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

[unrival]

[Back to business. It's strange to see him wearing a mask again, even if it's not the Golden Guard one. They only had a couple of interactions and he was pretty much always unmasked, so it's weirder to see one on him than off.]

A... train? [The heck is that.]

i forgot about this cry

[pyrighteous]

[ And he DOES assume a business stance when he has a mask on instinctively. Even months later, he can't help it: he becomes the Guard again when his face is covered.

At least this time he's a good Guard. He shifts on Flapjack so that she can sit next to him. ]

It's this giant metal monster that eats people and then spits them out once you're at the place you want to be. But it does't go everywhere, and no amount of bribes or persuasion can get it to leave its track.

weep

[unrival]

[The Amity from several months ago would probably be truly boggled by this shift. Imagine trusting Hunter... but things have changed, so her hesitation is only brief before she climbs aboard with him once again.]

Sounds a lot like the public transit in Bonesborough. I think I can get used to that.

[Not that she used public transit as a Blight, gosh.]

Re: weep

[pyrighteous]

[ And not that Hunter used public transit as the Guard, of course. He lifts them off smoothly into the sky as soon as she's settled. ]

Right? Casey says I've got that wrong somehow, but I don't see how!

[unrival]

[It's a little strange to not be the one in control - it's been a long time at this point, aside from their earlier flight - but it is admittedly nice to be airborne on a staff. Feels more like home than anything else here so far.]

Luz had the same reaction. The Human Realm really must be different... I wonder how they get anywhere?

[pyrighteous]

[ Plus they're quickly getting away from the cold and back to - well, maybe still chilly temps by BI standards, but not actively freezing. ]

Honestly? It looks like walking. Looots of walking.

[unrival]

[Yeah, the temperature shift is already helping a fair bit. She'd been really missing those Dad-mittens from earlier in the day. Now she can at least hold on to Hunter's shoulder without feeling the icy bite so much.]

That's... unfortunate. And I can't even fly Luz around yet...

[She really needs to get Ghost back soon!]

[pyrighteous]

You will though! I got Flapjack back in my first month.

[ He pats the lil birb staff as the weather continues to warm. ]

And if not, I can build you a staff myself.

[unrival]

[A month doesn't sound so terrible. She misses Ghost, yes, but she won't be alone as she saves up.]

You can build staffs? Is that one of your projects at the school?

[pyrighteous]

Uh - well - sort of?

[ Oh boy. This isn't quite an open can of worms, but it sure is worm adjacent. ]

I got a copy of my uncle's research notes and used that to build one for my boyfriend.

[unrival]

[His uncle's notes… yeah, the worms are worming.]

Is that safe? Using something from Belos?

[She sure wouldn't trust that with Luz! (Nevermind that Luz has already used that kind of staff and was fine. You never know!)]

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter’s ears go a bit pink at that, and he maybe pushes Flapjack to descend towards his shared apartment a little faster than he needs to. ]

It works fine. My boyfriend hasn’t had any problems with his staff.

[unrival]

[It's hard to see him going red under the mask, but she can hear his tone, which makes her huff- though she does grip his shoulder more tightly as he picks up speed.]

I didn't ask if it worked, I asked if it was safe.

[But if he's had it for a while and it hasn't blown up in his face, it's probably fine. Just… Belos. She can't help worrying.]

[pyrighteous]

[ Another lil twitch as he settles them down onto his balcony. ]

I made staffs all the time back home. They're fine. It's not bad just because it's Belos's design.

[unrival]

Well I didn't know that before. No one except people in the emperor's coven use staffs like that.

[And it's not like he advertised that sort of thing- ever!

She hops off the staff once they land, stepping over to the balcony's rail to actually check out her surroundings now. Whoa... this is one strange place. They didn't exactly have apartment buildings like this in Bonesborough.]

[pyrighteous]

They -

[ He hesitates. The context of him making staves is ... well ... a lot so. He decides to keep his mouth shut and instead opens the balcony door for her. Welcome to a very human apartment kept by two teenaged boys! Hunter is PROUD of having clutter, okay, it's a new thing for him. ]

They're just fine, okay. I wouldn't give my boyfriend something dangerous.

[unrival]

[Meanwhile Amity, despite being in a similar stage of her found-family-and-friendship redemption arc, kept her room as militantly neat as he used to (likely for the same reasons) so the clutter is a little off-putting. Luz is a more normal amount of messy, though, so she pushes it into the corner of her mind. Either Hunter is messy or his human is. Hardly business of hers.]

Alright, fine.

[She'll take his word for it, politely stepping out of her wet shoes at the balcony door so she doesn't track mud through the place. It seems comfortable and cozy, really. Not at all like the accommodations she'd expect from the Golden Guard.]

Your place is... nice. [And she means it. It's surprisingly normal. Like a real normal, not Blight normal.] Is it weird to live here, after the castle?

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter does appreciate that. Once she's less sopping and wet, he gestures for her to follow him into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Flapjack reverts to birb form and happily flutters to her shoulder for pets.

Hunter pauses at the question; he'd been reaching for some hot cocoa mix. ]

It - um - well - yes? But it's a good weird.

[unrival]

[Flapjack makes her smile at once, and of course she obliges in petting him while she pokes around the living room. She's staring at the TV. The heck is that...]

I've never lived without an adult before... it sounds really, uh. Free.

[Imagine, not having to live under the thumb of a controlling parental figure anymore!]

You can do whatever you want?

[pyrighteous]

[ Imagine!! Weird!!!

Anyway, Hunter starts the hot cocoa and also gets out bread for toast and some eggs! He's practically a chef now. ]

Anything you want. Which is - uh - super overwhelming so I made myself rules instead.

[unrival]

[So weird!!

Amity peers around the wall of the kitchen as he fusses, suppressing a giggle. While she is caught off guard by the confession, she's not that surprised by it.]

You made rules? What kind?

[pyrighteous]

[ If you were caught off guard by the Guard needing rules, then you weren't paying attention okay. ]

Well - things like cleaning up! Who cooks on which night. No explosions after 10 PM on a school night. A chore wheel.

[ he loves that chore wheel!! ]

[unrival]

[In fairness to her, this is the longest stretch of time she's spent with him since Eclipse Lake.

Being excited over a chore wheel is also quite funny, and she presses a hand over her mouth. Hunter is... much goofier than the whole Golden Guard visage ever indicated. There's a weird comfort to be found in that. She glances sidelong at Flapjack. No wonder the little guy stuck with him so much- he must've seen this before anyone.]

It sounds like you've really made a home out of this place.

[pyrighteous]

[ Flapjack peeps and imitates Hunter's nerd face. It's very good. ]

Yeah, um. Honestly? I have. It's ... been amazing.

[unrival]

[Amity giggles at Flapjack. It really is reassuring that Hunter has someone around with a good head on his shoulders.]

So... you let yourself find them, finally. The people who don't make you feel worthless.