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Entry tags:
June 2022 Test Drive Meme
JUNE 2022 TDM
INTRODUCTION
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.
Content Warnings: Potentially traumatic memories.
GOT THIS MUSIC IN MY MIND
I KEEP CRUISIN'
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.
Content Warnings:Stalking, horror movie type villain, optional violence, shadow monsters.
YOU SAY IT'S IN THE PAST
IT'S ALL GOOD
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.
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She was glad her dad was so willing to do whatever it took to make sure Bella could get the best education (within a four-hour radius) possible. She knew most of her classmates were aiming for Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, but those were all too big and a little scary.
"Why not literature? They've got entire programs which are all American literature or all British literature or all World literature. Not counting the subsections in all of them. If you wanted to, you could study forever?"
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Something feels very wrong about this conversation, though not owing to anything that Bella has done. Eloise takes another bite of her ice cream and then turns back to her.
"America has been a country for much longer for you, hasn't it?"
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And the pieces start to fit, she tries to not give it away but she's got a terrible poker face.
"Uh. Yeah. Bicentenial was in 1976, it's 2008 back home."
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"I am from 1813." Her face falls. "Women cannot go to university in my time, surely not even in America. It's terribly unfair. Why must I be expected to marry and put away all of my interests, my curiosity?"
The chocolate ice cream suddenly doesn't taste as good as it did.
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And now it's Bella's turn to gasp and for her dark brown eyes to widen. "1813? Holy crow. That's...a while. But this place is different, I've heard that this place doesn't care if you're a man, woman, or neither. If you want to learn, you can do it. From, you know, standard college courses to self-defense." And, vehemently, "You shouldn't be expected to marry and put away your interests and curiosity. Any guy who was worthwhile would never ask you to do that. That's--that's one of the great things about Jake, he likes the fact that I'm such a nerd. If a guy's worth your time, he'll see your curiosity as a bonus, not a flaw."
While Bella stared on, clearly concerned.
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"You are the first girl my age to say something of that nature to me." Except for Penelope, though she never said it in such an outright way. "Most of them are very concerned about making a good match and getting married and having children."
Having never quite got an answer as to how women come to be pregnant, Eloise still is very wary of the process. She's not sure what to do with a baby.
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"...seriously? Holy crow. What's wrong with the rest of the girls when you're from?" Because she knows Beck loves her surfer husband in Hawaii, but he totally approved when Beck started going to college there. And if anyone told Rachel Black or Leah Clearwater they had to give up all of their interests and aspirations for a guy, that person would be force-fed their teeth. "I'm sure marriage and children are great for a lot of people. But not everybody. Anyone who says anything else is lying to you."
Bella knows all too well what to do with babies, she has vague memories of playing with baby Jake (which she teases him endlessly with) and strong memories of baby Seth. Mrs. Black said she'd never seen a better baby. And Bella herself wants babies, but not for like. Ten years in the future.
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"It sounds as if women's lives are very different in your time." While Eloise is pleased to hear that, it's still hard for her to imagine.
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"They are. Ren--my mom teaches yoga in Phoenix, Arizona. Has her own yoga studio and everything. Beck--I mean Rebecca Black wants to be a psychologist. Rach wants to be a CEO. And Leah just wants to get the hell out of La Push, a college education's the best way to do that and she knows it. Oh, oh, and my school friend, Jessica? Valedictorian of our class and studying criminal justice with an eye to becoming a defense lawyer. It's just. There are so many possibilities. I'm really sad that, well. That you're not encouraged in your goals," she trails off tentatively.
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Sadly, Eloise only understood a few things that she mentioned, but she gets the gist. Girls are allowed to explore their interests, to even have careers. Eloise isn't sure if she would want to work, but she would like to at least be given the option of studying, of being able to join one of the many salons around London, to have her opinion be taken seriously.
"I'm glad to hear that your friends have such ambitions," she says. "I don't know what I would wish to pursue, but I would like to be able to even have the opportunity to pursue it."
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Very much girls are allowed, no, expected to have goals outside of high school and marriage. Bella's the outlier, wanting to stay in small town Forks and work as a librarian. But she grew up surrounded by young women who had strong aspirations ever since childhood, so she can't imagine not wanting something.
"Thank you. They're great, all of them. I really miss Beck, Hawaii is such a long way away. And, they say this place is all about finding your potential. Maybe this is exactly where you need to be?"
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"Perhaps it's foolish to follow a magical animal into the woods, though I suppose there isn't any turning back now."
Some of her family will miss her. Others will probably be glad to be rid of her.
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"Believe me, following a magical animal into the woods is way more common than you think. I've done it more than once. And there isn't. I guess the only way out is through, right?"
She knows her dad will be worried sick. And Renee, too, when she found out. And she hoped to whatever gods might be out there that the wolves didn't blame the Cullens and vice versa, there were no words for how much she really didn't want to be the cause of a war.
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