April-May 2024 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

April-May 2024 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 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 One ★ Prompt 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.

Comments

Goro Akechi | Persona 5 Royal | Undecided (cw: description of death, mention of murder)

[amurderofcrow]

[i. lost and found] beware, beware, be skeptical of their smiles / their smiles of plated gold

[Akechi can distinctly recall the exact moment the bullet tore through his body, the splintering, white light of pain that exploded within him before everything went blessedly black. The hateful mix of satisfaction and fear that surged up in those last few seconds. The unfamiliar burst of warmth he felt in his chest, not from the bullet exploding out of his back, but from the memory of a kept promise. Oh yes, Goro Akechi unmistakably remembers the moment of his death.

And then he remembers what came after dying.

But being dropped into the middle of Wintermute's biting chill is not at all what he expected to find after Maruki's defeat. He was prepared for nothingness, perhaps, maybe a slow fade into a sea of consciousness, where the very idea of who he lived as would die away completely, but he'd never once thought it would be all of this heavy, freezing, endless snow.

Maybe Actualization wouldn't have been the worst ending for him after all.

Either way, there's a skinny teen trapped out in the snow, in a winter jacket that does nothing to hold the heat to his body, a scarf wrapped up around his mouth, arms crossed as he attempts to trudge forward through the thick snow. Please save his ass before he goes full popsicle out here.]

[ii. hot springs] deceit, so natural / but a wolf in sheep's clothing is more than a warning

[The sled ride back through the snow towards civilization? An exercise in outright humiliation. The only thing that saves Akechi's savior from his sharp tongue is the fact his teeth won't stop chattering enough to spit out any snide remarks, which really dampens the effectiveness of his cutting criticism and outright threats.

But it isn't until the very moment the teen slides into the hot spring to warm up his numb limbs - and oh, the cold burn against his skin makes him feel like he's alive again - that he notices he isn't alone.

How ultimately annoying.]

Tell me, was your arrival just as dramatic as mine? [Softly spoken, but nowhere near the affable charm the teen wielded for so long. If nothing else, there's a thread of exhaustion in Akechi's tone instead.] I can't say I've ever traveled by dogsled before. [a beat] Nor would I ever want to again.

[iii. wildcard] baa, baa, black sheep, have you any soul?

[ooc: go nuts! or hit me up for plotting if you want something specific!]

hot springs

[steepwithdead]

[Sup, Akechi, your hot springs friend is a furry pastel cow man. So, you know. Deal with that, I guess.]

Actually, my arrival was quite pleasant. Aside from being locked in a school for a few hours, I found myself a nice cottage with a friend and traded presents with other newcomers. Not sure why this month is so rough.

[amurderofcrow]

[joker is laughing at him somewhere, akechi can feel it

And it's fine. It's fine. Akechi drove around inside of a cat before, somehow a furry pastel cow man is only a level or two beneath that in weirdness.]

I must admit, I never considered the possibility of varying levels of entry, but I wasn't quite prepared for this degree of consciousness either. It's rather surreal, is it not? I always presumed the afterlife would be much... less.

[steepwithdead]

[he should know he deserves it

Caduceus quirks a brow at that admission. Afterlife, huh... obvious implications are obvious, there.]

You think this is the afterlife?

[amurderofcrow]

[Something behind the teen's gaze sharpens immediately.]

Do you mean to imply it is as the Fox suggested? That we were plucked from our varying realities and brought here?

Hot springs

[donutsfordinner]

I'm gonna assume you were also dropped into the snow given you got here by sled, so, no, about the same level of drama.

[Kiriko is working on getting her green dyed hair back up into her little upward ponytail to no avail. Her shrine maiden uniform isn't strictly traditional due to her time period, but elements are there.

She's tapping snow off her sneakers.]

You going to hop in the water? Seems like its mixed genders here, kind of interesting.

[amurderofcrow]

[It seems that not even in death is he granted even a moment's peace.

But Akechi can play nice for now, it if means the difference between slipping into the blistering warmth of the hot spring and standing out here in the frigid chill. He smiles that detective prince smile of his, charming and plastic, a touch of genuine-sounding concern in his voice]

Ah, only if you don't mind, of course! [He laughs, tugging his coat closer against the cold sting from the breeze.] I would never forgive myself for making you uneasy, but I am almost thoroughly frozen over. I'm afraid if I wait any longer, there won't be anything left!

[donutsfordinner]

[Not even death can free you from niceities little man. Kiriko shrugs a little, casual.]

Eh, it's not like its the early 20th century anymore, I don't care. You got here first, so go in, I'll follow after you've gotten in the water. [Kiriko isn't about to pull the 'ladies first' thing in a situation like this.]

[amurderofcrow]

If you insist.

[No way that he's turning down that offer.

Just give the teen a few moments to politely step away and undress, before he's sliding into the hot spring, unable to stifle the relieved sigh that slips from his lips as he sinks down deep into the water, until only his head remains above the surface.]

Now this feels like home.

hot springs

[tellsmore]

[ The first thing Ren notices as he's brought to the hot springs near that huge school in the snow is that there are an absolutely absurd amount of adults running around. So he perks up and really notices when he sees people his own age. The other weird thing is it's definitely summer the last time he checked; why there's all this snow everywhere in late June confounds him, but he figures this might be a Palace-Metaverse-Persona Thing. (Ren keeps checking for his mask though, and there's nothing, and no one by his side.)

He slides in to the water, his own cold, aching muscles warming quickly from the heat, next to some- Oh wait, isn't that the detective from that TV studio? Ren almost forgot his face in the craziness of Makoto's investigation into Kaneshiro. Or maybe it's just because his fake glasses were fogging up from the spring's steam. Ren lets them slide down his nose a bit before taking them off and folding them up to place on a snowy rock behind him.

He holds up a hand in greeting to... What was his name again...? Akechi! ] Funny meeting you here. [ There's a small pause before Ren puts a slightly depreciating smile on his face and says: ] I thought the dogsled was pretty fun. [ Akechi certainly seemed to like it when Ren expressed strong opinions, after all! Might as well keep going with that on a non-Phantom Thieves-related subject. ]

[amurderofcrow]

[It's as if the whole hot spring freezes in an instant, the way that Akechi feels as if he's just been dumped out wholly into the snow again.

Because he's here too, the attic trash, the goddamn savior of everything, his benevolent rival, Ren Amamiya. The criminal who bested him, who befriended him, who - as revolting as the very thought it - saved him from living the life of a puppet once more, even if saving him meant letting him die all over again.

And what's worse is the annoying swoop of emotion that flickers through Akechi, something disgustingly soft at the sight of Ren that flutters through his belly just for the briefest of moments. Because this is the only genuine connection Akechi ever made during his short life, the only person he's ever known who ever wanted to see behind all of the masks he wore.]

Funny? [oh, he is such a piece of shit] Funny?! What part of this is goddamn funny to you, Amamiya?

[Propriety be damned, because Akechi is splashing his way right over to the other teen and abruptly getting in his personal space, his expression twisted and furious, a far cry from the friendly, charismatic detective prince Ren initially met with.]

Why are you here?! You weren't meant to follow me, you idiot.

[Because Akechi is dead. And if this is some fucked up version of the afterlife, then...]

[tellsmore]

[ Ren's eyelashes flutter as he blinks, backed up against the rocks around the spring, shocked at the- Well, very loud and very raw display of emotion from someone he just now is meeting for... What was it? The second time? ] Sorry. [ It's quiet, more of a whisper than a fully voiced word; flings its way out of his mouth unbidden, before he remembers he has nothing to apologize for. ]

I- I didn't follow you, I- [ What was he supposed to say? He followed a fox who led him here? The only thing that sounded crazier than this was that whole Velvet Room prison thing, and the actual methodology of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

He hears a mysterious voice in his head. I am thou, thou art I... but the poem sounds distorted, wrong, and he can't make out the rest of the words, or tell which Rank he's supposedly at after Akechi's outburst. ] Please, Akechi, you have to listen to me-

[ Ren doesn't know what the hell is going on, but he can tell something is. ]

[amurderofcrow]

[There's a flash of something boiling behind Akechi's eyes at that muted apology. Just the sound of it, quiet and breathless, barely a whisper, it sets his frozen skin ablaze right as his chest goes impossibly tight with the feeling of utter wrongness.

The Ren he knows wouldn't be put off by his furious display - much to Akechi's complete exasperation - nor would he ever apologize so meekly to him either. There's something fundamentally wrong here, not just the setting they've been thrust into, but something deeper that Akechi can't quite pinpoint yet.

Oh, and that knowledge pisses him off.]

If you wish to have me listen, then speak. And don't mince your words with me. I am not looking for your bullshit mercy here either. Speak plainly. Did you and your cohorts somehow fail to defeat Maruki after I disappeared? [The teen's eyes narrow suspiciously at his rival.] I sincerely doubt this is the reality you would choose to accept, so it can not be that you accepted his deal behind my back either. So what is it?

i; lost and found

[psientology]

[ All he wanted was a coffee.

Thoth wasn't Maruki's preferred place to linger, but the solitude had been nice these days. It was a quiet place to read -- a quiet place to bring stacks of books from the various libraries scattered around Folkmore and spend hours searching for something, anything that might change the circumstances governing this world. Perhaps something to change the heart of a certain goddess...

Because this is the problem. A simple cup of coffee turns into a rescue mission. Thirteen could have easily used her power to bring people somewhere safe. Instead, she uses star children. And Maruki, armed with an extra coat and a sled of dogs, isn't going to leave someone to freeze to death unlike their generous benefactor. So, this is how the day's going to go now, he supposes.

After the dogs race along the frozen ground for a time -- winding and weaving the icy landscape, Maruki catches sight of a figure. A visible breath escapes as they draw near. Fingers tighten around the reins and Maruki's heart sinks when the sled comes to a stop before a very familiar face. ]

Akechi-kun? You're here...

[ It might not have been something Akechi himself wanted -- resigned to choosing his own fate as he was, but he was alive again. He had a chance again. At the least, Maruki and Thirteen are in agreement that Akechi had yet to reach his fullest potential.

Realizing how this might look, however, he immediately shakes his head. ]

I promise this was not my doing.

[ A beat. Then, he offers the second coat. ]

Here. This will help with the chill.

sCREAMING

[amurderofcrow]

Y-you.

[The only reason that Akechi doesn't turn around and walk right back into the blizzard of snow spitefully is the fact his body has gotten so numb he can't physically move any further on his own.

But that doesn't stop the absolutely murderous glare that he shoots Maruki as the older man stumbles over himself to explain, a glare that maybe loses some of its hateful fury when Akechi is shivering all over like this, teeth chattering so loudly the teen can hardly hear over them.]

Tch. [But in the end, he'll reach out stiffly to snatch that coat away and tug it on over his thinner jacket, bundling up properly against his weather, and almost instantly the heat begins to work back into his limbs.]

You know, as m-much as I'd like to think you're lying, I s-sincerely doubt this hell would be a part of anyone's preferred reality, so I will take your word on this. For now.

:') hehehe

[psientology]

[ It's a relief when Akechi takes the coat, when he doesn't use their prior conflict to stubbornly sink his heels in and cause himself further harm. The former detective might not have been Maruki's biggest fan, but seeing him this way -- seeing him fighting against the involuntary shivers, probably a hair's breadth away from hypothermia -- it fans the flames of Maruki's anger toward Thirteen. He's careful to try and keep the emotion off his face, only allowing a momentary clench of his jaw and a glance thrown at the sky. ]

You are perfectly within your right to think what you will of me, but never once have I lied to you.

[ His gaze drops back to Akechi again, offering sincerity. And he knows -- he knows it's not something Akechi will likely ever welcome. Sincerity. But Maruki offers it anyway, hoping maybe some day Akechi could accept it. ]

Come on. I can bring us somewhere warm. I've been in this world for about ten months so I know the surroundings fairly well. There are some hot springs or there's a school not far from here with an extensive library or there are a couple cozy coffee shops. You have a preference?

Lost and Found

[afoolshope]

[He supposed it would be his turn to rescue a lost wanderer in the snow. Minato hadn't really expected to be herded onto the sleigh by the dogs that seemed to never want to let him leave their sight. Was this because he left once already? He didn't know but shrugged it off as he sat on the sleigh and waited until the dogs found the lost person.

Wow, what kind of outfit was that?

Minato didn't dare comment though and, instead, held out the extra coat on the sled.]

Get in.

[amurderofcrow]

[It's called fashion, sweaty, look it up.

Akechi gives one round of icy glares to the dogs, to Minato, and then to the sled, but if anything, he looks utterly pathetic shivering there in the snow, limbs already going numb with his skinny arms wrapped around himself.]

Fine.

[Probably would have sounded more fearsome without chattering teeth.

So with some effort, he moves forward to join Minato in the sled, but as he passes the other teen, something familiar pulses within Akechi, something he has only ever felt with one other person.]

[afoolshope]

[Sure, Jan. At least now Akechi had a better jacket now.

Minato sat back down as well and the dogs were off. He felt that pulse as well, but Minato wasn't about to comment on it just yet with someone who looked to be two seconds away from an angry tirade over his situation.

Not entirely unwarranted, Minato would admit, at least.]

They're taking us back to Wintermute. [He reached into an insulated box in the sled and pulled out a sandwich. He held to Akechi.] Take it before it gets cold.

[Might be too late but food was food.]

hot springs

[tonchiki]

[This fucking sucks.

Hot springs are supposed to be calming, aren’t they? Soothing, a balm to a weary soul, especially during the blistering winter. Granted, Tokyo winters aren’t anywhere near as bad as this, but Ryuji still cherished going to the bath house with his friends and getting some relief for his aching leg once the weather started turning. He’d hoped this could be that. Until he showed up.

It’s weird, seeing him again. Gives him weird pangs in his chest. Of all the people he thought he’d feel heartache over, Goro fucking Akechi was nowhere near the top of the list. Not even the middle. A distant 78th, maybe. But there he sits, submerged in the steaming water, as smug and haughty as he’d been on that last day, and all the weird Maruki days that followed. It’s like nothing ever happened. How can he sit there complaining about dogsleds like he didn’t die right in front of them?]

I dunno. Dogs are cool, man. [It’s muttered, like he’s holding himself back. Whatever cognition weirdness is going on to make Akechi appear in front of him is making Ryuji wary. While the guy major league sucks, and he’s kind of a dick even in death, he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t good to see him again.] I’ll take this over the fuckin’ snow banks any day of the week.

[amurderofcrow]

[Oh goodie. One of the last people Akechi would ever want to run into in this place.]

I find cats to be infinitely less annoying. [a long, drawled out pause] With the exception of one.

[Does he really have a preference? Probably not. But like Akechi isn't going to be contrary as hell.]

Sakamoto. Don't tell me you've only just arrived to this place as well.

[tonchiki]

Well, except— yeah. You got it. [At least on that front, Ryuji and Akechi can agree. All Cats Are Awesome, Except One.

Ryuji rolls his shoulders, cricking his neck back and forth, trying to get comfortable—a tall order while sharing a hot spring with The Detective Prince. Dying sure made him surly. Gone is the pleasant facade of a well-meaning narc trying to ingratiate himself with a band of young criminals in the name of justice. The Akechi he’d seen towards the end must really be his true self, the cold bitterness he carried in his heart until the very end. If not even a hot spring can melt that unpleasant attitude, Ryuji doesn’t stand a chance, huh?]

Yup. Dropped ass-first in the snow couple'a hours ago. No idea how. I figured it had to be some kinda weird Metaverse thing or whatever, but I haven’t seen any of the others yet.

[He looks up at Akechi, considering.] And you?

Wildcard - let me know if this is okay!

[psychicdreams]

[After warming up at the hot springs, Mai finds herself wandering around hopeful for a familiar face. Instead she finds a piece of paper pinned to the corkboard. Her eyes become a curious pastel sunny yellow, her wings like spiritual energy around her and a halo of light around her head, if she didn't look like a normal high school girl, she might look like an angel.

Looking at the boy near her, he looks about the same age as her, so she leans towards him to whisper:]

This has bad news written all over it, doesn't it?

omg ALWAYS

[amurderofcrow]

[Finally, someone with sense!

Akechi had just been looking over the advertisement - someone named Thoth in desperate need of volunteers for a few "completely safe" experiments.

The girl speaks before he does, mostly because he wasn't going to address her at all, but his red eyes slide over to where she's glowing.]

I don't think I've ever seen the word 'safe' so passively aggressively thrown around this many times before.

<3

[psychicdreams]

Exactly! It's like it's trying to lure people in!

[She might be kind of naive and gullible at times, but she's always trusted her gut and this just has bad news written all over it.]

I mean, I wont lie and say I'm not curious.. but I'm also not convinced that this isn't some kind of afterlife. You know?