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April-May 2024 Test Drive Meme
April-May 2024 TDM
Introduction
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.
🦊 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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Difficult is a strong word, but perhaps it is fitting here. Either way, it is something to be aware of in this place, Mai-san. If you should happen to encounter any familiar faces from home. Another unnecessary gift from our captor.
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[Captor? Did he see the fox as a captor? She supposes that it might feel that way, but she willingly followed the fox, didn't she? So was she really a captive?]
Did you not follow her willingly?
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Akechi did follow the fox willingly, but he'd assumed this was some out-of-body sensation while he was dying. He hadn't exactly understood the implication that he would then be transported into an entirely different world, somehow alive again. To experience, as Maruko had put it, torture upon torture for the fox's grand entertainment.]
I suppose I did, but we were hardly given the full truth on our situations. I think we should be allowed to withdraw our acceptance considering the circumstances.
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Then there's the experimentation thing that they looked at...
Maybe this place wasn't so great.]
I guess not, I hadn't really thought about it like that. Being forced to talk about things was also not very fun... Will she not let us go home if we want to? Are we really stuck here?
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Akechi pauses in their movements forward just before they arrive to a more populated area, tipping his head to the side to peer down at the girl at his side.]
Mai-san, may I speak plainly?
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Has he not been plain with her already? Maybe he wants to finally call her the idiot she is for not getting that they are stuck here and so on.]
Please do.
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There is another man here that I know from Tokyo, Takuto Maruki. Hear me when I say that he is not to be trusted in most capacities. His twisted sense of benevolence is nothing more than a selfish attempt to play god. However, as he has been here in this land for nearly a year, it would have been foolish of me to ignore everything he shared with me.
[A group of star children flitter by, deep in giggling conversation, but Akechi side-eyes them before guiding Mai further off of the path to keep their conversation private.]
He spoke of trials the fox puts everyone here through. And how some were near torturous, both on the body and mind, all of it for her own sick entertainment. How much of that is true - [he huffs] It is impossible to say without a verified source. But if what Maruki said was the truth, I can not think she has any intention of us ever leaving.
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She can't help the shiver at idea of someone playing god, having faced such things before, it makes her immediately take note of Maruki's name. Her friend is warning her against this man, but also he's sharing what this other man said. Her hand goes up in horror to cover her mouth, eyes now a scared yellow green.]
That's horrible... I had no idea that the fox was like that, would put us through such awful things - to keep us trapped here to torture us for her own entertainment? That's just horrible that people have been going through that for so long already. [She shakes her head as she tries to not to cry at the idea of other people going through that, that they might as well. They really were captives.
Yet, she was grateful to know all that.]
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[It's to his benefit that she doesn't cry because emotions are awkward and Akechi doesn't want to fake comfort, but he also believes in those words completely. What good will it do to break down and wail over her sorry fate? It will only cause an unnecessarily messy scene and potentially label her as someone weak for the fox to focus her attention on.]
We can refuse to be unwilling participates in this game of hers. Instead, we can put our energy into finding a way out of this.
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Rubbing at her eyes to dispel the tears, her expression is resolute now.]
Definitely, let's figure something out then. I don't want to play her games, I don't want anyone to suffer anymore. If we can find a way home for everyone, I want to.
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It's small, not quite the charming smile of the detective prince, but Akechi's mouth quirks at the edge in a slight smile.]
Then our first place to gather clues is here. [He gestures towards the building where star children are swarming around, some singing, some dancing, all engaged in some kind of strange experiment.] Shall we split up to cover more ground?
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Yes, Captain! [She salutes him in a playful manner.] Should we meet up here later?
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How about we meet back up here in exactly one hour and share our findings?
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[Letting go of his arm, she takes a step away and salutes him again.]
I'll report back in an hour.
[With that, she waves before going off to investigate on her own.]
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She would get along well with Sumire, he thinks before slipping off into the crowd.]
Hour and some change later
But not too late. After a little bit, she comes running up to him, she was out of breath and looking a little frazzled.]
Sorry for making you wait! I got distracted when one of the experiments exploded. Luckily no one got hurt.
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That doesn't sound at all dissimilar to what I saw in there as well. Here. We so rarely get anywhere close to these temperatures back in Japan, already I can barely feel my fingers.
[And once she is settled, he crosses one leg over the other and regards her.] Now, what did you find?
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[She takes the cup and holds it in her hands, taking a sip. It was calming, it reminded her of the time Naru brought her tea after one of her visions.]
Well, one place there was a huge maze, it reminded me of a rat maze with something at the end. I didn't go into it, but there were a few people lost in it from the sounds of it.
[She was tempted to go into it, but she didn't want to get lost and be even more late than she was.]
I saw one person get excited because their own idea came to life and they got to mess with it. That's the one that exploded.
no subject
[oof, sorry, Mai.]
Well, that falls well in line with what I discovered. Might I go down my list with you?
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Yeah, ahahahaha totally foolish. Just like the boy I saw who pressed the home button and expected it to work. [She rubs the back of her head a little, because she would have pressed it too.]
Yes please!
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Instead, he reaches into the inner pocket of his winter jacket and pulls out a small, ringed notepad, flipping a few pages in. This close together, it's easy to see Akechi's tiny, precise handwriting, the way he's circled important info and crossed out irrelevant findings.
He taps a pen he's dragged out against the paper.]
The being named Thoth is simply another handle for the fox, who normally goes by Thirteen. Her other pseudonyms include: Kuma Lisa, Agrona, Amrita, Jewelia, and Lavender. I heard whispers that she also goes by Baba Yaga, similar to the folk tale, but I don't feel I have conclusive evidence on that enough to count it.
[another tap, denoting a new line]
Folkmore is split into seven different regions, each with a specific weather pattern of it's own. The one we are currently in, Wintermute, is the least commonly traveled to location, from what I understand, outside of those who travel to attend it's school, which specializes in technical education.
[tap]
This fair going on today is the work of Thirteen herself, disguised as Thoth. Every experiment featured is the supposed creation of someone she here. That is partially the reason for the excitement surrounding it, though I've heard from multiple people that they had no intention of ever volunteering as experiments today, but were suddenly whisked away without a choice to participate anyway.
[Akechi flips to the next page]
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But something he says doesn't sit right with her.]
I don't think that it's a disguise so much as an aspect of herself. I got the feeling that Thoth is her own person while also being Thirteen. Like the fox has split herself spiritually into multiple people. The fact that she practically looks the same in both form and can exist simultaneously feels like proof.
[Something in her heart tells her that Thoth is both the same and individual.]
And I also heard a lot of people say they weren't here because they volunteered but because they were pulled in. Which honestly doesn't sit right with me. Why pretend people have a choice when they don't?
no subject
That's quite astute of you, Mai-san. I admit, I hadn't considered the possibility of the fox splitting herself like that, but if she was able to draw us all here from different worlds and timelines, why shouldn't she be able to have a physical embodiment of every aspect of herself? I wonder what that means for each different iteration, do they all have their own personality, flushed down to varying morals and wants? It would be interesting to see which ones intersect and which might contradict one another.
[a little more scribbling down before Akechi smiles up softly at his companion.]
I'm impressed.
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Ha, take that Naru! She's useful and not so dumb as you say!]
I get the feeling they are as different as the schools maybe? Like you said this is the technical college yeah? Maybe this is the aspect of her that is logical and technical? While an artistic school would be her passionate and creative side. But that's a good question, I wonder how individualistic they are or not, are there some that disagree with what Thirteen does or are they all on the same page? It would be interesting to learn.
[It could be the gap in the armour they need...]
no subject
Working together isn't the worst idea he's ever had.]
It is fascinating. Especially going back to your previous point, regarding true agency. Clearly, Thoth has no remorse forcing others to do her will under the guise of choice - unless you pick the wrong choice, naturally, and then she forces you into it anyway. But there's another thing I noticed about this particular choice and those refusing to participate in the experiments. [There's maybe just a little sparkle in his eye, ok, he's having his professor layton moment.] Have you realized it yet?
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cw: murder I GUESS
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Wrap up!
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