October-November 2025 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

October-November 2025 TDM

Introduction

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This Test Drive meme is open to all.
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 and work like "mini-events". For new players and characters, you can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Current players are also allowed to have in-game characters post to the TDM so long as they mark their top levels ‘Current Character.’

TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.

Playing and interacting with the TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain a canon item from home, 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 always encouraged to tag new people on the TDM!


🦊 New Star Children meet the Fox still in their worlds, and she brings them into the new realm of Folkmore. As you follow her, your body begins to change and new characteristics emerge. These may stay for a while, or perhaps they will hide away after. And during all of this, the Fox explains to you where you will be going: to Folkmore.

and then... you fall like a shooting star, falling to the land in a burst of starlight.


🦊 Experienced Star Children are already familiar with this time of the month. There are shooting stars all across the sky, and some fall to the land, which means the Fox has brought new arrivals. These newly arrived Star Children will face some tests, but Thirteen wants the more seasoned residents to participate as well.

Perhaps you follow the falling stars on your own, or perhaps the Fox simply teleports you there, but it appears you too will be part of this.

[ Prompt One ★ Prompt Two]

Over the Garden Wall . ★

Content Warnings: N/A

Drizzly Willow is where newly arrived Star Children touch down, touching down gently in the soft moss beside a grand lake, or a babbling brook. The leafy strands of weeping willow trees flow gently in the breeze. All would seem calm, and yet, something prickles the back of Star Children's necks. Goosebumps erupt along skin and a sense of unease settles in the pit of the stomach. Some sort of invisible tension pulsates through Willow, and the closer one comes to the border shared with Exile, the worse it gets. It's almost as if something foul is drifting in from the neighboring marsh lands, affecting Leshy and Talaria in particular. Still, if one were to cross this border and enter Exile proper, all the tension dissipates. If one were to ask Baba Yaga, the iteration of Thirteen who rules over these marshes, she'll smile mysteriously and shake her head before vanishing.

Curious.

Amrita, the one in charge of Willow, has a plan to be rid of these uncomfortable vibes infiltrating her domain. All along the border shared with Exile, within walking distance of both Leshy and Talaria, Amrita has set up communal gardens. Not only are there wide, open spaces of freshly dug soil, there are a few lavish greenhouses. The glass panes are all squeaky clean and any sunlight to pass through almost seems to be filtered, removing any harsh glare and leaving only a pleasant glow. A warmth, almost. Within these greenhouses, that nasty prickle wafting in from Exile cannot be felt at all.

Veteran Star Children, the ones who would normally have no reason to visit Willow, are extended an invitation through their Relic to help tend to the gardens. Not only will it cleanse the area of that curious tension and be a valuable learning experience regarding agriculture, a small reward may be in it for those who participate!

Step right up, dear children! Pick up a spade or a watering can, there are more than enough to go around. More importantly, there are seeds, sprouts and bulbs of all types of plants. Fruits, vegetables, grains, certain spices… And yes, even flowers. Greenhouses and fields are both available, though one may need to do a little research on which option would be best for which plant. Either ask a friend, or consult one of the few books on gardening on loan from Amrita Academy.

Getting these gardens up and running isn't as simple as planting a seed in the correct location and watering it, though. No, instructions from Amrita are quite clear: Once planted, the seed (or sprout or bulb) must be watered with a watering can that's been infused with Lore. Only then will the plant grow at supernatural speeds, poking up through the soil and transforming rapidly into its full potential. A large pumpkin, an apple tree, a colorful rhubarb… Or maybe a banana tree? Or a patch full of potatoes, ready for eating! For those curious about the reward Amrita mentioned, this is it: delicious, fresh, homegrown food. Anything grown here won't go bad for a good long while, either. All fruits of labor will retain their size and hardiness for a whole month, if not longer, so harvesting need not happen any time soon.

The more plants grown in these gardens, the more the strange tension from Exile will decrease, almost as if the air is being purified by the flora.

Watering with Lore-infused tools isn't as easy as it sounds, though. It never is, as veteran Star Children will be able to guess. With these gardens being communal, the focal point to get the watering cans powered up is talking to others about community. What makes a community, or even just a team? What does it take to feel accepted by others? Reminiscing about communities one has been a part of in the past works just as well, of course.

• New Star Children land in Willow. Veteran Star Children are sent an invitation by Amrita (Willow's Thirteen) to come tend to gardens.
• Amrita has set up several communal gardens, fields and greenhouses near Talaria and Leshy with all the necessities to get started.
• Special watering cans powered by Lore can have plants grow to full size immediately. In order to invoke this Lore, Star Children must have conversations about the concept of community.
• Meanwhile, a strange, uncomfortable tension seems to be seeping out from Exile. The plants from the gardens absorb this tension to cleanse it. When entering Exile itself, the tension can no longer be felt.

Attack of the Killer Pumpkins . ★

Content Warnings: Violence

After a few successful days of gardening, the outer rim of Willow is decked out with lush fields and fully-populated greenhouses. The assortment also includes a few patches that play host to huge pumpkins, rutabagas, turnips and other such big roots and gourds, perfect for carving in this fall season. And wouldn't you know it, there's tables nearby with carving kits, all set up and ready to go. From the child-friendly kind to the extra sharp tools for skilled adults, there's a kit for every preference. Star Children who look upon these kits feel a strange inclination to use them, even when they normally wouldn't bother with this.

They take hold of a small saw, a paring knife or even a gutting spoon and get to work on carving a pumpkin, or any other root vegetable that strikes their fancy. The mood becomes intense, like it's a competition. A battle with great stakes. A sour tang is in the air. Chunks of pumpkin begin to fill up the little waste buckets.

But wait! Any pumpkin (or other gourd or root vegetable) that's received a finished face comes to life. It grows until it's larger than the average Star Child, thick roots and vines springing to life along its bottom to serve as limbs. Whatever emotion its expression was originally meant to convey makes no difference; the newly born plant creature is angry. Like Frankenstein, being the creators of these monstrosities does not shield Star Children from hatred and hostility, making them instant targets. Vines attempt to wrap around arms and legs to keep Star Children in place, and don't you regret putting so many sharp angles in their mouths now? If given the chance, these plant monstrosities will attempt to 'eat' whoever they get a hold of. They won't get very far, since they don't have a digestive system, but being forcibly pulled into an enormous, wet pumpkin maw is still not a good time.

As if sensing the need for them, weapons begin to sprout from the ground nearby, similar to ripe carrots. Swords, pitchforks, spears… Even weapons a Star Child may recognize from home. These are free for the taking, and will be a helpful asset when fighting the overgrown, living gourds.

Squash those squashes!

• Willow's communal gardens soon hold patches with huge pumpkins, other gourds and root vegetables. Tables with carving kits appear near them.
• Star Children who look upon these kits feel a strange inclination to use them
• Any pumpkin (or other gourd or root vegetable) that's received a finished face comes to life and attacks.
• The living plants can't actually digest anyone, but they will try to 'eat' Star Children by stuffing them into their mouths anyway.
• Weapons (local and from home) sprout from the ground to help fight the plants off.

Comments

Questions

[folkie]

Edwin Payne | Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix) | Familiar

[thesameleft]

i. over the garden wall

[ Well, a mysterious smile and a head shake certainly isn't an answer Edwin is willing to accept. It isn't really an answer at all, for a start, and while he's quite in his element with a mystery to grab a hold of, he's finding this one a little more frustrating than satisfying. It could be the fact that he's just arrived here in an entirely unfamiliar place with the distinct air of tension cutting the air like a foul smell, or the fact that he can feel a strange pull toward those boggy, misty marshes where the foreboding feeling is the strongest... but there's something else, something in the way he keeps looking around as if looking for something he's misplaced, the way he opens his mouth as if to speak an idea aloud at times, only to find no-one there to listen.

It's clearly bothering him, if the way he's rubbing together the finger and thumb of his gloved hand is anything to go by, but it won't last for too long, as Edwin shifts his precise focus to the mystery at hand rather than his own concerns, and transitions rather effortlessly into detective mode.

And that's what leads him to corner the nearest wandering stranger, wherever they might have come from and wherever they might be going, to ask them in an almost demanding tone that leaves little room for dismissal, as he nods at the gloom of Exile: ]

Pardon me, but have you ever been in there?

ii. if thou wilt ever dig

[ Research. Edwin's forte. He's sure he feels his energy brighten at the mere prospect of it, or perhaps he's only imagining the sensation of warmth across his spectral skin; ghosts can't typically feel warmth, after all, but this place isn't like what he's used to, and as he raises a gloved hand to the gleaming glass of the greenhouse, he's almost certain he can feel... something.

It might have even caught his attention for a mote longer, were there not a book in his hand helpfully thrust there by a pleased looking stranger as he expressed a clear interest in wanting to lean. Agriculture hadn't been something he was taught in school, such things paling in importance to arithmetic and Latin and natural sciences, it seems, but he'd always had a keen interest in the biological aspect of plant life.

The one thing that almost always held him back was the dirt. Not the type of boy who enjoyed getting mucky, Edwin has found that even over a hundred years into being dead, he has not grown any less particular in that regard. He surveys a nearby plant pot with a slight tightness to his expression - not quite a wrinkled nose, but definitely heading in that direction. He's trying to keep an open mind, he is, but the description of creating a space in the mulch with one's fingers in order to push the little white and black seed in and cover it with dirt is... very unappealing.

When he hears the approach of footsteps, therefore, he spins with an almost elegant kind of accuracy, to catch the approaching stranger in his sights, and holds out a trowel with the gloved hand that isn't holding the library book aloft. ]

Thank Goodness. It's bad form to get dirt on a borrowed book. I'll need your assistance with this.

iii. the poetry of impossibilities

Community?

[ He folds his arms, tucking brown leather gloves into the elbows of his brown woollen coat. He's taking this rather seriously, and staring at the watering can before him as he does, as though assuming there will be some kind of visible magical reaction to translate the effectiveness of his answer. ]

Well, I believe a shared goal creates a sense of community, or at the very least makes for a good team. If there isn't a similar drive in the mind of those at the forefront of the action, then the direction becomes muddled, and the whole affair is likely to fall apart.

iv. peace precedes chaos

In my defence, I have never carved a pumpkin before.

[ He says, as he tries to make the eyes on his rather amateurly cartoonish looking pumpkin a little more symmetrical. He was going for scary, but the face on this one looks a little closer to unfortunately constipated. ]

I don't believe, in fact, that I've ever carved anything. Is this a common tradition for Autumn?

He's asking whoever he's closest to, not quite registering that competitive feeling just yet, as Edwin isn't a competitive person by nature, but does have a rather large sense of pride that is easily burned by not being good at something. This much is evident in the way that he's going to great pains to ensure this thing looks exactly how he envisaged it in his head, even if it means he'll be here for an hour or so until each feature is fine-tuned to his satisfaction. ]

v. the monster mash

[ Believe it or not, this is not the first time Edwin has had tentacle-like vines wrap around his body and try to swallow him whole. The only difference is that this time it's a sentient gourd rather than a mushroom with rows and rows of hundreds of sharp teeth being controlled by a witch. All that to say that, even though this is still very much a surprise, Edwin is a little more prepared to be on the offensive once he feels the encroach of a leafy grip snaking around his ankle. ]

Oh, Hell-

[ That doesn't mean, however, that he's prepared to be yanked forward, tugged closer to the large, fleshy tear of a mouth in the enlarged vegetable by that vice-hold on his leg. He goes prone, body falling to the ground in a plume of foliage and pumpkin guts as he's forcibly tugged closer to the thing, arms flailing for any kind of foothold to slow his trajectory--

His arm finds something, alright, but it just so happens to be the leg of an innocent bystander. It seems to surprise the gourd-monster almost as much as it surprises Edwin, because it pauses in its assault for just long enough for Edwin to look aside and snatch up the nearest weapon pushing its way from the dirt. It doesn't matter what it is at this point, nor does it matter that he more than likely won't know how to use it -- despite Charles' repeated attempts to get him to learn to defend himself, the instinct never quite set into place with him, as he always assumed he would have Charles at his side to fight his battles with him...

It's a book. Which, at first impression, seems like a ridiculous weapon to fight off a sentient plant, but Edwin's green eyes almost glitter with excitement as he seems to recognise the book. The vines around his ankle seem to sense that delight as they tighten, giving him just enough time to look into the face of the person he's accosted and urge them: ]

If you can subdue it, I know how to kill it.

[ Before he's yanked away again. ]

ooc

( hello! i'm miro and i'm super excited to try and snag an invite to get edwin to rock up here. if none of my prompts take your fancy but you're interested in a thread with edwin, please feel free to PM/plurk me with your TL and i will totally tag you, or we can come up with something else. whatever's good, i'm just excited to play here c:
edwin's permissions are here if you'd like to get to know his deal, but anything else just ask!)

ii

[hellandbackpack]

[It's been hours now. Charles was trying to keep his chin up about things. Edwin would come. They were always together, they'd always be together, that's how things worked with the pair.

But that absence was keen, and it had agitation scratching around in his ribs, had him having to work that much harder at keeping a lid on his patience, on keeping calm. Losing his head wouldn't fix this, and he could all but hear the exasperated tone his partner would take if he did, extolling the virtues of restraint. Honestly, he'd welcome that sort of lecture even, because it would mean he was there.

He tried to channel the nervous energy into something practical, into investigating- he was curious about this new place, that went without saying, and he also knew that when (not if, it had to be when-) Edwin arrived, he'd be pleasantly surprised by Charles' head start. Not that his notes would be the best- but that was hardly a surprise. He'd never quite gotten the hang of notes that would be useful, let alone to anyone else.

He had his bag at least- empty of anything, but it was better than nothing, and for now he had stowed his Relic and spoon inside. He wasn't sure how durable the device was in the face of ghostly presence, but he'd rather minimize the risk for now, until he had a better handle on things.

Like Edwin, Charles hadn't had much experience with planting, a city boy through and through. Still... it did make him think of spring days spent passing his mum her trowel when he was little, tugging up the plants she pointed out to him with eager abandon as they worked to tidy the little patch of flowers she kept in the small garden. So it had him slowing slightly as he came to the gardens, curiosity drawing him into the greenhouse.

The shift in the feel of the air was immediate, something in him easing slightly at it, but it was the sight of a familiar form he spotted down the row that had him brightening, especially hearing that request. Relief flooding him as he quickened his pace, coming to reclaim his place with his friend with a beaming smile that he turned towards the stranger Edwin had almost pressganged into service. It only took a soft assurance that he'd help to move them on before he was taking the trowel with one hand, the other reaching to clap onto Edwin's shoulder.]

There you are! I was wonderin' where you got to!

iv

[apuckalypse]

[Casey peers over at the comment, brows lifted. He hasn't gotten terribly far with his own pumpkin, and its design is... decidedly basic. So he's in good company at least.]

Uh... I think it looks fine? [Does it??] I've never done this before, either. [Yeah, it shows.] I've heard of people doing this for Halloween, so I think it's common in, uhhh, America, at least.

V

[survivalthroughhate]

[The person Edwin grabs a hold of looks like he might also be a monster of some sort. A demon perhaps, given the red-and-black visage plus the crown of horns on top of his head. Curiously, he also has the antlers of a 20-month old deer and the lower half of a black one as well, complete with fur and hard hooves. It makes him look a bit like a demonic faun all things considered.

Maul simply watches for a moment as if amused by the sight of it all before he decides to take action. He sighs for a moment before reaching out a hand. He's wearing black fingerless gloves that allow his claws to peek through. Using the Force, he halts the gourd monster's progress of dragging Edwin away. But it's not as easy to keep the monster still as he would have liked. His other hand comes up and he puts more pressure on the creature, trying to get it to hold still as much as he can.]

If you are going to do anything, I suggest you do it now!

[Maul says through grit teeth. Curiously, his voice doesn't match his demonic visage at all. He has a smooth, soft voice with an accent that makes him sound like he should be a university professor lecturing at a hall in Cambridge rather than the death metal voice many would expect him to have.]

V

[ms3meters]

E-eh?!

[Edwin may be in the hold of a monster, but he's also grabbed and gotten the attention of a a different one. The three meter tall, alien woman whips around, surprised as she feels the man's hands around her ankle. As the gourd looks up (and up, and up), Mitsuko bears her fangs at the creature, her eyes narrowing into slits.

She only just catches Edwin looking at her and her gaze flicks to him. She frowns but before she can really say anything... oof, there he goes.]

Let him go, you threeblesome pest! [Mitsuko snarls as she runs after Edwin. She extends her claws and slashes at the vines, hoping to free Edwin before he's shoved into the creature's mouth.]

monster mash

[heyunderoos]

[At best, Peter is exasperated by hungry sentient pumpkins more than anything else. It isn't the weirdest thing he's dealt with it, but it is definitely new enough. The twenty year old is able to grab a shovel that's seemingly spawned from the ground to smack aside his own pumpkin.

Peter is close enough he can see Edwin's struggle.]

I hope you have a better plan than I do at this rate. [Anddd he's yanked away. Peter releases an irritated breath, but chases after the kidnapee. Peter is close enough that he makes good time in catching up. He swings his improvised weapon, and whacks the side of the pumpkin hard enough the hollow thump echoes. The thing doesn't burst from the impact, though it seems stunned.] Gourd to meet you, but, I think we have places to be!

[A weak pun at best, gourd instead of good, peter?? but it'll do in a pinch.]

i.

[lordofshades]

That is a very tall person that's just addressed the Knight.

Correction: A very tall ghost, the Knight amends to itself, as it tips its horned head back and back and back to look the ghost in the eyes. Then it points to itself -- me? -- then off in the same direction the ghost was looking -- over there?

It glances back over its shoulder to consider the place in question, then shakes its head. No, it hasn't been there yet -- but there's something that does seem oddly luring about the place.

Turning back once more, it points at itself, then at the ghost, then makes a circling gesture off into the swamp -- want to go?

Or maybe they just want the Knight to go, which wouldn't be an unusual request from a ghost.

Leonardo Hamato | ROTTMNT Canon AU | Current Character

[grabaslice]

Over And Through Garden Walls

[Leonardo isn't exactly a gardener. The nearly 7ft turtle is a lot more equipped for fighting than anything else. The whole ninja thing was more his speed. Gardening and greenhouses were more Donnie's thing by far. Leo wonders if he'll actually see his brother here at some point.

The turtle isn't wearing his prosthetic for once, leaving him down a hand to offer help. He has a watering can in hand, but sees another star child working on some planting going on.]

Well, it looks like you're planting that right. [As far as he can tell.] Do you need me to hand you anything?

Get Pumpkin'd, Idiot

[Leo loves, loves, loves a good competition. Even if he's working at a disadvantage, he will not say no to some form of competition. Even with the compulsion to join, he doesn't need much of a push to get a face onto his pumpkin.

He manages to get a fairly decent-ish face onto his pumpkin. He slaps his carving tools down to point at his success.

Aha! Beat you by a mile- [His victory is cut decidedly short when the pumpkin springs up from the table, vine legs taking shape. Leonardo stares, surprised, followed by irritated.]

...Can I just not have a win here?

Get Pumpkin'd, Idiot

[ugh_emotions]

It's not a surprise that Leo beats the SecUnit. It didn't actually know how to carve faces, because that would be a stupid thing to have an education module for. What it had been doing was less 'carving' and more 'indiscriminate stabbing'.

But then Leo's flora comes to live, and it abandons its carving in favour of running towards Leo. It shoves the growing Hostile Flora off of the table, and takes up a protective position between Leo and Hostile Flora.

And then the flora the SecUnit had been carving starts moving.

"...Shit."

Get Pumpkin'd, Idiot

[hellandbackpack]

Oh that's a load of tosh- [Did Charles know the turtle guy? Nope! Did that stop him from enjoying a bit of competition in the form of some pumpkin carving? Absolutely not! His playful ribbing in response to the victory is also cut short by that movement out of the pumpkin, the teen starting back with wide eyes in response.

His reaction was only paused by a momentary grab in his coat that came up empty, the teen swearing under his breath as he had to instead snatch up the short shovel propped up against one of the tables. The second the pumpkin lunged at Leo, he'd be winding up for a swing like he was trying to hit a six, the shovel colliding with the gourd with a hollow thud, and knocking it back while he planted himself between the vegetable and it's target.]

Wotchit mate, looks like it means business!

[And as he's speaking? That's not the only pumpkin bounding to life with trouble on it's... mind?]

Oh you've got to be joking!

Over And Through Garden Walls

[ihadstrings]

[Ultron has been told time and again that he needs to get healthier hobbies and gardening has been suggested a number of times to him. So here he is, doing his best to see if he can actually create life for once instead of his usual method of trying to destroy it.

He gestures nearby to a bag of fertilizer.]

Can you get that for me? I think a little will go a long way with most of these plants.

Garden walls

[ms3meters]

[Mitsuko isn't much of a gardener either but she does enjoy the slow rhythm that comes with gardening and there's a novelty in growing plants she wants to use in her curry. The giant woman smiles as her claws dig through the soil and she covers up the tubers of turmeric and then glances over at Leonardo.]

Oh, that's a relief. It would be a threemendous pain if I had to start again. [Mitsuko looks over to the can in his hand.] If you could water this for me, that would be exthreemely helpful. Thank you.

Over and through

[notapancake]

[It probably helps that Donnie is all bundled up in a hoodie, hood up, so Leo wouldn't get a good look at him. Even as he comes closer to his brother, who is tending to some plants very intently. Like he doesn't even acknowledge Leo at first, taking a moment to register that...

Oh, that's Leo talking to him. He almost doesn't say anything, looking at Leo with a side eye and taking note of his twin's one-armed state.]

Not really, and it's not like you could hand me much.

get pumpkin'd - get more adult friends, she said, and continues monopoly

[zacrifice]

[Zack is competitive enough, but he sucks at art stuff. Just atrocious. His pumpkin is the goofiest face ever. He's almost annoyed by his terrible loss, but when the damn things spring to life, he has the nerve to laugh.]

Hah! Now that's what I'm talking about!

[(He didn't even say anything before.) He's all too happy to pull his massive broadsword off his back, ready to swing at the offending pumpkin beast.]

Bruce Banner | Marvel Comics | Myth

[gammasystem]

1. Eastward of Eden

To say Bruce had a green thumb was probably a horrifically insensitive pun but it was also not inaccurate in sentiment. Banner was still rattled, slow to adjust to this weird new place he was drawn to during the aftermath of confrontations he had against the Eldest.. He wasn't entirely convinced- or really convinced at all this was to be trusted.. but while he was here there was little else to do but play along.

He was currently sitting a bit from the gardens in a flower field cut through by a slow stream. Cross legged and hunched over by the water as he filled his watering can with the clean water that flowed in a slow trickle among the dotted petals and green grass. It felt a bit like paradise- if not for the looming tension and unrest that settled in his chest.

He pulls the pail away and sighs as he looks down at the asymmetrical horns jut out his head in his reflection against the stream.

"...I know... can't get too comfortable, everyone here is- adjusted, already. At least it feels that way."

2. Anguish in Arbour

Eventually he drifted closer again. He was still feeling that unrest under his skin and was trying to avoid anyone else rearing up their heads in his body, but at the same time he himself was having possibly more trouble than they would at engaging with anyone. He mostly floated around the edges, some distance from any gathering group trying to gather courage and failing.

He ended up in one of the green houses without much thought, idly scoping around the outside, trying not to seem too skittish or suspicious before he finally opened the door, coming almost face to face with someone else tending a section within. Bruce blinks blankly before looking around a bit doggedly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt your.. if you want the space to yourself I can find another greenhouse."

3. Smashing Squashes

If anyone else had begun to catch on to what happens when you finished carving- Banner certainly hadn't. He'd tried to avoid the carving baskets and the lumpy, large gourds around the patch but eventually curiosity got the better of him. He'd sat down some small distance from someone else and his fingers got twitchy. Itching to bury the serated knifes and scooping spoons into the pumpkin he'd looked over.

The process was easy to get lost in, not wholly unpleasant and rather it made him feel young again. he didn't celebrate the holiday much these days, halloween, but he did like it for quite some time as a kid.

He was quiet, mostly just mumbling to himself as he worked away before he finished the last cut and plucked out a final carved chunk from the wide, jagged smile of his pumpkin.

And then it shuddered. Bruce lurches back as it begins to warp and grow and expand. Watching in horror as it got bigger and began to sprout roots and vines and gnashed it's gourd teeth. He got the hint a moment too late as when he tried to scramble away a vine shot out and wraped his ankle, pulling him back down and trying to drag him over as he kicked and flailed.

"Help- Someone- Get off me!"

3. Smashing Squashes

[ihadstrings]

Bruce is about to have an unlikely savior. A blast of plasma energy shoots out, severing the vine that is wrapped around his ankle, though the blast is so close to his leg it's a wonder that Ultron doesn't hit him directly. He steps forward, his hand still positioned in case he needs to fire off another blast at the plant monster, looking quite intimidating in all his nine foot tall and red eyed glory.

"Someone get a giant weed-whacker stat!" He clearly gets his quippy side from Tony.

2.

[ugh_emotions]

The SecUnit wasn't actually tending to the flora inside the glass building. Mainly because: A. It didn't know anything about gardening, and B. It didn't care.

The greenhouse had seemed a good place to (hide) keep watch, however. It could sit on the glasshouse floor, look out through the glass to see if any humans were at risk of being murdered, and pretend it was 'gardening'.

Except now its hiding spot had been discovered. Now it might have to actually pretend to be gardening. Ugh.

"It's...fine," it says, its mechanical wings hunched up around its shoulders. It does not look the human in the eye. "Do what you want."

I

[ms3meters]

Mitsuko herself isn't much of a gardener but she does quite like helping wherever she can. When it comes to gardening, there never seems to be a shortage of things to do and for the most part she has been digging.

However, now she's got some seeds for what would be a lovely bay tree and now she needs a watering can. So the three meter tall woman approaches Bruce, her reptilian eyes inquisitive and ears perking up at what the man says.

"That's an inthreeresting sentiment. What's wrong with being comfortable and adjusted?" she asks curiously, unable to help herself.

Mitsuko Hiramori | Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush !! | Myth |

[ms3meters]

Gardening

[Mitsuko hasn't been doing too well lately. After the events of the last month, she's realised that she's one of the few people here who hasn't... who can't grow. It's a terrifying feeling, especially when paired with finding that another of her friends has 'left' Folkmore. The giant, three meter tall woman, has largely been isolating herself, preferring to stay in the woods of Willow.

But the commotion from the town and the invitation is enough to spark her curiosity, and the three meter tall Myth ends up emerging from the woods to join. Gardening isn't something she's ever done before but the idea of growing her own ingredients to cook is quite exciting, and and so she peruses the various seeds and bulbs.

Feel free to approach her to ask her to help out, especially with the watering. Otherwise, she may call out to you.]

I'm exthreemely sorry, but could you help me out? I want to grow some ginger but I don't know what it looks like before it's ready for the kitchen. Which one is it of these?

----------------

Carving and slicing

[Mitsuko is very good with her claws. Whether you are seated across from her, competing with her for the best pumpkin, or you're just watching from the sidelines, you will see a flurry of pumpkin pulp and skin as she cleaves her way through it. She ends up carving out an imitation of her suit's helmet, a distinct shape for anyone who knows what the Flatwoods Monster is.

However, Mitsuko will yell out in alarm as she's suddenly grabbed by the vines of her creation. The creature is laughably small compared to Mitsuko but it's incredibly strong. She tries to pull away but the pumpkin pulls her arms away from each other so Mitsuko can't use her claws.]

Three! Help! Help! Help!

[goongal]

[Casey (who has recently developed stripes running down her face and body due to her time living in Cruel Summer) rushes towards Mitsuko once she hears her cry out!]

Mitsuko! What is-

[She comes to a stop once she sees the scene before her. Mitsukp is being held by a much smaller pumpkin. One that bears the face of her suit?]

...Is this some kind of training exercise?

Morgan Elsbeth }{ Star Wars }{ Myth

[survivingsister]

Over the Garden Wall

Morgan, after having spent time with her brother in wolf form and running with a pack (again) had been thoroughly angry to find herself returned to her true self, and had retreated to her garden, repairing it for the weeks of neglect - but in reality, the combination of her magick and the technological systems she's put in place had cared for it on the most part. There was handwork to do, of course, but much less than one might suspect.

Mostly, she was sulking, snarling at having something she'd enjoyed so completely taken away. Despite that, it didn't take much for her to be lured to the communal gardens. In part, it was selfish - a desire to look for more plants for herself, a desire to be part of a group working toward the same goal. Yes, she'd sent a message to her Brother to let him know she was going, but that it's self served as an invitation for him more than checking in - especially as the tension inside the greenhouses eased.

Because once in the gardens, Morgan didn't leave. Losing herself in work was something she indulged in more than she had allowed people to know, but her determination had been understood.

Rare for those who had seen her outside the garden, her sleeves were worn up (woven up, actually) with dirt and sap staining her hands and nails. Nearby was a damp bag of plant cuttings and spouts to transplant home, but the places she'd worked clearly had been worked with skilled and practiced hands - neat, carefully tended to, and labeled with fabric ties in small, very neat lettering. And she had been studying the plants here, for magick, herbs, food.

And once she understood what the Lore cans were for, she kept one of those within reach, too.

Attack of the Killer Pumpkins

Morgan hadn't joined in carving faces - instead, she'd carved symbols, glyphs, practiced the language of the tattoos her people used. But when she'd heard a shout nearby, she'd blasted at the pumpkin with a violent burst of electric green magick, shattering it. Vines from another had grabbed her legs, and she'd swept the ground with her hands for purchase and felt a cool metal object touch her fingertips. Once she'd wrestled it from the ground, a long, dark grey, gleaming spear, wicked sharp and very familiar to her had been revealed, and she used the cutting edges of the spear head and the leverage to her advantage - after all. She'd owned this spear once.

Attack of the Killer Pumpkins

[poisonwish]

Carving grotesque visages into gourds to scare away evil spirits? How ironic. Was this that fox's idea of a joke?

As the screams began and the hostile vines burst forth, Snow jumped up with excitement. "Finally! Something interesting around here!" He bore his new fangs with a wicked grin as he grabbed a carving knife and jumped into the fray. Vines were slashed with much more enthusiasm than the intended welcoming activity.

He couldn't help but notice the woman wielding the spear nearby as they both sliced into the offending plants. "Not bad!"

Shin Asakura | Sakamoto Days | Familiar

[damntelepath]

((Note: Shin is a telepath, meaning he picks up on thoughts, memories, fantasies and emotional states of people he encounters. There are many reasons this could not work – but if you’re not comfortable with him picking things up, please let me know here. ))

I. The Garden Wall

[ Shin is directed to the garden, of course, to help with tending the plants and he can’t help but stare at them for a moment, the collection of everything and he runs a hand through his hair. ]

Uh that’s... [ He wants to help, it’s just he has no idea what he’s doing. Either he’s looking lost, or he’s trying to read people’s minds to give him an indication of what the steps are for planting a garden. One way or another he’ll figure it out.]

II. Man-Eating Pumpkins

[ Shin doesn’t really know what he’s doing, one moment he was looking at the pumpkin carving contest, the next he’s moving with the tide, grasping the blade in hand and making a face. It’s not difficult but he’s kind of in a trance, everything else seems to fade away, until the pumkin makes an odd squishy sound and starts getting bigger.

A vine swipes at him and he jumps back. One than another as he weaves his way through. ]

Hey! What’d I do?!

[ He’s not clear on what he’s done to offend the pumpkin but to him it doesn’t seem entirely sentient, at least, it’s not thinking of anything. Various weapons are springing up around him. Sharp blades, firearms, anything anyone could want.

Shin dives down and grasps a pair of gloves out of the dirt, jumping to avoid being attacked again as he pulls them on. ]

Okay, alright, come at me!

III. The Sideshow

[ Look, a man has to eat and to that end, Shin who has no problem since most likely people will talk to him once and never again, that has been the story of most of his life after all, he’ll situate himself where people are coming and going, smiling. ]

Step right up, step right up, for the low price of a snack I’ll tell you what you’re thinking! I promise, I’ll blow your mind!

[ Yeah he sounds a bit like a hustler, but he’s not going to take up assassinating people, that would be against the rules. ]

IV. Wildcard

[ Choose your own Shin adventure! ]

III. The Sideshow

[poisonwish]

Oh? What was this, some circus charlatan? Snow White wasn't impressed.

He did step up, mostly to watch who else might be drawn to the barking calls for a snack. But unbeknownst to the demon, he'd be close enough for Shin's very real powers to pick up on his thoughts. Generally, the usual: doubt, mockery. Boredom.

Then there was the unusual: a wistful desire for a black mamba? Wondering how many spiders it would take to fully cover Shin's head? What the hell??

The Knight/"Little Ghost" | Hollow Knight | Legend

[lordofshades]

i. arrival

A tiny star falls from Willow's skies and lands, appropriately enough, on a bench. It dwells there a moment or two, formless and glowing, before solidifying into a diminutive horned figure in gray and black, slumped as if it's fallen asleep sitting up.

Then it jerks awake, as if at a sudden noise, and looks around itself with hollow black eyes.

Green -- everything's so green -- and all under an open sky that's drizzling down rain. But unlike every other green place the Knight's known, there are dwellings here in good repair, and ... are those ... they must be people, even if they don't resemble any bug or beast it can remember. (Neither did the One who brought it here, so probably follows that everything else would be strange.)

One of them can probably tell it what it ought to be doing. After a few minutes of quiet consideration -- and a few more minutes of trying to figure out where its Nail has gone, which are equally quiet but a great deal more frantic -- it finally slides off the bench and heads for the nearest person. Should they be busy speaking to someone, it queues up beside them like a hopeful child, head tilted toward theirs, and waits for their conversation to finish before tugging gently on a piece of clothing to get their attention.

Hi.

ii. garden, but no queen

As a child of a Root, one might think the Knight would have some of its mother's affinity for growing things.

It really doesn't.

But, since the One who rules this green and growing place said it should be gardening, it will do its best. It has already discovered that a trowel needs to be wielded with a certain finesse -- having uprooted a small flat of seedlings and somehow bisected an entire onion -- and that the watering cans require conversation to fill, which ... it can't ... help with.

So it is now going at weeding with a will, ripping up everything that seems like it doesn't belong in the garden rows. It might need a little direction at that -- it has its big black eyes set on a row of quick-sprouting tomato seedlings, and there's something dangerous in its intense focus.

Those are so dead when it gets over there.

iii. the path of pumpkin

To a creature with (supposedly) no will of its own, the carving kits shine with all the seductive lure of a flame for a moth. (Too soon?) The Knight's never actually carved anything before -- it thinks -- and the selection of bright-colored produce on offer is like nothing it's ever seen before (it thinks), but the idea's not hard to grasp. Not when everyone else who picks up a carving tool is merrily hacking away at their vegetable creations.

After a little deliberation, it selects a turnip about as white and round as its own masked head and gets to work with single-minded intensity. Six round holes for eyes, some little pared-off bits for horns... Fairly soon the turnip's starting to resemble something that crawled out of Deepnest, and when it immediately comes awake like something out of Deepnest, bloating up in size and reaching for the Knight with a single long squirming root --

It feels almost like home. Not having its Nail to hand, the Knight puts its paring knife right between the turnip's middle pair of eyes and immediately launches itself backward with its glowing wings to open space. That it happens to tip over someone else's carving table and send chunks of pumpkin everywhere when it lands is just the unfortunate wages of war.

wildcard.

((Hit me with your best shot! For those unfamiliar with canon, the Knight probably comes up to an adult human's thigh, looks exactly like its icons, and is totally mute.

It's friendly though!! Even if it resembles a weird jack-o-lantern itself.))

i

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul looks around at head height when he feels someone tugging on his robe and only then looks down to discover a.....well, actually he's not quite sure just what kind of being this is. Even in all his many travels throughout the galaxy, he's never seen a being quite like the Knight. They are very small, even shorter than an Ewok would be. But much like an Ewok, he knows for a fact small beings can still be very dangerous. Still, he decides to be friendly until the little creature has otherwise proved itself to be a threat.

"Ah. Hello there. Are you lost, little one?"

Nott The Brave || Critical Role | Familiar

[forget_me_nott]

Attack Of The Killer Pumpkins

[Have you ever wanted to hear a very small goblin howl uncontrollably?

No?

Too bad. You are now being serenaded by the howling and yowling.

There seems to be no stopping the sound, even when the voice cracks audibly.

Nott is a lot more sober than she would personally like to be on top of everything else going on. She was indulging the whims of this place by haphazardly carving a face into a pumpkin. Maybe eating pumpkin guts and seeds along the way. Now the pumpkin is eating her. Or trying to. Nott is half out of a giant pumpkin's mouth, flailing and yowling like a dying animal. Dignity be damned when you're being eaten. She doesn't feel any teeth digging in, but that doesn't mean it won't happen! Any minute now!

She probably should have asked a few more questions, but at least she's not on a damn boat.]

I'll have you know, I'm not edible! No matter how delicious I look! [She kicks upwards, small foot thumping on the inside of the gourd.] Betrayed! Betrayed! By my own creation!

CALEB! [Her first instinct is still to try to find one very scruffy, stinky wizard for a save.]

[buckybbarnes]

[There's no warning that anything is coming while the goblin is thrashing and struggling. There probably hadn't been anybody around while she was carving. But then she would hear an unfamiliar voice calling out from nearby.]

Are you all right? Is this something you wish to have happening?

[Looking around would reveal a man with shaggy long hair, wearing what looked like very worn thrift store clothing that fit several sizes too large, putting off every image that he was not exactly at his best, either. But he was taking in the entire situation with a confused expression, looking as though he couldn't quite suss out what to make of it.]

I can...leave, if this is...what you wish to be doing, since...you do not seem in particular distress?

Othello Von Ryan / Donatello Hamato | Rise of the TMNT (Canon Divergent AU) | Myth | New Player

[von_ryan]

Arrival

The universe contains a lot of very strange things.

Nobody knows this better than The Purple Dragon.

He has seen things. Done things. Survived things that once lived only in the depths of comic books and sometimes even the darkest of his nightmares. He's lived through events that would have broken and destroyed just about anyone else and yet he continued forward. Always forward.

So the fox is definitely a new one.

Why he follows her, he doesn't know. In the midst of raiding another Nexus for information and equipment, fighting off a horde of security guards as he was rushing back to Draconus, Othello Von Ryan found the world stilling around him. The scents of things he only half remembers these days surrounding him before the creature arrived and he... stepped out of his body.

It was the eeriest thing he's ever experienced. And that's saying a lot.

How long he walked behind her, he isn't sure. As he went, though, it was almost like things of him shifted. Changed. Old things falling away for new things. Newer things falling away for old parts of him still clung to. The Dragon Armour he wears seems to shift, too. Warping and altering. Not a helmet, now, but horns. Deep scales across his brow and muzzle. Wings, large and draconian spreading from his shell. The mechanical tail becoming real, his own matching it in length. Somehow... it all feels right. He strides along with her, listening all the while, taking in all the information she has to give. His full potential? He's always longed for that. To reach the truest heights of his genius and ability.

Then, suddenly, the journey is over. The strange form that felt so right, somehow, fades. All of him does. The next moment he's falling. Descending as though he's just done an orbit jump. It's bright and rapid and Othello's mind is trying to hook to his read outs automatically. He gets nothing.

The landing is easier, even, than his usual descent through an atmosphere. Gentle and easy and for a moment he finds himself dazzled by the whole thing. Green spreads around him, as far as he can see. It's soft and stunning. He turns, looking around slowly, his senses momentarily overwhelmed as he takes in the whole experience. It smells... fresh. Clean. More alive than anywhere he's stood in ... in years. Decades, maybe.

He takes in a deep breath, unbidden.

"Drac, atmospheric analysis." he says, quietly.

Only silence meets him. He blinks. He lifts his arm and turns to look at the screen in his armour.

"Drac. Atmo--!!!!"

Nothing. Literally so. He finds himself staring down at the fabric of his skin suit. Immediately he starts looking himself over and around but it's gone. It's all gone!? Everything! Tech. Enhancements. Weapons. He turns again and again, looking around himself for any sign of his gear but finds nothing but carefully planted gardens.

And a rapidly rising sense of foreboding crawling up his spine.

"What the fuck?!"


[OOC : HI THERE! I'm Carrie, a new player to Folkmore! I'm dropping in (hurrhurr) with an AU version of Donatello Hamato from Rise of the TMNT! I've put the basics of his AU up on his journal if you want to go look and I will be writing a more in depth version very soon!

The BIG thing to note with him is that he's older, around 30 years old, and given where his canon diverged? His Ninpo was never awakened. He has no knowledge of what that is or that it could even exist at all.

Also he's going to be very cranky that his Dragon Armour is gone and he can't hide his identity. ]

o hai

[saisdoesmatter]

Getting dragged out to the middle of nowhere because that damned fox wanted them to do something was nothing new. At least there wasn't some damned bitter snow storm or icy wolves that bit and tore the flesh this time.

No - this time it was...gardening? He'd almost have complained if he didn't need an actual break from all the hellish things that happened in Thoth, in the snow, with blood spilled and cracks in the defenses. Willow was pretty chill for the most part, greenery and clean air, unlike the smog filled city he remembered back home.

So Raphael checks what needs to be done and finds himself going to work in a patch by himself. The fresh air would do him some good and focusing on a task helps a lot. It keeps him from fretting too much about Old Bro or Casey - whom need their own time to heal up and the like. It lets him focus.

He mildly thinks about his own brother and how much he'd probably like this part of this strange world before there's falling light out of the corner of his eye. It makes him go on guard, half expecting some horror to pop out of the woodwork like what happened in Thoth, but as soon as the star lands and the light clears...

...it's another turtle. Some distance away. Tall, older, and obviously not pleased at being here.

And it appears to be yet another Donatello Hamato from the family that isn't his.

He's still cautious, because who knows what type of Donnie this is, where he's come from, or if he can summon guns like the younger one did when he met him on the air ship when he first got here. So he approaches, but definitely keeps his distance.

"...Donnie?"