December-January 2024-2025 Test Drive Meme

[folkie]

December-January 2024-2025 TDM

Introduction

[ TDM Questions ★ Jump to Comments ★ Full 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 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]

Murder on the Folkmore Express . ★

Content Warnings: hysical Entrapment, Fictional Crimes, Forced Engagement

Winter has come to Folkmore in full force, and with it, the desire for most to get to their destinations as fast as possible. The cold is bitter, after all, and nips at bare skin in most of the realm's regions. The public transport system becomes a safe haven for all; a perfect way to take a break in comfortable warmth as both spirits and Star Children alike travel along stretches of land. From the Cat Bus to the trains, to the submarines that lead to Tides, to even the hot air balloons which provide a beautiful sightseeing tour before touching down on Never Fade… There are more than enough public vehicles to board.

And this is exactly where newly arrived Star Children will find themselves: aboard one of the bigger public transportation methods. With a flash of light visible to all, their landing in this new realm is made known to all other passengers.

Something funny is going on, that much becomes clear within several seconds. Perhaps a nearby cat spirit will keel over dramatically in the middle of the train's aisle, pretending to have died. Perhaps a frog spirit will let out a loud croaking wail, proclaiming their precious wedding ring has been stolen just now. Or perhaps a timid little mouse will come up to Star Children, prattling on about how worried they are for their missing spouse. They are all acting, as is evident from their lack of skill in that department. They relish the opportunity to spin their little tales, their characterization often broken by mischievous smiles or hasty snickers into the palm of their paws. Once the stage is set and the story is out into the world, the spirits will look towards the nearest Star Children with clasped hands and hopeful gazes. 'Will you solve the mystery?' they seem to ask. Sometimes they'll even voice the question aloud.

One thing is for certain: Star Children have found themselves in their very own locked room whodunnit setup!

The puzzling scenarios have a wide range of possibilities. Perhaps someone vanished, with the questions being whether they've hidden themselves somewhere in the vehicle and why. Or maybe a mysterious spirit suffers from a sudden bout of amnesia. Who are they, and how did they lose their memories in the first place? Was that person lying on the floor poisoned? If so, how? What makes these mysteries extra difficult to crack is the very magic coursing through Folkmore. That heap of ash under a seat may be evidence, burnt to a crisp with fire magic. The 'dead' body may have been moved from the original crime scene through teleportation. Or the missing ring may have been enchanted to return to its original owner, which leads to the shocking reveal that the one reporting the crime was a thief all along. All cases range in difficulty level.

There is a catch. The transport will not stop until the conundrum is brought to a satisfactory conclusion. The train will pass by stations, the Cat Bus will keep sprinting, submarines will circle Tides indefinitely… And the doors will remain locked, with even teleportation powers null and void. Star Children cannot disembark until the mystery is solved. Better work together to find those clues!

• New Star Children arrive in one of Folkmore's public transport vehicles.
• Spirits will re-enact locked room mysteries for Star Children to solve.
• Cases range from murder mysteries to missing persons, to simple theft.
• The vehicle will not stop until the mystery is resolved!

The Gift Train . ★

Content Warnings: Potential Information Reveal, Item Alteration

A cheerful ding rings out from each Star Child's Relic. It's a modest grab for their attention, a sign that something lies in wait. Checking out the origin, the recipients will find that they've received a message from Jewelia, one of Thirteen's aspects. It reads as follows: "It is a time for giving and a time for sharing. A time for friendship and a time for caring. Seek out this Star Child, and exchange with them a modest gift. Should you succeed and make the trade, then watch it shift."

What follows is not a name, but a list with facts. For example, a certain Star Child's role, which region they currently live in, what color their hair is, who their best friend is… It's all trivial data which, when put together, should point the seeking Star Child towards one particular individual. That's only the first part of the challenge, of course! Should they take the next step, they must give whoever they hunted down a gift. This can range from a batch of homemade cookies to a knitted sweater, to even a neat rock they found! It doesn't matter how big or small the gift is, whether it was bought or made… The present needs to be exchanged for something else.

As soon as the objects pass hands, they will evolve. They become nicer, or bigger, or tastier. The neat rock now shimmers like it's covered in eternal glitter. The knitted sweater now has a knitted hood to pull up over one's head. The cookies may take on a cutesy shape, or become more filling, with even a single bite enough to sate for a whole evening. The plain knife found in Folkmore becomes an engraved sword. This is the true power of sharing, and of paying good will forward.

Once an exchange is complete, each Star Child’s Relic will ding another time. A new list of facts appears, and they can repeat the process again. They have the option to give a new gift to their next match, or they can re-gift the item they were just given. There's no limitations to how much a single gift can upgrade, though objects will never become enchanted. They simply become nicer.

There's one more twist to this assignment: after three successful gift exchanges, the Relic plays an additional, cheerful little chime. A little victory note, almost. When the Star Child returns to their home afterwards, they'll find a small package waiting for them on their pillow (or whatever's close enough to a bed if they don't have one). Inside is a small item from their home world. It may even be a weapon or magical item. Just another reward for rising to the challenge!

• Star Children receive a message on their Relic: a list of facts leading them to another Star Child.
• When they find this Star Child and exchange a small gift with them, the gift will evolve into something nicer.
• If a Star Child succeeds in three successful exchanges, they will find a small item from home waiting for them in their home, atop their pillow.

Comments

[getscooperation]

Natasha carefully doesn’t pay too much attention to that question. Trying to figure out what Yelena wants… her own judgment is too compromised.

So she’ll just answer it. “It’s hard to say. It seems if people make it past six months, they’ll make it another six. But keeping track of who arrives and who leaves, if they don’t post to the network…” she shrugs. She’s not driving herself crazy trying to accumulate that kind of data.

“And someplace where there are more turtles.” But she doubts the mutation was a natural one… it’s still a good way to introduce Yelena to the the concept of mutants, considering there are several here from a world similar to theirs which seems like it takes the whole thing very seriously.

[so_many_pockets]

The approximation is a good enough answer for her. "I see."

"Okay, sure, yes. It would be more likely where there are more turtles. Even more if there is both turtles and nuclear waste. Thank you for fact checking my silly comment." Have another affectionate eye roll. "Do they still look like regular turtles?"

[getscooperation]

"In that they're green and have shells. In that they stand on two feet and range between five and six feet...?" Natasha shrugs. Their universe is vast, and the multiverse is... worse. But people are consistent throughout, or at least in her experience. And she'd bet on that.

But Yelena will have to make up her own mind. Natasha will just... try to provide footholds for her. She hasn't had to deal with some of the stranger corners of their universe - hell, Natasha herself hadn't, until the snap. So.

"They're teenagers and apparently love pizza. They have an adopted older sister, April, who's human. She's been here a while. Longer than me."

What she wants to say is, 'you'll like her', but she knows better than to try to offer direction. She'll just offer a resource, and something grounding, and see what happens.

[so_many_pockets]

What a bizarre mental image. What a bizarre description, all around.

Equally strange, probably, her mind is sticking on the fact that now she has to deal with there being turtle people that are taller than her as well.

"Okay. Turtle teenagers. At some point, I am going to have to start wondering if you are just fucking with me. I'm not there yet, but I think it might be approaching."

[getscooperation]

She gives Yelena a wry smile. "You know my imagination isn't that good."

[so_many_pockets]

Yelena smiles back at her. "True, but who knows, maybe you have gotten much better at it since you've been here."

Or in that five years, but she is not going to say that.

[getscooperation]

Heh.

"It's a lot to take in. And some of it can really only be experienced."

She's given Yelena enough of a debriefing that even if she's taken in the next minute, her sister will have a leg up.

[so_many_pockets]

If she's taken in the next minute, that leg up is not going to matter at all.

"It is really a lot to take in, yes." Although everything else pales in comparison to the fact that Natasha is sitting across from her again, really. It simply is not as important - which does not mean Yelena won't keep her talking. "What's your favorite thing about here?"

[getscooperation]

Being alive is the truth, and also a terrible answer to give her sister. So she won't do it, but that does leave her quiet for a moment, sorting through answers to offer a different truth. Natasha does not often think of things in terms of favorites.

"...I like that the forest in Leshy plays music. I haven't been back there in some time. But there is something fun about that."

[so_many_pockets]

There is something peaceful, even with all the sudden change and the new information, in sitting there and watching her sister think. Maybe more, because of all the sudden change and new information.

"That does sound very nice."

[getscooperation]

"Mmm." She tilts her head to the side slightly. "You'll see when we go see the treehouses."

She's not got anything keeping her from giving Yelena the tour. In fact, it's a priority.

[so_many_pockets]

That also sounds very nice, for dual reasons. She was already interested about the treehouses, anyways, but that adds to it.

"They're in this musical forest? Is it playing music all the time?"

[getscooperation]

"Yes, it's in the same forest." She smiles a little. "Not all the time. But often enough."

[so_many_pockets]

"That's good. Ambience but not keeping everybody up all night." Although she supposed eventually you'd get used to it and be able to sleep through it.

[getscooperation]

She nods. "And there are hot springs, up in Wintermute. The contrast is nice." A beat. "And I think there's something extra in the water. It's a good place to go after a fight."

[so_many_pockets]

"Something extra like something magical?" That's handy to know. A little offputting, too, maybe, but still useful. "How often are you in fights here?"

[getscooperation]

"Possibly. We did follow a magical fox to get here."

Uncertainty is very annoying, but she is supposed to be dead. Her weirdness threshold has been significantly expanded.

"Not often enough to make going to the hot springs a habit. Getting there is very cold."

[so_many_pockets]

Fair point. "Well, that is true. So bizarre." She shakes her head.

"That's good. A bit boring, maybe, but good."

[getscooperation]

"A lot of this place is like that." Boring, but good. She is trying to make the best of it.

She gives Yelena a sidelong look and debates asking her what she's been up to since she got back, but then... she's not really sure that's a conversation to have on a train.

"We should be at the next stop soon."

[so_many_pockets]

"That does not sound too terrible. Certainly there are worse things it could be." Of course, Yelena reserves the right to change her mind about this once she's actually bored.

No, this is not the best place for that. There would be some hedging type answers, at best.

"What kind of food does this place have?"

[getscooperation]

"You can find just about anything you want, depending where you are. The best place for fancy food is in Wintermute, but I like the street stalls in Epiphany."

She glances out.

"The next stop is Willow, though. So we can hit The Prancing Pony -- pub food. Good beer."

[so_many_pockets]

"Just about anything?" Look at that, Yelena's already got two favorite things about this place.

She nods. Silly name, but. "That sounds good."

[getscooperation]

Natasha smiles. "Just about." A beat. "You will need your spoon back to pay for it."

Just. Not letting that go. To no one's surprise.

(What happened???)

[so_many_pockets]

Ugh, of course not.

Yelena groans. "Fine, I will tell you, even though you have not actually asked and you will have way too much fun with it. It was stolen. I was pickpocketed. There were extenuating circumstances, I am not telling you what those were."

[getscooperation]

She was pickpocketed. Now that's impressive, for someone to get close enough to Yelena to pull something like that off.

"Were the extenuating circumstances that you were asleep?"

Because no, now she is not going to leave this alone. Twenty minutes, you were here twenty minutes. How have you met a thief this good?