ Asahi groans. Though it's a groan of understanding, because that idea is pretty mortifying to the girl as well. ]

That's only one of the problems.

[ Seriously. She can think of so many! ]

If those cat people really wanted us to get to know each other for some reason, they could just have.. I don't know, put us onto chairs and let us talk to each other, or something! [ Not that that wouldn't have been awkward at all, but still-- ] Anything is better than this.

W-well - we escaped, right? So it's okay now?

[ For a given value of "okay". ]

For now.

[ Asahi casts a suspicious glance in the direction of the cat people before she looks back at Izuku. ]

I'm not sure I trust them to not drag us in all over again. Hopefully those cats aren't going to be bothering us the entire time we're stuck in this place.. [ Because Asahi is already tired of them now.

And it's only the first day. ]

Well...let's just go and eat. I don't want to worry about it too much right now. Also, I'm actually kind of hungry?

[ Being a teenage boy and all. ]

[ The girl goes quiet - like she's contemplating what he's saying here. Whether they really should eat something here, since Asahi is still verrryyy suspicious of everything going on!

.. but then her stomach starts growling. Asahi frowns, like her own body is betraying her. ]

I guess it's not like we can't eat anything forever..

Were you planning to not eat things?

[ Izuku hadn't considered that. Maybe he should be suspicious, but...what else is he going to do, really?

W-Well.. Yeah! .. Kind of.

[ Look, she's answering honestly because Asahi always wants to be honest, but that doesn't mean she can't look a little embarrassed about it at the same time.

She knows it probably sounds like a dumb idea, after all. ]

It's not like we can know if what these cats are feeding us isn't laced with anything. I want to be careful!

2A

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