folkie: (Default)
folkmore mod ([personal profile] folkie) wrote in [community profile] folkmeme2024-04-13 09:23 am
Entry tags:

April-May 2024 Test Drive Meme

April-May 2024 TDM
Introduction

[ TDM QuestionsJump to CommentsFull Navigation ]

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 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 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 OnePrompt Two]

Lost & Found .
Content Warnings: Forced Relocation, Forced Sharing, Potential Violence & Harm

New Star Children arrive in Wintermute. Not at the hot springs, the school, or anywhere else near civilization. They arrive in the middle of white, snowy nowhere. The good news is that Wintermute is no longer dark twenty-four seven. There is enough light to avoid crevasses, blocked up wells, and other dangerous features of the landscape. Further, no one is expected to figure out how to get out of there on their own.

Usually Thoth finds the lost travelers in the cold expanse of Wintermute. However, she's busy exploring the multiverse for new and interesting ideas for technology. Not to fret! She hasn't abandoned ye who've entered here. There's a new emergency lost and found network:

The Wandering Dog food carts are now open twenty-four seven! The dogs work in shifts, but the food remains as delicious as ever. When a Star Child gets lost in Wintermute, another Star Child will happen to be buying food from a Wandering Dog somewhere in Folkmore. One such lucky unlucky Star Child gets transported to the School of Thoth. Specifically, to where the mechanical sled dogs hang out. They receive a warm winter coat over whatever they were wearing and another one on hand for whoever they are rescuing. Then it's off across the snow! Don't worry, non-mushing experts, the dogs know what they're doing and lead the sled right to the designated lost Star Child.

The rescuee gets to lay in the sled for the ride back, wrapped up warm and cozy in their new winter coat (it may be spring, but it's always cold in Wintermute). The sled dogs bring Star Children back to the hot springs, so that they can warm up even more. Alternatively, Star Children can explore the Cutting Edge, the School of Thoth, or something else in Wintermute. However, the Star Children cannot part ways or leave Wintermute immediately.

The sled dogs, yes the whole team, will stay with the pair to enforce this. They may surround the pair like a pack, cuddle pile on top of them, or lay around the edges of a hot spring. No matter how long it takes to realize the dogs are doing this and that there's a reason for it, Star Children will eventually find instructions in one of the dogs' collars: Share something that other people have refused to listen to you about. Everyone ought to be listened to.

Only once both Star Children have shared something with each other will the dogs let them part ways and see, perhaps, the rest of Folkmore.

On the walk to Akhlut Station, Star Children will see plain weapons sticking out of the snow: swords, guns, knives. These are simple, non-magical practical weapons. Experienced Star Children may know to suspect such free offerings, but nothing immediately happens upon picking one up. However, once on the train, the train will be attacked by frost spirits. These icy spirits must either be hacked to pieces until they can no longer reform or melted with fire. Innocent passengers who didn't pick up a weapon may be forced to get involved, but the frost spirits will be most focused on those who picked up weapons.

  • New Star Children arrive in remote areas of Wintermute.
  • Star Children buying food from The Wandering Dog get teleported to the School of Thoth to rescue people with a team of sled dogs.
  • Star Children get amazing new winter coats!
  • Star Children cannot part ways until they share something others have refused to listen to! The dogs enforce this.
  • Simple, non-magical weapons stick out of the snow on the way to the train station.
  • Anyone who picks up one of those weapons will see their train get attacked by frost spirits.
No Dumb Ideas .
Content Warnings: Potential Forced Participation, Potential Harm

Thoth has been listening to any and all ideas people have had around science in the last few months. Whether they were shower thoughts or a discussion between scientific colleagues or anywhere in between, she's made her list and built every one as an experiment. On a human scale. A human test subject scale. Because every idea has merit. That's right: Thoth believes in you.

Posters saying Thoth Needs You! go up around Folkmore. They offer a reward for participating in an experiment. Simply tear off a piece of paper from the bottom of the poster, and at some point in the future, you're in. Now, there might be a little hiccup here or there. These posters are experimental too! So some Star Children who don't tear off a slip might get pulled into an experiment as well. (Who said Thirteen ought to recruit for her trials? Thoth listened… or she tried.) Oh well, at least it's all in the name of science!

Perhaps Star Children need to sing Baby It's Cold Outside to convince the other to stay (it really will be cold outside). Perhaps they have a choice of spinners, buttons, levers, or other devices to interact with. Perhaps they make their way through a maze. Perhaps they try a new contraption. Perhaps they even recognize their own idea come to life! There's a multitude of new tech to try, and it has not been safety tested.

Nothing will explode. Probably. Maybe. Okay, some experiments are definitely going to have explosions. How about pressing that button anyway and finding out if it's this one?

Once Star Children survive the experiment—and they will, Thoth may be a loose cannon of a scientist, but she's ensured that much—they will emerge from one of the School of Thoth's laboratories. Togo, the grey wolf mascot, waits on the other side with an item for each test subject: an item from home. This may even be a weapon or magical item.

No one is left to the cold to fend for themselves. One of the nearby classrooms has been set up as a first aid center. Dog spirits of all sizes, from the smallest Maltipoo spirit to the largest Great Dane spirit, staff a healing clinic and will treat any injuries Star Children received in the experiments (or already sported). They offer hot lemonade—lemon juice, molasses, and hot water—to everyone to warm their soul. Injured Star Children can find a corner to rest by themselves or company with which to discuss their experiments.

  • Thoth has built experiments to bring Star Children’s ideas to life.
  • Pick a paper tab off a Thoth Needs You! poster to participate. Or don’t. A mishap may bring Star Children there regardless.
  • Do science! Be a human experiment! Maybe experience explosions!
  • Togo, the Thoth mascot, will have an item from home for every Star Child who participates.
  • Dog spirits man (dog?) a first aid center in a nearby classroom.
unrival: (010)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-04-19 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
That's normal for humans, or so I've heard. [A beat.] Unless that's offensive.

[She's tried to make a habit of being nicer about human limitations! Someone very dear to her now is human, after all.

She snaps her fingers and points towards the contraption; with a low rumble, the little golem walks slowly over, raising one hand towards the lever, though it doesn't pull just yet. They should be prepared when it happens.]
soloacts: (Default)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-04-20 10:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[She snorts.] Good call back. No, that's not offensive. At least... I'm not offended.

[Gwen watches the golem as it slowly trudges over to the lever.] So how does it work? Is it just an extension of you? How does it know what you want?

[The countdown is starting, so in about 10 seconds the golem will have to pull the lever, possibly sealing its fate.]
unrival: (014)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-04-21 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
Well... magic, of course.

[That's how it works. The golem arrives in front of contraption, reaching up to grab the lever, not yet pulling.]

It's not an extension, more like a tool. It follows my commands, and once I'm finished with it, it returns to mud. [And that's about when the countdown reaches its end, so she calls out,] Abomination, pull!

[Down that lever goes. Hope they're in a safe space!]
soloacts: (Default)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-04-21 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
Got me there. [She scoffs. Gwen likes clearer explanations. Things she can understand. Magic is outside the bounds of sense.

The golem slams down the lever and the mechanism starts. The little car covered in matches lights, and it does wrong almost immediately. The ramps wobble, the contraption squeals. A bucket on a string loosens and falls and dumps liquid on the golem and the entire machine.

And everything ignites, the golem too. Gwen's eyes go wide, mouth wide as she watches the mud burn, thinking of how she'd been stood there only moments before.]
HOLY SHIT!
unrival: (004)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-04-21 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
[....

Wow, uh. They sure dodged one harsh punishment. Amity stares at it for a long moment, jaw dropped, as the golem wobbles away from the machine, patting itself down to try and put the flames out. Shaking off her shock, she lifts her hands high and drops them down, directing the golem to collapse into a pile of mud and rolling it over itself a few times to try and snuff out the flames.]


Why would anyone make a machine that did that!?
soloacts: (pic#17060895)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-04-22 11:12 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't know. Maybe Thoth is a psychopath? Good call on the golem. [She might have been able to dodge getting lit on fire, but it's not a certainty.] Or they didn't mean for it to do that and don't really care about safety protocols?

[Classic super-villain in the making vibes, to be honest. If Thoth starts trying to strap robot octopus arms on her back, they'll all be in trouble.]
unrival: (014)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-04-23 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe... either way, I would call that test a failure. Whether it meant to do that or it worked incorrectly- this machine needs fixing.

[She lifts her hand, a soft magenta glow around it, and the mud re-manifests into a humanoid form, but this time it is decidedly more... crunchy. The fire dried up some of the water, and as it waddles towards them, there's a number of cracks across its body.]

Is there something else they want us to do, or can we leave this place now?
soloacts: (pic#17060916)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-04-26 02:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[Gwen looks around, uncertain.] I think we're done. I remember they said something about a reward? Maybe it's nothing, but might as well see if nearly getting lit on fire was worth the trouble.

And maybe we can drop a complaint in a suggestion box somewhere around here...
unrival: (050)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-04-26 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree on both of those options. I'd like to write a strongly-worded letter to the one who runs this place.

[She looks around, and- oh! There's a door, now.]

...Was that there before?

[Come on, golem friend, you can open that door in case it also explodes. Set them free!]
soloacts: (Default)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-04-30 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
No, I don't think it was. [She eyes the door, watching with slight apprehension as the golem goes over to the door. When it opens, she tenses and then... nothing.

On the outside, she spies some gray fur and ears? It shakes it's head and Gwen spies something hanging out of its mouth. Two gift bags?]


Uh, maybe those are the rewards? [And they better be worth it.]
Edited 2024-04-30 05:32 (UTC)
unrival: (143)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-04-30 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I sure hope so.

[They put the work in, they earned it! Amity accepts the bag the dog offers to her, peering inside. ...Oh! She pulls out a little jar.]

That's where this went? You stole it and turned it into a reward? What a scam!

[Ugh, so annoying... she does accept it, though, uncorking it to peer inside. At least it seems intact... with a gesture, she releases the spell on the golem, allowing it to flop back into limp mud. She doesn't need it anymore.]
soloacts: (pic#17060894)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-05-05 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[She watches Amity open hers first. It's a jar? Gwen peers a bit closer.] What is it? Something for your magic?

[Eventually, she looks into her own and instantly brightens.] My webshooters?! [Then she grimaces at her own outburst. This secret identity thing has gotten really complicated with multiverse hopping and now with this place. Quickly, she takes them out of the bag and puts them on her wrists before pulling her sleeves back down. Nothing to see here.]
unrival: (140)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-05-06 03:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Amity glances over at the exclamation, but the whatever-those-are end up donned and hidden so quickly she gets the very obvious hint that it's meant to be secret. She can be respectful... but she is very curious, so pardon if her eyes keep being drawn to Gwen's sleeves.]

Yes, this is abomination slime. It's a much better material for my golems.

[She stretches a hand out, magenta circle appearing around it, and a stream of purple goo flows from the pot and floats around her like a squishy, eager snake.]
soloacts: (pic#17060902)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-05-11 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
[She's grateful that Amity doesn't ask, despite Gwen being nosey herself. Because Gwen really has no idea what to say. Maybe there were other superheroes here who might have some insight on secret identities and if there's a point to them in this place.]

Wow. [She leans in close to inspect the goo as it floats around.] Where does the slime come from? Did you collect it from somewhere back home?
unrival: (071)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-05-11 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, it's almost everywhere in my world. As common as mud.

[She tilts her hands, causing the snake to move more slowly, in a vertical circle in front of Gwen so she can examine it with ease.]
soloacts: (pic#17060919)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-05-12 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
It sounds like something not good to have just lying around everywhere, though, right? With the 'abomination' title and all. [Her eyes glitter with fascination, and the analytical side of her working overtime to figure out what exactly it is. Yet, if it's magic related, trying to find a more scientific explanation might be tricky.]
unrival: (058)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-05-13 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
What? Of course it's good! There's nothing wrong with abomination magic.

[Amity can't help looking (and sounding) both defensive and a little offended. That's her specialty! Her whole life has been abomination magic! It's a wonderful thing.

(Nevermind that since it's the Boiling Isles, it's just one more thing named horribly when it's actually great or fun.)]
soloacts: (pic#17060888)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-05-14 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Gwen holds up her hands at Amity's defensive answer.] I didn't mean anything by it? I mean, what do I know? Still...it should really consider a rebranding effort or something because the name kind of leads the unaware in a certain direction, yanno?

[Because surely Gwen isn't the only one who'd have thought the same?
unrival: (010)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-05-15 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
[Amity makes a soft huffing noise, mostly mollified, though not agreeing.]

There's nothing wrong with the name. Everyone knows Abomination magic is among the most powerful and respectable.
soloacts: (pic#17060914)

[personal profile] soloacts 2024-05-21 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, okay. I'll drop it. It's not like I know anything about it. And your magic saved me from getting lit on fire, so it's officially my favorite kind, too! [It's not as though Gwen knows anything about magic to have a firm opinion.

She holds out a hand.]
It was nice meeting you... hopefully next time we run across each other there will be less fire?
unrival: (037)

[personal profile] unrival 2024-05-21 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
[Amity relaxes, beginning to realize that she is perhaps overreacting. No need for that, the average human isn't going to know better. She manages a smile, accepting Gwen's hand with a little more grace, alongside some embarrassment.]

Yes! I hope so, too. And it really was nice to meet you. Sorry for, um. All that.