June 2022 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

JUNE 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]

1989

Content Warnings: Potentially traumatic memories.

GOT THIS MUSIC IN MY MIND

Consciousness returns all at once, bringing with it the sound of water, the scent of wet wood, and the feeling of warm summer air. You are laying in a lounge chair near the head of a long wooden dock, one of many scattered along a small and pebbly beach. Other people rest on some of these chairs, dozing or waking up themselves.

In front of you a lake spreads like ink as the sun sets in the distance, turning the horizon into a riot of pinks and oranges. The water is still and dark, perfect for a little swimming, even if you don't have a suit. You can wade in, or walk down the dock and dive. If you're a little worried about going alone, you could see if anybody else is willing to take the plunge with you.

At the head of the dock where it rejoins the land, someone has placed a pastel boombox. It's playing a steady stream of synth music that really goes with the whole neon sky thing happening - it's like you woke up in a vapourwave wet dream! If only you had a saxophone!

The current song fades out and the DJ speaks up. Her voice sounds an awful lot like that of the fox that brought you here.

"Our next song goes out to a very special someone--" and to your surprise she says your name. What then plays is a song that is extremely special to you, whether positive or negative. Maybe it's from your first dance. Maybe it's the song that played on the radio when you said goodbye to someone you knew you'd never see again. Whatever it is, it cuts right to the center of you - you hear every note or feel every beat.

And it follows. The song will play on loop, growing louder and louder as it does. If you try to walk away, it somehow still plays - run into the woods to escape and you will still hear it echoing through the branches. Throw the boombox in the lake and another just reappears in its place. Plug your ears and you'll just hear it in your head, over and over.

How do you get rid of an earworm? Sing it aloud? Find another song? The DJ breaks in with a clue: "What an absolute banger! You'll want to share this one, folks!"

Yes, the only way is to get this song out of your head is to tell someone else about the memory associated with the song. The second you do, the song will stop looping, both externally and mentally

I KEEP CRUISIN'

If you get sick of the lake, a short walk down a path will take you to a little park. There are food stalls set up serving tacos, smoothies, yakitori, hot dogs, ice cream, somen, shaved ice... summer fare. All of the stalls are manned by humanoids with animal heads - at first you might mistake them for masks. But no, they really are animal people: roosters, chameleons, owls, panthers. They don't speak, and they're all very laid back, serving you in their own sweet time.

There are benches you can sit on. If the sun finally sinks behind the horizon while you're here, a number of soft lights in blues, purples, and pinks will turn on and keep the place illuminated.

Good thing, too, since the centre of the space is taken up by a skatepark. A kiosk nearby is renting out rollerblades and skateboards; if you're so inclined you can show off any skills you might have. Or maybe you'll just wobble along the pavement. The animal people will encourage you to skate in pairs if you're just learning, so you might meet some new people that way.

The vibe is chill, and even if you were upset when you first arrived you will find the longer you hang out the less anxious you feel.

I STILL KNOW

Content Warnings:Stalking, horror movie type villain, optional violence, shadow monsters.

YOU SAY IT'S IN THE PAST

You've been awake for some time. Maybe you're getting something to eat, maybe you're exploring Willow and Euphoria. Whatever you're doing, some part of your body brushes up against an envelope. Really, it's like it jumps out at you. Written on the front is your name.

Inside is a piece of paper upon which is written a single statement: I know what you did last summer!

Well, that's confusing. And a little concerning, especially if you happen to have a lot of skeletons in your closet. Equally confusing is that someone nearby has found an identical letter, only addressed to them.

What's going on here? And could it have anything to do with that mysterious figure dressed like a fisherman hiding poorly behind a nearby object? Whoever that is, it seems doubtful that their intentions are friendly - you can see that in one hand they've got one hell of a big sharp hook.

The fisherman will stalk you and the other person who has received a letter, hiding quite a bit like a child; they duck behind skinny trees, crouch behind garbage bins, occasionally just place their hands in front of their already obscured face. Trying to approach the figure results in them raising their hook menacingly before running away. But they always come back. And although they may be inept, they do have a weapon. It may only be a matter of time before they catch you off guard.

You and the other letter recipient will have to work together to get out of this. The fisherman seems to think you were both in on something, so you should get to work figuring out if you have any experiences in common.

For some people this will be extremely easy. For others who may be from a different time period or planet, it may be a little more difficult. Still, there's bound to be something, whether profound or stupid. The moment you find some commonality in your past, you'll suddenly notice a box addressed to the both of you. How did it get there? Who cares!

Open in and you'll discover some canon items from home. It's especially likely that you'll find any weapons you may have owned, which is handy since the fisherman is now going to be after you in earnest!

After discovering what you have in common, it's possible that when you next see the fisherman they will be revealed to be someone from one of your stories. For example, if you both spent a year in Mathletes, the fisherman can be revealed as that nerdy kid you totally beat at the regional championships. Or maybe the fisherman's face remains obscured.

Regardless of who lurks behind that dirty raincoat and hat, you have to deal with him! This can be accomplished in a few ways: by revealing his identity if he has one, by knocking him out and turning him over to a couple of bumbling cops who seem to exist solely for this little drama, or by killing him.

Harsh.

If you find a commonality and receive a weapon from home, it will work flawlessly. One hit and that fisherman goes down! At least it wasn't hard!

But what if you just cannot or will not find common ground with someone?

Well. You still have to take care of the fisherman, but it's going to take a while. He's very stubborn and just doesn't seem to stay dead or injured for very long. It will take at least three attempts to keep him down long enough that you can turn him over to the police or throw him in the lake or whatever it is you choose to do.

IT'S ALL GOOD

If you had not previously received an item from home, with the disposal of the fisherman you will now discover the box addressed to you and your companion. Inside you will find some canon clothes and items for each of you, although they will not be weapons. As it turns out, you do not need to have completed the you say it's in the past prompt in order to find one of these boxes as they are dotted around Folkmore and may be found simply by wandering around. It's most likely that you'll have found yourself in Epiphany or Willow, which means that you'll also be able to find yourself things to eat and drink with ease. Euphoria especially might be the place for a pick-me-up since the convenience store has slushies! Awesome!

Less common that the addressed boxes, and more likely to be in the rural areas, are unenchanted weapons sticking out of the ground. Swords, guns, shields, maybe some nunchuks... They're not magical, but they're useable. After all you've been through you might want to pick one of these up. But be warned: the second you take one of these weapons, you'll have to use it.

From the shadows cast on the ground, inky black heads suddenly rise. Just heads. On insanely long necks that twist and turn as the heads come for you, gnashing teeth as dark as night. They’re pretty easy to defeat - cut off the head, or destroy the shadows they originate from. You can also run away, but you better be fast! That’ll teach you to assume you can get anything for free!

If you did encounter the fisherman or one of those nasty snake creatures, you may be a little worse for wear. Never fear - wander around a little bit and you'll encounter some more of those mysterious animal-headed people, who will point you towards a first-aid station. You can be patched up there by a woman with the head of a fennec fox. She manages to look unamused, somehow. Still, you can hang out in the recovery area as long as you need to. It's likely that you'll find yourself resting near other people, and you won't be told to shush if you strike up a conversation.

Comments

Eloise Bridgerton | Bridgerton | Legend

[imperfectimposter]

GOT THIS MUSIC IN MY MIND

Eloise feels a bit like this is all one big fever dream. Waking up lakeside, she wanders around, though she finds nobody that she recognizes. In truth, many of the people here are strangely dressed, and those who have decided to swim are not wearing very many clothes at all. She approaches the water's edge, looking down at the dark liquid as it inches closer to her shoes. When she notices someone approach in her peripheral vision, Eloise glances up, only to discover a half naked person.

"Oh! Um.." She looks away, feeling embarrassed. "Are you not... uncomfortable?"

Later, she is drawn to the noise. Apparently it is music, though she has never heard anything like it before. There are no musicians and the sound appears to be coming out of a small colorful box. How fascinating indeed. Eloise is inspecting it, trying to determine how it works, when the DJ addresses her. Immediately, she starts to back away, thinking that she's done something wrong. The music changes to something that she is much more familiar with: La Boulanger. It's a popular song played at all of the balls this season. She's listened to it many times while standing on the sidelines with Penelope.

Penelope.

Eloise groans as all the memories come back to her. The longer the song goes on, the more miserable she feels.

"Please?" she asks the DJ. "Can't you make it stop?"

I KEEP CRUISIN'

There is always a large variety of food at society balls, but Eloise has never seen food like this before. As she peruses the stalls, one food in particular draws her attention: ice cream. What a rare treat! It's been years since she's had some and she gleefully orders a large cone.

"Oh, this is marvelous!" she says, ice cream in her mouth as she sinks down next to someone on one of the benches. A little voice in the back of her head that sounds suspiciously like her mother tells her to sit up and act more ladylike in public. Eloise clears her throat and straightens up. "What is that you're eating?"

Later, she stands by the edge of the skatepark with a second ice cream cone, watching people whiz past her on the shoes with wheels. "Whatever are they doing?" she asks whoever happens to be near her. Then it dawns on her. "Is it like ice skating on dry land?"

WILDCARD

[ Open to other prompts or wildcard stuff. Feel free to DM me or message me at sparks_fly. ]

[moralized]

Mary is quite convinced that she must have died suddenly and unexpectedly, and everything involving the fox was some strange trick of the Devil as he led her down to Hell because she simply can't understand this place or why there are people so unclothed running around like this is a normal thing. She's all but lost hope of a reprieve from this nightmare when she suddenly hears a song she knows quite well as she's played it many times before. Following it (because what does it matter what tricks she follows if she's damned?) she suddenly finds herself standing before a young woman dressed similarly to herself. It's the first familiar sight she's had to go with this familiar sound, and she looks to the DJ and back to the woman with some curiosity.

She wants to interject, but they've not been introduced. Would she see it as an affront? Oh, what does it matter now? This is far beyond the quiet town of Meryton.

"Is the music not to your liking?"

[imperfectimposter]

Eloise turns at the sound of the voice, startled to find a young woman dressed in a manner that she is familiar with. Maybe she's not alone here after all.

"Ah, well, um..." Eloise clears her throat, trying to compose herself. "It's a rather nice song, quite jolly and all." She waves a hand. "It simply... doesn't seem to go with the scenery, don't you think?"

It sounds so different from what was just playing. And, of course, Eloise would like to forget about Penelope if she can.

[moralized]

Mary has seen quite enough of the scenery so she refrains from looking around her once more. Se might see another indecently dressed person.

"I would say that it hardly seems appropriate for such a place, but as it is familiar to me, I find it to be something agreeable while so much around me is not."

Eyeing the strange little box for a moment, she adds, "Is it a type of music box? Perhaps the gears can be stopped if you no longer wish to hear it."

[imperfectimposter]

A music box. Now why hadn't she thought of that? Perhaps because it doesn't look like any sort of music box she's ever seen before. Eloise glances over at the brightly colored box, still blaring away.

"Yes. That's a very good idea, thank you." She hurries over to the box and stares at it. Perhaps turning one of these knobs will help? Unfortunately, doing so only makes the music louder and Eloise takes a step back. "Please, do stop," she moans, as if the box will listen to her.

[moralized]

"Oh!" Mary exclaims before able to contain herself. The music has gotten so much louder; almost as if someone is striking the keys with great force. How that's possible, she has not a clue.

"We need only understand how it functions to stop it." But she's saying so in a rather startled, unsettled voice. Loud music like this is no joy to listen to at all and it's hard to concentrate and apply reason when the sound is making her head throb. Cautiously, she tries turning the knobs as Eloise did, and when it again goes louder her heart beats against her ribcage as she turns it the opposite way. If one way increases the volume, the other must decrease, yes? And it does work, but sadly not down in volume to a point where it can't be heard. Far from it actually.

"I find myself unable to find how to make it stop," she confesses, a little frustrated with herself for being stumped. "Perhaps we could leave the area so you will not be subjected to it?"

[imperfectimposter]

Eloise watches as Mary fiddles with the machine as she did, to no avail. She puts her hands over her ears when the music gets very loud, and does not take them off even when Mary is able to turn it down a bit.

"Yes, thank you. I appreciate you accompanying me." With that, the two young ladies turn and start to walk away. Eloise is going at a pace that would probably not be considered very lady-like, but she cannot get away from the music fast enough.

"How strange this all is," she tells Mary. "The man controlling the box said that the song was dedicated to me. How did he know?"

/screaming with glee

[undazzled]

((OOC: Bella is a canon AU, the summing up is here and OMG my favorite Bridgerton sister!))

I KEEP CRUISIN'

The ice cream vendor has flavors Bella had never heard of, like sweet corn ice cream, along with lavendar, rose, violet, and honeysuckle flavors. It's almost like a dare for her to step out of her comfort zone (even more than she already had, seriously, what was she doing here?), so she decided to try the lavender ice cream.

Then, she went to a bench to sit and appreciate her new ice cream which was a whole lot better than she'd imagined possible. It had the scent of lavender with a sweet cream that had a bit of a bite afterwards. She wished Jake was here, she'd love to talk him into trying it and then getting to tease him afterwards for liking it.

Which wouldn't have been much of a trial, Jake liked just about anything, always had and probably always would.

And when the young woman sitting next to her exclaimed about how marvelous the ice cream was, she smiled a little shyly and said "I'm having lavender ice cream. I'd never heard of it before, but it's so good. Which kind did you get?"

lol hi!

[imperfectimposter]

"That is a curious flavor," Eloise replies. "I haven't ever eaten lavender. The maids spray lavender water on the sheets and it has a nice scent to it, so I suppose it would taste good."

"Oh!" She excitedly shows the other girl her ice cream. "It's chocolate. Quite exotic. And it appears to have some sort of.. chopped up chocolate biscuits with cream in it."

It's chocolate ice cream with Oreo pieces in it, but of course Eloise has no idea what an Oreo is.

Hi~~~ /complete with semaphore flags

[undazzled]

"I thought so, too, but it's actually really good," Bella replied. "Want a taste? I swear that I don't have cooties. And there's almost a bite at the end, like with pepper. But the vendor has so many kinds to choose from, I'm not sure if I want to go with sweet corn, rose, or violet next."

Bella inspected Eloise's ice cream. "Yeah, that looks really good. Like I'd have to special-order it from Dairy Queen, since they always go with vanilla. Which is kind of weird, some flavors work best with chocolate and the other way around."

Bella can tell it's Oreo, can tell it's something she could be served at the diner (or cleaning up at the diner while she bussed tables), but she's not about to go barging into what Eloise thinks is new.

"I'm Bella Swan. Originally from Forks, Washington. What's your name?"

[imperfectimposter]

Bella has said a few things that Eloise is confused about. What are cooties? Based on context, they sound like something undesirable to have. Also, there is a Dairy Queen? What exactly is she queen of? Cows?

"Uh. Eloise Bridgerton. I am from London." She squints at Bella. "Is that in America?"

[undazzled]

She should know better, based on the other young woman's dress. Actually, she should be peppering Eloise with all kinds of questions about where and when she's from since the other young woman looks like she belongs in one of the costume dramas Bella loves. But Bella's own equilibrium has been thrown badly after following the fox.

And Bella's eyes widen. "London? Really? That is so cool! I've always wanted to go there, even if I have to do it as studying abroad in college. What's it like?" And Bella nods. "It is. I'm probably a little biased, but it's the most beautiful place in the entire United States."

[imperfectimposter]

The talking fox was pretty fantastic, wasn't it? That's why Eloise thinks this is all some kind of weird dream.

"Quite a large city, a center of government and art and culture. Better than Paris, in my opinion." Not that she's been to Paris more than once. Something that Bella says draws her attention though. "Do you mean that you intend to go to university?"

Got This Music in My Mind

[phantomthot]

[Tinya's enjoying the nice, sunny day and she's wearing a nice, bright yellow strapless bikini in honor of it. she dives in and swims around for a while, trying to open her eyes enough to see what sea creatures were to be found in this odd world, but in the salt water, it's no use. it makes her eyes hurt.

so she emerges from the water, just in time to see a young woman wearing way more clothes than her at the shore.

when she's asked if she's comfortable like that, Tinya beams]

Of course I am! I haven't gotten to go swimming in a while and I have this nice bikini I wanted to show off! [and she gestures towards all of what she's wearing] Why? Are you uncomfortable in what you're wearing?

[imperfectimposter]

A bikini? [ She has never heard that word. Is that what those undergarments are called? Eloise is decidedly not looking. ] No, no, I am quite comfortable. You are nearly naked outdoors!

[ She has actually never seen anyone so naked before in her life. Even her own undergarments cover most of her body. ]

[phantomthot]

"Uh-huh, a bikini! I don't know how much sun I can get, though. Probably for the best that I don't, I sunburn so easily!"

And Tinya blinks in surprise at the assessment. "Well. All of my underwear places are covered? And Mother isn't here to shame me into something more ladylike."

"Unless your own mother would. If so, I'm sorry. Mothers are like that. I'll stay in the ocean to the neck if that would make you comfortable?"

[imperfectimposter]

Mothers are like that. Eloise can't imagine what her mother would do if she was wearing such a thing in public. Probably faint.

"There is no need for that. I will avert my eyes," Eloise says, continuing to look down at the water. "Is wearing such an ensemble common where you are from?"

[phantomthot]

And Tinya's fairly certain that if her mother saw her playing around in the water while wearing the bikini, she'd be grateful Tinya had tested for the Traveler caste and not Ruling. Actually, when put like that, mother seeing didn't seem like a bad idea.

"Okay!" And Tinya continues to regard Eloise curiously. The other girl's clothes aren't like anything Tinya has seen before. "And, not really on my home planet, but it is here! It's fun!"

[imperfectimposter]

"Planet?" Eloise asks, looking up sharply. She inevitably gets Tinya in her line of sight again and promptly looks away. "What do you mean? Is this not Earth? Are you from some planet other than Earth?"

Eloise knows of a few planets, but she did not know that people lived on them.

I Keep Cruisin'

[springgirl]

Cora can't say she's ever seen anyone so... enchanted by rollerblading before, but it's strangely endearing enough that she forgoes her usual sarcasm. "It's pretty much the same thing. ...Only, I guess if you trip you get a face full of concrete instead of ice." Which is an unpleasant thought, really. She's always prided herself on being graceful, but this is a different thing entirely. "I've been to rinks before myself, but I'm terribly out of practice. And I'm much too proud now to--" She gestures around them, faintly amused.

"...Do you know what you're doing? They're trying to pair people up and I keep running away."

[imperfectimposter]

Eloise frowns at the mental picture of falling face first onto the concrete. "I don't imagine that's any more comfortable than falling on ice." She's had her fair share of face plants while ice skating, but it's still fun to do. Perhaps this might be fun as well.

"I believe they encouraging people to skate together." Eloise licks off another bit of ice cream. "You do not wish to participate?"

[springgirl]

"It isn't. It really isn't." It dawns on her that at some point she'd stopped letting herself do fun things like this, too focused on her future and making her dreams a reality. There hadn't been much room for that especially when college hit, too absorbed in her studies. She rubs at her cheek absently with a hand, letting herself watch the other skaters for a few moments.

"I guess I could if I knew what I was doing. Maybe if my partner promised to make sure I didn't fall face first, but that's a lot of trust to put in a complete stranger."

[imperfectimposter]

On the contrary, Eloise hasn't skated as much lately because as she gets older, it's not viewed as a ladylike pastime. She, whether she likes it or not, is supposed to be preparing for marriage. Instead, she tries to escape into books and not think about any of it.

She hums in her throat. "So you do not know anyone else here either? I thought that perhaps I was the only one. I am dressed so differently."

She hates to point out the fact that she looks out of place, but she supposes that it's rather obvious to most people.

[springgirl]

"No, but I like it that way. If I see anyone from home I'll turn and walk in the opposite direction. There aren't a lot of people I'd want to see right now, so." But she does pause and glance at Eloise's attire, a vaguely amused smile tugging at her lips. "I noticed. Not to sound... weird, or anything -- but where are you from? Don't get me wrong, people don't dress like you do where I'm from." Or maybe when is more accurate, but she isn't entirely sure how to go about that.

Cora by comparison is dressed a lot more casually -- white crop top, pink flowery skirt and a pair of boots. She has always dressed to catch eyes, in part because she's had the freedom to.

[imperfectimposter]

"London," Eloise replies, and then, because she has been slowly coming to the same conclusion that Cora has, she continues. "1813." It's the only thing that makes sense. She has somehow traveled through time and made it to the future.

Eloise motions to Cora's outfit. "No woman could wear that where I am from. It would be a terrible scandal. To be fair, I believe women should do as they please, though I do not think I could ever be so bold."

After being written about in Whistledown, she is feeling unsure about herself, a feeling that she is unfamiliar with.