December 2025-January 2026 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

December 2025-January 2026 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]

Get Some Fire in Your Blood . ★

Content Warnings: Potential violence, potential outfit change (can be rejected)

While sand-filled deserts are known for scorching daytime heat, Cruel Summer is freezing. The means to get and stay warm is proving an awfully hot commodity this winter. (Pun absolutely intended.)

There are bright points to all of this! Little desert bushes have caught fire and burn merrily away without pause or fuel. Sadly, they're not transplantable, or movable, at all. Any interference puts the fire out, and quenched bushes stubbornly refuse to relight, even in the face of arson.

There's also an absolutely massive blaze going on at Agrona Academy: With a base a hundred feet wide, the flames stretch high enough to be seen from anywhere in the desert. Blessedly, while the scale continues for distance, it doesn't include intensity. The heat of the blaze covers a diameter twice the size of the campus but is never hotter than a standard bonfire from ten feet away. No flesh-melting intensity here!

If the direct heat of flames doesn't appeal, there are other ways to keep warm: anything that gets the blood pumping, as participant or spectator. This is Cruel Summer! That means that the fighting pits are open day and night, as the regularly-occurring matches put fire in the blood of fighters and spectators alike. There's always the more intimate route; the emotional equivalent of bundling-up-together-for-warmth seems to be working even better than the old standard two-bodies-one-sleeping-bag. Opening up to others about the people and ideals that inspire each person to keep going, even when things seem impossible, brings a welcome thaw to the immediate environment.

A good thing, too, because most of the trailers at Puca Park have no means of staying heated–so everyone's stuck bunching up at, or cramming into, the few true houses, no matter how small they might be. Going back to the trailers for very brief visits isn't really any worse than visiting any other arctic outhouse, though, so hopefully the lines for the bathrooms won't get out of hand. If they do, well… there's another chance to talk to the other people waiting in line, right?

When it's time to escape the intermittent bursts of cold wind blasting sand across every exposed surface, the flickering lights of spirit-tended bonfires beckon one and all closer. Camps throughout Cruel Summer feature wind-sheltered firepits and a collection of tents surrounding them. These normal bonfires carry the risk of the discomfort of extremes: a scorching heat from the fire, and the bitter cold of any body part not directly facing it. Perhaps a toasty-warm drink will help or snacking on the delicious fire-roasted foods that never get a chance to grow cold?

Those inappropriately dressed for the weather will get directed to one of the warm tents, where it's possible to get a winter outfit. There's a catch, of course. Those entering the tents don't get to design or pick their winter makeover. Instead, the choice will be theirs whether to accept the clothes or not—with the understanding that acceptance means wearing them for twenty-four hours. The outfit will be theirs to keep permanently along with a gift from home (or another world). The gift may even be a weapon or magical item.

Which world? The designer's world. See, across Folkmore there's a new app front-and-center on everyone's relics: Fox Couture. Design an outfit or two or ten to suit winter fashion in one's own home world. Fancy and formal, everyday basic, or walking-the-dog-at-three-in-the-morning… Whatever appeals, the app will find a suitable option to add to the little mannequin's display! Don’t take too long to complete an outfit, though. That's another of Folkmore's residents getting dressed up in what's selected. Once the outfit is marked complete, the maker and the model will be given each other's names and contact information. Gulp. Hope they liked it.

Nothing prevents coming back for future dressing-up sessions, and there's no requirement to accept the outfit. One's original clothing, no matter how poorly suited to the weather, is still available piled up neatly on the bench behind that folding screen over there. So spin that wheel as many times as one wants. Come in, get warm, get dressed up, and let the designer know exactly what you think about their selections.

• Cruel Summer is cold.
• Bushes burn in the desert, unless messed with, and Agrona Academy has an enormous bonfire.
• Emotional intimacy or physical combat (participation or spectation) can keep people warm.
• Spirits man bonfires & tents around Cruel Summer with free food and drink.
• Enter a tent to get free winter clothes, which just so happen to be designed by a Star Child via a fashion app on their relics. Accept the clothes, and both parties find out who the other is.
• Accept & wear outfits for 24 hours to keep them permanently. One time, Star Children will also get a gift from home or the designer's home.

A War of Land Itself . ★

Content Warnings: Potential violence, potential stalking (by monsters), potential forced transformation, potential forced emotional change/compulsion

The regional borders have shifted between Cruel Summer and Exile, so that the desert now encroaches to the bank of the northwestern fork of the Encantado. The river has a sandy shore, and between the old borders and new are a great deal of dead plants, downed trees, and other signs of Exile foliage that has given up the ghost. Further plants and soil can be discovered underneath all the sand. It's fine. It's desert now.

As prominent and easily found in this new area of Cruel Summer are weapons. From swords, axes, and halberds to bows, crossbows, and guns, they can all be found sticking out of the sand, free for the taking. They are plain, unadorned, and old. However, they're in good shape and ready to be used without needing to be sharpened or cleaned. Everyone who picks up a weapon will gain a feeling of being watched or stalked. This feeling carries with them no matter where they go, whether they head into Exile or deeper into Cruel Summer or even to another region of Folkmore altogether. Anywhere from 12-24 hours later, somewhere in Folkmore, a creature from Exile will attack them. These creatures vary, but they are all intelligent, dangerous predators. Therefore, they are more likely to attack once their prey has set down their weapon and is unarmed.

These weapons may find use more quickly because the border region of Cruel Summer and Exile has grown especially dangerous. The monsters of both regions have begun fighting each other over the territory. Exile's creatures clearly still see the land as theirs, while those of Cruel Summer come to claim ownership. Star Children may find themselves in the middle of a fight they don't mean or want to be in. Exile creatures will attack Star Children as invaders as readily as Cruel Summer creatures. However, those from Cruel Summer will not go out of their way to attack Star Children.

For those who aren't inclined to combat, beautiful (and naked) humanoid spirits in Encantado's waters will invite Star Children to take refuge with them in the river. Friendly dolphins may squirt Star Children with water, but nothing will attack Star Children there. The danger is more insidious. Star Children who stay in the river too long will transform into dolphins and forget who they are in delirium. Anyone who sees this happen or otherwise figures out that some of these dolphins are Star Children may want to rescue them! Star Children can be saved a couple of ways. They can be ushered down the river to Nereid on the coast or they can be brought home (or wherever else) to be set in some water in a pool, bath, or other large container of a Star Child's choice. In both cases, an hour or two in non-enchanted water will see them return to themselves. Memories of being a dolphin may be fuzzy or like an extremely strange dream.

Oases surrounded by shrubs, bushes, and trees pop up around Cruel Summer, creating new sources of fresh water. The soil near these oases are saturated with water, such that these small miracles may appear to be quite the blessing to those arriving in Cruel Summer. The water is cool and satisfies whatever thirst Star Children have. However, melancholy or other negative moods follow consuming it. These moods may be overwhelming or simply background. Unignorable is the compulsion to head toward Exile and the Swamp of Sorrows in particular. Star Children will head in that direction, regardless of wherever they think they are trying to go. Should they reach the swamp, they will find themselves stuck, lacking the will to leave, until they are rescued or die.

Fortunately for these compelled souls, all paths toward Exile will take them through Puca Park. That gives them a decent chance to run into someone before meeting their slow sad fate. Other Star Children may easily figure out something is wrong, and they have a couple ways to break the compulsion and the imposed negative moods. The first is to use words, conversation, to reach people. Get a compelled Star Children to talk through their negative mood and what in their life experience has caused them to feel that way before will set them free. Even better, the more Star Children open up about their own negative feelings and experiences, the more a compelled Star Child will feel like talking, even if they usually don't. The second is to use fists or other forms of physical force to knock the compelled Star Child out. Specially, Star Children must knock the compelled Star Child out with physical effort, not magic, sleeping pills, or other means. Nothing like a good hard knock to the head to reset.

Perhaps none of this should be a surprise. Agrona is the iteration who leads the fighting school, and Cruel Summer is a place that physically tests those who enter it.

• Cruel Summer has taken over Exile until it reaches the Encantado River.
• Weapons can be found freely throughout the new desert. Picking one up will lead to being stalked by an Exile monster and attacked 12-24 hours later wherever in Folkmore one goes.
• Monsters from each region fight each other in the new desert area. Might need those weapons if you get stuck in the middle!
• Naked beautiful spirits invite Star Children to escape the violence in the Encantado River. Stay too long and turn into a dolphin and forget yourself.
• Save a dolphin-ed Star Child by getting them to non-enchanted water, either down to the sea or take them home.
• Oases pop up in Cruel Summer, providing water to all who need it. Those who drink the water feel negative moods and are compelled toward the Swamp of Sorrows in Exile.
• All compelled Star Children pass through Puca Park. Other Star Children may save them by getting them to talk about their emotions (easier if you talk about yours) or by knocking them out with physical force. Bonk.

Comments

Questions

[folkie]

jasnah kholin | stormlight archive | legend

[elsecall]

— 01. AGRONA ACADEMY

The enormous fire at Agrona Academy is impossible to ignore. Especially for someone from a world where open flame is, more often than not, a deliberate risk of destruction. Jasnah stands at its edge, close enough that the heat presses against her face. Close enough that, if the fire were behaving as fire should, she would already be burned. Instead, it's no more violent than a simple heating fabrial.

Huh.

She paces a fraction of its circumference: measured steps, hands clasped behind her back, attention tracing the perimeter as though patience alone might coax out its secret. The fire neither flares nor dims. It does not respond to proximity or presence.

It simply is.

Damnation. What kind of Investiture produces a result this stable? After a time, she stops someone near the blaze, turning to them with a thoughtful crease between her brows.

"The fire behaves," Jasnah observes. "Do you get the same impression? I can't decide whether it's reassuring or deeply, deeply unsettling."

— 02. THE FIGHTING PITS

Jasnah watches from the edge of the fighting pits, removed just enough to escape the worst of the noise, close enough to see technique beneath the spectacle.

Her expression remains composed, attentive. Arms folded. Weight shifted subtly onto one hip. She tracks the fighters with a strategist's eye: footwork, timing, hesitation. When a blow lands cleanly, she nods once, as if a hypothesis has been confirmed.

She is not a fighter. Not remotely. But she is interested. And that interest warms her, faint but undeniable. She felt it earlier, too. When she caught a stranger as they stumbled on the steps, when they shared a brief, rueful laugh over nothing of consequence. A moment of connection, however fleeting, that pushed back the cold more effectively than fire alone.

She turns to the person beside her.

"Fascinating," Jasnah says quietly. "Violence and vulnerability are rewarded with the same warmth. I wonder why."

— 03. THE TENT

The warm tents (and the makeovers they promise) are perhaps the strangest offering of all.

Jasnah stands just outside one, the canvas stirring faintly in the cold wind. She has already assessed what can be seen from without, but she hasn't crossed the threshold. Her hands are clasped behind her back: one bare, one hidden beneath a neatly buttoned sleeve. Her breath fogs in the air as she watches.

Others enter. Others emerge. Some smiling. Some startled. All changed. She notes the faint glow of their relics, the new names, the threads of connection quietly forged.

At last, she speaks to someone lingering nearby, perhaps weighing the same decision.

"—What do you think? Is the gift worth the potential cost?" Jasnah asks.

Loss of comfort. familiarity. Perhaps even dignity. She shifts her stance, a rare, restless motion. A ridiculous concern surfaces — whether the resulting outfit would respect her hidden safehand. Absurd, she knows. Vorin modesty has little authority here. And yet. She remains where she is, thoughtful, poised on the edge of a choice she won't make lightly.

— OOC NOTES
- find out more about Jasnah here
- hit me with brackets if you don't wanna prose
- feel free to reach out if you wanna come up with a different starter together

02

[zacrifice]

Her random companion is a new arrival, to the seating area at least; if she's been watching for a while, she might recognize Zack as one of the recent participants of the fighting pits below, a round or two back. He looks scuffed and a bit dirty from any rolling around that may have occurred, but none the worse for wear. (He definitely won his fight, sorry to whoever he thoroughly smoked.) Why is he sitting here? Well, it was an empty space, of course. Also he forgot where he'd sat before.

Her comment makes him laugh. In the firelight around the stands, his eyes glow a strange blue. "It's because it gets your blood boiling, obviously! There's a word for it, sounds science-y."

Adrenaline??

[elsecall]

Jasnah looks askance at...at someone. Someone familiar? Why does he look familiar? The eyes are notable, but not strange. Not that different from her own when she's burning stormlight, albeit hers are violet. Her attention narrows while she sorts through some vague impressions, but it oddly-weirdly-strangely requires her giving him a thorough (albeit quite neutral) full-body assessment before realizing he'd been on of the competitors during an earlier bout.

A winner, if she recalls correctly. And she almost always does.

"The violence I understand." She doesn't supply the word (adrenaline) but recognizes what he's driving at. "The other bits, not so much."

It's not that she dislikes vulnerability! It's just that she approaches it so coolly. Hard to imagine it gets the blood boiling at all.

1.

[whowillmourn]

The cold does not bother Mayerling the way it does humans, as his existence without the gifts he's received here in Folkmore revolves around night and the dark. Temperatures naturally drop at night, so that even in places with pleasant comfortable days, the night bites and gnaws at those who venture out within its realm. The northernmost reaches of Folkmore are like that, but here in the desert where it often remains warmer than the rest of Folkmore, the cold bites all the harder. The fire? The fire presses against that cold without burning. A strange fire indeed.

"I put its behavior down to our host," Mayerling says, "though I admit she is known more for her chaotic nature than her orderly imposition. So whilst I understand why it behaves, it also strikes me as unsettling as to why she'd make it behave. Tis a generous warmth, but when she brings the cold, the generosity rings hollow."

In short, he agrees and can neither settle down nor entirely remain alert. His greater than human senses help, should danger come, but the schools have always been places of safety. They should be safe here as well as warm.

[elsecall]

Her attention slides to the side — eyeing the stranger, more curiosity than hostility. No one she's met thus far has merited much more than careful scrutiny. Still, can't be too careful! Jasnah is a paranoid creature at heart.

"Is it common for her to inflict the problem while she also provides the solution?"

Asked like a true newbie in these parts.

02

[survivalthroughhate]

Standing beside her is one who can often be found in the fighting pits, dressed in his usual dark clothing. Right now, he is taking a break, and merely watching the others. He looks like a demon from Hell, although his looks are just a complete coincidence, given that's just how the males of Maul's species tend to look in a galaxy far, far away.

A faint expression that is just barely a smile comes to his face when she asks. The low, soft-spoken voice he has is at odds with the extreme coloration, tattoos, and horns he possesses. "Because both are great tasks to undertake. Physically, mentally, it does not matter." Such is how Maul himself sees things, given fighting is practically part of his religion.

[elsecall]

Forget demon from Hell — the man, when she shifts to look at him, appears eerily like a singer. A humanoid species from her home planet, distinguished by their red-marbled skin. And carapace, although he doesn't seem to have quite so much as a singer would. The result is a flicker of curiosity (and, yes, apprehension) but not shock. Her shoulders set a little straighter. She doesn't know whether or not she wishes he was a singer. What a hollow, strange feeling to wish you could see your enemy again.

But then he speaks, and the rhythms are missing. Her posture eases. Jasnah nods, considering his words.

"Growth and improvement," she sucks on her teeth — skeptical, "that's what someone else said it was all about. Do you agree?"

Leonardo Hamato | ROTTMNT | Legend/Current Character

[grabaslice]

Fight Or Flight

[There is an... odd sense of relief in fighting. Not that Leonardo can completely explain it. So much of his life has been spent fighting that he should be tired of it by now.

But muscle memory carries him through every time. The only snag is he can't finish off whose he's fighting. He has to keep catching himself from anything too deadly.

When he slows down, the cold begins to seep in, and it leaves the turtle trying to keep himself moving. He should stop, he really should, but... fighting is always easier than dealing with much else.

As someone new walks up, he lowers his blade, managing a tired but friendly enough smile back at them.]

You sure you want to try me? Might not work in your favor.

[Well, someone is confident.]

Sit Down

[Eventually, Leonardo is taken out of the fighting ring racket by someone more skilled or more energetic than he currently is. The turtle is already regretting not just picking back up his sword as the cold seeps in.

He sits at a bonfire, rubbing his hands together. The sweatpants and loose shirt he can't button closed aren't helping in the least. Leo should get up and get a drink, but, the idea of going anywhere feels like a bit much at the moment.]

I'm not made for this weather, but, I guess I'll adjust. [He grouses to himself, trying to shake it off. He turns his attention to his fellow Star Child, new or old-] You doing alright so far?

oh hai you chose heads so you get this one that will probably be homeless forever

[cutebutmean]

*it was bad enough she had no idea where the hell she was. Couple that with it being downright cold af and not New York City where her actual warm clothes were and she's grumpy as hell, at least glad for some warmth from this cold in the middle of this weird dream realm. Why couldn't she wake up already? God damn it*

*at least one of the tents had given her something to bundle up in, but huddling by the fire she was half fiddling with this weird relic thing that looked like an old game boy that she might have taken apart once upon a time*

*the question makes her glance up, purple hair falling over one eye as she blinks at........is that one of the turtles? The fuck when did they get so old?*

Hell no; this dream SUCKS. When do we wake up already?

ripperoni, Kendra

[grabaslice]

[Leonardo needs a moment to take in the fact this is Kendra. He barely can recognize her at this point. She had grown into someone else with time.

Not the first time he's seen a teenaged version of someone he knew. It's a trend in his life here so far.]

Sorry, kid, this isn't a dream. Thirteen foxnapped you. Kind of her whole deal.

Fight or Flight

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul cocks his head in an arrogant fashion, whirling his sword around in a motion that is much more flash than substance, designed to show off his dexterity rather than be used to an attack an opponent since the match has yet to become. He smirks, an old expression that hearkens back to when he was much younger and more arrogant when it came to fighting opponents.]

Are you so certain about that, my reptilian friend?

[grabaslice]

[Whilst Maul shows off, Leonardo is steady, patient. He doesn't want to use up too much energy just yet.]

Oh, I'm real certain. [He doesn't doubt Maul's abilities, but, Leonardo knows he can hold his own decently enough. He's healthier than he ever was back home, even with the lull in action.]

I'm sure this will be a very good fight, though.

Bucky Barnes | Marvel Cinematic Universe | Familiar/Current Character

[buckybbarnes]

A - Not Much Of A Firefighter

[Bucky was supposed to be figuring out who he was. And he was trying to do that, he really was.

But who he was also happened to be someone who was actually really, really good at violence. So the talk of a school that was all about combat had his attention, even if on some level he felt as though he didn't necessarily want that.

But goddamn that was a bigass fire.

He honestly didn't feel like a fire this big was supposed to just be...burning like this. And yet he couldn't tell that anyone seemed all that particular about it, as he stood close enough to feel the heat but without seeing anyone else who looked as worried as he felt they should be.

...he also remembered after a few minutes why standing near fire while having a metal limb that fastened through his torso wasn't the most comfortable, which sent him scurrying back away from it in a matter of minutes, grimacing a little at the sensation.

Which led to him standing just outside the proffered heat of the blaze, shaking out his metal arm, which did seem to have slightly singed the edge of the shirt he was wearing. Yikes, that looked as though it had to be uncomfortable.]

B - More Just A Regular Fighter

[He had found the fighting pits, and thus far seemed to be more than holding his own. He'd already gone through several opponents, seemingly without effort, and looked as though he simply didn't know why he was going through with the battles.

By this point, he was standing outside the pit, grimacing a little, but looking around, either for his next opponent, or for something else entirely, it was hard to say.]

C - Clothes? Clothes

[Eventually, he wanders his way to a warm tent, after someone finally noticed that he didn't seem particularly well dressed for the weather. Despite his protests that he was fine, he didn't put up much of a fight as he was herded into said tent.]

...what do you mean a “winter makeover?” [he was asking, clearly bewildered.] I keep telling you all, the cold is not a concern to me. I can ignore it.

[Someone's going to have to convince the cyborg in shirt sleeves that a coat wouldn't kill him.]

D - Wildcard

[Have at it, hit up the wild man with anything you want!]

C

[forget_me_nott]

[Nott isn't exactly the most fashion forward of goblins, but Bucky Barnes walking around without a sweater? Incorrect.

Nott all but walked over, waving a clawed hand at his current outfit.]

If you don't wear a damn sweater, you'll freeze those buns off. Layer up at least!

[buckybbarnes]

[Bucky glanced over, blinking for a moment before recognizing her, looking down at himself, then back at her.]

I am not carrying any buns. And I do not need a sweater. The cold does not affect me.

[Technically it absolutely did, but he was pretty good at ignoring that shit at this point.]

A

[ihadstrings]

Yowch. That doesn't look right.

[Ultron observes when he sees how Bucky's arm has singed his clothes. Once again, he's pleased to find that there is an advantage to being in a metal form which can't feel any pain or discomfort.]

You look a little extra crispy there, pal.

[buckybbarnes]

It happens, [Bucky answered, somewhat gruffly, even as he was holding the arm out a bit from his body, clearly intending to just let it cool down.]

Fortunately I can heal from most burns in a matter of minutes. Severe ones might take hours. It is nothing I cannot deal with.

[all7seas]

I've quenched my bush.
[Odd, really. He was messing with it, trying to figure out the workings of the strange little blazing shrub. Now he's waggling his fingers at it as though he could perhaps conjure it back into flame.

No good.

Turning, Jack approaches another merrily burning bush. He can't not poke at it suspiciously, and it, too, goes extinct.]

Bugger.

[Feel free to stop him before he extinguishes more.]

[licensetocrane]

[Is this guy a pirate? Or a cosplayer? She hopes it's the former.]

Maybe stop touchin' the bushes, my guy. [April's a tiny 4'8 girl standing a few feet behind him, cupping her own heat source in her hands - a tiny ball of flame hovering above her palms - seeing as Jack seems intent on putting all the other heat sources out.] Unless you really wanna freeze to death.

[all7seas]

Magical.

[Jack observes the fire in this girl's hands and like most magical things it both unsettles and attracts him. Best not to be too trusting, no matter how tiny a person is.]

Are you some type of leprechaun?

[He pokes at a third bush and it goes cold and dark. He apparently can't not poke.]

[elsecall]

It's called cause and effect.

[ Jasnah stands at another near-but-not-too-near bush. Still alight, although she sorta subtly puts herself between it and this chaotic creature before he extinguishes her heart source too.

She's got one bare hand reached out, taking warmth but not close enough to touch. She's learned better, unlike him. The words probabilistic causation roll indignantly around in the back of her head. Anyway, one bare hand out to the fire — and the other seemingly buttoned away under an otherwise extra-long sleeve. ]

[goldenglasses]

Whoa. All you did is poke it. [He had been watching the flames. Trying to figure out how they were burning endlessly without going out or spreading further.] Are you... like made of water or something? [He hasn't tried to poke one himself yet and is unaware he can do the same if he tried.]

Tomoro Tenma | Digimon Beatbreak | New character

[irregularbeat]

[ It's A Cruel, Cruel Summer ]

[ Tomoro was, to be frank, rather cross about himself and his Digimon partner, Gekkomon, being brought to this other world. Technically, it was his own fault for following the fox, but he couldn't remember how or why he had done so, so he felt justified at being annoyed at the circumstances.

What took precedence, however, was all the fire everywhere. Neither Tomoro or Gekkomon had any idea what to do with it, as new as they were, and what was more, they had no winter clothes, so they had no choice to take shelter near one of the bushfires to keep warm. ]

Tomoro...do we really have to just sit here, huddled around the fire? It's kinda lame, and we'll never figure out how to get back this way, ya know!

If you have a better idea to not freeze to death, be my guest.

[ Gekkomon grumbled to himself...when suddenly, he noticed something. Gasping, he pointed at Tomoro's forehead. ]

...What? What's wrong?

Your head! You grew something, ya know!

[ Tomoro blinked, and felt around up there with his hands...discovering that he indeed had sprouted a pair of devil-like horns.

The scream that followed could likely be heard throughout the desert. ]

-----

[ And Not A Drop To Drink ]

[ Finding an oasis seemed like a godsend for the parched Tomoro, but Gekkomon? Didn't need to eat or drink, and he didn't care much for water's taste to begin with, so he didn't drink any.

Several hours later? It proved to be a bad idea, as they reached Exile—specifically, Puca Park—and Tomoro's mood took a turn for the worse. He became sullen, combative, and downright depressed, pushing Gekkomon and his concerns away, like he had early in their partnership. ]

Tomoro! Come on! Tell me what's wrong, ya know! I thought we were over all this! It's like we took a bunch'a steps back, ya know!

Just shut up. You wouldn't get it.

I can't get it if you don't tell me! Just let it out, ya know!

[ Tomoro mumbled something inaudible in response. ]

...What was that?

...I said why don't you just disappear, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S IMPORTANT DOES IN MY LIFE!

[ Gekkomon stood there, frozen in shock for a few moments, before turning away in tears and running off. Tomoro watched him go until he disappeared from view, before storming off in the opposite direction, intent on making his own way. ]

---

[ ooc: Hey there! Tomoro is coming in with his Digimon partner, Gekkomon, as was discussed with the mods on the faq. Green text denotes Gekkomon speaking, and plain text denotes Tomoro speaking!

For the last prompt, you have options! For Gekkomon, you can encounter him and console him and then help him find Tomoro once he realizes what's going on. For Tomoro, he will be affected by the water and be depressed and combative!

If you have questions, DM this journal, or hit me up @ Tyranno. ]

And Not a Drop to Drink

[rulerandthekiller]

"Wait!"

Rufus called out to whoever had come running near, after that heated exchange. Heh, heated... Anyway, these were the first voices he'd heard in awhile and he couldn't afford to lose one of them running past him.

"I don't know why you're yelling, but... surely you must have better uses for yourself?" The executive sat propped against a set of concrete stairs leading to one of the trailers, shivering. His wheelchair was toppled nearby.