folkooc | June 2022 Test Drive Meme

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June 2022 Test Drive Meme

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Vex'ahlia looks down at the piece of paper and blinks.] Gods, is this serious? What I did last summer? [She can't help but laugh before throwing the scrap to the ground.] If it's a threat, darling, they should be a little less vague. I do a lot of things, and most of them are legal.

[Of course, what she did last summer was save Whitestone from the Briarwoods. And, well, if Sylas Briarwood was somehow stupid enough to show up here, she'd be more than happy to finally put him out of his misery so he could join his delightful wife.

At Caleb's attempt to warn her, she peaks through her fringe to find the man in the coat staring at them ominously.] Hm, that's interesting. Why don't we head towards the trees and see if he'll follow us. There's better cover there for us.

Most of them.

[All right. That gets the faintest flicker of a smile from him. That's fair. Legal is one of those words with very many shades of gray to it anyway.] Of all the summers I've lived through, last one is hardly remarkable.

[So really, what are they getting at here, whoever the author of the note is?]

Better cover for him too, though he seems not to be have much talent in that regard. [That's "Natural 1 you think you're hidden" level failing is what that is. He ducks his head in a nod.] But all right. Yes. A good plan. Are you armed?

[Caleb is not, but he'd probably just hurt himself with a weapon anyway. He does have his magic though, so he's not defenseless.]

Most of them. [She flashes him a shit-eating grin that she's stolen from her brother before going back to looking around and keeping an eye on the man behind them.] The only person worthy enough to have much of a grudge against me for last summer's actions is too cowardly to show his face here.

[She's not sure what this is about, but this place has hardly ever made sense normally.]

He's too obvious for the cover to work in his favor. [Not with her skills. It won't help him at all.] Once we hit the tree line, I'll cast Pass Without a Trace on us so we'll be harder to find. [At the question, she gives him a look as if he's insane and pulls out her quiver and Fenthras from the Bag of Holding on her hip.] I'm always armed, dear Caleb.

[Yeah, Caleb knows that smile. Why do so many of his friends make that same expression? Still, it's almost comforting.]

Understood. I will try not to muck it up.

[He's decently stealthy it'll be fine. But he can't help a laugh, albeit a short one at that.] I really should have known better, yes.

[But right, yes. Towards the trees. To see if their stalker will follow.]

[Because Caleb hangs out with people who adventure for a living. When you're constantly in fear of dying, you have to find your amusement in the little things.]

Well, you're not wearing plate armor, so I don't think it should be too bad. [Gods, she adores Pike, but trying to stealth with the gnome cleric was always a mixed bag.] I'll forgive you, since you've never been in a fight with me yet.

[She dashes into the tree line and waits until Caleb joins them. Then, she whistles under her breath three times. A giant brown bear comes up next to her, nudging her in the side, but not knocking her over. With one hand on Trinket's armored head, she casts the spell on the three of them and she starts to tiptoe on the roots of the trees to see what the stalker will do.

He seems to realize that they're probably in the forest, but he seems to be searching for them, his hooded figure looking ridiculous as his head whips around to try and find them.]

When he's further away, shoot him in the back with a spell.

[He moves as quickly as he can, though certainly not as quick as Vex, and only startles slightly when there is all of a sudden a bear. All right. Those sorts of things happen, sure.

He follows along as best he can, at least trying to avoid the more obvious looking brittle branches. Doing his best here!

A nod at her idea, and he considers his options, waiting for the right moment to launch a spell. Their pursuer will find himself pummeled by multiple little glowing darts.]

[Vex is pleased with the way that Caleb moves. It's obvious that he's done this before. When he lets loose with his spell, she does a few things. She casts Hunter's Mark, send in Trinket and has him try to bite their enemy, and then readies an arrow to loose.

As Trinket rakes his paw to claw a the man in the strange cloak, Vex lets her fingers slide from the bowstring. The bear's claws hit first, but the arrow strikes the same spot only a breath later.]

Trinket, bite for his head!

[The bear growls and goes to follow her command, but the man manages to somehow avoid the pointed rows of teeth aiming for his fleshy middle.]

Shit.

[Caleb makes a note to never, ever cross the bear or its mistress while in range of teeth or arrows for that matter. And in the next breath reaches out a hand, magic building around him and racing out to find the man as Caleb casts hold person.]

I've got him!

[Maybe they can ask him some questions before they feed him to the bear?]

[Probably very smart, since Trinket is a walking battering ram in all of that armor. When the mage uses Hold Person, Vex goes for overkill and taps into Fenthras. Her next arrow arcs lightning into the man before the head explodes into a mess of bramble thorns that wrap around their quarry, better than any rope.]

Nicely done. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to fight alongside a mage. Shall we find out what he wants from us now?

[She whistles sharply and the bear sits on his rear, next to the man's head.] Who's a good Trinket?

Yes... a very good Trinket.

[Caleb agrees. Good bear. Nice bear. But they seem to have effectively subdued their foe, so he approaches, warily. He nods at her other question though.]

Let's, yah.

[So all right. Caleb will put on his most intimidating face.] You won't be able to escape unless we choose to release you. So I suggest you answer our questions. The bear looks hungry.

[Okay. Threats laid out.] Who are you? Why are you following us?

[The fisherman scowls and simply states,] I know what you did last summer.

[Caleb sighs.] Verdammter Scheiß.

[When Caleb mentions Trinket eating their foe, the bear gives a plaintive cry that cannot be mistaken for anything other than him being insulted. As if he would stoop to eat such strange fare. He's a bear of distinction, you know!

Vex, understanding Trinket for the most part, snorts before she turns her attention to the fisherman. She slips her bow onto her back, reaches for the dagger at her belt and holds it up at the man's throat.]

What's the point of the stupid messages and stalking us? And if you say you know what we did last summer, I will gut you like a fish.

[The man's beady, lifeless eyes stare right up at her and he yells in her face.] I know! You did it! Both of you!

[Confused, Vex looks up at Caleb and shrugs.]

Did you lead a rebellion and kill a vampire's wife last summer, Caleb?

[Oh, oh no. The bear hates him.]

Ah... No, no I can't say that I have. Not any summer, as a matter of fact.

[He is pretty sure that he would remember that -- but now he wants to know more about that story, so a mental note to ask later.]

Did you happen to break out of a jail? Or meet a strange group of people who have become your unlikely but dear friends and allies?

[Because that was his last summer. Hell of a summer, really. Actually now that he takes a moment to think about it. Yikes.]

[Eh, Trinket only loves Vex and Vax, so it's fine. He won't attack unless she says something to him.]

That's a shame. I suggest all the rebellions and murder of necromancers.

[She flashes him a pained smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.]

Let's see. We murdered a hive of Illithid, took out a Beholder, killed a Duergar royal family, killed some basilisks, a dragon, fought a roc, dealt with the vampire in Emon, fought a bunch of vampire lackeys, killed the vampire's necromancer wife.... But a jailbreak? No, that's about three years ago. We rescued Percy from a prison in Jorenn Village and he joined our merry, dysfunctional band of misfits to save the world.

[She thinks it all over.] We did manage to ruin a banquet. What about you?

Well, there was the fiend toad that we killed. Some... minor adventures with a crime syndicate for a while. Lots of traveling.

[Casually messing in local politics. The usual really.] Dysfunctional band of misfits though, that does sound familiar. But so much for the timing.

[Look they're finding common ground in being friends with weird broken people. How about that. ...Caleb is, of course, one of the weirdest most broken of said people, so it's not like he's casting aspersions in saying so.]

So what is it? [He looks to the fisherman.] None of these things seem worth menacing us over. Yeah?

Oh, really? Which syndicate? The Clasp or the Myriad? Because, let me tell you, I've dealt with them both and they both suck.

[And, well, Vox Machina has been dealing with politics for a while now. They were part of the Tal'dorei council and, well, Percy technically rules an entire city, somewhat, while Vex sits on that council.]

I mean, I suppose that we were part of the Council of Tal'dorei in Emon for a while. You know, before the dragons showed up and ruined things. That's when we ruined the banquet. You know, when the vampire was there.

[Look, you haven't met her brother yet. Or Percival. She loves broken men, evidently. It's her brand. Caleb is welcome to join at any time. Vex turns her attention to the fisherman as well and waits, dagger at his throat.]

I know.

[Vex rolls her eyes in answer.] Of course.

[This is one of those pieces of information that he normally wouldn't divulge given the fact that he's quite sure that it would not be appreciated. But it's a different world, so he isn't quite so reticent.] The Gentleman's group, out of Zadash. As criminals go, he's surprisingly trustworthy.

[But oh now this is new information. Part of the council is interesting. Dragons showing up is concerning.] Honestly, vampires being at a banquet is already an unfortunate ambiance.

[He heaves a sigh at the fisherman.] This guy is the worst. [But...] What do we do with him? Perhaps we could report him to the authorities?

[That gets her attention and she puts it to the side for later.] I've never been to Zadash. You'll have to tell me about it later.

Oh, you have no idea. Vampires and necromancers. Absolutely abysmal for the palate. But, still not the worst party I've attended.

[Vex seriously considers killing him. It would be much less of a hassle. It would leave her safer. Vax would kill him. Percy and Grog would kill him. Pike and Keyleth might object. She turns her blade between both hands, sighs and then shoves it back into her belt.] I suppose we should. I don't feel safe with him running free, but he hasn't done anything yet to warrant leaving him tied up here or killing him.

[She reaches into her pouch and pulls out a length of rope.] The thorns will only last so long. I suppose we should tie him up completely before we have Trinket drag him through town. [She said nothing about not torturing him a bit for annoying her.]

[A nod in agreement. He moves around the other side of the fisherman to assist with binding him properly with the rope. He would very much prefer not having to get into a fray again if he has a chance to get loose.

Killing him would be simpler, but it feels a bit much given that so far he's only sent annoying letters and ominously stalked them.]

Agreed. I don't want to set him loose either. That seems like it would be quite the mistake.

[Tying up their stalker takes nearly no time with the both of them working together. When she's done, she gives the end of the rope to Trinket.]

Alright, buddy. We're going to take him to the center of town. I need you to pull this rope for me.

[She still thinks they should kill him. Ugh. If they're lucky, though, the brambles will break skin and he won't be completely without injury.]

We could just tie him to a pole or something in the middle of all this mess and leave him. Even if someone releases the ropes, our point would be made.

I am fine with that approach. A sad waste of rope, but...

[He trails off and pauses.] Did you see that box on the way in?

[Sorry, Vex. He's gone and gotten himself very distracted. They've probably shared enough and discovered at least a few commonalities enough to get to this moment, right? Because that box quite literally has his name on it. Perhaps also hers.]

Rope is easy to replace. It's not that bad, I suppose. [She looks up and frowns.]

No, I didn't. [Which is odd, because Vex is generally very observant. Leaving the rope and captive with Trinket, she spots the box and moves closer towards it. When she is standing over the top of it and sees her name, she looks back over at Caleb and then at Trinket.

Who is alone.]

Where did he go?

[Caleb's head snaps back at the question.] Scheiße.

[That's a problem. How did he get free? Those knots were secure, he's certain of that.] That can't be good.

[And the box is probably a trap, right? Caleb picks up a stick to poke it. That's sort of like checking for traps, isn't it? It'll have to do. He uses the stick to open the box and nearly chokes on a sound of surprise.] My books! [It is the Exandrian equivalent of Christmas morning for Caleb Widogast. Escaped crazed stalkers have been entirely forgotten. Look at this, Vex!]

[Vex jumps back as Caleb starts to open the box without checking for traps. She's learned that lesson all too well, thank you very much.

She can't stop looking over at Trinket, who is holding empty ropes in his mouth and is surrounded by brambles that are slowly slinking into the ground.] How did he get free, Trinket?

[The bear gives a confused sound in response and she looks back over at Caleb when he exclaims about books. She can't help but look inside the now empty, and obviously not trapped box, and her eyes go wide.]

My feathers? How?

[She doesn't hesitate to reach in and pull out the grouping of blue feathers that have been magically preserved to stay in perfect condition. They look just like they did the day she took them out of her hair to braid them into Vax's.]

I... How did these get here?!

[He really ought to know better, but thankfully this time there's no traps, and he lives to make the mistake again in the future. And honestly he'd have risked any trap at all to get his hands back on his books. He's got the spellbook open almost immediately, leafing through it.

The spells are as they should be, in his handwriting, the pages worn and stained and smudged here and there with ink.

It takes him a moment to realize that Vex has spoken, looking over at her startled.] Something personal of yours as well?

[Yeah, she's just glad that she was able to get out of the way. She's already died because of her greed. She doesn't want to experience that again. Vax would never forgive her for it.

However, having her feathers again... She looks them over, turning them in her hands over and over as she thinks about how she lost them. With a sad half-smile, she slips them behind her right ear, feeling whole in a way she didn't really have words to express.

It's only then that she cuts a look over at Caleb, watching as he pours over his books, like Percy and his tinkering. It's bittersweet, this whole damn situation.]

Yes. Something worth dealing with this idiot over. [She absently reaches up to touch the feathers where they rest.] I assume it's the same for you?

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