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

[imperfectimposter]

Eloise hums in her throat, doubting that. He is taunting her, but she has no idea why.

"No, I have never been to this strange place," she replies. She's hardly been out of London. "I think..." Eloise sighs. "I think, perhaps, it is being played because it reminds me of my... friend Penelope."

She's not her friend. Not anymore. They've been friends ever since they've been little girls though, so it's hard not to think of her that way.

[moralized]

"It is meant to remind you of her?" Mary can't really relate, having no friends of her own. She tells herself she likes it that way and that no one could be her intellectual equal, but deep down it does cause a pang to be felt.

[imperfectimposter]

"I suspect that it is," Eloise replies. "Otherwise, why dedicate it specifically to me and play it over and over?"

She is a bit of an odd duck for her time, not being interested in finding a husband or having children. Eloise wants her life to have more purpose than that. She wants to explore, to study, to learn. As such, it's hard for her to relate to the other girls back home and she does not have many friends.

[moralized]

"Perhaps it is meant to soothe the ache of missing her." It is only a guess on Mary's part. There is no telling what goes through the minds of these creatures here.

"Even so, the song's continuation is excessive."

[imperfectimposter]

Eloise bites her lip, silent for a moment. "She betrayed me," she says quietly. "She... spread gossip about me. It's a rather long story, but she says that she did it to protect me. How could it possibly have protected me?"

It ruined her reputation. Not that Eloise cares so much about her reputation, but it may have sealed her spinster fate. As much as making a good match hasn't been something she's worried about, Eloise didn't intend to be all alone in life.

[moralized]

Mary looks rather shocked to hear that, but then again Mary also isn't keenly aware of what true friendship feels like so she can only guess at it. She knows that when Lydia ran off with Mr. Wickham that the whole town was talking of it, but in her naïveté she hadn't realized how bad the situation was.

"In all my study, I have concluded that true friendship is about forming a bond that is incredibly hard to break. I can only imagine gossip would terribly weaken it and I cannot fathom how spreading such things promotes protection." Indeed, it promotes quite the opposite, as Eloise is well aware already.

"I do believe it sounds like an excuse on her part. Granted, I do not know the situation and I shall not ask for it, but a reasoning for it seems impossible."

[imperfectimposter]

Eloise nods. It's a rather academic assessment, but Mary has understood the gist of the issue. It's nice to be validated, and nice to be able to talk about it with someone. Despite Penelope's betrayal, Eloise has told no one that she is Lady Whistledown.

"Thank you," she replies. "I thought that she was my friend, but this is rather difficult to forgive."

[moralized]

"And I would wager difficult to forget with that song playing here, even so far away from home." It seems a cruel joke by the fox or one of her servants and she's grateful to have not yet caught Thirteen's eye to receive such a trick.